I'm thinking about starting another project I may never finish, this time a total conversion inspired by gothic horror, Ravenloft, Fallen London, some of squamous's conversions.
Lore:
Some time in mid-19th century a series of unexplained disappearanced occured all around Europe, Asia and Africa. What people didn't know is that the people who disappeared were transported to a completely different world - the Plane of Night
The Plane of Night is, as one might expect, not a natural place. It is a world where sun doesn't shine, unearthly beasts roam the countryside, people as well as animals become corrupted. Yet civilization seems to thrive, as sickly as it looks.
Races:
Humans - humans are a recent addition to the Plane, and as such have not yet been subjected to mutations caused by corruption. Being descended from european, asian and african abductees, these folk are diverse in appearance and mix aspects of many cultures.
Nocturne elves - people from yet another world, characterized by short stature and long, pointy ears. Their skin colors range from white to dark grey and their hair is white or light grey, possibly as a result of corruption. They are melancholic but kind-hearted, difficult to anger.
Wood elves - savage folks that live in misty forests, fiercely protecting nature, corrupted as it may be. These elves somehow reject corruption themselves along with civilization. They practice cannibalism, fight with bows and wooden spears, and shape gnarled branches of half-dead trees into everyday items. As a misguided mean of fighting the world itself, they kidnap other folks' children to raise in their culture.
Masked folk - barbaric humanoids resembling emaciated men in wooden masks covering their faces. They have dark grey or brown skin and black hair, and their masks are painted in various colors. They inhabit swamps and marshes, building towns guarded by giant crocodiles and other corrupted beasts. It is unknown whether the Masked Folk are heavily changed mundane people or manifestations of some kind. They are known to steal valuables and kidnap children.
Carnies - mostly jolly manifestations of various emotions. Diverse in appeearance but generally pig-like, they are created to fulfill various roles in their carnival-towns - greasy and obese vendors sell mystery meat to visitors; strangely-proportioned clowns juggle, tell jokes and create balloon animals; hunchbacked fortune-tellers cast curses and blessings. While unsettling, they are overly friendly and readily interact with civilized peoples.
Vampires - several strains of blood-sucking undead humans that distance themselves from their common relatives roaming the evil wildeeness. They are proud of their condition and never spread it by biting, instead they breed like the living thanks to unique qualities of noble strains, or houses, of vampirism. Haughty and over-the-top in their expression, they often monologue about matters of morality and the nature of man. The main strains include:
Tepes - resembling a human with pointed ears and elongated fangs they are the most noble of all noble strains, enjoying superhuman social skills and understanding of art and philosophy. Tepes vampires are associated with wolves and have abilities connected to those animals.
Bathory - inhumanly beautiful, eternally young beings that seem weak and delicate, but boast amazing strength. Their characteristic traits include cat-like eyes and thin, needle-like fangs. They drain youth along with blood, temporarily making their victim weak and frail.
Orlok- a noble house cursed with more bestial appearance - sharp incisors of a vampire bat, long bony fingers with sharp claws, bat-like ears and glowing yellow eyes. Despite the appearance they are as arrogant as any other noble vampires, and they distance themselves from the simillar Nosferatu strain.
Drakul - the most common of the noble vampires, closely related to house Tepes, resembling them in all aspects other than their special abilities. They are the commoners among nobility, but should not be underestimated by mortals.
Vampires reluctantly trade with the living as many of them detest the idea of manual labor.
Animals:
Mundane animals - creatures from Earth and the world of elves unchanged by the Plane's energies. Nocturnal animals such as bats and foxes seem to be more resistant to corruption and retain their original forms. Common throughout the whole world.
Corrupted animals - animals "adapted" to the Plane's unusual traits. They differ in appearance and often lifestyle of their uncorrupted ancestors, bot are not all inherently hostile. Indeed, some are still pets to humans and elves. Some of the most common ones are grimalkin - strangely intelligent black cats, and wolfhounds - fiercely loyal dogs resembling a strange combination of a wolf and a bloodhound. Wild corrupted animals are common in the whole world, but some of the more monstrous ones can be encountered in the most savage regions.
Manifestations - emotions and ideas given flesh. They may resemble regular animals in shape, but they often appear more monstrous. Mostly genderless, they spawn spontaneously from shadows, or are created by sorcerers with the right knowledge. They spawn in savage and evil lands, though some inhabit good areas as well, being created out of positive concepts.
Undead - corpses brought back to false life by the foul energies of the Plane of Night or vile necromancers. The living dead take many forms - incorporeal ghosts of many types, rotting corpses and skeletons, grotesque amalgamations of body parts, more or less degenerated vampires, even possessed objects. With some exceptions, the undead appear in evil regions.
Of course regular plants would not survive in a world illuminated only by the eternally full moon. Fortunately the world has its own flora, not bound by the rules of Earth. Grey grass covers the ground, leafless trees create haunted forests, strange crops grow in fields.
What I expect from this thread are some ideas regarding:
Races - two or three hostile races would be ideal, along with a kobold-like skulking races. I consider deep ones as a lovecraftian element, werewolves with a few strains similar to vampires, hags and warlocks, devils (though I don't see them as snatchers or thieves), skeleton pirates, goblins as skulkers.
Animals - I have only a rough idea right now, and I'd appreciate helping my imagination somewhat.
Secrets - necromancers specializing in various types of undead, sorcerers who manipulate emotions, beast masters, veemin and disease mages, all sorts of nasty types.
So, I'd like to hear your thoughts.
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Topic: Dwarf Fortress: Nocturne -ideas and stuff (Read 1326 times)