Kulmorost Divided
 This article is awesome. Do not fuck it up. |
The following is a product of many great minds working together on a /tg/ thread started by an anon'. It was produced across several days of hard labour (the thread is rumoured to be still going to this very day)
The product was a harmonic and absolutely fantastic Grimbright high fantasy setting... Anon wanted to create world were humans lack magic and are driven into northern wastes. And now we have that AND nazi-dwarves, elves which will turn you into a flowerpot for wearing socks with sandals, orcs are being too damn nice and Halflings who behave themselves like typical rednecks in Middle US - either getting drunk and high on everything or making bunkers and filling them with guns.
Oh, and also magic works only though leather and bones of sentient beings, you can cannibal someone for greater magical power at price of making you a drooling comatose vegetable and fucking scaled-feathered necromancers wanna murderrape elves.
This is Kulmorost Divided.
Links to the archived threads
Sinister magic
Magic in Kulmorost can only be conducted through organic material, such as flesh and bone. All artifacts and magical devices are built from once living (or in some horrible cases, still living) creatures (although plants can be substituted in some cases).
While common animal bones are suitable for minor magical items -temporary light sources, directional tools, one-use 'ammunition- nobody has ever managed to make a powerful magical item with anything other than the body parts of a thinking being. This creates some demand for corpses in areas with numerous enchanters of skill.
Magic uses a caster's life force to manipulate the world around them. Casting spells causes physical and mental exhaustion, and casting too much causes potentially terminal conditions, such as heart attacks, aneurysms, and lung collapses.
It is possible to gain greater magical powers by consuming the flesh and souls of other sentient magically adept beings, the cost of one's mental stability and health. At it's peak someone who does that will become a trembling husk barely able to stand but capable of summoning city-destroying magics.
If magic is used to fortify ones physical attributes in an attempt to counter-act these negative effects (creating a magical oxymoron: use magic to prevent the drawbacks of overusing magic) it causes a condition known as Arcane Hemorrhaging, this causes a caster's magical essence to leak out, deforming the caster and weakening their magical ability. This also tends to create a magic dependency, making a person want to gain more power to make up for the leakage of essence, although this always makes things far worse for them. If the condition is allowed to advance, it can lead to the complete loss of magical ability as well as any bodily enhancements. But at least don't suffer the usual negative effects of casting magic, and never will again.
Although it is less common as it requires more skill, trees and plant can also be used and manipulated for magic as is common in the Elven principalities. These magics are generally centered around agriculture and extending ones life (although attempting to become immortal is strictly forbidden). Prolonged exposure to this kind of magic can cause someone to begin to resemble the kind of plant that gave them their long life (usually a tree). This transformation comes in the form of leaves and root sprouting from the appendages as well as the hardening of skin and the dampening of the senses (poorer hearing, sight etc.). This can reach such an extreme that they become something known as and Elder Tree (which is literally an elder who has become a tree)
Metals in turn are not seen as worthy materials, and only used for common tools among the magical races. One exception is Silver. It is notable and reviled by mages for its anti-magic qualities. The more pure the Silver, the more potent the effect. Alloy with traces of Silver irritates magical flesh, pure Silver outright burns it, and Silver reduces and deadens offensive magic. Silver weapons, armor, and jewelry are highly prized among Humans and Beastmen, and are considered contraband among the magical races.
History
Creation Myths
Draconic Creation Myth
The Perfect Dragons and the Writhing Void
Old legends say that When the world was yet unformed and the powers of chaos lay still in the sky, the earth was a infertile plain of stone which was watched over by two supreme beings, one of stone and flame and one of gemstone and ice.
These two supreme beings sat at either side of eternity, watching the world and loving it for it was perfect. But in perfection there is balance and balance cannot be kept while chaos exists. One side: the earth, perfect and flat. The other side: the sky, imperfect, ever-changing and writhing.
The two dragons sat for an eternity, but eternity is too short a time to achieve perfection. And so out of the sky came an imperfect wyrm into the perfect plain. This wyrm was the embodiment of change, now introduced into the world. This angered one of the dragons, but not the other. For they were opposites as the land and sky.
The angered dragon of ice and gemstone was named Acrynahl. Justice was swift upon the wyrm as Acrynahl smote it with a talon and swallowed it. But somehow Acrynahl's rage was not sated and so set upon the land. The wrath of Acrynahl disrupted the plain with storms of ice, tearing it apart, creating canyons and mountains in its wake. At the other end of eternity Xylthios saw Acrynahl's rage upon the land and was mourned. Xylthios then gathered all power that was available, and became great, dark and terrible to behold.
When Acrynahl and Xylthios met at the center of eternity, they collided with such a terrible force that the world was cracked from every corner, tearing the world out of eternity and making it finite. Their battle wreathed the land in flame and ice, and then in water and soot. Until finally Acrynahl was defeated, which could not have happened if the Void wyrm had not weakened his will. Acrynahl's body fell to the earth and shattered into countless pieces and from those pieces in aeons to come would hail the first peoples of the world. Xylthios then roared up into the sky at the void in rage and sadness. Seeking to destroy the void.
But the writhing void retreated and went behind the world, as did Xylthios chase it. And this pursuit has not ceased to this day. While in the day Xylthios is visible, great burning and full of hatred for the void. And at night the writhing void, littered with the wounds that Xylthios had inflicted upon it which burn through with terrible contempt.
Myth of the origin of the Magic and the Magical Races
One of the most ancient tales (now often speculated to be fabrication) states that a millenia after death of Acrynahl and the start of Civilisation, a Trade was made between one wife of a fisher and a Merchant of the Mists. She wanted her man to be with her more often, as she missed him on his long fishing trips.
The Merchant gave her power to do just that: She suddenly had the power to Command her husband to do whatever she wanted. Yet the now mentally-slaved husband was not what the wife had wanted and she commanded the husband to kill them both.
Usually the tale is used to warn about strange merchants and the usage of mind-controlling magic, but it some (mostly older) versions of the tale also mention that every single one of the current magic using races is direct offspring of the wife.
Tales do not agree on what was the Cost to the Trade as it depends between cultures and variations.
Dwarven Creation Myth
As presented in the orthodox Cult of the Maker to the believers by the priests.
GENESIS
At the First Beginning was and yet wasn't, the Architect. Then the Architect was. His sole Presence turned The Void That Never Was And Cannot Ever Be into the Primordial, Unformed and Chaotic Matter. The Perfect Architect saw potential in this Imperfect Cosmos. Unlike His pure Essence, the Matter was made of two muddled Substances, a higher one and a lesser one. The Architect conceived a Perfect Model of the World to Come and His First Action was to separate the two Substances from each other. His Second Action was to create the Maker from His Essence in a guise made of the higher Substance and to place him in the Higher Region of the World.
SUBGENESIS
At the Second Beginning, born and yet unborn was the Maker. Then born was the Maker. His Vision revealed the Lower Region of the World. The Architect instructed him with the Plan of the World to Come, and promised he will be able to join Him as a reward once his work is done and the World is made Perfect. And the Maker began his work. He shaped the Higher then the Lower Region to the exact specifications of the Architect, yet the World was still imperfect. The Maker felt frustation and anger, but the Architect calmed him down before he wrecked the Cosmos in his rage, and explained to him why the World still wasn't perfect. Souls like the ones of the Lower Region had to be created, but made like the Maker of the Essence of the Architect itself, and had to achieve the World by fructifiate and create civilization within it, guided by the Maker. The Third Action was to create these souls made of His Own Essence and make them reincarnate in the Lower Region until their task is done. Then the World will be purged of all imperfections and these souls will ascend with the Maker to the Realm of the Architect, for all of the two Substances and the Essence will be in its right place. These souls are those of the Dwarves, and so we will be reincarnated in this World until our task is done. The Imperfection is the cause of everything bad in this World : Evil, diseases, hunger, natural disasters, weakness in both mind and body,ect.. We must endure all of these sorrows because once our work here is finished, this World will be perfect and we will get our reward in the Realm of the Architect.
The Goblin Cataclysm
The Southern Wastes as they are called now where not always so, before the rise of the orcs and the great feuds between the races. The goblins, as easily forgotten and powerless as they are now called this land theirs. Some say they were punished by their gods for the misuse of magic, that they tried to give life to that which is not meant to have it and for that they were struck down Few know that they succeeded. The great mages gathered where mountain met the sea, bringing forth sacrifices of beast and men and goblin, dragon and the great beasts of the sky, they used their magics to pull behemoths from the waves. For weeks they spilled the blood onto the earth, weaving great incantations as they did pouring the very essence of their race into this spell And at last the Black Earth rose. The Goblins had made God. A god of stone and molten rock pulled itself from the earth, a mountain bent to the will of these mighty spell weavers. No one knows why it fell, and the names of all who brought it fourth have been cursed and taken from the tales.
The Black Dunes are where the beast fell and the Godless Bay between the Eleven lands and the Southern Peninsula is where the great beast was made and raised from.
The Haumic Exodus
Humanity used to be a fragmented number of Kingdoms and Republics. In truth not too dissimilar to the Dwarven Lords or the Elven Princes but without any supposed loyalty to an overlord King. In part, this lead to the Exodus with no human Lord or King able to command their armies in totality which lead to a fractured defense.
The reasons why the Elves and Dwarves united and drove the Humans north are not known for sure. The fear that the warlike Humans would eventually reach and surpass the magical ability of the other Races, whether true or not, is often cited as one reason, as is that Elves, Dwarves and Humans were in competition for good lands after the Goblin Cataclysm had destroyed their old lands.
Anyway, the fractured humans lacked the magical powers of their opposition and were forced to flee to Northern Wastes trough the Troll Tribes. Upon reaching the North, they build the the Valkery Cathedral to house their knowledge and separated (once more) to various tribes.
The Geopolitical World
The continent of Kulmorost is the main stage for the setting. It is a land of magic, beasts, civilizations at the height of their economy and brutish war tribes seeking only for bloodshed. The world is not unlike earth in the majority of climate, flora, and fauna (with exceptions) and is divided into many different factions.
With a quick glance, the species of Kulmorost are rather fantasy-standard yet with refreshing differences. However if one begins to dig deeper, however, there will be interesting secrets found...
Humans
The Humans (also called Haumics) are mostly non-magic using scum who were driven to the cold Northern Wastes in the War of Human Exodus long time ago in the ancient times. In modern times, they hover on the brink of extinction, living in barbaric xenophobic nomad/barbarian tribes with a messiah-figure in the form of a conqueror who will unite their tribes. They are barely eking out an existence in the frigid, unforgiving wastes.
Most form various kinds of primitive tribes. One particular interest is those tribes who herd Wooly rhinos. Wooly Rhinos reproduce slowly, and consume massive amounts of food, making them extremely valuable in Human society. Only a few Human nomad tribes and townships near the coasts and the Troll lands have access to these magnificent beasts, and due to the advantages they bring, they will not part with their monopoly anytime soon.
The rest of the Humans make do with walking, and they are infamous among other races for their ability to march nonstop for days, even without magical assistance, if need be.
The are a couple cities which occupy themselves in other "trades" like piracy and raiding. Examples of these cities are the
They still resent the more magically gifted races for what their ancestors did, and many tribes raid southern civilizations to supplement their hunting and gathering during the cold season. Despite their magical inability, Humans are still extremely good at killing things, and many of the more civilized races fear that eventually an ambitious Human chieftain will arise and unite all tribes under one banner, forming an unstoppable horde.
Some tribes of human have great affinity for working metal. They use it to create monstrous masked suits of armour, crafted to resemble the dead (usually shapen to the likeness of a relative's skull). The sight of these warriors strikes fear into the hearts of most civilized creatures. And very few live to tell of these abominable Iron Revenants.
"Clad in all that ghastly metal. Why would the living strive to become like the dead? Surely that cold iron freezes their hearts as well." -The Shades of the North, a study by Yulyn, Elvish Scholar.
It is impossible for Humans to reproduce with Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, or Goblins. Of course, this doesn't stop them from trying. The few who have laid with Humans know that the rumors of their almost supernatural endurance are not exaggerated.
Curiously, some legends state that the Magical Races are offspring of humans. While other legends say the magical races were created by an entirely different being.
Human Religion
Humans mostly practice ancestor worship and believe bones are sacred except for the ones who use bones for everything out of spite. Some believe in the winged goddess Valkery, mother of all humans. Upon their death she pulls out soul from the bones and leads them to paradise. Though should their bones be disturbed she won't be able to pull soul out, that's why they are so protective of the bones. It is also believed if you reclaim (or die trying) bones of the disturbed your sins will be forgiven.
This leads to many criminals and alike to atone for their sins and go south with raiding party in one or several men crusade.
Also there is many kinds of myths about the One who will unite the tribes and lead them back to south. Fortunately for the rest of races, this has not happened yet.
Elves
Peaceful farmers and winemakers with rapidly changing culture and fashions. The numerous Elvish Principalities have been allies with Dwarves since the War of Human Exodus.
Elves often participate in magical rites at important points in their life that involves the manipulation of their own life causing them to live for centuries. Particular old elves deviate from the normal body shape significantly; their flesh twisted to extend their lives beyond which nature ordained. Still usually quite pleasant chaps though.
The de-facto unofficial capital of the Principalities is UR, also know to elves as "Place of Negotiations" "City of Deals" and a "Good place to buy a fine cheese". It is a relatively new, but already one of the biggest city in all Principalities. It began his history as a main camp in a Human Exodus War, where Dwarves and Elves met first, then it became a fort, and lastly a city. It's not sporting a rich and ancient histories as other big Elven cities, but it's trading center of all Principalities, holding a claim being an unofficial capital of all Elves cities. Ur is famous for its magic markets, where you can buy all kinda of items, from mundane to rare.In less reputable parts of UR you can stumble to a slaves and a "cattle" markets, where mages can buy a material for an enchantments and a cheap labour. Those markets sells all kinds of "cattle" - from disgraced Dwarf to a rare Humans or even a Lesian (they are poor workforce, but their nerve and blood system are good magic conductors)
They might have been the members of the goblin race of old times, yet current era elves will not tolerate such insults.
Elvish Religion
Elvish religion is based around the concept that their own Society is in fact their creator spirit, and by making their cities and towns and roads are in fact "recreating" the body of their god. This is one of the reasons they treat their criminals so harshly as not only is the offender a criminal, but a heretic against their god.
Worship of this god comes in the from of civic duty, doing your job and doing it well, and doing things "for the good of everyone".
They believe that the dwarves have their own society/god, and due to their close alliance, that their society gods are close friends/lovers or siblings (or both). They do not believe the humans have a society god however, which is one of the reasons they think they have such a barbaric way of life.
Elven Cults
- Candle Cult: Elves who gain power by burning the bones of the dead. Live in the of City of Candles and are known to be accepting of other races as long as they are nonviolent.
- Drow, the Lost Elves: The black or gray skinned Elven outcasts that have abandoned the Elvish religion to become nomads in the southern desert. Drow means "Lost" in the Elvish language. Drow aren't any more evil than normal Elves, but they prefer to keep to themselves, are quite mysterious and are known to have mastered fire magic
Dwarves
Dwarves are the most intellectually advanced race and are quite good at magic, especially enchantments. They highly value skilled jobs and education and the social status of a dwarf is mainly dependent on how much educated he is. Low skilled workers and farmers are the lower classes, semi-skilled are middle class and upper classes are highly skilled and scholars
The dwarf government is a Republic supervised by a religious council. There is one elected Consul, 55 Senators, a representative of the lower and middle classes with a limited veto right, and a five representatives of the official cult of the Maker with a greater veto right. The religious council also has a lot of influence and is independent of the Senate for all religious matters.
Dwarves still call themselves Kingdoms although their kings (and the ceremonial Overking) have been mostly just figureheads after the UAC Heresy, when King Ronnac of House Morfir actually sided with the heretics. Afterwards no King has been given total power.
Been allies with Elves since the War of Human Exodus.
The Dwarvish calendar is solar based and composed of 19 months, each with 19 days and 4 or 5 intercalary days (depending on the year) inserted between the 18th and 19th months. Intercalation was once a practice forbidden by the Cult, but the old calendar had to be recalibrated and changed to include it after centuries of use.
The Dwarves are also kind of history-altering, hypocritical, self important dicks. They just see themselves as the greatest civilization of all time, created from the essence of the true creator while other races are like animals and MAYBE get reincarnated forever in the lowest world, and even this is a very liberal belief. The orthodox cult thinks the poor are sinful because they are really not up to the standards of what it means to be a dwarf as they are individually almost useless to the dwarvish civilization and the Cult often refuses to inhume them, and many cities use their corpses for enchantments instead, something seen in a positive light by the general opinion as at least they are really helping to complete the Task in death, if not in life.
Dwarven Religion
Orthodox dwarves believe in a kind of platonism or benevolent gnosticisme where a creator god, the Architect, created a Demiurge called the Maker and charged him to subcreate the world under his direction. Dwarves considered themselves to have been chosen by the Maker and charged by him to multiply and create civilization as the Demiurges within this world. They believe they will be reincarnated in this world until they accomplish their task, and then will ascend to the Realm of the Architect with the Maker as a reward, while the other races will live forever in this world, but transformed into a terrestial paradise. There is no dogma about whether or not non-dwarves have an afterlife, the most traditionnalists thinks they cease to exist after while moderates thinks they reincarnate as non-dwarves for all eternity. Altough this is mostly folklore, most dwarves thinks bad dwarves will have to expiate their sins before being allowed in the Realm of the Architect.
"Before The Architect there was only void." It has been said that before The Architect the Dwarves worshipped The Void, the destroyer, whose emissaries they believed to be the proto-goblins. When proto-goblin society began to fall into anarchy the emergent cult of The Architect overtook the worship of The Void, allowing its leaders to take control of dwarvish society and eventually drove its few remaining worshippers underground, along with what little remained of goblin-kind.
Dwarven heresies
- Universal Adoration of the Creators: Major heresy born from the most liberal movements within the Cult of the Maker and the ressentiment of the lower classes towards the classism of the Dwarvish Republic. Differences to orthodox branch:
- All beings are equal in the eyes of the Architect and of the Maker.
- Members can include non-dwarves (all those working as "Demiurges within this world" will ascend to the Realm of the Architect and not only dwarves)
- Dwarves and non-dwarves alike need a time of purification after a bad life before being reincarnated.
- The works of all "Demiurges within this world" are important and not only the greatest, the important is to do as much as you can and those with less opportunities and capacities shouldn't be seen as lesser.
- The Maker already ascended to the Realm of the Architect and both the Maker and the Architect should be directly worshiped. (Unlike the main branch where the work of the Maker is not finished until the one of the dwarves, and the Maker is the only one to directly supervise them)
- The Goblinoids:Small but powerful sect of wizards with both dwarvish, elvish and even halfling members.
Vaguely based on the metaphysics of the Cult of the Maker, the Goblinoids upholds magic as the supreme principe in the universe and matter as entirely caused and enslaved by it.
Both magic and matter are without consciouness or personhood and there is no gods, life and the intelligents races emerged from natural magical and matter processes.
Non-magicals beings are purely material beings and their consciouness ceases after physical death.
The consciouness of magical beings persists in magic after death but quickly dissolves within it unless they are powerful enough and initiated to the magical exercices allowing the wizards of the sect to indefinitely retain their consciouness in the magical principle.
Just as magic enslaves the matter, the natural order is for the most magically gifted to enslave the less gifted and to treat the unmagicals as the animals they are.
And the natural duty of the gifted is to explore the possibilities of magic in their fullest.
The Goblins were the noblest race to have walked on this earth, supremaly talented with an unegaled knowledge of magic and only small minds ressent them for the collateral damage infliged on lesser races, for why should giants care about ants they are on the greatest quest ?
Yet they failed, but failure is not unavoidable and that's why we should take example on them, both to emulate their greatness, and for not repeating their errors.
The sect of the Goblinoids don't care about race but only magical, the hierarchy is divided by layers of initiation but the more talented you are, the more you can go up.
They are very interrested by magical knowledge, ancient goblin artifacts and wisdom, and ways to make them more magically powerful. - Physicalist School: The physicalist school of thought believes everything is physical phenomena. They don't believe everything is material as magic and maybe minds are immaterial but they think both material and immaterial things are physics and part of this world. They reject any notion of spiritual reality, don't believe in worlds outside this world and highly value empiricism and non-theological philosophy.
They do not believe in the Maker, the Architect and other gods and are generaly skeptical of religion even if they don't reject reincarnation within this world and some spiritual concepts non involving supposed realities outside of this world and think they could be misinterpreted actual magical phenomena.
The only "stronghold" of the Physicalist School is Zlunben near the eastern shore, a small city of average wealth but highly praised by the dwarven academicians for its university and philosophers. - Astrology:Despite not being endorsed by the Cult of the Maker (but far to be considered an heresy), many dwarves believe in a form of astrology : Dwarves are under the influence of the constellatation associated with the month they are born in.
Lesians
Alpha predator reptiles from the Western isles.
Their language is almost incomprehensible to other races, as it depends on hissing, beak clacking, and cawing in a rapid pace syllabyllic dialect. Lesia is a rough translation of L'hs'iy'ah. Very few Lesians have the mental capacity to learn other languages, and those that do see little reason to communicate with the other strange and fragile races.
Their society is gathered into several dozen anarchic tribes, each composed of several dozen clans, each composed of several dozen mating pairs and their offspring. Due to their predatory, competitive nature, Lesian tribes and clans often fight over resources and familial disputes. To a Lesian, his clan and tribe are sacred, mates are less revered because they change seasonally.
When the Lesians evolved sapience, they drove the Blood Orcs from their homeland in a long, and bloody war.
- The Everliving Queen:Rumour has it that on the westernmost island, a Lesian who forsook the sun has delved into necromancy. They say that she has many undead followers now, each put to work to build a mighty fortress for her. The other Lesians despise her, if the rumours are true. It has been said that she found an old artefact, a font that when touched, returns her to her youth. What does this mean for the other nations? Is this necromancer a threat? Who knows....
Lesian Religion
Lesians believe that a god with the head of a frilled lizard, the limbs of a monkey and the body of a snake regurgitated the world as an egg. They say he holds a staff that contains the sun at its tip.
They believe that he then regurgitated the moons, and then, a much smaller egg that became the first dragon, serpentine and wingless. They say this dragon was the daughter of the god Erreko, and that she was the demi-god of rebirth and reincarnation. It is believed that she spawned the rest of the dragons, who then shaped the world with their fire and claws. They believe that the Lesians themselves were the result of Erreko's first breath upon the world, that the divinity of his breath turned mere rocks into the first Lesian egg clutches.
The Lesians worship Erreko devoutly, but a lot of their practices originate from beliefs regarding Kallasaak, the demigod dragon. They eat the hearts of the dead, believing that if they are not eaten, they cannot come back in the next life, as their heart and therefore their soul and spirit, has not been given back to the world. Minor funerals are held for the dead, so long as this takes place, and it is not as much as a sad occasion as it is for other races, as they thoroughly believe it is not the end.
However, when a Lesian dies in such a way that their heart cannot be consumed, there is a great funeral, and all who ever met the individual usually show to pay respects, and it is a tremendously tragic, and sorrowful time. Even those who had not known them well tend to express a sorrow that is greater than that displayed at the funerals for other races, for they truly believe that the Lesian has gone forever, their soul permanently destroyed.
Goblins (Nickname, Real name unknown)
They were once once mighty race that, from over use of magic, have deformed into loathsome, hunchbacked monsters. They were once on par with the elves and dwarves in their cities and agricultural projects. (They in fact resembled elves in almost every way and are speculated to have been elves once). But they in their might they became greedy for power and were constantly casting rituals to increase their might; whether in physical strength or in willpower or in durability, and whenever they increased in strength they captured more land for none were quite as strong or clever. But this over use of ritualistic and primal magic became almost like an addiction. And the more they used it the more they hated themselves and the more power they wanted. Eventually it got to such a point that they seemed to have overloaded and could not cast even the simplest of spells that should only take a child to comprehend. Seeing their chance the mighty Dwarves beat back their oppressors who were now reaped of all their powers and were now weak in comparison to all others. The Dwarves with the aid of a few Elvish princes destroyed their cities and forced them underground. There they hid, hating all who use magic for it reminds them of their former glory. Ancient records are sketchy so no-one really knows their real name. Perhaps the records were destroyed as a mockery or even a curse towards them. But today they are known by the Dwarves as Ztunzka by the Elves Yrglin and by the rest of the world as Goblins.
At the pinnacle of their reign the Goblins created many monsters, particularly the Crude Dragons. Most creatures that appear to be mixtures of several different animals can usually be attributed to the Goblins (e.g. Chimaera, Manticore, Gruphon, Sharks with legs). They also created The Halflings.
Goblin Religion
There is little evidence of any kind of organised religion among the Goblins, to them it seemed magic and power in the material world is all one should strive for. Instead of believing they were shaped in the image of a great god, they instead attempted to shape a great god in theirs and bend it to their will.
Orcs
Orcs are an oddity among the magical races as they are utterly unable to canalize magic on their own but are devoted priests and have a strong affinity for the spirits of their ancestors. Most of them live in the less populated regions of the south and have migrated in these regions well after the War of Human Exodus.
They tend to be physically stronger than humans but are generaly less resilient and very risk averse. They are already adult at 12 but are already old near 40, and die quickly after 60.
Orcs would generally be glad to be accepted into any society, usually as a hired hand or merc. Although some orcs would prefer to remain solitary and act as bandits (much like the humans do). Many of them try to integrate (and very willingly, almost disturbingly, assimilate within) elven or dwarve communauties, with varying degree of success but always with enthusiasm.
Orc Religion
Their religion is based on the worship of a few deities revolving around basic elements of their live (Godess of Fertility for both females and agriculture, god of war, god of tribal authority,ect..) but very predominantly the cult of their ancestors. The inclusion of a poorly understood and bastartized Maker is common among the dwarves wannabes.
Most of them are organized in groups of agricultural and exogamic clans, ruled by a tribal king elected for life by the chiefs of the clans. Some of the most advanced tribes are revolving around a small town whose need are provided by the agricultural clans.
They are matrilienal and patriarchal even if not in a very dominant or rigid way.
Orc Clans
- Blood Orcs:The Western Orcs were a subspecies of Orcs, known as Blood Orcs for their dark red skin, bloody religious customs, and their extreme hatred of the other races. After Lesians drove them from their homelands they are mostly extinct due to their ritualistic thirst for blood. Now, they're an extremely rare minority, and are scattered across the world. They make an effort to avoid other races when possible, but constantly raid them for Blood, metal, supplies, and to avenge their ancestors. They live in nomadic tribes to avoid being wiped out by other races. Many tribes and individuals work as bandits, pirates, and mercenaries.
- The Ghash clan:The Ghash orcish clan of the southern waste are known for their heavy militaristic like doctrine keeping peace between the clans. Their main home is a mining town build into the sides of a large ravine. They hold power by trading the Dwarven clans a highly explosive power for their superior Dwarven weapons and tools. They are also infamous for their Thunder Staffs, which are seen by non-Orcs as overly complicated, insane, and suicidal to use and horrifying due to the extreme damage it causes. Almost all non-Orcs want nothing to do with it, and while Humans would probably love to get their hands on it, the Ghash Clan isn't willing to give away the secret of their explosive powder to anyone.
- The Drunder Tribe:The Drunder Tribe is one of the orcish tribe geographically closest to the Dwarves, more specifically near the region where are the few UAC citied, and are know' for being "Dwarfizer" , orcs that try to mimic as much as possible the Dwarves since they were converted by UAC missionnaries. Their religion is a odd syncretism of the UAC heresy and the orcish religion : Both the Architect and the Maker were given the functions of their old gods as attributes with a tendency for the Maker to have the practical ones and the Architect the more abstract and "civilized" ones (Maker the Midwife, Architect the Scribe, Maker the Warrior, Architect the Ruler,ect...and even a Architect the Architect). They are infamous among other orcs to put their fellow dwarvish UAC believers above pagan orcs.
- The Drunder Tribe:The Drunder Tribe is one of the orcish tribe geographically closest to the Dwarves, more specifically near the region where are the few UAC citied, and are know' for being "Dwarfizer" , orcs that try to mimic as much as possible the Dwarves since they were converted by UAC missionnaries. Their religion is a odd syncretism of the UAC heresy and the orcish religion : Both the Architect and the Maker were given the functions of their old gods as attributes with a tendency for the Maker to have the practical ones and the Architect the more abstract and "civilized" ones (Maker the Midwife, Architect the Scribe, Maker the Warrior, Architect the Ruler,ect...and even a Architect the Architect). They are infamous among other orcs to put their fellow dwarvish UAC believers above pagan orcs.
- The Laffu Clan: A particularly untrustful nobadic orc clan of jokers and thieves known for their demonic masks. In the past they were actual threat and were defeated by common orcs led by warlord Stukc the Boring. Now extinct, see The Laffu below.
Laffu
Originally believed to be a weird clan of trickster orcs known for demonic masks nowdays it has been speculated by dwarven scholars that the Laffu are in fact something far sinister.
The Laffu have few holds on the Western shores of the Southern Peninsula, just south of the Hive of Dragons. It was here where they were driven by the warlord Stukc the Boring after he "did not get their joke with their wedding-present".
It was long believed that the Laffu were almost extinct nomads, but roughly thirty years ago these masked orcs started to build holds on the shores. The more common clans still hated them and a Ghash-led army with a large Blood Orc contingent attacked them - intending to wipe them from the maps. Surprisingly the Laffu repulsed the assault and drove the attackers from their lands. Their fire-capabilities overpowered the orcs, while survivors often joked that "the Laffu were unorcly easy to kill once you got close to them, but darn they were cunning and vicious!" The rumors about dying Laffu burning themselves was another amazing fact but believed to be true.
During the war another insult of the Blood Orcs incurred: The Laffu began (or some say that restarted an old tradition) of making suits of their dead enemies, particularly the Blood Orcs.
After this second Laffu - Orc war, the Laffu were left alone, nor they much cared about the outside lands. The Laffu Holds are known to be particularly bad trade locations and the Drow tend stay far away from their lands. Yet slavers often find easy market there, as the Laffu buy almost everything.
Curiously, in recent years Laffu immigrants have been spotted in many other cities of Kulmorost. They speak of being outcasts, having been forced from their homelands due unknown reasons (different individuals state different reasons). There has been some worrying observations: The Laffu have far thinner body structure compared to orcs (or even elves to that matter) almost skeletal body. Their voices, gruttular as any orc has unnatural echoes and an underlying vile tone that frightens anyone who is alone with a Laffu. There is also the terrifying rumor about a Laffu that had died in a bar brawl in Treyarch: the local elves made frightening discovery: Under the red-leather devil mask of the dead Laffu was no orc face, but a hideous face with actual horns.
Some sailors have also seen large Laffu ships leaving their Holds, almost like they would be looking for a colony.. or an invasion.
In fact, the Laffu are not orcs any more. They are are the Children of the Black Dunes. They killed the old Laffu Orcs and have been masquerading as them ever since. The Children come from the Black Dunes of the Southern Wastes. Literally: they crawl from the dark sands, fully formed ebony thin half-horned humanoids. The Black Earth rises again.
In combat, Laffu are fierce and fast, and hit like a train. They are especially deadly on the front lines when equipped with swords but no shields. However, they are not very resistant physically, and so are easily dispatched themselves. When they die they burst into flames, returning to ash they originate from.
The Laffu have many vocal cords and speak a guttural deep language made up of many vile and strange sounds. Some of their physiology comes into effect when they speak other languages, giving them an unnatural echo and an almost bull-like tone. The Laffu don't ever talk about why they left, but it's clear they intend to never return. Some speak in hushed tones about "A fog of all-consuming cloaked smoke filled with gnashing maws and hungry eyes" but that's as descriptive as they're willing to get.
Laffu Religion
It has been said that the Laffu worship gods of life, and have the belief that death is not the end, and are instead obsessed with the idea of the continuation of life, just on the other side. They worshiped a great pantheon of gods, and as a civilization they were innovative and inventive when it came to technology, and focused on that a little more than magic.
Minor Species
The Traders of the Mist
Mysterious heavily clothed merchants that from across the southern ocean to sell strange magical items. No-one ever sees their faces and the stink of fish hangs about their clothes, they speak no known languages and only communicate with hand gestures and body language. Some think theymight have given the first humans the gift of Magic a long, long, long time a go. Very few are trust them and most tend to steer away when they come near. But those that do trust them enough to trade are very grateful indeed, for the items they sell are extremely valuable (in usefulness and wealth) to travelers and common folk alike.
Trolls
Trolls inhabit the mountainous stretch of land connecting the Northern Waste to the rest of Kulmorost and have very large noses. There are four varieties of troll:
- Hill Trolls: Are the largest, loudest, most brutally unforgiving bastards... If you get on their bad side, they are generally quite peaceful, but are extremely territorial. They are the strongest and largest of all intelligent races, and love to show off their strength by building huge stone houses on the highest point they can find that still has relative easy access. A Hill Troll's territory size is determined by how far they can see from their tower, which results in stronger Hill Trolls attempting to shorten the towers of weaker ones.
- Cave Trolls: The Cave Troll is the creature that most sympathizes with fa/tg/uys; They never go outside (they hate the sunlight) they're overweight and malnourished at the same time (from overabundance of carb-loaded mushrooms). They are considered the least unteligent and are the most likely to attack someone on sight, even when they aren't hungry. They do this out of fear more than anything.
- River Trolls: The most intelligent sub-race of trolls, they live (where else) in and around rivers, lakes and creeks. Th gain their superior intelligence from consumption of seafood. River Trolls love to play tricks on other creatures, although the creatures on the receiving end of these pranks never enjoy this as it usually ends up with a Troll chewing on their leg.
- Night Trolls: Most races consider Night Trolls to be undoubtedly evil across the board. They eat flesh (all kinds of flesh.) and live most of their lives in solitude away from other species, in caves and abandoned forts and in some cases old wells. And of course, they only hunt at night, making travel through the mountains after night fall a near death sentence. Their dark skin and affinity for black bear hides, makes them nearly invisible at night, and since they are thinner and leaner than other trolls, they can pass over stones unheard until they are too close for it to matter.
Halflings
The Halflings were originally humans, kidnapped by the goblins as children and bred to be pets (and occasionally snacks) for their goblins overlords, made to be short and dumpy as this was cute to the Goblins. However when the war against the Goblins started they made a horrible discovery :their halfing's inherent magical abilities had grown. some believe this was due to constant exposure to the Goblin's twisted magics, others believe that all souls have a certain amount of magic in them and that in making the Halflings small they concentrated their magical abilities.
Inevitably the truth matters not. The Halflings, led by Grobal the Butcher (so named as he murdered his Goblin master and constructed staves from its remains) rebelled against their masters and aided the dwarfs in defeating them. In return the dwarfs offered them some few lands to call their own. Some rejected this offer, traveling the world in small caravans or becoming citizens of other nations as opposed to their own sovereign land whilst other accepted the offer graciously.
Those Halflings who accepted the offer are known as Gnomes whilst those who rejected it are known as Kotarfs, kot being the dwarvish word for wanderer or traveler, and arf meaning person (Dwarves use simplistic terms and are not very imaginative). To other races the dwarvish word "arf" means "little person" and so is still used appropriately, but they pronounce the plural "Kotarves".
The reasons behind the Halfling spilt are unknown to most non-halfings. Most assume it had something to do with the quality of the land they were offered (for while it was costal and bordered dwarf lands it also bordered the southern wastes and Halflings relationships with Orcs have always been a little strained), but the reality has less to do with other races and more to do with Halflings themselves. You see, Halflings believe that, at some point or another, a war will be fought - a war that if lost will doom all life but if won will bring freedom to all creatures of the world.
Kotarves believe this "End-war" was fought and won against the Goblins, so they might as well spend their lives seeking, finding and living in contentment, rather than waste it worrying. Gnomes on the other hand believe either that the war against the Goblins is not over till their are no Goblins left, or that the End-war was not the war that was fought against the Goblins. Either way they spend their time preparing their lands and people for this inevitable war, stockpiling weapons and fortifying their cities, so that they may have a chance of winning
Centaurs
Centaurs are a subrace of humans. Legends say that during the War of Human Exodus Elven and dwarven great scholars cast an experimental curse based on goblin magic on some fleeing that was supposed to erase their legs, instead what ended up happening was that the fleeing humans combined with their beasts. Most centaurs are half horse, while a very rare subset of them are half-donkey. Centaurs are very sought after by other humans due to their great strength. Centaurs do not reproduce with other kinds of humans as the offspring born of those unions results in monstrosities with random human and horse characteristics.
Centaurs have no lands of their own, and are an extremely rare minority, both feared and reviled by other races for their unnatural physiology and Human ancestry.
They are nomadic sheep and goat herders and they herd along a series of routes seasonally. They are known for their skill with the bow and lance, and their reckless, volatile, and rambunctious personalities. Some Centaur Tribes have abandoned herding entirely, instead, looting caravans and raiding settlements for supplies. Centaurs have magical talent comparable to that of Humans, and they are known for their disdain towards mates.
Perhaps it is a quirk of their unnatural biology, or an inherent racial ability, but Centaurs are known and feared for their resistance towards magic. Mages who've battled Centaurs claim that their magical attacks had barely half their usual effect, as if the Centaurs wore a layer of pure silver.
Every few centuries, a powerful figure will unite the disparate Centaur tribes into an unstoppable horde and attempt to conquer the Kulmorost. As the Centaurs are few in number, extremely primitive, anarchic in nature and hard to organize, and unable to use magic in any meaningful capacity, the Centaurs haven't yet succeeded. They have, however, killed many Elves and Dwarves over the ages.
Centaurs usually aren't allowed in towns, and many more conservative Elf and Dwarf businesses won't serve them, viewing them as savage abominations, barely above the likes of Humans and Goblins.
Beastmen
Inhabitants of the Forsaken Isle are varied and deadly tribal folks. Not much is known about them, but it is theorized that they were created long ago by the Ancient Goblins. But this cannot be proven as all traces of the Goblins' personal history and rites was erased.
Kobolds
Prolific Beastmen race that have managed to spread across the Eastern Coasts, (especially the swamps) in large numbers.
Despite their primitiveness and low intelligence, kobolds have a huge innate magical potential they can instinctively use in very crude yet relatively powerful way. They mainly hunt and fight among themselves using primitive spells. Social hierarchy is established with ritual magical combats. They tend to stand at one-third the height of the average human and breed explosively. as such, they use swarming tactics to overwhelm their enemies.
Kobolds are carnivorous, and are able and more than willing to consume and subsist off of anything even vaguely meat-like. They can consume bones as well, and many Kobolds find enchanted bones to be extremely delectable. It is for this reason, their extremely low intelligence, prodigious birthrate, and their vandalizing, kleptomaniacal tendencies, that Kobolds are regarded as pests by most civilized peoples
Eld'wani
Elitists and quite xenophobic bird people with floating islands. Even they admit that they are a dying race and have fled to avoid being killed.
The Eld'wani don't have wings and their bodies are not aerodynamic enough to do so even if they did, but they are capable of flight. Their species has very little magical aptitude, but they are able to control the winds as if it were second nature. With enough focus, Eld'wani are able to channel their life force into the air around them, and use the resulting push to fling themselves through the air, allowing them to "Fly", at the speed of a sprinting Human with a similar level of exhaustion.
Their floating islands only able to fly because the monastic Eld'wani Shamans devote their lives to mastering the art of air manipulation, and are able to levitate the island short distances every few weeks, (short meaning the length of a week long voyage with a top of the line enchanted ship with a Sky Whale bone keel,) but render themselves comatose in the process, and need to spend much time meditating to regather their power.
The Eld'wani live in the Forsaken Isles, and are extremely few in number, having only a few tens of thousands scattered throughout their floating islands. Each of the islands functions as its own Theocratic city-state, with a council of the Shamans leading the city-state. The Eld'wani worship the Sky and view the Sky Whales as holy and sacred, they believe that the Shamans have a spiritual connection to the Sky, and should be revered.
The Eld'wani sustain themselves through piracy, raiding other Beastmen, and fishing. They're widely regarded as mythical in Kulmorost as a whole, but rarely individual or small groups are seen as part of a Human/Beastman Pirate crew, where they are a great boon to their mundane comrades, possessing the ability to generate sorely-needed gusts of wind when none are present.
Fauna
The Brumecaster
The Brumecaster (Humanic), also known as the Brumgonor (Dwarvish) and the Valmeirar (Elvish), is a rumoured creature said to live in the sky amongst the clouds. Appearing similar to a enlarged water strider, this creature is believed to have the ability to camouflage itself and to command clouds and the weather they relate to. Some even believe that the Brumecaster exists to control all of the clouds and the winds, potentially all over the world. There have been many sightings of the Brumecaster, often in windy places, which has resulted in many people believing there to be more than one Brumecaster above Kulmorost. Regardless of its existence, many villages have adopted it into their culture, creating many folk legends and children's stories about the Brumecaster, each with differing views regarding the creature.
Sky Whales
Immensely difficult to hunt due to their habit of 'swimming' in the highest reaches of the sky, as well as innate spellcasting abilities. Incredibly magical, body parts are equally prized and reviled. Prized due to their suitability to the construction of magical items and reviled due to their place in many religions as sacred.
Sky Whales are intelligent, that's why their bones are so useful. But no other race has figured out their language and their nomadic wanderings makes them look like nothing more than migrating animals. Their minds are somewhat alien and they make no attempt to communicate with the other races, partly for this reason, and partly because this usually ends with someone recieving new Sky Whales bone weapons. With no mode of communication with non-whales, no visible markers of civilisation, no crafted items, most people assume that the sky whales have no intelligence. But in reality their songs are them singing the history and culture of their people.
Although they are called "sky whales" by some they more closely resemble a manta ray. With a vast wingspan to keep them in the sky for weeks or even months, only landing on the highest points of mountains where they feed on nutritious minerals which replenish their magic.
Many legends and myths have a hero either riding atop a whale or being granted a bone weapon willingly by the great beasts. Some say there exists a people who live in the sky alongside them or even atop their backs. They are usually ridiculed by anyone with a telescope, but the legend persists in stories and plays.
Wooly Rhinos
These mammals of the Northern Wastes are fuzzy an produce milk. The rhinos are also used for their fur coats, their milk makes good cheese (and is occasionally brewed into a potent alcohol) they make excellent beasts of burden and their meat is of high quality. They 're just as belligerent, hostile and stubborn as humans are, and twice as hardy to boot. The larger populations of humans would not survive without captive Wooly Rhinos.
For more details, see Humans.
Dogs
Wooly rhinos are not only animals humans keep. Dogs they have in their disposal are one of their greatest companions. They grow in up to half human size, their fur keeps them warm in almost any temperature and loyal to the bone. But their greatest strength in ability to eat almost anything, meat, bones, roots, grass and probably are capable of eating trees bark. Their noses capable of smelling magical enchantments and blood of magical races against which they are extremely aggressive. It is rumored that they are product of a failed (or successful goblin) experiment
Wyrms
All Wyrms are descendants of the ancient Dragons from before the rise of the Goblins. They can be found throughput the world in almost any climate or terrain, in the deeps of the ocean like the Varhillius or gliding over the desert like the Wyvern. Most Wyrms are falsely referred to as "Dragons", the reason for this is that most Wyrms known today are so far removed from the original Dragons that they can almost be called another species entirely. That being said there are still select few that still hold striking resemblance to their forbears, these are referred to as "true Dragons".
But there are still a few defining features that all Wyrms have that tie them to the Dragon species:
First Their scales. The unenchanted scales of a Wyrm have innate magical properties that repel attacks and harsh weather. Although quite peculiarly when they are peeled of a slain Wyrm they seem to lose this ability. But it still remains an excellent medium for enchanting.
Second Warm Blood. All Wyrms no matter what subspecies or climate they live in, will have warm or even hot blood.
Third Eyes. The eyes of a Wyrm, if peered into, will appear to have a depth greater than the width of the creatures skull. The reason for this is unknown and is difficult to study as it can only be seen in a living Wyrm.
- Drake: four legs no wings.
- The most common Wyrm in Kulmorost. They dwell in shallow caves or abandoned homes, or even burrow into the ground sleep.
- Wyvern: two wings two legs.
- Solitary hunting beasts who scour the Southern Wastes for caravans and camps to feed on.
- Gorudrim (lesser dragon): two wings four legs.
- The closest thing most can see to one of the original Dragons before their whole species was fucked over by the Goblins.
- Darukrul (true dragon): four wings four legs.
- There has only been one known sighting in the last century, and most people don't believe they ever existed (lizard with eight limbs).
- Varhillius: four wings no legs (aquatic)
- This peculiar Wyrm makes its home under the waves. In the Tahalaca Ocean they swim and hunt in groups of up to a dozen. They are often hunted for scales and hides.
The Eye Of Storm Ocean
All of what is understood by this creature is exclusively from encounters with it. As it has only ever been seen above water, it is described as a colossal mess of barnacle-covered tentacles with a giant tentacle in the centre, pointing upwards. At the end of this specific tentacle lies its enormous eye, which apparently can see in a complete 5km radius. There is no generally-agreed-upon number of tentacles it has, due to a different amount emerging from the water at each recorded encounter with The Eye Of Storm Ocean. Only the large tentacle hosting its eye has never been seen submerged underwater, though its is not always open. It is a very slow creature, but moves faster in water the more of it is submerged.
The reason as to why it is greatly feared by those who understand magic is because of its magic-generating capabilities. The Eye Of Storm Ocean can sacrifice many of the barnacles on its tentacles to generate powerful forms of magic almost instantly, making it a powerful foe. It can also use its tentacles for brutal physical attacks, making it the bane of all seamen for sure. The Eye Of Storm Ocean, when left undisturbed, is general peaceful by nature, as it attacks no flora nor fauna that belong to the sea. It mostly spends its free time growing barnacles on its tentacles, in order to sustain itself and for future use. If its eye notices anything that does not naturally belong to the sea, it will attempt to destroy it until it is dead or not in its radius of sight.
It is best-advised to not go too deep into Storm Ocean, as an encounter with The Eye Of Storm Ocean may be the last encounter the victims may endure. However, some persist that there is a great need to understand it for the greater good of biology and magic studies, meaning some sacrifices must be dutifully made.