Building Notes for a D&D Campaign - Foz builds Worlds

[SirFozzie]

So, I've been thinking about writing a setting book for Dungeons and Dragons as one way to get past my writer's Block, and I came across a very useful book to help with that, as I come up with ten million ideas that don't really make a coherent whole, so this regiments it, and helps build the foundation for the world.

The book I'm using is James D'Amoto's "The Ultimate RPG Game Master's Worldbuilding Guide: Prompts and Activities to Create and Customize Your Own Game World", which is available via Kindle (free if you have Kindle Unlimited) and physical version... they apparently also have a boxed set of the series of RPG guides that includes this book releasing just after Christmas

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Game...dp/1507215517/

If you have questions, comments or just want to comment, go ahead. I'm working on this with one of my non-FOFC friends via a Dropbox Paper, but sharing this will help get more eyes on it

[SirFozzie]

First of all, the 20 Questions (a lot of this will involve things my friend and I have already discussed/worked on, so if something doesn't make sense, ask, and I will try to explain further, but I don't want to datadump everything that people may or may not want to read )

1-10 on this post, the next one will have questions 11-20.

1. Is magic present in this world? If so, how common is it?


A: Yes, and fairly common in some areas. Some folks do just fine without it, but most cities will have some magic shops etcetera (and Magitechnology is commonly used by some races, such as the Dwarves

2. What major event in this world’s history is remembered largely inaccurately?

A: The Opening of the Great Rift and the formation of the Demonlands.

Option 1: It’s commonly believed that someone either purposefully or accidentally botched the creation of the Great Rift. (Who it was that did it depends on who you want to assign blame to, Mages, Humans, people of a certain nationality, etcetera)

What was supposed to allow the forces of Good to gain safe entry to the Nine Hells as a vanguard to vanquishing evil forever turned into the forces of the Hells getting a major foothold in the world. Not because someone botched the spell, but because well, it was a STUPID plan that they thought was foolproof (which is the basis of the common saying “If you are thinking your plan is foolproof, make doubly sure that you your self are not the fool that you are trying to proof”)

Option 2 (and now for something completely different): Instead of a grand crusade to overthrow evil, the formation of the Great Rift was due to a Civil War between candidates to the throne of the Emperor of Kalmyr (The area where the Rift was formed). One candidate was backed by demon powers behind the scene, and as a last bit of spite before they died was the summoning of a MAJOR demon, who promptly ate all sides, and grew strong enough to channel mana into the rift to keep it open permanently.


3. What happens to people when they die?

A: They go to the Realms of the Dead, where they face their judgement. Corrupted Souls are banished to the Nine Hells, while especially virtuous souls are singled out to serve the Paragons in their various heavens, but most souls go through the Wheel of Rebirth, to be reborn again. Speak with dead only works for about a week, after that, they’ve been ferried to the wheel of rebirth and are either already past the spell’s power (the spell either cannot reach past the wheel’s barrier, or the soul has already traveled through the wheel)

4. Which creatures are capable of speech?

A: All the Humanoid races of sufficient intelligence. One noted difference is that Dragons “speak” telepathically, being able to talk to a crowd mentally. One then wonders how Dragonborn learn to speak, and if they have a hidden telepathic sense amongst their own kind. (to this point, there are many stories, but no conclusive answer)

5. What is special about the shape of this world?

A: Nothing major, but we’re focusing on one continent, so there are probably some kind of barriers to intercontinental trade (be it weather, mystical or divine in nature, or all three)

6. What unseen forces have power here?

A: In general, there are divine and profane agents of the Paragons. For example, during the closing stages of a long battle, a tired warrior may feel his strength ebbing, and request help. Who they “pray to” may be different. For example, they may request “Ysinel, Goddess of Battle, give me strength!”, and an agent of the Paragon may give them some divine energy to continue battle, or they may say “Asiet, Feared Lord of the Nine Hells, may my enemies continue to fall before me for your glory!”, and an agent of that demon would cause their blade to weep miniscule amounts of a deadly poison.

There are also various secret societies, for example the Freedom League (who oppose slavery in all forms), etcetera. The Mage Lords action arm: The Arcane Dagger is not well known, but they do serve the Mage Lords as a hidden blade

7. Is there a place here known for peace? Is it easy to find?

In Homeland, capital of the Nine Princedoms, there is a Divine Quarter where all faiths (no matter how questionable) are allowed, and violence is prohibited, The only thing barred is OPEN Demon worship. There are also oasises in the Demonlands that are temporary havens from the Demonlands influence. It waxes and wanes over time, so Demonland Tribes have to move often (not constantly, but enough that they live in mobile caravans and tents instead of permanent structures)

8. What mystery has gone unsolved for as long as almost anyone can remember?

A: Where Mana/Magic comes from. Is it the stuff of mortal creatures, divine ability, a mixture of both. How the Great Rift formed (see Question 2 above)

9. What is something very commonly understood, and what is something considered secret knowledge?

Common: The use of Waterwheels and windmills for “power” (such as to grind grain, to provide running water through aqueducts, etcetera)

Secret: How the Dwarves learned to forge manatite dust into armor/weapons/equipment, allowing it to retain minor magics (sharpness, cleanliness/shinyness for armor, etcetera), especially how to GRIND the manatite crystal without it losing its abilities in the transition to powder.

10. Which landmark stands as a permanent reminder of a major event? Describe it.

The City of Lastwall: True to its name, it was the "Last Wall” between the area now known as the Nine Princedoms and the affects of the Great Rift. It was the place where House Synnestar built the fortifications that theoretically prevent armies from marching from the Demonlands into the Nine Princedoms. In the titular battle of Last Wall, the forces allied to House Synnestar broke the demon armies at great cost (also the demons had just about expanded as far as they could go, but given time and more corrupted power, could have expanded further)

[SirFozzie]

11. How do people travel long distances in this world?

A: For the common man/woman? By foot/horse. Travel between cities is generally in groups/caravans for protection from brigands and monsters. Between major trade hubs? They set up portal-pairs (an outgoing one and an incoming one) with other cities. The Mage Lords generally run the portal networks (as it takes several mages working in concert to make and power), and take taxes from goods and people moved by portal.

12. What is a relatively recent invention that dramatically changed this world?

A: Two things: One, the first Clockwork “Warforged” were made about 150 years ago, and unlike golems, they are considered living creatures with a soul. (Only Warforged are allowed to forge new ones now). They were the first indications that technologies were on the rise, and more recently, the first prototype airship was tested out and successful. The various above-ground nations have started to think about building their own airships for travel, trade (and possibly war). This does not make the Mage Lords happy, and they’d love to find a way to either take it under their control, or sabotage it.

13. What is considered rare and valuable? What is common and essential?

A: Manatite is rare and valuable to the right folks (to non-Mages and artificers it’s just a shiny rock like crystal, but to magic users it’s raw crystalized mana/power). Gems and gold are also considered rare/valuable. Iron is plentiful enough that it is considered common and essential. Some crafters have learned “Dwarf forged Iron”, which is basically steel.

14. When not in person, how do people communicate? How has this method of communication affected society?

A: Lower class generally do not communicate outside their cities/areas, middle class may use letters to communicate via cities (such as arranging trade caravans etcetera), higher class may use “Speaking Stones”. (Note: Militaries have learned the “Dwarf-Box” method of sending messages/papers, but they keep the methods of making it to themselves, or perhaps have the Mage Lords create them (The Dwarves were the first ones to do it, and are still the biggest users of it (and make their own)

15. What fear is shared by many people across this world? What measure have they taken to guard against this fear?

A: Well, one big fear is that the demons will devour the world (and various hucksters are always willing to sell “holy idols” guaranteed to “protect one self from Demonic presences”, but just about all cities have laws against Demon Worship, and various faiths generally play well together to roost out cultist activities in cities. There is an actual non-God/Paragon aligned Inquistion in Lastwall, but that is to prevent large-scale amounts of corrupted creatures from passing through Lastwall into the Princedoms. It’s sufficiently unpopular that other cities have not copied it and instead make it a law and order matter.

16. What is something you wish existed in the real world that does exist in this one?

A: Healing Spells, Goodberry spells, magical airships.

17. What annual event is celebrated in many different ways across this world?

A: The Maidens Transfer days (the day where one of the four daughters of the Allmother is eclipsed in power by another, and the Seasons change). It’s not all at once, but since it’s approximately every three months, it’s an excuse for local festivals, competitions, and religious ceremonies honoring the Maidens (and local churches use it to host religious gatherings for the faithful). There is also First Day, which is the first day of the Calendar Year. In some areas, it is common to write one’s faults and judgements on pieces of paper, and burn them on First Day, to forget past grudges and slights, and to start afresh. Other areas just use this for marking the year’s end and another year’s beginning, or for the Grand Festivals.

18. How do the skies of this world look different from the sky we know?

A: The two moons, Linnar and Lonnar, believed to be twins, said to be the only creatures that can look over the whole world in a single day, some areas start to show the beginnings of technology (and the pollution it can begin)

19. What figure do people most commonly tell stories about? How are these stories told (books, plays, spoken word, broadcast, etc.)?

A: Fables of the First Gods, mythical creatures, famous members of Humankind. In general, they are collected more and more in books and plays, but some nations prefer a spoken word/audio version, told by the Bards and the History-singers

20. How important is technology to the daily lives of people in this world?

A: It is growing. Cities are allowed to grow bigger as it becomes easier to transport goods over distances rather then the luxurious method of trading via portals. Airships would completely revolutionize the world, it would break the traditional method of trade agreements and portal-pairs, enable large scale mobility of the lower classes, and bring the world closer together. Note, while all laudable things, there are many who fear it, as they either like the system they have (and their place in that system), fear that the changes will change their way of life (if one can get goods from distant cities easily, why would you buy local Guild materials and the price controls that the Guild sets? The first personal issue guns are being trialed, and while there is not the economy of scale (yet) for widespread gun making, man-portable guns would probably be the death knell for the wildlands and the monsters that make their home in the wilds. (the saying “It takes 10 years to make a good archer, it takes 10 weeks to make a good rifleman” comes to mind.) Also, what are the effects of technological pollution on mana/magic? (and how can the two be combined, for example, a city that could use a series of pulleys and floating disc spells to build vertically)

[SirFozzie]

Religion and Gods, Part 1: “The Cycle of The World”

(this was a more freeform writing exercise before I got the book I mention, and it involves the world creation myth, etcetera)

In the beginning, everything was unformed. By some cosmic chance (or by the nascent will of the Allmother), the Allmother formed out of all the universe’s potential.

She, out of curiosity and loneliness, created the bounds of the world, and then created the First Gods to partake in her world.

When you think about it, the First Gods were like any other family. A “typical” First God might have several family members that they would warmly greet at family reunions, others that they don’t know, some they stay away from (and whisper dark imprecations about when not around), and some they can’t help but getting into arguments and fights whenever they’re near each other.

While that makes for an interesting family reunion, the world suffered from the squabbles and feuds, as instead of thrown dishes and maybe a punch or two in a inter-family fight, the Gods could (and did) cause massive craters, level mountains, and literally reshape the world. In fact, that was the end of the First Age, where the Gods warred directly against each other. They nearly undid the entire world that the Allmother had given them.

No one’s in charge, because the Allmother didn’t put someone in charge.. (she’s too busy still forming the strange little creatures that dot the world to pay attention to her kids),

So a lot of it is that every First God has their plan on how to shape their divine realm, and put their design on all the races. And to use TVTropes, we have a Xanatos Roulette as all these plans run into each other and things get.. Complicated. Which leads to inter-family squabbles, mountains getting blown up, etcetera.

This continues to the point where the AllMother turns her attention back to her work, only to find out the kiddies have just about wrecked the place. She very nearly destroys all the First Gods for their hubris in destroying what she made, and they agree to limit their power.

At the end of that first war, they agreed that they would not allow any creatures, including themselves, to control such world-undoing levels of power. They (mostly voluntarily) subdivided themselves into classes of beings, becoming the first Archons, Avatars and Paragons of each God. They then took up the previously unused heavenly and infernal places the Allmother had given them. Over time, they further subdivided, and a whole range of greater and lesser angels and devils were born.


She goes back to filling in all the little subcracks in existence formed by The First Gods Warring. However, in her travels, she missed out on a bit of her creation. One bit of primordial essence left by the Allmother was unused, and it railed against the ordering of the universe that the Gods had been responsible for.

It wanted nothing more than to return everything the Gods had created back to the stuff of chaos that it favored. While it was by no means as powerful as the combined might of all the Gods, even subdivided as they were, it realized that it could not take on Gods without the power of Gods themselves.

So, they planned. They infiltrated the Nine Hells, and over the celestial ages, as the Demons subdivided, they corrupted little bits, growing a bit more powerful. Soon, they were powerful enough that they could change some Demons goal. Not just to conquer the world and its people, but to unmake it in the most violent and cruel ways possible.

The Unbound had corrupted several of the Demon Lords at this point, and when they go back to the Nine Hells, sure there are folks who want to do all the things Chaotic Evil Gods do, subjugate the world, do whatever they want, get all their power back that the Allmother made them give up, but at least some of them want to do more than that, they want to kick the table over and unmake EVERYTHING.

In a way, this is both the greatest boon and greatest flaw of Demonkind. The stuff of the Nine Hells has been corrupted by the Essence (learned scholars called it the Unbound), which means the Nine Hells is a constantly changing land as it shifts and remakes itself over time.

This carries over to the material world when the influence of the Essence-infused Nine Hells is powerful (such as the Portal Incursion that brought down the ancient kingdom of Kalmyr, creating what is known as the Demonlands today).

However, the fractious nature and constant warring of minor Demon Lords, always jockeying for power and status amongst others, means that a great part of the Demon Lords strength cannot be turned against the material world, but instead is wasted in countless minor infernal battles, intrigues and even outright demon versus demon wars. If someone could ever focus all the demon lords power on the mortal world, they could damage the world or destroy it completely. But by its own nature, it's nearly impossible to focus all the demon lords on a single goal (other than "Give me your power")

[SirFozzie]

Religion and Gods, Part 2: With the Matter of Souls

Souls.
Each life, each creature that lives and dies in the world, has a tiny spark of the Allmother’s power inside of them. This power in general cannot be created or destroyed, so the First Gods created the Wheel of Rebirth. When a creature dies, if a specific God does not mark it out for service (or punishment), it goes into the wheel, to be reborn again at some nebulous time in the future. Some claim the Wheel is beyond the reckoning of mortal time, so conceivably it could just send that essence out again, and because of the ineffable nature, it would end up in a past time frame.

The Paragons are the closest echo to the power of the First Gods. They have the power to grant souls a rest from the Wheel for reward, to take them into the service. They do not do this lightly, as granting a soul eternal reward means that the soul will no longer take it’s place in the wheel, but generally it marks them for future service as an angel or devil, to continue the cycle as representatives of the Paragon.

The Nine Hells however, threatens the wheel. Under certain circumstances, souls corrupted by the Nine Hells and the Unbound’s primordial essence are not sent through the wheel of rebirth, but instead are converted into raw power that fuels the Nine Hells and the Unbound.
It’s believed that the Unbound can take such souls and utterly consume them. The Unbound’s goal is to eventually absorb everything the Gods have created and return it to an Unbound whole, forever shifting.

In general, a mortal being will pay homage to many Paragons during their life. When they put the crops in the ground, they may say a prayer to Demitia, the Bounty Goddess, for a successful harvest in the fall. When winter comes, with its cruel bite, they may pray to avoid the wrath of Colonth, the Lord of Ice. In times of war they may pray that Yisinel, the God of War, strengthen their blade and heart alike, and in their fading moments, they may whisper a prayer to Ulis, the Dark Ferryman to guide their soul home to the Wheel of Rebirth, to be born again.

Some of those who dedicate themselves to one Paragon more fully learn to channel a tiny fraction of the Paragon’s power as divine magic. It is generally these followers who get marked for eternal service, but not always. It is said in one apocryphal tale that a man who had served as a faithful guard for decades, always alert, never missing a shift was marked for service by The Guardian Paragon, Noen, despite them not ever paying a formal prayer to them.

Specific Gods mentioned So far:

The AllMother: She who gave birth to the First Gods and created the universe to exist

The Unbound: A bit of creation that hid from the AllMother during the universe’s birth: Seeks to undo all of her works and return the universe to formless nothingness

Demitia: The Goddess of the Harvest, The Goddess of Bounty

Yisinel: The God of War. The soul ever raging. Has splinter faiths towards divine rage, as well as tactics and strategy.

Colonth: The Lord of Ice. Holds sway in cold weather, a blizzard is commonly known as “Colonth’s Frenzy”. For those who live on the ice, he is to be praised as well as feared, while others propitate him to turn his wrath elsewhere during a harsh winter

Ulis: The Dark Ferryman. He receives the souls from death, and carries them down the river of forgetfulness, allowing the soul to be cleansed of all virtue and sin before being given to the Wheel of Rebirth. A funeral always has the dead body given two copper pieces or some other form of payment (Usually in a pocket or on one’s eyes), so as the Ferryman doesn’t overlook them and leave them stranded forever.

Noen: The Guardian. The Protector. The Watchful Eye.

Dimenter: The Chronicler of all things. He who-sees-all. Is said that he writes all the fates of the creatures in the universe, and when he closes his last book, the universe will come to an end. He is a dispassionate writer. He judges not, only records things as they are for others to judge.

Ceren: Also known as the First, she is known as the Lawgiver. She was the one who after the First Gods warred realized that the Gods quarrels threatened the Allmother’s Universe, and she set down the rules which the First Gods devolved their power to Paragons and lesser creatures to make sure it never happened again. She is honored by those with an interest in the law.

Darin: The crafter. Patron of all who labor, whether in the field (other than Demitia), at the forge, or otherwise create goods. Sometimes known as the DwarfFather.

Roa: The Font of Magic. The first to realize that mana could be used to change the world. Patron of wizards and sorcerers alike. Seeks nothing more then the complete understanding of Magic and Mana use. A Wizard having trouble scribing a spell scroll may ask Roa to give him understanding (or more accurately, guide him to where they can FIND understanding)

The Hoirai: Four daughters of the Allmother, each has their own season, and festivals (they all have positive and negative connotations)

Terith: Goddess of Winter: The warm hearth, the community.. or the cold frigid wastes, dying alone in the cold darkness
Uliana: Goddess of Spring: The new life, the blooming of all things.. or the symbol of uncaring, unending change that defies all attempts to stop it.
Kia: Goddess of Summer: The long days shared with friends, the short nights… or the glare of a harsh mistress, baking and burning all under her cruel gaze
Manera: Goddess of Fall: The change in the ground, the bountiful harvest, everything at its ripest, or the cruel warning that nothing escapes the change, and that winter will come no matter what one can do.

Venia: Goddess of Revenge

Phar: The God of Death. He who takes the soul from the mortal body once a creature dies, and brings it to the ferryman’s attention.

[SirFozzie]

Notes on Races from both out-of-character and in-character perspective

Note: I wanted to turn some of the fantasy tropes on its ear, for example, the declining dwarf kingdoms hate magic, Elves can spend hundreds of years perfecting one art, etcetera.

Lines in Bold are considered from a wise man in character

On Dwarves:

My thoughts are that the Dwarves go more toward a regimented, standard-wizard based style of magic. That's not saying there aren't Dwarf Sorcerers, but they are rare, and probably outcasts.

"Think of it this way. To some Dwarves, blacksmithing is an art. You need the right metal, the right mix burning in the forge, careful control of the fire to provide just the right temperature. It takes skill, finesse, the ability to control power, stamina, and a bit of the old craftsman's touch.

For Dwarves, Magic is the same way. It is not just an art, it is a skill, to be precisely controlled and practiced in the same way. Just like a smithy needs to know how to precisely heat the metal to shape it, they take energy that they've previously stored inside them, shape it not with hammer and tongs, but with skill and will, and put it to good use.

No, young apprentice. Dwarves do not create magic. They shape it. Control it. They form it, and the end result a spell crafted by an expert at their field is just a work of art as the hammers that come from an expert forge.

On Elves:
I saw Elves as more instinctive, Fey-based. They don't spend hundreds of years practicing swordplay for example, they will train themselves until they're good at something, and then look for the next thing to learn. There are three general classes of elves, the Wanderers, the Isolationist and the Sunless Elves (the U'tapa), albino elves driven underground by an ancient curse that the sun will always burn their flesh.

The first time a young Elf learns about the ley lines and how as a sorcerer, they can take mana from it to channel their version of magic, they invariably reach for the largest leyline they can feel. After all, the bigger the leyline, the more magic they can channel, right?

Instead they end up like a young dwarf, who touches live flame. While not fatal, it certainly is shocking and painful, but just like the child needs to learn to handle the cooking surface carefully, the young sorcerer needs to learn to only take the mana they need at the moment. No more, and no less.

But just like an experienced Dwarf works that same fire with all the variations with ease, as the young sorcerer becomes more adept to gathering more mana, and shaping it to empower their magic as they need. But they'll always have that first memory of reaching out only to realize there are things in this world that will not adapt to you, so you must adapt to them.

On Elven wanderlust and Wanderers constant quest for something different.

You'd think that Elves would be the foremost experts at whatever they put their mind to. They live for centuries, and their fey nature would seemingly give them endless hours to practice their skills until they end up mastering whatever they choose.

But they don't. Why?

Because to Elves, doing the same thing for centuries is abhorrent. At least half the Elves that you'll see outside their forests are on their Ra'springa, or "Wandering Phase".

Just like a human would spend a couple years as a soldier, they might spend a couple DECADES as an archer. It allows them to get good at what they do. But once they manage a certain level of competence, delving deeper into the nooks and crannies of forgotten lore and patterns for crumbs of knowledge loses its luster very quickly.

Why? Diminishing returns.

They prefer to move on to the next part of their life quickly, new boundaries to explore, new fields to learn in.

I know an Elven lass whose spent a decade or more as a hired mercenary, as a librarian, as a teacher, and now as an adventurer. She was a young human merchant lordling's nanny, and she now travels with him as his bodyguard. In a couple years, when the lordling stops escorting caravans, she'll leave him, and probably join a religous order. It's their nature, lad. Just like the seasons change, and despite living in their forests as they do, while they wander they never allow themselves to get too deeply rooted in any one thing, be that a certain look, a profession, or even a relationship that they can't pull up their shoots and move on at a moment's notice

On the Hearthborn (Halflings)

I didn't want to change everything just for the sake of changing, so halflings are pretty much their standard version. Pretty much doesn't mean always though.

The Hearthborn make up a majority of halflings across our lands. They exist in just about every nation, be it human, elf, dwarf, or even the Demonlands. Why? Because they make homes and communities and to the most part, they stick to them. They don't cause trouble, they pay their taxes on time, and hardly make a fuss, as long as some lordling doesn't bother them. They have what they need. Home, friends, community. That's what a Hearthborn craves more than anything. So long as those needs are met, they couldn't care less about what the other races do.
They've found their place in the world, lass. Something I think the rest of us need reminding of, from time to time.

Now, mind you, that's not all of them, but if you come across a Hearthborn community and feel like you're a stranger in a strange place, that's because to the Hearthborn, you're a stranger to their world. Respect it. Don't make waves, and they'll warm up to you. Eventually. It may take years or even a couple decades, but you will become one of them.

On Orcs:

I wanted to do two types of Orcs, just to avoid the "Orcs are savage tribes and that's all they ever will be because they're an evil race". Some tribes are aggressive, yes, but more of a "you mess with us and we'll punch your face in, burn down your cities and piss on the ashes" then "Wandering hordes". Others are more of a caravan, travelling communities (especially in the Demonlands, where staying too long in one place invites corruption)


I know across most the land, the word Orc is usually followed by the word Horde, or preceded by some vile epithet, but if you've got any preconceived notions about Demonland Orcs, discard them now.

Like their bretheren in other lands, they generally eschew building grand cities to live a nomadic, a life based on Clan and Tribe but that's because in the Demonlands, no real place offers them the long term shelter from the effects of the Demonlands.

They rely on their Scouts to find them clear paths across the ever changing Demonlands. To find potable water and game that won't try to eat them instead of the normal way around. There's a saying amongst the Demonlands tribes that there are hasty scouts, and there are old scouts, but there are no old hasty scouts.

A Scout will teach their students everything he can until the day they die, at which point the newly minted Scouts are expected to immediately take their first students and teach THEM the ways of the Demonlands.

The unofficial motto of the Demonlands tribes is "Iron before Gold", because gold won't keep some demonling from burning their caravans, but Iron makes a good deterrent.

[SirFozzie]

The Mage Lords (part 1)

Yes, it is a fantasy trope that may be overused, but one of the famous D&D tropes is "Evil Mages try to control the world". Examples like the Forgotten Realms Red Wizards of Thay are common. I wanted to play with that a bit.

The Mage Lords started as self-defense, teaching groups, unrivaled in power. They unlocked the full potential of manatite, a quartz like crystal somehow infused with mana from the ley lines, and used it to power permanent effects (for example, a Mage Lord castle will likely have a huge chunk of manatite somewhere, with spells allowing the castle to stay warm even during the coldest winter, and clean up after the Mages).

Because they took an interest in Manatite, they managed to gain control of Manatite as a neutral party, mostly via trade agreements (they would create portals for long-range transportation in return for getting control of the Manatite found within a nation.) This allowed them to gain in power, as they controlled inter-city trade (other than caravans) via the portals they created. In time they slowly raised their rates, never enough to force others to use other methods, but they became integral to many cities economies.

So, over the ages, they became the most important organization in several nations, and they could cripple a nation by simply withdrawing their services (and putting pressure on other magic-users to not fill in). They preferred being the rich power behind all the thrones rather then the open power.

They are a mageocratic group, while membership is hereditary, the more magical power you have, the more powerful you are. So things were great, until a minor civil war broke out in the nation of Thaltaar. Fed up with Mage Lord abuse of power, the Mage Lord-endorsed royal line was deposed, and the new nation said "You know what? We want to see what we can do with our manatite ourselves thanks!"

This caused a collective Mage Lord aneurysm, and they sponsored several attempts to "restore the rightful government from the usurpers" (ie put Mage-Lord friendly lackeys back on the throne). This caused Thaltaar to search for different methods to fight back against the Mage Lords, causing the field of Magical Engineering to be invented. To the Mage Lords horror, while they still had the advantage in power, the Magical Engineers of Thaltaar could do things that even a Mage Lord couldn't.

For example, after the Mage Lords used Golems to bring down a wall, theoretical engineers devised a clockwork version of golem, called a warforged (ala the Warforged seen in Ebberon) These were golems, that somehow been infused with intelligence AND a bit of the Allmother's Soulstuff (so yes, they have souls!).

The peace treaty that ended that conflicted wanted to ban any further Warforged to be made, but the Warforged argued that this was an act of genocide against their race, so now, only Warforged cities and outposts know the secrets of forging new Warforged.

[SirFozzie]

Mage Lords (part 2: Explaining Manatite)

So, one of the major friction points in this world is Pure Magic vs Magical Engineering/Magical technology (MagiTech)

Basically, stuff from the artificer class etcetera. It's useful, and guaranteed to give Mage Lords within 50 yards conniption fits to see a "Crossbow" that uses two minor pieces of manatite to generate an energy bolt instead of a physical Bolt, and not ONLY because they are likely to be targeted by said crossbow!

Mage Lord: "YOU IMBECILIC CREATURE. YOU TAKE THE CRYSTAL OF MAGIC, MEANT FOR BEINGS OF A HIGHER MENTAL STATUS THEN YOU, AND TURN IT INTO THAT?"

Thaltaar Artificer:"Well, yeah. How many times can YOU cast that missile spell? I bet you I can cock this here crossbow a bunch more times."

Mage Lords are generally fond of useless titles depicting their mastery and just basically bragging about the fact they think they're better than you: A powerful Mage Lord will not be introduced as Merell, instead as "Merell the Illustrious Channeler of Fire, The living flamewall, Master Evoker of the Ninth Circle, He who brought the Volcano and embodies the Sun's Rage", if you don't mind.

(explaining Manatite)

Manatite is the effect of an interrupted flow of one of the many leylines that travel around the world, the Literal life-blood of magic and many lifeforms upon it.

How does this happen? A leyline is flow of magical energy through the ground like a veins in a body, sending magic and wellspring to all those who need it, use it or want it. Magic is essences of the leylines, for beings to use. Depending on the depth, they leylines have been known to affect wildlife, both Flora and Fauna into things that should not normally thrive or evolve.

Leylines normally flow through the air and through ground uninterrupted; but sometimes its flow is stopped or redirected by a blockage. Leylines constantly shift about, but much of those go unnoticed by any creature without the ability to perceive these leylines.

When a line does get blocked, normally by flowing into some raw precious metals(silver, gold, electrum and platinum) its starts to bunch up. Because of these metal, the nature of the leyline changes; thus creating a ley pond; a small areas that gets soaked in mana. Quartz in this area gets infused with the mana, and somehow traps that spell energy within it, until the leyline finds a way around the blockage. If that quartz is mined while it is infused with mana, it becomes manatite, a wellspring of mana power.

While no creature could pull all the energy from a large chunk of manatite, magic-users have learned to attach spells that would normally require the spell-caster's attention (and infusion of personal mana) to the chunk, making more permanent versions of spells possible.

So as leylines shift, new veins of manatite are found, and have to be quickly mined, because no one knows how soon the leyline will get around the blockages, slowly draining the mana pond that's formed, and reverting the manatite back to quartz

(regarding the almost Hot-War between Thaltaar and the Mage Lords)

It chafes the Royal Bloodlines of the Mage Lord Houses that manatite exists that they don't own. Sure, it helps them channel even greater amounts of power. To anchor spells, for example. You won't find a Mage House castle that doesn't have a massive gleaming chunk of manatite at its core, drinking in all the magical energy in can, for use by the Royals. But now that artificers and tinkerers of all types have found that Manatite can power all kinds of geegaws, gadgets, and even the warforged, they have competition for the crystals.

And that doesn't half torque them off. Not to mention that some of those artificers and geegaw-makers have lessened the Mage Houses hold on some of their client-states.

It's gotten to the point where one of the Houses is thinking about issuing a royal decree that any non-Royal artificer or tinkerer caught in their lands with manatite is to be immediately put to death. I think the other Houses will urge a calmer path. Not because they don't wish the trouble, it's more that they're not sure they can win such a war at this point in time.

[SirFozzie]

More on the Dwarven Kingdoms:

The Dwarf Kingdoms are the underdark of the world. They've used magic to build the massive caverns and tunnels that make up the cities of Dwarves (as well as the trade paths that go between them). They've mostly peacefully absorbed the Gnome/Deep Dwarf outposts in their way through trade. Not completely peaceful though.

Just like any empire, the Dwarves seemed to be eclipsed, but now are at their zenith, but the cracks could be starting to show.

It started approximately 700 years ago. The Dwarf Kingdom of Phellia (note the SINGULAR tense), was barely a shadow of what they had been. Cities across the face of the continent had been abandoned or ruined by constant wars, and in turn, the dwarves turned isolationist and basically retreated to their last cities, content to hold what they had, if they could keep it.

That is before the Lord-Beneath-The-Mountain, Joren Highhammer ascended to the Kingdom’s throne, after both his parents were slain in the last battles of the Great Subterranean War. He took a different tack. Realizing that if they remained isolationist and focused on the great works of the past long since lost, they could never escape their own empire’s shadow, he proclaimed the Great Reforging.

Rather then rebuild parts of his ruined city that would just stand empty, he personally paid for grand expeditions to recolonize lands that had been lost long ago. “We are done with being a fading power. I can see a day where instead of being caught by surprise by wandering goblin-kind armies, endlessly reacting to the movements of others, there will be a day that our Race will be aware of everything that happens below the ground. Let the other races have the land under sky, but let us be sure that the land under the surface is Phellian!”

It was a high risk gamble, as Highhammer tried to arrest the Phellian kingdom’s slow decline, but threatened to just ensure a quick death as the last of the kingdom’s treasury, and most of the strong warriors set out for lands only described by their forefathers. Not all the expeditions were successful. But far more than enough was done for the explosive regrowth. It almost became a crusade as Dwarvish clans were encouraged to have large families, and they brought some of the other races below ground to their side. They offered protection and participation in the regrowth of Phellia, and it seemed that they would build a true cosmopolitan underground empire.

Dwarvish Wizards introduced the first “Box of Metaphysical Guidance”, a pair of Magical Boxes that used metaplanar research advances to allow the instant sending of small items, such as reports. Anything placed in one box would instantly be available from the other paired box. This allowed reports and needs to be transmitted back more quickly. Because of this method, the time it took for the Kingdoms to hear of and respond to a crisis was cut in half or more.

Before, if an outpost was under attack by a strong wandering band of subterranean monsters, it would take several days for them to send a runner back to their main outpost requesting a unit of dwarven warriors for defense (and if the runner met with misfortune, the plea for assistance could be lost entirely). Instead, a request could be very nearly instantly answered with troops dispatched almost immediately, with no risk of the message being waylaid.

While the Phellia throne theoretically claims ownership of all Dwarven lands, they have long since devolved their powers as even with magic and modern inventions like the Boxes, the Dwarvish presence underground (along with their client races) grew far too much to be managed from one city, no matter how large and powerful.

But even though the Dwarvish Kingdoms are in no risk of any decline, the descendants of Highhammer’s great crusade still grow incessantly. No sooner is a permanent outpost established as a small city, then its troops are out scouring the tunnels and paths, trying to find a good place to establish ANOTHER city. It’s almost like they are afraid if that they stop expanding, they risk reverting to the dying embers of the Phellian Kingdom.

This has put them into conflict with some of the other races, such as the U'tapa, the “Sunless Ones”, albino elves who had long since moved underground to deal with their affliction. Truth be told, these days, when a Dwarven scout locates a group that has laid claim to an area already, they are much more likely to note how their armies could conquer it, than how they could trade with it.

But even a proud nationality like the descendants of that one Dwarf Kingdons can tire of endless war. Amongst the fourth generation to have followed the Highhammer’s command, there is a growing sect of people who believe that it is long since time that the Dwarf Kingdoms spend a great amount of time consolidating what they already have, rather then spending the lives and treasure they’ve already earned on even further gains. They are opposed by those who endlessly quote the Highhammer’s words that there should not be a single place under the surface that is not under his descendants control. And once that is complete, it would only be proper to bring the lands above the ground and below the sky under their control as well!

Combined with some of the other absorbed lands (such as Jerelff, a gnomish city state brought under Phellian control during the first wave of expansion) beginning to believe that instead of valued partners, they are just another cog in an endless war machine. Key positions in such cities are not truly held by the other races, but instead belong to dwarvish “advisors”, who’s advice seems to place the continued growth of Highhammer’s descendants above the well being of the other races.

The Dwarf Kingdoms run under an expansionist model. When one is large enough that managing it becomes an issue, it separates a slice of itself to be the base of a new Kingdom. The last one formed was Thirn, about 25 years ago.

Approximate population:

Thirn: one major city, some small outposts (but rapidly growing, as they are starting to encroach on Utapa, The Sunless Elves territories)

Kassar: four cities (where Thirn was before the latest subdivision)

Stonehold: five cities

Mantafor:Six cities (2 of them are gnomish/deep dwarf absorbed cities)

Phelia (the original) Ten cities, including Dwarfhome, the capital city of Phelia (and all the Dwarven Kingdoms) and Hammerheart, the 2nd City.

guesstimations.
The leader of each kingdom is referred to as the Highhammer, but usually with their nation attached, for example, Jerrin Copperlight is the Highhammer of Mantafor. This naming scheme does go down to the city level, so Ulir Stonehammer, the lead councilor of the Stonehold city of Hearthsglen would be referred to as the Hammer of Hearthsglen. The variations of hammer can be granted to influential members of each caste (GuildHammer, CoinsHammer, GuardsHammer).

Ruling styles vary from kingdom to kingdom. Stonehold uses a city council, with a lead councilor, while in Phelia, the Highhammer clan is considered a royal family, and key roles are generally filled by members of the Highhammer clan)

[SirFozzie]

Dragons and Dragonborn

(One thing I want to avoid is that all "Color" dragons are evil and all "Metallic" dragons are good. They do have preferred habitats and someone who says something to piss a Red Dragon off is more likely to end up immediately chomped rather than dismissed, but no creatures are inherently good or evil)

Dragons were some of the first creatures in the world, and as such, they’ve had millenia to learn how to absorb ambient mana and use it. Dragons use both innate power and learned skill to cast their spells.

One reason Dragons are such avid collectors of items and treasure is that when they feel it’s time, they go into a slumber that can last years or even decades, and during that time, they absorb some of the power from their horde and grow. Not just precious metals and gems, however, although many dragons prefer the tried and true method in collecting a gleaming horde of treasure. They can use the energy of items that have emotional resonance with the world.

In a way, it’s a way the Dragons convince themselves to enter that growth cycle, by showing oneself how they’ve impacted the world. So, for some dragons with an artistic bent, collecting previously undiscovered paintings by a long-dead painter may fuel their slumber-growth. Other examples are the war banners of famous war-hordes, important works of magical or divine theory, or even mundane things like first edition books of famous authors.

One young brass dragon even served twenty years as a quartermaster in a small city-state, and while she was derided for taking a portion of her records with her into slumber, she countered that by her actions or (lack thereof), armies marched (or starved from delayed supplies). It seemed to work for her (she claimed she learned how to manage a far flung network of agents from her actions), but most dragons don’t go to such extremes.

So why don’t Dragons take over the known lands, especially considering their need to compete with each other for power? Well, a lot of it is that they just don’t have time to handle kingdoms and all their little decisions that are beneath their notice. Also, conquering and holding large swaths of land takes a lot of energy and effort. Dragons have on tap more mana than any other creature, but that does not mean it’s a bottomless supply. That resevoir of power does fill back up, slowly over time. The more they spend, the less they have on hand if something comes up that requires their personal attention (such as defending themselves from pesky intruders looking to slay them and take their hoard).

So, wise Dragons build a support network of younger dragons and what’s called “Dragonborn”. These are generally unfertilized eggs of female dragons combined with the magic essence of male dragons, which are used in a magic ritual to generate a whole clutch of Dragonborn, who generally share the color and hue of their Draconic Parent. Some dragons prefer to set the clutchmates at each other’s throat from an early age, hoping to identify the most promising and to train them to utter obedience from a young, impressionable age. Others let their clutch grow normally, and guide them, like a distant (but always in mind) elder who has use for their progeny. No two dragons, no matter what Color or essence infuses them, guides their Dragonborn the same way. Generally, two dragons will agree on how to divide their clutch before any such ritual takes place. It takes power from both dragons, so it’s not something to do easily, or lightly, but it allows the Dragons to have people bound to them in an innate way to act as their agents in the outside world.

(Note: According to some myths, the first kobolds were an earlier experience at trying to create a Dragon-led army. The Dragons of course, aren’t saying, and find the whole “kobolds worship dragons” to be embarrassing, but their due)

There have been enough clutches released into the wild that there are several dots of Dragonborn families across the known kingdoms, as they are able to reproduce normally, but if you ever come across a dragon who is unmistakably bright-hued, that means they have an ongoing, active connection to their Dragon lord. A Dragonborn with dull red scales is probably (not always) the descendant of a long-ago clutch, while one with shiny dark wine-red powerful scales is probably the direct agent of a Red Dragon, and should be treated appropriately. This has caused many such Dragonborn to wear concealing clothing should they not wish said association to be noticed, or to dress in a way that flaunts such brilliance if they want to overawe others.

These agents are fairly widespread, and their actions can have a direct impact on the city-states of the kingdom. For example, it’s believed a Brass Dragon and a Green had an interest in artifacts from a Lost Age architectural find from the far north that were brought up for auction. The move and counter-move in this battle between two powerful dragons led to a criminal underworld gang war (sponsored by the Green, a male named Cillanthas to consolidate power), an eventual crackdown by the city guard (sponsored by the Brass, a female named K’an’apala), and political maneuvering between political families (sponsored by both parties to destabilize the other).

The city nearly dissolved into internecine fighting, and by the end, two noble families had been broken, a third had been exiled from the city, and a fourth no longer existed by royal decree. And in the end, it’s believed that neither Dragon got their claws on the items, as shortly after the auction, agents of a third Dragon (believed to be a Red) stole the artifacts as they were being transported. The Dragons aren’t saying who and how. You can ask them if you feel particularly brave, but I would have your last testament and wills well in hand before hands. (They don’t like to let the “Lesser races” know that they battle amongst each other, it might give the other races, or their agents ideas on how to battle them)

[SirFozzie]

“The City of Six Roads” or “The City of Greed”

Crossroads is not one of the bigger city-states out there, but it probably is the wealthiest. Because it sits naturally upon so many trade routes, it has been built up over the years as the biggest trade-city in the whole of the Kingdoms of Humankind. Just about all the major Merchant Houses either have a major branch of their trading empire, or their main headquarters in Crossroads. That’s why one nickname of it it “The City of Six Roads and Twenty Portals."

The other refers to how the city makes decisions. Every citizen does get a vote, mind you. But you can artificially boost the power of your vote by donating money to the city. Every (some amount, currently 100) gold you donate to the City (which uses it to pay for the costs to keep the city safe, shelters for the downtrodden, etcetera) earns you one extra vote. (not one extra vote on every vote, one specific vote).

That even works for the major city office. There are 10 counselors who arbitrate disputes between Merchant Houses and the positions are bought and sold. The number next to their title indicates how many votes they have (From 10 to 1), so the Tenth Councilman may not sound powerful, but with 10 votes, it would take the First Councilman, Second Councilman, Third Councilman AND Fourth Councilman voting against them to counter their votes.

They serve 10 year terms (one comes up for auction each year), and it’s not transferable. If a councilman is forced to resign or dies while in office, an auction is held within 30 days to fill out the remainder of the scheduled term. That’s why being one of the Ten Councilmen is like a tight-rope act with no net. You’re on top of the world, but one wrong step and you have so far to fall…

The Merchant Houses generally war against each other in a mercantile sense (who gets the contract to build the new harbor district, who gets the rights to the trade route connecting Crossroads to the Dwarvish Kingdom city of Forge (meaning you get to collect the tolls on that route, but you’re also responsible for keeping it safe), etcetera. That means that the common human, elf and Dwarf will sometimes feel warred upon. Needless to say, work conditions in Crossroads are not always the best, especially with child orphanages being put to work (under the preachy cover of “Giving them a useful and profitable skill for the future”), and it’s safe to say that the Merchant Houses look askance on the ideas of Guild and Union. It’s bad for business, don’t you know, and that makes it bad for Crossroads.

One such collective, the Alhambra Worker’s Union, is made up of small business, sole proprietorships, and fees from members, and has actually got a small smidge of power (they currently hold the First Councilman spot). The other merchant houses eye this with a bit of nervousness, and subtly try to influence each other to try to stomp out the Alhambra, but the Alhambra have hired adventurers and the like to counter these threats.

Crossroads is a place of unmasked, unadulterated, concentrated GREED. Money not only talks, but it yells so loudly it drums out everything else.

[SirFozzie]

Ok, that's the end of my free-form notes, time to go back to the book that I mentioned in the first post:

For each "tradition" of magic it suggests the following questions being asked:

Explaining Magic (this is the template that it recommends using for each theory of Magic, with the questions and possible options)

Q1. Are people aware of this magic?
1. Yes, as fact
2. Yes, as stories or rumor
3. Yes, but only privileged groups
4. No, with few exceptions
5. No, it is lost
6. No, it is new

Q2. How integrated into society is this magic?
1. It is a normal part of everyday life
2. It is normal for special holidays and ceremonies
3. It is reserved for certain milestones and special needs
4. It is normal only for certain people
5. It is separated from everyday life

Q3. Who can use this magic?
1. Everyone
2. Almost everyone
3. Anyone who chooses
4. Privileged people (common)
5. Privileged people (rare)
6. Almost no one

Q4: Is this magic considered acceptable?
1. Yes
2. Yes, in certain contexts
3. Yes, in certain places
4. No, with few exceptions
5. No, it must be hidden
6. Never

Q5. Is this magic respected?
1. Yes, universally
2. Yes, mostly
3. Yes, in certain contexts
4. Yes, in certain places
5. No, with the exception of a few places
6. No, with the exception of a few people
7. No, universally 6.

Q6: Is this magic regulated, controlled, or taught?
1. No
2. No, with few exceptions
3. Yes, it is taught. By what entity? ___________
4. Yes, it is controlled. By what entity? ___________
5. Yes, it is regulated. By what entity? ___________

Q7. Is this magic hidden or kept secret?
1. No
2. Yes, to keep practitioners safe
3. Yes, to keep nonpractitioners safe
4. Yes, to control power

I've done this for one tradition of magic, the scientific principle, broken down into two parts, Alchemy and Engineering: That will be my next post (and the last one of this flood, sorry for the flood, I told you this was helping me cure my writer's block right?)

[SirFozzie]

Scientific: (Chemistry/Alchemy, Engineering)
Q1. Are people aware of this magic?

Yes, as fact (Alchemy)

It's known in some nations, especially Thaltaar, but not truly understood outside the nations that have active Universities.

Q2. How integrated into society is this magic?
3. It is reserved for certain milestones and special needs (Alchemy)
4. It is normal only for certain people (nations that have encouraged science/engineering) (Engineering)


Q3. Who can use this magic?
5. Privileged people (rare) (Alchemy) (The “recipes” for making various alchemical concoctions/potions are kept secret and generally are only taught within the Alchemists Guild (or wizards. Anyone can use it, but the process of making it is protected)
6. Almost no one (Engineering) “Well, I took two years of “Clockwork Engineering” at Homeland’s Guild Of Engineering, but there’s not much demand for Clockwork, and of course, the Warforged control the ability to make further Warforged. So, I make Clockwork knick-knacks for a living”

Q4: Is this magic considered acceptable?
1. Yes (Alchemy) (They’re considered weirdos but when you need them…)
3. Yes, in certain places (definitely not in Mage Lord lands)

Q5. Is this magic respected?

1. Yes (Alchemy) Mostly due to Mage Lord/wizard propaganda.

4. Yes, in certain places (Engineering), a Lot of places look at it as “Mucking about with things that probably explode”, but some inventions have made life easier in the cities.

Q6: Is this magic regulated, controlled, or taught?
3. Yes, it is taught. (Alchemy) Generally, the Alchemist Guild certifies Alchemists, and its members keep hold of the recipes needed for Alchemical concoctions (Guild Secrets), and Guild members don’t even share some recipes amongst themselves.. after all if they tell you how to make a potion of flight, you might go into business selling potions of flight, and undercut my business!)

3. Yes, it is taught. (Mostly by Universities in the nations that are embracing science/engineering)

Q7. Is this magic hidden or kept secret?
1. No (Engineering). Kinda hard to hide Warforged, or some of the other inventions that people have come up with. Now, how to BUILD that stuff, probably
4. Yes, to control power (Alchemy) See above. They control who can make it, and anyone who figures out how to do it on their own will likely be inducted into the guild, frozen out by the Guild (only certified Guild Alchemists are allowed in many cities), or in some cases of “dangerous” knowledge, eliminated.

[SirFozzie]

Scientific Magic (Part 2)
Two Costs of Scientific Magic:

A: Precision “If you put four drops of Dragonbreath Oil in instead of 2, instead of breathing fire, the person who drinks it will spontaneously combust! Don't ask me how I know this!"

B:Expense (I mean, if you want large scale “Turn Stone to Flesh” potions, YOU find a way to farm Baslisks for their livers. Just keep them away from me)

Two Factors that Determine the Potency of Scientific Magic

A: Material Quality (An engineer can probably McGuyver himself stuff to do in a pinch, but if you want something that will last more than a scene, you probably want high quality materials. Same with Alchemy, if you go with water from your local pond instead of pure elemental water for yoru potion of healing, it will probably taste HORRIBLE and have less effect.)

B: Precision (As a practitioner grows in ability in making items with Alchemy OR Engineering , they can do so with more power as they learn all the tricks of making it, and avoid those cut corners that dilute the effect)


Answer Two Open Ended Questions:


1. What is a folk belief or superstition related to this magic?

A: That one must have magic ability to create Alchemical reactions (in some areas)/That Engineering is inherently dangerous and even a knick knack maker will eventually meet a bad end as something they create will turn on them or explode (again, not in some areas, but areas where the Mage Lords can shape the narrative….)


2. What profession or institution depends on this magic?

The Alchemist’s Guild controls licensed (Ie Legal) Alchemy in cities, and have enough power to regulate them in a city (for example, all alchemical concoctions must be marked with the Guild-sigil of its creator, and unmarked alchemical items are considered “fake” or “illegal”

The nation that threw off the yoke of the Mage Lords have turned away from Magic in general (they allow non-Mage Lords, but they’re all considered potential Mage-Lord agents), so teaching Engineering is a way to make sure the Mage Lords do not come back into power in their nation.

Answer the following questions to help shape your concept of mastery for this path:
Q1: How is scientific magic usually learned?

Alchemical is usually on a Master/apprentice method. A lot of Masters never graduate their apprentices, just because they’d have to train a new one, so they never teach key steps of the process to make sure the apprentice can’t strike off on its own. But those less mercantile also take credit for multiple Guild members trained. Unlicensed Alchemists are generally master/student as well, but since they never go into large-scale business without Guild affiliation, things are a lot more informal. “Ok, you’re no longer my apprentice, as you know a few good abilities. Travel the world, learn some new recipes, and come back to me in five years and teach me, and I’ll teach you some advanced theories”.)

Engineering: Is generally taught by Colleges of Learning, through rote learning and theoretical teachings

Q2: Can it be learned outside those systems?

A: Yes, but not easily. You do NOT want to use the trial-and-error method to create new Alchemical creations. “Here, drink this. I’m not sure what it does, but just in case, I’ll be waiting behind this shield. Make sure you tell me everything you feel, especially if you feel like you’re going to die “ Some unscrupulous Masters use this method to get rid of incompetent and or annoying Apprentices (Alchemical)

A: Well, yes, but it would involve lots of theoretical book learning, lots of wasted costs in time and materials from failed attempts, and possibly a few really bad incidents (leading to the superstition that Engineers who create things are magnets for things exploding) (Engineering)

Q3: Is the idea of a master formal or informal? Can someone possess great power, knowledge, and skill without being respected as a “master”?

A: (Alchemy) In Cities? Formal, outside of them, someone can be a master alchemist but if they’re not Guild-certified, the view of an average Guild member will be “An untrained, dangerous dabbler in the Alchemical Arts” until and unless proved differently (and others will take more convincing than others. “I am the ninth-ranked Master of Alchemical Explosives, what could you teach me about making DragonFire Bombs? NOTHING, that’s what!”

A: (Engineering) While there’s no formal ranking or Engineers Guild, people who have published papers and theories of Engineering are generally acknowledged as Masters, as are professors teaching at Colleges of Engineering

Q4: Who is more respected: innovators or educators?

A: Alchemy is resistance to innovations, mostly because trial and error is much more likely to produce “Something that will make you sick and/or dead, accidentally” instead of “A new alchemical formula has been devised!”, but many recipes have been devised or refined over the centuries

Q5: Can a person become a master through scholarship without practical experience?

A: Not really. You can read a book that says “cook under an open flame for thirty seconds, then add the Lizard Gizzards”, but only a master knows the temperature that is best for making the potion as effective as it can be “use a fire burning from ash and fir wood, hold it six inches from the dancing flame with iron tongs.” (Alchemy)

A: Well, one can be respected in the theory and teaching of engineering without making big items oneself, but the general view (like in the real world) is “Those who can’t do, teach”. Most people who are good at the practical side work on that side, while those who are better at explaining the theories and behaviors work as Engineering Professors

Q6: Is any aspect of this magic still theoretical?

(Alchemy) There are many theories of why certain recipes work, but not true understanding of the alchemical processes at work (so, for example, there’s no known recipe for turning lead into gold), so most of the slow innovation in this is through trial and error.

(Engineering) “Oh yes. There are many untold boundaries that we have yet to cross. New theories are being devised, old theories are either refined or discarded, and we LOVE to argue about our own theories. Got a week for me to explain the difference between the Metalurgical theory of clockwork, and the Fey method of Clockwork enhancements? I wrote a 300 page thesis explaining my thoughts that the alchemical application of outside forces to metal can replace the unexplainable, wasteful fey enchantment method to create so-called magical items. Nobody seems to want to read it, although I do hear Thendrick is writing a rebuttal to my arguments. He doesn’t understand!”

[SirFozzie]

Whew that was a lot of writing over a couple weeks (and a LOT of Copy and pasting/editing just now!)

But I will continue through the steps with other magical traditions later.