Deity: Traemim Thiagryn, aka "The Founder", aka "Madman Trae"
Civ Name: The Expletus Artificer Guilds
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aTraemim Thiagryn was once but a simple mortal, albeit one with mad ambitions. A no-name craftsman in the capital city of one simple nation in one of the innumerable worlds of the multiverse, he didnt seem like one to reach greatness. He was a varied worker, jack of all trades but master of none, dabbling in a wide range of crafts from blacksmithing to clock-making.
But through a fluke of fate, some kind of otherworldly inspiration, and his determination and perfectionism, Traemim discovered some interesting properties in certain materials and arrangements of these materials. Magical properties, even. This led to him being intrigued with the arcane, seeking help and counseling from renowned mages, most of whom didnt understand exactly what he had discovered, and all of whom laughed at his face, for in that world, mages considered magic to be an art of pure willpower and concentration, not something to be found in mere metals and alloys.
Never the one to give up, Traemim formed his own shop specialized in these new magical wares. Soon, he was the leader of a guild joining diverse people, ranging from alchemists to weapon-smiths, all of whom believed this new form of arcane craft was the way of the future. Thus, the Expletus Guild of Artificers was formed.
The Guild soon swept the land with its knowledge and wares. It controlled immense economical and political power among all nations of the world. But Traemim was still far from satisfied. Instead of spending the rest of his days living the luxurious and power-filled life he now could reach, he maintained his perfectionist views and continued his research into the arcane. This research gradually turned him mad, and he was not the most sane of people to start with. Isolating himself for months on end, he worked on what all his guildmates, and all the people of the world, could only speculate about.
One stormy night, a mad cackle was heard from his quarters. The cackle rang out sonorously throughout the huge city for half an hour, before finally a blinding flash of light illuminated the sky for a few moments and the cackling stopped. Traemim had dissapeared completely.
Since then, the Guild he had founded have all but forgotten him, only remembering him as the 'Great Founder', or as 'Madman Trae', as the older members of the guild still refer to him. Unbeknown to them, Traemim Thiagryn had managed to transcend the boundaries of mortality and ascend to godhood. None worship him himself, but his Guild continues his works avidly, as he continues his own search for the ultimate truth and perfection, keeping a vigilant eye on the Guild to see what he could reap from their fruits.
As other gods might see him now, Traemim Thiagryn looks like an old, withered man, wearing a refined but dirty robe, his eyes burning with mad inspiration and his face constantly locked into a large grin, showing his crooked yellowing teeth.
The Expletus Artificer Guilds is infact now the name of a growing civilization of humans, ruled and controlled by the Guilds as the name suggests. Since Traemim Thiagryn's time (a few centuries ago), the Guild had faced many problems in their original world that led to wars that tore the world apart. They have seeked refuge in this new world, passing through a large gateway they managed to activate in the dying days of their world.
The "s" in the name is intentional, for the Guilds are now plural. The main Guild has, through the centuries, slowly divided into many smaller guilds, each following its own arcane, crafting, and ruling philosophies, and only loosely unified under the Expletus Council, formed mostly of the original guild's co-founders (who, through magical means, are still alive after all these centuries). The governing of the civilization follows the Guilds' pattern, with each guild controlling a small part of the civilization, with many struggles often erupting between the different branches.
The Artificer Guilds rely indeed quite heavely on magic, using it to fuel their various technologies, ranging from golems to airships. The main difference between more 'traditional' mages and the Artificers, is that the first believe true magic is the work of willpower, intense contemplation, and natural ability, while the second believe that this 'natural' magic is very limited and pales compared to what magic can truly achieve. It could be said that they use 'science' to approach magic, using different materials' various magical properties, intricate machinery, runes, and arrangements, as well as constant research and experimentation, to access and control magic. Mages who rely on willpower and natural abilities still exist, but they are rare, and even they use the artificer's technology to greatly improve their abilities (infact, such natural magics combined with artificial technology leads to these mages commonly being the most powerful and highest ranking individuals in the guilds.)
Individuals belonging to one of the Guilds are simply called Artificers and occupy the 'noble' and 'aristocratic' level of society, far above the common laborers and just below the 'rulers' (The Expletus Council and the leaders of the various guilds).
The differences between common craftsmen and Artificers might not seem obvious at first, but they are infact quite seperate: A common smith would do what normal smiths do in most any other human civilization: Forge normal tools, weapons, armor, etc, from normal materials such as iron or bronze, using normal means and techniques. On the other hand, an Artificer Smith would do all that but on a much more refined and arcane level, forging tools with rare and refined inherently magical materials, engraving runes into these creations, and using secret techniques handed down from master to pupil since the founding of the guilds. As such, the commoners and Artificers might be compared to a common field medic and a respected doctor: They both do basically the same thing, which is taking care of people's health, but the second does it on a much more refined and advanced level.
The Guilds arent really a war-loving race. They prefer to remain aside, happy to engage in their own research and political struggles, far from other races' political and war problems. Though they love opportunities to test their inventions, many of which are inherently made for war, they prefer to not randomly declare war on other civilization, if only because they themselves are cowards and hate the possibility of losing in any way possible.
The types of Artificers are quite varied indeed, and so are the ways their abilities and technologies are put into action. And now, with the new world's endless possibilities, the only limit to these various types and technologies is their imagination.
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Topic: Battle of the Gods - Source OOC Thread (Read 7011 times)