ZincAboutIt
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Proposed character bio below. She's already a little crazy so I'm sure she'll be a disaster by the end.
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Having a Bad Day?: Get 'yer Hugs here!!
ZincAboutIt replied to Curious Anamaximder's topic in General Discussion
My anxiety has gotten so bad that doing something as simple as posting a comment on this forum fills me with terror. I know I should get help, but I don't want to hear just how broken I am. I feel like I am too old to be so anxious about everything, and admitting it would be humiliating. -
Fuel could be crystals, a mineral, etc. as has been suggested. If magic naturally kind of pools in certain places we could have veins of this “magic” running through the earth. Another choice for fuel could be blood though that’s rather dark for probably a lot of people. I do like the idea of the fuel source being at least somewhat costly, whether morally or economically.
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Ah I think perhaps I used the wrong word, because I actually agree with you about the free will and agency. Agent is a better word, or perhaps emissary? They can choose to act or not, but the action is limited by the god’s own personage/will. So basically yes, sorry I picked a bad word for that one.
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So the person channeling the god’s power is acting as an extension of the god’s intent (for the lack of a better word). Like a wand directing the power of a wizard? If this is the case then I agree this makes sense. It’s not so much that the person’s faith gives them powers of their own, they become more of an instrument of the group-faith? I think that’s a sufficient limit for me on the power, people can’t just go around piggybacking on god-power to do anything they like, it must be within strict limits. Like a priesthood of sorts? Dedicated instruments of the god? Edit: But if I’m being honest I like @Steel Inquisitive’s folk-hero idea quite a lot too. It would also open up opportunity to introduce folkloric creatures, things that aren’t people and aren’t necessarily nice. If a town believed that the deep lake down in the valley contained a kelpie that enjoyed drowning people, perhaps one would begin to appear. A copse of trees has developed a taste for human flesh? Maybe a few people actually go missing in that wood. And you could have a whole organization dedicated to eradicating superstition amongst rural communities, for safety and reduction in monsters.
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How would this work though? If the god is only pulled into godhood through the manifestation of the faithful, then if someone is given power from said gods, they are effectively channeling their own faith. If this is possible, why have a god at all? Unless it is some kind of psychic requirement on the part of humans, that there needs to be an intermediary that acts as a dispensary of their own faith-manifestation... oooh boy I’m giving myself a headache.
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If the gods effectively “bond” with their followers this could be the two-way benefit of it. However the gods would then feel the collective compulsion of the faithful to fulfill their faith. The faithful continue to believe to receive a portion of their powers? I feel like the cost to the believer should be higher. Also, in this world are the gods humans who effectively attain godhood or collective physical manifestations of belief? I like either option and both could pose their own unique plot elements.
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This sounds so cool! I also see this as a key part of necromancy, if that’s something that ends up going through. Not so much *actually* bringing someone back to life (bringing back the soul, etc), but believing that they can still get up, walk, do things, talk. Also gives the opportunity to link two people, or a person and an object. What you do to one affects the other (likely illegal for most applications). Edit: Could you use this method to convince a living person that they were dead? Or to perform kind of a strange version of vaccination, where you could link two people, one who is sick, another who has survived the sickness, and trick the sick person’s body into believing that it has immunity?
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On board with all of this!
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Yes!!! Also to your other point, I would say yes, they can interact with the world, or I would want them to at least. I think it could get very interesting in that the Gods were created by their believers out of worship, but the god is also tied into the followers’ expectations and faiths, so in a way they could be both the seevant AND the served, if you will. There is free will but also compulsion to fulfill “the faith.”
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Have you read Brian McClellan’s work? This reminds me of his system a bit. I like this direction though, it’s cool.
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If the physical world can be altered through perception, could people theoretically believe a god into existence with enough faith? Patron gods, Gods of specific places and locations, “lesser” gods if you will, like in pre-Christian Europe, maybe?
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I sketched out an idea a long time ago that allowed people to store excess magic in their own bodies by carving runes into their skin, using themselves as a battery of sorts. The entire basis of the magic system revolved around the buying and selling of life-force energy (more runes = more energy storage) so if it generates from a natural source it would work differently. But, perhaps something like that could work as a way for people to bring power with them to work with in other places? If we have a magical alphabet/sigil set, can it be used directly on people? I know that’s one of the first things I’d try out. Sorry I’m trying to play catch-up here, traveling atm.
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I’m glad you mentioned this, I wrote like 4 paragraphs on something like this and then my inflight WiFi ran out and it never posted. Anyway, I think splitting between the physical and non-physical effects could put more interesting limits on all the magic involved. Seen vs Unseen if you will. Two people being needed to perform complex rituals since only one person can work in each medium, either “on stage” or “back stage.”
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Lol you make a good point with this one. I generally play god and write all my story myself so thanks for pointing this out! Worldbuilding for multiple people is still new to me.
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Are we planning on sticking with the Cosmere prohibition on telling the future? If not then that could open up a larger slate of magic options that focus at least partially on telling the future/interpreting the present, with plenty of branches to work with.
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Thanks for explaining! This makes sense I also agree with you about Rosharan magic and the availability of gemstones.
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I think tying identity to location via Aons/Hemalurgy/whatever else would allow for probably a greater level of specificity and diversity between regions, which is its own benefit. However, merging the CR and the PR more deeply across the board could lead to some very interesting things happening in areas that are not claimed by any particular guild or group. In an area where the land is being fought over, the landscape could be in a much greater state of unrest (earthquakes, sinkholes, etc). Portions of the world that are not yet explored could even sort of start dissolving without any kind of mental focus on them. The end of the map could be the actual end of the map, or you could get wells/holes in the world because no one is thinking of them. In these far-flung regions a small group of people could potentially have immense influence over their own landscape since their thoughts are the only thing affecting the reality around them. Could you pay/force a large enough group of people to think a thing into existence? This seems like the ideal setting for a cult leader to amass enough of a following to actually change reality as it suits him/her. Just thoughts
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Oooh, so the landscape could change subtly over time? That could actually be a potential negative plot point, if the collective identity of a group changed enough to cause nature to degrade... makes me think of the myth of the Fisher King. Edit: Also has a PM been created? If so please add me! If not maybe I’ll make one
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I'm imagining enormous railroad spikes here, but there's no railroad... Maybe road-markers? Like there's a large central "Roman Road" type of thing, and the way-markers are the identity spikes, acting as a sort of "you are entering _____" type of thing?
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Hi I'm 100% here for all three of these things, anyone who needs help writing whatever this ends up being, I want in. When you say "flesh sorcery" I'm guessing you're including old-school sympathetic magic, hoodoo, wax poppets, mind/body-control via blood, that sort of thing?
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This is something that I'm coming up against too.
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I voted for this and I'm so glad it won enough support! The second or third options sound fun to me. Either way I'd create a new character. I actually think the 2nd option would be the coolest. As long as I have enough information about the world for my character to attempt survival/navigate around, having the rest hidden sounds quite neat, like being a character in a book.
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People you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley
ZincAboutIt replied to Voidus's topic in The Alleyverse
Lita laughed a little ruefully. "I won't try to kill you, I'm not that stupid. I don't generally make the habit of killing the people I work for. Anyway, I highly doubt your ambitions are so small as to include framing my father for smuggling gunpowder. You wanted to know my limit, so, there it is." She turned to Laurelai "Come on," said the woman, "we can stop by R&D while we chat for a bit, they always have something interesting that shouldn't work but does. And we can pick you up a special pen of your own." Lita nodded, smiling at the mention of the pen. How had Laurelai done it? I'll find that out soon enough, and more besides, she thought. I guess I picked the right day to get a drink. @Voidus
