#worldvember

[rocktavian]

Worldbruary (Feb 3)

What is Worldbruary? | My Worldbruary so far

(Pictured: a cave goat hauling coal in the mines of Elinheim.)

The cave goat, a domesticated cousin to the mountain goat, is a common draft animal in Epsicora. Because of its sure-footed nature and its comfort being underground, cave goats are widely used in mining, especially by smaller organizations that can’t afford to lay extensive minecart tracks.

Although a diet rich in plant matter is healthiest for a cave goat, they are also happy to eat fungi, and are very resourceful at finding edible mushrooms and lichens. This means that cave goats can often live comfortably underground for days at a time.

[rocktavian]

Worldbruary (Feb 19)

What is Worldbruary? | My Worldbruary so far

Yaropolk Guzran, a low-level soldier from Zivrung, was the first Epsicoran to display magical abilities after contact with Thandary. He was from an unremarkable familial background, but was attempting to earn repute by volunteering for a relatively dangerous post upon a sea fortress.

The portal that tore across the two universes intersected the fortress of Avra Jenetka, an institution jointly run by Zivrung and Soelrak. Yaropolk, like most other people on his fortress, was immediately curious about the world on the other side of the portal, and made several excursions across it; however, he rapidly began to conduct magical energies, generating heat and light almost without noticing. This soon attracted the attention of the Thandarian university just on the other side of the gate.

Unquatha, one of the foremost on-site researchers, was quick to take Yaropolk under his wing. Unquatha was specialized in energy-manipulation magic, as well as magical pedagogy, and sought to seize the opportunity to act as an ambassador between the newly connected worlds. He was quick to make himself known to Yaropolk, and by the end of their first conversation, had invited himself back to Epsicora. Unquatha’s next challenge was navigating the bureaucracy in place on Avra Jenetka, in order to secure the proper permission to take Yaropolk to Thandary for full-time training...

[carrotzone]

Worldbuilding Day 9: Supernatural Creatures

Kendor is a supernatural world. The following is a short sample of the supernatural creatures of Kendor, meant to inspire further additions. People who study these creatures and use them to their benefit (and often to the detriment of others) are called witches.

Although none of the listed creatures are unique,

In general, the supernatural creatures of Kendor have at least one of the following qualities:

Difficult or impossible to see, and not always because of true invisibility.

Preys on or is malicious toward humans

Prevents humans from killing it by erasing their memories

Can’t be fought or killed in the way one would fight a human or beast

Is generally creepy

The Eternity Worm

The eternity worm has existed since the formation of Kendor. It lives deep below the earth and sends its spawn to the surface to do its bidding.

The eternity worm eats the memories of those who have seen it. No one remembers seeing it, nor do they remember the day or so leading up to the event. By seeing the eternity worm, they give themselves amnesia. This amnesia is both retrograde and anterograde; those who have seen the worm become forgetful. These people have contracted Worm Madness, which often results in confabulations.

The worm-mad forget memories that make them sad or feel guilty, and conveniently fabricate memories to fill in the gaps. They are often seen as compulsive liars, but there is no intent to deceive. They simply remember unpleasant things wrongly, or not at all. Some people with troubled pasts intentionally seek out the eternity worm to rid themselves of their woes.

It wants to eat more memories. If it could, it would crawl into the center of a busy metropolis and have a feast. But it cannot, and so it sends out its spawn to the surface, to bring it back prey.

The Synoid Wolf (A.K.A Epiphany Beast)

It appears when someone has a grand epiphany about the nature of the universe. It disappears when the epiphany is forgotten. It has no eyes; it sees through its soul.

The wolf’s sole aim is to drive mad the person who had the epiphany that spawned it. When the person is so delusional that they no longer believe their own idea, the beast can die happily. Spreading news of the epiphany strengthens the beast.

Each beast has a unique form, and each form is uniquely terrifying to its target.

Epiphany beasts have previously shown up to destroy the most brilliant of scientists and philosophers after they discover something huge, thereby preventing scientific advancement. Scientists studying important questions are advised to hire monster hunters and bodyguards in case of a breakthrough.

The Hide-Behind

Nobody has ever seen one and lived to tell about it, but they are speculated to be humanoid, tall, impossibly thin, and possessing skin that is either stark white or pitch black. Hide-behinds have lairs that they frequently abandon, as they seek out areas of their forests with fresh prey. A hide-behind lair that has been left behind contains exactly 13 killed animals, skinned as if by hunting knives.

Hide-behinds do not naturally attack people, but they despise lumberjacks, who cut down the trees they rely on for cover. Hide-behinds move no more quietly than any other hunter, but they are impossibly fast and can squeeze behind cover in much less time than a person can turn their head. They do this reflexively whenever they would be observed. This often results in a sudden breeze or a scattering of leaves, telltale signs of being stalked by a hide-behind.

Hide-behinds have cave-dwelling cousins that can see in the dark, and use the darkness as cover instead of trees. These creatures are called Grues.

[rocktavian]

Worldbruary (Feb 11)

What is Worldbruary? | My Worldbruary so far

I missed a few days, so I’m putting a big ol’ chunk of lore in this one.

The region of Epsicora, at least in the immediate vicinity of the portal, consists of five city-states that are perennially competing against one another. Traveling clockwise around the Bay of Falcons, they are:

Zivrung and Grafna – These two are constantly squabbling over their borders. The Grafnians want more coastline on the Bay of Falcons, while Zivrung wants better access to the interior and the other city-states. They are the two most overtly militaristic of the Epsicoran cities, and have the largest land armies. Economically, Zivrung is known for its gems and glassware, while Grafna has the best textiles of the states.

Hrimnir – The hardest of the five city-states to read, Hrimnir always maintains a strict defense over its borders, especially over the city itself. Navigating the complex Hrimnite bureaucracy is necessary for authorization to do much of anything— but if you’re not looking to push any boundaries, Hrimnir is probably the safest of Epsicora’s cities. The best-known Hrimnite exports are meticulously illustrated codexes.

Elinheim – Blessed with more mineral wealth than any of its competitors, Elinheim is heavily invested into its mining and manufacture industries; while the northern two city-states pursue technological progress in order to get the better of each other, the elite of Elinheim mostly pursue it just to see if it can be done. The opinion of Elinheim holds significant sway in the region, but in recent years organized crime has been an increasing problem in the city. Artistically, Elinheim is generally accepted to have the finest metalwork of the city-states.

Soelrak – The most navally minded of the Epsicoran city-states, Soelrak makes up for its comparatively remote location by maintaining a large trading fleet. While there is a great amount of wealth in Soelrak, its government is relatively disorganized and corrupt; for this reason, foreign dignitaries often prefer to deal with individual Soelraki trading companies rather than with the government. Soelraki art is distinguished by advanced woodworking, particularly furniture; Soelrak also has the most advanced paintings of the five city-states.

[carrotzone]

Worldbruary Day 8: Creatures of the Barrier Woods

The plant matter readily available to the herbivores of the Barrier Woods are resilient grasses, large conifers (they can grow up to ), and berry-growing shrubs. A layer of permafrost in the soil makes other plant life struggle. In addition to plants, a wide variety of fungi act as decomposers.

The cold and dry forest is home to many creatures that use the snow and mist for camouflage. The Snow Hares and White Boars are typical herbivores. Rarer are the Snow Knalls. These majestic omnivores are hunted for their beautiful antlers, and so are on the brink of extinction from overhunting.

Forest Linsangs are the most feared, and possibly the most dangerous, predator of the woods. These meter-long, feline creatures’ arrival is heralded by chittering that inexperienced travelers might mistake for the birdsong of the Snowjays that also inhabit the woods. They hunt in packs, like wolves, but they can navigate the treetops with the grace of monkeys and the stealth of a Snowy Owl.

Snow Tigers are the big cousins to the linsangs and the most dangerous single creatures of the woods. These tigers are as brutally efficient at killing as they are shockingly big. And they are shockingly big, at up to 5 meters long from nose to tail and weighing over 400 kilograms. They will eat just about any other animal that lives in the forest. Even the linsangs. Even the bears.

From left to right, top to bottom: snow tiger, forest linsang, snow bear, white boar, snow knall, human for scale

Snow Bears are similar in form to what, on earth, are called grolar bears (a hybrid of polar and grizzly bears). They sometimes venture out into the hills to escape from the stressful forest life. Though they are feared, they are serene and gentle animals that only attack humans in defense of themselves or their cubs. They mostly eat berries and fish.

[carrotzone]

Worldbruary Day 7: The Hills and Cliffs

The hills and cliffs through which the River Nadir runs are sparsely populated, chilly hillocks and rocky cliffs. Trees are rare here. Wild animals here are concentrated near the Pikerun Brook, a small river to the north of the River Nadir that runs parallel to its much wider sibling. 

Notable herbivores of the grassy hills are the large, wool-coated creatures known as Yarncattle. Though many still exist in the wild, most are domesticated. They are kept for their wool, their meat, and their horns and tusks, which are a cheap alternative to ivory or whalebone.

On the cliffs, the Terns, Kites, and Albatrosses prevalent in the bay make their nests. Also on the cliffs are Mountain Goats, adept climbers that are also domesticated.

The hills are not without predators. Bears sometimes wander out of the barrier woods to catch fish in the brook. More dangerous, though, are the Hill Linsang. These slender, vaguely feline creatures hunt in packs, attacking large targets from stealth with their vicious claws and teeth. They are hated and feared as a symbol of subterfuge and greed, and they are responsible for killing off livestock all over the region. Their banded tails carry a bounty; the farmers want them dead.

[carrotzone]

Worldbruary Day 6: Creatures of the Bay

The Bay of Dolor is a shallow, salty body of water that connects to the Ivory Sea and the River Nadir. It is flanked by glistening, icy fjords, and is notable for being the coldest body of water on Kendor. Despite its frighteningly low water temperature (people who fall overboard have been known to freeze to death before they could be rescued), the bay is teeming with life.

At the bottom of the food chain are the algae and kelp that grow along the continental shelf, which are eaten by small fishes, which travel in massive shoals. There are many types of herbivorous and carnivorous fishes in the bay, including swordfish, the largest bony fish in this region of Kendor at up to 5 meters in length. The swordfish is also the fastest-swimming natural animal in the world.

Other predators of the bay include arctic seals, which sometimes swim up from the Ivory Sea to feed. There are also Terns, Kites, and Albatrosses that dive into the water to catch fish, as well as Nautiluses and Squids that eat fishes.

Tales of sea serpents that inhabit the bay are unconfirmed, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence. Most often, these mysterious creatures are said to appear as harpooners are towing a whale back to a coastal city. Accounts vary, but they typically emerge from the water behind a ship and snatch the whale away.

[carrotzone]

Worldbruary Day 5: Hubward Sea Creatures

On Kendor, the terms “rimward” and “hubward” are used to mean, respectively, “toward the edges of the world” and “toward the center of the world”.

Due to the way the sun works, the rimward areas of Kendor get most of the heat. The Ivory Sea is the closest sea to the caldera at the center of the world. It is, therefore, the coldest sea in the world of Kendor.

Low on the food chain are some pretty earthlike species of fish and crustaceans, which eat kelp, seagrass, and sometimes smaller fish. They are in turn eaten by seals, walruses, and the giant narwhals that give the sea its name. There are also orca whales and shoal sharks, both of which eat the seals and walruses. They are fierce rivals that compete for resources.

Perhaps the most unusual of all the large creatures of the sea, however, is the elephant whale, which is a whale-like creature with an elephant’s head. What appear to be elephant ears are actually widened pectoral fins. These creatures eat sea grass and kelp, and are generally left alone by bigger predators, who fear impalement on its ivory tusks.

Giant narwhals, elephant whales, and sometimes even orcas are hunted to endangerment by whaling vessels. Almost every part of the animal is used.