Asyeun (formerly Prak's Unnamed D&D Setting Thread)

[JigokuBosatsu]

Also, the dwarven technology cache is guarded by a good dozen awakened suits of Mithril plate +5, who are VERY SERIOUS about people having the password.

[Prak]

So, almost done rounding out the races. I need to put in the Gnomes (roman, and yes, that means they steal heavily from the Hellenistic humans), and the Vashar. I finally gave Uberwald its official name, Osturopa, and added in Halflings and edited some racial entries.

I'm looking at a run up to running this setting. It's unfortunate that the cute gamer girl that made me decide to run is taken, but, hey, what are you going to do?

[Prak]

So, tell me if this works any better:

The dwarves are not from space. They were an advanced technomagic using race when the elves were scurrying around in trees dressed in loinclothes. They developed the thing which was to be their masterpiece, the end to hunger and resource strife, the Time Dilation Cabinet. It was a device which created a discrete demiplane with flowing time, such that centuries would pass on the demiplane while only a few hours passed on the Material. In the first test, simple crops were placed, to benefit from centuries of care and expansion by the artificial servants placed in the demiplane. Unfortunately, the crops carried parasitic eggs, which also benefitted. When the Cabinet was opened to retrieve the harvest, the newly evolved kythons poured out. After narrowly defeating the invasion, the dwarves shut the cabinet down and locked it away for later study.
The dwarven populace disapproved of this plan, especially as it would meanturning the cabinet on once again and opening it. They overthrew their Council, and execyted the scientist wizards. They didn't think for a moment about destroying the TDC until after they'd killed everyone knew anything about it, including the people who knew the vault key. They tried speaking with the corpses of the scientist-wizards, but strangely, many had experienced a severe trauma, destroying their jaws, and those that hadn't possessed no knowledge relevant.
The dwarven populace were forced to trust to locks and guardians. In their new distrust of technomagic, the populace destroyed much of their most adavanced items. Some could not bear to see the dwarven legacy destroyed, and thus sealed away what they could to protect it from the rabid mob.

[hyzmarca]

So, tell me if this works any better:

The dwarves are not from space. They were an advanced technomagic using race when the elves were scurrying around in trees dressed in loinclothes. They developed the thing which was to be their masterpiece, the end to hunger and resource strife, the Time Dilation Cabinet. It was a device which created a discrete demiplane with flowing time, such that centuries would pass on the demiplane while only a few hours passed on the Material. In the first test, simple crops were placed, to benefit from centuries of care and expansion by the artificial servants placed in the demiplane. Unfortunately, the crops carried parasitic eggs, which also benefitted. When the Cabinet was opened to retrieve the harvest, the newly evolved kythons poured out. After narrowly defeating the invasion, the dwarves shut the cabinet down and locked it away for later study.
The dwarven populace disapproved of this plan, especially as it would meanturning the cabinet on once again and opening it. They overthrew their Council, and execyted the scientist wizards. They didn't think for a moment about destroying the TDC until after they'd killed everyone knew anything about it, including the people who knew the vault key. They tried speaking with the corpses of the scientist-wizards, but strangely, many had experienced a severe trauma, destroying their jaws, and those that hadn't possessed no knowledge relevant.
The dwarven populace were forced to trust to locks and guardians. In their new distrust of technomagic, the populace destroyed much of their most adavanced items. Some could not bear to see the dwarven legacy destroyed, and thus sealed away what they could to protect it from the rabid mob.

I like the space dwarves better, personally. Mass Ludditry doesn't work all that well honestly. It's better if they're refugees, and easier.

Simply having the tech break down over time because the refuges weren't engineers works alright. That you can have vaults and caches preserved for emergencies while the general populace doesn't have anything.

So the Kythons destroyed the original Dwarf civilization and the survivors had all of this wonder tech nut no way of reproducing it. Over time the wonder tech started breaking down and they hard to make due with the stuff they could pproduce using local infrastructure, which wasn't much at all. It would take generations to build the tools necessary to build the tools to build the tools to build the tools that they needed to keep everything running. They geared down as much as they could and saved the really irreplaceable stuff for future generations.

You could also compound it by giving the Kythons the ability to track Dwarf tech, thus making it's overuse dangerous.

Thus you've got ancient dwarf cities fulled with wondertech overrun entirely by Kythons and a few hidden caches here and there that people have forgotten about.

[Prak]

Yeah, we can say that kythons can track the unobtainium that (most) Dwarf Tech runs on. I want the vault guardians to have nanites that get "looted" when they're defeated, giving the party the first "wait, what?" moment as the nanites look for a new host. Ideally one of my friends will be playing a dwarf, making him the ideal new host. They can also find Stargates that can link up to the old dwarven homes and go adventure there as well, possibly getting more unobtainium.

[Prak]

Alright, fuck it, I come here for more help. I can do up a formal write up of the Vasharans, based on hyzmarca's wonderful stuff. ...once I set my ass to work on that.

What I need, however, is a formal write up for vanilla, helenistic Iron Age humans. Can't really go off on making them Spartans, because that's what one of the other human cultures is. Ideally they should be vaguely Athenian, but basically they're the "this is what the rest of humanity is like" culture.

So, help? Someone?

[hyzmarca]

Alright, fuck it, I come here for more help. I can do up a formal write up of the Vasharans, based on hyzmarca's wonderful stuff. ...once I set my ass to work on that.

What I need, however, is a formal write up for vanilla, helenistic Iron Age humans. Can't really go off on making them Spartans, because that's what one of the other human cultures is. Ideally they should be vaguely Athenian, but basically they're the "this is what the rest of humanity is like" culture.

So, help? Someone?

I've never actually done a formal writeup of anything before, so I can't guarentee quality, but I have a lot of free time right now so I'd be willing to give it a shot.

Can you give me an idea of what you want it to look like or a basic outline of the information that needs to be included?

[Prak]

Huh, I totally missed that response. That's what happens when you check a forum from 3+ devices and threads read stick with machine, not account.

Ideally, I'd like it to look pretty similar to the Player's Handbook write ups for races, physical description, personality, lands, etc.

[hyzmarca]

Huh, I totally missed that response. That's what happens when you check a forum from 3+ devices and threads read stick with machine, not account.

Ideally, I'd like it to look pretty similar to the Player's Handbook write ups for races, physical description, personality, lands, etc.

And do you have any specifics that must be included besides vaguely Athenian or any general ideas of how you want them to look and where you want them to live and what your geography looks like, or is that not set yet?

Right now I'm thinking a series of island and coastal city states with some Polynesian racial flavor to go with the Greek culture and an Atlantis/Minoan analog that recently suffered a volcanic eruption.

And do you have any specific pantheon in mind or should I just make things up? Generic Greek stuff can work for a short religion writeup, I just wnt to be sure that's what you want.

[Prak]

Actually, I've got the vanilla humans taken care of, Athosians, more inland than coastal, but I haven't elaborated on the geography much yet, so I may change that. All the stuff I have so far, including roughly 70-75% of their pantheon. Just need to hammer that all out. The vashar are the main thing. And... possibly anything else that doesn't really have an actual write up yet. I... think I put up all the basic stuff.

[hyzmarca]

I... think I put up all the basic stuff.

There doesn't seem to be anything much about the human cultures outside of the necromancer monks, Igors, and what appears to be some sort of proto-vashar.

[Prak]

Five human cultures:
Athosians, vanilla humans
Id Thole, necromonks, also "crap I need mummies for Universal Studios land"
Igors, from Discworld, need some work.
The Sons of Diesed, a warrior tribe inspired by Conan, Kratos, etc.
Vasharan, which still need their PHB Chapter 2 write up.

Plus the other races, like the gypsy elves, the thieves guild halflings, space dwarves, merc orcs, etc.

[hyzmarca]

Ah, okay. I didn't know that you were positing to another site. I just saw what was in this thread.

[...You Lost Me]

This is all really awesome. I love the Sons of Decid.

[Prak]

Oh, I meant to paste in a link to the wiki a couple posts ago.... and just now realized that I did not.

[Prak]

Aetheric Vessel Development of the Minor Races
[ed. or, "How to Grow a Person in a Vat."]
Five forces compose Asyeun. Fotia [fire], nero [water], gi [earth], aeras [air] and aether. These forces hold within themselves unlimited potential, and all things hold within themselves at least some of these forces. Even the most heretical myths hold this theory to be true. The most ancient tales of the oldest barbarians state that the world was created by great avatars of the forces. That they mingled their quintessence, and flung the ball of solution into the aether. That the continents were dragged into place while still cooling and cracking like over baked pottery by monstrous titans of earth and fire and ice and air.
We know, of course, that this is heresy. Even the youngest child in the empire that can speak will tell you that Asyeus bled the world onto Aurum's divine anvil, where it was hammered into form. They then mingled their fluids and their works and molded and sculpted, until there was no more imperfection that could be scraped away.
The idea remains, however, that the primal forces hold, not just potential, as previously mentioned, but power.
It is already known how the fire conjured from the realm of Fotia can scourge an army, or the water conjured from Nero quench it's thirst. It has been known for centuries that one can take a mandrake root, place it into an amphora of aether, pour in a mixture of egg yolk and the creator's blood, seal the amphora and bury in a dung heap, and get a minor servitor, remarkably loyal and reliable, which mimics many of the qualities of life, and even a shade of intelligence, with startling acuity. [it seems that the original author here describes the creation of a homunculus] It has been known even longer that a primal force can be infused into an artifical body, whether divine fotia poured into metal, psychic aeras breathed over stone, running through channels carved into the petrific bulk, or surging nero used to soften clay, or the like, and one can profit a mighty, if mindless, guardian for their tower, or watch for those rare days they decide to sleep for the simple pleasure. [basically, golems]
These are known techniques! That wise men of the Athosian Empire use time and time again!
However, almost as long, it has been feared that more may well be possible. It is feared for the feeble creature that might result, unbidden by the gods, and thus whatever shadow of a consciousness it may have unlightened by their touch that graces us all upon birth.
Long study of the stories of ancient cultures, the tales of the lesser races, and the experiments of heretics [and probably the experiments of the original author, if one is any judge, though he'd likely never admit it], has shown the fell possibility. One must conclude that it is all too possible to create life, even if only a shambling, ill, half life, in a jar.
It is the opinion of this author that one must know this possibility, so as to endeavour to prevent accidental discovery!
The elves sing of their spirits being the joining of aether and aeras, that in times long past, that that was all which was needed to create elves. The dwarves, in their ancient tablets of record, tell of the mingling of aether and nero. The little folk [halflings] furtively say that with a little gold, a vast horde of their fellows may crawl from the earth, and thus one might conclude that if, Paragons forbid it, one were to join gi and aether, and an egg, one could make one of these small folk, especially when the whispers always end with a joke that if mercury is instead spilt, all you get is "book people," implying that the great metal of alchemy gives rise to the alchemically inclined. [It may seem odd here that the original author speaks of creating dwarves from water and halflings from earth, when the mind associates dwarves with earth. If, however, one takes themselves away from such cultural associations, and looks to temperaments, one finds that the phlegmatic temperament is associated with water, and the melancholic with earth, each of which aptly describe dwarves and halflings, respectively]
This author, as well as many wise men, were able to look over the many tomes and diaries sacked from the tower of the recently defeated dark lord. [This places the original author in roughly the second century, as we number the years] Though no civil man would ever dream to create orcs, there the mad mind knows not the barbarity which infects it's nightmares. In his journals, he describes a method of creating orcs using fire and aether and pods from hens eggs. He laments the comparative unavailability of Chaos Spawn [Slaad] eggs, for the greater power such things would bestow! He goes on to describe a method of using necromantic magics to cripple the wretched podlings mentally and ensure his dominance. It would seem that he found something akin to the homunculus ritual, utilizing a full egg and fotia, and through this, grew his army to unimaginable size.
Some particularly ungodly works from the blighted savages with which we share a race, the Vashar, even describe the process by which one can grow a human, or rather a twisted, benighted mockery of such. I will not describe the foul ritual, but suffice to say that the terrifying reading does indeed confirm the suspicion of our own philosophers, that we are composed of roughly equal parts aether, fotia, nero, gi and aeras.
Thus, it is, indeed, possible that the unwary may accidentally, through lack of caution or fell fate, commit the highest atrocity, and unintentionally mock the gods. As such, this humble writer urges you to work the safe rituals with only a single force, whether aether for the growth of mandrake, or fotia, or nero, or aeras or gi for animating an artificial form, and well away from whatever stores you may have of others!
-Ajzaac, Magus of the Athosian Empire

[Prak]

Shapes in Aether
The primal forces hold rather a lot of potential. Primal fire scourges and seers flesh. Water will drown, or freeze. Earth can be animated to encircle enemies in a great stony fist, even dragging them to their doom. Even the secondary forces hold power, whether one is walking through shadow, or ravaging the form of an enemy with negative energy.
There is a deeper power, however.
When immersed in aether, and treated in the right way, base materials and primal forces can give rise to life.
The first thing one will need is a large vessel. If one intends to grow only a fetus, then a vessel roughly the size of a keg will suffice. If, however, one intends to let the form gestate and grow to adulthood, one should plan to use a vessel that is roughly a foot bigger than the maximum one could expect the subject to grow. This vessel should not be wood, but a non-porous, fully sealed material. Glass, or crystal are advised, if only for the practicality of the transparent surface. It's possible that the vessel may need to be a special material for some creatures, though this has not proven true for the minor races.
This vessel should be filled with pure aether, it can be acquired on the Etheral plane through any of a number of methods, but pulling it from colour pools which lead to it is a popular and practical method.
Into this vessel, two things need to be placed. One, you need a growth base. Eggs work well, though for best success, one can use a slaad egg, suffused, as it is, with elemental chaos, in it's most basic, and useful form. Secondly you need the essence of the race to be grown. For elves, this means elemental air. Air simply bottled on the Elemental Plane has shown some success, but it is best to use the so called "Rarified Air," air bottled deep at the heart, and in small pockets, of the Elemental Plane. You'll know it by it's lower density, and the fact that it pours in an atmosphere, rather than spreading as a normal gas would. Dwarves similarly require Deep Water, the high density water which flows in rivers in the Elemental Plane of Water. For a halfling, you will need "Gem Loam," that special mix of pulverized gems found only on the Elemental Plane of earth, as well as either gold, for physical halflings, or mercury, for the more academically inclined halflings. Again, you can use lesser forms of the elements, but with less success. Orcs seem singularly forgiving, which is rather, well, odd, given that they require fire. While one might think that normal fire would extinguish in the liquid aether, and thus the primal flame of the Elemental Plane of Fire would be necessary, one can actually plunge a torch into the growth vessel, and leave it be. The fire will continue to crackle, suspended in the liquid like a surreal dream. Not only this, but the rate of success for using base flame in the creation of orcs is remarkably higher than that of using base elements for any other minor race.
Then there is the creation of planetouched. The planetouched are simple, in that a bit of planar essence takes the place of an element. What is then needed, is differentiation. As aasimar and tieflings are opposed only by beauty and savagery, one need tell the growth medium and base material to grow a pretty or ugly planetouched, and the nature then follows from that of the planar essence used. For example, to grow a guardinal-touched, one would use essence of beastlands, of course, but to separate it from a beastlands angel, more must be supplied, and for this we turn to metals and philosophy. Base metals, iron, lead, or electrum, give rise to tieflings, while precious metals, such as silver and gold, give rise to aasimar.
Lastly, we reach humans. In general terms, humans are a combination, in roughly equal parts, of all the elements. To grow a human requires fire, and water, and earth, and air, all in a medium of aether. It is strange, however, that, though we are of one race, there are different types of us, showing that our differences may be as integral as we sometimes think. The Athosian, for example, is slightly air-dominant, befitting their slightly more sanguine nature. By contrast, the contemplative, phlegmatic Id Thole is water dominant. The solitary, melancholic Igors are creatures infused more with earth than other elements, while the Sons of Diesed have as fiery an essence as their hearts, and thus require fire to be dominant in their mix.
And there we find ourselves. The Vasharan holds within themselves a certain flame. Perhaps quite literally, as our ancestor, Man, stole the divine spark. At the same time, however, we are distinct from the sons of Diesed through our great mother, Vasha. Thus, to grow one of our own requires both fire and an infusion of abyssal essence to dominate the mixture.

Once you combine the necessary materials, the egg, the essence, the aether, seal the vessel. Seal it well, you would do well to use magic, for you do not want anything to leak in or out. The aether will sustain your subject, and if it is necessary for you to add more, you can always unseal and add the aether, and then reseal it.

The subject will grow astonishingly fast, but it will still take time. It takes, roughly, one tenth the time to develop as a normal, born creature would take, which means that one of the minor races will still take just under a month to fully gestate.

Use this knowledge well, for the ability to create life was never solely in the hands of the gods to begin with, and know, more know it.
-Abraxus, Studious Son of Vasha

[Prak]

So, those last two posts come from an idea that rambled around in my mind last week, can't quite remember where they came from, but basically the idea that creatures can be grown in vats of etheral stuff using the elements, as I had decided that for Asyeun the elements were the actual building blocks of the world.

Another player wants to get a dragon mount, and he already has a horse. While it's easy to say "ok, the paladin has Special Mount now, so he can kind of put out a general 'gee, a dragon would be nice!' and the forces of good will push one his way" it's not so easy to say that for the knight. He's thinking of turning his horse into a dragon, though, after I suggested it, and that can work. Originally, I was thinking of just a "draw a circle, say a chant, add dragon blood, poof, instant half dragon horse." Which would work. But I started thinking about it a bit more, and the vat growing idea came to mind, along with the fact that the horse just went through two opposed element damage types (being set on fire by a warmage, and a silver dragon putting it out with a minimum damage breath weapon), one of which was actually from a dragon, the idea of something more visceral came to mind.

Then the idea that the antagonist in my stolen from MLP adventure luring away the knight, who seemed closest to figuring her out, with the promise of help with turning the horse into a dragon, so she can trap him, and he can find the crystal caverns, and the trapped bridesmaids, and prince, and so on, and spur on the adventure (assuming he doesn't die in the escape) came to mind, and I really liked it. I was planning on the next adventure seeing the characters trekking into the lost waste land that was once the elven home forest, and reviving the dormant goddess of the elves by removing the spear that pins her to a great petrified tree at the center, and planned that this would almost immediately revitalize the wasteland into a forest. This can come with a whorl of elemental forces, which gives them a way to gather some, along with a bit of elemental touch (I'm going to give them each their choice of an elemental language for free, and possibly the ability to take a specific type of elemental feats of their choice).

So, assuming all that goes as planned, the knight who wants a dragon will have a book that tells him how to grow a dragon, and can get pure elemental fire, and then go through the process, assuming he can get a giant crystal vessel in which to submerge his horse in aether (and, hey, look! He knows where there are some giant gems).

So this all spurred me to actually finish the write up for vat creation, and type up some flavour pieces that I can hand him, or send him, or whatever.

Tell me what you think, guys. I'm going to write up one specific to dragons, but at the moment, it's almost 4am.