The Mana World - User contributions [en]

User:John Pyle/Argaes

2010-02-28T19:35:08Z

John Pyle: Added more

{{Category_worldconcept}}
{{Status_red}}
{{Status_construction}}

Since [[The Great Quake]], people have flocked to the once sparsely-populated island continent of Argaes to take advantage of the growing economy and generally utopian weather. This unique island features several distinct biomes, though most of the population lives in the temperate central valley.

[[Image:Worldmap highlight argaes.jpg|thumb|Argaes, the island continent]]
[[Image:Area_argaes.jpg]]

=Geography=
==The Surrounding Sea==

Due to the intensity of the surrounding waters, travel to and from the island can only be managed in mid to large sized vessels. While the known pirating port of [[User:John Pyle/Yenvar|Yenvar]] lies on the outer coast, very few risk making berth there. Merchant ships and other honest vessels steer a wide course to the south of the island, ultimately approaching by the more favorable conditions of the Bay.

==The Rocky Northern Coast==

[[Image:Northcliffs.jpg]]

====High Cliffs====
Steep cliffs separate the northern sea from central Argaes. Seemingly insurmountable, plateaus and peaks of this range are in fact reachable through miles of networking tunnels and natural caves. An adventurer with extensive knowledge of the corridors (or a good map) can find the summit and a great 360 degree overlook, but an inexperienced wanderer might be lost for days.

====Blue Lake====
Below the menacing cliffs, a waterfall cascading from high bluffs creates a stunning centerpiece for the mountains. Rhythmic crashing and flowing mists over a clear blue lake make this a popular spot for adventurers to rest and enjoy the natural beauty.

==The Central Valley==
The high cliffs catch the torrential weather that battles north of the valley, thus establishing a beautifully temperate weather pattern for Central Argaes.

A river flows down into the valley from Blue Lake, passing through mills and providing irrigation to vast farmlands. Major arterial roadways connect the farms and farming village to the island's central hub of [[User:John_Pyle/Port_Town|Port City]] (labeled 'Port Town'), the western forest, ''Something'', and the military barricade called [[User:John Pyle/Bulwark|Bulwark]] (labeled 'Trade City').

====Port City====
''Main Article: [[User:John_Pyle/Port_Town|Port City]]''
Once known as the Tritan city of Seratera, Port City is now at the heart of world commerce. Trade vessels wait patiently in the bay for access to the consistently busy port.

====Farming Village====
Primarily a merchant town to supply the surrounding farmers, the village is also the focal point to prepare harvests for transport to Port City.

====Something====
Ideas for 'Something'
*Windmill that takes advantage of access to heavy wind from the north. Perhaps used by a mining camp in the adjacent mountains.
*Some famous person's windy mansion property

====Bulwark====
''Main Article: [[Bulwark]]''

The military-controlled town and protective wall of Bulwark close the eastern breach left by the Coastal Ridge Mountains to the north and Mount Orynia to the south, thus completely blockading central Argaes from the 'Southern Wilds'.

==The Savanna==
Passage between Central Argaes and the Savanna is intensely monitored and heavily restricted by Keshlam's military town of Bulwark. Major features of this grassland and the coastal beaches include: the known pirating port of Yenvar, Telelos Beach Resort, and the various small villages of the people of the Savanna.

====Yenvar====
Citizens of Central Argaes decry the existence of Port Yenvar, known for pirating and other practices of ill-repute. Merchants and Argaeans alike decry the lack of action against the port. The myriad of wreckage lining the coasts are testament that only very skilled navigators should dare approach the port, as the surrounding waters are very dangerous.

====Savanna Villages====
The people of the Savanna have very tiny villages of thatch buildings scattered throughout the Savanna. They do not name their villages, except for the names of the families living within each "village". The savage animals that share the savanna do not seem to show their regularly aggressive behavior toward these villages.

====Telelos Beach Resort====
In stark contrast to the 'Southern Wilds' of the savanna is juxtaposed the elite recreational property of the Telelos Beach Resort. The resort is very well protected by a renowned private company of warrior mercenaries, who also offer a protective convoy for those travelling to or from Bulwark.
The resort offers a beautifully sandy beach, the largest inn on the island, and many games and activities.

==Sonbral==
The uninhabitable desert, the temple, the ruins

==Enuli Forest==
Only one road ventures into the forest. It loses definition as it rises into the mountains, but, in descending the southern side, becomes a well beaten network of paths that lead to various woodland offerings, including the town of Hurnscald. Much of the forest offerings remain off of maps, as many people and organizations prefer their isolation among the trees.

====Hurnscald====
Once a small woodworking camp, business has boomed with Port City's success, establishing Hurnscald as a self-governed town. The blossoming gateway to the south, Hurnscald's economy no longer relies only on lumber jacking and the far-off logging camp, but on travelers and adventurers seeking their fortunes.
The presence of the large and influential ''Guild'' adds to the town's attraction and population. Bigger and more powerful than the town's government, ''the guild'' tends to have more control over town matters.

====The Swamp====
While much of the forest is beautiful and serene, a stagnant swamp lies nearer the western coast. The only visitors to the swamp are hunters and adventurers in pursuit of the bizarre and rare creatures that inhabit the area. The swamp is slowly growing; spreading into forest land. The swampy wetness is slowly breaching Hurnscald's Cemetery, which has long since been abandoned to be overtaken by the living dead.

====Logging Camps====
Work in Progress

==Zartam Jungle==
Work in Progress

Tonori

2010-02-15T21:03:24Z

John Pyle:

{{status_construction}}
{{category_worldconcept}}

[[Image:Worldmap highlight tonori.jpg|thumb|Tonori, Keshlam's desert]]

Before the Quake, the land in Tonori was very fruitful; the plains were host to many [[Before the Quake#The Talponians|Talponian]] farmers to the east and [[Before the Quake#The Gispaans|Gispaan]] ranchers to the west. Lava flow and landslides destroyed the mountain city of [[Gispaa]], and tsunamis leveled the coastal city of Talpa.

The devastation led to the joined forces of the once-waring people of the two cities in an effort to rebuild Talpa into the new city of [[Tulimshar]]. While the reconstruction was a success, the people were dismayed to find life fading from the land, as the region's landscape slowly turned to desert.

Tulimshar thrived, however, as Gispaans returned to their old homes in the mountains to discover valuable crystals which are now traded world wide through the port at Tulimshar. The two major cities are under the rule of the Keshlam Dynasty.

[[Image:Area_tonori.jpg]]

==Cities==
===Tulimshar===
''Main article: [[Tulimshar]]''

Under the command of Sabborus Keshlam, Tulimshar rose from the ashes of the city of Talpa. Previously of the Debury Kingdom, the newly founded Tulimshar became the first city under Keshlam's rule.

The city has a port off the inlet on the eastern coast of Tonori, where the major export is crystals found in the Gispaan Mountains. The growing number of snakes and black scorpions in the desert has made the outskirts of the city a very dangerous place for non-natives.

===Gispaa===
''Main Article: [[Gispaa]]''

Thirty years after the quake, with the restoration of Tulimshar nearly complete, many Gispaan miners (not used to city life) sought to return to the mountains to the west. Once an important source for iron ore, the miners made an historical discovery: crystals.

Despite fears that the miners' tampering would reignite the volcanic anger within the rocks of the mountains, the small town of Gispaa was reforged at the summit as an outpost for the miners and a gateway for trade with Tulimshar.

==Geography==
===The Desert Trade Path===

Merchants make their fortunes carting crystals into Tulimshar and returning to Gispaa with supplies for the miners. This central area is the safest of the deep desert, as such traffic has forced dangerous creatures further north and south. While there is no distinct path to follow through the sandstorm, practiced adventurers do well not to venture too far away from the corridor.

===The Deep Desert===

While the deep Tonori Desert, to the north and south of the central trade path, is blanketed with dangerous, violent, and poisonous creatures, a nomadic people live in and migrate throughout the harsh environment. Descendants of ranchers that lived in the area before the quake turned the plains into barren sands, this hardened group presumably survives on snakes and cactus. The nomads are renowned for their leather, but live in despicable conditions that only tested adventurers dare traverse to seek them. The strong, red dye marks on their leather homes provide a guiding beacon for those in search of their wares.

===The Gispaan Mountains===

Once cherished for bountiful ore deposits, the tops of these mountains exploded in lava during the Great Quake. Now quietly resting, the mountains have since become famous for bearing crystals. Lone miners live scattered in tents, or come together in small groups to work the mountains despite fear of future volcanic activity.

===The Volcanic Mountains===

A pool of lava rests at the base of the two active volcanoes that make up the Volcanic Mountains. Strange things dwell within the mountains, in places seemingly uninhabitable. A loud and violent region of lava, fire, and ash, the mountains are a place only for the strongest of curious adventurers.

==Creatures==
Maggot
*Eats: scavenges filth, gardens, corpses;
*Located: Within Tulimshar city limits, port, and city outskirts
Scorpion
*Eats: Maggots, fire goblins, scavenge
*Located: Within Tulimshar city limits, city outskirts
Bat
*Eats: Small bugs, possibly slime
*Located: Holes, caves throughout area, Tulimshar basements
Fire Goblin
*Eats: Maggots, scorpions, giant maggots
*Located: Tulimshar port, and city outskirts, Gispaa outskirts
Yellow Slime
*Eats: Unknown; possibly dead spiders, bat droppings, or mountain moisture
*Located: Gispaan Mountain caves
Red Slime
*Eats: Unknown; possibly dead spiders, bat droppings, or mountain moisture
*Located: Gispaan Mountain caves, C/N/S Tonori Desert caves
Red Scorpion
*Eats: Small bugs, scavenge corpses
*Located: Tulimshar basements, outskirts, within Gispaa limits, outskirts, C/S Tonori Desert
Giant Maggot
*Eats: Maggots, fire goblins, scorpions (rare), scavenge
*Located: Tulimshar city outskirts
Black Scorpion
*Eats: Red scorpions, black scorpions (cannibalistic), scavenge
*Located: Gispaa outskirts, Gispaa Mountains, mountain caves, C/N/S Tonori Desert, desert caves
Spider
*Eats: Attacks anything in its territory
*Located: Holes, caves throughout area, Tulimshar basements
Snake
*Eats: Spiders, scorpions, scavenges
*Located: N/S Tonori Desert, C Tonori Desert (rare), Gispaan Mountain caves, various holes caves throughout area

Tonori

2010-02-15T20:59:59Z

John Pyle: Future Tonori

{{status_construction}}
{{category_worldconcept}}

[[Image:Worldmap highlight tonori.jpg|thumb|Tonori, Keshlam's desert]]

Before the Quake, the land in Tonori was very fruitful; the plains were host to many [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Talponians|Talponian]] farmers to the east and [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Gispaans|Gispaan]] ranchers to the west. Lava flow and landslides destroyed the mountain city of [[User:John Pyle/Gispaa|Gispaa]], and tsunamis leveled the coastal city of Talpa.

The devastation led to the joined forces of the once-waring people of the two cities in an effort to rebuild Talpa into the new city of [[User:John Pyle/Tulimshar|Tulimshar]]. While the reconstruction was a success, the people were dismayed to find life fading from the land, as the region's landscape slowly turned to desert.

Tulimshar thrived, however, as Gispaans returned to their old homes in the mountains to discover valuable crystals which are now traded world wide through the port at Tulimshar. The two major cities are under the rule of the Keshlam Dynasty.

[[Image:Area_tonori.jpg]]

==Cities==
===Tulimshar===
''Main article: [[Tulimshar]]''

Under the command of Sabborus Keshlam, Tulimshar rose from the ashes of the city of Talpa. Previously of the Debury Kingdom, the newly founded Tulimshar became the first city under Keshlam's rule.

The city has a port off the inlet on the eastern coast of Tonori, where the major export is crystals found in the Gispaan Mountains. The growing number of snakes and black scorpions in the desert has made the outskirts of the city a very dangerous place for non-natives.

===Gispaa===
''Main Article: [[Gispaa]]''

Thirty years after the quake, with the restoration of Tulimshar nearly complete, many Gispaan miners (not used to city life) sought to return to the mountains to the west. Once an important source for iron ore, the miners made an historical discovery: crystals.

Despite fears that the miners' tampering would reignite the volcanic anger within the rocks of the mountains, the small town of Gispaa was reforged at the summit as an outpost for the miners and a gateway for trade with Tulimshar.

==Geography==
===The Desert Trade Path===

Merchants make their fortunes carting crystals into Tulimshar and returning to Gispaa with supplies for the miners. This central area is the safest of the deep desert, as such traffic has forced dangerous creatures further north and south. While there is no distinct path to follow through the sandstorm, practiced adventurers do well not to venture too far away from the corridor.

===The Deep Desert===

While the deep Tonori Desert, to the north and south of the central trade path, is blanketed with dangerous, violent, and poisonous creatures, a nomadic people live in and migrate throughout the harsh environment. Descendants of ranchers that lived in the area before the quake turned the plains into barren sands, this hardened group presumably survives on snakes and cactus. The nomads are renowned for their leather, but live in despicable conditions that only tested adventurers dare traverse to seek them. The strong red dye marks on their leather homes provide a guiding beacon for those in search of their wares.

===The Gispaan Mountains===

Once cherished for bountiful ore deposits, the tops of these mountains exploded in lava during the Great Quake. Now quietly resting, the mountains have since become famous for bearing crystals. Lone miners live scattered in tents, or come together in small groups to work the mountains despite fear of future volcanic activity.

===The Volcanic Mountains===

A pool of lava rests at the base of the two active volcanoes that make up the Volcanic Mountains. Strange things dwell within the mountains, in places seemingly uninhabitable. A loud and violent region of lava, fire, and ash, the mountains are a place only for the strongest of curious adventurers.

==Creatures==
Maggot
*Eats: scavenges filth, gardens, corpses;
*Located: Within Tulimshar city limits, port, and city outskirts
Scorpion
*Eats: Maggots, fire goblins, scavenge
*Located: Within Tulimshar city limits, city outskirts
Bat
*Eats: Small bugs, possibly slime
*Located: Holes, caves throughout area, Tulimshar basements
Fire Goblin
*Eats: Maggots, scorpions, giant maggots
*Located: Tulimshar port, and city outskirts, Gispaa outskirts
Yellow Slime
*Eats: Unknown; possibly dead spiders, bat droppings, or mountain moisture
*Located: Gispaan Mountain caves
Red Slime
*Eats: Unknown; possibly dead spiders, bat droppings, or mountain moisture
*Located: Gispaan Mountain caves, C/N/S Tonori Desert caves
Red Scorpion
*Eats: Small bugs, scavenge corpses
*Located: Tulimshar basements, outskirts, within Gispaa limits, outskirts, C/S Tonori Desert
Giant Maggot
*Eats: Maggots, fire goblins, scorpions (rare), scavenge
*Located: Tulimshar city outskirts
Black Scorpion
*Eats: Red scorpions, black scorpions (cannibalistic), scavenge
*Located: Gispaa outskirts, Gispaa Mountains, mountain caves, C/N/S Tonori Desert, desert caves
Spider
*Eats: Attacks anything in its territory
*Located: Holes, caves throughout area, Tulimshar basements
Snake
*Eats: Spiders, scorpions, scavenges
*Located: N/S Tonori Desert, C Tonori Desert (rare), Gispaan Mountain caves, various holes caves throughout area

User:Dabe/Tonori

2010-02-15T20:55:48Z

John Pyle: Saving Dabe's Tonori

[[Image:Worldmap highlight tonori.jpg|thumb|Tonori, the volcanic desert]]
[[Image:Area_tonori.jpg]]

== History ==

The land of Tonori was once covered in dense jungle, but now it is mostly a volcanic wasteland. When the Crystal of Fire shattered, the jungle's canopy burned in what appeared to be a sudden and explosive eruption. The fire quickly killed not only most of the vegetation, but many of the inhabitants, as well. People were scattered throughout an increasingly harsh environment and had to spend most of their time trying to survive, instead of looking for lost friends and relatives; many fled Tonori completely, others began to develop nomadic customs, not conducive to life in a permanent location. Gradually however, most of the remaining Tonorians reconnected and promptly agreed to reorganize as a kingdom, but when disagreements arose about where the capitol should be, the group became divided.

Once coexisting under the cooperative resistance against Keshlam, the old Tonorian tribes had become aggressive toward each other; they constantly battled over boundaries, resources & minor cultural differences. Also, many illnesses that were beginning to ravage the area, were destroyed by the fire, giving people a chance to recuperate. For these reasons, many people were able to perceive the great fire as some sort of a divine cleansing. This group (comprised mostly of Ifriton) wanted their new kingdom to be built around the volcanic mountain-range, where they believed a benevolent but judgmental dragon-goddess resided.

The rest of the group disagreed with this newfound belief, instead seeing the volcano as a threat of nature, that required aggressive analysis. When these 'disbelievers' began to raise questions about the alleged entity in the mountains, fights erupted. After a while of verbal mud-slinging and a few minor physical disturbances, the two groups were only able to agree that they should live as far apart from each other, as possible. This is how the kingdoms of [[Gispaa]] and [[Tulimshar]] came to be.

Since then, most of the people who chose to remain in the newborn desert, somehow learned to flourish there, continuing their lineage in a place where no one expected it possible.

== Environment ==

== Society ==

User:Dabe

2010-02-15T20:55:04Z

John Pyle:

'''My name is David Del Re'''

email: ''norsteinbekkler(at)gmail.com''

[[User:Dabe/Backstory]]

[[User:Dabe/Tonori]]

To date, I've worked mostly on world concept and design and like many of the other people involved with this project's development, I don't have as much "TMW-time" as I would like. I found this project during my brief brush with Linux and even though I've long since returned to the incomparable drudgery of Windows, I still enjoy being part of the TMW team.

One day, I might extend my hand to help graphic and/or music & sound development, but as of yet, I have not really made a proper effort to become active in either of those departments. For now or at least, until someone more skilled and willing comes along, I will continue to write conceptually for the official fantasy server. In the future however, I would very much like to develop another game using TMW, but with a post-apocalyptic setting.

Other "Mana Worlds" I would like to see, some day:

*''a D&D Clone''
*''something using a Final Fantasy-inspired job system''
*''frickin Star Wars, man''

User:John Pyle

2010-02-15T19:59:23Z

John Pyle: Updates, Added Sabborus Keshlam

TMW Contributor: Writer of TMW backstory, quests, and various content

==Subpages==
These pages will be moved to main article pages as they become relevant to CR updates.

===Back Story===
*[[User:John Pyle/History of the World|History of the World]] (Main Article: [[History of the World]]
*[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake|History of Man: Before the Quake]] (Main Article: [[Before the Quake]])
*[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: The Great Quake|History of Man: The Great Quake]] (Main Article: [[The Great Quake]])
*[[User:John Pyle/Sabborus Keshlam|Sabborus Keshlam]]

===Regions and Cities===
*[[User:John Pyle/Argaes|Argaes]]
*[[User:John Pyle/Bulwark|Bulwark]] - This town replaces 'Trade City' on Argaes map
*[[User:John Pyle/Port Town|Port Town]] - Now called Port City
*[[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]]

===Lore===
*[[User:John Pyle/Woodland Cemetery|Woodland Cemetery]]
*[[User:John Pyle/Soul Menhir|Soul Menhir]] (Main Article: [[Soul Menhir]])

==CR Updates==
[http://forums.themanaworld.org/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=9305 Island Main Quest, Public Discussion]

[http://forums.themanaworld.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=8398&start=0 Academy Quests/Tutorial]

[http://forums.themanaworld.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=8626 CR1 Quest Development]

==Related Articles==
These are pages that have been or will be aligned to my backstory.

*[[Geography]]
*[[User:Crush/Kaizai|Kaizei - Crush's Proposal]] - Spelling of Kaizei/Kaizai conflict.
*[[Magic phenomenons]]
*[[The nature of mana and magic]] - I have abandoned the concept of 'leylines' in support of free mana moving with the world and the elements.

==Some Future Topics==
These are topics I hope to rewrite to match my history. Most of these are already written, but do not align with my pages. Many are only stubs. Most (if not all) are from the World Conceptualisation category.

*Ancea
*Other geographic locations
*The Keshlam dynasty
*Tempus Keshlam

User talk:Irukard/CR1 GFX status

2010-02-06T22:52:05Z

John Pyle: New page: I think save Gema II for Port City, unless you plan to make more, bigger, better ships for PC. Also, Meway did some beach add ons somewhere in the forum - ~~~~

I think save Gema II for Port City, unless you plan to make more, bigger, better ships for PC. Also, Meway did some beach add ons somewhere in the forum - [[User:John Pyle|John Pyle]] 22:52, 6 February 2010 (UTC)

User:John Pyle/History of Man: The Great Quake

2010-01-31T23:11:19Z

John Pyle: Remove categories

===The Earthquake===

The Earthquake began in an explosive jolt. Unexpecting inhabitants suddenly felt as though the world had been pulled out from under their feet. The ground tore apart like paper, trees and plants uprooted, and mountains toppled. The seas were in a torrential uproar: waves crashed against waves, great walls of water engulfed lands, and creatures of the deep were ejected from their aquatic homes and crushed against rocks or buried under sinking land masses.

The chaos stopped as quickly as it had started, but it had put into motion a series of catastrophic events. Magma shot out of the ground, spewing from volcanoes, shattering mountaintops, and even exploding from solid flatlands. Crushing waves reached far inland. Water boiled and steamed as it battled with the lava flows. Devastating winds cast a sea of fire across the forests and the plains.

===Immediate Effects===

Tritons and Sparrons were the most devastated by the events. The small islands of Ancea, home to the Sparrons, were swept clean of life and all evidence of civilization by unforgiving waves. The ground opened and swallowed much of the Triton city of Cerulea along with its inhabitants. Each of the two races lost over 90 percent of their population. Talponian and Gispaan cities were burned and smashed to rubble, though many citizens managed to escape with their lives.

The world quivered for days as everything settled. Its confused and terrified inhabitants, little in numbers, sought refuge and food, but it seemed nothing was left and they lost hope. Three days after the quake, in the waking hours of morning, a [[User:John Pyle/History of the World#Plight of the Gods|sudden wave of emotion]] washed over men, animals, and plants alike. They were renewed and confident, instantly feeling connected; safe. The world knew it must persevere, and so it did.

User:John Pyle/History of the World

2010-01-31T23:10:40Z

John Pyle: Remove world concept category

At the beginning of time, the Gods were created when parts of a once-even blanket of [[The nature of mana and magic|mana]] shifted to compensate the massive explosion of elements from a dense sphere at the center of the Universe. During the shift, some mana compressed into sentience. While most of the sentient beings were spirits, four instances were the Gods. As free mana instinctively attached to the elements, the four Gods manipulated these [[Elements|elements]] to create the Universe. In all the Universe, the Gods most favored the Mana World. The Gods related to humans, because next to the Gods themselves, humans were the densest forms of mana in the Universe.

As the Gods manipulated the elements to create and build worlds, they were losing their own mana to the worlds, and eventually lost their divine knowledge. Beginning to feel human-like emotion, the God Nu'rem shook the Mana World, killing most of the life on the planet. The other three Gods stopped him, and held him back as they drank of the world's expired life. As they regained knowledge, Nu'rem felt remorse for what he had done, so he let go of his being and died. His mana poured into the Mana World, making the world incredibly thick with free mana; as it is so today.

===Gods and the Universe===

Before the universe existed as it is known, there was only mana and a sphere of energy to which the mana was attracted. Mana surrounded the sphere in all directions.

Then, an anomaly. The sphere suddenly expanded with great force in all directions. In an instant, four elements were born from the explosion. The elements clashed and collided with each other as they were propelled into the universe.

Mana was strewn into chaos. It expanded, shifted, condensed, and dispersed to make way for the elements. As mana pushed into other mana, some condensed enough to become sentient, but the beings were undone just as quickly as the mana dispersed. These un-embodied flashes of life occurred a near infinite number of times in the first second as the universe cast outward. These were Spirits.

In this same instant, one condensation of mana compressed greatly enough to gain control of itself and its mind. It did not allow itself to expand again, as it reveled in its existence. It was the first God. The being watched as mana instinctively seeped into the elements of the expanding universe, creating a vacuum of space. As the God had this first thought, elsewhere three more Gods were born.

Mana was still abundant enough the Gods to know of the others' existence, but as mana streams spread into the growing universe and pooled among the elements, the Gods became detached from each other and were alone in their minds. They came together in resistance to the void created by their loneness.

With their power, the Gods could control the four elements, to which they were so attracted, and they instinctively began manipulating the mana within these elements in order to create worlds.

We call the Gods Jande, Nu'rem, Tal, and, Di'tal.

===Man===

As the universe settled, the Gods created worlds and beings out of the elements in a way that each world could maintain itself and its mana. The Gods knew that they were expending energy as they worked, and mana was slowly pouring from their beings, but they were so captivated by the elements that they could not stop, nor did they want to.

One particular world held such incredible amounts of mana that it flourished in life. The Gods felt the intense energy from this world, and held a special love for it. This world had evolved human life, in which the most incredible concentration of mana was invested. Nowhere else in the universe did mana manifest itself in such a way.

The Gods knew that as Man's population grew, more and more mana was pulled from the world and from the Gods themselves, who still felt such affinity for these creatures that they gave more of their own mana to this world than to any other. Early in Man's existence, when mana was plentiful, Man felt the Gods and appreciated their love, and loved the Gods in return. But as the mana grew thin, Man could no longer feel the Gods, and soon forgot them. Man flourished in his self interest. Hunting groups established villages, which grew into cities.

===Plight of the Gods===

Just as the Gods knew would happen, they began to lose their energy as mana escaped their beings. With the gradual loss of divine knowledge, the four Gods began feeling emotions of jealousy and self-interest.

A darkness grew in their minds. The God Nu'rem soon felt that humans had become too selfish, and sought to regain his mana through their slaughter. He used his power to agitate the elements, and the world shook so hard that it was almost destroyed. When the other Gods saw what Nu'rem was doing, Tal and Du'tal restrained Nu'rem with all of their might, while Jande settled the world.

It was too late. Many of the world's creatures had been destroyed. As the souls died, free mana spread and began to redistribute itself to the world. Jande drank hungrily at the energy. Tal and Du'tal releaesd Nu'rem and they drank as well. Slightly replenished, they stopped and saw the destruction that they had caused in their greed, and they remembered their beloved world from which they were now feeding.

In his remorse, the weakest of the Gods, Nu'rem, released his being, letting himself die. The remaining three Gods directed Nu'rem's spiling mana into the world and then they pulled away to mourn and to watch as the world rehabilitated itself under Nu'rem's sacrifice.

===Man and Magic===

Mana was now very thick on the world of mana. The Gods watched the mana tease at Man's senses. The best of men could feel the intensity of mana and felt that they had some control over its energy. All over the world, men gathered to study, discuss, and learn of the magic that they inherently possessed. Most men even found that they were capable of transmitting thoughts to one another all across the world. They learned of the great ways that they could control mana and its healing and empowering abilities. Man also learned of mana's destructive capabilities.

The Gods mused at Man's desire to manifest the mana as the other four elements. Some men who controlled the forces of mana gave it the appearance of water. Others attributed fire to their magic. As the kingdoms of men grew, the knowledge of magic spread.

==Notes==
Instead of Nu'rem just disappearing, what if he used some of his power to extend the afterlife and become it's watcher? I say extend so we can have some quake and pre-quake NPCs there too, but not many (only the best?). After he sacrifices himself, all men enter the [[afterlife]] when the die and have a chance to return to the mortal plane. This also gives us some possibilities for making the afterlife unique instead of using Christian beliefs. — [[User:Jaxad0127|Jaxad]][[User Talk:Jaxad0127|0127]] 02:39, 11 June 2009 (UTC)

User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake

2010-01-31T23:09:52Z

John Pyle: Remove world concept category

{{Status_red}}

This article provides insight into the pure races and how they lived before the [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: The Great Quake|Great Quake]] changed the World of Mana.

In the generation before the Great Earthquake, there were four distinct races of man: the Tritons, the Sparrons, the Talponians, and the Gispaans. Each of the races was in despair.

The War for Tonori raged between the Gispaan Empire and the Talpon kingdom of Alensia. The Sparron and Triton kingdoms had grown reclusive despite peaceful relations with the empires.

Unbeknown to any of them, there was a [[User:John Pyle/History of the World|universal catalyst]] to these events. Man had grown fearful in generations past, as he no longer felt the favor of the Gods. [[The nature of mana and magic|Mana]] was growing thin.

===The Tritons===

Two cities incorporated 99% of the Triton population before the Earthquake. Both were ruled by King Peshtu Ungwalla. The underwater city of [[User:John Pyle/Cerulea|Cerulea]], known only to the Tritons, was home to the vast majority, while the bay side surface city of [[User:John Pyle/Seratera|Seratera]] (Port Town on [[Argaes]]) served as an industrial and trade city.

Even more so than today, Tritons did not enjoy leaving the water. While some Tritons had homes in Seratera, many Seraterans built their shelters in the bay's water near the reef, opting not to stay in the city. In fact, female citizens of Seratera never left the city, if even their water shelters. Cerulean women were not allowed out of the water at all.

Due to the Triton's seaside islolation, trade and resources were almost always brought in to the Seratera by the other races, who relished in trading for luxuries from the sea, such as coral, pearls, and fish oil.

In the decade approaching the Earthquake, trade had slowed tremendously. [[User:John Pyle/Tulimshar|Talpa]], once the greatest contributor to trade with the Tritons, had instead been stockpiling resources for war against Alensia. The second biggest contributor, the Sparron kingdom of Aeyer was coping with its own economic depression.

===The Sparrons===

The [[Geography|Isles of Ancea]] were home to the Sparrons. A city flourished on each of the seven large islands. The cities were divided between two kingdoms, Aeyer and Ancea, who generally controlled the west and east isles respectively. The kingdoms were very peaceful with one another, even interdependent. It is presumed today that had the Earthquake not occurred, the kingdoms would have invariably joined to become one.

Sparrons had the greatest tie with the Tritons. In exchange for resources from the islands, Tritons provided the Sparron kingdoms with large fish from the deep sea, which became the primary staple of the Sparron diet.

In the decades before the Earthquake, the world's depleting mana supply meant less fish. As the islands provided little in the way of farming, the kingdoms redirected labor into fishing and hunting. The price of food rose enough to force the people to save money to eat, and the kingdoms' economies grew stagnant.

===The Gispaans===

The Gispaans were a mining and ranching people who localized around the volcanic mountains of [[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]]. The major city of [[Geography|Gispaa]] was the central hub for the people who otherwise tended to live in isolated ranches on the Tonori plain, or mining camps in the mountains. Although referred to by the other races as â€œThe Gispaan Empireâ€, the only distinguishable leaders were the Gispaa city managers, who were responsible for the few who lived within the city limits.

When the Talponian kingdom of Debury started to expand north into Tonori, it was the city managers that voiced concern and stopped the intrusion. King Lurich of Debury agreed to cease northern expansion if he could develop a city around Talpa Bay with contractually negotiated boundaries. In exchange, Gispaan goods, most notably the precious stones from the mountains and wares from the ranchers, could be sold to the city for trade with other kingdoms over seas.

As each race flourished from the benefits provided by Talpa (now called [[User:John Pyle/Tulimshar|Tulimshar]]), the cities grew and the people demanded more territory. Talpa's boundaries flexed, and the contract was broken. The War for Tonori began a century before the [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Modern History#The Earthquake|Great Quake]].

The war united the Gispaans in a very strong way, and many of the miners left the mountains to join in the fighting. Precious stones became rare in the world and ranchers found their lands subject to terrorism. This meant less trade for both the Gispaans and the Talponians. Talpa's docks felt further stress as less traders made port for fear of attack on their boats by Gispaan Saboteurs. In the decades leading up to the Earthquake, the Gispaan force had Talpa's afluent citizens leaving in search of better investments, although many more citizens were still holding to the city in hopes of a miracle.

===The Talponians===

With a population almost four times that of any other race, the Talponians were spread between three kingdoms.

The first was the kingdom of Debury, which controlled many cities directly south of Tonori, as well as the territorially-detatched city of Talpa. The kingdom was under the rule of King Antony Lurich, the third generation in the Lurich Dynasty.

The kingdom of Layland was ruled by King Wayne Tanner who controlled all of [[User:John Pyle/Tempus|Tempus]], most notably the farming villages and city of Abel.

The North Kingdom lay in [[User:Crush/Kaizai|Kaizei]], at the southern summit of the Warming Mountains. The kingdom was jointly ruled by brother and sister King Malcolm and Queen Lei Washburn

The Talponian kingdoms were all prosperous and self reliant, Debury most of all; sustained mostly through farming and hunting. When the War for Tonori broke, the kingdoms of North and Layland decided not to become involved in military action. Against King Tanner's wishes, the city of Abel in the kingdom of Tempus provided supplies by sea to Talpa during the Seige of Talpa.

==Notes==
Please leave comments and suggestions here.

*Used Crush's proposal for Kaizei
*Will try to [[Geography|map the locations]] of the old cities

User:Dabe/The Modern Age

2010-01-31T23:08:50Z

John Pyle: Remove world concept category

{{Status_construction}}

==the world is left in ruins==

''The Crystals would remain hidden in the twisted terrain of the new world, not only locking away their vast supplies of energy and the Gods, but also distorting the distribution of energy. The result was a world devoid of magic. Former magic-users were suddenly unable to grasp their powers to manipulate the elements and in the midst of the ensuing struggle for survival, people were able to quickly forget about things like mana and magic.''

'''0-35''': Survivors of the great conflict awaken to varying degrees of ruin, all around the world. Most of the able adults died fighting or protecting others, creating a generational gap throughout much of the population. Maps from before the disaster had become functionally useless, while books, scrolls and other documents written in now-dead languages lie strewn about, creating obstacles of curiosity; in short, the world's overall sum of knowledge was set back.

A few locations survived the geographical turbulence, but most people were so utterly displaced that places to build new homes would have to be found. From that point on, exploration remained a common way of life, even after society began to reassert itself.

==the revival of civilization==

''Though the entire span of time described above could have been labeled as the revival of civilization, this is the point at which people start becoming identifiable in groups. Regional differences are also starting to form, creating the first boundaries on the new terrain. The remnants of the Tritan Empire are forced to emerge from the sea, where many of them had been able to survive in somewhat of a secretive fashion. Afterwards, the Tritan (with surrounding regional powers) from the nation of Ancea. The history of the nation of Keshlam begins to unfold in this chapter, as well.''

'''35-37''': Having organized the largest unified kingdom since the essential destruction of civilization, a Sparron noble named Sabborus Keshlam begins aggressively expanding his territory. Without a strong government, the rest of the world is virtually helpless against this takeover.

'''38''': Sabborus reaches his peak of world domination, controlling nearly 85% of the population. Alarmed by the news, the Tritan empire reacts with a posturing attitude, emerging to preemptively oppose the annexation of the sea. An agreement is reached, that Sabborus will not attempt to annex the ocean, if the empire keeps its business off of dry-land. Sabborus is actually more frightened of the Tritan than they are of him, but after managing to complete the unexpected juncture, The nation of Keshlam solidifies a hold on most of the world.

'''39-98''': Though there are taxes under Keshlam's rule, his economic guidance brings long-distance trade back to everyday life. He also instates standardized currency and free education for children across the civilized population.

'''99-100''': Sabborus Keshlam dies and leadership begins to falter. There is a brief argument over who should take control of the entire kingdom, until the former-ruler's family decides to split power evenly between themselves, briefly forming a government known as the Keshlam dynasty.

'''180-182''': Taxes climb exponentially, inflating the wealth of the dynasty, at the direct expense of their populous. Many rag-tag resistance forces of varying size and capability form in light of these injustices, but most are in some way disrupted or destroyed.

'''183''': Orchan Keshlam (one of the many family members in power) makes the mistake of demanding the seizure of a cargo-vessel, citing failure to pay one of his new taxes, before leaving port. When the captain refuses to pay, the vessel is attacked, but manages to escape. A group of Tritan hunters helps the crew with injuries and repairs; the lead hunter and the ship captain, exchange information and become friends.

'''184''': The nation of Ancea begins to take form, through a collaborative union between the Tritan empire and a growing number of independent organizations. Despite their general lack of interest in the ocean, the dynasty of Keshlam considers this as a threat, because of the land they now stand to lose, as a result of this new collaboration.

'''185''': With the protection of their newly organized military, Ancea is swift to secure most of the strategically relevant coasts, ports, etc.. the exceptions focused mainly around the heart of Keshlam. In an act of desperation, the rather flustered dynasty of Keshlam sends most of its army to take control of Ancea's capital. Though Keshlam's army does reach the capital, it is met with fierce resistance and is unable to take full control of the city.

==the Gods escape==

*During Keshlam's invasion of Ancea, the Crystal of Water suddenly shatters, smashing a great deal of the western world to the ocean floor. Ancea sinks, crushing the better part of Keshlam's military to a watery grave - an abrupt end to a short-lived war. Many of Ancea's citizens were naturally or artificially capable of breathing water and thus, were able to survive the deluge. Nerena, a previously average town, becomes the new center of Ancea and is elected as the capital, only a few days after the apparent disaster.
**Within hours, the Crystal of Air shatters in a similar fashion, sending a the land around it skyward. The northern edge of Keshlam separates and floats from that point on.
***Following suit, the Crystal of Fire shatters, scorching the jungle around it. Unlike previous eruptions, this explosive event seems to have more lasting effects. As the average ground temperature seems to skyrocket in many areas, Tonori transforms almost overnight, in to a barren wasteland. The area becomes known to many, simply as the Volcanic Desert.
****Finally, the Crystal of Earth shatters, forming the longest and tallest mountain-range, in the world. Once a rather unremarkable chunk of land, Gasaro grows in to the most fertile stretch of land in the world, despite its generally rocky terrain.

'''186''': With each of the Crystals broken down, the flow of elements around the world changes radically. Due to fluctuating levels of elemental stress, an enormous whirlpool forms in the waters of the central ocean.

'''188''': The Kingdom of Tulimshar is officially founded, though its people had already been populating the area for a while, due to the aquifer beneath.

'''190''': The Kingdom of Gispaa makes its official borders known, though they are secretly having engineering problems.. probably because they're building a large town on the side of a very active volcano.

'''199''': The whirlpool begins to subside slightly, revealing a previously submerged continent. As the news spreads, explorers immediately begin traveling to the central continent. It goes by several names at first; Gaea's land, the Island - it is eventually named Argaes. People settle in droves, but the new continent remains shrouded in mystery.

==a new era of magic==

''we need to figure out how the Crystals and their fragments are incorporated in to the magic and perhaps the crafting system. Here are a couple of ideas to get us going on this one.''

When the Crystals shattered, their fragments became spread across the world. Once separated, many fragments mixed with other substances, transmuting them. If we do something like this, the whole concept can be used to express the importance of seemingly common materials. Instead of simply having four types of crystal fragments to find, we can create a list of precious metals and jewels to be a bit less obvious.
:When the crystals shattered not only the crystal fragments but also a lot of mana energy could have errupted from them. This mana energy could have been absorbed by materials that are especially sensitive to the various kinds of mana energy. --[[User:Crush|Crush]] 18:13, 10 December 2007 (CET)

OR..

In this "new era of magic".. an abundance of raw energy does not simply float about like it did in ancient times.. instead, people must utilize the materials around them, in order to create magical effects. This could be done in a way similar to Secret of Evermore; instead of MP, specific amounts of regents or ingredients make or break a spell. Many people will attribute this to UO however, so I'm not sure if it's the best idea.
:From the gameplay point of view I would not suggest to use reagents for attack spells. Ultima Online and Tibia show why this is a bad idea (spellcasters spend more time farming for spell reagents using melee combat than they spend fighting with spells). Using reagents for support spells on the other hand would make sense because it would stop people from casting support spells on all players in towns to gain exp without any risk and instead use them only in combat where they are really helping someone. --[[User:Crush|Crush]] 18:13, 10 December 2007 (CET)

OR..

The materials you find have to be processed in to "magic paint".. the paint is then used to draw runes, which enable magic use.

OR..

In times past, the crystals (being large) radiated strong rays of magic energy off their faces. But because crystals are broken into shards, only weak rays are radiated from these. Consequently, crystals must be collected, and aligned in geometric ways for their radiation energies to synergistically combine and strengthen eachother. Ordinary weapons must be shaped and designed to accomodate the placement of crystals in different symetrical geometric alignments, and spell-casters must develop symetrically, geometrically designed ornaments (similar to runes) held in their hands or worn on their clothes, and even positioned in alignments around their body (feet, hands, head, and different postures/positions made to align them in different ways). The sun, moon, and other planets also play a role, because they embody many crystals in their makeup (a sun crystal is rare-- it actually comes from the sun; meteor crystals--not as rare). Some types of crystals complement eachother, while other kinds of crystals detract from eachother (such as light and shadow?)

:Note that this method will allow players to get creative with geometric designs as well as combinations of crystal types (which spell effects could be computed from, rather than making a specific spell set-- much easier and funner for the developer and the player!) --[[User:Blash|Blash]] 17:51, 13 December 2007 (CET)

'''Arkyan's Idea for Crystal Use'''

The crystals may have shattered, but each crystal still had at least one large enough piece to provide a jumpstart to new magic users. The various master crystals were located by the various civilizations, and whole schools of magic have been created around each of the crystals. Most of the crystals are found in heavily guarded areas, as they are obviously a source of power (and in some cases, income) for the particular owner. Other crystals, however, are lodged in secretive societies, either through hoarding of said crystal, or the magic considered an outcast strain of magic by a consensus of modern peoples. When a user who is not familiar with a certain element of magic comes in contact with a new master crystal, their forgotten ability to use magic will be restored. The user is then free to learn this element's abilities along with those he already knew. Beware, however, as most holders of these crystals will charge large amounts of currency for unfamiliar users of their element type.

The other, smaller pieces of crystals are scattered throughout the world, and very useful for the creation of magic-related items or elemental weaponry. Crafters find these useful as they can make better armors weapons, and arrows from them. Magicians and alchemists find them useful to make items that have an amplification effect on their magic.

Smaller still are the void crystals. These crystals were too small to retain a distinct identity, and only hold a small amount of non-elemental energy in them. These can be found nearly anywhere, and are useful for creating one-shot spells that may not be available to someone of another school of magic or a non-magic user. These crystals require mana and a certain level of proficiency in the desired spell before they can be made into a useful spell crystal. Once used, however, the crystal will shatter and no longer be useful. These smaller crystal fragments will, over time, attract enough energy to form another crystal and allow for the magic cycle to continue.

:''This method would allow for a few things. For one, it would allow a user to select an initial magic type when they are creating their character, or select at a low level. The system, ideally, would also allow for users to participate in any number of classes, magic or not, that they wanted (for a price). The initial school the player chooses will grant them access to all levels of spells free of charge. Should they wish to pick up another form of magic, however, the person would need to pay up to the crystal's owner in exchange for being able to learn abilities of a certain element. Each school would have a tiered system consisting of 3 or 4 levels of spells. The lowest level would have the least powerful spells, but is also the cheapest degree to purchase. The price for a new degree should be quite high to discourage people simply buying their way into all the schools. The time it takes to master any one element should also be considerable, to further discourage people from being able to use all elements, and force them to concentrate on a select few. It may also be useful to only allow a user to have 1 or 2 elements in the first or second learning level, to force them to at least become proficient in said element before moving on to another. And of course, the more powerful or exclusive a crystal's school, the more they will charge, with some demanding more than just currency of a user (or perhaps a certain proficiency in another to prove they are a worthy user of their magic).''

:''The use of perishable crystals would create an economy around magic, as well as allow for these items to be usable for various tasks by melee fighters or crafters (but to a lesser degree than a magic user, since they obviously are not as proficient in magic). The quality (effectiveness) of a crystal could also depend on a chance factor when making it that is dependent on the creators skills in that magic. This would have risk involved in making too powerful of crystals, and make them more expensive to use.''
[[User:Arkyan|Arkyan]] June 23, 11:52PM EST

:'' Basilisk's idea:
Maybe masses of mana energy could have escaped as the crystals shattered, and certain objects/elements/animals/plants (possibly Cobalt, Gamboge, Mauve and Alizarin plants?) could have absorbed the energy. If you find such an object, it could give you a certain/infinite amount of energy to cast spells belonging to that element.
[[User:Basilisk|Basilisk]]

:''Danleej's idea:
I think that after the crystals shattered and scattered across the world, they still hold magic that radiates from them, the bigger piece's radiate more magic the smaller pieces less so, kinda like radiation, so the farther away the less a magi could draw on the closer more so, smaller pieces can be carried for "magic dead zones" however there is a limit to how long the smaller shards can be used, sorta like a battery, before needing to be replaced. I feel certain objects absorption of magic is kind of moot as everything would have been bathed in magic, so in essence, it is a matter of releasing the residual magic in any object, such as herbs and roots etc. the crystals hold a more pure kind of magic yet even then it is "polluted" by the type of crystal, so you could have a couple types of crystals, some being elemental in nature, and those that are either dark or light energy. Some area's magic type can over lap. If those using smaller crystals in an area where it's opposite is more powerful, spells cast would be less effective in those areas. The largest of the crystals still remain buried yet to be discovered. The benefits would be numerous, not only could you use the magic from the various objects for spells but you can use the crystals as well and it would be challenging as the magi would have to bring provisions to go into areas outside of their type of magic, and as earlier it would also fit the games mechanics for herbs, roots, petals, etc.

'''We must discuss this issue, soon.. the sooner we decide on something, the sooner we can make this story reflect the game mechanics.''':

User:Dabe/Prehistory

2010-01-31T23:07:38Z

John Pyle: remove world concept category

== '''the Universe begins''' ==

Somewhere in purgatory, surrounded by a web of mental energy, there once existed an empty plane of dark space. Nothing ever happened there and it seemed like it would stay that way forever. Then in the center of the darkness, the universe suddenly began to emerge from one immeasurable point of pure and boundless energy.

=== [[Elements|the Elements]] come in to existence ===

What began as a single point of energy, suddenly split in to four new energies, which immediately rushed outward to fill the universe. These energies, called elements, make up and give definition to reality. When elements are manacled together, distinct sub-elemental products can be created.

=== [[Spirits|the Spirits]] & [[Gods|the Gods]] are created ===

The elements flew wildly about for some time, perpetually crashing apart and mixing together. During this period, every possible elemental product was eventually created and subsequently destroyed to such an infinite point, that the original four elements seemed to reform at the end of the cycle. Instead of repeating the chaotic transmutation that once again seemed inevitable, the elements began to coalesce uniformly in to four, separate masses. After a moment of stillness, an implosion of elemental energies revealed four condensed masses of pure elemental energy, each located at a fixed point, in what now seemed like very empty space.

What would eventually be called "Spirits" suddenly and of course, quite miraculously, came in to existence. Miraculous as they might have been, the Spirits actually possessed no overt intelligence, because they did not exist within the boundaries of the mental plane. They did however, have a certain unconscious purpose and intent; more of a natural aversion toward imbalance in the universe. Unfortunately for the universe, all of the elemental energy it would need to have physical substance was now on the outer rim of the mental plane. With no creative thought, there could be no conceivable future.

So, in an act of pure instinct, each spirit simultaneously expelled half of its energy toward the heart of the universe. The four streams of energy managed to remain tethered to each spirit, even after plunging through the dark void of space and puncturing the mental plane. As they blasted through the astral fog, in to conscious existence, each elemental projection became immediately self-aware and began to question their own purpose. With no one to instruct them, the new entities were left to devise their own understanding of the universe, beginning with the first linguistic associations; they called their creators "Spirits" and referred to themselves as "Gods".

== '''the Dawn of Mortal Life''' ==

The Gods had little else to do but spend their time creating lower-lifeforms and of course, places for them to live. Despite the fact that the universe was now brimming with life, the Gods were experiencing an uncomfortable feeling that the Spirits may be running out of energy. The Gods were in a way, the corporeal avatars of the Spirits and so, shared a subconscious respect for universal balance. The Gods knew without fully understanding why, that in order for the universe to remain intact, the Spirits must always retain at least some of their energy supply. The only way the Gods could hope to reclaim some of this supply, was to begin sacrificing their creations, many of which were already becoming boring.

The Gods, who had grown quite difficult to entertain, spent a minimal amount of time sifting through their countless creations. Most creatures were scooped up and ''quickly'' examined, then even more quickly destroyed for lacking entertaining quality. After destroying all of those creatures however, there was still work to be done until their problem was solved. Dead matter takes a long time to decompose naturally; the Gods needed a faster method of recycling elemental refuse.

After a long argument, the Gods agreed on a small roster of creatures to reanimate and did so. The mounds of dead matter were then tossed rather carelessly toward the Spirits, where they were absorbed and immediately broken down to raw elemental energy, then redistributed evenly back toward the Gods. Well supplied for the moment, with fresh energy and a clean working environment, the Gods returned to their experiments.

=== the World begins to take form ===

After another long stretch of time, the Spirits were once again running low on energy. During their last crisis however, the Gods had devised a preemptive solution for this impending situation. There were still many physical realms leftover from the recently eradicated creatures. The plan was to break all of these down and finally construct a single set of elemental realms, using a more condensed area and a reduced amount of energy.

The Gods once again combed their mortal ranks for the most stagnant and boring creatures, ending each of their lives without much thought and even less remorse. Then with a newly consolidated roster, all remaining mortal life could be placed comfortably on a single world. Once again of course, there was the annoyance of gathering the recently deceased; a task which the Gods felt they had grown beyond and one which they had no intention of personally undertaking.

=== the Sun & the Moon are constructed ===

Instead of personally cleaning up the universe, the Gods designed a routine system to collect dead matter, faster and much more automatically than before. Since their normal creations seemed somehow ill-equipped to handle such an important task, the Gods developed two unique objects capable of filling their needs. One called "the Sun" was created by the Gods of Air and Fire, while a polar opposite called "the Moon" was created by the Gods of Water and Earth. When they were completed, both objects were placed in orbit around the world, where they would chase each other forever.

The Sun burned with such ferocity and brightness, that the black of the sky directly around it became illuminated to a light-blue. With this intense light came heat, which warmed the surface of the world as it passed. A number of environmental changes were gradually taking place because of this, but the Gods had become too detached to notice this triviality. What was important to them, was that this new heat served to bake any dead matter laying about, greatly accelerating the usually long process of decay. Afterward the Moon follows, emitting a much softer glow and collecting the smallest elemental particles as it passes. The collected particles are then separated and released toward the Spirits, where they are recycled and distributed back to the Gods; they finally figured out a way to play continually, without having to clean up after themselves.

=== Ifriton, Sparron, Talpan & Tritan are created ===

For the first time in a long while, the Gods felt joyous for their accomplishments. In their eyes, this new realm was a model of perfection. They celebrated amongst the mortals all throughout the first Day, enjoying the brightness of the Sun as it passed. When the Moon arrived however, it ushered darkness back in to the sky and the Gods began to feel tired. As they drifted off to sleep, each god dreamed of life in the form of their favorite creature. The God of Water dreamed of a fish, the God of Air dreamed of a bird, the God of Fire dreamed of a salamander and the God of Earth dreamed of a mole.

To their surprise, the Gods were suddenly jarred awake by four new beings, which they had never seen before. Each creature was a product of a God's sleeping mind, so while many of their traits were familiar, their overall design seemed startlingly strange and new; they shared the mental potential of the Gods, but absorbed energy naturally through the environment, like the mortals. The Gods were so impressed by these new creations, that they decided it was unfair to compare them to the rest of the mortals, categorizing them as "[[Man]]" and lesser creatures as "[[animal|animals]]". Like the Gods did after their own birth, Man began to question its existence. However, in a manner which the Spirits were never able, the Gods began to interact with Man by teaching them about the universe; reducing the confusion that all of the secrets of existence could carry. The Gods taught Man to manipulate the elements, mostly out of curiosity, to see just how far their potential reached. Under the tutelage of the Gods, Man attained many new and wonderful powers, but they were never allowed to combine their knowledge. The Gods were so adamantly against combining the elements, that they forbade Man from doing so. To prevent such a thing from ever happening, the Gods rarely allowed them to even see each other, let alone have any extended contact.

=== Ifriton, Sparron, Talpan & Tritan reunite ===

After centuries of teaching, the Gods had once again become fatigued and they abruptly and almost simultaneously fell asleep. After centuries of learning ''and especially isolation in the realms'', Ifriton, Sparron, Talpan and Tritan had nearly mastered their relative areas of study, but they wondered about each other and the other realms. Leaving the Gods aslee, Man began wandering the realms in search of one another. Ifriton and Sparron met in the realm of Water, where they were both looking for Tritan. Of course, Tritan wasn't there, because he had gone to the realm of Fire in search of Ifriton, though he happened upon Talpan there instead. Talpan was actually looking for Sparron, but had somehow gotten lost along the way. Out of curiosity and completely by chance, both pair made the decision to explore the center of the world, where for the first time, Man reunited without the watchful eye of the Gods.

After spending a very short amount of time together, the quickly changing topic of conversation turned to that of their sleeping mentors. The general mood changed and the conversation suddenly died down suddenly, when Talpan rather bluntly observed, "There's no telling what they'll do if they wake up and find that we're not in our realms."

To which Sparron added, "What if they find us together?!"

..and so driven by fear and uncertainty, each of them moved as quickly as they could back to their realm, where they were amazed and overjoyed to find each of the Gods still asleep. Unlike the first time Man awakened the Gods, they each felt fear and anxiety. However, when the Gods failed to awaken after being thoroughly poked, shaken and screamed at, Man soon realized that they might be without guidance for a while. So, with nothing better to do, Ifriton, Sparron, Talpan and Tritan reunited at the center of the world for the second time. As more time passed and they grew more comfortable with each other, Man slowly began to exchange and share their knowledge; something ''the Gods'' rarely did and had never encouraged in Man. As they cooperated, Man discovered that the blending of elements produced more interesting and less cursed results than the Gods had claimed. Man continued to study the four basic elements, but they embraced the ability to combine them, allowing the creation of many things the Gods couldn't have even imagined.

At first, Man frequently adjourned to their realms to try rousing the Gods awake, but after a while of that.. that turned in to simply checking in on them, to make sure they were still asleep. Then even that became less frequent, until the point where simply for lack of interest, Man rarely even spoke of the Gods at all. Since that fearful moment during their first reunion, Man had come to realize that they did not want the Gods to control them anymore. Also, enough time had passed and enough of their combined knowledge had been expanded upon, that Man had become much more confident in their understanding of the Universe. Without question, Man's combined power finally grew to exceed that of the Gods.

=== Man redefines mortality ===

Ifriton, Sparron, Talpan and Tritan toiled constantly over their studies, making progress every day. After centuries without the Gods, who were still in the very spots where they had fallen asleep, Man actually began to grow bored with one another. With their endless lifespans, it was starting to seem as though Man would follow suit with the Gods; becoming so bored with life that they simply fall asleep. Wanting to stop this possibility from becoming reality, Man made a difficult but revolutionary decision. The plan itself took another century to complete and would be the most drastic change that mortal life would ever undergo. As soon as the calculations were completed, and they were certain that it would work, our good friends Ifriton, Sparron, Talpan and Tritan said goodbye to life in their current forms.

With that, Man and every other mortal creature were divided in to genders, one called 'male' and the other 'female.' Through a process of reproduction, males and females could combine traits from themselves in to an offspring. Another vital change to the new version of mortal life was the institution of limited lifespans, ensuring that individuals would likely never grow in to boring power-mongers, as the Gods had. Any information a creature accumulates as an individual can somehow be passed down to the next generation. In this way, each mortal was able to create life and contribute to the collective knowledge of its species, without assistance from the Gods. Evolution would then take place over time, considering a species was able to survive from generation to generation.

== the Ancient Era ==

After more than a thousand years under Mankind's carefree jurisdiction, the elemental realms had long since blended together. With the Gods still asleep, there was no one to keep the elements segregated. For many centuries, Fire had been creeping too close to Earth, slow-cooking much of it to rock and stone. Air and Water had combined in a variety of forms, creating all sorts of clouds, fogs and vapors. Instead of four strictly segregated realms of pure elemental alignment, there was now a single, slowly-but-constantly fluctuating realm, where all of the elements and resulting products were allowed to flow together. Mankind referred to ''their'' realm as "the World" and would go on to name many other things after that. Even the Gods, who had gone all of this time with only their titles, were finally given names by Mankind. The Gods even began to be referred to with gender-specific pronouns, even though they didn't properly apply; all of this was probably an effort by a story-teller, to help people relate to the Gods.

Things had certainly changed a lot since the Gods reigned over the Universe and the elements were not the only things, finally allowed to blend together. It was within the first two generations of Mankind that crossbreeding first occurred. After quite a few more generations, six new and distinct hybrid-races had rather prominently emerged from the original four. Every day seemed to reinforce Mankind's detachment from the Gods, who at that point, had been asleep for nearly three thousand years. Mankind had expanded in to a productive civilization, in which every generation continued to make advancements to their society's collective knowledge; everything seemed ideal.

=== the Gods awaken ===

The God of Fire, or Rutram as he had been recently named, was the first to stir himself to consciousness. Finding the realms to be in complete disorder, he quickly located and awakened his fellow Gods, who were equally appalled and infuriated. Creatures which the Gods could not classify roamed the world, unchecked and uncontrolled, preying on one another to avoid starvation. Rather than rectify this problem, this new ''"Mankind-thing"'' seemed to be catering to its own whim. Mankind exhibited a plethora of new traits which the Gods found to be unattractive; anything from deceit to materialism seemed to amplify their anger. The Gods were especially displeased about the existence of Mankind's hybrid races. To the Gods, the combination of elements was still forbidden and the hybrids seemed like nothing more than complex living examples of Mankind's defiance. Despite their overall dissatisfaction, each God secretly retained some fondness for their obvious favorite race of Mankind.

=== the Age of Conflict ===

The Gods recalled the obedience of Man's original incarnations. Expecting to find that same level of obedience, the Gods presented their beliefs to Mankind. Though they were able to earn the trust of a few, most of Mankind did not believe in the Gods, or had grown to perceive them more as meddlers than mentors. The Gods were astonished by Mankind's apparently illogical behavior; such arrogance was inexcusable. Wishing only to return the Universe to their control and not foreseeing any possibility for opposition, the Gods attempted to reform the elemental realms, without Mankind's consent. When the Gods began thoughtlessly destroying cities, Mankind was more than ready to retaliate. After the initial deflection, the Gods began to understand that Mankind's collective power might actually be a threat, so they quickly devised a scheme to disrupt their ability to cooperate. The Gods created a language-barrier between each distinct cultures of Mankind, destroying their ability to communicate outside of their own race. After that initial disruption, the Gods proceeded to feed Mankind false information, to distort their understanding of the truthful nature of the universe and to turn the races against each other.

=== the Gods are banished ===

The Gods eventually created such a twisted array of misconceptions, that Mankind's once beautiful civilization was nearly engulfed by war. The wars continued through generations, until Mankind was almost annihilated. Miraculously, through the fog of war and confusion, four heroes emerged. These heroes, who's names have become lost over time, somehow worked beyond their differences in language, to reveal the true nature of the Gods who had been manipulated the World. With the focused efforts of all of the remnants of Mankind behind them, the heroes were able to force the Gods in to their own energy supply; recycling them like husks of dead matter.

The Gods put up such a defiant struggle, that their link to the Spirits became unstable. The Spirits then became unstable themselves and gradually began to drift toward the heart of the universe; toward the struggle. They drifted further and further toward the mental plane until much like the God before them, the Spirits burst through and for the first time, achieved conscious thought. Directly after attaining consciousness, each spirit smashed in to their relative god, changing suddenly in to a crystalline form upon impact. Each god was encased in a crystal, which came to rest at fixed locations, relative to their previous quadrants in space.

All of this expulsion of energy nearly destroyed the world, at very least, severely scarring its surface. The solitary super-continent that had formed slowly over the years was fragmented. The Spirits had become Crystals; now part of the physical world. All of the energy in the universe was now within mortal grasp and with the Gods no longer linked to the source, the energy would be free to absorb.. but the Crystals were buried deep within the World's new landscape, hiding away all of their retained energy.. and the only ones that knew this, were the Gods.

''This marks the end of the prehistoric period and the beginning of [[The_Modern_Age|the modern era]].''

History

2010-01-31T19:45:04Z

John Pyle: Switch to new backstory

{{Category_worldconcept}}

I. [[History of the World]]
:Creation of the world through the eyes of the Gods

II. [[Before the Quake]]
:A world in turmoil, where spirits are low and mana is thin

III. [[The Great Quake]]
:Immediate effects of a massive earthquake on The Mana World

The Great Quake

2010-01-31T17:38:38Z

John Pyle: Backstory Part 3

{{category_worldconcept}}
{{status_construction}}

===The Earthquake===

The Earthquake began in an explosive jolt. Unexpecting inhabitants suddenly felt as though the world had been pulled out from under their feet. The ground tore apart like paper, trees and plants uprooted, and mountains toppled. The seas were in a torrential uproar: waves crashed against waves, great walls of water engulfed lands, and creatures of the deep were ejected from their aquatic homes and crushed against rocks or buried under sinking land masses.

The chaos stopped as quickly as it had started, but it had put into motion a series of catastrophic events. Magma shot out of the ground, spewing from volcanoes, shattering mountaintops, and even exploding from solid flatlands. Crushing waves reached far inland. Water boiled and steamed as it battled with the lava flows. Devastating winds cast a sea of fire across the forests and the plains.

===Immediate Effects===

Tritons and Sparrons were the most devastated by the events. The small islands of Ancea, home to the Sparrons, were swept clean of life and all evidence of civilization by unforgiving waves. The ground opened and swallowed much of the Triton city of Cerulea along with its inhabitants. Each of the two races lost over 90 percent of their population. Talponian and Gispaan cities were burned and smashed to rubble, though many citizens managed to escape with their lives.

The world quivered for days as everything settled. Its confused and terrified inhabitants, little in numbers, sought refuge and food, but it seemed nothing was left and they lost hope. Three days after the quake, in the waking hours of morning, a [[History of the World#Plight of the Gods|sudden wave of emotion]] washed over men, animals, and plants alike. They were renewed and confident, instantly feeling connected; safe. The world knew it must persevere, and so it did.

Classic:Before the Quake

2010-01-31T17:34:22Z

John Pyle: Backstory part 2

{{Category_worldconcept}}

This article provides insight into the pure races and how they lived before [[The Great Quake]] changed the World of Mana.

In the generation before the Great Earthquake, there were four distinct races of man: the Tritons, the Sparrons, the Talponians, and the Gispaans. Each of the races was in despair.

The War for Tonori raged between the Gispaan Empire and the Talpon kingdom of Alensia. The Sparron and Triton kingdoms had grown reclusive despite peaceful relations with the empires.

Unbeknown to any of them, there was a [[History of the World|universal catalyst]] to these events. Man had grown fearful in generations past, as he no longer felt the favor of the Gods. [[The nature of mana and magic|Mana]] was growing thin.

===The Tritons===

Two cities incorporated 99% of the Triton population before the Earthquake. Both were ruled by King Peshtu Ungwalla. The underwater city of Cerulea, known only to the Tritons, was home to the vast majority, while the bay side surface city of Seratera in Central Argaes served as an industrial and trade city.

Even more so than today, Tritons did not enjoy leaving the water. While some Tritons had homes in Seratera, many Seraterans built their shelters in the bay's water near the reef, opting not to stay in the city. In fact, female citizens of Seratera never left the city, if even their water shelters. Cerulean women were not allowed out of the water at all.

Due to the Triton's seaside islolation, trade and resources were almost always brought in to the Seratera by the other races, who relished in trading for luxuries from the sea, such as coral, pearls, and fish oil.

In the decade approaching the Earthquake, trade had slowed tremendously. Talpa, once the greatest contributor to trade with the Tritons, had instead been stockpiling resources for war against Alensia. The second biggest contributor, the Sparron kingdom of Aeyer was coping with its own economic depression.

===The Sparrons===

The [[Geography|Isles of Ancea]] were home to the Sparrons. A city flourished on each of the seven large islands. The cities were divided between two kingdoms, Aeyer and Ancea, who generally controlled the west and east isles respectively. The kingdoms were very peaceful with one another, even interdependent. It is presumed today that had the Earthquake not occurred, the kingdoms would have invariably joined to become one.

Sparrons had the greatest tie with the Tritons. In exchange for resources from the islands, Tritons provided the Sparron kingdoms with large fish from the deep sea, which became the primary staple of the Sparron diet.

In the decades before the Earthquake, the world's depleting mana supply meant less fish. As the islands provided little in the way of farming, the kingdoms redirected labor into fishing and hunting. The price of food rose enough to force the people to save money to eat, and the kingdoms' economies grew stagnant.

===The Gispaans===

The Gispaans were a mining and ranching people who localized around the volcanic mountains of [[Tonori]]. The major city of Gispaa was the central hub for the people who otherwise tended to live in isolated ranches on the Tonori plain, or mining camps in the mountains. Although referred to by the other races as â€œThe Gispaan Empireâ€, the only distinguishable leaders were the Gispaa city managers, who were responsible for the few who lived within the city limits.

When the Talponian kingdom of Debury started to expand north into Tonori, it was the city managers that voiced concern and stopped the intrusion. King Lurich of Debury agreed to cease northern expansion if he could develop a city around Talpa Bay with contractually negotiated boundaries. In exchange, Gispaan goods, most notably the precious stones from the mountains and wares from the ranchers, could be sold to the city for trade with other kingdoms over seas.

As each race flourished from the benefits provided by Talpa, the cities grew and the people demanded more territory. Talpa's boundaries flexed, and the contract was broken. The War for Tonori began a century before [[The Great Quake]].

The war united the Gispaans in a very strong way, and many of the miners left the mountains to join in the fighting. Precious stones became rare in the world and ranchers found their lands subject to terrorism. This meant less trade for both the Gispaans and the Talponians. Talpa's docks felt further stress as less traders made port for fear of attack on their boats by Gispaan Saboteurs. In the decades leading up to the Earthquake, the Gispaan force had Talpa's afluent citizens leaving in search of better investments, although many more citizens were still holding to the city in hopes of a miracle.

===The Talponians===

With a population almost four times that of any other race, the Talponians were spread between three kingdoms.

The first was the kingdom of Debury, which controlled many cities directly south of Tonori, as well as the territorially-detatched city of Talpa. The kingdom was under the rule of King Antony Lurich, the third generation in the Lurich Dynasty.

The kingdom of Layland was ruled by King Wayne Tanner who controlled all of [[Tempus]], most notably the farming villages and city of Abel.

The North Kingdom lay in [[Kaizei]], at the southern summit of the Warming Mountains. The kingdom was jointly ruled by brother and sister King Malcolm and Queen Lei Washburn

The Talponian kingdoms were all prosperous and self reliant, Debury most of all; sustained mostly through farming and hunting. When the War for Tonori broke, the kingdoms of North and Layland decided not to become involved in military action. Against King Tanner's wishes, the city of Abel in the kingdom of Tempus provided supplies by sea to Talpa during the Seige of Talpa.

Classic:History

2010-01-31T17:21:50Z

John Pyle: Backstory part 1

{{Category_worldconcept}}

At the beginning of time, the Gods were created when parts of a once-even blanket of [[The nature of mana and magic|mana]] shifted to compensate the massive explosion of elements from a dense sphere at the center of the Universe. During the shift, some mana compressed into sentience. While most of the sentient beings were lesser spirits, four instances were the Gods. As free mana instinctively attached to the elements, the four Gods manipulated these elements to create the Universe. Of their creations, the Gods most favored the Mana World. The Gods related to humans because, next to the Gods themselves, human souls were the densest forms of mana in the Universe.

As the Gods manipulated the elements to create and build worlds, they were losing their own mana to the worlds, and eventually lost their divine knowledge. Beginning to feel human-like emotion, the God Nu'rem shook the Mana World, killing most of the life on the planet. The other three Gods stopped him, and held him back as they drank of the world's expired life. As they regained knowledge, Nu'rem felt remorse for what he had done, so he let go of his being and died. His mana poured into the Mana World, making the world incredibly thick with free mana; as it is today.

===Gods and the Universe===

Before the universe existed as it is known, there was only mana and a sphere of energy to which the mana was attracted. Mana surrounded the sphere in all directions.

Then, an anomaly. The sphere suddenly expanded with great force in all directions. In an instant, four elements were born from the explosion. The elements clashed and collided with each other as they were propelled into the universe.

Mana was strewn into chaos. It expanded, shifted, condensed, and dispersed to make way for the elements. As mana pushed into other mana, some condensed enough to become sentient, but the beings were undone just as quickly as the mana dispersed. These un-embodied flashes of life occurred a near infinite number of times in the first second as the universe cast outward. These were Spirits.

In this same instant, one condensation of mana compressed greatly enough to gain control of itself and its mind. It did not allow itself to expand again, as it reveled in its existence. It was the first God. The being watched as mana instinctively seeped into the elements of the expanding universe, creating a vacuum of space. As the God had this first thought, elsewhere three more Gods were born.

Mana was still abundant enough the Gods to know of the others' existence, but as mana streams spread into the growing universe and pooled among the elements, the Gods became detached from each other and were alone in their minds. They came together in resistance to the void created by their loneness.

With their power, the Gods could control the four elements, to which they were so attracted, and they instinctively began manipulating the mana within these elements in order to create worlds.

We call the Gods Jande, Nu'rem, Tal, and, Di'tal.

===Man===

As the universe settled, the Gods created worlds and beings out of the elements in a way that each world could maintain itself and its mana. The Gods knew that they were expending energy as they worked, and mana was slowly pouring from their beings, but they were so captivated by the elements that they could not stop, nor did they want to.

One particular world held such incredible amounts of mana that it flourished in life. The Gods felt the intense energy from this world, and held a special love for it. This world had evolved human life, in which the most incredible concentration of mana was invested. Nowhere else in the universe did mana manifest itself in such a way.

The Gods knew that as Man's population grew, more and more mana was pulled from the world and from the Gods themselves, who still felt such affinity for these creatures that they gave more of their own mana to this world than to any other. Early in Man's existence, when mana was plentiful, Man felt the Gods and appreciated their love, and loved the Gods in return. But as the mana grew thin, Man could no longer feel the Gods, and soon forgot them. Man flourished in his self interest. Hunting groups established villages, which grew into cities.

===Plight of the Gods===

Just as the Gods knew would happen, they began to lose their energy as mana escaped their beings. With the gradual loss of divine knowledge, the four Gods began feeling emotions of jealousy and self-interest.

A darkness grew in their minds. The God Nu'rem soon felt that humans had become too selfish, and sought to regain his mana through their slaughter. He used his power to agitate the elements, and the world shook so hard that it was almost destroyed. When the other Gods saw what Nu'rem was doing, Tal and Di'tal restrained Nu'rem with all of their might, while Jande settled the world.

It was too late. Many of the world's creatures had been destroyed. As the souls died, free mana spread and began to redistribute itself in the world. Jande drank hungrily at the energy. Tal and Du'tal releaesd Nu'rem and they drank as well. Slightly replenished, they stopped and saw the destruction that they had caused in their greed, and they remembered their beloved world from which they were now feeding.

In his remorse, the weakest of the Gods, Nu'rem, released his being, letting himself die. The remaining three Gods directed Nu'rem's spiling mana into the world and then they pulled away to mourn and to watch as the world rehabilitated itself under Nu'rem's sacrifice.

''see also [[The Great Quake]]''

===Man and Magic===

Mana was now very thick on the world of mana. The Gods watched the mana tease at Man's senses. The best of men could feel the intensity of mana and felt that they had some control over its energy. All over the world, men gathered to study, discuss, and learn of the magic that they inherently possessed. Most men even found that they were capable of transmitting thoughts to one another all across the world. They learned of the great ways that they could control mana and its healing and empowering abilities. Man also learned of mana's destructive capabilities.

The Gods mused at Man's desire to manifest the mana as the [[Elements|eight elements]]; Some men who controlled the forces of mana gave it the appearance of water, while others attributed fire to their magic. As the kingdoms of men grew, the knowledge of magic spread.

''see also [[the nature of mana and magic]]''

User:Dabe/Backstory

2010-01-30T22:19:29Z

John Pyle: From "Backstory" to "User:Dabe/Backstory"

{{Category_worldconcept}}
:'''Please don't make any critical changes to this article without discussing them with the development team.'''

Many ages ago, the world was entangled by war. From the smallest tribe to the grandest of kingdoms, virtually every discernible group of mankind was somehow involved. Through the darkness of war however, a light of truth somehow shone through. Amidst the previously unstoppable fighting, it was revealed that four manipulative gods were behind the chaos and confusion; that all of the misunderstandings leading to the generations of bloodshed, had been initiated by them.

People immediately stopped fighting one another, redirecting their aggression toward the Gods. Though they had destroyed much of their own civilization, ancient people were still quite powerful and in the end of the conflict, overpowered the Gods, banishing them in an explosion of magical energy. The resulting wave of destruction resonated across the globe, fragmenting the once solitary continent and killing millions.

Generations have passed since that great disaster and people are slowly but surely, picking up the pieces of society. Though the world-wide hostilities seem to have stopped, such peace is often fleeting..

..for an old and forgotten threat is looming in the background, plotting to make history repeat itself.

== Timeline ==

[[Prehistory]]

[[The Modern Age]]

[[The Future]]

User:Dabe

2010-01-30T22:18:29Z

John Pyle: Saving Dabe's Backstory

'''My name is David Del Re'''

email: ''norsteinbekkler(at)gmail.com''

[[User:Dabe/Backstory]]

To date, I've worked mostly on world concept and design and like many of the other people involved with this project's development, I don't have as much "TMW-time" as I would like. I found this project during my brief brush with Linux and even though I've long since returned to the incomparable drudgery of Windows, I still enjoy being part of the TMW team.

One day, I might extend my hand to help graphic and/or music & sound development, but as of yet, I have not really made a proper effort to become active in either of those departments. For now or at least, until someone more skilled and willing comes along, I will continue to write conceptually for the official fantasy server. In the future however, I would very much like to develop another game using TMW, but with a post-apocalyptic setting.

Other "Mana Worlds" I would like to see, some day:

*''a D&D Clone''
*''something using a Final Fantasy-inspired job system''
*''frickin Star Wars, man''

Soul Menhir

2010-01-30T21:36:52Z

John Pyle: Soul Menhir

{{Status_red}}
{{Category_worldconcept}}

[[Image:Stone.png]]

The Soul Menhir are monolith stones that summon and revive the battle-fallen. The stone does not seem to recover natural deaths. Although the nature of the Menhirs' selection is unclear, not everybody who touches the stone can survive death. The chosen receive a scar called the Mark of Menhir. Each time a marked one is summoned by a Menhir to the [[Afterlife]], they receive another scar. The process is extremely painful, and the scars are said to leave a â€œconstant discomfortâ€, but they can be removed.

==Lore==

===Discovery===
Believed to have been created as a result of the Great Quake, Soul Menhir stones have been discovered in the mountains of [[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]], [[Argaes]], and [[User:Crush/Kaizai|Kaizei]], and even the hills of [[User:John Pyle/Tempus|Tempus]]. Many of the stones were placed in major cities, while an undisclosed number are kept among the private sector.

The discoverer of the first Soul Menhir brought it down from the mountain and sold it to the city of [[User:John Pyle/Tulimshar|Tulimshar]]. None knew of the power this menhir held, as it was sold for about 1/100th the current Soul Menhir value, and was used as decorative ambiance and a nighttime light source. People gathered to feel the uplifting energy emitted from the stone. It wasn't long before a group of hunters, who had been brutally killed miles away, reappeared at the stone with stories of a [[Afterlife|Dark Figure]]. The line to touch the stone grew to the thousands, and a new rush of miners headed into the mountains to find their own Soul Menhir. Many more were found and sold for fortunes. Miners who made their fortune from the sale of Soul Menhir stones are referred to by nobles as the 'dirty elite'.

===Societal Effects===

The existence of the Soul Menhir has more than quadrupled the number of world adventurers and has resulted in a market flood of monster-related items. Although the rise in hunters has seemed to have peaked, many pre-Soul Menhir, unmarked hunters (respectfully called Brave Hunters) are angry over the situation, and are blatantly responsible for repeated murder-crimes. The majority of the notorious Trail Bandits north of [[User:John Pyle/Hurnscald|Hurnscald]] are allegedly Brave Hunters or marked enthusiasts. The bandits leader is a known Brave Hunter.

==Game Play==

By default, each character is set to be revived to the Soul Menhir in Tulimshar. Clicking on a Soul Menhir and â€œtouchingâ€ it attaches your character to that specific stone. The last stone touched is the location to which your character will be revived.

There are currently Soul Menhir stones in Tulimshar and Hurnscald.

==Notes==

Please give comments or suggestions here.

*links to Crush's Kaizei proposal instead of [[Kaizei]] page. - [[User:John Pyle|John Pyle]] 17:39, 1 June 2009 (UTC)

*Current for 0.0.x versions, will need to be updated once [[Afterlife|The Death Realm]] is implemented.

Magic phenomenons

2010-01-30T20:50:14Z

John Pyle: Update and change!

{{Category_worldconcept}}
Magic Phenomenons are unique instances of manifested [[The nature of mana and magic|mana]] which usually cannot be explained, or outside manipulating force identified. Their characteristics vary widely. They can be life-threatening to anyone nearby, completely harmless, or even beneficial, like [[Soul Menhir|soul menhirs]]. They can be permanent or one-time events. The local effects of magic phenomenons can be, but are not limited to:

*Dancing lights and other illusions
*Temporary or permanent shape-shifting of creatures or inanimate objects
*Destructive force
*Uncontrolled spawning of monsters
*Teleportation
*Extreme destruction
*Increased mana regeneration for nearby spell-casters
*Changes of the laws of physics
*Catastrophic destruction
*Increased healing rate
*Aid or disturbance of spell-casting abilities

Magic phenomenons are the favorite study objects of [[wizard]]s. Sometimes wizards manipulate mana to create magic phenomenons intentionally, often with disastrous results for people living nearby.

==Known magic phenomenons==
This is a list of known recurring or permanent magic phenomenons
*The soul menhirs
*The "magic house" in northwest Argeas

Archive:The nature of mana and magic

2010-01-30T20:04:46Z

John Pyle:

{{Category_worldconcept}}
{{Status_yellow}}

Mana can accurately be described as life force. It flows throughout the world, pushing and pulling itself into and around the material elements, to which it is extremely attracted. It is believed that all mana is connected and must remain connected.

==Free Mana==

Free mana is the blanket of energy that coats The Mana World. It is constantly moving; thinning and condensing in this invisible tempest. Free mana may be seeking material elements to inhabit.

It is from this free energy that men are able to pull and manifest mana, calling it magic, and it is to this free ocean which the manifestation dissipates once it is released. Man's telepathic communications are believed to be carried through free mana.

==Sentient Mana==

When a new organism comes to being, surrounding mana pours in; concentrating so thickly that it becomes sentient. The soul that is create does not consider itself a collection of mana, but the creature itself.

When the being dies, the mana returns to the field of free mana from which it came.

==Manifested Mana==

When mana is manipulated by any outside force, it is called ''Magic''. Many living beings (or rather the sentient mana concentrations which believe that they are living beings) are able to control free mana. Unlike other creatures of the world, Men do not possess this ability intuitively, but rather, must learn it.

Magic Phenomenons are unique instances of manifested mana which usually cannot be explained, or outside manipulating force identified. While they may not be influenced by outside variables (and thus not appropriately "magic"), it is common belief that there must be some sort of external involvement in the phenomenons.

===Destructive Magic===

When a living being utilizes mana energy as a destructive force, for example casting a spell which inflicts damages, this is categorized as Destructive Magic.

Destructive Spells almost always visually manifest with the appearance of one of the eight [[Elements]]. Appearance, however,is usually the extent of the relationship between the manifestation and the actual naturally occurring element.

===Healing Magic===

Mana can also be channeled for more constructive purposes. One of these purposes is Healing Magic. Healing occurs when mana is pushed into a living being that has lost mana, in order to repair mental or physical inflictions.

===Enchanting Magic===

Manifesting mana within or around items or beings provides an intentional excess of mana energy and is called Enchanting Magic. This infusion of magically-charged mana is always temporary, as the over-condensed mana fights for space within and around the enchanted, and excess is forced away.

Examples of enchanting include weapons being enchanted to inflict more damage or a specific type of damage. Equipment can be enchanted to protect against certain elemental magics. Beings can be enchanted to feel more strength or wisdom.

In extremely rare cases, enchanting magic has been misused, and over condensed mana within enchanted items has become sentient. Flying swords and other unnaturally living objects can be attributed to this misappropriation of magic.

===Summoning Magic===

A powerful and dangerous form of advanced magic is Summoning Magic. This is the intentional condensation of mana to create sentience. These sentient beings can either be manifestations of mana without a physical body, or can be created within an inanimate object which then comes to live. The first beings are called "Elementals", the latter beings "Golems".

Archive:The nature of mana and magic

2010-01-30T20:02:13Z

John Pyle: Update and change!

{Category_worldconcept}}
{{Status_yellow}}

Mana can accurately be described as life force. It flows throughout the world, pushing and pulling itself into and around the material elements, to which it is extremely attracted. It is believed that all mana is connected and must remain connected.

==Free Mana==

Free mana is the blanket of energy that coats The Mana World. It is constantly moving; thinning and condensing in this invisible tempest. Free mana may be seeking material elements to inhabit.

It is from this free energy that men are able to pull and manifest mana, calling it magic, and it is to this free ocean which the manifestation dissipates once it is released. Man's telepathic communications are believed to be carried through free mana.

==Sentient Mana==

When a new organism comes to being, surrounding mana pours in; concentrating so thickly that it becomes sentient. The soul that is create does not consider itself a collection of mana, but the creature itself.

When the being dies, the mana returns to the field of free mana from which it came.

==Manifested Mana==

When mana is manipulated by any outside force, it is called ''Magic''. Many living beings (or rather the sentient mana concentrations which believe that they are living beings) are able to control free mana. Unlike other creatures of the world, Men do not possess this ability intuitively, but rather, must learn it.

Magic Phenomenons are unique instances of manifested mana which usually cannot be explained, or outside manipulating force identified. While they may not be influenced by outside variables (and thus not appropriately "magic"), it is common belief that there must be some sort of external involvement in the phenomenons.

===Destructive Magic===

When a living being utilizes mana energy as a destructive force, for example casting a spell which inflicts damages, this is categorized as Destructive Magic.

Destructive Spells almost always visually manifest with the appearance of one of the eight [[Elements]]. Appearance, however,is usually the extent of the relationship between the manifestation and the actual naturally occurring element.

===Healing Magic===

Mana can also be channeled for more constructive purposes. One of these purposes is Healing Magic. Healing occurs when mana is pushed into a living being that has lost mana, in order to repair mental or physical inflictions.

===Enchanting Magic===

Manifesting mana within or around items or beings provides an intentional excess of mana energy and is called Enchanting Magic. This infusion of magically-charged mana is always temporary, as the over-condensed mana fights for space within and around the enchanted, and excess is forced away.

Examples of enchanting include weapons being enchanted to inflict more damage or a specific type of damage. Equipment can be enchanted to protect against certain elemental magics. Beings can be enchanted to feel more strength or wisdom.

In extremely rare cases, enchanting magic has been misused, and over condensed mana within enchanted items has become sentient. Flying swords and other unnaturally living objects can be attributed to this misappropriation of magic.

===Summoning Magic===

A powerful and dangerous form of advanced magic is Summoning Magic. This is the intentional condensation of mana to create sentience. These sentient beings can either be manifestations of mana without a physical body, or can be created within an inanimate object which then comes to live. The first beings are called "Elementals", the latter beings "Golems".

User:John Pyle/Port Town

2009-10-24T00:11:38Z

John Pyle: Revision (Crystal instead of fire lighthouse)

{{Status_red}}
{{Category_worldconcept}}

Constructed atop the ruins of the once-great Tritan city of Seratera, Port City is a flourishing urban atmosphere of constant growth. The impressive walls and statues are testament to the city's success. The docks are alive and vigorous with activity. The port supplies all of the surrounding areas, such as [[User:John Pyle/Bulwark|Bulwark]] and [[User:John Pyle/Hurnscald|Hurnscald]], which in turn supply most of [[User:John Pyle/Argaes|Argaes]].

==History Since the Quake==
''(for history before the Quake, see: [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Tritons|The Tritans]])''

Very few Tritans survived [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: The Great Quake|the Quake]]. Most who survived sought to rebuild their under sea city of Cerulea, but some remained topside to reconstruct the port in hopes of returning life to the ways of the past. As they were so few in numbers, when assistance was offered by Sabborus Keshlam of [[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]], the Tritans accepted.

Workers arrived along with a protective military presence. Most opted to stay, delighting in the weather, the work, and the Tritan's cultural influence on architecture and lifestyle. It wasn't long before people began to arrive in droves as news of Argaes's beauty traveled east. The Tonori plains were quickly fading into a desert; the farms ceasing to provide, and the successes of Port City had traveled to the desert, as well as [[User:John Pyle/Tempus|Tempus]] to the north. This period was called the [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Talponians|Talponian]]-[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Gispaans|Gispaan]] migration to Argeas. [[User Pages:John Pyle/Tulimshar|Tulimshar]] might have been nearly abandoned had Keshlam's people not discovered crystals in the Gispaan mountains.

==Modern History==

Four generations have passed since Sabborus Keshlam introduced Argaes to his Talponian people, and his dynasty is continued by Tal Tempus Keshlam. The port prospers; now flaunting three large docks and many smaller piers.

While the presence of Keshlam's guards at the port and throughout the city has made the people feel safe, the tax reliefs and other benefits granted by the city to ships and citizens under Keshlam's banner has become increasingly unpopular. Recently, the tension between the Isolationists and Keshlam's guards and followers has manifested in protests, debates, ill conduct on the streets, harassment of the guards, and countless bar-fights. Those in favor of severing the over-arching relationship with Keshlam's empire can be heard calling the city by its Tritan name, Seratera.

==Society==

===The Elite===

Living in the finest real estate along the well-lighted city thoroughfares, this group owns the luxury shops within the city, and the majority of the shipping industry in the port. A large elite circle claim pure Talponian descent and, although race is not as important as before the quake, seem to look down upon those who are not pure of blood. Most of the elite support Keshlam's presence, which the lower SES populace attributes to alleged gifts and business tax breaks from the Keshlam-backed city rulers.

===Merchants===
===Guilds===
===Military===

===Tritans===
While many of the Tritans in the city are rich and have the finest real estate, they are not considered, nor do they consider themselves among the elite.

Ancestors of the Tritan elite intermarried with Talponians and Ruiscans, as did many other Tritans living in Port City. As a result, while Tritan genetics resonate with intensity in their children's physical appearance, the youth are born without the ability to breath in the water like their pure brethren. They, however, are not shunned or looked down on by pure Tritans who tend to keep to their own; seemingly to avoid being seduced by a mate of another race and thus denying their offspring the ability to visit their undersea world of Cerulea without the assistance of magic.

Pure Tritans favor dock work, and especially enjoy wading into the water to send skiffs off beyond the waves of the beach. They also provide communication and goods from Cerulea, as well as guide adventurers in the long swim to the undersea world.

==Structures==
===The Wall===
An enormous stone block wall keeps the city safe and defines its square boundaries. Four gates allow access into the city, one from the docks and one more from each the north, east, and west. The gates are named in four different tongues for the wind. Boreas to the north, Volturnus to the south, Zephyrus to the east and Eurus to the west. They represent the power that the wall and the gates provide, as well as the control over friendly winds within the bay that provide access to the rest of the world.

===The Square of Antares===
The four roads that lead from the main city gates intersect at the center of the city where a beautiful, large, open area welcomes citizens and visitors alike. From each of the four corners, statues overlook the square, which is used for many various events and activities.

===The Lighthouse===
The splendorous light of the Feu de Joie serves to warn ships of their proximity to the docks, although today it is generally considered nothing more than a just a stunning monument to the greatness of the city; as most ship captains navigate the port with familiarity.

While the light still glows atop the monument, none live within, nor visit the water-locked island. The lighthouse has a dark history that the citizens of Port City do not often share, as they are happy to enjoy its radiance from afar.

Years ago, when the monument was completed, the magician responsible for illuminating the lighthouse was rewarded with the honor of living on the island. He happily accepted and moved in with his family. For decades the magician and his wife and child lived in the house; seemingly content, and often visiting the city.

Long after the child had grown and left home, and age had settled on the couple, they seldom left the island. It did not go unnoticed, however, when the couple did not come to town for an extraordinarily long time. Citizens gathered silently at the shore across from the island where they heard menacing howls, screaming, and other horrible noises.

Three city guards waded into the water and quietly swam to the island. As they approached the door, they had not a chance to open it when a large creature, the likes of which they had never seen, burst through and charged at them with a vicious cry. The three men fought the monster with all of their might, but when a second and third beat appeared through the doorway, the men fled to the water. To the warriors' relief, the monsters did not follow; angry over the escape but fearful of the water. They returned unsatisfied through the doorway and disappeared within the lighthouse.

Many adventurers have fought their way deep into the lighthouse, but the horde within is tremendous and seems to be growing. Citizens fear that they will never recapture their beautiful light.
===City Hall===
===Library===

==NPCs==

==Notes==
Please add comments, criticisms, and questions here.
*City design, names by [[User:Irukard|Irukard]]. The names of structures are actual mythological terms and may need to be changed for originality.
*Section "the square of antares": Four statues of who? 1) Sabborus Keshlam, 2)Some Tritan Lord, 3)Some other Keshlam, ...?
*Lighthouse monster TBD ;)
*Conceptualisation for artists/developers: Port City might be designed to match the back story in the following ways: Tritan influence on architecture, Talponian military presence, imperial/local NPC tensions

User:John Pyle/Sabborus Keshlam

2009-10-02T01:17:07Z

John Pyle: Sabborus Keshlam - Leader of Tonori, Tempus, and Port City in the reconstruction era

{{Status_red}}
{{Category_worldconcept}}

''Before reading, consider first reading [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake]]

After The Quake, fruitless acts of war were set aside in favor of reconstruction. Leaders of Gispaa and the Talponian kingdom of Debury joined forces to rebuild the city of Talpa, as the city of Gispaa was in complete ruins; buried under landslide, ash, and lava flow from the Gispaan Mountains. The new city, however, would be renamed [[User:John Pyle/Tulimshar|Tulimshar]] to erase the black history of the war torn nations and favor the welcoming of former enemies.

Sabborus Keshlam had been a Gispaan general during the War for [[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]]. After The Quake, he revealed himself as an important figure in organizing the reconstruction efforts in Tulimshar. Survivors looked to Sabborus as the unspoken leader of the city. Soon, other cities did as well.

==Keshlam's Rise==
Despite the optimism of the citizens, Tulimshar farmers knew well that vegetation was dying in the Tonori plains. As more people found safety within the walls of Tulimshar, Keshlam toured cities to the north to acquire new land for farming.

The Talponian kingdom of Layland in Tempus had many more survivors than other areas of the world, having seen little volcanic activity and only minor flooding; yet the cities were in disarray. The castle home of the Tanner Dynasty had toppled, killing all of the nobles within. When Keshlam arrived, his achievements at Tulimshar had preceded him, and the people of Tempus looked to him for guidance. It wasn't long before the people in the kingdom of Leyland offered the crown to Keshlam. The cities of the north flourished, and their farms were soon able to provide food for Tulimshar. In the city of Abel, Keshlam began construction of his new stronghold. It would be finished too late for him.

==Seratera==
''Full Article: [[User:John Pyle/Port Town]]

The first of Keshlam's ships taken to sea ventured to the old ally city of Seratera. Crews found the city being rebuilt, although very slowly, by the few surviving Tritans that did not return to the sea. Keshlam offered his assistance, which the Tritans gladly accepted. Keshlam's influence within the city grew as Talponians poured into the city, led by stories of breathtaking architecture, perfect weather, and a strong trade market. This new majority began to refer to the city as [[User:John Pyle/Port Town|Port City]], since it was slowly becoming the world's port.

==Keshlam's End==

==Notes==
*Please put your comments, criticisms, and suggestions here
*You know Keshlam has to meet a dark end...
*I did not annotate very much although this story is basically the centerpiece for the new world. This is because almost everything mentioned is pre-quake

User:John Pyle

2009-09-20T02:46:06Z

John Pyle: Had to change port city name, it conflicts with English company "Peel Port"

Since I have no talent in programming, graphics, or sound, I hope to contribute as much as I can to The Mana World by writing back story, lore, and content. While I readily and quickly contribute to requests, I have focused my energy on rewriting the major part of TMW's back story. I would like to eventually reconstruct the few once-'accepted' proposals and the many 'considered' proposals to fit the radical changes that I have created in my version of the story of The Mana World.

==Subpages==
These are proposals that I have written. They are all located on user subpages.

===Back Story===
*[[User:John Pyle/History of the World|History of the World]]
*[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake|History of Man: Before the Quake]]
*[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: The Great Quake|History of Man: The Great Quake]]

===Regions and Cities===
*[[User:John Pyle/Argaes|Argaes]]
*[[User:John Pyle/Bulwark|Bulwark]] - This town replaces 'Trade City' on Argaes map
*[[User:John Pyle/Port Town|Port Town]] - Now called Port City
*[[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]]

===Lore===
*[[User:John Pyle/Woodland Cemetery|Woodland Cemetery]] - Accepted, needs moved to main article.
*[[User:John Pyle/Soul Menhir|Soul Menhir]]

==Aligned Proposals==
These are content/lore/back story pages that already align with my pages, or need very minor editing to fit.

*[[Geography]]
*[[User:Crush/Kaizai|Kaizei - Crush's Proposal]] - Spelling of Kaizei/Kaizai conflict.
*[[Magic phenomenons]]
*[[The nature of mana and magic]] - I have abandoned the concept of 'leylines' in support of free mana moving with the world and the elements.

==Some Future Topics==
If supported, these are topics I hope to rewrite to match my history. Most of these are already written, but do not align with my pages. Many are only stubs. Most (if not all) are from the World Conceptualisation category.

*Ancea
*Other geographic locations
*The Keshlam dynasty
*Sabborus Keshlam
*Tempus Keshlam

User:John Pyle/Port Town

2009-09-20T02:38:03Z

John Pyle: Changed name back to Port City/Fixed minor errors/Added Tal Keshlam

{{Status_red}}
{{Category_worldconcept}}

Constructed atop the ruins of the once-great Tritan city of Seratera, Port City is a flourishing urban atmosphere of constant growth. The impressive walls and statues are testament to the city's success. The docks are alive and vigorous with activity. The port supplies all of the surrounding areas, such as [[User:John Pyle/Bulwark|Bulwark]] and [[User:John Pyle/Hurnscald|Hurnscald]], which in turn supply most of [[User:John Pyle/Argaes|Argaes]].

==History Since the Quake==
''(for history before the Quake, see: [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Tritons|The Tritans]])''

Very few Tritans survived [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: The Great Quake|the Quake]]. Most who survived sought to rebuild their under sea city of Cerulea, but some remained topside to reconstruct the port in hopes of returning life to the ways of the past. As they were so few in numbers, when assistance was offered by Sabborus Keshlam of [[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]], the Tritans accepted.

Workers arrived along with a protective military presence. Most opted to stay, delighting in the weather, the work, and the Tritan's cultural influence on architecture and lifestyle. It wasn't long before people began to arrive in droves as news of Argaes's beauty traveled east. The Tonori plains were quickly fading into a desert; the farms ceasing to provide, and the successes of Port City had traveled to the desert, as well as [[User:John Pyle/Tempus|Tempus]] to the north. This period was called the [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Talponians|Talponian]]-[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Gispaans|Gispaan]] migration to Argeas. [[User Pages:John Pyle/Tulimshar|Tulimshar]] might have been nearly abandoned had Keshlam's people not discovered crystals in the Gispaan mountains.

==Modern History==

Four generations have passed since Sabborus Keshlam introduced Argaes to his Talponian people, and his dynasty is continued by Tal Tempus Keshlam. The port prospers; now flaunting three large docks and many smaller piers.

While the presence of Keshlam's guards at the port and throughout the city has made the people feel safe, the tax reliefs and other benefits granted by the city to ships and citizens under Keshlam's banner has become increasingly unpopular. Recently, the tension between the Isolationists and Keshlam's guards and followers has manifested in protests, debates, ill conduct on the streets, harassment of the guards, and countless bar-fights. Those in favor of severing the over-arching relationship with Keshlam's empire can be heard calling the city by its Tritan name, Seratera.

==Society==

===The Elite===

Living in the finest real estate along the well-lighted city thoroughfares, this group owns the luxury shops within the city, and the majority of the shipping industry in the port. A large elite circle claim pure Talponian descent and, although race is not as important as before the quake, seem to look down upon those who are not pure of blood. Most of the elite support Keshlam's presence, which the lower SES populace attributes to alleged gifts and business tax breaks from the Keshlam-backed city rulers.

===Merchants===
===Guilds===
===Military===

===Tritans===
While many of the Tritans in the city are rich and have the finest real estate, they are not considered, nor do they consider themselves among the elite.

Ancestors of the Tritan elite intermarried with Talponians and Ruiscans, as did many other Tritans living in Port City. As a result, while Tritan genetics resonate with intensity in their children's physical appearance, the youth are born without the ability to breath in the water like their pure brethren. They, however, are not shunned or looked down on by pure Tritans who tend to keep to their own; seemingly to avoid being seduced by a mate of another race and thus denying their offspring the ability to visit their undersea world of Cerulea without the assistance of magic.

Pure Tritans favor dock work, and especially enjoy wading into the water to send skiffs off beyond the waves of the beach. They also provide communication and goods from Cerulea, as well as guide adventurers in the long swim to the undersea world.

==Structures==
===The Wall===
An enormous stone block wall keeps the city safe and defines its square boundaries. Four gates allow access into the city, one from the docks and one more from each the north, east, and west. The gates are named in four different tongues for the wind. Boreas to the north, Volturnus to the south, Zephyrus to the east and Eurus to the west. They represent the power that the wall and the gates provide, as well as the control over friendly winds within the bay that provide access to the rest of the world.

===The Square of Antares===
The four roads that lead from the main city gates intersect at the center of the city where a beautiful, large, open area welcomes citizens and visitors alike. From each of the four corners, statues overlook the square, which is used for many various events and activities.

===The Lighthouse===
The Feu de Joie warns ships as to their proximity to the docks, although it is mostly a stunning monument to the greatness of the city, as most ship captains are very familiar with the port.

While the fire still burns atop the monument, none live within, nor visit, the water-locked island. The lighthouse has a dark history that the citizens of Port City do not often share, as they are happy to enjoy its splendor from afar.

Years ago, when the monument was completed, the magician responsible for creating the fire of the lighthouse was rewarded with the honor of living on the island. He gladly accepted and moved in with his family. For decades the magician and his wife and child lived in the house, seemingly happy and often visiting the city.

Long after his child had grown and left home, and age had settled on the couple, they visited town less. It did not go unnoticed, however, when the couple did not come to town for an astonishingly long time. Citizens gathered across the short span of water separating the lighthouse island from the dock where they could hear awful howling, screaming, and other horrible noises.

Three volunteers waded into the water and quietly swam to the island. As they approached the door, they had not a chance to open it when a terrifying monster, the likes of which they had never seen, burst through and charged at them with a vicious howl. The three men tried to fight the monster with all of their might, but when a second and third appeared through the door, they fled to the water. To the men's relief, the monsters did not follow, angry over the escape yet fearful of the water. They returned to the building and disappeared inside.

Many adventurers have fought their way into the lighthouse, but the horde within is just too great, and all have been forced to return to shore.
===City Hall===
===Library===

==NPCs==

==Notes==
Please add comments, criticisms, and questions here.
*City design, names by [[User:Irukard|Irukard]]. The names of structures are actual mythological terms and may need to be changed for originality.
*Section "the square of antares": Four statues of who? 1) Sabborus Keshlam, 2)Some Tritan Lord, 3)Some other Keshlam, ...?
*Lighthouse monster TBD ;)
*Conceptualisation for artists/developers: Port City might be designed to match the back story in the following ways: Tritan influence on architecture, Talponian military presence, imperial/local NPC tensions

User talk:Kess/Client versions

2009-09-12T22:55:28Z

John Pyle: New page: Amazing!! Is there a way you can clarify that clicking on Yes/No under 'screen shot available' takes you to change log as well? Otherwise it seems odd that you can still click 'no', and th...

Amazing!!
Is there a way you can clarify that clicking on Yes/No under 'screen shot available' takes you to change log as well? Otherwise it seems odd that you can still click 'no', and the only way you find out that the change log is available is because you click 'no' out of curiosity ;) [[User:John Pyle|John Pyle]] 22:55, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

File:Argaes.png

2009-09-01T02:15:04Z

John Pyle: Map of Argaes with labels removed (temporary)

Map of Argaes with labels removed (temporary)

User:John Pyle/Argaes

2009-08-29T16:43:07Z

John Pyle: Added minor ideas, fixed wording

User:John Pyle/Bulwark

2009-08-01T08:32:30Z

John Pyle: Changed Argaes link to my user proposal

{{Status_red}}
{{Category_worldconcept}}

'Bulwark' doubles as the name for the great wall built to separate central [[User:John Pyle/Argaes|Argaes]] from the 'Southern Wilds' of Argaes, as well as the name of the military town built on the north side of the wall.

The wall and checkpoint at Bulwark, operated by a joint military effort between Emperor Sabborus Keshlam II and King Kness, are in place foremost to restrict trade access with the renowned pirating community of [[User:John Pyle/Port Yenvar|Port Yenvar]], while also keeping the vicious creatures of the desert and savanna out of the northern territory.

The wall stands between the Coastal Ridge Mountain range on the north and Mount Orynia to the south. Due to the strong military presence, the town is able to leave the gate fully open day and night without facing incident.

In the last decade, the creatures of the south have learned to stay away from Bulwark. Currently, the biggest issue facing the checkpoint guards is distinguishing between legitimate trade from ''The Savanna Village'' and Savanna people hired to smuggle goods from Port Yenvar. This is difficult to manage, as it is too dangerous to patrol within the Savanna, so there is little evidence as to which direction the trader may have come from.

Further complicating the matter is the ''Savanna Village's'' recent decision to cancel their previous agreement to bar trade with Port Yenvar.

====Notes====
*This little town takes the place of Trade City on the the [[User:John Pyle/Argaes|Argaes]] map, since [[User:John Pyle/Port Town|Port City]] is going to be a big trade city all on its own.

User:John Pyle/Argaes

2009-08-01T08:29:56Z

John Pyle: Finished through 'The Valley'

{{Category_worldconcept}}
{{Status_red}}
{{Status_construction}}

Since the [[User:John_Pyle/History_of_Man:_The_Great_Quake|Great Quake]], people have flocked to the once sparsely populated Argaes to take advantage of the growing economy and typically utopian weather. The island uniquely features several distinct ecosystems, though most of the population lives in the temperate central valley.

[[Image:Worldmap highlight argaes.jpg|thumb|Argaes, the central continent]]
[[Image:Area_argaes.jpg]]

==Geography==
=== The Surrounding Sea ===

Due to the intensity of the surrounding waters, travel to and from the island can only be managed in mid-size to large vessels. While the known pirating port of [[User:John Pyle/Yenvar|Yenvar]] lies on the outer coast, few dare risk making berth there. Honest merchant ships and other vessels steer a wide course around the island until ultimately approaching the more favorable conditions of the Bay.

=== The Rocky Northern Coast ===

[[Image:Northcliffs.jpg]]

Steep cliffs separate the northern sea from central Argaes. Seemingly insurmountable, plateaus and peaks of this range are in fact reachable through miles of networking tunnels and natural caves. An adventurer with a good knowledge of the corridors, or with a good map, can find the summit and a great 360 degree overlook, but an inexperienced wanderer might be lost for days.

A stark contrast to the menacing cliffs, the loud crash of the waterfall and the mist it casts over the clear blue lake make this a popular spot for adventurers to rest and enjoy the natural beauty.

=== The Valley ===

A river flows down into the valley from the North Lake, passing through mills and irrigating vast farmlands. Major arterial roadways connect the farms and farming village to the central hub city of [[User:John_Pyle/Port_Town|Peels Port]] (labeled 'Port Town'), the western forest, something, and the military barricade [[User:John Pyle/Bulwark|Bulwark]] (replaces 'Trade City').

The military controlled town and wall of Bulwark closes the breach left by the Coastal Ridge Mountains to the north and Mount Orynia to the south, thus completely blockading central Argaes from the 'Southern Wilds'.

*'something' could be a windmill that takes advantage of access to heavy wind from the north.

=== The Savanna ===

=== The Desert ===

=== the forest & the jungle ===
'''concepts:''' [[Canopy]], [[logging camps]], [[woodland village]], [[Zartam]]

The general area is separated by a river that flows west from the lake to the ocean. The woodlands on the northern side of the river are forest class, while the southern side's woodlands are jungle. Aside from this river, there are at least 4 other significantly sized rivers and quite a few streams, spread out across the region. Two mountains lie entirely within the jungle perimeter; the southernmost of the two is the world's largest known deposit of fool's gold.. though there are tales of sizable amounts of REAL gold being found, as well.

There are generally two modes of travel through the woodland regions, the many paths and roads, or the bridge network. The roads get you there, but the bridges are a bit more direct, making them a bit quicker. The bridges began in the town of Canopy, who's local government still maintains responsibility over them. To gain access to the bridge network, you must go to Canopy and obtain a pass.

Zartam is the senior power in the area. The entire jungle is sometimes referred to simply as "Zartam" because of its diligent control over the general area.

{| border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="100%"
! style="background:#f1eede;" align="left" valign="top" |
HELP THINK! ..I want there to be something other than surroundings distinguishing forest-folk from jungle-folk.. perhaps even just some sort of cultural wedge, like a strong difference in beliefs. I'm not sure if I want the two sides to be feuding, but that's a possibility. An idea that I had was that one side is attempting to get rid of the loggers, while the other side is doing nothing. That's kinda boring though. Any ideas for this would be appreciated. Also, I don't have enough planned for the woodlands.. so don't be afraid to put some thought in to the area.
|}

Suggestion: Maybe the Jungle folks consider woman to be inferior beings, and value strength and brutality
whereas forest folks consider them to be holy bringers of life, valuing wisdom and cunning?

Suggestion: Maybe there could be something like amazon tribes, not exactly amazons, another name would be
better; an the animals there would be something like lions, tigers, mokeys, etc, but derivates, like
tiger-lion,monkey-gorilla,giant maggots, bitans, etc. somethig that make it a JUNGLE

=== the two rivers & the swamp ===
This strip of land separates two formidable rivers. Somehow, the river on the west runs south, while the river on the east runs north. This circular flow has contributed a great deal to successful exploitation of the river, for shipping and travel. In the south, the two rivers meet the sea; this is the only safe access to and from the continent, by sea. This is what makes Trade City's location so vital; boats can come up the eastern river, dock at Trade City's harbor to unload/load cargo and make an easy exit down the western river, back out to sea. The two rivers are also used for local travel. An individual can go it alone with a boat of their own, or for an easier time, one can book passage on a ferry.

Back to the swamp.. though it's mostly trees and mucky water, a few caves can be found. The area used to be a blend of savanna and woodlands, but an alchemist's experiment turned the area in to a swamp. The experiment employed the use of magical spores, which were supposed to grow in to mushroom houses. Instead, the spores (which were probably handled improperly) grew in to fungus creatures, which quickly multiplied. Shortly after this blunder, the swamp began to form and the fungus creatures quickly overtook the strip. Zartam's council of elders banished the alchemist, who then promptly disappeared. They also ordered that a group be sent to the swamp, to contain the problem. Those people managed to learn to live in the swamp and continue their effort in pest control; the first generation of children could be being born there now.

=== the island off of the northeast coast ===
This tropical island is full of ferocious beasts. Only a few people live here and only they could tell you exactly why. A tribe inhabiting this place probably have some special spells or abilities to teach. We could place a small volcano here, if we really wanted to get cliched with the whole "tribal islanders" theme.

=== the southern mountainrange ===
Crossing the mountains is a challenge, but the road that passes through them is said to be a thief checkpoint. Rivers running between the mountains can be navigated by a small raft or boat, but this also carries its own set of risks. There are mining projects currently active in the area, leaving abandoned tunnels behind them.

==History==

== Notes ==
*This article is adapted from [[Argaes]]
*Need to size-down the map image

User:John Pyle/Argaes

2009-07-31T18:15:22Z

John Pyle: Copy/paste

{{Category_worldconcept}}
{{Status_red}}

== Civilization & Environment ==
Since the Great Quake, people have flocked to the once sparsely populated Argaes. The Island uniquely features many distinct

[[Image:Worldmap highlight argaes.jpg|thumb|Argaes, the central continent]]
[[Image:Area_argaes.jpg]]

=== the surrounding sea ===
The currents swirling around the continent are too strong for a small vessel to navigate, requiring instead for larger ships to make any journey to or from another land.

=== the rocky northern coast ===
'''concepts:''' [[bottomless caves]], the cliffs and the waterfall..

[[Image:Northcliffs.jpg]]

Cliffs and a few small plateaus separate the valley below from the coast. Various summits can be reached without climbing the rock-face, only by entering the caverns within the cliffs, but beware; the caves can be very dangerous. Going up leads you with moderate ease to the summits, but going down leads to unknown depths. Since the caves were discovered, people have been trying to reach the bottom, but lower levels continue to be found.

=== the valley ===
'''concepts:''' farms & ranches, [[rural village]], [[Trade City]]

[[Image:Valley.jpg]]

From the cliffs, a waterfall feeds a river that runs south, where it eventually meets a lake. Along the lake and bisected by the river lies the economic hub of the continent; Trade City.

A highway leaves Trade City its east and west gates. Following the road out of town in an easterly direction takes you through farmland and gradually in to hotter climate. Traveling instead to the west, you would quickly find the edge of the great forest.

=== the savanna & the desert ===
'''concepts:''' [[beach resort]], [[fishing village]], [[Sonbral]]

This dry area has very little ground water and only a few small aquifers and springs, but if you look in the right places, you can find fresh cacti which can be tapped for water. There are many old farm houses, barns and outbuildings scattered throughout the dust; many nearly or completely buried by mountains of silt and debris. Much of the landscape is still littered with the remnants of the forest that once thrived here.

The people of Sonbral claim ownership over the entire basin, though their city sits along the southern rim. The warriors of Sonbral use the desert for training, but other citizens also had their reasons for exploring this less than hospitable region. Shaman hunt for sacred herbs, while hunters hunt for dinner.

=== the forest & the jungle ===
'''concepts:''' [[Canopy]], [[logging camps]], [[woodland village]], [[Zartam]]

The general area is separated by a river that flows west from the lake to the ocean. The woodlands on the northern side of the river are forest class, while the southern side's woodlands are jungle. Aside from this river, there are at least 4 other significantly sized rivers and quite a few streams, spread out across the region. Two mountains lie entirely within the jungle perimeter; the southernmost of the two is the world's largest known deposit of fool's gold.. though there are tales of sizable amounts of REAL gold being found, as well.

There are generally two modes of travel through the woodland regions, the many paths and roads, or the bridge network. The roads get you there, but the bridges are a bit more direct, making them a bit quicker. The bridges began in the town of Canopy, who's local government still maintains responsibility over them. To gain access to the bridge network, you must go to Canopy and obtain a pass.

Zartam is the senior power in the area. The entire jungle is sometimes referred to simply as "Zartam" because of its diligent control over the general area.

{| border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" width="100%"
! style="background:#f1eede;" align="left" valign="top" |
HELP THINK! ..I want there to be something other than surroundings distinguishing forest-folk from jungle-folk.. perhaps even just some sort of cultural wedge, like a strong difference in beliefs. I'm not sure if I want the two sides to be feuding, but that's a possibility. An idea that I had was that one side is attempting to get rid of the loggers, while the other side is doing nothing. That's kinda boring though. Any ideas for this would be appreciated. Also, I don't have enough planned for the woodlands.. so don't be afraid to put some thought in to the area.
|}

Suggestion: Maybe the Jungle folks consider woman to be inferior beings, and value strength and brutality
whereas forest folks consider them to be holy bringers of life, valuing wisdom and cunning?

Suggestion: Maybe there could be something like amazon tribes, not exactly amazons, another name would be
better; an the animals there would be something like lions, tigers, mokeys, etc, but derivates, like
tiger-lion,monkey-gorilla,giant maggots, bitans, etc. somethig that make it a JUNGLE

=== the two rivers & the swamp ===
This strip of land separates two formidable rivers. Somehow, the river on the west runs south, while the river on the east runs north. This circular flow has contributed a great deal to successful exploitation of the river, for shipping and travel. In the south, the two rivers meet the sea; this is the only safe access to and from the continent, by sea. This is what makes Trade City's location so vital; boats can come up the eastern river, dock at Trade City's harbor to unload/load cargo and make an easy exit down the western river, back out to sea. The two rivers are also used for local travel. An individual can go it alone with a boat of their own, or for an easier time, one can book passage on a ferry.

Back to the swamp.. though it's mostly trees and mucky water, a few caves can be found. The area used to be a blend of savanna and woodlands, but an alchemist's experiment turned the area in to a swamp. The experiment employed the use of magical spores, which were supposed to grow in to mushroom houses. Instead, the spores (which were probably handled improperly) grew in to fungus creatures, which quickly multiplied. Shortly after this blunder, the swamp began to form and the fungus creatures quickly overtook the strip. Zartam's council of elders banished the alchemist, who then promptly disappeared. They also ordered that a group be sent to the swamp, to contain the problem. Those people managed to learn to live in the swamp and continue their effort in pest control; the first generation of children could be being born there now.

=== the island off of the northeast coast ===
This tropical island is full of ferocious beasts. Only a few people live here and only they could tell you exactly why. A tribe inhabiting this place probably have some special spells or abilities to teach. We could place a small volcano here, if we really wanted to get cliched with the whole "tribal islanders" theme.

=== the southern mountainrange ===
Crossing the mountains is a challenge, but the road that passes through them is said to be a thief checkpoint. Rivers running between the mountains can be navigated by a small raft or boat, but this also carries its own set of risks. There are mining projects currently active in the area, leaving abandoned tunnels behind them.

==History==
=== the landmass is revealed ===
When the Gods escaped from the Crystals, the flow of elemental energy was altered. In addition to releasing vast amounts of previously unavailable energy, the environment was severely distorted. Northwest of Tonori, a storm raged for over a decade, causing extreme turbulence in the sea below. This seemingly normal turbulence then changed in to an enormous whirlpool. All travel through the area was interrupted.

The storm eventually relented and the sea calmed. Much to the world's surprise, the whirlpool that had disrupted travel for so long, seemed to give birth to an entirely new landmass. What started with a few explorers quickly expanded in to groups. A few small settlements, forts and colonies came and went and before long, people began to stay and raise families.

=== farming ruins the east ===
At first, the eastern half of the continent was a bounty of wild flora, allowing people to perform a passive form of agriculture; gathering. There were a few controlled crops, but they were small and uncommon. Most of the resources gathered from the area were of a wild variety. When the wild fruits, vegetables and herbs failed to output, people became impatient. When it started to seriously impact the area's food supply, people began to clear the land for farming. Much to the protest of woodland folk, most of the eastern forest was destroyed to make way for farms.

Though farming went well for a while, the hot winds from Tonori proved to be too harsh for the eastern edge of the continent. Without its previous blanket of woodlands to protect it, the area degraded to a dusty, desert waste and the farming days were over. Many of the people moved west, some attempted to leave the continent entirely. Some were content to stay on damaged ground, preferring the lifestyle for its rugged appeal.

=== modern-day boundaries begin to form ===
After the end of a small war to the southeast, a number of dislocated warriors sought refuge with a small group nomads, who were trying to survive in the new desert. The disorganized nomads realized that they warriors had much wisdom to offer them and insisted on receiving their guidance. Some of the warriors stayed and became integrated in to the nomad's group. Soon after, the group founded the town of Sonbral.

After taking in many refugees from the farming disaster, Zartam became more recognizable as a city. Though its boundaries tend to fluctuate the most, it is the oldest, active settlement known on Argaes.

Trade between Sonbral and Zartam was non-existent for a while, but eventually a trading post was established midway between both regions. Over time, this trading post attracted its own community. The community built a village and over a bit more time, the village became Trade City.

Today, Trade City's people have developed a new but powerful government called the Republic of Argaes, which seeks to control the continent's economy.

User:John Pyle

2009-07-29T04:28:42Z

John Pyle: Added Bulwark

Since I have no talent in programming, graphics, or sound, I hope to contribute as much as I can to The Mana World by writing back story, lore, and content. While I readily and quickly contribute to requests, I have focused my energy on rewriting the major part of TMW's back story. I would like to eventually reconstruct the few once-'accepted' proposals and the many 'considered' proposals to fit the radical changes that I have created in my version of the story of The Mana World.

==Subpages==
These are proposals that I have written. They are all located on my user subpages.

===Back Story===
*[[User:John Pyle/History of the World|History of the World]]
*[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake|History of Man: Before the Quake]]
*[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: The Great Quake|History of Man: The Great Quake]]

===Regions and Cities===
*[[User:John Pyle/Bulwark|Bulwark]] - This town replaces 'Trade City' on Argaes map
*[[User:John Pyle/Port Town|Port Town]] - Now called Peels Port City
*[[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]]

===Lore===
*[[User:John Pyle/Woodland Cemetery|Woodland Cemetery]]
*[[User:John Pyle/Soul Menhir|Soul Menhir]]

==Aligned Proposals==
These are content/lore/back story pages that already align with my pages, or need very minor editing to fit.

*[[Argaes]] - One paragraph on in [[Argaes#History|history]] section referring to Gods in crystals.
*[[Geography]]
*[[User:Crush/Kaizai|Kaizei - Crush's Proposal]] - Spelling of Kaizei/Kaizai conflict.
*[[Magic phenomenons]]
*[[The nature of mana and magic]] - I have abandoned the concept of 'leylines' in support of free mana moving with the world and the elements.

==Some Future Topics==
If supported, these are topics I hope to rewrite to match my history. Most of these are already written, but do not align with my pages. Many are only stubs. Most (if not all) are from the World Conceptualisation category.

*Ancea
*Other geographic locations
*The Keshlam dynasty
*Sabborus Keshlam
*Tempus Keshlam

User:John Pyle/Port Town

2009-07-29T04:25:52Z

John Pyle: Changed Trade City to Bulwark

{{Status_red}}
{{Category_worldconcept}}

Constructed atop the ruins of the once-great Tritan city of Seratera, Peel's Port City is a flourishing urban atmosphere of constant growth. The impressive walls and statues are testament to the city's success. The docks are alive and vigorous with activity. The port supplies all of the surrounding areas, such as [[User:John Pyle/Bulwark|Bulwark]] and [[User:John Pyle/Hurnscald|Hurnscald]], which in turn supply most of [[Argaes]].

==History Since the Quake==
''(for history before the Quake, see: [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Tritons|The Tritans]])''

Very few Tritans survived [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: The Great Quake|the Quake]]. Most who survived sought to rebuild their under sea city of Cerulea, but some remained topside to reconstruct the port in hopes of returning life to the ways of the past. So few in numbers, when assistance was offered by Sabborus Keshlam of [[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]], the Tritans accepted. ''Year 38''

Workers arrived along with a protective military presence. Most opted to stay, delighting in the weather, the work, and the Tritan's cultural influence on architecture and lifestyle. It wasn't long before people began to arrive in droves as news of Argaes's beauty traveled east. The Tonori plains were quickly fading into a desert; the farms ceasing to provide, and the successes of Peels Port had traveled to the desert, as well as [[User:John Pyle/Tempus|Tempus]] to the north. This period was called the [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Talponians|Talponian]]-[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Gispaans|Gispaan]] migration to Argeas. [[User Pages:John Pyle/Tulimshar|Tulimshar]] might have been nearly abandoned had Keshlam's people not discovered crystals in the Gispaan mountains. ''Year 46-50''

==Modern History==

Four generations have passed since Sabborus Keshlam introduced Argaes to his Talponian people. The port has prospered and now flaunts three large docks and many smaller piers.

While the presence of Keshlam's guards at the port and throughout the city has made the people feel safe, the tax reliefs and other benefits provided to Keshlam by the city has become unpopular. Recently, the tension between Keshlam's guards and followers and the Isolationists has manifested in protests, debates, ill conduct on the streets, harassment of the guards, and countless bar-fights.

==Society==

===The Elite===

Living in the finest real estate along the well-lighted city thoroughfares, this group owns the luxury shops within the city, and the majority of the shipping industry in the port. A large elite circle claim pure Talponian descent, and although race is not as important as before the quake, seem to look down upon those who are not pure of blood. Most of the elite support Keshlam's presence, which the lower SES populace attributes to alleged gifts and business tax breaks from the Keshlam-backed city rulers.

===Merchants===
===Guilds===
===Military===

===Tritans===
While some of the Tritans in the city are rich and have the finest real estate, they are not considered, nor do they consider themselves among the elite.

Ancestors of the Tritan elite intermarried with Talponians and Ruiscans, as did many other Tritans living in Peels Port. As a result, while Tritan genetics resonate with intensity in their children's physical appearance, the youth were born without the ability to breath in the water like their pure brethren. They, however, are not shunned or looked down on by pure Tritans who tend to keep to their own; seemingly to avoid being seduced by a mate of another race and thus denying their offspring the ability to visit their undersea world of Cerulea without the assistance of magic.

Pure Tritans favor dock work, and especially enjoy wading into the water to send skiffs off beyond the waves of the beach. They also provide communication and goods from Cerulea, as well as guide adventurers in the long swim to the undersea world.

==Structures==
===The Wall===
An enormous stone block wall keeps the city safe and defines its square boundaries. Four gates allow access into the city, one from the docks and one more from each the north, east, and west. The gates are named in four different tongues for the wind. Boreas to the north, Volturnus to the south, Zephyrus to the east and Eurus to the west. They represent the power that the wall and the gates provide, as well as the control over friendly winds within the bay that provide access to the rest of the world.

===The Square of Antares===
The four roads that lead from the main city gates intersect at the center of the city where a beautiful, large, open area welcomes citizens and visitors alike. From each of the four corners, statues overlook the square, which is used for many various events and activities.

===The Lighthouse===
The Feu de Joie warns ships as to their proximity to the docks, although it is mostly a stunning monument to the greatness of the city as most of the ship captains are very familiar with the port.

While the fire still burns atop the monument, none live within, nor visit, the water-locked island. The lighthouse has a dark history that the citizens of Peels Port do not often share, as they are happy to enjoy its splendor from afar.

Years ago, when the monument was completed, the magician responsible for creating the fire of the lighthouse was rewarded with the honor of living on the island. He gladly accepted and moved in with his family. For decades the magician and his wife and child lived in the house, seemingly happy and often visiting the city.

Long after his child had grown and left home, and age had settled on the couple, they visited town less. It did not go unnoticed, however, when the couple did not come to town for an astonishingly long time. Citizens gathered across the short span of water separating the lighthouse island from the dock where they could hear awful howling, screaming, and other horrible noises.

Three volunteers waded into the water and quietly swam to the island. As they approached the door, they had not a chance to open it when a terrifying monster, the likes of which they had never seen, burst through and charged at them with a vicious howl. The three men tried to fight the monster with all of their might, but when a second and third appeared through the door, they fled to the water. To the men's relief, the monsters did not follow, angry over the escape yet fearful of the water. They returned to the building and disappeared inside.

Many adventurers have fought their way into the lighthouse, but the horde within is just too great, and all have been forced to return to shore.
===City Hall===
===Library===

==NPCs==

==Notes==
Please add comments, criticisms, and questions here.
*City design, names by [[User:Irukard|Irukard]]. The names of structures are actual mythological terms and may need to be changed for originality.
*Section "the square of antares": Four statues of who? 1) Sabborus Keshlam, 2)Some Tritan Lord, 3)Some other Keshlam, ...?
*Lighthouse monster TBD ;)
*This is conceptualisation because Port Town might be designed to match the back story in the following ways: Triton influence on architecture, Talponian Military, imperial/local NPC tensions

User:John Pyle/Bulwark

2009-07-29T04:20:26Z

John Pyle: Added Notes, Labels

{{Status_red}}
{{Category_worldconcept}}

'Bulwark' doubles as the name for the great wall built to separate central [[Argaes]] from the 'Southern Wilds' of Argaes, as well as the name of the military town built on the north side of the wall.

The wall and checkpoint at Bulwark, operated by a joint military effort between Emperor Sabborus Keshlam II and King Kness, are in place foremost to restrict trade access with the renowned pirating community of [[User:John Pyle/Port Yenver|Port Yenver]], while also keeping the vicious creatures of the desert and savanna out of the northern territory.

The wall stands between the Coastal Ridge Mountain range on the north and Mount Orynia to the south. Due to the strong military presence, the town is able to leave the gate fully open day and night without facing incident.

In the last decade, the creatures of the south have learned to stay away from Bulwark. Currently, the biggest issue facing the checkpoint guards is distinguishing between legitimate trade from ''The Savanna Village'' and Savanna people hired to smuggle goods from Port Yenver. This is difficult to manage, as it is too dangerous to patrol within the Savanna, so there is little evidence as to which direction the trader may have come from.

Further complicating the matter is the ''Savanna Village's'' recent decision to cancel their previous agreement to bar trade with Port Yenver.

====Notes====
*This little town takes the place of Trade City on the the [[Argaes]] map, since [[User:John Pyle/Port Town|Port City]] is going to be a big trade city all on its own.

User:John Pyle/Bulwark

2009-07-29T04:09:42Z

John Pyle: New page: 'Bulwark' doubles as the name for the great wall built to separate central Argaes from the 'Southern Wilds' of Argaes, as well as the name of the military town built on the north side of t...

'Bulwark' doubles as the name for the great wall built to separate central Argaes from the 'Southern Wilds' of Argaes, as well as the name of the military town built on the north side of the wall.

The wall and checkpoint at Bulwark, operated by a joint military effort between Emperor Sabborus Keshlam II and King Kness, are in place foremost to restrict trade access with the renowned pirating community of [[User:John Pyle/Port Yenver|Port Yenver]], while also keeping the vicious creatures of the desert and savanna out of the northern territory.

The wall stands between the Coastal Ridge Mountain range on the north and Mount Orynia to the south. Due to the strong military presence, the town is able to leave the gate fully open day and night without facing incident.

In the last decade, the creatures of the south have learned to stay away from Bulwark. Currently, the biggest issue facing the checkpoint guards is distinguishing between legitimate trade from ''The Savanna Village'' and Savanna people hired to smuggle goods from Port Yenver. This is difficult to manage, as it is too dangerous to patrol within the Savanna, so there is little evidence as to which direction the trader may have come from.

Further complicating the matter is the ''Savanna Village's'' recent decision to cancel their previous agreement to bar trade with Port Yenver.

User:John Pyle/Port Town

2009-07-29T02:07:29Z

John Pyle: Work in Progress

{{Status_red}}
{{Category_worldconcept}}

Constructed atop the ruins of the once-great Tritan city of Seratera, Peel's Port City is a flourishing urban atmosphere of constant growth. The impressive walls and statues are testament to the city's success. The docks are alive and vigorous with activity. The port supplies all of the surrounding areas, such as [[User:John Pyle/Trade City|Trade City]] and [[User:John Pyle/Hurnscald|Hurnscald]], which in turn supply most of [[Argaes]].

==History Since the Quake==
''(for history before the Quake, see: [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Tritons|The Tritans]])''

Very few Tritans survived [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: The Great Quake|the Quake]]. Most who survived sought to rebuild their under sea city of Cerulea, but some remained topside to reconstruct the port in hopes of returning life to the ways of the past. So few in numbers, when assistance was offered by Sabborus Keshlam of [[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]], the Tritans accepted. ''Year 38''

Workers arrived along with a protective military presence. Most opted to stay, delighting in the weather, the work, and the Tritan's cultural influence on architecture and lifestyle. It wasn't long before people began to arrive in droves as news of Argaes's beauty traveled east. The Tonori plains were quickly fading into a desert; the farms ceasing to provide, and the successes of Peels Port had traveled to the desert, as well as [[User:John Pyle/Tempus|Tempus]] to the north. This period was called the [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Talponians|Talponian]]-[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Gispaans|Gispaan]] migration to Argeas. [[User Pages:John Pyle/Tulimshar|Tulimshar]] might have been nearly abandoned had Keshlam's people not discovered crystals in the Gispaan mountains. ''Year 46-50''

==Modern History==

Four generations have passed since Sabborus Keshlam introduced Argaes to his Talponian people. The port has prospered and now flaunts three large docks and many smaller piers.

While the presence of Keshlam's guards at the port and throughout the city has made the people feel safe, the tax reliefs and other benefits provided to Keshlam by the city has become unpopular. Recently, the tension between Keshlam's guards and followers and the Isolationists has manifested in protests, debates, ill conduct on the streets, harassment of the guards, and countless bar-fights.

==Society==

===The Elite===

Living in the finest real estate along the well-lighted city thoroughfares, this group owns the luxury shops within the city, and the majority of the shipping industry in the port. A large elite circle claim pure Talponian descent, and although race is not as important as before the quake, seem to look down upon those who are not pure of blood. Most of the elite support Keshlam's presence, which the lower SES populace attributes to alleged gifts and business tax breaks from the Keshlam-backed city rulers.

===Merchants===
===Guilds===
===Military===

===Tritans===
While some of the Tritans in the city are rich and have the finest real estate, they are not considered, nor do they consider themselves among the elite.

Ancestors of the Tritan elite intermarried with Talponians and Ruiscans, as did many other Tritans living in Peels Port. As a result, while Tritan genetics resonate with intensity in their children's physical appearance, the youth were born without the ability to breath in the water like their pure brethren. They, however, are not shunned or looked down on by pure Tritans who tend to keep to their own; seemingly to avoid being seduced by a mate of another race and thus denying their offspring the ability to visit their undersea world of Cerulea without the assistance of magic.

Pure Tritans favor dock work, and especially enjoy wading into the water to send skiffs off beyond the waves of the beach. They also provide communication and goods from Cerulea, as well as guide adventurers in the long swim to the undersea world.

==Structures==
===The Wall===
An enormous stone block wall keeps the city safe and defines its square boundaries. Four gates allow access into the city, one from the docks and one more from each the north, east, and west. The gates are named in four different tongues for the wind. Boreas to the north, Volturnus to the south, Zephyrus to the east and Eurus to the west. They represent the power that the wall and the gates provide, as well as the control over friendly winds within the bay that provide access to the rest of the world.

===The Square of Antares===
The four roads that lead from the main city gates intersect at the center of the city where a beautiful, large, open area welcomes citizens and visitors alike. From each of the four corners, statues overlook the square, which is used for many various events and activities.

===The Lighthouse===
The Feu de Joie warns ships as to their proximity to the docks, although it is mostly a stunning monument to the greatness of the city as most of the ship captains are very familiar with the port.

While the fire still burns atop the monument, none live within, nor visit, the water-locked island. The lighthouse has a dark history that the citizens of Peels Port do not often share, as they are happy to enjoy its splendor from afar.

Years ago, when the monument was completed, the magician responsible for creating the fire of the lighthouse was rewarded with the honor of living on the island. He gladly accepted and moved in with his family. For decades the magician and his wife and child lived in the house, seemingly happy and often visiting the city.

Long after his child had grown and left home, and age had settled on the couple, they visited town less. It did not go unnoticed, however, when the couple did not come to town for an astonishingly long time. Citizens gathered across the short span of water separating the lighthouse island from the dock where they could hear awful howling, screaming, and other horrible noises.

Three volunteers waded into the water and quietly swam to the island. As they approached the door, they had not a chance to open it when a terrifying monster, the likes of which they had never seen, burst through and charged at them with a vicious howl. The three men tried to fight the monster with all of their might, but when a second and third appeared through the door, they fled to the water. To the men's relief, the monsters did not follow, angry over the escape yet fearful of the water. They returned to the building and disappeared inside.

Many adventurers have fought their way into the lighthouse, but the horde within is just too great, and all have been forced to return to shore.
===City Hall===
===Library===

==NPCs==

==Notes==
Please add comments, criticisms, and questions here.
*City design, names by Irukard. The names of structures are actual mythological and may need to be changed for originality.
*Section "the square of antares": Four statues of who? 1) Sabborus Keshlam, 2)Some Tritan Lord, 3)Some other Keshlam, ...?
*Lighthouse monster TBD ;)
*This is conceptualisation because Port Town might be designed to match the back story in the following ways: Triton influence on architecture, Talponian Military, imperial/local NPC tensions

User:John Pyle/Tonori

2009-07-28T23:02:21Z

John Pyle:

{{status_red}}
{{status_construction}}
{{category_worldconcept}}

[[Image:Worldmap highlight tonori.jpg|thumb|Tonori, Keshlam's desert]]

Before the Quake, the land in Tonori was very fruitful; the plains were host to many [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Talponians|Talponian]] farmers to the east and [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake#The Gispaans|Gispaan]] ranchers to the west. Lava flow and landslides destroyed the mountain city of [[User:John Pyle/Gispaa|Gispaa]], and tsunamis leveled the coastal city of Talpa.

The devastation led to the joined forces of the once-waring people of the two cities in an effort to rebuild Talpa into the new city of [[User:John Pyle/Tulimshar|Tulimshar]]. While the reconstruction was a success, the people were dismayed to find life fading from the land, as the region's landscape slowly turned to desert.

Tulimshar thrived, however, as Gispaans returned to their old homes in the mountains to discover valuable crystals which are now traded world wide through the port at Tulimshar. The two major cities are under the rule of the Keshlam Dynasty.

[[Image:Area_tonori.jpg]]

==Cities==
===Tulimshar===
''Main article: [[User:John Pyle/Tulimshar]]''

Under the command of Sabborus Keshlam, Tulimshar rose from the ashes of the city of Talpa. Previously of the Debury Kingdom, the newly founded Tulimshar became the first city under Keshlam's rule.

The city has a port off the inlet on the eastern coast of Tonori, where the major export is crystals found in the Gispaan Mountains. The growing number of snakes and black scorpions in the desert has made the outskirts of the city a very dangerous place for non-natives.

===Gispaa===
''Main Article: [[User:John Pyle/Gispaa]]''

Thirty years after the quake, with the restoration of Tulimshar nearly complete, many Gispaan miners (not used to city life) sought to return to the mountains to the west. Once an important source for iron ore, the miners made an historical discovery: crystals.

Despite fears that the miners' tampering would reignite the volcanic anger within the rocks of the mountains, the small town of Gispaa was reforged at the summit as an outpost for the miners and a gateway for trade with Tulimshar.

==Geography==
===The Desert Trade Path===

Merchants make their fortunes carting crystals into Tulimshar and returning to Gispaa with supplies for the miners. This central area is the safest of the deep desert, as such traffic has forced dangerous creatures further north and south. While there is no distinct path to follow through the sandstorm, practiced adventurers do well not to venture too far away from the corridor.

===The Deep Desert===

While the deep Tonori Desert, to the north and south of the central trade path, is blanketed with dangerous, violent, and poisonous creatures, a nomadic people live in and migrate throughout the harsh environment. Descendants of ranchers that lived in the area before the quake turned the plains into barren sands, this hardened group presumably survives on snakes and cactus. The nomads are renowned for their leather, but live in despicable conditions that only tested adventurers dare traverse to seek them. The strong red dye marks on their leather homes provide a guiding beacon for those in search of their wares.

===The Gispaan Mountains===

Once cherished for bountiful ore deposits, the tops of these mountains exploded in lava during the Great Quake. Now quietly resting, the mountains have since become famous for bearing crystals. Lone miners live scattered in tents, or come together in small groups to work the mountains despite fear of future volcanic activity.

===The Volcanic Mountains===

A pool of lava rests at the base of the two active volcanoes that make up the Volcanic Mountains. Strange things dwell within the mountains, in places seemingly uninhabitable. A loud and violent region of lava, fire, and ash, the mountains are a place only for the strongest of curious adventurers.

==Creatures==
Maggot
*Eats: scavenges filth, gardens, corpses;
*Located: Within Tulimshar city limits, port, and city outskirts
Scorpion
*Eats: Maggots, fire goblins, scavenge
*Located: Within Tulimshar city limits, city outskirts
Bat
*Eats: Small bugs, may eat slime, small bugs
*Located: Holes, caves throughout area, Tulimshar basements
Fire Goblin
*Eats: Maggots, scorpions, giant maggots
*Located: Tulimshar port, and city outskirts, Gispaa outskirts
Yellow Slime
*Eats: Unknown, may eat spiders, bat droppings, or mountain moisture
*Located: Gispaan Mountain caves
Red Slime
*Eats: Unknown, may eat spiders, bat droppings, or mountain moisture
*Located: Gispaan Mountain caves, C/N/S Tonori Desert caves
Red Scorpion
*Eats: Small bugs, scavenge corpses
*Located: Tulimshar basements, outskirts, within Gispaa limits, outskirts, C/S Tonori Desert
Giant Maggot
*Eats: Maggots, fire goblins, scorpions (rare), scavenge
*Located: Tulimshar city outskirts
Black Scorpion
*Eats: Red scorpions, black scorpions (cannibalistic), scavenge
*Located: Gispaa outskirts, Gispaa Mountains, mountain caves, C/N/S Tonori Desert, desert caves
Spider
*Eats: Attacks anything in its territory
*Located: Holes, caves throughout area, Tulimshar basements
Snake
*Eats: Spiders, scorpions, scavenges
*Located: N/S Tonori Desert, C Tonori Desert (rare), Gispaan Mountain caves, various holes caves throughout area

==Notes==
*In this concept of Tonori, as there is not an 'ifron' or fire race, the mountains over Gispaa are inactive volcanoes, while the mountains to the south remain active, but harbor no city. For this reason, the volcanic mountains might be made larger than in the concept map, and the Gispaan mountains smaller.
*Please somebody rename the volcanic mountains

Please feel free to provide comments, criticism and questions here.

User:John Pyle

2009-07-28T21:50:04Z

John Pyle: /* World Conceptualization Project */ Too complicated, scrapped idea in favor of individual pages

Since I have no talent in programming, graphics, or sound, I hope to contribute as much as I can to The Mana World by writing back story, lore, and content. While I readily and quickly contribute to requests, I have focused my energy on rewriting the major part of TMW's back story. I would like to eventually reconstruct the few once-'accepted' proposals and the many 'considered' proposals to fit the radical changes that I have created in my version of the story of The Mana World.

==Subpages==
These are proposals that I have written. They are all located on my user subpages.

===Back Story===
*[[User:John Pyle/History of the World|History of the World]]
*[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake|History of Man: Before the Quake]]
*[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: The Great Quake|History of Man: The Great Quake]]

===Regions and Cities===
*[[User:John Pyle/Port Town|Port Town]]
*[[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]]

===Lore===
*[[User:John Pyle/Woodland Cemetery|Woodland Cemetery]]
*[[User:John Pyle/Soul Menhir|Soul Menhir]]

==Aligned Proposals==
These are content/lore/back story pages that already align with my pages, or need very minor editing to fit.

*[[Argaes]] - One paragraph on in [[Argaes#History|history]] section referring to Gods in crystals.
*[[Geography]]
*[[User:Crush/Kaizai|Kaizei - Crush's Proposal]] - Spelling of Kaizei/Kaizai conflict.
*[[Magic phenomenons]]
*[[The nature of mana and magic]] - I have abandoned the concept of 'leylines' in support of free mana moving with the world and the elements.

==Some Future Topics==
If supported, these are topics I hope to rewrite to match my history. Most of these are already written, but do not align with my pages. Many are only stubs. Most (if not all) are from the World Conceptualisation category.

*Ancea
*Other geographic locations
*The Keshlam dynasty
*Sabborus Keshlam
*Tempus Keshlam

User:John Pyle

2009-07-28T21:44:25Z

John Pyle: /* World Conceptualization Project */ Argaes

Since I have no talent in programming, graphics, or sound, I hope to contribute as much as I can to The Mana World by writing back story, lore, and content. While I readily and quickly contribute to requests, I have focused my energy on rewriting the major part of TMW's back story. I would like to eventually reconstruct the few once-'accepted' proposals and the many 'considered' proposals to fit the radical changes that I have created in my version of the story of The Mana World.

==Subpages==
These are proposals that I have written. They are all located on my user subpages.

===Back Story===
*[[User:John Pyle/History of the World|History of the World]]
*[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake|History of Man: Before the Quake]]
*[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: The Great Quake|History of Man: The Great Quake]]

===Regions and Cities===
*[[User:John Pyle/Port Town|Port Town]]
*[[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]]

===Lore===
*[[User:John Pyle/Woodland Cemetery|Woodland Cemetery]]
*[[User:John Pyle/Soul Menhir|Soul Menhir]]

===World Conceptualization Project===
*[[User:John Pyle/TonoriWC|World Conceptualization: Tonori]]
*[[User:John Pyle/ArgaesWC|World Conceptualization: Argaes]]

==Aligned Proposals==
These are content/lore/back story pages that already align with my pages, or need very minor editing to fit.

*[[Argaes]] - One paragraph on in [[Argaes#History|history]] section referring to Gods in crystals.
*[[Geography]]
*[[User:Crush/Kaizai|Kaizei - Crush's Proposal]] - Spelling of Kaizei/Kaizai conflict.
*[[Magic phenomenons]]
*[[The nature of mana and magic]] - I have abandoned the concept of 'leylines' in support of free mana moving with the world and the elements.

==Some Future Topics==
If supported, these are topics I hope to rewrite to match my history. Most of these are already written, but do not align with my pages. Many are only stubs. Most (if not all) are from the World Conceptualisation category.

*Ancea
*Other geographic locations
*The Keshlam dynasty
*Sabborus Keshlam
*Tempus Keshlam

User:John Pyle/Woodland Cemetery

2009-07-28T01:36:08Z

John Pyle: Wording

{{Status_red}}
{{Category_worldconcept}}

The Woodland Cemetery, south-west of [[User:John Pyle/Hurnscald|Hurnscald]], is the only place there exists undead monsters. Once a beautifully peaceful and quiet place, Magicians practicing necromancy unintentionally filled the cemetery's dead with new life. The living dead creatures were violent, and the town of Hurnscald was at risk. Out of desperation, the magicians cast a spell that condemned the creatures within the confines of the cemetery.

==Lore==
===The Risen===

Twenty years ago, a well respected guild of magicians claimed that mana could be used for necromancy. Early during their study of the art, still theoretical, Sir Truk Dermish, the great hero of [[User:John Pyle/Tempus|Tempus]], was killed in battle. The citizens and leaders of Hurnscald knew of the magicians studies and demanded that they take action and resurrect their fallen hero. Facing expulsion from the emotionally erratic people, the guild gathered in the cemetery.

As the clan of magicians read from the [[Magic system|runes]] they had fashioned, they poured all of their hope and energy into the magic of [[The nature of mana and magic|mana]] to bring back Sir Truk. They did not realize the power of their spells, however. The ground suddenly began to shake as remains of the dead began unearthing themselves from the ground. Lost spirits materialized and risen bodies angrily attacked the magicians and the crowd of onlookers.

The undead chased the townspeople back toward Hurnscald as warriors and magicians rallied to fight back the small horde. They fought for many hours and pushed the creatures back to the cemetery. To their dismay, any of the creatures that they dispatched quickly returned to fight again.

For days fighters held the undead horde within the limits of the cemetery, stalling as the magicians scrambled to find a way to end the terror they had unleashed. The magicians managed a cursing spell to bind all of the creatures to the grounds of the cemetery, which they cast as all of the warriors retreated through the gate of the cemetery.

===Today===

It is unclear as to why the reanimated creatures do not act as humans; if they are human souls or just corpses puppeted by the unknown. They do not respond to the living, they only fight and kill. It is apparent, though, that the magicians' spell is weakening, as a number of zombies have moved beyond the barrier and now haunt the nearby swamps.

The guild that is now referred to as the Black Magicians has all but given up hope of finding a way to reverse the spell. It is compelling to note that the Black Magicians are named as such not after their robes, but their reputation from the horrific cemetery incident. They are in no way 'evil' nor do they still practice the dark art of necromancy. They are even regaining much of their respect in recent years for their aid of Keshlam in the Modern War for Tempus.

The group has also made it known that they intend to recast the containment spell, but they cannot do so until the old one is completely diminished and they do not know when that will happen. Most fear that the new spell will come too late, when the undead are spread too far to control...

==Game Play==
===NPCs===
====The Caretaker====

The Caretaker was inadvertently bound by the curse set by the magicians. Horrified by the reanimation of his deceased wife, he sank down by her grave while the townspeople fought the rest of the horde. Unaware of the magicians' plan to trap the monsters within the graveyard, he too became trapped. He now watches as she wanders as one of the undead. He protects her from being killed by the many warriors who come to fight the roaming corpses.

Airlia, a clerk for Hurnscald Town Hall, is the caretaker's daughter, to whom the caretaker sends letters (through the help of willing adventurers of course).

*[[User:John Pyle/Cemetery Caretaker Quest|'Caretaker Quest' Script Dialogue]]

====The Fighters of the Undead====

Three "honorable" warriors and members of the Warrior Guild, these men are on a dedicated mission to kill and re-kill the skeletons and zombies of the cemetery. It is the belief of the Warrior Guild that each time one of the creatures falls it loses some of its mana, eventually becoming completely depleted.

Each of the warriors has a story as to why they are involved in this quest, and although they are too weak to face him alone, they believe that Sir Truk is the leader of the undead and that his mana feeds the rest of his army.

==Notes==
Please provide comments, suggestions, or questions here.

User:John Pyle

2009-07-27T21:52:26Z

John Pyle: Project for complete world conceptualization

Since I have no talent in programming, graphics, or sound, I hope to contribute as much as I can to The Mana World by writing back story, lore, and content. While I readily and quickly contribute to requests, I have focused my energy on rewriting the major part of TMW's back story. I would like to eventually reconstruct the few once-'accepted' proposals and the many 'considered' proposals to fit the radical changes that I have created in my version of the story of The Mana World.

==Subpages==
These are proposals that I have written. They are all located on my user subpages.

===Back Story===
*[[User:John Pyle/History of the World|History of the World]]
*[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake|History of Man: Before the Quake]]
*[[User:John Pyle/History of Man: The Great Quake|History of Man: The Great Quake]]

===Regions and Cities===
*[[User:John Pyle/Port Town|Port Town]]
*[[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]]

===Lore===
*[[User:John Pyle/Woodland Cemetery|Woodland Cemetery]]
*[[User:John Pyle/Soul Menhir|Soul Menhir]]

===World Conceptualization Project===
*[[User:John Pyle/TonoriWC|World Conceptualization: Tonori]]

==Aligned Proposals==
These are content/lore/back story pages that already align with my pages, or need very minor editing to fit.

*[[Argaes]] - One paragraph on in [[Argaes#History|history]] section referring to Gods in crystals.
*[[Geography]]
*[[User:Crush/Kaizai|Kaizei - Crush's Proposal]] - Spelling of Kaizei/Kaizai conflict.
*[[Magic phenomenons]]
*[[The nature of mana and magic]] - I have abandoned the concept of 'leylines' in support of free mana moving with the world and the elements.

==Some Future Topics==
If supported, these are topics I hope to rewrite to match my history. Most of these are already written, but do not align with my pages. Many are only stubs. Most (if not all) are from the World Conceptualisation category.

*Ancea
*Other geographic locations
*The Keshlam dynasty
*Sabborus Keshlam
*Tempus Keshlam

User:John Pyle/History of Man: Before the Quake

2009-07-06T17:26:24Z

John Pyle:

{{Status_red}}
{{Category_worldconcept}}

This article provides insight into the pure races and how they lived before the [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: The Great Quake|Great Quake]] changed the World of Mana.

In the generation before the Great Earthquake, there were four distinct races of man: the Tritons, the Sparrons, the Talponians, and the Gispaans. Each of the races was in despair.

The War for Tonori raged between the Gispaan Empire and the Talpon kingdom of Alensia. The Sparron and Triton kingdoms had grown reclusive despite peaceful relations with the empires.

Unbeknown to any of them, there was a [[User:John Pyle/History of the World|universal catalyst]] to these events. Man had grown fearful in generations past, as he no longer felt the favor of the Gods. [[The nature of mana and magic|Mana]] was growing thin.

===The Tritons===

Two cities incorporated 99% of the Triton population before the Earthquake. Both were ruled by King Peshtu Ungwalla. The underwater city of [[User:John Pyle/Cerulea|Cerulea]], known only to the Tritons, was home to the vast majority, while the bay side surface city of [[User:John Pyle/Seratera|Seratera]] (Port Town on [[Argaes]]) served as an industrial and trade city.

Even more so than today, Tritons did not enjoy leaving the water. While some Tritons had homes in Seratera, many Seraterans built their shelters in the bay's water near the reef, opting not to stay in the city. In fact, female citizens of Seratera never left the city, if even their water shelters. Cerulean women were not allowed out of the water at all.

Due to the Triton's seaside islolation, trade and resources were almost always brought in to the Seratera by the other races, who relished in trading for luxuries from the sea, such as coral, pearls, and fish oil.

In the decade approaching the Earthquake, trade had slowed tremendously. [[User:John Pyle/Tulimshar|Talpa]], once the greatest contributor to trade with the Tritons, had instead been stockpiling resources for war against Alensia. The second biggest contributor, the Sparron kingdom of Aeyer was coping with its own economic depression.

===The Sparrons===

The [[Geography|Isles of Ancea]] were home to the Sparrons. A city flourished on each of the seven large islands. The cities were divided between two kingdoms, Aeyer and Ancea, who generally controlled the west and east isles respectively. The kingdoms were very peaceful with one another, even interdependent. It is presumed today that had the Earthquake not occurred, the kingdoms would have invariably joined to become one.

Sparrons had the greatest tie with the Tritons. In exchange for resources from the islands, Tritons provided the Sparron kingdoms with large fish from the deep sea, which became the primary staple of the Sparron diet.

In the decades before the Earthquake, the world's depleting mana supply meant less fish. As the islands provided little in the way of farming, the kingdoms redirected labor into fishing and hunting. The price of food rose enough to force the people to save money to eat, and the kingdoms' economies grew stagnant.

===The Gispaans===

The Gispaans were a mining and ranching people who localized around the volcanic mountains of [[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]]. The major city of [[Geography|Gispaa]] was the central hub for the people who otherwise tended to live in isolated ranches on the Tonori plain, or mining camps in the mountains. Although referred to by the other races as â€œThe Gispaan Empireâ€, the only distinguishable leaders were the Gispaa city managers, who were responsible for the few who lived within the city limits.

When the Talponian kingdom of Debury started to expand north into Tonori, it was the city managers that voiced concern and stopped the intrusion. King Lurich of Debury agreed to cease northern expansion if he could develop a city around Talpa Bay with contractually negotiated boundaries. In exchange, Gispaan goods, most notably the precious stones from the mountains and wares from the ranchers, could be sold to the city for trade with other kingdoms over seas.

As each race flourished from the benefits provided by Talpa (now called [[User:John Pyle/Tulimshar|Tulimshar]]), the cities grew and the people demanded more territory. Talpa's boundaries flexed, and the contract was broken. The War for Tonori began a century before the [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: Modern History#The Earthquake|Great Quake]].

The war united the Gispaans in a very strong way, and many of the miners left the mountains to join in the fighting. Precious stones became rare in the world and ranchers found their lands subject to terrorism. This meant less trade for both the Gispaans and the Talponians. Talpa's docks felt further stress as less traders made port for fear of attack on their boats by Gispaan Saboteurs. In the decades leading up to the Earthquake, the Gispaan force had Talpa's afluent citizens leaving in search of better investments, although many more citizens were still holding to the city in hopes of a miracle.

===The Talponians===

With a population almost four times that of any other race, the Talponians were spread between three kingdoms.

The first was the kingdom of Debury, which controlled many cities directly south of Tonori, as well as the territorially-detatched city of Talpa. The kingdom was under the rule of King Antony Lurich, the third generation in the Lurich Dynasty.

The kingdom of Layland was ruled by King Wayne Tanner who controlled all of [[User:John Pyle/Tempus|Tempus]], most notably the farming villages and city of Abel.

The North Kingdom lay in [[User:Crush/Kaizai|Kaizei]], at the southern summit of the Warming Mountains. The kingdom was jointly ruled by brother and sister King Malcolm and Queen Lei Washburn

The Talponian kingdoms were all prosperous and self reliant, Debury most of all; sustained mostly through farming and hunting. When the War for Tonori broke, the kingdoms of North and Layland decided not to become involved in military action. Against King Tanner's wishes, the city of Abel in the kingdom of Tempus provided supplies by sea to Talpa during the Seige of Talpa.

==Notes==
Please leave comments and suggestions here.

*Used Crush's proposal for Kaizei
*Will try to [[Geography|map the locations]] of the old cities

User:John Pyle/Tonori

2009-07-06T17:25:45Z

John Pyle:

User:John Pyle/Soul Menhir

2009-06-14T21:19:06Z

John Pyle: Linked the Afterlife page

{{Status_red}}
{{Category_worldconcept}}

The Soul Menhir are monolith stones that summon and revive the battle-fallen. The stone does not seem to revive those of natural deaths. Although it is unclear how the Menhir chooses, not everybody is able to be revived. Those who touch the stone and are chosen receive what is called the Mark of Menhir. Each time a marked one is summoned by a Menhir, they receive a Menhir Scar. The process is reportedly extremely painful, and the scars are said to leave a â€œconstant discomfortâ€, but they can be removed.

==Lore==

===Discovery===
Believed to have been created as a result of the Great Quake, Soul Menhir stones have been discovered in the mountains of [[User:John Pyle/Tonori|Tonori]], [[Argaes]], and [[User:Crush/Kaizai|Kaizei]], and even the hills of [[User:John Pyle/Tempus|Tempus]]. Many of the stones reside in major cities, while an undisclosed number are kept among the private sector.

The discoverer of the first Soul Menhir brought it down from the mountain and sold it to the city of [[User:John Pyle/Tulimshar|Tulimshar]]. None knew of the power this menhir held, as it was sold for about 1/100th the current Soul Menhir value and was used as decorative ambiance and a nighttime light source. People gathered to feel the uplifting energy from the stone. It wasn't long before a group of hunters, who had been brutally killed miles away, reappeared at the stone. The line to touch the stone grew to the thousands, and a new rush of miners headed into the mountains to find their own Soul Menhir. Many more were found and sold for fortunes. Miners who made their fortune from the sale of Soul Menhir stones are referred to by nobles as the 'dirty elite'.

===Effects===

The existence of the Soul Menhir has more than quadrupled the number of world adventurers and has resulted in a market flood of monster-related items. Although the rise in hunters has seemed to have peaked, many pre-Soul Menhir (pre-SM) hunters are intensely angry over the situation and are responsible for repeated-murder crimes. The majority of the notorious Trail Bandits north of [[User:John Pyle/Hurnscald|Hurnscald]] are allegedly pre-Soul Menhir hunters. The bandits leader is a known pre-SM hunter.

==Game Play==

By default, each character is set to be revived to the Soul Menhir in Tulimshar. Clicking on a Soul Menhir and â€œtouchingâ€ it attaches your character to that specific stone. The last stone touched is the location to which your character will be revived.

There are currently Soul Menhir stones in Tulimshar and Hurnscald.

==Notes==

Please give comments or suggestions here.

*links to Crush's Kaizei proposal instead of [[Kaizei]] page. - [[User:John Pyle|John Pyle]] 17:39, 1 June 2009 (UTC)

*Current for 0.0.x versions, will need to be updated once [[Afterlife|The Death Realm]] is implemented.

Archive:Afterlife

2009-06-14T21:13:18Z

John Pyle: Added proposals for Afterlife lore and NPCs, minor edits

{{status_red}}
==Dying in The Mana World==
When a characters hit point reach zero or another situation causes the demise of a player character, the character lies on the ground lifeless and unable to act. The player can either wait for another character to cast a revive spell on his character or just give up and accept death.

==The realm of death==
When a character dies it is teleported to the realm of death. The realm of death is a dark, surreal and eerie location where the laws of physics don't apply. Dominant colors: dark blue and purple. Design ideas: a) cave, b) glass floors floating over fractal background, c) 19th century look like the "end of time" in chrono trigger.

People in the realm of death have no access to their inventory, can not attack, use magic, craft or use any other active abilities. The characters actions are limited to moving around and communicating with NPCs and other characters. There is no way to die in the realm of death. The character is already dead, after all. Luckily the realm of death is not the final resting place for a poor adventurers soul. A cunning adventurer can find his way out of the death realm and back into the world of the living.

==The Grim Reaper==
As soon as the character awakes in the death realm he/she is greeted by the grim reaper. The grim reaper NPC counts how often the character died and responds accordingly. The first time the character dies he will just explain the situation. The next few times the reaper will give the character some useful tips for staying alive.

When the death count increases (and it will increase) the purpose of Reaper's greeting shifts from information to cheering up the player after its defeat using sarcastic remarks, dark humor and occasional 4th wall breaking. Example phrases:
*Died again? That was quick.
*Oh, you again? Did you miss me that much?
*You really seem to enjoy dying.
*Did you bring me a present?
*Wow, of all your 37 deaths this one was by far the most hilarious.
*You died 50 times in a row. This qualifies you for our frequent dier program.
*Ding! Ding! Ding! You died for the 100th time! PARTY!
*Why don't you just activate the god mode cheat? You don't know it? Did you try up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A?
*The god mode cheat didn't work? Maybe you entered it at the wrong moment?
*Oh dear, you used up all of your extra lifes. Now you have to stay here forever. Do you want to delete this character and create a new one? Just kidding, you know the way.
*Congratulations! You died 1000 times!

==Escape==
To escape the world of death the character has to find its way through a maze. The maze is randomly generated for each character and each visit in the death realm, so memorizing it or consulting guides does not help. This is implemented by using a map containing of multiple rooms connected by smart warp scripts. The maze has multiple exits which represent the location where the character will reenter the world of the living. The most desirable location is the one which is furthest away from the players start location in the maze. Exits ordered by increasing desirability:
*respawn at first town
*respawn in last visited town
*respawn on the entrance of the map where the player died
*respawn at the exact location of death

The purpose of the maze is to punish the player by stopping the progress of its character for a short time but to keep the player occupied and entertained during this forced time-out period.

==Technical implementation of maze==
===maze generation===

The script engine randomly-generates a maze of 7x7 elements (or maybe larger - we have to see how the players react on it). Possible element types are:
[[Image:Labyrinth-elements.png|right]]
*straight (x2)
*curve (x4)
*t-crossing (x4)
*crossing (x1)
*dead end (x4)
[[Image:Examplelabyrinth.png|right]]
The algorithm has to make sure that every element of the maze is reachable and it has to generate the maze based on a random seed. The algorithm must produce the same maze when receiving the same seed. Potential algorithms are explained in this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maze_generation_algorithm

The start location is the center (a crossing). The exits are the corners of the maze (dead ends facing clockwise). The algorithm assigns the desirability rating of each exit based on the length of the optimal route to the start.

===Representation of the maze in the game===
The layout of the map the player walks on while exploring the maze does not represent the real layout of the maze. Instead of that there are 20 single, isolated rooms - one for the possible 15 element types + 5 additional rooms for the start and the 4 exits. Each one is used to represent every instance of that element in the labyrinth. The real layout of the maze is "virtual". It is only known to the script.

When the player is, for example, in the south/west curve room of the map he could be in any south/west curve of the virtual maze. Only the script knows the real location inside the virtual maze. When the player leaves the room through the west exit the script checks the type of element in the virtual maze one element to the west and teleports the character to the eastern exit of the appropriate room.

===Effect on gameplay experience===
All characters who are currently trying to get back into the world of the living are technically on the same map. This means that it is possible to meet other characters while traveling through the maze. But the warp connections work differently for everyone. So when both characters leave the room they met in through the same exit they will most likely lose each other.

===Saving the maze===
To make sure that the character does not get trapped when the server is rebooted while the character is in the maze the state of the maze has to be saved as quest variables in the database. Only two variables are necessary to do so: Location inside the maze and the seed used by the random number generator for generating the maze.

==Relation to Mana==
See [[The nature of mana and magic]]
As sentient mana inhabits a being, it becomes attached to its form. If it gets separated from that form, it still maintains a longing. This separated mana is what enters the afterlife. It seeks to return to the body is was inhabiting, and can do so through the maze. After a lifetime in a body, the mana is tired, and will eventually desert it's form; this is "natural death", and is permanent. After long enough separated from it's body, sentient mana might give up on returning to it's body, and disperse. In the very young, the sentient mana might not have had time to become accustom to it's body, and so it might disperse when the being dies.

==Proposal==
====Dark Figure====
Replace the Grim Reaper with two NPCs: Dark Figure and the Pathfinder.

The Dark Figure is not interactive until you talk with the Pathfinder. The Pathfinder explains that he was human and has been in the death realm for forty years. His purpose is to explain how to escape the death realm. He adds that some day he will be replaced by a new pathfinder, but he does not know how long he is stuck in his position. One option the pathfinder gives is that you may let the Dark Figure feed from your mana to be returned to your own world, or you can follow different paths to find your own way out. (The pathfinder can also be the source of the above sarcastic remarks)

After your interaction with the Pathfinder, clicking on the Dark Figure, he will now *extends his hand toward you* and you can take his hand or run like mad.

====Soul Menhir====

This would be the 'lore' section of Afterlife

The strange existence of the Death Realm directly correlates to man's discovery of [[User:John Pyle/Soul Menhir|soul menhir]] stones after [[User:John Pyle/History of Man: The Great Quake|the Quake]]. Some who touch a soul menhir claim to feel a "strange sensation" as though "your soul leaves your body and becomes one with the stone". Others feel nothing at all, and are presumed incapable of renewed life. Blessed with the ability of resurrection, many seek fortunes as adventurers; as they have all but forgotten to fear death.

User:John Pyle/Cemetery Caretaker Quest

2009-06-13T02:17:03Z

John Pyle:

==Caretaker==

*Location: Cemetery
*Quest: Take a letter to Airlia in Hurnscald
*Reward: Depends on Cemetery difficulty, if quest can be repeated

====First Interaction====
''Caretaker:''

â€œ...Another adventurer come to slay the already dead.â€

''Player Options:''

a)And what are you?
b)Thats right, so move and let me kill that demon behind you.

''Caretaker'':

â€œI was once the caretaker to these cemetery grounds, but look at what they have become.
I now care only for my wife. I watch over her... make sure that nobody ever does her harm.â€

''Player:''

a)You guard her corpse day and night?

''Caretaker:''

â€œI am bound to this place by the very same spell that was cast to keep the undead from leaving.
Until the day that this cemetery is cured of its curse, I remain within these gates. (close)

====Second Interaction====

''Caretaker:''
â€œI am somewhat fortunate that adventurers like yourself frequent this place... despite your intentions.
Perhaps you can do me a favor?â€

''Player:''
a)What is the favor?
b)I'm sure I can, for a price.
c)Sorry, I am busy (close)

''Caretaker:''
â€œI have not seen my daughter since I was cursed to stay in this cemetery 25 years ago.
We communicate now through letters. Would you please take this to her?
I am sure she will compensate you for your trouble.â€

''Player:''
a)I will take it to her. (recieve letter/close)
b)I will help you. Where can I find your daughter? (receive letter/next dialog)
c)Sorry, but I am too busy. (close)

''Caretaker -- (option b):''
â€œHer name is Airlia. She works at the city hall in Hurnscald. Thank you for your help.â€ (close)

''Caretaker -- (Letter = 1):''
Have you found my daughter?

''Player:''
a)Not Yet
b)I'll get there when I get there.
c) Where did you say I could find her?

====Caretaker After Quest====
Concurrent interaction with the Caretaker can be:
*Take the letter quest is unlimited (or limited -- once/48hrs?) â€“ Reward from Airlia is meager GP (I prefer this option w/ time sensitive repetition if possible)
*Banter â€“ Greetings, well wishes, curses for killing undead, etc.

Note: The caretakers wife can be an undead (skeleton in dress, zombie) or an undead NPC. The wife should be obstructed somehow, unable to kill.

==Airlia==
*Location: Hurnscald City Hall
*Quest: Kill # undead in the Cemetery
*Prerequisite: received Letter from Caretaker
*Reward: # experience

====If Caretaker Quest Incomplete====

''Airlia:''
â€œGreetings. Do you need a housing permit, or to license your mount?â€

''Player Options -- (Letter = 0):''
a) Sorry, no.

''Airlia:''
â€œNobody ever does...â€ (close)

''Player Options -- (Letter = 1):''
a) I have a letter from your father.
b) My what? (close)

''Airlia -- (option b):''
â€œOh! Thank you very very much! Please take this for your troubleâ€
(receive gold / Caretaker quest = complete / close)

====If Caretaker Quest Completed====

''Airlia:''
â€œMy poor father, doomed to that awful cemetery.â€

''Player''
a) â€¦

Airlia:
â€œYou know, there are many who believe that each time the undead rise after being killed, they lose mana.
Eventually, there will not be enough mana for them to rise again and they can be at rest.
Do you believe this is true?â€

''Player''
a) I believe so, yes.
b) Maybe....
c) No, that is not proven.

''Airlia -- (option c):''
â€œOh....â€ (close)

''Airlia -- (option a or b):''
â€œWhen I am not working, I recruit help for the esteemed Fighters of the Undead, or FoU.
They are an official group effort of the Warrior's Guild and Magicians, you know, a very prestigious group.

''Player:''
a) ...
b) I have heard of them
c) Keep up the good work. I have to go now, bye. (close)

''Airlia:''
â€œIf we drain those evil creatures of their mana, I can get my father back.
He is getting very old. Will you help us?

''Player:''
a) Of course I will
b) Sure, I guess.
c) Thanks, but no thanks. I have other business to attend to. (close)

''Airlia:''
â€œGreat, just kill any of the undead creatures you can and bring me proof of your work,
and I will put in a word for you with the guild.â€

''Player:''
a) I'm on it. (Airlia quest = 1 / close)
b) What sort of proof?

''Airlia:''
â€œLets say ''# undead-only item''s. You don't know how much this means to me, thank you.â€
( Airlia quest = 1 / close)

====If Airlia Quest = 1====

''Airlia:''
â€œThank you for helping my father.â€

''Player:''
a) You are welcome. (close)
b) I have collected ''# undead-only item''s.

''Arlia -- (if item >= #):''
â€œExcellent work. You are definitely a great warrior.
I will tell the guild of your deeds (delete item / receive experience (reward) / Airlia quest = 2 / close)

IF item < 15
''Arlia -- (if item < #):''
â€œI'm sorry, I didn't realize you couldn't count. Perhaps when I have some free time,
I can help you learn if you'd like.â€ (close)

From here, Airlia has options.
*Thats it, Banter â€“ Thanks, Greetings, etc.
*She can give recurrent gold for x number undead items
* Airlia quest = 2 unlocks options with Fighters of the Undead NPCs (in Cemetery), such as the 'Kill Sir Truk' quest.
* Airlia quest = 2 unlocks other options, perhaps with future Warrior Guild prospects (This is long term)

User:John Pyle/Cemetery Caretaker Quest

2009-06-13T02:13:32Z

John Pyle: Dialogue for Cemetery NPCs - 2 quests

==Caretaker==

*Location: Cemetery
*Quest: Take a letter to Airlia in Hurnscald
*Reward: Depends on Cemetery difficulty, if quest can be repeated

====First Interaction====
''Caretaker:''

â€œ...Another adventurer come to slay the already dead.â€

''Player Options:''

a)And what are you?
b)Thats right, so move and let me kill that demon behind you.

''Caretaker'':

â€œI was once the caretaker to these cemetery grounds, but look at what they have become.
I now care only for my wife. I watch over her... make sure that nobody ever does her harm.â€

''Player:''

a)You guard her corpse day and night?

''Caretaker:''

â€œI am bound to this place by the very same spell that was cast to keep the undead from leaving.
Until the day that this cemetery is cured of its curse, I remain within these gates. (close)

====Second Interaction====

''Caretaker:''
â€œI am somewhat fortunate that adventurers like yourself frequent this place... despite your intentions.
Perhaps you can do me a favor?â€

''Player:''
a)What is the favor?
b)I'm sure I can, for a price.
c)Sorry, I am busy (close)

''Caretaker:''
â€œI have not seen my daughter since I was cursed to stay in this cemetery 25 years ago.
We communicate now through letters. Would you please take this to her?
I am sure she will compensate you for your trouble.â€

''Player:''
a)I will take it to her. (recieve letter/close)
b)I will help you. Where can I find your daughter? (receive letter/next dialog)
c)Sorry, but I am too busy. (close)

''Caretaker -- (option b):''
â€œHer name is Airlia. She works at the city hall in Hurnscald. Thank you for your help.â€ (close)

''Caretaker -- (Letter = 1):''
Have you found my daughter?

''Player:''
a)Not Yet
b)I'll get there when I get there.
c) Where did you say I could find her?

====Caretaker After Quest====
Concurrent interaction with the Caretaker can be:
*Take the letter quest is unlimited (or limited -- once/48hrs?) â€“ Reward from Airlia is meager GP (I prefer this option w/ time sensitive repetition if possible)

*Banter â€“ Greetings, well wishes, curses for killing undead, etc.

==Airlia==
*Location: Hurnscald City Hall
*Quest: Kill # undead in the Cemetery
*Prerequisite: received Letter from Caretaker
*Reward: # experience

====If Caretaker Quest Incomplete====

''Airlia:''
â€œGreetings. Do you need a housing permit, or to license your mount?â€

''Player Options -- (Letter = 0):''
a) Sorry, no.

''Airlia:''
â€œNobody ever does...â€ (close)

''Player Options -- (Letter = 1):''
a) I have a letter from your father.
b) My what? (close)

''Airlia -- (option b):''
â€œOh! Thank you very very much! Please take this for your troubleâ€
(receive gold / Caretaker quest = complete / close)

====If Caretaker Quest Completed====

''Airlia:''
â€œMy poor father, doomed to that awful cemetery.â€

''Player''
a) â€¦

Airlia:
â€œYou know, there are many who believe that each time the undead rise after being killed, they lose mana.
Eventually, there will not be enough mana for them to rise again and they can be at rest.
Do you believe this is true?â€

''Player''
a) I believe so, yes.
b) Maybe....
c) No, that is not proven.

''Airlia -- (option c):''
â€œOh....â€ (close)

''Airlia -- (option a or b):''
â€œWhen I am not working, I recruit help for the esteemed Fighters of the Undead, or FoU.
They are an official group effort of the Warrior's Guild and Magicians, you know, a very prestigious group.

''Player:''
a) ...
b) I have heard of them
c) Keep up the good work. I have to go now, bye. (close)

''Airlia:''
â€œIf we drain those evil creatures of their mana, I can get my father back.
He is getting very old. Will you help us?

''Player:''
a) Of course I will
b) Sure, I guess.
c) Thanks, but no thanks. I have other business to attend to. (close)

''Airlia:''
â€œGreat, just kill any of the undead creatures you can and bring me proof of your work,
and I will put in a word for you with the guild.â€

''Player:''
a) I'm on it. (Airlia quest = 1 / close)
b) What sort of proof?

''Airlia:''
â€œLets say ''# undead-only item''s. You don't know how much this means to me, thank you.â€
( Airlia quest = 1 / close)

====If Airlia Quest = 1====

''Airlia:''
â€œThank you for helping my father.â€

''Player:''
a) You are welcome. (close)
b) I have collected ''# undead-only item''s.

''Arlia -- (if item >= #):''
â€œExcellent work. You are definitely a great warrior.
I will tell the guild of your deeds (delete item / receive experience (reward) / Airlia quest = 2 / close)

IF item < 15
''Arlia -- (if item < #):''
â€œI'm sorry, I didn't realize you couldn't count. Perhaps when I have some free time,
I can help you learn if you'd like.â€ (close)

From here, Airlia has options.
*Thats it, Banter â€“ Thanks, Greetings, etc.
*She can give recurrent gold for x number undead items
* Airlia quest = 2 unlocks options with Fighters of the Undead NPCs (in Cemetery), such as the 'Kill Sir Truk' quest.
* Airlia quest = 2 unlocks other options, perhaps with future Warrior Guild prospects (This is long term)

User:John Pyle/Woodland Cemetery

2009-06-13T01:33:07Z

John Pyle: Added link to Caretaker Quest Dialogue

{{Status_red}}
{{Category_worldconcept}}

The Woodland Cemetery, south-west of [[User:John Pyle/Hurnscald|Hurnscald]], is the only place there exists undead monsters. Once a beautifully peaceful and quiet place, Magicians practicing necromancy unintentionally filled the cemetery's dead with new life. The living dead creatures were violent, and the town of Hurnscald was at risk. Out of desperation, the magicians cast a spell that condemned the creatures within the confines of the cemetery.

==Lore==
===The Risen===

Twenty years ago, a well respected guild of magicians claimed that mana could be used for necromancy. Early during their study of the art, still theoretical, Sir Truk Dermish, the great hero of [[User:John Pyle/Tempus|Tempus]], was killed in battle. The citizens and leaders of Hurnscald knew of the magicians studies and demanded that they take action and resurrect their fallen hero. Facing expulsion from the emotionally erratic people, the guild gathered in the cemetery.

As the clan of magicians read from the [[Magic system|runes]] they had fashioned, they poured all of their hope and energy into the magic of [[The nature of mana and magic|mana]] to bring back Sir Truk. They did not realize the power of their spells, however. The ground suddenly began to shake as remains of the dead began unearthing themselves from the ground. Lost spirits materialized and risen bodies angrily attacked the magicians and the crowd of onlookers.

The undead chased the townspeople back toward Hurnscald as warriors and magicians rallied to fight back the small horde. They fought for many hours and pushed the creatures back to the cemetery. To their dismay, any of the creatures that they dispatched quickly returned to fight again.

For days fighters held the undead horde within the limits of the cemetery, stalling as the magicians scrambled to find a way to end the terror they had unleashed. The magicians managed a cursing spell to bind all of the creatures to the grounds of the cemetery, which they cast as all of the warriors retreated through the gate of the cemetery.

===Today===

It is unclear as to why the reanimated creatures do not act as humans; if they are human souls or just corpses puppeted by the unknown. They do not respond to the living, they only fight and kill. It is apparent, though, that the magicians' spell is weakening, as a number of zombies have moved beyond the barrier and now haunt the nearby swamps.

The guild that is now referred to as the Black Magicians has all but given up hope of finding a way to reverse the spell. It is compelling to note that the Black Magicians are named as such not after their robes, but their reputation from the horrific cemetery incident. They are in no way 'evil' nor do they still practice the dark art of necromancy. They are even regaining much of their respect in recent years for their aid of Keshlam in the Modern War for Tempus.

The group has also made it known that they intend to recast the containment spell, but they cannot do so until the old one is completely diminished and they do not know when that will happen. Most fear that the new spell will come too late, when the undead are spread too far to control...

==Game Play==
===NPCs===
====The Caretaker====

The Caretaker was inadvertently bound by the curse set by the magicians. He had not wanted to leave the grave site of his recently deceased wife while the townspeople were fighting the horde, and had not been aware of the magicians' plan. He now watches as she wanders as one of the undead. He protects her from being killed by the many warriors who come to fight the reanimated corpses.

Airlia, a clerk for Hurnscald Town Hall, is the caretaker's daughter whom the caretaker sends letters to with the help of willing adventurers.

*[[User:John Pyle/Cemetery Caretaker Quest|Proposed 'Caretaker Quest' Script Dialogue]]

====The Fighters of the Undead====

Three "honorable" warriors and members of the Warrior Guild, these men are on a dedicated mission to kill and re-kill the skeletons and zombies of the cemetery. It is the belief of the Warrior Guild that each time one of the creatures falls it loses some of its mana, eventually becoming completely depleted.

Each of the warriors has a story as to why they are involved in this quest, and although they are too weak to face him alone, they believe that Sir Truk is the leader of the undead and that his mana feeds the rest of his army.

==Notes==
Please provide comments, suggestions, or questions here.

User:John Pyle/Woodland Cemetery

2009-06-12T05:50:22Z

John Pyle: /* Today */ integrated Crush's addition

{{Status_red}}
{{Category_worldconcept}}

The Woodland Cemetery, south-west of [[User:John Pyle/Hurnscald|Hurnscald]], is the only place there exists undead monsters. Once a beautifully peaceful and quiet place, Magicians practicing necromancy unintentionally filled the cemetery's dead with new life. The living dead creatures were violent, and the town of Hurnscald was at risk. Out of desperation, the magicians cast a spell that condemned the creatures within the confines of the cemetery.

==Lore==
===The Risen===

Twenty years ago, a well respected guild of magicians claimed that mana could be used for necromancy. Early during their study of the art, still theoretical, Sir Truk Dermish, the great hero of [[User:John Pyle/Tempus|Tempus]], was killed in battle. The citizens and leaders of Hurnscald knew of the magicians studies and demanded that they take action and resurrect their fallen hero. Facing expulsion from the emotionally erratic people, the guild gathered in the cemetery.

As the clan of magicians read from the [[Magic system|runes]] they had fashioned, they poured all of their hope and energy into the magic of [[The nature of mana and magic|mana]] to bring back Sir Truk. They did not realize the power of their spells, however. The ground suddenly began to shake as remains of the dead began unearthing themselves from the ground. Lost spirits materialized and risen bodies angrily attacked the magicians and the crowd of onlookers.

The undead chased the townspeople back toward Hurnscald as warriors and magicians rallied to fight back the small horde. They fought for many hours and pushed the creatures back to the cemetery. To their dismay, any of the creatures that they dispatched quickly returned to fight again.

For days fighters held the undead horde within the limits of the cemetery, stalling as the magicians scrambled to find a way to end the terror they had unleashed. The magicians managed a cursing spell to bind all of the creatures to the grounds of the cemetery, which they cast as all of the warriors retreated through the gate of the cemetery.

===Today===

It is unclear as to why the reanimated creatures do not act as humans; if they are human souls or just corpses puppeted by the unknown. They do not respond to the living, they only fight and kill. It is apparent, though, that the magicians' spell is weakening, as a number of zombies have moved beyond the barrier and now haunt the nearby swamps.

The guild that is now referred to as the Black Magicians has all but given up hope of finding a way to reverse the spell. It is compelling to note that the Black Magicians are named as such not after their robes, but their reputation from the horrific cemetery incident. They are in no way 'evil' nor do they still practice the dark art of necromancy. They are even regaining much of their respect in recent years for their aid of Keshlam in the Modern War for Tempus.

The group has also made it known that they intend to recast the containment spell, but they cannot do so until the old one is completely diminished and they do not know when that will happen. Most fear that the new spell will come too late, when the undead are spread too far to control...

==Game Play==
===NPCs===
====The Caretaker====

The Caretaker was inadvertently bound by the curse set by the magicians. He had not wanted to leave the grave site of his recently deceased wife while the townspeople were fighting the horde, and had not been aware of the magicians' plan. He now watches as she wanders as one of the undead. He protects her from being killed by the many warriors who come to fight the reanimated corpses.

Airlia, a clerk for Hurnscald Town Hall, is the caretaker's daughter whom the caretaker sends letters to with the help of willing adventurers.

====The Fighters of the Undead====

Three "honorable" warriors and members of the Warrior Guild, these men are on a dedicated mission to kill and re-kill the skeletons and zombies of the cemetery. It is the belief of the Warrior Guild that each time one of the creatures falls it loses some of its mana, eventually becoming completely depleted.

Each of the warriors has a story as to why they are involved in this quest, and although they are too weak to face him alone, they believe that Sir Truk is the leader of the undead and that his mana feeds the rest of his army.

==Notes==
Please provide comments, suggestions, or questions here.