The "How Well do YOU Know Your World?" game!

Northborn Swordsman said:

What's a key field of science, technology, or study in your world? If you have magic, does it compliment, undermine or have no impact on this field?

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I had a longer version of this answer, but it was starting to get ridiculous

Hard sciences favor the practical over the theoretical, and most knowledge is based on past research as opposed to experimentation. The scientific method exists (the canons of contention), and there is even a philosophy of science. But very much based in practical concerns, what advancement are needed to keep the Dead civilization running. Engineering, architecture, and metallurgy are all illustrious fields.

The soft sciences are mostly the dominion of the Trivium, who have a great deal of expertise in psychology, sociology, philosophy, political science, and I guess what you'd call memetics. They are parsimonious in sharing much of this research, and keep their finding mostly internal. There is a certain intersection of disciplines dealing with this world's version of 'magic', which is really just whatever makes the Dead operate. It doesn't really affect other sciences, though is an area of interest and can overlap with a variety of fields unexpectedly.

Question: Describe a palace your world has. Or at least a very nice building.

Kjbartolotta said:

I had a longer version of this answer, but it was starting to get ridiculous

Hard sciences favor the practical over the theoretical, and most knowledge is based on past research as opposed to experimentation. The scientific method exists (the canons of contention), and there is even a philosophy of science. But very much based in practical concerns, what advancement are needed to keep the Dead civilization running. Engineering, architecture, and metallurgy are all illustrious fields.

The soft sciences are mostly the dominion of the Trivium, who have a great deal of expertise in psychology, sociology, philosophy, political science, and I guess what you'd call memetics. They are parsimonious in sharing much of this research, and keep their finding mostly internal. There is a certain intersection of disciplines dealing with this world's version of 'magic', which is really just whatever makes the Dead operate. It doesn't really affect other sciences, though is an area of interest and can overlap with a variety of fields unexpectedly.

Question: Describe a palace your world has. Or at least a very nice building.

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Kjbartolotta, your world sounds really interesting! Is everyone Dead, or is the city of Dead like a place of containment?

Castle Corval is located in the capital city of Partha. It was built by the first Hunter, Cane Corval, and is protected by his descendants. The splendor of the castle has diminished as of the start of my series due to a prolonged conflict with the War Goddess Taf and the disappearance of one of its main guardians. The dissipation of magic throughout the city has also caused some of the magically powered components to stop working. It sits on a flat plain and consists of one central building surrounded by a square defensive wall. I used the Chateau de Chambord in Loir-et-cher, France as my inspiration for it! The furnishings and interior design are lavish, but not gaudy. There are several ballrooms, hundreds of bedrooms, lots of windows to provide natural light, the keep has a tower at each corner. The castle is defensible, but it relies primarily on the fortress outside the city for protection.

Question: Does your world have any plants with strange or magical properties?

Jenny-jenn9000 said:

Kjbartolotta, your world sounds really interesting! Is everyone Dead, or is the city of Dead like a place of containment?

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Thx, Jenny! Appreciate all the love I'm getting, I tend to use the thread as brainstorming space and forget there are people actually reading what I post. Describes my online habits thoroughly. The City of the Dead is a place of containment, though also could be considered the world's sole superpower, with indirect hegemony & cultural and technological dominance over the living.

Jenny-jenn9000 said:

Question: Does your world have any plants with strange or magical properties?

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Not sure about plants, but there's a synthetic drug form of the puffer fish toxin (tetradotoxin) that plays an important role in my future Earth setting. Dolphins already use this to get high, so once they acquire language and ascend to near-equal status with humans they can share it (unwillingly, perhaps) with our species. The synthetic form will have mental time travel properties.

QUESTION: What's one of the most popular languages in your world, and what are some of its unique grammatical properties?

LucasHuntington said:

QUESTION: What's one of the most popular languages in your world, and what are some of its unique grammatical properties?

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Hmm, I can't tell you too much about the language of the Dead, except that it's essentially a zombie version of Esperanto constructed to be clear, logical, and easy to learn. It's also very old and has been reformed many time, so a lot of that clarity and simplicity has diminished as more is folded into it and meanings are shifted. Newly-arrived Dead often have a hard time learning it, though the Trivium offers free language classes to anyone taking an interest. Since all new Dead are put into slavery upon arrival, learning the language is often a critical step on the way to freedom.

Writing in the City of the Dead is very ancient, predating the spoken language and, with the exception of several large-scale and intentional revisions, has by and large resisted change over its long history. The script is logographic, assembled from a wide variety of syllables and basic concepts into words consisting of one glyph each, arrange in a series of columns going down and the to the right.

On an interesting meta-note, I have no idea what the language sounds like and don't care. Everything gets translated into English, though I am not above Greco-Roman borrowings.



Question: I love evil cults. Tell me about a nasty one.

Kjbartolotta said:

On an interesting meta-note, I have no idea what the language sounds like and don't care. Everything gets translated into English, though I am not above Greco-Roman borrowings.

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Made me smile.

Question: I love evil cults. Tell me about a nasty one.

Okay! Somehow I actually didn't have one of these since, despite their name, the Cult of Ten are really more of a paramilitary organization and the Bitter Sibs are 100% secular.

This brings us to the Children of the Unraveling Dusk, an apocalypse-obsessed cult operating in certain parts of the Barrens Feral. I should probably explain what those are before we get further. The Barrens Feral are what happens when an entire continent is slowly, painstakingly purged by futuristic weapons. The Loar either don't consider chemical weapons an atrocity or were past caring (probably Option #1, they were extremely eager to hit the Destroy switch), so there are self-perpetuating clouds of nerve gas, flesh-eating toxins, and other pleasant things that roam the low points in many parts of the Barrens. Somewhere in the Barrens one can find the ruins of just about every Ulmish city from the Age of Splendors, most of them interspersed with blast craters, overgrown by twisted plant-caricatures and full of skeletons in any airtight sections.

I have to stop and get back to the Children now before the Barrens consume me entirely.

They believe that sapient life is a mistake, and the world should be purged so that only animals remain. After all, the Loar didn't try genociding any animals, did they? (The Children are not noted for understanding how wars work.) They're usually "human" in the sense that they're clearly wrecked versions of us: sickly, underfed, mutated in obvious and subtle ways. They're forced to stay away from the continent's coastline because a lot of it's been reclaimed by Ulmish survivors or bought by companies which specialize in bringing would-be heroes from Ceslon.

Anytime they discover a group of adventurers in the Barrens, the Children will shadow them until they bed down for the night and fall on them as they sleep. Here's where they get nasty: the Children are at least peripherally aware that the world outside the Barrens is big, and that their Cult is not so big, and that in practical terms they have zero chance of killing the entire population. So, they reason, the next best thing is to at least keep all the sapients out of the Barrens. Y'know, aside from themselves. As agents of the natural order, they're obviously exempt. They know that the best way to get your name out there is to be vicious in new ways, so they take a few steps to nix troublemakers: they cut off their limbs at the wrists and ankles, gouge out the eyes, and pour oil into the ears before setting them on fire.

You may be thinking this wreaks havoc on long-term prisoner survival, and you'd be right. "Fortunately", the Children don't need their newly-helpless victims to survive in the long term, just long enough to kill them in worse ways. Everyone enjoys a good throat-slitting now and then, but it's a bit too done, you know? Instead, the Children do things like:

-Lock these unfortunate torsos inside a slanted box with the head slightly down. The box features a hole an inch or so above the victim's mouth for breathing, eating, and drinking. They will not offer a choice about doing these things. Eventually, nature takes its course and the victim drowns in their own filth. If they're lucky, infections get 'em first.

-Chain prisoners together and prod them with spears to run, blind and bursting open the wounds on their ankle-stubs, through the Barrens. Do this until something kills them outright, or they're wounded by one of the countless twisted creatures of the Barrens. In this case, take them back to the hideaway and keep them fed but unwashed while infection sets in. Let it develop a while before excising any flesh. If the prisoner dies while being so excavated, so it goes; if not, repeat the process until they do. The Children enjoy competing to see who can cut away the largest percentage of a prisoner while still keeping them alive.

-Blind blood-sports! Give prisoners any weapon whatsoever--might be a rock, might be the single Loar rifle that some sects of the Children have stashed away. The handful of mages among the Children sneak from far and wide to organize these events, where they seize control of the victim's muscles and puppet them to glory and death! Well, the Children think it's pretty glorious, anyway.

As you can see, they're a wonderfully pleasant bunch.

Question: Let's go meta! What's the role of literature in your world? Does it even have one? Go as big or small with this as you like--one author's works or the overarching literary themes of the entire planet.

So I'm gonna switch midstream to answer this question for MS 2, since I sort of answered one about famous books a few pages back for MS1.

Words are everything in Shadeside (the dreamworld). They're so powerful almost nothing written exists, because writing is next to impossible to accomplish. Well, it IS a dreamworld! The MC uses quotes--from songs, poems, or famous texts in the real world--to create metaphysical bullets for her guns.

The denizens of said world, including the MC, are comprised of the media and culture their dreamers have consumed, and reflect that in their personalities.


What's the role of family in your world? How valued are parents and children and so forth?

Family (or at least, insanely deatailed genealogy) is pretty much everything to the conglong. Conglong clans are major concerns, and your clan's power and wealth directly affects how well you'll do in life, unless you're lucky enough to find a consort much richer than you.

Power is transferred mainly matrilinearly, but a bloke can inherit if his parent chooses to make him an heir. Wealth never, ever flows to a consort, although leaving a widower without a generous clan payout is regarded as the height of trashy. Adoptees are full fledged clan members, and can inherit. This includes non-conglong adoptees (e.g. humans).

Children are dear to their families, at least when they're sentient. They can stand and walk unsteadily a few hours after birth, but they can't talk for a year or two, and are kind of very dear pets until then. And even parents have trouble telling what sex their kids are until puberty.

Tell me about the health care system in your world.

Religion0 said:

So a while back there was a thread called "How well do you know your MC?" which was great fun! Basically, every poster on this thread responds to a question posed by the previous poster and writes a question for the next person. The questions then were about your main character, these are gonna be world building. You can respond either with the bare bones answer or use a question as a prompt to write a little short story.
For example, we have the question "How are criminals dealt with in your world?" so you could answer by saying "Primarily fines and incarceration, but some regions have corporal punishment" or you could describe the backstory of your world's equivalent of Alcatraz, or you could write the last day of a man about to be executed via battle to the death with giant scorpions.
So to start us off: What is the most valuable substance in your world?

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Coffee

Many temples employ healers. If you are ill, you might go to a temple healer. You pay the church the cost of the herbs and manhours it took to heal you. If you can't afford that, they sometimes will ask another member of your family to donate volunteer hours to the temple. They especially love it when a skilled person gets sick, for example, a weaver might become ill. The church healer will take him, and instead of asking for coin, they'll ask for a tapestry of a famous religious scene. Builders, bricklayers, and construction workers are sought after if they become ill. Temples will actually compete against each other to admit construction workers into their healing wing. Everyone wants a builder, because then they get to ask for construction/repairs in lieu of coin.

If you are wealthy, you might afford a doctor. In addition to knowing herblore, doctors have studied dead bodies, they've opened cadavers, and they possess knowledge of invasive procedures. Doctors are very expensive and usually end up at the palace, or a Lord's estate. Church healers are typically more studied in herb-based remedies.

It's nice to have hospitals fight over you, eh? American health care sucks. *frustration comes out in writing*

Is cheating a social norm, or is it a terrible betrayal? Is it handled differently if a man cheats vs. if a woman cheats? How loose is your society, and what is considered unacceptable relationship?

There is no cheating. The Calaani are typically polyamorous, with very few inhibitions. Partly this is because they are infertile without medical intervention in the majority of cases, so sex doesn't tend to produce children.

The only semi-unacceptable relationships are sexual ones between adult mentors and juvenile mentees (considered an abuse of power), and relations with other races (considered akin to bestiality).


What does the process of courtship look likein your world, if there is one?cMarriage customs or traditions? WEddings? etd

What does the process of courtship look like in your world, if there is one? Marriage customs or traditions? Weddings?

Oh dear.

For simplicity's sake, I'm just going to limit myself to humans in 1300 V.R., immediately prior to the Age of Gravada. If I have to start getting into other species or the social, romantic and reproductive implications of arcane proliferation and the ludicrous amounts of societal change I have planned, we'll be here for weeks. So, let's focus on the biggest concern:
Warstock or peacestock?

Warstock have far more opportunities to find partners, and there's generally a much stronger level of trust between members of the warstock from the same culture. The parents are generally assumed to have no say in the relationship, though in many Ansethi countries it's customary to seek their blessings anyway. Since relationships are formed based on mutual attraction rather than dependency (warstock who couldn't provide for themselves would be a disgrace), most break up quickly if they feel they no longer click. There is a sad tendency towards Scorched-Earth romance in the warstock, where two people who could've had something wonderful give up, move on, and refuse to admit their mistake as a matter of "willpower."

Arranged marriages are rare and meticulously cultivated because there is absolutely nothing stopping either or both unwilling warstock from leaving home and joining a mercenary company. Often, warstock die without ever settling on a single partner; no one cares as long as they pass on their genes to a few children. The relationships that do last tend to be extremely strong: they have to be to withstand the stresses of a life focused on war and bloodshed. At the same time, the warstock exist to fight, and no amount of selective breeding can tamp down the human response to knowing a lover is in danger. Most warstock subcultures take steps to reduce this--Murit cultures, for example, keep registries so that partners won't be put in the same formation or sent on missions together.

Stoßdär, a mid-size emergent Kingdom in the Black Havens, has just instituted a mix of cultural reform and military regulations to eliminate the problem entirely. In Stoßdär, it's held that fear and lust come from the same base animal instincts, and thus that a soldier who succumbs to one must inevitably succumb to the other. Relations between two members of the same division are explicitly forbidden to preserve unit cohesion; failure to abide by these regulations means both partners being whipped to unconsciousness naked in front of the entire unit (a Stoßdärer division is only somewhat smaller than a modern Earth one, so 9,000 people will watch them humiliated) and dishonorably discharged the moment they wake.

A healthy service record beneath the banner of the Black Shark is rapidly overtaking knighthood as a status symbol in Stoßdär, so this is basically a social execution. To be clear, romantic aspirations to another person in the division aren't the problem; it's doing anything more than exchanging wistful letters. On the flip side, most battalion commanders will pay lavishly out of pocket for "Stand-down" weddings when one member of a divisional pair reaches the end of their five-year service. At this point the relationship is no longer a threat to unit cohesion, and it's considered right and honorable to reward the partners' self-discipline. These weddings are raucous affairs wherein everyone gets uproariously drunk, dances, and recounts embarrassing stories about the time Hinrich fell down in the middle of a charge or Wilhelmina forgot her dagger at camp the one day she had to fight an opponent in full plate. Goooooood tiiiiimes.

The peacestock follow courtship and marriage customs much closer to those of Earth societies. Arranged marriages are common, they usually court and marry within the same town or area, you get the idea. One primary exception are the Firascan Merchant-Lords, whose families number around a thousand members total and only court and marry within each other. This has led to a pretty significant amount of inbreeding, and all the problems it causes. I'd like to get more in-depth but I've got too much here already.

In general, the two stocks intermix only rarely and many societies stigmatize their relationships. Any children they have will be considered peacestock, which in most nations means immediate disbarment from military service, permanent segregation as a second-class citizen even among nobility. There are a bunch of genetic repercussions too, so if there is an inter-stock romance, both partners generally do their damnedest to make sure no one knows. Among the Ton, many people consider it a form of deviancy or defectiveness even to find members of the other stock attractive.

Question: Tell us about some fun relics from your world. They don't have to the geometrically-perfect weapons of a disappeared Elder Race--if it's really old and maybe just a little mysterious, that's relic enough!

Northborn Swordsman said:

Question: Tell us about some fun relics from your world. They don't have to the geometrically-perfect weapons of a disappeared Elder Race--if it's really old and maybe just a little mysterious, that's relic enough!

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In my world, relics are enchanted objects. The most important of these (for the sake of my story arc) is the Princess Lantern. It’s a relic that contains the power of command. It also (by design) can only be wielded—or even so much as looked upon when it’s lit—by an unwed (read: virgin) daughter of the imperial house. Anyone else who tries will be made undead. This is so some princess can’t take it, go marry some incorrigible lord, then use the thing with her husband’s comitatus to lead a rebellion against the throne.

An unwelcome but inescapable aspect of creating enchanted relics: the object chosen will inevitably influence the spirit of its magic, by its own nature. Want to create a relic that will make your patron badass in battle? Choose a sword, of course! But don’t forget that a sword is double-edged, and no matter how awesome a sorcerer you are, you won’t be able to keep that aspect out of the relic.

A lantern is intended as a tool for sight, so the Princess Lantern, in addition to command, can enlighten (answer questions). Totally unintended, but in retrospect inevitable, considering the object chosen. Questions about one’s immediate surroundings are answered easily and clearly; but, just as a lantern’s light drops off at a distance, so questions about increasingly faraway things (in space and/or time) will be answered with increasingly obscure riddles.

Just as the grail in The Last Crusade was the most humble of the cups presented, the Princess Lantern is completely unremarkable to see, just a wooden frame with a handle, without even any glass windows. Other enchanted relics include a scroll that contains the projectable Law (by which a sorcerer can hold one accountable for crimes) and an ordinary-looking terra cotta urn that contains a demon who can be summoned (yes, Aladdin, I know—but this demon isn't always happy about being called).

How important are merchants in your world? Do they have true power and status, or do they make up a wealthy but socially scorned class (as in medieval Japan)?

Great post, Llawrence! I did one too. (don't hate me, I spent all day working on it)

Written in character as a broadsheet for an upcoming museum exhibition.

By the Blessings of the Mercies Who Sustain Us and Their Emissaries Who are as Sisters and Mothers to Us All [The Trivium], Relics of the Tutelary Age is now exhibiting in the Basilica of River and Sky, from the end of the Moon Festival until the third day of Calibration. Please note this event is by invitation only, and all guests will be submitted to a rigorous pre-screening and may be expelled at any time for any reason. Charitable donations are required.

The Tutelary Age rests at the foundation of the Modern Era, separated from us by the horrors of the Misrule and the ever-steady passing of time. And though many of its wonders have been lost or wisely suppressed, it continues to fascinate even as our memory of it grows ever dimmer. But for the first time ever, a collection of its artifacts have been put on display for the edification of the Exalted Dead, so that they may learn of both the age's accomplishments and its perils. A number of these items have been drawn from the Trivium archives, as well as the Ecumenical Library and various private collections.

The Citadel That Floats Upon the Suffering of the World

The pride of the collection, The Citadel had been painstakingly restored and is currently on display in the Vestibule of Fossilized Memory. One of the flagships of the legendary White Fleet, The Citadel served as a forward base for incursions into the world of the living, as well as a potent symbol of the Dead's power and pleasure barge for the Tutelary Kings. Note both the steel cladding and elaborate, stylized ornamentation, a sign of the era's interest in melding the aesthetic and the functional. Though ponderous and limited in its ability to travel along the rivers, the ship was large and well-equipped enough to house a both full military contingent and the king's court, with ample room to spare for goods and new Dead collected on its journey.

Mask of the Famine King

Alleged mask of one of the more powerful kings of the era, steel and inlaid gold with insets for (now removed) gems. The mask is both colossally large and hideously grotesque, leading to debate over whether it was intended to be worn or served simply as a decorative piece. Conventional wisdom, back by some scholarly evidence, has it that it was indeed meant to be fitted to the king's head, and depicts his actual countenance. Both the veracity of this claim and its potential implications have been subject to ongoing argument.

Dream Harp, from the court of the Slumbering King

A massive and ornately crafted harp, featuring some novel innovations but otherwise similar to instruments from the Modern Era. Legend goes that the king was lulled into an endless sleep by the playing of this harp, and as soon as the music stopped, he would unleash his nightmares upon the world. Little is know as to when, or if this may have happened, and what the actual consequences might have been. But this harp serves as a reminder that for all the mystery surrounding the era, it echoes ours, and that the joys the Dead may yet experience are eternal.

Lance That Vomits the Law

Known more colloquially as a fire lance, this armament was a standard tool of enforcement among the soldiers of the Tutelary Kings. Featuring a long stock and a device at the end for producing sparks, the weapon projects a continuous stream of flammable fluid that result in gouts of flame spewed at one or several targets. As the Dead fear immolation above all else, this served as a cruel and terrible weapon to maintain the power of the kings over their City.

Statue of the Castrated King

A diorite statue depicting one of the lesser-know Tutelary Kings. Though colossal in scale, the statue serves as exception to both the idealized perfection and fanciful grotesquery of the era, instead striving for a realistic nude portrayal of the human form, including the king's signature dismemberment. Though reported as making some viewers uncomfortable, the statue depicts a kind, munificent figure, radiating serenity and compassion.

The Eye That Consumes Attention

A puzzling artifact, and one believed to date from the poorly-document early periods of the Era. The Eye is a glass or jewel screen set in an elaborate casing, with a series of colored lights set behind it powered by an unknown source. The purpose of this device is highly debated, but fragmentary evidence suggests some ability to depict 'moving pictures'. Research continues, as some cast aspersions on even the value of such a device.

The Putrid Goddess

Dated to late in the Tutelary Era, though similar depictions have been discovered from much earlier, the Putrid Goddess is a small statue carved from unknown black stone, depicting an obese woman in a state of advanced decay. This is believed to be a depiction of one of the Mercies, though such a representation is heterodox and rigidly proscribed. Please note, this statue may only be viewed under supervision from a Trivium priestess, and any attempt to worship it will be met with removal and prompt incarceration.

L's question stands. How important are merchants in your world? Do they have true power and status, or do they make up a wealthy but socially scorned class (as in medieval Japan)?

Hopefully no one minds if I jump in and play?

How important are merchants in your world? Do they have true power and status, or do they make up a wealthy but socially scorned class (as in medieval Japan)?

Merchants (or traders as they are known in-universe) are people who travel from planet to planet, selling and trading their wares... at least in theory. Many planets are still undeveloped or mid-process and the people who live there are usually cut-off and desperate for trade. This means that when traders do arrive in these remote places, the locals often go the extra mile to make them feel welcome and secure any new business for themselves. This has led to more than one Trader making their way by simply visiting a new world and living off the hospitality of the people, before leaving and not selling a thing. In short, they are usually the ones with all the power.

In more civilised areas, individual merchants are rare and most trade is done by massive corporations and their many subsidiaries. Either way, trade is very important to the powers in charge and potentially lucrative for those with the right wares to sell. One character in particular has managed to barter their way into owning their own planet outright, in which no other faction has control, so there is a lot of power and status available for those with the savvy to claim it.

My question is:

What secrets do your world's governing bodies have from the people? Is there anything that could bring society crashing down if it were revealed?

Oh god yes. Remember that war that started four years ago? Yeah, because an en'Aleryian assassin broke into the palace and murdered the queen and attempted to murder the princess? Yeah that event.

Our own f*cking king did it.

Another fun one is that the king went mad after the queen died. He is convinced that her spirit is haunting the palace. He's currently conducting experiments with "ghosts". He gives his citizens a message, then murders them and tries to extract a ghost from their dying bodies. He tries to command their ghosts to find his dead wife's ghost and give her the message.

Poor MC discovers this and things don't go so well when you're up against a man who's lost grip on reality.

Does your world recognize mental illness? Do they help people who are unstable? Or do they label people with cute names like 'mad hatters', or maybe discard those people altogether?

Does your world recognize mental illness? Do they help people who are unstable? Or do they label people with cute names like 'mad hatters', or maybe discard those people altogether?

At the risk of being incredibly cheap... yes.

Depending on which part of the world we're talking about, which species, which culture, and which social class, one or more of those things will be true. Once again, keeping myself to circa 1300 V.R:

The Ilbaret are generally the best at helping those who need it, and for that matter, identifying what kind of help is needed. The Shauld, as an extension of their core subcultural philosophy, Functionalism, are probably the best in turn out of the wider Ilbaret people. Functionalism isn't quite the same as Utilitarianism, as we think of it; like most Ilbaret philosophies, it takes a holistic approach. A relaxed evening or even a wild party with friends can be vital for mental health even if it undermines commercial success; Functionalism will tell you to consider which of the two needs the boost more. Because of this, their mental health professionals:
A. Exist
B. Pay extremely close attention to what seems to be helpful to those they work with, avoid being punitive unless they actually have no other choice, and do their utmost to avoid attaching any importance to any diagnosis or method which they haven't supported with evidence from that particular case.
C. Again, "work with": the doctor-patient relationship in Ilbaret societies is usually viewed as a mutual partnership to help move society forward. Of course, the doctor still does most of the actual work!

The Sibyanu are less professional, but generally make up in kindness what they lack in science. Because they live in cave networks throughout Anseth with relatively few caverns large enough to store food or build homes, they've evolved to be extremely social and interdependent to an extent humans and even Ilbaret would consider shocking. It's hard for a Sibyanu with mental illness to go unnoticed, and most of the time the whole community will join in helping however they can. This can backfire, though; the Sibyanu are pretty mediocre at recognizing when someone needs less rather than more attention, or at least fewer people providing it.

And then... there are humans. Humans with my new catchphrase since joining this discussion, The Stock System

Despite most of the stereotypes we have in our own time, the warriors who originated the Stocks were rigorously logical; the murderous crucible of the Loar War put paid to any delusions of grandeur. For long years at war, they knew--Slaughtered Gods, how they knew--that mental infirmities could be far worse than physical ones. In theory, the Stocks were supposed to sift out psychopathy, sociopathy, and sundry other problems as thoroughly as small stature or asthma or brittle bones. And to be fair, they came close. Sociopathy in particular was almost entirely eradicated--how can a warrior who feels no affection for her comrades possibly be trusted to die for them?

There are two major problems with all this: many people born Warstock with a mental disorder learned to hide it early on so as not to be either thrown out of the Stock or forbidden from marrying and having children within it. Second, though many more were discovered and dealt with accordingly, they obviously ended up contributing their illnesses to the Peacestock instead. So, on the one hand, mental illnesses among the Warstock are always high-functioning, often so much so as never to be discovered until the crucial moment. On the other hand, the Peacestock have a bewildering array of mental disorders and illnesses, and it's easier to find one who has none at all than just a single note on the sheet (as it were). There's one phenomenon in particular seen relatively often among Peacestock but never Warstock: a sort of joyful fury for which no word currently exists.

It probably, sadly, goes without saying that mental illness among the Warstock is never treated well. At best, cultures with an especially strong sense of esprit du corps will gently ignore it. At worst, as among the Ton, mental illness is heavily stigmatized, and can call the precious purity of a Warstock bloodline into question. Warriors can be drummed out of their units--except in the case of extremely meritorious service--scorned by their families, put on quasi-secret lists which advise family Matrons to steer their eligible relatives away from the listee... it's a pretty sad state of affairs all the way around.

Question: What are some big ol' rip-roaring celebrations in your world? Or little, charming celebrations, those are good too. (Definitely didn't ask this purely to get away from how depressing my answer became...)

Question: What are some big ol' rip-roaring celebrations in your world? Or little, charming celebrations, those are good too.

Keeping to the universe of Middangard, and specifically the country of Cadaln, the main celebrations of the year are the sunstills and evennights (solstices and equinoxes), as well as the fire festivals or blessings that fall between each of them, most of which have two names for the two different culture sources (basically boiling down to the languages of Welsh and English/Old English, although I've mixed and matched some cultural elements)... Well, bullet points are easier:

• 1st Ice Moon – New Year's Day, the first full moon of the year, and the day after the winter equinox, celebrated as the beginning of the year for the sun moves to conquer the moon.
• 18[SUP]th[/SUP] Horning Moon - Estarddell in High Cadaln, the winter/spring fire festival, a celebration of birth, new beginnings, and the coming of spring. In Cadaln Hædarish, it is known as the Blessing of the Blaze, so named for the fires that have kept them warm through winter. As a blessing, it is traditional to sacrifice animals, the shedding of the blood being the significant offering, usually fed into the fires.
• 7th Sowing Moon – Spring Evennight.
• 25th Blossom Moon – Hafwythlon in High Cadaln, the spring/summer fire festival, a celebration of the planting, fertility and the coming of summer. Popular with young lovers and married couples hoping for children. In Cadaln Hædarish tradition, it is named the Blessing of the Children, for newborn beasts and hopes for the coming year ahead. A newborn animal, usually a pig or lamb, is slaughtered in offering to the gods.
• 14th Buck Moon – Summer Sunstill.
• 4th Hunting Moon – Cynhydref in High Cadaln, the summer/harvest fire festival, a celebration of the harvest and the coming of autumn. It is known as the Blessing of the Sibb in Cadaln Hædarish, for the coming together of kin and friends to bring in the harvest. Traditionally, a mature animal, often a female that has delivered its last offspring, will be sacrificed to honour the gods.
• 21st Blood Moon – Harvest (Autumn/Fall) Evennight.
• 11th Wolf Moon – Gaeafiad in High Cadaln, the harvest/winter fire festival, a celebration of the ancestors, of Death’s kind embrace, and the coming of winter. It is called the Blessing of the Forebears in Cadaln Hædarish, and is usually when many animals are slaughtered to keep from feeding them over the winter months.
• 28th Snow Moon – Winter Sunstill and New Year’s Eve. Among various traditions is the opening of a fresh keg of beer or wine that will be tapped by someone of local note at the time.

Fun fact: the word blessing actually refers to blood-letting in some sort of ceremony, which is why all the Blessings contain blood sacrifices. Since the gods are very real in this world, it's a good idea to keep them happy. The ideas behind both the fire festivals and the blessings come from a combination of Celtic and Germanic lore.

In addition to these, Cadaln makes a big production out of the king's ascension to the throne - because he is physically bound by blood to the kingdom, although this is a private ceremony usually performed as soon as possible after the previous king's death, known as the Binding. The Wreathing (crowning) is the formal ceremony when the king publicly swears his oaths, but the Binding is far more integral, because it involves a horrible price known only to kings. The king's wedding and blessings of his children are also big productions, and many towns and cities in Cadaln will make productions for the weddings/blessings/ascensions of their own local lords and dignitaries, especially if they're well-liked. It's tradition for those who are well-off to give gold and food to the poor, which probably makes them more popular...


Question: Tell me a story of what happens when people anger gods. Are there gods? Or merely the powerful who pretend to be?

Tanydwr said:

Question: Tell me a story of what happens when people anger gods. Are there gods? Or merely the powerful who pretend to be?

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The closest thing to deities are the three Mercies, who, well, I guess you'd call them goddesses, though I keep them pretty vague. But they are in fact very real, and dwell in the Black Pyramid at the very heart of the City of the Dead.

Angering them? I'm not sure you can, or at least, can't really bring about their divine wrath. They're more abstract and mysterious than that, and they neither make pronouncements nor demand worship. The last time someone may have done something to piss them off was at the apex of Misrule, when the Lords of All Dead and Living attempted a mass sacrifice of thousands and thousands of living slaves in an attempt to manifest the Mercies outside of the Pyramid. Records of the event are spotty, but it was probably no coincidence that the Wild Hunt, an animalistic subset of the Dead with no known origin, appeared and invaded the City shortly afterward.

Question: Incarceration. How is it handled? Prisons aren't supposed to be fun, but are there any ways yours are particularly nasty?

Kjbartolotta said:

Question: Incarceration. How is it handled? Prisons aren't supposed to be fun, but are there any ways yours are particularly nasty?

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In one planet it rains all the time. The planet is covered by a tropical-like forest. A penitentiary is set there. Convicts must pick a thorny plant that gives rashes. They live in cabins in the woods. If they are late returning to their cabins, they are beaten up. There is no way you can escape.

In another planet, the prison is a closed huge Dome erected in the middle of the desert: it's like a small kingdom, with three levels. A plant growing in this desert is a powerful drug. When mixed to water people become addicted. Prisoners who drink this water are unable to leave the Dome once they have finished their sentence, because they become mad without the drug. Troublesome prisoners are sent to a mine, where living conditions are brutal. One of my heroes is put in a cell plunged into the dark where he can't stand up.

Question: How is sexual identity handled? Is it a problem? Is it accepted?

Question: How is sexual identity handled? Is it a problem? Is it accepted?

Damn it, I like the question but I hate that it brings us back to THE STOCK SYSTEM(TM). So, is it a problem in most parts of the world? Mostly not. For one reason or another, Canno's many peoples have been reset many times; one of the few things they've held onto is a relative openness about sexual identity. When I say "relative" I mean "better than contemporary Earth" not always "it's all good, stick it where you want!"

...I'm not sure if I owe you all an apology for that phrasing, so I'm defaulting to none.

Anyway, sexual identity in the sense we think of it is only problematic in (deep breath) fucking Tresamer. Without going on a separate tangent about themes, Tresamer is an isolationist backwater which basically contains everything I hate about conventional high-fantasy cultures. It's a sexist, faux-British hellhole overrun by weird traditions which are supposed to justify what a bunch of assholes they are, with just enough redeeming qualities that a charitable person could forgive them. Do not. Do not forgive the goddamn Tresar. They're literally the only culture I've ever written which I now irredeemably despise.

Lest anyone get the wrong idea, this is as opposed to Ulm, an outright British utopia that unfortunately got curbstomped by the Loar. The Tresar have tried to replicate Ulmish society, but done terribly.

Here are your choices in Tresamer: be heterosexual, or be chaste and celibate. Women act womanly, men act manly, full stop. If you do anything else, you'll be a social pariah, be cast out of your home and family in a country where ancestry means everything (on a world mostly overseen by full-bore omnipotent gods who provide actual powers to their worshippers, the Tresar still worship their ancestors), and left to fend for yourself. Do this anyway, because then you won't be stuck in Tresamer.

Alright, I'm free of them at last! Thank goodness. In order:
-The Ilbaret don't care. As long as you and your partner(s) continue to contribute to society and you're good to the people around you, it's none of their business.

-The Veeth may judge you but the Veeth have no organized society so peer pressure doesn't exist. However, since Veeth are large birds, you can expect a lot of sexist or homophobic remarks screeched at you from rooftops until you or someone else chase them off. Ironically, no Veeth will question the idea of sexual identity--a lot of them just hate how you used that idea.

-The Arjoth have already copied the approach of your hometown, and memorized all 38 major pronouns within your ethnic group. Depending on how liberal things are, one may be about to proposition you at this exact instant. Unless your hometown is a bigoted nightmare, in which case you're dressing too scantily and that eye-shadow makes you look like a whore. (This is the problem with the Arjoth readily embracing their home "colony's" culture.)

-The Sibyanu support your romance, but ask that you keep your antics to the wakeful hours; sex is noise and sleep is important to the cavern. Some of us have to mine iron ore in the morning, hm?

Humans... are humans. No culture outside Tresar outright forbids any Earth form of sexual expression, but:

-Warstock being attracted to peacestock in any way, shape, or form is completely taboo except among the Murit and Ansethi, where it's seen as an uncomfortable mental disorder. Peacestock being attracted to warstock is expected, but stigmatized by both stocks anyway.

-Many of the traits we think of as part of sexual identity on Earth actually fall under the Stock System on Canno. Toughness, ways of movement, emotional expression, clothes and cosmetics: all governed by stock, not sex or gender.

-In the Black Havens, sex with your comrades-in-arms during active duty is frowned on as disrupting unit cohesion. Your unit are your family, and you don't fuck your family. Once your service is up, all bets are off. As far as how you dress, what cosmetics you use, whether you act tough or tender, no one gives a good gods-damn. Do your duty and the rest is your own business.

Wait, you're warstock in this analogy! You only missed how many hours of sleep? All of them? That's fine, back to drills. Don't gripe or the Leutnant will give you a lash for each word, you baby. Are these the Black Havens or gods-forsaken Tresamer? Discipline forges victory, soldier! Marsch! Also, your makeup's making you look too soft. Add some depth once you're off-duty, our division has a reputation to uphold! Black Havener warstock are to move precisely and efficiently: nothing showy, nothing uncertain. The peacestock just need to move quickly--before the sword, the anvil, as the regional saying goes!

-In Anseth, you're expected to keep the family's needs in mind. If, for example, a woman is the only one in her family of child-bearing age, she'll be expected to take a husband before she takes a wife. Whether or not she can do both depends on the individual kingdom and the family itself. Cosmetics are for everybody and so are most clothes, but many people only focus on the latter. Ansethi are always busy, and cosmetics take time. A change of outfit, less so. Warstock are generally expected to be more outspoken and have more energy.

-Among the Northern Ton, the peacestock may express themselves however they wish (including transgenderism or whatever else) as long as they're not socially disruptive about it or trying to make themselves look tough. Peacestock men commonly wear makeup for the same reasons peacestock women do; warstock men can have warpaint or beards, and that's about it for expression. Warstock women may be beautiful manipulators, or beautiful killing machines.

Either way, they're to take a minimum one husband, have a minimum four children (at least one daughter), and be harder than masterwork sapphire-steel. All their expression needs to convey: female, also way stronger than you. Provided they do that, however, there are no prohibitions on who they cling to behind closed doors. Warstock movement is to be powerful, fluid and dancer-like; peacestock movement is to be dainty and understated, with both stocks fitting their emotions and speech to match.

Mages are sort of the X-factor here, since a sex-change is only moderately difficult Physiomancy. For that reason, and the fact it's hard to impose social constraints on someone who can explode several hundred people if they're miffed enough, nobody outside Tresamer is dumb enough to question a mage's expression one way or the other.

Question: Think about the "Boss" characters from your work. What music would they have as their personal soundtrack, and why? You don't need to go note by note, but how does the song express the character and the world they live in?

Question: Think about the "Boss" characters from your work. What music would they have as their personal soundtrack, and why? You don't need to go note by note, but how does the song express the character and the world they live in?

Well, It's a difficult question, but since I am working on a reformation of this character I'll give it a shot.

First, In my world, there is no music, as you'd traditionally think of it. The society has been focused on productivity that most artwork is considered valueless. Still, there is an electronic music box, with songs completely computer generated.

My "Boss" character, I assume this means "baddie", goes by the name Robert Champlain, or the nickname he still protests, Bob. Bob is power hungry, yet he works in a very low-rung public office in town. He is also quite lazy. His office is filled with more recreational reading than scholarly works. His ideal music would be music that makes him feel grand, with big loud instruments, yet producing only a simple tune, thus easy to get the head around.

Oops, almost forgot?

When people in your world grow up, what is the most common dream they have? And how does it evolve as they grow up into the adult, real world?

Very interesting question. People in my world would actually have very different dreams depending on their location. For example, those constantly under attack or under the threat of attack would dream of peace, while others like men and women might dream of equality or a better living status.

If I had to say children I would say that children would most often dream of having their full family together. Since a lot of people die in my novels, families are cut and most families have a missing father/mother/uncle/aunt or something along those lines. Again it depends on location and status because rich kids would dream of wealth or control.

Because of this those growing up end up dreaming of fighting or peace depending on whether it is a bad or good dream.

Question: What kind of role does Fauna play in your book? Do you have any magical or unique? If so describe them.

Edit: Oh no, I read the question wrong. You asked about fauna. Hang on, let me edit this...
Well, after writing this all out, the animals aren't half as interesting. I'm going to leave it as is.

Steem is a plant that's been selectively harvested for a century. It's emotionally addictive, so it's been outlawed. Doesn't matter though - there's tons of illegal farms deep in the southern regions. Steem got its name because the plant holds a lot of water. In the morning hours, the excess water evaporates and each bush looks like its releasing a cloud of steam. Hardcore steem addicts usually have some trauma they can't deal with, so they rely on steem to cope. Chewing steem creates a sense of calm and stillness. It calms swirling thoughts and induces an introspective mindframe. Steem itself isn't dangerous, but it attracts broken people, which makes it appear dangerous.

Then, we have the church warriors who are the only ones allowed to ingest a pill called ilithia. It's a blend of several different herbs and mushrooms. Ilitha heightens your senses, not physically, but mentally. Users become hyper aware of sounds, smells, sights, and movements. It's perfect for warriors before a battle. It's draining so there's a long recovery time afterward. The commonwealth is strictly not allowed to have ilithia and the recipe is highly guarded. Even the soldiers are only given a specified amount before each battle. The church won't provide ilithia during peaceful times.

So of course when our church-warrior MC becomes a pariah, he steals a bunch of ilithia before he leaves. Later he uses it as leverage to make valuable trades and deals.

The lesser interesting herblore is mainly passed from grand/mothers to daughters. Women are expected to know about herbs. Cooking herbs, healing herbs, which plants might heal a bee sting, which herbs help with itchy scalps, etc. Common plants are everyday knowledge.

If your MC could change one thing in your world, what would they change and why?