World Building Dark Fantasy World-Building

[Vudukudu]

Each location is a point in the sky. 


There would likely be observatories established at places around the world, though not a great number of them. Each point would have been chosen for its ability to observe locations most consistently throughout the course of the planet's orbit, so you'd want places that, throughout their rotation, get the best, most consistent view of say, 1, 3, 4, and 5. 


This island could be one of the places an observatory was built (the best observatory, even?) as a way to justify the island's settlement. 


ALTERNATIVELY:


You could have each of the six locations be somewhere ON the planet. When a constellation is ABOVE that location, that particular location gets its effects. This would mean the rotation is faster (perhaps monthly or every few months) but it would keep things mixed up all around the world. 

 

[Shireling]

Each location is a point in the sky. 


There would likely be observatories established at places around the world, though not a great number of them. Each point would have been chosen for its ability to observe locations most consistently throughout the course of the planet's orbit, so you'd want places that, throughout their rotation, get the best, most consistent view of say, 1, 3, 4, and 5. 


This island could be one of the places an observatory was built (the best observatory, even?) as a way to justify the island's settlement. 


ALTERNATIVELY:


You could have each of the six locations be somewhere ON the planet. When a constellation is ABOVE that location, that particular location gets its effects. This would mean the rotation is faster (perhaps monthly or every few months) but it would keep things mixed up all around the world. 

The first idea is better, in my opinion. So now we have to decide what each point/constellation does. 

 

[Vudukudu]

The first idea is better, in my opinion. So now we have to decide what each point/constellation does. 

I can work on that, if you'd like. Any guidelines on what the number of traits, what sort of thing they should be, etc.?

 

[Shireling]

I can work on that, if you'd like. Any guidelines on what the number of traits, what sort of thing they should be, etc.?

I can't say I really have a good idea at the moment. 


Also, here is that proof of concept short story. 

Spoiler

The village below seemed to sprawl out between the banks of the two rivers, its covered bridges spanning the streams on either side to join with the thin gravel bands of the highway. The carriage, under the power of a prodigious wagon-beast, plunged up the steep mountain road to the plateau overlooking the town at a steady but uncomfortably slow speed. Along the left hand side of the road, the snarls of fantastic and unknown beasts could be heard in brief spurts in the occasional pauses between the howling of the wind. Ahead, the top of the mountain loomed on ominously, with clouds licking at the peak.


Eduard drew his watch from his waistcoat with his left hand while his right clutched the reigns. It was a quarter until four, but darkness came early in these parts and he would not make it to the traveler's rest until at least eleven. This meant several hours of plunging through the darkness, and no moonlight to aid if the current cloudiness was any indicator of the nightly weather pattern. Eduard had heard of travelers getting lost on the road, but the last time that had happened had been some fifty years ago. 


The real challenge of the road was the never-ending, aching, biting fear. The wagon-beast was a creature immune to suspense, but a human being is something else entirely. Drawn on in that perpetual darkness, the sounds of rustling in the brush and snarling of the creatures of the night would certainly induce fright, if not fuel nightmares and an early grave. But Eduard saw himself as a young man of fit constitution, and the sword strapped to his hip should have made him that much more secure. Why then, oh why, this gnawing feeling of dread? It surrounded him, even in the broadest daylight. The wagon plodded forward, but he remained still and incapsulated in his fear. It was implaccable. But it must be done. He had been chosen to serve as the Bearer of the Ring in his brother's wedding---a solemn duty for a lad of sixteen. If his foster parents had cared for Eduard's well-being, they might have advised he take the ferry and portage at Low, but who can ask a man to care about another's child when his own are dead? Besides, fifteen silver pieces for a ferry ride? Outrageous!


Nightfall came on like an unwanted, unloved urchin begging for its bread. As the last silvery slivers of dusk faded into the cosmic oblivion, Eduard lit the lead lamp and torches of his buggy and settled back down into his cloak and shawl. The temperature had plunged a great deal as the cold of the night compounded with the cold of the mountain and produced that raw, numbing, wind-driven cold that finds any avenue to the flesh and pierces it like daggers. 


The light of the lamps scared away even the most intrepid of the alpine woodland predators, but their bloodlustful howling and frothing had grown to a heart-stopping fever pitch. One would be forgiven for fainting at the cacophony of anguished lament for the kill shielded by the misunderstood weapon of fire. This veritable noise continued until the road finally dipped off to the left and into a wide ravine and then through to a cliffside that was devoid of any trees or other hiding places for the creatures that stalked the mount. Cold rain, the temperature being just above the freezing point, began to pound on the roof of the buggy. The lamps, shielded in their glass cases, prevailed against the storm but their light was diminished. Eduard's clothes began to feel the dampness of the misty mountain rain, and his eyes beheld less and less of the road. At the same time, drowsiness was overtaking him even as fear saddled his consciousness with a dread of the night. All at once, the storm had given way to a gale and even the wagon-beast bleated in fright as the gravel of the alpine route began to slip under its collassal cloven hooves. The road was giving way off the mountain, before Eduard's eyes, and he could only behold it as the cart and beast began to tumble, with a horendous  noise and crash. Sleep, or perhaps the hard impact of paving rocks against the buggy, saw his consciousness slip.


He was awoken by a voice.


"I wonder how many storms that road has endured before deciding to give way." Said the voice; it was a dignified sort of voice with the regal timbre of a nobleman. A spectacular voice, such that Eduard thought he might have died and gone There. 


His eyes fluttered open, and he beheld nothing but the cold starlight. Then he fancied himself rising up and down, and laying upon something soft. The rain had stopped, and he was marginally dry and swaddled in some sort of blanket. He gained the strength to raise his head, and when he did he beheld the barely-perceptible form of a human face. The hands belonging to the face were holding onto two long poles that ran parallel to his body, leaving him to conclude he was being carried on a stretcher. 


"He's awake, Master." Said the man who Eduard had seen, in a rude, provincial voice. 


"Quite right." Replied the original voice, from in front of him. "My dear boy, it is quite good luck we were on a hunt when you had your accident."


Eduard stammered, "Thank you, ah. For saving me. If you had not found me, the beasties would have surely made a meal of me."


"I highly doubt that, my boy." Said the man, an odd humor in his voice. "Forgive me for not formally introducing myself, I am Master Adelaide."


"Charmed. I am Eduard." Eduard replied. "Excuse me for prying, but do you live out here?"


"Oh yes, Adelaide Manor is just over the rise. A very old house indeed, built at the height of the Fifth Age, so they say. That would make it a good--"


"Eight hundred years old," Eduard interjected. He had always had a keen interest in history, although not much history had actually been written down ever it seemed, relying mostly on folklore and superstition. 


"Yes, that's correct." Said Master Adelaide. "You know your history."


Eduard nodded, feeling quite boyish.


Much of the rest of the walk was passed in silence, although Eduard noticed that the sky had given way to tree canopy, and then finally the plaster and ceiling plank of a nicer house. He was set upon the ground in the foyer as the Master and his servant went, presumably to prepare a bed. Eduard, with some difficulty, tested his strength before finally standing. He was still in his underclothes, trousers, waistcoat, and boots. Curiously, his sword had not been taken from him, but the religious insignia on the hilt twinkled weakly in the dim lighting of the manor. Strange.


When the men had not returned for a few minutes, he began to explore Adelaide Manor. The foyer gave way into a wide and tall staircase room, but he ultimately chose to stay on the ground floor and hook a right. The hallway that he emerged into was fantastically long and the doors on either side led to bedrooms, surely defunct washrooms, small offices and studies, a library.


"Young man!" A voice called from the other room. 


Eduard rushed to return in the foyer, where he found a third person, a severe-looking maiden.


"That wing is closed to visitors, young master." The young woman replied, her face twinging in bad humor and her mottled grey skin... Yes! It really was grey! 


Eduard instinctively recoiled, but then remembered that some odd inflictions can be caught in the woods from wild animals or the like. 


"Yes, miss. My solemn apologies for abusing your hospitality."


"Well, just count yourself grateful you hadn't seen it."


"Seen what?"


"The Master is quite secretive about his family house, respect his wishes and do not pry."


Eduard swallowed, then nodded. The maiden conducted him to a room on the second floor, partially furnished but lacking much other than a bed and a small bookshelf. Strangely, he thought he heard the sound of a deadbolt behind him. But surely he was just hallucinating. In the dim light of the room, provided by a hanging wall candle, he surveyed the book case. Some of the books he recognized: the Scripture, the Commandments, the Atonements and other religious texts, a collection of poems and short stories, so on and so forth. The second half of the tomes, however, were written in a language that Eduard had never seen before, and opening the books brought a shiver to his spine and made the insignia on his sword glow a bit stronger. It was fairly common for nobles to keep books of witchcraft, as conversation pieces, and so Eduard chocked this latest unusual occurance up to bane normality and climbed into bed. Despite the moldy odor of the planks after the storm, sleep took him with good haste. 


He awoke to find that it certainly wasn't morning, as the panes on the window had not glimpsed a ray of sunshine. What awoke him, he quickly ascertained, was the slow rhythmic tapping below his feet, as if a water pipe were on the verge of bursting.


He put his boots and waistcoat back on and fastened his sword securely to his hip before trying the door. Curiously, it was locked. Eduard tried the usual tricks he knew for old doors, but to no avail. It was locked from the outside.


As he sat thinking of how to escape his newfound prison cell, the tapping only grew louder and more pronounced, dredging up from the floor in an ever-increasing demoniac tempo. Between his physical prison and the mental confines of the infernal drumbeat, Eduard felt sorely trapped in his own body. As he sat, the beat grew stronger, and stronger. Madness inducing psychotic music of the Underworld! He drew his sword, now emblazoned with white light, and sliced at the centuries-old wood, which crumbled beneath the might of the new-formed blade, and the deadbolt gave way. The door swung slowly open, but the devil's song grew only louder in that space far below the floorboards.


Not meeting any of the staff, Eduard made his way back to the forbidden wing and began his search for the indescribable thing which must surely be the source of the noise. If he were to leave the house, he might immediately be rent assunder by the beasts of the night. But in this house, his sword afforded him at least marginal control over life and death. 


The only door he had not opened, the farthest on the left. The old oak door gave way with a nerve-shattering creak and revealed a long flight of rickety wooden stairs. The beat was even louder now, and he could hear voices chanting in some infernal tongue, quite a few voices. He took a candle off the wall next to him and descended.


The candle and the music steeled his resolve and guided him towards the source of the black magick that pierced the very air and enveloped about his heart, encrusting on it like soot, corrupting his soul. This, then, must be why travelers are truly afraid of the road. Not the monsters, for monsters heel to the commands of their betters. Betters such as Master Adelaide.


The tunnel opened into a balustrade carved of rock, overlooking a massive subturanean ampitheater. A crowd of some thirty persons was gathered below, with another high upon the stage. Judging from the richness of his coat, it could only be one: Master Adelaide. In his hand, a drum such as those used by savages in novels when they prepare their captives for sacrifice. 


His skin, such as that of the maiden and the whole crowd, was unnaturally grey, even in the dimness of the underground cavern. Standing only thirty feet or so above the procession, he could see plainly the whites of his skeletal fingers as they gripped the drum mallet, propelled on by some demoniac fury without blood or tendon. The skin, a mere shell, was beginning to go black and flake away from his face and hands, exposing not but skeletal refuse. In the crowd, such decomposition was already at an advanced state as they cheered on their loathsome master in their demon tongue. In an instant, the drumbeat stopped and the room grew painfully, unbearably silent. Then, without throat chords mind you, Master Adelaide spoke:


"Half a century since our last congress
Half a century of stolen youth 
Give us back what ye have granted us
Let us partake of the Universe's precious loot


Fifty years in rotting shells
Watching our beauty fade day by day
With this offering, stay the fires of hell
Until some far off never-day


Two skeletal bouncers had by then gained the stage, dragging with them a man of untold age with a gigantic beard and an immaciated face. 


"Give us power over death
Take this man, our offering
So you may terrorize the rest
And usher in our newfound spring


Take what is yours
Give what is mine
Honor our pact
Whilst the stars are alined


Tolle quod tuum est
Quid dabis mihi
Hoc est pactum,
Stellae signa instructis es


Mira ver dommos 
Ekselvos dommos mir
TOVAKIN! TOVAKIN!"


As the last line of the infernal poem was uttered a wind picked up... a wind. Underground? The queer pandemonious wind shrieked through the Cyclopean underground as if a hot gale from the Underworld itself. The forms of spirits, malevolent, wrapped in black spectral shawls with eyes of glowing orange that pull at the souls of mortal Man, they came sprinting from the walls, flying from the aether. They wrapped themselves in congress with the damned master and his servants, possessing them, waiting for the time. They would imbue the servants with the life energy of the sacrifice, and in turn steal pieces of their soul, inch by inch, century by century. It was an old tale known widely in the village, the Lifestealers and the Soultakers.


It had to be stopped, the ritual had to be stayed. Eduard drew his sword, uttered a prayer, and hurled it. It woefully missed its intended target, the demon-speaker Master Adelaide, and instead laid heavy into the form of the man on the altar, silencing the life of the sacrifice. 


The roar of anger and anguished cries pierced his ears with enough force to make them bleed. Eduard found himself stumbling back. The screech of malevolent spirits, honing in on him, seeking him, finding him. No rest could he take from them, and his only defense---the enchanted sword, he had thrown away. The boy ran, but to where? It wasn't long before, groping in the darkness, he felt the cold chill of a spirit entering his body. He fought. He fought tooth and nail to banish the demon, but it was much stronger---fat off the centuries of feasting on the hollow souls of the misers of Adelaide Manor. He was compelled, against every fiber of his being, to march back down those demon-cursed stairs. The door at the top of the cellar, closed shut with a thunderous crash. 

 

[Vudukudu]

1. I'm about eight times more hyped having read that. 


2. Would you prefer the Constellations have "peasant names" or sort of mythological ones? The Eye vs Valinex, for example. 

 

[Shireling]

1. I'm about eight times more hyped having read that. 


2. Would you prefer the Constellations have "peasant names" or sort of mythological ones? The Eye vs Valinex, for example. 

Peasant names. Its a very rustic society. 

 

[Vudukudu]

The Witch's Eye: This Constellation is primarily composed of a dozen brightly burning stars clustered in its center which burn like a bright iris. Spindles of other stars make up the blood vessels, and a loose circle on the rim provides shape. However, far more disconcerting than its resemblance to an eye is its odd "blinking" phenomena. Occasionally, the stars inside that compose the iris and veins simply vanish, leaving an empty hole in the sky. Superstition holds that, during these blinking moments, young girls are stolen away and raised in the forest, among the witch cults. 


The Eye is associated with unexplained disappearances, a rise in witch activity, crop failure, and bad luck. However, it is also said to bring safer childbirth and marginally less danger from creatures in the woods. 


Right vibe, generally? 

 

[augmentedspartan]

This sounds pretty interesting so far. I'll be willing to help as soon as I get back my internet connetion (I'm not really good at conveying ideas while writing on my phone).

 

[Shireling]

The Witch's Eye: This Constellation is primarily composed of a dozen brightly burning stars clustered in its center which burn like a bright iris. Spindles of other stars make up the blood vessels, and a loose circle on the rim provides shape. However, far more disconcerting than its resemblance to an eye is its odd "blinking" phenomena. Occasionally, the stars inside that compose the iris and veins simply vanish, leaving an empty hole in the sky. Superstition holds that, during these blinking moments, young girls are stolen away and raised in the forest, among the witch cults. 


The Eye is associated with unexplained disappearances, a rise in witch activity, crop failure, and bad luck. However, it is also said to bring safer childbirth and marginally less danger from creatures in the woods. 


Right vibe, generally? 

Yes. Correct vibe. 

 

[Vudukudu]

I'll work on the full list then, and maybe toy around with some monster concepts while I'm at it. 

 

[Shireling]

I'll work on the full list then, and maybe toy around with some monster concepts while I'm at it. 

Right. I believe my next project will be working on the setting's analogue to a dog. 

 

[_Line 213]

Idle brainstorming, in the form of a few potential biomes / locations and brief information.


The Sallow: Comprising much of the central area of the island is an unforgiving collection of marshlands and fields known as the Sallow, so named for both its inability to sustain profitable farmland (though that does not stop the adventurous or the desperate from trying), and its drooping, sickly willow trees. For the average person, passage through the Sallow is akin to a death sentence, without proper preparation and personnel, prompting most travelers to take much longer routes around the edges of the island, where they have a chance at finding refuge at one of many port towns, even if the coastal storms of the outer areas of the island are not to be desired. That isn't to say that there are no safe routes through the Sallow, however; there are a few, dotted by towns and attempted homesteads, though the barren nature of the area often results in the emptying of towns that are supposedly populated.


Redfield: Redfield is something of a misnomer, considering that the area is in fact a forest. In another age, it was likely lush and alive, filled with all sorts of beautiful, docile beasts, and supple singercalls. Now, its perpetual state of death results in a different kind of beauty, that of a long, darkened autumn. Reds, oranges, and browns are the primary colors, with barely a spot of anything remotely resembling the green spectrum to be found. Even so, Redfield remains one of the "safer" portions of the island, safe in the sense that the most prominent threats tend to be beast attacks, as opposed to horrid storms, or far more frightening monsters. Perhaps surprisingly, a stable-enough economy has sprung up in Redfield, thanks to the area's richness in regards to lumber and edible mushrooms and ground vegetables, but due to the fact that very little trees grow to replace what has been cut, the residents often worry about the potential of running out of forest.


Middleford: Known somewhat sarcastically as the "emerald city," due to their green-tinted windows and rusted copper archways and frames, Middleford was intended to be a city for the rich, having found great profit as a central city of trade thanks to a few waterways extending just inside the edge of the Sallow. Though it is still frequented by travelers, seeing as it is one of the quicker ways through the edges of the southern side of the Sallow, Middleford's standard of living dipped sharply when the city ran out of things worth trading. Though its architecture has lost its sheen, and filth and refuse clogs many of the streets, Middleford remains one of the larger and sturdily walled cities on the island, making it an attractive target for attempts at immigration. Unfortunately, they are known for their unwillingness to let in most, and are fond of shooting those that come too close to the gates without notes of passage.


The Ring: The Ring refers to the network of coastal towns and passages around the outside of the island, the primary avenue for travelers that wish to take it safe. What it lacks in terms of speed, it makes up for in security, with coastal storms being the only true threat (due to the very, very high drop from the cliffs passageways to the sea below), save for highway bandits. Thankfully, many of the towns have formed "travelers alliances" in the forms of voluntary watchmen and mercenaries that ensure the roadways are safe and clear. Taking a boat, though slightly faster, is also far more risky; more ships have been lost to the waves along the coastal cliffs than most dare to count.

 

[Shireling]

Idle brainstorming, in the form of a few potential biomes / locations and brief information.


The Sallow: Comprising much of the central area of the island is an unforgiving collection of marshlands and fields known as the Sallow, so named for both its inability to sustain profitable farmland (though that does not stop the adventurous or the desperate from trying), and its drooping, sickly willow trees. For the average person, passage through the Sallow is akin to a death sentence, without proper preparation and personnel, prompting most travelers to take much longer routes around the edges of the island, where they have a chance at finding refuge at one of many port towns, even if the coastal storms of the outer areas of the island are not to be desired. That isn't to say that there are no safe routes through the Sallow, however; there are a few, dotted by towns and attempted homesteads, though the barren nature of the area often results in the emptying of towns that are supposedly populated.


Redfield: Redfield is something of a misnomer, considering that the area is in fact a forest. In another age, it was likely lush and alive, filled with all sorts of beautiful, docile beasts, and supple singercalls. Now, its perpetual state of death results in a different kind of beauty, that of a perpetual, darkened autumn. Reds, oranges, and browns are the primary colors, with barely a spot of anything remotely resembling the green spectrum to be found. Even so, Redfield remains one of the "safer" portions of the island, safe in the sense that the most prominent threats tend to be beast attacks, as opposed to horrid storms, or far more frightening monsters. Perhaps surprisingly, a stable-enough economy has sprung up in Redfield, thanks to the area's richness in regards to lumber and edible mushrooms and ground vegetables, but due to the fact that very little trees grow to replace what has been cut, the residents often worry about the potential of running out of forest.


Middleford: Known somewhat sarcastically as the "emerald city," due to their green-tinted windows and rusted copper archways and frames, Middleford was intended to be a city for the rich, having found great profit as a central city of trade thanks to a few waterways extending just inside the edge of the Sallow. Though it is still frequented by travelers, seeing as it is one of the quicker ways through the edges of the southern side of the Sallow, Middleford's standard of living dipped sharply when the city ran out of things worth trading. Though its architecture has lost its sheen, and filth and refuse clogs many of the streets, Middleford remains one of the larger and sturdily walled cities on the island, making it an attractive target for attempts at immigration. Unfortunately, they are known for their unwillingness to let in most, and are fond of shooting those that come too close to the gates without notes of passage.


The Ring: The Ring refers to the network of coastal towns and passages around the outside of the island, the primary avenue for travelers that wish to take it safe. What it lacks in terms of speed, it makes up for in security, with coastal storms being the only true threat (due to the very, very high drop from the cliffs passageways to the sea below), save for highway bandits. Thankfully, many of the towns have formed "travelers alliances" in the forms of voluntary watchmen and mercenaries that ensure the roadways are safe and clear. Taking a boat, though slightly faster, is also far more risky; more ships have been lost to the waves along the coastal cliffs than most dare to count.

I like it. Especially the bit about the place in perpetual autumn. 

 

[Vudukudu]

The following are listed not in terms of location, but proximity to one another. The chain, then, is as follows -


Witch's Eye, Valiant, Scythe, Warp, Wheel, Twin Fangs, Witch's Eye


Meaning, if Witch's Eye was in position 5, Valiant would be 6, and Twin Fangs would be 4. The cycle does not change. 


The Positions: Each of the Constellation's positions is most commonly known by their number, for example "The Scythe is in the second." However, to denote which Constellations are the most impactful, the following are used.


Waxing: A Constellation in its Waxing stage (The Waxing Wheel) is moving from 4 to 5. In this stage, its effects begin small, but grow as time passes. 


Ascendant: A constellation in the Ascendant (The Valiant in the Ascendant) is on, or very near to, position 5. In this stage, the Constellation's effects are at their most potent. 


Waning: A Constellation in its waning stage (The Waning Scythe) has passed position 5 and draws closer to 6. In this stage, the Constellation's effects begin strong, but rapidly diminish as time passes. 


Because the nature of the cycle is unchanging, most terminology simply refers to whatever Constellation is in its Ascendant position. After all, this provides all the information about the other positions that one may need. 


The Witch's Eye: This Constellation is primarily composed of a dozen brightly burning stars clustered in its center which burn like a bright iris. Spindles of other stars make up the blood vessels, and a loose circle on the rim provides shape. However, far more disconcerting than its resemblance to an eye is its odd "blinking" phenomena. Occasionally, the stars inside that compose the iris and veins simply vanish, leaving an empty hole in the sky. Superstition holds that, during these blinking moments, young girls are stolen away and raised in the forest, among the witch cults. 


The Eye is associated with unexplained disappearances, a rise in witch activity, crop failure, and bad luck. However, it is also said to bring safer childbirth and more potent potions.


The Valiant: Shaped in the form of a kite shield, the Valiant is the dimmest of all the constellations. It has the fewest stars, and except for the ones composing the actual shield shape, they are generally the dimmest. 


The Valiant is associated with violence between people, wildfires, and storms. It is also said that those born under the Valiant in its Ascendant position will grow up strong and brave, and weapons forged under the Valiant are sharper and more durable. 


The Scythe: The Scythe resembles the farming implement of the same name - a handle, and a curved, almost circular blade. Strings of stars are scattered about it, and are said to be stalks of wheat, though others say they are the strings of life and the Scythe sees no difference. 


The Scythe is associated with the harvest in its most brutal sense - crops will grow large and quickly, animals and infants will grow fat and healthy, but the elderly and sick are also pushed faster toward death. Salted meat also remains fresh longer, but loses nearly all its taste. 


The Warp: The shape of this Constellation is never consistent, even night to night. Its stars seem to spasm and whirl in an insane dance, radiating with color and varying brightness.


The Warp brings uncertainty. Much like its appearance, its effects are wholly unpredictable, although magick becomes somewhat more easy to use during its periods. Sometimes the Warp has no discernible effect. Other times, it incites madness, raises the dead, or even introduces new monstrosities to the world.  


The Wheel: Taking the shape of a wheel with eight spindles, this Constellation visibly, and quite rapidly, rotates clockwise. 


The Wheel is associated with travelers and craftsmen, who believe it speeds along their journey and work. However, children conceived or born under the Wheel are said to have been rushed by it, and suffer all manner of physical malignancies. The Wheel also brings surges in the activity of spirits, which is believed to be because the Wheel's ever-turning nature brings the spirits back to the earth. 


The Twin Fangs: Though named after teeth, the Fangs are more akin to an insect's mandibles, and its stars glow bright orange.  


The Fangs bring trouble to the wilderness. Monsters grow more territorial and predatory, and the land becomes less bountiful, though crops are barely affected. Anyone traveling alone through the wilderness is also likely to emerge insane if the journey lasts too long, and these sort are often given the mercy of a quick death by whoever first encounters them. 


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


If you have no objections to the concepts, I can start working on a "calendar" of sorts which would describe what each Ascendant period is like, based on the combination of Waxing and Waning states. 

 

[Shireling]

The following are listed not in terms of location, but proximity to one another. The chain, then, is as follows -


Witch's Eye, Valiant, Scythe, Warp, Wheel, Twin Fangs, Witch's Eye


Meaning, if Witch's Eye was in position 5, Valiant would be 6, and Twin Fangs would be 4. The cycle does not change. 


The Positions: Each of the Constellation's positions is most commonly known by their number, for example "The Scythe is in the second." However, to denote which Constellations are the most impactful, the following are used.


Waxing: A Constellation in its Waxing stage (The Waxing Wheel) is moving from 4 to 5. In this stage, its effects begin small, but grow as time passes. 


Ascendant: A constellation in the Ascendant (The Valiant in the Ascendant) is on, or very near to, position 5. In this stage, the Constellation's effects are at their most potent. 


Waning: A Constellation in its waning stage (The Waning Scythe) has passed position 5 and draws closer to 6. In this stage, the Constellation's effects begin strong, but rapidly diminish as time passes. 


Because the nature of the cycle is unchanging, most terminology simply refers to whatever Constellation is in its Ascendant position. After all, this provides all the information about the other positions that one may need. 


The Witch's Eye: This Constellation is primarily composed of a dozen brightly burning stars clustered in its center which burn like a bright iris. Spindles of other stars make up the blood vessels, and a loose circle on the rim provides shape. However, far more disconcerting than its resemblance to an eye is its odd "blinking" phenomena. Occasionally, the stars inside that compose the iris and veins simply vanish, leaving an empty hole in the sky. Superstition holds that, during these blinking moments, young girls are stolen away and raised in the forest, among the witch cults. 


The Eye is associated with unexplained disappearances, a rise in witch activity, crop failure, and bad luck. However, it is also said to bring safer childbirth and marginally less danger from creatures in the woods. 


The Valiant: Shaped in the form of a kite shield, the Valiant is the dimmest of all the constellations. It has the fewest stars, and except for the ones composing the actual shield shape, they are generally the dimmest. 


The Valiant is associated with violence between people, wildfires, and monster aggression. It is also said that those born under the Valiant in its Ascendant position will grow up strong and brave, and weapons forged under the Valiant are sharper and more durable. 


The Scythe: The Scythe resembles the farming implement of the same name - a handle, and a curved, almost circular blade. Strings of stars are scattered about it, and are said to be stalks of wheat, though others say they are the strings of life and the Scythe sees no difference. 


The Scythe is associated with the harvest in its most brutal sense - crops will grow large and quickly, animals and infants will grow fat and healthy, but the elderly and sick are also pushed faster toward death. Salted meat also remains fresh longer, but loses nearly all its taste. 


The Warp: The shape of this Constellation is never consistent, even night to night. Its stars seem to spasm and whirl in an insane dance, radiating with color and varying brightness.


The Warp brings uncertainty. Much like its appearance, its effects are wholly unpredictable, although magick becomes somewhat more easy to use during its periods. Sometimes the Warp has no discernible effect. Other times, it incites madness, raises the dead, or even introduces new monstrosities to the world.  


The Wheel: Taking the shape of a wheel with eight spindles, this Constellation visibly, and quite rapidly, rotates clockwise. 


The Wheel is associated with travelers and craftsmen, who believe it speeds along their journey and work. However, children conceived or born under the Wheel are said to have been rushed by it, and suffer all manner of physical malignancies. The Wheel also brings surges in the activity of spirits, which is believed to be because the Wheel's ever-turning nature brings the spirits back to the earth. 


The Twin Fangs: Though named after teeth, the Fangs are more akin to an insect's mandibles, and its stars glow bright orange.  


The Fangs bring trouble to the wilderness. Monsters grow more territorial and predatory, and the land becomes less bountiful, though crops are barely affected. Anyone traveling alone through the wilderness is also likely to emerge insane if the journey lasts too long, and these sort are often given the mercy of a quick death by whoever first encounters them. 


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


If you have no objections to the concepts, I can start working on a "calendar" of sorts which would describe what each Ascendant period is like, based on the combination of Waxing and Waning states. 

I actually love this. Go ahead and work on the calendar. We can debate the minutae, but as for me I am sold. 

 

[Shireling]

Alright, here's the entry for the setting's dog analog. They're sort of an avian/mammalian hybrid.


Seekers, or Featherhound


Seekers, or sometimes referred to as featherhounds by the nobility, are doglike creatures that have much the same functions as domesticated canines and are famed for their ability to find and retrieve all manner of game. They come in three types, feral, tame, and domesticated. 


In appearence, their bodies have much in common with greyhounds. They are sleek, thin animals with one set of powerful hind legs and two sets of stabilizing forelegs that each terminate in a paw consisting of three padded toes and a small talon-like hind claw for gaining traction on soft ground. They are decidedly avian, possessing aerodynamic feathers instead of fur, but lack wings. Their faces are long and thin, terminating in a snout with a small, unpronounced nose and possessing two forward-facing eyes of a human-like quality. Instead of a conventional canine tail, they bear a plummage of feathers. Different featherhounds are bred for different conditions. Whitefeathers are bred for cold climates and snowy locales, Downfeathers are bred for retreival of water fowl, etc. Their plummage is often very colorful, to attract mates, unless their colors have been selectively bred. Featherhounds give birth in a mammalian fashion and carry between six and eight pups to a litter. They are primarily carnivorous, and their favorite foods include ground vermin and serpents. Most are immune to various kinds of venom. 


To describe their behavior, the three types of seekers share some common traits. Even when domesticated, they are pack animals and will strive to form into groups of between five to ten individuals. They are monogamous creatures, and breed with only one other partner for life. When in danger, they emit a bleating cry that sounds akin to a police siren. 


Feral seekers are those that can naturally be found in the wild. They are different from other breeds in that their plumage is usually the brightest, they are usually thinner, and their muscles are less pronounced. This is due to the poor diet that they usually consume in the wilderness. Feral featherhounds are cowardly, and will not approach man or his domesticated beasts, even children. They are even more terrified of fire. 


Featherhounds that have been tamed are essentially ferals that have been classically conditioned by humans. After they unlearn their aversion to people, fire, and domesticated animals, tame featherhounds can be used as guard animals, but are still somewhat wary of people and have been known to bite children. They are poor companions and often leave their masters to rejoin a pack in the wilderness.


Those that have been domesticated are tame featherhounds that have gone through generations of breeding under human care. When domesticated, seekers are intoxicated with people and are highly protective of them. They rarely leave their master's sides and exhibit fairly severe separation anxiety until they are an adult. Featherhound pups "double-inprint" on first their mother, then a human. Thus an old almage goes that you never choose a seeker out of a litter, it chooses you. As far as the beasts of the realm go, seekers are probably the most helpful to humans. 

 

[Vudukudu]

(I have made some edits to the original to deal with redundancies.)


The Ascendant Periods:


Witch's Eye in the Ascendant: 

• Waning Twin Fangs
  
• Waxing Valiant
  

Witch's Eye in the Ascendant is a time of turmoil. The harvest is uncertain, adolescent girls vanish, and misfortune strikes more often than usual. With the Waning Twin Fangs, beasts are becoming tamer, but the Waxing Valiant insures violence only becomes more prevalent among men. Fortunately, the maddening nature of the Fangs fades, and childbirth sees fewer complications as well as stronger babies. 

Spoiler

• Unpredictable harvest
  
• Mild human violence - brawls, insults, rudeness
  
• Declining monster aggression
  
• Favorable childrearing, though dangerous for young women to be alone 
  

Valiant in the Ascendant: 

• Waning Witch's Eye
  
• Waxing Scythe
  

Valiant in the Ascendant is a time for those with fortitude and strength. Men brawl and occasionally kill, rooting out the weak while the Waxing of the Scythe begins to spread illness among the elderly and feeble. The Waning of the Witch's Eye makes the world more predictable, though the natural disasters brought on by the Valiant surge. Crops that may have appeared to be failing under the baleful eye will rise healthy the next day as the Scythe waxes. This is the time for the forging of legendary weapons and mythical heroes. 

Spoiler

• Inter-human aggression - increase in fighting, skirmishes, fighting over resources
  
• Uptick in forest fires and storms
  
• Beginning stages of longterm diseases begin to manifest in elderly or already sick people - tumors, persistent coughs, poor blood circulation, etc.
  
• Great planting conditions - the wildfires restore nutrients to the soil, provided that they do not destroy farmland
  
• Safer for young women to be outside at night
  

Scythe in the Ascendant: 

• Waning Valiant
  
• Waxing Warp
  

Scythe in the Ascendant is characterized by planning for the future. The harvest is coming, and likely strongly, but the Waxing Warp brings great uncertainty for the coming days. As Scythe's reaping prepares crops and demands funerals for the sick, people begin to get a glimpse of what this phase's Warp has in store for them, and hopefully prepare for the worst of it. As Valiant wanes, violence diminishes, particularly as communities mourn over the loss of elders by disease. 

Spoiler

• Strong harvest
  
• Slow illnesses kill off the feeble
  
• Declining weather phenomena
  
• Good health for those not already ill or old - slightly speedier recovery, less likely to fall ill
  

Warp in the Ascendant: 

• Waning Scythe
  
• Waxing Wheel
  

Warp in the Ascendant is either chaotic or odd. The Waning Scythe finishes off its toll on the sick, finishing them off or leaving them weak enough for the next phase, while the Waxing Wheel often brings back the spirits of the recent dead to haunt the living and leaves infants with deformities (who are often reaped by the next passing of the Scythe). The Warp is unpredictable at best and outright dangerous at worst - no one knows whether to expect fire raining from the sky, skeletons to rise, or the sound of flutes without a player. 

Spoiler

• Strange phenomena
  
• Necromancy
  
• Mildly increased spirit activity
  
• Fading of diseases
  

Wheel in the Ascendant:

• Waning Warp
  
• Waxing Twin Fangs
  

The Wheel is the worst phase to birth a child, who will often emerge stillborn or crippled for life, but among the best for travelers and craftsmen. Though the Warp is chaotic in its Waning, chaos is not always bad - sometimes it brings aid to travelers, or new inspirations to crafters. The speedy travel brought on by the Wheel has its downside in the Waxing Twin Fangs. It is a gamble, certainly - haste risks encounters with the beasts who are beginning to become more and more agitated. 

Spoiler

• Speedy, but dangerous, travel - wagon-beasts move faster, roads are mysteriously more clear, less inclement weather, but more risk of beast encounters
  
• More than usual, but declining, rate of weird phenomena
  
• Slightly heightened monster aggression
  
• Physically deformed infants
  

Twin Fangs in the Ascendant: 

• Waning Wheel
  
• Waxing Witch's Eye
  

Twin Fangs is the most dangerous time of year. When tales of monsters are told, they are always set in this phase, for it is when the beasts in the wild are at their most aggressive. The Waxing Witch's Eye brings further instability as witches begin working in anticipation of the Witch's Eye in the Ascendant, and the last spirits of the Waning Wheel go about their last days. Though travel is still fast, it is at its most dangerous - madness strikes down those who spend too much time on the road, if the creatures do not get to them first. 

Spoiler

• Heightened monster aggression
  
• Witch activity ramps up
  
• Spirits beginning to fade
  
• Road-madness
  

 

[Shireling]

(I have made some edits to the original to deal with redundancies.)


The Ascendant Periods:


Witch's Eye in the Ascendant: 

• Waning Twin Fangs
  
• Waxing Valiant
  

Witch's Eye in the Ascendant is a time of turmoil. The harvest is uncertain, adolescent girls vanish, and misfortune strikes more often than usual. With the Waning Twin Fangs, beasts are becoming tamer, but the Waxing Valiant insures violence only becomes more prevalent among men. Fortunately, the maddening nature of the Fangs fades, and childbirth sees fewer complications as well as stronger babies. 

Spoiler

• Unpredictable harvest
  
• Mild human violence - brawls, insults, rudeness
  
• Declining monster aggression
  
• Favorable childrearing, though dangerous for young women to be alone 
  

Valiant in the Ascendant: 

• Waning Witch's Eye
  
• Waxing Scythe
  

Valiant in the Ascendant is a time for those with fortitude and strength. Men brawl and occasionally kill, rooting out the weak while the Waxing of the Scythe begins to spread illness among the elderly and feeble. The Waning of the Witch's Eye makes the world more predictable, though the natural disasters brought on by the Valiant surge. Crops that may have appeared to be failing under the baleful eye will rise healthy the next day as the Scythe waxes. This is the time for the forging of legendary weapons and mythical heroes. 

Spoiler

• Inter-human aggression - increase in fighting, skirmishes, fighting over resources
  
• Uptick in forest fires and storms
  
• Beginning stages of longterm diseases begin to manifest in elderly or already sick people - tumors, persistent coughs, poor blood circulation, etc.
  
• Great planting conditions - the wildfires restore nutrients to the soil, provided that they do not destroy farmland
  
• Safer for young women to be outside at night
  

Scythe in the Ascendant: 

• Waning Valiant
  
• Waxing Warp
  

Scythe in the Ascendant is characterized by planning for the future. The harvest is coming, and likely strongly, but the Waxing Warp brings great uncertainty for the coming days. As Scythe's reaping prepares crops and demands funerals for the sick, people begin to get a glimpse of what this phase's Warp has in store for them, and hopefully prepare for the worst of it. As Valiant wanes, violence diminishes, particularly as communities mourn over the loss of elders by disease. 

Spoiler

• Strong harvest
  
• Slow illnesses kill off the feeble
  
• Declining weather phenomena
  
• Good health for those not already ill or old - slightly speedier recovery, less likely to fall ill
  

Warp in the Ascendant: 

• Waning Scythe
  
• Waxing Wheel
  

Warp in the Ascendant is either chaotic or odd. The Waning Scythe finishes off its toll on the sick, finishing them off or leaving them weak enough for the next phase, while the Waxing Wheel often brings back the spirits of the recent dead to haunt the living and leaves infants with deformities (who are often reaped by the next passing of the Scythe). The Warp is unpredictable at best and outright dangerous at worst - no one knows whether to expect fire raining from the sky, skeletons to rise, or the sound of flutes without a player. 

Spoiler

• Strange phenomena
  
• Necromancy
  
• Mildly increased spirit activity
  
• Fading of diseases
  

Wheel in the Ascendant:

• Waning Warp
  
• Waxing Twin Fangs
  

The Wheel is the worst phase to birth a child, who will often emerge stillborn or crippled for life, but among the best for travelers and craftsmen. Though the Warp is chaotic in its Waning, chaos is not always bad - sometimes it brings aid to travelers, or new inspirations to crafters. The speedy travel brought on by the Wheel has its downside in the Waxing Twin Fangs. It is a gamble, certainly - haste risks encounters with the beasts who are beginning to become more and more agitated. 

Spoiler

• Speedy, but dangerous, travel - wagon-beasts move faster, roads are mysteriously more clear, less inclement weather, but more risk of beast encounters
  
• More than usual, but declining, rate of weird phenomena
  
• Slightly heightened monster aggression
  
• Physically deformed infants
  

Twin Fangs in the Ascendant: 

• Waning Wheel
  
• Waxing Witch's Eye
  

Twin Fangs is the most dangerous time of year. When tales of monsters are told, they are always set in this phase, for it is when the beasts in the wild are at their most aggressive. The Waxing Witch's Eye brings further instability as witches begin working in anticipation of the Witch's Eye in the Ascendant, and the last spirits of the Waning Wheel go about their last days. Though travel is still fast, it is at its most dangerous - madness strikes down those who spend too much time on the road, if the creatures do not get to them first. 

Spoiler

• Heightened monster aggression
  
• Witch activity ramps up
  
• Spirits beginning to fade
  
• Road-madness
  

I like all of this. I also like the affect this will have on character creation. So I suppose we should work out a time frame for the changing of the Constellations, eh? It seems clear to me that each movement should correspond to a season, hence instead of having four seasons this realm has six. 


I say this because farmers would likely plant in Valiant and harvest in Sycthe. They would starve if much time passed between the planting and harvesting. So, they have to occur in the same year. 


The fact that Sycthe is directly after Valiant is interesting. So what I was thinking was that perhaps each season lasts fifty days. Fifty days for planting and growing, fifty days for ripening and harvest. Then two hundred days between the next farming cycle. This stresses the importance of food storage and preparation and makes life that much harder. 


So in a 300 day cycle, the New Year is ushered in by the Witch's Solstice, or something like that. Fifty days later, the planting begins and another fifty days after that the harvest has ended. 


Any fertility festivals would occur under the Witch's Eye, late in the season, or in the early stages of Valiant. Not only would that procure a favorable condition for conception, but given an average gestation of 270 days, the babies would then be born under the same conditions. So your calender works out pretty well there as well. 


You can tell me what you think about that and we can come up with some dates for festivals, important astrological events and so forth. 

 

[Vudukudu]

Sounds great to me. Are we making analogues for crops or using real ones? 

 

[Shireling]

Sounds great to me. Are we making analogues for crops or using real ones? 

I hate botany, so we'll just use real ones. The usual, wheat, potatoes, etc 

 

[Grey]

Shadows of Esteren may provide some useful fodder. It's a much more Franco-Gaelic flavoured setting, IIRC, but aesthetically and thematically not too far from what you've put forward.

 

[Shireling]

Shadows of Esteren may provide some useful fodder. It's a much more Franco-Gaelic flavoured setting, IIRC, but aesthetically and thematically not too far from what you've put forward.

Thank you, but if it's all the same I don't want to go reading through other canons too much. I've found I have a tendency to latch onto too much from one canon or tradition, so I don't want to prejudice my creativity, as odd as that may sound. The conventional adage that great artists are great thieves is true, but I'm a very obvious thief.  

 

[Grey]

Thank you, but if it's all the same I don't want to go reading through other canons too much. I've found I have a tendency to latch onto too much from one canon or tradition, so I don't want to prejudice my creativity, as odd as that may sound. The conventional adage that great artists are great thieves is true, but I'm a very obvious thief.  

Understandable. That's a tendency that takes some time and effort to overcome, believe me. 

 

[Shireling]

Idle brainstorming, in the form of a few potential biomes / locations and brief information.


The Sallow: Comprising much of the central area of the island is an unforgiving collection of marshlands and fields known as the Sallow, so named for both its inability to sustain profitable farmland (though that does not stop the adventurous or the desperate from trying), and its drooping, sickly willow trees. For the average person, passage through the Sallow is akin to a death sentence, without proper preparation and personnel, prompting most travelers to take much longer routes around the edges of the island, where they have a chance at finding refuge at one of many port towns, even if the coastal storms of the outer areas of the island are not to be desired. That isn't to say that there are no safe routes through the Sallow, however; there are a few, dotted by towns and attempted homesteads, though the barren nature of the area often results in the emptying of towns that are supposedly populated.


Redfield: Redfield is something of a misnomer, considering that the area is in fact a forest. In another age, it was likely lush and alive, filled with all sorts of beautiful, docile beasts, and supple singercalls. Now, its perpetual state of death results in a different kind of beauty, that of a long, darkened autumn. Reds, oranges, and browns are the primary colors, with barely a spot of anything remotely resembling the green spectrum to be found. Even so, Redfield remains one of the "safer" portions of the island, safe in the sense that the most prominent threats tend to be beast attacks, as opposed to horrid storms, or far more frightening monsters. Perhaps surprisingly, a stable-enough economy has sprung up in Redfield, thanks to the area's richness in regards to lumber and edible mushrooms and ground vegetables, but due to the fact that very little trees grow to replace what has been cut, the residents often worry about the potential of running out of forest.


Middleford: Known somewhat sarcastically as the "emerald city," due to their green-tinted windows and rusted copper archways and frames, Middleford was intended to be a city for the rich, having found great profit as a central city of trade thanks to a few waterways extending just inside the edge of the Sallow. Though it is still frequented by travelers, seeing as it is one of the quicker ways through the edges of the southern side of the Sallow, Middleford's standard of living dipped sharply when the city ran out of things worth trading. Though its architecture has lost its sheen, and filth and refuse clogs many of the streets, Middleford remains one of the larger and sturdily walled cities on the island, making it an attractive target for attempts at immigration. Unfortunately, they are known for their unwillingness to let in most, and are fond of shooting those that come too close to the gates without notes of passage.


The Ring: The Ring refers to the network of coastal towns and passages around the outside of the island, the primary avenue for travelers that wish to take it safe. What it lacks in terms of speed, it makes up for in security, with coastal storms being the only true threat (due to the very, very high drop from the cliffs passageways to the sea below), save for highway bandits. Thankfully, many of the towns have formed "travelers alliances" in the forms of voluntary watchmen and mercenaries that ensure the roadways are safe and clear. Taking a boat, though slightly faster, is also far more risky; more ships have been lost to the waves along the coastal cliffs than most dare to count.

By the way, I remember you saying you could do artwork (it may be someone else). Since you have exhibited interest in the biomes and locales, would you mind taking on a formal role as a cartographer?

 

[_Line 213]

By the way, I remember you saying you could do artwork (it may be someone else). Since you have exhibited interest in the biomes and locales, would you mind taking on a formal role as a cartographer?

I most certainly can, and would be happy to.