Swift
Junior Scribe
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Post by Swift on Apr 22, 2009 13:36:02 GMT -5
Halflings
Halflings are a diminuitive race that rarely stands taller than three adn a half feet tall. They are known for preferring comfort above all else and are rarely seen on the road adventuring. Occasionally mistaken as beardless dwarves, it is presumed the halflings are somehow related to them or gnomes. They often have rounded faces and matching bellies as a result of their favored comforts. Though arguably lazy, they are often fast talkers, quick thinkers, and quite good at bargaining and problem solving.
The history of the halflings is not quite clear, which is ironic since they've become such a common sight among human cities. Any halfling will claim their kin have lived in their towns for as long as anyone can remember. Their town are scattered bthrough both Agon and Galen as well as near a few other large human settlements.
As far as the other races are concerned, the small folk have little notable history and none that has affected world events. Speak to a halfling, however, and they can often recite their family history for generations by memory. It is often their family history that leads to their profession in life, be it the most common of farming and merchanting, or even informants and thieves. Due to their sharp minds and quick thinking, many halflings have become revered ambassadors and diplomats as well.
Now the halflings live scattered through the western continent, living peacefully among the humans and some among the dwarves. But just as many other races, there are some who have dreams of greater things and a few that are unable to escape the need for adventure.
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Swift
Junior Scribe
Posts: 74
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Post by Swift on Apr 22, 2009 13:45:10 GMT -5
Gnomes
Gnomes are largely considered to be the cousins of dwarves, living most often in mountains or subterranean homes. They stand shorter even than halflings, usually around two to three feet. They are similarly eccentric as humans, wearing various hair styles and dying them in a wide array of colors.
The gnomes are also like the dwarves in their love of mining, though they tend to seek gems and jewels over metallic ores. Two hundred years before the dwarves or gnomes first ventured to the surface, the two races clashed in the tunnels underground. At first, the battles over mining sites and rich veins were small; skirmishes that ended with a few cuts and bruises settled with laughter and a shared ale.
Fights grew, becoming more severe and less often ending with an ale. More often, the fights began to include weapons rather than fists and ended with one side retreating from the mining site. In time, the battles led to war. Ironically, the war was essentially over territory, which the elder races later turned their backs on the humans for.
As the gnomes and dwarves continued their war, both sides began to realize the toll it was taking. The dwarves sent out an expeditionary team who moved further from their capital in new directions in search of fresh veins. As had been the case so frequently, they ran into a gnomish mining party at an area rich with ore and precious gemstones. However, both groups refrained from fighting while their leaders met.
The results of the meeting led teh gnomes away from the site, deeper underground while the dwarves left and went upward towards the surface where both found new riches for the taking. The parties met again on their return journey at the mining site where the leaders set up camp and managed to bring their teams to work together; the dwarves gathering ore while the gnomes took the gems. When the parties separated, half of each group went with the other, returning to their "enemy's" city.
Razzil, the gnome party leader, contributed greatly in the next months and years to the trade and alliance that formed between the dwarves and gnomes. Once ties were solidified, he remained in the kingdom of Trueforge with his new friends, one of which included King Grandhammer himself, as an advisor.
When the dwarves and elves were keeping a close eye on the humans, the gnomes were still in the depths of the earth, working with gems and magics. It wasn't until the dwarves renewed ties with the humans that the gnomes followed, curious abotu the inventive and hardy race of tall folk. Some have made their way to human cities, and a very few in halfling villages (until they simply can't be tolerated any longer), but most live in the dwarven kingdoms or still in their own home cities.
There is one city large enough to qualify as the center of a gnomish kingdom called Glibberstone, which was the kingdom that once warred with Trueforge. Aside from the one, all other gnomish settlements tend to be small or temporary.
Note: I keep feeling Glibberstone may have been a subconscious snag from a Forgotten Realms novel. I'm going to look into that and change it if I find I'm right.
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Post by Wragnorok on Apr 22, 2009 22:52:15 GMT -5
Very reminiscent of dotHack//, with the twist that the fantasy setting of the MMO deals with much more conventional fantasy elements. The strong Subjectivist tone of the story is what seems interesting to me. Not to be a downer, but I feel like you've come up with one mediocre idea and one intriguing idea and are trying to squeeze the latter into the former. There's meat literally hanging off the bone of the idea of magic as a philosophical question; and a fantasy story that focuses on the ethics of magic would be a phenomenally engaging read.
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Swift
Junior Scribe
Posts: 74
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Post by Swift on Apr 23, 2009 9:10:39 GMT -5
It is reminiscent of .hack// which was particularly annoying to find out as I had a lot put together before I knew what about .hack at all. I'm pretty sure their creators stole my idea through an elaborate scheme involving time travel. Totally. >_>
As for the philosophical question of magic, it's not really a focus of the story at all, but more of just the origin of how I'm making it work. The philosophical notion of perception affecting reality would basically be grounds in a single chapter (or one page in comic book format) where someone says "Listen up, yo, this be how you make the magic go shazam!" (though not in those words, of course). It's not exactly new as magic is often manifested through the caster's willpower in fantasy. I'm just taking it a step further in the description of detailing how to make the fire go spark when there's nothing there.
But the overall story doesn't really deal with the philosophical aspect of perception creating reality any more than the fact that our antagonist is using his perceptions to shape what he feels reality should be.
Ethics, however, may play a large role in the story throughout the entire thing. There's the ethics of magic's use, questions of good vs. evil in our mind (do you change things for what you see the better because you have the power to do so or is that imposing your will on everyone?), the question of how we would treat other creatures with equal sentience (sudden appearance of all these new races, but before that the appearance of just a few of them).
I'm largely working on the in-game fantasy environment right now. The first book (or 12 issue arc in comic format, or first game, etc) would be a pretty straight forward fantasy adventure, though I intend to toy with the expectations of good and bad within that tale too. Mostly, I want the first story to be fun. Save the heavy stuff for later and go from there.
I'll have the kitsu presented later today.
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Swift
Junior Scribe
Posts: 74
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Post by Swift on Apr 23, 2009 13:47:13 GMT -5
Kitsu
Kitsu are a unique race in ways. They appear human, but have fox ears atop their heads and a large fox tail that extends from the base of their spine. They usually have ruddy reddish brown, light brown, or black hair and dark or amber eyes.
Exactly when kitsu first arrived or where they came from is uncertain, though they lay claim to intervention of a moon goddess. Their society is fairly loosely organized into clans in forest villages. In numerous events, the fox like race has clashed with the elves, though both often defend nature's preservation as a main focus of their time.
The kitsu may be human like in appearance, but are much like evles in actions. They are quite stealthy, have superior balance, excellent eyesight in the dark, extremely sensitive hearing, and a heightened sense of smell. They are also long lived, with rumors that they may be truly immortal, but the clans keep their full abilities secret, even from their own youth in training.
When the elves went to war with their renegade faction that later became the dark elves, both sides hired kitsu clans as spies, assassins, and mercenaries. When the war ended, however, clans from both sides of the battle returned to their normal routines with the elves seeming to lose track of which clan fought for which side. With the fox race willing to fight for both sides, and often found to be switching or working both sides, the elves grew somewhat distrustful of their forest dwelling neighbors.
The kitsu remain in contact with the elves on occasions, mostly the wood elves, but sometimes the high elves and, if rumors are true, the dark elves as well. They are still highly reclusive and tend to avoid outside contact, but are sometimes seen in the cities of men. They are a curious race, which draws them to others for at least observation and study.
Of all the races among the free people, kitsu are the least trusted. Humans and halflings have a history of farming and associate them with their four legged counterparts, seeing them as thieves and untrustworthy. The wood elves have a long standing rivalry and the high elves are unsure what to think of them, remembering the acts of their civil war. There is a saying "At least you know a dark elf intends to kill you, but with a kitsu you can't be sure."
The kitsu now tend to remain in the forests, but do still venture out into the world for any number of reasons. Though they are the rarest seen race, when one does, they can be sure something of interest is happening nearby, or about to.
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