1 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84774616/
2 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84847594/
3#1 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84864673/
3#2 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84877899/
5 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84890048/
6 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84918731/
7 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84930206/
8 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84943450/
9 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84963046/
10 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/84990296/
11 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85001905/
12 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85025361/
13 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85034498/
14 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85074457/
15 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85181021/
15#2 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85273765/
16 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85357735/
17 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85442583/
17#2 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85499731/
18 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85554910/
21 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85580942/
22 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85686282/
23 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85775039/
24 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85865971/
25 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/85981957/
26 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/86150840/
27 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/86258892/
28 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/86355397/
29 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/86504173/

30 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/86662491/
31 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/86786745/
31#2 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/86924239/
32 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/87072460/
33 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2022/87171716/
34 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/87267880/
35 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/87388478/
39#1 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/87472712/
38 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/87550989/
39#2 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/87627406/
40 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/87795959/
41 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/87956630/
42 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/88125000/
43 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/88278726/
44 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/88372296/
45#1 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/88465385/
45#2 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/88563258/
47 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/88666593/
48 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/88762012/
49 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/88855281/
50 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/88948871/
51 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/89035095/
52 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/89127240/
53 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/89215539/
54 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/89309033/
55 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/89389607/
56#1 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/89472549/
56#2 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/89552939/
58 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/89637453/

59 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/89718352/
60 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/89797226/
61 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/89868753/
62 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/89944865/
63 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/90013461/
64 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/90087220/
65 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/90166276/
66 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/90241246/
67 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/90313872/
68 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/90389784/
69 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/90469380/
70 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/90556756/
71 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/90644647/
72 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/90721419/
73 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/90795696/
74 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/90871350/
75 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/90944099/
76 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/91020650/
77 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/91093365/
78 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/91159667/
79 - https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/2023/91224988/

Google Doc Link for the timeline. As updated as it can be.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Weiu2IWHLvwzuWaCnggBT0nYVzJvvHEeD0ec3KB16WI/edit?usp=sharing

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Ok, so last thread we expanded some maps and made a lot of mercenary bands. I'm going to continue with the bands, as I'd prefer if there was at least one band per continent (Isle of Wizards excluded, since I don't think the place is suitable for mercenary bands, unless someone has an idea for it). After that, we still need to explain the gods, what they are and how they work. We could also restart the flags and emblems designs, since we now can do them with relative ease. Plus the list of special items and/or magical items, though that will need to scour the wiki for any existing examples before creating new ones.

>>91291528
chill with the ai art we should go back to only using human art

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Ok, I think I've found most of them. There are some that have multiple options, and some that are incomplete. But for the most part, we need to add a lot of flags.

>>91292566
then go on, draw it.

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Reminder these posts from thread 51 were never added to the wiki.

>>91294880
Oh you're right, it never was added. I imagine this goes into the Gökmavi page.

>>91295319
The only bit I thing doesn't fit right now is the "on territory that has since been conquered by the Seguerial hordes", since the seguerials' territories are underground, they wouldn't clash with them so long as they didn't bother their hives. It could be worded differently to better fill the lore.

>Hougo'iashen Agency
The Hougo’iashen Agency is one of the strangest mercenary bands that operate within the Drow City States. The agency was created during the context of the growth of the drow economy during the days of the Azanese Civil War. With Azan tearing itself apart for more than a century, the drow began growing their naval power, something they had not had the chance of developing due to their underground ways. It would be during this time when the drow would learn of the building, repairing and manning of vessels, both from humans, dwarves, sea elves and the few drow who knew about the sea life. However, due to their inexperience of the drow, at first most mercantile companies operated in a way similar to a military navy, which caused many tensions, especially amongst the personnel on the lower echelons of the hierarchy. Many of them began talks of organizing in groups, forming guilds of their own to push against the owners of the companies into better conditions, or a lessening of the pressure. However, drow are not often the sort to open dialogues, and this led to the formation of massive bands of brutes to subdue these workers by force. And while the beatings were successful at first, the pushback only resulting in a considerable loss of productivity and profit, and the occasional burnt palace with its owners inside. It was in this context that the Hougo'iashen Agency was formed.

>>91296170
Established by Mihe’elien Hougo'iashen, a former assassin and spymaster that got wounded during one of his jobs, he saw an opportunity to make bank by using his skills and knowledge to solve the growing problems. Instead of breaking bones and noses, Mihe’elien used subterfuge to sow discord between the groups: through carefully planned threads, planted false evidence, false rumors and an occasional cut limb and kidnapping, he managed to dissolve many of these burgeoning groups, allowing his bosses to keep complete deniability. This made the group immensely popular across all the drow cities, both within the mercantile companies, the aristocratic rings and the local urban authorities. Over the years, they have become one of the staples of drow society, always keeping an eye to keep the discord going and the profits coming, and while other groups have imitated the model of the Hougo'iashen Agency, none have ever done so with the same level of success.

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>>91296181
The current leader of the Hougo'iashen Agency is Doyiheshe Hougo'iashen. A long descendant of Mihe’elien, he is a charismatic man, able to thrive amongst the aristocracies of the drow cities, becoming one of the few individuals welcome across all the cities. He has also invested his fortune into creating multiple hidden bases of operation, where his employees train in the art of espionage and subversion, often hiring retired assassins and spymasters to allow for as updated a training as possible. Hougo'iashen has also gained the love of his men by increasing the pay they receive for each job, keeping them happy and loyal. And in those cases where one of his men might turn on him, Hougo'iashen is also a skilled assassin on his own, and has had to deal with some attempts on his life personally.

> The Orators
The Orators are a mercenary band serving in the drow city of Dhalmass. The Orators were initially not a mercenary group, but a theatre company travelling around Scimitarian. The old artistic traditions of the Western Elven Empire also included a great amount of plays and operas, and the Orators were a very popular group, gathering great crowds for the local aristocracy. However, many quickly realized that the presence of so many of the high and noble all together was a quick recipe for disaster, as assassination was a constant threat in the higher echelons of drow society. Eventually, this resulted in many theatre companies joining their venture with mercenaries who would guard the plays against any trouble. And this predicament caused Lady Midiss Ae’hierne, the owner of the Orators, to actually begin a different branch of business: since the risk of assassination in the theatre was quite high, the Orators would go offer “special protection” to their clients, not only guarding them during the play, but also promising to capture and execute anyone who had tried or succeeded in killing them during one of their plays. While this was laughed at first, there was little problem in actually accepting the terms, and as such, the Orators began offering their protection to their clients. Soon enough, some famed assassins and outlaws began dying in public places, and for each of them who died, the Orators celebrated a public play to show anyone that they had done the deed. Many of these assassins were discovered to being planning hits against people who were going to attend to the plays, and as such, the Orators proved their worth as bodyguards and counter-assassins. Soon enough, the Orators were a household name not just for their prowess at theatre, but for their success in hunting down assassins and hitmen.

>>91297649
The Orators include not just the actors, scenographers and other people of the trade. They also include a wide network of spies and informants that do deep infiltration and scrutiny of the places they are going to play in, keeping an eye for local assassins, murderers, hired guns and other potential threats, as well as any mysterious stranger that arrives into the town at the same time as them. If they detect any possible attack towards their guests, they will send assassins of their own to deal with the threat, as well as to obtain info about their employer. This means that people fearing for their life often pay enormous sums of money to keep going to the Orator’s plays, and the more attacks they get, the bigger the insurance they need to pay. From time to time, they also hunt down bandits and hired guns who have made a name for themselves, to make sure anyone remembers the dangers of attempting something against someone protected by the Orators.

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>>91297664
The current leader of the Orators is still Lady Midiss Ae’hierne. A woman of wealth and taste, she has managed to turn what initially was a theatre company into one of the most sought after bodyguard groups in all Scimitarian, and also one of the most profitable. While she herself is not a woman of arms, she is always surrounded by the most elite of her men, and her influence within drow society is felt anywhere she goes.

How much of a monster are vampires? Do they keep their sentience so long as they feed? If they go feral, can they go back to the way they were once they drink blood?

>>91293700
So did we ever decide on the flags for Azan and Changrila?

>>91301710
Also, just two weeks to finish the year, and this is still going. Congratulations, everyone.

>>91302073
the versions that appear on thread 58 are probably the modern standard version of the flag, but there are also lots of different variants throughout history, some of which are the ones on the wiki

>>91304337
I think the better way to fill the flags is to be systematic. We could follow the lists' order and see what we can think for every one of them.

To start with, any ideas for the following:
>Aelar'ra
>The Belsire States
>Anchovia
>Ancient Kingdom of Old Hyperborea
The old hyperborean kingdom, not the CY new nomadic hyperboreans.
>Aquilea
>Arangea

>Copper Axes
The Copper Axes are a mercenary band located in the Kingdom of Copper. The Copper Axes were born as one of the dozens of mercenary companies within the region, as the Kingdom of Copper’s poverty results in many needing to sell their arms to foreign employers. In particular, the group was created by Piettraski Kuulmala, an old mercenary who decided to go his own way after serving under many bands. Piettraski was famed for being an excellent warrior at sea, shinning in boarding operations against pirates and bandits, especially in the turbulent and frozen waters near Zemyland. His success managed to gain him a small fleet of coastal vessels, which they used to assault unsuspecting pirate ships during the night or during heavy fog. The death of Piettraski Kuulmala led to his only daughter, Verta Kuulmala, to inherit the leadership, something that many thought it would be the end of the group due to her youth and inexperience. However, she managed to dispel all doubts soon enough, proving not only a great sense of leadership and a bloodthirsty attitude towards the battlefield, leading the assaults personally.

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>>91304994
In reality, the situation of the Kuulmala is darker that many would assume, holding a secret only she knows. For the death of Piettraski was caused by a vampire attack along the northwestern shores of the kingdom. Piettraski was tasked to hunt down the assaulters in the area not knowing they were vampires beforehand, and in the confusing skirmish, Piettraski and Verta were bitten and turned. While Piettraski begged his daughter to kill him before he turned, she could not end with her own life, becoming a vampire herself. Verta has managed to control her growing hunger for blood in the battlefield, feeding off her targets while her men are not aware, but the growing strength of her hunger and the fear of losing control is forcing her to take exponentially more dangerous jobs. Only a few of the men of the band know of her situation, and while they are still loyal to her and the memory of her father, they worry the fate that could befall them all if Verta ever losses herself to her condition. All the while, she is looking to enact revenge against the vampire coven who killed her father and turned her into a monster. Despite the growing dangers, Verta is learning to use her growing vampiric skills to use, though the more she uses them, the more she feels the hunger stirring within her.

>>91305006
>Only a few of the men of the band know of her situation, and while they are still loyal to her and the memory of her father, they worry the fate that could befall them all if Verta ever losses herself to her condition.
Actually, would it be better if Verta was the only one who knew about the vampirism?

>>91305006
Ok, I've rewritten the bit.

In reality, the situation of the Kuulmala is darker that many would assume, holding a secret only she knows. For the death of Piettraski was caused by a vampire attack along the northwestern shores of the kingdom. Piettraski was tasked to hunt down the assaulters in the area not knowing they were vampires beforehand, and in the confusing skirmish, Piettraski and Verta were bitten and turned. While Piettraski begged his daughter to kill him before he turned, she could not end with her own life, becoming a vampire herself. Verta has managed to control her growing hunger for blood in the battlefield, feeding off her targets while her men are not aware, but the growing strength of her hunger and the fear of losing control is forcing her to take exponentially more dangerous jobs. So far, she has managed to hide her curse from her crew, though some of her oldest followers suspect something is seriously wrong. And while they are still loyal to her and the memory of her father, they worry the fate that could befall them all if whatever they think ails Verta worsens. All the while, she is looking to enact revenge against the vampire coven who killed her father and turned her into a monster. Despite the growing dangers, Verta is learning to use her growing vampiric skills to use, though the more she uses them, the more she feels the hunger stirring within her.

>Casantieen's Corsairs
Casantieen's Corsairs are a mercenary band that operates through most of the seas of Eastern and Southern Giantstep. The group was formed within a colony of ancient mermaids located around the coast of Anchovia. The mermaid populations around the anchovy waters were already pretty sparse, since the region was too close to the old holdings of the Merfolk Empire for comfort, and many mermaids migrated throughout the years. However, some of them decided to stay as a sign of stubbornness. This would turn out to be a terrible choice, as the growing pollution of the waters would affect the minds of the mermaids, just as it was affecting the local humans. They began suffering murderous drives at seemingly intermittent intervals, leaving many to meet grizzly ends at the hands of their fellows. In desperation, they began searching for any force that would clean the taint from their bodies. One day, a mysterious sailor appeared in the area, and bestowed a red moon-shaped talisman upon the chief of the colony. It was after the mysterious figure had left when the sky became crimson red, and the mermaids saw the Moon that Lingers, Mg'umba. It was then when the tribe realized that their madness was not a curse, but a blessing from the blood moon, revealing unto them the gospel of carnage, and it was their duty to spread the word through action.

>>91308572
The tribe stop existing from that point on, and in its place remained the Casantieen’s Corsairs, a bloody band of mercenaries dedicated to bestow their gruesome work to the glory of Mg’umba. They are some of the most unscrupulous mercenaries around, caring little for material payment, being only interested in the sacrifice of the innocent in honor of Mg’umba. Indeed, many consider the Casantieen’s Corsairs as vile bandits and pirates, since they dedicate themselves to that profession when their prey becomes scarce. They attack any target that is sailing, using their nature as mermaids to go below the ship and break, beginning to sink the ship before moving into launching their assault while the vessel fills with water. They then spare no one, as Mg’umba wills it, drinking from their skulls and making weapons from their victim’s remains. They are rightfully hated and fear by the local populations of most of Eastern Giantstep.

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>>91308774
The current leader of Casantieen's Corsairs is Hubsiah Casantieen, the daughter of the first chief of the tribe. While young, she has been leading the tribe through prayer to Mg’umba and becoming an adept fighter. Her bloodthirsty nature has aided her well during the many fights for control over the group. She is finding more and more problems to find honest job as a mercenary, having to attack more frequently the waters near the Blind Bastard’s Domain, but in general, she knows full well that the eastern powers will act together to pursue the group as monsters to be hunted down and punish her. Still, for the time being, she enjoys the relative freedom her position as corsair allows her, attacking vessels with a safe port behind them.

>>91305023
Is the anon who wrote the "vampire" article still here? I'd like to expand it more after I finish the mercenaries' list.

I've been reading the Nerim lore, and I've found this:

>According to evidence, the Nemir were the first human inhabitants in Zemyland, predating the ancestors of the Hyperboreans.
Does that make sense? if the Nerim come from the days of the arrival of the khemomeric empire exploring the shores of Zemyland, that means there were no hyperboreans or other humans before the nerim. Which is weird, since the hyperborean page sort of points to them being the first, and even then the chronological timeline mentions previous human settlement. Maybe it should be worth revising how it's said? Also, the page mixes nerim and nemir constantly.

>>91311480
Also, aren't the rognarey human? If so, they are mentioned to be from "as far back as anyone can remember".

>Immortals of the Desert
The Immortals of the Desert is a mercenary company that operates all across Zemyland. Originating from the harsh Corteau Canyon, the Immortals of the Desert are one of the many nerim tribes inhabited the salt wastes of the inner continent. The harshness of that landscape often forces many to take the profession of a hired gun, and the Immortals were no exception. Originating from a particularly poor area of the desert, they needed to fight the other tribes for any spec of useful resources, from food to water to tools. This gained them the Immortals of the Desert, said to be so good at surviving the brutal conditions of their homeland that they had lost the ability to die. This also gave them a great deal of experience in the art of warfare, which they began to use as mercenaries. The strongest men of the tribe would be sent to faraway lands to serve in foreign armies, and with the riches they gained, they would try to improve the life of the tribe back in the desert.

>>91311681
The Immortals of the Desert have gained a great reputation all throughout the world, being known as very stubborn and dedicated soldiers who do not retreat until the job is done. Fighting in eerie silence, they are able to survive in hellish conditions, operating independently from any logistical support, which has made them great at fighting their enemy behind their rear lines, disrupting supplies and causing confusion. Many of the Immortals have also learned the ways of sand magic, using it to cloud the enemy’s vision during their attack or to disorient their movements. Their guerrilla tactics are very effective once the Immortals have spread throughout the territory, as they are quick to attack and move and very hard to pin down, forcing the enemy to dedicate enormous resources to secure their back. The Immortals also demand the spoils of the people they defeat, as per nerim tradition: as the law of the desert, the dead’s possessions now must go to help the stronger survive. This has caused some friction with their employers from time to time, but their successful track record keeps these clashes rare.

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>>91311689
The current leader of the Immortals of the Desert is “the Sword”. A mysterious figure whose name is only known by his men, he leads the Immortals across all continents, as is his duty as Naib. He has been described as a giant of a man, slashing away his enemies with his pair of swords and with his skill at magic. Like all naib, he always wears a full-face mask at all times, but his is more inhuman than those of other tribes are, and inscribed with runes no one has ever being able to point out the origin of.

Ok, I think that this is enough of mercenaries for now. If anyone knows a mercenary band mentioned in the lore, feel free to point it out.

Now I would like to expand and clarify a bit on the vampire lore.

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Ok, after many prompt combination attempts,and chainsawing many images and fiddling with photoshop to put it together, I think I have finally gotten a decent gnoll image.

>>91312840
It probably needs a couple of longer fangs to make the mouth more uneven, and the eyes could be wider, but overall this is the best I could do for now.

>>91312840
>>91312848
It looks like it breeds with human females

Also, does anyone know if we need to add more dates to the timeline? It's been a while since it was updated.

I'm going to try to expand the vampire lore, I'll use the bits written on the wiki and expand upon them. If the original author of that is still around, please confirm if this fits with what you had in mind.

>Vampirism
Out of all of the illness and curses that exist in the world, few are more feared and reviled tan vampirism. The true nature of vampires and vampirism is unknown, as nobody knows what vampires really are. Nobody knows what Vampires really are. Many people speculate that vampirism is a rare form of undead, while others that argue than vampirism is a disease. Others argue that vampirism is just a more advanced and complex form of therianthropy. And there are other, more radical thinkers, who defend that vampires are a completely different species altogether, reproducing through contagion and by turning others into fellow vampires. Whoever holds the truth, the reality of matters is that the changes an individual suffer when infected by vampirism are permanent, forever staining one’s body and soul with the unending urge of feeding from the blood of others. The presence of vampires is a great concern for any population, as the risk of being wiped out by a vampiric infestation is very real, and something that many places have had to face throughout history.

>>91315400
>as nobody knows what vampires really are. Nobody knows what Vampires really are.
Clunk!

>>91316374
I know, it sounds redundant, I realized the moment I post it. The "Nobody knows what Vampires really are" part can be removed,

>>91315400
>Vampiric contagion and development
Unlike the many forms of contagion of similar conditions like therianthropy, vampirism has one known method of spreading: through the infection of blood. For a healthy individual to become a vampire, they need to get part of the vampire’s fluids (either saliva or blood) into their bloodstream. Indirect contact, such as drinking infected blood, does not turn one into a vampire, instead creating the condition known as vampiric ghouls. The most common way for this is the feared vampire bite. A vampire needs to drink blood to survive, and the best way to do so is to bite down on an area and drink the vitae while the victim is still alive. This will inevitably led to the vampire’s fluids to spread across the victim’s circulatory system. The vampire’s saliva has minimal healing abilities, keeping the target from bleeding out from the bite, though this can only work when the wounds are minimal and the victim is left with enough blood to survive the transformation, and this only appearing in fully developed vampires, not those recently turned. This is often a voluntary act on the part of the vampire, as they either drink too much for the victim to survive, or they make sure their targets are dead, so as to avoid growing competition for food.

>>91317058
Once the infection is within the host, it will grow with relative ease, taking advantage of the victim’s weakened body due to blood loss. The time of the transformation will depend on the individual’s natural resistance, the place bitten and the amount of initial vampiric fluids into the bloodstream. Most of the time, it takes about a week to turn a healthy adult into a vampire. In the process, the body revolts against the growing corruption, causing high fevers, nausea, blood vomits, growing muscle pains, inability to sleep, fits of rage followed by crippling weakness, and complete disorientation. Finally, the host’s body enters a death-like stage, where by all intents and purposes the victim should not be able to recover, with all vital functions ceased and temperature dropping to ambience degrees. It is during this stage where the body fully turns into that of a vampire, and by the time the host wakes up, they will be a fully-fledged vampire.

>>91317072
Once the recently born vampire wakes up, it will do so with an acute craving for blood, no matter the origins, from animal to that coming from sentient races. However, their unnatural vampiric strength is not fully develop, and it cannot do so until it feeds, and as such, they are left incredibly vulnerable (this also led to the custom in many places to bury their dead with their coffins nailed down, to prevent the infected from escaping). Their sentience and consciousness not yet recovered, becoming an animalistic whirl of teeth and claws but without any of the powers that make vampires a threat, this is the stage where most vampires are taken down. But if they manage to feed, they will recover their conscience and realize what they have done and what they have become. While during the initial weeks these vampires can feed off animal blood, this will become less and less filling for the hunger, and as such their diet will become exclusively blood from sentient species. During the first months of life, the vampire will begin to develop its vampiric skills, and they will learn either how to mimic within local society or how to hunt down their targets from the edges of the civilized world.

>>91317096
A vampire has to feed every couple of days, and one who does not turns more and mire feral as the days pass by: losing their sense of self and turning into monstrous beasts, their bodies begin to morph into bat-like abominations, highly aggressive against any living thing. In this stage, they can permanently lose their sentience if they spend too long without feeding, and after a while, a starving vampire will simply consume itself and die, though the process can take months until the creature meets its demise. However, if a vampire keeps a steady diet, they will maintain their form and shape, though they develop certain physical changes such as red eyes, pointed ears and longer fangs. In this stage, their abilities will evolve depending on the amount of blood consumed. Vampires do not have a maximum lifespan, being able to live so long as they can feed, and after many centuries of drinking blood, they can become what is known as “Higher Vamprires”. These creatures are rare, as they have been fighting their blood thirst for centuries, and have honed their vampiric nature to a degree that are able to control their hunger indefinitely, not relying on blood consumption for survival, but instead drinking it like a human would drink alcohol. However, this point is questioned by some experts, as they argue higher vampires are merely incredibly efficient with their blood consumption, and not truly free from the thirst. By this point, most higher vampires have abandoned all pretense of humanity or mortality, living in isolation and avoiding as much human contact as possible, creating small communities of vampires, known as “covens”, to protect and control the numbers of vampires within a certain area.

>>91317106
However, even the most powerful of Higher Vampires has to answer to an elder vampire. Elder vampires are the oldest of the old, with some saying that they are the fathers of vampirism, and have lived in Giantstep longer than any other living race. When Lesandros, Biblion and Qadash were in their infancy, Elder Vampires were already ancient. The study of elder vampires is limited to a recollection of rumors and legends, and thus no one but their closest circles know how powerful they truly are, or how many there actually are.

What are you writing about now, anons?

Giantstep needs more rape

>>91317119
>Vampiric characteristics
Over the years, vampires develop a series of unnatural skills and abilities, often suited to continue their hunt for blood. First and foremost, their body will start changing to adopt a blood-only diet. They will no longer be able to process any other food, and while they might be able to feign eating it to mimic within society, it will no longer bring them nutrition. Vampires feed on all kinds of blood from sentient beings, although the most nutritious one comes from the same species as the vampire. Their senses will become more aware towards blood, being able to see and smell the presence of a living person, a wound or a drop of vitae from increasingly longer distances. These senses also boost their regular perception, but more often than not, this will revolve exclusively around blood. Vampires quickly grow fangs for puncturing the flesh of their victims. These teeth are retractable to hide them from common sight to avoid detection, though a vampire who is underfed will not be able to retract them back into their gums. Vampires have the ability to heal their wounds by drinking blood: they can heal any damage that is not immediately fatal by drinking vitae, though this ability needs some time to take effect, so it cannot be used for immediate healing. They also grow in physical strength, speed and reflexes, though this skill has many limits depending on the age and experience of the vampire.

>>91320458
Over the decades, they will develop other unnatural abilities, though for this to be the case they need to feed above their needs for quite a while. A vampire who only feeds the minimum to survive will barely be above common individuals, with spikes in power depending on how recently they have eaten. The older a vampire gets, the more generally powerful they will become as well, learning how to deal with their thirst and how to spend their energies more wisely, thus not becoming hungry as fast. This is important, as using their vampiric powers will increase their need to consume blood, quickly burning down their energies and requiring them to feed to recover. Vampires who do not feed will lose the ability to control their powers. The most common of this is a slight shapeshifting ability: becoming bigger, growing longer fangs, claws and unnatural musculature while on the hunt, though that tends to make the vampires more feral if they do not learn how to contain their primal thirst. Higher vampires will be able to develop this skill even further, fully morphing into a monstrous version of a vampire. This horrific stage vary from individual to individual, though the few who have witnessed it have described it as “looking more like an ancient demon than a bat”, gaining wings and the ability to fly. Some higher vampires also develop the ability to turn for short periods of time into mist, though this leaves them very vulnerable to certain magical attacks, and it is one of the most known ways to damage a higher vampire. The ability of hemomancy, casting magic through the spilling of blood, is rarer still, as it requires a higher vampire who is also a wizard to be possible.

>>91320463
Vampires react poorly to the light of the suns. Many experts have noted that sunlight seems to dull the effects of vampirism, slightly dimming their thirst for blood, but greatly tampering with their unnatural abilities. This weakness is especially bad during the vampire’s first years of life, causing actual physical pain when in direct contact to sunrays, though they will eventually learn to at the very least endure the sun, though it still causes them great discomfort. Thus, vampires prefer the darkness of the night, where they can use their abilities to the fullest. Higher vampires do not have such weakness, as they are resistant to the sun, unlike their lessen brethren, making them much better at blending in society, with normal means of vampire detection being useless against them.

>>91320072
This. The setting is incomplete without it.

>>91320472
>Effects of vampirism on personality and morality
The need for blood is the most well known fact about vampires, and the reason they are feared and reviled everywhere. This unnatural hunger is what drives vampires forward, and the effects on them are clear, becoming monstrous and frenzied beasts if they do not acquiesce to the thirst. Having to prey upon other sentient being is something that causes a severe shock to pretty much all infected, with whatever moral principles they had before turning clashing against this new reality. Because of this, most recently turned will try to resist the hunger for as long as possible. This inevitably leads to horrific pain of the body, mind and soul, which will make them lose control and lash out against any other living thing. No matter their strength of character and mind, a recently born vampire will not be able to resist the urges, and they will attack anything and anyone nearby.

>>91320689
Once they have fed, they will come back to their senses and see what they have done. It is at this point when most vampires crack, unable to accept what they have done and seeing themselves as monsters. The results of this clash vary, from going utterly feral to accepting the monstrous nature of the thirst, abandoning themselves to it. Some even commit suicide once they realize this is what they will have to do to survive from now on. Many have debated whether the condition causes a change of personality to prepare the individual for future survival, or whether it is the individual’s mind that twists the vampire to avoid having to accept the moral responsibility of their actions. The more they feed and the more they kill, the more monstrous they will become, in either a mindless bestial way or an inhuman amoral way, seeing people as mere cattle. While both sides have their arguments, the presence of rare cases where vampires have managed to preserve their prior personalities results in the latter theory having more followers. People with a high degree of mental fortitude and great willpower can learn to live with the weight of the thirst and keep themselves from spiraling down into madness, though they still need to feed if they want to keep their mind from slipping.

>>91320693
The effects on vampirism on the mind also need to take into account the vampire’s longevity. Many of the species affected by vampirism have limited lifespans, and thus vampirism will extend their natural lives many times over. The effects of having a seemingly eternal life can alter the individual’s perspective, making them see their previously fellow as lesser than then, small candles in the wind that will grow old and die in what seems to be the blink of an eye. This results in vampires preferring to live amongst other vampires, forming vampire covens that serve as a family of sorts.

>Vampires and the world around them
It is not surprising to see vampires are reviled, feared and hated across the entire world. The sheer threat they pose to any society is clear, and as such, many efforts have been taken by the different governments of Giantstep to prevent vampires from proliferating within their borders. This forces most vampires to hide to prevent their demise, as while their unnatural abilities should keep them safe from most threats, in reality many vampires can find themselves outmatched by sheer numbers. There are more mortals than vampires by a wide margin, and any possible vampire attack will cause the community to join together to try and hunt the threat down, as well as warn any relevant authority of the situation. Even if a group of vampires gains the upper hand against a town or other community, the problem with blood supply will guarantee increasingly bitter clashes between its members, and they will either jump into infighting or disperse in the search of more food. Vampire infestations are some of the biggest threats local authorities can imagine, and many nations in the world dedicate a great deal of effort in spotting, neutralizing and preventing said organizations. Many mercenaries and hunters make a living as vampire hunters, travelling across the land in search for vampire-related bounties. These individuals become incredibly adept at detecting the signs of vampires, and laying down traps to catch them at their weakest, often making them appear during the day and cutting their head off, or staking their heart, as these are the most effective ways to kill a vampire before their regenerating abilities kick in.

>>91322634
However, this is all at a relatively small scale. When talking about covens of lesser vampires, local mercenaries, vampire hunters or regional militias can deal with them, especially if the infestation is detected soon enough. However, this will require more and more effort once the vampire coven grows in numbers and experience. Dealing with a coven of higher vampires is a completely different matter altogether. These creatures are rare and powerful, beyond what any local authority could realistically deal with alone. Higher vampires are also special in that they need much less blood to survive and they have honed their vampiric skills and powers to a higher degree, making their attacks much harder to detect. And even leaving their skills aside, individuals who have managed to live many centuries undetected while feeding off the population probably have garnered a great deal of power and influence within society. The response against these groups once detected often varies from nation to nation, depending on the degree of infiltration and influence they have gained over the years. On their part, the coven of higher vampires will invariably try to move and relocate back to a hidden location. While they might fear the response of the nations they are in if they are powerful enough, the true reason they will try to hide is the chance of being found by the Lord of Okhost: Vandervax the Vile.

>>91322648
Over the years, all vampires who manage to survive for long eventually learn the threat that the True Lich poses against vampirekind. The Lord of Okhost has been fighting a crusade to exterminate all vampires from the face of the world for three millennia now, and he has claimed the heads of both lower and higher vampires alike. Regardless of their morality and the threat they pose towards the mortals, no vampire is safe so long as the True Lich is around. There have been many stories of Vandervax quickly dispatching elite units of undead to discover and destroy covens of higher vampires: monsters who have lived for centuries to the point of becoming local legends falling at the hands of beings who have been dead for even longer. And there are tales of Vandervax himself leading the charge: the most powerful of the necromancer lords, Vandervax is a threat for any vampire below the level of an elder, and has killed many higher vampires singlehandedly. The biggest threat to the vampires is the undead’s unrelenting nature: they do not need to eat, rest or sleep, continuing to pursue the vampires until they are so exhausted and starved they become easy prey to Vandervax’ men. As such, the moment the high vampire coven is detected, the entire organization is quickly moved somewhere else, in the hopes of being far away from them before the undead arrive, hoping against hope they can manage to clean up their tracks.

>>91322656
However, there is one vampiric being who can give Vandervax pause. The Elder of Usul, the only known elder vampire in the world. Considered by those who know of his existence as the most powerful vampire in the world, the Elder of Usul was alive and already ancient before the first civilizations sprouted from the land. His authority is such that he is rumored to have incomprehensible powers, and the authority to summon any vampire whenever he wants, with it being obligated to answer. The Unseen Elder of Usul has isolated himself from the world in the eponymous island, said by some legends as it being the birthplace of vampiredom, not having interacted with any non-vampire for centuries. There are legends of the singular clash between Vandervax and the Elder: while stories of how it came to be and what transpired between the two ancient beings, all agree that it led to Vandervax having to return to Okhost, though the fact Vandervax survived the encounter should tell anyone about the necromancer’s power and skill. Once every many years, higher vampires from all over the world travel to Usul to pay tribute to the Unseen Elder and ask him for advice. The Elder can also call for a summit in Usul that involves all vampires, although those happen every few hundred years at most, and the matters treated in them are unknown by all but those attending.

>>91322669
>Known Vampire Covens
Vampire Covens are communities of vampires living and working together, forming communities ranging from a couple of individuals to near a hundred. The nature of these covens often vary depending of the original founders, the culture in which they originate from and the amount of time they have been able to survive. Many of these covens do not last more than a couple of decades, as the inexperience and lack of subtlety of lower vampires tend to attract a lot of attention, which will put authorities on alert, to then seek the aid of soldiers or vampire hunters to take the coven and its members down. However, those composed of higher vampires tend to last for many centuries, due to their subtler ways and possible influence within local society. Still, these are also known to fail and scatter, being hunted down by vampire hunters or Vandervax’s men. Infighting is also a possible cause of a coven falling, most of the time due to lack of enough food, forcing the members to scatter across the land in search of game. The longest lasting covens can have millennia of age, though if they are known to the local authorities it means Vandervax also knows about them, and thus they stay on the move.

I'll write later about some examples of vampire covens. There are four names mentioned in the wiki page, though they are not described any further, so I'll see what I can come up with later.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

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>Flag - Aelar'ra
A simple grey flag, a sword breaking a chain, representing the "Greyhammer revolt". Around the sword a pair of dragons, representing Aelar'ra's historic ties to Azan.

>>91297687
What a beauty.

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Reminder we need to update the description of the latest plants in the herbarium.

>The Alps
The Alps are a vampire coven believed to originate from a border area of the Witchelven Empire. The rumors about the Alps center around a series of infections across the borders between Azan and the Witchelven Empire all the way back during the initial expansion of the Witchelven Empire. The sheer level of death and destruction could have allowed a series of vampires, both human and witchelven, to hide the vampire attacks as witchelven raids or azanese counterattacks. The level of destruction caused the Alps to grow quite numerous for a vampire coven, which led them to problems once the clashes between Azan and the Witchelven became less frequent. Not only they lost members when the usual attacks had to become subtler, but the rate of attacks resulted in a witchelven explorer discovering their hiding place, the underground of a city razed to the ground. This led a massive witchelven raid against the vampires, using a great deal of magic and succubae to combat the powerful vampires. With the raid successful, the surviving Alps had to flee to the mountains to the south where the witchelven could not follow. While there were few Alps vampires remaining, the coven survived long enough to regain their strength, and nowadays they move across Giantstep to avoid being tied down to a singular location.

>>91327871
The Alps are heavily influenced by the witchelven’s ways, regardless of the infected being witchelven or human. They were know to play with their food before partaking in the feast, but nowadays, their struggle with the thirst has tempered even their witchelven sociopathy. They know that they cannot gain enough power within the Witchelven Empire to take root, and thus they move across the lands, often in small groups so as to avoid detection. To feed without being noticed, the Alps will often resort to the tried and tested witchelven fake out, making the attacks look like a witchelven raid and then leave before any local authorities can discover the charade. The Alps are not picky eaters, especially now that many of their members are higher vampires with a better control over their hunger, though they have often found themselves hunting down witchelven border towns and making it look like the work of bored witchelven nobles or bandits. They have also built many hidden bases across the mountains, many of them in areas where mortals would not be able to find, but due to their vampiric strengths, the Alps do not mind surviving in the cold of the highest peaks. It is within these holds that they have managed to hide a great deal of treasure they have managed to pillage over the decades, and it is often used as bait to attract bandits and treasure hunters, since these people disappearing rarely sends any alarms.

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>>91327886
The current head of the Alps is Jiesia Ae’idervre. A former drow slaved to the witchelven, she managed to escape during an attack by the Alps, becoming infected in the process. Having nowhere else to go, she joined the Alps, and has stayed with them ever since. After the fracturing of the coven, she managed to keep her own allies together and rebuild the Alps, though she still feels the coven is too much on the defensive. This clashes with the reality that, if the witchelven were ever to know their location, they would send armies after them, possibly driving them into the east or the Handprint Desert. Jiesia resents her days as a slave, and as such, her attitude often imitates that of a witchelven princess, though without the joy for torture the witchelven possess, making her a more levelheaded leader.

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>Flags - Alliance of the Belsire States
Black and white emble on a green and red background. A royal eagle surrounded by five swords and two lances, eight figures in total representing the duchies and republics that form the alliance.

>>91328208
On second thought, I'm not sure if those colors fit...

>Flag-Anchovia
The ancient flag of Ellesis. An ancient fishing boat swimming in front of the moon and the sacred eye and ellesis, with the star shinning above. A very royal flag that the anchovians still keep to remind them of better times.

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>>91329592
And the image did not load.

>The Bruxas
The Bruxas are a vampire coven believed to originate from an unknown area within Azan. Little is actually known about the Bruxas’ history prior to their discovery around 3.066 ABE in Gvilderstaaten, though there are some things that could be assumed about them. First, the spread of their coven is linked to many of the more unsavory docks within Western Giantstep and Scimitarian: the massive movement of people and cargo, especially in those areas where the rule of law is less rigid, can camouflage the disappearance of enough people to keep a small coven. We also know that the Bruxas are a very small but influential group, as records found by the azanese investigators show that they had been active in public life for a long time. Other than that, the coven would have stayed hidden if not for a public appearance of an undead vampire hunter squad from Okhost, who set fire to a series of public places to force the vampires into the open. The ensuing diplomatic conflict was only quelled by the capture of one of the vampires alive, who confirmed to the azanese authorities that there really was a vampire coven within Gvilderstaaten, also giving identifying the coven as “the Bruxas”. This forced the imperial authorities to collaborate with Vandervax’s men, though by the time they began working, the vampires were long gone and the undead were following their tracks.

>>91330723
The investigators from Azan found that the Bruxas had created a network of trade to hide their vampiric needs, often partaking in business such as human trafficking and slavery with those places that still allow it, mixed with other enterprises so as to keep it unnoticed. They also did not belong to a singular merchant house or trading company, but the Bruxas were infiltrated in multiple of those, so as to maximize their reach (whether they were able to infiltrate Gvilderstaaten Merchants' Guild or not is unknown to the public). They also left behind a great deal of money and fortune, which caused a great deal of tension within the gvildeerstaaten community to decide to who this truly belonged to. In the end, though, the azanese authorities, as well as Vandervax’s undead, reached the conclusion the Bruxas had escaped, possibly moving north through the sea, though their current location remains unknown.

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>>91330917
It is unknown who is the leader of the Bruxas coven, as the captured vampire refused to reveal the name of his superior before being beheaded and burnt down. However, there are a series of clues that point out to an individual seen talking to the identified vampires. His actual name is not known, as he always operated through others (as well as using multiple fake names) but he is suspected to be a very old vampire, with possible ties to many docks across the world. The Azanese Empire has put a great bounty on any information that could lead to his capture, but so far nothing conclusive has been found.

>>91331017
>The Ekkimaras
The Ekkimaras are a vampire coven believed to originate from the lands of Dsrvysth. They are believe to appear after a vampiric infestation throughout the early days of the fracturing of Dsrvysth. While the infestation itself was quelled, enough of those remained to recover and reestablish themselves, managing to infiltrate within one of the noble houses of Dsrvysth. Enjoying their position of power, they create a court of decadence and pleasure, dedicating their time and effort investing in arts and great parties, while also celebrating private dinners where they would feed off selected victims. The Ekkimaras would actually manage to keep themselves hidden despite this hedonistic lifestile for many centuries, mostly due to they keeping their numbers relatively low, keeping themselves as neutral entities to the wars for control of Dsrvysth and a great deal of charisma on the part of their members. However, this situation could not last forever, as they were ultimately found by other dsrvysthian noble houses. While they had to flee to save their lives, the clashes between the different factions in the area allowed the Ekkimaras to flee into the sea. Trying to keep themselves hidden, they moved around the different cities, where their charisma and animal magnetism gained them many friends, blending in with local aristocracy, and moving away before anyone could realize their true nature. They eventually ended in the Empire of Elanxa, where the rich nobles and little care for the peasants allow them to blend with ease.

>>91331861
The Ekkimaras are well known for their charisma and love for luxurious lifestyle. Unlike most vampire covens, the Ekkimaras believe that the best way to blend in using the glamour of the nobility, as that gains them enough ties to powerful men to make people look the other way when needed. This need to disguise themselves within high society has made them very good socialites, able to pick up the local social rules, hierarchies and gossips and turn them to their advantage. The Ekkimaras are also known for their adoration to the good life. Luxury and hedonism is their goal, and they are set to enjoy their seemingly eternal lifespans to the fullest: arts, fashion, music and dances, parties and social gatherings, theatres… the Ekkimaras are fond of all of those things, as well as more vampiric debaucheries such as literal bloodbaths or the consumption of chosen victims, raised and prepared to the highest vampiric standarts. Despite this image of decadent nobility, the Ekkimaras are some of the most powerful and influential vampires in the world, with a level of accumulated wealth that is difficult to calculate. There are rumors of vast caches of riches spread in all areas where the Ekkimaras have passed through, just in case they need to flee and start all over.

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>>91331875
The head of the Ekkimaras coven is Lady Annabelle Lidippa (or at least that is the name she currently goes for). She has been within the Ekkimaras since their early days of Dsrvysth, as the daughter of a local farmer who was going to be sold to a dsrvysthian noble as a housemaid due to her beauty. It was under the service of her lord that she learned the ways of nobility, but she hated her abusing and demeaning lord, and when she became infected, she used the Ekkimaras’ influence and her vampiric powers to take over his house. Eventually, she managed to gain control of the Ekkimaras, which has managed to keep ever since. As a lady who has spent centuries living the high life across the world, she has learned how to move across the aristocracies all around the step. She uses her natural magnetism with her vampiric powers to seduce those who could benefit her coven.

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>Flag- Bakir Sahabaharadad Sultanate
The flag represents the founder of the Bakir Sahabaharadad Sultanate, Sahbahaid Sahabaharadad, riding a camel. The two swords represent the two ways of life within the Dirihadarir Desert, the cities and the nomads, as well as the unification of the desert tribes. The waving lines represent the desert dunes.

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>>91332953
Fixed the uneven bit.

>The Fleders
The Fleders are a vampire coven believed to originate from Scimitarian. The exact region where the coven started is unknown, as the Fleders have the unorthodox custom for vampires of living in the sea, not as mere travelers, but spending most of their existence within ships. This is a very risky lifestyle for a vampire, as the isolation of the sea can make finding food quite difficult, and stepping on any dock will put them in danger if the local authorities realize what they are. Thus, the Fleders live off raiding the vessels across the waters between Scimitarian and Giantstep, becoming incredibly fierce raiders and pirates, capturing the crew and abandoning the ship adrift. Despite the very public profile of the Fleders, they have managed to survive for at least a century active due to being constantly on the move, as well as preying upon both civilian and pirate vessels. There are histories of the Fleders having close encounters with Vandervax’ undead, managing to either drive them off or fleeing before they could get them. From time to time, the Fleders change their vessel to avoid detection, as well as looking less conspicuous to their victims until it is too late. There are rumors the fleders have a hidden base in a yet uncharted island, but so far no one has been able to confirm it.

>>91335682
Survivors of the Fleders’ raids have been able to describe their assaults: using the vampiric skill of turning into mist, they will surround the targeted vessel, and then slowly but surely, the vampires who cannot turn into mist will swim towards the ship and climb it. If enough Fleders manage to jump on board, they will then overpower the presumably vulnerable crew and eat them there and then. If they cannot, they will try to sink the ship, forcing the people into lifeboats where they are much more vulnerable to the Fleders’ hunt. And if their victims turn out to be capable of resisting both things, they will spread the mist again and sail before they receive too much damage. This is not as sure-fire tactic as one might think, as the use of magical mist is a common one, and many experienced sailors will know to react quickly to any unnatural fog in the sea. The Fleders have also been known to use their morphing abilities to turn into flying creatures and just arrive to the other ship that way, but that tends to be riskier, as they are vulnerable while in the air and their healing abilities are not immediate.

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>>91335690
The current head of the Fleders is Ae’idass Vroehien, a massive giant of a drow leading the Fleders’ assaults directly. He is rumored to be a pirate captain that got bitten by one of the Fleders’ raids, only for him to dedicate his life seeking vengeance. While the details of the story are not well known, he is said to have defeated the previous captain of the Fleders in single combat, taking over the coven, which has kept ever since. He fights with a pair of short axes, using his tremendous vampiric strength to split apart armor in half.

> The Vohn Fohn
The Vohn Fohn are a vampire coven believed to originate from Siuverland. The history of the Vohn Fohn is believed to start within the slums of Siuverland, as most of the original members of the coven are demon tieflings. Due to the horrible conditions the demon tieflings suffer under Siuverland rule, vampire infections spread easily across the poor neighborhoods. And this is often another excuse for the Order to organize raids and purges across the slums against the demon tiefling population. It was one of these routine purges that finally forced the Vohn Fohn to attempt to rise against the authorities of the island. However, due to their numbers being too few and the lack of support from other tieflings (who wanted nothing to do with vampires despite the Order’s persecution), they were forced into exiled, with very few members surviving from the ordeal. The survivors managed to reach Daligrad, where they were able to endure and rebuild within the lawless streets of the province.

>>91336667
Unlike other vampire covens, the Vohn Fohr are not just set to survive the centuries. After their expulsion from Siuverland, the Vohn Fohr swore revenge against the Order, promising to rise up against the hellish oppression the demon tieflings suffer. To that end, they are slowly building a powerbase within Daligrad and other provinces of the Azanese Empire. Unlike other vampire covens, the Vohn Fohr only turn other demon tieflings into vampires, as their oath has caused a deep contempt for anyone outside of their species. The Vohn Fohr have grown into owning many brothels and bars within Daligrad to attract their prey inconspicuously, and are trying to spread across some of the more vulnerable and desperate demon tiefling communities, seeking to turn those who could be of use to the Vohn Fohr, as well as those with a deep hatred of Siuverland. However, they need to be very careful when choosing who to turn, as too fast of a growth could alert azanese authorities (or even worse, Vandervax’s).

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>>91336673
The current leader of the Vohn Fohr coven is Boughr Adopo. A small tiefling, almost child-looking, Boughr Adopo is the oldest survivor of the exile from Siuverland, and the one who made the original oath against the Order. He has been gathering the strength of the Vohn Fohr for many decades now, his deep hatred towards Siuverland motivating him to keep going. Deep within, he knows that his hate also encompasses the mortal demon tieflings within the island, as the Vohn Fohr fought for their liberation and they only reacted with scorn and fear. Boughr is worried that, if he crusade ever becomes successful, his wrath will raze the island to the ground, leaving no one alive, tiefling or otherwise.

Does this setting have anything close to The Gentlemen Bastards series?

ie. thieving underworlds, mob bosses, ruffians, black markets, shady canal cities, etc

>>91325846
how did you make this?

>>91337539
A mix between AI and Photoshop. I have to clean the more uneven bits and move them to better fit the flag.

>The Jia-Shoi
The Jia-Shoi are a vampire coven believed to originate from Changrila. The Jia-Shoi are one of the oldest known vampire covens, with some dating it about the 18th century ABE. During that period, the financial crisis that hit many of the trading cities within the Azanese Empire let thousands of people destitute. The growing poverty across the cities resulted in worsening life conditions for the populations, spreading many epidemics throughout the slums, making an already bad situation even worse. The growing death and poverty resulted in the perfect conditions for vampiric infestations, and while the authorities managed to hunt down most of the vampires, some of them survived. The reason for this was that many of the doctors across the Huan Ho-Sei Sea became bitten and turned, and the sheer need of professionals forced the authorities to turn a blind eye to this until the epidemics subsided. After the waves of disease receded, most of the vampire doctors had gone underground and were not able to be found and hunted down. This would result in the Jia-Shoi, a group of vampires living in the slums of Changrila, helping those in need and disappearing before the authorities can arrive.

>>91337810
The Jia-Shoi are a strange coven, as they are a somewhat open secret within the poor neighborhoods of Changrila. Their modus operandi often revolves around attending the poorest neighborhoods of the overcrowded changrilese cities. In exchange for the medical attention, the Jia-Shoi are guaranteed to feed upon those whose lives cannot be saved, giving them a relatively stable source of nourishment. The common folk fear and respect the Jia-Shoi, seeing them as angels of death, but since many cannot afford anything else, they have to search the slums for a contact within the Jia-Shoi in the hopes of a cure for their loved ones. Their medical oaths also forbid them from feeding off the healthy and the young, which does cause the Jia-Shoi to develop their vampiric powers in a lesser degree due to the quality to their prey. The Jia-Shoi are one of the few vampire covens that have been discovered by Vandervax’s undead but never openly targeted, possibly due to Vandervax’s own past as a medic and healer. However, the fact they are seemingly spared does not mean they are off the hook, and as such, the Jia-Shoi keep a close eye on their members, making sure no one goes beyond their remit or becomes lost in the thirst.

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>>91337821
The current head of the Jia-Shoi is Ganja Bae-Pieao. A half human-drow, she has been in charge of the coven for many centuries, both studying the art of healing and keeping an eye on the rest of her family. A charitable soul, she can often be found as the hostess of a tea store within the city of Hundred Tan, and those who truly need the aid of the Jia-Shoi will be listened to, though the high demand for their services and the need to keep a minimum of discretion means that she needs to limit the amount of cases she can attend.

>>91337445
There are definitely enough places where those things can happen.

>>91337967
such as?

>>91337998
The drow cities, furlaniya, the blind bastard's domain, some of the orange marquisates...

>>91337998
Luden could count too.

>>91337998
Daligrad is probably the closest match but it may be a bit too detailed already if you want space to add a lot of lore

Zapalovach is a mix of west european and slavic culture and also has some crime cities

You could also flesh out one of the cities in Furlaniya, Golden Hills, Lemon, Lorient, or Drunigzar, since they probably are the closest aesthetic match for Camorr

>The Leicesters
The Leicesters are a vampire coven believed to originate from Luden. The ratmen from Luden are a species particularly vulnerable to vampirism, not only turning quicker, but also needing to feed more frequently. Due to this, ludenites tend to react much more violently against vampiric infestations, as they can spiral out of control much more virulently with remarkable speed. This also makes most ludenite vampires concentrate in a series of areas where they can both defend themselves and organize their raids, meaning vampire covens of ludenite vampires are very numerous, but can also disappear rapidly. Out of all of these vampire covens, the Leicesters are the most well known and powerful, having managed to create their fortress within Chesspit. Managing to outfight all other covens, the Leicesters have grown into a coven made up of nearly a thousand vampires, the biggest vampire coven in the world. They also grew this powerbase relatively recently, only being active from 3.151 ABE. Due to this, they have been preparing for the inevitable assault from Vandervax’ undead, creating a massive fortress within Chesspit, as well as gaining as many vampiric ghouls as possible.

>>91340989
To prepare for the upcoming battle, the Leicesters own a great deal of industrial infrastructure within Luden, mostly smoke factories, coal burners and cheese sweatshops. With these pillars of the economy, they have gained a great deal of influence outside of Chesspit, though they are having problems expanding outwards. The Leicesters are fighting to establish dominance over the other vampire covens, especially those within Bloodpeak: the disunited covens that gather around the corpse pit have managed to push the Leicesters time and time again, mostly due to a series of tenuous alliances and the hatred they are developing against the Leicesters upstarts. Likewise, trying to control the non-vampiric regions of Luden is still a monumental task, since the numbers of ratmen outside of Chesspit simply dwarf those within the coven. Plus, if they decided to launch raids to expand their vampiric influence across the peninsula, it could result in the okhostian undead launching their assault much early, before the Leicesters are ready to fight off the undead.

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>>91341007
The leader of the Leicester coven is Brighton “Blueblood” Queekting. A brutal and sometimes psychotic leader, he likes to pass as a refined gentleman, dressing with the latest ludenite high fashion and acting refined to the point of flamboyancy. But the moment he gets into one of his mood swings, he becomes a sadistic and wrathful ball of rage an claws, foaming at the mouth and tearing apart anything or anyone that gets in his way. His ambition is to create a vampiric kingdom in Luden, something he is very open about, which is driving many saner vampires to oppose him. However, Brighton has proven to be a cunning and occasionally brilliant strategist, not only in the battlefield, but also through subterfuge and intimidation, which compensates for his more insane moodswings.

>The Dihalen Suhh
The Dihalen Suhh are a vampire coven believed to originate from the Lands behind the Hedge. The Dihalen Suhh are noteworthy in that they are a coven composed of fairies, containing many different species from across Giantstep. Vampiric fairies are rarer than other species, but generally more successful: while a human-sized individual is going to have a difficult time feeding off a fairy size target, the body of a human is able to fill the thirst of a dozen or so fairies at once. However, fairies have a harder time controlling their thirst, and thus vampiric covens composed of fairies tend to move across the landscape like locust swarms, often attacking isolated individuals and quickly flying away before the are detected. The Dihalen Suhh are the most well-known of these covens, moving across the land and often crossing the swamps of the Bog Witch to deter their pursuers from continuing to chase them. They partake in a unique death cult, feeding from the mortals beyond what they need to quench their thirst. They have been known to kidnap elves and humans, and sometimes even ogres, cling them upside down, and then cut their throats so that their blood rains unto the fairies below, all while they dance and sing in an orgy of violence and death. Once every full moon, the Dihalen Suhh take part in the ritual of the “Wild Hunt”, where they will gather in the hundreds and assault one of the populations in the area they are currently in. They will capture only the children of the townsfolk, turn them into vampires and then letting them free again, and just see the reaction of the townsfolk as they debate whether to execute them or to let them leave, both options resulting in the death the Dihalen Suhh worship.

>>91341803
The Dihalen Suhh are constantly on the move, having been seen in areas from the Baalps and Hereby to Zyla Gora and the Valley of the Fallen Giants. This lets the areas they move across recover, with hundreds of stories of towns having to board up their homes to protect themselves from the vampiric fairies until dawn. Vampiric fairies are particularly vulnerable against sunlight, and as such, they will not pursue their targets during the day. To protect themselves, the Dihalen Suhh often rest within the darkest parts of the forest or within caves. The Dihalen Suhh have had to deal multiple times with Vandervax’ undead, but due to their small size and big numbers, the vampiric fairies are able to scatter quickly, and thus their numbers are always high despite the losses.

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>>91341834
The current head of the Dihalen Suhh is Ixisidhe Tr’ee Bark. A strange fairy with six pairs of arms, she is said to be able to detect any blood from miles through her nose, which she then drinks beyond satiation. Her bestial and uncanny appearance has made many to question her origins, possibly being born within the swamps of the Bog Witch and influenced by the dark energies within. Some stories say that she willingly got infected with vampirism and then killed the individual who sired her. Having slaughtered the previous head of Dihalen Suhh, her hidden ambition is to capture and consume one of the legendary faerie lords, ascending to semi-divine levels of wisdom and power. She hopes to gather enough numbers to capture a faerie lord and add their powers to her own, as she is a powerful witch and expert bloodmancer.

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>>91337998
>Flag - Terusia Isthmus
Yellow background with aquamarine squares. At the center, an emblem representing a mountain surrounded by waves, symbolizing the Scabbard's Range surrounded by the two seas. Above it, two dragons, linking it with the azanese history.

>>91341845
>six pairs of arms
Three pairs

>The Ohdo Kishaj
The Ohdo Kishaj are a vampire coven believed to originate from the Gökmavi Khaganate. The gökmavi people have many legends and superstitions about vampires, believed to be due to a very severe vampire infestation before the unification of the khaganate. They are also one of the few nations in the world with a code of law against vampirism, as most of the others have a simpler, kill on sight attitude towards vampires. The gökmavi believe that vampirism is a punishment from the heavens, and that is the duty of the people to judge them for their crimes. This In the case of the Ohdo Kishaj, those who know their existence believe they originate from the northern lands of the Red Horde. Rumors speak of the leader of a forgotten clan, whose wife had fallen ill. Desperate, the chieftain prayed to the spirits for a miracle to save her. One night, he suddenly received a mysterious beautiful woman who promised him he could save her. However, despite being married, he fell enthralled by the traveler’s charms and unnatural allure, and he tried to take her for himself. It is said that the spirits saw the evil act and cursed the man to lose everyone he had ever loved. After that night, the mysterious traveler disappeared, and his wife finally expired from the disease. Enraged, the chieftain lost all sense of himself and turned against the tribe in a fit of rage, killing all but one who managed to escape.

>>91344936
Whether this tale is true or not, the Ohdo Kishaj have been roaming the lands of Central Giantstep for centuries. They travel during the cold nights, preying upon any unaware passersby or explorer they might come across. The Ohdo Kishaj are believed to be a relatively small coven, as the population density within Central Giantstep is not enough to sustain big vampire populations. They are said to move across the land like wraiths, silent and firm, determined to hunt down their prey. Some survivors of the Ohdo Kishaj have confirmed that the coven is highly superstitious, having a great deal of ritual in everything they do. They also follow a very rigid warrior code. The law of the Gökmavi Khaganate states that these vampires ought to be captured and put on trial, offering honors and recognition to the warriors who can manage to lay the Ohdo Kishaj low, but so far no one has seem to be able to do so.

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>>91344950
The current head of the Ohdo Kishaj is simply known as “Kehn”. A mysterious and silent warrior, Kehn is said to seek the strongest fighting men and women on the steppes and challenge them for their right to live. He bears the marks of hundreds of ritualistic brands, so severe they are that even his vampiric healing cannot truly dissipate the scars. Whether he is the chieftain of the original legend or he is someone else, it is not known.

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> The Specters
The Spectres are a vampire coven whose current location is unknown. Very little is known about them, other than they are feared by many mortals and vampires alike. They worship an entity known as the “Father of Blood”, who they believed that sired all of vampirekind. While most vampires either keep their previous beliefs after turning or abandon them altogether once they see themselves about mortal worries, some few end up falling into the cult of the Father of Blood. In these cases, these vampires end up partaking on a pilgrimage across the world in the search of the truth, which can end up with them finding the Specters. It is then when they are inducted into the cult, the details of which are mostly unknown. The only common thing across the sea of rumors and telltales is the presence of the Seer. This enigmatic figure is the leader of the Specters, and possibly one of the few elder vampires in the world. The stories of this character often emphasize how she is able to tell the future through astromancy and blood rituals, as well as summon wise spirits. However, whether this character actually exists or not is simply not known.

I think this is enough for the vampires. I think all of this expands the current vampire lore in the wiki without clashing with it.

Also, now that the vampirism thing is done, I'm not sure whether to continue with the divine and how it works, or developing the unique and special objects within the setting.

It's kinda weird that this is basically the most successful worldbuilding project in /tg/ history.

At least if you discount nobledark imperium, but that's a 40k fanfic

>>91348752
How is it weird?

>>91348752
I'm very happy this has managed to last for this long as well. We are pretty close to having all major subject matters described to an at least acceptable level. Then the job it's going to be editing the mountain of lore we have into a more coherent (and more summarized) whole.

>>91348752
It depends on how you measure success

I think there are a number of other projects that had a lot more people participating, but were then deliberately wrapped up once the core group started losing interest

This one is really just one guy keeping things alive long after most people had left, with a few others occasionally dropping in to read up on or add stuff to their favorite areas

Having one guy keeping the thread alive was a lot more difficult even just a few years ago, but is more viable now that it takes forever to hit bump limit

Ok, so out of the gods and the divine subject, we have the faerie lords explained in the fey page. But not the dragons/dragongods and the proper gods. Do you know if they are explained somewhere in the archived threads?

>>91350599
Also ancient giants.

>>91350599
Dragons:
- Some of them are essentially angels sent by Bronzar (but still capable of going rogue) or demons sent by Althazzar
- Others are seem to be neutral or animalistic, and were perhaps created by other gods, or are just the animalistic creations of bad dragons
- A lot of the lore is contradictory
- Some say there are only two dragons left, though that may just be divine dragons (both of whom appear to be rogue)
- Supposedly only "good dragons" don't have wings, though dragons on banners/heraldry usually have wings, while animalistic wyrms don't have wings, though in one image, a good dragon has magical wings, which may explain part of the discrepancy
- There has been some mentions of a war between the divine dragons and the early Khenomeric Empire that have never been explained properly, the anon who developed it often comes up with ideas that are contrary to existing lore. Probably the easiest explanation is that the Khenomerics fought some bad dragons

Giants:
- There isn't much on them. Like dragons they seem to have been created by certain gods as powerful agents of change but they gradually got weaker with each generation and they seem to have disappeared well before the modern era.
- Certain races are considered "giantkin" and were probably created in a similar mysterious manner to how the dragons make their assorted offshoots

Gods:
- I don't think there is much that has been clearly spelled out on them yet. While writing various regions, I assumed there was 20-30 main gods who took different guises in different cultures and were fairly "hands off" for the most part
- Then there are a few "rogue gods" who interfere directly on a regular basis, but are probably held back from doing anything really bad by the lower profile gods

WEEKLY LIMIT REACHED, NEW THREAD
>>91353551
>>91353551
>>91353551