"Tales of Leinyere" Story Event: Official Support Thread

[Voboy]

If I wanted it to be easy, I'd just use a human for my third character. I want something more exotic, but not unique. I want to make sure it's a race others are using. Besides, I already forced elves and dwarves on everyone.

I need my elf and dwarf to notice the third character's approach from a long way off. Putting him on horseback would have been a good way to do that. Don't worry, I'll come up with something.

But it's already been mentioned that anocots have a distinctive lope... perhaps their speed sets them apart, say from the dust cloud thus raised?

There are probably a few ways to skin this anocot.

 

[Rustyoznail]

But it's already been mentioned that anocots have a distinctive lope... perhaps their speed sets them apart, say from the dust cloud thus raised?

There are probably a few ways to skin this anocot.

A 6 - 7’ Anocot running towards you at high speed isn’t enough?

 

[Voboy]

A 6 - 7’ Anocot running towards you at high speed isn’t enough?

It’s enough for me, but Liqui needs an anocot to be visible from quite a ways off.

 

[Rustyoznail]

It’s enough for me, but Liqui needs an anocot to be visible from quite a ways off.

Well, why not have him ride a tauntaun?

Well, maybe not that exactly…

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Well, why not have him ride a tauntaun?

Well, maybe not that exactly…

Or what if her Anocot was the one Anocot on Leinyere who had an affinity with horses? There are exceptions to every rule, and a few comments from other characters about how weird it is would help reinforce the rule.

I mean, here’s a video of a mouse bullying a cat:
https://twitter.com/volgergoede/status/1396944386374635522?s=21
Nothing is 100% consistent.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Or what if her Anocot was the one Anocot on Leinyere who had an affinity with horses? There are exceptions to every rule, and a few comments from other characters about how weird it is would help reinforce the rule.

I mean, here’s a video of a mouse bullying a cat:
https://twitter.com/volgergoede/status/1396944386374635522?s=21
Nothing is 100% consistent.

True. And I guess if the horse was something like a Shire or a Clydesdale. Nothing upsets those.

 

[Blind_Justice]

"Why are you ridin' a horse, kitty?"

"It never hurts to have a snack on the go."

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

"Why are you ridin' a horse, kitty?"

"It never hurts to have a snack on the go."

https://youtu.be/uewOhK-MSjc

 

[Lovecraft_lore2]

I live the regional variations on copper/silver/gold, too.

Also, while we're talking about magic systems, I was thinking about, in some schools of magic (maybe most?), there could be a dichotomy between sorcerers/sorceresses on one side, and witches/wizards on the other.

Sorcerers/Sorceresses are the born naturals. Brimming with Aether, magic always came easily to them. They don't understand the intricacies of magic and they don't wield a wide variety of spells, but they are powerhouses in their specialties.

Witches/Wizards are Swiss army knives. They had to learn magic the hard way, and they learned it well. They may not have the raw power of their more gifted brethren and sistren, but if you're in a fight with one they could throw anything at you, and you'd never see it coming. They also make much better magical educators.

I'm thinking the line between them is fuzzy, but real, and some of them get pissy if they get mislabelled. They don't want to be confused with those lazy, entitled Sorcerers/Sorceresses or those dorky, uptight Witches/Wizards.

Of course, they get mislabelled all the time, because the average person doesn't understand or care about the distinction.

Thoughts?

There should be many types of magic sort of like medicine. There is Cardiologists and Pediatricians, there is also yoga medicine and acupuncture.

It would be neat if there was harry potter type magic, D&D type magic, Ars Magica style magic, some sort of innate Sorcerers/Sorceresses/born naturals that sometimes just have magic for no reason, people with no magical power but have an item that can do magic- Green Lantern style, a talking goat should be able to whisper to the young girls of the village to leave their homes and enter the woods and there teach them how to fly.

Will there be slavery and dinosaurs?

Necromancer: Congratulations. Your insurance policy with your church cover 90% of the cost of one Resurrection. You owe me 100 gold pieces as co-pay.

Random town person: I don't have any gold. I was dead and all my good stuff got looted.

Random town person's 18 year old daughter: We have 1000 live chickens with which to pay you.

Necromancer: I don't take payment in live poultry. Interest is 2 percent a day for the first month.

Random town person: I can't afford that! I have a cow, sack of enchanted rutabagas, these ten strange eggs, a few candles. What's that worth.

Necromancer: Er... Maybe 20 gold. That's still 80 gold you owe me.

Random town person's 18 year old daughter: What happens if we can't pay?

Necromancer: The body snatchers will come and chop him up for parts or cut off his dick then sell him as a slave for around 80 gold.

Random town personShoves daughter at the Necromancer) Then take her for 80 gold, I ain't getting my dick chopped off.(slams door in Necromancer's face.)

So yeah, that's how I ended up with a slave and ten baby velociraptors.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

So far, I know three distinct points in time.

- 5-10,000 years ago: The destruction of the Ancients
- 500 years ago: The founding of Galtin's Port
- 5 years ago: The orc God-Queen perishes in a border skirmish without formally declaring her successor. Her six children fight for dominance, allowing the rest of Leinyere a moment of relative peace while the orcs settle their succession issue. (Dwarven) Traders make a killing selling arms, armor and supplies to all parties.

Blind_Justice, I have a question for you as our resident orclorist:

Have the orcs always had God-Monarchs, or was there a time that individual tribes were more independent? If not a time before God-Monarchs, what about between? I'm interested in writing a story about a king of an orc tribe, but it's not really a story on a continental scale. Thoughts?

 

[Blind_Justice]

The orcs have gone through several forms of government, from tribal leader councils to divine rights-empowered despotic rulers (who also could have been shrewed match makers, marrying off their sons and daughters to tie the tribes together.) Let's say the current dynasty has existed for a century, a golden age for orcdom. Massive expansion, prosperity, status. With the Queen dead, her offspring fight among themselves for dominance, but there might be tribes who sit back and watch who might come out on top. With such a long history, there might be those who hated being part of the divine monarchy. There might be bloodlines who held absolute power once, but were ousted and are now looking for resurgence.

Short version: In these times of upheaval, there are many opportunities for those with ambition and a desire for blessed violence!

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

The orcs have gone through several forms of government, from tribal leader councils to divine rights-empowered despotic rulers

Oh, that’s perfect. I think I’ll set my story about a thousand years ago. They’ll tell stories about the last time they were united, but it wasn’t in living memory.

Speaking of, I tested out links on the timeline, and I think it would be really cool if, once the stories are posted, we had a year or starting year for every story, and they can have their own entry on the timeline with a link to that story. It can help keep the timeline straight and give people another way to navigate to stories!

 

[vanderstill]

Mistmere: The Bullboar Sceptor

Is there any section of the map still open?

Mistmere - A beautiful elven principality nestled in a wide valley. To the north are their traditional enemies, the Bullboars of Ash Mountain, a race of bipedal beastmen that would steal down to raid womenfolk, as they themselves do not seem to beget any women of their own. Over the centuries, this has developed rythms of its own, with the Bullboars only coming down in the autumn to raid, and the elven warriors arming themselves at that time for battle. The elves are very adept at fighting the Bullboars, and sometimes, years will go by and the Bullboars will have failed to capture any maidens. For their part, the Bullboars are use terrible clubs, as their tri-fingered grips preclude them from developing effective tools, this means that most elves that are not struck in the head manage to survive, as elven magic can heal broken ribs and pierced lungs.

Over time, the Mistmere elves forgot about other dangers other than the Bullboars, and for the past two decades, no elven maiden have been taken. This year, the elves finally intend to take the fight to the Bullboars, deploying scouts, building outposts, and preparing to invade and defeat the Bullboars once and for all.

They did not reckon with the invasion from the south, as feral Ratmen from the lowlands swarmed into the valley early in the summer, raiding and killing. Unlike the Bullboars, they took few prisoners, and what prisoners they took were terribly abused, before ending up in stewpots. The Elves were taken unaware, and their tactics, honed to prefection against the large and towering Bullboars, were ineffective against the nimble and numerous Ratmen. Mistmere's army was overrun in a three days, with almost no survivors, and the Ratmen are poised to overrun the town, with nothing standing in their way.

Queen Litharlin and her daughter Princess Irulin, have decided to send to the Bullboars. Better an enemy they know well, than an enemy they do not.

The Bullboars agree, setting terms the Mistmere Queen must certainly accept....

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

Is anyone planning to destroy a remote village in their story? I mean like wipe it out to the last being and raze it to the ground?

One of my main characters is the last survivor of such a massacre, and her desire to erect a henge to memorialize her lost village is the driving motivation in the story. I thought if someone had plans to destroy a village anyway, we could tie our two stories together. I'm still loosey-goosey on details right now, so I can work with pretty much whatever you have in mind.

If anyone is interested in collaborating on this point, PM me.

 

[LoquiSordidaAdMe]

Is there any section of the map still open?

Mistmere - A beautiful elven principality nestled in a wide valley. To the north are their traditional enemies, the Bullboars of Ash Mountain, a race of bipedal beastmen that would steal down to raid womenfolk, as they themselves do not seem to beget any women of their own. Over the centuries, this has developed rythms of its own, with the Bullboars only coming down in the autumn to raid, and the elven warriors arming themselves at that time for battle. The elves are very adept at fighting the Bullboars, and sometimes, years will go by and the Bullboars will have failed to capture any maidens. For their part, the Bullboars are use terrible clubs, as their tri-fingered grips preclude them from developing effective tools, this means that most elves that are not struck in the head manage to survive, as elven magic can heal broken ribs and pierced lungs.

Over time, the Mistmere elves forgot about other dangers other than the Bullboars, and for the past two decades, no elven maiden have been taken. This year, the elves finally intend to take the fight to the Bullboars, deploying scouts, building outposts, and preparing to invade and defeat the Bullboars once and for all.

They did not reckon with the invasion from the south, as feral Ratmen from the lowlands swarmed into the valley early in the summer, raiding and killing. Unlike the Bullboars, they took few prisoners, and what prisoners they took were terribly abused, before ending up in stewpots. The Elves were taken unaware, and their tactics, honed to prefection against the large and towering Bullboars, were ineffective against the nimble and numerous Ratmen. Mistmere's army was overrun in a three days, with almost no survivors, and the Ratmen are poised to overrun the town, with nothing standing in their way.

Queen Litharlin and her daughter Princess Irulin, have decided to send to the Bullboars. Better an enemy they know well, than an enemy they do not.

The Bullboars agree, setting terms the Mistmere Queen must certainly accept....

vanderstill, I tried to send you a PM, but you don't have them turned on.

You could use Grennskogur as your Elven kingdom and have the Ratmen of the south dwell above ground in the dwarven kingdom of Podl'adom. Maybe the ratmen's swarming tactics aren't as effective when they can be bottle-necked in the dwarves' tunnels, so they don't bother the dwarves much. But out in the wide open forests, the ratmen discover they are very effective against the elves, so they could attack from the south. That would put your bullboars up in the Windscour desert, or perhaps in the mountains to the west.

Just a thought.

 

[vanderstill]

I think the ratmen were bottled up by the dwarves for generations. But they carved out a tunnel of their own and now have access to the surface, allowing them to spread like the vermin they are.

Bullboars sort of need mountains, and elves would normally live near a desert? Or maybe they would. Hm. I need to rethink this. What I do need is terrain that isn't flat and open, but hilly, mountainous, or forested, things that allow swarming monsters the advantage

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

vanderstill, I tried to send you a PM, but you don't have them turned on.

You could use Grennskogur as your Elven kingdom and have the Ratmen of the south dwell above ground in the dwarven kingdom of Podl'adom. Maybe the ratmen's swarming tactics aren't as effective when they can be bottle-necked in the dwarves' tunnels, so they don't bother the dwarves much. But out in the wide open forests, the ratmen discover they are very effective against the elves, so they could attack from the south. That would put your bullboars up in the Windscour desert, or perhaps in the mountains to the west.

Just a thought.

I love this idea!

Edit:

I think the ratmen were bottled up by the dwarves for generations. But they carved out a tunnel of their own and now have access to the surface, allowing them to spread like the vermin they are.

Bullboars sort of need mountains, and elves would normally live near a desert? Or maybe they would. Hm. I need to rethink this. What I do need is terrain that isn't flat and open, but hilly, mountainous, or forested, things that allow swarming monsters the advantage

What if the mountains above Podl’adom are divided between the Bullboars and the Ratmen, with the Bullboars normally between the Ratmen and the elves? And the catalyst for the story is that the ratmen have made a tunnel that gets them past the dwarves and bullboars?

 

[Voboy]

Is anyone planning to destroy a remote village in their story? I mean like wipe it out to the last being and raze it to the ground?

One of my main characters is the last survivor of such a massacre, and her desire to erect a henge to memorialize her lost village is the driving motivation in the story. I thought if someone had plans to destroy a village anyway, we could tie our two stories together. I'm still loosey-goosey on details right now, so I can work with pretty much whatever you have in mind.

If anyone is interested in collaborating on this point, PM me.

If she’s human, and from east of the Port, then sure. I’ll raze her village, with pleasure. Which is an excellent euphemism.

It will have happened in the past, maybe 10 years back, if that works for you. It wouldn’t be occurring in the present.

 

[vanderstill]

No, the Ratmen are a new threat, an underground threat that has come to the surface. I don't think I can use the dwarves, sorry. I need to be closer to the mountains near Greywood unless someone can plob some more mountains for me to use.

Also, there should be a chain of islands to the south following the course of the mountains, and the mountains should be come hills to the north into the forests

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

No, the Ratmen are a new threat, an underground threat that has come to the surface. I don't think I can use the dwarves, sorry. I need to be closer to the mountains near Greywood unless someone can plob some more mountains for me to use.

Also, there should be a chain of islands to the south following the course of the mountains, and the mountains should be come hills to the north into the forests

I could definitely add some islands to the south of the continental divide. I’m also planning on writing a story with some elves that’s set somewhere in the west, so maybe that’s Mistmere? I can’t edit the map from my phone, so it might be tomorrow. I’ll PM you then so we can go back and forth and get it right.

 

[Rustyoznail]

No, the Ratmen are a new threat, an underground threat that has come to the surface. I don't think I can use the dwarves, sorry. I need to be closer to the mountains near Greywood unless someone can plob some more mountains for me to use.

Also, there should be a chain of islands to the south following the course of the mountains, and the mountains should be come hills to the north into the forests

The Anocot are in the mountains to the south west. As relatively new to the continent, maybe they only reside about 1000 miles north from the southern tip.

And cats and rats…

Blind_J - any thoughts on places? I had “First Port” on the southern tip and “East Port”, and a major town at the foothills - “New Anocot”. But in their language.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

The Anocot are in the mountains to the south west. As relatively new to the continent, maybe they only reside about 1000 miles north from the southern tip.

And cats and rats…

Speaking of, is there an anocot nation that I should be adding to the map?

 

[Rustyoznail]

Speaking of, is there an anocot nation that I should be adding to the map?

Run a line across about 1000 miles up from the south west tip. That can be a rough boundary.

Need to add rivers or a lake for fishing.

 

[Nouh_Bdee]

Run a line across about 1000 miles up from the south west tip. That can be a rough boundary.

Need to add rivers or a lake for fishing.

Cool.

So, I’m not sure how to add rivers, but I’ll take a crack at it. I’m sure I can do a lake if that doesn’t work.

 

[vanderstill]

The Mountains of Mourn bisect the continent of Leinyere, running from Kelthala's Wound to the North, to the Sea of Daggers (Seax Sea) to the south. From Spring to Summer, the Easterlies blow east to west through the Mountains of Mourn, which only has a few passes that run through it. The sound of the Easterlies sound like a keening woman as it passes through the mountains, hence the name. From Autumn to Winter however, the Westerlies blow west to east, and to many, it sounds more like a woman moaning, hence its other name, the Moaning Mountains.

The Westerlies have another effect however, as raw aether is captured by the wind, and as it passes through the Mountains, it dips down and into dry air, where it coalesces into Aether Rock, in the foothills where the dry desert meets the Mountains. Did the Windscour Desert come before Aether Rock, or did Aether Rock come before the Windscour Desert? What gave birth to whom? It is a mystery. But the effect of today is that the lack of aether means that vegetation cannot grow, and thus giving rise to the desert, and magic is notoriously difficult in the desert itself, through less as you move towards greener lands.

Aether Rock, untouched, has been seen to grow over six feet long, and manifests as crystals on the desert floor. First discovered by elven explorers, Aether Rock can be carved and polished into gemstones capable of holding magic with the proper sigils, and are commonly mounted on staves. Melted into metal, it forms a magical alloy that is resilient and holds an edge, and can be further enchanted. Ground into dust, it forms an essential component for many magical spells. Boiled in water, it is a component for many potions. Imbibed, it is said to grant magical sight and foretellings.

In these forms, it is commonly known as Aetherium to most people of Leinyere, and it is gathered by the elves of the Mistmere, who jealously guard its secrets, understanding its power. They trade Aetherium to others through a web of merchants, never revealing the source of Aetherium. Most people believe that Aetherium are created by wizards as a byproduct of magic. People who stumble into Mistmere are directed to leave, and killed if they attempt to proceed.

Mistmere itself is a bountiful land. Aether Rock are embedded throughout, causing the land to be fertile, the waters pure, and forming a hazy mist and fog that spans hundreds of miles. The fog, and the hostile elves, causes most people to give Mistmere a wide berth. But not all are dissuaded. A hundred years ago, after the eruption of the Ash Mountain, the Bullboars migrated to the nearby mountains, south of the Stews. Called the Bleak Falls, this is a mountainous and hilly land, full of desolate crags and hidden glens.

The Bullboars of Bleakfall are a race of bipedal beastmen that would steal down to raid womenfolk, as they themselves do not seem to beget any women of their own. With an unerring sense of direction, they are unpreturbed by the mist and fog, and steal into Mistmere without issue. Over the century, this has developed rythms of its own, with the Bullboars only coming down in the autumn to raid, and the elven warriors arming themselves at that time for battle. The elves are very adept at fighting the Bullboars, and sometimes, years will go by and the Bullboars will have failed to capture any maidens. For their part, the Bullboars are use terrible clubs, as their tri-fingered grips preclude them from developing effective tools, this means that most elves that are not struck in the head manage to survive, as elven magic can heal broken ribs and pierced lungs.

Over time, the Mistmere elves began to concentrate primarily on the Bullboars over other dangers, and for the past two decades, no elven maiden have been taken. This year, on the hundreth year centenary, the elves finally intend to take the fight to the Bullboars, deploying scouts, building outposts, and preparing to invade the Bleak Falls and defeat the Bullboars once and for all.

They did not reckon with the invasion from the south, as feral Rattens from the Dagger Isles (Seax Isles) landed and swarmed into the valley early in the summer, raiding and killing. Unlike the Bullboars, they took few prisoners, and what prisoners they took were terribly abused, before ending up in stewpots. The Elves were taken unaware, and their tactics, honed to prefection against the large and towering Bullboars, were ineffective against the nimble and numerous Rattens. Mistmere's army was overrun in a three days, with almost no survivors, and the Rattens are poised to overrun Mistmere itself, with nothing standing in their way.

Queen Litharlin and her daughter Princess Irulin, have decided to send to the Bullboars. Better an enemy they know well, than an enemy they do not.

The Bullboars agree, setting terms the Mistmere Queen must certainly accept....