Ze Update

Greetings and Salutations,

I confess that I have neglected this blog a lot since it began, but I have run some other tests in addition to the portion of the first test already on the blog. I decided a while ago that writing the player's handbook right now is going to go ridiculously slow, so I instead worked on attempting to get a workable Pen and Paper (PnP) game running, but that is very difficult to do without rules, and the testers and assistants I have had not wanted to wait for me to develop rules and write them down as I go. Neither of the ways for me to develop the rules were working....

So I decided to develop a video game for it and work backwards from the way most common ways it works.

I started with a text based game, because for one it is the closest style to a PnP game, and secondly it was approximately where my skill set was. About halfway through the development of the game, I attended the Georgia Game Jam, where I learned that I'm actually an okay artist, that I'm better at programming than I thought I was, and that sure text based games are fun, but they neither as impressive as, or as drawing as a graphic game. Thus, I changed my direction again. My current list of things to add to the game includes, being able to fail something and still progress the story, a different point of view for each race and possibly gender, and a dynamic combat system with the ability to have group fights in changing orders.

If you know anything about me or programming in general, you will easily see that this is going to take a long time to do, though not quite as long as the PnP game would be taking, but it will be worth it in the end. Lemme tell you why: if this works the way I want it to, and it better, then by the end of the game I will have all or most of the mechanics of the PnP game completely figured out and deciphered. Thus, I will be able to work backwards from the video game to make a PnP version and finish what I started. Perhaps I will package the two games together and include a character sheet generator as an add on to the game, since the mechanics are already going to be there. Anyways, I just wanted to let y'all know what was going on over here, it'll probably be a while until my next post/update, but who knows, I might surprise myself.

Farewells and Valedictions

Test Run 1 Part 1

This is the first test run of the mechanics, here's a quick overview of the two characters:

Kasanar Duraden:

Chaotic Neutral

Male Olkanh

Mage lvl 1 (fire)

Equipped with standard adventuring gear, as well as a staff, iron dagger, and fifteen alchemist's fires.

Started with a fourth tier pyromania defect, aka will save when things happen to deal with fire, but a +4 to all fire related skills.

Zelphael:

Chaotic Good

Male Gnome

Inventor lvl 1

Equipped with standard adventuring gear, as well as a channeling wand of magic missiles, and an iron dagger, as well as ten pounds of iron for tinkering.

Started with two first tier defects, obsessive and narcissistic.

And here we go:

Two dripping travelers stand in a field, the sun slowly descending below the horizon, the moon soon to begin rising to take its place on the opposite side. To the East lies a beach, with a new ship crushed against it, broken apart by the rocks further out to sea and cast ashore breaking it further by powerful waves. One man, an Olkanh with a staff painted a dark red to show his alignment with the fire school of magic, looked around at the field. The field sat at the foot of a large cliff, nestled nearby to the south was an earthen ramp, seemingly as old as the cliff itself. Because of the shadows cast by the cliff and ramp, combined with the salinity of the water, the high grasses sat dead, the wind occasionally plucking some of them and hurling them in the air, some making their way to the top of the cliff and others gentling falling back down. The smell of sap drifts down from the top of the cliff and piles of leaves clump at the bottom of the cliff, great oaks and beeches can be seen swaying in the breeze, looking slightly pale and in need of water.

The mage perked up seeing the seemingly dry trees, instantly feeling in his pack for the comforting flask. Seeing this, the Gnome instantly yells out from where he is huddled shivering in the wind, "hey, Kasanar, don't go causing any trouble, just gather some grass and make a fire so I can dry out, meantime I'm going to indulge in some tinkering." Muttering to himself he got out a hammer, his wand, and broke off a pound of iron which he began to shape, "gotta restock since everything I had built so far was lost in the crash, sheesh, and I gotta keep my eye on that guy so he doesn't do anything ridiculous, it's like I have to do everything, but I guess I wasn't named Zelphael the incredible for nothing."

Hearing the muttered words of Zelphael, Kasanar chuckled, patting the flask one last time before replacing it in his pack, and then began to gather piles of leaves and brush with the occasional branch broken from a tree on the cliff. Fire blazed into life a little before the son finally dipped below the horizon. Kasanar, chuckled again at the little gnome, who after stopping and moving all his tools to beside the fire to stay warm, continued in his task, molding what looks to be a sphere, and muttering magic words as he worked. Now with nothing to do, Kasanar began looking over the scrolls he had again, just to make sure they were all there. While he was switching between his Magic Missile and Flame Touch spells he heard what sounded like a large stick snap behind him up on the cliff, and not wanting to turn around and see if anyone is there, in case anyone there would be alerted to his knowledge of them, he glanced inquisitively at Zelphael in hopes that he had heard, but the gnome was too deep in his work to hear anything. Moments before he would turn around and look, the gnome yelled in triumph, "AHA! A masterpiece if I do say so myself, as I am indeed a master at everything!" seeing Kasanar's inquisitive face and mistaking it to be about the item he crafted, he soon followed with an explanation, "It's a Lightning Ball, once thrown it explodes with fierce lightning onto the area it hits."

"That's not what I was wondering about," Kasanar quickly hissed, "don't look now but I think there may be people up on the cliff watching us."

Taking the cue, after a moment, Zelphael leaned backwards so as to lay down, but looking at the cliff all the while. "There are three small humanoids up there, one appears to be in a tree to the left, another to the right on the ground, and the last is attempting to sneak down the ramp; they appear to be kobolds, though I'm not sure..... You ready?"

"3... 2.... 1... NOW!" yelled Kasanar, spinning around and tossing a jar of alchemist's fire into the tree on the left. The dry wood of the tree combined with the fierce heat of the alchemist's fire instantly created a blaze, instantly killing the small creature within it with a shrill screech. Simultaneously, Zelphael spun and threw the orb he held in his hand, directly hitting the kobold on the cliff. Lightning erupts from the ball and the moist reptilian body of the kobold viciously reacts to the electricity, bolts traveling up the kobold's spine and overloading his nervous system to the point where the brain is simultaneously fried and melted, though the body still flops around on the ground, electricity still coursing through the neurons of the kobold.

"Wow! Didn't expect it to be quite that potent," started Zelphael, slightly shocked at the carnage he had created.

"Watch out!" yelled Kasanar, slightly before the remaining kobold, angered at its companions' death, fires an arrow hitting Zelphael hard in the arm.

"AAUGH!" screams Zelphael as Kasanar mutters some words, lifts his staff to point towards the kobold and fires a magic missile, hitting the kobold but only minorly injuring it, seeing this Zelphael pulls out his wand and begins to cast magic missile as well, but misses because of a sharp pain in his arm. Seeing that Kasanar is the dangerous one now, the kobold aims at him now, but misses, the arrow striking the ground nearby Kasanar's feet. Angered at this fresh attack, and loss of attention, Zelphael scores a direct hit to the kobold with a magic missile. Seeing the kobold severely injured, Kasanr calls forth his most potent spell from memory, and casts fire touch on the kobold, catching the kobold on fire and dealing enough damage to make the kobold pass out from pain, it's senses fading towards death quickly.

Unfortunately, in the struggle the fire had been kicked accidentally and small fires now littered the plain, as well as a roaring fire growing from tree to tree on the cliff. With only one way away from the fire immediately around them, they sprint towards the cliff, running up the ramp, Zelphael kicking the smoldering kobold corpse off of the ramp as he passed, through the trees, and then out into another field, but one with no grass to burn. Panting, they slump to the ground, pulling out their bed rolls and sleeping.

---next part next week around this time I think. I have started work on the player handbook, sigh, it's a lot of work.---

The Tale of the Two Tribes, Part 2

The wind blew through the streets with gusto, pulling freshly tanned leather hides from where they were hanging on lines to dry through the city. All around merchants are running after their wares, grocers attempting to pull baskets of fruits and vegetables out of the wind while more containers topple and fruits are spread throughout the street, butchers quickly gather as much as they can of their wildly flailing meat swinging in the wind, tanners running after brown and tan sheets of leather. Through all this, towards the center of the city, push three sharply dressed Deep Elves, the Olkanh delegation, as they head to the conclave.

Draelinh, the one on the far left, looks over at his two superiors, who were easily twice his better, and very high up among the ranks of the Olkanh. Nethelinh on the far right happens to be the bodyguard to the High Chancellor of the Olkanh, Nerelithianh himself. Dressed as expected of someone going to meet High King Lightviewer, she stood tall wearing the official dress uniform of the Chancellor's Hunters, dark brown polished hardened leather, with her beautifully wrought ceremonial bow given to her by Nerelithianh when she became a Hunter held firmly over her shoulder and a polished bronze sword strapped to her side.

Although her uniform was perfectly kept and the respect she invoked was great, it was easy to overlook her when you put her beside Provost Darshesinh. His dress is simple, standard scholarly clothes with only a small golden medallion labeling him as a member of the High Provosts, but the aura he exudes is overpowering, awe inspiring. Just passing by him on the street, if you have that privilege, would instantly make you feel smarter, just by passing him and his magical aura that he gained by having such a great memory of spells. After looking over his other two companions it is expected that he would feel proud and strong to be following two such grand individuals, and certainly Draelinh must himself be even grander than them, but no, such luck is not the case.

Draelinh was added at the last minute, forced to join despite the wishes of Chancellor, delegation, and self. The Chancellor's chief sorcerer was meant to go, but at the last minute he was removed for Draelinh by the behest of the circle of prophets. Looking at himself in his best clothes, the clothes he was found in when he was awoken 75 miles to the East as one of the first of the Olkanh to be awakened by gnomes lead by Lightviewer. Simple in dress, he had a dull and worn hardened deep dark brown leather suit, covered in graffitied language identical to the words found on the temples and statues throughout the city. In his hand he carried a large staff, similarly marked and covered with signs of use, some parts of the staff even look cracked, and the top shows signs of being broken off a long time ago. at his side is a tarnished bronze sword, the iron one he was found with having long since been sold as iron is a valuable substance.

Looking around the area, Draelinh notices several words written above many of the old dwellings, a faded phrase that seems to appear on every building, and a more visible one directly over each door. A doorway nearby states Masrh Preenh, another one states Masrh Fh Preenh, a familiar looking young girl huddles inside a doorway reads Masrh Alparch, as Draelinh looks at the sign above the door, the Olkanh girl leaning against it sublimates into a white foam and disappears into the ground. Starting suddenly at this sight, Draelinh halts, spins towards the door and dashes over to it, searching the ground and dashing into the abandoned building and looking everywhere. Shocked by these sudden unexpected movements from their fellow delegate, the other two members stand stunned for a moment before following him into the hut filled with questions.

"What are you doing, running around like this?" asked Nethelinh as she hurried into the building after looking around outside. It seemed they had already moved past the main populated section of the city and now were in a part of the unexplored area. "You know that this area has not yet been cleared of vermin and wild beasts, you could get hurt, especially if that sword you keep on your hip is just for show," she admonished, her arms akimbo after observing that the area was relatively safe.

"Yes indeed, and if we tarry at all we could be late for the Conclave," added Darshesinh, "remember, it is only at the behest of the circle of prophets that you came, my good friend the chief sorcerer was meant to come in your stead."

"My apologies," replied Draelinh, after a quick once over again of the room, "I suppose neither of you saw the little girl outside?" Seeing the puzzled look on their faces he quickly back tracked, "it must have been nothing, you are right, we must go, and for your knowledge I actually can use this sword."

Slightly confused, and looking back at the walls of the building as he left, he could make out writing on all the walls and old shelves, and then he was hurried out by the other two.

"Strange place to put a library, in between a blackshop and armory," mused Draelinh as he hurried along with the other two.

"How would you know what those were?" questioned Nethelinh, looking over quizically.

"Well, that's what the signs over the doorway said, so I'm just going by..." began Draelinh, but he was quickly interrupted by Darshesinh.

"There weren't signs over the doors, merely words written in the ancient tongue, which I hope you don't propose to know despite no one else knowing the language," accused Darshesinh.

"Most of it I can't understand, but I do know a lot, it is very similar to our own language," assuaged Draelinh, "for example, our word for make is Masr, and theirs is Masrh, practically identical."

"Similarities between two words means nothing, common has many words in common with each other, to, two and too for example," scoffed Darshesinh.

"This is true, but Preenh and Pren both mean weapons or iron tools," replied Draelinh.

"This is all nonsense to me, and besides, we have arrived, we must soon make our entrance with the High King and begin the conclave meeting," butted in Nethelinh, as they arrived before the gates of the temple, other groups walking up as well.

---will continue this in a soon post, before that will be posted a recent test of some of the mechanics by me and one of my consultants on this game. Some changes have been made since this test so it will be altered accordingly and the entire game session will be typed out soon minus the out of character talk and dice rolls. The mechanics are soon to be completed, though there are quite a lot of lists to be made and a couple more things to work out, and I will soon, meaning before August hopefully, be able to upload a character sheet.---

The Tale of the Two Tribes, Part 1

In the fifteenth year of the first epoch, the first conclave was called to determine how large this new land was that they knew so little about. The Gnomes, the Goblins, and the two elven tribes of the Anach and the Olkanh, which we call today the Elves and the Deep Elves, though the Deep Elves still call themselves the Olkanh. The conclave began in the central temple of Phopolis, though the city had no name at that time and had only been discovered and populated that year, though populated is a sad word to use for the mad rush from the rain and cold outside into the shelter of the city by the group of people not large enough to fill up half the city.

The temple straddled the river, and acted as one of the main bridges connecting the two sides of the city. Beautiful in raiment, it was covered in statues glittering with gems for eyes and golden icons upon its face. Strange letters covered it in patches, some wearing away from time, but others as fresh as the day they were written. A common motif on the temple was a pattern of four followed by the saying in an indeterminably ancient language: "Ah mafit A, lh mafit L, kh mafip K, yh mafip Y." The pattern is of the four capitalized letters, Y, K, L, and A clockwise in a diamond pattern with Y at the top and an arrow pointing to it from within the circle, the shape of a compass.

The conclave was started by High King Lightviewer, the first gnome and arguably first sentient creature to view the world at the beginning of the first epoch (the next story I get around to doing). After the first six hundred days of life in the new city, High King Lightviewer sent out messengers to the four races inhabiting the city, asking them to each send three of their members to the central temple which had been commandeered as the main governing building. The four groups sent in three of their best men, Dranton, Rockmover, and Stimps from the Gnomes, Illuin, Nimalor, and Korael of the Anach (Elves), Asgalor, Mentilith, and Gabbint of the Goblins, and Draelinh, Nethelinh, and Darshesinh of the Olkanh. The story of the conclave itself is to be left for next time.

A Picture of Preenin

Preenin is a large land, approximately 6800 square miles in land, not counting the great oceans to the north and west, and not counting the great heights of the mountains far to the east and south. One major point about the land of Preenin is that it is flat; For a long time this was only known because of the eastern Cliffs of Dilatrean, where the first Gnomes awoke at the beginning of the first epoch. At another time, the north and west boundaries were added by two separate groups of elves, and the story of how the elves divided began there, which is a long story for another time (next post). The four points of the compass have all been explored as much as could be hoped, as it appears as though you can continue over the mountains in the south, though despite the many gnomes and goblins that try, it is still considered a boundary in itself, and the heights are perpetually lost in the clouds.

Rivers run through forests and across plains, heading from lakes and trickles in the mountains towards the great oceans and occasionally into deep tunnels. Forests crop up quickly, almost with a mind of their own, sometimes taking years to grow, but other times, perhaps aided by the elves, it takes a mere days to birth a square mile of forest. Caves tunnel almost everywhere, some preexisting, ancient and deep, others tunneled by gnomes and goblins. The interesting thing about this land is the large number of temples and cities already erected when the first creatures arrived. Many of the cities and temples have been defaced for the gold, jewels, and ancient valuable artworks hidden within, but fortunately the largest was taken over by the Deep Elves, who later renamed themselves the Olkanh. The largest temple is found connected to the lone mountain in the northeast, standing on the edge of the sea and towering above the land, the Silverstream River runs through the middle of the temple and comes out on the other side of the mountain. The largest city found is actually two cities, divided in half by the Silverstream River that flows unswervingly from the mountains in the southeast bisecting the Preenin and connecting with the oceans in the northwest. The cities are Heliopolis on the northeast side and Selenopolis on the southwest. Altogether the city is called Phopolis, the name of the great sky above, and more specifically of the great body in the sky.

The moon rises in the east at 8 PM every night, and sets at 8 AM every morning when the sun rises to take its place, which then sets at 8 PM again. Because of this perfect regularity of the sun and moon, it is the basis of the day and all time is formed on the passage of celestial bodies. Though the sun and moon take their passage across the sky every day, another celestial body takes its path as well. The great Pho, a large body twice as large as the sun and half as large as the moon, takes it's path across the sky and takes 350 days to do so. Almost every race makes this their year, and they also base their seasons off of the color changes it goes through. The year begins after winter, the great Pho descends beneath the world and darkness reigns, the moon shedding very little light upon the land, and for one hour there is silence as every creature waits for the return. After the hour has passed a bright orange light peeks over the edge and the sun rises, the start of the new year. The orange Pho grows in the sky and when, after 70 days, the sun is completely on the sky and a fifth of the way across the sky, it changes color to a deep red, spring is over. Now that summer has come, it lasts for 92 days and then in one day the Pho turns completely unblemished white. This new season is called the waking by humans, most human travels exist during this time, stories are written by great human authors, masterpieces developed by human artists, and brave adventures led by strong human leaders. This tie to the waking has led humans to dominate the known world, despite being the last race to appear in Preenin. After 26 days, the waking is finished and the Pho turns a pale blue. Autumn is considered a time of beauty, and many of the underground races will leave their dens and come up to see it despite whatever work they are doing at the time. After 70 days the Pho turns a deep dark blue and it becomes winter for 92 days until the years restarts.

Next post I will begin to tell you the story of the two great waterfalls.