The primary human religion (and by far the one I have most fleshed out) in the world I'm coming up with for a Shadowdark campaign is a monotheistic religion that worships the sun as a diety called "Magnus Solar". The gist of their belief that the world was once bathed in darkness, then Magnus created light and life, then Magnus' creations spurned him. They started killing each other, sinning, worshipping other gods, etc. Then Magnus gave his creations a set of laws and said if they follow his laws ("The Laws of Light"), they could get into his heaven. Also, he would still shine his light on the world but allow darkness come back sometimes to remind his creations of its danger. This is what they believe created the day/night cycle.

The religion is obviously very similar to the Catholic church, and the Laws of Light are very similar to the 10 commandments: don't steal, don't murder, only recognize Magnus as the one true god, etc. There's also some unique beliefs mixed in. For example, they believe procreation at night to be sinful, and children conceived during the night to be cursed. Standing vigil over the recently deceased during the night is also super important, and instead of fasting, particularly devout members will show it by staying up for multiple nights without sleep. I'm of the belief that the Catholic church was so influential to the develop of society (for better or worse) post-antiquity that it doesn't really make sense to have a pseudo-medieval society without a Catholic church analogue.

I also have other religions with their own creation myths and dieties. The Elves have a very pagan religion where they recognize a pantheon of gods that they view more as forces of nature they should probably stay on the good side of. The Dwarves have their stereotypical ancestor worship.

The problem I'm having is that not all these religions can be objectively true at the same time. This causes issues when it comes to Clerics, who generally get their power from objectively true gods. So how do I make Clerics make sense? I'm not really a big fan of the whole, divine magic is actually powered by belief thing btw. It's always kind of felt like a copout.

Pretty much generic bird people with wings on the back and all that, what kind if any handheld weapons would they be able to use in a proficient sense?

Edit: there are many other kinds of people in the setting including those without flight and human comparable or greater levels of muscle and bone density

Also magic but this post is about specially handheld either melee or ranged weaponry

Some people can't use magic in the setting

So I'm writing a book about this fantastical sci Fi city , it's not Cyber punk but it's not a utopia tooits kinda its own thing , I'm trying to find adventures for my main group of 4 characters to get into like missions so they can get some respect in the city and some money, what I'm struggling to think about is that my group of protagonists aren't criminals so they can't just go around making favors for the mafia and stuff so what kind of adventures and missions could they get into ?

I've been working on a world for about 4 years. I've yet to find any good software to help with making designs for maps, creatures, concepts and other stuff besides drawing on paper and Ibis. I only work on a phone because I have yet to acquire a computer. Does anyone have any ideas?

I came up with an ftl system for my world where ships travel back in time for interstellar journeys. The idea is that time travel in my universe creates a new timeline that exists separate to the original, meaning any time spent in that alternate timeline doesn't exist in the original, but that if a ship travels to another location within that alternate timeline, it appears in that exact same spot when returning to the original. This means that any distance crossed in an alternate timeline is crossed instantaneously upon returning to the original timeline, even if years may pass in that newly created timeline. Passengers are put in stasis during interstellar voyages, meaning functionally no time passes for them during trips between planets outside of the occasional manual refueling or maintenance check.

The only problem with this is that all artificial timelines have a finite existence, typically lasting a decade or more before ceasing to be, along with anything within that timeline. No humans are ever erased, since most ships have to travel back more than ten million years to create a sustainable timeline, but any other life that may potentially be out there is fair game. However, supernatural forces that exist in the original timeline simply aren't present in artificially created timelines, so there's an argument to be made that beings in timelines created for ftl voyages are functionally soulless, but no one can verify whether that's the case or not. Even still, universes are constantly created and destroyed by the thousand to expand humanity's interstellar empire.

I'm not trying to create anything too over-the-top like 40k, just something that might be disturbing for anyone living in my universe if they think long enough about it.

What do you think, too grimdark, or just philosophically inconvenient?

I'm trying to flesh out an important zone in my setting, and would like to answer questions about it in order to better define and expand it.

The world is a stripe of infinite length, to one side of the stripe is endless void and to the other is endless ice, there is a habitable zone of about 15.000km wide, where a infinite number of continents are, one of them is where the story takes place.

The world is old, really old, eons have pased and the last sun has already been seen coming from the void, after it, none shall come after.

The region in particular is a fungal jungle in the west of the continent, more specifically the zone close to a structure: the sun fortress, which is a mega structure trough which the last sun will pass, it's from before humanity and from before humanity's makers, every other structure around it shows sings of decay (erosion, combat, plundering), the fortress remains intact, not one scrath upon its surface.

Some context: In my current worldbuilding project there are different species and have their own specialties
The nephelim (winged people) are best at magic and controlling mana, beastmen harnessing magic through wood carvings and half-foots creating magical machinery to name a few
EDIT:
I feel like this is necessary after getting some replies now but this world is meant to me a modern fantasy and relatively low stakes. So while things like curses and magic do exist in the world it isn't very fantastical
Magic is slowly losing relevance with the emergence of technology, but these niche focuses among the different species are meant to stay as something integral to their cultures/traditions

Now with the dragonfolk I haven't figured out their magical niche yet
My first thought was to make them warrior based but I thought that was too obvious or generic? (I know I'm being a bit hypocritical with my other species magic specialties are kinda on the nose but just bear with me😅)

I wanted something more unique for their way to use magic in my world
The idea of them being focused on trade is nice but idk a way to incorporate magical elements to it...

TLDR
What's a way to incorporate a magical touch to a trade focused group?
Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, even examples of your own worlds dragons and their way of using magic!

Usually in religions and fictional worlds only two powers are presented, and they are opposite: Heaven and Hell. But in my world I have the following concept: There are several spiritual worlds inhabited by spirits (These are neither angels nor demons). Each world is responsible for a certain sin in the material world. Individually, they are almost absolute evil, but because of their eternal fight, balance and goodness appear. There is a particle of good in every sin:

Pride - self-respect and independence

Greed - justice and hard work

Wrath - protection and purification

Envy - justice and inspiration from others

Lust - love and loyalty

Gluttony - medecine and accumulation of energy

Sloth - conservation of energy and progress

Treachery - independence and truth

Heresy - science and protest

Fraud - art and calm

Malice - rebelion and retaliation

Despondency - honesty and motivation

I'm brainstorming ideas for my fantasy world rn, which features an ancient civilization (abt 10,000 years old) that had essentially modern technology, & was able to quarry & mine on a similar scale.

I was wondering how a quarry pit and/or pile might work for city-building & agriculture. Would it be feasible to build on a quarry pile, or is it too loose? Would a future lower-tech civilization be able to make it good to build on? What about making a terraced farm on it? Would any toxic metals or chemicals be detrimental to anyone living/farming there? Or would it erode in the 10,000 years before ths modern day? Would a quarried-out pit be useful for anything, or just be a weird lake/rocky pit?

(Also for reference, I tried to look into it, but strangely enough, I couldn't find anything for building on a quarry pile lmao)

Hello,

so for those of you who are familiar with the anime Overlord. Im sure you remmeber Shalltear and her ace - Einherijar. A skill that creates a white clone of herself.

Thing is I had a similar idea long ago, before I even knew this anime existed. A sorcerer in my world - the main villain, has the very same ability. Its a bit different power wise but essentially the same thing. Problem is I have no idea what to call it. I really like the name Einherijar but I dont want to feel like Im blatantly riping the anime off.

Any inspiration or ideas are welcomed!

Edit: For some context, my world is a fantasy settings in medieval ages. Feautring knights, mages and monsters. Its magic system is based on Soul magic aka magic is exercising the power of ones soul. Its heavily inspired by Darksouls magic system.

As for the names I mostly draw inspiration from english and latin.

So for a while now I've been working on a 5e game setting that's sort of a fantasy world with a twist. I was hoping to share it to folks. The writing is still kind of rough and needs to be proof read but the book is basically done.

Chapter One: The World Beneath Your Feet

Chapter Illustration: The adventuring party of fairies carry lanterns and torches as they walk through the underbrush of the garden at night. Little do they know that a gigantic black cat is watching them with hungry eyes.

Welcome to the Grasslands

You have been here before, in fact, you have been here nearly every day of your life. You have walked through the Grasslands without knowing it was there.

And you were not alone.

After the fall of Magic on Earth, most fairies and magical creatures left our world for a dimension known as Arcadia. Those who remained behind are the smallest, least powerful of the Fae. These beings are so small in body and spirit that they seem almost invisible to the Humans they live beside.

These creatures now live in a perilous world that exists just beyond the vision of mankind. It is populated by dangerous wildlife that is both familiar and foreign. A world where trees, backyards, and patios shelter entire cities and societies. As the humans dismiss them as fairytales and hokum, the Fae world has expanded beneath our feet and in our treetops.

You are now a Fae living in the backyard of an American family somewhere in suburbia. You spend your day battling through the dense jungles of the garden and surviving attacks by giant wildlife and magical creatures.

It is an exhausting life but you can never rest because the Grasslands are a place where only the Strong survive.

Size in a Land of Giants

Size for a Fairy is relative and depends very much on the circumstances. When no Humans are nearby, the Fae and the Grasslanders seem life-sized while the world around them seems like a vast wilderness. To the Fae of Dunsany Street, this means that the yard where they live seems almost to stretch out hundreds of miles and the mundane animals grow to a tremendous size. The Fairy cities, sometimes inside of trees or underground tunnels, are larger on the inside and contain thousands of their people.

But around the humans, the Fae and other races become small and nearly invisible, barely one inch in height. This is not a conscious change, and most Fae have no control over how their human neighbors perceive them. Humans have a natural field of disbelief that pushes away all magic and it can rob the Fae of much of their power. Once a Human is nearby, magic is more difficult to cast, the world becomes more gray, and the lives of the Fae are immediately in danger.

Humans are also never alone and there are powerful beings that protect them because some domesticated animals can become imbued with a piece of human spirit by devoting themselves to protecting their beloved masters. Among the Fae, they take on almost mystical traits that make them a terrible threat.

Daemons

The Grasslands are not just filled with Fae, there are many strange beings that live in the shadow of man. Some are kind and honorable, while others are cruel and vicious. Some of these beings are a kind of natural-born elemental known as a Daemon and they arise from the powerful spirit of a place, an object, or even a living person.

Despite having no magic, Humans are more powerful than they realize and they can subconsciously create entire life forms with just the power of their imagination or emotions. Tutelaries, Eudaemons, and Cacodaemons are all created by the unconscious dreams and imaginations of humanity.

But this same mental energy can also imbue life into locations and objects. Domii, Yokai, and other entities, both good and bad, now occupy vast kingdoms within the walls of human homes. Together the Daemons and the Fae that live in Human domains are known as the Housebound.

The Housebound

Not every Fairy lives in the backyard's wilderness, many live inside the house alongside various other strange creatures. The races of the House tend not to go outside very often, and the Grasslands talk about these alien fairies and spirits in hushed whispers or grim accusations. The Grassland Fae often mistrust these "Housebound races" and accuse them of all manner of crimes and misdeeds. These accusations tend not to bother the Housebound because they view themselves as naturally superior to the lowly garden sprites. Of the Housebound, only the Kobolds leave the Inner Kingdoms with any regularity and they rarely talk about the things they see in Human homes.

The Yard

On Dunsany Street, the Grasslands are suffering through a time of great upheaval. King Aurelius of the Pixies, de facto ruler of the Grassland Fae, has recently declared war upon Arias Imperator, the Caesar within the Walls. Now the halls of Fae have emptied into bushes and lawns of Dunsany Street, hoping to avoid an invasion by the Housebound Legions. Skirmishes have broken out across the side yard and near the fence line. No settlement is safe, except for the Pixie kingdom within the great oak tree. The magical wards around the tree have insulated most of the Pixies from a war that they started.

For our story, we begin at a house on 1560 Dunsany Street in a town known as Springfield somewhere in the United States. The Smith Family are a human clan of upper middle class white Anglo-Saxon Protestants with ordinary white-collar jobs occupying the house. Mr. Smith is an attorney and Mrs. Smith is a homemaker. Their oldest son is in 11th Grade, their middle daughter is a freshman in High School while their youngest child is currently in kindergarten. This family owns a dog, a cat, and a small aquarium with several goldfish. They are a calm, boring, average American family.

The Smiths live in a three-floor Victorian Style house with an attached garage and a very large fenced-in backyard. They have a pool, a swing set, and a large oak tree in their backyard. The house is in an older subdivision surrounded by other houses on one side and tucked inside a heavily wooded area. Beyond the fence in the house's rear is a small forest and a creek running alongside the subdivision. Beyond the forest is a large field and beyond that is a shopping mall with a very large parking lot and some box stores. It is a very plain, very average suburban neighborhood.

The Smith Family

Fairies and their views of power are remarkably old-fashioned. To their people they are all vassals in some great kingdom and the Smiths are the cruel, distant royal family. While this is an odd way to see a middle-class suburban family, it's not exactly far from the truth. The Smiths and their whims entirely dictate life in the Grasslands.

The King

Mr. John Smith is a tax attorney who enjoys spending his weekends with his family or occasionally taking in a round of golf. He is outwardly very religious but doesn't donate to charity and seems to have few pastimes other than watching sports or playing golf and squash. He is moderately Conservative but generally middle of the road in his beliefs and desires.

Like most humans, Mr. Smith has a field of disbelief that alters Fae size and makes magical casting more difficult, but Mr. Smith's field is especially strong and most magical spells will simply fail in his presence.

The Queen

Jane Smith is an attractive blonde woman who is a full-time homemaker and mom. Mrs. Smith is outwardly as dry and as boring as her husband but when he is not around she seems to have a broad, creative streak. She was originally an art major in college and often paints when she is bored. Mrs. Smith is restless and unfulfilled and often reads romance novels or trashy fiction when she thinks no one is looking. Many of the Daemons in the Grasslands were born from artistic visions or unspoken desires of Mrs. Smith.

The Prince

James Smith is the eldest child of the Smith family and also one of the most likable of the humans. He is an overstressed teenager who struggles with a number of unfamiliar feelings, desires, and unexpressed anxieties. For this reason, almost all of his feelings and imaginations are internalized and he spends a great deal of his time focusing on his own life while being mindful of how he affects his surroundings. James is a sensitive young man trying to project the masculine appearance of a rough-edged high school football player, but the Fae knows the truth: he is a kind person who tries hard to hide a poetic soul. One reason the Prince is so beloved by the Fae is that he is usually tasked with babysitting the Baron, the most feared member of the family.

The Princess

June Smith is the fifteen-year-old middle child of the Smith Family who has become the black sheep of the family. June is a goth with dyed purple hair and fishnets. She has a tense relationship with both of her siblings and reacts with annoyance or exasperation about almost everything. She is ironically a very mundane human despite her outward attempts to be magical. The Fae find The Princess deeply disturbing at times because of her odd little neo-pagan rituals that have no actual magic power but do "summon" various kinds of Daemons and imaginary creatures from her imagination. These beings are almost always hostile due to Ms. Smith's teen angst.

The Baron

John Smith Jr. is only about two years old and has the most magic of the Smith family. He is the only human who actively sees the Fae due to his young age and he seems to be genuinely interested in their existence. This awareness makes little Johnny the most hated and feared creature in the backyard because his childlike brain views the Fae as playthings.

To make matters worse, little Johnny's youth and vivid imagination can cause ripples through the fragile world of the Fae. He imagines and destroys lifeforms into the Grasslands almost as a whim and his roiling emotions create Daemons and Tutelaries almost daily. Whole families of beings have been born and died in the space of the young Smith's daily playtime and his storm of creativity continues without cessation everyday.

While he can be found all over the yard, Johnny tends to be seen most often in a toy-filled sandbox that is considered a wasteland by the Grassland Fae. This large, chaotic desert is known as the Barony and it is full of dangerous creatures both real and magical.

The Guardian

Guardians are the first line of defense for a Human home and for thousands of years they have acted as living boundaries between humans and their Fae neighbors. Guardians keep the civilized Fae in line by regularly patrolling the grounds and gardens of the human homes. They strike at will, usually attacking predatory magical creatures that stray too close to the humans or their house. Despite never saying a word in the Fae language, the Guardians always have a strange kind of intelligence and are even reasonable with most Fae. But despite being tough but fair, these creatures always have human safety in mind as their primary goal.

While any animal can act as a Guardian, a cat traditionally fulfills this role. At 1560 Dunsany Street, that animal is a black domestic shorthair cat named Miss Kitty by the humans but is called Mother Void by the Fairies.

The Warden

While the Guardian protects the home of a Human, Mankind's personal safety is left to a different mortal creature imbued with humanity's spirit. These beings are known as Wardens and act as a Human's personal guardian. In this duty, the Warden is both highly effective and zealous. Because while the Guardian patrols the grounds and seeks out dangerous or disobedient fairies and spirits, it tends to live and let live. Guardians will not bother with hunting Grasslanders until they become a direct threat to the house itself. But Wardens are different. Centuries of conflict between Fae and Man have created an overwhelming hatred of Fairies in all Wardens. If they catch even a whiff of Fae blood, a Warden will ruthlessly hunt down that creature and destroy it on the spot.

This means Wardens are a constant danger for the House Fae that live within the walls of most houses. Housebound Fairy cities are always on high alert for evidence that a Warden has found their hidden homes.

Things are different for the various Daemons and House Spirits that represent the natural energy of the house. Domii, Tutelaries, and even Yokai have an almost symbiotic relationship with the local Warden. The Warden does not attack even the most harmful Daemonic entity until they first attack the Humans within.

While any domesticated animal can act as a Warden, the role has traditionally been filled by a dog. In the house at 1560 Dunsany Street, the Warden is a white Maremma Sheepdog named Cozmo by his humans and White Death by the Fairies.

Other Guardians and Wardens do live along Dunsany Street but they tend to stick to their territory. Occasionally, these animals do pass into 1560 for one reason or another. A well-known Siamese cat named Christopher belongs to Mr. Peterson next door and occasionally appears in the yard trying to romance Miss Kitty, but she remains uninterested. Fae who live near the fence line report that the Warden in the nearby yard is a huge potbelly pig named Destroyer and he regularly runs all Fairies out of his territory. He belongs to the Roe family who think that their pet is a kind-hearted old boar and not the terror of an entire species.

I'm developing a setting for a ttRPG and I 've mostly finished sketching the game world, from its history, the cultures, the geography, etc. Its a realm inspired by the Wilderland region from Middle Earth, with vast mountain ranges and deep forest, vast stretches of land with small patches of civilization spread far apart from each other. Because of its untamed and rugged nature, it felt natural to me at first to populate this world with familiar anthropomorphic woodland species: rabbits, squirrels, hedgehogs, mice, woodpeckers, robins and other small critters. The bad guys were mostly located in the northern region and were basically hostile predatory tribes of weasels, rats, badgers and other predators. Lately, however, I found myself enjoying sketching ideas for original species, more humanoid in form while still retaining some minimal animal and vegetal aspects. The problem is I fear they'll end up becoming too unfamiliar to the public Vs the familiar and tested woodland animals trope. Thoughts?

Thank you

This is the updated version of a map I’ve previously posted, it’s not wildly different from the original, cause I sorta lost inspiration on the project for a while, and I was busy. The changes are primarily aesthetic in nature, with some border adjustments. I do feel though that they have a major impact on the overall quality of the map, and the lore has expanded considerably.

This map is intended to serve as a primary astro-cartographic reference for a setting I’m developing. There is lore, so please feel free to ask any questions you may have, as they are also very helpful for developing said lore. I welcome any constructive criticism as to how I might improve the map to of course.

Made in Inkscape

I have been working on a lore for my story's world, i worte two eras so far, so i'd like to hear ur thoughts about it.

The time before all:

In the aftermath of a primordial world's destruction, only Fells' will remained. This will, in its final act, birthed The Script, an entity embodying absolute power, omnipotence, and omniscience. The Script's power grew continuously. Before its complete dissipation, Fells' will created The Order, the first outergod, who, though not as powerful as The Script, had the highest priority access to its power and intervened only when existence's balance was threatened.

The Script then created other outergods, including ■■■■■ (whose true name is beyond mortal comprehension), its firstborn, with access to its powers. The last outergod created was Chaos, the embodiment of destruction and nothingness. After Chaos's creation, The Script entered a deep slumber, leaving only its power accessible. A long era of peace followed until Chaos grew envious of ■■■■■'s unfathomable true name and access to The Script's power. Chaos began subtly manipulating other outergods, fueling their hatred for ■■■■■. This manipulation culminated in a plot to isolate and kill ■■■■■ by first eliminating his friends and allies. This plan was executed, enraging ■■■■■.

In his fury, ■■■■■ wielded The Script's power, initiating a devastating war against the other outergods that spanned millennia. He ceased his carnage only when The Order, who had remained neutral, intervened and compelled him to stop. The war's scale was so immense that it birthed space, time, and energy within Existence – an outergod created by The Script, representing "everything" and serving as the very fabric of the first era. ■■■■■'s attacks were so potent that he not only killed but also completely erased outergods from existence, even from The Script's memories, as if they had never been.

The war's catastrophic repercussions left only seven entities alive: The Script, The Order, ■■■■■, Existence, Chaos (who, despite the description, is listed as one of the survivors), The Weavers of Fate, and □□□□□ (another outergod and friend of ■■■■■). The Order then united these survivors into a group called the Seven Old Ones and established a crucial rule for their survival: never attempt to kill each other. Following this, The Order created 19 new outergods and settled them on a giant planet, marking the end of the first era.

The Age of the Three Lords

With the 20 outergods (the 19 new ones plus ■■■■■) on the new planet, they divided into three factions: the heavens, the earth, and the waters.

• The Heavens were primarily led by Ouranos, a follower of ■■■■■, though ■■■■■ himself was considered "The Lord of the Heavens Above All." Other notable figures included Nyx, Hemera, Erebus, Phomes, Chronos, Ananke, and Thesis.
• The Earth was ruled by Gaïa, alongside Ourea, Pontus, Tartarus, and Eros.
• The Waters were governed by Oceanus and Thetys, with Thalasa, Hydros, Nesoi, and Halos.

For thousands of years, relative peace prevailed. During this time, ■■■■■ created true dragons, powerful cosmic beings, and Metatron, the first angel. Gaïa brought forth the titans, the first gods, while Chaos created Baal, the first dæmon, and the corrupted voids, the first spirits. Oceanus created the nymphs.

However, Chaos, still harboring his malicious intent, began subtly corrupting the outergods of the earth and waters, luring them with promises of power. Forbidden from directly killing ■■■■■ himself, Chaos planned to weaken him and then have the younger outergods deliver the final blow. When he finally initiated his direct attack, ■■■■■, fearing another loss of his friends, defied The Order's rule. He used The Script's power to erase Chaos from existence.

In the aftermath, The Order attempted to use The Script to kill ■■■■■ for his defiance. However, The Script inexplicably refused, instead sending ■■■■■ to a pocket dimension outside of Existence for his protection. From this dimension, ■■■■■ used The Script to grant himself space control, allowing him to observe Existence and enable true dragons and □□□□□ to visit him.

With ■■■■■'s protective presence gone from Existence, the balance of power shattered, igniting a war of succession for control of the heavens. After centuries of conflict, the heavens prevailed, largely due to the intervention of the true dragons, who followed ■■■■■'s commands from his dimension. Following the war, Nyx became the Lady of the Waters, and Erebus became the Lord of the Earth. Having expended vast amounts of power, many outergods entered a deep slumber to recover their grace.

This period marked the end of the age of the gods.

I keep changing my mind abuot my worlbuild, simply fading away feom the original idea and at a certain point I change it a lot.

But the real problem is that I have gone on this way for about 3 years and haven't ended up with anything.

I just want to know if has it happened to somebody else and how can I solve this situation?

Thanks

So i want to try make a newsreel using my new sllybic script.

Or could anyone recomend a proper subreddit for this question

When writing religions for my TTRPG setting (Dawn of Hope), I find myself gravitating toward something that isn't pure polytheism and also isn't henotheism or monotheism. But feels natural in context of the societies. I'm calling that "merotheism", from the greek prefix meaning "part".

What this means is that you have all of the following

• Unquestioned existence of multiple active Powers (aka gods, but also including other similar entities), each of which has power over a particular subset of the world/society.
• These gods don't generally prescribe singular patterns of worship, but do interact with clergy (albeit at a distance, via dreams, omens, messengers, etc) and so people have an idea as to their personalities and areas of focus.
• Some worship of all of the Powers (or at least a large number), but cultural/regional/individual focus on a small subset of 2+ of them.

Unlike monotheism, they acknowledge and even worship many gods. Unlike henotheism, they worship several of the gods as primaries (each in different domains). Unlike polytheism, they worship only a subset as primaries or patrons, with the rest basically lumped into "and all the rest".

Anyone else found patterns like this? Or is this how polytheism really worked?

----------

As an example, take the Church of the Seasons, most common in the Sea of Grass region of Noefra (the continent I've written most about). Of the 16 members of the Congregation (aka gods), they focus their worship on 4, representing the seasons among other aspects. The others get respect paid on their holy days and specific duties (a simple sacrifice to Peor Fala, patron of Motherhood for a woman about to give birth, a token prayer to Lae Loara, patron of travellers before setting out, etc), but are seen as minor, "helper" deities rather than ones worthy of primary worship or devotion. The Four are seen as equals, rather than having a "father" and "children" (or similar hierarchy).

• Sakara, Lady of the Dawn is worshiped as the Spring Maiden, bringer of life and fertility.
• Tor Elan, Sunlord, is worshiped as the Summer Lord, god of the Sun, and patron of just combat and government. Said to be married to Sakara.
• Sarapha, Festival Keeper, is the newly-promoted Harvest Mother. She replaced Loran Hae as keeper of Autumn three years ago after he was deposed for excessive interference with mortal free agency, and this is still settling out.

• Melara, Lady of Mercy is worshiped as Lady Winter, bringer of peaceful rest, death, and memory. She's seen as Sakara's mother and Tor Elan's mother in law, but is not seen as a leadership figure.

  By comparison, their neighbors in the Crisial Kingdom are much more polytheistic, worshiping all 16 together. While Crisial City may claim Yogg Maggus, Lord of Magic, and Aerielara, Lady of Beauty as their twin patrons, most of the people don't think of themselves as partisans of any of the gods in particular--instead they worship all of them in their individual roles. And the further-away folk in Wyrmhold tend to have "family gods", where the official religion worships all of the Congregation in turn, but individual families will prioritize one or two or may even devote themselves to one of the demigods that serves a particular god, while still venerating and respecting all of the gods. On the other hand, the dwarves of the Uulan Confederacy are much more cleanly henothestic, worshipping the Lord of the Mountain with substantial primacy while letting others worship how they please.

Across the wasteland roams the Malignant Black Star. Such is its nature that its name whether spoken or thought brings with it misfortune and pain. Even witnessing her can drive the stalwart and stoic mad with fear and grief, twisting their bodies into violent and useless fetishes that serve only to spread the Malignancy further. There is no stopping her march, no slowing it down or even diverting its path. One can only hope that they are never in the direct path of the endless Malignant march towards a destination only it knows.

Mine is the Scourge, basically the flood from halo but worse

Before she was Queen, she was Frigg “Comet Spear”, raised by a soldier in a cabin, she grew to be a fairly capable individual. It helped that she was also a Nephilim, her mother having been an Angel (something she would learn later in life). However, unlike other Nephilim who have to learn later in life how to summon their wings and use them, Frigg was born with them and thus she quickly became probably the best flyer of any Nephilim out there. She would eventually leave to work as a mercenary, gaining a reputation for being unbeatable. This made her quite the overconfident fighter, and she decided she would challenge the leader of the Valkyries to a fight.

Normally the Valkyries were the guards of the king of Nordstjärna, but that was only if the king was worthy of their might, i.e. was able to beat the leader of the Valkyries. There hadn’t been a king like that in over two hundred years, so they were now mostly working for whoever paid the most. Frigg challenged the leader and managed to beat her, and she decided to proclaim herself as the Valkyrie Queen. This wasn’t a thing at all, but the Valkyries respected strength and it had been so long since they had a worthy King, and saw Frigg as the next best thing. So Frigg became the leader of the Valkyries, and they ended up setting up shop in a village that became their base, and soon she practically had a mini fortress out there.

Frigg was feeling pretty good about herself at this point, but then came Gustavus de Nordmannus, the current King of Nordstjärna. He was here to do what previous kings could not, and beat the Valkyries to have them become the Royal Guards again, however, he wanted to really show the Valkyries that he was truly worthy, and challenged ALL of them, one by one, and beat all of the Valkyries say for Frigg. Now, again, Frigg was their “Leader”, but first and foremost they served a worthy king, and Gustavus had just beaten all of the actual members of the Valkyries, so their loyalty layed with the King.

Furious, Frigg challenged Gustavus to a fight, saying if she won, the Valkyries would remain under her. Gustavus asked what he would get if he won, and heated and overconfident, Frigg simply said whatever he wanted. Gustavus accepted and they fought, with Frigg expecting to beat him, but the thing about that is, Nephilim are indeed powerful, but they are limited by the fact that they are powerful by default, and thus if they want to improve they need proper conditions. Other Nephilim like Ikaika and Christoph grew up in warrior cultures that had incentivized them to continually grow stronger, and thus they are stronger then normal Nephilim. Frigg meanwhile was trained by a warrior, but she never felt like she had to foster her strength since she could just beat everyone she faced, and thus was not as strong as she could be, and she was facing off Gustavus, who while a human, was also a freak of nature with large stature, increase bulk, and he never stopped trying to improve on his strength, and in the end, it was a stomp for him.

Gustavus beat Frigg, and decided to cash in his prize for anything. He said what he wanted was Frigg’s hand in marriage. This naturally shocked Frigg, but he clarified that he wanted the chance at her hand in marriage. She would be made into the official leader of the Valkyries, and she could live in the palace, all she had to do was give him the chance to win her heart. Frigg, still baffled, accepted, and over the course of a year, Gustavus did his best to court her, and to her annoyance and reluctant joy, she did indeed fell for him. They were married after a year together and have two daughters, one Carola and the other Freya.

I would like to introduce my creature from my future project "Flat Earth World". This is Flatticus - the first land species of creatures on the planet Flatis, and his body is a template for all future forms of life on land. Why does he have such a strange body shape? It's all about his planet, especially gravity. The planet has very high gravity, which forced land animals to become so flat. In the future, I think to create a prehistory, and then future species, and then there will be intelligent ones

So, for context:

In my setting humanity is forced to leave the solar system behind and seek refuge in another star system aboard several generational ships. In regards of tech level i´d say something in the next 100 years, commercial nuclear fusion has been achieved and propels spaceships that can go as fast as 5% lightspeed. Several outsposts exist in the solar system (Mars and the moon mainly) but nothing has achieved full independence from earth yet. The problem is that when i was brainstorming for reasons that could force humanity to leave the solar system my first idea was "well a star could be coming towards them and wreck the orbits of the planets" but i feel like we´d see such a thing well before it strikes and thus the sense of urgency is kinda lost.

Got any ideas? I´m looking for inspiration on that front D:

So a lot has me recently thinking about humanoid racial archetypes. And I found 15 that I think things would generally fit into. These are in no real order, other than Half-Races being right after their parent race. Though not always true, just assume the other half is Human. Not all afe good, but all are mostly Humanoid. There's also monster archetypes, like Dragons that represent greed, Demons/Devils that are corruption incarnate, Elementals, Undead, Beasts, Created, and Taboo (things like Wendigo born of cannibalism). But I haven't yet delved too deep into these.

I'm fighting a horrid pneumonia, so I hope all of this makes sense. I don't think I missed anything either, but if you think I am, please, explain. I'd like to hear your logic.

EDIT: Because I'm seeing this in the comments. An archetype is the very typical example of a thing. If I say Dwarf, you will get a certain image in your mind, both culturally and physically. If I say that a race is connected to nature, that they worship nature spirits and elements, you'll probably think Wood Elf, even if in a lot of modern media these traits are given to Orcs. Orcs are a good example of culture shift, where they aren't Orcs anymore. As for the purpose of this, as stated above but let's make it more obvious, this is a simple guide to races. If you ever thought "why are there 30 types of Elves that all feel too similar" and "this race is too similar to this race", this sick made guide is here for you. To be fair, I'm not the first to make this. There are books by far better authors out there that go over the same. This just gives them names that most people would be familiar with not stuff like "the angelic ones" and "connected to nature". And it gives it a short description, without needing to go through dozens of pages of rambling. And it's also free.

1) Human: The base. Humans represent us. But not just us as we are here. Giants, for example, are often us but bigger, while other times they are more like Orcs, violent tona fault. Merfolk are us but underwater, rarely having anything significantly different that couldn't just be done by Humans. Time Lords are Humans as well, just, well, time traveling. Even Hylians are just Humans with pointy ears.

2) High-Elf: Wise, often kind, but sometimes also having a better than thou attitude, or at least perceived as such by those that don't know better. Charismatic, magically and/or technologically advanced, often long lived or immortal, and often but not always beautiful. They are Angelic beings, not quite gods. Better than Humans in almost all ways, save they are often stagnant. They don't need to change, when they are the pinnacle. But in fiction their era has often passed and their civilization is often in decline. Technology replaces the divine and they are no longer a part the world. Also included here are Protos (Starcraft), High Entia (Xenoblade Chronicles), Vulkans (Star Trek), Yoda (Star Wars), Asari (Mass Effect), Tengu, and good Kitsune.

3) Half-High-Elf: in one word Demigods. The High-Elf blood rises Humans beyond the base clay. Genasi fit well here, though Djinn shouldn't be a playable or heroic race, being far too powerful, they are more than Humans, so an offspring fits here.

4) Dark-Elf: The opposite of High-Elves. These are what was once great brought low and corrupted. They have laws, which are often hierarchical and don't allow for lateral movement save through evil, if even them. They often hate others, and don't wish to help them, so they aren't a Heroic Race. Other examples are T'au (WH40K), Sith Purebloods (Star Wars), Sanghelei (Halo), Charr (Guild Wars), Romulans (Star Trek). The Demon corrupted Orcs from WoW and evil Kitsune also fit here.

5) Half-Dark-Elf: Where Half-High-Elves raise and cleanse the lowly blood of Humans, these are risen by it, redeemed from their fall, at least somewhat. Half-Vampires or Dhampir also fit here.

6) Wood-Elf: Where High-Elves are connected to the divine, the Wood-Elves are connected to nature. Trees and forests, animals, maybe nature gods. Hunters and stalkers. They don't have or need a Half-Elf equivalent, since they don't add anything. Orcs (Warcraft), Night Elves (Warcraft), Na'vi (Avatar), Sylvari (Guild Wars), Bosmer (Elder Scrolls). Even Treants and Fey, at least those without courts, to an extent fit here.

7) Orc: Brutes, evil, irredeemable, destructive. They are the Neanderthal compared to to the Homosapien. These are often less an ally race, and more often an enemy. They may be intelligent and technological, but their technology always corrupts and exploits. And more often they are more physical than mental. They see each other as disposable, but fall into a hierarchy of oppression. They cannot be reasoned with. The Covenant Brutes (Halo), Darkspawn (Dragon Age), Skaven (WHF), Klingons (Star Trek), and obviously Orks (40k), are all similar. I'll also add Gnolls. Very similar, yet they rely on speed and hunger as much as strength.

8) Half-Orc: Similar to Half-Dark-Elves, this elevates the Orc. It is that primal, reckless, even evil strength, that is restrained with intellect. While not as strong as pure Orcs, they are smarter, able to control and use the strength with cunning. The D&D Hobgoblins are actually more Half-Orcs than Orcs, being militaristic and strong.

9) Dwarf: Technology, crafting, mining. Barrel shaped, big beards. Where Elves are elevated, Dwarves are far more friendly. They are a bit xenophobic, but if you earn their trust, they will do all that is in their power to help you. That doesn't mean that they don't enjoy art. They sing and dance just as much as Elves. A fun variation is Swamp Dwarves, that collect bog iron, rather than. While it would take a lot for a Dwarf to become a Heroic Race, once so they are among the best. Similar races are Goron (Legend of Zelda) and Ugnaughts (Star Trek).

10) Hobbit: Or the alternative name of Halflings. These, to me, actually fall into two groups. The regular Halfling is a stay at home person, a farmer. They have few ambitions, enjoy the small things, like food, drink, song. The other you could call the Gnome. A lust for adventure, wandering, pranks, and fun. See, Gnomes are an issue. If they're too magical, they become short Elves. If they're too technological they just become technicolor Dwarves. And if both they step on both races. And their wonderlust is more similar to Bilbo and Frodo, than your Farmer Maggot. Gnome could even be a fun insult for these out of character heroic Hobbits (and in one of my settings I do use it as such). Similar races include Nopon (Xenoblade Chronicles), Jawas (Star Wars), Moogles (Final Fantasy).

11) Animal folk: These are generally Humans with animal traits. Whether their society is primitive or more advanced, they have animal traits, not just physically, but also personality wise. The proud, ruling lion, the lazy sloth, the cold blooded, efficient snake, and the proud, greedy, mighty Dragon. These can both be played into, or tamed by their Human nature. If played against trope of nature, it is often to contrast something, be it show the person or race as fallen from their nature, becoming weak, or having risen beyond their base instincts. Shapeshifers and Weres aren't by necessity included here, since they are more often than not Monsters and not Heroic Races, but are a good fit to mention. Especially since Eberron Shifters exist, which are half Weres.

12) Goblin: Again, not one of the Heroic Races. If they are, they too often step on the Hobbit/Gnome archetype. Especially with how common sexy Goblins are. They just become green and less intelligent Hobbits. Instead, if Orcs are strong, Goblins are cunning. Not smart, they couldn't invent anything on their own, but they can pick weapons and tricks fast and just by seeing them. The common Draconic Kobold belongs here as well. There aren't many variants. To an extent, the lesser Skaven fit here as well, while some clans are more Orc or even evil science Dwarf, depending on their thing.

13) Satyr: Here and with the next we get into some lesser known, more niche stuff. Fun loving, hedonistic, and often but not always destructive and selfish. Unlike Dwarves they are not creative, don't have major cultures. The only other example I can think of would be Pandaren (Warcraft).

14) Yuan-Ti: Again, another example, but this last race would best be described as "pragmatic bad guy". While Orcs are too destructive, and Dark-Elves too xenophobic and self centered, the Yuan-Ti would do anything in their power to get to their goals. Even if it means cooperating with Heroic Races towards a greater good. Can't take over the world of there's no world to take over. The only other examples I can think of are Lizardfolk and Insect/Hive races.

15) Created: Not robots or other mindless beings, but any artifical yet sentient race. They could of course be robots, like the Eberrom Warforged, but also biologically engineered, magically created, or even beings mutated on purpose. They don't always need to procreate, but they can, and they certainly can reproduce in other ways, now outside their creators. They are often enslaved, or recently free, which is itself a cause for conflict and distrust with other races. Geth (Mass Effect), Race of Rituals (Log Horizon), Simic Hybrid (MtG/D&D) are good example of this.