Homelands and some unrelated brain drippings (nine and one gods). · 8:31pm Dec 4th, 2016
So I'm going to focus on getting Homelands back on track. It's been 3 months and I think I've got the story back in my head. Probably out around the new year.
Also, brain drippings. This is a world idea that's been bubbling in my head.
It started with the One God Law. In the early times, the One God Law came to the void and created the world. He made the sun to illuminate it, and mountains and seas and beasts and plants and thought it all quite fitting and good. He made the rules that governed its being, set time in place on its steady march, and set all the world in motion. Most proud of all was he of man, an intelligent race that could think and plan and worship. His creation informed him that they were quite happy with the creation he'd created for them. And then, as Gods are wont to do, he invited other celestial beings to behold his work. He pointed to where the seas met the land and how the trees grew up and the mountains sloped down and asked them all what they thought of it. His guests all exchanged looks, as Gods are wont to do, before asked if he really wanted his opinion.
Stone pointed to the mountains and noted they were quite plain, being of only one rock, and static. They would erode away in a mere eon or two. The One God had missed the opportunity to fill them with metals, gems, caves, and other wonders. Also, the mountains were all rather of the same size and shape and rather boring.
Beast noted the animals created were all the same size and shape and did little besides eat and defecate. One did not prey on another. There was no impetus for change or for contest of strength and speed. All they did was eat. Where were the great beasts and the insects smaller than the eye could see?
Tree was just as critical as well. Grass and tree were lovely, but what about shrub and cactus? What about different kinds and shapes of trees? What about fungi? Everyone forgot about them. And the sea plants and mountain and... well... a world should be more than tree and grass.
Storm pointed to the empty skies and said the wind only blew in one direction, the rains came everywhere at the same time, the clouds were all the same shape. There were no seasons. No ice ages. No droughts. Just the same weather every day.
Chaos noted that nothing ever happened. It was boring. Predictable. Safe. Man just lounged away, growing their food, eating, and praising the one god, Law.
Life and Death conferred. Death thought there was too much of everything, and that less was more. Worse, there was no mechanism to remove anything. Everything was static and in stasis. Life noted there was no way to create more life! All the world was but a single gender, male, and without more, it would never grow past what Law created.
Evil and Good, they would praise his creation, right? Or if not one, then surely the other! But for once, to the shock of all gathered, they agreed in their disapproval. With everything provided to man, there was no test of character. No adversity to overcome. No advantage to exploit. No compassion to render. No sin to indulge in. Man was little more than a clever beast who could talk, and yes, it was well and good that they could worship, but they had no concept of virtue or blasphemy.
Law was furious that his creation should be dismissed so. And thus he stormed out of his meeting into the sun, telling the nine that if they thought they could do better, they were welcome to do so!
And so, they did.
Stone gave the earth a tap with his finger, and seams of gold and gems spread through out the earth. He poked it with a toe, and caverns and canyons appeared. He gave the earth a great stomp, and shattered the firmament, setting it grinding and rubbing and churning along. Some mountains were pushed higher. Some were worn away. Then stone took man and created the Delvers to seek the treasure and wealth Stone created.
Storm gave a wave of her wings and set the air swirling wildly, spawning tempests and clear skies, downpours and droughts. She grabbed the earth in her talons, and gave it a twist, setting the seasons into motion as the earth traveled around the sun. Then Storm took man and created the Harpies, to live on mountain peaks and traverse the churning skies.
Beast took the animals and in some gave a great hunger, and fangs, and claws, and set them to feast or famine. In others, beast placed a great fear, and gave them long legs and horns and set them to flee. Beast watched who was strongest, swiftest, fastest. From this, he took man and fashioned the folk. Beastfolk would be masters of the wild things.
Tree set to motion creating plants for the terrains created by Stone and Storm. Lichens for the frozen area. Swamp plants for the wet. Cacti for the dry. And fungi, though they weren't truly plants. A million upon million different kinds. Then she took the most beautiful and created the Flowering. These would be gardeners, coaxing ever greater variety and beauty from the world!
Chaos, knowing how much it would vex Law, created magic, which would spurn his carefully created laws for a bit. Not forever, for this was Law's creation and not Chaos, but it would allow endless annoying chance. Randomness blossomed as one day could bring fortune, and the next take it away. Not even Chaos knew what would come of it. And chaos took man, and created the Fae. They imitated the conventions of man, mocking them, from the great Fae Lords to whom reality was as wax, to the common elves, who spurned boredom in all its forms. Dozens of faeries of all kinds!
Good and evil took this uncertainty and introduced virtue and vice into humanity. Wickedness and compassion, selfishness and generosity, cruelty and kindness all blossomed in the hearts of men. Good created the angels to guide and inspire humanity, while evil created the devils to tempt it to depravity.
Death waved a hand over the creation lightly, for a touch would slay all upon it, and set the world dying. Entropy, age, infirmity, sickness, and death became a reality. Because Death is not a thief, he took the essence of man and made a soul that would persist after their death. Death then created the dragons to destroy anything too weak and feeble to survive its touch. Beast and Tree agreed that it would be best to let prey die from being feasted upon, and to wait till death before the fungi took over.
Life then created woman, an imitation of man that could birth and nurture life. And the others saw this, and their own, and quickly made alterations so that all theirs could similarly birth and nurture life... even the dragons... or else death's brush would claim all in the fullness of time.
When Law returned, he was outraged by what the nine had done. His wonderful, predictable world had been rendered a chaotic mess he wanted little to do with. Worse, he saw the remaining men would quickly expire. He was prepared to erase his creation entirely, but relented. He would allow the alterations to remain, as vexing as they were, if their alterations would give birth to men as well as their own, and that they would need men to create more of their own. Life conferred with the others, and worked out a mechanism by which man and their own races could procreate. Thus the accord was struck, and Life allowed a male and female version of all life. The nine departed to watch the world, now entertained and curious about its happenings, while Law planned to domesticate and curtail their greatest excesses.
Law had to admit, it looked forward to the challenge.
So yeah, in this world men are the only "male" race, and the other nine are all different species. This means that women are not the same species as men. The other intelligent races are all female, needing men to procreate with. There are no half-elves. An offspring is either male, or the other race.
Men have adapted to a wide variety of body shapes and types, thanks to the influence of the other species. Men are drivers of civilization, order, and culture... but death and chaos inspired war and strife, so no civilization rests peacefully. Men tend to form nation states and monarchies. Due to chaos's touch, some men have the talent for magic. Men introduced marriage as a formalized breeding arrangement, though it can be with any other race. How the partner responds to these laws varies widely.
Women co-mingle most predominantly with men, being the most similar, but they are not as bound by law and order as men. Because women rarely interbreed with fae (fae being the one race that spurn Law's decree) they are less likely to perform magic. Women general tend to work together to support whatever nation or community they are apart of, regardless of the race. They have a wide variety of body shapes and types as well, having spread just as vigorously as men.
Delvers stand two thirds, on average, to the height of most men. They are pale, with milky blind eyes and large pointed ears. They do not like the sun, and often find the surface loud and confusing. Delvers, for their frail appearance, are one of the strongest races. Their powerful fingers can crush rock, and their nails can scratch stone. They are skilled tool makers and artisians, working gold and stone by touch with equal measure. They can let out a squeak that allows them to hear the dimensions of the space, and even 'see' through feet of rock. Most men find delvers intimidating or creepy, but delver mates point to the fact that delvers are remarkably wealthy. Those that do find a man to mate are frequently affectionate and devoted to their vows.
Harpians are slightly shorter than men. Feathered wings sprout from their shoulders, and their hands and feet end in talons. Rather than hair, their heads are adorned with fine plumage which can range from stiff, brightly colored feathers to soft down that falls like hair. Their eyesight is exceptional, capable of focusing on tiny objects more than a mile away. They can fly superbly and at great speeds, the air holding them aloft. Harpians rarely wear clothes, and instead wear harnesses to which they can attach pockets and pouches. When they wish to mate, they locate a man and ask what he wishes for the service, or simply rape him. Most Harpians consider the latter somewhat crude, but lightning is often expedient. Harpian society tends towards "Clear sky, gentle rain" philosophy or "Tempest" philosophy, with the former urging consideration and the latter impulsive behavior.
Beast folk are a staggering variety of from ranging from half the size of a man to half again the size of a man. They take after a specific species, so Rabbit folk look like humanoid rabbits, Cat folk humanoid cats, and so on. Folk tend to live in societies that mimic their animal counterpart. Horse folk prefer large herds. Wolf folk are more commonly found in packs of inter related daughters. The folk tend towards to relationships with men: domesticated and wild. Domesticated folk live in or near human communities, trading with them, and generally mimicking their culture for convenience. If away from concentrations of men, then their close knit communities are host to a handful of men shared communally. Wild folk avoid civilizations and tend to either have a few very hardy and strong male members that can keep up and survive, or just take a man and rape him when the time presents itself. Wild folk will eat other folk, and men, if hungry. Some folk see predation as a holy rite, while others as terrible barbarism and a stain on their species.
The flowering, or more commonly referred to as dryads, are roughly the same size as a human. Their skin is a much firmer bark like texture, and the have the ability to shift from a tree like shape to a more humanoid, mobile one. When a tree, dryads are often in a dream like state, their senses expanding across an entire forest. While their bodies are far more fibrous than a man in their humanoid form, they are capable of sex with men, and a year after the deed, give birth to a seed that will either sprout into another dryad or give birth to male infant. These latter are generally given to the nearest community. Dryads rarely participate in society, finding it, in general, noisy and disruptive. Dryads tend to have characteristics of whatever plants they are around, so a desert dryad may resemble a cactus, a swap dryad a willows, and so on. Dryads are incredibly long lived, with some still alive that were first formed by Tree. These Treetouched are the leaders for the entire race. When a dryad is old enough, after a century or two, they plant their feet into the ground and remain in their tree form indefinitely. And yes, they can still give birth, if they find a man willing to have sex with a tree (and they do).
The fae are the only other race with 'males' because chaos doesn't give a flying fig about Law's rules. that said, only the greatest and most powerful 'Fae Lords' are capable of breeding with other females. The fae come in a wild variety of forms, from ugly, squat goblins to massive ogres. Elves are the most common variant of fae, capable of suppressing their desires for excitement, mischief, and adventure long enough to buy bread in the market. Fae, as a race, almost universally have ADHD, and all fae have some form of magic or another. The strongest warp reality to suit their whims, but Law reasserts itself when they depart or are killed. The fae ape human culture. Why do some have a feudal hierarchy? Because men do, only in the fae's a count may become a king because he slew a cockroach. Fae range from 'marriage' to 'courtship' to 'rape' to 'enchantment' when it comes to men. They find marriage vows adorable... and entertaining to break.
Dragons are terrifying beasts, winged, scaled, breathing death, devouring men, and causing widespread death and havoc. There's little to rival a house sized instrument of death. They can also shed this mighty form like a husk to become a human sized feminine counterpoint to men in order to breed and eventually give birth to an egg. Dragons almost immediately revert to their massive forms after this, loathing the weak and fragile form and letting their young fend for themselves. Men born from dragons tend to be heroes, and there are kings who often try to bribe or woo a dragon to have their child. A few are flattered enough for the duty. Rarer still are dragons who agree to marriage. Love between a man and dragon is only heard of in stories, but is theoretically possible. Dragons in humanoid form still possess wings, tail, their destructive breath, and are the strongest of the intelligent races. They all carry a desire to destroy things that frustrate and annoy them. When a dragon reverts, they go still and for most appearances dead. The humanoid form emerges after a year, tearing free of its former body. When returning, the dragon becomes ferociously hungry and must devour several tons of flesh in order to grow back to its original size. As a result, dragons only perform this transformation a few times in their lifespan.
Angels appear as women at first, but possess large feathered wings, luminous eyes, and a halo of light that varies from a solid band of gold to sparkling motes. While most angels are beautiful, their bodies conform to ideals of beauty. Thus, a culture that prizes full figures will see more full figured angels. Angels are an elusive race, possessing magic that allows them to conceal their celestial attributes at will. Angels are widely prized as wives, concubines, and queens because of the belief that their male offspring will be wise or imbued with powerful holy magic. Angels see such attitudes as covetous rather than loving, and would prefer more humble relationships. As a result, angels tend to blend in to whatever culture they are a part of. In general, they encourage others to be the best they can be, forgive easily, and try to encourage others to improve the world. They are not, however, weak. An angel drawn to wrath can call upon potent holy magics that is concentrated in their race. Angels are also not innately good. An angel can become cynical, bitter, or wrathful. Such 'fallen angels' are recognizable when their feathered wings turn black and their halos become dark and red. Most angels look upon fallen as insane.
Devils, like angels, resemble women. However their wings are leathery, bat wings. They possess horns, claws, fangs, and long thin tails that end in barbs. Their skin is generally a shade of red, and their hair is usually a variety of black, red, or yellow. Like angels, devils can conceal any or all of these traits, but many see little reason too aside from seduction. Devils generally take the form that is most desirable to men at that moment, and dress accordingly. They generally inspire the more base nature in men and others, valuing honesty over virtue and resignation over aspiration. They are more common than angels, and this has diluted their infernal power. Some devils respond by slaying other devils, to 'concentrate' their power. While base, devils also feel, and many resent the contempt they often face for their nature. Some strive to achieve love and respect. These 'aspirants' are derided and targeted by devil culture as uppity and elitist. The male offspring of devils are often stigmatized as well as devil spawn, though they have no innate taint upon their souls.
man... I might take this as inspiration and try and make some concept art for a game based around this.
Ah, very glad to hear you're getting Homelands back, Somber!
Though... unfortunately, I may have to significantly reduce my part in it; I've been quite busy of late with graduate school and things arising from it.
This idea is brilliant and extremely interesting.
You should write this if at all possible because this is something I and a lot of others would read and enjoy, of this I am sure.
like i said, more thought behind this brain drippings than i could muster. it's very nice
This sounds like a good world for writing a harem story.
Dude looking forward to seeing the next chapter of homelands. Glad your getting your mojo back. Interesting concept. Flush it out brother if you ever write the book I'll be one of your first preorders. :)