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Post by Harkovast on Apr 7, 2017 9:39:46 GMT
I changed the guls to flamingos.
Anyway, Im not talking 'seriously' I'm just curious about this line of thinking and what it produces. Of course I reserve the right to become serious at any future date.
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Post by TempestFennac on Apr 7, 2017 10:39:44 GMT
Maybe coming up with elements first could help for gryphons? I was thinking Air could make sense being as they're part bird and it seems like that element is being used in conjunction with fire, light, metal, death, dark, life and stone by other races. Air and Water could work for a Polynesian race maybe?
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Post by RED_NED on Apr 7, 2017 11:11:00 GMT
I don't want to be a debbie downer, but in a world populated by animal creatures having a race be a mythological animal that is a mashup of different animals is going to cause confusion.
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Post by StyxD on Apr 7, 2017 21:42:49 GMT
Air and Water could work for a Polynesian race maybe? I would propose Air and Thunder myself. Because obviously. I don't want to be a debbie downer, but in a world populated by animal creatures having a race be a mythological animal that is a mashup of different animals is going to cause confusion. Will it really? Griffins are pretty well defined. It's not like there can be any mashup at all.
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Post by Harkovast on Apr 7, 2017 22:52:28 GMT
Okay Ive been giving this some thought, and I conferred with that naughty nay sayer RED_NED and we have some concepts for this. I will try to write some things up tomorrow. I haven't decided on magic powers yet, but we were talking about Ice and Stone.
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Post by StyxD on Apr 8, 2017 7:15:29 GMT
Whoa... I never really considered this could happen.
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Post by Harkovast on Apr 8, 2017 15:19:16 GMT
Yeah welcome to the magical world of "Hark can do whatever he wants."
We are talking Griffins and we are talking Swiss.
And I am putting them....right in the middle of the Eslum mainland.
The Hezgard At the centre of the Eslum mainland is a range of mountains, surrounded by great lakes that are frozen over for about half of the year. This desolate area lacks resources and is considered inhospitable by the Eslum. Ironically for a people who have sent explorers all over the world, the Eslum take almost no interest in an area so close to their homes. There would be no glory to be gained from mapping out this worthless, miserable terrain. And just as the area is considered uninteresting, so are its inhabitants. The Hezgard live in isolation in their mountain fortresses, not admitting outsiders (not that many would want to go there.) Their culture is a mystery, but one the Eslum generally do not care about. They are considered a trivial, backward race of no importance and when describing the home islands, most Eslum would forget to even mention them. Many Eslum maps don't even bother to mark on their territory. The Hezgard do maintain diplomatic relations with the Eslum princes, sending out envoys to speak with them, dealing with issues like any Eslum encroaching into their territory but mostly dealing with the Hezgard's only real export, which is their mercenaries. These are not individual fortune seekers, but are professional forces sent out after bargains are struck with the Hezgards envoys. Hezgard do not talk about their homeland or culture, and the Eslum generally do not care to ask, so the motivations of what Hezgard do are often hard to fathom. Their mercenaries fight with great courage, often to the point of refusing to retreat when ordered to, and fighting to the death when all seems lost. This behaviour causes some Eslum commanders to consider them barbarians and ill disciplined. Why the Hezgard fight this way when the outcome of the war should not matter to them is unknown. Some assume it is simple blood lust, others that they live by some primitive code of honour, while the more cynical believe it is to maintain their reputation so they can continue to be well paid as mercenaries. Whether money, honour or something else motivates their eagerness to see their warriors fight in other peoples wars is also unknown. The Hezgard dress in a similar manner to the Eslum, but even more decorative and flamboyant. Decked in plumes and ruffles, their soldiers make an impressive sight. The rank and file use halberds to break the ends off Eslum pikes, allowing them to get into the closer combat that the Hezgard favour. Their elite warriors wear breast plates and helmets and wield two handed swords. Though skilled and brave, they lack the excellent weapons and etaro armour of the Armatori of the Eslum. Never the less, they are fearsome fighters and earn the respect of those they fight. Their units keep to themselves, not mixing with other troops, even other mercenaries. They have bene observed to employ harsh discipline on their warriors, with severe, violent punishments for transgressions that are more strict then even those of well drilled Eslum troops. There is no record of female Hezgard ever leaving their mountains, and some even speculate that they might not exist, with the Hezgard springing into being from soem form of strange magic.
In diplomacy, the Hezgard are not hostile, willing to engage in trade (though they don't have much the Eslum would want beyond their fierce soldiers) but they insist on total neutrality. Any attempt to pull them into deeper alliances or exclusive agreements are always refused.
Hints at their government have been picked up from their emissaries and soldiers. Their nation seems to be made up of a confederacy of smaller states called "cantons", and references are made by the Hezgard to lords and kings that they serve. the relation between the cantons and how closely allied they are or if there is a central authority controlling them all is unknown.
Some Eslum rulers and important figures have employed Hezgard as body guards, especially useful for those who fear assassination or betrayal from their own underlings. Though uttlerly devoted defenders, using Hezgard bodyguards can have a political cost, as many Eslum consider surrounding oneself with foreign protectors to be distasteful.
While the Eslum take a dim view of the Hezgard, most simply do not care about them one way or the other. They are a trivial, backwards people living in a place the Eslum do not care about and most Eslum simply don't care about them one way or the other. This is not universally true, however. The Eslum home islands are considered a sacred gift from the goddess and every part of them is the precious property of the Eslum race. To acknowledge any other sovereignty is blasphemy, and the Hezgard's presence is, to some hardline Eslum, an insufferable insult. It is said that High Veritor Felzio has spent many hours pouring over maps and working out plans for how to destroy the Hezgard. Unfortunately for him, there is no enthusiasm for such a mission amongst the Eslum Princes for such an adventure. The Hezgard mountains are very defensible, with open ground around them that would make it easy to see any approaching force. The unpleasant choice would be between advancing in summer through slow, difficult paths or go in winter through the harsh cold and across the treacherous frozen lakes. One reaching the mountains, armies would have to fight through narrow passes and struggle against vast fortresses of stone. For all this trouble, what would any ruler gain from such a difficult and costly endeavour? They would also leave themselves vulnerable to an attack from another rival prince. Felzios appeals to destroy the Hezgard for purely ideological reasons simply can't over come the practicalities that rulers must deal with.
The only person who came close to having both the will and ability to destroy the Hezgard was Resadeo the Mariner. While not a very religious man, he was known for his absolute contempt for the Hezgard, who he described as a "boil on the backside of the home islands" There can be little doubt that if he had succeeded in uniting the Eslum under his rule, he would have taken steps to wipe the Hezgard out as his next priority.
The Hezgard are stoic, strong and brave, seemingly eager for battle for reasons that are known only to them. If they serve any gods, they do not speak of them to outsiders, though some may wonder if a religious devotion inspires their strange behaviours. But the Eslum can onlu speculate, for the Hezgard's secrets remain hidden in their mountains.
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Post by TempestFennac on Apr 8, 2017 16:05:25 GMT
Interesting. I assume this means they can't produce Swiss chocolate though?
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Post by Horsie on Apr 8, 2017 16:38:33 GMT
I like them, though I'm afraid to ask about those harsh punishments they use. Something Swiss I take it. Do they saw cowards in half? Break them on the wheel? Are they pricks?
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Post by Harkovast on Apr 8, 2017 16:52:07 GMT
They can do some grisly executions for seriously transgressions if you like. The Hezgard have their own codes that they enforce on their troops, and unless they commit a crime against an Eslum, most Eslum leaders are content to let them deal with their own internal system, brutal as it may be. I was actually thinking about it and the Hezgard wouldn't have chocolate, as they live in cold mountains.
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Post by Harkovast on Apr 8, 2017 17:00:23 GMT
Whether they are pricks is really a subjective question.
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Post by TempestFennac on Apr 8, 2017 17:21:03 GMT
It would be hard for them to get the necessary ingredients. Do the Aztec birds have the drink version of that?
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Post by StyxD on Apr 8, 2017 19:27:30 GMT
You know, I kind of like them. Especially the fact that you integrated them pretty well with the world around them, while keeping the cultural traits from real world. If I may offer such praise - you've been pretty good about this in recent years, especially compared with the beginning (where knights, samurai and Native Americans were kind of awkwardly plopped in one place). Although this culture makes me sad that I'm not likely to be able to play one of them in a RPG, since they probably don't leave the Eslum Islands. And even if they did, I wouldn't be able to roleplay their cultureā¦ I would also give them mines and blacksmiths. With their women being a thing of legend, you could exploit the dwarf analogy for what it's worth. Whether they are pricks is really a subjective question. Actually, this is a good question in context. Has anyone from another race ever spoken to a Hezgard on a personal and informal basis? So they could form an opinion if they're pricks or not?
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Post by Harkovast on Apr 8, 2017 19:47:28 GMT
Hahha yeah the original races are kind of a whacky mix, aren't they? But what the heck, its a magical fantasy world!
Anyway, the Hezgard are polite but stand offish. They deal with other peoples in a matter of fact, business first kind of way. They are there to do a job, not to fraternise. Mind you, the main ones people speak to are solders and ambassadors, so its hard to know how much is their culture and how much is just the ones in those roles. When out in the world, the Hezgard are there for business, and their business is generally war.
Their troops spend their time drilling, making camp and other professional activities, with very little idleness being permitted. They have been observed singing strange songs together around their camp fires, which refer to stories and figures for which the Eslum have no cultural reference so can't really understand their meaning. They could be about historical figures, religious ones or be metaphor, its hard to be sure. The Hezgard say they are "just songs" and dont offer more explanation. Eslum think Hezgard songs sound like a depressing dirge, showing yet again what a miserable culture these goddess forsaken heathens come from!
If you REALLY want to play one...well the heroes in the rpg are meant to be exceptional examples, so you never know.
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Post by Harkovast on Apr 8, 2017 19:58:08 GMT
In case you wondered, the reason vellastrom is a bit random in what it contains is that Harkovast was originally JUST Vellastrom. The idea of a second continent, of Jaydia, was added later. Then other land masses started getting added and it grew from there. Originally it wasn't even identified as Vellastrom, it only got a name as different land masses got named.
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