(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role play forums. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)
Built high in the massive branches of Taldera's bloodwood forest, The Spires is a city crafted by the peaceful and scholarly Jamoura. Considered a haven for scholars and sages Mizahar-wide, The Spires is a mecca of philosophy and science that draws people from far and wide with its promise of deeper thinking and higher reasoning.
This thread is for taking suggestions, planning development, Q&A, and anything and everything related to The Spires Development. Do not be worried, for all opinions are welcome, as well as constructive criticism.
I will also post here projects I am working on, and keep everyone up to date on incoming projects. If there is something you would like to see, let me know, and I'll look into rushing it if possible.
The Spires has a strong belief in community development for several reasons. The first is this brings several unique perspectives and ideas to the city, which keeps things fresh and active. The second is it allows players to truly become invested in the city in which they play, allowing them to grow and succeed further. Finally, it allows players to improve their own writing abilities, as well as gain experience should they ever decide to wish to become a Storyteller in the future.
This belief will be represented by the Spirian Raffle. By developing within The Spires and The Northern Reaches, you will earn a Ticket for each completed and approved project. All of these tickets will be pooled together at the end of a season, and two winners will be drawn. The two tickets will be removed from the pool, and all others will rollover to subsequent seasons. The two winning tickets then become Creeper Vouchers which are redeemable for several rewards. There is no limit to the amount of tickets one can have in the pool. One also cannot claim their tickets and/or Creeper Vouchers unless their Character Sheet and Ledger are up to date. There is no limit to the amount Creeper Vouchers that you can have, but only two can be earned a year. Multiple Creeper Vouchers cannot be used by the same player in a single thread or situation. Creeper Vouchers cannot be used in threads with other Moderator's unless approval from Creeper and that Moderator is received.
Projects that can earn tickets
Locations
NPCs
Flora/Fauna
Guest Mod
Note: Descriptions of normal, non-unique Fauna/Flora will not add to the Tickets.
There will be two vouchers given out per Season, drawn randomly from the pool of tickets. One person is not able to win twice in one season, nor once for two seasons in a row. Example: George and Igor can win for Summer, but neither can win in Fall. George also cannot win both vouchers for Summer.
Creeper Vouchers can be used to redeem one of the following: A chance to be included in the next season's Epic Individual Quest. A chance to boost results in a current moderated thread or quest with Creeper you are in. A chance to save yourself from one (1) negative effect in a Creeper Thread or Quest.
Tickets :
Tickets will be assigned a number from 1 onwards. When time to draw comes around, I will enter a private chat, ticket holders that are online will be allowed to view the drawing. I will roll 2 die for the amount of tickets, and those assigned the numbers will be the winners. Those numbers will then be cleared and filled in by the next person to earn a ticket. I will automatically update the tickets with all things done in the Suggestion Box, but if I miss anything, don't hesitate to let me know.
When making critters that are unique to Mizahar, please use this format I'm borrowing from Trident. These will require full write ups. Normal Earthly critters just need basic descriptions. Also, any creatures written here should be Region Specific. If it is Miz Wide, it will need to be done in the World Development Forum.
Also, all Bestiary Pictures should be 350pixels wide or less. Keep height reasonable.
Image: Name: Frequency: (high to low) Threat level: (high to low) Major features: Abilities: Most common in: Physical characteristics: Social Structure: Miscellaneous:
When making flora that are unique to Mizahar, please use this format I'm borrowing from Trident. These will require full write ups. Normal Earthly plants just need basic descriptions. Also, any plants written here should be Region Specific. If it is Miz Wide, it will need to be done in the World Development Forum.
Also, all Flora Pictures should be 350pixels wide or less. Keep height reasonable.
Image: Name: Frequency: (high to low) Major features: Uses: Most common in: Miscellaneous:
Locations should include the following details, and I prefer if you use a format similar to my own.
Name Description History NPCs (if applicable) Products/Services (if applicable) Training/Employment (if applicable)
All locations and NPCs should have pictures, and I would prefer if you do your best to keep all pictures in line with The Spires theme. This means no metal, glass, very little use of stone, and no doors (doorways are fine).
Name: Race: DoB: PoB: Title: Skills: (5 most notable skills)
NPCs should include a picture, a history, and personality.
For anyone that wants some easy projects, I'm compiling a list of NPCs we need, as well as unwritten NPCs in various modded threads of mine. These are NPCs not tied to specific locations. If you wish to writeup any of these, research them in thread I link with them and ask permission so I can give any unwritten details on the matter. Refer to the NPC template at the beginning of this thread.
The Talderan lynx has a lighter coat varying in shades of gray and brown, occasionally with spotted patterns. They are notably smaller than the Talderan Bobcat, weighing between fifteen to twenty-five pounds. As a whole they are known for their territorial nature, heightened senses of scent, vision, and hearing, and their fine coats. Though generally solitary, the Talderan lynx populations are known to form packs between winter and summer to care for their young. They are known to keep to the more heavily forested areas, generally near water.
Striped skunks are omnivorous, furry, black critters with a parted white stripe running down the length of their bodies that is present at birth. The stripes serve as a warning sign to any who venture too close. If that warning is not heeded, the skunks will spray their predator with an extremely unpleasant scent. Should all else fail, the skunk will most likely flee. Males are slightly larger than females, about the sizes of domestic cats, and the species ranges from 6 to 9 pounds in weight. These skunks mate in the spring season. The striped skunk is most active at dusk and dawn when it will feed on a variety of fruits, insects, or other small animals while it retreats to its burrow during the night and day.
Contrary to its name, the carnivorous gray wolves local to Taldera are dominantly black in their coat color with mixes of gray and white. The wolves themselves are known for heightened senses of hearing and scent. These wolves, like others, are pack animals with an incredible sense of altruism. Rarely is a member of a pack left behind, with the exception of litter runts. The Talderan gray wolves thrive throughout all areas of elevation, although they show preference to the more mountainous areas for ideal den locations. There is a hierarchy to this population, with an alpha male in a pack, his harem, and his hunters. Younger alpha-personalities will challenge the patriarch of the pack; the challenger is either killed or escapes to behind a pack of his own, although there is an occasional sucession over older pack leaders. Rarely are females left without a mate. Mating season is in winter, with live birth in spring. The spring season brings in heightened hostility in these animals in concern for their young. As a pack, the Talderan gray wolves are capable of dominating large patches of territory to upkeep their diets. Very few species are safe from a pack of hungry wolves. Threat level is high; do not approach alone!
Talderan garter snakes are a compilation of many non-venomous species in the region, although they are more common in the southern areas of Taldera. Common color patterns, like black snakes with white or yellow stripes running the length of their body, are present as well as some varied ones that resemble the highly venomous, larger in Taldera, such as diamond-like and chain-link patterns of widely varied colors. These snakes have few defense mechanisms otherwise, and will flee danger if necessary. These snakes produce a very mild neurotoxin for hunting. They are low tier predators that make meals of insects, small birds, and small fish at best, depending on the environment. Mating is in late spring with large clutches (15-90 eggs based on female fertility) hatching in the summer. Mating rituals and habits vary based on species and mimicry. During the fall and winter, these snakes will hibernate if it’s too cold, though the southern parts of Taldera are generally warm enough to keep the snakes active year round. Although generally small, some species do reach larger sizes due to Taldera’s thriving environment. While not threatening themselves, the garter snakes and their mimicry of dangerous species add that much more to danger of the Talderan wildlife.
Image: Name: Talderan Viper Frequency: Low Threat level: High Major features: A three metre long body with a lurid green underbelly and dark green diamonds. Abilities: Potent venom and speed relative to its size. Most common in: Southern Taldera, but some are found in the northern reaches of the forest. Physical characteristics: The Talderan Viper was a common brown viper affected by the Djed Storm. It grew three times larger in size and the scale colouring became an alarming bright shade that serves as warning to most inhabitants of the forest. Social Structure: The Talderan Viper usually lives alone during the warm months, but during the mating season young couples may be found together in groups of three or four. In hibernation, many Vipers choose to hibernate together, creating slumbering colonies of up to ten, and in extreme cases, fifteen, that invade the burrows of large mammals. Individuals that hibernate alone or in small groups usually don't survive the drop in temperature. Miscellaneous: The Talderan Viper is easily provoked, and even more easily spotted for what it is when it lays upon low-hanging branches. The Viper may drop unexpectedly from above, whether on purpose or due to its weight, and will either kill a shocked passerby with its bite or sheer mass. It should be noted that the brave or intelligent gourmet that succeeds in acquiring a Viper by success of strength or payment may be able to make a meal worth the danger of hunting these snakes tenfold.
Last edited by Chamaeleon on April 22nd, 2012, 2:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
Chamaeleon, I love the snake idea, but I have a few notes.
Since this is a critter altered by the Djed Storm, I must ask that you also fill out the template I literally just added (before reading this) to the First post up above. Also, lets drop the Dire from the name, since Talderan is a common synonym for Dire.
When done, I will add this both to the wiki, and to the Bestiary
The Talderan Tufted Deer has a coat of fur which ranges from a greyish light brown to a dark coffee bean brown color, richly seeming. It is small in comparison to most of its other deer counterparts, standing at no more than 25 inches tall and weighing no more than 110 lbs, the small mammal uses its size for quickness and maneurvibility as well as evasion of the larger predatorial species. Able to sniff and dig edible roots up from the forest floor, the Talderan Tufted Deer feeds mostly on roots, tubers, plants and the such as they are herbivores. A trait that stands out for these small deer, both male and female have tusks potruding from their mouths, how you can discern male from female is that the females will have small antlers and the males will not, as they are roughly the same size for both genders. The tuft of hair on their head acts as sensors for around them, such as air patterns, they have okay eyesight but nothing as great as a hawks, and then a great sense of smell so they can find those delectable little morsels in the ground. The tusks are used to dig into the ground as well as a intimidation factor when spotted, they can be any seeming shape as long as they are pointed and able to stir up the dirt of the forest floor. If that wasn't enough they also make some of the most mind jittering mating calls that can, and will make the hairs on your neck and arms rise- this is to scare away potential threats in the area so they can mate without being attacked. They are also a diurnal species, they will only interact with eachother when Synas light is up, and they are still very skittish during the day time as there are many predators around, traveling in small groups of three to four (male, female, one or two fawns) they will generally move about the land in a fixed pattern but remain mostly to the south, rarely are they ever in the north. They pose no threats to any species and generally are peaceful, they however make a good stu, and their coats make excellent gloves, if you can catch them that is; crafty and devious when eluding danger.