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09-15-2018, 09:48 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: New Zealand.
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[GAME] Collaborative World Building Dwarven city as a start
Collaborative world building
Detailed here and here are some thoughts on how the farming systems might work for a dwarven city. It has been suggested that this might make an interesting setting seed for collaborative world building, so here goes. Using the dwarven city of Knurlkyth as a start point, let's see what evolves. Answer a question ask a question format. Any mistakes in continuity that crop up might also be solved by asking the right question. Feel free to expand beyond just the one city. There are a number of switches in the write up that might be best selected as a side effect of other answers or as standing questions for later in the process. These questions are largely unimportant to the narrative but will likely change the population. To separate them from the normal questions they have been lettered. A. Do the dwarves have access to relatively clear glass or a substitute? B. Do the dwarves have access to “new world" crops such as potatoes? C. Are the dwarves technically inclined enough to develop the seed drill earlier than humans did? D. Do the dwarves farm fish? E. Are minerals mined for agricultural use? F. Are insects used to make better use of resources for food. Question 1 The highest point in the city is about 5km above sea level. How deep are the mines beneath Knurlkyth? Why?
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Waiting for inspiration to strike...... And spending too much time thinking about farming for RPGs Contributor to Citadel at Nordvörn Last edited by (E); 09-16-2018 at 03:35 PM. |
09-16-2018, 12:52 AM | #2 | |
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
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Re: [GAME] Collaborative World Building Dwarven city as a start
Quoting the linked posts here for convenience:
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Collaborative Settings: Cyberpunk: Duopoly Nation Space Opera: Behind the King's Eclipse And heaps of forum collabs, 30+ and counting! |
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09-16-2018, 12:52 AM | #3 | |
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
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Re: [GAME] Collaborative World Building Dwarven city as a start
Second post quote:
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Collaborative Settings: Cyberpunk: Duopoly Nation Space Opera: Behind the King's Eclipse And heaps of forum collabs, 30+ and counting! |
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09-16-2018, 01:01 AM | #4 | ||
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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Re: [GAME] Collaborative World Building Dwarven city as a start
Finally, one of these I can get into on the ground floor, as it were!
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Question 2: What are the three most important goods, by trade value, that Knurlkyth produces? Quote:
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09-16-2018, 07:26 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Mar 2008
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Re: [GAME] Collaborative World Building Dwarven city as a start
1A Do they have glass or a substitute?
Yes and they also shape and polish parts of the surrounding mountain to reflect light to extend the growing season. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/20...alleys/100613/ |
09-16-2018, 12:02 PM | #6 | |||||
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
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Re: [GAME] Collaborative World Building Dwarven city as a start
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It's probably easy enough for them to make broad sheet glass for glass houses. The quality and clarity would be quite low, but still adequate for the purpose of extending the growing season. The nearby halfling city-states, with access to purer materials, produce some of the region's higher quality glass products, but it's difficult for Knurlkyth to acquire much. Quote:
I'll say "it depends" for these. How much would the new world crops replace what we have so far? And for the seed drill- which human culture do you mean? China and India apparently had early versions, and there were European ones in the 1550s and 1600s. I'd give the dwarves something between that and the 19th century version, whatever that would look like. Quote:
All these I'd put under the umbrella of "use it if it's useful". I don’t see the dwarves turning away from a useful technology (or biotech) that they've heard of or come up with if it improves their situation somehow. Fish would give them a different protein source to rely on, and would keep pests under control. (Besides, I can't deny a suggestion I originally made…) Being miners and working with smelting and glass-making chemicals, it would be unusual for them not to experiment with agricultural uses, so this would be a natural synergy of them mining and farming in the same space. And insects would be used if they're useful, and probably end up on the dinner table too. Quote:
1) Amaranth Sour Beer Amaranth seeds make a spicy beer with a thick, persistent head. May sometimes be flavoured with amaranth flowers too, giving it a deep red hue. 2) Caterpillar Fungus, and its cousin, Corpse Fungus The caterpillar fungus, found in the wild meadows above 4000 metres as a stalk sticking out from its mummified caterpillar host, is a highly valued folk remedy, taken in tea or cooked in soup or chicken dishes. It is supposed to improve vigour and vitality, cure diseases and relieve impotency. Herbalists use it as the basis for potions of strength or healing as well as aphrodisiacs. This is one of the most valuable trade commodities for dwarves across the region and is referred to as purple gold. The Knurlkyth spore-masters long ago found a locally unique strain of the fungus that can spore in the dermis of humanoids. Cultivating it on the corpse of a recently deceased dwarf allows the fungus to gradually desiccate and mummify the corpse, from which it can then be harvested. The fungal mummification is a standard part of the local burial custom, but thence trading in the fungus for its purported magical properties is both blasphemous and highly illegal… except for one source. Criminals condemned for crimes heinous or treasonous enough are incarcerated alive in the spore pits, where they are slowly and painfully consumed by the fungus. Harvesting the fungus from these victims is hardly condoned, but this would have to be the only source possible for the fungal stalks that appear on the local black market, complete with attached identifiable pieces of humanoid anatomy, wouldn’t it? 3) Artisanal Weapons and Armour Knurl the Firstsmith founded the city as a locus of fine weapon manufacture in the early era of it being a major centre for the martial arts. In a philosophical argument with the elven warmaster, Lornegei, over which is superior in combat - the perfectly trained warrior armed with but a broken tree branch, or the perfectly equipped warrior with little training - Knurl the Firstsmith embarked on a quest to create the perfect weapon. He and his descendants are responsible for many of the metallurgic and hoplological advances accredited to dwarven weapon-crafting. Knurlkyth is now known for producing some of the region's best individual weapon or armour creations, but as each piece is unique they command a high price. For mass-manufacture of quality weapons to arm your host, you should seek audience with some of their neighbours instead. Quote:
I was thinking of having sun mirrors across the valleys too, but I wanted to know if the city is supposed to be hidden from casual observation first. ----- Question 4 What is the name and title of the current leader(s) of Knurlkyth.
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Collaborative Settings: Cyberpunk: Duopoly Nation Space Opera: Behind the King's Eclipse And heaps of forum collabs, 30+ and counting! |
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09-16-2018, 02:52 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Re: [GAME] Collaborative World Building Dwarven city as a start
Proper sheet glass is a modern invention that requires techniques and technologies that were not developed until the 19th century (late-TL5). Now, the dwarves could have late TL5 glassmaking, but it would be their major export because every nation in their world would desire their superior glass products. The value of their glass products would be so great that using it to facilitate food production would probably be considered as wasteful as using gold for their sewage pipes.
I can imagine several adventures based around shipping sheet glass from the dwarven nation to distant human nations. The sheet glass would have to be padded with massive amounts of wool to protect it from damage and, with a value tenfold its weight in gold at its destination, merchants would hire guards to protect the shipment at every stage. The sheet glass would be used in every palace, though nations in colder climates would especially value it for their palaces. |
09-16-2018, 04:35 PM | #8 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Shoreline, WA (north of Seattle)
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Re: [GAME] Collaborative World Building Dwarven city as a start
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Question 5: What do the dwarves of Knurlkyth believe to be the greatest threat to their way of life, and are they right? (to get us away from the dwarf-hold a bit and start building the neighborhood) |
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09-17-2018, 11:31 AM | #9 | ||
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
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Re: [GAME] Collaborative World Building Dwarven city as a start
(NB: I skipped the number 3 in labelling the questions. Mea culpa. Perhaps they have a superstition around things that come third.)
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There may be other kinds of threat, social, economic or metaphysical, but the military/political threat that they're currently concerned about is news from the southern mountain ranges. A new dwarf leader, the Thrumbleking, has taken the crown of the distant dwarven nation of Hurldrak, and is campaigning to unite all the dwarven nations under one banner- willing or not. Murblemorn is the first crown to have fallen to him and thus their treasure horde is his to command. This has allowed him to add companies of human, toad-head and rhinoman mercenaries to the two dwarven armies he now leads. He is still consolidating his power base in the south, but he will soon turn his attentions to the northern nations. Quote:
----- Question 3 Why is there a superstition against things that come third, and how would one notice this in daily life in the city? Question 8 What political and legal system does the city and its encompassing nation use? Bonus points for incorporating an idea from the Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems thread. Question 9 Please provide names for: - the mountain - the encompassing mountain range - the city's nation (or local loose alliance of states) - maybe the nearby lakes and waterways, particularly the mountaintop heated lake and the lowland lake which limits the city's lower boundary - any other notable features
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Collaborative Settings: Cyberpunk: Duopoly Nation Space Opera: Behind the King's Eclipse And heaps of forum collabs, 30+ and counting! Last edited by Daigoro; 09-17-2018 at 11:43 AM. |
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09-17-2018, 03:03 PM | #10 |
Join Date: Jan 2014
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Re: [GAME] Collaborative World Building Dwarven city as a start
Question 8
What political and legal system does the city and its encompassing nation use? Bonus points for incorporating an idea from the Exotic Governmental/Legal Systems thread. The government is formed of 4 benches within a bicameral legislature. The benches are composed of the general population, the craftsmen, the wealthy, and the hereditary nobility. The Assembly The lower house of the legislature is elected directly by the inhabitants of 30 different dens (electoral districts). At one point, these corresponded to about 500 dwarves per den, but due to growth and resistance to reform, they now can correspond to anywhere from just under 100 to just over a thousand. Elections are yearly, but only 5 of the 30 go up for election each year, on a six year schedule. The lower house is very weak, and can usually be overridden by the upper house. The only matters that must pass the lower house are foreign affairs, changes to its composition, and the appointment of The First Forgewright. The Committee The upper house of the legislature is composed of three benches which will be detailed later. The Committee has most of the power, and nothing happens without its approval. If all three benches have a majority, the matter does not need to be referred to The Assembly. If there is a majority over the entire Committee, but not each of the three benches, The Assembly holds a vote, and if it passes the assembly, the matter passes. This, in general, allows the government to run fairly smoothly. The Workers' Bench Each of the 11 recognized guilds appoints a member. Some guilds do this democratically, while others appoint whoever the guildmasters like. At least one holds a contest to elect a member. Bench politics tends to end up concentrating between the more exclusive cults, and the more populist cults. The Gold Bench The Gold Bench ends up being the bench that tends to change the most over time. Every year, one of the nine members of the Gold Bench goes up for election. Anyone who pays at least $2000 at the poll tax gets three votes, and the three candidates with the most votes win (one vote per candidate). This gives this bench a very plutocratic character. The Spiritual Bench The Spiritual Bench is has one member for each of the heads of the five families. These families are considered spiritually "special" and able to confer with the spirits. They tend to vote as a very uniform bloc, though occasionally there have been rifts over obscure religious disputes. The First Forgewright The First Forgewright is appointed by The Assembly and The Committee jointly. First, each bench of The Committee selects one nominee (usually one of their own) for the position of The First Forgewright. Then, The Assembly elects one of the three candidates. The candidate with the most votes serves as First Forgewright for life. If The Assembly unanimously votes against the three candidates, the process repeats until an acceptable candidate is nominated and elected. The First Forgewright heads the executive, and is considered the face of Knurlkyth. Question 3 Why is there a superstition against things that come third, and how would one notice this in daily life in the city? The Rule of Three In a time of great crisis, the First Forgewright may call The Assembly to invoke The Rule of Three. If this passes, each bench of The Committee selects one of their own to serve in The Three. After, The First Forgewright, The Assembly, and The Committee all resign, being left vacant. The Three rule until the crisis is resolved. It has been invoked twice, the first after a great earthquake, and the second during a short war. Both times the republic was only restored after civil war. Question 3 (Continued) There is a superstition against things that come third. How would one notice this in daily life in the city? Question 9 Please provide names for: - the mountain - the encompassing mountain range - the city's nation (or local loose alliance of states) - maybe the nearby lakes and waterways, particularly the mountaintop heated lake and the lowland lake which limits the city's lower boundary - any other notable features Question 10 What are the 11 recognized guilds? Are there unrecognized guilds? Question 11 Are the five families spiritually special, or is it just belief? If it is untrue, do spirits exist? Question 12 Money. What is it, and who mints it? |
Tags |
dwarf, dwarves, farm, game, world building |
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