A Whole New World

[Culhwch]

Following on from the Creating a fantasy land thread....

Originally Posted by dwndrgn

I think this is a fantastic idea, and quite a few published authors I've read could benefit from this to avoid problems in the flow of the story. Let's do some practice. Obviously we can't actually build a map here online, but we can create a mental picture.

Here's what we need:
1. A world: someone needs to come up with a basic world-building premise with information such as; pre- or post-industrial, mythology based, something to work from.
2. Once we have the basic premise, we all will create a short description of a town/city in that world - giving important information like religion (each town can be as different from the others as we want, as long as we all follow the basic premise), areas (poor, rich, religious, mercantile, etc.), types of people and such.
3. Give physical descriptions - based at the bottom of a mountain range, on a river, in the midst of a barren plain...

Ok kids, you have your assignment - run with it!

The world is pre-industrial. There are three main continents on this world. The northern continent, Elthorn, is the largest, but large swathes of land are permenantly covered in snow and ice. A land bridge - now a string of rocky islands - once joined the northern continent to the western continent, Terras, a wide, largely temperate land. The southern continent, Caaruvan, is the smallest and is somewhat removed from the others. It is tropical in climate, and is surrounded by numerous islands of varying sizes.

Okay. The floor is open. Cities, towns, villages, races, nations, places, temples, religions. One facet per post, and keep the world's continuity in mind. Get creative.

[Azathoth]

Caaruvan is a land divided by two races - the dark-skinned Ntchan - a ferocious yet deeply spiritual group of humans - and the cannibalistic Silithuan, a race of amphibians.

The Ntchan control the inner region of Caaruvan, and their capitol city is Azkant, which is located high in the mountains.

The Silithuan control the coastal regions of Caaruvan, and they have no cities, per se, but rather live in a loose confederation of tribes.

Religion Overview:

The Ntchan are henotheistic, dedicating themselves solely to Kha'Ntchan (Father Ntchan). Kha'Ntchan, according to Ntchan religion, is a warrior, who strikes down the enemies of the Ntchan with plague. There is also much in the way of ancestor worship, although this is generally discouraged by the priesthood.

The Silithuan are pagans. They worship a number of demon-deities, the chief of whom are Gaanra (the god of cannibalism), Iitoo (god of war), and Nagaa (god of the oceans).

Living sacrifice plays an important role in both religions.

Government Overview:

The Ntchan are theocratic. They believe that the High Priest is the avatar of Kha'Ntchan, and so he is also their king. Edit: Also, the Ntchan are egalitarian. There are as many priestesses as there are priests, and there are as many female warriors as there are males.

The Silithuan follow a democratic tradition. Each male warrior has a vote in his tribe. In times of great emergency, each tribe will vote on one chieftain to lead them all. When the emergency is over, the chieftain is eaten, to ensure that he doesn't try to maintain control.

And that's all I have right now.

[Culhwch]

Falgard, also known as the City of Frost, is one of four great cities on the northern continent of Elthorn. Home to some fifty thousand folk, Falgard sits on a high saddle of land between the two peaks called the Widows, and overlooks the meandering Icewater that flows down from the snowy heights, across the plains of Thurinthal, and into the Bay of Seals.

Falgard was founded some four hundred years ago by descendants of the Ice Clans – the native Thurin. For years the Thurin had been suffering raids by the savage tribes of the westlands. Falgard was built as a watchtower to warn of raiders. It developed into a borderfort, and as the raids from the west grew more and more infrequent, a bustling town sprung up around its walls. As the Thurin began to forsake their traditional nomadic lifestyle, it continued to expand. A second, outer wall was built of the pale, milky-white stone of the mountains. The original fort was rebuilt into the Hall of the Heavens, where the rulers of Falgard, a hereditary Council of Elders, preside over their city.

It has only been in the last hundred years that Falgard has truly flourished. Ever a sea-going people, the Thurin established trade ties with the folk of the northern shores of Terras, trading local products such as furs, whale-oil and whale-bone, fish, and even ice. The leading merchants wield a great deal of influence in Falgard, so much so that the Merchant’s Guild is almost as powerful as the Council of Elders.

The Thurin are a folk small in stature and fair, with predominantly pale skin, blue-grey eyes, and white-blond hair. Almost to a man they follow the Old Way, a faith devoted to the worship of the nameless Ice Gods who are represented by the animals of the north – the snow bear, the eagle, the blue whale, the sea wolf, the seal, the snow fox, and so on. There are no temples as such in Falgard, but rather each family maintains a shrine to the God sacred to their ancestral clan.

[cornelius]

Deep in the forest of Malanor, almoust in the very center of Elthorn, lies a stronghold which no one dares to enter; Algrins Keep. Rumours speek of a giant living there, warlords speak of thousands of savages. Many armies dissapeared into the forest, in pursuit of the treasures which are concealed in the keep. The treasures once belonged to the Banarai, a race of enormous men that roamed the world centuries before the construction of Falgard. The Banarai had all power, and they felt as if they were true gods. A mysterious Plague claimed them all but three. Algrin is said to be the last of the Banarai. He is the last to know the secrets of the clans power, the secret of their forgery, the origin of their bloodlust.

[HieroGlyph]

The Banarai are said to have only feared the Sea's - legend has it that the 'plague' they could not surmount had something to do with the Silithuan from the far tropics. The only problem with the amphibian-like Silithuan is they become severely sluggish and lax in the colder climes of the Northern Continents... So, over the fear of some 'unknown' to the Banarai, they sought the destruction of the Silithuan creatures (they were not given the status of a 'peoples'). There were wars between these races: the Banarai and Silithuan, that went on for a long time... The Banarai employed the native (practical) Thurinians to do their sailing for them, taking them around the many Islands around the SOuthern continent Caaruvan, seeking the evasive Silithuans. The Thurinians gaining power and material wealth from the (magically inclined) Banarai. And the Thurinians also gained military incentives of their own -- coming to the height of their powers this present day...

"There is some prophecy here, somehwere... Wait, let me dig out that parchment I found in the cellars last century..."

[Rosemary]

Is there room for a forest and some poeple in Terras?

[Azathoth]

Well, at least this got my mind off the horrible storms...

The Pilgrimage

The Saga of Egil Stormcleaver is known as the Thurin’s central epic. The Saga tells the tale of a fierce thane – Egil Stormcleaver – who united the Ice Clans against the Kjari, a now-extinct race of cruel, snow-colored elves.

The Saga reaches its climax when Egil does battle with the Kjari warlord, Svol, and strikes him a deathblow. The Kjari retreat, but not before some lowly Kjari soldier pierces Egil with a poisoned spear. Egil, dishonored by the blow, leaves his fellow warriors and wanders around in the cold tundra, seeking death. After several days of wandering, Egil finally collapses, and is about to relinquish his body warmth to the Ice Gods when suddenly a tundra wolf comes upon him. Egil gathers up his strength to kill it, when suddenly it speaks. It tells him that his time is not yet over, and that he still has a war to fight. And then it teaches him the secrets of shape-changing.

When Egil leaves the tundra, he discovers that the Kjari have rallied, and are preparing for one last fight. Egil rushes to the Ice Clans, who are immediately galvanized by his return. When the day of the battle comes, Egil takes on the form of a giant wolf, and charges straight into the Kjari horde. The Kjari are defeated, and then hunted down to be slaughtered.

And so, in honor of Egil’s self-imposed exile in the tundra, young thanes, before being given command of a war-band, must make a pilgrimage to the northern tundra. Those who encounter their Clan’s particular spirit animal are considered especially blessed.

[Culhwch]

Originally Posted by Rosemary

Is there room for a forest and some poeple in Terras?

There is if you want there to be, Rosemary....

[HieroGlyph]

Aye, Terras (the name the Thurinians call this western continent) has yet to be properly 'peopled' and shaped...
I'll leave that for others, atm

(Though Im eagre for the creativity...)

[HieroGlyph]

Thurin people - Eltorn/Elthorn continent. Av. 5'5''; pale/white skin; blue/grey eyes; white/platinum/blonde hair? Practical and industrious; rare magical talents (become outcasts?) 'Elgin' and 'shape-changers' the exception...
Banarai - Elthorn; giants of old; pure mages (too large and cumbersome for physical prowess...) one, two, maybe three left on the planet (wiped out by some 'plague' introduced by Silithuan... Look like theyre made of mottled marble - smooth hairless skin (rippling with magic...) Large black eyes that absorbe more than light...
[planet name?]
Ntchan/(Nyshaan) - Caaruvan (central; dislike coast and sea) love of: jungle, heat, sweat, sun, heavy rains, slow stagnant rivers, clay and mud; immune to pestilence; many religions and infights, theocratic...
Silithuan - Caaruvan coasts and its many surrounding islands... fearsome and misunderstood for the most part - greatly feared by the Banarai, who just couldnt understand them... (some are captured by the Ntchan as 'Crooners', since they have a strange but soothing voice and tongue - and these Silithuan, when alone can be quite compliant and make easy slaves) - there is some connection with disease and plague though - beware... Known as cannibals...

[Rosemary]

Originally Posted by HieroGlyph

Aye, Terras (the name the Thurinians call this western continent) has yet to be properly 'peopled' and shaped...
I'll leave that for others, atm

(Though Im eagre for the creativity...)

If you already have something in mind HG...go right ahead

[HieroGlyph]

Heh
I wondered what had happened here! I was waiting for others to let their imagination loose. Then Id do what I could with my imagination and like to step in with tieing it together somehow, inventing links and reasoning... And hence prompting for a story to travel down, without actual prophecy deciding the story. Mention of prophecy was a prompt in itself, but not Prophetic

[Ok, dont forget to reread DawnDragans 'Three Steps' at the beginning of this thread. Ive hardly followed those rules but Ill ponder rules 4 onwards, ammendments and whatnot for future reference!]

[cornelius]

the Banarai believe in the existance of another realm, Netherhymn, which is kind of a Walhalla, therefore only for great warriors. There is said to be an Isle , up in the north, where the sun only shines on day a year. Reaching this island means finding the threshold to the Netherhymn. A demi-God guards the gates, Namaling. he or she claimed the four sons of the east and the four daughters of the west(in the times when the Banarai ruled all land) they had to conceive a group of servants in order to keep The Namaling from claiming all the children of the Banarai folk. Many others have sought this Isle, none have returned. the survival of the Banarai could be in the hands of the Namaling, that is if the legends are true, and the servants still live.

[HieroGlyph]

So the demi-god 'Namaling' dwells on the thresh-hold of 'this world' and a place called 'Netherhymn'... Could this actually be a 'portal' between worlds? Did the Banarai of ancient times know of these 'portals'? Or is this an ethereal realm? Or is it for me to say (since Im doing the prompting...)???

Ok, 'this world' is now to be called Culh.
Thats the planet you all come to, should you post upon this thread. Culhwch can step in any time (rl permitting) to shake things up. Heh. Well, Ive left a few footprints here that might need sweeping over...

[HieroGlyph]

lol
Sorry, but Ive just thought of Rule 4+
"Answering yes to any one question results in failure..."
(Maybe this kind of thing is NOT allowed, but I will take responsibility (as far as an anonymous interloper may))
Section 4a #1 to... er... #75
http://www.rinkworks.com/fnovel/