The World of Retha - WIP

[ZhongLiong]

Fool's Folly- OOC // IC // Character Dump
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DO NOT POST IN THIS THREAD, IT IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION. POST INTEREST IN THE INTEREST CHECK, LINKED ABOVE.

[Map to come soon]

The geography of the planet mirrors Earth - if you held the mirror to the bottom of the map. Earth's north is Retha's south, but east and west are the same. The planet is warmer then Earth, with all seven continents able to sustain civilization, and no humans, elves, or any 'traditional' races exist there.​

 

[ZhongLiong]

The Races
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The images I am using are not mine unless signed with the same Chinese symbol as my profile pic.

The races of Retha are varied, most walking on two legs. These are colectively known as the Rii races, as all of the race names end with that. The difference between a Rii and a humanoid is that a Rii has animal legs, tail, face, and possibly wings. The retain humanoid torso, arms, and hands.

Cougrii
Catlike in appearance, with long thin tails, feline faces, and pawed feet, they are known for their intelligence and dexterity. They tend to have a slightly standoffish attitude, adding to their catlike nature. They stand between 5' to 5 1/2' on average, and colorations are point (siamese), calico, tuxedo, brown tabby, orange tabby, grey, black, and white.

Louprii
This race is more canine, with bushy tails, lupine faces, and pawed feet. They are known to be strong and intelligent, with a mentality tending toward social interactions. Their average height is between 5 1/2' and 6', and have the coloration of grey wolf, coyote, red fox, silver fox, African wild dog, arctic fox, jackal, and red wolf.

Monrii
Reptilian in appearance, they have scaled tails, reptilian faces, and clawed feet. They are stronger and more resilient, and stand about 5 1/2' to 6' tall. They are similar to crocodile, monitor lizard, komodo dragon, Galapagos iguana, leopard gecko, green anole, skink, and bearded dragon.

Tengrii
The only avian race on Retha, and able to fly short distances, they have feathered tails, wings, Bird's faces, and clawed feet. They are known for their agility and ingenuity, as well as the fact that their strength is somewhat lacking. They look like raven, golden eagle, snowy owl, great grey owl, red-shouldered hawk, peregrine falcon, kestrel, and Harris hawk.

Aquarii
A race the others know through legends and sailor's tales, they are often not viewed as real. They do, however, exist, and live underwater. Having webbed ears and human faces, they do not have legs, but instead the tails of fish. They are incredible architects, though no land species has seen their cities. They are about 6' to 7' long, and varieties are yellowfin tuna, sail fish, lionfish, flying fish, barracuda, great white shark, white-tip shark, and bluefin tuna.

Arthorii
Living underground, this insectoid race is more animalian than the other rii races, often being mistaken for giant insect when they do come to the surface. Little is known about them, as they only surface at night, and very rarely. They come in praying mantis, golden orb weaver, fire ant, stag beetle, centipede, millipede, cockroach, and ladybug.

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Aylan
This race is unlike the Rii races, being built with six limbs. They have a humanoid upper torso, with the face of a great cat, and their hands, instead of a thumb and four fingers, have a thumb on either side of the palm, with three fingers in between. Their lower torso is feline, again like that of a great cat. Unlike the felines, however, they have a tail reminiscent of a dinosaur- thick, long, and tapering- and they are entirely furred. They are known for strength and dexterity, and their colorations echo those of the great cats- 'black' tiger ( brown with black stripes), red tiger, orange tiger, 'blue' tiger ( slate grey with darker grey stripes), white tiger, gold tiger (golden yellow with darker stripes), leopard, and snow leopard.
There are two rituals particular to the aylan. They are the Rite of Passage and the Branding of a Living Ghost.

Rite of Passage

Every aylan is trained from the time they can grip a dagger on how to use it, as well as basic survival in the wilds. This is in preparation for this ritual, which is the marking of an individual becoming an adult. When they turn sixteen, they are sent into a wilderness. They are to survive a week - ten days on Retha - before they can return. There is one condition where they may return before that: they must kill a monster and bring back proof. The more dangerous the monster, the greater the recognition. It is considered a good omen for their life to be able to bring something like a beholder eye or fang from a saurian (dinosaur).

Branding of a Living Ghost

Aylan who have committed an atrocity are given two choices: death or becoming a Living Ghost. Most choose death, as it is short. Being branded as a Living Ghost is to be dead to all who knew you, but be alive to suffer through them forcing themselves not to recognize you. Most who choose this end up killing themselves, as it becomes too much to bear.
The Branding itself is a fairly short process. A priest or priestess of the goddess of Law blesses achiote seed powder (annatto) and mixes it into a paste. This is applied to the stripes or spots on the right side of the branded aylan's face, permanently dying the fur a bright orange-red, which showes up on any pattern. Nothing can get rid of it, not even shaving the fur and letting it grow back out.

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[ZhongLiong]

Regions and Cultures
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Regions
Being a flip of Earth, The regions of the world are reversed. They have new names and the following list is meant to make it easier for the players to understand the world.

Region of Retha | Region of Earth
Froastgaard | Antarctica
North Ciamera | South America
South Ciamera | North America
Bloodlands | Eourope
Iasurae | Northern Asia
Seatmil | Middle East through South Asia
Isla | Australia and Polynesia
Caarif | Africa


Cultures
Each region has it's own culture, with many similarities to a culture on Earth. Currency is mostly a coin system, but some cultures have different systems of trade - these will be noted in the cultures description.

Froastgaard

Very much like the old Norse culture, with strong social bonds in each village and town. There is no central government, each settlement is instead self-governing. Because of this, no true military exists either, but this is no problem. Because the lands surrounding them are filled with dangerous creatures, most men and some women are skilled fighters.

Their primary source of protein being fish, they tend to be exceptional sailors. Merchants who brave the treacherous waters surrounding the continent are rewarded with rich tapestries for sale and young men and women willing to leave their lands looking for work or adventure.

The most common race is cougrii, with many louprii and tengrii as well. Monrii are rare, and aylan are non-existant, with the exception of merchants. Smaller villages with large expanses of wilderness around them sometimes have a form of dragon, called Uunisha, living with them

North Ciamera

This continent is mostly ruled by the sprawling Katze Erdreich, also known as the Aylan Empire, which is ruled by an Empress at all times. This is the place that aylan are native to, though some have left for other areas. The Empire's culture is similar to medieval Europe, with the exception that it is the females that rule, not the males. Men marry into the woman's family, and lineage is traced through the mother's line. There is also no taboo on same-sex relationships, as long as the lineage of noble lines is continued. Their technology is more advanced than medieval Eourope, with steam powered trains criss-crossing the jungles and plains. They are kept clear of dangers by special teams, and it is an honor to the family to be in one.
Not all of the occupants of the Empire are aylan. There are a fair amount of the other races, as well, though none are noble. However, they may still hold important standing in the culture.
The part not ruled by the Empire is the narrow strip of land between the mountains and ocean. They have a similar culture, but it is city-states instead of a single country.

South Ciamera

Asiatic in culture, this continent has a number of countries on it. They are mostly peaceful, with occasional spats between them. Family dignity is held as one of the most important things in life, and to mar such dignity is often to be disowned or worse. Their greatest exports are fine silks, spun from the threads of various moths. One country exports spider silk fabric, which is highly prized for it's durability.

The Bloodlands

Named by the other cultures for the constant warring of it's city states, it has only been known as this for the last half millennium. The people of this place still call it by the name of the kingdom it once was - Peuroe. Well built roads still cross the continent, most leading to the ruins of the old capital.
The nobles and clergy run a sort of co-leadership over the common people. Rii sacrifices are common - similar to the Mayans of Earth - and it is a great honor for the individual chosen.

Iasurae

The terrain here is varied, and the people are just as much so. Tribes in the cold southern reaches excel at hunting white bear and seal, while desert dwellers build homes in cliff sides and farm their food. The people of the forests also farm and make permanent settlements, while plains tribes are usually nomadic.
A few cities exist as trading centers for tribes and outsiders, although currency is unused - everything is on a barter system instead.

Seatmil

This is an area as varied as Iasurae to the south, with a main difference being that they accept outsiders in every village, town, and city. Because of this, the culture has become a melting pot, with bits and pieces of other cultures blended into their own. Their original culture is all but lost because of this. They accept all forms of currency - the average coin system, the Isla gem system, and straight up bartering.

Isla

A group of island countries that rally under a Great King or Queen, the Isla Confederacy spans the entirety of the islands, including the larger continent at the far northern reach of it. Most nobles are in name only. as anyone can hold land. There is a great military, with every able-bodied person spending at least two years in service when they come of age.
The military consists of three branches - Army, Navy, and Air Force. The air force is very different frome the ones on Earth, as they use sky-ships. These are built like a ship with a large air balloon carrying it into the sky. They have fins and propellers for directional movement, and magic is used to power everything. Because of this, every sky-ships has at least half a dozen master mages aboard, to direct the flow of energy and correct any issues that may arise.
Even though there is an overall government, piracy is not illegal. In fact, most goods in the Confederacy were 'opportunistically' gained. Due to this, most countries try to keep the Confederacy at arm's reach, and will often force ships out of their waters.

Caarif

The sandy southern part of this continent is inhabited by nomadic goat herders, travelling from one oasis to another. They often trade with those around them, from the people of Seatmil and the Bloodlands to the south up to the other people of Caarif to the north. Those living in the central and northern parts have more permanent settlements.
There is a very distinct seperation of gender among these people, with clear cut rules for how they interact with each other. Men run the businesses and other public things. Women are almost never seen out, and when they are they are usually escorted by a male member of their family.

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[ZhongLiong]

Dragons
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The dragons of Retha are unlike those of other worlds, being furred rather than scaled. They do not have a breath weapon, instead having a venomous barb hidden in the fur at the end of their tails. They keep the existence of the barb hidden from other races, only using it in extreme situations, as it is instant death for the victim. They can also take a rii-like form, with the legs, tail, faces, and wings of their natural form. They have innate magic, and once they learn how to cast a new spell, it becomes a spell-like ability - they are able to cast it without need for any materials, incantations, or gestures.

There are nine species of dragons, one of them being unknown to most.

Shikasha

Very stand-offish, this species keeps to their own territories, usually in forested mountains. Each territory contains a clan of individuals, and they build towns and cities atop their highest peaks. Getting them to trade their goods is difficult, but is rewarded with magical items and manuscripts.

They appear very wolf-like, with wings, long fluffy tails, a mane like a lion, and horns that look like a deer's. Coloration is greatly varied, and the long fur on their mane and tail it tipped with an accent color. Individuals can be almost any color, with tips just as varied as their main color. During the winter months, they shed their colorful coats and grow in a white one, with the tips still being a different color. Their winter tip color may or may not be the same as their summer color. The average adult stands about twenty-five feet at the shoulder.

Ahteli

These otter-like dragons live in rivers and the open ocean. They have longer tails than an otter, with their total length from nose to tail tip being an average of fifteen feet. The fur at the tip of their tail is tufted, and their wings double as fins for swimming. They live in small family groups, with no more than the two parents and the latest litter of pups living together at one time.

Fenisha

Built like a sand-colored elongated ferret with the horn and mane of a unicorn, these dragons are wingless. With an average of fifty feet from nose to tail, they are among the largest on Retha. Mostly solitary, the most you might find is a mother with two offspring. Vicious by nature, they hide under the desert sand waiting for anything that comes by. Nothing is too large or small to eat, in their minds.

Genji

Bounding through jungle and desert alike, these are the smallest of Retha's dragons. Standing just taller than the average man, they are built like kangaroos, with short curving back horns and slim wings meant for speed. They can come in as few as a small family of four to a clan of twenty. They love fun and games, and much of their time is spent playing with anything that will play back.

Appaleen

Graceful like the horses they are shaped as, this species prefers mountains and plains. They have pawed feet rather than hooves, and a long thick tail ending in a tuft. Their wings are somewhat small, and their horns are swirled like those of a gazelle. Coming in as many colors and patterns as horses do, you find them standing ten foot at the shoulder and living in herds of about ten.

Uunisha

This tundra and arctic living species has a form like that of a snow leopard, with immense wings and ram's horns. Their base color is snow white, with the rosettes the blue of glacial ice. These are the ones who often live in small isolated villages of other races, helping guard their home and the people within it. They are fairly large, standing at twenty feet at the shoulder.

Hakeen

Much like the Shikasha in coloration, this species is another without wings. They are much like a fox, with a longer body and tail, and their horns are the graceful sweep of an elk's. Preferring forest and plains, you do not find many at a time, usually only a small family. They are about twenty-five feet long when fully grown.

Selameen

Like giant seals on a rocky shore, this species might be mistaken for one at a great distance. Their wings are thin, not very good for flying, but great for swimming. Their horns are short and stubby, and their tempers nasty. Fights break out in the colonies often, and blood is almost always shed. The colonies themselves range from ten members to upwards of thirty, and the average size of an adult is thirty feet long from nose to tip of their long tapering tail.

Ferali

These are the dragons that are never spoken of to outside races. Some of the other species even regard them as myth, as very few have ever seen one. They live in only one place in the world: The tallest peak. there they have formed an entire civilization of their own, with knowledge being the thing to collect, not material wealth. They will send individuals out to collect more, and with the powerful shape-changing magic they have they are undetectable. They can make themselves as any other race, and be indistinguishable from a natural one.
They are naturally invisible, and must force themselves to not be so. Despite this, or because of it, they can see anything else that is invisible, including each other. When they can be seen, they are unlike any other species of dragon. A slim face with gracefully curving horns is followed by a long thin neck. A large rib cage supports two sets of wings, and they can beat at separate paces, like a dragonfly. Strong but slim hind legs support the hips, and when on the ground the two sets of wings double as forelimbs. Their long tail is incredibly flexible. Colored like the sky they spend most of their time in, there is a ridge of white fur running down the back of their neck and at the tip of their tail. From nose to tail, they are forty feet long, making them the second largest dragon on Retha.

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[ZhongLiong]

Other Creatures
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Most of the creatures and monsters in the world are like those of other fantasy worlds - manticores, chimeras, hydras, and basilisk, to name a few. Others are slightly different in form, but still very much like their namesakes - orcs, ogres, and goblins all have reptilian legs and tails instead of the 'normal' humanoid. There are creatures specific to Retha, though. Some live in certain regions, while others are more wide spread.

Saurians

Much like ancient Earth's Utah raptors, the jungles of North Ciamera hold the saurians. Packs of these vicious and intelligent creatures hunt anything they think they can catch, and their mottled feathering hides them in the shadowy underbrush. A few enterprising young aylan have tried raising and taming them, and everyone thinks they are insane for it.

Feathered Dogs

Not actually a breed of dog, but their own separate species, they nonetheless look much like a greyhound in build. However, rooted in their shoulders are two long tentacles, very flexible and holding dozens of sharp quills at the ends. Feathers instead of fur cover their bodies, and they sport a crest on their heads. There is also a spade shaped fan of stiff feathers at the end of their tails, giving them more maneuverability than the average dog. Colors range through blues and greens normally, but reds and yellows do show up. They are a favorite pet in many parts of the world.

Ice Coatl

Created by a great mage in Froastgaard a couple hundred years ago, they have great intelligence and have slowly been spreading away from the place that had been his home. They are feathered serpents, with the body of a snake and the wings of a bird. They are all the colors of snow and ice, patterns of white and blue across their wings and backs. A crest on their heads is used to convey emotion, and feathers of the tip of their tails is much like a bird's tail. No one knows what they eat, but the longest they have been seen to grow to is around ten feet.

Gryphling

Created by the god Averys, this species serves as familiars only to the mages that he favors. They are given to the mage as an egg, silky smooth and black, about the size of a kitten. When they hatch, they grow to adulthood in a single day. They look like a griffin, if the eagle part was a raven and the lion part a black house cat, that is the size of a Maine Coon breed of cat. They are incredibly intelligent, can speak telepathically, and are often sassy with their owners.

Tamsah

These creatures are the size of a Nile crocodile from earth, and look much like them. Save for the fact that they have more horn-like scaling on their backs and heads, and their legs are longer- positioned more beneath them than to the side. This gives them more dexterity and speed on land, without hampering them in the water. Natives to the Great River of Caarif, where the tamsah live, tell stories of these beasts galloping after their herds, easily overpowering full grown water buffalo.

Mantileo

A predator stalking the Isla Confederacy's largest landmass, they seem a strange mix of features. Most often, visitors will liken them to one of the great cats of the other continents, being built for stealth hunting and having powerful retractable claws. Yet, in contrast, they have a tail similar to those of the kangaroos they hunt, as well as a pouch like them. Their teeth are unique among carnivores as well, lacking any sort of functional canine teeth.

Galania

Giant monitor lizards, the body alone of these great beasts is at least six feet from shoulders to base of tail when full grown. Add to this the neck and head, as well as a tail about the same length as the body, and you have an animal that is quite large. Despite this, they are rather well-tempered animals and the people of the Isla Confederacy have tamed them as mounts and beasts of burden. They are easy to take care of, as they will eat just about anything.

Lothinn Fiall

These seem like smaller furry versions of the elephants in the northern part of the continent and in Caarif, and are indeed related. They stand roughly five and a half feet at the shoulder, with thick medium to dark brown fur. The Iasurians in the steppes use them as mounts and carry-animals, as they are able to cary quite a bit of weight.

Inoshishi

These great boar-like beasts roam the plains of South Ciamera, indifferent to most predators due to their immense size. From each side of their head is a spike of bone, protruding straight out from the cheek. They have small tusks, and thick bristling fur on their backs. Opportunistic omnivores, they will eat corpses that they find as well as plant matter and insects.

Na Niho Kaua

A deep sea fish, the bony plates covering it's head and upper body render attack against it nearly useless. A few are fished up in deep-sea nets in the tropics, but other than that, only the aquarii see them. None of the above-water races remembers where the name came from, as it was actually shared by the elusive sea peoples long ago. They grow quite big, making it to ten feet long at adulthood.

Wiona

Giant arthropods that roan the shallower seas of the world, their segmented bodies are tapered to the back, with a long whip-like spine at the end of their tails. They have legs that are adapted to both crawling along the sea sands and swimming short distances, and reach sizes of up to five feet long.

Sahkil

Small flocks of these terrifying flightless birds hunt through the forests of the Bloodlands, working much like a pack of wolves. They are almost seven feet tall at the top of their heads, with a heavy hooked beak and wickedly curved claws. Their coloration is mostly dull, with males sporting crests of vivid golds and reds.

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[ZhongLiong]

Vegetation
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Most of Retha is covered in the same plants as Earth, with some exceptions. These plants are found in very specific places in the world.

Kinanthera

A rare flowering ground plant, these are only found high in the western mountains of South Ciamera. Their leaves are elongated teardrops, coming up from a short stem close to the ground. They are a blueish green, with red veining making stripes up the length of the leaf. Flowers only bloom every five years, and are highly sought after. The violet petals with red veining are a guaranteed cure for any toxin. Almost ironically, the rest of the plant is deadly poisonous.

Fire Bamboo

The island chain on the east side of the Iasurae landmass is home to this plant, and only way you can tell this form of bamboo from others is the faint red veins in its leaves and stems. Most people don't notice until too late, and find out only when they have triggered the plant's defense mechanism - it literally causes fires to start around it, and someone accidentally stumbling into one has cause many a forest fire. They tend to take over land that has been scorched, and many consider it to be a weed. The only way to safely cut it down is to have some sort of magic nullification spell in the area you are going to be working. This prevents it from starting fires.
Once harvested, the sturdy fibers and wood are fire-resistant, and have as many uses as normal bamboo. This means that fire-retardant clothing can be made from the plant, and structures built with the poles are much less likely to catch fire.

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[ZhongLiong]

The Gods
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There are, according to the people of Retha, a myriad of gods and goddesses. If one looks very closely, they may realize that certain things are governed by gods of a particular appearance, personality, or both. Certain scholars, therefore, believe that there are in fact only a few gods in existence.

Listed in order of age, these are the real names, races, and origins of the gods.

War

An aylan who united all of the surrounding clans by conquering them, Zella is the progenitor of the Aylan Empire, though she did not know it at the time. Most cultures refer to her as the Cat of War, or something similar. She still takes great interest in the Empire, and the imperial bloodline is still hers.

Nature

Nameless to all, even himself, this aquarii was once a hermit, and grew into god-dom from his understanding of the order of nature. The symbol most use for the god of nature is a fish jumping from water.

Farm and Field

The first Monrii to plant seeds and tend to them until harvest, Riyad is of the continent of Caarif, and they still produce some of the best crops to this day. A sheaf of wheat is normally his symbol.

Knowledge

A Ferali dragon, lady Sabella has given her entire species a directive: collect all the histories and information on the world and keep it safe. They do this still, and scholars of other races are blessed by her as well. Her favored symbol is an open book with a star.

Home and Hearth

A Louprii born in South Ciamera, this handsome red fox named Yoshito is the first to take in orphans, essentially creating the first orphanage. He also had a hand in the constructions of his home town, and helped care for pregnant women, learning much from his midwife mother. His symbols vary greatly, and he doesn't care much about it.

Law

Yalyamenitza comes from the Bloodlands, way back before it was even the empire. She started creating laws to cover as many aspects of life as she could, creating a social structure that led to the formation of the empire. She is blind, and oddly enough, her priests and priestesses have a unique spell at their command. As long as there is some form of liquid, they can perform this spell and it will show them what happened in that area, as long as three days ago. A set of scales is normally her symbol.

Thieves and Magic

By far the youngest of the gods, the others begrudgingly accepted him. A Tengrii from the Isla Confederacy, back at its birth, Averys is very mischievous, and often meddles in the affairs of mortals. He is the first to completely understand the nature of magic, and as such has taken that as his sphere of influence. A spark and swirl are his favorite of the symbols.

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[ZhongLiong]

List of the role plays that have happened on Retha
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Fool's Folly - current​