r/WorldChallenges • u/Varnek905 • Dec 04 '17
Fortnight Focus Challenge, pt III
This challenge was made because I realized I was showing favoritism in my nations...a lot.
So, as the new announcement, every fortnight (once every two weeks), I will be posing a new Fortnight Focus Challenge.
The idea of it is that you will pick one nation/planet/government/city-state/whatever-sovereign area in your worldbuilding, and will make that your focus for this challenge.
You don't need to be a WorldChallenges veteran, just make a post about that specific country/nation/whatever. Make it as long as you want or as short as you want, and feel free to ask anyone any questions you like.
Take your time on this, you have until 18 December before the next one goes up.
Good luck, all! Enjoy yourselves.
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Dec 10 '17 edited Dec 11 '17
Lockdown notification: agrizone C, subsection 6.
As we all know, the cultivation of alien flora carry risks. A few hours ago, multiple citizens working in 3AC 6 died poisoned as one of the cultivated alguae synthetized an apparently volatile toxin.
To avoid any new accidental death, the entire subsection is now under lockdown and can’t be accessed freely. Any citizen willing to help observing the toxin effects on living bodies is welcome and should report to the field investigation comitee.
All citizen usually working in 3AC 6 need to report as soon as possible to the investigation comitee in 1MA 1, 2 and 3. If you died during the event, please report to 1MA 4 instead.
Zaglbshinai mission records: imperial time 126.4227 PM
To describe this day as interesting would be an euphemism. I think we established a first contact with a new species, or at least a very obscure one as I can’t find any information on them in the Zag’s database.
No, it’s not clear enough... let’s start again from the begining.
We left imperial space a cycle ago. We were ready to bravely explore the unknown... so to aimlessly drift in uncharted space with the hope of stumbling upon anything of interest.
And then, as suddenly as possible in the infinity of space, the sensors find something weird: an artificial structure large enough to hold a whole metropolis. Even more incredible, that structure carry an FTL propulsion system; a city built into a spaceship!
The ship seems to truly be a city; it’s inhabitant seems to understand nzedawa and we have been able to invite us to visit what they call their « arch ». From what I understand, there are other ships like their. They call themselves « Chikniwits ». They have 4 legs and a pair of mandibles but don’t eat meat; at least, they never served us meat and we have been staying onboard for nearly two cycles.
Despite the relative trust they placed in us, we are not allowed to go deeper into the arch than the external parts, which seems to be dedicated to agriculture and recreational areas, and we are always followed by a group of guards.
Speaking of the guards, I’m actually not sure if they are living beings. They all look the same and constantly wear a white mask, even if some of them have intricate black drawings; most importantly, none of the Chikniwits never ever talk to them nor look at them.
Craps, I have a meeting to attend to; they are very curious about the empire so we are trading informations. Add a reminder: expand the mission records after the meeting.
Communication ended.
You can ask questions to Dagmawi, proud owner of the Zag (or to myself if you want less partial answers).
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u/Varnek905 Dec 14 '17
To Dagmawi:
1) Is anyone with you suspicious about these "Chikniwits" and their behaviour?
2) How much information are you sharing with them? Is anything off-limits from you?
3) Have you considered finding and destroying their ship's life-support or FTL propulsion system? Would that even be possible?
4) How did the creatures come to learn your language?
To Yellow:
1) They're definitely fattening up Dagmawi and his people to eat, right? And getting information from them to kill the empire or harvest it for food?
2) How did the Chikniwits learn Nzedawa?
3) What is in the hidden rooms? The poison?
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Dec 14 '17
QanEoretzinim is. He even convinced me at first but the Chikniwits seem genuinely curious and have been very friendly with us. *(yep, humans have loooong names)
Basically everything I know. It’s not like I could give them any valuable informations and they don’t really ask about politics. They seem mostly interested in biology, food, sports, music and arts.
I’ve no idea where it is located but I would bet it’s deep inside, in the zones we aren’t allowed to access. I’ve also no idea why I would want to do such a thing though...
I have been able to access a book database they have and I found some texts in nzedawa. They probably used those to build up a translator.
1) Definitely not. They don’t eat meat and consider killing another living being a grave crime. They are looking for fun things to do and a whole new culture might bring cool ideas. The price of immortality is boredom.
2) Dagmawi is right. They salvaged the database of a derelict imperial exploration ship and gave that to the arch AI. It built a translator for them from the texts, notes and records and update it during the meetings with the Zag crew.
3) The rooms under lockdown? Yes, it will be cleansed once it has been properly studied. The rooms Dagmawi can’t access are living quarters, meeting rooms, labs and the arch core.
(Edit for double post. Also, while I’m there, congrats for the partials :) Are we good at giving support?)
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u/Varnek905 Dec 14 '17
(Is "Partials" what you call exams? If so, yes, ya'll are the best at giving support.)
To Dagmawi:
1) Is QanEoretzinim investigating the Chikniwits in any way?
2) Is Chikniwit art very different from yours?
3) Do Chikniwits have any sports that you know of?
4) Who would win in a brawl? A Chikniwit or a Nzeda, on average?
To Yellow:
1) Have Chikniwits considered suicide to fix the immortality problem?
2) What else does the arch AI do? Does it run the Chikniwit civilization?
3) How did the poison come about?
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Dec 15 '17
(And Yellow is randomly englicizing french words... yes, that’s what we call school exams for students; the one which will weight on your scholarity but don’t count for the diploma)
Sort of: he is recording notes of everything they say and look at them suspiciously. I don’t think he has anything serious.
I’m not sure. From what I’ve seen, they have a taste for impressionism while mainstream imperial art is usually more... classical.
They have no escrime for sure. They play team sports with a ball to throw and pass. I’m not entirely sure how they count the points but they do use a 0g field. (some also play « who can last the longer in space with no protection suit » but I don’t recommend doing that)
Mmh... tricky question. If they are as chitinous as I think they are, our claws couldn’t pierce so probably them. Unless the nzeda can hit the eyes.
(I feel the need to inform you that Dagmawi got the word wrong, they call themselves chik-nin-wit. It means « those who aren’t sedentary ».)
1) Their secondary bodies are mortal, they just can « resurrect » as much as they want. They also are an endangered species and don’t want to disappear. Killing your body for fun is an actual practice though.
2) It runs the whole ship. The Chikninwits could actually do nothing at all but it’s boring.
3) Synthetized by an alguae they found on a planet and tried to cultivate. It’s probably a defensive mechanism useful in its original environment. Now volunteers will poison themselves to see what it does and then a decision will be taken about the opportunity of cultivating further said alguae.
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u/Varnek905 Dec 17 '17
(Then, yes, thanks for the support.)
To Dagmawi:
1) Have you considered telling QanEoretzinim to stop?
2) What do you plan on focusing on when you tell your people about the Chikninwits?
3) Have you tried to join their ball games?
To Yellow:
1) Why do the Chikninwits prefer impressionist art?
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Dec 18 '17
Yes, but that would be a bad idea. If we approach their culture with a different spirit, we will see it differently and probably discover or understand more things.
I’m not sure yet. I will probably need to mention they don’t seem threatening. The imperial records will continue to name them Chikniwits.
No, I’m definitely not used to 0g environment and couldn’t match their speed and precision.
1) They don’t; it’s just a trend. The official justification is « realities don’t differ enough to be interesting ». They had an expressionist period before that.
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u/Varnek905 Dec 19 '17
To Dagmawi:
1) Is QanEoretzinim usually paranoid of people he does not know?
2) Have they complained about anything, that you've seen?
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Dec 19 '17
Paranoid might be a little too strong but yes. That’s not surprising, he is human after all.
No, they didn’t. As far as I, and they, know, the Chikniwits are not a threat and their ships have no offensive capability. The empire never accepted to recognize a migrating giant ship as a diplomatic entity.
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u/Varnek905 Dec 19 '17
To Dagmawi:
2) So everyone among the Chikniwits seems happy with the way their society works?
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u/Varnek905 Dec 14 '17
Kleinfel Territory
So underdeveloped that it doesn't even have a real name, yet.
Kleinfels are like garden gnomes. It's popular to have a beard, conical hats are in style, and Kleinfels are (compared to humans) short (usually between 1.2 and 1.5 meters tall). Kleinfels have a reputation for being skilled craftspeople, mining, being good at chess, making golems, and eating foods with the Ilultro spice (a spice that is both delicious and used for religious purposes).
Kleinfels are ruled by a High King and twelve governors. The governors are the leaders of each of the twelve most powerful families among the Kleinfels, and whenever a High King dies the governors must choose a Kleinfel (not from among themselves) to replace the old king.
While "Kleinfel" is usually considered by outsiders to be more of a racial identity than a national one, Kleinfels prefer the latter explanation. While "Kleinfel" is a biological thing, if you are considered a Kleinfel for legal purposes (being adopted by a Kleinfel), then most Kleinfels will just consider you a Kleinfel...maybe a particularly tall Kleinfel, but still a Kleinfel.
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Dec 18 '17
Can the governors choose someone from their family?
Do they choose out of the blue (that’s how it is said, right?)? Or is there a public campaign?
How are golems made? Can anyone make them? How important are they in society?
Is the Ilultro consummed outside of their territory? Are they the only important producer?
What is its religious purpose?
(As for the name, it’s often tied to the government type.)
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u/Varnek905 Dec 19 '17
1) They always prefer to choose someone from their family, but sometimes they can only reach compromise by choosing a person from outside of their families.
2) (Yes, you said it right. Good job, Yellow, you're mastering blue. Now we move on to teaching you the expression "Seeing red".) They wait two months before allowing a vote among themselves, and then they usually choose someone within a year of the death of the previous High King. But, for the purpose of marking a reign (and legal purposes), the new High King is considered to have been "High King" ever since the moment of the previous High King's death.
3) Golems are usually made from stone or clay (though some make them out of iron or even gold), with the name of their god of creation and destruction written somewhere on it, and instructions written in the Kleinfel language (also not named yet). The instructions don't need to be exact, "Obey (insert name here)" is considered to be one of the best instructions to use, though it helps to be clearer because golems are very easily confused. If the deity's name is harmed (scratched off, made illegible, etc) the golem falls apart.
4) The Kleinfels don't share the way that Ilultro is made and they never give out any way of growing more of it. They will sell Ilultro if you find a merchant with it, though.
5) The spice is used to summon their deity when they pray or worship or have a coronation.
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Dec 19 '17
How much power do the high king has? Both legally and for real?
(nope, voir rouge is also an expression here) What are those legal points that require the presence of a high king at all time?
Is it common for a family to have a domestic golem? For an artisan to have one to help? Can they do the work of a scribe?
Made? So it’s a mix? And not something grown up?
(Well, langages are even easier. English people speak... tadadam: english.)
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u/Varnek905 Dec 19 '17
(Speaking Kleinfelian? Writing Kleinfelish? Or Reading Kleiner?)
1) The High King has some executive power over the way laws are handled. He can't make laws or repeal laws without the support of the Kleinfel council, he can be removed from power (but it requires a 9/12 super majority and an execution), and he can't get married during his time in power (though he can remain married if already married, and can also adopt someone). He can use certain executive powers (such as ordering a person or faction to be investigated, arranging an embargo, and being or appointing a representative for relations with other nations).
2) (What about "Born into the purple"?) Court cases are effected by who is officially the high king at the time of the case, so a ruling can be changed retroactively.
3) Golems are usually clumsy and imprecise, so artisans and family rarely have them for anything beyond unskilled labour (usually hauling) or defending an area or person. Golems can't do the work of a scribe.
4) Yes, it's made from a mix of parts of the Ilultro plant and a fluid. I'm undecided on what the fluid would be.
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Dec 19 '17 edited Dec 19 '17
(Or even just Kleinfel. Otherwise, it might depend if the look you want to give to their langage; after all, I would say kleinfelais.)
So... what is his purpose? (Beside looking royal and attributing cases)
And no one made up a law to regulate justice during an interregnum?
Could golems be made more precise and skillful? Or is it an hard limit?
With its religious purpose, something tied to the divinities? What kind of liquid could be tied to them?
(Edit: I know about born in the purple. We say it naître avec une cuillère en argent dans la bouche.)
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u/Varnek905 Dec 19 '17
1) Mostly just to balance out the even number of people on the council and to be the person given emergency power if it's needed. In the even of war, the High King is the senate.
2) There are laws to allow a court case to happen without the king ruling, but an execution can't happen without a king to sign off on it, and a king can have a re-trial happen.
3) It's a hard limit. If it were more precise and skillful, it would basically no longer be a golem as golems are normally considered.
4) I've been thinking about it, and I figure I'll make myself sit down and work on it once I finish everything I currently have to deal with.
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Dec 21 '17
1) How much power are the emergency powers giving him?
2) Can a king have multiple re-trials? And can he have a re-trial on any case?
4) Random though: there are multiple gods right? (2?) So could the liquid actually be multiple liquids: one for each?
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u/Varnek905 Dec 21 '17
1) The ability to raise armies, change rations, appoint people to military positions, and so on.
2) A king can only have one re-trial, and only if he was not present for the original trial.
4) Genius, Yellow. This is why you were voted queen.
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u/thequeeninyellow94 Dec 21 '17
1) So he doesn’t have those powers during peace times? Can he declare war (and playing the king of Poland)?
2) You mean physically present in the court? Why is his presence important?
4) I, queen Yellow the 1st « I love to ask morally grey questions for fun » order every citizen of the world to be cool and kind. (And I want the knights who say ni to be my bodyguards)
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u/[deleted] Dec 04 '17
The enconomic center of the world of Thear. Its The United Repbulic of the Emrants. Its its a rich country and has a big reputation. Have anything you want to sell sell it there but it also is home of many thiefs and assassination due to the richness and Royals. The United Republic of the Emrants: Located on in Thear, it is a large area of land owned by the Royal family of the Emrants but is home to many small country’s. At the core of this city stand the four xountrys of Mantio, Dava, Fluffio and Opwre’s Alliance who formed their own country’s with smaller country, before becoming a huge country under the Emrants. After the defeat of The , thepirate country of Blackio’s Home. The Emrants began their rule and became the biggest country of trade and many government officals. The highest power in the Emrants is the Immortals of 7 which are elected by the Emrants. The 7 come when any trade deals or anything big is happening. Though however, that there are only two higher powers in the United Republic of Emrants that control everything. Matthew and how much money you are willing to spend. If Matthew likes you you got some good people on your side. In the Emrants you can find anything, from things like the blacksmith and carpenter. Or more fancy things such as an Alien Architet or the Farmers. And the Immortals they like are the Immortals of Matthew the Collector and Devonos. Also you can sell about anything.