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[scrdest]

Except I said earlier than the world is indeed spherical, as proven by sailors, and that the "hemispherical world" view is flat-earth level conspiracy nut.

The lack of moon always had been canon, though there is like half a dozen sleeping giants orbiting the sun.

What about the Oblivion, then? Damn, we need a recap.

[kaian-a-coel]

The oblivion is located outside of the sphere, hence why the dwarves map the deeps, lest they dig too deep and fall into Oblivion.
I have some free time today, I'll try to make a recap up to this point. Posting will happens 7-8 hours from now, for technical reasons.

[Tack]

Some people still cling to the outdatted belief that the world is bowl-shapped and carried on the back of the creature, but are generally seen as nuts and fools, for the world is indeed spherical and would probably roll away if carried on the creature's back.

I stand corrected.
Apologies

Is difficult to check all posts accurately whilst away from the computer.

[kaian-a-coel]

Warning: massive notepad dump. May or may not sort out later.

Spoiler: ASHENPEARL/ASHWORLD/ASHEN BUBBLE (click to show/hide)

GEOGRAPHY

> World broken into multiple, tiny, volcanic islands.
> Sea of dense volcanic fog/ash
> Volcanoes now mostly dormant
> Orichalcum litters the underground. Extremely valuable.
Believed to have fallen from the sun. Mined by dwarves.
  -Souls of the dead sometimes become trapped within it.
Orichalcum grows when souls are added to it.
  -Often found near water springs, or former springs.
> There is a shallow watersea under the ashsea. This water
collect through the rocks and emerges as springs on land.
It then trickle back to the undersea.


WEATHER
> Very slow tides, used as a time measurment equivalent to a year.
> Venus-like atmosphere.
> Acid rain: very dangerous, much melting. Maggot men resist
it better than most.
> Once every tide the sky becomes clouded and darkness falls
on the world for a day.
  -Some believe it to be an ill omen, while other celebrate it.
  -This event is usually accompanied with widespread rain.
  -Some dwarves believe it is the best time to climb the spire,
for, while the rain makes it dangerous, the clouds block the
sunlight and lessen the heat that makes the last part of the
climb so difficult.
  -Unfortunately for them the night does not happen precisely at
the same time every year, unlike the tower climbing ritual.
They can coincidate once in a while though.
  -Wildlife behave oddly on that day. Purified groves suffer
and lessen in size, lava squids retreat further beneath the magma,
and large sea creatures come out to prey on the surface-dwellers.


ASTRONOMY

> Sun fixed in the sky
> Moon is a legend, believed to be a second sun.
> World is inside a hollow sphere
  -Once believed to be a bowl but since proved round
(foggy atmosphere prevented people from seeing the opposite side)
> Outside of the sphere is Oblivion, destroying everything that
enters it.
  -Being thrown into oblivion is the harshest punishment,
worse than death. Usually reserved to traitors after torture.
> Scholars study the Oblivion using sismographs, amongst other
things. They concluded that the Oblivion is in fact a substance,
coating the world, allowing souls in but nothing out. They theorize
that to refer to or remember something, some abstract
metaphysical thing must travel to it and back, and that the
oblivion block even this.
> The world do not revolve but jolt back and forth, causing
the tides.
> 15 spheres orbit the sun. They are sleeping forms of giants.


OBSIDIAN TOWER

> Located in the middle of the largest group of islands.
> Extends all the way to the sun
> Ritually climbed by dwarves every 50 tides
  -None return. Champions are believed to reach some kind of
promised land, free of the worldly constraints.
> unnaturally strong, resist all mortal tools.
> Rings hollow
  -Sounds are believed by dwarves to be their ascended heroes
battling.
> Every 200 tides, emit a great burst of energy, creating
manaroc gems and causing them and preexisting ones to glow
"with untapped power".
  -Manaroc weapons are at their most powerful then, meaning
that a tower burst is a time of war and destruction.
> Cracks appears every 3800 tides
  -Its fall is believed to doom all creation.
  -Wise men of all races are trying to stop it but none managed
to succeed. Mould put the most effort into it, but their hivemind
is a hindrance on their creativity and thus lessen their chances.
> Despite numerous cracks, only once fragment has ever fallen
from the spire. It is said to be held by the HDP.
> Tiny spires occasionally sprout from the land. They are fragile
and lack the supernatural resilience of the great tower.
Scholars from all races collect and study them in hope to
repair the great one.


SOULS OF THE DEAD
> Ashsea filled with the souls of the dead
> Drive the people living on the coast insane with siren songs.
> Are eaten by ashsea jellyfishes
> collect around elven ships to drag their murderer under the
waves when (s)he dies.
> On occasions they also dwell in the ash clouds, from which
they wail and cry at the living.
> The greatest and most daring skalds dive into the ashsea with
jelly-skin suits and branches from the Trees to collect stories
from the dead.
> Can become trapped in orichalcum, generating more orichalcum


BIOLOGY

> Intelligent lava/magma squids.
  -Tribal organisation.
> Non-intelligent ashsea jellyfish, apparented to lava squids.
Use heat-pouches to swim through the ash.
  -Graze on the souls of the dead for sustenance

  ASHSEA CREATURES
> All size of creatures, from fish-sized to giants.
> The oldest dwell within the Gretree. They know what was, what is,
and what will be. But they tell no-one of it.
> One of them feed off the souls of the dead.

  THE DRAGON
>There was once a dragon. He knew what was, what is, and what will
be. The Half Dwarf Pirate wanted to know, but he refused to tell.
The HDP slain it, and made his mast from its spine.

  BLOOD CREATURES
> On an island far from everything, sleep 12 creatures made of
blood, except from their teeth. It is said that they will one day
wake up and fly into the sun to burn. It will then rain blood and
teeth, and from these teeth, Gretrees will grow.

  CARNIVOROUS TREES
> Near-sapient trees, create purified atmospheres in groves,
carnivorous.
> Antagonized by mould for eating them.
> No other plant grows in these groves, because the
trees block the light.
> Can't eat maggot men, who are safe from them.
  -This led to an odd, informal alliance between them, or at
least a truce.
> Offspring of the Gretree, growing from its roots.


  GRETREES
> Grow from the teeth of the blood creatures. Only one exist so
far.
> It is immense, its roots digging deep below the Undersea and its
canopy rising high above the waves of the ashsea.
> Many ashsea creatures dwell inside it.
> Its roots spread far, tiny tendrils all over the world, linking
all the carnivorous trees to it.


RELIGION

> Giant ashsea creatures worshipped as gods on outer islands.
> Rumours of titanic creatures below the lava, belief that
the world is located on its back, and bowl-shaped.
  -There existed a religion dedicated to nullifying this threat
  -Modified when dwarven expeditions reached below the
magma seas, and elves proven the world to be round.
> Dwarven religion believe in physically reaching the sun to
achieve paradise.
> Dead are commonly disposed of by throwing them into the ashsea.
> Some believe that the dead may find their way through the depth
of the ashsea, to the undersea, and follow the water to be reborn.
  -Only the mightiest, smartest, luckiest souls can dodge the
many dangers of the journey. Yolajj, father of the HDP, is one
of the few to be reborn.
> It is believed that a giant leaf fallen from the Gretree is
floating on the Ashsea, drifting on currents. It is said that on
it is a great pearl, guarded by the Aphrodids, great spear-wielding
aphids. The souls of the dead renew the leaf so that it may fulfill
its purpose.

     CREATION
> A very ancient myth believe that the world was created by the
mortals, to escape another. The story is unclear as what race did
it, for what reason (was it to escape a dying world from the start,
or was it repurposed at some point?), and whether the world was
normal at first and slowly deteriorated, or was flawed from the
start and the best they could do on such short notice.


     END OF THE WORLD
> Common belief is that if the OS was to fall, all creation
would fall into oblivion.
  -Dwarves believe that blood sacrifices can delay this.
> The day when the Elven King and the Half Dwarf Pirate fight for
the last time and sink each other is said to herald the end of
times.
  -So far the two ships clashed several times but never actually
seriously damaged each other.
> Some Apocalyptic cult describes in great detail the end
of the world through great storms, acid rain much more potent than
usual, the destruction of the darven race and land to show that
even the most sturdy won't survive, and of course the shattering
of the great Obsidian Spire.
> Another one is more hopeful and believe that the godly ashsea
creatures will rise and carry the mortals away from the dying
world on their back, shielded from oblivion by the souls of their
ancestors. The Orbiters will wake, take a piece of the failing sun
and follow them. The ashsea gods will turn their bodies into new
planets for their followers, while the Orbiters will become suns
and moons for them.
  -A variant claims that the ashsea gods will instead swallow
some members of a mortal race, carry them through oblivion
in its gut, and defecate them once it reaches a new world.
> Yet another believe that the Obsidian Spire is the cage holding
Nimhogg, the greatest ashsea creature to ever exist. The cracks
are said to be him trying to escape. When he finally does, he
will eat the sun. The Orbiters will then wake and battle him,
tearing the sun from his stomach. They will slay him and use his
body to rebuild the world, bones will become islands, blood will
become ashsea, spine will become Obsidian Spire, and his eyes will
be locked inside it, until he regenerates and the cycle start anew.
> Others yet claim that the world will turn around inside out,
that the sun will wither into a moon and the old moon be reborn
into the new sun.
> Another myth mention 17 heroes arising, 16 falling and the last,
a flying magma squid, succeeding in halting the Spire's decay.
> Another believe that the world is an egg, but disagrees on
whether it will hatch or if it has festered beyond hope.
> The maggot men believe that the soul-eating ashsea serpent will
rise from the abyss and desolate the lands of the maggot men with
his toxic breath. He is said to hate the maggot men, because they
are allies of the Trees, and he was trapped below a Gretree in a
far-off past. He devoured its roots, killing it and turning its
remnants into the modern islands. It is said that he will be slain
by a maggot-man warrior jumping into his maw and piercing his
heart, freeing the devoured souls by his sacrifice.


TECHNOLOGY

> Boats float on the ashsea using purified air collected from
the carnivorous groves or ashsea jellyfish heat pouches.
>Some think the elven boats are powered by the souls of the dead,
but anyone knowing the truth about the relation between the
elves and their ghost swarm (the ghosts follow the elves to
avenge their death at the first occasion) dismiss this theory.



CIVILIZATION

> Inner/outer islands defined by their proximity with the
Obsidian Tower.

  MAGGOT MENS

> Ruled by a single Lord
> More resilient to the perils of the overworld, so they become
great travelers.
  -Result in numerous merchants and couriers amongst them.
(and other travelling professions)
> Not edible, so they camp within the carnivorous tree groves
where they are safe.
> Hide their valuables and camps in the forests.

  MOULD

> Second to none in large-scale building.
  -Some dwarves believe they built the Obsidian Spire.
> No central organization.
> Breathtaking monuments and structures.
> Must wear hermetic suits as protection outside of their cities.
  -Allows them to safely travel, although temporarily.
> Pregnancy of two tides, reproduction slow.
> Technologically advanced
  -Lack ressources, slowing their advance.
> Because of the hive-mind, all of them are capable and fierce
warriors, despite the lack of equipment.
> Believed to be the creator of the Art of the Saga and taught the
first Skalds. Some believe it is natural to them, others that they
learned to sing from the sounds of the ashsea tides.

  DWARVES

> Fractured into multiple feudal states.
> Known for craftmanship and handywork.
> Craft Manaroc-powered weapons. Effect depends on the holder.

     SPIRALIANS

> Ritually climb the Obsidian Spire every 50 tides.

> Blood sacrifices of elves and dwarves.
  -Blood of cheesemakers and soapers is considered less valuable,
results in a excess of those professions.

     CAVIANS

> Miners. Explorative expedition mapping the thickness of the
shell to avoid accidentally falling into oblivion.
> Expeditions to find orichalcum.
> Explorers believe in enlightenment through worldmapping.
They spend most of their time underground.


  ELVES

     PURE ELVES
> Peaceful elves living on the east of dwarven lands.
  -Sacrificed by dwarves to the OS.
> Democratic city-states, confederation to deal with dwarven raids.
> Fascinated by the Trees, venerate them and offer themselves
in sacrifice to their carnivorous masters.
> Drove away the maggot-men from their isle

     ASH ELVES
> Main race of elves.
> Sail on bone ships.
> Hunt and eat ash creatures
> Raid coastal villages for slaves.
> Those who arent enslaved are thrown into the ashsea.
> Slaves are locked into massive stone lighthouses used
for navigation. Long term occupants slowly become insane.
  -Surviving the exposure grants physical changes and a bond with
the dead and the ashsea. Valid for sailors as well.
> Maggot men used to clean the flesh from their bone-ships.
> As they die, the ash elves are dragged to the bottom of the
ashsea by the ghosts of their victims.
  -Said ghosts swarm around their killer's ship like vengeful
dolphins.
  -A ship's prestige is proportionnal to the size of the ghost
swarm following it.
  -A big enough swarm can cloak the ship like fog.

          ELVEN KING
> Very, very old.
> Elven King has a ship made from the bones of a great immortal
creature, constantly regenerating. Maggot men consider it as
some sort of paradise.
> Has his throne on his ship.
> The King's ghost swarm is absolutely huge, akin to a massive
fog bank able to cloak entire fleets.
> Antagonist of the Half Dwarf Pirate.

          HALF DWARF PIRATE
> Half dwarf/half elf. Ride with a crew of hybrid pariahs on a
legendary ship made of ancient ash monsters bones and sails
of flayed skin.
> The mast is made from the spine of The Dragon.
> All armed with manaroc-powered weapons.
> Hold the only piece of the OS that has fallen to date
> Raid towns and kill everyone
> Used as a common boogeyman, children are told they'll join
his crew if they're naughty.
> Said to be the son of the dwarven Skald Yolajj and the Elven King
own granddaughter.
> Antagonist of the Elven King

[aattss]

Of course, Orichulum can has various levels of "quality" depending on the souls contained. Prolonged exposure to high-grade orichulum by weaker-willed or un-adapted sentenient beings will eventually result in said being merging with the orichulum and becoming a monster seeking only to destroy. However, stories say that if the orichulum contains pure souls and is wielded by one with pure intentions, the resulting creature will be pure as well.

It should be noted that, as the above is common knowledge and high-grade orichulum is rather rare, this is not a common phenomenom. Most of the time, the only result is an increased chance of Alzheimer's disease or hearing impairment.

[highmax28]

((Note that I said the Elven KING would be dragged under, not all elves are pulled in by the dead. I see the dead souls as rather dormant until things start to go to hell))

[Furtuka]

((Has anything been said yet on an sort of magic system or how much it's used?))

[aattss]

((Has anything been said yet on an sort of magic system or how much it's used?))

((There was a post about how different people could use a weapon with different magical effects. Other than that, not really. Do whatever you want, as long as you're careful about trying to tell everyone else that everything magical has to follow a certain system.))

[Furtuka]

((Yay!))

Of course, Orichulum can has various levels of "quality" depending on the souls contained. Prolonged exposure to high-grade orichulum by weaker-willed or un-adapted sentenient beings will eventually result in said being merging with the orichulum and becoming a monster seeking only to destroy. However, stories say that if the orichulum contains pure souls and is wielded by one with pure intentions, the resulting creature will be pure as well.

It should be noted that, as the above is common knowledge and high-grade orichulum is rather rare, this is not a common phenomenom. Most of the time, the only result is an increased chance of Alzheimer's disease or hearing impairment.

Through careful studying of this process, some wizards have discovered how to use high-grade orichalcum to create entirely new creatures from raw material. These creatures bodies and minds will reflect the souls that were stored in the orichalcum used to create them, and are much more controllable than the ones created as a result of fusion.

[highmax28]

There was once a wizard who attempted to harness the souls of the dead using a miscolored, and very powerful orichalcum. However, the power drove him to madness, and he created a creature out of his own flesh and bone, that stalked the skies for many years, flying on wings formed of his own flayed skin. Though he controlled himself, he was known to be unpredictable. One day burn a village, another, rape a woman; whatever he did, he got away with it for all fled before his grotesque look. He did battle with many heroes, whom he fell. In the days of the Half-Breed's youth, he fought the abomination, and though the half breed lost, he made it out alive, wounding the monster by stabbing him in under the ribcage to the right. A never healing mark appeared there since then, but the monster was hardly seen after that. Some say the monster was taken in by the elven king as a pact of vengeance against the half-breed. Others say the beast stalks the night only, where he is a creature of the night. And the maddest claim to have seen him, finally at full magic mastery where he can alter his flesh and bone to look normal for a time. All know the flesh demon by the name Karcufh, flesh beast.

[WillowLuman]

((Yay!))

Of course, Orichulum can has various levels of "quality" depending on the souls contained. Prolonged exposure to high-grade orichulum by weaker-willed or un-adapted sentenient beings will eventually result in said being merging with the orichulum and becoming a monster seeking only to destroy. However, stories say that if the orichulum contains pure souls and is wielded by one with pure intentions, the resulting creature will be pure as well.

It should be noted that, as the above is common knowledge and high-grade orichulum is rather rare, this is not a common phenomenom. Most of the time, the only result is an increased chance of Alzheimer's disease or hearing impairment.

Through careful studying of this process, some wizards have discovered how to use high-grade orichalcum to create entirely new creatures from raw material. These creatures bodies and minds will reflect the souls that were stored in the orichalcum used to create them, and are much more controllable than the ones created as a result of fusion.

The process is taken by believers as an "Imperfect Rebirth," and they believe that true rebirth will follow once the construct has worn out and collapsed.

(Fridge logic: since only the strong souls make it to the underground, doesn't that set a minimum quality of Orichalcum?)

Some believe that the outward force of the Sun would push the world apart in an infinite explosion if it were not for the veins of Orichalcum criss-crossing the rocky shell, and the roots of the Gretree.

[bsnott]

I might write a few chapters of a novel using this setting. If I like writing about it, and you guys like it, I'll make it a full thing.

[bsnott]

Spoiler: The first chapter of an unnamed novel (click to show/hide)

Chapter 1

Selko eyed the great beast from behind his cover. A large animal of white fur, thrice the size of Selko himself. In height it was about as tall as Selko, but the creature was on all fours, not standing tall. The animal's mouth was just a gaping hole with teeth going around on the inside. It's eyes were two cloudy, black circles above it's mouth. Armed only with a hunting spear and protected only by a thin environmental protection suit, Selko charged the beast. Moulds were known for their confidence and courage, after all.

The beast didn't notice the small pest attempting to end it's life until Selko had taken a stab. The beast leapt up from it's rest with grace, circling around Selko. It's eyes asked, 'Why have you come here to die?' Selko gave no answer, and leapt into action. He jumped at the beast, attempting to skewer it between the eyes. The beast lazily dodged, but the laziness was his folly. The strike landed at the backside of the animal, and it shrieked in pain. It turned to stare at Selko, but was met with another strike, this time finding it's mark.

Selko retrieved his spear from the beast's brain, and strapped it to himself. He pulled out a knife, and gutted the great beast. This animal had expected Selko to be an easy target, but the Moulds were not a people take death easily. Netting the corpse up, he dragged it back onto the highway. This astounding feat of infrastructure was something to be revered, and the Moulds were those to take the credit. What the Mouldish peoples were known for was building great feats of architecture. The palaces fit for gods, the cities able to comfortably hold the universe's population five times over. Many an animal liked to stray upon the highway, to be put down by patrols.

On the way back to Alakria, Selko's city, he came across a band of Dwarves. They were a part of the Kingdom of Melikr, a nearby island controlled by the Dwarves. Generally, Moulds and Dwarves disliked eachother. Apart from the Ash Sea, nothing kept the city-state of Alakria and the petty Kingdom of Melikr from going to total war, finally settling an ancient rivalry between the two peoples. These two nations were equally great in strength, the two strongest peoples within a week's worth of travel. Luckily, however, the ash sea did exist. No border disputes between the nations meant that there was no way to justify war, so they had to compete in some other way. Trade agreements were settled, and the two nations fought with a vigor to prove who was the wealthiest, be it through golden statues, gemstone armors, or beautiful architecture. Of course, the Alakrians had the upper hand, so Selko walked chin-up past the Dwarves with pride.

At the bridge into the Alakrian island, there was a force of twenty or more fully armed and armored Moulds standing guard. No force would penetrate into the city, for these were the elite of the Alakrians. The most disciplined and skilled soldiers of the million Moulds on the island, there were only one hundred of these elites. Called the Entrance Guards, these men defended the five bridges onto Alakria island. "A nice trophy you have there, hunter. You are permitted to pass." one of them spoke to Selko as he passed by. He thanked them for their service and walked onto the island.

Walking through the various farming communities surrounding the central city, he waved to the peasants that worked the fields, growing Mouldish mushrooms and berries. Without these people standing as the backbone of the city-state, the civilization would collapse. The fact that the Moulds survived without any form of government at all was the real amazement. Somehow, they had pulled it off. No one Mould made the decisions, apart from diplomatic and wartime decisions, which were made by militaristic leaders.

By this time Selko had arrived at the great City of Alakria. It had only seven buildings. Four were residential, rising far up into the clouds. They were constructed of the materials from the dormant volcano on the island. The rock was called obsidian, the same material that made the great obsidian spire at the center of the world, which the dwarves liked to climb to the top of. These residential buildings never swayed, and those who lived above the clouds were at the highest of societies. One of the other buildings was the place of medicine, where citizens would go to fix their injuries. Of the remaining two, one was the research center. All things relevant to technology were studied in this place, so that the civilization could advance. The final, and most grand building of them all, was a statue. The top of the statue touched the clouds. What it represented was the great founder of Alakria, name unknown. His history was entirely unknown, but the statue had been made when the city was founded. These structures circled around a huge smooth stone square, where the marketplace was located.

Selko walked into the marketplace, located the food stand that he worked for, and waved to the vendor. The vendor was also his best friend, by the name of Aireek. "Selko, that is quite the beast that you have slain!" Aireek exclaimed to Selko as he approached the stand.

"It is, for sure." Selko replied. He placed the beast in a wooden crate next to the stand. "Would you mind butchering it? I've had quite a hunt today." Selko asked.

"Sure, I'll see you tomorrow Selko!" Aireek shouted over the chatter of the marketplace as Selko walked away. Selko waved over his shoulder as he walked home. Inside residential building three, his building, he took one of the four cable-lifts to the seven-hundred and fifty-fourth level of the building. Inside his room he saw the daily scene, a bed, food storage, dining table, and a bathroom. Luckily he had a window room, so he down at a chair at the dining table and watched the sun stay in it's fixed position as he finished his meal and went to sleep.

[WillowLuman]

It seems weird that the Mould would speak to each other, or have separate nations, since they all share a hive-mind. Since they can hardly be individuals, a Mould might not make the best POV character, at least not for traditional characterization. And I don't know why they'd hate the dwarves so much, they seem pretty similar in values.

[Furtuka]

In writing terms, I think it could be better if there was more on what Selko was thinking if he's suppose to be the point of view character. Exposit a bit more so we know him and the things he encounters better?