Paidiá Questions Thread

[Mailliw73 he/him]

The sun tribe had Elemental transfigurative abilities (Based on fusion) similar to Soulcasting. I think the fire tribe had pretty standard fire abilities (Fireballs, starting fires, etc.) Mrs. Voidus should be able to give a better answer tonight sometime.

Would the sun tribe have any animosity towards the moon tribe? I was thinking they could be rivals where the Moon Tribe is sneaky and cunning and the Sun tribe are showoffs and powerful.

[Voidus]

Would the sun tribe have any animosity towards the moon tribe? I was thinking they could be rivals where the Moon Tribe is sneaky and cunning and the Sun tribe are showoffs and powerful.

They were on different continents I think, but yeah they would have had a fair bit of animosity.

[Mrs. Voidus she/her]

How many characters do we need to start?

 

I'm not sure, but I think it will be within the next day or so. People can join after we start.

Mrs. Voidus, I have a couple questions for you. I'm thinking of creating a character as part of the sun tribe or fire tribe and I'm wondering what kind of personality and powers you have in mind for them at this point in time. Similar to what you did with the Moon tribe.

Voidus has summed up the powersets, and I had not written up the personalities of the Gods themselves yet, but both would value boldness, confidence and aggression in their people.  You can make up whatever power you want for these tribes, so long as they aren't op.

 

Great job every one with coming up with such cool ideas!

[Kobold King he/him]

OK everyone, I've returned with a working concept for the intelligent microraptor tribe. I submit them here for review, both for players at large and for the GM.

 

So without further ado, I'd like to present "On the Chiskreven, Being an Account of the Paidián Treeraptor, Its Anatomy, and Its Culture."

 

Racial Name: Chiskreven, also known as the Paidián treeraptor, "chirpers," or Arboraptor paidensis.

 

Basic Biology

 

Chiskreven are small members of the dromeosaur family, physically similar to the Microraptor of Earth's Cretaceous period.

 

They are small and bipedal dinosaurs, on average fifty centimeters in length. They are delicately built creatures with hollow bones, only a kilogram in weight. This puts them at a size comparable to medium-sized monkeys. 

 

At first sight, chiskreven are far more bird-like than they are reptilian. Chiskreven are covered almost entirely in glossy black feathers, much like crows. Only their faces betray reptile-like features, bare of feathers and plated in small grey scales. All four limbs function as primitive wings with complex feather arrangements, and the end of the tail sports a diamond-shaped rudder of feathers used to steer the dinosaur while airborne.

 

An important distinction to make is that chiskreven are capable of gliding, not of powered flight. Aerodynamically there are thus far more similar to flying squirrels than to birds, using their four wings to ride air currents from the top of one tree to another.

 

Like monkeys and flying squirrels, chiskreven are arboreal creatures, preferring to spend much of their lives a the tops of trees. The killer toe claw larger raptors are famous for is missing from chiskreven, and is instead used as an opposable toe for gripping onto tree branches. Their three-fingered hands have a similar arrangement, with one digit opposed to the others and used for grasping branches and objects. Chiskreven are equally capable of holding items with either their feet or their hands, though for practical reasons the hands are generally given preference.

 

While the Microraptors of Earth's past were strictly carnivorous, chiskreven take full advantage of the forest's resources. Common foods of the chiskreven include fruits, nuts, and some roots and leaves along with insects, birds, small mammals, and reptiles. Bats are considered a delicacy, and the chiskreven capable of snagging the winged mammals from mid-air are often respected as minor celebrities.

 

 

Artistic representation of Microraptor, a close relative of the chiskreven provided here for reference:

 

 

Behavior and Society

 

Chiskreven are both extremely social and highly territorial, and like humans are prone to forming elaborate social constructs such as tribes. The exact number of chiskreven clans are unknown; they numbered in the dozens during the early Paidián period, but by the planet's middle period less than ten existed. By the most modern period of Paidián history it is believed that chiskreven had entirely passed into extinction.

 

Chiskreven clans can be quite large, ranging from thirty to eighty individuals of many different family lineages. The areas they stake out as tribal territories are often over two hundred acres in size, encompassing as much forest space as the clans can reasonably defend.

 

Defending a territory involves violently expelling chiskreven from other tribes, occasionally using slings and magic but more often using claws and teeth. While fiercely protective of their own territories, in neutral areas chiskreven are quite friendly towards individuals from other tribes. Intermarriage is common, and foreign tribe members are allowed to enter a territory if escorted by at least two natives of the territory.

 

The key motivation in the chiskreven's defense of territories lays in nesting. Chiskreven breed year round, building simple nests out of twigs at the tops of trees. There is a strict hierarchy involved in the placement of nests; the most highly ranked individuals are allowed to build their nests in the center of the territory, and often use the phrase "Firsttree" as a surname. The next highest individuals build their nests in a ring around the center of the territory, and use "Secondtree" as a surname. The number of varying rings around the center varies from tribe to tribe, but seldom exceed six or seven.

 

Typical chiskreven territory layout:

 

 

In healthy chiskreven societies, the region of the Firsttrees is large and well-encompassing, while the outer rings are smaller. This tends to occur when there are an abundance of resources and prized nesting trees within a territory, allowing a high standard of living among even the more lowly tribe members.

 

Rank within the chiskreven social hierarchy is based partially on heredity, but largely upon promotion. Bravery against enemy tribes and predators is strongly rewarded, but exceptional intelligence and community service can also cause an individual to be permitted into the inner circle of nesting trees.

 

It should be noted that promotion and nest hierarchy is largely an informal affair. There are no councils or chieftains among chiskreven tribes; rather, group consensus of a tribe's Firsttrees is used for decisions concerning warfare or individual promotion. In the case of particularly large groups of Firsttrees, votes will occasionally be tallied.

 

Artistically speaking, chiskreven are much like human societies, with many songs celebrating mythical events and famous heroes. The Ballad of Chidzia Sixthtree, for instance, is a tale of how a lowly female forager saved an unconscious tribal shaman from a marauding badger, and was thus elevated to the rank of Firsttree. As a Firsttree she discovered that the shamans were striking pacts with the dark demons worshiped by the Walking Monkeys of far-away lands, and led the tribe to drive the wicked chiskreven from the tribe altogether. (It should be noted that "Walking Monkeys" is a common term used by chiskreven to refer to humans. It should also be noted that chiskreven despise monkeys and drive them from their territories wherever possible.)

 

Chiskreven seldom have need for technology, and live highly simple lifestyles. Weapons aside from rare slings are unheard of, as spears or staves are too unwieldy for use within treetop canopies. Some chiskreven set snares for small forest animals, however, and the fishing rod is an ancient and well-respected item, often decorated with feathers from larger dinosaurs and religious symbols.

 

In social interactions chiskreven are far more physical than most humans. During arguments chiskreven will attempt to make themselves look far bigger than they actually are by deeply inhaling and spreading their wings wide, often finishing unresolvable debates by violently attacking one another. Deaths or scars are almost unheard of, but politically active individuals generally possess at least four or five open wounds at any one time. Lovers, family members, and very close friends spend much time cuddling and preening each other, and incubating mothers spend much time tenderly turning over their eggs while chirping traditional songs.

 

Religion and Magic 

 

Work in progress. I've considered several different deities for the chiskreven to worship, and I'm torn between these potential magic systems for their use:

 

• Wind manipulation: the ability to control moving air, allowing chiskreven shamans to fly rather than glide and to whip up storms against their enemies.
• Time dilation: the ability to slow or speed time within a certain area.
• Precognition: the ability to see several moments into the future; useful for small predators who are at frequent risk of becoming prey.

I'm open to suggestions on this front!

 

In Conclusion

 

I tried not to go too overboard with these little guys, but I tend to get a bit carried away when designing intelligent races. I'd love to hear thoughts and criticisms about my work!

Edited January 20, 2015 by Kobold King

[Edgedancer he/him]

I'm not sure, but I think it will be within the next day or so. People can join after we start.

 

Great job every one with coming up with such cool ideas!

That does beg one question. Given that we have people from different tribes, some of which do not live close to each other, how will we involve them in one plot? If we go with the Medicine/Pestilence set-up I suppose it would make sense for the Pestilence tribe to send someone out to search for help.

 

We do have some nifty people.

 

OK everyone, I've returned with a working concept for the intelligent microraptor tribe. I submit them here for review, both for players at large and for the GM.

 

So without further ado, I'd like to present "On the Chiskreven, Being an Account of the Paidián Treeraptor, Its Anatomy, and Its Culture."

 

Racial Name: Chiskreven, also known as the Paidián treeraptor, "chirpers," or Arboraptor paidensis.

 

Basic Biology

 

Chiskreven are small members of the dromeosaur family, physically similar to the Microraptor of Earth's Cretaceous period.

 

They are small and bipedal dinosaurs, on average fifty centimeters in length. They are delicately built creatures with hollow bones, only a kilogram in weight. This puts them at a size comparable to medium-sized monkeys. 

 

At first sight, chiskreven are far more bird-like than they are reptilian. Chiskreven are covered almost entirely in glossy black feathers, much like crows. Only their faces betray reptile-like features, bare of feathers and plated in small grey scales. All four limbs function as primitive wings with complex feather arrangements, and the end of the tail sports a diamond-shaped rudder of feathers used to steer the dinosaur while airborne.

 

An important distinction to make is that chiskreven are capable of gliding, not of powered flight. Aerodynamically there are thus far more similar to flying squirrels than to birds, using their four wings to ride air currents from the top of one tree to another.

 

Like monkeys and flying squirrels, chiskreven are arboreal creatures, preferring to spend much of their lives a the tops of trees. The killer toe claw larger raptors are famous for is missing from chiskreven, and is instead used as an opposable toe for gripping onto tree branches. Their three-fingered hands have a similar arrangement, with one digit opposed to the others and used for grasping branches and objects. Chiskreven are equally capable of holding items with either their feet or their hands, though for practical reasons the hands are generally given preference.

 

While the Microraptors of Earth's past were strictly carnivorous, chiskreven take full advantage of the forest's resources. Common foods of the chiskreven include fruits, nuts, and some roots and leaves along with insects, birds, small mammals, and reptiles. Bats are considered a delicacy, and the chiskreven capable of snagging the winged mammals from mid-air are often respected as minor celebrities.

 

 

Artistic representation of Microraptor, a close relative of the chiskreven provided here for reference:

 

 

Behavior and Society

 

Chiskreven are both extremely social and highly territorial, and like humans are prone to forming elaborate social constructs such as tribes. The exact number of chiskreven clans are unknown; they numbered in the dozens during the early Paidián period, but by the planet's middle period less than ten existed. By the most modern period of Paidián history it is believed that chiskreven had entirely passed into extinction.

 

Chiskreven clans can be quite large, ranging from thirty to eighty individuals of many different family lineages. The areas they stake out as tribal territories are often over two hundred acres in size, encompassing as much forest space as the clans can reasonably defend.

 

Defending a territory involves violently expelling chiskreven from other tribes, occasionally using slings and magic but more often using claws and teeth. While fiercely protective of their own territories, in neutral areas chiskreven are quite friendly towards individuals from other tribes. Intermarriage is common, and foreign tribe members are allowed to enter a territory if escorted by at least two natives of the territory.

 

The key motivation in the chiskreven's defense of territories lays in nesting. Chiskreven breed year round, building simple nests out of twigs at the tops of trees. There is a strict hierarchy involved in the placement of nests; the most highly ranked individuals are allowed to build their nests in the center of the territory, and often use the phrase "Firsttree" as a surname. The next highest individuals build their nests in a ring around the center of the territory, and use "Secondtree" as a surname. The number of varying rings around the center varies from tribe to tribe, but seldom exceed six or seven.

 

Typical chiskreven territory layout:

 

 

In healthy chiskreven societies, the region of the Firsttrees is large and well-encompassing, while the outer rings are smaller. This tends to occur when there are an abundance of resources and prized nesting trees within a territory, allowing a high standard of living among even the more lowly tribe members.

 

Rank within the chiskreven social hierarchy is based partially on heredity, but largely upon promotion. Bravery against enemy tribes and predators is strongly rewarded, but exceptional intelligence and community service can also cause an individual to be permitted into the inner circle of nesting trees.

 

It should be noted that promotion and nest hierarchy is largely an informal affair. There are no councils or chieftains among chiskreven tribes; rather, group consensus of a tribe's Firsttrees is used for decisions concerning warfare or individual promotion. In the case of particularly large groups of Firsttrees, votes will occasionally be tallied.

 

Artistically speaking, chiskreven are much like human societies, with many songs celebrating mythical events and famous heroes. The Ballad of Chidzia Sixthtree, for instance, is a tale of how a lowly female forager saved an unconscious tribal shaman from a marauding badger, and was thus elevated to the rank of Firsttree. As a Firsttree she discovered that the shamans were striking pacts with the dark demons worshiped by the Walking Monkeys of far-away lands, and led the tribe to drive the wicked chiskreven from the tribe altogether. (It should be noted that "Walking Monkeys" is a common term used by chiskreven to refer to humans. It should also be noted that chiskreven despise monkeys and drive them from their territories wherever possible.)

 

Chiskreven seldom have need for technology, and live highly simple lifestyles. Weapons aside from rare slings are unheard of, as spears or staves are too unwieldy for use within treetop canopies. Some chiskreven set snares for small forest animals, however, and the fishing rod is an ancient and well-respected item, often decorated with feathers from larger dinosaurs and religious symbols.

 

In social interactions chiskreven are far more physical than most humans. During arguments chiskreven will attempt to make themselves look far bigger than they actually are by deeply inhaling and spreading their wings wide, often finishing unresolvable debates by violently attacking one another. Deaths or scars are almost unheard of, but politically active individuals generally possess at least four or five open wounds at any one time. Lovers, family members, and very close friends spend much time cuddling and preening each other, and incubating mothers spend much time tenderly turning over their eggs while chirping traditional songs.

 

Religion and Magic 

 

Work in progress. I've considered several different deities for the chiskreven to worship, and I'm torn between these potential magic systems for their use:

 

• Wind manipulation: the ability to control moving air, allowing chiskreven shamans to fly rather than glide and to whip up storms against their enemies.
• Time dilation: the ability to slow or speed time within a certain area.
• Precognition: the ability to see several moments into the future; useful for small predators who are at frequent risk of becoming prey.

I'm open to suggestions on this front!

 

In Conclusion

 

I tried not to go too overboard with these little guys, but I tend to get a bit carried away when designing intelligent races. I'd love to hear thoughts and criticisms about my work!

I want one as a pet. Yes, I read the part about them hating walking monkies. So?

 

I vote for the wind manipulation.

 

Out of curiosity, how much time did you sink into this?

[Voidus]

That does beg one question. Given that we have people from different tribes, some of which do not live close to each other, how will we involve them in one plot? If we go with the Medicine/Pestilence set-up I suppose it would make sense for the Pestilence tribe to send someone out to search for help.

Well the moon tribe would know about pretty much everyone's plots so they're good wherever we set it. I think the medicine/Pestilence set up should work, and obviously people can have multiple characters in different tribes.

There's also the possibility of just running two main stories in parallel and maybe they'll affect each other later, maybe not.

Finally we could cheat and create an object, tribe or area of great value somewhere and have all our tribes arriving to take possession of it.

[Edgedancer he/him]

Well the moon tribe would know about pretty much everyone's plots so they're good wherever we set it. I think the medicine/Pestilence set up should work, and obviously people can have multiple characters in different tribes.

There's also the possibility of just running two main stories in parallel and maybe they'll affect each other later, maybe not.

Finally we could cheat and create an object, tribe or area of great value somewhere and have all our tribes arriving to take possession of it.

Talking about the moon tribe, do you have an outline how much weaker the eight canon tribes are, given that we are still in a middle period, when compared to the time of the novels, cause that may change up that statement?

 

I don´t think we currently have the numbers needed for two main stories, to be honest. But I´ll think about another character.

[Kobold King he/him]

I want one as a pet. Yes, I read the part about them hating walking monkies. So?

 

I vote for the wind manipulation.

 

Out of curiosity, how much time did you sink into this?

 

Aaaaand that's how they'll wind up going extinct. All the humans will see them, think they're adorable, and start capturing them for the pet trade.   

 

If I go for the wind manipulation, their chief deity will be Niimanjula Evertree, Lord of the Forest Breeze. If I go for the time dilation, their deity will be Niimanjula the Outsider. And if I go for precognition, their deity will be Niimanjula the Dawnwatcher, Lord of Things to Come. I like the name Niimanjula, obviously, but the different titles refer to different personalties and traits to each potential version of the deity.

 

And not too much time, honestly. I've had details about them stewing around in my head for the past couple of days, and some of the details in the description (like the ceremonial fishing rods) are things I made up while writing it up now.

 

My main concern is that as a race they're interesting to me but no one else.   Did I go overboard with them, do you think? Do they fit with the setting? Would anyone else be interested in playing a chiskreven character, or will I be RPing as their entire species?

[Edgedancer he/him]

Aaaaand that's how they'll wind up going extinct. All the humans will see them, think they're adorable, and start capturing them for the pet trade.   

 

If I go for the wind manipulation, their chief deity will be Niimanjula Evertree, Lord of the Forest Breeze. If I go for the time dilation, their deity will be Niimanjula the Outsider. And if I go for precognition, their deity will be Niimanjula the Dawnwatcher, Lord of Things to Come. I like the name Niimanjula, obviously, but the different titles refer to different personalties and traits to each potential version of the deity.

 

And not too much time, honestly. I've had details about them stewing around in my head for the past couple of days, and some of the details in the description (like the ceremonial fishing rods) are things I made up while writing it up now.

 

My main concern is that as a race they're interesting to me but no one else.   Did I go overboard with them, do you think? Do they fit with the setting? Would anyone else be interested in playing a chiskreven character, or will I be RPing as their entire species?

 

Niimanjula Evertree even sounds the best and I do think the wind one does fit best. (Full disclosure here, if you gave them the time dilation I would have to tipe ZA WARUDO every time they use their magic and they don´t even have Road Rollers.)

 

I want one of them as a pet, of course I find them interesting. Not sure if I´ll pick up one of them as a character, though.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Here's what I have so far for my character. Voidus/Mrs. Voidus, does this fit with what you already have established? If you already have names or such, I'll switch them out. I'm thinking that the Sun tribe is very warlike and agressive, and is always angry at the Moon tribe. If his is approved, then Ill flesh out Ukubulala more. Name: Ukubulala

Position: Warrior-Priest

Tribe: Member of the Sun tribe, or as they call themselves, the Imfu who worship the Sun God, whom they call Imfudumalo Umuphi(Heat-Giver).

Powerset:

-Heat resistance: Imfu can resist any hot temperature and cannot be burned. They are always warm.

-Fusion Control: Uku has learned to control fusion to change the substance of objects. He can transfigure objects smaller than his head to just about any other substance. Objects larger, he can change to smoke or stone. With extra power from other priests or from Imfudumalo Umuphi, he can change larger things to other substances.

-Heat control: Uku can absorb the heat from something or infuse something with heat.

Culture: The Imfu live in a very delicate climate. They live in the southwest of the scorching Shisayo desert. They live primarily near the Ukuphila River where the temperature is milder and plants grow easily. All Imfu have heat resisting blessings from Imfudumalo Umuphi, but only the bravest and strongest are blessed with power to control the heat and only those who become Rulers, Warrior-Priests, or after exhibiting exceptional bravery in an extreme circumstance, can harness fusion.

[Kobold King he/him]

 

Niimanjula Evertree even sounds the best and I do think the wind one does fit best. (Full disclosure here, if you gave them the time dilation I would have to tipe ZA WARUDO every time they use their magic and they don´t even have Road Rollers.)

 

I want one of them as a pet, of course I find them interesting. Not sure if I´ll pick up one of them as a character, though.

 

I'm leaning towards Niimanjula Evertree as their deity. I'll have to chart out the full extent of the wind manipulation powers.

(Assuming, of course, that Mrs. Voidus doesn't come online later and obliterate the chiskreven from canon. )

 

It would actually be kind of neat if a young chiskreven had somehow gotten separated from its people at an early age and was raised as a pet by a human tribe. It could be a good way of bringing the mostly-isolationist chiskreven race into the human story arcs.

 

 

Here's what I have so far for my character. Voidus/Mrs. Voidus, does this fit with what you already have established? If you already have names or such, I'll switch them out. I'm thinking that the Sun tribe is very warlike and agressive, and is always angry at the Moon tribe. If his is approved, then Ill flesh out Ukubulala more. Name: Ukubulala

Position: Warrior-Priest

Tribe: Member of the Sun tribe, or as they call themselves, the Imfu who worship the Sun God, whom they call Imfudumalo Umuphi(Heat-Giver).

Powerset:

-Heat resistance: Imfu can resist any hot temperature and cannot be burned. They are always warm.

-Fusion Control: Uku has learned to control fusion to change the substance of objects. He can transfigure objects smaller than his head to just about any other substance. Objects larger, he can change to smoke or stone. With extra power from other priests or from Imfudumalo Umuphi, he can change larger things to other substances.

-Heat control: Uku can absorb the heat from something or infuse something with heat.

Culture: The Imfu live in a very delicate climate. They live in the southwest of the scorching Shisayo desert. They live primarily near the Ukuphila River where the temperature is milder and plants grow easily. All Imfu have heat resisting blessings from Imfudumalo Umuphi, but only the bravest and strongest are blessed with power to control the heat and only those who become Rulers, Warrior-Priests, or after exhibiting exceptional bravery in an extreme circumstance, can harness fusion.

 

For my part, I like them. I'm not sure whether the names are more African or Australian Aboriginal linguistically, but I definitely get a tribal-desert feel from them. Heat control is definitely a cool power with many potential applications.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

 

For my part, I like them. I'm not sure whether the names are more African or Australian Aboriginal linguistically, but I definitely get a tribal-desert feel from them. Heat control is definitely a cool power with many potential applications.

Thanks! I like the chiskreven too. It's definitely a different, interesting race to see mixing with this human society. The names come from, or are based on, Zulu which is mainly from Southern Africa. Their culture that I'm imagining is based on the Egyptians somewhat(like the Sahara/Shisayo and Nile/Ukuphila.) The names do have meaning most of the time, for example, Shisayo means hot and Ukuphila means life.

I was planning to utilize it as a means of heating up/igniting fires/melting and evaporating.

[Kobold King he/him]

Thanks! I like the chiskreven too. It's definitely a different, interesting race to see mixing with this human society. The names come from, or are based on, Zulu which is mainly from Southern Africa. Their culture that I'm imagining is based on the Egyptians somewhat(like the Sahara/Shisayo and Nile/Ukuphila.) The names do have meaning most of the time, for example, Shisayo means hot and Ukuphila means life.

I was planning to utilize it as a means of heating up/igniting fires/melting and evaporating.

 

Thanks!   I think seeing the chiskreven interacting with the human tribes of Paidiá could be really fascinating. I don't know how they'd interact, but I'm sure it'll be fascinating.

 

Zulu/Egyptian definitely makes sense--and if memory serves, the sun god Ra was a particularly important god in Egyptian theology. How sophisticated are they in a cultural/technological sense? Do the Imfu grow crops, or are they hunter-gatherers?

 

Very minor Firefight spoilers:

 

Their powers remind me of Obliteration's. How similar are they in practice? Could an Imfu Warrior-Priest sap the energy from a living creature, killing it instantly? How many of them would it take to level a city?

[Mailliw73 he/him]

Thanks!   I think seeing the chiskreven interacting with the human tribes of Paidiá could be really fascinating. I don't know how they'd interact, but I'm sure it'll be fascinating.

 

Zulu/Egyptian definitely makes sense--and if memory serves, the sun god Ra was a particularly important god in Egyptian theology. How sophisticated are they in a cultural/technological sense? Do the Imfu grow crops, or are they hunter-gatherers?

 

Very minor Firefight spoilers:

 

Their powers remind me of Obliteration's. How similar are they in practice? Could an Imfu Warrior-Priest sap the energy from a living creature, killing it instantly? How many of them would it take to level a city?

Definitely. Strange and interesting and a bit weird, but all very cool.

That's what I thought. (And google translate doesn't have many African languages to choose from and I like Zulu the best of the few it has so... ) They worship Imfudumalo as the benevolent God who grants them life. They have some small farms on the banks of the Ukuphila for their plants, but hunt for their meat. They don't have any pyramids, but they have some stone buildings a few stories high. Many, especially the poor or low-ranked, live in enclosures of cloth. They don't have a roof, so that they can still see Imfudumalo's light, but the cloth walls are supported with poles on the corners and they stand about seven feet tall and are easily collapsible. The stone buildings all have many windows to let the sun's light in as much as possible. At night, they leave the cloth structures open and the windows uncovered to see the moon and scorn it as the lesser light. In war, they have small tents with holes cut in the top for the sunlight.

Hmm. Pretty similar actually, but IIRC, Obliteration stores energy(right?) while they store warmth. They can't use their own innate warmth though, only that which they absorb from others. It's kind of set in a temporary storage area, at least that's how I think of it. A Warrior-Priest could sap the warmth from smaller plants(bush size and smaller) or from insects and very small animals(cat sized at most) but this only happens on rare occasions, as the Imfudumalo revere plant and animal life. Except from animals like the owl or other nocturnal animals as they see them as unholy beings and nighttime as the time of evil.

They can't just release their heat into the air, or rather, they can, but very ineffectively, since it spreads out quickly and it takes time to infuse heat. They'd have to infuse it into the city's materials separately and it would take more than they have to infuse enough energy to melt stone or metal. Structures of wood would be easier, but still take ten or so for a two roomed house.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

How much longer to start?

Mrs. Voidus said yesterday that we'd begin in a day or so, so probably tomorrow would be my guess.

[TwiLyghtSansSparkles she/her]

I'm leaning towards Niimanjula Evertree as their deity. I'll have to chart out the full extent of the wind manipulation powers.

(Assuming, of course, that Mrs. Voidus doesn't come online later and obliterate the chiskreven from canon. )

It would actually be kind of neat if a young chiskreven had somehow gotten separated from its people at an early age and was raised as a pet by a human tribe. It could be a good way of bringing the mostly-isolationist chiskreven race into the human story arcs.

For my part, I like them. I'm not sure whether the names are more African or Australian Aboriginal linguistically, but I definitely get a tribal-desert feel from them. Heat control is definitely a cool power with many potential applications.

I'm finding the idea of a pet chiskreven (I don't even know what "chia reverb" MEANS, autocorrect!) more interesting the more I think about it. How dominant would he be? For instance, would it be plausible for him to think of his owners as HIS humans and resort to plotting his escape whenever he was referred to as "their chiskreven"?

[Kobold King he/him]

Definitely. Strange and interesting and a bit weird, but all very cool.

That's what I thought. (And google translate doesn't have many African languages to choose from and I like Zulu the best of the few it has so... ) They worship Imfudumalo as the benevolent God who grants them life. They have some small farms on the banks of the Ukuphila for their plants, but hunt for their meat. They don't have any pyramids, but they have some stone buildings a few stories high. Many, especially the poor or low-ranked, live in enclosures of cloth. They don't have a roof, so that they can still see Imfudumalo's light, but the cloth walls are supported with poles on the corners and they stand about seven feet tall and are easily collapsible. The stone buildings all have many windows to let the sun's light in as much as possible. At night, they leave the cloth structures open and the windows uncovered to see the moon and scorn it as the lesser light. In war, they have small tents with holes cut in the top for the sunlight.

Hmm. Pretty similar actually, but IIRC, Obliteration stores energy(right?) while they store warmth. They can't use their own innate warmth though, only that which they absorb from others. It's kind of set in a temporary storage area, at least that's how I think of it. A Warrior-Priest could sap the warmth from smaller plants(bush size and smaller) or from insects and very small animals(cat sized at most) but this only happens on rare occasions, as the Imfudumalo revere plant and animal life. Except from animals like the owl or other nocturnal animals as they see them as unholy beings and nighttime as the time of evil.

They can't just release their heat into the air, or rather, they can, but very ineffectively, since it spreads out quickly and it takes time to infuse heat. They'd have to infuse it into the city's materials separately and it would take more than they have to infuse enough energy to melt stone or metal. Structures of wood would be easier, but still take ten or so for a two roomed house.

 

"A bit weird" was what I was going for, so I'll count that as a victory.

 

And nice, thanks for the information! That covers all the queries I have for now, but I'll probably be bugging you again soon next time I have a question. They're sounding really awesome so far though, and I look forward to seeing them in action.

 

I'm finding the idea of a pet chiskreven (I don't even know what "chia reverb" MEANS, autocorrect!) more interesting the more I think about it. How dominant would he be? For instance, would it be plausible for him to think of his owners as HIS humans and resort to plotting his escape whenever he was referred to as "their chiskreven"?

 

I think a pet chiskreven would slowly want more and more respect as it grew up around humans. They're a very intelligent and curious species, so a chiskreven would feel resentment if he was treated as a pet rather than as an equal. He'd be very upset, for instance, if he were not allowed to eat at the table where humans ate; he'd be intelligent and vocally versatile enough to learn to speak, but he'd grow lonely and unhappy if no one talked to him, or spoke to him only in the dismissive, patronizing way people speak to parrots or dogs.

 

Essentially, unless he was raised by very understanding and compassionate caretakers, he'd suffer psychologically just like a human would, if subjected to constant neglect and disrespect. There's an almost limitless number of ways such a character could be portrayed and for his story to progress.

 

(You have no idea how tempting it is for me to make "Chia Reverb" the name of a Satanic entity in chiskreven mythology. )

[Mailliw73 he/him]

"A bit weird" was what I was going for, so I'll count that as a victory.

 

And nice, thanks for the information! That covers all the queries I have for now, but I'll probably be bugging you again soon next time I have a question. They're sounding really awesome so far though, and I look forward to seeing them in action.

Please do ask, and that goes for everyone, it really helps me flesh out the culture. Thanks!

[Kobold King he/him]

Please do ask, and that goes for everyone, it really helps me flesh out the culture. Thanks!

 

I will! And likewise, if anyone has any questions on the chiskreven, don't hesitate to ask. Questions really help to flesh out a concept.

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

Mrs. Voidus, what God do the Moon tribesmen Worship?

[Mrs. Voidus she/her]

OK everyone, I've returned with a working concept for the intelligent microraptor tribe. I submit them here for review, both for players at large and for the GM.

So without further ado, I'd like to present "On the Chiskreven, Being an Account of the Paidián Treeraptor, Its Anatomy, and Its Culture."

Religion and Magic 

Work in progress. I've considered several different deities for the chiskreven to worship, and I'm torn between these potential magic systems for their use:

• Wind manipulation: the ability to control moving air, allowing chiskreven shamans to fly rather than glide and to whip up storms against their enemies.
• Time dilation: the ability to slow or speed time within a certain area.
• Precognition: the ability to see several moments into the future; useful for small predators who are at frequent risk of becoming prey.

 

 

 

 Niimanjula Evertree, Lord of the Forest Breeze. Did I go overboard with them, do you think? Do they fit with the setting? Would anyone else be interested in playing a chiskreven character, or will I be RPing as their entire species?

 

7 thumbs up my friend!   Getting carried away can be where the best fantasy literature begins  . I would go with Wind manipulation because the Air God is one who survives and can control elements in the atmosphere - being able to control fire byproxy, ie. get rid of oxygen and suffocating the fire or changing the elements so to enrage fire -, so those two could live close to each other and work together. (Which could also be interesting because of the forest being the Chskreven's home.

I imagine the forest being on the top of a natural structure like this:

 

 

And a human tribe living in the valley. 

Wind God (I liked your name for it a lot) could be a subset of Air God that was created when some nearby tribes died out. So the creatures existed before then, but gained magical powers and increased intelligence after then. You can decide how this effects their surroundings and interactions with people.

Also, I would love to play one if you didn't want to control them all as a group.

 

That does beg one question. Given that we have people from different tribes, some of which do not live close to each other, how will we involve them in one plot? If we go with the Medicine/Pestilence set-up I suppose it would make sense for the Pestilence tribe to send someone out to search for help.

 

scouting is highly possible, as some larger creatures can be tamed, water currents can be created to carry people quickly through water, plant life can be manipulated to grow solitary trees which tower above others and so on. The position of everyone can be worked out tonight or tomorrow morning (Australia time) between me and Voidus if everybody is ok with that. It will take quite a bit of thought.

 

 

Well the moon tribe would know about pretty much everyone's plots so they're good wherever we set it. I think the medicine/Pestilence set up should work, and obviously people can have multiple characters in different tribes.

There's also the possibility of just running two main stories in parallel and maybe they'll affect each other later, maybe not.

Finally we could cheat and create an object, tribe or area of great value somewhere and have all our tribes arriving to take possession of it.

 

End "game" the moon tribe could know everything about every one's plans, but at this point when we are playing, they do rely on information gathered about the people they are investigating before they can make plans or divine meaning.. this only limits them from knowing everything because the tribe does not contain enough people to go out and scout everywhere while also maintaining the health and well being of other tribe members. This is something I want players to keep in mind: Tribes are still limited to at most 250 people, many of whom are old, children or sick people with broken legs or burns or whatever. So when you are thinking about how your character is awesome, don't forget that you can't just call in the whole tribe to help out with a mega spell - because they would not have a functioning society if they did and not every one in the tribe can access the same amount of power. For example, a woman/ man in their 40's this life may have only reached 5 years old in their last and only other life due to an accident and so they would (if they lived in the Flora tribe - by the way, shotgun) only be able to encourage their crops to produce 20% better or grow their houses from vines as they willed it. But that person would not be able to ensnare a moving person with a flailing knife in the very same vines because it would require a much finer understanding of how to control the spirit in the plant, which can only really be achieved by that tribe's priests and 4th+ generationers.

 

Talking about the moon tribe, do you have an outline how much weaker the eight canon tribes are, given that we are still in a middle period, when compared to the time of the novels, cause that may change up that statement?

 

I don´t think we currently have the numbers needed for two main stories, to be honest. But I´ll think about another character.

 

Range is the primary issue with limitation to their powers at this point. I would set it to 20 meters or so for the strongest members, and in short bursts (I'm thinking of fire tribe here) and about an hour being the amount of time such an attack could be kept up by one person. I hope this encourages creativity with attacks rather than frustration  .

For the moon tribe, this would mean that they could still divine what another tribe was going to do, but only see a few days into the future, and there are several interpretations of the information rather than just one definite answer and it would take all the effort of all the priests condensed into a day, followed by a few days of inaction of the weaker 3rd lower generational priests and those who did the most work.

 

I agree with Voidus that there should be some other goal beside dominance. It is not in cannon or whatever but for the purposes of the game it might be fun.

 

Here's what I have so far for my character. Voidus/Mrs. Voidus, does this fit with what you already have established? If you already have names or such, I'll switch them out. I'm thinking that the Sun tribe is very warlike and agressive, and is always angry at the Moon tribe. If his is approved, then Ill flesh out Ukubulala more. Name: Ukubulala

Position: Warrior-Priest

Tribe: Member of the Sun tribe, or as they call themselves, the Imfu who worship the Sun God, whom they call Imfudumalo Umuphi(Heat-Giver).

Powerset:

-Heat resistance: Imfu can resist any hot temperature and cannot be burned. They are always warm.

-Fusion Control: Uku has learned to control fusion to change the substance of objects. He can transfigure objects smaller than his head to just about any other substance. Objects larger, he can change to smoke or stone. With extra power from other priests or from Imfudumalo Umuphi, he can change larger things to other substances.

-Heat control: Uku can absorb the heat from something or infuse something with heat.

Culture: The Imfu live in a very delicate climate. They live in the southwest of the scorching Shisayo desert. They live primarily near the Ukuphila River where the temperature is milder and plants grow easily. All Imfu have heat resisting blessings from Imfudumalo Umuphi, but only the bravest and strongest are blessed with power to control the heat and only those who become Rulers, Warrior-Priests, or after exhibiting exceptional bravery in an extreme circumstance, can harness fusion.

I really like the name of the Sun God you have come up with. Heat resistance, Fusion Control and Heat control are all approved.  Also I think that actual contact with the caster is required for all transformations. 

Really great limitations to Fusion Control, they are similar to what I had in mind. 

Side note to all: any one in any tribe can become a priest, as there is no elitism. All that "being a priest" means, is that that person has dedicated their life to study and prayer aka actual communion with their God and can harness that Gods powers better.

Fauna wise, in the desert, insects and the usual desert critters are the norm, burrowing in sand and hiding in desert plant and grass life. Rivers contain creatures more like eels and crabs than fish so that in particularly dry seasons they too can burrow in the mud. You may want to look into having some of your tribes people farming these creatures in undercover ponds they have protected with magic. Just a thought. Was this scenery what you had in mind or is it just me:

 

 

But with the occasional tiny stream or pool?

 

Mrs. Voidus, what God do the Moon tribesmen Worship?

The Moon God. I will have a think today about that sort of detail and make a huge post with other important world information. Hopefully we can start tomorrow or I will start tonight, and then everyone can join in when they are ready.

So if anyone is posting in the questions thread today, think of as many questions as you can even if you think they are silly or might have already been answered. If you still don't understand something then I haven't explained it properly. Maybe also post with a suggestion of general topics you want more information on.

 

Other than that, absolutely amazing work everyone! I am so chuffed.

Edited January 21, 2015 by Mrs. Voidus

[Kobold King he/him]

7 thumbs up my friend!   Getting carried away can be where the best fantasy literature begins  . I would go with Wind manipulation because the Air God is one who survives and can control elements in the atmosphere - being able to control fire byproxy, ie. get rid of oxygen and suffocating the fire or changing the elements so to enrage fire -, so those two could live close to each other and work together. (Which could also be interesting because of the forest being the Chskreven's home.

I imagine the forest being on the top of a natural structure like this:

 

 

And a human tribe living in the valley. 

Wind God (I liked your name for it a lot) could be a subset of Air God that was created when some nearby tribes died out. So the creatures existed before then, but gained magical powers and increased intelligence after then. You can decide how this effects their surroundings and interactions with people.

Also, I would love to play one if you didn't want to control them all as a group.

 

Awesome! I'm really glad you like them. Wind manipulation it is; Niimanjula Evertree is hereby the officially sponsored deity of the chiskreven people

 

How long ago would it be reasonable for the Wind God to have diverged from the Air God, and for the modern chiskreven to have formed? With my current conception of their having multiple clans and an oral tradition, it would need to have happened at least four or five hundred years before the RP's start date.

 

I like the idea of having a tribe of chiskreven living over a valley of humans like that. That's a beautiful landscape, and the forests there seem sufficient for their nesting sites. Close proximity to human neighbors could also help ensure that the chiskreven characters get into the action of the plot, as left to their own devices they'd probably just sit around and eat bugs all day. A wonderful existence for a treeraptor I suppose, but kind of boring to read about.

 

I think it'd be really cool to see what other writers would do with chiskreven characters. So if you wanted to create a character belonging to their species, I'd be the first to encourage it. Don't feel obligated to do so, though. I'd be fine with controlling them all as a group should I need too.

[Mailliw73 he/him]

I really like the name of the Sun God you have come up with. Heat resistance, Fusion Control and Heat control are all approved.  Also I think that actual contact with the caster is required for all transformations. 

Really great limitations to Fusion Control, they are similar to what I had in mind. 

Side note to all: any one in any tribe can become a priest, as there is no elitism. All that "being a priest" means, is that that person has dedicated their life to study and prayer aka actual communion with their God and can harness that Gods powers better.

Fauna wise, in the desert, insects and the usual desert critters are the norm, burrowing in sand and hiding in desert plant and grass life. Rivers contain creatures more like eels and crabs than fish so that in particularly dry seasons they too can burrow in the mud. You may want to look into having some of your tribes people farming these creatures in undercover ponds they have protected with magic. Just a thought. Was this scenery what you had in mind or is it just me:

 

 

But with the occasional tiny stream or pool?

 

Other than that, absolutely amazing work everyone! I am so chuffed.

Thanks! I'm thinking that the Imfu have their own dialect that has more rhythym to it, like Zulu, and they have words for things from Zulu because Imfudumalo gave those to them.

I've added the contact requirement to my profile. I'm adding the animal farms too in my next update. Yes I did picture the terrain like that, only by the Ukupitha river, it would look more like This:

Thank you! You're the one who gave us this neat world to work in. I hope this RP helps you with your own world building as the Edassa threads are for Seonid.

I also really like the idea of the forest above a valley for the Chiskreven. Kobold, I think it'd be quite fun to play as one of the,, but I'm just not sure I have the time for any more characters here. I already have a ton in Oregon and I have Khuvlai in Edassa, plus the Elimination games, and of course RL. Maybe once some of my Oregon characters are killed off, I'll add more here.

[Newan he/him]

Awesome! I'm really glad you like them. Wind manipulation it is; Niimanjula Evertree is hereby the officially sponsored deity of the chiskreven people

 

How long ago would it be reasonable for the Wind God to have diverged from the Air God, and for the modern chiskreven to have formed? With my current conception of their having multiple clans and an oral tradition, it would need to have happened at least four or five hundred years before the RP's start date.

 

I like the idea of having a tribe of chiskreven living over a valley of humans like that. That's a beautiful landscape, and the forests there seem sufficient for their nesting sites. Close proximity to human neighbors could also help ensure that the chiskreven characters get into the action of the plot, as left to their own devices they'd probably just sit around and eat bugs all day. A wonderful existence for a treeraptor I suppose, but kind of boring to read about.

 

I think it'd be really cool to see what other writers would do with chiskreven characters. So if you wanted to create a character belonging to their species, I'd be the first to encourage it. Don't feel obligated to do so, though. I'd be fine with controlling them all as a group should I need too.

 

Do chiskreven still have unintelligent relatives? 

 

If so, what if there was some part of microrapter anatomy that the Zericians used in a lot of their medicine?  So then the Zericians would have domesticated microrapters and treat them like chickens.  They could use microrapter feathers and bones for medicine, and eat their meat and their eggs.  

 

Maybe the chiskrevens could become an ally to the Pathonians.

[Edgedancer he/him]

I'm leaning towards Niimanjula Evertree as their deity. I'll have to chart out the full extent of the wind manipulation powers.

(Assuming, of course, that Mrs. Voidus doesn't come online later and obliterate the chiskreven from canon. )

 

It would actually be kind of neat if a young chiskreven had somehow gotten separated from its people at an early age and was raised as a pet by a human tribe. It could be a good way of bringing the mostly-isolationist chiskreven race into the human story arcs.

Now I really want one of them as a pet for my character, objections? I´m fairly certain Saril makes a perfect candidate with his culture making sure he treats him respectful and being native to a forest. Actually, scratch pet, call him partner.

 

Here's what I have so far for my character. Voidus/Mrs. Voidus, does this fit with what you already have established? If you already have names or such, I'll switch them out. I'm thinking that the Sun tribe is very warlike and agressive, and is always angry at the Moon tribe. If his is approved, then Ill flesh out Ukubulala more. Name: Ukubulala

Position: Warrior-Priest

Tribe: Member of the Sun tribe, or as they call themselves, the Imfu who worship the Sun God, whom they call Imfudumalo Umuphi(Heat-Giver).

Powerset:

-Heat resistance: Imfu can resist any hot temperature and cannot be burned. They are always warm.

-Fusion Control: Uku has learned to control fusion to change the substance of objects. He can transfigure objects smaller than his head to just about any other substance. Objects larger, he can change to smoke or stone. With extra power from other priests or from Imfudumalo Umuphi, he can change larger things to other substances.

-Heat control: Uku can absorb the heat from something or infuse something with heat.

Culture: The Imfu live in a very delicate climate. They live in the southwest of the scorching Shisayo desert. They live primarily near the Ukuphila River where the temperature is milder and plants grow easily. All Imfu have heat resisting blessings from Imfudumalo Umuphi, but only the bravest and strongest are blessed with power to control the heat and only those who become Rulers, Warrior-Priests, or after exhibiting exceptional bravery in an extreme circumstance, can harness fusion.

Sounds awesome but I am not sure how balanced it would be to give them both the heat and the Fusion powersets.They each seem like a completely viable magic-system with our current scale, so giving them both makes them more or less twice as strong than any other tribe, given that the others only have one magic and maybe a couple of minor benefits.

 

"Objects larger" is also pretty vague, leaving open the possibility to smoke or stone humans or entire mountains.

 

Edit: My cellphone kinda massacared this post, so excuses to those that had to read it before I could fix it.

Edited January 21, 2015 by Edgedancer