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Newest Trigate Impedimenta

Zakharov Sawyer — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 14:02:38 -0400

“There’s always work to be done for the furtherance of philosophy.”

— Cometan, The Omnidoxy

NNNew stuff! Everybody loves new stuff. As games progress in a few different formats other than in-person games, there’s going to be new things are added. As much as I claim the Trigate universe as my own, I know that I am not solely responsible for its creation. As with everything else, I borrow from all my experiences, including those I have with other individuals!

With that being said, what are some of the newest things that have found their way into the Trigate universe?

Concepts

Despite their being a large number of already existing concepts, I am always amazed when a player comes forward and says, “Those are all neat, but what about This?”

After some discussion, the idea gets molded into something we both enjoy, and thus it spreads across the Trigate universe to fill in blanks and make itself known. Over the last couple of years, here are some of the new ones that have come about.

The Kopiatze was an idea from repeat player Grand Mouser. Their request was simple: they wanted to play a character who was a lot like Taskmaster in the Marvel Universe. A martial combatant who, through either adoptive muscle memory, eidetic kinesthesia, or some other capability, allowed the character to copy movements and actions performed by other individuals simply by seeing it be performed. Kopiatze itself literally means "copying" in the Basque language.

This one I expanded on as it is a concept I had always wanted to capture but did so in ways that did not work out as well as I had hoped. The Kahunga is a culmination of many different ideas from various cultures, but the basic idea is an individual who is capable of arcane magic through the tattoos they have on their body. I'd recommend reading up on Hawaiian kākau and the Tohunga ta moko of the Māori as a starting place for the ideas behind the Kahunga.

The Rummage (trust me, you'll get it in a moment) came into existence from new player WantonWonton. I'm really not a fan of lifting things wholesale, so after I found out where the idea came from and the player stopped playing, I changed things around. The original idea was essentially a Junk Mage from the awesome RPG Heart: The City Beneath, who is someone who puts scraps of esoterica from various sources together to be something greater. So after a little Zak spit-polish, the idea was changed from the Junk Mage to the Rummage. (Oh come on, it's clever.)

Despite above where I say I try to avoid lifting things wholesale, when I read about this concept in the upcoming Robert J. Schwalb RPG Shadow of the Weird Wizard, I knew I wanted something to imitate it. The Accursed is someone who has been cursed by one of the Divine Children for some reason. They have continued to thrive under this curse however, with the added benefit of while they are capable of carrying this burden, others are not. Share the love, let them experience the curse!

This one is entirely from a series of dreams I had, with player TacosAreRomantic helping me out with some things and eventually playing one. Her ideas helped formalize the idea of the Reborn. The Reborn are individuals who have nearly died but not completely. However, their brush with death has granted them the unique ability to break back into the afterlife... allowing all kinds of hijinks to ensue.

There are two ideas I've loved, but couldn't really exist in any strong capacity in the Trigate universe. The first are the Sha'ir, an alternative to wizards in the Forgotten Realms who gained abilities by communicating with the spirits of the elements, the genies.

The second are the Onmyoji, Japanese mystics who practice Onmyodo. Onmyodo, the way of Yin and Yang, is a combination of animism and a few religious practices that mesh together to create an art around clairvoyance, controlling and communicating with spirits, and are commonly associated with ofuda, talismans on strips of paper. There is some commonality between the two, so when you take both of them to create something new, the Shayojir is created.

Another idea spun together with the assistance of Grand Mouser. They knew they wanted to play something similar to a Wukong or Wadjet, but with a more mystical flair attached. Turns out we both love the game Cultist Simulator and its newly released followup, Book of Hours. The Moth is associated with chaos, yearning, and passion, but also knowledge.

Originally I wanted to name them something related to Ītzpāpālōtl, the Aztec goddess known as the Obsidian Butterfly (honestly, how bad ass of a name is that), but instead went with Tzitzimime, which is the classification of Aztec deities in which Ītzpāpālōtl falls in. That being said, the Tzitzimime are individuals who are granted powers by the Primordial Moths, ancient beings who undoubtedly seek the most ancient of lights.

Originally called the Luckbender until TacosAreRomantic made me aware of the term getimian, which is an adjective from Old English that is used to describe something that is to happen, come to pass, or happen to. It also doesn't help that Exalted has the Getimian EXalted, who are essentially walking paradoxes. Someone who is a Getimian has incredible luck. Everything seems to go their way! Some of them can even steal luck, making people around them very unlucky.

Okay. This one is weird and goes back almost ten years. An old character showed up from maaaaaany years ago before I had moved Trigate into the Third Age. With discussion with the players, we figured this individual would have some unique capabilities based on where they came from. And of course... if you have one like that, that means there have to be others out there.

So… a Pseudohistorian is an individual who claims to come from secret histories, alternate timelines, or something similar. Oddly enough, their knowledge is still incredibly useful… and potentially dangerous.

–

Species

As the Planar Council gains information about neighboring planes, it is no surprise that there are new species of sophonts that are discovered.

One thing I have stayed away from is an entire species that is essentially, in some capacity, incredibly influenced by vampires. It has been done. I like to do things differently. A few months ago I ended up discovering the Abhartach, and it gave me enough inspiration to start moving in a direction.

What is an Abhartach? They are based off an early Irish legend and long story short: vampire dwarves. However, the most interesting thing I discovered is that in literary circles, the Abhartach is considered as an alternative origin to Dracula. In 1998, Professor Elizabeth Miller published an essay in her book Dracula: The Shade and the Shadow, that pointed out that Stoker’s research notes for Dracula do not indicate that he had a detailed biographical knowledge of Vlad III, the individual usually thought to be the origin of the character.

Vampire dwarfs who may be the true origin of vampirism? Hmm… how could I not use that? Besides, even I will admit that the Trigate universe lacks a variety of dwarves.

Not related to the previous thought in any way, I also haven’t had a species that is “undead” in any capacity. It doesn’t really work for the ideas with the Planar Council, so while undead sophonts exist they are generally not of the playable sort. However, going back through my notes I realized this type of situation has occurred a few times. The first treefolk really threw the Council for a loop, as they weren’t aware that anything relating to plants could be intelligent. So what if their idea of what being “undead” was, was challenged?

Ideas of living worlds have always fascinated me as well. Things like the Creep that the Zerg have from Starcraft, the tree planet Atys from the game Ryzom, to many others.

So what would happen if you had a living world where the growth started to get out of control, to the point a type of antibody had to be created to fight that back and get it under control? What if it was undead in nature, but still entirely natural? Would it still even be undead?

There is a species of Folklings in there somewhere, with skeletal appearances and not quite alive but also not dead. I have to admit that BWonsamdi and the whole area of Maldraxxus with its Necrolords probably gave me most of my visual inspiration here.

Those are some of the more concrete things that have come into existence, but as always, there is always a lot more swirling around waiting to be put to the ink.

Thanks for reading and hopefully more updates to follow!

Tresslaks: Precursory Creations or Frauds?

Zakharov Sawyer — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 19:41:12 -0400

“You are just a machine.

An imitation of life.

Can a robot write a symphony?

Can a robot turn a canvas into a beautiful masterpiece?”

— Detective Spooner, I Robot

Narrated first section.

TTTresslaks: they are ancient as a people. Not quite machine, not quite living, they have always been an enigma to the species they encounter across the planes.

If what they say about themselves is the truth, then they are amongst the oldest beings anywhere on the planes.

Tresslaks prefer to be alone, - living their lives as solitary wanderers or isolated hermits in remote locations. - They don’t even seek to interact with their own kind, at least to the point of actively seeking them out. They are immortal and able to live forever, so it can be centuries between sightings, like a story a grandfather told to his grandchild.

While there has been some interaction between Tresslaks and the Planar Council, there is no official stance towards them. After all, it is difficult to force your laws on beings more powerful than the norm, so the fact they stay away from civilization suits everyone just fine.

Narrated second section.

Tresslaks come from a world they call Tressle. When they awoke, they were tools; an indentured labor force. Unsurprisingly, - they were just treated as objects with no concern for their well-being. They were neither neglected nor abused, but treated like a farmer treats his scythe - with little concern beyond their usefulness. Their masters were a species similar to humans, - but these beings were slaves themselves to a Primogenitor.

As time passed, the Tresslaks learned that this Primogenitor was responsible for their creation in some capacity. They never learned how much, but they will explain that the people they served were incapable of many things on their own.

Over time, a single Tresslak worked hard to gain the favor of the Primogenitor. The godlike being was lonely and craved companionship, so an intelligent being that enjoyed conversation was a novelty to them.

“I am one of the A’a. Amongst the first, and amongst the last. I am not supposed to be here, but yet all of this was for us. It was only us. Everywhere. Only… us. We were creators, my kind. The A’a. So we made it so we would not be the only ones, but was it worth it? All of existence owes us… but at what cost? We broke it, so even I do not know if this would be considered a success… or a failure.”

The A’a did not believe this creation could lie. So the A’a did not expect the Tresslak, who it trusted, to attack it… and it was gravely injured. In retaliation, the A’a displayed cruelty and took his vengeance on all the Tresslaks: they gave a command for them to turn on their masters. And so a civilization fell, beings of flesh culled by tools designed to help them, all while a Primogenitor watched and laughed.

The Tresslaks assumed it was the A’a that had created their kind, as through them they learned the true meanings of thralldom and cruelty. Their actions haunt them, which is why most of them do not wish to interact with other beings. Separating from others of their kind helps them tolerate life because of shared thoughts and emotions. The fate of the A’a is unknown, though they like to believe it perished from its wounds.

The Tresslaks don’t talk about their past except to only those who earn their trust. Some truths are best left hidden, especially when all these different species have only artifacts to judge the Primogenitors on. So they remain to themselves, lonely and watching. Who knows what their future is? Perhaps they have a destiny that is yet to reveal itself.

“Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god.”

— Aristotle

Brains, Works, and Citizenship: How Citizenship Works in the Planar Council

Zakharov Sawyer — Tue, 20 Jun 2023 10:29:02 -0400

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

— Margaret Mead, Anthropologist and recipient of the Planetary Citizen of the Year Award in 1978

Narrated first section.

CCCitizenship is important. You are part of a whole, with the state or faction regarding you as one of their own. The civilizations that make up the Planar Council have terms they use for the various beings found across the planes, which determine the level of citizenship they can achieve.

In the end, it depends on two things: the nature of something’s brain, and the nature of their works.

Narrated second section.

First, let’s focus on brains.

Philosophers, anatomists, scientists, and eventually hemotheurgists and toposophists, have researched the idea of consciousness and intellect since time immemorial. Since then, it has been determined that there are three grades of intelligence that are found in intelligent life.

Sapience

Sapience is the ability to think and solve problems. At its core, intelligence in the strictest sense. It is the most basic of intelligence, but necessary for all other forms.

Sentience

Sentience is awareness, which includes the ability to experience pleasure and pain, and make predictions about the future. Most life on the planes could be classified as sentient. Life that is created, such as golems and other constructs, are primarily sapient with a hint of sentience.

Sophonce

Sophonce is metacognition, self-awareness, self-reflection, and the ability to think about one’s thinking. We, as humans, are sophonts. An argument could be made that some animals, such as crows, dolphins, and others, display hints of sophonce.

“All sophont life has value and is no different than ours. We all feel and bleed the same.”

— Angie Karan

The first qualifier for citizenship in the Planar Council is sophonce, as it is the determinator of one being able to both think for themselves and beyond their nature.

Narrated third section.

Taken into account, aside from the intelligence a being has, is their works. Works, in this context, would be culture, progress, and civilization. This is an important contributor as there are planes where a vast number of different sophonts exist alongside each other, though only a tiny number have created a civilization for themselves. A civilization existing is also a sign of cooperation over violence - a critical value that is a tenant of the Planar Council’s values.

Minor

Sophonts that have reached no form of civilization are classified as Minor Sophonts. Existing only in smaller collections of individuals, their presence is generally negligible. This does not prevent them from existing across multiple planes.

An example of a Minor Sophont would be the Craniferi, a pervasive and obnoxious cockroach-like sophont that originated on Terrus, the homeplane of Humanity. If they were to have a settlement, it is never anything more than shelter created from mud and feces. There is nothing they create on their own to give the impression that they have some sort of culture.

Minor Sophonts have very limited rights on Planar Council worlds, depending on the plane in question.

Medium

Sophonts that have a civilization that is confined to a singular region on a plane are classified as Medium Sophonts. Though they may have sizeable populations, the fact their civilization does not reach across the surface of their plane prevents them from obtaining Major Sophont status. While they may exist on planes outside of their homeplane, any civilization found there is negligible in comparison.

An example of a Medium Sophont would be the Boat Ogres of Rubia, a mammalian species of larger creatures with aquatic tendencies. They were originally primitive and scarce, but upon bearing witness to the boats of the offworld colonists from other planes, and their eventual method of construction, changed that.

Where a small vessel could easily hold as many as twenty members, the vessels the Boat Ogres construct can hold a single family, always less than ten. These boats have allowed them to spread to a larger area, but the settlements they have created are confined to a singular area on Rubia. There are unique cultures found in their different societies.

Medium Sophonts have limited rights on Planar Council worlds, depending on the plane in question. Some Boat Ogres have been granted citizenship on Rubia, but it is on an individual basis.

Major

Sophonts that have a civilization that has spread across most of a single plane are classified as Major Sophonts. They may exist on other planes, but the lack of any civilization existing offworld is what holds them back from being classified as Planar Sophonts.

An example of a Major Sophont would be the Wǎngluò of Zhīshù. Incredibly massive and intelligent spider-like beings, their civilization exists behind their creations, the Spidersap Treefolk. The Wǎngluòdi’s confinement to their world classifies them as Major Sophonts.

Major Sophonts have greater rights on Planar Council worlds, depending on the plane in question, but less than a full citizen.

Planar

Sophonts that have spread their society, culture, and civilization across more than a single plane are classified as Planar Sophonts.

All sophonts that are members of the Planar Council would be considered a Planar Sophont, having full access to all the rights and protections granted to them by the Council planes.

“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

— Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Narrated fourth section.

Each plane has unique relationships with their native life, and the general guidelines the Planar Council tries to uphold may not always be practiced. A Boat Ogre could get citizenship on Rubia for instance, but if one was to travel to Gōngjiā, home of the Zuìgāo Elves, they would most likely be unable to do the same, given the xenophobic attitude the Zuìgāo have.

There has been some criticism that these views make the Planar Council racist. “The goblins here are no different from the Belfry Goblins that are members of the Planar Council!”, some may say, and they could very well be correct. However, the Council does not enforce any sort of violence or negativity - those are instead practiced on a local level. The argument the politicians would make is, “The bare minimum of the requirements to be considered a member of the Planar Council prevents a great number of tragedies and turmoil amongst the council as a whole.”

There is one particular instance where the criteria of membership have made things worse on a plane.

Naraw is considered to be the homeplane of the Inconnu Gnomes, but they are not the plane’s original inhabitants. Hailing from elsewhere and sailing the star ocean between worlds, the Inconnu vessel crashed upon Naraw, much to the surprise of the original inhabitants, an elven species that calls themselves the Ffwng. While the Inconnu were peaceful, the Ffwng were not and frequently assaulted their new neighbors.

With their numbers remaining low in relation to the Inconnu, the Inconnu still dream of peace with the Ffwng in the future, though the Planar Council’s decision that the Inconnu were the primary civilization of Naraw will make it difficult.

While the focus of the setting is primarily on the member sophonts of the Planar Council, there is nothing precluding any sophont from being an adventurer… there are many that have found their place in legend and myth in fact!

“As human beings, we’re born believing that we are the apex of creation, that we are invincible, that no problem exists that we cannot solve. But we inevitably die with all our beliefs broken.”

— Shaun David Hutchinson, We Are the Ants

Psionic Manifestations: What Are They?

Zakharov Sawyer — Mon, 29 May 2023 14:06:27 -0400

“Psychic and paranormal phenomena will always be a source of controversy, because it is an inconvenient reminder that there is more to our reality than meets the eye.”

— Anthon St. Maarten

Narrated first section.

IIImagine, if you will, that you could perform an action with a mere thought. What would you do? What could you do? To individuals who awaken their psionic capability unknowingly without training or direction, these are questions that are frightening. Especially as the world at large looks upon individuals with psionic capability with fear.

Psionic manifestations vary, like other supernatural powers. We find them with different forms or functions across the planes. Understanding the abilities of a psion is not as easy as understanding a wizard’s spell or a prophet’s blessing, however.

Here I will discuss the general ideas of how psionics function, as well as the different ways it has manifested across the planes.

Narrated second section.

LLLet’s begin with a comparison between the Arcane, the Divine, and the Psionic. This will give us a baseline that acts as a springboard going forward. We will do this by assigning two tasks and describing the primary difference between the three.

You are tasked with delivering a small package of goods to a nearby small town.
A parent has lost their child in a populated city with no idea where they have gone.

And the differences between the three?

Arcane magic uses ambient energies to achieve an effect that, while temporary, may create a permanent result. A temporary fireball still creates a permanent corpse, though a levitating orb slowly falls to the ground unless the magic is maintained.

Divine prayer to a deity requests a particular outcome on behalf of the believer. Permanence depends on the deity’s whims, and their worshipers’ dedication and piety.

Psionic manifestation ties the user’s mind to a different level of existence, where they can effectively rewrite portions of reality on their whim. This, of course, is always permanent, but simple tweaks can often spawn generated unintended changes.

On to the tasks!

The First Task

The First Task, narrated.

Delivering a small package of goods and getting it to a distant location could be incredibly easy, or outrageously difficult. With a supernatural toolset, however, this becomes a much simpler task, regardless of many external influences.

The Wizard: With access to arcane magic, a wizard could accomplish this task in a few different ways. By manipulating the ambient magical energies around them into codified spells, the wizard could employ Aerotheurgy to fly, Naturatheurgy to effectively tree-step and teleport between trees, or just ignore the trees altogether with Omnotheurgy and either teleport themselves or the package to its rightful destination. A Pyrotheurgist would have to be a little more creative, however. (You can read more about the different Arcane Magic Colleges by clicking here!)

The Prophet: Praying to their chosen divine child, a prophet gains the benefits of divine magic. (You can read more about the Divine Children, the Gods of the Trigate Universe, by clicking here!) The divine child of travel could bless their prophet with swift feet, a tireless stride, and safe passage. Prayers to the divine child of stealth would simply just have the worshiper not appear to anyone else on the road. Lastly, a devotee of the divine child of beasts could likely summon a beast of burden, or a mount of either land or sky. Meanwhile, a prophet of the divine child of judgement would find the purview of their god lacking for this enterprise.

The Psion: Using their mind to manifest psionic powers provides different options for how to complete this task. Through the discipline of psychokinetics, a psion could fly to deliver the package. Through psychometabolism, they could take on an psychoplasmic form, appearing like a ghost and being unsubstantial and effectively immune to harm, all while simultaneously horrifying everyone they came across. A psion specializing in metacreativity would create a temporary servant of ectoplasm to deliver the goods. A psion of substantial skill, through the use of metapsionics amplifying manifestations of clairsentience to visualize the desired location of the package, telepathy to let the recipient know they are receiving it, and finally psychoportation to teleport the package into their waiting hands, could deliver the package in a few moments.

The Second Task

The Second Task, narrated.

Locating someone who needs to be found within a population center is a daunting task. A child will both stick out while being harder to find. How would our three practitioners of the supernatural handle this task?

The Wizard: A Terratheurgist could communicate with the earth, pavement, and brick, to locate the child. Through Hemotheurgy, the wizard could alter their senses of hearing and smell to track the target down in a way very similar to a bloodhound. An Anitheurgist could attempt to consult with the local spirits, or souls of the deceased, for guidance. Unfortunately, a Mutotheurgist with their magics of acid, radiation, and change would have a harder time.

The Prophet: If worshiping the divine child of cities, one could simply ask for direct guidance. A prophet of community could divinely inspire everyone to help find the child, potentially against their will. A prayer to the divine child of visions could bestow knowledge of where the child is located, making them easier to find. However, the divine child of volcanoes is probably going to assign some legwork to their prophet if they wanted to help.

The Psion: Using telepathy to listen to people’s thoughts, they could try to find evidence the child, or attempt to listen to the child themselves for knowledge of their location. Alternatively, they could create duplicates of themselves to search for the child at a much faster rate through a manifestation of psychometabolism, while through a manifestation of clairvoyance, they could use either retrocognition or precognition. This would mean finding the path the child took at the moment of separation in the past, or taking a peek of the location of when the child is found in the future. The last psion in our example above would employ metapsionics, clairsentience, telepathy, and psychoportation to find the child, assure them of their safety, and teleport them to the psion.

Masters of the Mind

“I suspect everybody has a degree of psychic ability, just as a everybody has a degree of athletic or artistic ability. Some people have special gifts; other people have a particular interest that leads them to develop their abilities. But the phenomenon itself is ordinary and widespread.”

— Michael Crichton, Travels

Narrated list of mentalists.

Across the planes, psionics are found in many different forms.

Psions can use any sort of psionic manifestation, but the lack of specialization means they rely more on quantity of manifestations instead of their quality.

Imagimages specialize in metacreativity, bringing their “imaginary friends” to life, making them constructions formed of psychoplasm.

Adepts focus inwards, specializing in psychometabolism to better their physical form in every way, while simultaneously allowing them to do things normal bodies are incapable of.

Vectors are an odd specialist of psychokinesis, using it to move themselves in lieu of other objects as often seen with telekinesis. Their verticality is behind their name.

Zen Archers also specialize in psychokinesis but use it to enhance their natural skill of archery. Metacreativity can fashion unique projectiles while clairsentience ensures they always aim true.

Avatars also focus on metacreativity, essentially using psychoplasm to create an armored exoskeleton to both protect and grant abilities to themselves, beyond their physical form.

Derangers are more of a theme than a speciality, as they ask “What could a mind riddled with madness and lunacy manifest into the real world?” Who knows what a fractured mind is capable of?

Dreamsmiths are centered around the dreamscape, a psionic domain that connects all dreaming minds. Metacreativity allows them literally to construct things out of dreamstuff.

Nocnitsa are also centered on the dreamscape as well, though their abilities manifest through a dark passenger, a powerful nightmare being that embeds themselves like a psionic parasite.

Cerebrugeons are a sort of psionic healer, manifesting acts of psychometabolism to heal the body whilst telepathy allows acts of psionic surgery, an act capable of altering one’s conscious and unconscious mind.

Gun-Sages specialize in both psychokinesis and metacreativity to add some psionic prowess to firearms. Bullets telekinetically changing their path to always hit true is a favorite of theirs.

Banchos are individuals who specialize in telepathy, focusing on boosting their social prowess to either dominate the scene or ensure they are not noticed, whatever would work best to get the secrets of the crowd.

Mindthieves, naturally stealthy and clever, use mental gifts to be even better at their craft. Using psionics to distract people makes emptying their pockets easier, but they can steal thoughts as well.

Bladeswarms would tell you they are the pinnacle of the psychokinetic discipline, as they animate physical weapons to fight on their own. Imagine a swarm of swords charging at you!

Thrallherds are one of the most feared types of mentalist, as they excel in using telepathy to dominate what they view as weaker minds. Everyone is just waiting for someone else to give them direction, after all.

Extrascients have no psionic powers of their own, but an incredibly powerful being, known as an overmind, uses them as a sort of psionic lens so that they may affect the world, albeit indirectly.

We’ll cover the disciplines of psionics in a later post, so keep an eye out for that. Thank you for reading!

“A sixth sense cannot make up for a total lack of common sense.”

— Natsuki Takaya, Fruits Basket, Vol. 3

A Recent Discovery

Zakharov Sawyer — Wed, 17 May 2023 22:38:09 -0400

What was found, you may ask?

FREE TIME!

More coming soon.

Wiki Redone

Zakharov Sawyer — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 23:52:00 -0400

As I had mentioned in the previous post, I had to do some work on the Zd10 Wiki due to some backend changes. I am proud to say that as of now, I am confident that it is complete and definitely in a better place. Though the content is added slowly, I feel that the wiki itself is in its best state yet!

You can check it out at https://wiki.zd10.net. I have a backlog of art from Fabio that I will be trying to work on entries for.

Summetime Blues

Zakharov Sawyer — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 10:03:37 -0400

Don’t worry, I am not dead! Summer is just a really busy time for my family and myself:

• Hiking • Time at the Lake • Smoking food

Work has also been slightly more busy for myself which isn’t unexpected.

Recently, the only things I’ve been working on are finishing up my Through Darkest America game which was a blast (notes coming soon), and rebuilding the Zd10 Wiki as it was time for an update and upgrade.

I am planning on running another one shot game though, this time using Night’s Black Agents. I am designing a conspiracy to run a session I have decided to name Deep, Dark, Dead.

I do have some more art from my beloved friend Fabio to put up soon.

I will post again soon, I promise!

Through Darkest America: Quintet - The First Sessions

Zakharov Sawyer — Sat, 14 May 2022 06:24:31 -0400

“For man’s only weapon is courage that flinches not from the gates of Hell itself, and against such not even the legions of Hell can stand.”

— Robert E. Howard, The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane

I plan on writing more about the characters in a later post, but I just wanted to share a couple of quick thoughts about or first two sessions. We’ve got five players: Andrew, Brian, Catherine, Devo, and Jon.

I have to admit that I was completely caught off guard by just how jovial and filled with Fallout-esque patriotism every was.

Before delving into the crypts underneath the church, the group ran into a few kids that were the only human life that seemed to be left in town. In typical player fashion, the situation started with the quip, “Oh, are we about to kill some kids?” “Hell yeah.”

In the first combat, Catherine’s character cast a Song spell to inspire Jon’s character with confidence. This was expressed as the clockwork character crying a single tear of oil, saluting, and mentioning how much he loves this country.

The players had a tough time with the first fight, almost losing a character. However, the second encounter went much better for them… despite the fact the encounter was designed to keep them moving, Jon’s character managed to stun lock the animated ash found in the pyre pit.

They came across four sets of stairs and headed down one of them… in the catacombs they will keep investigating what happened to the town above…

“Quocumque ingrederis sequitur mors corporis umbra.” “Wherever you go, death follows, as a body’s shadow.”"

— Quote found in the Paris Catacombs

Through Darkest America: Quintet - The Premade Characters

Zakharov Sawyer — Fri, 06 May 2022 15:03:27 -0400

“Here beyond men’s judgments all covenants were brittle.”

— Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian

Not going to make this too long, there’s work to be done! I just wanted to write a blog post to keep these characters around for posterity’s sake.

Barnabas Alexander is a Jewish man in his late 30s hailing from Boston. As the seventh son of a seventh son, he had a lot of expectations placed on him, and his grandfather, being one of America’s famous wizards, doesn’t help. Though he studied magic like the rest of his family, he did not want to live in their shadow, so he joined a mercenary company to make a name for himself on the American frontier.

Barnabas is a Human Magician who then started down the path of an Edgewalker. He doesn’t enjoy staying in one place long, possibly because of his choice of magical training. He is skilled in the magical traditions of Teleportation, Time, and Conjuration.

Ephram Beecham is a halfling, originally from the Realm of the Fae. In his 40s, Ephram was an active combatant in the American Army for over fifteen years. While he is a natural with a rifle, after witnessing the horrors of war, he was shaken. When he returned to his family’s farm, he found he couldn’t return to his old life despite very much wanting to. He raised a gun once more, hopefully finding a fitting end worthy of a grizzled soldier.

Ephram is a Halfling Soldier who then started down the path of an Assault Trooper. With his rifle and small stature, he excels at hit-and-run tactics. His training as a soldier also grants him some experience tending wounds on the battlefield.

Rosewater is a clockwork, a constructed machine imbued with a soul and capable of autonomy. They are 15 years old, but the soul that was used in their creation acts much older. Humanoid, they were built to use magic and constructed with a faceplate that has hundreds of moving parts so they can convey a full range of emotions. An oddity for a clockwork, Rosewater actively practices in the Cult of the New Church: the reformed religion built upon the Abrahamic faiths.

Rosewater is a Clockwork Priest who then started down the path of a Preserver. They hold life in high esteem but do so in its entirety, giving them a possibly more sinister purpose. They are skilled in the magical traditions of Theurgy, Celestial, Life, and Death.

Furukawa, or “George” as he is known, is a stranger in a strange land. Not much of a talker. What he has shared is that he is one of many Japanese refugees who escaped the otherworldly invasion of Asia. He has combat training, but probably the biggest thing people notice is his mechanical limbs. Nobody knows why he’s out on the frontier, but those he works with are glad to have him.

“George” is a Human Enforcer who then started down the path of a Steam-Bushi. A combination of fighting skills aimed at weakening enemies and enhancing his strengths via steam-powered augmentations make him a capable combatant.

Agda Ingotblade is a dwarf who wasn’t happy working in the mines with her family, and with the convergence of the realms found an alternative path to take. After finding she had a knack for fighting, she took up arms, enlisted, and hasn’t looked back since. Now she works as a mercenary who excels and revels in eliminating beastmen, meaning she can find ample work on the American frontier.

Agda is a Dwarf Brawler who then started down the path of a Grudge-Bearer. Grudge-Bearers take the natural hatred that all dwarves have and focus on using it to push themselves to the limit and slay their hated enemies with ease.

Fye Smith is a salamander: elemental flame imbued with sentience, solidity, and a humanoid form. In her twenties, she always craved adventure and danger. After helping defeat a Lich-Governor in Ohio, she knew she had found her calling. Though she now works in the frontier, her reputation as a firestarter exists in both the literal and figurative sense.

Fye is a Salamander Rogue who then started down the path of a Commando. Having helped lead the insurrection against the Lich-Governor gives her some skill in inspiring allies. This is beneficial given her preferred way to fight: in the enemy’s face.

Amand D’Entremont is a human skinchanger; cursed with krokothropy makes Amand a werecrocodile. Being from the Louisiana bayou makes this a stereotype, so he decided to leave and go where he could escape that and help people. Though people either ridicule or fear him, Amand has a heart of gold and wants to do the right thing. God save the beings who find themselves on the other side of his jaws.

Amand is a Human Skinchanger Monstrosity who then started down the path of a Warrior Sage. Attempting to tame the beast within, Amand focuses on using his mind as a weapon to benefit himself in combat. Despite that though, he still houses a beast waiting to escape.

Second Chance is an elf, a bit of an oddity in terms of an ally. Elves are considered enemies of the state, given their affairs with the greater faeries before the conjunction. Second Chance is a full-blown American citizen, though one has to wonder what he did to both become one and cause him to name himself “Second Chance”.

Second Chance is an Elf Spellguard who then started down the path of a Nightmare. Skills in physical combat and magical training can make him a terror to fight. Skilled in the magical traditions of Telepathy and Forbidden Spells.

Yaz of the Eagles is a woad: humans who originated on Earth as the last memories of a dying god on another world. Intensely secretive, it is no surprise that Yaz is a loner and became a master of her destiny. Out on the American frontier, she hopes she can make a living and find answers to questions only her kind know of.

Yaz is a Woad Hunter who then started down the path of a Targeter. Preferring ranged combat, years of hunting game and skirmishes against beastmen have crafted her into a master bowman. Unsurprisingly, techniques learned in the hunt are useful outside of it.

Mourning is a faun, a species of individuals left behind when the faeries withdrew to their hidden kingdoms. Though many grow past the facts of their existence, Mourning never did. Instead, it festered and would have destroyed her had it not been for a coven of witches who took her under their wing.

Mourning is a Faun Priest of Witchcraft who then started down the path of a Witch. With a connection to the natural world, the fae, and hatred, she is a capable spellcaster. She is skilled in the magical traditions of Nature, Enchantment, and Curses.

Karl is an older man, the child of German immigrants. With a love of science and natural philosophy, it was only a matter of time before he dabbled in weird sciences and technologies. Now a member of a mercenary company, he hopes the American frontier can help perfect some theories he has.

Karl is a Human Mad Scientist who then started down the path of a Tempest. With many gadgets, he is capable of many odd feats, and his ray gun is never far from his side. Though treated as mad scientific devices, he is skilled in the magical traditions of Earth, Storms, and Water.

Spiderphlegm is a goblin, a type of fae creature that betrayed their masters the first chance they got. As a species, goblins love and look up to humans despite being treated like trash. Spiderphlegm served an American knight as a squire, but upon the death of his master, took up the mantle of a knight his way. Instead of a horse, his noble steed is an enormous spider who goes by the name of Eyebite.

Spiderphlegm is a Goblin Armiger who then started down the path of a Spider Savant. Trained in mounted combat, Spiderphlegm is able to fight atop Eyebite or beside him should the need arise. Unlike a lot of his kind, they trained him to have courtesy and be a perfect gentleman.

Connor is a human man who, at first glance, you would think loves his fellow man because of his time as a medic. His troubled past has had its toll on him, however. With his education, skill at playing the violin, and way with words, Connor could fool you as the perfect gentleman. Instead, he is a monster, only wearing the mask of one.

Connor is a Human Rogue who then started down the path of a Plague Doctor. His interest in medicine was never purely altruistic, as a certain part of him enjoyed seeing how things work. Especially living things. Despite that, he is a capable medic and physician.

Deathsong is an orc, creatures created by the Umbra Tyrannus and “saved” by the beings in the realm of the fae, only to be used as soldiers in their wars. This makes orcs highly suspect to humans, though not without reason. Deathsong’s path is unique and spending time with Amerindian tribes, he learned to listen to the land and fight those who would corrupt it.

Deathsong is an Orc Priest of Arawn who then started down the path of a Spiritsinger. The land and the spirits living on it speak with him and grant him gifts so that he may try to prevent the corrupting influence of the shadow realm from taking over. He is skilled in the magical traditions of Death, Song, and Spiritualism.

Those are all the premade characters that I made. I’ll write another post about the player’s characters and the adventure itself!

“Is there some frontier?" Idaho asked. “Is there some frontier where I could go and never again be part of this?” “If there is to be any frontier, you must help me create it,” Leto said.”

— Frank Herbert, God Emperor of Dune

What I've Been Working On: Through Darkest America

Zakharov Sawyer — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 19:50:26 -0400

“These are dark times foretold by the oracles and prophets, shouted by preachers on their pulpits, and whispered on the hot winds swirling out from the gates of Hell. All the unrest, suffering, doom, and decline spread from the Demon Lord’s shadow that creeps across the mortal world. It corrupts whatever it touches, twisting it to evil ends, fomenting madness, and quickening the doom this being demands. The resulting chaos has seen horrors long forgotten to rise up from their tombs to roam the lands as they once did. Armies muster over the most minor slights, bringing war, famine, plague, and death across the civilized lands.”

— Introduction, “Shadow of the Demon Lord” Core Rulebook

Once in a while, I like to dabble with other systems. This allows me to see the pros and cons of them, try new things, and enjoy the unique experiences. I like to do this to humor the dream of creating a system that is perfect for how I want to run games.

This time, it was Shadow of the Demon Lord by Robert J. Schwalb.

I’ve always wanted to create and run games in an alternate historical setting that included magic and other fanciful things. Sort of like a historical Shadowrun. I also had an idea I had been bouncing around my head for a while of a game set in Colonial America, but it never went anywhere. Then… it hit me: a little bit Warhammer Fantasy, some Zweihander and Flames of Freedom, and lastly a big helping of Shadow of the Demon Lord as I was currently reading through it. Through a sick and terrific ritual of imagination, out came this idea of Through Darkest America.

The basic premise is essentially thus. You’ll have to forgive me as it really is in its infancy:

In 1553, a battle was fought in Italy between the forces of France and Spain. This was considered to be the first battle in Europe won by gunpowder. However, in this timeline, there happened to be some changelings from the realm of the fae hoping to cause mischief amidst the battle. Unfortunately, faeries have a vulnerability to iron with sometimes explosive results. This causes two things to happen:
1. Humanity is now made aware that there is something supernatural afoot.
2. The rulers of the Fae now know that Humanity is a direct threat to them.
The fae, using trickery and subterfuge start to try and influence events to stunt the development of humanity. Probably the largest of these that is worth bringing up is the assassination of Leonardo Da Vinci.
Humanity gets wise to the situation and starts fighting back. Not all the beings in the realm of the fae were faithful to the power players there: dwarves easily sided with humanity after having to fight the fae’s trolls for thousands of years. Goblins, as horrible as the humans treat them, revere humanity as “the worst humans treat us like royalty compared to the fae”.
Learning the secrets of magic and their realm, humanity starts making incursions into the realm of the fae and bringing the fight to them. What they didn’t realize, though, was that the fae were actually fighting a two sided war. Aside from the mortal realm, the fae realm bordered a “realm of shadow” ruled by a being called the Shadow Tyrant. (Or Umbra Tyrannus because you know how Europeans love Latin). This being initially wasn’t aware of humanity, but came to learn of us and our realm while weakening the fae.
He then makes his power play: a special, powerful, and world-changing ritual that causes a confluence of the mortal realm and the fae realm. A purely chaotic combination of the two realms. The two worlds are now one, with all the chaos that brings. Magic is rampant, beings that could once hide in the realm of the fae are now fully tangible, and beings once thought mythical are brought into being.
That was 1772. The European invasion by the Umbra Tyrannus is underway with countless refugees fleeing, many coming to the young and new country of America. Technology is both behind ours (why focus on firearms when you can shoot a fireball?) but also weird, ahead, or just different (one of the playable ancestries is literally a soul put into a clockwork machine). Geography is similar, but different. You can head west and find ruins in Kansas that are thousands of years old.
It’s 1885 now, and America is trying to hold strong and prepare for the worst. Little do they know, the Umbra Tyrannus is already here. They’ve already lost, but the best they can hope for is to fight and see the dawn for another day or two.

Once the one-shot is done, I’ll report back here with how it went!

“As bad as things are, all is not yet lost. Exceptional men and women have a chance to delay or possibly avert the looming disaster. They come from all backgrounds. They are hard-bitten mercenaries, power-hungry sorcerers, and priests of inscrutable gods. They are the people living in the bowels of the earth and the cities’ slums. They rise from the fighting pits, emerge from the academies, and venture from the farms and fields that sustain the great cities. These peoples, from all across the lands, come together in the world’s hour of need to be its champions, its defenders, and, perhaps, its saviors.”

— Introduction, “Shadow of the Demon Lord” Core Rulebook

Types of Worlds Across the Universe

Zakharov Sawyer — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 10:50:27 -0400

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there–on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”

— Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space

Classification

Lists are a common tool for us worldbuilders. Taxonomies, tables, charts, you name it. They all provide us with important information that can be consistent. Definitions of some sort that is necessary for the task at hand.

With classifications for worlds, some examples include Star Trek with its planetary classification system using single letters for designations. A Class M world is Earth-like, whereas a Class D world is uninhabitable. NASA itself has only four types: Terrestrial, Super-Earth, Neptune-Like, and Gas Giants.

In these types of classifications, I’ve always been fond of the GRAPH system found in the Alternity RPG published by TSR in the late 90s. GRAPH is an acronym meaning:

Gravity
Radiation
Atmosphere
Pressure
Heat

Alternity, rules as written use a 0 — 5 scale, but I use a 0 — 10 scale.

Types

Besides classifications used to describe statistics of a world, we also have actual types of planets. My first instinct was to look at systems found in strategy games such as Master of Orion, Endless Space, Space Empires, Distant Worlds, and Stellaris.

Stellaris has nine basic world types divided into three categories: dry, frozen, and wet. However, the list I found and find works very well comes from the Planetary Diversity Mod for Stellaris. I added a few and tweaked some others. Here’s the list that I use for types of worlds:

Wet

Atoll — An oceanic planet. Shallow lagoons, coral reefs and tropical islands make up the majority of this world, with warm temperatures supporting a very large biosphere.
Cascadian — Sub-temperate mountainous world with coastal forests and towering mountain ranges. An active, stormy hydrosphere with strong differences between snowy winters and short warmer summers.
Cenote — A humid and rocky world. Large sinkholes and underwater river systems snake below the surface. Life exists on both the surface and the underground environments.
Continental — Rocky world with an active and stable hydrosphere. Great landmasses are separated by oceans, with large climate variations depending on latitude and precipitation.
Crag — Cold, rocky world with a significant hydrosphere. Oceans and polar ice caps cover more than 90% of the surface with rugged scattered islands dotting its surface. There is an abundance of volcanic and geothermal activity that supports marine ecosystems.
Forest — Rocky world with an active and stable hydrosphere. Great land masses are almost completely covered in dense forests, many supporting unique ecosystems of their own.
Jungle — Rocky and humid world. Densely covered with trees and tangled vegetation, typical with incredible growth rates. The jungle floors typically contain an overgrowth of shrubbery, vines and similar plants.
Lake — Rocky and wet world. Massive landmasses covered in millions of lakes of all sizes, the climate ranging from subtropical to subarctic.
Mangrove — A wet world. Majority of the surface is covered in shallow seas with minimal land above sea level. Intense flora extends for hundreds of miles beyond the shores of the few existing islands. Hydrosphere is strong and stable, supporting a great abundance of flora and fauna.
Monsoon — A humid and rocky world. Rapid shifts of temperature cause periods of intense flooding and rainfall versus periods of dry, calm weather. Periods of intense weather can be incredibly dangerous with hurricanes being common during the summer months.
Ocean — Rocky world with significant hydrosphere. Oceans cover more than 90% of the surface, with scattered islands making up the remaining percentage.
Swamp — A humid, wet world. Most of the planet is covered with densely forested wetlands with minimal surface areas not underwater. Hydrosphere is mainly in shallow seas, swamps, and bogs and supports a great abundance of plant and animal life.
Tepui — Mountainous, rocky world. Hydrosphere is mostly in low altitude seas, which cause considerable fog and cloud cover. In the higher altitudes, standing water is rare and most plant life relies on the mist and fog.
Tropical — Humid, rocky world. Seasons with significant precipitation are interchanged with drier periods. Most land covered in dense vegetation, typically rain forests.

Dry

Arid — Dry, rocky world. The dust-covered terrain consists largely of mesas and canyons. Forests can be found in the more temperate polar regions, but vegetation is otherwise scarce.
Atacama — Cold, dry, and rocky world. Extreme altitude peaks cause rain shadows for most of the planet, and salt flats and arid valleys make up most of the level land. The hydrosphere is in a few lakes and mountain springs.
Coastal — Sub-tropical dry world. Deep, cold oceans cover the surface but cause reduced rainfall on the land. Fog and haze are prevalent.
Desert — Dry, rocky world. Precipitation and major bodies of surface water are relatively rare. Significant temperature variations between day and night cycles. Vegetation is scarce but even moderate precipitation can make the desert bloom.
Dune — A hot and dry rocky planet. Seas of sand dunes cover a considerable portion of the surface. Hydrosphere is mainly in underground aquifers that rise up in oasis and mountain springs.
Mediterranean — Dry, rocky world. Hydrosphere supports several large inland seas, which is surrounded by sparse vegetation and shrubs. Inland, the areas are hot and arid as the norm.
Mesa — Hot, dry and rocky world. Great plateaus and mesas are common around the equator, with cooler forested polar regions. Hydrosphere is mostly in large rivers that have cut canyons with vegetation covering riverbeds.
Oasis — Rocky world with a hydrosphere that supports one large body of water which has a band of vegetation around it. Rain barely reaches the inland desert that covers the majority of the planet.
Outback — Dry, hot world. Most of the world is covered in arid or semi-arid shrublands and deserts, while areas around water have more vegetation. Hydrosphere is mostly confined to a few inland seas and natural underground springs.
Plateau — A rocky and cold world. Vast plateaus, indented by gorges and separated by hollows that are often large enough to create isolated environments. Evidence of extensive erosion as most of the hydrosphere can be found at lower altitudes.
Prairie — Rocky world and a seasonal hydrosphere with a single great landmass with large inland seas. Dry summers are contrasted by cold, harsh winters.
Savanna — Rocky world dominated by dry, arid plains. Small hydrosphere that allows for brief wet seasons, but aside from a few ubiquitous grasses vegetation is largely concentrated around shallow oases.
Steppe — Dry, rocky world. Semi-arid grasslands with rolling hills and plains covering much of the surface. While almost no trees grow on this world, the amount of rainfall can support shrubs and grasses.
Veldt — Dry and rocky world. The subtropical landscape covered in scrub woodland and open savannas. mild winters and longer, hot summers. Precipitation mostly occurs in the summer months in the form of high-energy thunderstorms.

Frozen

Aeolian — Cold, rocky world. Winds typically reach speeds over 300km per hour, they have created hollowed out sinkholes, slot canyons and depressions which have allowed life to thrive inside, safe from the weather.
Alpine — Mountainous world. Snow covers the mountaintops and frozen-over lakes dot the valleys. While the planet experiences minimal seasonal variations, the still-liquid water beneath the frozen surface of the lakes is enough to sustain some hardy vegetation.
Antarctic — A rocky and frigid world. Hydrosphere is mostly frozen with diamond dust being as common as snow. Typically home to intense wind speeds in the winter months, life can be found in isolated pockets under sea ice, in caves, and in protected valleys.
Arctic — Frigid, rocky world. The poles are big and significant water deposits can be found permanently frozen as glacial ice. However, the planet experiences season variations and the equatorial band is covered by vegetation.
Bog — Cold, muddy world with a thick atmosphere. Seasonal variation is limited with significant precipitation. Most landmasses are covered in dense vegetation.
Boreal — Rocky world. This planet has a subarctic climate, with a very large temperature range between seasons but the long and cold winter is the dominant feature. Boreal forests cover the planet’s warmer latitudes, with tundra and ice near the poles.
Frigid — Extremely cold, rocky world. Precipitation is low and major bodies of surface water are rare. Even in daytime average temperatures are often well below freezing.
Glacial — Frigid, icy world. While water deposits can be found as frozen glacial ice most of the year, summer months have significant melt and snow is quite common. Geothermal activity causes permanent holes in the ice and helps support an abundance of marine life under the thick surface ice.
Highland — A cold and damp world. Most of the planet is covered in misty highlands and plateaus with hardy grasses and lichens. Hydrosphere is generally stable between frozen mountain ranges and large inland seas.
Medanos — Cold, mountainous world with high levels of fog but low rainfall. Much of the lowlands are dry dunes while the little snow that does fall covers forested mountaintops.
Montane — Rocky world with extensive mountain ranges where the majority of the habitable regions are found along the slopes. Due to high rainfall the slopes can support a wide variety of flora and fauna.
Mud — Frozen, muddy world. Seasonal variation is limited with notable precipitation. A high abundance of low level geothermal activity on the surface causes countless hot mud lakes and mud volcanoes.
Snow — Frigid, rocky world. Currently experiencing a significant ice-age, most of the planet is covered in glaciers. The equatorial band is covered by thick temperate forests.
Tundra — Cold and rocky world. Permafrost covers most of the surface except for the more temperate equatorial regions. A stable biosphere exists but vegetation is mostly limited to mosses and lichens.

Exotic

Algal — A rocky, wet world where multicellular life never evolved. Giant shoals of algae analogs circle the planet, staining the oceans with brilliant colors.
Aquatic — A rocky world with a significant hydrosphere. 100% of the world’s surface is covered in oceans with the only landmasses being below the surface.
Ash — Rocky world. Although this young world has cooled from its molten past it still has considerable seismic and volcanic activity. The atmosphere on these worlds tends to be toxic.
Bioluminescent — A tropical, rocky world. Exotic but non-toxic particles in the atmosphere cause almost constant cloud cover. Despite this, due to the greenhouse effect and geothermal activity, life thrives on the surface. Bioluminescence is common amongst flora and fauna.
Coral — A dry, rocky world that was once covered with oceans that has mostly dried and lost its hydrosphere. The coral has adapted and can be found growing like forests across the world’s toxic and salty surface.
Gaea — A rocky world that has a perfect hydrosphere and atmosphere with many niche climates on its surface. Any form of life could survive somewhere on this world, if not everywhere.
Geothermal — Cold, icy planet with tropical rifts that break up the expanses of ice that are heated by natural geothermal vents. The hydrosphere is in melt water and steam rising from the vents.
Glaciovolcanic — Mountainous, frozen world. High levels of volcanic activity prevent this world from being completely frozen. It’s many volcanoes and hot springs create warm lakes which can support life.
Karst — Rocky world. With a weak magnetosphere much of the surface of this world is mostly barren karst. Under the surface there is an endless series of cave systems with a rich hydrosphere.
Living — A world that is more of a living thing than not. What kind of lifeform or organism it is depends on the world, as no two are the same.
Megaflora — Rocky world that is densely forested with a strong and healthy hydrosphere. The world is home to giant megaflora which covers the entire surface.
Multidimensional — A world that exists within multiple dimensions that can have very esoteric effects.
Mycelium — Cold, rocky world. Myceilical and fungal life rule the ecosystem of this planet. Vast areas of planet are covered in mushroom forests and cave systems.
Primal — Rocky world. This young world’s volcanic activity has slowed down giving rise to increasingly complex flora and fauna which has helped create a breathable atmosphere and stabilizing hydrosphere.
Psionic/Arcane/Divine — A world dominated by a supernatural power-source, affecting a myriad of potential things on the world’s surface.
Salt — Rocky world. The mineral-covered terrain consists largely of salt flats, mountain ranges and large crystal formations. Much of the surface is inhospitable to most forms of plant and animal life.
Sterile — A rocky world that, for whatever reason, has a complete absence of complex life.
Storm — A cold, wet and rocky world. The majority of the landmasses are found at the poles, separated by a massive single ocean which generates powerful storms year-round.
Superhabitable — A rocky world. This world retained many of its gases while forming and therefore has a denser atmosphere with an average temperature of around 25 degrees Celsius. This has also had the effect of decreasing ocean basic size which encourages marine life. Ideally supports all forms of life.
Tidally Locked — A rocky world. The world is tidally locked to its sun with one side of the planet in constant daylight and the other in constant night. A thin habitable zone exists in the twilight region. Constant sunlight and wind make for interesting weather.
Underground — A rocky world dry on the surface but humid underground. Huge caves and tunnels under the surface are filled with raging streams and rivers. The caves support an atmosphere while the surface is absent of one, leading to an extensive biosphere below the surface.

Some of those make more sense in some settings than others. An arcane world wouldn’t be found in my Guidance Across the Stars setting, for instance.

But yeah! Here’s the list I’ve been using when writing about worlds to describe classification and type.

Thanks for reading!

How Does the Planar Council Work, Part Ⅰ: Delegates and Responsibilities

Zakharov Sawyer — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 19:46:52 -0500

“The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself.”

— Plato, The Republic

Introduction

GGGovernments follow an upward trend of size and complexity. Local governments, like those found on a Lord’s estate, inside a city, or a military encampment, give way to provincial governments. These provinces may have all kinds of different names; oblasts, cantons, states, or prefectures are some examples of these. As collections of smaller governments, they exhibit services that are available more easily on a larger scale to their members.

The Planar Council is one of the few multi-planar governments that exists in the Trigate universe. As individual planes started interacting with each other, it made sense that those that were like-minded should work together. Though it has stumbled along the way, the concept of a planar government has proven effective.

In this post, we’ll cover the delegates from individual planes as they make up one part of the Planar Council’s legislative branch.

The Role of a Delegate

DDDelegates have a singular intended function: to represent the individuals from the plane they are chosen to represent. As with anything, however, it is not that simple. Do these delegates represent most of the population of their world, or is their purpose to represent the smaller governments that exist there? This is a subject of debate still to this day, as the view changes from delegate to delegate.

The delegates, sometimes also referred to as councilors, are responsible for proposing or voting for proposals that come up on the council floor as lawnotes or solutions, offer amendments to existing legislature, and serve on various committees and sub-councils within the legislative branch of the Planar Council.

When a delegate is chosen, it is done so with the understanding that they represent the interests, beliefs, and best intentions of the individuals they represent. In ages past, this could prove a difficult and lengthy process because of the sheer scale of the distance involved. This has improved considerably because of the adaption of psionic communication methods, amongst others.

The opposite side of this relationship is that delegates are also responsible for disseminating changes that the Planar Council implements and general news of the goings-on within. There are also individuals whose job is to relay this information, but delegates will often do so with those in the upper echelons of the societies they come from.

The tricameral legislature of the Planar Council is composed of three branches, with these delegates belonging to the Planar Council proper. They only make up one part of the Planar Council’s legislative branch, though, with the other two being the Parliament of Planarchs and the Historium. As the Planar Council is drawn from anyone wishing to be elected into the position, we could think of it as the branch closest to the commoners across the planes.

Becoming a Delegate

TTThe process for becoming a delegate is transcribed into Planar Council law; it essentially boils down to individuals who wish to fulfill the role of delegate, gaining the most votes in an area. However, the law is loosely written enough where there are a lot of specifics that are left up to the regions sending delegates to provide some cultural wiggle-room.

What is a “region” in terms of the area that makes up where the votes come from? Is it the capital of a kingdom? The entire kingdom? The royal estate, filled with those loyal to the rules of the area?
Once individuals are voted on, there is nothing stating that another process can’t be involved past that. It would be legal to have your voted individual have to fight other potential delegates to ensure they earn the right to be the representative.
How are the votes intended to be collected? Do people collect them, or is there somewhere that the votes are supposed to be done? What happens if this is in an area that most of the people cannot get to? (For example, if it was in a city surrounded by a rough landscape that is difficult to traverse because of hazards, dangerous wildlife, and who knows what else, individuals may not feel voting is worth it.)
Determining a lot of measures on how the voting process happens. How do you prevent people from voting twice? How do you protect people from being intimidated to vote a particular way?

Once chosen, they send the new delegate chosen to live on Metron with their family. The previous delegate can do as they wish if their position is to be relinquished to their new replacement.

Council Voting

TTThere are an incredible number of measures and issues that come up on the Planar Council floor. As to be expected, delegates will vote on these based on the values bestowed upon them from the cultures they grew up in.

They present these measures as a lawnote that goes forth onto the Council floor.

For example, Canyon Folklings from Luan Apach vote against measures of war, aggression, invasion, or conquest, as well as things involving the widespread or reckless use of magic, psionics, or technology. However, measures involving increases in infrastructure, civilian aid, exploration, and colonization are looked upon favorably.

The Karayib Elves from Calinago meanwhile also dislike measures that involve a lot of magic, but those that appease their sense of curiosity and passion for life, battle, and crafts, infrastructure, exploration, and colonization typically receive their votes. They need to be swayed on matters such as civilian aid, as they typically believe that people should be able to care for themselves.

Things being voted on can be minuscule, “The Tsardom of Teryarch wants to seek aid from Terratheurgists, Hydrotheurgists, and engineers to expand the harbor facilities of the capital because of expanded traffic from other planes.”, and some things that affect multiple planes, “We need to increase the recruitment of the Planar Militia and expand the budget to give them better equipment due to increased Recreancy activity.”

Generally, lawnotes that are aimed at assisting singular planes involve working out deals with other delegates. You know how it goes, “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.”

Lawnotes, Solutions, and Amendments

TTThe legislative branch of the Planar Council holds the power to create, amend, and ratify Council laws. There is more to this process that involves the other bodies, but as far as the Planar Council is concerned, they usually do these through the following methods.

Lawnotes are typically the most common type of legislation to get voted on, as any delegate can draft and present them. It is considered good form for them to be presented on a planar basis so they are introduced by a group of delegates, but because of events in the Planar Council’s past, even lawnotes proposed by singular delegates must be treated with the same respect as any other.
Solutions are presented as temporary measures to assist with emergency situations or times of great crisis. The most recent solution that was brought to the Planar Council floor was to acknowledge the movement of military assets to repel the forces of the Recreancy once they had invaded Council worlds. The fundamental difference between a lawnote and a solution is that a solution can go into effect with only votes from the Planar Council with feedback from the Parliament of the Planarchs and Historium not being required. They exist in case the people of the Planar Council feel there is a threat that needs to be addressed that is otherwise ignored, but because of this, a solution has more strict prerequisites before making it to be voted on.
In the case an existing lawnote needs to be changed, or a solution is deemed to be made more permanent, they can bring an amendment to the Planar Council floor with the proposed changes.

Committees and Sub-Councils

CCCommittees and sub-councils exist to focus on specific subjects and can hold members from the three bodies of the Planar Council legislature. They monitor ongoing Council operations, identify issues suitable for review, gather and evaluate information, and recommend courses of action to the Parliament of Planarchs and Historium.

The number of lawnotes that could be brought up to the Planar Council floor would be immense and the committees and sub-councils help manage the volume and complexity of that. The primary difference between a committee and a sub-council is that committees only allow delegates as members, whereas sub-councils allow members from all three bodies to work together. Members can be part of both.

The purpose of the committees is to promote diversity in opinions and background on singular issues. Whereas the Canyon Folkling delegates would most likely have similar feelings on several subjects, bringing them together with members of other species to discuss, say, agricultural changes that could benefit the Planar Council would promote far more ideas and discussion than a single species alone.

Some example committees and sub-councils include things such as Foreign Planar Affairs (Focuses on legislation that revolves around non-Planar Council entities that exist on planes not considered a part of Council territory), Internal Relations (Focuses on legislation that revolves around non-Planar Council entities that do exist on planes that are members of the Planar Council. These would be other sentient and sophont beings.), Education, Arcane Oversight (Focuses on legislation that relates to the practice of arcane magic), with many others existing outside of those.

Next time, we’ll cover the other two bodies of the Planar Council’s legislative branch: the Parliament of Planarchs, individuals who are elected by delegates to “represent the best of us and the ideals of the Planar Council”, and the Historium, individuals who, through the use of primarily Chronotheurgic and Anitheurgic magics, bring individuals of importance back to life or otherwise able to be communicated with.

“If voting made any difference they wouldn’t let us do it.”

— Mark Twain

The Econatural versus the Supernatural

Zakharov Sawyer — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 20:53:10 -0500

“The human mind delights in grand conceptions of supernatural beings.”

— Jules Verne

Introduction

IIIt is a known fact that across the planes, most life will be a lot like what we find here on Earth: the products of evolutionary pressure making them the best they can be. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t alien life out there… evolution in different environments will create creatures we would find odd or captivating.

However, this is not the only way.

The Econatural

TTTo Biosophists and Natural Philosophers in the Planar Council, life can be categorized and taxonomized in several ways. One of the simplest rulings is to define a living thing as either econatural or supernatural.

The thought behind econatural life is since they are shaped entirely by their physical surroundings and other organisms for competition with no outside influences, these creatures are tied to their environment and thus econatural (from eco-, meaning having to do with ecology or the environment; and -natural, meaning one’s “nature”; that which we are born with).

Econatural creatures are those who develop and adapt to challenges in their environment without outside influence. Polar Bears can survive in the cold because of several traits they evolved: a thick layer of fat beneath a double fur coat goes a long way to ensure they can thrive in this climate to the best of their ability.

The Supernatural

KKKnowing what an econatural creature is then, should make the supernatural easier to understand. Where an econatural creature survives because of natural evolutionary processes with its environment, a supernatural creature will gain some sort of advantage beyond its surroundings to survive. It is that additional component that makes a creature supernatural (from super-, meaning above; in addition; and -natural, meaning one’s “nature”; that which we are born with). People will often also use the term paranatural (from para-, meaning beside; beyond; altered) interchangeably, though supernatural is the preferred term in academic circles.

Supernatural creatures can come in any form because of this external influence. If we were to continue the example above with a Polar Bear, their supernatural equivalent could survive the cold because of being covered in scales of magical ice, having fire flowing through their veins, or projecting some sort of field that nullifies cold altogether.

The Argument for the Pseudonatural

SSSome individuals have argued that there should be a third class of beings added to the taxonomic classification of their origin, with the third classification being pseudonatural creatures. While creatures developing without external influence beyond their surroundings are econatural and those developing with an external influence are supernatural, a being that is pseudonatural (from pseudo-, meaning false; lying; an imitation; and -natural, meaning one’s “nature”; that which we are born with) is created and thus has no inherent natural place in the world.

These pseudonatural creatures could either be the product of forced evolution or tampering with supernatural forces, so the primary argument against this classification is that it would be unnecessary because of the other two existing.

A large part of the Trigate setting is the contrasts between two ideas and how it manifests on various planes and in cultures, species, and whatnot. Traditional Ideals vs. Progressive Ideals, Nativism vs. Multiculturalism, and Natural vs. Supernatural are some examples of these.

There are worlds that have no supernatural creatures and others are filled with them. Some cultures view all supernatural creatures as anathema and yet some decide to worship them instead. It is these differences in those spectrums that I feel make the world of Trigate an interesting place.

“I am not supernatural. I’m just myself.”

— André the Giant

New Art: Belfry Goblins

Zakharov Sawyer — Mon, 10 Jan 2022 21:02:42 -0500

Short update today, just wanted to share the most recent picture that Fabio sent over.

These are the Belfry Goblins, which is the species that Dalzagley Hillhole is, as mentioned in that post. In fact, the male in the image above is supposed to be Dalzagley!

Thanks as always Fabio!

Now to upload some content for them on the Wiki…

Introduction to Westfallen, Part Ⅲ: Rebirth

Zakharov Sawyer — Sat, 08 Jan 2022 00:33:45 -0500

“We cannot live through this. Mankind cannot live through this. In a single day they have covered this planet with a flood of living blades and needle-fanged mouths. Kill one, and ten take its place. If they are truly without number, then our race is doomed to a violent death before every shred of our civilization is scoured away by a force more voracious than the fires of hell themselves. Death! By the Machine God, Death is here!”

— Last writings of Magos Varnak, Warhammer 40,000

Previously, we covered the initial discovery and manipulation of the Ether. In this post we’ll cover the pushing back of the Westfallen and further advances into Khey’s new state of existence.

Westfallen, Push and Retreat

The abuse of the Ether by the Non-Westfallen wouldn’t go unpunished however. As the Empire continued to grow, Ethercraft and Ethertech continued to increase on a large scale, and with people’s eyes turned towards these new bastions of hope, it was easy to be blind to the growing masses of Westfallen.

Westfallen territory increased every day, even if just by an inch, as it continued to plague, twist, morph, and claim the landscape. One day a massive horde of Westfallen creatures flooded into Empire territory, decimating and killing survivors on a scale not seen since the Exodus. They poured from the Cursed Lands enveloping the lands in chaos once again; however, this time the Empire could fight back.

The newly developed weapons and technologies, combined with Hexcrafters forced to serve with the military, was capable of not only resisting the Westfallen but achieving victory. Battle after battle was fought against the creatures, but they still kept coming, unknowable numbers of beasts each hungering more then they had in years.

Then they stopped.

They turned around and fled, retreating back into the cursed land, and as they left they were followed by an amazing sight - the morphed landscape began to unravel and fall back into it’s original form. In the years to come, lands that were once covered by the Westfallen hives would now be home to trees, grass and civilization.

In the distance, a man could be seen with one hand raised into the sky, seemingly glowing with a mysterious white energy. In his other hand, he embraced the hand of a child. As the Westfallen began to retreat, his form was met by hundreds and thousands of other forms, all standing behind the man and the child. And then, as the white energy disappeared, the man collapsed. The crowd of people picked up his body, picked up the child and marched westward.

That boy would one day become the leader of the Kingdom of Gnosis.

This man would become the first new Emperor of the Infinite Solar Empire.

The Kingdom of Gnosis

The suppression of the thousands of Hexcrafters had forced them into the Cursed Lands, where they had gathered their forces and tried to etch out a living. It wasn’t until the Nameless One, as they call him, and his son began to kill off the Westfallen landscape that they were actually able to reach levels of civilization close to what the Empire had. Farms began to grow, and cities even began to modernize.

The Kingdom of Gnosis was formed to be a Kingdom of Free-peoples; all were welcome under her flag, and she would fight to protect them from the supposed tyranny of the Empire. The Boy-King, as he is called, led his people on a path of self-reflection, meditation, study and personal training. Freedom, the capital of the Kingdom of Gnosis, serves as a beacon into Ethercraft research.

Though the Kingdom’s peoples follow a pacifistic route and are very relaxed and peaceful, they are still enemies of the Empire. Though not in direct conflict with them, fights, skirmishes, and even full out battles occasionally happen, fortunately drawing both sides closer to declaring a full war so that the Kingdom of Gnosis can finally be wiped off the face of the earth.

The Westfallen accepting citizens of Gnosis are still capable of fighting, however, and should not be taken lightly. Their warrior monks especially are quite dangerous. There are even reports of some citizens becoming Westfallen themselves or controlling armies of lesser Westfallen.

It should go without saying that any situation with the Kingdom of Gnosis should be handled in a “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality and all force should be used, even if common sense would dictate that doing so would be outright overkill.

The Rediscovery of Noxum

Seventy years ago, a new material was discovered. Named “Noxum”, it is an almost completely transparent dark blue crystalline material. Noxum is what could be called a “nanological processing accelerant”. When used with nanobots for construction or deconstruction the process not only has increased speed and efficiency but the Noxum taken to complete these actions is next to nil. In fact, less then a microgram of Noxum is used to construct an entire two building facility. This breaks the laws of physics, as Noxum is more then 100% efficient in this regard. It is held in high secrecy where and how it was found and or made.

Due to these facts, processing of Noxum is held “above classified” by the Empire. It is available to the business public at large, but large amounts of stipulations, papers and monitoring are applied when it is in use.

Noxum is used for all facets of construction with the Empire around Sun’s Throne, producing things much faster then ever before. Many citizens view this as a mixed blessing, as the most produced objects are weapons of war, designed to be effective against Gnosis and Westfallen alike.

Nobody knows where Noxum is found and whether it is mined, processed or just “found”. The Empire isn’t revealing it’s secrets and one would have to go through hell to find out the truth.

“Nanotechnology will let us build computers that are incredibly powerful. We’ll have more power in the volume of a sugar cube than exists in the entire world today.”

— Ralph Merkle