Discuss Alterna-Fantasy [PG: VL]

[O-Ushi]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]I was inspired by the "Original RPGs" thread to think of my own ideas. Basically, I feel that people need a little incentive to make their own mark in the Fantasy genre, a little push in the right direction beyond the cliche medieval setting.

Thus...alterna Fantasy

Alterna-fantasy is my term for a fantasy setting within an different time period (such as Shadowrun and Urban Arcana). We all know the standard, over-used (at least in my opinion) medieval time period, and while this is classic, surely it would be nice to...flesh out a self-restricted genre? What I will attempt to do here is make a few setting based on this world that also includes the standard ideas of fantasy. Firstly, I will put the races I would use in this world, and what they are doing in it:

Let's start with an easy one, shall we?

[B]Elves[/B]: The elven race are an aloof race within the world; part of humanity'ssocial structure, but apart form it at the same time. They are a superior race (at least, in their view), and have little actual time for the petty foibles and blunderings of humanity. Elves are a tall race (the average male being roughly 6'6") with predominately white hair and pointed ears, but other than that can easily be mistaken for thin humans. What really sets them apart from humans is there mentality. They are completely amoral, and only truely concerned with the survival of their own race (they are few in number due to an ancient catastrophe reffered to only as the "Great Devouring"), they would gladly let 20, 100, 10,000 humans die to save one of their own. They are extremely long-lived, reaching maturity at around 50 and dying at roughly 350 years, and normally spend their lives in quiet contemlation, and so are known as a race of philosophers and scholars, rather than warriors.
Elves have no natural talent for magick (their race being adamantly against the inter-racial breeding that gives some of humanity their natural prowess with it), but have long since learnt to compensate for this defect by crafting and mastering the art of Wizardy (that is - the ways of Magick learrnt through study and science, rather than natural talent). Their social structure is usually based on a person's intelligence and way with words, climbing the social ladder with a silver tongue and barbed insults, thus making them a race obsessed with words, not actions.
The Elves inhabit the south of Europe, from Italy to Greece, as well as small part of northern Africa (predominaely Egypt, being known as the "Ghost Folk" for their pale skin and aloof manner) and smatterings of the East (particularly Vietnam). They are known to be the causes of these regions success in war, culture and technology in history.

[B]Dwarves[/B]: Dwarves are a sombre, steady race that has had great luck with mingling with the humans of the world. They have mixed in with their society and have become active leaders and judges within the regions they occupy. They are stout humanoids, with a rough average of about 4'5", with a thick, wide chest and burly muscles on the whole. They have grea pride in their breads, which can range from short but meticulously kept facial furnishings to great, intricately braided affairs which drag along the floor when they walk, and their hair can be from jet black to flaming orange and everything in between. Dwarves a fairly long-lived (living to about 180 on average), but what is amazing about them is their tenacity and constitution. They can shrug off all but the most virulent of diseases and potent of toxins, and combined with their longevity, they have coined a common phrase amongst their warriors; "Death Only Violent."
Their personalities are fairly similar to humans, although they have a very strong tradition of honour and the honour of their family (or "clans" as they normally refer to them as), and they will hold a grudge against a person until either the dwarf dies, the grudged one dies or the grudge is repayed. Saying this, however, dwarves have strong social bonds, and will willingly drink with a complete stranger, shoudl they take a shining to them. Their heirarchy system is totally based on a person's honour and their deeds, rather than petty words and gilded promises (a common Dwarf phrase is "when bones are dormant and rotten, a great legend will fight on into eternity").
Dwarven territory is almost totally based in Japan, where their ideas of honour and their skills as warriors have had huge influences on the code of Bushido and the evolution of the Samurai. Dwarven made katana are the envy of lesser weapons, and a suit of Dwarven armour can make a great warrior almost god-like in the field of battle.

[B]Orcs[/B]: Orcs are simple folk, proud warriors and cunning generals, an Orcish campaign is the nightmare of any "lesser" race. Their are a huge race, and although short lived (it is rare for an Orc to live past 50), they do not stop growing in size and strength for the enterity of their lives. A venerable Orc is a fearsome sight to behold, normally brushing 8 foot and twice as wide as a human, their green skin is pitted with scars and pock marks of a thousand battles. Their faces are pig-like, with an upturned nose and two great tusks curling from their bottom lips, their eyes are coal black. Orcs are the greatest warrior race, simply ignoring wounds that would cripple a lesser being. In the words of a famous Orcish general in the World War, "Weez woz built from da blood of da Gods, weez iz here to stomp da wurld flat, chew up da uvver races and spit 'em out. Weez iz da Orcs, and we woz made for fightin' and winnin'."
One main drawback Orcs have never overcome is their intelligence (or lack there of). They're not the sharpest knives in the draws collectively, and have a tendency for... over-zealousness, however, their animal cunning makes up for their unintelligence on the field of battle. In a peaceful setting, orcs are worth their weight in gold. They are tireless workers, able to lift much more than a human with no effort, stand duties that work drive anyone else mad with boredom. The more dormant ones are normally very respected members of the community, able to work any labour job with the strength of 3 men. Their social structure is fairly basic "The bigger the better". They respect strength, and anyone who can wrest power from the old leader is followed devouted (untill, of course, they are overthrown).
Orc territory is extremly expansive, ranging from Germany to Western Russia. They have been so far flung because of their ancient rampages that took them across the lands of Man and Elf in a bloody path. They have always been warriors in their regions, from German soldiers of the Kaiser in the Great War, to keepers of law and order in Socialist Russia.

[B]Dragons[/B]: The term "Dragon" encompasses 4 actual species of reptiles (going from smallest to largest): Drakes (Brown, feral things with two great curling horns jutting from their head, they are roughly the size of a horse and wingless), Daemons (Black as night, they have 6 legs and great powerful claws from climbing rocks and even the roofs of caves, they are about the size of a large SUV), Wyrvens (Winged, bipedal creatures dark green, with a spiked ridge running along their backs, capable of breathing fire and about as long as an 18 wheeler) and Wyrms (the greatest of all dragons, 4 legged fire breathers the size of whales, proud, majestic and extremely intelligent). Dragons speak their own language, a glottal, guttural tongue of harsh rasps and bitter croaks, but are intelligent enough to understand the speech of Man (in fact, some humans have learnt the draconian tongue and act as translators to other men). Noone knows quite how long a dragon (of any variety) live, as none have ever seen one die, and they are extremely dangerous hunters, as intelligent as any human, if not more.
Dragon territory is the area we know as North America, but they call Gal'akka-gorannis-firasha (or "The point where the firsts eggs were laid and our ancestors clawed into the light"). The humans that settled in America have grown a great bound with these intelligent behemoths, and they are normally called upon in times of war, and most major cities have a small roost of Wyrvens for security purposes (the White House's roof is shaped like a bowl, to acomodate the ancient Wyrm that nests there, to protect the President and his staff). Dragons normally spend a few decades in a military regiment, and are veterans of countless battles.

[b]Gnomes[/b]: The Gnomes are the greatest inventors in the world, bright and friendly, their contraptions have astounded the world for countless centuries. They are a short folk, standing at an average 3'4", but unlike the bulky dwarves, have perfect human proportions. They have slightly pointed ears, and large noses, their hair is normally an earthen brown. Male dwarves like to have short, perfectly trimmed sideburns or beards, while women like long braids. Out of all the races of the world, they have done the best to blend in with human society, taking places of great esteem within the community (respected doctors, lawyers and engineers), They all have a love for the underground, and have had a great knack for mining, even more so than the Dwarves. Their friendly nature also makes them excellent merchants and tradesmen, and often hawk their products on the streets.
Gnomish territory is almost exclusively middle-Europe, mainly in the area of Germany and Holland, where they live in small, underground houses known simply as "Dwellings." These are often proportion to make the "Big races" (As they call almsot every other race) comfortable, but they tend to be claustraphobic to non-gnomes.

[B]Sylph[/B]: As with the Dragons, the term "Sylph" is very loose. It describes a whole host of imps, goblins and faeries that inhabit the world. The mpst famous of these are the Fae of Britain, and the kitsune (fox-sprites) of Japan, but it encompasses a whole menajerie of creatures both great and small, of all shapes and sizes. The one thing that all Sylph hold n common is their outgoing nature and their innate magical abilities, which can range from mind-contorl to shape shifting. Fae are found all over the world, in a whole myriad of conditions (although they tend to stay on geomantic lines, more on which later).
[Note: Since there are too many types of Sylph to mention, I'll be saying which sort of Sylph are available on an RP-to-RP setting]


Alright, now for the first setting: [B]The Wyld West[/B]

[I][CENTER]A dusty wind swept through the large town, carrying cries for mercy, screams and death rattles in its wake.

Large figures on burly mounts tore down the street, guns firing into the air, their steeds tearing up the earth. They bellowed in jubilation at the loot they had gotten, and made a beeline for the nearest bar.

A lone shadow stepped into the middle of the street, silhouetted against the angry sun.

A shadow wearing a star above his heart.

The man's overcoat swept lazily in the breeze as he stared at the oncoming bandits. Seeing the figure, the bandits yanked on their reins, forcibly pulling their mounts to a halt. The biggest bandit, obviously the leader, hopped off his steed and landed with a dull thud on the ground. The leader was tall, easily 8 foot, with red, bloodshot eyes and green skin. An orc. His steed, a huge, ill-tempered boar, grunted and thrashed, before the orc grabbed its nose ring and pulled hard, slamming its face into the ground. The leader's face twisted into a smile around its tusks, and he fingered the shotgun that was strapped across his back.

"Yoos be wantin' somthing, 'oomie?" the orc grunted "Or yoos just wondrin' whether I'd buy yoo a drink?"

The other orcs laughed, a harsh, brutal sound, like bubbling tar.

The figure laughed, lifting the brim of his hat slightly.

"No, no...ah was just about to ask you guys to not make too much noise. It's Sunday, and folks 'round here will be wanting their rest, you understand?" he drawled, smiling.

The orcs stopped laughing.

Their leader stalked towards the man, pulling his shotgun out of his seath.

"We don't like bein' ordered around, 'oomie. Reckon we'll hafta teech yoo a lesson..."

The figure whispered words.

Inhuman words.

Words like crackling fire.

The orc brought his shotgun down and aimed it squarely at the human's chest.

The man raised his hands. Arcade symbols danced across his fingertips.

The shotgun sang out.

Blue flames roared from outstrechted palms.

Quickdraw.

...

"Stinkin'....mage..." the orc whispered as he lay on his back, staring into a vast, cloudless sky. His gang had abandoned him right after he had taken the blast full in the chest, before he had even hit the ground.

The man sauntered over to the prone creature, and leaned over him, smiling as he rubbed the star on his chest.

"Welcome to Endsville." said Nathan Creed, vigilante, bounty-hunter, Hex-Slinger[/CENTER][/I]

The year is 1834, the height of the Wild West. People from Europe and even the Far East have sailed the oceans to stake a claim in this new world. The law is violence, and the language is firepower.

However, things are not as we have learnt.

All through history, we have lived amongst creatures we in this world would consider "fantasy." Orcs, dwarves and elves rub shoulders with humans on the street, and even the most normal perosn could have the blood of a sorceror running through their veins.

This is the story of the Wyld West.

In this world, orc banditos run amok across the land, Gnomes and Dwarves struggle for dominance on the rare gold claims, and the country are policed by a whole army of vigilante Sorcerors known as "Hex-slingers"


Next Topic: Magick and "East Wind"
Any comments?[/SIZE][/COLOR]