Kcrahathea

[Sagic]

Ok, heres my world... feel free to give suggestions and the like.

Kcrahathea (pronounced with a silent h) is a land seperated into two empires by a a river of pure magical energy known as the Kranes. On each side of this mystical river lies a nation, the eastern one called Markee, and the western one being Adikron. There are many races, peoples and creeds in Adikron, although three are most mention-worthy. The Humans, the people who came to Kcrahathea thousands of years ago from the planes, the Dudokai, the giant-like, six eyed rulers of Adikron, and the Srepterai, sleek, small framed serpentine warrios and assassions who occupy both nations. The enemies of Kcrahathea are many, but they all have one thing in common, they have all breached the surface of Kcrahathea once or twice to raid, steal and plunder.

Geography/Cosmology of Kcrahathea
Kcrahathea is a world nearly the size of earth, but to sentient creatures, it is much, much larger, since there are no oceans in Kcrahathea, just huge lakes. There are about seven of these huge lakes in all, one of them being in Markee and called Tharss Lake, two being in Adikron; the Charshot and Brendien Lakes. These are about the size of all the Great Lakes put together. Adikron and Markee obviously don't even take up a fourth of this area, and so most of it it is... well, unknown to Markee and Adikron. The River Kranes, the magical river, seperates the planet totally. The river runs through the exact middle of the planet. The Planes, as they are called, are dimension type worlds that are located on different planes of the universe. No one really knows about them on Kcrahathea, and those who do don't know much.

The Enemies of Kcrahathea
Kcrahathea has many 'enemies', people who wish to take the civilized lands of Adikron and Markee for themselves, or simply want to take some of the nations, I.E. raiding them and stealing people as slaves, and items, and even the unique resources of Kcrahathea. The general populace of both Kcrahathean nations know nothing of the 'planes' or dimensions that lay beyond the metaphysical borders of the world, but the educated Kranes Boundsman and Dudokai of Markee and Adikron do; though they do not know that much, and so when boatloads of strange people come from the clouds and wreak havoc, they don't really know whats going on. Evevytime this does happen, though, the armies of the nations advance, and usually crush the enemies, who just come back later, weeks, months or years. The raiders come from everywhere, and no town or city is safe when they do, unless they are heavily protected with troops.

The Magic of Kcrahathea
There is one universal source of power, magic power, in Kcrahathea, and that is the River Kranes, a river that seperates the two nations, and is made up of pure, bluish gray magical energy. When one enters the river, he is never found again. Most believe that the River is deep enough to reach the other side of the world, and thus, the Kranes river on both sides. The Spellcasters of Kcrathea draw their magical power from the river itself, as do many magical creatures, and creatures who stay near the river too long become magically mutated. Kranes Boundsman are the most common types of spellcasters in Kcrathea, although others do exist (divine magic doesn't really exist in Kcrathea, however). Kranes Boundsman bound their magic soul to the river Kranes itself (not really their real soul), and therefore recieve large ammounts of magic. The Kranes Boundsman are the single most powerful sect of magic users that currently exist in the civilization of Kcrahathea. But other, more powerful magics exist outside of civilization, amongst the 'savage races' of the wilderness, including the Brastadie and the more powerful Munaquai tribes.

[Saethu]

How about there's like these weird little creatures that can blend in with most of the plants and they're like the size of rabbits but they are round, and they jump out at you while you re walking and stuff. They eat plants but they dont wany you eating their plant. And they can swm and occasionally eat small fish and stuff. Just an idea.

[Sagic]

Markee, compared to its sister nation of Adikron is superior in ways of magic and mago-science, although some would say inferior in many other matters such as government, for one. Markee is a strange land, where magicians known as Kranes Boundsman rule individual cities. (Kranes Boundsman are basically spellcasters who draw their magical energy from the Kranes River that separated the two nations from physical contact.)
Markee is the larger of the two nations, almost twice the size of Adikron, although a large amount of the nation is uncivilized wilderness packed with savage races and monstrous creatures. Markee, in government as well as society, is a strange form of monarchy and feudalism; ruled by a king, under him the lords of cities and castles (Boundsman), and under him lower lords who are not magicians.

The rulers of Markee shun types of magic and religion that they do not understand. They insist that every person that intends to become a citizen of Markee be taught the Markeean Pantheon of gods, the Markeean laws, and, more importantly than both, the laws, codes, social interactions, and other information regarding the Kranes Boundsman and other minor spellcasters. Markeean Boundsman find other styles of magic besides the bounding of ones magical soul to the River Kranes alien, and view it with fear and contempt, and therefore, any other magician or spellcaster within the borders of the empire is considered a criminal, and can basically be killed on site.

[Sagic]

Adikron is ruled by a huge, some would say chaotic council of judges, politicians and lords, who all decide upon the actions of the nation. It usually takes a great deal of time just to decide upon the passing of a simple law. And cases take even more time, and the officials of Adikron see cases as a sacred task, that is respected utmost of all Adikronian concerns.

Adikron, like Markee, is a large enough nation, with plenty of wilderness and unexplored regions full of monsters and savage peoples. But mainly, Adikron is a civilized, (and where the cities are) bunched together place where people live in close quarters in the large and huge cities of the Renewed Council.

The people of Adikron are many, but Humans and Dudokai make up most of the Adikronian population. The Dudokai are the rulers and upper class of the cities, and the humans are the middle class, and lower class. Many of the other races of Adikron are discriminated by both Humans and Dudokai and usually become workers of mines, farmers, and the like.

I’ll write more later.

[Sagic]

Sure thing, Saethu.

[Psalmanazar]

How complete is the seperation of Markee and Adikron?  I'm assuming boats are out, but can you see across the river Kranes?  Throw/fire something across? Fly over?  If it isn't possible to cross in any way, how did life evolve differently on either side? does it really completely bisect the globe as the people believe?

Sorry for asking so many questions- this is fascinating.  I'm loving the six-eyed giant bureaucrats in Adikron- really surreal. For some reason, it's making me think of animations from The Wall.

Anyway, an idea for something has just struck me-

Limn-hounds

Twisted and mutated by generations spent along the banks of the Kranes, Limn-hounds are inherently disturbing to most other beings.  Their skin is an oily, pearlescent color and seems to be constantly writhing and boiling, with the occasional limb, eye, or other organ struggling to the surface, only to be re-absorbed once it has out-lived its usefulness.  Their bodies are almost infinitely malleable, but they generally take on a muscular, tripodal or quadrupedal form, the size of a small cow, with a fierce tusked mouth set in a heavy, oversized head, usually with two or three pairs of glowing eyes and countless antennae, waddles, and barbels. Disconcertingly, their call sounds like a slightly muffled crowd screaming in pain. 
Their behaviour can be as unpredictable as their looks- they will spend days, weeks even, lounging along the banks of the Kranes, living on the pure magical energy, doing nothing but blink curiously at anything which crosses their path.  Then, at some strange impulse, they might sprout long, skeletal wings and fly inland, seeking out and killing a single deer and ignoring any others they might encounter, or swooping down and stealing a weathervane from the top of a building and placing it on another. It is not, generally, wise to disturb a limn-hound during one of these sojurns- if you don't find one of your internal organs to not be quite so internal, you will have a large, disturbing-looking animal making multiple pairs of puppy-dog eyes at you and begging for scraps.

Limn hounds, despite their capriciousness, can be tamed by experienced magic users, and are extremely useful.  They can be fierce guards, or track down a target from half a continent away.  Perhaps the MArkeeans use them to track down rogue magic-users, or Dudokai nobles keep them on psychic leashes as gigantic guard-dogs.

[Sagic]

Well, since the Kranes has a sort of magical radiation, going directly above it can damage organs and mutate flesh (most creatures adapted to living near the Kranes have atleast some strange attributes or mutation). Because of this, Adikron law prohibits citizens of Markee from coming into Adikron, if they even could. One might be able to run and jump across the river if it was not an entirely large one, althouh this simple leap could cause some mutation. But the main reason is because no one really sees the river, or goes near it, unless for research. Markee and Adikron basically know of eachother, and thats about it. There is always a thick fog that hovers over the Kranes river, but people may catch a glimpse of the other side. Going within about fifty miles of it still causes magical radiation, and so no towns or cities are near the river Kranes, and if they are, they are home to many mutated people. The Renewed Council (the Dudokai) strongly prohibit going anywhere near the river Kranes and coming back into the nation. And the Markeean Kranes Boundsman prohibit people from going near the river in fear that they will mutate and harbor more magic than the Boundsman. Despite all this, some people go to the Kranes anyway, and try to pass it. Those are the ones never heard from again. The Kranes does divide the world entirely as well. Nice job on the Limn-hounds, they seem like the kind of creatures I invisioned in Kcrahathea near the Kranes.

[Sagic]

Anyone can contribute here; the only requirements are weirdness/strangeness/uniqueness. And go along with the setting, of course! Though a lot will.

Munaquai
The Munaquai are nomadic peoples who live in the wilderness of Markee, living off of hunting and gathering. Their main course is generally deer or other populous animals. Munaquai generally live in large families or tribes. The Munaquai are tall, narly seven feet, and have thick shaggy fur all over their body, from head to toe, so no skin can be seen. The only things seen through the thick fur is their large, white eyes. The Munaquai are vicious, and are very tough opponents, especially to adventurers journeying through land recently taken over by a family or tribe of Munaquai. Munaqaui believe in a small pantheon of gods, such as the rain and rebirth god Mivian, the sun and power god Satra, the magic and knowledge god Malvaeta, and the war god Malvanfator.

Infated
The Infated are a race that originally came from the Multiverse, like the Humans, and settled on Kcrahathea, in both Markee and Adikron. The Infated are tall, skinny, pale skinned people who keep their long, multicolored hair in strange pony tails, mohawks and braids. They are pretty rare in Markee because most Markeean nobles fear them for their slight inborn magic prowess, but they are slightly more common amongst the cities of western Adikron. The Infated know nothing of their history, but long ago, the Dudokai of Adikron received a long tome of Infated history, but kept it hidden from them. A sect of Infated known as the Jealous Five seek to claim the book and destroy the Dudokai who have kept it from them. They are a very secretive organization, with hundreds of lackeys and other people who work for them as well as maintain normal jobs as cover from the extreme laws of the Dudokai and their Human assistants. The Infated are named because of their prowess with magic. Though relatively new to Kcrahathea, the Infated have a strong bond with the river Kranes.

Brastadie
The Brastadie are ghost-like fae of the wilderness of Markee. They are bluish in color, and seem to float a foot or so above the ground. They are usually dressed in elaborate robes that are tattered at the ends. They have blue/gray transparent-ish eyes, hair, and skin, and have ears about eleven inches long. They are generally well muscled, and carry Brastadie weapons (usually huge swords); weapons that can hurt normal creatures but cannot be touched by them, and can also hurt incorporeal creatures. These weapons are transparent, and blue, like the Brastadie themselves. The Brastadie do not take lightly to people harming the forests or wilderness of Markee, and tend to destroy those who do. The Brastadie are one of the most powerful Fae of Kcrahathea.

This topic is getting messy...

[Sagic]

Okay... creative block. I need some help. Any suggestions on what I should write up next?

[Psalmanazar]

Oooh, lots of stuff. You mentioned the Markeeans have a state religion- what is that like?  what are their beliefs? who do they worship?  And how about the Adikrons? What religions do they have? And why are the Dudokai so bureaucratic and deliberating? You mentioned they think trials are sacred- Why? and what does this entail?

What's the level of technology in the two nations?  what are the major industries? Who are the key figures in public life?

And how does magic work exactly?  How powerful are Bondsmen anyway?  Is it just one of them ruling as an autocrat over each individual city, or is the government simply composed of them?

 

[CaptainPenguin]

You need to zoom out for a second and give us a more of an overview.
There is a lot, a lot here that you have left totally unexplained.
We need a big picture before we can look at the details.

[Psalmanazar]

Here's an idea I had, a sort of urban legend from a world of magic and chaos.  He's only as real as you want him to be- I can see how it would be interesting either way.

The Adikron bank of the Kranes is a terrible, unpredictable place, haunted by dangerous animals and dangerous people- outlaws and madmen and unfortunates, and the occasional researcher, fueled by a half-mad desire for knowledge.  The Kranes twists those few wretched enough to dwell near it, not just physically but mentally, producing madness beyond that which compelled them to get so close to it in the first place.  Forbidden to return to civilization, their only contact is with each other. Rumors, legends, and wild stories flourish amongst them.

The Boatman is one of these stories.  Some say he was a human once, or one of the other normal races, who made the fatal mistake of trying to cross the Kranes.  Others say he is one of the strange creatures of the Kranes, evolved to lure the unwary into the river.  Still others say he is nothing more than the hallucination of a fevered and addled mind. 

His appearance is as uncertain as his origin- some say he is a little old man on a raft, strangely unchanged by the river's magic, or that he is a great lord, hideously mutated and sailing in an elaborate barge of precious stones, or that boat and pilot are one- a hideous fusion with legs for oars, flesh for sails, and an ugly snarling figurehead.

Practically the only thing which is consistent from teller to teller of the legend is the story of some unfortunate's encounter with the Boatman- Dangerously near the banks of the Kranes, and lured by the opportunity to cross the River (relatively) unharmed, they will flag down the strange vessel seen sailing the river and graciously be offered a ride across.  The boat will get no further than half-way across, though, when its pilot (or even the boat itself) turns on their rapidly mutating form and devours it in a particularly nasty and gruesome manner.

Even here, though, there is another version of the story, in which the Boatman actually does ferry them across, or to a strange land somehow beneath the Kranes, where they become a great ruler, or find a paradise.  It is for this reason that some actually seek out the Boatman, thinking he will guide them to greater things.  They are invariably never heard from again- perhaps they are consumed by Limn-hounds or Kranes Dragons, or mutated into mindless lichen, or meet one of the countless other fates that await those who dare to challenge the Kranes.  But perhaps, just perhaps, some of them do find their ferry to paradise.

[Sagic]

The River Kranes is the center of magic on the world of Krcrahathea, the womb of power for ancient Kcrahathean empires and modern magical practices of the Kranes Boundsman, as well as the strange Infated race. The River Kranes can bring deformity and death to any who go near it, but it can also bring them great power and knowledge, and those who seek this, caring little for their life, often seek out the river and its power. Some people do recieve magic power, but most are left in the Kranes cities with the rest of the mutated and strange people who arrogantly went near the river.

The Kranes Boundsman
The Kranes Boundsman might be the best maintained and most populous beacon of magic in Kcrahathea, although none truly know. The Kranes Boundsman, because of their power, usually rule cities, towns, and other places, like military forts or even castles. Anyone who disobeys them is punished, and anyone who threatens them are deemed enemies of Markee. They are the supreme elite of the country, and their words are law. And their power is, due to their policies, unmatched in the western lands; or atleast in the borders of the empire.

The Infated
The Infated are known because they are the only people capable of magic in the country of Adikron. The Dudokai constantly try to pass laws to keep them out, or atleast keep them from using their magic, but for some reason, these laws always fail, and the Infated continue to teach and learn new magic. More later...

The Occupants of the Kranes Cities
More so than the Infated and the Boundsman, the people who dwell near the River Kranes are feared. For one, they risk spreading the taint of the river onto the human populations of both Markee and Adikron. And, many of them harbor extreme, unpredictable power, that could explode forth from them at any time they feel angry. Cities, towns and settlements built by these people near the famed river are full of crazy, angry, and mentally unstable people, and fights, powered by strange magics are often fought in the streets. The constant killings and beatings in these towns adds to the fear of these people, and no sane resident of either nation goes near these places, and even the soldiers of Markee and the politicians of Adikron fear them. Any person found leaving these areas is immediately killed, regardless of age or sex. But besides all this, a few cities are relatively sane and civilized, filled up with less magically damaged people.