A Fantasy Dynasty

[merkros]

I added a somewhat dire but not super-graphic pair of chapters to punish King Bryce's persistent inattention to his royal duties. Let me know if it's a good-enough fit.

Sure!

Feel free to be as dark or not dark as you want. I am, of course, not one to shy away from punishing a reader for bad decision making. In fact, it has gotten me in trouble with people enjoying their powers to dislike chapters in the past(I think The Usurpation still has the most dislikes on the story).

Apologies for leaving my plotlines idle so long, but I needed to figure out this particular bit.

no problems. I haven't exactly been the most attentive to my story lines myself.

 

[merkros]

Heey

I haven't been very active lately due to working on a new little story and being pretty busy to keep up with A Fantasy Dynasty(outside of chapter approval), but the story hit a million views over the last week or so.

A Big Thanks to everyone who has contributed! I couldn't have done it on my own!

Hopefully as the summer comes to a close, I'll have more time to work on all of my stories...

 

[Omega98]

Hey all!

I just found this page, and a while ago merkros invited writers to post their ideas for long-term plans. First off I'd like to apologize to the readers out there for my infrequent additions, I have plenty of ideas of what I want to happen with Magus and the Frostpeaks but I really have to be in the mood to write. Sometimes I get sidetracked by RL, sometimes I want to do other things, and sometimes I write myself into a corner that I just can't seem to get out of (writer's block is the most infuriating thing). All writers know this, still, I feel bad about it. I want to put out more work, I just need to find someway to motivate myself.

Anyway, onto ideas!

Right now I'm essentially trying to work my way out of the introduction. At the moment I'm just creating people, places, and especially history. I'm trying as best I can to keep what I'm writing contained to the Frostpeaks (for now), so that it doesn't conflict too much with what other people want to do. I'm taking the approach that characters like Bryce, Vessa, and Akina are often mentioned but never really seen until the introduction is over; which happens at the conclusion of the battle at Twin's Pass/Castle Hillgard. Once that fight is finished though I imagine Magus's story going in several directions each based off of events that have happened in the story.

Path 1 - Bryce dies

Just what would happen to Itheria if Bryce was killed? Whether it's at Luxum or fighting the Amazons or something else, would the country unite under Magus? Would it devolve into chaos? Would the nobility accept a mage as king? Would he have to fight for his crown? Would he even want it? Would he consolidate his power in the Frostpeaks and let Itheria burn?​

Path 2 - Bryce marries "Countess Marissa"

So Bryce married a demon... now what? As his cousin devolves into hedonistic debauchery what will the Duke of the Frostpeaks do? Will he try to save his king? Will he march an army to save the kingdom from a corrupted monarch? Would he care? Would he consolidate his power in the Frostpeaks and let Itheria burn?​

Path 3 - Magus wars for the crown

An offshoot of path two, but what would happen if Bryce and Magus came to blows? Why would they fight? Is Bryce incompetent? Corrupted? Is Magus doing the right thing? Or is he just a ruthless bastard? Who would win? Could Bryce take The White Spire where all others have failed before him? Could Magus, with a much smaller force, take The Capital?​

Path 4 - Literally anything else

Umm... literally anything else.​

These are some of the ideas that I have going on in my head, I just have to get out of the introduction in order to write them. But, if anyone wanted to write one of these *cough* two or three *cough* from Bryce's side that could be cool to! In any case, that's where I am. If anyone has any questions on the Frostpeaks or the Von Dooms give me a shout, I will do my best to give you the answer. Or... you know... make one up.

 

[dearnise]

Hey all!

I just found this page, and a while ago merkros invited writers to post their ideas for long-term plans. First off I'd like to apologize to the readers out there for my infrequent additions, I have plenty of ideas of what I want to happen with Magus and the Frostpeaks but I really have to be in the mood to write. Sometimes I get sidetracked by RL, sometimes I want to do other things, and sometimes I write myself into a corner that I just can't seem to get out of (writer's block is the most infuriating thing). All writers know this, still, I feel bad about it. I want to put out more work, I just need to find someway to motivate myself.

Anyway, onto ideas!

Right now I'm essentially trying to work my way out of the introduction. At the moment I'm just creating people, places, and especially history. I'm trying as best I can to keep what I'm writing contained to the Frostpeaks (for now), so that it doesn't conflict too much with what other people want to do. I'm taking the approach that characters like Bryce, Vessa, and Akina are often mentioned but never really seen until the introduction is over; which happens at the conclusion of the battle at Twin's Pass/Castle Hillgard. Once that fight is finished though I imagine Magus's story going in several directions each based off of events that have happened in the story.

Path 1 - Bryce dies

Just what would happen to Itheria if Bryce was killed? Whether it's at Luxum or fighting the Amazons or something else, would the country unite under Magus? Would it devolve into chaos? Would the nobility accept a mage as king? Would he have to fight for his crown? Would he even want it? Would he consolidate his power in the Frostpeaks and let Itheria burn?​

Path 2 - Bryce marries "Countess Marissa"

So Bryce married a demon... now what? As his cousin devolves into hedonistic debauchery what will the Duke of the Frostpeaks do? Will he try to save his king? Will he march an army to save the kingdom from a corrupted monarch? Would he care? Would he consolidate his power in the Frostpeaks and let Itheria burn?​

Path 3 - Magus wars for the crown

An offshoot of path two, but what would happen if Bryce and Magus came to blows? Why would they fight? Is Bryce incompetent? Corrupted? Is Magus doing the right thing? Or is he just a ruthless bastard? Who would win? Could Bryce take The White Spire where all others have failed before him? Could Magus, with a much smaller force, take The Capital?​

Path 4 - Literally anything else

Umm... literally anything else.​

These are some of the ideas that I have going on in my head, I just have to get out of the introduction in order to write them. But, if anyone wanted to write one of these *cough* two or three *cough* from Bryce's side that could be cool to! In any case, that's where I am. If anyone has any questions on the Frostpeaks or the Von Dooms give me a shout, I will do my best to give you the answer. Or... you know... make one up.

Those are some good ideas, to help coincide with what others like myself have written, so far. I think for a 4th path, or for a side path, you could have Magus dispatch Devona to the Itherian Capital, to see how Bryce is faring, and do a story arc that can coincide with her two cycles (years) of courting Bryce, before he implements the final group of maidens that are campaigning to be Queen of Itheria.

-----

As for my own story arc, I'm still working on some good ideas for some branches, and I'm also running into obstacles coming from RL, or get a case of the Writer's Block. For the Week 2 story branches, I'm thinking of having Bryce work the maidens on various personal issues.

Possible examples:

Devona and Cielina's differences causes them to have a "duel"

Maybe Devona and Cielina clash to where they challenge one another in the art of combat. Perhaps Vessa could cast stoneskins on the two women, and let them battle until one of them breaks the stoneskin of her opponent. They could also do a certain duel, where they battle on wooden stumps and scaffolds, until one of them is knocked to the ground.
​

The people of The Goldfields still do not trust Fiona

In fact, some of the disgruntled citizens could make attempts to try and assassinate Fiona, for her people's long history of raids on The Goldfields. Others could come together, and petition Bryce to drop the Gaelic woman out of the search for the new Itherian Queen.
​

A Dark Elven house has a bounty on Arin's head

As if demons in the Great Elethiel Forest wasn't enough, there are the Surface Elves' long time nemesis, the Dark Elves. Maybe one of the Dark Elven house has a beef with Elethiel's royal family, and have placed a bounty on every member of the family, including Arin. So maybe some of those Dark Elves have managed to find where Arin is, and have sent a request to Bryce to hand Arin over to them, or face a Dark Elven invasion.
​

A family emergency forces Khalisah to return to Al-Anashab

Something has happened in Al-Anashab, and the royal family has called Princess Khalisah back home. However, Khalisah herself does not want to drop out of the campaign for the crown, so she works with Vessa to open a magic portal back to Al-Anashab. She asks Bryce for assistance, and goes from there.​

 

[Omega98]

Those are some good ideas, to help coincide with what others like myself have written, so far. I think for a 4th path, or for a side path, you could have Magus dispatch Devona to the Itherian Capital, to see how Bryce is faring, and do a story arc that can coincide with her two cycles (years) of courting Bryce, before he implements the final group of maidens that are campaigning to be Queen of Itheria.

Thanks for the thumbs up dearnise! I've been considering introducing Devona somewhere along the line, but it probably won't be until Magus is on the march to wherever he ends up going. I like to tie in my threads to whatever other writers are producing, I find it helps with continuity and makes the story all the more enjoyable to the readers, but like everyone else I know this isn't always possible. Especially in a CHose Your Own Adventure story.

I'm liking where you're taking your threads, though I figure it'll be a while before I catch up in the timeline.

 

[merkros]

Welcome to the discussion Omegah2o!

I'll be honest, I never really considered the idea of stories running in tandem with one another. When I first conceptualized the story, I sort of expected that most of the stories would either branch off very early in Bryce's Storyline when King Bryce and his court/friends/lovers/etc are mostly blank slates. Which has happened as the first court "hub" has like 5 different story directions. Or at the very beginning and doing their own story that doesn't involve Bryce and there's a few of those as well...Although yours and Actiaeon's are the only two that have gone anywhere so far.

Still, I hadn't thought about the possibility that someone may run a story parallel to my own.

 

[Omega98]

Thanks for the welcome merkros!

I don't blame you for not considering concurrent stories, it's hard to keep track of, especially when you consider how many branches that can spin off of one hub chapter. There was something that just called to me about this story though. When I read the thread where Marissa kills Bryce at Luxum and then another where the two get married I was like "Huh. I wonder how the same noble would react to those two situations?". As soon as that question popped up in my mind Magus was born Then I was like "I GOTTA DO THIS!!!"

And so I did.

But one thing that really strikes my mind is at the end of the chapter "Curtains" (the first court scene where Bryce has to deal with the problems of the kingdom) can you imagine what it would be like if all of those branching options were happening AT THE SAME TIME!!! Bryce would be like "Well Shit!" That's kind of how I'm approaching Magus, all of those things ARE happening, yet at the same time none of them are. It's like Schrodinger's Cat kind of; we don't get to open the box until the end of his introduction. That is just something that appeals to me.

 

[Actiaeon]

Hey Everyone I was just messaging with Omegah2o to see what his religions were, when he told me of this Forum page, feel like an idiot for missing it in the writers resources page. Anyway if everyone is posting where they plan to set there stories and other assorted lore I will post mine also. BTW I probably will not be updating my story too much broke my right arm (i'm right handed) and typing is a huge chore for me right now but I want to write too much to stop.

Right now i'm trying to gather the lore for everyone's stories because even if I can't have them match to much, I can at least have them have equivalent lore. So that is what I am up to right now. But I do plan for Bergelmir to become a noble of sorts before he dies, he needs too in order to call it a fantasy dynasty, he needs to be a ruler of sorts. Also my branchs tend not to branch off too much and reach one stable point (I plan to use conditional variables for it later.)

Also like Omegah I'm trying to get my story to line up with at least one storyline right now, Right now I'm probably going to have Bergelmir leave Itheria at some point an have him come back to the changes, however there is another where to the west of Itheria there are some islands, these islands are not inhabited and he and the merc band are sent there to deal with the amazons whom have taking control of the island and are using it as a base for their raids on Itheria and other kingdoms. He must find a way to stop the raids, peacefully or by force.

After that I don't know yet still working on it.

 

[merkros]

Right now i'm trying to gather the lore for everyone's stories because even if I can't have them match to much, I can at least have them have equivalent lore. So that is what I am up to right now. But I do plan for Bergelmir to become a noble of sorts before he dies, he needs too in order to call it a fantasy dynasty, he needs to be a ruler of sorts. Also my branchs tend not to branch off too much and reach one stable point (I plan to use conditional variables for it later.)

I'm doing all I can to try and archive all of the established lore on the Writer Resource Page. However, over the last month or so, my internet has been really really spotty. I haven't really been able to keep up as much as I would have liked and don't really have a chance to do much but approve chapter when they come by.

So(and this goes for everyone) if there's something in your story that you think should be added to the writer resource page and isn't included, please post a message here or send me one privately if you would prefer. Most notably, I know that @Omegah2o and @SonOfDusk have both brought up religion in their stories, but I don't know how much they have planned for that aspect or how in-depth they plan on going.

 

[Omega98]

Hey everyone!

In regards to religion in Motania I've introduced two, The Order of Holy Light and The Pantheon. As I've stated in the comments on one of my threads, Nowhere in Particular, the Order is a monotheistic group (they believe in one god), while the Pantheon is a polytheistic belief (followers believe in many gods). I myself am not sure how much detail I will be going into on either group. Although I do have a fairly developed outline for the Pantheon, and some rough ideas for the Order, I'm beginning to realize that running those ideas by you guys first might be a better idea. Let me know if that works for you.

 

[dearnise]

Hey everyone!

In regards to religion in Motania I've introduced two, The Order of Holy Light and The Pantheon. As I've stated in the comments on one of my threads, Nowhere in Particular, the Order is a monotheistic group (they believe in one god), while the Pantheon is a polytheistic belief (followers believe in many gods). I myself am not sure how much detail I will be going into on either group. Although I do have a fairly developed outline for the Pantheon, and some rough ideas for the Order, I'm beginning to realize that running those ideas by you guys first might be a better idea. Let me know if that works for you.

Sounds like a plan. I'm figuring that different parts of Motania will have a different set of beliefs. I'm figuring that the Amazon tribes & the Al-Anashab people will likely have monotheistic ideals, while some other parts of Motania will have polytheistic ideals, like the Elves of Elethiel. I haven't figured out how it will play into Itherian ideas, but I have story space to work it out, at least in my threads.

Also like Omegah I'm trying to get my story to line up with at least one storyline right now, Right now I'm probably going to have Bergelmir leave Itheria at some point an have him come back to the changes, however there is another where to the west of Itheria there are some islands, these islands are not inhabited and he and the merc band are sent there to deal with the amazons whom have taking control of the island and are using it as a base for their raids on Itheria and other kingdoms. He must find a way to stop the raids, peacefully or by force.

After that I don't know yet still working on it.

Are you planning on having it be a sect of Cielina's Thessia Tribe? Or will it be one of the other Amazon tribes? Personally, I am figuring it could be one of the tribes that are a major rival to the Thessian tribe, but that is up to you.

 

[Actiaeon]

Are you planning on having it be a sect of Cielina's Thessia Tribe? Or will it be one of the other Amazon tribes? Personally, I am figuring it could be one of the tribes that are a major rival to the Thessian tribe, but that is up to you.

To be honest I had not thought about it too much, but I do like it being one of the rival tribes. That could be great, and if the king marries the amazonian that could lead to some conflict; What do you think? Would it conflict with anyone's story?

Also I was looking for information on the other religions because I wanted Bergelmir to have his own coming from the far north, It might be a bit cliche but I was thinking nordic, however I might include some slavic into it.

 

[dearnise]

To be honest I had not thought about it too much, but I do like it being one of the rival tribes. That could be great, and if the king marries the amazonian that could lead to some conflict; What do you think? Would it conflict with anyone's story?

Also I was looking for information on the other religions because I wanted Bergelmir to have his own coming from the far north, It might be a bit cliche but I was thinking nordic, however I might include some slavic into it.

The idea of an Amazon tribe that rivals Cielina's own, is one long-term idea that I have in mind. At this point, I do not know if it will conflict with other stories.

 

[merkros]

@Actiaeon , you mentioned in a comment on one of my threads that Bryce seems like he's a bit dense. I just wanted to elaborate a little bit on my response and didn't want to flood the comment section with a really long answer. I mentioned in my response that Bryce may be a bit naïve when it comes to cute girls that want to kill him and that's mostly true. However, there are other reasons I decided to play it out the way I did. Phebis is a friendly kingdom. It's probable that Bryce doesn't really expect someone to be out to kill him there. Also, It isn't rare for someone to try and get into the King's good graces through certain 'favors' and at least my version of Bryce has a tendency to think with his other head.

I'd also like to note that the chapter that i published last night has the would be assassin show up and get flirty with Bryce before Akina steps in and exposes her for what she is before Bryce can really act on his own. However, the events playing out in that branch of the story occur in multiple locations. The other encounter, which hasn't been fully written yet is here . In that branch of the story, Akina isn't angry at Bryce the night before and ends up getting a bit too relaxed(and drunk) and isn't available to save Bryce. In that segment, the reader will have the choice as to whether to believe Sera(which leads to Bryce's Death) or if she's just way too suspicious and refuse her offer(which leads to her trying to kill him anyway and Bryce either defending himself or getting help from the Castle Guard. I haven't decided on which yet.)

 

[Actiaeon]

@merkros, No don't take it the wrong way, he is young and a new king, of course he is naive and kind of an idiot; It would probably be weirder if he was an genius at being king from the start, all characters should grow into the role. It is just the moment when Akina came and saved him, he just was like what you doing? She is saving your dumb ass. I thought the chapter was kind of funny him being oblivious while he is inching closer to his doom, but at the last minute he is saved from someone else. I don't hate far from it I like the chapter it makes Bryce his own character and not just a template of good king.

 

[merkros]

Eh, I didn't take any offense. I just wanted to elaborate a bit.

Plus Akina is fun to write.

 

[Omega98]

Hey guys!

Okay, so a while ago I suggested I run some ideas I had for religious groups by you. This is more for me to get your guys' input on them and for all of you to make your own suggestions/revisions. So here goes.

The Order of Holy Light

I figure this is the dominant religion in Itheria, and probably should be adopted by the surrounding kingdoms/regions. It's similar to Christianity/Judaism/Islam in that the followers believe in one all-powerful god. The real thing I want to introduce with The Order is failings. Specifically, when someone sins against The Order's god they can confess their misconduct and attempt to atone for it. The rites and passages in this vary, but ultimately when a church or temple 'father' decides that the sinner is ready, they undergo a test to see if they have overcome their transgressions. If the sinner is successful, their sin is absolved and they are sanctified 'pure' under the eyes of the church; the 'purified' individual may then return home and resume their life. If the sinner fails, then the result is something different.

With a failing, the sinner is not absolved and is sentenced to a life in service to the church/temple/mosque, specifically, a service fitting their transgression. For example, if a particularly angry or violent individual fails their test, they may be sentenced to serve in the militant arm of The Order; effectively becoming a holy warrior; a greedy person may be condemned to collecting wealth for The Order and so on and so forth. With the sin of lust, a person is typically condemned to being a religious concubine. The Order is funny in that so long as a follower's sin of lust is committed with one of their courtesans it's not technically considered a sin because that's what the courtesan is there for. But anyway, this is how I've imagined 'failings' to work.
​

The Pantheon

This should be a significantly older religion that has fallen out of practice with the populace. The Frostpeaks should be the last stronghold of their faithful, but other pockets of it can and probably should still exist. Within The Pantheon, I would like there to be twelve deities, but have only really developed nine of them. They are as follows:

1. Adora - Goddess of: Love, Lust, Desire, Beauty, Sex, Seduction, and Parenthood. She is: the first, the mother of, and queen of the gods. Her personality and appearance is not currently set and open for input.
2. Terran - God of: the Earth, Power, Longevity, and Fortitude. Physically the biggest, oldest and strongest of the gods. Personality-wise he is lovable if a little dull-witted; his appearance should be similar to "The Incredible Hulk" only pleasant!
3. Aquia - Goddess of: the Sea, Mystery, Secrets, and the Exotic. Her personality should be calm and reserved, yet aloof and mysterious. Her appearance is that of an 'African Mermaid'
4. Skye - Goddess of: the Sky, the Weather, Seasons, and Change. She is the most temperamental of the gods and prone to wild mood swings. She can be calm and pleasant one minute only to change into a wild lightning-storm the next.
5. (Unnamed) - God of: the Dead, Law, Order, Justice, Judgement, and Virtue. He is the youngest and king of the gods. As ruler of the afterlife, he is the judge of all mortals. Seen as a dark figure by those who don't follow the religion, he is actually a kind and considerate god. By his decree the gods are no longer allowed to directly interfere in mortal matters, as when a person dies he has to judge their actions; and it's easier for him to do so without the mitigating circumstances of divine intervention.

These are the Original Gods of The Pantheon. However, I figure the gods paired up and had children at some point, resulting in the added New Gods. They are as follows:

1. Levos - Son of Adora and the unnamed god of the dead. He is the antithesis of everything his father is. He is the god of: Chaos, Disorder, Inequality, Unfairness, and Injustice. As such, he is the god of Life. He is based very much on Loki from the Marvel Universe (who in turn is based off of Loki from Nordic mythology).
2. Rath - Daughter of Skye and Terran, she is the goddess of: War. Borne out of the statement "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". She is the most feared and violent of the gods and very much a female version of the Greco-Roman god Ares/Mars.
3. (Unnamed) - Twin daughter of Terran and Aquia. She is the Goddess of: Education, Learning, Intelligence, Knowledge, and Wisdom. Imagined as a 'bookworm' she is cute without being pretty.
4. (Unnamed) - Twin son of Terran and Aquia. He is the God of: Music, Poetry, Literature, Art, Drama, the Hunt, and anything requiring skill. He is the most confident of the gods to the point of being cocky and somewhat full of himself.

As I said, I imagined twelve gods in total but have only really come up with nine. If anyone would like to submit ideas for the other three please do so. I figure it's best to talk about them in here before creating them in-story anyway. In any case, what do you guys think? Please let me know.

Also, ultimately these are only two beliefs in a world that is no doubt full of different ones. If anyone doesn't want to use these two, you don't have to. That's the wonderful thing about CHYOA! ​

 

[merkros]

I'll be honest, I sort of expected the main religion in Itheria to be polytheistic. Just because that aligns more clearly with standard RPG worlds. That doesn't mean that it can't be monotheistic. It just wasn't really in my plans. I haven't really gone into much detail with religion in my branches of the story.

As for your ideas for The Pantheon. It seems pretty well thought out. A couple of thoughts for potential new deities.

I noticed that there's not really any clear 'evil' deity or some kind of godlike beings that serve as a counterweight and antagonist to The Pantheon. Levos sort of could be I guess. I can't really say the same for Marvel's Loki as he is often portrayed as a villain, but Loki in Nordic mythology is not really what I would call evil. A troublemaker and a problem causer yeah, but not really evil. In Polytheistic religions, there's often some sort of antagonist being or beings.

There's also a distinct lack of anything pertaining to beastfolk. Considering how prevalent they are in human societies(along with goblins) I would imagine they would have some kind of deity related to them. Having a beastfolk deity, or a deity who created the beastfolk would likely mean that most beastfolk would worship The Pantheon over The Order of Holy Light which would explain some more of the societal gap between beastfolk and humans.

I have briefly mentioned in one of my chapters about the Queen of The Forest. I haven't really written too much about her, but I have figured that she is a powerful foxkin sorceress with nine tails(because a single tail isn't enough for powerful mythical creatures). I haven't quite deduced what her powers are and haven't really gotten a chance to since my internet has become trash and my ISP is being so incredibly slow and lazy on fixing the issue. One thing that I was debating was whether she was actually immortal or just extremely long-lived. Immortal beings can become a slippery slope, but if she was immortal she could be somehow involved in The Pantheon as a goddess of magic or beastfolk or something along those lines. Granted, I would have to divulge her name and I haven't quite decided on that yet.

It does bring up a question....Are these deities real beings? I know you went into a bit of detail explaining their personalities and physical appearance, but can they manifest themselves? Or is the description of their person simply for religious texts and stories? If they do/can manifest themselves, then how has their power waned? It is a fantasy world, so the manifestation of gods or their aspects wouldn't be unheard of and can lead to interesting scenarios, but the god you worship being able to appear before you and actually interact with you would make the idea of their influence waning kind of unlikely unless there was something preventing the gods from actually personally influencing things. For example, some sort of Overdeity preventing such things or agreement between the gods after some sort of cataclysm.

 

[Omega98]

All excellent questions merkros, and this is really why I brought it up in the forum rather than just putting it down in the story. This way everyone has a chance to "give their two cents" as it were.

In all honesty I don't really want to go into too much detail about religions in my threads either, it's just that with a character like Cynthia I feel like I sort of have to. I see what you're saying about Itheria being polytheistic as opposed to monotheistic, and if worst comes to worst I can simply change The Order of Holy Light to a rapidly expanding religion in western Motania.

In regards to the lack of an 'evil' deity, Levos was supposed to fill this roll. As much as he's based on Loki from Marvel, I also had Heath Ledger's Joker in mind for him. I just thought Loki would be the more PC of the two. But considering what kind of story this is, I suppose that was unnecessary. Rath is also supposed to be pretty dark, but she's more violent temper, carnage, and bloodshed in a berserk rage sort of deal, rather than actively sadistic. But Levos is supposed to be the cruel and menacing one. He's the plotter and the schemer, the one with a nefarious agenda. Whatever that agenda is.

Truth be told, the beastfolk thing never occured to me. I must admit I've had this pantheon in mind for a number of years now, far longer than this story has been out there, and I just figured I'd add it in. Seemed like a good fit, but obviously not a perfect one. As such, beastfolk seem to be sort of the "odd-man-out". Originally I intended it so that Terran constructed the forms for all life on the planet, Aquia filled them with liquid and made them move, Skye breathed life into them, and the unnamed god of the dead gave them all an end. Then the New Gods added their own preferences and messed everything up. But that is something that the forum can work on if we don't like it.

Before I discuss "The Queen of the Forrest", I'd like to tackle the last question you brought up: "Are these deities real beings?". Short answer... Yes.

The way I've constructed them is that their existence is supposed to be ambivalent. No one really knows if they're real or not; after all, religion is supposed to be about faith not knowledge. But as an author, I come at it from the position of "Yes. They are real". Further, their power hasn't waned at all, they are just as powerful at the start of the story as they were at the beginning of time, if not more so now. The thing that keeps everyone in check is the God of the Dead. In my mind, while all of the gods have the same 'base' power level, this power can be augmented directly by the number of souls that worship them. The more worshipers a god has, the more power they gain. The problem with this for the gods is that when people die their soul travels to the afterlife where the god of the dead rules absolute. None may cull from his herd (without his permission). As such, every person or being that has ever died, regardless of whether or not they worshiped this particular pantheon, enters his realm and, as a result, simply fuels his power. This has caused him to grossly outweigh the other gods to the point where he is, essentially, all-powerful. Even if every other deities teamed up against him, he would still beat them easily.

This is why he's the King of the Gods.

But he's also a god that follows his own rules, even when all of the others don't. He's supposed to be noble and honorable like that. Now as I said, by his decree no god is allowed to directly interfere with mortals. This isn't to say that they can't influence events, they both can and (probably) do stack the deck for their chosen worshipers/agents. But while Terran might cause an earthquake to split two warring tribes (and this would be okay), Rath is not allowed to physically participate on the side of either faction. She might incite others or sway them to fight, through behind the scenes actions, but by the rules she can't get into the thick of it. The only god that would flagrantly disregard this decree would be Levos. He simply doesn't care about rules. As he says, "Rules are made to be broken." However, he's often punished by his father for this mentality.

As for "The Queen of the Forrest" I have no problem with her being one of the pantheon, or otherwise her having an exceptionally long lifespan going thousands, if not millions of years. Immortality however I agree with you, it's a little bit tricky. I believe it should exist, (as I may want to play with it myself) but I don't think it can't be a natural thing. It's got to be a sort of forbidden black-magic, that is more mythical than anything else and no one believes really exists.

Anyway, I hope that clears some things up. If it's created more concerns/questions (from anyone) please feel free to post them! Discussion helps make a stronger whole.

 

[dearnise]

You guys are bringing up a good point. My initial thought on Itherian religion is that it's more of "Free Religion" domain than having an official religion. For one, the capital could have a mix of temples and churches, depending on whether the people are following the old Motanian Polytheistic religions, or if they have adopted the spreading Monotheistic religion. I do think the Amazons would adopt their own Polytheistic religion, like the old Greek Mythology Pantheon. Al-Anashab would probably follow a Monotheistic religion, to coincide with its Turkish/Saracen culture, with a few areas that still adopt ancient Polytheistic religions. To me, in my story arcs, this would allow Bryce the option of taking multiple wives, if he finds himself unable to choose between 1 of the 5 maidens.

So the latest discussion has me thinking of this, religion-wise:
Bryce - Atheist or Old Motanian Pantheon (descendants could later adopt the teachings of The Order, as the Order's influence consolidates and dominates over most of Itheria)
Vessa - Atheist or Old Motanian Pantheon
Cielina - Amazon Pantheon
Devona - Old Motanian Pantheon
Arinyagimli - Elven Pantheon
Khalisah - Al-Anashab Monotheistic Religion
Fiona - Celtic Pantheon or Order of Holy Light