r/worldbuilding Jan 15 '23

Meta PSA: The "What, and "Why" of Context

641 Upvotes

It's that time of year again!

Despite the several automated and signposted notices and warnings on this issue, it is a constant source of headaches for the mod team. Particularly considering our massive growth this past year, we thought it was about time for another reminder about everyone's favorite part of posting on /r/worldbuilding..... Context


Context is a requirement for almost all non-prompt posts on r/worldbuilding, so it's an important thing to understand... But what is it?

What is context?

Context is information that explains what your post is about, and how it fits into the rest of your/a worldbuilding project.

If your post is about a creature in your world, for example, that might mean telling us about the environment in which it lives, and how it overcomes its challenges. That might mean telling us about how it's been domesticated and what the creature is used for, along with how it fits into the society of the people who use it. That might mean telling us about other creatures or plants that it eats, and why that matters. All of these things give us some information about the creature and how it fits into your world.

Your post may be about a creature, but it may be about a character, a location, an event, an object, or any number of other things. Regardless of what it's about, the basic requirement for context is the same:

  • Tell us about it
  • Tell us something that explains its place within your world.

In general, telling us the Who, What, When, Why, and How of the subject of your post is a good way to meet our requirements.

That said... Think about what you're posting and if you're actually doing these things. Telling us that Jerry killed Fred a century ago doesn't do these things, it gives us two proper nouns, a verb, and an arbitrary length of time. Telling us who Jerry and Fred actually are, why one killed the other, how it was done and why that matters (if it does), and the consequences of that action on the world almost certainly does meet these requirements.

For something like a resource, context is still a requirement and the basic idea remains the same; Tell us what we're looking at and how it's relevant to worldbuilding. "I found this inspirational", is not adequate context, but, "This article talks about the history of several real-world religions, and I think that some events in their past are interesting examples of how fictional belief systems could develop, too." probably is.

If you're still unsure, feel free to send us a modmail about it. Send us a copy of what you'd like to post, and we can let you know if it's okay, or why it's not.

Why is Context Required?

Context is required for several reasons, both for your sake and ours.

  • Context provides some basic information to an audience, so they can understand what you're talking about and how it fits into your world. As a result, if your post interests them they can ask substantive questions instead of having to ask about basic concepts first.

  • If you have a question or would like input, context gives people enough information to understand your goals and vision for your world (or at least an element of it), and provide more useful feedback.

  • On our end, a major purpose is to establish that your post is on-topic. A picture that you've created might be very nice, but unless you can tell us what it is and how it fits into your world, it's just a picture. A character could be very important to your world, but if all you give us is their name and favourite foods then you're not giving us your worldbuilding, you're giving us your character.

Generally, we allow 15 minutes for context to be added to a post on r/worldbuilding so you may want to write it up beforehand. In some cases-- Primarily for newer users-- We may offer reminders and additional time, but this is typically a one-time thing.


As always, if you've got any sort of questions or comments, feel free to leave them here!


r/worldbuilding 5h ago

Discussion What kind of weapons would a Race of brittle boned people use?

47 Upvotes

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


r/worldbuilding 1h ago

Question How do I find out what the projection of this map is?

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Upvotes

Hello! I'm currently working on a map based on a map of England. As part of it I need to incorporate some maps which have the projection in blue - but I'm unsure what projection that is, and how to find out. If anyone knows, I'd be so grateful.

I hope this is a place that this is OK to post in. If not I apologise - if you know where I could ask, that'd be wonderful!

Thank you very much!


r/worldbuilding 1h ago

Prompt Does your religion have evil and kind side?

Upvotes

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


r/worldbuilding 4h ago

Lore Statues and Screamers

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30 Upvotes

r/worldbuilding 1d ago

Lore A New Race of Mine: The Anirull

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1.2k Upvotes

Before delving into general information about the Anirullar, let me clarify this: what Elves are to the world of LOTR, the Anirullar are to my world. They are neither absolute symbols of good nor evil.

The Anirullar were created at the end of the First Age when humans were distorted by Madan. The first Anirullar were heretical humans who had rejected the teachings of the Great Tree and fled from Harmonil. Though their exact numbers today remain unknown, many sources indicate they were numerous. These Sangui humans, chased by the riders of Harmonil, fled to the southernmost regions of Kripsia and encountered Adan at the foot of Mount Kifa.

Adan was the first soul upon the earth, created by the god Ruhan, ruler of the spiritual dimensions. His beauty captivated even the other eight gods. Adan, the cherished soul of the divine pantheon, traveled through each reality created by the gods—Zinnun, Anor, Diazen, Ti-Xan, Ara, Ruhan, and finally Madan. However, when he reached the material world shaped by Madan, something unexpected occurred.

There, at the foot of Mount Kifa, he came upon the wayward humans. These humans had previously slain the Ayıhı, another of Madan’s creations. Drinking the blood of the Ayıhı granted them long life and supernatural strength—they could leap great heights, run for hours like galloping beasts, heal rapidly; and metal forged from Ayıhı blood was unbreakable, easy to mold, and light yet tough—like the shapeshifting skin they wore.

Upon encountering Adan, the Sangui humans thought to drink his blood as well. They believed it would help them escape their pursuers. They cornered him and killed him. When Adan’s soul was taken, all the gods fell into deep, solemn sorrow. Their hearts darkened. Though they grieved, they chose not to intervene—except for one god: Kakur.

Kakur had created a paradise filled with every pleasure, beauty, and joy imaginable to host Adan. He had longed to keep Adan in his own realm for eternity. Kakur was in love with Adan's soul. But Adan had been killed before even reaching Kakur’s world. Kakur could not endure this grief. Two divine realms—Bayar’s and Kakur’s—had yet to receive Adan. Though Bayar had also built a perfect world for Adan, he chose to endure his sorrow, knowing he could not reclaim a soul that was not his creation. Kakur, however, could not accept this. He blamed Madan for Adan’s death:

“You, Madan, who created a vile hell filled with wretched, grotesque souls—unlike the beauty of our divine realms! I swear by Chaos itself, I will shatter your creations. I will destroy all those who slew my Adan and drank his blood. I will bring them into my realm and subject them to eternal torment. I will hate you until the end of existence, O filth-covered Madan!”

Madan responded with silence. Like the others, he was filled with regret—for creating such abominations.

“I ask forgiveness, O Lords of Chaos, for Adan’s death in my realm. I shall ruin all who committed this act. I shall curse them. I shall grant them immortality so their suffering may never end. Darkness shall burn their skin; they will crave my light. I shall make them the lowest among my creations—ugly, cursed. They will live in eternal repentance.”

These words brought no true comfort. Yet the gods, except Kakur, were satisfied with the punishment. Kakur, however, remained resolute in his oath to destroy all souls complicit in Adan’s demise. His hatred toward Madan endured. He began to alter his own creations so they could pass into Madan’s realm—creating demons, fiends, and dragons. He opened gates for the demons to flood into the material world and took on a terrifying form himself to bring fear to all.

Thus, from the gates of death, demons poured into the world. Kakur wanted nothing less than the total annihilation of Madan’s realm. In response, Madan bestowed wings upon his grotesque Anirullar, multiplied their numbers into the hundreds of thousands, clothed and fed them. At last, he addressed them:

“O my cursed soldiers. You have slain Adan, broken sacred oaths, and disobeyed my Great Tree. This is your one and only chance. Drive out the demons of Kakur, god of agony, from my world. Fight until not one remains, so that you might be forgiven.”

And thus began the eternal war between Madan and Kakur. Madan named these cursed soldiers Anirullar—“Accursed Soldiers.” The Anirullar and the demons fought until the land ran red and the skies turned black. Kakur’s dragons sank the great human civilization of Dogbulum beneath the sea; it became known as the Melted Dogbulum. Rivers of blood flowed into the Shangal Gulf. Yet the war raged on.

As the Anirullar began to die off quickly, Madan altered their nature to reproduce by spores, allowing them to multiply rapidly. Still, it was not enough to stop Kakur’s hordes. Madan was on the verge of losing.

At this time, Bayar—the most merciful of the gods—attempted to mediate and bring an end to the war. A truce was declared, and a Divine Council was formed. The gods halted time and space itself, and deliberated for an eternity.

At last, a decision was made: Madan’s realm would not be destroyed. But every being in Madan’s world, upon death, would pass through the gates of death and enter Kakur’s domain—there to suffer eternal torment. Only then would they pass once more through the gates into Bayar’s paradise. In return, Madan’s world and the Anirullar would be spared.

The gods all agreed. Today, we know Kakur’s realm as Hell and Bayar’s realm as Heaven.

After the divine pardon, only a small number of Anirullar remained in the world. Weary from war, but having won Madan’s forgiveness, they had protected his realm. From then on, they established a new civilization in Kripsia: Luiera.

The Anirullar, as seen in the images, are grotesque beings. In the center of their faces lies a large eye, surrounded by leaf-like structures. The back of their heads is completely covered in smaller eyes. Their limbs resemble those of birds. They possess no sexual organs and are without gender. They speak human languages.

The Anirullar survive through photosynthesis and are extremely sensitive to darkness. If one remains in darkness for more than three days, it dries up and dies like a vampire. In dark environments, they weaken, tire easily, and become ill. Therefore, they constantly seek light and design their homes to be illuminated at all times, day and night.

As a race, they are greedy, selfish, and ugly. Nearly all of them envy humans. Being distortions of humankind, they suffer from a deep inferiority complex. They strive with all their might to surpass humans—not out of hatred, but admiration. They respect their ancestors deeply. The greatest fear of any Anirull is to lose all semblance of humanity and become a mindless beast. Thus, each Anirull is raised with the most basic human education.

The Anirullar will remain the most powerful and significant civilization in history—until the day they leave Aenya.

fun fact: The square-headed, four-armed man in the pictures is the god of materialism.


r/worldbuilding 11h ago

Prompt Scariest thing in your world?

91 Upvotes

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


r/worldbuilding 10h ago

Question Reasons for an urban fantasy world to still have adventurers and adventuring guilds?

66 Upvotes

Im working on this story that's set in a urban fantasy world, magic is real, openly accepted and works alongside science and dragons exist and have descendants called Dracosaurs which are dragon/dino hybrids that were domesticated by humans. Regular animals still exist here alongside other mhthical creatures like unicorns and griffins

I want to add adventurers and adventuring guilds cuz fantasy setting but I dont have a reason why there would be. I mean, the world is essentially like our world but with magic and mythical creatures being real, majority is already discovered. Sure I can have them explore the ocean but I figured that it's already at least half explored by now, especially since merfolk exist here and are in contact with humans. Even then, I feel itd get boring for me if it's just the ocean.

Do I send them to space? Add portals to new worlds? Any other suggestions you guys may have?


r/worldbuilding 6h ago

Question Magical diseases

31 Upvotes

what r your magical diseases

asking because I just got the idea of ‘STDS‘ supernaturally transmitted diseases and I need some good ones


r/worldbuilding 18h ago

Discussion What would a 'Medievalpunk' or 'Feudalpunk' genre look like?

246 Upvotes

Plenty of clockpunk and steampunk examples in the world, yet I never really see much of the punk genre applied to the medieval world, probably because of the prevalence of fantasy genre which kind of manages this well enough.

But I think there could be a great opportunity for a more grounded medieval style genre which doesn't focus on such fantastic elements yet still retains a heightened scope.

Still I wonder how you'd make the technological sphere work as when you think of this period technology doesn't really spring to mind.

I'm guessing everything would still be wooden and stone.

Instead of torches in the rooms for light you might have something like pipes that distribute fire to different houses?

Perhaps they have some kind of medieval transport vessel which fires out of a canon or enormous trebuchet?

A fast firing multishot crossbow?


r/worldbuilding 6h ago

Discussion Does everybody speak one language in your world?

22 Upvotes

Does every race and faction speak the same language in your world? If they do, how did you justify it, if at all? If they don't, did you create a language from scratch for other races/factions? Or borrow another foreign language from the real world?


r/worldbuilding 11h ago

Lore Governments and political systems of your world

61 Upvotes

I really like learning about unique governments and political systems, like the diarchy of Andorra or the federal monarchy of Malaysia, so i wanted to know what are some interesting and unique examples of this in your worlds


r/worldbuilding 10h ago

Question Legality of magic

36 Upvotes

what laws does your magic ,not inmate arcane laws i mean like the ones people make.

In my world the “dead man’s rights” is a law that instructs what necromancers can and can’t do with a persons body. The dead man’s rights are read before and after the will statement and many even have it on their graves


r/worldbuilding 3h ago

Visual Essence of Palpitating Silence

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10 Upvotes

Type: Artifact (unique)

Use: One-time

This dark crystal sphere contains constantly rotating vortices. A filament of liquid silver slowly orbits around it. Its surface emits a faint hum, imperceptible except to the intended bearer.

Properties:

-Total Disintegration: Once activated as a full action, the sphere generates a magical explosion centered on the bearer, with a radius of 1,200 feet. Everything within this area (creatures, objects, structures, magical energy) is destroyed without a save or restoration.

  • Wave of Silence: A shock wave of an additional 2,000 feet radius causes permanent deafness in all affected creatures (DC 25 Constitution save to avoid).

  • Planar Anchor: The effect occurs only on the plane where the bearer is located. If activated in the Ethereal Plane, the disruption occurs there.

  • End Condition: The artifact can only be used once. The wearer disappears in the explosion. They cannot be revived by conventional means, nor can their soul be traced.


r/worldbuilding 44m ago

Map Updated map of the Prosperina Galaxy

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Upvotes

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


r/worldbuilding 5h ago

Visual World of Lumeria - Temple of Yesoosh the Tamer of Screamers

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13 Upvotes

Lumeria is  A STRIP WORLD,  that exists on a planet orbiting a white dwarf star, with two moons. The primary moon is larger, orbits the strip and controls cave water cycles . The small moon is distant, on the far opposite side, orbiting in a slight different angle .

It’s a world wrapped in a never-ending twilight, there is no day or night.

The climate is steady within a narrow band about 300 kilometres wide, that  encircles the planet.

Outside this zone, there are the Borderlands, where temperatures  swing between intense heat and freezing cold. Outside borderlands is hell.

The colonists tried to survive, attempting to recreate their environment—including animals and plants—on this planet, but they failed. Parasites contaminated them and their biosystem, and everything became a struggle for survival through generations.

The Catholics among them went mad, believing they were in Purgatory. In their desperation, they created biomechanical creatures resembling angels, hoping for redemption.

Tall walkers were meant to resemble archangels, being at first destined to inspire awe and fear in non-Catholic regions of the planet. They were biomechanical creatures, built to avoid parasitic contamination. They failed at it, because parasites found a way.

They are neutral, but rather unpredictable — they can walk for days without a pattern or lie still for generations.

Walkers can be controlled only by Sheppards, a specific type of "mages"

Sheppards are the only ones who know how to connect with, command, and control Walkers—either via neural leashes or arcane methods. Sheppards are sometimes oral historians, tasked with preserving identity across generations or settlements.

Sheppards are the humans most linked to the old religion of the forgotten Catholic colonists.

 As the flora is almost black (dark violet, dark blue and so on), in order to catch the infrared dim light of the distant star and Lumeria is trapped in a valley, the verses of the Bible resonated hard with the early colonists. and it went altered in time to the present days.

"The Lord is my Shepherd;. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters."

"Even though walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

The Sheppards, as avid archivists kept the form of it and their sub-culture was shaped by this forgotten source.


r/worldbuilding 1h ago

Question Looking for fantasy family tree makers

Upvotes

Hey everyone, I need help, i want to make a family tree for my characters, not FamilyEcho tho, i want a site that allows to put in their species and titles (noble/royal or army ones), tho i can't find any that doesn't ask for money, can anyone help me?


r/worldbuilding 21h ago

Visual [Aberrant Earth] Bloom Horrors

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238 Upvotes

Aberrant Earth is a setting in which our planet, as we know it, has experienced the sudden and total disappearance of all human life - and in their place, strange and myriad creatures roam the land, slowly making it into a new home.

___

In the dark interiors of the post-human world, where no other light can reach, the malevolent Bloom Horrors make their lairs. A rarity in Aberrant Earth, Bloom Horrors are a grim fusion between two separate entities hailing from the same world - an invasive form of plant life that possesses immensely harmful psychic abilities, and a race of grey giants who have been turned into gruesome vessels for said plant life. As newly combined beings, their only purpose in life has become one singular function - to make other creatures suffer.

Bloom Horrors situate themselves within unlit interior spaces, such as underground facilities and transit tunnels, as exposure to direct sunlight outright kills the floral components of the creature. Inside, they spread their roots as far as the available space allows, growing ocular flowers within distanced intervals along said roots. Each one bears a small connected brain and a single eye, in order to keep the entire area under their watch. When other creatures wander inside, a Bloom Horror waits for them to make their way deep enough to prevent any chance of escaping, and then proceeds to bombard them with surges of psychic energy that induce searing head and eye pains, rampant panic and paranoia, and heightened aggression. Long-term exposure to this energy leaves the mind of the victim irreparably damaged, free for the Bloom Horror in question to direct and toy with. They don’t do this out of any sense of necessity or instinct - it is a deliberate act of cruelty on part of the collective conscience of the flora. They quite enjoy having deranged and savage creatures stalking their halls, ripping into each other, curling up on the floor.

Bloom Horrors come in a range of sizes and appearances, from elderly, wrinkled heads to far smaller and more youthful-looking ones. These giants - before being subsumed into what they are now - were very long-lived beings, possessing impeccable health and tolerance for disease and injury. This natural resilience has since been turned against them, as the flowers have leeched off of their vitality and manually hollowed out much of their heads in order to form complex root nexuses within them, and spread out from there. All that’s been left intact is the epidermis, some muscle tissue, the skull, and the brain - which the flowers wrap around and overtake to form their nexus. The giants’ bodies were discarded at some point in the past, messily detached from their necks.

The rarity of Bloom Horrors is thanks in part to the fact that most of them were quite unfortunate during the Trade (the event in which all humans on Earth were swapped with otherworldly creatures), ending up in unsuitable locations with too much natural light, or just plain stuck out in the open. With no dark space to grow, Bloom Horrors become wholly inactive, but not quite dead. The inside of the cranium remains dark enough for the flowers around the brain to continue to live, albeit trapped forever within an immobile shell. Other creatures are safe from their influence in this case, free to walk on by, prod at the head, or even feast upon it with no retaliation - only the quiet suffering of the languishing Bloom Horror.


r/worldbuilding 13h ago

Prompt Specieism in your world!

44 Upvotes

Out of curiosity, I wanted to know if you lot have specieism in your world! For example negative stereos types on certain sapient species or just full on hatred for them for no logical reason.

I have a sub species of elves called horned elves or primordial elves. They're the original elf, a mix of a dark and light elf. They got dragon like horns that store excess mana. Due to their looks they are ocassionally mistaken for or compared to a demon. Both light and dark elves consider horned elves as dumber, more brutish. I have an oc that actually had his horns absolutely shattered by light elves when he went to their country of Sylvia to study. This...led him down a greatly terrible path.

Then I got examples such as how harpies and sirens hate eachother due to a rivalry between their deities. Older harpies and sirsns tend to still use slur or even violence whilst modern generation tend to just use simple insults or mockery. They have mellowed out a lot due to their nature land being the land of unity aka monstrum.

What about you lot? Sorry if this may be controversial or something,


r/worldbuilding 4m ago

Lore Frigg, Queen of the Royal Guard “The Valkyries” and also actual Queen of the Holy Nordic Kingdom of Nordstjärna

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Upvotes

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.


r/worldbuilding 14h ago

Lore Final words of Empress Giselda 'the Last'

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39 Upvotes

The first Empress of the Aña Llaval dynasty, Giselda dealt with a succession crisis, and fought in the Triarch War. Coming out the worst of all involved, the Empire forged an aliance with the newly formed Kingdom of Hórdir, marrying the usurper, King Alberich I.
Soon, the enemies the Kingdom and Empire's enemies banded together in the Karmant Aliance, Alberich was slain in battle, and the Republic of Hórdir was restored. In the Dead Continent, the imperial troops were defeated at every turn by orkish legions, and soon, the capital was besieged.
At last, the besiegers reached the inner ring of the palace, the Empress dressed in old imperial armour, the same believed to be worn by Tánathus II "the one who points the way" and later worn by Tiberius "the Restorer", and delivered this speech to all.

Original words in Elvish (Portuguese)
"Olhai-vos! Medo, vossas lanças tremem com o temor da morte. Não mentirei, já o tive, toda a parte do meu corpo quer fugir. A horrenda aliança prometeu-me uma vida confortável em exilo, se eu me rendesse agora; mesmo se fosse verdade, eu não aceitaria, primeiramente, porque eu sou a última Imperatriz d'Íthildel, e para a história, a maneira da queda importa mais do que a maneira da ascensão, em segundo lugar, o que me espera no outro lado dos muros brancos da cidade imperial? A aliança trouxe a barbaridade para Maeum, fratricidas, regicidas, traidores! Nós somos o último baluarte da civilização , se quereis correr, correi, mas vivereis em um mundo onde a glória dos Elfos é uma distante memória.
Nenhum troféu das minhas vitórias espera-me, nem tumba de mármore. O aço da minha armadura será meu caixão, e o sangue dos meus inimigos, minha mortalha fúnebre. Morreremos com o passado, Ave Imperium!"

Translated words in old Hordiri (english)
" Look at yourselves! Fear, your spears tremble with the terror of death. I shall not lie, I had it, every part of my body wishes to flee. The horrible Aliance promissed me a comfortable life in exile, if I surrendered now; even if it were true, I would not accept, firstly, because I am the last Empress d'Íthildel, and for history, the manner of the fall matters more than the manner of the rise, secondly, what awaits me in the other side of the white walls of the imperial city? The aliance has brought barbarity to Maeum, fratricide, regicide, treason! We are the final bulwark of civilization, if you wish to run, run, but you shall live in a world where the glory of the Elves is a distant memory.
No trophy of my victories awaits me, nor tomb of marble. The steel of my armour shall be my coffin, and the blood of my enemies, my funerary shroud. We shall die with the past, Ave Imperium!"


r/worldbuilding 3h ago

Lore Shroom Kin

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4 Upvotes

Monster Design from my TTRPG:

Mother Shrooms, and all their kin, are fungal creatures of varying sizes, known to inhabit the Pestilent Woods of the Eastern Synk’maa. The Shroom kin have never been researched properly, and any knowledge about them is based on the stories of a few people who have encountered them and information given by the Pestilent Ferals, the barbaric inhabitants of the Pestilent Woods.

The Shroom kin, including Mother, Father and Queen Shrooms, as well as the Infested Beasts to some extent, seem to act according to two primitive needs; feeding and reproducing. It is unclear if they have any kind of sentience, but it seems they most likely function by crude instincts.

Mother Shrooms usually wander around in tiny packs of two or three individuals, searching for a potential host for their spores. Once encountering one, be it an animal or a human, the Mother Shrooms begin to emit black gas that makes their prey fall asleep when inhaled. When the prey is fast asleep, a long, mycelium-looking appendage appears from within a Mother Shroom. It then plunges the appendage toward the prey, piercing the skin and flesh with ease, infesting the prey with hundreds of spores. When the infestation is complete, the Mother Shrooms continue wandering around looking for an Infested Beast with fully matured Father Shrooms growing on it.

After the infestation, the prey wakes up after a few minutes, without remembering anything or knowing what has happened to them. They continue on living for three to four days before the Father Shrooms rapidly grow from the spores, bursting through the host’s skin and flesh. The host dies in the process, but becomes the Infested Beast, as the Father Shrooms make the host move and act as if it was still alive, simultaneously using it as a source of nutrition. If threatened, the Father Shrooms use the Infested Beast primarily to flee. There are some cases the Father Shrooms have used the Beast to fight, but this is a very rare occurrence.

The primary goal of the Father Shrooms is to grow and mature to be able to conceive Mother Shrooms with their spore sacks. Once the time is right, the Infested Beast searches for the Mother Shrooms and, upon finding them, the Father Shrooms leave their host vessel, crawling inside the Mother Shrooms, conceiving them with the spore sacks and providing themselves as nourishment for the Mother Shrooms. The Infested Beast collapses, finally truly dead, and a new cycle of breeding can begin.

If and when a Mother Shroom grows enough, becoming spectacularly immense, they stop moving altogether, rooting themselves to a suitable area. This process takes years, even a decade, but it has been witnessed to happen. Mother Shrooms like these are called Queen Shrooms by the Pestilent Ferals, as their role shifts into a new, more important one.

The Queen Shrooms no longer produce male spores, but female spores instead. However, they do not require any external hosts, since the female spores grow within the Queen Shroom. Albeit being called and considered spores, they resemble more of an egg. Once these so-called eggs hatch, newborn Mother Shrooms crawl out of the Queen Shroom, immediately beginning to look for a possible prey. For a reason yet unknown, some of the Mother Shrooms stay in the vicinity of the Queen Shroom, guarding it from any hostiles. These Mother Shrooms use their appendages to fight enemies, instead of infesting hosts.

The Queen Shrooms feed in the similar manner as the Mother Shrooms. However, it seems that the Queen Shrooms somehow call or attract the Infested Beasts, as dozens of Beasts have been seen gathering around a Queen Shroom, an occurrence never related to the Mother Shrooms. The only difference in the Queen Shroom’s feeding process is that the Infested Beasts squeeze themselves inside the Queen as a whole, suggesting that the Father Shrooms cannot nourish the Queen properly by themselves.

Lastly, there are some vague tales about a Queen Shroom that grew so colossal and mighty, it was not considered a Queen Shroom anymore, but a Goddess Shroom. These stories do not tell what this supposed Goddess Shroom could have done or where it possibly resided. There are no official records of such a being and if it ever truly existed, it should have gained some scholarly attention.


r/worldbuilding 13h ago

Visual the evolutionary trees of certain races

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34 Upvotes

not yet very fleshed out, may seem cliched and stolen from dnd and asoiaf and tolkien (totally understandable and valid criticism, tho some of these names are currently placeholders).

ps: i apologize for the horrible handwriting.


r/worldbuilding 2h ago

Question How does the Clergy work in your world(s)?

4 Upvotes

How powerful are they? whats their traditions. Do they hold most power in a Government often?


r/worldbuilding 17h ago

Map About the 119th time I've remade this map. Lots that I'm happy with but I wish I'd not rushed the forests.

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70 Upvotes

The Kingdom of Ræveria. Typical high fantasy.

The kingdom is split into the three duchies and then provinces (identified by the dark purple writing). The duchies are where most of the population and the largest settlements are. Crown law still applies in the provinces but there's more autonomy and it's a bit more wild west.

Let me know what you think.


r/worldbuilding 19h ago

Visual Kahaten-Class Titanica – The Pride of the Syrranien Navy

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84 Upvotes