Post by ch00beh on Dec 10, 2010 7:02:03 GMT -5
You: Man what? Where did all this come from?
Me: You've got questions, I've got stuff! We'll just need to change the format for this back-and-forth into...
Ah yes, another FAQ-that-actually-isn't-comprised-of-frequently-asked-questions-but-instead-tries-to-preemptively-answer-them, this time regarding the wonderful world of Aleta.
Q: So what exactly is Aleta?
Imagine a world where falling off the edge is a very real risk. Imagine a world where magic is science and chemistry is taboo. Imagine a world where monsters fall from the sky to maim and abduct anyone they get their hands on.
It's something like that.
Q: Sounds pretty slick. How did this come about?
I started a topic a while back called World Building where I had a vague idea of creating an entirely new world to RP in. There were some inspirations from Dresden Codak (that one with the coevolution) and Gunnerkrigg Court. Then I let everyone on the forum toss random ideas in, and we all mixed them together to form a mostly cohesive place.
Q: Am I allowed in it even though I didn't throw in sweet ideas?
Of course! It's just like normal RP joining rules (sometimes the OP will say it's closed, most of the time it's open), except the setting isn't as flexible, so you might have to conform your character to some standards.
Q: Standards? Are you saying that I'm not allowed to go hogwild with ideas?!?
If you want to go hogwild with ideas, the World Building thread is still open for you to pitch something! And I'm personally always open to new stuff, so I would love to hear what you want to say. But as it is, the setting is pretty cohesive and themed and stuff, so if something new needs to get added into the mix, you'll have to work with the rest of the community to make it fit.
However, i originally intended for a lot of the actual world building to be done on the fly in RP. If you think something would fit really well after you've gotten a feel for the world as it is, and you have absolutely no doubts in your mind, do it. I can always edit your post to say "i'm a stupid dumb head" if I disagree with you.
Q: Okay fine, I guess that's reasonable. So then how do I make a character fit?
Here's some quick tips:
Q: Races?
There are a variety!
Q: ... that's a lot of information.
Yeah. There are even more, but these are the most "out there" races, with Hydorians being a catchall background. The Aleta wiki page has more.
Q: More?!?
Don't fret so much.
Q: My eyes are hemorrhaging at all this text. There is blood everywhere. This is your fault.
Oh jeez why did you go and read everything. Most of it is just flavor and history, so just make a character with the four bullets of things to keep in mind. If you're in doubt, send me a PM, but you'll probably be fine.
Q: Hi, I'm some other dude that hasn't died of blood loss. What's a jigglehorn?
It's jgélðhrn, pronounced "hye gell/ dərn" according to Google Translate, or "hyeg/ lə dərn" in my head, but that's not how the spelling goes. Shields are the only people who call them as such because they're crazy, but most everyone else in the world refers to them as "heldyn."
I like to refer to them as jigglypuffs.
Anyway, these are the monsters that ride down on asteroids every now and then (couple times a year) and they pretty much wreck everything then abduct the survivors. Except Shields, since Shields train specifically to fight them and aren't too fazed by how gross they are. Skin as hard as leather (there's a youtube video of some guy taking a poleaxe to some leather and not getting through to the carton of milk underneath), fierce as hell, and they come in all sorts of nightmarish forms.
QHow are Hydorians a catch all?
Hydorians don't really have any real "quirks" like the other races do. The most they have is religion and illegal chemistry, but both of those are soft, ie. there are many atheists and there can be nobles who enjoy fine wine. Additionally, Tal-Hydor spans a huge amount of land, so you can place a city in any kind of environment you can think of and make a character from there.
Q: Man, what's with all this fighting. Why don't we just do something with the wonders of magic?
I'm glad you asked! There is also the Pelantesque Keep, a magic university that's self sufficient and as big as a city. (well, a lot of it is just a city surrounding the keep, but the keep is still pretty huge)
Think Harry Potter and Gunnerkrigg Court, except the outside world sucks more (but it's ok because there's a regiment of Spellswords stationed in the keep in case of emergency), and it's prestigious instead of hidden.
Q: Is there like a map for all this stuff?
Yes!
There's also an underside which has not yet been mapped.
Q: What's the scale of the world?
Tal-Hydor alone takes 3 weeks to cross by train. I'd say the base of Sky's Reach is about the width of the continental United States.
Q: How do the discworld physics work?
If you sail off the edge, you fall into to space. Gravity pulls you toward the rocks on the underside, though.
Q: I heard that there are other funky things in space around Aleta. Is this true?
Yeah. There are two suns and consequently 6 seasons. See here for more details. Additionally, after Aleta's bottomside, large asteroids float about and stretch off to what appears to be infinity, and much smaller asteroids circle above the topside.
Q: How does magic work, specifically?
The key ingredient is the uncommon crystal known as "magite." You must have this in some form in order to cast spells. For more details on how spells are cast, see here.
Q: This sounds an awful lot like that Tyr thing that Prime wanted to do.
It does sound somewhat like Tyr, which is why Tyr and Aleta have been amalgamated together. Tyr's somewhere on the map. Not sure yet. See World Building for more details.
Q: What is up with you and that parchment texture?
It makes everything look a lot better at a minimum of work.
Q: I thought you didn't like planning?
I never plan. Ever. This is one of those things where one thing led to another which led to another and then I memorized everything so that no one else had to.
Q: Alright. Sign me up!
yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay
Me: You've got questions, I've got stuff! We'll just need to change the format for this back-and-forth into...
ALETA
THE FAQ
THE FAQ
Ah yes, another FAQ-that-actually-isn't-comprised-of-frequently-asked-questions-but-instead-tries-to-preemptively-answer-them, this time regarding the wonderful world of Aleta.
Q: So what exactly is Aleta?
Imagine a world where falling off the edge is a very real risk. Imagine a world where magic is science and chemistry is taboo. Imagine a world where monsters fall from the sky to maim and abduct anyone they get their hands on.
It's something like that.
Q: Sounds pretty slick. How did this come about?
I started a topic a while back called World Building where I had a vague idea of creating an entirely new world to RP in. There were some inspirations from Dresden Codak (that one with the coevolution) and Gunnerkrigg Court. Then I let everyone on the forum toss random ideas in, and we all mixed them together to form a mostly cohesive place.
Q: Am I allowed in it even though I didn't throw in sweet ideas?
Of course! It's just like normal RP joining rules (sometimes the OP will say it's closed, most of the time it's open), except the setting isn't as flexible, so you might have to conform your character to some standards.
Q: Standards? Are you saying that I'm not allowed to go hogwild with ideas?!?
If you want to go hogwild with ideas, the World Building thread is still open for you to pitch something! And I'm personally always open to new stuff, so I would love to hear what you want to say. But as it is, the setting is pretty cohesive and themed and stuff, so if something new needs to get added into the mix, you'll have to work with the rest of the community to make it fit.
However, i originally intended for a lot of the actual world building to be done on the fly in RP. If you think something would fit really well after you've gotten a feel for the world as it is, and you have absolutely no doubts in your mind, do it. I can always edit your post to say "i'm a stupid dumb head" if I disagree with you.
Q: Okay fine, I guess that's reasonable. So then how do I make a character fit?
Here's some quick tips:
- Think medieval-ish, but with less poop in the streets. Swords and armor are normal for warrior types, and tunics are in style.
- Magic is focused through a crystalline material called "magite," and its power can be invoked in a variety of ways, such as drawing or intense focus. You can fly and control fire and stuff like that with magic, but you can't lob around "energy"
- There are some races you can use as backgrounds that I will detail more specifically when you surely ask about them.
- Gunpowder and chemicals are taboo, if not illegal in most places. Guns, if used, will be used by criminals who don't have access to magite and don't know how to control magic.
Q: Races?
There are a variety!
- Shields of the Falling Sky: Shields are an order of warriors dedicated to protecting Aleta's citizens from the monsters known as jgélðhrn. They are well known, and probably not well-liked, due to their prowess in battle and their anything-goes mentality, respectively. They have outposts scattered through most of the land.
- Hydorians: Tal-Hydor is the largest country of Aleta, and as such it has the most diversity between cities. Otherwise, they're pretty run of the mill humans who enjoy advancements in magic in their modern lives. The largest magic university resides in the heart of the country.
- Telaenians: Telaenians live in small villages built on the backs of the gigantic Telaen, whose shells are so big that entire ecosystems are carried around. Their nomadic lifestyle brings them through two different (and dangerous) rainforests and the Isayoshindika desert.
- Imikijini: These people live within the Isayoshindika desert wearing layers of rags and filtration masks to protect from the harsh environment. While other races use magic, these people prefer guns and herbalism. An Imikijini is never parted from his rifle.
- Ortigians: These people are closed off from the rest of the world in the Ortigueil Peninsula. They've adapted to a life using plants in various, sometimes disturbing, ways.
- Ovorans: A people who live on a small, sinking island with a heavy divide between nobles and workers.
Q: ... that's a lot of information.
Yeah. There are even more, but these are the most "out there" races, with Hydorians being a catchall background. The Aleta wiki page has more.
Q: More?!?
Don't fret so much.
Q: My eyes are hemorrhaging at all this text. There is blood everywhere. This is your fault.
Oh jeez why did you go and read everything. Most of it is just flavor and history, so just make a character with the four bullets of things to keep in mind. If you're in doubt, send me a PM, but you'll probably be fine.
Q: Hi, I'm some other dude that hasn't died of blood loss. What's a jigglehorn?
It's jgélðhrn, pronounced "hye gell/ dərn" according to Google Translate, or "hyeg/ lə dərn" in my head, but that's not how the spelling goes. Shields are the only people who call them as such because they're crazy, but most everyone else in the world refers to them as "heldyn."
I like to refer to them as jigglypuffs.
Anyway, these are the monsters that ride down on asteroids every now and then (couple times a year) and they pretty much wreck everything then abduct the survivors. Except Shields, since Shields train specifically to fight them and aren't too fazed by how gross they are. Skin as hard as leather (there's a youtube video of some guy taking a poleaxe to some leather and not getting through to the carton of milk underneath), fierce as hell, and they come in all sorts of nightmarish forms.
QHow are Hydorians a catch all?
Hydorians don't really have any real "quirks" like the other races do. The most they have is religion and illegal chemistry, but both of those are soft, ie. there are many atheists and there can be nobles who enjoy fine wine. Additionally, Tal-Hydor spans a huge amount of land, so you can place a city in any kind of environment you can think of and make a character from there.
Q: Man, what's with all this fighting. Why don't we just do something with the wonders of magic?
I'm glad you asked! There is also the Pelantesque Keep, a magic university that's self sufficient and as big as a city. (well, a lot of it is just a city surrounding the keep, but the keep is still pretty huge)
Think Harry Potter and Gunnerkrigg Court, except the outside world sucks more (but it's ok because there's a regiment of Spellswords stationed in the keep in case of emergency), and it's prestigious instead of hidden.
Q: Is there like a map for all this stuff?
Yes!
There's also an underside which has not yet been mapped.
Q: What's the scale of the world?
Tal-Hydor alone takes 3 weeks to cross by train. I'd say the base of Sky's Reach is about the width of the continental United States.
Q: How do the discworld physics work?
If you sail off the edge, you fall into to space. Gravity pulls you toward the rocks on the underside, though.
Q: I heard that there are other funky things in space around Aleta. Is this true?
Yeah. There are two suns and consequently 6 seasons. See here for more details. Additionally, after Aleta's bottomside, large asteroids float about and stretch off to what appears to be infinity, and much smaller asteroids circle above the topside.
Q: How does magic work, specifically?
The key ingredient is the uncommon crystal known as "magite." You must have this in some form in order to cast spells. For more details on how spells are cast, see here.
Q: This sounds an awful lot like that Tyr thing that Prime wanted to do.
It does sound somewhat like Tyr, which is why Tyr and Aleta have been amalgamated together. Tyr's somewhere on the map. Not sure yet. See World Building for more details.
Q: What is up with you and that parchment texture?
It makes everything look a lot better at a minimum of work.
Q: I thought you didn't like planning?
I never plan. Ever. This is one of those things where one thing led to another which led to another and then I memorized everything so that no one else had to.
Q: Alright. Sign me up!
yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay