RPGnet - User contributions [en]

Other kingdoms

2008-04-17T03:31:45Z

Shanoxilt:

=Geography and Other Kingdoms=

The closest barbarian tribes are kept in check from the relatively defenseless cities by their deeply held religioius beliefs -- that the sorcerers of the Mirrored City can steal their souls should their reflection fall within their power. They obey and serve out of superstitious fear that the sorcerers will come for their souls, leaving them one of the living undead. None will go to the Mirrored City willingly if unblinded, and those taken there as servants are mourned as though dead -- even if they later return, they are regarded as unquiet ghosts, and driven away.

Although the tribes do not fear sorcery from the Crystal City, they avoid it too -- for it is thought that the inhabitants are the sorcerer's souls exiled from its sister-city, sent away as the price of the sorcerers' powers. This is well-known to be true, for it is said that mirrors are forbidden in the Crystal City because its inhabitants fear being captured by sorcerers once more.

--by Kakita Kojiro

====The Thousand Flowing Waters====

The Ruins of the First Age are scattered throughout the world, however the Largest, most dangerous and best preserved Lies in the region known as the Thousand Flowing waters, a Marshland bordering the Ocean that stretches for miles, and littered with islands and estuaries. It is claimed to be where a thousand streams and rivers empty into. The Region is heavily grown over, inhabited by large [[megafauna|aquatic predators]], littered with ruins ranging from piles of sinking stone to well preserved towers, and inhabited by more ghost, shadows, and other things than any other place in the known world. It is also a place where shallow pools lead directly to the [[spirit world|Mirror lands]], and where time acts differently. Stories are told of brave or foolish youth looting the dead cities, and coming back to find everyone who remembered them being dead and gone, and there town unrecognizable. Others claim that the ruins are from the future, not the past. In all the tales, one detail is consistant, and that is that the Twin Sisters originated there, and that things are buried which can make a man wiser than his fellows, or a gibbering fool. The Major rivers are clear for travel, but going further than a few miles into the Tangled Jungle can lead to trouble. The region periodically floods, and many places are covered by the tide, or sink beneath the muck. Some however rise up and fall according to strange magics or half remembered commands from the long dead inhabitants. This Region is far to the East from the Civilized Cities, but the Twin cities do send teams of researchers and explorers to salvage what lore can be found. These are usually well armed, well supplied, and very specific in where they go. Those citizens with wanderlust or a thirst for adventure are drawn to these expeditions, and though dangerous, it a respected and rewarding field.

--by stephen_dean

The Four Cities are dotted like constellations along the intertwining trade routes that provide the raw materials, and are located on high points along the curving paths of great serpantine rivers that snake over a large plain. The Plains are dotted with canyons and cliffs, gradually becoming drier until the Western edges dry into sandy waste and inhabited by nomads and less definable entities. To the East lies the vast sea, clustered in the Marshes and Jungles by the Coast, and edged by mountains that catch the rainclounds, with large passes carved by rivers and edged with ruins. The rivers from the central highlands serve as flowing highways, and the Mountains where the herdsman and small villages of farmers each out an existance in the valleys and glens of the slopes of the towering mountains send forth there goods South. The southern plains stretch to meet the sea, and from this direction, tribute, spices, slaves and raw materials flow, as manufactured goods, cloth, and wonders of the craftsman of the cities are peddled south, and tribute North. The great carvavans, barges and cities to the south allow for large fortunes to gather, and decadence to thrive.

-by stephen_dean

====Bachariko====

A region of similiar culture rather than one exact area, the vast languid river deltas that flow south split into two large rivers that empty into the same large plain to the south. This area is dotted with city-states as diverse as the various tribes and migrant who have met in the fields as combatants, traders or refugees. The History of this region predates all the other known areas, and is cosidered to be the point where the other empires of the past have originated. The largest and Oldest city-states in the region have based there wealth on three pillars. The bountiful resources of the sea, both from above and below, as well as the trade cogs that lined the ports and rivers of the region, and the vast plantations that circle the cities of spices, food stuffs and drugs. Backariko is blessed with a climate that is warm and rare rainy periods, followed by droughts, but most resident gain substinance from the Three great rivers, and smaller tribularies that flow through there from the North and East.
The Marshes that once choked the Estuaries have been drained, converted to gardens and irrigation, or left as hunting preserves for the god-kings. The cities are made from stone, mud brick and reed, with some houses of the wealthy using wood, bamboo or other more exotic constructions from the North. Great Walls, Temples and Statues dominate and dwarf the landscape that stretches flat in all directions, and largest hills are man made. Each City state swears alligence to a complicated and ever shifting series of alliances, and periodically wars break out to sort out which City will rule as the seat of power. The God-Kings who rule have made dark pacts or given bits of themselves over to other entities to rule for decades, and some whisper for several hundred years as some dark shadows behind the thrones. The secret of this longevity is guarded with-in the highest circles, and is known only to a few of the City-States. It is here of all the world that Astronomy has developed the greatest, and at night large stretches of the city go dark to prevent any light from taking away from the Twin Moons above, and the march of the stars. The importation of advanced lenses, and other equipment is made for the exchange of captured prisoners from the periodic wars, spices and rare clothes, herbs and other ingrediates needed by the Four Cities to the North, as well as by the client states that serve as a buffer between Bachariko and the Two Sisters to the North.
Recently the God-King of the lagest city-state has marshaled his legions, mercenaries and occult allies, consulted his astrologers, and is consolidating his control of the center of the region, in a big to build a lasting empire out of the chaotic region. If he succeeds, then the Twin Cities will face a unified threat. However, the region is experiencing a drought, and crop yields are falling, and some are calling for the blood sacrifices from the God-Kings to feed the Moons, so that the blessed rains will fall. In the Past, in times of stress, the God-Kings sacrificed themselves. This tradition has fallen to the way side, but the people rememeber, and their Gods grow hungry.

-by stephen_dean

====The Western Mountains and the Deserts of the West====

The Huge birds, such as the [[megafauna|Thunderbirds]], are the scavengers of the Western Deserts and grasslands, and use the gust from the mountains to range over the vast undalating plains in search of the many beast that wander its relativly untouched expanses. The varied terrain is home to vast herds of [[megafauna|gigantic Bison]], the Forest along the Mountains to stranger beast still. However the numbers are thin near the cities, and grow the further afield one goes. The Mountains to the West are the largest in the Known world, and the other side is an area explored at the peril of the unwary, do to the vast spaces inhabited by huge creatures of myth and legend, some claim to be larger than the armored beast that wander the waste. The reason for the lack of habitation is due to the low population following the devastating fall of the previous empires in the past, and the frequent wars between the city-states. The attachment of many people to there principle city-state or ideal, or the threat of strange conditions has led many to stay in the civilized regions, rather than risk expanding to the terrain of the tribes of head-hunters and beast riders beyond the Mountains. It is through the collective resources of the Cities that the walls, pits, and special huntsman keep the lands and tradeways safe. However, recent droughts and a change in climate are causing some stange beast and raider to prey at the edges of the Twin Cities, and the many smaller city-states. For now, these have not been sigifigent, however, rumors are spreading of tribes beyond the mountains who ride great beast, and are forming an Empire of the wandering bands to pillage the glittering wealth of the settled peoples. These are rumors however, and cartomancers are exploring to add to the [[Crystal Globe]], to see if these shadows of truth are to be trusted.

-by stephen_dean

====Skops, helot client state====

The Skopses are one of the helot cultures of Narcissus. They were conquered long ago, essentially enslaved for generations, but in the decline and decadence of the City of Mirrors have effectively regained their independence. In earlier eras they often had to be brutally suppressed by Narcissus, as their subversive Cult of the Flensed Man inspired bloody uprisings. Over generations that bloody cult has been supplanted by more acceptable religions, and only survives in their harvest festivals where they burn wicker effigies. Skops is a fertile land from the loess soil left behind by the retreating glaciers of the north. This provides the food that sustains the population of Narcissus, and the Skopses are also another market for the goods produced in the City of Mirrors.

Lurid stories of the Flensed Man cultists say that they wore masks and mantles of the bloody skin of their enemies, and that they could thereby assume the seeming of other people. Their shamans – who were all long ago slain or driven into the wastes – it is said could flense ghosts, and assume the seeming they had in life by wearing the spirit skin. Flensers are Skopsic revolutionaries that wear the bloody skins of beasts to hide their identities from discovery.

Occupations: Helot, Farmer, Herder, Tanner, Trader, Flenser
Suggested Skills: Animal Handling, Farming, Leatherworking, Occult (spirits), Forbidden Lore (Flensed Man)
Social Background: Cultural Familiarity (1 pt., Narcissus), Skopsic (native language), Glossa (accented language)
Suggested Quirks: Nosy, Staid, Vulgar*
Sample Contact Groups: Clan, Cult
Suggested Spells: Hide Reflection (IQ/Average)
Common Names: Andrew, Barbara, Thomas
Rumor: “The Flensed Man still lives, and hides within Skops to ferment unrest and revolution. Its secret is that it is neither a god nor a human – it is a skinwalker that escaped from the mirrorworld long ago in the time of the ancients, and has masqueraded as either or both ever since. It hides among the Skopses now, secretly wearing the skin of a dead man that it pretends to be, while leading the Flensers in rebellion.”

====Gnarides, helot client state====

The Gnarides are the helot culture in the lands near Diaphane. They were the original inhabitants of the area, driven away by the “Witch Sister.” Although once warlike, they have been conquered and subjugated, and now their clans are scattered through several petty kingdoms. They are pastoralists who raise mountain goats and make cheese, although they are known for being good spear hunters, and occasionally hired as mercenary spearmen.

Gnaride culture revolves around their worship of the earth deity, which they view as both male and female. They build lingams – large standing stones representing the phallus of the god. They also have sacred caves – representing the goddess – callen yoni caves. They practice barbaric fertility magic with these, and claim that is why the men of Diaphane fear to build tall structures that cast shadows, and why they will not abide dark caves. Only men deal with lingams and their magic, and only women deal with yonis and their magic. Having the shadow of a lingam stone fall on you is lucky, but also arouses carnal lust and blood lust. Entering the dark yoni cave aids in conception and childbirth. If women fall under the lingam’s shadow, they may become pregnant or barren. If men enter the yoni cave, they may return as women or pregnant. For obvious reasons, both of these actions are taboo. Outsiders rarely benefit from either lingam stones or yoni caves. Their magic-men are called Horned Men because they wear crowns of horns, and while they are good at dealing with female spirits, they are very unlucky with male spirits.

Occupations: Helot, Herder, Weaver, Hunter, Spearman, Horned Man
Suggested Skills: Animal Handling, Farming, Sex Appeal, Spear, Occult (spirits)
Social Background: Cultural Familiarity (1 pt., Diaphane), Gnaric (native language), Glossa (accented language)
Suggested Quirks: Broad-Minded, Proud, Lusty*
Sample Contact Groups: Clan, Former Lovers
Suggested Spells (for men): Incite Bloodlust (IQ/Average), Incite Carnal Lust (IQ/Hard)
Suggested Spells (for women): Increase Fertility (IQ/Hard), Ease Childbirth (IQ/Average)
Common Names: Dwight, Loeis, Amalie
Rumor: “Gnaride spearmen boast that when they capture opponents in Flower Wars, the women want to never go back home, and the men to never face another Flower War again. Telling such tales makes Diaphanides very angry.”

====Symeros, sapling colony city====

The colony city of Symeros was founded by Diaphoros the Synesthete, one of the first pupils of the Invisible College from Diaphane. He was blessed or cursed with synisthesia, which has been inherited in many forms by his descendants. As the royal family maintains a prerogative to the first night with any new bride, synisthesia has spread among the Symerides. Symeros is on the Maiandro river downstream from Diaphane, and is the major port of the Diaphane hegemony. Glass-bottom boats ply the river from Diaphane to Symeros and on to Iridos isle, carrying cargo and travelers. Despite its origins, Symeros has never devoted itself to one viewpoint of magic, and all are practiced here – although mainly pellucid and chromatic. Formal training in the magic sciences must be sought in Diaphane or Iridos, however.

The city’s boatmen must navigate their way through the Thousand Flowing Waters and its many perils, and it has been discovered that the city’s synisthetes are somewhat protected from the odd powers of vampires and Hollow Men and other heretics of that ilk. They are in great demand as scavengers of the ruins there, and as crusaders for the Silent Brotherhood. Synisthetes do not often master any kind of magic, for their unique perception interacts oddly.

Occupations: Philosopher, Scientist, Merchant, Boatman
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (Symeros), Boating, Current Affairs, Smuggling, Occult (vampires), Thaumatology (pellucid or chromatic magic)
Social Background: Cultural Familiarity (1 pt., Twin Cities), Glossa (native language), Literacy
Suggested Quirks: Congenial, Imaginative, Addiction (tobacco)
Sample Contact Groups: School, Cult or Religion
Suggested Spells: Identify Exact Color (IQ/Average), See Clearly (IQ/Average)
Rumor: “The Empty Masters secretly plan to subvert one of the synisthetes of Symeros. By mixing synesthetic perception with their blind enlightenment, they hope to find the reason that synesthetes are so effective against them. Should they succeed, the crusade of the Silent Brotherhood would be set back, and Symeros left open to infiltration by the bleak cult of the Empty Masters.”

====Liriope, sapling colony city====

Liriope is the daughter-city of Narcissus, a colony called the City of Women because it was founded by women. It is still governed by matriarchy, and only women are allowed to rise to the levels of guild mistress, high priestess, or city matriarch. The city was founded for caravans to depart overland to trade with the roaming tribes of the west, and it remains the trade gateway for the Narcissus hegemony. The culture of the city is very much like that of Narcissus, although more vital and less decadent. Liriopeans study reflective magic, but the city lacks the infrastructure to use advanced sciences such as mirror-fishing, and although the city has many mirrors, they remain only reflections and not gateways into the mirrorworld.

Men in Liriope are regarded as too emotionally unstable to handle important matters. Their role is in contests and war, and in demonstrating their worth to their women, and of course in pursuing women. Only women are regarded as being practical and stable enough to raise children and to rule others. Although men work in all professions, it is always women who are the rulers and leaders. Even the city’s militia is commanded by women, though it is men doing the fighting. Liriopean women claim that they are only following the path made by the Twin Sisters in this. Liriope was founded at the same time as the Seven Sisters order, and most outsiders believe the colony was founded because of a schism in the leadership of that movement; the women who left the Seven Sisters, founded Liriope.

Occupations: Scholar, Scientist, Matriarch, Entertainer, Merchant, Sorceress, Priestess
Suggested Skills (for women): Area Knowledge (Liriope), Current Affairs, Games, Leadership, Teaching, Thaumatology (reflective magic)
Suggested Skills (for men): Area Knowledge (Liriope), Brawling, Carousing, Combat Art, Erotic Art, Thaumatology (reflective magic)
Social Background: Cultural Familiarity (1 pt., Narcissus), Glossa (native language), Literacy
Suggested Quirks (for women): Chauvinistic, Proud, Refined* (dislikes vulgarity)
Suggested Quirks (for men): Congenial, Distractible, Proud
Sample Contact Groups: Matriarch Patron, Cult or Religion
Suggested Spells: Hide Reflection (IQ/Average)
Rumor: “The original founders of Liriope were far more radical than history portrays them, and the first generation after leaving the Seven Sisters the Liriopeans followed a heretical castration cult. Narcissus quickly suppressed the castration cult under the pretext of a flower-war, and all records of the heretics were erased by the newly-appointed matriarchs. Nonetheless the Seven Sisters still have records of that time, which could shame the city matriarchs if revealed. This is why the Seven Sisters are treated very favorably in Liriope, and why the need for this blackmail has never arisen.”

====Omphalo, sapling colony city====

Omphalo is a city of many religions. It was founded as the fortress city and headquarters of the Second Great Crusade, and still persecutes the forbidden cult of the Hollow Men. According to legend, this was also the birthplace of the Twin Sisters, and although scholars doubt the veracity, it is still a pilgrimage site for many people. In the time since the Second Great Crusade, other religious cults have come to the city for their own reasons. As have adventurers and scavengers, hoping to glean ancient wonders from the ruins in the marshes.

Each rainy season, Omphalo and the marshes flood when the seasonal rivers of the grasslands flow. Buildings in Omphalo are build on stilts, and during the flood season people get around by flat-bottomed boats. These same boats are used in the marshes as well. Although the city subsists off pilgrimage, it also produces a surplus of crops that require flooded fields. These crops are generally sold to one of the three northern cities. The crusaders of Omphalo have found patrolling the undead-haunted ruins of the Thousand Flowing Waters easier during the flood season, and so when the waters rise boats of armed Silent Brothers set forth for their sacred mission.

Occupations: Crusader, Priest, Boatman, Farmer, Fisherman
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (Omphalo), Boating, History, Religious Ritual, Theology, Occult (vampires)
Social Background: Cultural Familiarity (1 pt., Twin Cities), Glossa (native language), Literacy
Suggested Quirks: Careful, Code of Honor, Vow
Sample Contact Groups: Silent Brotherhood, Seven Sisters, Cult of the Opaque, other Cult
Suggested Spells: Sort Living from Undead (IQ/Average)
Rumor: “It is said that the Opaque Tree, the Tree of Many Shadows, the fourth and dark Crystal Tree, was discovered or hidden in Omphalo. The Cult of the Opaque has become very influential in Omphalo recently because so many of its followers have come to the city seeking their mystic tree.”

====Heliade, tributary petty kingdom====

Heliade is known as the Amber Kingdom. It is located on the Pleione river, which flows from the south, and borders on the marsh ruins of the Thousand Flowing Waters. Its inhabitants scour the river and marshes for spells and spirits frozen in amber from ancient times. These talismans are valuable wealth for trade, and Heliade is often subject to tribute to one of the three great cities of the north. Occasionally they go to war over this imposition of tribute, but although their archers are armed with devastating amber-tipped arrows, they are no match for the sorcery of the three cities on the battlefield.

Heliade magicians take dross amber and make use of it in many ways. It is dissolved into amber lacquer that hardens their armor against danger. It is used to trap images within, that may be seen at any time by peering into the amber. It is also melted down and gathered into vats of molten amber – through which, they hope to peer into the spirit-world. There is a belief in Heliade that there is another Crystal Tree – this one, of amber, weeping jewels – and the Heliades believe that if it is found, their city will rise to preeminence.

Occupations: Ambergleaner, Archer, Flower-Warrior, Lapidiary, Merchant, Amberwright
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (Heliade), Bow, Current Affairs, Jeweler, Occult (amber)
Social Background: Heliadic (native language), Glossa (accented language), Literacy
Suggested Quirks: Dreamer, Obsessions (amber), Thin-Skinned*
Suggested Spells: Capture Image In Amber (IQ/Average), Smelt Amber (IQ/Hard)
Rumor: In Heliade they have learned to enter the spirit-world through vats of molten amber. Therein they say the spirit-world is upside-down; you walk upside-down with the ground above your feet and the sky below your head. However, they have not discovered how to leave the spirit-world, and as the amber hardens, the explorer is trapped, entombed alive in a block of amber, upside-down.

====Astomo, tributary petty kingdom====

Astomo is called the Mute Kingdom, for long ago it was ruled by priest-kings whose lips were ritually sewn shut. It is still ruled by their inheritors, holy men known as Voices, whose lips are also sewn shut. Astomo lies on the borders of the Thousand Flowing Waters, and believe themselves to be the proper heirs of the ancient civilization that lies in ruins there. The people of Astomo are fascinated by the ancient ruins, and most will study some aspect of the ruins at some time in their life.

The Voices who rule Astomo do so by religious decree. There are a bewildering variety of subsects, all with teachings that confuse outsiders who cannot determine if they are philosophies or religions. As with the priest-kings of old, the Voices have their lips ritually sewn shut. Their ritual asceticisms allow them to survive without the need for food or drink, and to speak without speech, among other wonders.

Occupations: Archaeologist, Interpreter
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (Astomo), Gesture, History, Linguistics, Stealth, Hidden Lore (ancients)
Social Background: Glossa (native language), Backaric (broken language), Literacy
Suggested Advantages: Silence
Suggested Quirks: Cautious, Humble, Obsessions (ancients)
Sample Contact Groups: Sect
Rumor: “The old mouthless priest-kings of Astomo were, in fact, heretical offshoots of the Hollow Men. The Voices who still rule Astomo keep this secret carefully guarded, lest fanatic crusaders hear of it and Astomo be destroyed.”

====Bammenides, nomadic barbarian tribe====

The Bammenides are one of the nomadic barbarian tribes of the northern taiga. They live on the edges of the northern glaciers. They are known as the “painted men” to the Twin Cities, because they tattoo their bodies, faces, and hands in bright colors. They tend small herds of megaloceroi elk, from which they get milk, meat, fur – and most importantly, transportation. Their megaloceroi are domesticated and trained to pull sleighs large enough to transport an entire Bammenide family and all their goods. Their clans migrate south in spring and summer to graze and mate their herds. As rivers freeze and snow covers the ground, they migrate north and stay the winter snowbound, keeping the herds safe from the hungry predators of the south. In spring many clans gather in huge meetings to mate their herds; this is when the Bammenides trade with outsiders. In winter they live in homes built of snow, while their herds are hidden in sheltered valleys with some vegetation, or forage brought by their herders.

Shamans of the Bammenides work their magic through wands of many kinds. Each shaman has an assortment of wands of antler, bone, or wood, which must be carefully chosen for each specific purpose. Most shamans eagerly trade for wands made of metal from civilization. One of the few spells that shamans need no wand for are their eating magics. When someone in their clan suffers bad luck, or is afflicted by illness, or haunted by ghosts, the clan’s shaman will ritually consume the offending spirit. They can often scare off troublesome spirits with demonstrations of their eating prowess, by eating stones and other formidable things.

Occupations: Herder, Hunter, Trader, Warrior, Shaman
Suggested Skills: Animal Handling, Area Knowledge (tundra), Driving (sleigh), Spear, Survival, Tracking, Occult (spirits)
Social Background: Low TL, Bammenic (native language), Illiteracy
Suggested Quirks: Likes (metal), Humble, Uncongenial
Sample Contact Groups: Clan, Warrior Lodge
Suggested Spells: Eat Anything (IQ/ Hard, req. Shamanic Magic 1+), Eat Ghost (IQ/Very Hard, req. Shamanic Magic 3+)
Rumor: “The slow retreat of the northern ice and its gradual melting has gradually forced the Bammenides away from their ancestral summer and winter lands. Their herds do not thrive in the warming lands, and the remaining cold lands are too barren. The herds do not grow, and so more and more young men become warriors to gain wealth and status – while the defenses of Narcissus and Diaphane are in decline. If they join with other wandering tribes, a barbarian horde may bring the next Shattering from the north…”

====Makhlyes, nomadic barbarian tribe====

The Makhlyes are one of the nomadic barbarian tribes of the western grasslands. Their ancestors followed brontotheria herds, but the great herds from ancient times are no more, and only solitary beasts survive now. They now follow synthetoceras herds across the grasslands. They are frequent trading partners with the Twin Cities, bartering furs and hides, ivory and horn, in return for civilized goods. Every few generations their warriors band together with other barbarian tribes and raid and pillage into civilized lands.

The shamans of the Makhlyes are known as Inverts because they live their lives as the opposite gender. Because of this, they are regarded as spirits by their people – and also regarded as spirits by spirits. Once each year in the spring, all the hunters will dress as the opposite gender as well, for the sacred Inverse Hunt. Their magic allows the hunters to hunt the now-extinct herds of megafauna as though they still roamed the grasslands. The hunters bring back much meat and many trophies from an Inverse Hunt, but every year one hunter does not return from the hunt. Because of these strange customs, people of the Twin Cities think that all Makhlyes change genders, and take precautions against touching them, lest this is contagious.

Occupations: Hunter, Trader, Warrior, Invert
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (grasslands), Mimicry (animal sounds), Spear Thrower, Stealth, Survival, Tracking, Occult (spirits)
Social Background: Low TL, Makhlyic (native language), Illiteracy
Suggested Quirks: Broad-Minded, Responsive, Tolerant* (not bothered by quirks)
Sample Contact Groups: Clan, Warrior Lodge
Suggested Spells: Hunt Megafauna Ghosts (IQ/Average) (note: penalties if not an Inverse Hunt), Change Gender (IQ/Very Hard, req. Invert, Shamanic Magic 4+)
New Advantage: Invert (5 pts., live as opposite gender, spirits react as though you were a spirit yourself)
Rumor: “The Makhlyes say that when one of the Inverts goes on a spiritquest and returns of the opposite gender, that he or she has not really returned at all. Instead she or he has been replaced by a spirit, that will pretend to be the Invert for the rest of its life, until it pretends to die and returns to the spirit-world.”

====Gorgades, nomadic barbarian tribe====

The Gorgades are one of the nomadic barbarian tribes of the distant steppes to the west of the grasslands and mountains. They are known as the “hairy ones” to most outsiders, because they do not cut their hair. When meeting strangers, they also veil their eyes with their hair so as to not make eye contact, and they will also not look into mirrors. They claim that all these taboos protect them from spirits – and, curiously, they believe that the inhabitants of the Twin Cities are actually spirits who lie about their true natures. They rarely trade with the Twin Cities, but their leather goods often make their way east through trade with other barbarian tribes (such as the Makhlyes).

They have actually domesticated herds of megafauna, and roam the steppes to move their herds to new grazing. Each clan in the tribe typically has its own type of megafauna that it specialized in. Clans often take the opportunity to raid the herds of other clans while nearby, to eat some of their enemies’ beasts instead of their own. Their shamans wear headdresses of the skull and hides of their clan’s beast, and generally know a very odd assortment of spells.

Occupations: Herder, Hunter, Raider, Trapper, Shaman
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (steppes), Animal Handling, Bow, Knife, Leatherworking, Survival, Occult (spirits)
Social Background: Low TL, Gorgadic (native language), Illiteracy
Suggested Quirks: Uncongenial, Vow (do not cut hair, do not look into eyes or mirrors), Unhygienic* (does not bathe)
Sample Contact Groups: Clan, Warrior Lodge
Suggested Spells: Find New Forage (IQ/Average), Foretell Weather (IQ/Average)
Rumor: “Gorgades are not actually human – they are abhumans who were once used as servants by the ancients. They escaped back into the wild after the downfall of the ancients, and still fear civilized men.”

--Kakita Kojiro

Other kingdoms

2008-04-17T03:28:26Z

Shanoxilt:

=Geography and Other Kingdoms=

The closest barbarian tribes are kept in check from the relatively defenseless cities by their deeply held religioius beliefs -- that the sorcerers of the Mirrored City can steal their souls should their reflection fall within their power. They obey and serve out of superstitious fear that the sorcerers will come for their souls, leaving them one of the living undead. None will go to the Mirrored City willingly if unblinded, and those taken there as servants are mourned as though dead -- even if they later return, they are regarded as unquiet ghosts, and driven away.

Although the tribes do not fear sorcery from the Crystal City, they avoid it too -- for it is thought that the inhabitants are the sorcerer's souls exiled from its sister-city, sent away as the price of the sorcerers' powers. This is well-known to be true, for it is said that mirrors are forbidden in the Crystal City because its inhabitants fear being captured by sorcerers once more.

--by Kakita Kojiro

====The Thousand Flowing Waters====

The Ruins of the First Age are scattered throughout the world, however the Largest, most dangerous and best preserved Lies in the region known as the Thousand Flowing waters, a Marshland bordering the Ocean that stretches for miles, and littered with islands and estuaries. It is claimed to be where a thousand streams and rivers empty into. The Region is heavily grown over, inhabited by large [[megafauna|aquatic predators]], littered with ruins ranging from piles of sinking stone to well preserved towers, and inhabited by more ghost, shadows, and other things than any other place in the known world. It is also a place where shallow pools lead directly to the [[spirit world|Mirror lands]], and where time acts differently. Stories are told of brave or foolish youth looting the dead cities, and coming back to find everyone who remembered them being dead and gone, and there town unrecognizable. Others claim that the ruins are from the future, not the past. In all the tales, one detail is consistant, and that is that the Twin Sisters originated there, and that things are buried which can make a man wiser than his fellows, or a gibbering fool. The Major rivers are clear for travel, but going further than a few miles into the Tangled Jungle can lead to trouble. The region periodically floods, and many places are covered by the tide, or sink beneath the muck. Some however rise up and fall according to strange magics or half remembered commands from the long dead inhabitants. This Region is far to the East from the Civilized Cities, but the Twin cities do send teams of researchers and explorers to salvage what lore can be found. These are usually well armed, well supplied, and very specific in where they go. Those citizens with wanderlust or a thirst for adventure are drawn to these expeditions, and though dangerous, it a respected and rewarding field.

--by stephen_dean

The Four Cities are dotted like constellations along the intertwining trade routes that provide the raw materials, and are located on high points along the curving paths of great serpantine rivers that snake over a large plain. The Plains are dotted with canyons and cliffs, gradually becoming drier until the Western edges dry into sandy waste and inhabited by nomads and less definable entities. To the East lies the vast sea, clustered in the Marshes and Jungles by the Coast, and edged by mountains that catch the rainclounds, with large passes carved by rivers and edged with ruins. The rivers from the central highlands serve as flowing highways, and the Mountains where the herdsman and small villages of farmers each out an existance in the valleys and glens of the slopes of the towering mountains send forth there goods South. The southern plains stretch to meet the sea, and from this direction, tribute, spices, slaves and raw materials flow, as manufactured goods, cloth, and wonders of the craftsman of the cities are peddled south, and tribute North. The great carvavans, barges and cities to the south allow for large fortunes to gather, and decadence to thrive.

-by stephen_dean

====Bachariko====

A region of similiar culture rather than one exact area, the vast languid river deltas that flow south split into two large rivers that empty into the same large plain to the south. This area is dotted with city-states as diverse as the various tribes and migrant who have met in the fields as combatants, traders or refugees. The History of this region predates all the other known areas, and is cosidered to be the point where the other empires of the past have originated. The largest and Oldest city-states in the region have based there wealth on three pillars. The bountiful resources of the sea, both from above and below, as well as the trade cogs that lined the ports and rivers of the region, and the vast plantations that circle the cities of spices, food stuffs and drugs. Backariko is blessed with a climate that is warm and rare rainy periods, followed by droughts, but most resident gain substinance from the Three great rivers, and smaller tribularies that flow through there from the North and East.
The Marshes that once choked the Estuaries have been drained, converted to gardens and irrigation, or left as hunting preserves for the god-kings. The cities are made from stone, mud brick and reed, with some houses of the wealthy using wood, bamboo or other more exotic constructions from the North. Great Walls, Temples and Statues dominate and dwarf the landscape that stretches flat in all directions, and largest hills are man made. Each City state swears alligence to a complicated and ever shifting series of alliances, and periodically wars break out to sort out which City will rule as the seat of power. The God-Kings who rule have made dark pacts or given bits of themselves over to other entities to rule for decades, and some whisper for several hundred years as some dark shadows behind the thrones. The secret of this longevity is guarded with-in the highest circles, and is known only to a few of the City-States. It is here of all the world that Astronomy has developed the greatest, and at night large stretches of the city go dark to prevent any light from taking away from the Twin Moons above, and the march of the stars. The importation of advanced lenses, and other equipment is made for the exchange of captured prisoners from the periodic wars, spices and rare clothes, herbs and other ingrediates needed by the Four Cities to the North, as well as by the client states that serve as a buffer between Bachariko and the Two Sisters to the North.
Recently the God-King of the lagest city-state has marshaled his legions, mercenaries and occult allies, consulted his astrologers, and is consolidating his control of the center of the region, in a big to build a lasting empire out of the chaotic region. If he succeeds, then the Twin Cities will face a unified threat. However, the region is experiencing a drought, and crop yields are falling, and some are calling for the blood sacrifices from the God-Kings to feed the Moons, so that the blessed rains will fall. In the Past, in times of stress, the God-Kings sacrificed themselves. This tradition has fallen to the way side, but the people rememeber, and their Gods grow hungry.

-by stephen_dean

====The Western Mountains and the Deserts of the West====

The Huge birds, such as the [[megafauna|Thunderbirds]], are the scavengers of the Western Deserts and grasslands, and use the gust from the mountains to range over the vast undalating plains in search of the many beast that wander its relativly untouched expanses. The varied terrain is home to vast herds of [[megafauna|gigantic Bison]], the Forest along the Mountains to stranger beast still. However the numbers are thin near the cities, and grow the further afield one goes. The Mountains to the West are the largest in the Known world, and the other side is an area explored at the peril of the unwary, do to the vast spaces inhabited by huge creatures of myth and legend, some claim to be larger than the armored beast that wander the waste. The reason for the lack of habitation is due to the low population following the devastating fall of the previous empires in the past, and the frequent wars between the city-states. The attachment of many people to there principle city-state or ideal, or the threat of strange conditions has led many to stay in the civilized regions, rather than risk expanding to the terrain of the tribes of head-hunters and beast riders beyond the Mountains. It is through the collective resources of the Cities that the walls, pits, and special huntsman keep the lands and tradeways safe. However, recent droughts and a change in climate are causing some stange beast and raider to prey at the edges of the Twin Cities, and the many smaller city-states. For now, these have not been sigifigent, however, rumors are spreading of tribes beyond the mountains who ride great beast, and are forming an Empire of the wandering bands to pillage the glittering wealth of the settled peoples. These are rumors however, and cartomancers are exploring to add to the [[Crystal Globe]], to see if these shadows of truth are to be trusted.

-by stephen_dean

Spoiler: Skops, helot client state

The Skopses are one of the helot cultures of Narcissus. They were conquered long ago, essentially enslaved for generations, but in the decline and decadence of the City of Mirrors have effectively regained their independence. In earlier eras they often had to be brutally suppressed by Narcissus, as their subversive Cult of the Flensed Man inspired bloody uprisings. Over generations that bloody cult has been supplanted by more acceptable religions, and only survives in their harvest festivals where they burn wicker effigies. Skops is a fertile land from the loess soil left behind by the retreating glaciers of the north. This provides the food that sustains the population of Narcissus, and the Skopses are also another market for the goods produced in the City of Mirrors.

Lurid stories of the Flensed Man cultists say that they wore masks and mantles of the bloody skin of their enemies, and that they could thereby assume the seeming of other people. Their shamans – who were all long ago slain or driven into the wastes – it is said could flense ghosts, and assume the seeming they had in life by wearing the spirit skin. Flensers are Skopsic revolutionaries that wear the bloody skins of beasts to hide their identities from discovery.

Occupations: Helot, Farmer, Herder, Tanner, Trader, Flenser
Suggested Skills: Animal Handling, Farming, Leatherworking, Occult (spirits), Forbidden Lore (Flensed Man)
Social Background: Cultural Familiarity (1 pt., Narcissus), Skopsic (native language), Glossa (accented language)
Suggested Quirks: Nosy, Staid, Vulgar*
Sample Contact Groups: Clan, Cult
Suggested Spells: Hide Reflection (IQ/Average)
Common Names: Andrew, Barbara, Thomas
Rumor: “The Flensed Man still lives, and hides within Skops to ferment unrest and revolution. Its secret is that it is neither a god nor a human – it is a skinwalker that escaped from the mirrorworld long ago in the time of the ancients, and has masqueraded as either or both ever since. It hides among the Skopses now, secretly wearing the skin of a dead man that it pretends to be, while leading the Flensers in rebellion.”

Spoiler: Gnarides, helot client state

The Gnarides are the helot culture in the lands near Diaphane. They were the original inhabitants of the area, driven away by the “Witch Sister.” Although once warlike, they have been conquered and subjugated, and now their clans are scattered through several petty kingdoms. They are pastoralists who raise mountain goats and make cheese, although they are known for being good spear hunters, and occasionally hired as mercenary spearmen.

Gnaride culture revolves around their worship of the earth deity, which they view as both male and female. They build lingams – large standing stones representing the phallus of the god. They also have sacred caves – representing the goddess – callen yoni caves. They practice barbaric fertility magic with these, and claim that is why the men of Diaphane fear to build tall structures that cast shadows, and why they will not abide dark caves. Only men deal with lingams and their magic, and only women deal with yonis and their magic. Having the shadow of a lingam stone fall on you is lucky, but also arouses carnal lust and blood lust. Entering the dark yoni cave aids in conception and childbirth. If women fall under the lingam’s shadow, they may become pregnant or barren. If men enter the yoni cave, they may return as women or pregnant. For obvious reasons, both of these actions are taboo. Outsiders rarely benefit from either lingam stones or yoni caves. Their magic-men are called Horned Men because they wear crowns of horns, and while they are good at dealing with female spirits, they are very unlucky with male spirits.

Occupations: Helot, Herder, Weaver, Hunter, Spearman, Horned Man
Suggested Skills: Animal Handling, Farming, Sex Appeal, Spear, Occult (spirits)
Social Background: Cultural Familiarity (1 pt., Diaphane), Gnaric (native language), Glossa (accented language)
Suggested Quirks: Broad-Minded, Proud, Lusty*
Sample Contact Groups: Clan, Former Lovers
Suggested Spells (for men): Incite Bloodlust (IQ/Average), Incite Carnal Lust (IQ/Hard)
Suggested Spells (for women): Increase Fertility (IQ/Hard), Ease Childbirth (IQ/Average)
Common Names: Dwight, Loeis, Amalie
Rumor: “Gnaride spearmen boast that when they capture opponents in Flower Wars, the women want to never go back home, and the men to never face another Flower War again. Telling such tales makes Diaphanides very angry.”

Spoiler: Symeros, sapling colony city

The colony city of Symeros was founded by Diaphoros the Synesthete, one of the first pupils of the Invisible College from Diaphane. He was blessed or cursed with synisthesia, which has been inherited in many forms by his descendants. As the royal family maintains a prerogative to the first night with any new bride, synisthesia has spread among the Symerides. Symeros is on the Maiandro river downstream from Diaphane, and is the major port of the Diaphane hegemony. Glass-bottom boats ply the river from Diaphane to Symeros and on to Iridos isle, carrying cargo and travelers. Despite its origins, Symeros has never devoted itself to one viewpoint of magic, and all are practiced here – although mainly pellucid and chromatic. Formal training in the magic sciences must be sought in Diaphane or Iridos, however.

The city’s boatmen must navigate their way through the Thousand Flowing Waters and its many perils, and it has been discovered that the city’s synisthetes are somewhat protected from the odd powers of vampires and Hollow Men and other heretics of that ilk. They are in great demand as scavengers of the ruins there, and as crusaders for the Silent Brotherhood. Synisthetes do not often master any kind of magic, for their unique perception interacts oddly.

Occupations: Philosopher, Scientist, Merchant, Boatman
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (Symeros), Boating, Current Affairs, Smuggling, Occult (vampires), Thaumatology (pellucid or chromatic magic)
Social Background: Cultural Familiarity (1 pt., Twin Cities), Glossa (native language), Literacy
Suggested Quirks: Congenial, Imaginative, Addiction (tobacco)
Sample Contact Groups: School, Cult or Religion
Suggested Spells: Identify Exact Color (IQ/Average), See Clearly (IQ/Average)
Rumor: “The Empty Masters secretly plan to subvert one of the synisthetes of Symeros. By mixing synesthetic perception with their blind enlightenment, they hope to find the reason that synesthetes are so effective against them. Should they succeed, the crusade of the Silent Brotherhood would be set back, and Symeros left open to infiltration by the bleak cult of the Empty Masters.”

Spoiler: Liriope, sapling colony city

Liriope is the daughter-city of Narcissus, a colony called the City of Women because it was founded by women. It is still governed by matriarchy, and only women are allowed to rise to the levels of guild mistress, high priestess, or city matriarch. The city was founded for caravans to depart overland to trade with the roaming tribes of the west, and it remains the trade gateway for the Narcissus hegemony. The culture of the city is very much like that of Narcissus, although more vital and less decadent. Liriopeans study reflective magic, but the city lacks the infrastructure to use advanced sciences such as mirror-fishing, and although the city has many mirrors, they remain only reflections and not gateways into the mirrorworld.

Men in Liriope are regarded as too emotionally unstable to handle important matters. Their role is in contests and war, and in demonstrating their worth to their women, and of course in pursuing women. Only women are regarded as being practical and stable enough to raise children and to rule others. Although men work in all professions, it is always women who are the rulers and leaders. Even the city’s militia is commanded by women, though it is men doing the fighting. Liriopean women claim that they are only following the path made by the Twin Sisters in this. Liriope was founded at the same time as the Seven Sisters order, and most outsiders believe the colony was founded because of a schism in the leadership of that movement; the women who left the Seven Sisters, founded Liriope.

Occupations: Scholar, Scientist, Matriarch, Entertainer, Merchant, Sorceress, Priestess
Suggested Skills (for women): Area Knowledge (Liriope), Current Affairs, Games, Leadership, Teaching, Thaumatology (reflective magic)
Suggested Skills (for men): Area Knowledge (Liriope), Brawling, Carousing, Combat Art, Erotic Art, Thaumatology (reflective magic)
Social Background: Cultural Familiarity (1 pt., Narcissus), Glossa (native language), Literacy
Suggested Quirks (for women): Chauvinistic, Proud, Refined* (dislikes vulgarity)
Suggested Quirks (for men): Congenial, Distractible, Proud
Sample Contact Groups: Matriarch Patron, Cult or Religion
Suggested Spells: Hide Reflection (IQ/Average)
Rumor: “The original founders of Liriope were far more radical than history portrays them, and the first generation after leaving the Seven Sisters the Liriopeans followed a heretical castration cult. Narcissus quickly suppressed the castration cult under the pretext of a flower-war, and all records of the heretics were erased by the newly-appointed matriarchs. Nonetheless the Seven Sisters still have records of that time, which could shame the city matriarchs if revealed. This is why the Seven Sisters are treated very favorably in Liriope, and why the need for this blackmail has never arisen.”

Spoiler: Omphalo, sapling colony city

Omphalo is a city of many religions. It was founded as the fortress city and headquarters of the Second Great Crusade, and still persecutes the forbidden cult of the Hollow Men. According to legend, this was also the birthplace of the Twin Sisters, and although scholars doubt the veracity, it is still a pilgrimage site for many people. In the time since the Second Great Crusade, other religious cults have come to the city for their own reasons. As have adventurers and scavengers, hoping to glean ancient wonders from the ruins in the marshes.

Each rainy season, Omphalo and the marshes flood when the seasonal rivers of the grasslands flow. Buildings in Omphalo are build on stilts, and during the flood season people get around by flat-bottomed boats. These same boats are used in the marshes as well. Although the city subsists off pilgrimage, it also produces a surplus of crops that require flooded fields. These crops are generally sold to one of the three northern cities. The crusaders of Omphalo have found patrolling the undead-haunted ruins of the Thousand Flowing Waters easier during the flood season, and so when the waters rise boats of armed Silent Brothers set forth for their sacred mission.

Occupations: Crusader, Priest, Boatman, Farmer, Fisherman
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (Omphalo), Boating, History, Religious Ritual, Theology, Occult (vampires)
Social Background: Cultural Familiarity (1 pt., Twin Cities), Glossa (native language), Literacy
Suggested Quirks: Careful, Code of Honor, Vow
Sample Contact Groups: Silent Brotherhood, Seven Sisters, Cult of the Opaque, other Cult
Suggested Spells: Sort Living from Undead (IQ/Average)
Rumor: “It is said that the Opaque Tree, the Tree of Many Shadows, the fourth and dark Crystal Tree, was discovered or hidden in Omphalo. The Cult of the Opaque has become very influential in Omphalo recently because so many of its followers have come to the city seeking their mystic tree.”

Spoiler: Heliade, tributary petty kingdom

Heliade is known as the Amber Kingdom. It is located on the Pleione river, which flows from the south, and borders on the marsh ruins of the Thousand Flowing Waters. Its inhabitants scour the river and marshes for spells and spirits frozen in amber from ancient times. These talismans are valuable wealth for trade, and Heliade is often subject to tribute to one of the three great cities of the north. Occasionally they go to war over this imposition of tribute, but although their archers are armed with devastating amber-tipped arrows, they are no match for the sorcery of the three cities on the battlefield.

Heliade magicians take dross amber and make use of it in many ways. It is dissolved into amber lacquer that hardens their armor against danger. It is used to trap images within, that may be seen at any time by peering into the amber. It is also melted down and gathered into vats of molten amber – through which, they hope to peer into the spirit-world. There is a belief in Heliade that there is another Crystal Tree – this one, of amber, weeping jewels – and the Heliades believe that if it is found, their city will rise to preeminence.

Occupations: Ambergleaner, Archer, Flower-Warrior, Lapidiary, Merchant, Amberwright
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (Heliade), Bow, Current Affairs, Jeweler, Occult (amber)
Social Background: Heliadic (native language), Glossa (accented language), Literacy
Suggested Quirks: Dreamer, Obsessions (amber), Thin-Skinned*
Suggested Spells: Capture Image In Amber (IQ/Average), Smelt Amber (IQ/Hard)
Rumor: In Heliade they have learned to enter the spirit-world through vats of molten amber. Therein they say the spirit-world is upside-down; you walk upside-down with the ground above your feet and the sky below your head. However, they have not discovered how to leave the spirit-world, and as the amber hardens, the explorer is trapped, entombed alive in a block of amber, upside-down.

Spoiler: Astomo, tributary petty kingdom

Astomo is called the Mute Kingdom, for long ago it was ruled by priest-kings whose lips were ritually sewn shut. It is still ruled by their inheritors, holy men known as Voices, whose lips are also sewn shut. Astomo lies on the borders of the Thousand Flowing Waters, and believe themselves to be the proper heirs of the ancient civilization that lies in ruins there. The people of Astomo are fascinated by the ancient ruins, and most will study some aspect of the ruins at some time in their life.

The Voices who rule Astomo do so by religious decree. There are a bewildering variety of subsects, all with teachings that confuse outsiders who cannot determine if they are philosophies or religions. As with the priest-kings of old, the Voices have their lips ritually sewn shut. Their ritual asceticisms allow them to survive without the need for food or drink, and to speak without speech, among other wonders.

Occupations: Archaeologist, Interpreter
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (Astomo), Gesture, History, Linguistics, Stealth, Hidden Lore (ancients)
Social Background: Glossa (native language), Backaric (broken language), Literacy
Suggested Advantages: Silence
Suggested Quirks: Cautious, Humble, Obsessions (ancients)
Sample Contact Groups: Sect
Rumor: “The old mouthless priest-kings of Astomo were, in fact, heretical offshoots of the Hollow Men. The Voices who still rule Astomo keep this secret carefully guarded, lest fanatic crusaders hear of it and Astomo be destroyed.”

Spoiler: Bammenides, nomadic barbarian tribe

The Bammenides are one of the nomadic barbarian tribes of the northern taiga. They live on the edges of the northern glaciers. They are known as the “painted men” to the Twin Cities, because they tattoo their bodies, faces, and hands in bright colors. They tend small herds of megaloceroi elk, from which they get milk, meat, fur – and most importantly, transportation. Their megaloceroi are domesticated and trained to pull sleighs large enough to transport an entire Bammenide family and all their goods. Their clans migrate south in spring and summer to graze and mate their herds. As rivers freeze and snow covers the ground, they migrate north and stay the winter snowbound, keeping the herds safe from the hungry predators of the south. In spring many clans gather in huge meetings to mate their herds; this is when the Bammenides trade with outsiders. In winter they live in homes built of snow, while their herds are hidden in sheltered valleys with some vegetation, or forage brought by their herders.

Shamans of the Bammenides work their magic through wands of many kinds. Each shaman has an assortment of wands of antler, bone, or wood, which must be carefully chosen for each specific purpose. Most shamans eagerly trade for wands made of metal from civilization. One of the few spells that shamans need no wand for are their eating magics. When someone in their clan suffers bad luck, or is afflicted by illness, or haunted by ghosts, the clan’s shaman will ritually consume the offending spirit. They can often scare off troublesome spirits with demonstrations of their eating prowess, by eating stones and other formidable things.

Occupations: Herder, Hunter, Trader, Warrior, Shaman
Suggested Skills: Animal Handling, Area Knowledge (tundra), Driving (sleigh), Spear, Survival, Tracking, Occult (spirits)
Social Background: Low TL, Bammenic (native language), Illiteracy
Suggested Quirks: Likes (metal), Humble, Uncongenial
Sample Contact Groups: Clan, Warrior Lodge
Suggested Spells: Eat Anything (IQ/ Hard, req. Shamanic Magic 1+), Eat Ghost (IQ/Very Hard, req. Shamanic Magic 3+)
Rumor: “The slow retreat of the northern ice and its gradual melting has gradually forced the Bammenides away from their ancestral summer and winter lands. Their herds do not thrive in the warming lands, and the remaining cold lands are too barren. The herds do not grow, and so more and more young men become warriors to gain wealth and status – while the defenses of Narcissus and Diaphane are in decline. If they join with other wandering tribes, a barbarian horde may bring the next Shattering from the north…”

Spoiler: Makhlyes, nomadic barbarian tribe

The Makhlyes are one of the nomadic barbarian tribes of the western grasslands. Their ancestors followed brontotheria herds, but the great herds from ancient times are no more, and only solitary beasts survive now. They now follow synthetoceras herds across the grasslands. They are frequent trading partners with the Twin Cities, bartering furs and hides, ivory and horn, in return for civilized goods. Every few generations their warriors band together with other barbarian tribes and raid and pillage into civilized lands.

The shamans of the Makhlyes are known as Inverts because they live their lives as the opposite gender. Because of this, they are regarded as spirits by their people – and also regarded as spirits by spirits. Once each year in the spring, all the hunters will dress as the opposite gender as well, for the sacred Inverse Hunt. Their magic allows the hunters to hunt the now-extinct herds of megafauna as though they still roamed the grasslands. The hunters bring back much meat and many trophies from an Inverse Hunt, but every year one hunter does not return from the hunt. Because of these strange customs, people of the Twin Cities think that all Makhlyes change genders, and take precautions against touching them, lest this is contagious.

Occupations: Hunter, Trader, Warrior, Invert
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (grasslands), Mimicry (animal sounds), Spear Thrower, Stealth, Survival, Tracking, Occult (spirits)
Social Background: Low TL, Makhlyic (native language), Illiteracy
Suggested Quirks: Broad-Minded, Responsive, Tolerant* (not bothered by quirks)
Sample Contact Groups: Clan, Warrior Lodge
Suggested Spells: Hunt Megafauna Ghosts (IQ/Average) (note: penalties if not an Inverse Hunt), Change Gender (IQ/Very Hard, req. Invert, Shamanic Magic 4+)
New Advantage: Invert (5 pts., live as opposite gender, spirits react as though you were a spirit yourself)
Rumor: “The Makhlyes say that when one of the Inverts goes on a spiritquest and returns of the opposite gender, that he or she has not really returned at all. Instead she or he has been replaced by a spirit, that will pretend to be the Invert for the rest of its life, until it pretends to die and returns to the spirit-world.”

Spoiler: Gorgades, nomadic barbarian tribe

The Gorgades are one of the nomadic barbarian tribes of the distant steppes to the west of the grasslands and mountains. They are known as the “hairy ones” to most outsiders, because they do not cut their hair. When meeting strangers, they also veil their eyes with their hair so as to not make eye contact, and they will also not look into mirrors. They claim that all these taboos protect them from spirits – and, curiously, they believe that the inhabitants of the Twin Cities are actually spirits who lie about their true natures. They rarely trade with the Twin Cities, but their leather goods often make their way east through trade with other barbarian tribes (such as the Makhlyes).

They have actually domesticated herds of megafauna, and roam the steppes to move their herds to new grazing. Each clan in the tribe typically has its own type of megafauna that it specialized in. Clans often take the opportunity to raid the herds of other clans while nearby, to eat some of their enemies’ beasts instead of their own. Their shamans wear headdresses of the skull and hides of their clan’s beast, and generally know a very odd assortment of spells.

Occupations: Herder, Hunter, Raider, Trapper, Shaman
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (steppes), Animal Handling, Bow, Knife, Leatherworking, Survival, Occult (spirits)
Social Background: Low TL, Gorgadic (native language), Illiteracy
Suggested Quirks: Uncongenial, Vow (do not cut hair, do not look into eyes or mirrors), Unhygienic* (does not bathe)
Sample Contact Groups: Clan, Warrior Lodge
Suggested Spells: Find New Forage (IQ/Average), Foretell Weather (IQ/Average)
Rumor: “Gorgades are not actually human – they are abhumans who were once used as servants by the ancients. They escaped back into the wild after the downfall of the ancients, and still fear civilized men.”

--Kakita Kojiro

Spirit world

2008-04-14T03:31:48Z

Shanoxilt: /* The Nature of the Spirit World */

===The Crystal Trees===

There exist large, holy trees with-in the center of the solar temples that produce a clear strong sap, that when flowing can be shaped to produce a very strong and durable building material, however, the trees are a rare species needing a special environment, for instance a large greenhouse. These trees provide the materials to build the soaring cities and supports for the most opulent of buildings. This comes at a price however, as the trees require certain...sacrifices to produce the necessary quantities.

The highest priest in the tallest, clearest tower hear the required sacrifices in the sound of the chimes or in the play of a rainbow across the clear play of water. The Ancient trees, clear of all pigment, made of a strange material halfway between this world and the other, needs to feed on that rarest of materials, the soul. This is the clearest truth the universe offers, and to extract it requires a diligence and steady hand. The Mirror wraiths are the result of this going wrong, but it succeeds, then the trees grow, whispering secrets and producing the materials to let the cities thrive. The price is growing however, as more young men and woman disappear from the edges of the alleys. It is said that some trees develop certain taste, and others will consume the souls of things strange than people. The most anceint tree is said to require the soul of a god, and it grows hungry.

At the heart of each of the five factions there are the crystal trees, that serve as the holy grove of each faith. Initially a very rare species of plant based on silicon and growing at a relativly slow rate, these trees serve as the perfect ideal, a living creation in tune with the spirit and the body. These trees originally grew only in the spirit world, but a few were brought over to the other side of the glass and planted. As has been written before, these trees feed on the souls and spirits of the world to survive and grow, and take on the characteristics of its diet.
(think NWOD spirits, but only for these special trees.) Every city of any note will have a grove of these trees, and the richest citizens may have a small sapling or even a small orchard. The largest city's have ancient trees that have stood for hundreds, even thousands of years, if the sages are to right. The shadows cast are rainbows and each of the four fold paths trees correspond to the ideal of the location. The four subspecies are all offshoots of the original tree, lost somewhere in the spirit world, and if ever found, would allow for the creation of another path. It is because of this that many seek it, and few ever glimpse even a hint of the thing. The void, the great darkness, that which consumes and stifles, is not a tree but a shadow. It is the missing parts or pieces of creation, or lost paths and forgotten dreams. Some say the darkness is truth, and that the light can blind, and it is for this heresy that they are blinded, to forever follow the crooked path they choose, and to be ever denied the joys of the four paths.

--stephen_dean

The spirit tree of Iridos has an opalescent trunk, iridescent branches, and leaves of every possible color.

--shanoxilt

====Sacrificing====

Many outsiders look to the practice of raising the Sacrifices to feed the crystal trees as an evil act, and say that this path follows towards the void. many make comparisons to the Hollow men and other nefarious groups. However consider for a moment the life of an A future sacrifice. A young mother already has six children, and the seventh happens to have white hair, red eyes and is sensitive to the sun. Rather than suffer a life of pain and squaller, the child is given to the Temple of Clarity to live a life of quiet study, preparation and luxury. Then, perhaps decades later, the child has become a master of an ideal, and willingly walks to be embraced by the world tree, knowing that her soul will guide the city for years. This noble sacrifice is not evil, no more than a soldier fighting the legions of the damned eating away the reality of the world. No, it is beautiful. Would you rather we did like those cities of brick and stone you speak of, and let the child starve in the streets instead? No, no-one starves in the city of Transparency.

====The Capture and Care of Mirror Wraiths.====

So you finally caught a mirror wraith in the crystal caves, or perhaps you inherited one with you new Wizard tower. The first question you have to ask yourself is, what is the nature and possibilities of your new boon/problem. The key to understanding the Wraith is that, first, you cannot grasp the motives of an entity focused on one desire. If it is vanity, your wife will certainly look better for awhile, or your husband might head to the spas more, but eventually they may not be the person you fell in love with. If it is anger, well, lets just say that is easier to notice. The key to keeping a Mirror Wraith is a careful and regular mixture of emotions. If well fed, the Wraith can act as a useful source of information, advice and potential favors. The more affuent among you may even have a crystal tree sapling. Now I know your asking youself "why can I not just feed that Anger Wraith to my crystal tree, whats the problem?" Just look to the first shattering. The Crystal trees are clear because they are given only the purest of souls. A wraith is a twisted shard of a person. One aspect of the whole. Feed a Crystal tree this and you have a real problem on your hands. How do you suppose these laws came into being my good sir. The ruins of the Immaculate Concave make it clear. A crystal tree fed an unwilling supplicant or an impure soul, one who has fear in its heart, or one with hate or spite, will warp the trees into those strange obsidian trees that litter the ruins. Those glass valleys in the deserts of Hubris were once cities of great power, now they are only places without even grass. The madness that comes from these places can be prevented by you. Remember, only you can prevent shatterings.

==The Nature of the Spirit World==

The spirit world forms, and conforms, according to the particular themes of any given place. Despite this, the goals and basic nature of the spirits and their world are the same in every themed location. Spirits percieve themes simply as a "wardrobe" in which to reveal themselves.

--shanoxilt

====Spirit World of Narcissus====

The Metropolis of Narcissus is stalked by creatures that live entirely in the reflected world, similar to our own but warped by mirrors of imperfect craftsmanship. The mirrors reflect the worst aspects of the person, or amply fears of the onlooker, and over time, feed a desire for perfection leading to strange alterations. A person can inadvertently become the city's namesake, looking helplessly as every flaw and fear are amplified, until slowly starving to death. The spirit of the person then roams the mirror world forever. The only known non-magical way protect oneself is to catch the creature with it's own reflection in a crystal of fine quality. The resulting crystals are used to power some of the more hidden aspects of the city.

The other world is the world of the reflection, a place embraced by the narcissistic faction and declared heresy and heresy by the other. It reveals truths, but ones that are altered or slightly warped, and is inhabited by things other than the mirror wraiths. It is not a true world, but rather like a shadow, existing only as a reflection, but can be used to travel great distances if one is willing to risk the passage from one mirror to another.

--stephen_dean

To enter the spirit world from Narcissus, one does so through mirrors and reflections. Indeed, there are so many mirrors in Narcissus that the borders between worlds have grown thin -- it is possible to enter the Other Side easily, or for things from the Other Side to come through unaided. There are many wonders and horrors on the Other Side, though, which are exploited by the Mirror Fisheries. The mirror-fishers use silver fruits from the mirrortrees to bait their lines.

--Kakito Kojiro

====Spirit World of Iridos====

The spirit realm of Iridos is accessible through natural rainbows, artificial rainbows, and colored glass.

--shanoxilt

To enter the spirit world from [[Iridos]], one does so through prisms and rainbows... or one would, if one could survive being fragmented into a rainbow of primary spirit-selves. This is considered a humane manner of execution in Iridos, however, so murderers and other heretics are refracted into rainbows, which are then harvested for use. There are a host of strange entities there -- infra- and ultra-colors unseeable by human eyes -- and they all tend to be rather monomaniacal. But it is difficult to exploit this spirit world; you can look, but it's difficult to touch. The scitalis and simorgh emigrated from there, however, so color sages still seek the means to enter safely.

--Kakita Kojiro

Executed criminals whose spirit-selves are not harvested become seven ghosts. These ghosts are fragments of the individual's personality. They share a weakly unified consciousness. They wander Iridos, yearning for wholeness. These ghosts are known as "spectres".

--shanoxilt
====Spirit World of Diaphane====

One does not enter the spirit world of Diaphane -- the Invisible World is already here, all around us, unnoticed and imperceptible. The spiritual enlightenment of Diaphane allows its inhabitants to perceive, somewhat, the Invisible World around them. True masters interact with the Invisible World as though it were the natural world -- and may, in time, fade away completely into the Invisible World (as their city's founder is said to have done). The inhabitants of the Invisible World are considered full citizens of Diaphane, causing much confusion and peril to outsiders to whom they do not even exist.

====Spirit World outside the cities====

Away from the cities, the borders to the spirit world are more fixed, and the spirit world there may shift from the Other Side to the Shadow World or the Invisible World -- or may be a mix of all. There are shamans in the wilds who have a smattering of lore, enough to peer into reflective pools, or see invisible spirits, or perform other tricks considered petty and mundane in the cities. However they are the only ones away from civilization capable of dealing with the escape of a rogue mirror-wight, or of tracking a shadow-beast, or of exorcising an unseeable color.

The followers of the [[Clear Prophet]] have speculated that a spirit may change its nature if taken from, say, Iridos to Narcissus -- but the only entities capable of answering that question, the invisible citizens of Diaphane, were gravely offended to be asked it, and the questioner disappeared soon thereafter.

Amidst the ruins of the [[other kingdoms|Thousand Flowing Waters]], there is no spirit world of any sort, of course. It was eaten or corroded by the undead in ages long past. There, mirrors are only mirrors, shadows only shadows -- unless one of the [[Empty Masters]] or a vampire is around...

To enter the spirit world of the [[Cult of the Opaque]], one does so through shadows -- but only particular shadows, special ones formed by the intersection of specific geometries under specific illumination patterns. Most of these have been discovered by accident (when someone goes missing, having accidentally fallen into the Shadow World), but are recorded and kept secret by the Cult of the Opaque. Shadows and opaque things glow there, whereas the sun is black. Spirit entities of the Shadow World seem to be regular creatures, plants, and objects -- but their essential properties are exaggerated. There are apparently no strange entities as there are in the other spirit worlds (e.g., mirror-wraiths, color spirits, etc.)

--Kakita Kojiro

Spirit world

2008-04-14T03:30:13Z

Shanoxilt:

===The Crystal Trees===

There exist large, holy trees with-in the center of the solar temples that produce a clear strong sap, that when flowing can be shaped to produce a very strong and durable building material, however, the trees are a rare species needing a special environment, for instance a large greenhouse. These trees provide the materials to build the soaring cities and supports for the most opulent of buildings. This comes at a price however, as the trees require certain...sacrifices to produce the necessary quantities.

The highest priest in the tallest, clearest tower hear the required sacrifices in the sound of the chimes or in the play of a rainbow across the clear play of water. The Ancient trees, clear of all pigment, made of a strange material halfway between this world and the other, needs to feed on that rarest of materials, the soul. This is the clearest truth the universe offers, and to extract it requires a diligence and steady hand. The Mirror wraiths are the result of this going wrong, but it succeeds, then the trees grow, whispering secrets and producing the materials to let the cities thrive. The price is growing however, as more young men and woman disappear from the edges of the alleys. It is said that some trees develop certain taste, and others will consume the souls of things strange than people. The most anceint tree is said to require the soul of a god, and it grows hungry.

At the heart of each of the five factions there are the crystal trees, that serve as the holy grove of each faith. Initially a very rare species of plant based on silicon and growing at a relativly slow rate, these trees serve as the perfect ideal, a living creation in tune with the spirit and the body. These trees originally grew only in the spirit world, but a few were brought over to the other side of the glass and planted. As has been written before, these trees feed on the souls and spirits of the world to survive and grow, and take on the characteristics of its diet.
(think NWOD spirits, but only for these special trees.) Every city of any note will have a grove of these trees, and the richest citizens may have a small sapling or even a small orchard. The largest city's have ancient trees that have stood for hundreds, even thousands of years, if the sages are to right. The shadows cast are rainbows and each of the four fold paths trees correspond to the ideal of the location. The four subspecies are all offshoots of the original tree, lost somewhere in the spirit world, and if ever found, would allow for the creation of another path. It is because of this that many seek it, and few ever glimpse even a hint of the thing. The void, the great darkness, that which consumes and stifles, is not a tree but a shadow. It is the missing parts or pieces of creation, or lost paths and forgotten dreams. Some say the darkness is truth, and that the light can blind, and it is for this heresy that they are blinded, to forever follow the crooked path they choose, and to be ever denied the joys of the four paths.

--stephen_dean

The spirit tree of Iridos has an opalescent trunk, iridescent branches, and leaves of every possible color.

--shanoxilt

====Sacrificing====

Many outsiders look to the practice of raising the Sacrifices to feed the crystal trees as an evil act, and say that this path follows towards the void. many make comparisons to the Hollow men and other nefarious groups. However consider for a moment the life of an A future sacrifice. A young mother already has six children, and the seventh happens to have white hair, red eyes and is sensitive to the sun. Rather than suffer a life of pain and squaller, the child is given to the Temple of Clarity to live a life of quiet study, preparation and luxury. Then, perhaps decades later, the child has become a master of an ideal, and willingly walks to be embraced by the world tree, knowing that her soul will guide the city for years. This noble sacrifice is not evil, no more than a soldier fighting the legions of the damned eating away the reality of the world. No, it is beautiful. Would you rather we did like those cities of brick and stone you speak of, and let the child starve in the streets instead? No, no-one starves in the city of Transparency.

====The Capture and Care of Mirror Wraiths.====

So you finally caught a mirror wraith in the crystal caves, or perhaps you inherited one with you new Wizard tower. The first question you have to ask yourself is, what is the nature and possibilities of your new boon/problem. The key to understanding the Wraith is that, first, you cannot grasp the motives of an entity focused on one desire. If it is vanity, your wife will certainly look better for awhile, or your husband might head to the spas more, but eventually they may not be the person you fell in love with. If it is anger, well, lets just say that is easier to notice. The key to keeping a Mirror Wraith is a careful and regular mixture of emotions. If well fed, the Wraith can act as a useful source of information, advice and potential favors. The more affuent among you may even have a crystal tree sapling. Now I know your asking youself "why can I not just feed that Anger Wraith to my crystal tree, whats the problem?" Just look to the first shattering. The Crystal trees are clear because they are given only the purest of souls. A wraith is a twisted shard of a person. One aspect of the whole. Feed a Crystal tree this and you have a real problem on your hands. How do you suppose these laws came into being my good sir. The ruins of the Immaculate Concave make it clear. A crystal tree fed an unwilling supplicant or an impure soul, one who has fear in its heart, or one with hate or spite, will warp the trees into those strange obsidian trees that litter the ruins. Those glass valleys in the deserts of Hubris were once cities of great power, now they are only places without even grass. The madness that comes from these places can be prevented by you. Remember, only you can prevent shatterings.

===The Nature of the Spirit World===

The spirit world forms, and conforms, according to the particular themes of any given place. Despite this, the goals and basic nature of the spirits and their world are the same in every themed location. Spirits percieve themes simply as a "wardrobe" in which to reveal themselves.

--shanoxilt

====Spirit World of Narcissus====

The Metropolis of Narcissus is stalked by creatures that live entirely in the reflected world, similar to our own but warped by mirrors of imperfect craftsmanship. The mirrors reflect the worst aspects of the person, or amply fears of the onlooker, and over time, feed a desire for perfection leading to strange alterations. A person can inadvertently become the city's namesake, looking helplessly as every flaw and fear are amplified, until slowly starving to death. The spirit of the person then roams the mirror world forever. The only known non-magical way protect oneself is to catch the creature with it's own reflection in a crystal of fine quality. The resulting crystals are used to power some of the more hidden aspects of the city.

The other world is the world of the reflection, a place embraced by the narcissistic faction and declared heresy and heresy by the other. It reveals truths, but ones that are altered or slightly warped, and is inhabited by things other than the mirror wraiths. It is not a true world, but rather like a shadow, existing only as a reflection, but can be used to travel great distances if one is willing to risk the passage from one mirror to another.

--stephen_dean

To enter the spirit world from Narcissus, one does so through mirrors and reflections. Indeed, there are so many mirrors in Narcissus that the borders between worlds have grown thin -- it is possible to enter the Other Side easily, or for things from the Other Side to come through unaided. There are many wonders and horrors on the Other Side, though, which are exploited by the Mirror Fisheries. The mirror-fishers use silver fruits from the mirrortrees to bait their lines.

--Kakito Kojiro

====Spirit World of Iridos====

The spirit realm of Iridos is accessible through natural rainbows, artificial rainbows, and colored glass.

--shanoxilt

To enter the spirit world from [[Iridos]], one does so through prisms and rainbows... or one would, if one could survive being fragmented into a rainbow of primary spirit-selves. This is considered a humane manner of execution in Iridos, however, so murderers and other heretics are refracted into rainbows, which are then harvested for use. There are a host of strange entities there -- infra- and ultra-colors unseeable by human eyes -- and they all tend to be rather monomaniacal. But it is difficult to exploit this spirit world; you can look, but it's difficult to touch. The scitalis and simorgh emigrated from there, however, so color sages still seek the means to enter safely.

--Kakita Kojiro

Executed criminals whose spirit-selves are not harvested become seven ghosts. These ghosts are fragments of the individual's personality. They share a weakly unified consciousness. They wander Iridos, yearning for wholeness. These ghosts are known as "spectres".

--shanoxilt
====Spirit World of Diaphane====

One does not enter the spirit world of Diaphane -- the Invisible World is already here, all around us, unnoticed and imperceptible. The spiritual enlightenment of Diaphane allows its inhabitants to perceive, somewhat, the Invisible World around them. True masters interact with the Invisible World as though it were the natural world -- and may, in time, fade away completely into the Invisible World (as their city's founder is said to have done). The inhabitants of the Invisible World are considered full citizens of Diaphane, causing much confusion and peril to outsiders to whom they do not even exist.

====Spirit World outside the cities====

Away from the cities, the borders to the spirit world are more fixed, and the spirit world there may shift from the Other Side to the Shadow World or the Invisible World -- or may be a mix of all. There are shamans in the wilds who have a smattering of lore, enough to peer into reflective pools, or see invisible spirits, or perform other tricks considered petty and mundane in the cities. However they are the only ones away from civilization capable of dealing with the escape of a rogue mirror-wight, or of tracking a shadow-beast, or of exorcising an unseeable color.

The followers of the [[Clear Prophet]] have speculated that a spirit may change its nature if taken from, say, Iridos to Narcissus -- but the only entities capable of answering that question, the invisible citizens of Diaphane, were gravely offended to be asked it, and the questioner disappeared soon thereafter.

Amidst the ruins of the [[other kingdoms|Thousand Flowing Waters]], there is no spirit world of any sort, of course. It was eaten or corroded by the undead in ages long past. There, mirrors are only mirrors, shadows only shadows -- unless one of the [[Empty Masters]] or a vampire is around...

To enter the spirit world of the [[Cult of the Opaque]], one does so through shadows -- but only particular shadows, special ones formed by the intersection of specific geometries under specific illumination patterns. Most of these have been discovered by accident (when someone goes missing, having accidentally fallen into the Shadow World), but are recorded and kept secret by the Cult of the Opaque. Shadows and opaque things glow there, whereas the sun is black. Spirit entities of the Shadow World seem to be regular creatures, plants, and objects -- but their essential properties are exaggerated. There are apparently no strange entities as there are in the other spirit worlds (e.g., mirror-wraiths, color spirits, etc.)

--Kakita Kojiro

Spirit world

2008-04-14T03:19:58Z

Shanoxilt:

===The Crystal Trees===

There exist large, holy trees with-in the center of the solar temples that produce a clear strong sap, that when flowing can be shaped to produce a very strong and durable building material, however, the trees are a rare species needing a special environment, for instance a large greenhouse. These trees provide the materials to build the soaring cities and supports for the most opulent of buildings. This comes at a price however, as the trees require certain...sacrifices to produce the necessary quantities.

The highest priest in the tallest, clearest tower hear the required sacrifices in the sound of the chimes or in the play of a rainbow across the clear play of water. The Ancient trees, clear of all pigment, made of a strange material halfway between this world and the other, needs to feed on that rarest of materials, the soul. This is the clearest truth the universe offers, and to extract it requires a diligence and steady hand. The Mirror wraiths are the result of this going wrong, but it succeeds, then the trees grow, whispering secrets and producing the materials to let the cities thrive. The price is growing however, as more young men and woman disappear from the edges of the alleys. It is said that some trees develop certain taste, and others will consume the souls of things strange than people. The most anceint tree is said to require the soul of a god, and it grows hungry.

At the heart of each of the five factions there are the crystal trees, that serve as the holy grove of each faith. Initially a very rare species of plant based on silicon and growing at a relativly slow rate, these trees serve as the perfect ideal, a living creation in tune with the spirit and the body. These trees originally grew only in the spirit world, but a few were brought over to the other side of the glass and planted. As has been written before, these trees feed on the souls and spirits of the world to survive and grow, and take on the characteristics of its diet.
(think NWOD spirits, but only for these special trees.) Every city of any note will have a grove of these trees, and the richest citizens may have a small sapling or even a small orchard. The largest city's have ancient trees that have stood for hundreds, even thousands of years, if the sages are to right. The shadows cast are rainbows and each of the four fold paths trees correspond to the ideal of the location. The four subspecies are all offshoots of the original tree, lost somewhere in the spirit world, and if ever found, would allow for the creation of another path. It is because of this that many seek it, and few ever glimpse even a hint of the thing. The void, the great darkness, that which consumes and stifles, is not a tree but a shadow. It is the missing parts or pieces of creation, or lost paths and forgotten dreams. Some say the darkness is truth, and that the light can blind, and it is for this heresy that they are blinded, to forever follow the crooked path they choose, and to be ever denied the joys of the four paths.

--stephen_dean

The spirit tree of Iridos has an opalescent trunk, iridescent branches, and leaves of every possible color.

--shanoxilt

====Sacrificing====

Many outsiders look to the practice of raising the Sacrifices to feed the crystal trees as an evil act, and say that this path follows towards the void. many make comparisons to the Hollow men and other nefarious groups. However consider for a moment the life of an A future sacrifice. A young mother already has six children, and the seventh happens to have white hair, red eyes and is sensitive to the sun. Rather than suffer a life of pain and squaller, the child is given to the Temple of Clarity to live a life of quiet study, preparation and luxury. Then, perhaps decades later, the child has become a master of an ideal, and willingly walks to be embraced by the world tree, knowing that her soul will guide the city for years. This noble sacrifice is not evil, no more than a soldier fighting the legions of the damned eating away the reality of the world. No, it is beautiful. Would you rather we did like those cities of brick and stone you speak of, and let the child starve in the streets instead? No, no-one starves in the city of Transparency.

====The Capture and Care of Mirror Wraiths.====

So you finally caught a mirror wraith in the crystal caves, or perhaps you inherited one with you new Wizard tower. The first question you have to ask yourself is, what is the nature and possibilities of your new boon/problem. The key to understanding the Wraith is that, first, you cannot grasp the motives of an entity focused on one desire. If it is vanity, your wife will certainly look better for awhile, or your husband might head to the spas more, but eventually they may not be the person you fell in love with. If it is anger, well, lets just say that is easier to notice. The key to keeping a Mirror Wraith is a careful and regular mixture of emotions. If well fed, the Wraith can act as a useful source of information, advice and potential favors. The more affuent among you may even have a crystal tree sapling. Now I know your asking youself "why can I not just feed that Anger Wraith to my crystal tree, whats the problem?" Just look to the first shattering. The Crystal trees are clear because they are given only the purest of souls. A wraith is a twisted shard of a person. One aspect of the whole. Feed a Crystal tree this and you have a real problem on your hands. How do you suppose these laws came into being my good sir. The ruins of the Immaculate Concave make it clear. A crystal tree fed an unwilling supplicant or an impure soul, one who has fear in its heart, or one with hate or spite, will warp the trees into those strange obsidian trees that litter the ruins. Those glass valleys in the deserts of Hubris were once cities of great power, now they are only places without even grass. The madness that comes from these places can be prevented by you. Remember, only you can prevent shatterings.

===The Nature of the Spirit World===

The spirit world forms, and conforms, according to the particular themes of any given place. Despite this, the goals and basic nature of the spirits and their world are the same in every themed location. Spirits percieve themes simply as a "wardrobe" in which to reveal themselves.

--shanoxilt

The Metropolis of Narcissus is stalked by creatures that live entirely in the reflected world, similar to our own but warped by mirrors of imperfect craftsmanship. The mirrors reflect the worst aspects of the person, or amply fears of the onlooker, and over time, feed a desire for perfection leading to strange alterations. A person can inadvertently become the city's namesake, looking helplessly as every flaw and fear are amplified, until slowly starving to death. The spirit of the person then roams the mirror world forever. The only known non-magical way protect oneself is to catch the creature with it's own reflection in a crystal of fine quality. The resulting crystals are used to power some of the more hidden aspects of the city.

The other world is the world of the reflection, a place embraced by the narcissistic faction and declared heresy and heresy by the other. It reveals truths, but ones that are altered or slightly warped, and is inhabited by things other than the mirror wraiths. It is not a true world, but rather like a shadow, existing only as a reflection, but can be used to travel great distances if one is willing to risk the passage from one mirror to another.

--stephen_dean

To enter the spirit world from Narcissus, one does so through mirrors and reflections. Indeed, there are so many mirrors in Narcissus that the borders between worlds have grown thin -- it is possible to enter the Other Side easily, or for things from the Other Side to come through unaided. There are many wonders and horrors on the Other Side, though, which are exploited by the Mirror Fisheries. The mirror-fishers use silver fruits from the mirrortrees to bait their lines.

--Kakito Kojiro

The spirit realm of Iridos is accessible through natural rainbows, artificial rainbows, and colored glass.

--shanoxilt

To enter the spirit world from Iridos, one does so through prisms and rainbows... or one would, if one could survive being fragmented into a rainbow of primary spirit-selves. This is considered a humane manner of execution in Iridos, however, so murderers and other heretics are refracted into rainbows, which are then harvested for use. There are a host of strange entities there -- infra- and ultra-colors unseeable by human eyes -- and they all tend to be rather monomaniacal. But it is difficult to exploit this spirit world; you can look, but it's difficult to touch. The scitalis and simorgh emigrated from there, however, so color sages still seek the means to enter safely.

Away from the cities, the borders to the spirit world are more fixed, and the spirit world there may shift from the Other Side to the Shadow World or the Invisible World -- or may be a mix of all. There are shamans in the wilds who have a smattering of lore, enough to peer into reflective pools, or see invisible spirits, or perform other tricks considered petty and mundane in the cities. However they are the only ones away from civilization capable of dealing with the escape of a rogue mirror-wight, or of tracking a shadow-beast, or of exorcising an unseeable color.

The followers of the Clear Prophet have speculated that a spirit may change its nature if taken from, say, Iridos to Narcissus -- but the only entities capable of answering that question, the invisible citizens of Diaphane, were gravely offended to be asked it, and the questioner disappeared soon thereafter.

Amidst the ruins of the Thousand Flowing Waters, there is no spirit world of any sort, of course. It was eaten or corroded by the undead in ages long past. There, mirrors are only mirrors, shadows only shadows -- unless one of the Empty Masters or a vampire is around...

--Kakita Kojiro

Spirit world

2008-04-14T02:34:55Z

Shanoxilt:

TheTwinCitiesOfGlass:Main Page

2008-04-14T02:21:31Z

Shanoxilt: /* Religion and Magic */

===Introduction===
<br>In this world, the inhabitants are obsessed with aesthetics and themes.

There are two especially notable cities. One city values reflections and the other city values transparency.

Unknown ages ago, the cities were founded by twin sisters.

One sister discovered a piece of reflective obsidian and was enthralled by her image. She gathered a group of artists and craftsmen to design mirrors, so that she may gaze upon herself.The other sister discovered a quartz crystal. This sister was fascinated by its clarity and refractive properties. She, also, gathered interested people to craft wondrous, transparent objects.

As the two cities flourished, new materials were discovered that provided the same reflective and refractive properties. The citizens coveted and gathered these materials to glorify their two cities.

Select groups of the two cities have joined to form guilds. While their alliances are not illegal, they are socially discouraged. Despite community coercion, these guilds have produced devices like telescopes, microscopes, and lighthouses.

Obsidian was soon replaced by polished bronze. As their comprehension of chemistry evolved, mirrors were fashioned of glass coated by tin, mercury, or silver.

The refractive city has, also, utilized glass to created lenses and prisms. Buildings constructed of ice have become a current trend, but only the most pristine ice is considered fashionable. And, it has a grand aquarium of x-ray fish, jellyfish, glass catfish, and icefish.

These cities have covered every surface in, and constructed every object of, materials that have their valued qualities. When the sunlight strikes the twin cities, their glare has been known to blind [[other kingdoms|travelers]]. The citizens have learned several methods to navigate their respective cities. They wear headwear to shade their eyes; they have accustomed themselves to the bizarre, misleading images; and, they carry parasols.

Many young artists reject the idea of colorless crystal and achromic speculums. They want some color! Mainstream artisans chide them for their foolish fads. They feel the amateur creations have gaudy hues and... opacity! The avante-garde have formed [[Iridos]], a community of rejected artists who categorize everything by colors.

Some antiquarians mourn the advent of glass. They feel that it dilutes the cities's themes. They speculate that the architects no longer enjoy the reflective and refractive qualities, but the glass itself. The antiquarians hoard ancient obsidian and quartz relics to remind themselves of the "glory days of yore" and the cities's "true" themes.

=====Religion and Magic=====

The [[religions]] of these two cities have been affected by their thematic qualities, as well. The transparent city worships a wind god because they percieve wind as a perfectly transparent force. The reflective city worships a moon goddess because they believe the moon is a large mirror.

They both agree that water is a wonderful element, but, obviously, for different reasons. The reflective sect believes that water symbolizes mental reflection of oneself; it provides a medium to reveal truth. The transparency sect states that reflections allow one to indulge in vanity and superficiality. The transparency sect believes that water symbolizes clarity and purity of thought; it allows one to see the internal truths. The reflective sect states that clarity is only effective when the truths are depthless and shallow.

Some sorcerors and theologians claim that reflective surfaces are gates to a [[spirit world|mirrorverse]] of strange [[spirit world|spirits, ghosts, and dopplegangers]]. Prophets of the reflective city claim that clairsentience is like peering into a hazy mirror that reflects the future into the past. Prophets of the refractive city claim that clairsentience is like peering into a murky prism that holds a hidden possibility.

--shanoxilt

Spirit world

2008-04-14T02:15:58Z

Shanoxilt:

The Metropolis of Narcissus is stalked by creatures that live entirely in the reflected world, similar to our own but warped by mirrors of imperfect craftsmanship. The mirrors reflect the worst aspects of the person, or amply fears of the onlooker, and over time, feed a desire for perfection leading to strange alterations. A person can inadvertently become the city's namesake, looking helplessly as every flaw and fear are amplified, until slowly starving to death. The spirit of the person then roams the mirror world forever. The only known non-magical way protect oneself is to catch the creature with it's own reflection in a crystal of fine quality. The resulting crystals are used to power some of the more hidden aspects of the city.

There exist large, holy trees with-in the center of the solar temples that produce a clear strong sap, that when flowing can be shaped to produce a very strong and durable building material, however, the trees are a rare species needing a special environment, for instance a large greenhouse. These trees provide the materials to build the soaring cities and supports for the most opulent of buildings. This comes at a price however, as the trees require certain...sacrifices to produce the necessary quantities.

The highest priest in the tallest, clearest tower hear the required sacrifices in the sound of the chimes or in the play of a rainbow across the clear play of water. The Ancient trees, clear of all pigment, made of a strange material halfway between this world and the other, needs to feed on that rarest of materials, the soul. This is the clearest truth the universe offers, and to extract it requires a diligence and steady hand. The Mirror wraiths are the result of this going wrong, but it succeeds, then the trees grow, whispering secrets and producing the materials to let the cities thrive. The price is growing however, as more young men and woman disappear from the edges of the alleys. It is said that some trees develop certain taste, and others will consume the souls of things strange than people. The most anceint tree is said to require the soul of a god, and it grows hungry.

At the heart of each of the five factions there are the crystal trees, that serve as the holy grove of each faith. Initially a very rare species of plant based on silicon and growing at a relativly slow rate, these trees serve as the perfect ideal, a living creation in tune with the spirit and the body. These trees originally grew only in the spirit world, but a few were brought over to the other side of the glass and planted. As has been written before, these trees feed on the souls and spirits of the world to survive and grow, and take on the characteristics of its diet.
(think NWOD spirits, but only for these special trees.) Every city of any note will have a grove of these trees, and the richest citizens may have a small sapling or even a small orchard. The largest city's have ancient trees that have stood for hundreds, even thousands of years, if the sages are to right. The shadows cast are rainbows and each of the four fold paths trees correspond to the ideal of the location. The four subspecies are all offshoots of the original tree, lost somewhere in the spirit world, and if ever found, would allow for the creation of another path. It is because of this that many seek it, and few ever glimpse even a hint of the thing. The void, the great darkness, that which consumes and stifles, is not a tree but a shadow. It is the missing parts or pieces of creation, or lost paths and forgotten dreams. Some say the darkness is truth, and that the light can blind, and it is for this heresy that they are blinded, to forever follow the crooked path they choose, and to be ever denied the joys of the four paths.

The other world is the world of the reflection, a place embraced by the narcissistic faction and declared heresy and heresy by the other. It reveals truths, but ones that are altered or slightly warped, and is inhabited by things other than the mirror wraiths. It is not a true world, but rather like a shadow, existing only as a reflection, but can be used to travel great distances if one is willing to risk the passage from one mirror to another.

--stephen_dean

The spirit world forms, and conforms, according to the particular themes of any given place. Despite this, the goals and basic nature of the spirits and their world are the same in every themed location. Spirits percieve themes simply as a "wardrobe" in which to reveal themselves.

--shanoxilt

====The Capture and Care of Mirror Wraiths.====

So you finally caught a mirror wraith in the crystal caves, or perhaps you inherited one with you new Wizard tower. The first question you have to ask yourself is, what is the nature and possibilities of your new boon/problem. The key to understanding the Wraith is that, first, you cannot grasp the motives of an entity focused on one desire. If it is vanity, your wife will certainly look better for awhile, or your husband might head to the spas more, but eventually they may not be the person you fell in love with. If it is anger, well, lets just say that is easier to notice. The key to keeping a Mirror Wraith is a careful and regular mixture of emotions. If well fed, the Wraith can act as a useful source of information, advice and potential favors. The more affuent among you may even have a crystal tree sapling. Now I know your asking youself "why can I not just feed that Anger Wraith to my crystal tree, whats the problem?" Just look to the first shattering. The Crystal trees are clear because they are given only the purest of souls. A wraith is a twisted shard of a person. One aspect of the whole. Feed a Crystal tree this and you have a real problem on your hands. How do you suppose these laws came into being my good sir. The ruins of the Immaculate Concave make it clear. A crystal tree fed an unwilling supplicant or an impure soul, one who has fear in its heart, or one with hate or spite, will warp the trees into those strange obsidian trees that litter the ruins. Those glass valleys in the deserts of Hubris were once cities of great power, now they are only places without even grass. The madness that comes from these places can be prevented by you. Remember, only you can prevent shatterings.

TheTwinCitiesOfGlass:Main Page

2008-04-14T02:05:25Z

Shanoxilt: /* Religion and Magic */

Other kingdoms

2008-04-14T02:03:19Z

Shanoxilt: /* The Western Mountains and the Deserts of the West */

Other kingdoms

2008-04-14T01:59:35Z

Shanoxilt: /* The Thousand Flowing Waters */

Other kingdoms

2008-04-12T05:16:15Z

Shanoxilt:

TheTwinCitiesOfGlass:Main Page

2008-04-10T22:35:33Z

Shanoxilt: /* Introduction */

===Introduction===
<br>In this world, the inhabitants are obsessed with aesthetics and themes.

There are two especially notable cities. One city values reflections and the other city values transparency.

Unknown ages ago, the cities were founded by twin sisters.

One sister discovered a piece of reflective obsidian and was enthralled by her image. She gathered a group of artists and craftsmen to design mirrors, so that she may gaze upon herself.The other sister discovered a quartz crystal. This sister was fascinated by its clarity and refractive properties. She, also, gathered interested people to craft wondrous, transparent objects.

As the two cities flourished, new materials were discovered that provided the same reflective and refractive properties. The citizens coveted and gathered these materials to glorify their two cities.

Select groups of the two cities have joined to form guilds. While their alliances are not illegal, they are socially discouraged. Despite community coercion, these guilds have produced devices like telescopes, microscopes, and lighthouses.

Obsidian was soon replaced by polished bronze. As their comprehension of chemistry evolved, mirrors were fashioned of glass coated by tin, mercury, or silver.

The refractive city has, also, utilized glass to created lenses and prisms. Buildings constructed of ice have become a current trend, but only the most pristine ice is considered fashionable. And, it has a grand aquarium of x-ray fish, jellyfish, glass catfish, and icefish.

These cities have covered every surface in, and constructed every object of, materials that have their valued qualities. When the sunlight strikes the twin cities, their glare has been known to blind [[other kingdoms|travelers]]. The citizens have learned several methods to navigate their respective cities. They wear headwear to shade their eyes; they have accustomed themselves to the bizarre, misleading images; and, they carry parasols.

Many young artists reject the idea of colorless crystal and achromic speculums. They want some color! Mainstream artisans chide them for their foolish fads. They feel the amateur creations have gaudy hues and... opacity! The avante-garde have formed [[Iridos]], a community of rejected artists who categorize everything by colors.

Some antiquarians mourn the advent of glass. They feel that it dilutes the cities's themes. They speculate that the architects no longer enjoy the reflective and refractive qualities, but the glass itself. The antiquarians hoard ancient obsidian and quartz relics to remind themselves of the "glory days of yore" and the cities's "true" themes.

=====Religion and Magic=====

The [[religions]] of these two cities have been affected by their thematic qualities, as well. The transparent city worships a wind god because they percieve wind as a perfectly transparent force. The reflective city worships a moon goddess because they believe the moon is a large mirror.

They both agree that water is a wonderful element, but, obviously, for different reasons. The reflective sect believes that water symbolizes mental reflection of oneself; it provides a medium to reveal truth. The transparency sect states that reflections allow one to indulge in vanity and superficiality. The transparency sect believes that water symbolizes clarity and purity of thought; it allows one to see the internal truths. The reflective sect states that clarity is only effective when the truths are depthless and shallow.

Some sorcerors and theologians claim that reflective surfaces are gates to a [[mirrorverse]] of strange [[spirits, ghosts, and dopplegangers]]. Prophets of the reflective city claim that clairsentience is like peering into a hazy mirror that reflects the future into the past. Prophets of the refractive city claim that clairsentience is like peering into a murky prism that holds a hidden possibility.

TheTwinCitiesOfGlass:Main Page

2008-04-09T04:32:01Z

Shanoxilt:

===Introduction===
<br>In this world, the inhabitants are obsessed with aesthetics and themes.

There are two especially notable cities. One city values reflections and the other city values transparency.

Unknown ages ago, the cities were founded by twin sisters.

One sister discovered a piece of reflective obsidian and was enthralled by her image. She gathered a group of artists and craftsmen to design mirrors, so that she may gaze upon herself.

The other sister discovered a quartz crystal. She was fascinated by its clarity and refractive properties. She, also, gathered interested people to craft wondrous, transparent objects.

As the two cities flourished, new materials were discovered that provided the same reflective and refractive properties. The citizens coveted and gathered these materials to glorify their two cities.

Obsidian was soon replaced by polished bronze. As their comprehension of chemistry evolved, mirrors were fashioned of glass coated by tin, mercury, or silver.

The reflective city has, also, utilized glass to created lenses and prisms. Buildings constructed of ice have become a current trend, but only the most pristine ice is considered fashionable.

The religions of these two cities have been affected by their thematic qualities, as well. The transparent city worships a wind god because they percieve wind as a perfectly transparent force. The reflective city worships a moon goddess because they believe the moon is a large mirror.

They both agree that water is a wonderful element, but, obviously, for different reasons. The reflective sect believes that water symbolizes mental reflection of oneself; it provides a medium to reveal truth. The transparency sect believes that reflections allow one to indulge in vanity and superficiality.
The transparency sect believes that water symbolizes clarity and purity of thought; it allows one to see the internal truths. The reflective sect believes that clarity is only effective when the truths are depthless and shallow.

These cities have covered every surface in, and constructed every object of, materials that have their valued qualities. When the sunlight strikes the twin cities, their glare has been known to blind the travelers. The citizens have learned several methods to navigate their respective cities. They wear headwear to shade their eyes; they have accustomed themselves to the bizarre, misleading images; and, they carry parasols.

The transparent city has a grand aquarium of x-ray fish, jellyfish, glass catfish, and icefish.

Some sorcerors and theologians claim that reflective surfaces are gates to a mirrorverse of strange spirits, ghosts, and dopplegangers. Prophets of the reflective city claim that clairsentience is like peering into a hazy mirror that reflects the future into the past. Prophets of the refractive city claim that clairsentience is like peering into a murky prism that holds a hidden possibility.

Some antiquarians mourn the advent of glass. They feel that it dilutes the cities's themes. They speculate that the architects no longer enjoy the reflective and refractive qualities, but the glass itself. The antiquarians hoard ancient obsidian and quartz relics to remind themselves of the "glory days of yore" and the cities's "true" themes.

Select groups of the two cities have joined to form guilds. While their alliances are not illegal, they are socially discouraged. Despite community coercion, these guilds have produced devices like telescopes, microscopes, and lighthouses.

Many young artists reject the idea of colorless crystal and achromic speculums. They want some color! Mainstream artisans chide them for their foolish fads. They feel the amateur creations have gaudy hues and... opacity!:eek:
The avante-garde have formed Iridos, a community of rejected artists who categorize everything by colors.

TheTwinCitiesOfGlass:Main Page

2008-04-09T04:17:05Z

Shanoxilt:

<H1>Header 1 sized text </H1>

TheTwinCitiesOfGlass:Main Page

2008-04-09T04:16:43Z

Shanoxilt:

< H1 >Header 1 sized text < /H1 >