OOC Info Xy Development Thread

Post your suggestions, ideas, wants, don't wants, etc., here in order to aid in the devleopment of Xy.

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A large, ruined, pre-Valterrian castle located along the northern border of Cyphrus houses a massive pit cave where once sat a courtyard. 500 feet deep, the cave houses the largest and only known "civilized" colony of zith in existence. [Lore]

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Xy Development Thread

Postby Gillar on November 23rd, 2014, 3:52 am

Development on Xy is beginning anew. With that, I am opening this thread in hopes of getting some ideas and suggestions as to what you, the players, would like to see from Xy. While not all ideas and suggestions will be used in the final development of Xy, all will help toward producing a unique and hopefully enjoyable location in which to tell your stories and experience Mizahar from the point of view of the Zith.

I encourage all to read the Lore on Xy and the Lore on Zith before offering ideas and suggestions for the further development of Xy. These are essential sources of information from which discussions and development will begin. SO PLEASE READ THEM FIRST :)

In this thread I will be offering my own thoughts and ideas and will field discussions on Xy and on the zith of Xy and providing insight into the overall development. I will also answer questions about Xy and its zith here as well. Thank you and let it begin!
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Xy Development Thread

Postby Mayhem1 on November 23rd, 2014, 2:36 pm

SO HYPED.

Ok, so I have a bunch of ideas, but I'll throw them here a few at a time so they're easier to talk about.

  1. Expanding on the magics of malediction and spiritism and how they affect the Zith
    --
  2. The lore says they're curious and love learning, so I'm assuming they'd learn certain trade skills (carving, leatherworking are the two major ones I'm thinking) and other skills (storytelling, perhaps?) which they'd learn from slaves, traders, or be passed down perhaps?
    --
  3. Writing down everything that was spoken about in chat (About how they treat outsiders, how not to die, etc) for the people that weren't there
    --
  4. Location Idea: A cavern filled with rock pools or hot springs
    --
  5. Second Location Idea: A poisoncrafting Zith (or slave) who uses the unique fungi and mosses that grow in Xy and sells it to traders

I will not be offended if you take my ideas and either throw them away or stretch them until they fit. This is your city, after all. :)
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Xy Development Thread

Postby Saej on November 23rd, 2014, 3:02 pm

I like what Mayhem has to offer, especially the cavern location. And thanks for getting everything we missed in that chat.

As I'm reading about the colony in the Xy lore, I wonder what kind of beasts would live under ground as well. This kind of goes off of Mayhem's cavern location. Surely there would be a huge cave system to explore, if slaves were mining the rock in order to expand the colony I'd be willing to bet once or twice they'd break into an existing system of caves. What kinds of added flora and fauna will we be seeing? Pretty ugly beasties underground.

Edit:

As I'm thinking more on it, perhaps there's some kind of evil beast which stalks the caves, the outer skirts. More of a possible quest idea, I suppose. But I feel like with the Zith being the only ones to live under ground, and how vile they turned out, a hulking mass of evil isn't unheard of.

Side note, all these talks of caves and wretched creatures just reminds me of the Drow so much. I didn't realize that until now.

Also I was reading the Castle Bazzaar thread and the "Music Tent" intrigued me. With how long their claws are string instruments would be kind of difficult to use, as a cellist I've always been told to keep my nails short. I was thinking maybe some kind of harpsichord? Or would that be too fancy for these guys? Wind instruments might not be as hard, a Zith playing the pan flute would be the coolest thing. But I could see them using a lot of hand drums and or maybe some kind of washboard, their claws would make the noises interesting.
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Xy Development Thread

Postby Aventis on November 23rd, 2014, 3:13 pm

As well as everything that Mayhem said, I'm wondering mainly about the hulking castle, what's inside it, the ties between Xy and Ssena, and the caverns. Biggest thing is about the caves and the castle.

Are they Zith only?

It would be a curiosity as well as serving to alienate the non Zith further from the Zith, which I think would be a nice overall feel for the city. But on the off chance this idea is accepted, what is in these two locations that makes them off limits? What portions of them are off limits?

And now going to Ssena, I have to say that it's unlikely that the new goddess of fear, who took the form of an Alvina, would have nothing to do with the city of fearsome killer bat people. She'd probably do something, subtle as it may be.

Possible locations may include

1. Hut of Vile, home of Vile, etc.
2. Hunting fields
3. Fighting grounds
4. Slave quarters (Perhaps there could be an amassed home for slaves rather than to each individual owner? Only thought this 'cause huts tend to be small and the castle... Well, we don't know about the castle yet)
5. Garden of Curiosities (Museum of sorts. Where Zith store every shiny thing they want to keep. The nick Garden of Curiosities would probably be given by outsiders)

NPCs - A human guide, business owner, purpose: to run the inn and help any outsider that needs it, staying alive only by stealing valuables from guests and presenting them to the Zith periodically.


Alright. That's all I have.
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Xy Development Thread

Postby Gillar on November 23rd, 2014, 3:52 pm

Excellent points to begin with, thanks, Mayhem. I'll take one of the things you mention (will address others separately) and speak to it.

The lore says they're curious and love learning, so I'm assuming they'd learn certain trade skills (carving, leatherworking are the two major ones I'm thinking) and other skills (storytelling, perhaps?) which they'd learn from slaves, traders, or be passed down perhaps?


Indeed they love to learn new things, adapt, change and ultimately evolve. It is a left over fragment of humanity that they once possessed. Their attention span isn't great enough to focus on any one thing for very long so zith would have a number of different skills at low to middle levels (talking primarily NPCs here). Skills like carving and leatherworking would, even at higher levels, look quite different from the same level of skill held by those living in other cities. This is mainly seen in the style. Zith leatherworking, while being just as effective regardless of how it is practiced, would look more primitive (mainly cosmetically). Leather items such as clothing, armor, items, would sport fur, bone, died in blood, that sort of thing. It would all look more wild. Carving would also take on a more bestial theme minus solid lines and angles. It would be influenced by the things that interest the zith; hunting, killing, sex, that sort of thing. Now learning these types of trade skills along with other related skills and lore would be reserved for particular zith and not a universal thing among the colony itself.

Zith, like all other humanoid races, have individuals who excel at different things. While all zith have a hunger for learning, many choose to learn new ways of improving the hunt or learning new ways to strike fear into their prey so as to better flavor the meat and put them at a disadvantage. Some would learn new ways of love-making in order to get the most pleasure out of the process. Others may, and these are more rare, want to learn more about other humanoids for purposes other than aiding in the hunt, enslavement and such. Still others would indulge in the learning of before mentioned trade skills. What the zith are interested in learning of course depends on the day and on their mood but their overall status within the colony would dictate quite a bit as well.

Zith have their own form of social class system. It is rather simple when compared to other civilized, non-zith societies and helps influence what they wish to learn. There are the Alphas of the families making up the colony. These are the strongest, most cunning zith who have participated in numerous successful hunts, are potent mates, have sought-after slaves and have built a name for themselves in general. These zith would choose different paths of learning than say for example, betas. The betas would be those in supportive roles within a family. This would be a brother or sister, cousin, aunt, uncle, etc., who hasn't gone on to start their own family. These individuals would likely indulge in the trade skills or social skills related to non-zith visitors to the castle and colony. Then come the young who often do a little of everything in their search for the right niche within the family and colony. Old and infirm don't last long enough to do much more learning past what they have already attained (old age is considered between 40-50 years of age while young are 1-5).

Skills may be passed down from parent to child but most of those would be skills related to the hunt as all zith must learn to hunt from an early age. One who cant hunt is left to wolves so to speak. Due to the short lifespan of the the zith combined with short attention span and motivations based on primal urges, there isn't a passed on history or teaching of advanced skills from parent to child. This is where the slaves become invaluable as they hold the history and skills of the past. Since non-zith often live far longer than their direct masters, they are able to pass on knowledge and skill from one zith generation to another. This is another reason why the zith give their slaves a good amount of freedom (within reason) and help maintain a relatively good life (keep in mind these are zith we are talking about even if they are a bit more civilized than most).

Generally, what one may considered more advanced skills such as blacksmithing, metalsmithing, architecture, locksmithing, carpentry, those sorts of things are not common among any zith, even those in Xy. It is not unheard of, it's just that most zith wouldn't have the patience and attention span to advance high enough in these types of skills to really stand out.

Touching a bit on what Saej and Aventis mentioned, I hope to have a well fleshed out cavern system while keeping some mystery and unknown to it all. There should be quite a bit more unique flora and fauna exclusive to Xy. The zith are the primary inhabitants of the city and castle but not the only ones to be sure. Aside from outsider visitors, there are going to be the unique animals as well as a monster or two or three, etc. I'm am really wanting to go with the whole idea of Castle Xy having, ages ago, been a containment facility of sorts where terrible things were held that could otherwise not be destroyed for one reason or another. This leaves things open for exploration, quests, discovery, expansion, etc. Look at it compared to Sahova. Sahova was a pre-Valterrian magical research facility. Xy was a pre-pre-Valterrian prison. The things held within would be unimaginable to modern day inhabitants of Mizahar. Some of those things remain.

There is the digging of new tunnels along with maintenance, upkeep and modification of old and existing ones. It is nowhere near on par with say the isur but it is still an active project. The tunnel complex branching off of the pit is extensive and even with so many zith living there, much of it is unexplored even after a few centuries of existence (remember, the zith are not industrious and don't have the attention span to keep up long term projects).

The only thing that would make areas off limits to non-zith would be one's own skill to survive. If a non-zith wishes to enter the colony or another part of the castle, they are free to do so. There aren't locks, at least not used by zith, there aren't regular guards (although there are always zith watching at some time or another). I'm thinking it is all basically the ultimate freedom and extreme form of survival. Do what you want, when you want it and if you can hold onto it as your own, its all yours. If you want to lay claim to a location, perhaps a chamber in the castle or a cave in the colony (I advise against the latter) go for it. If you can hold it, it's yours.

Of course there will be places that outsiders will just not want to go. Certain parts of the castle will likely be too dangerous while certain parts of the colony would just leave a person being the greatest moron in existence if they were to enter (don't just walk into a cave where a family's young sleeps). Common sense will likely create the divisions and barriers within Xy which eliminates the need for guards, locks, laws, etc.

More to come from me soon, in the meantime keep the discussion, ideas, suggestions going.
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Xy Development Thread

Postby Mayhem1 on November 25th, 2014, 12:47 am

Awesome information, makes a lot of sense. So the alphas are the ones who pretty much provide for/protect the family, and the betas are the ones who do everything else? It'd be pretty interesting to see a zith who became interested in, say, blacksmithing enough to make basic objects or tools. I can see the regular Zith making tools out of bone and wood, however.

More things! These are simpler questions that have been popping up in my head.
  1. How clean are the Zith? Do they bathe/how often?
    ---
  2. Do they occasionally cook their food or do they always eat it raw?
    ---
  3. Are the Zith omnivores or carnivores?
    ---
  4. How are half-Zith treated in Xy? I'm thinking they'd be common enough to have a set place on the ladder, even if it's a small one. Would they be more likely to explore the abandoned caverns? I'm assuming they'd be more likely to develop tradeskills because of their more human element, as well.
    ---
  5. How do the Zith feel about astronomy?
    ---
  6. How do they feel about astrology or fortune telling?
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Xy Development Thread

Postby Gillar on November 28th, 2014, 4:43 am


How clean are the Zith? Do they bathe/how often?


The concept of soap and perfumes is not one that zith really understand. Such things would interfere with the zith's ability to hunt. Remember, they don't just hunt humanoids and animals have a greater sense of smell. That said, the zith in Xy do bathe though they still have a uniquely animalistic scent; not dirty, just...earthy? Feral/less civilized zith are a different story but at least with those of Xy, they are relatively clean.

Do they occasionally cook their food or do they always eat it raw?


To zith, even those of Xy, the idea of cooking food is confusing. While there are occasional individuals who may try both cooked and raw, most consider cooking food to be destructive to the food and flavor.

Are the Zith omnivores or carnivores?


Omnivores. While they love meat, fruits and berries are good additions to their diet. Mushrooms and various other subterranean fungi are also considered palatable.

How are half-Zith treated in Xy? I'm thinking they'd be common enough to have a set place on the ladder, even if it's a small one. Would they be more likely to explore the abandoned caverns? I'm assuming they'd be more likely to develop tradeskills because of their more human element, as well.

Half-zith are above slaves but below full zith in status. As far as exploration, they would have more of an attention span than full zith thus they would be a bit more suited toward exploration if they so desired. They would also be more likely to attempt various types of trade skills. They relate better to the slaves though more than they do to their zith brethren.

How do the Zith feel about astronomy?


Lights in the sky. They don't really think much about it. My thoughts on this are that when the Alvina of Primal Urges died and his fading essence created the zith, his residual influence within them, even after so many generations, persists. One of the effects is that the zith in general do not think about larger, more advanced concepts such as astronomy. This also helps explain their lack of interest in formal religion. While individual zith may differ from this overall perspective, the majority of zith just don't think about such things. Why? Because the Alvina was a jealous, bestial creature and it wasn't going to give its essence to create the zith knowing that they may try to rise above their urges and strive for something greater.

How do they feel about astrology or fortune telling?

Again, these are things that just don't occur to the zith in general. The concepts can get a little too deep for a creature with a limited attention span who is driven by things other than considering the deeper meaning of things.
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Xy Development Thread

Postby Mayhem1 on November 28th, 2014, 5:09 am

Perfect. The answers only give me more ideas...and now that I have my silly questions out of the way, I can throw more things at you.

So first things first, about the housing. Now from what I understand, they live in simple huts and in caverns. Would they build hanging structures (buildings off of the sides of the main cavern, etc) and live in those as well, making the city sort of 3D rather than just things on the floor. I'm thinking that caves are also carved/naturally formed along the sides of the main pit cave, too.

Also, what it seems to me is that the slaves have a bit more freedom than the traders/outsiders do...because while they're not allowed to leave, they interact with the Zith more and are allowed inside the actual colony itself. Slave housing would be the same sort of huts, except probably smaller and clustered together in different sections or maybe near the families that own them (unless the slaves serve the entire colony rather than a single family).

Also, about the pre-Valterrian objects that could be found throughout Xy - there'd be rubble in the pit cave, too, yes? Not just in the castle itself, but things that fell when I'm assuming part of the castle collapsed in on itself and created the large cavern that forms the heart of Xy.
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Xy Development Thread

Postby Saej on November 29th, 2014, 7:25 pm

Going off of what Mayhem said maybe the Zith fly up to their houses while the slaves live on the bottom? I couldn't see anything with wings wanting to sleep on the ground.

Also I'm going to copy and paste my edit from the top.

I was reading the Castle Bazzaar thread and the "Music Tent" intrigued me. With how long their claws are string instruments would be kind of difficult to use, as a cellist I've always been told to keep my nails short. I was thinking maybe some kind of harpsichord? Or would that be too fancy for these guys? Wind instruments might not be as hard, a Zith playing the pan flute would be the coolest thing. But I could see them using a lot of hand drums and or maybe some kind of washboard, their claws would make the noises interesting.

You mentioned before that with Xy there's going to be a whole bunch more drugs added. I'm interested in learning more about that; psychedelic mushrooms? Maybe a moss or something with PCP like effects, make it into a tea, I could see them using it to get hyped for a hunt and make them stronger. Speed types of drugs? I doubt they would be much of a downer type. What are their thoughts on these things? Peace pipe usage(as in sit in a circle and all get stoned together for a sense of family or something or other)?

Do Zith grow denser fur in the winter? Or do they just keep jackets? I assume it would stay pretty warm deep in Xy thought. Perhaps in spring parts of the caves are flooded so you can only explore them some during fall and winter?

I see in the lore that "law enforcement is harsh at best". But it seems to be geared towards non-Zith. What about Zith who rape, steal, and murder? Or do they have some kind of code of honor?

Zith slave breeding. Would they have points in animal husbandry or what? What kinds of slaves would be the most valuable? What's the ratio of slaves to Zith? While Zith don't believe in monetary things would they trade slaves?
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