Posts: 936
Joined: Jul 2011
Pronouns: He/Him
Location: Hungary
07-01-2019, 06:47 PM
(This post was last modified: 08-17-2019, 06:00 PM by ProfessorLizzard.)
FANTASTIC MASTERMIND
In an age of Magic and Spies...
...can you gather enough followers and technology to do what it takes...
...to achieve world domination?
It is the middle of the century. A worldwide communication network is on the rise. People wear colourful clothes, and sing colourful songs. There are huge advances in magic, there is even a nascent magic space program. The world is at peace.
Or so it seems. Two great superpowers are seeking to project their power across the disk. One is the H.A.R.M.O.N.Y., who prefers to bring out the most of the natural magic and abilities inherent to the people. On the other side, we see the D.I.S.C.I.P.L.I.N.E., who favour magic learned through great scholarly efforts. These two forces have become increasingly paranoid about each other across the years. But these days, they can not confront each other directly. So they have to rely on thieves, assassins and diplomats who weave lies, plots and the very future itself. People wonder, in whose hand will the world be in the end?
“Mine” says you, the Fantastic Mastermind. And with these two forces locked up in a fight with each other, this is the perfect moment to strike. On your Island Of Indeterminate Location, hidden beneath a respectable Legitimate Business Front, shall you scheme and plot. Even if the forces of justice manage to spare a few agents, to penetrate your base, surely, they will fall afoul to your loyal henchmen, or perhaps your genius traps…
Will you manage to finish your Doomsday Device and ransom the world? Or perhaps you will be upstaged by other Masterminds? Or maybe even decide “hey… only one continent isn’t that bad” and team up…
THE LORENING
Before this game begins, we will need to perform the LOREning, so you shall create the world that you will… rightfully rule? Destroy? Up to you. I will cherry pick from your suggestions, and craft a world out of them.
Countries:
Members of H.A.R.M.O.N.Y.: Three regions. They prefer magic that is spiritual, nature based.
Members of D.I.S.C.I.P.L.I.N.E.: Three regions. They prefer magic that is extremely methodical like alchemy and runes.
Unaligned countries/regions: five-seven of them.
A region might be made up of smaller nations, such as an archipelago, or a region made up of miniscule tax haven monarchies.
Races: There are eight races in the world. Two-three are major in H.A.R.M.O.N.Y., Two-three are major in D.I.S.C.I.P.L.I.N.E. The rest are scattered... But who are they?
Once the LORENING is complete, mechanics and signup forms will be revealed.
Posts: 936
Joined: Jul 2011
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Location: Hungary
07-01-2019, 06:48 PM
(This post was last modified: 10-09-2020, 11:51 AM by ProfessorLizzard.)
RESERVED FOR THE ENCYCLOPEDIA
The world map
MECHANICS
Money: You will start with a set amount of Steven Untraceable Gold Bars, the most neutral of payment modes, fully untraceable. You can gain this money in various ways, and spend it on buildings, minions, or equipment.
Your income is based on your various holdings around the world, as you sink your claws in various illegal and legal markets. Your lair’s main front operation will also generate money, but its main use is to provide a distraction.
The Powers
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Spoiler
Power represent the aptitude of a minion team, a henchfolk, and your facilities.
STRENGTH is used to perform heists of the physical nature, such as hauling heavy crates of gold, punching a large amount of bodyguards to get to the gold, or toppling a giant statue (to find the gold under it). In your lair, a high strength value will ensure watchful patrols, who fill filter out agents who try to sneak behind your Legitimate Cover, and will ensure that whoever you captured stays inside. STRENGTH can be also used to protect your other field operatives, should they be found while scouting or heisting.
SMARTS is used to perform heists of the magitechnological nature, such as testing out a new magic wand that causes earthquakes, hack into a database about magic wands, or making the local crocodiles have a hankering for wands. In your lair you can also use SMARTS research new items and minion enhancements. SMARTS can be used to scout out a location by gathering data.
SLICK is used to perform heists of the social nature, such as gaining blackmail over a company, crashing the stocks of a company or frame a company for punching rare seal-serpents. In your lair, you can use SLICK to make your Legitimate Front look more Legitimate, and get more money out of clients. SLICK can be also used to contact heads of the criminal underworld and corrupt politicians.
You can spend as much as you want to upgrade your lair with better facilities, which can increase the power rating of your lair, or the power rating of your heist equipment. Perhaps a better lab would give more power for Lair SMARTS, a Control Room would give you SMARTS to spend on the map. It costs 1k to give 1 power to the lair itself, or 2k to make heist equipment.
NOTORIETY can be spent during heists as a wildcard. The more famous you become… the more contingency you have… However, Notoriety attracts stronger agents.
The Visitors
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During turns, you can have visitors, such as tourists and clients, enemy agents or perhaps crime lords who think they could strike a deal with you. It’s up to you how to deal with them. Tourists and clients will be obvious, and mostly just spending their money in your facilities. Crime lords might be scouting out your place, and you might not notice them immediately, but will eventually request audience with them.
Agents will start as bumbling and nosy inspectors who will try to find the secret entrances in your casino (when there is none), while stealthy agents might actually find these entrances, and sneak in. If you have good enough Legitimitate Security, you can just throw them out, or let them fall into your traps, or even imprison them. The last two might have repercussions, if too many agents are missing, but this is why you use SLICK type heists, after all.
Deep agents might disguise themselves as a minion, spending many days in your base, before they strike, stealing one of your precious loots, plans, or sabotage your base. Better look for hints…
Military teams might be sent to your island if your crimes are too great. Hopefully this won’t happen. Still better than… named super agents…
The Turns
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Each turn lasts as long as it takes for you to decide what to do with your minions. You can assign them to long term tasks on your base, such as researching something new.
You can also send out your minions across the world, either to scout, or perform heists. Heists have minimum target number of required power, which will be revealed to you during planning your mission. But you may still get casualties, if it the risk is too high.
Scouts perform passive and/or routine tasks, laying low, slowly feeding you information about the area and its key figures. They create a low amount of Suspicion when they arrive to a new location.
When you send out an operative squad to a heist, they are unavailable until the end of the turn. Sending out minions doesn’t cost anything, a heist’s travel price is included in the target numbers. Operatives working as scouts can be converted to heist team members at no cost, but won’t be able to return until you finish, or cancel the heist. People returning from cancelled heists can not be assigned to new heists.
Once everyone assigned all their heist teams, and finished diplomacy, they might press the Big Red Button to start them. Heists happen concurrently, and if they are risky, you might need to have to send in snap decisions, and command updates.
A successfully finished Heist can give you many rewards, such as Notoriety, Gold, More Minions, Rare Loot, and many more! It also gives you Suspicion...
The Minions
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Your lair minions are handled abstractly, via your facility’s power ratings, but your Operative Squads are much more interesting. These minions are more trained than lowly jumpsuited construction workers or basic technicians, therefore, they will deserve special treatment. Minions tend to be cheaper than heist equipment. The drawback is that you can lose minions, while you can not lose equipment (you just have a really big pile of guns and beakers, maybe).
An Operative Squad costs (1k * power in main a stat + 1.5k * power in an optional secondary stat). You can upgrade your existing Operative Teams to have a secondary stat, such as turning your Scientist Team into Science Celebrities, to give them a tiny bit of SLICK.
You can send multiple Operative Squads on the same mission, and each Operative Squad may have one equipment assigned to them.
The Suspicion
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Suspicion is the measurement of how much evidence the forces of justice has against you. It ranges from Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red, each one summoning more and more terrifying agents. This can be decreased by waiting, deceiving visiting agents instead of killing them or diplomacy/blackmail.
Harmony and Discipline have a seperate suspicion scale. The unorganized neutral agents have a common suspicion scale too, but this does not represent a single Force Of Justice, for now.
The Subsidiaries
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By doing business with Crime Leaders, Politicians and Executives, you might take over other operations, such as smuggling soft drinks to restrictive nations, or perhaps a laundry network, which is perfect for turning your income white. Or perhaps you take over a tech startup company, or a TV station. These subsidiaries provide Power that can be spent only in the region they are in, or be sent home. Money they generate is added to your general treasury.
The Research
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Spoiler
SCIENCE is really important to create new traps and equipment for your evil plans! This might make certain items cheaper by allowing you to manufacture it yourself, or perhaps it allows new methods of research. A research project always requires a sample, which can either be a thing you want to upgrade (a gun, a medikit, a robot), or perhaps some kind of exotic loot that you want to reverse engineer or exploit (a mummy’s bandages, an ancient wand, a new snack). SMARTS power is funneled into research projects, and once a threshold is reached, you may finish your research. The minimum threshold is 200 SMARTS, but better samples can make research cheaper.
Posts: 213
Joined: Mar 2013
Pronouns: He/Him
Location: Canada
07-01-2019, 07:28 PM
The Amethyst Islands are home to the race known as the selvin, and boundless natural beauty. These three large islands are picturesque tropical vacation spots, surrounded by thousands of smaller islands spreading out sparsely into the sea. The three large islands are Auza, Urvalia, and Maith, and each is home to palm forests, mountains and beautiful beaches of the islands' signature mauve sand. The colourful local flora and fauna are beautiful to behold. The seas around them are filled with reefs and tiny islands, and many more of them spread out into the ocean, and the crystal-clear waters are filled with shoals and tropical fish.
The selvin are humanoid, with leathery, patterned greenish skin and an almost turtle-like protruding beak structure to their jaws. They can naturally hold their breath for a long time and are at home in the sea, even if they live on land. As a result of this, people often call them turtle-people, despite the fact they very clearly do not have shells. They inhabit the Amethyst Islands but are found elsewhere as well.
Politically, there are several traditional selvin-majority kingdoms spread across the three big islands, as well as independent settlements throughout the smaller islands. Ever since the conflict between HARMONY and DISCIPLINE, however, the kings have come together to form the Amethyst Confederation. This is a loose multi-country union, created to avoid being bullied by the two superpowers. They continue to offer their luxury tropical island vacations and off-shore tax haven services to all, and since the most wealthy members of both superpowers like both luxury vacations and tax havens, the Amethyst Confederation has managed to maintain nomainal independence.
The outlying islands, of which many still remain unvisited, are definitely a classic place to hide an evil lair.
Posts: 165
Joined: Aug 2018
Pronouns: He/him
Location: Texas
07-02-2019, 03:23 AM
Steve, The Giant Spider Made of Enchanted Silver Nails-
Steve is considered many things. They are, primarily, a giant spider-shaped golem composed of ancient, enchanted silver nails. They are, secondarily, one of the foremost magical powers in the realm, having a combination of ancient knowledge and unfettered access to the mana realm. They are, third-arily, an internationally recognized sovereign nation, because no one wants to mess with the giant metal spider mage.
Spidernest Canyon is a canyon hidden deep in the Frostmarch Mountains, located in the center of the only easily-traversable pass through the mountain range. The entire canyon has been filled with a labyrinthine castle of Steve's own design, which is unfortunate because, though it is stable thanks to countless enchantments, it's horribly laid out, because Steve isn't an architect, they're a giant spider made of magical nails. Steve is very welcoming, the castle-city is populated and staffed with a variety of people from different races and backgrounds. Steve is very sympathetic to those who have been oppressed or driven from their homes, and many a time has someone planned to pass through Spidernest Canyon and have ended up calling it home. Near the canyon, through a series of tunnels that only the inhabitants of Spidernest know, is an otherwise completely isolated from the world, verdant valley, where the people of Spidernest grow crops and keep animals. The valley is also home to a small variety of entirely unique, endemic reptilian life, which they protect and preserve as well.
Steve used to be a part of HARMONY. However, as HARMONY tried to push Steve into their conflict with DISCIPLINE, Steve grew irate at the prospect of being used as a weapon in a war, rather than an ally in spiritualistic peace. As such, while members of both coalitions are allowed to pass through Spidernest if they need, they are forbidden from any conflict within. Any involved in any conflict will be, at the very least, permanently kicked out from the pass. And nobody wants to cross Steve. The last time a national power tried to cross Steve, their leader turned to iron and rusted to dust.
Posts: 299
Joined: Apr 2013
Pronouns: They/Them
Location: A Corn Field
07-15-2019, 04:21 AM
The Arkhan Reach:
Prince Arkhan was a noble and gentle soul, who lead his people to the blessed and fertile lands of the Reach. There among the valleys and cliffs they learned to tame the mighty hippogryphs, the wondrous unicorn, and the ferocious drakes. They built their homes to only be accessible by flying or magic, and developed quite a superiority complex. After all, their land was the most wonderful, their creatures the most powerful, and their magic the best. The people of the Reach became incredibly snooty, barely caring about anyone else.
When the world started becoming more interconnected, they realized that they couldn't afford to ignore everyone else and joined HARMONY. After all, DISCIPLINE was too stuffy. And their magic was boring. Only people whose land sucks have to do stuff like "craft runes" and "study spells". REAL mages just go to the nearest faerie and ask for a blessing because yeah, the Reach have fae too. And they aren't the mean kind, because the people of the Arkhan Reach are just that awesome.
It's rumored that the people of the Arkhan Reach are researching a way to expand their land's awesome blessings so that they have more space. If they have to blow up all the locals first, they don't really care.
Current Projects:
Human space is at war, and we're all caught up in it - Scattered Stars
A woman chases another through the snow, but where will their path lead them? - Footprints in the snow
Posts: 299
Joined: Apr 2013
Pronouns: They/Them
Location: A Corn Field
07-28-2019, 11:44 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-28-2019, 11:48 PM by Vancho1.)
The Burnished Empire -
The Empire is a large and bureaucratic mess, stretching across wide plains that have been exploited for agriculture and pottery for centuries. The country is highly stratified, with commoners having few rights and then a succession of various different functionaries, nobles, civil servants, local rulers, and at the top, the Shining Emperor on the Burnished Throne. In the ancient past there was an exodus led by Prince Arkhan, a minor noble who cared for the commoners, and since then the Empire has kept a very strict control over people leaving the country. In more recent times, power has been contested between the nobility and an emerging business-industrial class.
Politically, the current Empress Nurella VI has been playing both sides of the power struggle. She has the backing of some strong nobles, but has invited prominent businesspeople into her cabinet as well. She is currently considering joining DISCIPLINE, but is for now politically neutral. The Empire's hatred of the Reach, however, may force her hand and make her join the larger power bloc.
The Wyls -
The Wyls are the primary people of both the Burnished Empire and the Arkhan Reach. They are tall humanoid lizards covered in feathers except for two frilled fins on the sides of their head. They have vestigial wing-membranes under their arms from their ancient ancestors who could fly, and still have light skeletons for people their size. In the years of separation, the Reachers and Imperial Wyls have diverged - the ones in the Reach are taller, more graceful, and have longer frills and necks, while the ones in the Empire are more muscular and warlike, with larger claws and teeth.
Current Projects:
Human space is at war, and we're all caught up in it - Scattered Stars
A woman chases another through the snow, but where will their path lead them? - Footprints in the snow
Posts: 1,003
Joined: Jul 2011
Pronouns: Any
Location: Raw Water Hell
07-29-2019, 02:34 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-29-2019, 02:35 AM by Pharmacy.)
Candelabrumerica or the Dracocracy
Candelabrumerica resides in an expansive, subterranean cave system which also shares the name. The polity that rules the underground consists of dragons. Said dragons constantly fight amongst each other. In the past, there were outright brawls with fire and fang. However, as time passed and they became more “civilized,” they resorted to surveillance, espionage, and the occasional assassination – outsourced to their kobold proxies. While Candelabrumerica seems to had reached peace, the ancient grudges and conflicting ideologies ensure that political serenity will not last long.
Candelabrumerica economy is predominantly industrial due to their cave system. They export out minerals, metal ores, gems, oil, industrial gases, and other fruits of the Earth, both alchemical and mundane. The Dracocracy has been criticized for the ensuing pollution and the great disparity of wealth (the dragons and their supporters tend to benefit greatly from the export, while others had…not), but little has been done to apprehend the issue.
Candelabrumerica is associated with DISCIPLINE. Candelabrumerica has a strong history with alchemy and runes. As far as they can tell, magic is just another branch of science, so they treat it as such.
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Dragons - Bigass creatures that can fly and breathe fire. Chimerical in nature - dragons can be hairless, furry, slimy, et cetera as frequently as scaly. They can live for a long time if not forever. Very intelligent, very strong, and very dangerous. Only countered by the fact they do not get along with each other and a similarly-sized, more disciplined country can kick their collective ass although not without some difficulty. They are dragons, after all.
Kobolds - Small, dragon-like humanoids. They call themselves Candelabrumericans, which is often shorten to Kobolds, especially if time is short and urgency is needed. Kobolds make up the largest percentage of the Candelabrumerica demographic. Kobolds are used as proxies for the warring dragons. While that is an open, if unsaid, fact, kobolds have strong, negative feelings about their state of life.
Posts: 213
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Location: Canada
07-29-2019, 03:06 AM
The Bright Order
The Bright Order follows the tenets of DISCIPLINE and is one of the bloc's founding members, drawing their power from devotion, ritual and obeying the rules. The ruling elite of this state are benevolent Paladins, sworn to uphold the tenets of goodness and justice and protect the innocent. In the past, this won them great renown, and created the ideals of the heroic knight protecting people from evil. Paladins are drawn from all races, as goodness is not found in any one race but rather in unflinching devotion to the Paladin Oaths. Their magic is physical in nature, featuring burning blades, shields warded by faith, long-lived halo-clad holy warriors whose very touch repels beasts of shadow and death.
Over the centuries, their territory grew, as kings have granted them land to protect and they accepted the fealty of nearby nobles and lords who sought to become Paladins. In time, they grew in territorial extent until they became a great power. Suddenly, as technology improved and global travel became possible, they were thrust onto the international stage, still tied by oaths that made more sense when knights rode horses and wore steel. These days, they had to make their way through murky geopolitical disagreements and confrontations, and they were not well-suited to moral grey areas.
The last century has seen stagnation for the Bright Order. They still bind themselves to their oaths, and swear themselves to protecting all that is good and rooting out all that is evil, but in this modern world there are fewer malevolent dragons to slay and more cases of authority-vs-freedom and injustice-from-inherent-inequality, which tends to tie them in knots. They still go out and do good where they can, but the modern cold war seems to be full of grey morality and conflicts with no clear good side. They hold true to DISCIPLINE because they created it to do good in the world, but they cannot in their hearts say HARMONY is truly evil, and so they simply try to stop HARMONY from stopping them and even then are somewhat half-hearted about it.
Their homelands are the Luminal Lands, a large region of the vast continent of Thessin. Pulled together out of patchwork medieval feudal princes and kings, this land ended up ceding itself to their just and noble rule as they had magically bound themselves to do only good - so if any of them ruled harshly or grew corrupt, they would magically lose their powers and be marked as Fallen, resulting in them being cast down by their peers. The Luminal Lands are home to rolling hills and forests, picturesque mountains and alpine lakes, crisp rivers rich in fish feeding into the ocean and warm beaches alongside them. There were once a dozen full-sized kingdoms in these bountiful lands.
The City of Walls and the Carven Wilds
The Carven Wilds are at the opposite end of the vast continent of Thessin, being a region that was once verdant forests, flat plains and farmland, ringed by sharp and jagged mountains that caught the eye with their intense beauty. These days, the land is ravaged, devestated, carven. The natives to this land, the Carvenfolk, are humanoid wolf-creatures with claws and teeth they aren't afraid to use. In ages past, they roamed the land, enacting their philosophy of survival of the fittest. In time, they came to dominate the land and push out competition, forming warlord kingdoms that ruled as they saw fit and enslaved the weak. Those barbarian times are behind them, defeated by invasions from their less brutal neighbours, but they have formed a new society dedicated to the old principle in a new and novel way.
At their heart of the wastes stands the City of Walls, a vast metropolis of towers, parks and monuments - but mostly towers. The city is home to so many glittering glass skyscrapers, filled with massive offices dedicated to the finances of the world. The Carvenfolk have turned to brutal, cut-throat capitalism to prove their fitness to survive - every inch of profit is scraped, every hour of unpaid overtime that can be squeezed out of the workforce is remorselessly demanded, every promotion is hotly contested and every round of layoffs inevitable. Every Carvenfolk seeks to become a Shareholder, the glorious few in society who control all the Investments and Stocks, and live in opulent mansion condos and penthouses. Every Carvenfolk employee is exploited for every penny. Every business consumes itself in its search for ever-greater profits, inevitably collapsing as the Shareholders move onto their next Investment. The City of Walls is rife with homelessness and poverty, and violent crime is rampant as the old ways reassert themselves at the bottom. The City of Walls' walls are built between districts, keeping the poor away from the rich as much as possible. That is why the rich paid for the walls in the first place.
Out in the Carven Wilds, the land has been carved up by resource extraction companies and massive industrial farms, and is covered in a thin veneer of smog and lifeless mud. Bands of Carvenfolk barbarians roam out here following the old ways, seeking to destroy for their own gain, while private security protects corporate investment from them. Between the vast warehouses of battery farms and open pit mines, small company towns huddle, filled with workers who can't afford to move to the city for a faster, cleaner and more cut-throat life. Further from the city still, the global corporations buy what they can in other nations and regions, and always profit their Shareholders, no matter the cost. There are no businesses as worldwide, as pervasive, as profitable as those with their headquarters in the City of Walls. The brands they control are recognizable the world over, even if they are bought and sold between companies every year. The Shareholders and stockbrokers live lives of excess, neck-deep in wealth, drugs, attractive people of their preferred sex, whatever money can buy - which, in the City of Walls, includes everything.
And where do these Carvenfolk of the City of Walls fall in global politics? Why, HARMONY, of course! They have no regard for rules-based systems, or accountability. Whatever gets them the most money, whatever works, that's what they do. Their magic is drawn from the blighted, scarred land, and from their own greed and ferocity, and is blighted, scarred, and ferocious in kind.
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08-02-2019, 12:22 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-02-2019, 12:33 AM by Pharmacy.)
Euphotis
The story goes – the Euphomet used to be part of DISCIPLINE. They were content in the consistent if grinding atmosphere of the industrial-minded faction. Life was acceptable if claustrophobic until one Euphomet had enough and took the bravery to quit their job so they can sing, dance, and do whatever they want. The action had long-term consequences as other Euphomet followed their lead and also quit, the numbers growing exponentially enough to be threatening. The herd eventually settled down – the titular Euphotis.
Euphotis is a coastal superpower in Tessin, mainly consisting of rolling green fields, dotted with flowers and herbs, occasionally interrupted by clusters of picture-perfect trees. The weather is perpetually balmy and mild, with rains never bigger than a torrent and wind never stronger than an occasional gust.
Euphotis society is collectivist and extremely decentralized. Settlements tend to resemble art colonies and anarchic communes. The few cities that do exist tend be small but compact. Euphotis culture places great emphasis on freedom, creativity, and living in harmony with nature and others. Fashion tends to be handmade, heavily-customized, or both.
Euphotis exports are mainly tourism - supplemented by wool, foodstuffs, and fine art (painting, sculptures, architecture, music, et cetera). Euphotis industrial practices try to have the least impact on environment as possible. Euphotis products tend to be made from materials sourced from Euphotis itself.
Euphotis is unsurprisingly part of HARMONY. It is important to note Euphotis and City of Walls, another country under the HARMONY banner, have a strong, historical enmity for each other. The reasons behind the mutual hatred are ancient and numerous. Perhaps a Mastermind could exploit that.
Euphomet (Euphomet is both singular and plural words) are sapients resembling bipedal sheep, goats, and other similar hoof-and-horn species. The majority live in Euphotis but some Euphomet do still live in the countries of DISCIPLINE. While Euphomet are fairly ordinary and individual as far as sapients go. When a herd of Euphomet gets exposed to a potent level of magic, they become a hive-mind capable of powerful psionic abilities.
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Location:
08-03-2019, 05:32 AM
"The Thuuip? Those fluffy little buggers? Those little dudes who dance when they talk? The nerds of the Harmonious Jungle? They're D.I.S.C.I.P.L.I.N.E?" Well, yeah. Duh, or as they would say, p-p-pthp-pop.
The Thuuip are bipedal anteater-lookin' folk. They don't got no teeth, so their language sounds a whole lot like, thhwooop-p-**aapk, *'s being whistles, of course. They commonly know a form of sign language which, in fast conversation, makes them a little wobbley, forcing them to shift around a little to keep momentum without tripping themselves up. This results in conversations that look, to an outsider, like the most adorable little dance.
One looks at one of these little dudes and thinks "Oh they have such long fluffy tails, and sweet faces, and cute little robes, and they're all so dorky lookin'- how cute!" And then one opens their oft-closed fists, revealing the several inches of giant claws on each of their four fingers, and they go, "Oh! That's why nobody's conquered this nice little island since they settled here." Which is the correct assumption to make. Diggin' claws, from the ancient days of clobbering the tops of ant hills to get their sweet prizes, chiseling termite mounds for grub, ripping tree trunks apart (slowly) for their precious precious treats. Gone are those days, and thank goodness, but they still manage to have a little threat up their sleeves if the need arises. Not that that's how they prefer to take care of trouble, very uncivilized- right, they're also known for being a bit (and don't DARE say this to their faces) snooty. There is a perfect angle to a beautiful stripe, there are perfect curves in branches and perfect burrows for ants, there are perfect shapes and perfect color combinations, and so help them, there is a perfect way to handle magic! It is so irritating that so much of the world can't get on board with it! The politics of the greater world are a chore, but there were already too many H.A.R.M.O.N.Y. aligned polities, and, well, the PERFECT alignments would all be to a side and remove the NEED for sides, but in the circumstances of the Euphomet's change to H.A.R.M.O.N.Y... This was the second-best thing. It is QUITE POSSIBLE they will unalign when the balance of HARMONY and DISCIPLINE changes.
The Harmonious Jungle, "Pka*", is their home, a forested island. It is called the Harmonious jungle, funny enough, in the sense that harmony can mean nothing is amiss, and here, it is not. Each and every building, the vast ant-farms, and the plant life- they are all perfectly symmetrical, and laid out in a pattern over the snowflake-like island. Water in the in-between spots and all. This did not all naturally grow that way, of course, but with techniques akin to bonzai nudging and a specialty in Structural Magics, the Thuuuip have managed to 'tame' their jungle, into... I mean it's still a jungle, but a PERFECT, p e r f e c t, jungle. In the center is a mass that looks like a volcano from far away, but is actually the Central Ant Farm, whose caverns reach deep under the surface, and which houses the Scholar's Crystal, a gigantic and not-technically-magical thing from which the Thuuip learned the Structural Magics. Crystal structure, in concept and practice, taught them all the things they've become famous for with its intense study, like Thuuipa Runework (the perfect alignments of their shapes have varied minor magics to them), and Crystomancy, which, through creating perfect structures in certain (crystalline) configurations, allows them to make other things structure themselves in those manners. Sounds confusing, but in effect they can just kinda make non-living things adhere to a strict locking structure, which allows them great feats of construction. People might say "Hey, doesn't that mostly sound kind of hippy-dippy naturey, just, in an annoying kind of way?" But the Thuuip say Thw***pow, which is a very rude word for telling some uneducated bonemuncher to be quiet and chew their wheat or something. Definitely a big mageocracy, with the head Rune Smith and Crystomancer running the place. Most of their exports are unneeded ores and crystals from the Central Ant Farm, which in addition to the double duty of housing that crystal, does triple duty by being a huge deep mine. Kinda important spot.
Posts: 352
Joined: Sep 2016
Pronouns: He/Him
Location: The Mountains of Silver and Casinos
08-11-2019, 06:02 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-11-2019, 06:07 AM by Cidellus.)
Humanity
Humans are a diverse array of mammalian humanoid creatures. That is to say that they generally possess two arms and two plantigrade legs, their feet having five digits (called toes) and each arm ending in a grasper called a "hand" with four fingers and a thumb on each. They are a mostly naked species, and usually use clothing made of plants, fur, or skin to keep warm. They vary in height, though they usually fall somewhere in the five to six foot range, with males usually being a bit larger than females on average.
Humans usually possess hair on the top, sides, and rear of their head, as well as hair above each of their eyes (called eyebrows), hair protruding from the edge of their eyelids (called eyelashes), and hair within their nostrils (creatively called nosehair). It is common for males to have hair on their lower faces. Hair on the jaw and cheeks is generally called a "beard", hair on the upper lip is referred to as a "mustache", and hair running from the front of their ears down to their jaw and cheeks is referred to as "sideburns". Both facial hair and head hair are often styled in a variety of ways for expressive purposes. Females can have facial hair as well, though it is less common. Hair color is genetic, as is eye color. Both can range wildly depending on the human. Hair can also grow in a lighter fashion on literally every other part of the body.
As previously stated, humans are quite diverse and often divide themselves whenever at all possible to do so. This can come socially in the form of families, parties, clans, gangs, and tribes, as well as politically in the form of cultures, religions, nations, and ideologies. Humans love to disagree about many things, often fabricate new reasons to hate each other, and are very individualistic. Despite this, they are very prone to manipulation on a larger scale, and often fall prey to various temptations and vices. Ultimately, though, the attitudes and dispositions of human societies and nations depend largely on the cultural norms of the humans in question.
Humans are spread across the world, though they are a minority in most regions. Their homeland, and the region where they form a majority, is Zharia. Zharia is a large continent ranging from large, blasted deserts in the distant south and frozen tundra in the far north, with the verdant Nerian Sea at its center forming the nucleus of the continent. Sharp mountains, lush jungles, temperate forests, grassy steppes, and rolling hills also sit on the continent, along with roaring rivers, crystal-clear lakes, and fire-prone drylands. The diverse continent houses many distinct cultures and religions, all formed into various nations. The Nerian Sea forms the economic heart of Zharia, and played host to many of its most powerful civilizations throughout the millennia.
Many scattered islands also lie in the Nerian Sea, and around the vast continent. Some of these islands have hosted maritime empires, or famous pirates, or feared monsters, but the most famous is the traveling Isle of Sangrike. The traveling isle is only seen once every ten years, and is always seen in a different spot from where it was last seen. Many legends tell of youthful fountains or spiteful gods living upon it, though there's been little actual research done to verify the facts.
Posts: 936
Joined: Jul 2011
Pronouns: He/Him
Location: Hungary
08-21-2019, 07:44 AM
(This post was last modified: 08-21-2019, 08:26 AM by ProfessorLizzard.)
LOREning is complete! I am splitting Zharia into Northern (oily, cold, friendly), Nereian Sea (Industrial, pirates), and Overlight Above Candlebrumerica (domestic animals, logging, trade). Also adding a mysterious Southern Icy Jungle continent (wip entry by someone).
Your Fantastic Mastermind:
Name: What is the name of your Fantastic Mastermind?
Species: What kind of critter are you?
Region of origin: Which region is the one that will soon rue the day they crossed you? (Home field advantage!)
Specialization: Do you aim to use...- ...your military prowess to pull of many violent heist and sabotages?
- …the power of SCIENCE to create bizarre devices of magic and technology?
- ...sly deception, focusing on your cover operation, and big cons?
- ...your extra reserve of money and notoriety, to get what you want when you need it?
Description: How do you look like, and what do you want? Do you have any creature you are petting while plotting, if any.
Your Base On The Island Of Indeterminate Location:
Island Location: Which region is it in? Is it in the tropics, the artics? Is it just Mana-Hatten?
Description of the island: What are the major features on this island?
Cover operation: Do you pretend to be a tropical casino resort? An archeological dig? A new age yoga colony?
Your First Henchperson:
Name: Who are they?
Species: What kind of beaft are they?
Description: Tell me about this nefarious henchperson
Special talent: What makes this person unique? Do they throw deadly bowties?
Posts: 299
Joined: Apr 2013
Pronouns: They/Them
Location: A Corn Field
08-25-2019, 10:49 PM
(This post was last modified: 09-12-2019, 05:33 PM by Vancho1.)
Name: Vallet Krimson
Species: Wyl
Region of origin: The Arkhan Reach
Specialization: Deception
Description: Vallet is the most Reachiest of Reachers, tall and handsome with impressively long frills and a graceful body. They have a pet hippogryff which they ride all over the place and are never seen without an impeccable outfit on. Vallet feels that they deserve to rule not only the Reach, but the world! For they are the best!! Unfortunately the rest of the Reach didn't see it that way and they were unfortunately exiled to the Amethyst islands. From there, Vallet is sneakily plotting their revenge. Mwahaha!!
Your Base On The Island Of Indeterminate Location:
Island Location: Amethyst Islands
Description of the island: The base is actually spread across two islands, with the main island being a volcanic mountain and the secondary one a coral atoll. There is a settlement on the lushly forested mountain isle, with boat trips out to the lagoon regularly.
Cover operation: Tourism agency and accounting
Your First Henchperson:
Name: Bugsley Myta
Species: Selvin
Description: Bugsley was the first Selvin that Vallet met in the Amethyst islands. She has a scar on her jaw from fights during her youth, and is pretty tough and mean.
Special talent: Bugsley's real specialty is in accounting and tax shelters. She knows all of the legal codes and can hide and move money with ease.
Current Projects:
Human space is at war, and we're all caught up in it - Scattered Stars
A woman chases another through the snow, but where will their path lead them? - Footprints in the snow
Posts: 213
Joined: Mar 2013
Pronouns: He/Him
Location: Canada
08-26-2019, 04:11 PM
Unfinished, mostly just a reserve
Your Fantastic Mastermind:
Name: What is the name of your Fantastic Mastermind?
Species: What kind of critter are you?
Region of origin: Which region is the one that will soon rue the day they crossed you? (Home field advantage!)
Specialization: SMARTS
Description: How do you look like, and what do you want? Do you have any creature you are petting while plotting, if any.
Your Base On The Island Of Indeterminate Location:
Island Location: Which region is it in? Is it in the tropics, the artics? Is it just Mana-Hatten?
Description of the island: What are the major features on this island?
Cover operation: Do you pretend to be a tropical casino resort? An archeological dig? A new age yoga colony?
Your First Henchperson:
Name: Who are they?
Species: What kind of beaft are they?
Description: Tell me about this nefarious henchperson
Special talent: What makes this person unique? Do they throw deadly bowties?
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