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PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 3:06 pm 
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TheRiov wrote:
Work in Progress...

Siaovion
The Siaovion's are feline in decent.


We can use the Catfolk in Races of the Wild as the base for these furries.

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 3:15 pm 
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Kaffis Mark V wrote:
I'm thinking Gnomes need to be Robber Barons and pioneers in interchangeable parts.


It works. i haven't thought of how gnomes fit into this yet.

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 3:44 pm 
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As robber barons, they're ruthlessly profit-driven. Gnomes have copyrighted greed.

I'm envisioning the Green Movement, which is a campaign spear-headed by Phinneus J. Green IV to seek back royalties for his great-grandfather inventing the color green.

All gnomes have surnames such as Money, Dirt, Outhouse, Wood, Rock, Water, and such, which they bestowed upon their inventions that they have shared with the world for a nominal fee.

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 3:51 pm 
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Nice to offset the commie dwarves.

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 3:57 pm 
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The dwarves drew all of their inspiration from the writings of Thomas Ulysses Communism I. Racial tensions are high because the dwarves aren't paying royalties.

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 7:33 pm 
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I like the idea of socialist dwarves, but I also agree they need some adjustment to avoid being too punny. Country needs a better name than communist Dwarvia or Peoples Dwarven Republic or whatever for example.

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 9:49 pm 
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Does it? People's Republic seems to be a perfectly valid name for a country judging by examples of actual countries. Not all names are imaginative and inspired. Sometimes you get things like the Wet Lake, because that's what the people who live there called it.

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 9:54 pm 
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could be. "People's Dwarven" sounds little redunant to me is all.

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PostPosted: Tue Mar 20, 2012 10:58 pm 
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The Dwarven Republic of Underholme.

That said, while the notion of creating a new setting amuses me, particularly one with evil humans...

Are we really lacking for d20 games around here? I dunno about you guys, but there's only so many spot checks I can stand to roll in a week, as it were, and PbP is alarmingly bad at hosting a system where things like 5 foot steps matter.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 1:18 am 
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Well, we really only have one that's currently running. (Diamondeye's.)

E6 is kinda simple for d20, though. I've been meaning to try it.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 3:28 pm 
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Based on what's been said so far -

Included races with a kingdom on the borders of the Nexus City:

Dwarves
Elves (3 castes)
Gnomes
Norsemen
Orcs
Merfolk (or some other aquatic race)
Humans (not playable - antagonists)

Additional Races that might be included, even if nationless wandering nomads (Thoughts?)
Halflings
Catfolk (TheRiov suggested)
Raptorans/Illumians/Goliaths
Undecided Aquatic Antagonists (not playable)
Undecided Fey people

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But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 6:31 pm 
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I suggest staying away from the extremes of some typical gnome stereotypes. Staying away from them entirely would be even better.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 7:09 pm 
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That's why I said interchangeable parts, not factories or clockwork automatons. They're a step above tinker-level watchmaking, but that's it.

Also, their interchangeable parts might not even be die-cast metal. Perhaps they just have (magically?) exacting standards of wood carving and smithing.

Talya, why do the villains have a border to our utopian city of cooperation and cosmipolitan-ness. Surely, they would not suffer such weak and feeble notions as treaties.

Instead, they test the various nations in turn, searching for the weak spot in their defenses that will allow them to crash through and sack the jewel of all their enemies' prosperity at a single blow.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 7:29 pm 
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Kaffis Mark V wrote:
Talya, why do the villains have a border to our utopian city of cooperation and cosmipolitan-ness. Surely, they would not suffer such weak and feeble notions as treaties.

Instead, they test the various nations in turn, searching for the weak spot in their defenses that will allow them to crash through and sack the jewel of all their enemies' prosperity at a single blow.


I'm not sure. I was debating including them or not. But regardless, the nexus city is no Utopia. The Regent has a hell of a time keeping the peace. Each of the bordering cities is always vying for advantage, and the nexus is their last, best hope for peace the only reason none of them have come to open warfare for a few decades. Each of the nations that make it up is seriously flawed. The elves lack any freedom at all, sticking with a rigid caste system. Dwarven smithing just isn't what it was when the Thanes ruled, and dwarven labor is almost nonexistent.. The Norse are too busy trying to keep the Jarls of their individual cities in line, sometimes even at civil war, to present a unified front. The gnomish economy booms while most of their population lives in squalor. The United Orc Clans, a great experiment in freedom, struggles with differing ethics and untamed land filled with halfling savages that need to be forcibly relocated. And barely noticed by the others, the Empire of the Moon (Merfolk/aquatics) methodically conquers the entire sea, expanding their empire while proclaiming their love of peace at the conclave.

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 9:27 pm 
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The utopian bit was a bit tongue in cheek.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 10:18 pm 
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I exaggerate a bit on the gnomes, but I think they should hold the intellectual property rights to something very fundamental and integral to society, like wood, fire, aqueducts, roads, or something very basic that we take for granted in our day to day lives.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 10:23 pm 
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i strongly suspect they are the only nation that gives any credence to such IP laws.

(Which doesn't stop them from complaining about violations and issuing cease and desist orders to everyone with smoke coming out their chimneys.)

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Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 21, 2012 10:27 pm 
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IP is a fairly modern concept that undoubtedly fails to model what would exist in this world. Nonetheless, I think the gnomes aggressively pursue their monopoly on whatever it is they have monopolized.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:25 am 
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Dliny the Elder, A History of Religion wrote:
Legends tell how The Almighty Goddess, The World-Mother, in Her infinite love of sentience, sacrificed her own heart to become the world - a home for all, and that all live sprang forth from there. The veracity of this creation-myth is impossible to ascertain. Clerics are unable to communicate with Her, for She answers no prayers and grants them no powers. Some druids worship Her and claim that their powers come from Her, but this is also impossible to confirm. Some druids ignore such legends, worshiping only Nature itself, and perhaps even dismiss such legend as myth, yet they still have druidic power. The faithful argue in return that She is Nature; Her heart is the world, Her soul the universe, the gods her lifeblood, and we are all Her glorious creations. By worshiping Nature, or other gods, they link themselves to Her, and Her blessings flow through them.

It is, at least, a good story, believed by most, yet ignored even by many of those who believe. Whether one believes it or not seems to have little effect on one's life.


The gods of the world often seem almost limitless to a casual observer. While they do not directly interfere in the affairs of mortals, and dwell far beyond what the spells of the greatest wizards can ever hope to penetrate, they do seem to answer those who tap into the divine. Most of the great cultures have their own pantheons, and yet none can argue that their own are true while the others do not exist. A Dwarven orthodox cleric in exile weilds no less powerful divine magic than a prestigious High Priest of the Celestial Bureaucracy of the Glorious Empire of the Sun. Many believe that the pantheons simply represent the stylings and mortal legends given to celestial concepts that we can understand - many pantheons having analogues of each other's deities, and perhaps, ultimately, all the Gods are linked together and part of Her.

The pantheons of the world are as follows:

The Asgardians (Deities & Demigods)
Among the most widely worshipped in the world, the Gods of Asgard may have closed access to the rainbow bridge millennia earlier, but Odin, Frigga, Thor, Sif Tyr, Heimdall, Freya, Balder, Hel and many others answer prayers of the Nordic people and any other who convert (including many isolated elves dwelling in the mystical Alfheim mountains separating the two nations.) The dwarven people, too, once worshipped these gods, before the revolution that installed the Dwarves' Republic of Nidavellir.
The Celestial Bureaucracy (must be created) - religion of the Glorious Empire of the Sun
The Elvedic Panthon (must be created) - Elven pantheon loosely based on Hindu gods and goddesses
The Olympians (Deities and Demigods) - Primarily believed in by the Empire of the Moon, who worship Poseidon as their father, many people of all races along the coastal areas also follow the gods of Olympus.


I still need a gnomish pantheon, which I'm tempted to rip from forgotten realms, wholesale (Garl Glittergold and company.) Nevermind how tempting it is to give our tiny megacapitalists the religion of the Ferengi from Star Trek.

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 12:53 pm 
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Talya wrote:
INevermind how tempting it is to give our tiny megacapitalists the religion of the Ferengi from Star Trek.

Doo Eeet!

Seriously I think the alternative setting should depart from convention on one race and have a non-deity school of philosophy.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 1:09 pm 
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The Glorious Hu Empire does not recognize any pantheon. The Sun created the world for them to inhabit, with their cities and his son, Shining Emperor Hu, already upon it to rule over them. Glorious Emperor Hu XIV Who Shall Reign Forever is the thirteenth son in the line of the Hu Dynasty, descended from the Sun himself. Are you suggesting that the Hu question their Emperor?

(Despite having Chinese names, the Hu take much of their creation myth from Japan)

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 2:11 pm 
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So the Emperor himself is their religion. This is easier than inventing a celestial bureaucracy. The true source of the power of their priesthood remains unknown to the world at large. (As far as the Glorious Empire is concerned, Hu XIV is the source of their power.)

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 25, 2012 2:15 pm 
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Rorinthas wrote:
Talya wrote:
INevermind how tempting it is to give our tiny megacapitalists the religion of the Ferengi from Star Trek.

Doo Eeet!

Seriously I think the alternative setting should depart from convention on one race and have a non-deity school of philosophy.




Star Trek Memory Alpha Wiki wrote:
The Ferengi cultural emphases upon profit and wealth extended to spirituality, leading to a fairly robust and detailed religious life, even if the central philosophy behind the religion was relatively simple. Like everything else in their society, Ferengi religion revolved around the central concepts of profit and the accumulation of wealth.

Ferengi spirituality flowed largely from their belief in the universe was bound together in the Great Material Continuum. A Ferengi who lived a good life (one who makes a profit and accumulates wealth) was said to navigate the Great River of the Continuum. Such Ferengi were rewarded for their success in interpreting the wants and needs of this life by positioning themselves for success in the next life. (DS9: "Treachery, Faith and the Great River")

The Ferengi seemed to draw a distinction between selfishness and greed, indicating that the accumulation of wealth serves a greater good and is therefore not selfish. This is likely the role of the Great Material Continuum and may explain why such accumulation is rewarded in the afterlife. However, it may also be the case that selfishness itself is considered a moral virtue and for that reason the accumulation of wealth is rewarded in the afterlife.

The Antechamber of the Divine Treasury

In the case of Ferengi, the mercantile belief in the finite but eternal nature of material accumulation meant that you could take it with you. Upon death a Ferengi found himself before the Blessed Exchequer, to whom Ferengi prayed in life, and was evaluated on the basis of the profit earned while alive. A successful Ferengi was allowed to bribe their way into the Divine Treasury where the wealth he had accumulated could be used to bid on his next life under the supervision of the Celestial Auctioneers. An unsuccessful Ferengi might find himself cast into the Vault of Eternal Destitution, never to return. (DS9: "Little Green Men", "Body Parts", "The Emperor's New Cloak")

By the end of the Dominion War, in 2375, over 40% of the population on Ferenginar no longer believed they had to buy their way into the Divine Treasury. (DS9: "The Dogs of War")

The Ferengi death ritual prohibited an autopsy from being performed on a deceased Ferengi. However, it was accepted practice for a Ferengi to auction off his vacuum-desiccated remains after death, providing the opportunity for their loved ones or enemies to own a piece of the Ferengi after his passing and as a final opportunity to raise capital for the soon to be deceased. (TNG: "Suspicions"; DS9: "The Nagus", "Body Parts")

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But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 12:39 pm 
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This still leaves elven religion. I've been debating...there's a monotheistic religion in deities & demigods where the picture of the Goddess's avatar has four arms, looking vaguely hindu. To avoid having to write up an entire pantheon with which I have only the vaguest of familiarities, perhaps I should just use it as is.

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But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 26, 2012 12:47 pm 
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Gnomes used to be inventors...classical tinker gnomes. However, early in their capitalist cultural revolution, they invented the patent system. Now gnomish invention is seriously stunted, as gnomes spend far more time dreaming up vague concepts to patent rather than actually inventing anything. Furthermore, nobody dares invent anything new, for fear of accidentally treading on someone else's patent (which is almost impossible NOT to do) and screwing themselves over.

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Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me

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