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Author Topic: The Mint Continents- The chronicle of a realm's growth and history.  (Read 1280 times)

Trench Dog

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With version 44 and its patches being released, I have made a new world.

Some music to accompany your reading of this post.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Welcome to the Mint Continents. A young realm with very little recorded history, monsters still stalk the lands and civilizations are fledgling. It is a small world, with sparse mineral scarcity, meaning metal is in a select few places.

This is Bloodtemple in year 8. It was founded in year 5- the world is young, recorded history had only begun 5 years ago and prior that was the neolithic times of barbarity and savagery, where sentient life was much at the whim of dangerous creatures that stalked the land. There is still many of those monstrosities roaming about, but the gods have seen fit to bless the denizens of Blood Temple with courage enough to face it.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)


The previous image is the ground level of the fortress. The interesting thing about Blood Temple is that it is built to reach the heavens... for both practical and spiritual reasons. A wooden hive, it avoids cutting down all the jungle around it, a vital resource and the main source of food for the population of roughly 60 inhabitants- for a 3 year fort in this game, that's pretty decent for a population.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

This is the 2nd level right here. The museum, displaying artifacts we have pillaged from enemy civilizations or made ourselves. (Yes, you can attack other places now in DF as of update 44.01-44.02)

The bottom left corner is the museum and below it on the ground level is the library, the Liberation of Knowledge as its called. The Tavern is in the north bit, the Tongue of Arches. The third level depicted here is where the main habitation for many of the residents of Blood Temple is, and the common temple, the Temple of Flaying. In there lays a slab stolen from a demon.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Above is unfinished areas, but I have great plans at the very top to be a devoted spiritual center, a chamber devoted to each god, as high into the sky as we can get. We still got a ways to go.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

This is some fortress statistics. Our warband of warriors is appropriate to our population size, about 2 squads, but they are made up of very skilled warriors. Swordmasters and a hammer master, all 3 of them grandmasters at that- with the rest of the force being varying in skill level but overall very well trained and honed in the art of war, equipped with imported bronze gear.

Our militia commander, Nitho, and his wife Emtha are head the military. Between the whole squad they have killed several goblins in raids, a meandering minotaur and a wandering ettin, Nitho claiming the minotaur kill and the soldier Ahdo, a lasher, killing the ettin.

While not part of the military, we also have a Jaguar man by the name of Epxa, who is a very strong and agile bonecarver who once adventured about having killed a cave dragon and a few great beasts like giant cave toads, giant hyenas and scores of other beasts that he encountered as a lonesome dart (read: crossbow bolt) and spear throwing hunter. He has shown no interest in joining the military as of yet and is content enjoying the luxury of civilization for now.



(P.S, if Toady or his good brother reads this, please note that there is a bug with adventurers claiming responsibility and fame for their kills. As for now while people do make figurines and other stuff commemorating Epxa for his feats, when he discusses it himself they always claim it is an unknown creature!)



The unfortunate thing about the site is that there is aquifers and the water table in this jungle site, the very reason it is so well nourished, is also a double edged sword when it comes to mining. Any attempts to dig down more than 3 levels past the layer of soot and soil is met with flooded caverns and water. Until there is some means to import mechanisms for possible pumps to drain the water out the gods have decreed that we reach for the skies and just trade for what we need... of which the jungle provides lots of resources to do just that. Bloodtemple is wealthy and can make up for its lack of mining more than enough with its other resources, as due to the stream and lush jungle surroundings Bloodtemple doesn't even need to farm, it can just gather nearby fruits, hunt nearby animals and eat the bounty of the river stream it sits on. Food is not an issue in this place.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Farms are therefore, mostly devoted to growing crops we can use to brew alcohol with or sew cloth with.

In our common temple area- The Temple of Flaying, there is a slab we stole from a demon. We place it in our temple to mock it, as it cannot defy the power of the gods. Outsiders say we are brazen for such an action, we say the demon is weak; otherwise it wouldn't have been as easy as us to rip it from them.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

« Last Edit: December 17, 2017, 11:53:00 pm by Trench Dog »
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MottledPetrel

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Re: Bloodtemple- Human Hive Fort in the Jungle
« Reply #1 on: December 07, 2017, 05:01:47 pm »

I like it so far, is this going to be an ongoing story?
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Trench Dog

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Re: Bloodtemple- Human Hive Fort in the Jungle
« Reply #2 on: December 07, 2017, 06:48:32 pm »

Yup. I'll go into more detail when I have the time, and I'll detail events as they come. I may draw a few scenes or people too if people are interested in that sorta thing. Won't be as grand in detail as Mong Kima (of which I highly recommend you to read, the dude's a good artist. Chatted with him a few times in the past.) but I intend to explore this lil world I created here and do this fort, and others in the same world. Adventurers as well.

MottledPetrel

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Re: Bloodtemple- Human Hive Fort in the Jungle
« Reply #3 on: December 07, 2017, 08:14:16 pm »

Glad to hear it, I enjoy your writing style and would like to hear more from Bloodtemple. I would enjoy some art, but you don't have to worry about quality as long as I can, you know, recognize it.
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☼Another☼

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Re: Bloodtemple- Human Hive Fort in the Jungle
« Reply #4 on: December 07, 2017, 08:31:57 pm »

PTW
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Cathar

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Re: Bloodtemple- Human Hive Fort in the Jungle
« Reply #5 on: December 10, 2017, 01:38:36 am »

Yup. I'll go into more detail when I have the time, and I'll detail events as they come. I may draw a few scenes or people too if people are interested in that sorta thing. Won't be as grand in detail as Mong Kima (of which I highly recommend you to read, the dude's a good artist. Chatted with him a few times in the past.) but I intend to explore this lil world I created here and do this fort, and others in the same world. Adventurers as well.

O: Wow thanks for the aknowledgement ! Really appreciated. And yeah you should draw a bit, it takes time but it's rewarding. Bloodtemple certainly has the support of the Nation of Pearls in its endeavors ! Go forth, for humanity !

Trench Dog

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Re: The Mint Continents- The chronicle of a realm's growth and history.
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2017, 04:48:21 am »

Some music for your pleasure.

I figured to give you all a little update. In an attempt to try and find an anvil (to steal) for Bloodtemple, as the human civilization was not trading any despite having bronze equipment they are able to trade with the residents of the jungle hive spire each caravan arrival and no official contact with any Dwarven civilization; Epxa Toothtrusses decided to take it upon himself to venture out to find one.

Now a bit of background on Epxa Toothtrusses, a beast person who emerged from the jungles surrounding Bloodtemples to join them.

(Please do excuse the crude depiction, didn't want to exude a huge amount of time on this picture.)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Little is known of Epxa's past, as he seldom talks about his time in the wild. Many theories exist on where he came from... perhaps there is secret tribes of elusive Jaguar men out in the rainforests, or maybe his parents were jaguars and by some twisted, cruel fate of the gods he grew into the form of a man. He doesn't seem to entertain any particular story and almost seems amused at keeping people in the dark about his past regarding that. What is known about Epxa is that he's an adept hunter and prowler, and a modestly skilled bone carver- liking to carve the bones of his catches in his spare times, shaving away flake after flake of bone with a humble knife whittling it into various crafts and objects, some of which he wears or barters to the town stockpile.

He is also a famed killer of beasts in that regard, having killed a cave dragon by himself by throwing nothing but simple darts and rocks at it, and biting its throat and suffocating it when it was in its last, bloody throes. Immensely muscular some denizens of Bloodtemple firmly believe that Epxa has the blood of the gods flowing through him, but again, he keeps rather humble in his accounts- any sense of ego instead being delved into his appearance.

Epxa does have a stoic side about him, which has made his integration into the settlement of Bloodtemples rather fluid and cordial- the civilization of Bloodtemple valuing stoicism and keeping a stern head in tough situations. And this stoic side has led him to undertaking a difficult journey:

Contacting the far dwarven forts of the northwest in the hopes of obtaining one of their masterfully crafted anvils.


He journeyed with a female swordsman by the name of Thempsa, an energetic, and fiery woman who wanted something to prove her mettle.

But their luck wasn't the greatest in the dwarven strongholds, as the dwarves carefully guarded their anvils, none being available for sale, nor being feasible to steal. Trading for pitiful amounts of goods, mostly some silver weapons and the like for flesh and skins gathered from various creatures Epxa had killed. (the dwarves being very protective over their metals, mining being a difficult and prospective endeavor) Thempsa and Epxa headed home after resting a week in a Dwarf hillocks.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

During his travels for the sake of security and not incurring the wrath of the dwarfs Epxa had gone under the alias Somug, who was according to the backstory Epxa gave the alias was a merchant from a nearby goblin civilization. Thinking on it, it may have been why the dwarves may have been reluctant to trade their precious anvils.

While the goblins of the world were mostly peaceful with most everyone, disturbing reports of demonic worship reached the ears of settlements, and just this year the goblins had launched raids against their elven neighbours in mountain bones within the tin jungle, as well as other locations.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Setting off, the duo hiked their way across the lands, south down from the northeast mountains of the world and across rivers and streams...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

And through numerous deserts. The journey was indeed a long and arduous one. The splendor of the world, in all its wild and untamed glory was very evident to the two travellers...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Sometimes in their journeys they came across the denizens of this wild world... lairs of creatures. And they merited exploration, for they may terrorize caravans and pilgrims to Bloodtemple in the future.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Fear and tension was rife when exploring these places... you never knew what you were going to find at the bottom of them. Infamous night trolls that prowled in the night, brutally murdering the few brave travelers of the world and grinding them into paste, or worse- finding concubines of their victims? Powerful beasts and titans ready to sunder those who dare enter their realm!?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)


Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Indeed, the journey across the world was that of a perilous and unpredictable nature. So much of the world was still an untapped and unexplored wilderness, civilizations just mewling out of their cradles into a vast and unforgiving world. Even the denizens of the wild, the fabled and mysterious elf folk seemed to have issues.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Passing through their lands, Epxa had hoped to greet traders to pick up more supplies and possibly more goods for Bloodtemple... the elves of Mountainbones and other distant forests were a strange lot. While initial trading with them seemed to go just fine, any time the priests stopped communing and resumed communing with the gods, the elves mysteriously would refute to trade with Bloodtemple. People wondered why, but the race of the elves was a rather unknown one, and their cultures and customs were fairly alien.

But what was known is that they likely looked upon the tall and imposing spire- an architectural marvel, one to bring the denizens of Bloodtemple closer to the gods, as an affront against nature. The killing of so many trees, of which the elves revered with fanatical devotion. Trade still continued off and on but there was indeed a bitterness.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Traveling through it was eery and unsettling. Epxa's ears twitched at the silence, even the birds were silent, and Thempsa clutched her bronze shortsword tightly...

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Entering the marketplace, itself covered by a grown wicker warehouse to protect it from the elements, was found to be completely empty and devoid of life. A marketplace, a sacred and invigorating place of trade normally bustling like a beehive and here- barren of activity! Surely the elves knew that not trading with outsiders was a denial of their inner nature itself? The absconding of our thrumming common pulse, interactions with outsiders and sharing of goods and stories? Not a soul in sight. Nor valuable goods... it almost seemed ransacked. A disturbing and uncomfortable prospect.

Investigating it Epxa found small remainders of what may have happened... evidence of warfare. A few footprints coming into the marketplace with many more trying to flee it. Someone, a group had tried to come in here and it was apparent by the now very faded tracks and very old scent of blood entering Epxa's feline nostrils that violence had occurred here. Goblins, likely had scoured this place.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The last stretch of the journey home took the two through the disturbing dead lands of the pungent hills. Nothing new grew there, a forest of death with wormy tendrils rupturing through the ground like disgusting worms and the forest itself fairly barren of life. The two passed through these lands quickly, as haunting stories had been told around campfires of this awful place... speeding through it, they trekked past the southeastern mountains of the world and into the jungle domain of Bloodtemple.

They were finally home... and with much news of the world to share with their kin.







« Last Edit: December 18, 2017, 04:54:36 am by Trench Dog »
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