Human-less World

[CaptainPenguin]

I am envisioning a world, just for fun- I probably won't go anywhere with this. But I want to come up with a strange, human-less world, with a sort of dreamlike fairy-tale quality to it.

My ideas:
-An eternal twilight, like the sun is setting, but never sets. Maybe the world is dying, like in the Dying Earth fiction of Jack Vance or the similar Zothique tales of Clark Ashton Smith.
-The ruins of many, many ancient civilizations. They encrust the hills like fungus. Most are ignored by the races of this world, or regarded as something not worth thinking about- reflects a sort of apathetic quality of these races (Dying Earth possibility?)
-The world is lapsing back into wilderness. There were previously many great civilizations and cultures, but these died, and the world is in a kind of super-interregnum, a power vacuum where advanced cultures have mostly disappeared.
-A variety of Old One-esque, malevolent, insane, uncaring, or otherwise deities. Not necessarily working evil, but bad dudes nonetheless. Robert Howard didn't need benevolent gods, and by Cthulhu, neither do I!
-Nasty demons and such.
-No humans. Perhaps there are creatures close to human, but none that can be considered truly "human", and most being totally bizarre.
-The players will be members of a barbarian species or race. That makes it easier for them- they can just make up the customs of their tribe and not have to deal with the elaborate, dying cultures of the "civilized" beings. The way I envision it, there will probably be thousands of races, with the next weirdest species being just over the next hill, or over the river, or in the woods. The various species frequently war amongst each other.

Anybody want to help me?

[Scrasamax]

SURE!

I can see that there could be a large number of petty gods, much weaker that any of the Mythos deities, but still more than a match for any but the most powerful of heroes. These 'Pocket gods' could hold sway over their own certain regions, and sculpt the flesh of the surviving races to suit their fancy. Aoraag of the Iron Horns could have turned all of the sophonts in his mountain valley into goat-headed monstrosities to better battle the more elephantine followers of Rashati, the Elephant God.

Just a quick idea off of the hip, but this sounds interesting.

[Tariel]

-An eternal twilight, like the sun is setting, but never sets. Maybe the world is dying, like in the Dying Earth fiction of Jack Vance or the similar Zothique tales of Clark Ashton Smith.

That reminds me of a planet of mine, it's for a long story, I keep forgetting the name of the planet since at first it was Sixth Planet, then I removed a couple of unnecessary planets and it turned into Fourth Planet, and now I guess it's Nelee'Kjon or PretimaKjon, no maybe pretima'kjon were the name of the people there.. Anyways, either the planet is turning very slowly or then it's polar diagonal is pointing towards the central star and changing direction all the time as if the planet was a hammer spinned around, there are no changes of day and night. The side that is towards the sun it very hot and I guess in one spot it's so hot in there that stone melts, and on the other side there is an ice age. Between them is a temperate climate zone that supports some life. Now the differences of hot and cold on the opposite sides are sure to cause massive air movement, but since there are mountains they direct the winds higher and prevent all life from flying away. But nevertheless the planet is very hard to land on with a spacecraft. I'm not sure if this helps you at all but nah.

[CaptainPenguin]

Interesting, but I'm thinking a non-planet here.
Instead, maybe a vast plain with walls around the edges and two gates, one two let the sun in in the morning, and the other to let it out at night.

[CaptainPenguin]

The Shzurn Valley Folk live in the river valley of the river Shzurn, among the forested ruins of an ancient city. They are a strange, territorial people, terse and mistrustful, and they worship the shadowy god Hezfoth.
Shzurn Valley Folk stand about 4 and 1/2 feet tall on average. They are wiry and long limbed, with flat, spatulate hands and feet. Their bodies are covered in a thin, soft coat of brown hair, with patterns of black and white that are dependent on tribe. Just beneath their shoulder-blades, they sprout a pair of short, dragonfly-like wings; these wings are too delicate to carry them, but they are quite beautiful, and are prized by the nearby Varilans as head-dress decorations. Shzurn Valley Folk have long-snouted, dog-like heads, with intricate horned noses like those of bats; their eyes are huge and orb-like, with a peculiar jewel-like quality.
Shzurn Valley Folk live in tall dens that resemble huge termite colonies or earthen towers, which they construct from mud, wood, and the packed manure of them and their stock animals. They hunt specific types of small dinosaurs and great insects, as well as fish and small mammals.
Shzurn Valley Folk tribes are quite disparate, but they worship one god, the nighted god Hezfoth. Hezfoth dwells in the center of the ruins in their forest, and all the tribes gather every fortnight on the dark of the moon (OOC: would the moon be visible in eternal twilight?) to chant at the head of the stairway that leads to Hezfoth's ever-dark underground lair. When the chanting is done, the worshippers cast the beheaded corpses of a few chosen females down the stairs, and rave in ecstasy while they listen to the sound of Hezfoth devouring them in his wet, snarling way.
Their level of technology is Stone Age, and they make weapons by chipping obsidian from the nearby hills. Some, however, carry the undoubtedly-magical weapons that are family heirlooms, silvery-blue in color and hard as steel, which were salvaged from the ruins or given as gifts by Hezfoth in exchange for particularly tasty sacrafices.

[CaptainPenguin]

The Varilans are the decadent people of the Varila Empire, which borders on the lands of the Elephant-Men of Rashati. The Varilans are tall, hyper-emotional, and prone to great theatrics. They are obsessed with beauty, and seek to cover themselves in it, going so far as adorning themselves with living creatures that they find tasteful to the eye and ear.
Varilans stand, on average, just shy of 7 feet tall, and are whippet-thin. They have knobbly joints that can turn their limbs in almost any direction, and their digits end in long, curving claws. Their faces are human-like, but for a lack of any facial features but for the eyes and twin audial membranes in the region of the human mouth. They do not seem to eat, but they absorb liquids through the spongy flesh of their upper chest. Varilans cover themselves in finery- tizak-skin cloaks with hazia-fur, long strings of jewels, golden breastplates, rings, bracelets, and belts, crowns, goggles of crystal, the fairy-like wings of Shzurn Valley Folk, and ivory from the Elephant-Men of Rashati, and even live animals- colorful tamed snakes and birds.
Varilans dwell in houses of stone in great clusters reminiscent of the ancient hill-hives of their prehistory, and they erect huge walls to protect themselves; too many Varilan towns have been sacked by invading goat-like Sophonts or raging Elephant-Men. Every possible surface of Varilan towns is decorated by statuary, fluttering pendants, gold and silver, hanging pictures, painted murals, beautiful animals in golden cages, and jade. Only the outsides of the walls, scarred by attackers, are undecorated. Varilans travel in huge caravans surrounded by bodyguards and slaves. The Varilan Emperor, Shavaratagormehunga the Seventh, is said to travel with six-thousand slaves and an army surrounding his golden travel-pavilion, carried on the shell of a huge turtle. The Varilan capitol, Azatagashavastakath, is said to be the most beautiful and most wicked city in the world, for the Varilans are decadent, declining folk, who practice all manner of vice.
Varilans worship the Immortals, Varilans who, in the beginning of time, tricked the creator, Kashtashtagolavshatsiks, into leaping into the void through the Gates of Night. The Immortals then took the creator's treasure and adorned themselves so beautifully that they became the stars. It is ever Varilans dream to become so adorned as to become a jewel in the earth, a shooting star, or lightning bolt. The Immortals are worshipped in many temples where they are sacraficed beautiful, well-trained sex-slaves who are adorned to excess; these are flung into the mouth of a great jewelled well. Many treasure-hunters wish to get to the bottom of these wells, for surely a great fortune lies there, but no have ever been able to do so.
Varilans have an early Iron-age (sort of Roman) level of technology.

[Scrasamax]

Between the Varilian Empire, and the Sultanate of Rashati, Shzurn and the lands of the Goat-God Mithras rests the no-mans land known as the Vale of the Ravaged. The vale was once the home of the great nation of Huitzal, renowned for its preservation of magic and knowledge, and feared by their enemies. The Huitzal crafted weapons of steel, drove upon their enemies in chariots and bore mighty weapons of terrible power.

A horror, a dark god of sublime power and evil, made itself manifest in their great city. The Huitzal were torn, some worshipped the eldritch divinity, while others sought to drive it away or destroy it. This lasted for a time of three years when the unexpected happened. The horror was destroyed, its living essence ripped asunder, and it was cast into the realm of death.

Huitzal staggered back from the edge of destruction as a short civil war erupted between acolytes of the Horror, and those who had slain it. It seemed that at last peace had come. Then, the nightmares began. Madness followed as sleep became an unavoidable hell. Violence and crime became rampant, and within a month the curse of the dying god was made manifest. Huitzal was depopulated, killed to the last by violence, disease, or often, by their own desperate hand.

The City isnt empty, the hungry ghosts of the Huitzal still reside here, dominated by the ghost of an empty god. It calls out beyond the valley, calling to it those who can feel its dreaming call. Elephant man, bleary eyed, stand next to Varili and Mithrai, and all await the moment when the gate of death will open, and they will be drawn into the sweet bliss of oblivion.

[Maggot]

Could I add a race and a deity too?

[CaptainPenguin]

Sure thing, Maggot.

[CaptainPenguin]

The Sky over this world is a strange one that would be especially disturbing to those of Earth origin. In the west, the sky is bright, orangey-red, and the sun sits like a bloated red-yellow half-sphere, hanging on the horizon. In the east, the sky is dark and starry. The moon sails overhead. In between is the strange, purple-grey regions that many of the people of this world call the Arch of Mist for it's hazy hue.

[Maggot]

To the extreme west of the borders of the Rashati Sultanate,lie the Drylands,a vast expense of scorching,barren dessert,where survival is a constant struggle against the searing heat.

 It is in this inhospitable place,that the monstrous thing known as the Khast lives.The Khast is not native to this world.Millenia ago,it came from another dimension and chose to settle in this spot,knowing that the people of the local gods shunned it for it's lack of water and shade.A lack of water and shade however,were no barrier to the Khast which went about buliding hideous,twisted creations to serve it.Resembling a combination of human,wasp and reptile biology,the creations of the Khast are constantly upgraded by their master which is determined to keep meddling,until it finally hits upon the perfect race of minions.All of them are are equpipped with venomous stingers and fangs and have no weapons,since their bodies are all the weapons they need.

 The children of the Khast are single-minded and fanatical in the service of the Khast,They will stop at nothing to carry out the orders of their creator and do not even understand the concept of fear.This means that if commanded to charge into a cloud of arrows and darts,they will do so until every last one of them is dead.Nevertheless,they are not stupid foes,for each one of them is part of something called the Overmind.It refers to the great mental web that allows them to coordinate all their decisions.Each child of the Khast posseses the ability to to communicate by telepathy with the rest of it's brothers.Anything it sees is immediatley reported to the rest.This means that everything that one of them sees,the rest see too,allowing them to share and gather information effectively.The Khast it's self is to some degree influenced by the Overmind.

 The gods of this land are aware of the presence of the Khast and it's vast army,but do not fear it so much as loathe it.After all,as the thinking of each god goes, the Khast is but a spineless intruder that seems perfectly content to hide in it's sandy domain.It can wait till the day that he has dealt with the other gods for good.Then he can crush that bloated gate crasher at his leisure.

 If they knew Khast really was,they would be quaking with terror.It is a being that has a penchant for feasting on other gods.When it settles in a world,it begins building up armies to attack their gods.This can take many an eon,yet the Khast will wait patiently until it has grown strong enough to defeat and eat the resident gods.Where it comes from and why it enjoys eating the gods of other lands,none know.

[Luke Lavin]

The Echani were once a grand race eons ago that had maginficent technology and were considered scientists so smart that they believed the gods were really only tricks of other races and grew to be Atheists.  But the gods really did exist and cursed the Echani by breeding into them a race that was physically more powerful and psionic that adventually destroyed the Echani and destroyed their technology.  The Echani were orginaly bipedal blue reptillians hairless and tailess. When the gods formed the Ashanti the stole away the Echani mouth and formed the faces to be omnivourus than carnivous.  They lost their snouts and had only stubby noses but maintained powerful eyes that glow many different colors with psionic power.  Ashanti also grew thick rope like strands of hair from the base of their skull it is usually braided and hangs to an Ashanti's feet.  The gods also made the Ashanti bigger and stronger by making them eight feet tall almost and increasing muscle mass, bone dentsity and decreasing body fat ration.  Ashanti have the characteristic blue skin still their legs are inverted like a cat's hind legs but very powerful and support an Ashanti on two legs.

Ashanti are manevolent, extremely violent, and solitary. Males and femaled come together once every ten years in the giant Visigoth and have a huge feast (containing many different types of dirt and grass because Ashanti feed through the hooves on their hind legs), and mate.  It is a rare event to witness a giant orgy of physical emotions and psionic powers.  Psionic power assists in the reproductive process and any other race that tried to mate with an Ashanti would usually end up brain seizures or mental disorders.  

Ashanti are primitive hunters and survivalist they usually carry a good deal of salvaged technology from other races (Katanas, Basterd Swords, most carry elegant weapons but are usually stonen from other races.) Most Ashanti use wrist mounted blades of metal, or more powerful Ashanti use blades used from their psionic energies.  Ashanti have six powerful fingers but all have one generic set of finger prints.

Ashanti are very few and do not really populate any area specifically, most travel and hunt alone, or in packs of two and three.  They are commonly the type to kill and ask questions later.

[CaptainPenguin]

The Chaagaarr are the hairy, war-like ape-monsters of the northern steppes, beyond the Ashen Mountains, who periodically swarm southward through the Pass of Deadly Snows to ravage the Kingdom of the Johi (OOC: Somebody want to do the Johi?). They are savage, barbarian snow-dwellers, who live their lives in battle.
Chaagaarr are, on average, 7 feet tall, and heavily muscular. They are humanoid in appearance, rather like a huge, upright ape, especially since they are mostly covered in thick, dark-brown to blue-black fur, save the soft pads of their palms and feet, the leathery flesh of their pectorals, and the chitinous domes of their heads. Said heads are long and earless, and topped with a chitinous dome with the appearance of a dull grey helmet, and making them almost humorously bald. They have small yellowish eyes and pairs of sharp mandibles around their mouths, which are full of tiny needle-sharp teeth. They do not have tails. They have two fingers and a thumb on each hand, ending in needle-like claws; their feet have a pair of thick toes with blunt nails. Females (Or at least, Chaagaarr of the sex that raises children) have three pairs of breasts. Chaagaarr wear cloaks of dire-bison fur, and jewelry of ice-jewels and bison-bone. When they wear armor, they use bone, and they use obsidian, bone, and bronze for their weapons. Chaagaarr have 4 sexes, including neuters, which all Chaagaar become after the age of 25.
Chaagaarr live in tents of hide and also in caves. They generally dine off the remains of various snow beasts, especially bison, which they hunt for hides. They rarely build permanent dwellings, but when they do, they are invariably for the worship of their myriad gods, the Gaajik, a group of vicious ice demons and snow devils who they Chaagaarr pacify with offerings of blood and warm organs. They eat the remains of sacraficial victims.