Loretober: A Fantasy Worldbuilding Challenge for October!

[Edgar Ironpelt]

Loretober 25: Tome
The Conjurors' Research Council (the one surviving remnant of the otherwise defunct Wizards' Guild) published the first edition of their Handbook of Alchemy and Metaphysics in the year 7,564. The 40th edition, published two centuries later, put the CRC Handbook essentially into its modern incarnation, with subsequent editions over the next several centuries having only minor changes.

Recent editions of the CRC Handbook have over 2000 pages and weigh nearly 18 lbs. They're a common (but not universal) feature in alchemical and wizardly laboratories, where they provide a small but steady benefit to both the apprentices and the master mages working there.

 

[Edgar Ironpelt]

Loretober 26: Political Leader
Great Crilithar became acknowledged, after his death, as the first true Emperor of the Amphorian Empire. In his own time, he was 'merely' the Mayor of Amphora. In that office, he formally annexed nations that had previously been puppets of Amphora, paying tribute but theoretically independent.

Farr[1] the Hungry, son of Crilithar, openly declared himself Emperor-mayor on taking office. Under his rule, the City Council of Amphora was renamed the Imperial Senate - and began its decline in terms of actual political power. He also established the Seven Judges of Amphora, theoretically an independent court that ruled on issues of fundamental law. In practice, it quickly became a mere advisory body.

[1] Sometimes known after his death as "Farr the Unpronounceable," as his actual name was Farrclswunmal.

 

[jaybirdthings]

# 25. Tome
Subject: Item
Canvas: Global

THE CODEX CODERUS

The Codecies were powerful books that bound the forces of the universe to a rigid structure. One of the only Codecies that we know the location of is the Codex Mortis, the Great Book of Dead currently held by Lady Adelheid of Skopos. The last Codex to exist in Admas before the Codex Mortis was the Codex Coderus, the Great Book of Sanity. Coderus set the bounds of truth in the eye of sentience, preventing eldritch evils from corroding the minds of the masses.

The book was last held by a wizard named Keraptis who was rumored to have gone mad. It is said that he hid the Codex away in the Bleak Hills, in a confounding dungeon of his own design.

 

[jaybirdthings]

# 26. Political Leader
Subject: Place
Canvas: Global

DWEMGIR THE REDBLOOD

The leader of the Yorman dwarves is titled Redblood, a nod to the dwarven saint Belthar Ordvin, whose surname means “Blood of God”. The Redblood of Yormanthir acts both as a religious figurehead and an executive power in the nation, but this position is not earned through any electoral or dynastic means. Instead, the standing Redblood receives challenges from respected dwarves in the community, and if any dwarf should defeat the Redblood, the title becomes theirs.

A decade ago, the title was taken by Dwemgir, a powerful warrior and former captain of the Yorman Navy. Dwemgir sees the rapid expansion of Admas as a threat, and is currently working to forge an alliance with other nations to stand against the Admasian Empire. However, Yormanthir’s neighbors are either disinterested, allied with Admas, or too weak to stand against the Empire. Yormanthir’s last hope is to reach out and ally with Galdracken, combining their navy with the Dracken army, the world’s strongest forces of land and sea into one fighting force.

 

[Edgar Ironpelt]

Loretober 27: Gala
Not every party is a gala. According to the Correspondence of Sages, for a party to qualify as a true gala it must be a very large party, one at least large enough to fill a huge ballroom to overflowing. It must also be a party that celebrates a special, once-in-a-lifetime sort of event, and it must be a party where everyone attending wears special, fancy-festive clothing.

A Doomsday Party is thus not a gala, no matter how large the party is, since only the principal dresses up. Weddings, similarly, generally don't count. Annual holiday celebrations may meet the "large" and "everyone wears special clothing" criteria, but not the "special, once-in-a-lifetime" one.

There is a dispute as to whether a celebration that's once-every-four-years can qualify as a gala, provided that it meets the other criteria.

There is also a dispute over whether a funeral can qualify as a gala. A large majority of the Correspondents say no, and even those who dissent will admit that a funeral would have to be very peculiar to qualify as a "Funeral Gala"

 

[Edgar Ironpelt]

21.) Sport

Many of the more animal-like humanoids choose to omit the terrier in rat baiting matches and instead don a pair of goggles and jump into the pit themselves

There's an incident in Mr. Midshipman Hornblower where Hornblower discovers a group of sailors engaged in illegal gambling over rat-baiting. Since there are no terriers on board ship, the participants have their hands tied behind their backs and attack the rats with their teeth. Goggles are not mentioned.

 

[jaybirdthings]

# 27. Gala
Subject: Person
Canvas: Dimensional

CAEL KALANI, LADY OF THE CELESTIAL BALL

The half-celestial humanoids of Verra are known as thrones, and their lineage can be traced back to the star elves. Few of the world’s thrones know of this connection, and almost none have made any efforts to contact their predecessors, who live on Verra’s moon.

One such throne who does seek the knowledge of the star elves is Kalani, a wealthy dutchess in Thael who is best known for her annual house party: the Celestial Ball. Rich and powerful figures from around the world gather together in her house dressed in elaborate outfits inspired by the stars, singing and dancing throughout Kalani’s manor. Though she enjoys the surface level aspects of the party, the Lady hosts these vibrant events in an effort to catch the eye of her ancestors, often spending the year between each celestial ball researching rituals to contact different celestial entities. As far as anyone knows, she has not yet succeeded.

 

[Edgar Ironpelt]

Loretober 28: Death
Nobody understands death. Not even Death.

 

[jaybirdthings]

# 28. Death
Subject: Place
Canvas: Regional

THE BRUMEWODE OF ROQDRAGON

The Elves of the Roqdragon Wode are an incredibly insular people. They welcome visitors from other lands and relish the opportunity to share stories with other Verran peoples, but they never leave their homeland. This is because of the mist that fills their forest, which is said to be the source of the Wode Elves’ immortality. While an Elf of Roqdragon stays in the Wode, they will never die.

However, the moment an Elf first leaves the mists of Roqdragon, they become mortal, whether they return home or not. For the natives of the Brumewode, entering the world of humans means living by their terms, and the humans deal in death.

 

[Edgar Ironpelt]

Loretober 29: Artifact
December 31 ("Yule") is an artifact of the Minuscule Calendar, a day of the month and year that doesn't belong to any day of the week. On leap years, the day of Wule ("double-Yule") is an additional artifact that likewise doesn't belong to any day of the week. Furthermore Wule technically doesn't belong to any month, although it is sometimes (incorrectly) referred to as "December thirty-second" or "January zeroth."

(The name of the Minuscule Calendar arose in part from its early adoption by halflings and goblins, with dwarves, elves, and dark-elves being more reluctant to switch from the old Patriarchal Calendar in which December had only thirty days. Haflings and goblins are not only the smallest ("minuscule") races but also early adopters of lower-case ("minuscule") letters in writing and printing.)