tell us CULTURAL RELATIONS. I wanna know who's at war, allied, or in a tense will-murder-at-a-drop-of-a-hat cold war with each other
DEEETAAAAAILS

>>81500
OK!
Generally, the Airfen enclaves and factions are quite secluded. The Airfen that live in ancient forests and underground caves are usually very secretive of their dwellings, some even going as far as to kill any intruders that get in their area. This is because the Airfen view their technology as far too advanced for Tharsia's other races to handle.
Of course, there are exceptions, such as the Airfen of the desert; these are more liberal with trading, although they are still secretive of their lairs.

The Hozith tribes highly value their freedom; but that doesn't mean that quite a few have been subjugated or assimilated into other races' kingdoms. Some still stay free, either by going secretive like the Airfens (with less efficiency), or going against their peaceful nature and wage guerilla warfare. Abstergo and Corazon are some of the few Tharsian places where Hozith aren't treated worse than second-class citizens.

The Ksselyr kingdoms, magocracies and theocracies are as varied politically as Tharsian kingdoms. Some are content with their own land, and some are more fervent in getting converts, going into crusades, or just plain old conquest.

Gato kingdoms and republics mostly keep to themselves, choosing not to intervene in international matters. But, instead, their spies and assassins do the work for them. When things do get heated, they will readily resort to guerilla warfare, their populace rising up in arms.

Llyskan kingdoms and tribes are quite ambitious, and most will have at least one attempt to colonize or annex or conquer a neighboring region. Though these claims could be very temporary indeed. Those kingdoms who became vassals of other kingdoms will either submit or plot against them.

And there is the seventh race, the mysterious and rare Kumado. Sightings are quite frequent in the most ancient of ancient forests and jungles, and they have never ever been seen outside of forests or jungles. These are the same woods where high numbers of disappearances were reported; but there were also reports of them returning lost travelers to where they entered the forbidden forest. Only one conquest attempt has been made against the Kumado; they seem to be content with just disappearing into the forest, literally... along with a third of the invading army.

As for the Abstergo kingdom and its political stances, all we know for now is that it's one of the few places where Hozith are not often discriminated against.

Any more questions? Maybe of the races themselves? Native lifeforms? Magic?

Races seems like a nice place to head to next...After that, Maybe Magic?

I really like Vesmir's design. The uniform plates fastened to an undersuit rather than custom-formed armour is a nice hint that he comes from an industrialised society with mass production capability.

>>81524
>On Races
There are seven sentient races in Tharsia.

Tharsians: a native of the world, they can adapt well to their surroundings. On average, they're nothing special. They're not as strong as Hozith, not as technologically advanced as Airfen, not as magically attuned like Ksselyr, not as nimble as Gato, and not as sneaky as Llyskan. But, on certain occasions and situations, they can and have surpassed this; This is why most memorable heroes are Tharsians.
tl;dr: they're just plain old humans in other settings.

Airfen: The word they call themselves, 'Airfen', means children of the stars. Indeed, they are not native of this world; Legends tell of a time long ago when the Airfen descended from the sky, warning locals of the fall of their home in the sky. They are tall and lanky, but not very durable, in a sense. This they make up with their advanced technology, and their knowledge of how to make Mithril. They are a race that is the second fewest in number.

The Hozith were a peaceful people, living in harmony with their land and rarely having disputes. But their initial naive pacific stance had cost them most of their freedom when Tharsian, Ksselyr and Llyskan kingdoms begin to learn the basics of conquest. They are strong and durable, although oftentimes not smart; this is more because of their living conditions and environment instead of an inherent disability. Although those who rule over them will say otherwise.

The Ksselyr initially came from the desert. Their origin myths can be traced to variations of one story; Of how they were once a god's shadow, which had been given conscience and magic so the god may ascend into godhood. This god is usually the sun god, but exceptions exist. Their bodies feel like black porcelain or ebony, but with the durability of flesh. Their face cannot show emotions; they do it via their voice or magic instead. An aura-reader can definitely detect a Ksselyr's mood by reading their aura.

The Gato came from the forests and jungles, and they are nimble. A Gato can jump more than twice their height, and exceptional ones can leap over a small building. They're also quite smart, and have developed firearms independently from the Tharsians. They're also small-ish, a full-grown Gato is about the same height as a Tharsian child.

The Llyskan are even smaller than the Gato, and thus they had to resort to being sneaky and/or ambitious enough to protect themselves. That, and numbers. They're so numerous that they can be found almost everywhere with enough heat.

As for the Kumado... not much is known about them. Sightings tell their forms to be wood-like humanoids, as if they're living puppets made from wood. Apparently they can disappear and reappear at will in forests and jungles, a feat considered magical to experts.
But this is not surprising since there are other documented creatures that can also do this, most common in dense jungles where the Kumado is said to live in.

>Magic
As for magic... well, any specific questions about it? Like maybe what types of magic there are, or the myths surrounding them?

>>81528
Hehe, thanks. Yeah, Airfen are big on light armor with heavy protection, since their physiology demands it. A full suit of iron will tire out an average Airfen quicker than the other races.

Hey guys, working on the next update, sorry it took a bit long. College graduation and all. But let me tide you with some snippet of magic.

>On Magic (or some of it, since big spoilers abound in magic)
The type of Ksselyr magic Moribe did on the docks is known as the Mistjaunt. To outsiders it may seem like Moribe turned into mist and teleported behind the Gato, but to Moribe it is very different. To him, it's like focusing yourself to separate the you from the world, and then moving the world beneath your feet so you step back into reality at that spot. Without an advanced focusing object (like Moribe's Orisi cube), it's very hard to determine where you'd go back into being, or even at all.
So, Mistjaunt is more like moving the earth under your feet, rather than moving you around the earth. Basically, traveling without moving, by the power of your will.
This is inspired by IRL magic belief that is Tay-al-Arz, or Tay-al-Ard.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tay_al-Arz

Other Ksselyr magic is mostly similar in philosophy: enough will inside of one's self can and will influence the world. High-ranking magicians, mages and wizards of the Ksselyr are like super-solipsists or reality benders. And since they're attuned to magic, Ksselyr magic users are some of the most potent ones in Tharsia.

Anonymous 2014/07/20(Sun)15:41 No. 83889 ID: 761017
File 140589606566.png - (38.79KB , 500x500 , the best face.png )

The best face!

>What is chasing Piedro?

Anonymous 2014/07/20(Sun)18:10 No. 83901 ID: 53548a
File 140590505632.png - (42.60KB , 500x500 , man is matter.png )

>>83889
The looming spectre of inevitable death.

Would it be spoilery to ask how the dock cats came to be? Like duke formed them, right? How many docks even are there for falsa to not know of their existence - or maybe theyre just unimportant ?

>>83934
Kinda, but I could cut out the spoilery bits. The Dock Cats are but one of the myriad gangs of Corazon, although lately under Duke they're shaping up to be one of the rising stars - that is, before all this business with the assassin.
Fun fact: Duke is not the only leader the Dock Cats have. There is also the previous leader, Marquess, but she's retired from the gang life when Duke took the reins.
Felsa knows Corazon like the back of her hand, but she's not very up to date with gang stuff. She knows all the docks and places but not the folks in charge of them all.

Indonesian Gentleman 2014/07/27(Sun)00:13 No. 84187 ID: 3e51ac
File 140644522280.jpg - (113.01KB , 609x400 , LlyskanWarriorFinish.jpg )

Might as well put up some images of the races that I did a looooong time ago.

Indonesian Gentleman 2014/07/27(Sun)00:14 No. 84188 ID: 3e51ac
File 140644525009.jpg - (224.71KB , 539x936 , AirfenArcherFinish.jpg )

>>84187

Indonesian Gentleman 2014/07/27(Sun)00:14 No. 84189 ID: 3e51ac
File 140644527096.jpg - (139.42KB , 635x785 , HozithAxemanFinish.jpg )

>>84188

Indonesian Gentleman 2014/07/27(Sun)00:14 No. 84190 ID: 3e51ac
File 140644529434.jpg - (104.22KB , 573x696 , GatoAssassinFinish.jpg )

>>84189

Indonesian Gentleman 2014/07/27(Sun)00:15 No. 84191 ID: 3e51ac
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>>84190

Indonesian Gentleman 2014/07/27(Sun)00:16 No. 84192 ID: 3e51ac
File 140644539392.jpg - (89.73KB , 357x836 , KsselyrWandererFinish.jpg )

>>84191
and I'll probably withhold the Kumado picture since it would be spoilers. And their design will change a bit.

Indonesian Gentleman 2014/07/27(Sun)00:17 No. 84193 ID: 3e51ac
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>>84192
So in return, have this picture of a Gato lady.

>>84193
Daaaaaaaaaaw!!!!!
Also, are all gatos beige? Do they have variety in coats?

>>84289
They have a variety of coats. From beige to orange to white to black to grey to yellow in color, and they can have calico to stripes to blotches to mottled in patterning - basically every cat or feline pattern can apply to them. The commonest patterns are those that look like IRL cats, while big cat patterns are rare. And full manes are even rarer; usually manes only grow on old gatos, shaped like beards.

Whoo, chapter 1! The adventure begins! I'm really enjoying Tharsia.

>>84907
Hehe, thanks! Which parts do you like, and what needs improving?

Also, going on a week's hiatus for both Tharsia and Ouroboros. Be back in September.

>>/quest/593026
>Marnaka Convention
Can we hear more about this?

Karmen Benghazi has the best hair.

>>85156
The Marnaka Convention

The Marnaka Convention is a treaty signed by all high-ranking magic users after the Great War of Ascia. The war, which was waged between two magocracies, saw the use of unbridled war-magic which decimated the armies of both countries. The effects and fallouts of the magics used was so severe and inhuman that the high magic users of the time convened in the city-state of Marnaka, to control, limit, and forbade the use of such devastating magic. The treaty was signed, and applies to all magic-user in Tharsia henceforth.

It contains many laws, but it could be compared to the Geneva Convention IRL. Basically it could be boiled down to:
1) No use of virulently contagious magic, especially if damaging.
2) No use of mass necromancy.
3) No use of heavy mind-altering magic, especially en masse.
4) No summoning of gigantic or legendary beasts or entities without the proper safety protocols, or consent of said creature if sentient.
5) No use of magic that alter the essence of a race or sentient considerably.
6) No use of instant-kill magic.
7) Other new forms of magic should be presented to the Grand Mages' Jury in Marnaka for consideration and ratification.

Anaximander's knife would violate 1) and 6), that's why it breaks the Convention.

Ooh, more on the magic system. Some questions on that:
Is violating the Convention illegal in the sense that normal guards and mages will consider them criminals, or in the sense of there being an actual organization of wizard police to hunt down major offenders?
Do they define mass necromancy by number of bodies raised at a time or number of undead active at a time?
On summoning, where do they get the summons from? Do summoned creatures live in their world, or are there other dimensions that summons come from?
Does altering the essence of a sentient refer to things like someone using magic to grow wings and such?

>>85156
Yes, she has the best hair.

>>85183
There is an organization made after the treaty was signed, the Oathsworn Enforcers. They are made up of mages and non-mages alike, who utilize anti magic artifacts to neutralize offenders. They're largely undercover, but when they lay down the hammer they do it effectively.
Mass necromancy meant both a large number of undead being raised at one time, and a large number of active undead without permit in one area at a time. So basically no undead armies, but undead workforce is possible with the right permits.
On summoning, most summons are similar to teleport spells in that both summoner and summoned live on the same dimension; but some of the rare spells can pull things from other worlds. Usually summons are temporary, with the summoned returning to its original location after the spell dissipated.
Altering the essence meant anything that's permanent or long-lasting, or cause so much change that the original caster is unrecognizable. The wings example you said would be fine if they last for less than a day. Jesst is an offender to this rule because it used too much disguise magic it no longer knows or remembers it's original form and identity. Things such as Polymorph is fine as long as they last less than a day.

I have to do a week's hiatus for both Ouroboros and Tharsia, because some events happened. Expect the hiatus to be continued and intermittent, as I'm doing some tests to apply for a job I enjoy.
Sorry for the readers of both quests, I know you're all eagerly anticipating the next update, but I hope you guys understand.

Indonesian Gentleman 2014/10/19(Sun)03:51 No. 86177 ID: 21a96e
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This weekend's update will be a bit late by a day, perhaps, mostly because of details.
Have something related to the update, and the level of detail I'm working on, though.

>>85174
Is (5) forbidden even with the consent of the target?

>>86194
Nope. The Marnaka Convention realizes that such magics are irreversible, and potentially destructive to the mental essence of a sentient being. But keep in mind that 5 is for physical changes; disguising yourself with illusion magic is OK as long as it's not permanent. Because if it is, it'll break rule 3.

Just a few ideas I think needs to be written down:
-Llyskan reproduction is a curious one. After a couple had sex, within three months or so the female will lay an egg or two, three at once being rare. These eggs are roughly the size of a Tharsian's fist. Then, the eggs are roughly 'planted' on soil, and tended to like a plant (water it, give it some fertilizer, etc.) After another three months, the egg will have doubled in size, and hatches out a young Llyskan infant. Llyskan mature relatively quickly, which means in ten years since hatching they can mate. In some Llyskan cultures age and birthdays are counted from their egg-birth; some others, their hatch-birth.
Llyskan lifespan can go up to 50 to 60 years old, although 70 year old Llyskans aren't unheard of. Only those with life-prolonging magics, or lucky enough, can reach more than 100 years old.

-On Sea-Shamans: They're people who had been touched by the sea in a special way, bolstering their magical ability via their affinity of the oceans. Even those who weren't magically attuned before could be awakened into a Sea-Shaman, the exception being Airfens, since they simply do not have the connection to magic. Usually Sea-Shamans' powers are sea-related; the ability to see ocean currents or impending storms is a common one. This is why any Sea-Shaman is usually hired in many ships. Other, more potent powers (but also rarer to have) are storm-calling, communicating with the denizens of the sea, speaking with the dead spirits of those lost at sea, controlling water, summoning sea-beasts. All in all, they are very common to see at seaside communities. And since their link is to the sea, their powers lessen considerably the further from the sea they are. They will inevitably be drawn to the sea, like an irresistible urge which gets harder to ignore the longer they stay far from the sea.

>>86324
About the sea shaman, would a sea shaman die if held in a stone prison cell away from sea long enough, or just drive them insane? Or some third option like power loss? (Assuming escape was impossible.)

>>86326
Maybe if their connection with the sea is very strong, they could die. But usually they just go insane or slowly wasting energy. It doesn't matter what kind of prison, as long as they can't escape from it immediately.
But one legend said that a particular sea-shaman, being imprisoned in a hostile and parched highlands, decided that he'll create his own sea where his prison is. He's also a water-controller, so he pulls up the groundwater and caused a lake to form and flood his captors. And that is why Lake Rangi in Ara tasted a bit salty to this day; it's more of a lagoon than a lake, even though it's situated in the middle of a highland.

OMAKE Indonesian Gentleman 2014/12/06(Sat)07:08 No. 87508 ID: ac2b30
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So yeah, about that mecha-shiva idea...
not completely thrown out of the window.

>>87508
THE BEST

Yeah, update delayed to next week, since I seem to be in a kind of low batt mode. That, and there's probably not enough time drawing the updates this weekend.

Indonesian Gentleman 2015/01/05(Mon)07:47 No. 88503 ID: ab3eaa
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I feel kinda inspired to draw this after work.
Behold the flesh-warping, face-stealing, master of masquerades, Jesst of Masks, the Laughing Man! A big round of applause for one of the Faceless for his flawless disguise that caught us by surprise. And before anyone asks, his existence alone breaks Marnaka Convention rules 3) and 5).

>the Laughing Man!
Almost the inverse of the other Laughing Man I am familiar with (Ghost in the Shell). Instead of a faceless person anyone can emulate, a faceless person who can emulate anyone.

>>88506
>>88506
Then again, who could forget about the original Laughing Man, Gwynplaine? As in the inspiration for Joker?

>>88503
...holy crap. That guy looks a lot like one of my D&D 5E characters. Warlock, can spam disguise self infinitely. Natural form is never seen, always wear a masks, heavily implied to be actually an eldritch horror from the stars.

I need to read this quest more, looked it at the start and looked interesting.

A little bit of challenge. Indonesian Gentleman 2015/01/15(Thu)05:50 No. 88688 ID: 758765
File 142132980169.png - (94.66KB , 500x500 , AirfenCloudrunnerSketch.png )

Right, I'm kinda bored right now and so I decided to challenge tgchan. See the picture? That is an Airfen Cloudrunner. The challenge is to make up lore about this guy/class, anything about their equipment, society, culture etc.
Best lore will get included in Tharsia proper forever, and the Cloudrunners will appear in the quest.
Consider this a chance to contribute to the setting! Also, as an added bonus, the winner gets to get their character appear in the quest as well. Whether it's a new character or an old one, they will appear in the quest. By god, I will make them work into the story.
Lore away!

>>88688
>Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

As it is well known the Airfen people cannot use magic. This fact is especially known to the Airfen themselves. They have always sought to make up for this slight handicap buy using far superior technology and hoarding this technology away from outsiders and for a time this was considered to be enough. But then the Great War of Ascia happened, and for the first time the Airfen people saw what magic unbound can really do and for the first time the Airfen, as a whole, felt that their technology alone might not be enough to save them should they ever have to fight someone who would be willing to fight without magical restraints.

Not wanting to put all there faith into a peace of paper known as The Marnaka Convention, the Airfen started pouring money and research into a project to give them a fighting chance should they ever have to face a foe that ignores The Marnaka Convention treaty. They made the Cloudrunners.

A Cludrunner has the best tech the Airfens have and it shows. They can fly, see in the dark, see heat signatures, see magical fields, flashbombs, explosives of all kinds, and there crowning achievement, have small vials that hold a potion that grants them a huge resistance to magic. While not true immunity to magic, any spells that would effect a cloudrunner directly (like mind control, Polymorph spells, instant death spells, ect) can still work, the now take more time and energy to pull off which can give a cloudrunner the second he/she needs to blow the offending mage's head off. This potion is the Airfen's greatest kept secret to the point were even some Airfen don't even know it exist. It is also poisonous if drunk in large quantity so if the cloudrunner drinks more then one vial before it has a chance to leave his system it can be fatal and the potion starts losses effectiveness after a few hours and takes almost a day for it to work it's way out of the runner's system. They have also found a way to use the potion in a kind of gas bomb that in small amounts can leave magic users almost unable to cast the simplest of spells and in large enough acts like mustard gas. They don't use the gas bombs much though and only carry them as a last resort.

The role of the Cloudrunners is simple. They are charged with dealing with any magical threat to the Airfen enclaves that is deemed to hazardous for normal Airfen troops to hand. Or in simpler terms, the Airfen's special forces. Outsiders believe that the Airfen have found a way to use there technology to harvest magic to grant them flight and combat and to combat away harmful spells. The Cloudrunner strategy is usually to find there target and then rush them using shock and aw tactics to stun the enemy to not only to make them easier targets but also to cut the chances that they could pull off any magical spells.

sorry if it's crap but I thought I'd give it a try. Just kinda based it off the witcher

Hrrrm...

CloudRunners, as their name implies, are the air-combat troops of the Airfen.
Little is known of them to outsiders, though it has been noted that most CloudRunners seem to be of slight build, if not outright small, by Airfen standards.
The distinctive 'Wings' that is the calling card of a CloudRunner are mystifying to the other races- they make no sound, and do not seem to move, and yet despite their small size, do not move, while granting the CloudRunners their flight abilities.
Amongst the CloudRunners, are various sub-sets, dependant on their skills.
(Airfen translations could be used here, for now I'm just going to use the English word equivilants)
Vultures-the most feared of the CloudRunner groups, the Vultures are chosen not for flight skill, but for exceptional aim, as they are known to fly high enough that they would be mistaken for birds, and carry bombs that they drop on their targets, and reserve sniping from above for priority targets.

'Pregrins'
The Masters of the sky, the Pregrins are the most skilled fliers of the CloudRunners, and perhaps best-known for being in it for the glory and fame.

'Peacocks'
An unusual group, to say the least. CloudRunner wings shift in colour when shaken, and Peacocks have taken this quirk and mastered it, capable of generating many different beautiful and mesmerizing patterns, some of which can even extend from the wings and persist for a few seconds. Because this disrupts the flight function of the wings, and can actually permanently disable said function over time, leaving the Peacocks earthbound, much to the derision of the other two groups. However, the Peacocks ARE nimble dancers one and all, and while they cannot fly, they can still use the wings to aid in acrobatics, enabling a marked increase in agility even in close quarters where traditional flight techniques would fail.

...So that's my take on the CloudRunners. From Airborne Snipers (Vultures) to jack-of all trade Dogfighters (Pregrins) to dancer/speedsters (Peacocks)

Cloudrunners, the scouts and snipers of the Airfen Military.
Silent and secretive, the Cloudrunners are best-known for being absolute BASTARDS to get a bead on.

The wings on their back, though small, allow for slightly-limited gliding and maneuvering. They use this to absolutely terrifying advantage in combat situations, able to maneuver far better than they should be while in the air.

Unfortunately, they are somewhat frail, owing to the weight and height limitations required for sustained flight of ANY kind. As a result, they rely mostly on hit-and-run tactics and shots from afar, though there are cases where they are able to use their blinding speed and excellent maneuverability to overwhelm opponents in close-quarters.

There are three known variants of Cloudrunner:

-The Scout class, who are trained extensively in concealment and are very fond of sudden attacks from high above treetops. They are also used to gather intel, as the name would suggest, making them easily the most dangerous of the three tactically. They tend to be ferocious in close-combat, using the wings in tandem with jumps and flips to prevent opponents from being able to get a bead on them even at close range.

-The long-range Sniper class, who sacrifice some flight ability in order to maximize ammo and attack capabilities. They carry Airfen repeating crossbows, and tend to pick a high place and sit there for a while until something comes tromping by with just enough forehead.

-Finally, and perhaps most terrifying of all, the Demolitions units. They are slower, lightly-armored units who eschew everything save an Airfen sword- and as many Airfen explosives as they can carry. Their favorite tactic is to fly on overhead, dropping bombs of all kinds down onto the unsuspecting saps below.


They aren't without weaknesses, however. All three classes are still of the Cloudrunner stock, meaning that they can be disabled in one or two solid hits. Even the armor doled out to the Demolitions units only does so much, due to the harsh limitations flight imposes upon them.

The real danger comes from the scouts, who have been known to hide everywhere from up in treetop canopies to buried head-to-toe in mud, appearing from seemingly nowhere and taking entire squads out one-by-one.
They also have a nasty habit of calling the locations in to Sniper and Demolitions units.

If you see a scout, chances are there are support units waiting in the shadows just waiting for the command to ruin your day.

Doh, I forgot to tell you this. Deadline for all lore submission is Feb 1st, judging will be done the following week and at the weekend I shall deliver the result and pick a winner.

And oh! Since I'll be joining the local Game Jam in the weekend of 23rd, 24th and 25th January, Ouroboros' update will be shifted to the next weekend over (Jan 31 - Feb 1).

Keep on with the submission in the meantime!

>>88688
Airfen Cloudrunner.

Hey you, if your gonna sit so close, mite'as well tell you something. Ya see Cloudrunners, they weren't like we know em now way back when. 'Were once a part of the Airfen society, but that was a long time ago.

Started back oh...well, longer then most of us can remember. Suppose it was some fight over something. Used to be parta the Airfen military, back when their power was at its prime. Legend says that the Cloudrunners were too independent, too free, too different... They got those things like all Airfen got, that way with their tools. But these tools were different, made the common Airfen feel like onea' us, staring wide eyed and open mouthed. Yeah. Those were the times, or so I hear.

Wasn't too long before the world learned the Airfen were just like everyone else, willing to hammer in a nail that is sticking out. You don't mind if I smoke do ya? Hmmyeaaa thats good smokeroot. Well, the cloudrunners, they didn't much care for that plan. Took off with their inventions, and their know how. Ran right into the sky. Some people say past the sky even! Some people say they flew into the sun, but those people are, well, crazy.

So now they spend their time being free as they want, even with their feet on the ground you can tell they are always flying, their secrets hidden somewhere up there, beyond the sky *he points* See that star, the one that moves, thats onea their ships. Ya know though? I hear something else...

I hear they watch us. Young'uns like you. Lookin kindred to join em. A'Few of my friends died trying, died dreaming, maybe better though then the life we live down here. About time I get going, thanks for the time, always good to tell a story.

Vagabonds, pirates, gangs...we get called a lot of names...and this old cloudrunner, well he got your wallet. Don't worry, this drink is on me.

*exploding from the old man's ragged mantle some sort of wings materialized and he was gone. Despite the loss of your wallet, it seemed like money well spent for a chance encounter.*

Alright, as I promised, today is the deadline for the fluff submissions. Four hardy challengers step up to be judged, all of them equally interesting in their own right!

While I judge, participants, please put up the character you want to be inserted into Tharsia here. Name, race, gender, a short blurb of a backstory is fine.

>Chargen in case of winner
>Only participated for fun of contest.
Pauline
female Ksselyr
backstory: a currently serving OathswornEnforcer, Pauline's anti-magic artifact is a wrist-blade that absorbs magic to increase in length, the use of which is to either 'catch' incoming magical projectiles, or for Pauline to simply pump her own magic into the weapon to extend it herself. Overtime, the blade will return to it's original size.
Pauline herself serves because of it being a family tradition.

>please put up the character you want to be inserted into Tharsia here
wait what? huh I just throw something out there for the hell of it but alright then.

>name:
Lyle
>race
Tharsian
>gender
male
>backstory
Is currently a street performer of sorts or as he calls himself, a freelance bum. He laid back and knows some magic but nothing really beyond casting a few lights, some shadow manipulation, simple illusions, and can throw sounds around. Really just traveling to see what he can see of the world before he settles down and uses the magical tricks he's learned to put on small shows on the street to get enough pocket change to afford a place to sleep for the night, get food, and travel to places that you simply can't walk to. Knows how to use a knife but mostly relies on his fist while fighting dirty and using what magic he knows to disorient his foes either by blinding them with light or shadow or casting a illusion to make it look like he's throwing a punch to the face when he's really going with a kick to the balls. Preferred method of fighting is simply to run away though and using his illusions to lose any pursuers or to help him hide from them.

Name: Atilla Reuben

Gender: Male

Species: Airfen

Bio: Rude, strong (for an airfen), and eschews technology in favor of getting R I P P E D. Only tech he accepts are those related to punching and/or kicking, up to and including spring-loaded fists and explosive-charge kickboots.

>>89021
oh right, backstory:
He's an enforcer for a small crime group. Not actually a bad guy, but got pulled into the thug life by his parents, who ARE bad guys.
That's about it, he's not terribly complicated or interesting.

He's a big rude goofball who likes to punch and kick things, very warrior-spirit type.

Ahem!
Four fluff enter the contest, one shall walk out.
Honestly, it's kind of hard to judge this - all four is interesting enough to be included in Tharsia! But I shall digress. Here is the judging breakdown on the four fluffs...

>Nothing's entry
I really like the idea of an anti-magic squad and the Airfen not trusting the Marnaka convention. But not so hot on the implementation of the units themselves; generic/undescribed special forces with the anti-magic potion seems kinda ehh to me.

>Riotmode's entry
While not providing historical background on the Cloudrunners, the differing classes of Cloudrunners got my attention. Scout as a close-range boosted ambusher sounds badass, but sadly the Sniper and Demoman classes lack enough bite for me.

>Zaealix's entry
A small amount of backstory, and again the three-class combo pulls me in. Vultures sounds like what they would normally do, Peregrins an extension of that; but the Peacock intrigues me. Although the dancing part isn't really appealing to me, it's the cuttlefish effect of the Peacock that really got my attention. That's quite creative!

>Anonymous 3c17ca entry
Now this one has backstory by the truckload, and in-story narration. That special forces gone rogue part sounds cool to me, as is the fact that they now recruit outside of Airfens. Sadly, since anon didn't put up a character, I'll have to disqualify this, in a way.

*** AND NOW, THE MOMENT YOU'RE WAITING FOR ***

The winner of this little contest is... dun dun dunnn...

Zaealix!

Giva a round of applause to all who contested here!
And as promised, I shall put Zaealix's character, Pauline, into the next arc of Tharsia - that is, the one tentatively named Danger at Rozz Island - right after The Sea, its Song, and Fish. Which is kinda neat in terms of suspense.

To Nothing, Riotmode and the anonymous: no worries, I'll put your characters in the farther future of Tharsia, they sound good enough to be characters I can introduce to the readers. And as for anon, I can assure you that there will be legends about the ol' flying bandit...

Sorry to announce this, but my main laptop's keyboard is acting kinda wonky right now, what with some keys going on strike sometimes. Going to have to go to the repair shop with that laptop.

BUT!
not all hope is lost. Right now I'm using my dad's laptop (actually my old one really), and I'll try making the update from that. Then again I can't promise an update, and next week's update until I get my main laptop's keyboard fixed or replaced.
So yeah, Tharsian and Ouroboros questers, my deepest condolences and apology.

--------

But let's not get discouraged. What if we run another contest in the meantime? Make up a three-person party in Tharsia, best group dynamic gets in the quest's next arc, along with the winner of last contest.

>>89315
Marsok; Kumado

Even for a thing made of trees, Marsok is pretty large. Chunks of stone and steel are bound throughout it's body. Is actually part of a golem, someone used Marsok as part of the ingredients. For given a shit deal in life, he is pretty easy going. Accept for the battle rampages.
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Gerett ; Hozith male

Very young. Small for a Hozith, claims tutelage from an airfen inverter, though anything Gerett makes looks like crap. His inventions are usually martial in nature, but he has been trying to make his own "Wings". Constantly talks about the airfen and how great they are; most suspect his interactions with the race are nothing more than a story of a street orphan.
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Taridia "Dia" ve'veleom; Tharasian female

A real man's man. Accept for the female part. Face says she mighta' been pretty once, now its mostly like the rest of her, scarred and beaten. Marsok told her that shes more of a Hozith than Gerett is once. Just once. All things said, she is pretty fun to be around, and someday has a secret aspiration of being a mother and house wife to the right guy.
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Their story is about as simple as it can get. Chance encounter. Dia stopped Gerett from getting his hands cut off by a local merchant when one of his inventions didn't work out as intended. They ended up taking work as guards for crossing the deserts or sea. Sometimes they guarded people, sometimes Cargo. Well, one time it was both, but the cargo was Marsok. A lot of dead people later Marsok calmed down and they have been far away from their old home since.

diamonds danna (probably not her real name), tharsian
a very entrepreneur-like lady dragging her two ~TRUSTY CREWMEN~ on ~EXCITING ADVENTURES~. shes a very short and very tiny kleptomaniac, kinda dainty looking [but with a few missing teeth]. her origin story changes EVERY SINGLE TIME she tells it. the last time she was secretly an airfen princess from beyond the moon. the day before she's an overthrown pirate despot. a few years back she's the chosen one of some backwater prophesy.
she is utterly convinced she is gonna make it big in the criminal underworld and be famous and that her "crew" is super loyal it doesn't even cross her mind that she's lying to herself. her crew is loyal though, but because they like her (shes funny) and not cause they believe her. kaz, crewmate number 2, might believe her tho. or he might think she's really into roleplay.
her crew consists of
tannis flintlock, a gato gunslinger madboy - he's an "explosives expert" who's with danna for the thrill of it. he's a fast talking jittery twitchy asshole, capable of making a bomb out of damn near anything as long as its mildly flammable. it's a chore to get him to not cannibalize whatever vehicle they've stolen to make grenades. danna and tannis are the devil duo, where tannis encourages dannas delusions for the lulz, basically.
they're contrasted (and kinda brought to earth) by kazimir "breakyourface" maddock, the gentlest fucking marshmallow hozith youll ever see despite his "nickname". he does break people's faces when they treathen his loveable idiots. part time medic to their little team, part time the person to give flintlock piggy-back rides, kaz is Fucking Chill. might have to do with the super strong hozith cigars he keeps smoking. he tags along with the explosives duo to keep them out of trouble, you see. it would be no good if diamonds went to prison aGAIN and flintlock had to explode a cell AGAIN. the last time they did that kaz had soot in his hair for weeks!! hhes distracted a lot. kind of a loveable goof with a huggeable potbelly. built like a lumberjack. its a perpetual life of "dO NOT DO THE THING" "im gonna do the thing kaz! wait fuck this went wrong how did it go wrong ow im hurt ow" "SIIIIIIGH DO YOU WANT ME TO FIX IT?" might have come into this world wearing a frilly cook apron. we're unsure.
shnenanigans, man.

Hrrm. Honestly originally I was a bit torn on HOW exactly to do this but...I think I have an idea.

Iredia Donna: Human, Female, Merchant.
A carefree and optimistic person, unfortunately she's also the type to conjure up get-rich quick schemes that predictably, tend to blow up in her face. Good thing she has Rhys and Amargio to watch her back!

Rhys Donna: human Female, Druid? (That's a thing in this world right? Basically, nature-themed mage-type person.)
Rhys is Iredia's sister, and for someone who has acted as her sister's keeper for most of her life. She makes magical charms that Iredia then sells. Has a laid-back side to her that's not often seen.

Amargio: Hozith, Male, Bodygaurd.
While not truly Mute, Amargio almost never speaks. Iredia took him in after his previous employer and owner attempted to fight the law, and the law won. Iredia seems to be one of the few people who carry on conversations with him that isn't just a monologue to herself.

Example scene:
Iredia: I've got a brand new plan to etch our names in history!
Amargio:*sideways glance*
Iredia: No, it does not involve you going to that fighting pit! It's MUCH better than that! So, basically, people have been talking about the recent rash of illegal graverobbing right? I figure we could go down there and-
Rhys:Whoa, sis, you want us to fight some evil Necromancer dude who's going to flay the flesh from our bones and add us to his army!? If that's not a bogus way to get us all killed I'll be surprised!
Iredia: Rhyyyys!
Amargio:*folds arms*
Iredia:*sighes* Fine....I guess impromptu bounty hunters was a bit much...
Amargio:*dismissive snort*
Iredia:Maaaaaybe another time, I'm still sore from the last time you tried to teach me...
*End Scene*

I love how all our suggestions so far have a hozith dude and an eccentric tharsian lady. This s what tgchan wants, apparently, orcs and nutty dames.

Alright, now that my laptop's back from repairs, I can do the next updates properly instead of being annoyed at laggy stuff! This also meant that the mini-contest is now closed, and I'll judge the entrees right here right now.

Marsok/Gerett/Taridia: The individual characters sound good, maybe except for Marsok since Kumados are very rarely seen outside of their forests and jungles, and are very shy. An Airfenboo Hozith is kinda cool, and so is the scarred battlewoman with gentle aspirations - but they kinda lack the chemistry between each other. For this, they got into 3rd place.
Danna/Tannis/Kazimir: Two short troublemakers and a gentle giant, this sounds interesting. The characters themselves are fun in their own right, but combined I can see future shenanigans for them. In short, I like these guys! 1st place!
Iredia/Rhys/Amargio: Two sisters and a Big Daddy, the interaction between the three sounds cool. But two straight men types and a little loopy, while interesting in its own right, pales in comparison to two loopies and a straight man. The characters themselves are also a bit more tame in comparison. Result: 2nd place!

So there you have it folks, Danna, Tannis, and Kazimir will show up in the next arc, along with Pauline the Oathsworn Enforcer.
I'll start drawing how I picture them in my head now...

>>89541
HELL YEAH HELL YEAH ALRIIIIGHT

congratulations to the victor on your success! Though yeah, once I saw this >>89446 I had a feeling things weren't going to work out so well.

Just had this idea, writing it down now.
Creation of Tharsia, according to the Neode codex.

Kardanda Gaura.
At first there was nothing, and everything, for they were one and the same. There was no time, because it wasn't created yet. This singularity we name the Noethe is like an egg on the apex of a precipice; all energy and all possibility contained within it, waiting for something to happen. Then, Noethe condensed itself, and the first separation - of nothing and everything - happened. The universe roiled into chaos, churning as the early things fall into place. It was then that Neode found itself upon the sphere that is Tharsia.
Neode, at this point, was not a god. It is mortal like us, but imbued with the echoes of Noethe's first separation, which granted it the power of creation. At this point, time started to flow as Neode breathed its first breath. Light and darkness fade into existence as Neode's consciousness awoke. When it came to, it sees Tharsia, then a flat featureless sphere.
"I am."
Neode's first words ripple through Tharsia, making the perfect surface crumple, crack contort into mountains and canyons. It also defined Neode, making it a physical form. With its newly founded form, Neode walked across Tharsia. Accompanied only by light and darkness, Neode saw the entirety of Tharsia.
"This place, with its mountains and valleys, seem a little bit nice, but still boring."
And so Neode grabbed into the sphere of Tharsia and brought forward the earth and rock, in its various forms and colors.
"Now it looks a little bit better, but still boring. What say you, Light? What say you, Darkness?"
Darkness replied. "Yes, it is boring because it has nothing living here. I don't think you can make life."
Neode let darkness' words sink into it, drowning it in despair. It cried, and thus water came into being, covering Tharsia in oceans, rivers, ice and fog.
Light calmed it down. "Ah, look what you've done! With this, I'm sure you can have life now!"
And so Light helped Neode create the first plants. Now happy, Neode wondered what to do next.
Darkness gives an idea. "Why not give Light something to shine from, it did help you with plants right?"
Light was overjoyed when Neode made fire for it. So overjoyed, in fact, that it made fire burn some of the plants.
Light was sorry for burning the plants, and cried. As the tears of light doused the first fire, air came to being - supported by the plants.
Neode saw that Tharsia is now verdant and beautiful, but the plants moved so slow that Neode was soon bored. It then created the first animals to eat the plants, so that if another fire happened not all plants would be burned.
After a while, the animals multiplied, but did not sleep because light and darkness wove their own paths around Tharsia, in an irregular way. Some of the animals grow more aggressive and started preying upon other animals because of this. Dismayed, Neode went to find a solution to this. It called for Light and Darkness to stop moving irregularly, but they moved too much. So it grabbed Light with its hands and stepped on Darkness with its feet. For a while this seemed to work, but Light started to cry, making winds. Darkness tried to slither away but Neode's feet was still firmly on Tharsia. The winds started to beat in fury, and Darkness tries harder to squirm free; so Neode pulled in upon itself and, for a brief moment, spun itself in Light. Like a spinning wheel, it rose suddenly, releasing Darkness in one direction, and dragged Light with him. Parts of Light and Darkness scattered all over the universe; some Light became stars, some Darkness became shadows, and Neode became a god. Some parts of Neode and its first shadow lumped together during this binding of the sun; These coalesced themselves, and became the first Ksselyr. Neode was overjoyed, finally it had created something that could think like it and be the new stewards of Tharsia. Neode whispered them the secrets of magic so they can better Tharsia with it, then climbed into the biggest piece of Light and resided in the Sun, regulating the movements of Light and Dark so the people and animals can sleep. As a final act on Tharsia, Neode gave Tharsia itself life.
Afterwards, other races started appearing from the aftermath - Hozith from rocks, Llyskan from plants, Gato from the animals, Tharsian from Tharsia itself, and Airfen from the stars. And thus is how Tharsia came to be like it is now.
Kardanda Maura.

Indonesian Gentleman 2015/03/13(Fri)07:44 No. 89612 ID: 0adeca
File 142625784715.png - (150.75KB , 600x600 , danna kazimir tannis.png )

And here we go, some concept art for Diamonds Danna, Kazimir Maddock, and Tannis Flintlock.
She is a rather short redhead, don'tcha think?

>>89612
OH MY GOSH SHE LOOKS ADORABLE AND TINY : D
ive never been so happy to have won a contest befoore this is gonna be so gr8
does tannis have a black eye or is it his gato markings?

>>89613
Kinda both. His first experiment with gunpowder was a success, but it left his left eye a bit... twitchy.
And yes, we can agree that she is quite the petite troublemaker.

Sorry guys, this weekend's update is going to be delayed. I came down with flu (stomach flu?) last Friday, of which I am still trying to recover now. 39 degrees Celcius for body temp is no laughing matter.
Again, sorry!

Indonesian Gentleman 2015/04/03(Fri)07:24 No. 90022 ID: 194092
File 142807104319.png - (66.70KB , 500x500 , pauline.png )

Here ya go, guys, have a Pauline! She's one fine Oathsworn Enforcer, she is.
The difference between a male and female Ksselyr is minute. The most telltale sign is the orientation of their 'eyes': males have mostly vertical eyes, while females have mostly horizontal eyes. On rare occasions, a Ksselyr is born with circular eyes - they are usually hermaphrodites. Not like the other races notice, anyways.

>>90022
Mostly? Do you mean some are born with vertical eyes but are female, or the other way around? Or is it like, their eyes aren't quite as horizontal/vertical?

>>90027
It means not-quite-vertical for males, and not-quite-horizontal for females. Slight slants, curves, ovalization. Very rarely, very very rarely, a Ksselyr is born without eyes. While they cannot see, their connection with the primordial magic is tenfold from normal - so instead of seeing the visual world, these eyeless can see the wild winds of magic, the slight aura of people, and some might even say thoughts before they form.

>>90022
I'll be honest-I made Pauline an Oathsworn mainly to see what they look like. I do have it in my head that she's a soldier of some description but...She's kind of still a nacesent concept.

>>90065
Oathsworn doesn't have uniforms. They're kinda like WH40k Imperial Inquisition in that they carry some sort of mark or symbol that defines them as an Oathsworn.
Pauline's clothes are just her clan's standard garb. Which is like an uniform, in a way.

>>90068
So more Detective than a regular Constable (going by the police analogy)?

>>90102
Or something like plainclothes officer, but yeah, that seems like a fitting example.
Also, the Oathsworn organization itself is composed of 3 parts: Enforcers, Agents and Justicars. Agents are the ones who sniff around for signs of illegal magics, and confirm if it's the case. Enforcers are the ones who are sent to deal with it, by negating or nullifying the magics, and/or capturing the perps responsible, securing and if need be, destroying any illegal magic artifacts. Justicars are the ones who prosecute the perps, locking their magic, and bringing them back to Marnaka to be judged. In some cases they also negate and nullify the perps' connection with magic as well.

wooot, Legends of Tharsia reached its first year here!

Welp, it's official, last night's surprise rat hunt burnt all the free time I had last weekend. And the next weekend I'll be out of town attending a workmate's wedding, so no updates until the second weekend of May. Sorry for you readers!

Turns out next week my family already had plans for the weekend, so yet another weekend fell victim to the hungry hungry hiatus. Terribly sorry for this! Hopefully 16-17 May I can resume the regular updates.

Aight, turns out parents are fickle creatures, and thus the planned outing on the 9th of May has been cancelled. But on the other hand, the weekend of the 16th of May is kinda in a schrodinger-limbo, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, to fill in some parts of Tharsia, here's a blurb about one of the Svantovic Nomad tribes.

Sin and Honor in the Svantovic Nomad Tribe of Yaghiri

The Yaghiri nomads of the Svantovic highlands believed that there are five sins that exist in this world. There is
Nyao, thievery that stems from envy.
Nyaghu, messing with the matter of love, to make it trivial.
Nyafe, to be addicted to something beyond the point of simple obsession.
Nyako, to lose control of oneself in the throes of emotion, usually to the point of causing damage to others.
and the last, but most dire and grave of the sins, Nyalle, to waste life where it is preventable.

They believe that the other sins, while they may dirty the soul, can still be washed away into purity by way of repentance and penance. But Nyalle is the only one that stains the soul so, so even in battle, they would try their best not to kill, or be killed. For to kill the enemy is Nyalle, because bloodshed can always be avoided. And the leader is also responsible for the Nyalle of their subordinates. That is why one of the Yaghiri's mythical heroes is known as The Sufferer, or The Sin-Eater. It is said that he bore the brunt of the Yaghiri's Nyalle under his leadership to avert the invasion of a particularly expansionist and bloodthirsty tribe.

So yeah, I'll be in a local game jam in the 14th to the 16th of August, so I can't update my quests then. Expect something new the following weekend.

By the way, any critique/advice/comment on the entirety of ch. 2? Too slow? Too early to be on the boat already? Too fast? Too few action scenes?