The World of Retalia

This is where I will be dumping the various writings, doodles and musings about my developing fantasy world: Retalia

[rwdomremy-deactivated20150106]

Dalndox had wanted to do a Zelda D&D session and wanted new monsters. this is the redraw for Gohma. there’s some other monster sketches lying around, but none as finished as this.

prismacolor colored pencils

[dalndox]

An Elegy to a Forgotten Time

I don't know why I'm writing this. It's 4am and I haven't slept well in weeks. I'm not all too conscious right now, but I'm feeling inspired, so bear with me.

And I said let my people celebrate.

Let them know true happiness.

Let them bask in the glow of your divinity.

For we are the Children of the Goddesses.

I said let my people have their rest.

Let my peoples' eyes no longer flow with the tears of despair

Let my people know peace once more.

For we are tested by the Goddesses.

I said let the fire sweep our land.

Let it wipe clean the earth so that we may start anew.

Let it usher in a new era.

For we are the Survivors of the Goddesses

And I said let my people return to the earth they claimed.

Let my people flourish among the green fields

And my people saw nothing but ash and waste.

For we are the Forsaken of the Goddesses.

[howliteart]

Legend of Zelda Spiritual Stones Set GIVEAWAY!!

Hey everyone! In the excitement of finally having these finished, I’m doing a giveaway for a full set of these lovely resin-cast pendants!  One lucky reblogger will have these three mailed to them - and you can have them as necklaces, as keychains, or without any mounting screws (decorative pieces)!

They’re available for sale at our Etsy Shop, as well!

RULES:

Reblog this to enter! But only once!

Likes/follows don’t count.

Giveaway ends Tuesday, July 31 at 7pm EST!

Winner will be announced/contacted by the following Friday

[dalndox]

From the journal of Avagis Unwen IV

Ditching my next bit of exposition until I can refine it. Instead, here's a little bit of writing. It's not much; I'm really tired. But it's an update.

From the journal of Avagis Unwen IV, discovered buried in the Ashlands. Much of it is unreadable.

I know not what has become of my wife, my children and my home. I can only pray to the Great Goddesses that they too have escaped to the Undertunnels as I have. If it's not their fate that keeps me up at night, it's the [UNREADABLE].

Yesterday I asked again of the Archsage, had he seen my daughters and wife? He shook his head in solemnity. Refugees from the surface had not [UNREADABLE], and it was becoming increasing likely that we are what is left. Our great empire, reduced to only a few [UNREADABLE]. It is an unimaginable tragedy. The weeping of the people is ever present.

[UNREADABLE]

I think tomorrow I will try to brave the surface above.

My dearest Avina, please wait for me...

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There are no more entries.

[dalndox]

Sorry for the absence.

I fell in to a bit of depression and lost a lot of motivation to do just about anything.

But I'm back and motivated and working on something as we speak. I'm still trying to get the hang of writing decent exposition without it being really dry. It's difficult. I need to balance details with stuff that's actuallyinteresting.I'm still working on it, and this whole thing is a big learning experience for me. I'm more of a verbal story-teller, so getting things on paper (or on Tumblr) is really difficult for me.

As a side note, the Ask box should be open. If any of you have any questions about Retalia and the races, or anything I've written thus far (which is little), feel free to ask and I will answer.

[dalndox]

I'm linking the artblag of the wonderful girl who made my new avatar, and has also provided me with critique and guest art (what little there is) for Retalia.

Go follow her blog. It's full of great arts.

[dalndox]

Timeline Event 1: The Prime and the Aetheria

Alright, another wall of text time, since I have no access to fancy-shmancy tablet at the moment. I think what I'm going to do is do some exposition and explanation, and then maybe follow that up with a short story from the time of the event.

Alright. First event.

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The Origin Race

???? years before Cataclysm

The earliest evidence of civilization not written in Holy Texts is etched on the walls of various ruins scattered across the world. Anything that the Prime may have written in books is lost to the sands of time.

Thousands of years before the first Cataclysm, when the world held but a single landmass, the Prime conquered the world and built an incredible civilization. The Prime built seven great cities, the Seven Citadels, though their true names are forever lost.

The Prime wielded magic as a common tool of life. Plants were magically modified to produce more fruit. Animals were bathed in magical energy so that they were completely docile. There was nothing at the height of Prime society where the success could not be attributed to magical assistance.

The Prime's success could also be attributed to their close relationship with the Goddesses; the three beings who shaped the world and created the Prime. They were Retalia, Manafakt, and Labris. Though the Goddesses could not approach the surface, they spoke often to the Archsage of the Prime, helping them to craft the grand empire they did.

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The Prime and the Aetheria

1000 years before Cataclysm

At the height of their empire, the Prime were commissioned by the Goddesses to build a vast network of magical energy to connect the Seven Citadels. This network would allow for instant communication between the Citadels. The Goddesses also explained that this network would produce a magical shield, allowing the Goddesses to descend from space and walk among the people they had fostered.

The network was eventually finished and christened with a grand tower at the center of the capital city. This tower became known as the Prime Aetheria, and would become a conduit for all magical energy in the empire. The magical barrier also began to permeate the surface with magic. Crop yields tripled, animals were locked in to complete control and even the trees would not grow unless the Prime deemed them fit to.

The Goddesses spoke to the Archsage and told him that they would come to live among them, but that the journey would take 1000 years. The Prime's complete control of the world would usher in a thousand years of total peace, until the Goddesses would arrive.

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The Great Cataclysm

Very little detail exists as to the events of the Cataclysm. The Prime gathered at the Aetheria to greet the coming Goddesses.

And then there was chaos. A great force shook the surface of Retalia, shattering the once-great super continent. A storm of dust and flame swept across the Capital. The Aetheria strained and swayed under the assault, before failing catastrophically. The explosion of magical energy swept across the world, filling the soil and stone with magic. The Prime panicked, evacuating in to the underground tunnel systems. There they would stay for many years, hoping that the the roar above their heads would eventually die out...

Some day...

[dalndox]

A little story bit I cooked up

Ok, I know I just said I was going to start from the beginning, but I've been itching to write this little story. So here goes. The setting is about 100 years after the Sulvindross Holy War. The Moldurm are a large race of mountain dwellers, living at ease with the earth.

------

Alphonse struggled against the wind to keep his eyes open. The wind atop the mountains had always been brutal, but today it seemed the Goddesses wanted him to suffer.

It was bad enough that he drew the short lot for this trade mission, but the usual path had been snowed over, and Alphonse knew that trying to push the horses over the mounds of fresh snow would have been a death sentence, if not entirely futile in the first place. It was days like this that Alphonse quietly wished that the Moldurm weren't so genial and had just stuck to their caves after the War, instead of trying to be friends with every race.

With a shake of the head, Alphonse cleared that thought fast. If he was going to converse with the Moldurm, he might as well not fill his head with fantasies about not being there in the first place. Watching the path was more important, lest the horses walk themselves off a cliffside and take him and the goods with them. Judging from the lack of looming cliffs on every side, Alphonse gauged that the Moldum capital could not have been too far off. He couldn't wait to know again what it felt like to not be continuously assaulted by the elements.

The nervous whinnies of the horses snapped Alphonse's attention back to the task at hand. The caravan wasn't moving. His gaze followed slowly upwards. There, a distance away, was someone sitting in the snow. The figure was far too large to be Euman; the average Moldurm often stood at a full height of 10ft. The sight filled his heart with joy. He quickly hopped off the cart and cleared his throat.

"Greetings Earth-brother. My heart sings at our meeting. I am Alphonse, son of Gerhardt, Master of Trades of the Empire of Sulvindross. My deepest gratitude to the fortunes of our meeting." Alphonse quoted the speech, practiced from memory, trying hard to sound sincere. The Moldurm were every bit as concerned with decorum and manners as they were with the quality of their stonework. A wrong word could be construed as an insult. The Moldurm were not an angry people, but it wasn't uncommon for a loose-lipped Euman to be given a collective cold-shoulder by the entire community. The last thing Alphonse wanted was to have to make the walk of shame back to Sulvindross with a full cart of supplies.

There were a few seconds of silence. Something wasn't right. Alphonse cleared his throat, took a few steps forward and repeated the speech once more.

The figure snapped to attention suddenly, rising to its feet. Alphonse's gaze widened. This Moldurm was enormous, even by their standards. It turned around, bringing its face in to full view. Glistening, silver eyes with slit pupils. Razor-edged teeth framing a wide maw.

And horns.

This wasn't a Moldurm. It was a Primol, the bastard offspring of a Primeval and Moldurm. Alphonse quietly begged the Goddesses for a miracle. The Primol let loose a terrible roar...

And then charged.

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Sorry it's not very good. My writing isn't what it used to be, and trying to balance detail without winded exposition is not my strongest suit. Anyway, my next update will definitely be timeline related.

[dalndox]

The problem of definition in a continuous timeline

So I find myself in a continuous quandary when working on concepts of international relations and culture in the world of Retalia. The issue is that I'm defining a world from the beginning of its recorded history until (eventually) the end of the world.

So the question is...

How do I approach this without confusing the people I'm trying to explain it to? I mean... take the Primeval for example. During the more medieval times of the Sulvindross Holy War (explained later), the Primeval are a totally secluded race. They have almost zero outside contact with other races, and don't even officially meet the Euma (humans) until near the end of the War. However, eventually the Primeval develop a sect known as the Librarius. Weaker Primeval who are sent out in to other countries to collect historical and cultural data from the other races.

So somehow I have to fully define races and cultures, despite having them evolve through centuries of development. I can try and define each race, but they all have a backstory. So if I try to work from a particular point in history, I invariably find myself going backwards in time anyway. The historical points I find myself drawn to a lot are the Sulvindross Holy War, and the Second Fiend War. They're not too far away from each other, but they are defining moments when it comes to international relations and the development of culture.

I think my best bet is to start from the days of origin. The Prime and their glorious civilization. Then the Great Collapse and the scattering of the world. Once from there I can start defining each race in how they began and how they became what they are.

Yeah. That sounds good. Expect an update in the next couple of days. We're starting from the beginning on this one.

[zippyc]

Doing a little giveaway to celebrate 400 followers! You guys are crazy but hey thats pretty awesome of you all.

Anyways! So I’ll be giving away one of these babies:

Winner gets one pair of laser-cut shades, choice of red or black. (with ear pieces)

They also look pretty...

[dalndox]

I spent most of my time on the sketch at the top right, the rest was mostly written and doodled while partially drunk. Hopefully you guys can read it. I'm new to this whole tumblr thing.

REGARDLESS!

This is a small ref sheet for one of my favorite Retalia races; The Primeval. I know I probably shouldn't be playing favorites, but the design, history and culture are just so interesting to me.

Also, small doodle on there by Chiruchu (chiruchu.tumblr.com). She's remarkably talented and, despite having not posted anything, you guys should follow her for when she does.

Anyway, more stuff to come later. Stay tuned.

If you guys have any questions, please ask. I'm happy to answer.

[dalndox]

Finally, a purpose.

So after a few days of thinking, consulting, and coordinating (with myself), I finally decided what I want to do with this Tumblr.

Ok, so a while back I was thinking about various fantasy authors I like. J.R.R Tolkien (guess), Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time), and the like. I loooove defined fantasy worlds. I love it when an author puts time enough in to their creations to develop everything from timelines, political intrigue, historical events and great heroes. I love that level of detail.

And I want that feeling of satisfaction.

So, back to the purpose of this post. After thinking about these authors, I decided to start developing my own fantasy world. I've been doing a lot of development for the past 6 months in fleshing out my own world. Races, cultures, events, etc. I've spent a great deal of time trying to avoid the cliches of many fantasy worlds. You won't find any elves or dwarves here. Thus, I shall be using this tumblr as a repository for everything that is the world of Retalia. Writings, drawings, doodles... You name it.

I'll probably have something up in the next few days or so. Finals are next week, and I work full-time. Much of my musings about Retalia happen at work anyway, so I'll probably do a lot of my updates then.

Anyway, keep an eye out!