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The Unnamed World [Quote based Worldbuilding Game]

Discussion in 'Creative Writing' started by Gaemnomut, Jan 28, 2017.

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  1. Threadmarks: Introduction
    Gaemnomut

    Gaemnomut Well worn.

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    Quote based Worldbuilding-Game

    Welcome, one and all, to my first thread on QQ.
    ~Let's build a world.~

    The idea is this:
    We are going to design a univers by layering in-universe quotes on top of each other, with one person writing something someone said or wrote in this world and the next providing context (who, when, why, ...) and the next quote.


    Rules:
    1. Later Quotes cannot contradict earlier ones.
    2. Anyone can join in whenever they want.
    3. First a person writes down a text, it can be anything from single sentence to grand speech or song, as long as it's not taken from somewhere. Author provides no context for this quote.
    4. Next poster replies by adding who said the above quote and providing any additional context for it, then givng their own quote. And so on. Think of it as climatic fragments of fluff from a RPG book or quotes on M:tG cards.


    The idea isn't mine, I found other such threads on other forums. They were long dead by the time I read them so I thought I might start a new game over here.
    https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/quote-based-worldbuilding-game.326566/
    https://forums.sufficientvelocity.com/threads/quote-based-worldbuilding-game.14416/
    Probably best if you read the first few posts so you get an idea of what i‘m aming for.


    Important notice:
    I have one request.
    If you read through the threads I linked above, you will find that they tend to go down the post apocalyps route pretty quickly.
    I would be happy if this one doesn‘t do that.

    Not because I don‘t enjoy these settings, but because they seem to end up being a bit repetative and grimderp until they stall because the situation is so hopeless.
    If you want to include great changes or world threatening things, feel free, but try to also include some way out, some way someone might still save the world or make it so the apocalyps is only looming in the future, not already destroying the world.
    You can write in great events, wars, invasions of demons or aliens, whatever, just nothing that reduces civilisation to a few quickly declining pockets.
    I'm aiming to create a vibrant world, full of mystery and adventure.
    The main purpose of this is to have fun, but if it goes well, I'll maybe use it to write a story/run a quest in the future.

    So with all that out of the way, I'll start:


    „Man, can you immagine how awesome it would be if we manage to pull this off?“
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2017
  2. lurkest

    lurkest I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    --Gary Nexlor, co-creator and first victim of the Nexlor-Winnet Automatic Tailor.


    "People said, afterwards, that Carlisle faced the Regent down with stoic courage and unshakeable resolve. Well, let me tell you, that 'stoic courage' was leaking through his trousers, and his resolve was the only part of him that wasn't shaking."
     
  3. Gaemnomut

    Gaemnomut Well worn.

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    --Frederic Baldwin, Royal advisor, to long time family friend Sylvia Moranday. 3 years after the rebellion.

    "You didn't think I'd survive, you spirits dammned traitor! Well, I did, and now, befor I kill you I want to know why. Why, why, why? You were our brother, Damien."
     
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  4. necrolectric

    necrolectric [Lazy Catgirl Enthusiast]

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    Carl Hubert, formerly of the Royal Musketeers, confronting the traitor and ursurper Damien Helswroth.

    "For all the extent of this land, we must not forget that it's true worth is not in the horizontal, but in the vertical. Dig deep, my brethren, for it is in the deeps that we shall find true wealth."
     
  5. HypoSoc

    HypoSoc The mind is such a fragile plaything.

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    --Gelwin the Mad, at the opening ceremony of her ruinous excavation to the center of the planet.

    "If it walks, shoot it. If it flies, shoot it. And if, by the grace of the lord, it teleports willy-nilly, shoot it twice."
     
  6. Gaemnomut

    Gaemnomut Well worn.

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    --Nalia Vasques, division leader of the Newland Expedition Corps (NEC), welcoming a squad of new troops to the island.

    „Sure you could use a ship to cross the sea, but riding a leviathan does have a few advantages.
    First of all, no pirate will come within a mile of you.
    Secondly, even if they did, that just means you don‘t have to feed her it for the day.
    And most importantly: Its unbelievably coool!“
     
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  7. Snake/Eater

    Snake/Eater Myth Maker of the North

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    Baron D'ardio the explorer, of the house Thalido.

    “I have conquered a Republic but I have not been able to conquer myself, Frog Father Save us all.''
     
  8. Gaemnomut

    Gaemnomut Well worn.

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    --Farfarian the Prideful, as he witnessed the remains of the massacre of High Hill, shortly after his refusal to surrender to the NEC.

    „Praise be to the lords below,
    as we to the freeing go.
    Never shall the high stones fall,
    or all will end in Ysgith‘s thrall.“
     
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  9. lurkest

    lurkest I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    --Mantra common among the monks of the Order of the Laughing Star.

    "We offer you a choice, men and women of the Dune. Surrender, and your families will live to labor in our mines. Or continue to resist, and see them sent to our larders."
     
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  10. Gaemnomut

    Gaemnomut Well worn.

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    --Quahodron Sullivanister, exalted war priest of the Order of the Laughing Star.
    At the Siege of Calahno, the great temple city of the Duhneri.

    „Hey, precious, whats a pretty girl like you doing in a bar like- ooof.

    What the hell! What was that for?“
     
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  11. necrolectric

    necrolectric [Lazy Catgirl Enthusiast]

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    Unknown speaker. An excerpt from the memoirs of Edward Sullivars, footman and companion to the Lady Knight Tamra of Faber, from his first encounter with her.

    "Not this day and ne'er again, so long as lead and steel stay in hand, shall the beasts lay claim over our fair land."
     
  12. Gaemnomut

    Gaemnomut Well worn.

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    Originally as a sign over the entrance of the NEC HQ in the town of Mescoto, in the conquered province of Galavia.
    Now also used frequently on recruitment posters.


    „Mr Helswroth, you can't be serious! What you are proposing is nothing short of treason and rebellion to the crown!

    I don't like that stuck up egomaniac from the order anymore than you do but you have to be carefull when you speak of such things. They have their spies everywhere!
    Although, if you can manage to get the military on our side and we take the capitol befor they know whats happening....

    Hmmm
    This might be doable!“
     
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  13. Snake/Eater

    Snake/Eater Myth Maker of the North

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    Duchess Palleta, wife of the Ambassador Duke Y'etiz of the house Thalido, Founder and Spy mistress of the corset spy ring.

    ''Frog Father, we will pray for you to give us your wisdom and strength for victory agains the apostates!

    We will end this error and begin a new era for our faith.''
     
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  14. Gaemnomut

    Gaemnomut Well worn.

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    --Fangofur, high general of the Senavar Republic. During a speech to his troops befor the battle of the forgotten marshes.
    The NEC didn't find his corpse after the battle, but presumed he died in one of the first volleys the Nexlor-Winnet Automatic Archers (NeWiAAs or the common shorthand: Newies) rained on the battlefield due to the Senavar troops breaking disciplin shortly after the battle began.


    "Of all the holy sites in the world, the high stones are by far the most mysterious. The order prevents all outsiders from visiting them, and even of the order, only the king and the exalted are allowed in for prayer."
     
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  15. Plotvitalnpc

    Plotvitalnpc Personification Personified

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    - Acadia Neumann, religious scholar, speaking of the seven mountaintop temple complexes maintained by the Order of the Laughing Star, all located within the core territories of the Order.

    "Of all things above and below the earth, none has brought greater benefit to the learned races than this humble swamp tuber."
     
  16. Gaemnomut

    Gaemnomut Well worn.

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    -- The D'ardio Enciclopedia of the known and unknown world.
    Chapter 14, on the methods of hunting the swamp tuber and how to extract it's digestive fluids which have numerous uses in modern medicin.


    „And with this, the war is over! After the Accords of Variez are signed, all this sensless squabbling will finally be done.“
     
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  17. Snake/Eater

    Snake/Eater Myth Maker of the North

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    Imperator Yunny LenoViz of the free City of Zhuliroal.

    ''Nothing makes a election more fun then a few scandals, a murder and a couple of white lies.''
     
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  18. Gaemnomut

    Gaemnomut Well worn.

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    --Farfarian the Prideful, Primorious of the Senavar Republic, shortly after being elected for the third time.

    "Even though the NEC employs the NeWiAAs in their ranks, there is always need for more manpower.
    First of all, the Newies are expensive to produce, so there are never many in any given battalion.
    Secondly, while their usefulness has been proven in the battles against the Senavar Republic, there are still many jobs they cannot perform and duties that call for expirienced soldiers that are able to think on their feet."
     
  19. Snake/Eater

    Snake/Eater Myth Maker of the North

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    Sere Kom'um Bear, exiled Military historian. Of the house Wutsom.

    Excerpt from his lecture tour.


    ''The Senavarnese are only a republic in name only, they are actually a tyrannical theocracy that hijacked their culture only 200 years ago that worship animal spirits.''
     
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  20. Gaemnomut

    Gaemnomut Well worn.

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    --The island of Sen, paradise or pandemonium?
    Pamphlet circulated on the mainland during the NEC conquest of said island, ca. 1 year into the campaign.
    Although mostly propaganda, the majority of it was still true, if slightly exagerated.
    One of the incidents it cited was when the results of the "reelection" of Farfarian's predecessor were somehow published before the election had even started. The scandal and the resulting uproar led him to retract his candidacy and destabilized the Senavar Republic for weeks.


    "I wonder what was up with Gelwin's excavation. They were bringing up all kinds of precious metals, minerals and ores. They even charged all the scholars a fortune to examine the findings. Then one day she just says its not profitable anymore and shuts it all down.
    I don't get it, she was obsessed with that project, giddy like a little kid when they finally started.
    And now they just walled it off and only the occasional exalt goes down there for research or something.
    Its a real shame..."
     
  21. ttd0000

    ttd0000 I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Unknown high-ranking Laughing Order member to Agent Peacock, Spirit Court spy.

    "IF. If your newies open up on us."
     
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  22. Snake/Eater

    Snake/Eater Myth Maker of the North

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    Ostro the 17th, Pirate-Emperor Of the exiled Feldgrau fleet, he said these words before his fleet broke his former lover's blockade around the western Kakou bay.

    "We have been at war from the moment your nation existed.

    If you want ever lasting peace, then you must pay us 1/4 of your nation's tax revenue.

    But if you forget this kind offer, here's a reminder.

    We are graveyard of nations!"
     
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  23. Gaemnomut

    Gaemnomut Well worn.

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    --Nedragan Nightbringer, Duhneri Emmisary. 126 years befor the rebellion and the great expansion of the NEC into the island of Sen.
    To Lelpharion, ruler of the Kingdom that is now home to the Order of the Laughing Star.

    Lelpharion was the last ruler that wasn't selected from the ranks of the order, which rose in power and influence after their success in fending off the Duhneri invasion.
    In the great counterattack that followed, the order razed many Duhneri cities to the ground and established one of their greates strongholds in the ruins of Calahno, where the high temple of the Duhneri Theocracy was located.


    "Lady Knight Tamra of Faber, I hereby welcome you into the ranks of the Spirit Court. You have proven your dedication and loyalty to our cause many times and we hope you will continue to do so for many years.
    Our's is not the privilege of announcing openly that we are saving the world. No, the members of the Spirit Court work in secret, chained to the shadows of lies and misdirection so that others may live in the light without fear of what the darkness may hide.
    We are not many, but all our members have proven themselves to be exemplary, and from the lowest dregs of the slums to the highest reaches of society, none may hide from our sight.

    It is we who realign the axis around which the world turns when it is out of balance.
    We who fight the monsters no one sees, and we, who root out the seeds of ruin before they take hold.
    We do what we must, even if we do it with a heavy heart."
     
  24. ttd0000

    ttd0000 I trust you know where the happy button is?

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    Agent Sky, third in line to the title of Baba-Yaga (second*) possible** leader of the Spirit Court, to Tamra newly christened Agent Peacock.

    *There are no less than three Baba-Yaga's, all of whom are accepted as the absolute leader of the Spirit Court.
    **There are also two "leaders" with the title Phoenix and three more calling themselves Kitsune. The true leader is a cipher, if they exist at all.



    "Alright boys, bow your heads!

    "Dear Frog Father, we pray to you mere moments before our finale battle to ask only three things:
    That our enemies be weakened by our stand so that our brothers in reserve can rout them!
    That the friends and family we leave behind remain safe!
    And that we die with JOY and MIRTH on our lips!
    By Rage and Stone
    By Blood and Bone
    This I PRAY!
    RAH!

    "Rouse yourselves boys! That rumbling means they're upon us! Here they come! Ready your hearts! CHAAAARRRGGE!"
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2017
  25. Snake/Eater

    Snake/Eater Myth Maker of the North

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    Templar Captain Yuani Bell of Mellen, one of many small provinces in the Senavar Republic.

    She is a living legend for her duty of guarding the border of the Republic and her bloodlust in battle.


    ''Something new has come from hot west across the ocean..

    Mother Eagle, don't let the storm come.''
     
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  26. Gaemnomut

    Gaemnomut Well worn.

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    --Lerian the wise/Lerian the Traitor
    One of Farfarian's wives. She was known for being kind to the common folk and providing him with good council. Her moniker of "traitor" was given her after she urged the Senavar Republic to welcome the first NEC expeditions instead of driving them off by force.

    She was also deeply religious and a fervent believer of the prophecy that fortold a great cataclism for the island nation which would be preceded by a "storm from the east".
    The dry, hot eastern winds from the coast, known as the Memnoa, were often detrimental to many of their activities. It inhibited the growth of their main food source, the bog bloom, which needed moist air to properly develop and irritated their skin.
    Thats why anything coming from the east was regarded with suspicion and especially the Memnoa was seen as an ill omen.

    Incidentally, the mainland only became aware of the island to the west of it after a trading ship was blown off course by a storm, stranded there and somehow made it back. The sailors never encounted the island people though and thought the land was uninhabited.


    "Ostro is the only member of the rebellion that is still alive, and that only because the corset found out Vivian had compromised them all and he legged it.
    The guy was badass and charismatic as hell though, he led the Feldgrau fleet for over a decade and when he defected he took almost all his men with him.
    Anyway, what I'm getting at is this, he might be the only one still alive who knows the initial reason for the rebellion. I just don't buy that it was just lust for power on their part. Something else was going on there, I'm sure of it."
     
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2017
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  27. Snake/Eater

    Snake/Eater Myth Maker of the North

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    Axelia of Kesselven, a possible spy for The Pirate- Emperor of the Feldgrau fleet and a ruthless business woman with powerful ties to the Xani Crime cartel.

    The conversation was observed by old Birdy, Barmaid and Spy for the Della'yori busness syndicate.



    "There is reports of merchants finding an entire city of gold full of skeletons and shallow Graves.''
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2017
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  28. MadKeyboard

    MadKeyboard is not a deviant; just the resident Xenophiliac

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    - Colonel Xin Crager reporting on happenings at the first Senavar colony upon the small set of islands, now colloquially referred to as 'The Teeth' in reference to their shape on maps and peculairly shaped mountains and the hard nature of actually living on these islands. The colony wpuld last for only a few months, seperated from the rest of civilization (this was in the early days), and eventually contact was lost altogether. The colony has not been found again.

    "1. In The Beginning, there were The Stars and they blanketed the whole of Creation in their shine. 2. And from this shining, blinding, tacky and glimmering light, came the first Shadow, reflected upon by the humble Stone. 3. The Stars were displeased with this, repulsed by that which they had not seen before. 4. "Are we not the most beautiful things in Creation?" 5. They Said. 6. "Should we abide that such perverseness be in our presence?" 7. And The Stars hissed and snarled and writhed, for The Stars are vain things. 8. And so, The Stars pressed down upon the small and humble Stone, seeking to blind its darkness with their illustrious forms. 9. But even the brightest candle can cast a Shadow, and somtoo do the Stars, whos light and dark clashed and mingled above the Earth and Sky and Oceans of Creation. 10. And so The Stars shrieked at the revelation of their own consequences, of the falseness their vanity had lead them to believe that they were superior to everything else and unique in all forms. 11. The Stars are no different then us except in their assurance to move past and accept, for they were so perturbed by their realization that they fled Creation alltogether to hide amongst the Heavens in a vain attempt to prove their light was eternal and untouchable. 12. But the humble Stone sat, for it was content with its darkness, and so was Creation."
     
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  29. Gaemnomut

    Gaemnomut Well worn.

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    --The Thalionopsis, acient prayer book of the Tu Heirn Da.



    "You should travel. The world is wide indeed and full of marvels. You need only pick a direction and start walking.

    To the north are the desert plains of Hanloth where the Duhneri used to live. Under the searing eye of the sun life is sparse. But beauty is not. Never in my life have I seen greater wonders than the colourful sands of those lands or the twisted reliefs on the cavern walls that run underneath it.
    There you will also find the ruins of the Duhneri temples. Especially at night, they exude a primal, haunting beauty.


    To the south are the Berenor Mountains with their snow capped peaks and if you should find yourself on the other side of them you will reach the tundra of Jin, the kingdom of city-states of which the free City of Zhuliroal is the biggest.
    In it's markets you will find exotic goods the likes of which you have never heard of, strange and wonderous things. When I strolled through I saw telescopes from the tower of stargazers, poisons and medicines of all kinds, bizarre animals from the far corners of the world and jewelry of the highest quality. I even saw a jar whose seller claimed that it contained a wind spirit.


    To the west, you will find the sea and all the boundless marvels it contains. Sail out onto the sea and you never know where you might land. From the glittering waves on it's surface to the sunken treasures in it's depths the sea is as dangerous as it is beautiful. You may even see one of the Leviathans.

    To the east, ...
    Well, I have never been to the east.
    Perhaps, if you go there you can tell me all about it when you come back."
     
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  30. Plotvitalnpc

    Plotvitalnpc Personification Personified

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    Archfuurst Alehi Il'uDavann of the since annexed Archprincipality of Low Waters, tearfully advising his children to flee the realm before the rebellion spread to the capital and saw them all beheaded. Of his children, the youngest three have no known location.

    --

    "...It is said that one should never feel safe to walk those streets in the day. Such is the spiteful light of the morningstar that, via reflection, those unused to it are blinded and easy prey for cutpurses and undesirable sorts. Keep to the night. Let the moon light those streets softly and guide you."
     
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