First off, a
very important point that you must keep in mind as you read any lore-related information (here or anywhere else): This is all lore as it is written by in-game scholars, historians, researchers, and so on. It may not all be true to what actually happened or is, and unresolved mysteries abound. Some information may be naught but deceitful lies by those who wished the truth to be forgotten! One of the greatest joys of developing a world is keeping some things secret or intentionally vague, to later be discovered or revealed, or simply to let the players speculate upon.
Also keep in mind this is all subject to change as it's further developed. Yay for alpha, right?
Now, on with the lore...
I'd really love to know more about the Immortals, specifically how they function. As in, do they act as actual Deities (in the case of the Gods), or are they just REALLY impressively amazingly powerful people/creatures.
Often depends on who you talk to, but for the most part both types are considered amongst the "Immortals". Some are considered "higher beings" (Vodr, Nereia, Naia, and Serafina are generally seen this way), while others are considered extremely powerful/"ascended" mortals, like Destiny Owleyes and Jonathon Crowhaven (though of course there are those who don't consider these figures to be Immortals, and only extremely powerful mortals).
The Gaea is usually considered on a unique level of its own, more of a sort of omnipresent "power of nature" force than some kind of characterized entity. The nature of Animal Spirits varies greatly, from them being spirits of what were particularly powerful or prominent beasts that lived long ago, to eternal spirit representations of different animal aspects.
There are some instances in which the Gaea is given more personable characteristics, sometimes having a humanoid form (usually female). The Animal Spirits are occasionally anthropomorphized (speaking Common with humans, living in palaces or other human-like structures, having very human personality traits and concerns). These versions of Gaea and Animal Spirits are often mocked or scorned by the more serious practitioners of druidry, who consider it arrogant, or even insulting (to the Spirits/Gaea) to assume that they would for some reason emulate or be patterned after humankind.
The nutshell: Beliefs on the Immortals can vary greatly from region to region and person to person, but for the most part there are both the "Natural" Immortals and the "Ascended" Immortals.
Also, I'd love to have more lore on magic, overall. Are there other forms of magic outside of what's currently used in main area? Are they unused in the main area because of stigmas, or because of difficulty?
There are lots of different methods, but drastically different "forms" of magic, probably not. There's one type we haven't released yet, which is the mental manipulation that Mummers will be practicing. We might release a new type of magic at some point later, but it would likely fall into the existing types somehow as a sub-branch, altered method, or hybrid. Not likely, though - our existing channeling methods are complicated enough without adding more to the pot.
And I'd love to know if anything exists over the seas, or if Arad is all there is, as well as info on other planes/dimensions.
There are at least two more continents (probably more, though this isn't decided) - one to the north, where the Faewyr come from, and one to the south/southeast/east (still haven't decided), where the immigrants who eventually formed the nation of Ivial came from.
Sorcery - why is it hated and considered eeeevil, along with a history of uses.
It tends to have a bad reputation, but it isn't universally hated, nor is it universally considered evil. Even the Church of Light doesn't consider sorcery to be inherently evil (see the first point here:
viewtopic.php?pid=4411#p4411). It does, however, have a reputation for causing people to get lost in the power it grants them, or to do controversial things in the name of gaining more power or experimentation. It also can block a person's ability to harness their Inner Light, which in turn could bring some to declare it as "evil", as it appears to cancel out a power which is generally considered "good". There's also the whole soul-tainting thing, preventing souls form moving on after the death of the body and causing them to be burned away by thaumaturgic Light. Then of course there's the fact that sorcery is quite possibly most known for its uses in animating corpses and ensnaring/anchoring tormented souls to our world.
On that note, the history and rules and culture of the Rook Parlour.
I'll have to get back to you on any real details, but the Parlour is an independent, neutral, and generally respected organization, though it also has an air of creepiness about it and even often subdued fear. They're fairly reclusive and don't like to let out what it is they do, exactly, to the public. The Parlour's primary purpose is to understand the mysteries of life and death, and the nature of the soul. Thus thus they have a reputation as philosophers in that regard, and this is the reputation they promote, as they wish to be accepted as much as possible, rather than be feared and hated for the things they can do with their sorcery. They naturally have a great interest and knack for sorcery, considering the power it is believed to have over blood and souls, and the ability it has to arguably create additional souls and life (in the form of animates and nether-constructs). They do put a lot of effort into maintaining neutrality, and don't wish to be regarded as an 'evil' organization. If they were considered evil, they'd be cut off from a lot of resources and information sources. Always be on the run from witch hunts can make it much harder to research, experiment, meet and discuss with prominent society figures, etc.
The known history of the Corvus Outpost and the known history of Sceptus Corvus.
I'll let Landion address that. We do have some game events we are planning on running soon that will reveal some of this.
Clarification of the races being actual races or just different cultures.
Depends on your definition of the word, I suppose. I like to say that the races are different races, but not different species (as the term "race" tends to denote in most fantasy). They're all human. Some are more closely-related than others.
There are 3 main main groups (that are featured in the game currently):
- The Fasa (natives of Arad)
- The Viali (sort of a main group, anyway - a mixture of Fasa and immigrants from a continent to the southeast)
- The Faewyr (from a continent to the north)
-- Fasa/Viali --
* The Fasa are the most traditional form of Arad's native people, largely unchanged by time. They dwell primarily in northeastern and eastern Arad, the "Ancient Lands" where they believe humankind first appeared. They have a specific claim to the fertile land along a large river flowing out of Nuum, which the Viali long ago agreed never to attempt to expand into.
* The Nuum are a branch of the Fasa who settled in the desert. There they were visited by gods, who revealed to them the secrets of channeling and set them on the path to becoming the greatest empire in the world.
* The Viali are a mixture of Fasa settlers in southeast Arad and immigrants from the continent to the southeast (who brought the philosophy of the Inner Light with them).
* The Rhuidim are a group of Fasa/Viali who were exiled for their rebellion and attempt to overthrow Ivial, and settled Tol Rhun over the western mountains of Ivial.
-- Faewyr --
* The Faewyr are the people from the north continent, groups of whom sailed to and settled northwest Arad (raiders and sea-kings, etc.). They eventually formed the nation of Aetgard which spanned a great deal of western Arad.
* The Hillfolk are descendants of the people who left Aetgard during civil wars and fled south through the dread Fey Forest, miraculously living to get to the unspoiled country on the other side.
* The Parrens (not yet release as a PC race) are descendants of a group of Hillfolk who were interested in ship-building and exploration, and settled to the nearby Parr Isles.
* The people of Lapis (not yet released as a PC race) are survivors of the fall of Aetgard during the Plague, the last remnants of the great kingdom.
Now for the not-so-easily-grouped races:
Grum and the Grummers are a mashing-together of people from all different cultures. It was originally a small settlement and haven for those brilliant minds in Nuum who were for whatever reason unable or unwilling to practice channeling. In the magic-obsessed nation of Nuum, they would have been undervalued and unappreciated due to not being able to channel, looked down on as menial workers. This haven settlement gained a reputation for its freedom and independence, as well as the intellectual and technological brilliance of the original settlers. The place drew a lot of people to it for various reasons, not the least of which was its nonmagical technological wonders. Its population also swelled considerably during times of war or dissent in other nations, as people who desired peace, freedom, or just a change of lifestyle sought somewhere else to call home. The original settlers had a bitterness for those who practiced channeling and thought nonmagical technology was "low" or "worthless", and this bitterness always remained in Grum. The settlement eventually grew into the magic-shunning clockwork/steam-tech nation that it is today.
The Giganti are nice and mysterious, and have many origin myths or theories. Some of the more prominent ones:
- Descendants of an indigenous group of "Mountain Giants" who originally helped to shape the world.
- Descendants of King Gudleifr, they tyrant king of Aetgard during the civil wars who was overthrown and fled the country.
- A subgroup of Aradic Faewyr who left Aetgard during the civil wars and conflicts of religious/philosophical beliefs between their original druidic traditions and the newer Inner Light brought over by Viali immigrants.
- A subgroup of Aradic Faewyr blessed or cursed by the Great Bear Spirit, accounting for their massive size and ferocious strength (many varieties of this myth).
The people of Tatlhuecan (not yet released as a PC race) have a murky origins history. They've always been in their jungle valley (they were there when the Faewyr showed up, and were left alone - the Faewry hand no desire to settle in the unfamiliar and uncomfortably muggy jungle land), and their culture appears to be completely unique, with no links to any others on Arad or elsewhere. Historical tablets refer to the first god-king of Tatlhuecan, who created the river valley as a paradise for his people. However, occasionally tablets are discovered that appear to refer to significant timeframes, places, or events that are unaccounted for elsewhere in known Tatlhuecan history.
Is there established history on the University?
Not much, sadly, other than that it was established during the most prosperous of times of the lost Kingdom of Aetgard. It will eventually have a nice rich history full of epic magical happenings and horrible magical accidents, mysteries and intrigue, all that cool stuff that a school of magic should have.
It seems a lot of people think "Hogwarts" when they think of the University, but I always think of the old abandoned School of Magic from those old Exiles games by, uh ... was it Spiderweb Software? Or Ambrosia? A Mac games developer, that's all I remember.
