World building and Character creation guide

The following thread will help you create your character and have a better understanding of the world that shaped them.

Though this world is covered almost entirely by the Mono-City, it wasn't always the case. Long before the Unified Council realised their utopia, there were world shaking events that changed it's inhabitants in many unique ways.

The first of these inhabitants, are the Faetouched. The Wildfolk.

GLYMST'AVEN: A FAERIE CHILD'S GRAVE

Long ago, a powerful Faerie from beyond this world gave birth to a half mortal child, Glymyorgm The Giant. His colossal form and unwordly nature threatened to destroy the very fabric of reality. Desperate, the people of the land looked to the aid of Angels, the world's ultimate protectors, to save them.
The Angels were able to slay the giant and put his body to rest, but his bones, blood and bile soaked into the plains where he fell, and where it spread the forest emerged. The trees there grew strange, and the people stranger. Fed from the fruits of fae blood their forms became touched by a quiet magic.

The Faetouched are mortals, able to shift in shape as children, taking on the features of beasts. As they age, their appearance becomes set, but how it settles varies greatly between individuals. Some sport only small traits, a mouses ears, a foxes tail- and some are almost indistinguishable from beasts, their bodies covered in scales or fur, their teeth sharp and their eyes wild.

Though their bodies vary in shape, and their physical abilities in kind, their appearance is deceiving, and they are for the most part, the same in skill and capacity as other mortals. They live in the outskirts of the Final Forest, in hidden settlements. They understand it better than any outsider, but many of it's secrets are still beyond their grasp, for now.

Some prominent faetouched family lines will have a particular eye colour or pattern that they take on to distinguish themselves, though most can also tell eachother apart by scent.

FAETOUCHED VARIANT: THE DOMESTICATED

Though the domesticated is perhaps a somewhat crude nickname, there are those among the faetouched whose parents left the forest, believing in the Council's promise of a better life. They tend to have tamer, less unnerving appearances, as a result of their upbringing, but many resent their separation from their original home, and seek to reunite their hearts with their forest culture.

THE HUMANS, AND THEIR ORIGINS

Many humans in the world of the Unified Council's rule are out of touch with their origins and have little knowledge about their roots. The world was once full of many unique cultures and this is reflected in the diversity that the human population still shows today.

Despite this, there are a few cultures whose stories live on. If you have an idea for a culture that isn't listed here, you are welcome to suggest what might have existed! Please be respectful when doing so and try not to rely on racial tropes. (If you would like to reflect your own culture you are welcome to.)

THE CLIFFBORN: CHILDREN OF THE PEAKS

The Arc, the largest mountain range in the land still cups the side of Glymst'aven, it's peaks defiant in the face of progress. Harsh weather and unwelcoming terrain have yet refused to confirm to the Council's regime. However, it's people have not, and the Cliffborn long descended their high city to join with the promise of an easier existence. Tough and heavily built, they still stand out from the streets of the Mono-City to the Wasteyards, and much of their heritage survives in folklore.

Some say their first king was so strong, he singlehandedly kept Glymyorgm from crossing the divide. Some say Queen Chamonburr was born from the very rock itself, and when she spoke poetry, the ground shook and the skies wept. But perhaps most fanciful of all, some say that the Cliffborn Civilization still exists, deep within their mountain home, and that one day they will make their presence known once more.

CHARACTER BACKGROUNDS

THE REBELS

The last major opposing force to the rule of the Unified Council, the Rebels have fled the city, and set up a base of operations in the treetops of Glymst'aven. Lead by an eclectic group of cultural remnants and revolutionaries, not a lot get's done fast, and city is as vast as it is imposing. The rebels have their work cut out for them, but rumour has it one of their leaders has found a way to infiltrate the inner workings of the council. Others say that the rebels have begun to look inwards to the forest, hoping to find some hidden magic or untold power that will bring about the end of the Mono-City.

Their dwellings are cobbled together from salvaged materials, much of it gathered from years back, when the Mono-City began replacing it's remaining wooden architecture. They try to keep most of their camp above ground, as it keeps them safer from the unlikely potential of a military raid; or the much more likely, accidental intrusions from the strange beasts that dwell deeper within.

THE HIDDEN VILLAGE

The secret village of the Faetouched isn't as hard to find as you might think- but it does require a willingness to travel deeper into Glymst'aven than many would be comfortable doing. Established long before the rebel camp their homes and buildings are built into the trees and the earth itself, often extending down between the roots. Some believe that early faetouched forest-tellers were able to shape the trees to their will, or that they spoke to the forest and negotiated their place amongst it's feet. Many faetouched never leave the village, and have never seen the city from close, but others have travelled out, or left the forest all together. The rebel forces have long sought an ally in these strange peoples, but reactions have been mixed. Many believe that Glymst'aven will protect them from the cities advances, and that there is no need to put themselves in harms way for humans. Opinions are mixed, and some are willing to stand and fight for the people beyond the woods, but they tend to be a minority, especially within the village itself.

THE WASTEYARDS, THE JUNKERS AND THEIR GANGS

Between the forest and the Mono-City lie the Wasteyards, mile's of trash, refuse and other debris created by the city's expansions. Many who seek life outside the city itself end up here, eking out a living amongst the junk. Life here is rough, and the people who life it tend to be well worn and rough around the edges. Living in shacks and pieced together dwellings, often built into the side of mounds of garbage, their existence is one of little comfort. Those fortunate enough to have carved themselves a liveable slice of this barren land tend to be protective if it, and often value anything that can brighten their otherwise difficult existence.

The Junk Markets is a central location, and the greatest hub of commerce outside of the city walls. Protected and situated within the Blue Merchant Gang territory, the people who live and trade here exchange some freedom for safety. Rent is based on the amount you earn- but if you don't use your space wisely it's liable to be reclaimed and handed to someone else. Despite their sometimes strict approach, the Blue Merchants are one of the more respected and liked gangs in the Wasteyards, Their leader calls herself the Blue Merchant's Daughter, and even higher ranking members of rival gangs know not to mess with the people she consider's under her protection. Many believe she has ties to the rebellion, and is helping them to gather resources, but for now this is just hopeful speculation.

All are allowed to enter the markets, but larger groups of rival gang members are barely tolerated, even at the edges of their domain. Most know better than to test their patience. The Military forces will sometimes visit this area, as it is one of the higher populations outside of the city. In interest of keeping it that way, their presence is begrudgingly permitted.

The Pride and their territory exist to the south of the Markets, closer to the foothills of the Arc, the mountain range that circles Glymst'aven. Lead by a fierce and physically imposing faetouched berserker, they are tough, ruthless, and fiercely loyal to their King. Their trust is difficult to earn, and they rarely allow outsiders to freely enter their territory. They have a tenuous relationship with the Blue Merchants, and tolerate one another as long as borders are respected. Other smaller gangs had better not catch their gaze.

THE MONO-CITY

For the lucky minority, this city provides comfort and safety, provided you follow the rules of the Unified Council. Work is plentiful but well paid jobs are few and hard to obtain. Many barely scrape by, but most are too afraid to give up the little they have and seek a life outside the city streets. It's buildings are large and imposing, often restructured over the top of what used to be towns or settlements belonging to unique cultures. The streets are dirty and dangerous, with many thieves and unsavoury folk living in the darker corners of civilisation.

Many parts of the city have been built over large underground structures, forgotten tunnels and long abandoned caverns, and for some this is an opportunity to escape the bustling and heavily militarised landscape above. For other's it is an opportunity to hide from governing forces, that would seek to police their activity, unsavoury or otherwise. Some of these tunnels and networks lead outside the city into the Wasteyards, or perhaps even further beyond, but many haven't been travelled in years; and who knows what might lurk there in the dark.

This world has no cars, and no gun powder, but they do have their own form of electricity, generated mostly from weather-telling and watermills, and many of their weapons, especially military ones and charged with it. Their ranged armada resembles hand crossbows, and while less effective than those of our own, they can still be quite deadly. Magic is quiet, especially these days, but the further into the forest you go, the more likely you are to encounter the strange wonders of the aethers womb, or the children of faerie blood.