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| − | Judges of Tehom is a setting where superhuman celebrity-aristocrats use their public personas for public or personal benefit, and they may be consumed by fame and conflict. These superhumans are called '''the Few''', a generic term for people with superhuman abilities. They rule independent city states, the '''cosmopoli''', in a type of neo-feudalism they call '''kleocracy''', or “rule of the glorious.” Distinct from the Few are '''the Many''', or baseline humanity. The vast majority of the population, the Many simply go about their lives, though they occasionally experience awe, wonder, and terror from the actions of the Few. | + | The Judges of Tehom is not an expression of the famous maxim of Marvel’s Stan Lee: “With great power comes great responsibility.” Instead the question becomes this: |
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| − | =What the World is Not=
| + | '''Set apart from humanity by great power, what will you struggle to achieve, and what will you sacrifice?''' |
| − | Before moving onto what the world of Tehom entails, let us first clear away some of the common superhero tropes and themes that are not central to this setting. In no way am I saying these themes are somehow bad, they are simply not the core thematics of Tehom. However, since they are so common, they are worth talking about to help define Tehom by distinction.
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| − | ==Silver Age Marvel==
| + | There are three things in this question: |
| − | Stan Lee's famous phrase, "''With great power comes great responsibility''" is a wonderful summary of the ideal most supherheroes in comic books. For Lee, heroes are defined by responsibility: There is an obligation to use their powers to help society maintain itself. Spiderman has a responsibility to help his fellow man, as do all other true superheroes in Marvel. The more one is irresponsible, the farther one goes into the realm of the antihero first and then the villain. Such characters reject the idea they have a duty to society as they pursue hedonism, political agendas, or selfish financial gain. If one is not using their powers responsibly for the good of others, they are wrong. If one uses one's powers to redefine society or its ideals in their own image, they are wrong. No matter how powerful a character is, he or she is still nevertheless a human being, and human beings have a responsibility to one another, at least on the level of promoting justice in one another's lives. If you have unique opportunities to promote justice (possibly because you can benchpress an SUV), you have a duty to use it to do so or (possibly) not use it at all.
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| − | ==Grimdark==
| + | * '''Apart from humanity.''' Your character is one of the Few, a “superhero.” They are not, by definition, a normal person. They are different, exalted, and capable of things the Many can only dream of doing. How will your character handle this? |
| − | For the purposes of this essay, a "grimdark" is an adjective that describes a set of three genre expectations. First, The world is drab visually. It is associated with muted colors. Second, the setting is violent in a way that is generally constant, extreme, and destabilizing. Often, this violence takes the form of outright war. Safety is a rare luxury in grimdark settings, and threats are pervasive. This constant violence creates a destabilizing pressure on the social order, either creating a massively dysfunctional society or a society that is only kept together by an extremely authoritarian state. Third, a grimdark world is fatalist and pessimistic. There is little to believe in beyond one's own immediate self interest, and possibly the wellbeing of a loved one.
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| − | =Tehom's Themes & Style=
| + | * '''What will you struggle to achieve?''' What does your character fight for? Personal wealth? Fame? Revenge? Or perhaps your character is a patriot, or devoutly religious. You have immense power, which begs the question of what you will use that power in the name of. |
| − | If Tehom is not grimdark or a world of responsible firsts among many, what is it?
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| − | ==Optimistic, Elite-Oriented, and Confident==
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| − | Thematically, Tehom is characterized by three characteristics
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| − | ===Humanity Stands Above the Waves===
| + | * '''What will you sacrifice?''' Is your character willing to risk their life? Their reputation? Or perhaps they are willing to let innocents die in the name if their cause. What about family? Or perhaps your character is comfortable having a life that is more private and possibly safer than one could have while trying to reshape the world? |
| − | First, Tehom is ''optimistic''. Tehom is a world where humanity defines itself by the heroic struggle to survive after the Garden's abandonment. Against all odds, it has not only survived, but has begun to thrive, thanks to the Few who lead humanity. Generations of fast growth have created a general "newness" to the city states of Tehom which is reinforced by the Few's interest in creating beautiful agoras at the center of their cities as a form of cultural competition. For much of humanity, this is a world of bright lights, shining metal, and new concrete.
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| − | ===Where the Few go, the Many follow.===
| + | =Examples from media= |
| − | Second, Tehom is ''elite-centered'', with the elite being defined as the few. The spirit of Lee's Maxim could not apply to Tehom, as the meaning of responsibility is radically different. The Few of Tehom would recoil at the obligations and egalitarianism embedded in its regular use. Tehom's culture of noblesse oblige gives the Few have the right and responsibility to shape and lead society. They are both human yet wonders incarnate. They are humanity's hope, and they are the source of fascination and adoration. The Few are therefore what allow for humanity's optimism.
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| − | ===From Struggle, Victory===
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| − | Third, Tehom is ''confident''. Tehomin history is full of its hare of horrors, yet humanity has always managed to recover and excel. While an optimistic society, Tehom does not expect bland harmony. Rather, it accepts that the world is full of obstacles, and the humanity will eventually conquer them and improve itself in the process. The wild outer seas are alien realms of the Hadalians, beyond human control. However, They are also a place of awe-inspiring beauty, and untold resources waiting to be developed. And while there are fluid conflicts between cosmopoli, the dominant form of state conflict is archonic war: the contained, ritualized duel between champions of competing city-states. In stark contrast to the destabilizing consequences of constant warfare, archonic duels have been fully incorporated into the structure of society, culture, politics, and the economy. It is a known quantity, and it is even celebrated by adoring partisans who follow their favorite champions in online chatrooms, fueled by rumors fed to them by a paparazzi.
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| − | ==Tehom & Classical Analogs==
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| − | Think of the legends and myths from Ancient Greece. In these stories, great cities were rules by greater leaders, leaders who were capable of feats beyond that of normal men and women. These were heroes in the sense that they pinnacles of excellence, though their actual moral standing was highly variable. Now imagine what a world would be like if those ancient Greek cities had a technological level just beyond our own. Hector defending the industrial power Troy against Agamemnon’s battleships and aircraft. A live news feed documents Bellerophon killing Chimera. Fans of Hercules argue in chat rooms about which feat was the best. A documentary claims to expose who really killed the Calydonian boar. This is Tehom. As a setting, it is primarily "epic": a sweeping tale of heroism (by at least the Greek definition), against a backdrop of great historical events.
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| − | ==Examples from media==
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| | The tone of this setting can be found in several media references: | | The tone of this setting can be found in several media references: |
| | *Politics is extremely centered on the personal lives of the Archons that dominate most Cosmopoli. To think in these terms, there are several examples in TV and film we can turn to: | | *Politics is extremely centered on the personal lives of the Archons that dominate most Cosmopoli. To think in these terms, there are several examples in TV and film we can turn to: |
