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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Jun 10, 2010 22:53:34 GMT -5
Ohhhh. Well, let's say that swords are common and guns are... newer. Not like automatics and things, but flintlocks and percussive hammers, ball shot, powder.
The Imikijini have taken it a step further with rifling. More distance, more accuracy.
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Post by ch00beh on Jun 11, 2010 11:30:09 GMT -5
so basically gunpowder is around, but it's expensive to do, and people would rather magic if they can.
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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Jun 11, 2010 11:36:45 GMT -5
Yes.
Ooh, we could say that gunpowder's taboo - that mixing natural elements like that is unnatural and wrong. So people are afraid to use it because it sort of flies in the face of natural magic. You'll find it used by criminals and vagrants and other lowlifes who can't use magic very well.
Not that the Imikijini are criminals and vagrants, mind you. They just believe that gunpowder is sacred.
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Post by ch00beh on Jun 11, 2010 13:12:42 GMT -5
ooooh i like that idea. chemistry is bad!
and magic is ok because ____________
EDIT: Because it's taught and controlled by the Order/Church/Government/Overseer and it's very well studied and documented whereas chemistry is seen as a potentially hazardous new thang (see stem cells and nukes). Throw in some way to physically control magic, possibly? Like some kind of ____________ that acts as a catalyst to commune with spirits/nature/atoms.
Atomic magic. Hm.
Anyway, since the Imiaoseuackrceni have honed the idea of guns to perfection, that means the world is probably on the cusp of a tech spread and boom and paradigm shift or something. idk.
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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Jun 11, 2010 14:06:27 GMT -5
Possibly. I would be more inclined to say that because the Imikijini have guns (and not necessarily any other tech) that they're viewed as hostile savages; maybe even demon worshippers. So perhaps full-scale war is brewing over those who embrace magic and shun chemistry and the Imikijini who make use of both.
Instead of tech exploding onto the scene, maybe it's medicine. The Imikijini could be building elaborate chemistry sets using homespun glass to create practical ingredients for any application. Their culture could be one of using the planet's resources for better living rather than just living on it and using magic to manipulate it.
EDIT: I like atomic magic. Let's do that.
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Post by ch00beh on Jun 11, 2010 14:18:28 GMT -5
i'm a little iffy on the "savages are secretly really nice." Keep them as survivalist nomads or w/e. Or at least just straight up survivalists. Only makes sense in a desert to always look out for yourself first and foremost. Coming together in cities in order to have access to gun making and glass blowing facilities is part of the whole "looking out for themselves" thing. Dunno who would be permanent members of the cities. Maybe slaves? Robots? I don't see a caste system working for them.
But despite their survivalist tendencies, I do see them as knowing how to live off the land as efficiently and cleanly as possible.
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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Jun 11, 2010 15:05:14 GMT -5
I feel ya. When I said homespun glass, I meant 'made with magic'. They wouldn't go into cities for access to anything, really, unless they just needed to barter for something like parts or perishables. I see their society as extremely self-contained; they don't see the outside world as something they need or depend on. If they needed parts for gunmaking, they would trade for it, certainly, but these weapons are for the most part EXTREMELY sacred. All the pieces would generally be hand-made. The iron ore would be mined, bought, or bartered, as would the raw wood, if needed, but the crafting of barrels and triggers and stocks would be performed by the tribe.
As for a caste system in cities- well, I could see them as sort of lower, or maybe not even included. They live in the desert, they wear all those ratty clothes, they use guns and herbs and other chemistry-related objects. Why wouldn't someone be wary of them?
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Post by Hamuu on Jun 11, 2010 15:21:11 GMT -5
When I think of the Sand Shaman guys, I think of a mix of Gara from Naruto and earth benders from Avatar, though I thinking that the "sand bending" would be more like water bending from the show since it many fine particles and would flow better.
I also see a really neat scene in my head with a war where some group of people is fighting a bunch of the Imakkjajinky people and just as they are about to make a massive push the Sand Shamans get together, and combine their efforts to create a massive sandstorm which they use as cover to retreat. Would be AWESOME.
I also like where choobs is going with the top of the world. If the top world is more steam punk based since theirs seems a more elemental based magic, and the world I've created (the underneath world) is more of a purity of magic (though the tribe chooses to focus their magic in a druid way) the company for instance focuses their magic into technology. I see that as meaning the underside world would have sleeker, cleaner technology, while the topside world would be the grittier, steam-punk stuff.
Also, it would be cool if their were some fringe cities. That were on the edge of the world bridging the cultural and directional differences of the bottom and top worlds.
And playing off of Choobs idea. I like the constant floating ball of water, but I think we could go farther with it. I say, the water is constantly draining from the "heavens" like there is a cloud bank that this long waterfall like stream is coming from. I think it should only be a floating ball of water because there are a large number of these monks constantly exerting force on it and that keeps it collected up in the air and they let it out in controlled amounts because if they didn't there's enough water there to cause a large inland flood if it all came down at once.
I also think that as the water drains down off the edge of the world it falls into the abyss and that it eventually falls back to the top does that make sense? I see it as all water falling off the world collects in some other plane before being returned to the top where it flows into the sphere of floating water.
Ok that's all my crazy stuff for now.
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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Jun 11, 2010 15:25:50 GMT -5
See, all this Immokakajin and Ikamikitikichakazaka and Imjauauajiaii stuff that you guys keep saying fits perfectly with the way I see these guys as being treated by the rest of the world. Strange, unknown, ancient, and bizarre.
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Post by ch00beh on Jun 11, 2010 15:37:00 GMT -5
ya i was thinking of having the water flow back into the ball. Heavenly waterfall sounds legit.
I'm trying to figure out where the Walkers would roam. I've also toyed with just making them large land tortoises because that's a safer place to make a city. Reason for being up there is that it keeps the people safe from predators that aren't crazy enough to attack the biggest kid around or who can't climb up the creature's legs. And I'm trying to figure out how they make a symbiotic relationship, or at least how to have a sustainable place up there. I guess the people could always just have resource gathering expeditions.
So my brain is now pointing to the Walkers (either tortoise or taller) to roam a dangerous as fuck rainforest. Or maybe they're attracted to naturally occurring aquaspheres.
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Post by Hamuu on Jun 11, 2010 15:46:48 GMT -5
I like the big as fuck turtles idea, a lot safer for the city (both defense and creature movement).
But, if we go the route of the main water sphere being so big because the water monks, how do the naturally occurring water spheres develop?
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Post by ch00beh on Jun 11, 2010 15:52:25 GMT -5
naturally occurring magic, duh.
or naturally occurring magic crystals. Which you need to wear/ingest/integrate in order to do magic. That is how it is regulated.
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Post by Hamuu on Jun 11, 2010 15:56:27 GMT -5
Me likes, me likes.
Also, I think the turtles should be in both the rain forest and the desert. Or have them cycle between the two.
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Post by ch00beh on Jun 11, 2010 16:16:31 GMT -5
migratory cycles based on a ______ season year.
i don't like four seasons. Four is death.
but the Walkers hibernate most seasons and then move during the _______ and ________ season.
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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Jun 11, 2010 16:34:18 GMT -5
I could see naturally occuing magic, sure. Maybe just part of the physiology that people can manipulate the energy? You could do a lot more with tangible magic objects, though.
And for the turtles, they could be 'driven' on prescribed routes around their territory, and meet up with other cities at scheduled times, so trade and communication is regulated by that.
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Post by ch00beh on Jun 11, 2010 16:47:42 GMT -5
driven with the biggest carrots on sticks that human hands can create.
i dunno what you mean about manipulating energy and tangibling objects.
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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Jun 11, 2010 17:19:27 GMT -5
What you said about naturally occurring crystals that you wear/ingest/integrate. That's what I was referring to.
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Post by ch00beh on Jun 11, 2010 17:23:44 GMT -5
Oh ok I see what you were saying. I like magic crystals more. It allows tons of things like overprotective prospectors, control of magic, etc.
But then now we're venturing into Dragon Age territory.
Hmm... if chemistry is taboo, how does everyone make alcohol/hard drugs? I guess you can magically ferment something? And everyone is just fine with dat dank shit. Idk.
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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Jun 11, 2010 18:11:17 GMT -5
Again, it's not -nonexistent-, it's just... socially delinquent. Not just the product, but the practice.
Think of a meth lab. We take offense to the use of chemistry to make such a vile thing. THEY, however, take offense at the use of chemistry, period. Never mind what they made with it.
So alcohol and drugs and things might be socially taboo not because they're bad for you, but because they're made through unnatural means.
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Post by ch00beh on Jun 11, 2010 19:04:54 GMT -5
man what do nobles even DO without wine?
they all just smoke weed and eat shrooms since that's natural.
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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Jun 11, 2010 19:11:56 GMT -5
YESSS man peace pipes!
Or you can go the hypocritical corrupt FAT PIG government route and let the nobility drink wine and justify it with some bogus explanation of 'because we're better than you'. Maybe they drink wine that's naturally fermented or something ridiculous.
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Post by ch00beh on Jun 11, 2010 19:33:09 GMT -5
man so everyone is a hippy nice.
ok, so instead of wine for a fine meal, it's weed before eating a 7 course meal i guess served with juice. or magically fermented stuff.
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Post by The Evil Biscuit on Jun 11, 2010 19:48:19 GMT -5
Hm. Well, let's suspend disbelief for a moment and say that wine and beer, since they ferment naturally, are acceptable. Alcohol really doesn't merit being forbidden in this society - it's not so much chemistry as it is facilitation.
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Post by ch00beh on Jun 11, 2010 20:14:59 GMT -5
werd.
so back to magic. I feel like it should be a relatively uncommon thing. Like your average shmoe can't do it, and maybe a university student dabbles a bit, but full blown magicians/sorcerers/wizards isn't someone you come across on every street corner. Or maybe it's treated as a profession (purple collar), so in certain areas, you do find them everywhere.
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Post by {WW}BetaBloodWolf7 on Jun 11, 2010 21:03:22 GMT -5
The problem with that is that most people would develop a fear of magic (fear of the unknown). The magicians would either cause people to withdraw, or be attacked by the people (depending on what rumors surround them, and especially what they do to give credit to these rumors).
Also, I'm back now. So I'm going to try submitting things for this soon.
Edit: Although I suppose you could make them well known for their good deeds.
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Post by ch00beh on Jun 11, 2010 21:31:10 GMT -5
i was thinking they'd be more on the level of engineer or scientist in our society. Like I said, your average college student probably took sorcery 101, like most kids take math 101. they know the basics, but just chose not to pursue that career because it was too hard or not their cup of tea.
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