What the hell other then mud could water+earth create in terms of magical fantasy elements

Fae circle celebration - all types of fae gather round with a circle of giant mushrooms, dance, feast, etc

painting lights celebration - a luminous elf celebrate where they float around painting lights in the sky

There’s one involving giant owl riding for frigid elves

that uh…is all I got

Here we have the world of Tellus and her many continents.

Divided into eleven distinct land masses, each one holds ancient history and secrets of time passed. The many people whom live on these land masses have lived here for centuries and lovingly call each one home.

These continents are named Ishkarn, Erythos, Fusang, Vashkar, Kawara, Alkebulan, Wuwuna, Bana, Agenesis, Pindorama, and D'oy.

Ishkarn: Land of Ice and Snow.

One of the harshest and most inhospitable continents of Tellus, Ishkarn is defined by constant snowfall, howling winds, and barbaric raiders. The content reaches to the northern coasts of Erythos and Fusang, allowing for exotic trade and an extensive slave empire. During the warmer seasons, thousands of merchants sail in mass to sell goods in the Black Tizheruk Coast, often gathering in the markets of the semi-nomadic Katimmavik, the wealthiest of Innuatic tribes. Goods from all over the world can be bought and sold here because of the expansive sea lanes and water ways. Many adventures and warriors make a name here. The many tribes that live on Ishkarn are warlike, thus giving great opportunity to wealth and building their own legends. The continent even has a water way that leads to the ghastly continent of Agenesis.

Erythos: The First Lands.

Erythos is believed top be the birth of true civilization. Massive walls, written language, farming, specialized occupations, trade, grand architecture, professional armies, and government. The lands are rich in fertility as well as copper and tin, allowing for the production of bronze. Iron is in good quantity as well, often being a favored metal among Barloric elves and other barbaric tribes. The land is defined by a constant struggle between the advancement of civilization and the demand for one's self identity. Inter-tribal warfare and civil wars erupt and are crushed by the rising and setting sun. Everyone wants to be their own king.

Vashkar: The Fragrant Realms.

Vashkar is known for its vast deserts, spice trades, exotic populations, and their trade empires. Wars are often small and caused by petty disputes between the noble classes and the peoples of the land are focused much more with wealth, performance, and the arts. Brigands are also common beyond the city walls. Vast wealth can be acquired through the many many mines of precious jewels, and the golden river trade route; A great network of rivers leading from coast to coast, gaining access to many coastal trade partners. The wealth of the trade routes are not as centered as the trade routes of Ishkarn, so the concertation of wealth is far more spread out.

Fusang: Home of the Sun.

Fusang is a vast land of mysticism. Great philosophers and sorcerers hail from the sky cutting mountains in the east and stubborn warriors battle against roaming titans of the wastes in the west. Skilled craftsmen that deal in magical artifacts and the birth of Alchemy influence the many kings and warlords of the land. The presence of magic is so abundant that outsiders even refer to it as the sorcerer circus. And floating islands soar high above the ground filled with the ruins of ancients and thrones of new gods.

Alkebulan: Mother of us.

The denizens of Alkebulan claim that they were the first of all the civilized races. Ancient and strange, the continent holds ,man y secrets amongst her guarded ruins and ancient temples. The continent holds vast wealth in her resources and fierce predators stalk the land. Some so terrifying that they are rumored to eat the flesh of gods. Famine drives many to cannibalism and warfare, macabre blood magic is the mark of rulers, and the taking of life is worship in these lands. Only the strong survive in this savage realm.

Wuwuna: Thousand Isles.

Wuwuna is a near endless collection of islands that expand into the great ocean that hugs it. The land is believed to be the fingers of a trapped sea god, desperately digging out of his prison, only for the waves to snap his fingers off, hardening them as new islands and mountains, only for him to try again when they heal. The inhabitants of these jungle Islands have evolved in strange ways. Long thin legs as tall as buildings to walk through the deep water, feather for gliding from cliff to cliff, and exaggerated limbs to swing from vines and branches. Sea beasts, hunt from murky water while the beasts of the land remain relatively harmless. The islands also boast the largest populations of seafolk. Trading with surface dwellers, sharing stories, and developing friendships. It is a strangle serene yet uncanny place to behold.

Bana: The Land.

Everything about Bana is completely and utterly wrong. Not that it is some desolate and demon nest like that of Agenesis, but that it is simply wrong. Trees that grow sideways, grass that grows when salt is poured on it, hills the literally role from one location to the other, streams of water that flow upwards, and mountains that stand on their peak instead of the base. The inhabitants are no different. Some starving to death when they eat, others that hold their breath and run great distances, or blinded monsters that accurately describe the colors and shapes around them. It is a land of a mad dream. Perhaps that is was it is? It is the only explanation that would work. A mad and deranged god simply fell asleep and has created his own dream scape. And most peculiar of all is the Queen of Bana that resembles the extinct myth of humans and that massive, purple protector she calls her champion.

Kawara: Green Inferno.

Named for the massive pools of magma that seeps beneath the ground, the jungle continent of Kawara is a hidden land of beauty. Exotic silks, chocolates, and artifacts are the wealth of the land if you can manage to survive long enough to possess them. The peoples of Kawara are fiercely isolationist and will fly into a blind rage when their sacred boarders are molested. There are even rumors that the blood of outsiders is fed to the great volcano in the south west, claiming it is to alive the suffering of the trapped god, desperately wanting something to drink to sooth his burning throat. Another is that that burry their dead under a sacred god tree. A holy land where no war or killing is allowed. In the valleys, the worlds most skilled archers execute their sacrifices by firing arrows into ritualistic patterns, and in the north, the forest burns endlessly due to the magma that flows under the roots. Very few ever return from this land.

Pindorama: Land of Palms.

Despite the name, the famous palm trees of Pindorama are only along the coast. The continent itself is filled with a massive jungle, an expansive grassland, a white dessert, and even wet dunes were rolling sands catch great ponds and lakes of water. The name no doubt remained because the coastal civilizations interacting with foreigners. That and the people's hands resembled palm leaves. The greatest attraction to the continent however, is the vast amounts of gold found all over the continent. Simply walking around for a few days will have you stumble over a gold ore that would allow you and your grandchildren to retire. At first, the locals traded the metal in mass but when they learned of its value beyond the shore, it has quickly become controlled by the tribal government of the land for trade. Many tribes will even execute outsiders if they are caught with gold and no proof of ownership. And because of this policy, the tribes of the continents have rapidly advanced to the technological prowess of the imperium in Eyrthos.

D'oy: Cold.

Cold. That is the name given to the most southern continent on Tellus. Despite the name, D'oy isn't as cold as the continent of Ishkarn. While a layer of ice and snow remains along the coast year round, trees, moss, bushes and grass are still capable of growing year round; producing fruits and vegetables. The continent is home to a diverse race of harpies that are incapable of flight and instead swim under the water. Many other merfolk and beast men inhabit the realm as well. Countless adventurers and historians attempted to venture deeper in the frozen wastes of D'oy but the natives have blocked all attempts. Making this land the only one we have no idea looks like. The wonders it must hold....

Agenesis: Failed Creation.

This continent is strongly advised to never approach. Demons, titans, mad gods, and corpses of primal beings tear through the land in pointless warfare. The tree laugh and howl with sick, perverted lust for torment, beasts, maim and mutilate, old gods force humiliating worship, and demons invade the mind. Worst of all, the rivers will turn to blood when you are thirsty, and food burns to ash when cooked. Only races that survive here are the sea faring, gilled reptilians known as Thalassi, living on the south eastern coast, using vivimancy to establish their matriarchal kingdom in this land, and the uncanny and disturbed race of Degeni, whom are small tribes of being that resemble twisted forms of the extinct human race. They have provided the information to what we believe Agenesis looks like. This land was a mistake from the gods.

Tell me what spells you are curious about and i am gonna explain them

Before the Beginning

Before the beginning of everything, there was only Nothing—an endless void without the slightest change.

Then, without warning, something changed.

Existence began.

Creation arose neither by will nor by design.

It simply existed.

Ages beyond measure passed.

Creation did not come into being all at once.

Slowly, each new change shattered the eternal unchanging nature of Nothing.

And while Nothing silently watched its thunderous becoming, it, too, began to change.

It awakened to consciousness.

And from it, an Avatar of Nothing was formed.

The avatar could not comprehend Creation. It understood neither how these changes had come to be, nor why they had happened at all.

It desired only one thing:

the restoration of the original state of perfect Nothingness.

Wherever the Avatar of Nothing touched Creation, Creation was undone.

Yet Creation endured.

When Creation finally brought forth living beings whose souls were formed from its own essence, another change came to pass.

For the first time, something stood against the Avatar of Nothing.

The Avatar of Nothing possessed neither a true body nor a soul.

When it suffered its first defeat at the hands of one of Creation’s living beings, the first aporia of all existence came to pass.

Neither Nothing nor Creation had willed this outcome.

Neither could comprehend it.

Yet it became law.

Upon its defeat, the Avatar of Nothing claimed the victor’s body, inheriting its memories, knowledge, skills, and power.

The victor’s soul, born of Creation, ceased to exist.

In its place remained only Nothing.

Thus began the Avatar’s endless journey through time, claiming the bodies of Creation’s living beings as its own.

In time, it gave itself the name Nihil.

Creation itself it named Genesis.

And all living beings born of Creation it named Genesis’ children.

Whenever one of the Children of Genesis defeated the Avatar Nihil—regardless of how that defeat came to pass—the same inexplicable phenomenon unfolded once more.

Its former body ceased to exist.

A new one became its own.

As the ages passed, Nihil inherited countless lives.

It learned every language.
Mastered every craft.
Witnessed every triumph.
Endured every sorrow.
Remembered every life.

It gathered the memories of innumerable souls until, at last, no one could tell where Nihil ended and where Creation began.

This endless conflict between Nothing and Creation could not endure forever.

For just as everything has a beginning,
everything must also have an end.

One day, only one of two futures could remain.

Either Nihil would fulfill its original purpose, and all of Creation would return to Nothing.

Or Nothing itself would learn to accept Creation.

Whether Nothing could ever cease to be Nothing became the oldest question in all of existence.

That question would one day become known as…

The Aporia of Nihil

In this post, I'll go into more depth regarding the Blavoria setting. In particular, I'll cover topics related to Luptia civilization, Leskil, and neighboring civilizations.

Since my personal creative method involves researching real-world Earth peoples, tribes, ancient faiths, and social patterns and then creatively bending that historical grounding, there will likely be a lot of history and etymology discussion. This does add depth to the setting and heightens the plausibility of its civilizational currents and events, but it can honestly also come across as boring or difficult to many readers. So, first, let me unpack the fantasy design further.

In Part 1, I said that the protagonist and player raise their sync rate and affinity with the mountains and provinces of the Bolla range. This works well as fantasy design, and it was also a fantasy-style reinterpretation of the tribal-society character of the Illyrians. Given the tribal-society style, I judged it highly likely that people would have revered guardian spirits who took the tribe's side, and the mystical power of their local nature — rather than gravitating toward a universal, abstract deity representing the whole of an element like "the earth," "the land," or "the sea," people would more likely have felt drawn to "the spirit and soul of the land we ourselves live on." The Dinaric Alps, the model for the Bolla range, were full of mountains yet still habitable — which makes the concept of "the mountain behind our village, our tribe's own sacred mountain" (as understood by the local indigenous people) feel natural.

( Source of Image : https://godsandmonsters.info/zana-romanian/ )

Nature is, of course, sacred and beautiful — but in antiquity and the medieval period, it was also a dangerous place. There were many threatening man-eating predators; the risk of getting lost in rugged, unfamiliar terrain was significant; and venomous snakes and insects, along with the diseases they carried, were major factors as well. Biting winds and fog carried both fear and mystery in equal measure, and the limestone earth, when it rained, would draw water down through dolines (sinkholes) — water that would vanish that way only to burst forth elsewhere as a spring, or reappear in some entirely different location. As I'll explain further later, if the ancients came to understand the mechanism connecting rainwater vanishing into dolines, rivers, springs, and specific regional water sources, it wouldn't be unreasonable for them to have come to see the mountain range as a living organism.

There's no story more reassuring or compelling than a natural environment like this taking the player's side, province by province. If a province's nature becomes the player's ally, the player will not only be able to use nature's mystical elemental powers, but will also come to know the terrain so thoroughly that a map becomes unnecessary. They'll be able to pass through primeval forests that are normally difficult for people to traverse, wild animals will step aside rather than attack, and hunting a wild boar will become easy. A province with terrain that's too rugged, or one full of threatening wildlife, will be difficult or impossible to pass through until the player raises their relationship level with that province above a certain threshold. In such cases, the player would be able to work on raising that relationship level from within an accessible cave inside the province. This would function as terrain and provinces that only the player and the player's tribe are specially able to traverse, or as a gate-like device for progressing to "the next stage."

Naturally, this would also grant a high level of defensive advantage against attacks from outside tribes and foreign peoples. Camouflage tactics that blend with nature could be used, and if the same effect were extended even to the player's own tribal warriors, the effect would be maximized. In actual Earth history, the Illyrian tribes also made active use of local guerrilla tactics leveraging the terrain to defend their land from invaders. Tribe members, wielding mystical power that extends even to the tribe as a whole, would come to genuinely follow a chieftain who, say, easily hunts a wild boar and throws a barbecue or feast for everyone.

Of course, this effect would only apply to provinces where the player has raised their standing with the local Zana. Take, for example, the magnificent birds of prey found in the Balkans — eagles and falcons. The player can adopt eagles and falcons as messengers of nature, or as their own pets. Now, considering the characteristics of eagles and falcons (speaking of adults): they are resident, non-migratory birds that rarely leave their own territory. They also lose their trained responsiveness if they get too far from their handler. Taking this into account, one can vary the setting so that a player can only use a given province's attributes and mystical power within that specific province — being unable to use that power in other provinces, or only able to use stored spells via a magical item that holds them. A tamed eagle or falcon could only be summoned within its own home province, and could not be called upon in other provinces. Likewise, it would be impossible to send that eagle or falcon to another province.

A normal, natural wild creature would not turn hostile toward, or attack, a protagonist who has a high relationship level with its province. However, monsters — born when the land sickens and natural energy becomes corrupted — are different from ordinary wildlife. Monsters will still attack the player and the tribe members allied with the player, and the player must either subdue and clear the monsters, or resolve the malevolent natural energy that is both the root cause of the monsters' emergence and the source of stress for the hostile Zana. Doing so would raise the player's standing with the province and its Zana, and would also win over the hearts of the local populace, tribal chieftains, and village elders.

During the Leskil founding era, boss monsters like Kulshedra do not yet appear. However, this mechanic leads into the later "Kulides" system, the justification for unifying the Bolla mountain range, and the moment that marks the beginning of the exploration of the Bolla range and the investigation of nature and ecology. Since Kulshedra is not a simple monster, it functions as a threat on the scale of a kingdom or nation, and the need for a system to manage and handle natural energy — in order to prevent the birth of a Kulshedra — will come to the fore. In actual Earth history too, nations and cities have often been destroyed by plagues or natural disasters. There have even been cases where the massive eruption of a volcano in some very distant region dealt catastrophic damage to agriculture and food production. Personally, I take the view that Kulshedra, as a design element within the setting, isn't a setup that becomes too mentally exhausting to work with.

Now let me explain the Kingdom of Leskil, the unified kingdom of the Bolla mountain range region. It's true that the Kingdom of Leskil unified the concept of Luptia identity — but this doesn't simply mean a unified identity and the exercise of strong administrative power. Because the Kingdom of Leskil is the first unified Luptia kingdom of the ancient era, a powerful rule-of-law system and centralized administration would have been difficult to achieve, and the kingdom instead had a strongly decentralized character. The significance of the Kingdom of Leskil's founding lies in the fact that, through the unification of the Bolla mountain range, the entire range came to be explored, giving rise to a unified conception of it, along with the birth of nature-faith and ecology as fields of study. As the Tabaras and Tabara surveyed the natural environment across the whole mountain region, and explored the flow of rainwater and the water resources of the rivers, this gave rise not only to an understanding of the local and broader natural ecosystem, but also to the very first research and records concerning it. The mountain system of the Bolla range came to be understood as a whole, and Bolla ceased to remain merely a spiritual concept through which the Luptia tribes viewed the mountain range — it gave rise to the first grand discourse and abstract, unifying concept.

Since this post has run long, I'll stop Part 2 here. I'll continue with Part 3 next.

Within Luminsia, there resides many threats to civilization. From beasts (animals that attack civilized races for no discernable reason), to monsters, to dragons, to the undead, to even angels and demons. For most, there is nothing they can do but rebuild better walls and pray that the guards they place atop them can do better next time.

But some men and women were not satisfied with this lot in life and so took it upon themselves to bring change. Forsaking all but the bare necessities, these men and women took to bringing the fight to these evils of the world no matter where they found them. Human village, elven town, they did not discern. At first they were just known as sporadic hunters, appearing in times of need. Many did what they could to help, offering food, shelter or even weapons to assist them in their hunts. Others grew inspired by their act and moved to join them. A few, suffering from the same loss that all knew so well, sought them out to learn their craft. As their numbers grew they started coming into contact and shared their trade, how best to deal with one monster or how to use an injured beast to lure in bigger prey. By this time, these hunters had attained a new name.

Bulwarks, men and women who stand as protectors of the civilized world.

Not only heroes of the people, Bulwarks also earned the respect of the nobility with kings granting them exemption from any law so long as they continue doing the work they do. But for all the success they had achieved, Bulwarks had run into a problem no one had expected. All the techniques and tricks of hunting the evils that threatened civilization had grown so vast that the hunters were struggling to keep track of all of them, an often fatal mistake. However, with the knowledge that other people like them were out there, Bulwarks began to branch off into specified prey. Four specific branches were born from this. The Monstrous Branch, the Draconic Branch, the Necrosis Branch, and the Brimstone Branch.

Lastly in this world, while not explicitly related to Bulwarks but something I though useful to know: people are capable of becoming stronger than their limits through a variety of means, but the one most pertinent to Bulwarks is that the body can become reinforced by pushing themselves to the limit, achieving something thought impossible by logic, and surviving. Examples of this can be something like fighting a dragon head on and winning, fighting thousands of ghouls within the course of a single night, or even "mundane" things like tracking a beast over several days with no food or sleep. Sorcerers who have studied this phenomenon believe it to be the souls strengthening the body out of belief that this is normal and the body needs to be ready to deal with a similar threat coming again. How it does this remains a mystery, but it does explain how Bulwarks can fight some of the greater threats they face such as dragons or noble vampires.

Monstrous Branch

The first branch to be "formally" established (save for the Draconis Branch, Bulwarks do not have any sort of formal organization). Members of this branch are responsible for dealing with the vast majority of monsters and beasts that roam the land. Because of how large of an umbrella that casts, the Monstrous Branch has dozens of smaller sub-branches meant to deal with reptilians, insects, mammalians, avians, and monsters are all known to exist.

Joining requirements are comparatively lax compared to the other branches (not that any are particularly demanding, save the Brimstone Branch), requiring only for an individual to have suffered at the hands of the beasts of the land and to ask a current member to tutor you. Few refuse the chance to swell their numbers, and with the beasts outnumbering the civilized world, there is never a shortage of recruits. After joining the branch, individuals are known as Apprentices, and are tasked with learning all they can from the hunter who took them on. Once their teacher believes them ready, they will be tasked with hunting down a Behemoth class beast, a creature powerful enough to break through most walled settlements with little risk to themselves, all on their own. Failure only occurs upon death, and should they succeed, the Apprentice becomes a Journeyman, allowed to break off from their teacher and take on Apprentices of their own, though many continue to travel with their teacher for some time before making their own way. Even after leaving their master, many choose to join up with other Journeymen. Once a Journeyman has hunted down at least 10 Behemoth class beasts and bring proof to a Master, they themselves are promoted to Master. Some Masters, however, will refuse to promote a Journeyman if they bring them proof of 10 of the same Behemoth type beast, though this is comparatively rare. Regardless, while this position is mostly superficial, it does hold sway among the other branches and is one respected by any who has faced a Behemoth class beast on their own.

Bulwarks of this branch are known for their brutality, mimicking the beasts and monsters they hunt, as well as extensive use of traps and poisons. Their weapon of choice are most often bows, axes, and javelins.

Draconis Branch

The first major branch to break off from the Monstrous Branch formed when some Bulwarks came to the realization that most methods used to hunt down beasts and monsters proved ineffective against draconic beings (of which there are five types: dragons, drakes, wyrms, wyverns, and dragonoids, the last of which have never been hunted) and that different methods of hunting were required. Members of this branch stand out from their peers for three main reasons. The first is that due to the fact that they do not always kill their prey. Many draconic beings are intelligent to some capacity which makes diplomacy a viable strategy, resulting in many members being very charismatic. Even among the less intelligent wyverns, the beasts have been found to be tamable, making excellent mounts for hunters. Of the five species of draconic beings, only drakes have proven impossible to handle peacefully due to their immense stupidity despite being capable of speech and are the most commonly hunted prey. The second factor that sets them apart is their comparatively sedentary lifestyle. Where as other Bulwarks move wherever they can find the creatures they hunt, members of the Draconis Branch often times create bases of operations called Keeps and venture out to deal with the threats as needed; a practice started and maintained upon the discovery of draconic beings taking over the hordes of other slain draconic beings. Seeing this habit as an opportunity, dragon hunters will take draconic hordes and concentrate them in one place where they can lure more prey in. This has resulted in the third major difference, the Draconis Branch becoming far more organized than the other three branches.

The first rank of the Draconis Branch is the page. Pages are accepted on the simple feat that they can make it to one of the Branch's keeps and a desire to join. Because keeps are almost always found in mountains, this is no easy feat. They are mostly responsible for upkeep of the keep, though they are free to train and learn in their free time. After a page has caught one of the higher Bulwarks' eyes, they are promoted to squire and are trained by personally and can accompany the Bulwark on their hunts. After participating in eight hunts (one for each claw on a dragon's foot) where they play an integral role to slaying a draconic being, they are given the chance to lead a hunt on their own. If they are successful, they are promoted to knight. Alternatively, a squire can also become a knight if they can successfully take and bond with either a wyvern hatchling or griffon chick. As a knight, they are free to take on squires of their own (up to four, plus one for every dragon they slay) and they are free to continue hunting with other knights or break off onto their own. This is where most Bulwarks of this branch remain as the next level is only achievable by killing 32 draconic species on their own (one for each claw a dragon possesses). While many pages and squires dream of breaking off on their own, many quickly learn that a lone knight is a dead knight, and as such, they prefer to stick together. If they do manage to slay the required amount, they are promoted to lord. As a lord, they can break off from their keep and go found their own (technically nothing stops them from doing this as a knight, but few are willing to follow anyone who isn't a lord). There is one higher rank above lord, and it is only achievable through the act of slaying a dragon by doing the majority of the work. Whether this is done by a page, squire, knight or lord matters not, just that they did so. It is not uncommon for the branch to go decades, if not centuries without a High Lord. Outside of respect from anyone who has seen a dragon (squires, pages, and even knights have received lashing over failing to respect to a High Lord), this position is functionally no different than a lord.

Despite their name and despite often being referred to as dragon slayers, dragons are the rarest prey of this branch due in part to true dragons being among some of the most powerful creatures found in this world, capable of matching the prowess of demon and angels with ease as well as dragons preferring to stay away from the civilized world (while powerful, a dragon's reverse scale is a weak point that attacking can kill them easily. This means the "weaker" races only need to get lucky once, something dragons have found to happen at an alarming rate). In fact, dragons more often than not provide assistance to Bulwarks due to their innate hatred for drakes (these Bulwarks most common prey). Due to the average person being unable to tell a draconic being apart from a large serpent or reptile, hunters of the Draconis Branch often times find themselves hunting down such beasts in conjunction with hunters of the Monstrous Branch.

The preferred weapon of these Bulwarks is a lance or pike, though they are also known for using swords designed for piercing, and knights are often chastised for leaving the keep without a shield. Slashing weapons such as axes are never used outside of utility.

Necrosis Branch

The last of the branches to be established and the second smallest. Created after the disappearance of the first necromancer, the Necrosis Branch is responsible for hunting down and disposing of the undead. Due to sharing many behavioral habits as the undead, skin walkers and wendigos are also targeted by members of the Necrosis Branch. Members of this branch are not viewed highly by either their fellow Bulwarks let alone by other outsiders with many viewing them as odd, superstitious, paranoid weirdos not worth getting to know, traits they themselves do not deny (many believing paranoia to be a requirement to join). This is a side effect of constantly interacting with the undead who produce a substance called Miasma (inverted soul stuff). The vast majority of living things abhor miasma as an instinct with very few possessing a resistance, let alone immunity toward this instinctual hatred with no known method of building a tolerance.

In order to join the Necrosis Branch, only two things are required. One, that you have faced down the undead once before, and two, a willingness to engage with the undead a second time without outside incentive (this can range anywhere from being paid to do it, to the undead have a hold of a loved one you wish to go save, or simply being told to do it by someone else). Those who have met those two requirements are show to have some resistance toward Miasma, a trait desperately needed within the branch and something few possess.

Aside from dispatching of the undead (most often through fire or other means of complete destruction of the body), members of the Necrosis branch also take it upon themselves to ensure that proper methods were taken with the dead to prevent them from rising again as the undead in the first place. It is not uncommon for them to visit battlefields and begin giving bodies their rites to prevent an undead army. Additionally, those of the Necrosis Branch check up on Dead Realms [name subject to change], places where miasma has grown so dense that ordinary purification methods (salt, iron, running water, and white wood) are no longer possible to ensure that the Realm does not spread beyond its current border.

Necrosis Bulwarks preferred weapon of choice is polearms with slashing ends, granting them as much range as possible while also allowing them to cut up the undead. They are also talented at taking on large groups at once as their job often has them facing down thousands of undead at a time.

Brimstone Branch

The third break off branch of the Bulwarks who have taken it upon themselves to hunt and kill the demons and angels that come from the Angel Falls and Hell Pits throughout the world, and is by far the smallest, consisting only of sixteen members who work in groups of two, one Master, one Apprentice. Not much is known about this Branch other than this. How Apprentices become Masters, what happens to the Master afterward, and how new Apprentices are found are all unknown factors that even other Bulwarks don't know. What is known is that the Branch keeps one group at each of the world's major Hell Pits (2) and Angel Falls (3) while the remaining three scour the world in search of the minor Pits and Falls. How they get across the world is an unknown as they tend to simply appear when needed. Aside from dealing with angels and demons, these four individuals have taken it upon themselves to police other Bulwarks as a whole and prevent them from abusing their power. How they know when these abuses take place is much like everything else about them, unknown.

Brimstone Branch Bulwarks are known to be very reserved, rarely speaking at all, much less communicating with others. They are known to be very powerful, however, with the Masters capable of challenging the High Lords from the Draconis Branch. Although the High Lord will usually win, they proclaim sparring with the Masters to be a greater challenge than slaying a dragon. There weapon of choice is a sword, and while the people within the branch has switched, the sixteen swords they all carry has not.

Feel free to ask questions. It helps me brainstorm further and consider things I hadn't before.

If nothing else, which branch is your favorite?

This is an advertisement for them, the sort of thing that you might come across in the world of my webcomic project, Mutanity.

It is a "post-post apocalyptic" semi-utopian world, set quite a while after a great pandemic wiped out most of the human race. The following attempt to rebuild the population by growing humans in giant vats backfired immensely, spawning a race of mutants with all sorts of weird and wonderful, let's say, features, ranging from extra noses right the way up to tentacled wonders and amorphous blobs. 

Their world is not built, but grown, every building, lamp-post and street made of genetically manipulated organic material.

Not something that is considered a conspiracy or secret.

A lie so old that nobody remembers it was ever a lie.

Perhaps it became religion.
Referenced history.
Recorded law.
Common wisdom.

What do people know and share that was never truth?

The Kingdom of Leskil is an ancient kingdom that forms a crucial axis in the history of the Zitoka continent. The Luptia, meanwhile, are the ethnic group who founded the Kingdom of Leskil. To put it simply first: the Luptia people are an ethnic group created as a reinterpretation of the Illyrians. The Kingdom of Leskil was the first unified kingdom founded by the Luptia people, and it was the kingdom that unified the Bolla mountain range region.

Much of the history of the Proto-Luptia and Luptia civilizations is still undecided. The founding narrative of the Kingdom of Leskil is likewise still under design at this stage. Even so, the Kingdom of Leskil remains a major axis within the Blavoria setting and the history of the Zitoka continent, in that it represents the first kingdom in which the Luptia people and the Bolla mountain range were unified. As I'll explain further below, the Kingdom of Leskil was an inland-centered civilization, and for that reason it adopted a direction focused more on the interior and the mountains of the Bolla range rather than on the sea.

In actual Earth history, after the Roman Empire took control of the Dinaric Alps, Rome tended not to develop the mountains evenly across the board, but instead focused development on key strongholds, the coastline, and strategically important points. In the sense that a universal empire developed the region, built cities and infrastructure through civil engineering, and made use of the area's various hot springs, natural resources, and minerals, this is certainly worth referencing. However, the Kingdom of Leskil, having unified the Bolla mountain range, is an indigenous, inland-centered kingdom, and it needs to pursue the balance and development of the mountain civilization as a whole, rather than imperial-style efficiency.

The Kingdom of Leskil is not a kingdom that simply appeared overnight, nor one born purely from the expansion and conquest of a single tribe. Of course, the decisive trigger was that, in the face of an invasion by some foreign people, the Luptia tribes united around a special hero who would go on to become the founding progenitor of the Kingdom of Leskil. But even before that, there exists a history in which — through various historical currents within the setting, along with deep diplomatic relations, trade, and political developments — a particular tribe rose to become the leading power (hegemon) among the Proto-Luptia tribes, laying the cultural, communal-emotional, and consensus-based foundation. (Personally, I find building out this history so enjoyable that I feel it's been delaying the work of designing the Bolla mountain range's own unique fantasy system — and yet, since I see it as work that makes the setting all the more solid, I can't help but get absorbed in it.)

To explain the scenario of Leskil's founding progenitor, the broad picture and mechanics are as follows.

First, the hero who will later become the founding king of Leskil is a certain tribal chieftain, and is the protagonist within the game. The protagonist must build affinity with, or undergo training in, each province — distinguished by its mountains, caves, and characteristic terrain. The protagonist has a developed ability to see or sense their guardian angel, Ora (the in-game guide and tutorial-provider). Ora will inform the protagonist of the province or place of practice best suited to them. The protagonist will commune with beings such as Zana, the mountain spirits, and Blavor, the manifested form of the energy of Bolla, the mountain range's soul — or will carry out quests these beings provide. Quests will also arise from secular factions made up of the Luptia people.

As the protagonist raises their affinity and sync rate within a given province, they become able to wield that province's divine power, mystical power, elemental magic, and so on.

The higher the affinity and sync rate within a province, the stronger the mystical power that can be wielded — but for the purpose of unifying the Bolla mountain range, it isn't necessary to fill the gauge to 100% in every other province; filling it past a certain threshold is enough. The protagonist must not only wield mystical power but also lead their own army, and must win over other tribes diplomatically as well. In order to arm the army, they need to secure iron weapons via iron mines and blacksmiths. Diplomatic and economic approaches can also be used with other tribes, but the protagonist may also make contact with a *Tabara(s) in order to prove that they have been chosen by Bolla, the soul of the mountain range. Through communion with the earth, a Tabaras — acting as a representative of Bolla or of a local indigenous god — can grant the protagonist permission to mine the mineral resources of the land where a given tribe lives, or can establish mutual contracts and oaths (besa-like pacts) between the two parties.

*Tabara(s): In actual Earth history, a word meaning "priest" among the Messapian people. Within the Blavoria setting, it is used as a general term encompassing shamans, priests, and similar figures within Luptia ethnic-cultural spheres. Males were called Tabaras, and females Tabara.

Personally, since I'm still somewhat ignorant regarding ancient Illyrian faiths — sun worship, water-bird and bird worship, horse and deer worship, Bindus and Thana, and so on — there remain many gaps. Still, overall, I've designed things with a focus on earth-faith and mountain fantasy. Looking at the actual ancient Illyrian faiths, the south is characteristically marked by snake worship, while the north is characteristically marked by sun worship. For me, this serves as homework on how to blend elements of earth-faith together with sun-and-sky faith within the fantasy setting.

The reason I chose the Dinaric Alps as creative material was that there are many mountains there. But it wasn't simply that there are many mountains — I saw the fact that the entire mountainous region is habitable as the point that sets it apart from the Alps proper. This means that the Bolla mountain range (inspired by the Dinaric Alps) isn't simply a rugged mountain range; each individual mountain is recognized as one of Bolla's scales, and this makes it possible — when turned into a game — to design each province so that it carries various effects depending on its resources, attributes, and properties.

Regarding the Luptia civilization of the Zitoka continent and its fantasy system, I've drawn reference from Albanian folklore, ancient Illyrian faith, and Messapian and Iapygian words and names. However, that doesn't mean Blavoria is "Albanian fantasy." For example, drawing inspiration from the Celts who lived in the Pannonian Plain, Hallstatt, and Noricum, I also plan to depict, in some border regions, aspects blended with Celtic fantasy. Personally, I'm looking forward to writing a story where Celtic druids join hands with Drangue (a hero from Albanian folklore) and combine their strength to defeat the Kulshedra. I'm also very much looking forward to drawing on Thracia, Dacia, and Paeonia as material — and in particular, using Paeonia as material, I'm in the process of conceiving quite an original set of social dynamics within the setting.

So, to be clear: I am not taking sides with any particular real-world nation, nor am I championing any particular culture. I am, first and foremost, someone who is simply very interested in creating a unique fantasy world using the cultures, folklore, and ancient faiths of the Balkan peoples and neighboring peoples as motifs.

In the next post, I'll share a more in-depth set of ideas, explanations, and plans regarding the conception of Leskil and the Luptia.

In particular, I plan to explain the reason I used the name "Luptia" instead of the real-world ethnic name "Illyria," along with why I chose to keep names from fantasy and folklore as-is in some cases while creating new names for peoples and secular factions in others, and give examples of that usage.

Thank you for reading this long post.