The world of Naratar

[SilverTiger she/her]

Recently, my sister and I have been designing a world together. I have decided to post what we have on it here so we can get feedback.

The world of Naratar is smaller than Earth, but similar in most other ways. It has three moons, the largest a silvery-grey color, a golden-yellow one, and a blueish moon which is the smallest. All three support life, including humans.

Geography: (not very undertstandable)

Spoiler

Naratar has several (at least 3) continents. These are Rynix, Astrellea, and Vitara. Of these, I only have concrete info on Rynix and Astrellea.

The central continent of Naratar is Rynix, which is some __ square miles (__ length north/south; __ length east/west). The majority of the continent is covered in the Mediine Plains region, a vast, flat area covered primarily in grass. The Mediine Plains are drained by two rivers, the northern River of Naryx and the southern Zeth River, which meet into one river that drains into the Gulf of Sorixar on the south coast of the continent, forming the Acadya swamps on the way. The Mediine Plains have a hot, temperamental climate, with frequent rainfall. The Acadya Swamps, which are just as hot, are much more humid. They are formed by the River of Naryx where it drains into the Gulf.

The northern end of Rynix is dominated by the Kyntor Mountains. They are very high, rocky mountains, much colder as well. Stretching from their southeastern tip to just north of Issval's Crossing lies the Tarnhar Forests. Colder than the plains west of them, these forests border the South Sumadan Ocean (?) in the east.

To the north and west, just below the Kyntor Mountains, lie the inhospitable Selfron Wastes. The Wastes were formed by tectonic activity, and possess quite a bit of volcanic activity, such as geysers, boiling mud pits, and lava pools, as well as having high quantities of sulfur in the area. Scorching hot due to geothermal activity, and perpetually obscured by smoke and steam, the Selfron Wastes are thankfully separated from the rest of Rynix by a ridge formed of igneous rock that built up around it over time.

Running along the western coast of Rynix, from the Selfron Wastes in the north to the Soxar Peninsula (a peninsula on the southwest corner of Rynix, part of the Mediine Plains) in the south, the Gides (Gee-dehz) Mountains are much lower than the Kyntors of the north, and much less rocky. Covered in vast meadows and forests, the Gides Mountains mostly border the Mediine Plains in the east, but also some of Thorai, while the entirety of their western border is coastal.

Thorai. Although not as blatantly inhospitably as the Selfron Wastes, Thorai is considered much more dangerous, as the lifeforms there will actively hunt and attack travelers. Bordering the wastes to the north, the Gides to the west, and the Mediine Plains to the east and south, Thorai is a rainforest, hot in the summer and cool in the winter, with many streams, ponds, and lakes hiding inside its dense underbrush.

 

North of Rynix are the Isles of Danae. Even farther north is the smaller continent of Astrellea. Between Rynix and Astrellea lies the Sea of Andori.

Astrellea lies directly north of Rynix, and is much smaller. The western and northwestern portions of the continent are covered in the Fangs of Fenrys (a mountain range), while the northernmost region is simply an icy wasteland. The 4 Footprint Lakes in eastern Astrellea are fed by hot mineral springs, and therefore freeze over only in the coldest winters, and even then, only thinly. The Footprint Lakes lie in the middle of the Astrellean tundra that covers the eastern, central, and southern portions of Astrellea. Just south of the Footprint lakes, on Astrellea's southeast coast, is Cape Iko, and the Bay of Jirys that sits between the cape and the mainland. The very southern coast is covered in icy cliffs and ice flats over the sea there.

The continent of Vitara is east of Rynix, and similar in size.

There is no magic on Naratar (although there may be pyschic gifts later on). The only sapient species are humans, as well.

So, peoples and cultures.

The Astrelleans- Proud, Independent, and Loyal

Spoiler

The Astrellean people were separated from the rest of Naratar for many centuries, before Naryxi explorers found their homeland. In that time alone, they developed a language, traditions, and culture of their own. They are proud of their ability to survive in their harsh home, and are fiercely independent  from outsiders, yet just as fierce in their loyalty to other Astrelleans.

They live in settlements that can be found across the continent, except for the wastes of the farthest north. The settlements on the tundra tend to be very small (100-200 people) while settlements by the Lakes and in the mountains can be bigger.

On the tundra, there is some limited farming of some few plants, but more in the way of wild-gathering. There is also much hunting of wild animals, such as tarya and maromar for fur and meat. Buildings are constructed set into the ground, with wood/earth being used to build the rest.

The settlements in the Fangs are often built of wooden logs and stone. Just as on the tundra, the people there tend to hunt wild animals (largely ibri and lajmar) and gather plants from the forests. However, it is the forest-dwellers who domesticated the first lajmar, which they now use as pack and riding beasts (domestic lajmar can also be found in the Lakes settlements). They are also noted for the variety of fruits they gather, which they often use to create a jam-like concoction.

Settlements by the Footprint Lakes are also built of wooden logs, as there are copses of trees by the Lakes, and there is some farming (of domestic lajmar). There is also fishing in the Lakes, and gathering (even some raising) of plants.

Astrelleans tend to wear leather and fur. They use bone to craft the majority of their tools. Their sole form of artwork consists of carving fanciful designs (often based on the natural world and order) into bones and antlers from animals. Burial rites consist of taking the corpse and leaving exposed to the elements. Economy is based on barter.

Language: their spoken language relies heavily on s, r, and a; they have their own alphabet, which is phonetic and picture based. Spoken language sounds soft, fluid, but can be spoken sharply, although this is used when the speaker is very angry, taking offense or delivering a vile insult, or for declarations/challenges of violence (for instance, the traditional war-cry, hra'ak, is pronounced with a very harsh k sound).

Government: each settlement is ruled collectively and democratically by all the adults. As a whole, the Astrelleans are ruled by the Lar'hassa, who is advised by a council consisting of elected representatives from each region (one per region, so 4 councilors total). They carved their laws (and something of a constitution) into bone and antlers long ago. The laws and government structure/duties are also found as the basis for simplistic, widespread songs. Punishment for crimes is largely based and ingrained into their traditions.

Astrelleans have a strong belief in the natural order of things, and dislike disrupting it. They also have a firm belief in where their place in that order is. Large scale destruction of natural land (such as deforestation) are challenges to this and are therefore abhorrent to them.

However, the Astrelleans can be cruel at times. People with physical or mental defects may be abandoned to die in the wilderness, although only after the community attempts to work around the defect. For instance, someone with a deformed leg may become a shaman or tanner, but someone with an I.Q. of fifty would most likely be abandoned. This practice does not extend to elders, who have earned their place to be cared for. Also, they are resistant to changing their traditions, and greatly dislike outsiders.

Some more peoples/cultures, which will be expanded upon later.

Spoiler

Naryxi- my sister's favorite culture. They live on the middle of the Mediine Plains as a farming culture originally, but will go on to conquer the entirety of Naratar (her plans, not mine).  Possess a racial superiority complex as well, where the Naryxi are superior to every other culture/race (kinda synonymous on Naratar) and therefore conquer and rule other by divine right. Greco-Roman style pantheon and religion, aristocratic government. They are a proud and arrogant people; very competitive, will follow the letter (but the the spirit) of the law. They also have very good crafting skills, and believe things need to be functional and beautiful. Ethnically, Naryxi have a medium height and build, tanned skin color, and wavy black hair. They are unique in having a ring of golden coloration around their pupils, although the rest of the iris is normally brown or hazel.

Teriagne- another Mediine Plains farming culture. They are more peaceful than the Naryxi, and are more religious as well. They worship a mother-earth style goddess, and tend to be a bit superstitious as well. They regularly perform rituals to bring rain, good harvests, drive off demons, etc. Rituals are lead by priestesses and are linked to the lunar cycle. Similar in appearence to Naryxi, but with softer features, no golden-ring in the eyes, brown hair and green eyes. They are somewhat based on Wicca, which I know about from reading fantasy books.

Plantation society- which I need a better name for. Also on the Mediine Plains, I kind of modeled them off of the Confederate South plantations, complete with slavery. But with attack-wolf-things to control the slaves (who are not different, ethnically).

Thorn Jungle Barbarians- they live in the Thorn Jungle (duh) in a tribal, hunter-gatherer society. They are mostly known for their striking appearence, which is albino skin, but the blood vessels are formed of black (actual jet black) tissue, which forms a vein-like pattern all over their bodies, including their eyeballs. They also have black irises and dark brown/black hair, with a medium height and lean, wiry build. Most other cultures on Naratar are unsure if they are actually human.

Tarnhar Forest Folk- they live an odd nomadic lifestyle. They build permanent settlements, but actually wander from settlement to settlement in random, solitary patterns. They are somewhat lazy, and have a hunter-gatherer lifestyle mostly. They do plant patches of edible plants around settlements, especially fruit or nut bearing trees. Trapping and fishing are popular. Have no concept of marriage, either (idiots). Also lack a real government, just traditions, and are fond of alcohol. Tend to be rowdy when drunk. Similarly unorganized religion.

Lunar cultures:

Spoiler

There are people on all three moons. The flargest moon, the silvery-grey one, is called Nari and is tidally locked. It has two cultures, which I creatively named he bright-siders and the dark-siders. The second moon, which is golden-yellow, is going to have a more war-like tribal culture. 

Nari Bright-siders:

Spoiler

1. The Bright-siders:
   1. Appearance- light brown skin, silver eyes, black hair sometimes with steel grey highlights. They tend wear their hair short, above their shoulders. The prefer simple, practical clothes-> shirts, knee-length shorts.
   2. Culture- they are very logically minded, very analytical. They do not have much art of any kind. Instead, they tend to be scientists and mathematicians. They do not suppress/ignore their emotions, however (not Vulcans). They will show emotion under informal circumstances (parties, recreational activities) but control them in serious situations (workplace, formal meetings). The majority of hard, menial labor and manufacturing is done by machinery.
   3. Architecture- uses a lot of metal and glass. They build large buildings which contain entire cities (think sci-fi lunar domes cities). Have a lot of large, open areas.
   4. Government- they have a democratic-republic government. All citizens directly vote on laws and other issues, but there are certain laws that cannot be violated or overturned. The legal system has a judge-jury model, where the jury (random selection of citizens) decides if the evidence is conclusive, and the judge decides the sentence within the range allowed by law. In politics, there are term limits for representatives, and political debates on television are common. The bright-siders also prefer to gather in public places to watch these debates and discuss them with each other. It is required by law that the entirety of the facts on an issue, including all possible solutions, be presented openly to the public.
   5. Religion- they do not have an actual religion, and are not very big on philosophy. Belief ranges from complete atheism (there is nothing beyond the material universe) to a form of deism (a being of great power created space and time and therefore must exist beyond space and time). They have some concept of souls and an afterlife from contact with the dark-siders, which they mostly disregard/disbelieve as baseless fantasy. Philosophy tends to focus on human morality/ethics (first laws, etc.).
      1. They practice strict monogamy and chastity before marriage (which is simply registering as married). Young adults in a city will meet in specific restaurant/dance hall type areas to meet each other and date. They permit both heterosexual and homosexual marriages. Families typically have 1-3 children. Interestingly, homosexual couples are not permitted to raise children (not that there are many children to adopt in the first place) due to psychological studies indicating that it can have harmful effects on the children. They permit divorce of marriage unless there are children, for the same reason. There is a high rate of asexuality among them as well, and as much of 40-60% of the adult population may be unmarried.
   6. History- the bright-siders originate from a colony of atheistic scientists who colonized the region in the distant past. After a catastrophe destroyed most of the colony's knowledge (including all historical records) and hyper evolved the other lifeforms on the moon, the settlers (descendants of the original colonists) began to try to rediscover their ancestors' lost technology, at the same time developing a unique culture. After the catastrophe they had a limited knowledge of: hereditary, basic mechanics, a good deal of mathematics, chemical reactions, etc. They quickly developed steam engines, and shortly after electricity. They currently use maglev trains for transport between cities.
   7. Ecology- the original plants that the colonists brought were either ornamental or useful (typically genetically-engineered). The animals were largely livestock and similarly useful animals. After the catastrophe, the farms turned into a real environment, although it remained relatively tame. Fruits and vegetables grow easily with minimal effort and bear an abundant, nutritious crop. Plants include…

Also, I posted a bit on the bright-siders and the dark-siders in the Creation Daily, last page.

Will post more later. Questions please?

Edited December 8, 2017 by SilverTiger

[SilverTiger she/her]

Reserved if I need more space (probably for history).

[Droughtbringer]

Few things:

https://inkarnate.com/

You can use that to make really nice looking maps, if you are interested.

Explain psychic gifts?

Explain the story you want to tell?

Explain the cultures?

[SilverTiger she/her]

Thanks, I already have a map of Naratar, but it is about 4 sheets of graph paper taped together, so I can't scan it. The psychic gifts are a maybe, so there's nothing to really explain. No idea on a story, either.

The cultures thing is problematic because I already have it all written down, but it is all jumbled up and only understandable to me (and maybe my sister). And I hate having to retype it all in one go. But I am going to anyway, and questions help.

[Stormblessed Dolphin he/him]

I have a world I'm working on. I started out on paper, but I've decided to store everything on my computer for easier access. Fortunately I didn't have too much yet. But I would recommend getting your notes typed. It will make it easier for the long run.

I'm not sure what story I want to tell with mine either, but the worldbuilding is fun

[SilverTiger she/her]

Oh, I have them typed, just in a random jumble of thoughts. And there's all the vague ideas in my head.

For instance: The Naryxi have Greco-Roman style pantheon with lots of deities, and also quite a few nature spirits (like dryads). Like star-spirit-things that I need a name for. How were the star spirits created? Well, the god of stars messed around with his older brother the sun-god, and from that union came the star-spirits. Don't ask how.

That is kind of how my though process goes, which makes it really storming difficult to organize into an understandable wall of text. Plus, there are gaps in parts of cultures, and I've only really gotten the Naryxi, Astrelleans, and Nari bright-siders filled in.

@Benjamin_Stormblessed, is your world on Creator's Corner? Because I like reading about other people's ideas almost as much as I like thinking about my own.

Edited December 8, 2017 by SilverTiger

[Stormblessed Dolphin he/him]

All I have honestly, is a map, a few country names, one name of a capitol city, and a vague idea of Magic+Advanced technology

 

And A magic system based on smoke that is still heavily under development. (if you have any ideas on that, please go to the link below)

@SilverTiger Yes, second link in my signature, I will probably update it soon.

Edited December 8, 2017 by Benjamin_Stormblessed