I'm afraid, sir, you've reached the "out-of-steam" stage of your project. /tg/'s come up with all the ideas that it could and now it's got no more, and it just can't bothered. Stop now and handle this project in privacy, rather than continue to post daily Mosaic threads. If you do that, your project will go into the "trolling material" stage where you will receive nothing but hate and sage, with the hatred directed at Earthflame.

>>2882249

Fuck off and Die. /tg/ is a dynamic entity. just because your bored and lazy doesn't mean everyone else is.

>>2882315
Just telling the truth. It's how things work. Someone comes along with a brave new idea, several people think it's fucking amazing and a week later, only those hardcore about the setting will remain. Either they will continue working on it privately, or they'll keep on screaming for help from /tg/ for days and days and days on. Then, people just can't be bothered with those threads anymore and the saging begins.

>>2882327

Yeah, because pessimism is the only way forwards. Anecdotal evidence of a moron doesn't amount to much.

Bump for Mosaic!

Concerning the geography of the world, do we know how big the place is yet?
If we can come up with some real figures, we can use this:
http://www.io.com/~sjohn/demog.htm
for SUPER REALISM

>>2883135
That link is gold!

Regarding size, I think a caravan could travel across the equator of the continent in a month or two. Amenai is conveniently positioned in almost equal distance of all major civilizations, with anything outside the range of its merchants being uncharted.

Any comments or input on the cartography is welcome, though.

It can't be true... is /tg/ really bored?

Ah well, i wouldn't worry too much.

Remember Earthflames other thread? There's always Afterworld to look forward to.

>>2883923
Actually this paper is rather misguiding. The author takes european population density from nineteenth century and thinks that agrarian technologies of, say, 12-15 centuries will do the same. The paper was analysed in detail on one russian site of reconstructors and it's much more believable and verifyable then the original paper.

Moreover, the paper is completely misguiding if one will try to model any non-european climate (intercontinental, like russian taiga or nomad steppes) or geography (i.e. Nile delta or chinese river civilization, not mentioning island civilization or something).

So the guy who will make demographics for mozaic should instead take approximate population density of the closest Earth's analog and simply multiply it on the size of the modelled area... Then change it as much as he sees it keeping in mind runes's influence, non-human races, etc. ;)

Is there an IRC channel of any kind being used for discussion purposes, or is this a /tg/ and 1d4chan thing only?

>>2884398

Or we could all just say "fuck it" and go with the Rule of Cool.

Magic cities out the ass!

>>2884433
Well, yes. Especially when one will remember that simple actions can do wonders on a grand-scale. F. e. if each village has an access to a shaman with a warming spell (nothing exceptional, 3-5 grades of celsius per day should be more than enough) it won't lose crops because of light frosts. Only this can triple harvest and lead to almost proportional increase in population numbers.

>>2884410

There's #Mosaic on suptg, but so far it hasn't actually been used.

>>2884398
>agrarian
Agricultural, of course.
>and it's much more believable
it's = criticism
And typos...
Sorry, guys. I'm not native english-speaker and typed in a hurry.
That's it. I'm leaving now.

*Boot*

Please, don't die

Just had a discussion with Earthflame over IRC. We detailed the non-human races a bit, and once I've collated my notes I'll post the stuff here.

Ok, I've been keeping away from Mosaic. I've been away for a while and all the threads I've seen were 160 posts long and, to cut a long story short, apart from the idea of ruinic magic, I know nothing of this game.

So, here's the ultimate test of this projects integrity: Sell Me Mosaic.
Just a blurb; a paragraph or two to explain what the deal is and why I (and all those hypotheticals who haven't been playing attention too) should buy into this idea.

>>2885699
I can only speak for myself, but what attracts me to Mosaic is the way magic is performed. Runes exist only as vague descriptors of magical influence, which the player weaves together to create spells, enchantments and attacks. Together with the DM, the player defines what his spell might do based on the properties of individual runes, and makes a personal connection with the abilities of his character. Rather than picking Magic Missile or Fireball off a list you actually lead the creation of your own spells, which gives a deep sense of immersion.

Regarding the setting, it's not your average High Fantasy with elves and orcs running around spawning half-breeds. Humans are the only playable race, with a small number of mysterious fringe races having little to do with people that stay off their lands. The fact that runes are the basis of civilization and technology has led to some people calling it Runepunk, with magical contraptions, golems and walking cities being commonplace.

That's what attracts me to the setting.

This is the evening's development of the non-human races. The names of the Merfolk and Hillfolk could do with a change. Also, the land of Oster is now the nation of Mosvar.

Hillfolk
The Hillfolk are rarely seen. They are a diminutive and physically frail race that rely on their crafting to bind magic. Their heritage of craft-magic is strong, but not fully understood - as long as ritual is kept, however, things will keep working. They have a strong reliance on magical technology and advanced golems (that have led to folk-tales of Trolls) doing their work for them. They have traded some of their secret magic with the Mosvar, who pay respect to the wishes of the Hillfolk. Through this exchange, the Mosvar have built a strong base of technology that has allowed them to develop high standards of living as well as a strong military to expand their realms.

Merfolk
An ancient race of reptiles that dwell in the river of Amenai and the coast of Njord. The Merfolk have a majestic aquatic city in an underground reservoir beneath the city of Amenai, where they collect moisture from the desert and maintain the purity of the waterways.

Though the Merfolk have little direct contact with humans, much is attributed to their influence. If a child drowns, it is often blamed on them. Likewise, if a person is saved from drowning, it is common for it to be attributed to the beneficial intervention of a Merman. The waterways to Amenai are under strict control by the aquatic race, and though their direct force has not been felt in decades, sailors and captains that make regular port at Amenai know better than to insult the Men of the Streams.

The Shifters
The reptilian race known as the Shifters dwells in the Amenai Desert, and has done so for as long back as records stretch. The origin of their name has been disputed, but one main reason is the way they sway from side to side when idle - like some species of snake. Another reason is the way their eyes tend to wander and how their thin, forked tongue flutters, giving rise to the term shifty or shifter's eyes. What most people don't know is that the Shifters are masters of a very subtle for of Bodyform magic, and their eyes and tongue are used to draw runes - an art they often use to get an advantage in business transactions.

The history of the Shifter dates back to the time when the mysterious pyramids of the desert were constructed. The humans who made their home in the arid lands were masters of the Dark Runes, and used the amazing power within them to destroy anything that opposed them and further the edges of the desert. In their expansionism, they came upon the Merfolk, and by magic they turned a host of their number into a servant race to patrol the sands. The Shifters still remember their origin, and their hearts ache for the sea, but their cursed forms simply waste away in the water. In revenge, many Shifters in influential positions have taken to sending adventurous humans into the mysterious tombs of their old masters, shattering magical artefacts and torching those Ancients that still linger.

Light nudge before bed.

If it helps you at all, I saved this image and am now working on a tarot (in before hate) spread based on it.

Thanks for that.

Bump

>>2886153

Sounds awesome. it'll be interesting to see when you're done.

>>2886153
Sounds cool. The tarot cards and the runes have a fair bit in common, both being vague descriptors of reality.

Centaurs
A wandering race that lives in the plains that stretch around the edge of the desert. They have a deep natural connection to the Source of Magic, and wander those ethereal planes just as they do the material world. Their mystical connection is just as strong with the dark runes as it is with the common ones, and they take no sides in the struggle between them - something they consider part of nature's balance. The Centaurs don't use magic as the other races do, but rather consider it a companion on their travels which comes and goes as it wishes.

DID SOMEONE SAY WALKING CITY

The Others
The Things of the Forests are mischievous and uncaring towards humans. Their motivations are alien and impossible to discern, and few proper facts are known of them other than that they have some sort of sense of territory or independence. They are shapeshifters, and with a thought they can become as one with the leaves, rocks, water and moss that surrounds them, leading to many conflicting accounts from those that have survived their games. In the Yaropan nations, the closeness to the forests is deeply felt in the manipulations of the Others - some say that the fractioned nature of those nations is due to the games the Things play, and that a whisper from the woods can drive brother against brother.

Hey all, great to see continued interest.

Myself and Xaras are hanging about on the IRC, chatting about Mosaic and laying down some core concepts (As seen above in the case of the non-human races). If you'd like to join in, drop into #Mosaic on the sup/tg/ IRC server, or if you don't do IRC, just drop off any relevant ideas in this thread.

>>2889867

HIERARCHY FUCK YEAR!

>>2885910
I expect PROMOTIONS involving alluring cobra-women

Celestial Landscape

Creation is governed by Nature, also known as The Source - the essence that fuels all magic and energy in the world.

At the center of creation sits the sphere of Reality, holding the World and the celestial bodies that accompany it.

Surrounding Reality are the Ethereal Realms, where gods, demons and spirits reside. The Golden Realm drifts above Reality, and is ruled by the gods and celestial beings that have ascended from life in the World and understanding of Reality. Below Reality is the Shadow Realm, where greedy demons and monsters continue the struggle for power that drove them in life on the World.

Beings that die in Reality arrive in the Ethereal Realms as spirits embodying whichever rune they were closest to in life. It is these spirits that allow mages to draw energy from The Source to shape Reality. Spirits of the Shadow Realms are generally stronger in will and more independent, meaning that dark mages need to invest great power to direct these unruly beings.

The races of the World are embodiments of Reality that are bestowed roles by Nature. The Merfolk rule the seas, the Hillfolk master the rock, the Others embody the Forests, and the Centaurs steward the animal life of the World.

>>2891363
The Centaurs, as shepherds of the animals in the plains of the World, were taken by Nature and made to be the gardeners of the Ethereal Realms as well, culling the spirit populations to keep the circulation of life balanced. The Centaurs travel the entirety of Creation and can not be touched by the governing powers of the Realms.

Their role as balancing essence has brought them into open conflict with the Merfolk, regarding the Shifters - whom the Centaurs consider to be unholy abominations. The Desert was created by dark magic, and the Centaurs have strived to drive it back for centuries. The Merfolk's persistence to give their mutant brothers a land is directly opposed to the Centaurs' dedication to restore the world's balance.

God dammit Xaras, are you some kind of fluff machine?

>>2891410
This was all discussed with Earthflame, but yeah, pretty much. If I have someone to discuss ideas with, I can produce crazy amounts.

Some brainfarts of my own here:
The pyramid-builders (who Earthflame has suggested be called "The Blightlords") reached a strong mastery of the Dark Runes. They were well-aware of the dark forces that guided the runes and the powerful motivation these things had to extend their influence into Reality. The kings and priests of the pyramids were not ready to shed their mortal coil just to end up as minor demons or even major devil-princes but without influence over their old domains. Because of this, they used the power of the Shadow Realm to maintain their bodies, allowing them to live for ages using the shapes of their monuments to fuel their essence.

At some point, their cycle of activity followed by prolonged rest was broken, possibly by the Shifters rebelling and sealing their undead masters in the crypts, leaving the Blightlords' old dominion to crumble and be swallowed by the dunes they created.

let's sign off for the night with a Big Bad Evil Guy

Vrái Vaering
Vrái of Vik is arguably the most feared of Veste warlords in civilized lands. He is a Graven Blade (possibly trained by True Graven Blades that fled to Vestarc at the Fall of Njord) who served as a member of the bodyguard (Vaering commonly meaning "pledged guardian") of the king of Vik - the largest Veste city. Legend has it that Vrái himself led a bloody coup that deposed the king and subsequently laid most of Vestarc under his torn banner.

Since then, the Veste tribes have fractioned and warred many times, but Vrái still commands the respect of his kin and a notable host of warriors. Today, his grizzled visage and grey beard is a well-known mark of terror among the citizens of northern Njord, where Vrái's host often operates with little opposition. Vrái himself is known to lead his men from the front, and he has made a name for himself to be a berserker with little concern for his own life, possibly seeking honor from death in battle.

short thought for to stick more fluff on:

red priests favored sacrifice for their power is blood... (which makes sense; it's there, it's important to them, and they'll regenerate it over time)

so the question becomes, why do their gods WANT vats of mageblood?

(or am i over-spiritualizing them with blood disappearing from thier bodies, and really they just give their wrists a good emo-ing over before battle?)

Page Seven?

I Think Not!

second fluff thought, mimics again.
to consolidate all fluff and ideas on them:

Mimics have a very limited semi-conscious understanding on the True Rune, and that's where their unique power comes from. considering that Sannindi gives control over space and stuff, it'd explain why they can mess with things.

this also covers the ancient mimic cabal, the fact that mimics only came about at the very peak of runic knowledge, and the 'assassinations for runic stability' parts of the fluff that have come up.

half fluffy, half game mechanic, the spheres of influence of runes that do not embody physical concepts are somewhat complicated and obtuse. so here's a wall of text! :D

in seriousness, this should maybe clear things up. and also it introduces Earthflame-approved name changes of a few runes.

"The simplest way of looking at runes is to imagine them as embodying the unique supernatural abilities of the concept that they represent. What the caster chooses to do with these abilities is where spells come from, and thus also the idea of the Runes as a sort of language of magic.
Of course, most runes represent physical things, which are simple enough to understand the abilities of. The ones that represent abstract concepts, however, are somewhat trickier. And thus, this Text.

"The Tree of Faith.
FAITH: Opposed to Knowledge, Faith is the Representation of that which falls outside of physical laws and the ken of man before runes.

SELF: Once known as the Rune of Men, Self represents a duality. It is frequently used as either a symbol of a being on a physical level, and also as the uniquely resiliant spirit and dynamic nature of sentient life.

COURAGE: Unlike other runes under the Faith tree, courage is a relatively easy concept to comprehend. Araedi is usually used to enhance the morale of troops (or martyrs), but has use in sapping willpower when its Anchor lies outside Faith
DESTINY: Every Man has a place in the Great Wheel as it reflects in the Golden Mirror. And so Forlog, the rune of Destiny, embodies inevitablity, be it for good or ill."

and continued

"
ETHER: Formerly called rune of Gods by the prideful Old Empire, Ether represents powers unique to beings acended beyond the mortal coil, the most common being prayer and the loyalty of divine servants.

BLESSING: Blessing represents the bounty of divine power shared with the mortal plane, and is used to enhance things beyond their natural capabilities (as Augmentation must stay within the limits of)
SMITING: Smiting is the wrath of the Ascended called down, and finds great favor in rune spells mean to defeat foes from a distance."

Hey guys, I wrote the short bit of writefaggotry about the Magistrate and the Somat masseuse in one of the other threads. If you want me to continue, I'll write up some more parts of the story. The city this was set in was one of the Marble city-states btw, there's not a lot of fluff on those as yet so I was thinking it would be nice to detail it some.

>>2896318
Go right ahead, mate. If you want a chat, feel free to stop by #mosaic on irc.thisisnotatrueending.com.

Humanity
Unlike the other races, who are deeply connected to Nature and the Source, humans are a true alien force on the world. Their true origin and how they entered Creation is not known, only that they learnt how to change Reality by channeling the powers of the Ethereal Realms into magical runes. Through the generations, the human race has slowly become part of the native Spheres, their souls passing away into the Realms and being reborn by the culling of the Centaurs. Through this cycle, they have slowly become one with Nature, and with it their magical aptitude has increased. The first mages slowly deduced the powers of the runes, while later generations such as the Sigilists and Somats have demonstrated a more instinctive connection to the Source and an ability to call upon it more easily.

The other races are watching the spread of Humanity with reservation, most being unable to act outside their realms. What the future holds for Humanity remains to be seen.

The Royal Architects Guild
Every civilization to master the runes has become known for amazing feats of engineering and design. The Architects Guild is dedicated to proving the descendant realms of Njord to be the greatest builders in history, and as such gather the most brilliant minds of the world to their fold.

Though the organization has its head in Njord, it prides itself on the high numbers of Mosvar and Goti artisans that are listed as members and actively work on the titanic projects the Guild initiates or finds itself contracted to complete. The Architects not only build logic-defying buildings, but are considered to be at the forefront of science and progress in large parts of the world - certain Architects are known to have built flying vehicles and ships that can travel underwater, and much of our current understanding of Creation can be attributed to the Architects constant quest for knowledge.

bump with picture of masterwork fantasy vehicle.

I'm thinking that possibly Runes only come in Trees of a Major, then two Minor, each of which has two Lesser. (Did I get those in the right order?)

E.g. Chaos -> Change/Movement -> (Creation/Destruction)/(Time/Space)

See attached for suggestions for the runes, although I don't really like the one I used for Chaos.

>>2899749
Greater -> Major -> Minor

But yeah, that's pretty much the branch system we've got.

Those runes sounds as if they might fit in the Shadow Mirror (dark runes/un-runes).

I was also thinking there should be some system for indicating negation of a rune. The best I can think of is an umlaut over the rune. This, of course, makes the rune have the opposite meaning, possibly doubling the amount of runes available. Maybe rolls with negated runes subtract your mastery of the rune? So having -3 Fire would let you cast Ice at +3.

>>2899847
>FortyCakes !cLAc5rAVRA
Forty cakes? That's as many as four tens. And that's terrible.
Maybe use a different distinguishing symbol, but that idea sounds good.

>>2899749

lexluthor.jpg

Also, bump from page 8.

I was just thinking - Maybe Fortitude is based on best of Life/Death, Will on Knowledge/Faith, Reflex on Energy/Matter?

>>2902289
I suggested that earlier, but the proposal seems to have faded out.

>>2902289
>>2902301

Do we have a "save" analogy? do we need one?

Is it harder to affect magical people with magic? For example, an elder Sigilist is going to be harder to use Mind Control on than a peasant farmer. (A:Knowledge, men, mind, rebirth). Maybe this affects the difficulty of the check?

How much damage will an attack do? Complexity+the amount the check result surpassed the TN? How do we find the HP of a person (or object)? Someone said it should be based on Life.

I made up a history for the world, basically putting the ideas from various discussions in order. It can be found here: http://1d4chan.org/wiki/History/Timeline_of_Mosaic but I will also post it in this thread.

The Chaos
Before the Creation there was no distinction of one from the other. There was the Chaos, but it had never been created, it had simply been. From the eternal uproar of the Chaos, the Essence arose.

Creation of the Realms
The Essence created the Golden Realm, the Shadow Realm and the Realm of Reality. The Essence thought it true, and so it was. The two Ethereal Realms encircled the sphere of Reality and reflected its firm existence. The Essence saw that the Realms influenced each other, and it was true.

Creation of the Races
In Reality, on the World, the Essence created races. The Merfolk to tend to the rivers, the Hillfolk to master the stone, the Things of the Forest to cure the woods, and the Centaurs to be shepherds of the animals. The Races could see the mirrors of Gold and Shadow, and Essence taught them how to shape Reality through the Ether. The Essence made itself part of its Creation, becoming the Nature of All and the Source of Magic.

Coming of the Humans
The Humans came from Outside of Creation - through the Chaos into Reality. The Races warred with them, but the Men could shape the Earth, guide the Water and cut the Forests, and so the Races soon learned not to engage Men outside their own element.

>>2902466

No 'elder evils from before the dawn of time'?

The Ancient Empires
Rapidly mastering the Mirrors, the first human civilizations created runes to channel magical energy from the Ethereal Realms. The Golden and Shadowy Mirror were drawn from in equal measure, as Men's greed became apparent. The ones known as the Blightlords settled at the very center of the World and decided scorch it of all other life. They made the Desert and spawned the Shifters from the Mermen. In the north, the Builders of the Dark Citadels understood the journey their spirits undertook through the cycle of death and rebirth, and through a dread ritual they would sever their souls and use an unnatural connection to drink deep from the Source. The Tower-kings dug deep and built high, channelling the essential power of Reality left by the Essence at the moment of Creation, using the runes to shape these immense energies.

Fall of the Ancients
The Blightlords were sealed in their tombs by their servants, the timeless empire being swallowed by the dunes they had created. The Dark Builders drifted further and further into the Shadow Mirror until Reality no longer mattered - they are now the Demon Lords of that dark domain, clawing at anyone greedy enough to draw upon the shadows for boons. The Tower-kings faded without any other trace than their windowless monuments, scores of their philosopher-princes and thinker-nobles ascending to lord over the Golden Realm, taking what the Dark Builders shrugged off as weak and insignificant. The Golden Gods are now worshipped by millions as granters of wishes and miracle-bestowers.

>>2902469
Nope.

Coming of the Njord
From the cold seas, the Njord arrived, finding the runes awaiting their coming. With the power vested in them through the magic, they laid a quarter of the World under their dominion.

Old Njord Empire
The Njord gathered the pieces left after the Ancients left the world, making tribes and harmless villages into cities and fiefdoms, building roads and majestic buildings all over their world. Within its borders, new schools of magic were developed, but the Imperial Mages grew concerned that the magic would eventually grow to slip their grasp.

Fall of Njord
When magic reached the average masses of the Empire, the Njord soon found themselves in a civil war of a massive scale. To restore power, the Imperial Mages used little-understood and far too powerful Forms of Shadow Magic, resulting in the destruction of the Empire overnight. Its core realms lain under water and its people spread to the winds.

Second Empire
From the ashes of the Old Empire, rebel groups built a new capitol and formed a new nation. The nation grew into a great Second Empire, which eventually destroyed itself as its overstretched armies were sent to subjugate the other races - ending with the Empire having next to no military strength and collapsing to internal struggles.

The Dark Builders became powerful Demon Lords of the Shadow Mirror. Anyone who draws upon the dark magic has to go through them, and they are keen to establish influence over Reality again.

The Tower-Kings became the Gods of the Golden Mirror, those that answer prayers and bestow magic on all. (picture related, how I imagine their architecture)

>>2902511

Reminds me of the Dark Tower. Newfags won't get this.

>>2902719
Reminds me of a stale forced meme. Staleforcedmemefags won't get this.

I'm curious... Will the sagefags get angry at seeing two Earthflame projects on the front page?

>>2902984

They always do.

counts as Shadow Mirror?

W.r.t the Unistat system, is there anywhere people can get the rules of it if they don't have AFMBE or some such?

>>2905341
Just get All Flesh Must Be Eaten off /rs/ and ignore the zombies and holy magic malarkey.

Words from the sup/tg/ IRC!

ideas were discussed about the anti-runes, with two major theories suggested:

IDEA A: a dark inverse of the normal mirror. same number of runes, names, and organizations, but much more powerful and evil effects when used. possible massive teamkilling explosion if ever used with normal runes.

IDEA B: totally different rune chart, organized into three trees of 13 runes each, greater runes becoming vast descriptions of types of evil: for instance Chaos, Destruction, and Domination.


general agreement was that un-runes should look very different from runes. i personally liked that idea of making them sinuous and spindly to contrast with the block-carved style of normal runes.

i also liked the idea of keeping the rune of truth for either idea A or B, and making it something like a stylized orobouros, maybe sort of a broken circle with some pointy bits.

Current discussion in IRC: How to balance Glyph Carvers. Without any restriction, they could be spewing out entire armies of rune constructs and superweapons with ease. With too much, they're hard pressed to do anything. Were contemplating an XP cost for large or complex runic constructs, either based on number of runes, or time taken for construction. any alternate ideas welcome (Post here, or in the IRC)

>>2907554
Perhaps make it a temporary XP cost. Say, if they disenchant one of their magic constructs they get the XP back but if it's destroyed the XP is lost for good. Gives them a little incentive to be careful with what they make.

>>2907569

That is a good idea. I thank you for it, and will probably use it.

>>2907587
I'm contributing! Wheeeeeee!

possible fluff point!
use of Dark Runes tithes your soul to the Blight Lords.

The Emperor prote... wait. wrong fluff.

anyway, i had an idea for some backstory. will follow as typing speed allows

THE RELIC OF PURE INTENTIONS

at the very core of the Thousand Silver Face's sanctum rests this relic, a metallic sphere 4 feet tall, and unblemished by forging marks. along the outside are 5 runes of life inset in crystal that appears to be diamond, and in the top is a small opening to which the blood sacrifices that keep the Life runes amplified are poured.

the relic casts a zone in which all runic magic is disabled, as the mimics, but the zone stretches for a thousand paces in every direction. the only exception to this is runes anchored in the domain of life.

the origins and method of function of the Relic are mysteries even to the Mimics of the Thousand Faces that maintain its sacrifices, Regardless, Life spells alone are hard to kill people with, so they gladly continue its upkeep to protect their hidden fortress.

>>2907554
I've been assuming that a Form needs to be activated by the person using it. Basically, as I said earlier, making a self-sustaining Form is very difficult, so it would need "rebooting" every now and then. A Carver could make an item for another character, but unless they knew how to activate the runes involved, it'd not do much.

THE UNDYING ONE

the first mimic ever to come about, the Undying One founded the order of the Thousand Silver Faces centuries ago, as the Old Empire was crumbling. so named for his ridiculously long lifespan, the Undying One indeed lived by unknown means for almost 250 years before age stripped the effectiveness from his every means of cheating death.

in desperation, he broke the commands of his own order, and devoted the last few decades of his natural life to the secret study of the Dark Runes.

as a last act before the gods claimed him, the Undying One branded the dark rune of Life on his chest, and so fulfilled his name, becoming impossible to kill.

Vigor restored to him, he realized his mistake, and spend a decade crafting a great vessel to hold his tainted form, a sphere with 5 true runes of life to hold himself in check. when complete, he sealed himself inside and used his abilities to unweave all forms of runic maic except Life around him, to stave of the Blight Lords power and servants as best he could.

Now he sits motionless inside his tomb, immortal, forever locked in meditation to fight the eternal battle against the evil he invited into his own soul.


(all cornflakey fluff is unauthorized and unapproved by earthflame awesomeness games ltd. and xaras-fluffco inc. unless stated otherwise. do not take if you suffer from blood pressure, lack of sense of humor, or detonating hernias.)

>>2907885
A bit of anachronism. The Blightlords were long gone when the Njord came, especially around the fall of the Old Empire.

>>2908041
What the shit, did someone attach this thread to the front page? It's been here without posts for SIX HOURS and has yet to budge.

>>2908657
Ehm... no? I just saw it on page 2, and should have been on 3 by the time you posted.

>>2908762
I've been stealth bumping from time to time. Sorry, i guess.

Possible stuff for dark rune mirror? I just took the old Mosaic structure and tried to design a Dark Mosaic on similar lines (but more evil). As to the style, I made it mostly curves and circles with some spikes, but I can't draw with a mouse so they look rather blocky. I'm thinking some rune-users will know maybe one or two of these, especially the 'Stopping' or 'Force' runes.

>>2908864
... I hate to say this, but when I saw Tyranny, the first thing that came to mind was "What, the tyranny of being teabagged?"

>>2908864
Well, it IS pretty evil.


Or it's that I suck at drawing. Feel free to make a better one.

I should probably point out I was going for a boot shape.

>>2908864
The glyphs look stupid. They're way too detailed. In all of them with a small circle in them take out the small circle and you've already vastly improved it.
Next, drop anything that takes more than four pen strokes.

>>2908916
>In all of them with a small circle in them take out the small circle and you've already vastly improved it.
srsly, no written language has a slow to draw symbol that is used in every letter (that small circle thing) for good reason. It's redundant, unneeded, and makes it harder and take longer to write for no advantage.

>>2908925

Well, they are runes. They might have to look like that for magical reasons. However: see attached w/removed circles.

>>2908925
Yes, let's argue the logic of magic. Because we want to go there.

>>2908938
>>2908864
First looks better.

They're fucking runes, not letters. Ignore the morons.

>>2908938
So, I heard you like Norse translations.
I cheated and used a little Icelandic again, but unless your group has a real Norsefag, nobody will notice.

>>2908938
>>2909284

Why I saw the Tyranny rune, it initially read as Tranny and the rune for it looks like a penis.

>>2909301
Indeed.
However, gb2/scrubs/.

Yeah, the idea was for them to all share the central rune as a common theme.

Is the world called Mosaic, or just the setting?

Is writing done in runes? Because I can see it being really tricky to express some concepts in these. Of course, you could create a triggered spell that speaks a message into the reader's mind (A:Knowledge, mind, wind, learning).

Also, idea for a merit or possibly just an option: Instead of learning a rune, you learn a group of runes that have a composite meaning. Treat these as any other rune, using the new meaning normally in spells. For example, say you choose Telekinesis = {mind wind}. You could then get mastery in Telekinesis and create spells such as A:Energy, *telekinesis. This would count as a 2-rune spell for ease of casting, etc.

>>2909514
just the setting. anyway, here's my rendition of a dark rune chart from option B in >>2907157
9001 hours in MSPaint, also no runes on it yet. just names and organization.

lastly, >>2908041
i got the blight lords and dark builder demon princes confused, there. i tend to elevate the one i think sounds cooler in my mind, so... :< oops.

So, in case you haven't noticed, Earthflame is on a hiatus for an unspecified amount of time to get to grips with his own life at the moment. We all wish him the best of luck in his real life and that he might return to us soon.

In the meantime, work on Mosaic will (hopefully) progress at some sort of pace. Stuff is being collated at the 1d4 wiki (all of which is open for comments), and I suppose there will be the occasional thread now and then. I think most work will be consolidated to #mosaic, where anyone who has questions or ideas is more than welcome.

Me? I'll try to organize all my ideas for the system in a manageable form (having EF as the real organizer of the system and setting led to a haphazard workspace) and keep things rolling on my end. If this will ever get anywhere though, I need input and folks to share the burden of working on this.

Perhaps it's time to get a tripcode?

>>2910655
hmm...

Cornflake Blues has descended into the deepest pits of namefaggotry, and emerged corrupted to wreak individuality across the plains of anonymity!
or something.

anyway, can someone with access to unisystem post a list (or .pdf) of the skills so we can start hacking and pruning at them to get them Rune-ier?

>>2909284
those symbols look like garbage

go to www.omniglot.com and pick out a script that doesn't suck

http://www.omniglot.com/writing/tibetan.htm
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/cypriot.htm
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/santali.htm

With these skills, 1=dabbling, 2-3=competent, 4-5=masterful, 6=legendary. Costs 1 point/level up to 5, 3/level after. Special skills cost 2/level up to 5, 5/level after.

Acrobatics, Acting, Beautician, Brawling, Bureacracy, Cheating, Climbing, Computer Hacking, Computer Programming, Computers, Craft(*), Dancing(*), Demolitions, Disguise, Dodge, Driving(*), Electronic Surveillance, Electronics, Engineer(*), Escapism, Fine Arts(*), First Aid, Gambling, Guns(*), Haggling, Hand Weapon(*), Humanities(*), Instruction, Intimidation, Language(*), Lock Picking(*), Martial Arts(*), Mechanic, Medicine(*), Myth and Legend(*), Notice, Occult Knowledge, Pick Pocket, Piloting, Play Instrument(*), Questioning, Research/Investigation, Riding(*), Rituals(*), Running(*), Sciences(*), Seduction, Singing, Sleight of Hand, Smooth Talking, Sport(*), Stealth, Storytelling, Streetwise, Survival(*), Swimming, Throwing, Tracking, Trance, Traps, Unconventional Medicine(*), Vetinary Medicine(*), Weight Lifting, Writing(*).

Acrobatics, Martial Arts, Medicine and Trance are 'special' skills.

(*) indicates pick a type.

1 point for a specialty, which gives +2.

>>2910779
Unisystem skills are very basic (i.e: You'd have a skill called "Swordfighting" which you would use to help your rolls when attacking with a sword). The only skills we need to detail would be rune-related skills.

We probably need one big skill per casting method, and then some support skills (like Elaborate Rituals, Battle-Casting, etc). Other than that, the skill system doesn't need much attention, I think.