[TNP Fantasy]Thel Megathread

St George

RolePlay Moderator
-
Deputy Speaker
-
-
-
Pronouns
He/Him, They/Them
The world of Thel is in flux. Civilisations have fallen, and the Gods no longer answer the prayers of most. In the north, the Aesyrtes Confederacy march against the Dwarves of Karnoth and the Free Cities of Orks and Man. Much of their land have fallen to combined Elven forces. But hope does persist - a rebellion has sprung up in the easternmost part of the Confederacy and pirates plague the waters around the islands. Kobald trappers have stopped the Elven advance at the mountains, and combined Human-Ork forces have won several victories.

Elsewhere, the disappearance of the gods has caused consternation and debate in the centres of learning, whilst in the darkness, abandoned cities seem to stir again. Astra is entering a time of war of chaos.

Welcome to the world of Thel, TNP's fantasy setting. It's been a long time in the works as anyone who has paid attention to the #ideas-workshop channel in the RP server can attest to. This is a fantasy RP setting set at an equivalent time to 1200 CE in real life. We have our three NPC nations - and we'll be adding more depending on demand - for character focussed rp and we will also be opening up part of the map for claiming nations.

This is a different setting to the others on offer in TNP - with unique features attached to it. In following posts I'll be detailing some of our concepts and ideas.
 
Last edited:
Cartography Topic
D3qIFQ2.png

Map link

Symbols explained
Some rules:
  1. Please only claim within the area outliined in the top right portion of the map
  2. Be aware, that claims larger than the Confederacy of the Aesertes will likely be rejected or negotiated downs.
  3. Be reasonable.
  4. I'm sure I need an actual 4th rule here so just pretend this is one.
 
Last edited:
Races:

Note: several of these are works in progress and will be added to. You are free to choose one of these races but should check with those indicated as working on/responsible for them
  • Humans:
    Humanity is found throughout the world though within the Aesyrtes Confederacy is largely reduced to chattel slavery or serfdom. A practical race that largest focusses on magic that makes work or life easier.
  • Dwarves:
    Dwarves are the midpoint on the artful/practical scale of Elves - Dwarves - Humans, and whilst mainly clustering in mountains and hills you'll likely find small dwarven communities in most cities throughout Astra, though most fled Aesyrtes after a purge.
  • Elves:
    Elves, at least in the Aesyrtes, are artful and cruel in equal measure. Intent on conquest of all other races, they tend towards a more artful and showy interpretation of magic, though outside of the Aesyrtes Elves are much more varied in ideal and personality.
  • Cosmic Races:
    WIP
  • Kobalds:
    WIP
  • Orks:
    Orcs are hardy and imposing race, evolved to suit harsh and unforgiving climes, in deserts, near volcanoes, even in the cold wastes. Orcs feature an unusually large range of typical heights, from 1.63 meters at their typical shortest, up to 2.13 meters, dwarfing most humans. Because of this, their weight varies widely as well, from around 54 kilograms up to 139 kilograms typically. Orcs are naturally slightly longer lived than humans, the oldest typically reaching 170 to 190 years of age, and reach physical maturity noticeably faster, at about 15 or 16 years of age for both sexes.

    Orc skin is typically very hardened, especially across the torso, the backs of the hands, the bottom of the feet, and between the shoulders, and are typically darker in skin color, ranging from swarthy browns not alien to the human race to a charcoal gray bordering on black. Older individuals typically display noticeable mottling of colors across their body towards paler colors. Little sexual dimorphism is observed in height and weight among Orcs, though females typically have less rounded ear, while males display sharply pointed ears (many warriors and mercenaries have a tradition of removing cartilage near the tip to give the ear a “sharper” look), and both sexes display bony protrusions, referred to as “crests” or “bone crests” around their head, ranging from two to as many as twenty crests, which may grow and change shape with age.

    Orcs are typically grouped into “clans” based on the morphology of their bone crests, which is highly heritable and a reliable method of tracking ancestry. The largest clan typically displays a four crest pattern, with the anterior crests being more pronounced and horn like and the posterior crests being less pronounced. These crests are typically smooth sided, but feature a more pronounced edge facing outwards than inward side. Conversely, the least common clan is typically a full ring of twenty crests, medium and roughly equal in length, and all other clans fall between in terms of ubiquity. Outside of a shared genetic lineage, there is little tying each clan together over bonds with others, and intermingling is common. Nowadays, Orcs can be found all across the world, having spread out from their ancestral homelands as explorers, mercenaries, erudites, and magicians.
  • Mushroom Race:
    See Yalk
  • Shapeshifters:
    Speak to Artemis/Oracle or Mad Jack
  • Merfolk:
    Ask on discord
  • Dragons and other variants:
    In the world of Astra, dragons are a rare but wondrous sight. Though explorers doubt they have found all dragon species, their annals contain records of three different species that have been witnessed. Below they are listed, in decreasing order of rarity.

    Draco gradus: The magnificent, ancient, scaled beasts of old, these dragons are truly colossal, often being the size of mountains. They shake the world with their step, leaving valleys in their wake. These dragons have been witnessed ritualistically carving runes into each of their massive scales, runes which cannot be tarnished by currently known means. These dragons are often revered as gods, the epitome of power itself.

    Draco pluma: This feathered variant, meanwhile, is far lesser than its scaled variant. These dragons are beasts, standing thrice as tall as the tallest of men, and ravaging any lands they cross with their appetites. Yet any adventurer should remember that these beasts hold a predatory cunning unmatched by other predators.

    Draco vellus: This furred variant, the most commonly seen of all known variants, are by far the smallest, standing at shoulder-level to the average man. These dragons are most commonly seen in tundras at the edge of the known world, fiercely guarding the secrets that may lie beyond. They are most often seen warning travelers away from such dangerous places, and forcing them back if necessary. They are believed to be near as intelligent as men.
    Unlike other variants, these furred dragons travel often travel in packs. A wise adventurer would heed their warnings, and always be on the lookout for any other dragons nearby. This pack social structure also lends these dragons to be more socially-inclined than any other variant, and of late some have been witnessed to depart their homelands to live among the other races, even befriending them, though they never travel too far from their cold tundra. Those seeking to find a reason for this phenomenon have found no answers forthcoming from these dragons, though it is theorized that the recent absence of the gods are affecting them as well as other races.
    Of note, though these dragons present themselves as friendly, their harsh upbringing in the wild tundra has granted them a peculiarly strong willpower which may manifest in frightening psychic bursts. Their willpower also lends them to be stubborn, traditionally-inclined, and difficult to beat in games of cards.
  • Aeviri:
    The generally desert-dwelling Aeviri, distant relatives of the Kobold, are a noble and proud race known for their archery, powerful blood magic, and necromancy. This exotic race fights amongst itself in it's homeland despite appearing as a unified, however outsiders should be wary that they will genuinely unite against any foreign threat should they need to. They primarily reside in the Great Khasiiri Desert and it's surrounding islands, though they can be found outside of them just as any other race can be found outside their respective homeland. Their magic is generally both practical and artful, a fine balance between the two.
Two further races are being worked on and will be added eventually:
 
Last edited:
Schools of Magic:
  • Runic Magic - spells cast and created by the formation of magical runes. Long-lasting effects with a long prep time and mostly defensive or contract uses. May do things such as seal doors, create long lasting illusions, create traps, and magically reinforce armor and weapons with various magical effects. Takes ages to create
  • Pact Magic - summoning entities and entering into a binding pact for varying lengths of time and complexity. May range from a swarm of "ants" that can scout for you and disappear after they inform you of upcoming dangers to binding pacts for power and secrets with immortal entities. May result in soul snatching
  • Druidic Magic - harnessing some sort of universal life force present in any living critter to various uses. Mostly used defensively, i.e. making plants grow faster, heal wounds faster, convincing animals to do things for the caster, etc. Requires a Focus and overuse may cause detrimental effects due to balance being necessary in nature
  • Psychic Magic - willing for things to happen via strength of mind. Is the most traditionally "offensive" form of magic via manipulation of the world. Lifting and casting stones at incredible speeds, banking and directing fire to incinerate enemies, shattering obstacles by pulling in all directions, etc. Too much strain means bye bye brain
  • Alchemy - combining magic and chemistry with various supernatural reagents allowing the creation of items, potions, etc. that can augment or harm things. Can create inextinguishable fire, magical poisons, potions that augment and give various adaptations to the drinker, explosive flasks and some armor/weapon augmentation. Fairly speedy compared to runic magic, but messing up can have explosive consequences
  • Blood Magic - harnessing your own personal life force to augment and improve yourself or inflict grievous wounds and afflictions on enemies. Can do things like harden your skin, repair gaping wounds, accelerate you to ridiculous speeds, control/puppet enemies, inflict diseases and injuries on enemies sorta voodoo style, etc. Can end up with you turning into an abomination, or overuse of your own life energy can mean you wither away or quite literally explode
 
In the world of Astra, dragons are a rare but wondrous sight. Though explorers doubt they have found all dragon species, their annals contain records of three different species that have been witnessed. Below they are listed, in decreasing order of rarity.

Draco gradus: The magnificent, ancient, scaled beasts of old, these dragons are truly colossal, often being the size of mountains. They shake the world with their step, leaving valleys in their wake. These dragons have been witnessed ritualistically carving runes into each of their massive scales, runes which cannot be tarnished by currently known means. These dragons are often revered as gods, the epitome of power itself.

Draco pluma: This feathered variant, meanwhile, is far lesser than its scaled variant. These dragons are beasts, standing thrice as tall as the tallest of men, and ravaging any lands they cross with their appetites. Yet any adventurer should remember that these beasts hold a predatory cunning unmatched by other predators.

Draco vellus: This furred variant, the most commonly seen of all known variants, are by far the smallest, standing at shoulder-level to the average man. These dragons are most commonly seen in tundras at the edge of the known world, fiercely guarding the secrets that may lie beyond. They are most often seen warning travelers away from such dangerous places, and forcing them back if necessary. They are believed to be near as intelligent as men.
Unlike other variants, these furred dragons travel often travel in packs. A wise adventurer would heed their warnings, and always be on the lookout for any other dragons nearby. This pack social structure also lends these dragons to be more socially-inclined than any other variant, and of late some have been witnessed to depart their homelands to live among the other races, even befriending them, though they never travel too far from their cold tundra. Those seeking to find a reason for this phenomenon have found no answers forthcoming from these dragons, though it is theorized that the recent absence of the gods are affecting them as well as other races.
Of note, though these dragons present themselves as friendly, their harsh upbringing in the wild tundra has granted them a peculiarly strong willpower which may manifest in frightening psychic bursts. Their willpower also lends them to be stubborn, traditionally-inclined, and difficult to beat in games of cards.
 
Orcs:

Orcs are hardy and imposing race, evolved to suit harsh and unforgiving climes, in deserts, near volcanoes, even in the cold wastes. Orcs feature an unusually large range of typical heights, from 1.63 meters at their typical shortest, up to 2.13 meters, dwarfing most humans. Because of this, their weight varies widely as well, from around 54 kilograms up to 139 kilograms typically. Orcs are naturally slightly longer lived than humans, the oldest typically reaching 170 to 190 years of age, and reach physical maturity noticeably faster, at about 15 or 16 years of age for both sexes.

Orc skin is typically very hardened, especially across the torso, the backs of the hands, the bottom of the feet, and between the shoulders, and are typically darker in skin color, ranging from swarthy browns not alien to the human race to a charcoal gray bordering on black. Older individuals typically display noticeable mottling of colors across their body towards paler colors. Little sexual dimorphism is observed in height and weight among Orcs, though females typically have less rounded ear, while males display sharply pointed ears (many warriors and mercenaries have a tradition of removing cartilage near the tip to give the ear a “sharper” look), and both sexes display bony protrusions, referred to as “crests” or “bone crests” around their head, ranging from two to as many as twenty crests, which may grow and change shape with age.

Orcs are typically grouped into “clans” based on the morphology of their bone crests, which is highly heritable and a reliable method of tracking ancestry. The largest clan typically displays a four crest pattern, with the anterior crests being more pronounced and horn like and the posterior crests being less pronounced. These crests are typically smooth sided, but feature a more pronounced edge facing outwards than inward side. Conversely, the least common clan is typically a full ring of twenty crests, medium and roughly equal in length, and all other clans fall between in terms of ubiquity. Outside of a shared genetic lineage, there is little tying each clan together over bonds with others, and intermingling is common. Nowadays, Orcs can be found all across the world, having spread out from their ancestral homelands as explorers, mercenaries, erudites, and magicians.

Orc cities are wonders to behold, bright and colorful, full of spires reaching into the sky, open plazas to gather and mingle, libraries and places of study housing knowledge from across the world scattered throughout the city, and bustling streets full of trade. That being said, an orc city is just as capable of becoming an impenetrable fortress - magical barriers block entrances and exits, the outer walls famously hard to penetrate, spires become nests for archers and mages to rain havoc upon invaders in the streets, and open plazas become death traps with no cover. Most adult orcs also have some knowledge of magic or weaponry, making the populace a force to be reckoned with, even in the absence of a military.
 
Last edited:
I would love to help work on the merfolk mythology and background. Preliminary thoughts are that there are types ranging from more humanoid to more non humanoid.

Maybe take a bit of Tolkien's sea elves lore and some classical merfolk and selkie myth.
 
Country name: Durakor
Animals: Humans near the capital and Dwarves near the Durakkain Mountain
Leader: Regis Kellebald of the Humans and Sederik Habsdorn of the Dwarves
Magic practiced: Druidic, Psychic, and Runic magic

Claim in green

2m6miib.png
 
aight here we go
Nation: Kingdom of Dürrenweil
Government: Kingdom under the Kanzermark Dynasty
Religion: Church of our Lady of Salvation
Races: Humans.
 
Back
Top