#{Fantasy World}

[ominous-faechild]

✨ glow up ✨

FAERIE'S DAWN (2-1)

CHAPTER 2: KILREY (part 1)

CHARACTERS:

⚜ Nova “Me” Fae (pov) ⚜ Scamall “Cloud” Fae ⚜ Spéir “Sky” Fae

SETTING:

approx. 1 BA (talamhdé timeline)

[overgrown, mossy swamp plane] [within the dominion of Kilrey] [in a tavern inside of Kilrey] [night; magic storm-blizzard]

story intro table of contents chapter one < last chapter next chapter >

Nova: [tense, but continues chewing the taffy-like ambrosia as she focuses her essence to watch Sky and Cloud even with her back to them]

Siblings: [looking at each other, faces twisted and fae-ears lowered stressfully—]

Cloud: [guilty, but…]

Sky: [furious]

Sky: (hisses under his breath) "Cloud! This is exactly why I—"

Cloud: [letting out a slow breath, shakes her head and gently pushes him to the side with just a wave of her essence and air. Moves to stop beside Nova and try to meet their eyes]

Nova: [hesitantly obliges her, chomping off a piece of their third ambrosia square]

Cloud: (voice gentle, but serious) "you have a plan? Do you need more ambrosia?"

Nova:

Sky:

Nova: [shocked she'd offer to help when doing so got her into this mess to begin with, but…]

Nova: [ears low, forces themself to just look away, nod curtly, and swallow their bite. Then, with their face turned away, immediately rips off another chunk of ambrosia]

Cloud: [as Nova works on chewing, smoothly sits down next to them and reaches with her essence to copy Nova's earlier theft—]

Sky: [grabs her shoulder, hissing) "Cloud, what are you doing!? You're going to—"

Cloud: [turning a sharp glare onto him in return, evenly) "they escaped from another archfaerie. They know what they're doing, too. We should help them."

Sky: [stunned silent—]

Nova: 'too'...

Nova: [also stunned, but struggling not to be hopeful, instead forcing herself to focus on her still-formulating escape plan. As she does, starts on her fourth and last piece of ambrosia]

Ambrosia: [as a treat made of pure magic—and most often mixed in with sweets for additional taste—contained lots of energy for needy fae]

Ambrosia: [is most often used as compact, easy-to-serve rations from archfae to their thralls, meant to give them the essence they need to survive… while any and all other food mostly just tasted good and didn't do much for them. Not unless it matched their domain.]

Faeries: [each had control over a certain 'domain', depending on what they emerged from]

Cloud: [was clearly air-aligned, but, true to her name, seemed to have a domain specifically centered on clouds]

Tavernkeeper: [would seem earth-aligned at first glance, thanks to their earthen skin and the trail of dirt they left behind as they moved. But… their exact domain was harder to tell, considering the plants they'd had for hair. It could've meant they were life-aligned, or nature-aligned—]

Nova: [except, didn't just have to judge off of faeries' appearances]

Nova: [had a special talent in being able to 'feel out' for others' alignments, just by sensing their essence… or magical power]

Nova: [and, similarly, was much more adept at sensing and distinguishing between essence in general…]

Nova: [which was exactly why she could tell that the tavernkeeper, the earthen faerie, finally reached Kilrey.]

Nova: [quickly hops out of her chair, wiping the back of her hand against her mouth and looking at the siblings]

Sky: [has his jaw clenched and arms crossed tight as he's turned away from them, glaring at the other inhabitants of the tavern… to help discourage them from staring, and catching Cloud's theft]

Cloud: [of course, still stealing ambrosia squares, slipping them between the loose folds of her airy clothes as soon as she's grabbed them]

Both: [as Nova hopped out of the chair, stop what they're doing to look at Nova with tense expressions and lowered ears]

Nova: [meets Sky's eyes, then Cloud's, and quickly turns to march toward the door]

Nova: (voice commanding, sounding far more confident than she felt) "we head out now. I can collect more essence on the way. Hurry!"

Air Siblings: [meet eyes once again behind her back]

Cloud: [immediately follows close behind Nova!]

Sky: [half-groans, half-growls, but quickly trails after]

Sky: [… though his eyes dart from faerie to faerie as he wonders why nobody's reacting to their departure]

Nova: [almost as though she's reading his mind but more reading between the lines, and figuring it's better to say anyway) "I blocked them from seeing us. Come on!"

Sky: [bites his tongue, unsure of a lot of things… but also not sure if it was a good time to ask questions]

Nova: [pushes the door open and speedwalks outside, ignoring the frostbite-cold of the now-winter that hits her]

Seasons, time, and weather: [could change constantly, depending on where they were in the Faewildes and the strength of the raw, unclaimed magic in the area…]

Raw Faewilde magic: [was incredibly dangerous even to faeries, able to take over their minds, make them lose their sense of selves, and turn them into what the humans called demons]

Demons: [creatures with seemingly no sapience, wanting nothing more than violence… and Nova couldn't blame them]

Nova: [wishes she had the strength—the bravery—to fight back against archfae she wasn't cornered by]

Nova: [wishes she could pay them back for their crimes.]

Nova: [fae-ears low and eyes scanning the streets around them, paces forward to lead the group through the quickest way out of town]

Sky: [from behind, voice tense) "what's your plan, fae. Who are you?"

Nova: [tenses, but… keeps pacing, eyeing the ever-fluctuating buildings once of wood, then of stone, then of ice… as everything rapidly changes from the cloud of raw magic unfurling throughout the town]

Nova: (tension leaking into their voice) "we leave Kil—the Archfae's dominion, so he's weaker. From there, he either gives up, or—"

Sky: (voice sharp) "he'll catch up before we can!"

Nova: [twists her form, turning her torso so—while her legs continue forward on her decided path—she's able to face Sky while walking]

Siblings: [faces visibly twist in disgust at her grotesque display—]

Nova: (harshly) "we have a head start and this—" [points up, then twists his finger in a circular gesture, alluding to the magic storm] "—is going to keep him from teleporting to us."

Sky:

Sky: [visibly stunned… though also looks paler]

Sky: [actually, has changed a lot in appearance. His night-sky skin has quickly turned pale white, matching his hair and the snow around them]

Sky: [now, almost completely blends with the environment as he scans the area, the tips of his fae-ears dropping lower and lower]

Nova: (to himself) ah… that's why he feels a bit different from 'sky'.

Sky: [returning his eyes to Nova, hesitantly) "is… that you?"

Nova:

Nova: [fighting a wave of panic, barks out a laugh and turns his torso back into place to increase his pace. Still, his anxiety is betrayed by his angled ears, poorly-faked laugh, and the breathlessnes of his otherwise-incredulous voice) "no??? You think I'd be like this if I had that kinda power? I just sensed it coming, and we're taking advantage of it. Now hurry up, Kil—he, the Archfae, just left!"

Cloud: [from behind her; voice gentle, but subtly tense) "so… what happens when he catches up to us?"

Nova: [drops his eyes to the ground, falling silent as a cold hand of dread wraps itself tight around his heart]

Nova: (voice thick) "as long as we're outside of his dominion, I can take care of him by myself."

YOU CAN WHAT BY YOURSELF, NOVA!?!?!

Aaaaaanyhow, how truthful do you think all of this is? What's with all of their fear of archfaeries? And how in the world would Nova "take care of" one by themself???

story intro table of contents chapter one < last chapter next chapter >

Faerie's Dawn taglist:

@honeybewrites @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @ashirisu @urnumber1star

@the-letterbox-archives @48lexr @aalinaaaaaa @thecomfywriter @an-indecisive-nerd

@seastarblue @rae-butter @teamarine777 @caffeinated-starsailor @oliolioxenfreewrites

@corinneglass @thebookishkiwi @storyteller-kara @themongosianhorse @theburningeyeofdawn

@notyourlocalworm @write-with-will @mildlybizarrecorvid @forgottenvalor @huewrite

@vesanal @differentnighttale @plip-plap-plop @olliedoesthings @pupculture

@princessuncertain @mythicalmagical-monkeyman @i-do-anything-but-write @a-zendrial

@real-fragments @lunauphternal @sullymarlowe @aalinaaaaaa (ask and ye shall be added)

dividers by @thyming and @saradika

[prompt-heaven]

a list of 100+ buildings to put in your fantasy town

academy

adventurer's guild

alchemist

apiary

apothecary

aquarium

armory

art gallery

bakery

bank

barber

barracks

bathhouse

blacksmith

boathouse

book store

bookbinder

botanical garden

brothel

butcher

carpenter

cartographer

casino

castle

cobbler

coffee shop

council chamber

court house

crypt for the noble family

dentist

distillery

docks

dovecot

dyer

embassy

farmer's market

fighting pit

fishmonger

fortune teller

gallows

gatehouse

general store

graveyard

greenhouses

guard post

guildhall

gymnasium

haberdashery

haunted house

hedge maze

herbalist

hospice

hospital

house for sale

inn

jail

jeweller

kindergarten

leatherworker

library

locksmith

mail courier

manor house

market

mayor's house

monastery

morgue

museum

music shop

observatory

orchard

orphanage

outhouse

paper maker

pawnshop

pet shop

potion shop

potter

printmaker

quest board

residence

restricted zone

sawmill

school

scribe

sewer entrance

sheriff's office

shrine

silversmith

spa

speakeasy

spice merchant

sports stadium

stables

street market

tailor

tannery

tavern

tax collector

tea house

temple

textile shop

theatre

thieves guild

thrift store

tinker's workshop

town crier post

town square

townhall

toy store

trinket shop

warehouse

watchtower

water mill

weaver

well

windmill

wishing well

wizard tower

[pansexualkiba]

YOU'VE JUST BEEN ISEKAI'D!

You know how it is. You were hit by a truck or fell from a great height, and now you're trapped in a fantasy land! Quick, spin this wheel to find out what you've reincarnated as!

Remember to show this to all your friends :)

[baronboar]

How equal can a society be if some fundamentals are unusable by a third of the population? You can learn a lot about a world by looking at the little details, especially in furry settings!

[sennamaticart]

Decay

[noco3n-com]

Intertwined lives.

[froggypurse2003]

[deception-united]

Worldbuilding: Questions to Consider

Government & authority:

Types of government: What type of government exists (monarchy, democracy, theocracy, etc.)? Is it centralised or decentralised?

Leadership: Who holds power and how is it acquired (inheritance, election, divine right, conquest)?

Law enforcement: Who enforces the laws (military, police, magical entities)?

Legal system: How are laws made, interpreted, and enforced? Are there courts, judges, or councils?

Laws:

Criminal laws: What constitutes a crime? What are the punishments?

Civil laws: How are disputes between individuals resolved?

Cultural norms: How do customs and traditions influence the laws?

Magic/supernatural: Are there laws governing the use of magic or interaction with supernatural beings?

Social structure:

Class/status: How is society divided (nobility, commoners, slaves)? Are there caste systems or social mobility?

Rights & freedoms: What rights do individuals have (speech, religion, property)?

Discrimination: Are there laws that protect or discriminate against certain groups (race, gender, species, culture)?

Economy & trade:

Currency: What is used as currency? Is it standardised?

Trade laws: Are there regulations on trade, tariffs, or embargoes?

Property laws: How is ownership determined and transferred? Are there inheritance laws?

Religion/belief systems:

Religious authority: What role does religion play in governance? Are religious leaders also political leaders?

Freedom of religion: Are citizens free to practice different religions? If not, which are taboo?

Holy laws: Are there laws based on religious texts or teachings?

Military & defense:

Standing army: Is there a professional military or a militia? Who serves, and how are they recruited?

War & peace: What are the laws regarding war, peace treaties, and diplomacy?

Weapons: Are there restrictions or laws regarding weapons for civilians? What is used as a weapon? Who has access to them?

Technology & magic:

Technological advancements: How advanced is the technology (medieval, steampunk, futuristic, etc.)?

Magical laws: Are there regulations on the use of magic, magical creatures, or artifacts?

Innovation & research: How are inventors and researchers treated? Are there laws protecting intellectual property?

Environmental/resource management:

Natural resources: How are resources like water, minerals, and forests managed and protected, if at all?

Environmental laws: Are there protections for the environment? How are they enforced? Are there consequences for violations?

Cultural & ethical considerations:

Cultural diversity: How does the law accommodate or suppress cultural diversity?

Ethics: What are the ethical foundations of the laws? Are there philosophical or moral principles that underpin them?

Traditions vs. change: Does the society balance tradition with progress? How?

Happy writing ❤

Previous | Next

[villiedoom]

Stylized illustrations for my world: Koties, Towers, and some other creatures ~

With all my love for realism, sometimes I prefer more stylized and tale-like illustrations, reflecting my world as a fantasy universe full of magic, with quadrupedal but sapient and anthropomorphic felines living in houses, doing crafts, and having their own culture and mythology, sharing the world with many other (sometimes quite weird) creatures. I wanted to make these illustrations reflect their folklore, looking like what Koties themselves could draw.

[dunmeshistash]

Dungeon Meshi World Map

REGIONS (Descriptions taken from the Adventurer's Bible)

WESTERN CONTINENT

Description: Bears the most scars from the ancient war. It has many monsters and ruined dungeons, and although it's vast, there are surprisingly few habitable areas. Most of the inhabitants are sturdy, short-lived races and demihumans. Elven culture has had a strong influence here. Characters: Kabru and Kuro Places of Note: Utaya Dungeons of Note: The Utaya Dungeon, The Dragon's Lair

NORTHERN CENTRAL CONTINENT

Description: The continent that is home to the largest nation, ruled by the queen of the elves. The term "Western Elves" mostly indicates elves from this region. It's the safest area and life is easy here, but its shrinking population has dangerously weakened it. Characters: Mithrun (and the Canaries) Places of Note: Western Elves's Royal District, Canarie's Headquarters. Dungeons of Note: Central Watchtower

SOUTHERN CENTRAL CONTINENT

Description: The area with the second-largest elf nation. It has more inbound immigration than the Northern Central Continent and a rather disorganized atmosphere. While it's in an alliance with the Northern Central Continent, they really aren't on good terms. Characters: - Places of Note: - Dungeons of Note: -

EASTERN CONTINENT

Description: Home to the largest gnome nation. Once dwarfs and gnomes made up the majority of the inhabitants, but in recent years there has been an influx of short-lived races from the Northern Continent and Eastern Archipelago, and the population is growing rapidly. It's a melting pot where various cultures are jumbled together. Characters: Chilchuck Tims (Kahka Brud), Senshi (Izganda) Places of Note: Magic School, The Island/Melini, Kahka Brud, Izganda, Dozahk, Bonnario, Sadena Dungeons of Note: Island, Brud Dungeon Cluster, Budou Pit, Tower of Night Cries

NORTHERN CONTINENT

Description: A severely cold continent where over half of the land is covered in perpetual snow. The majority of the inhabitants are short-lived races, particularly tall-men, but the population isn't large to begin with. It has been strongly influenced by dwarf culture. Characters: Laios & Falin, Marcille Places of Note: - Dungeons of Note: -

EASTERN ARCHIPELAGO

Description: An area where short-lived races live. As a result of a pact, there has been no interference by long-lived races for a very long time. The effects of the ancient war are slight, and they have almost no trouble with monsters or dungeons, but there's constant strife among humans. Characters: (all from different Islands) Izutsumi, Shuro and his Retainers, Rinsha Fana (Not shown) Places of Note: Island of Wa Dungeons of Note: -

SOUTHERN CONTINENT

Description: Home to the largest dwarf city. Gnome and dwarf nations often build down rather than out, and the innermost layers are extraordinarily deep. War still erupts frequently, and there are never-ending disputes near the borders. Characters: - Places of Note: - Dungeons of Note: -

If you're interested I've found a post on pixiv with the map outlines and some more info (in japanese) (edit: translated here)

I'll make a post about the dungeon descriptions later (here) but here they are, there's a little more info about Kahka Brud dungeons on my last map post

1 The Island, 2 Budou Pit, 3 The Brud Dungeon Cluster, 4 The tower of Night Cries 5 The Utaya Dungeon 6 The Dragon's Lair 7 The Central Watchtower

Map Outline

[bbubblerum]

New dnd campaign and new character! She is an old woman elf lore bard :p

[ominous-faechild]

✨ glow up ✨

FAERIE'S DAWN (1-1)

CHAPTER 1: “A NORMAL FAERIE” (part 1)

CHARACTERS:

⚜ Nova “Me” Fae (pov) ⚜ Scamall “Cloud” Fae ⚜ Spéir “Sky” Fae

SETTING:

approx. 1 BA (talamhdé timeline)

[overgrown, mossy swamp plane] [within the dominion of Kilrey] [outside of Kilrey] [night; clear]

story intro table of contents < last chapter next chapter >

Nova: [anxiously clutches at the magic around them, watching the bustling faerie town of Kilrey from far away]

Kilrey: [full of fae subjugated under the will of a single other faerie… of course, by the name of Kilrey.]

Kilrey: [like many other fae towns, mostly has its residents working toward helping expand their master's dominion. It's absolutely suffused with power emanating from the fae population within its walls, but most prominently? It was full of Kilrey's power. Even with all the other faeries there, the archfae's always came out on top.]

Nova: [takes several slow, shaky deep breaths as they try to steel their nerves]

Nova: (thinking to themself) I'm not taking much power with me… he shouldn't notice me. I should be fine to enter…

Nova: [fidgets with the magic in the air, warping it around herself to cool the area and set a feeling of calmness over her]

Nova: (still trying to reassure herself) It's okay. If I just teleport in there… few fae will even be able to notice me, with all that power there!

Nova: [flexes her jaw, struggling not to cry despite her magic]

Nova: … except Kilrey. And what if he notices me? What then?

Nova: [shakes his head quickly, letting out his breath and smacking his cheeks to recollect himself]

Nova: (sternly) No. Can't think that way. If he comes… we can fight him. Or escape. Lead him away if we must… and he won't be able to do much by himself.

Nova: [glances far over his shoulder, eyeing the next dominion over despite it being far out of his sight]

Nova: … and if he tries to bring his thralls, he'll still lose access to his power if I take him far enough. I can overpower him, then.

Nova: [nods curtly, looking back toward the town of Kilrey]

Nova: (still trying to reassure himself) Alright. We can do this, Casey.

Nova:

Nova: (annoyedly) I don't much like that name, either.

Nova: [but just sighs heavily before warping themself into town]

Nova: [now toward the end of a mostly-empty street, head lowered and her hood pulled over her head]

Nova: [hurries forward, quickly opening the door to the tavern and stepping inside]

Tavern: [full of faeries! Most are sitting around tables, chatting amongst themselves and helping themselves to food and drink rations for their hard day's work]

Nova: [awkwardly fidgets with one of his Silina Emblems—a token containing a bit of essence from another Archfae, Silina, and declaring she'd owe whomever it was traded to—as he heads to the bar]

Emblems: [essentially a form of currency between Archfae to declare "help my friend, and I'll help you later in return"]

Tavernkeeper: [clearly busy, distributing rations to others]

Nova: [awkwardly eyes the lone faerie sitting at the bar… and hesitantly steps up to them]

Faerie: [air-aligned, with a flowy, layered dress; semi-transparent blue skin; and a white afro. The further their afro traveled from their head, the more the hair seemed to transform into clouds]

Nova: [stopping at a seat beside them and rocking on his feet, awkwardly raises his voice to ask) "is this seat taken?"

Faerie: [tenses, fae-ears subtly bending back as they look over their shoulder to meet Nova's eyes]

Nova: [flashes them a smile]

Faerie: [cautiously glances around themself… then, easing their ears and returning their eyes to Nova, offers a soft, slightly-forced smile in return]

Faerie: (voice gentle, hard to make out over the din of the tavern) "No. But my brother should be back soon…"

Nova: brother?…

Nova: [looks away, ears folded back awkwardly, but moves to sit down beside the faerie]

Nova: (to herself) I wonder what it's like to have a brother…

Nova: [at the same time, perks her ears back up, turns to grin at the faerie, and says amusedly) "Ah! Well, hopefully he won't mind me being here?"

Faerie: [smile softening, shakes their head slightly]

Faerie: (gently) "I don't think so... you seem nice. I'm Cloud, by the way… female."

Nova: [grins widely, offering his hand to shake… with as much of his essence as far from it as possible, as was considered polite]

Nova: (keeping her tone amused to hide her nervousness) "oh! Well, I'm—"

Cloud: [took her hand to shake it, but—]

Nova: [awkwardly looks away, pursing her lips]

Nova: (awkwardness leaking into her voice) "I… haven't actually decided on a name yet…"

Cloud: [essence flutters—]

Nova: [tenses, ears folding back as she quickly looks at Cloud with wide eyes]

Cloud: [has her essence breezing out from her as she smiles brightly, bringing her other hand up to clasp Nova's in-between hers]

Cloud: (warmly) "oh, are you a new faerie?"

Nova:

Cloud: [glancing away as she rocks from side-to-side, attempts to finish) "I ca—"

Nova: (blurts, panic slipping into her voice) "no!"

Cloud: [startled, quickly looks back to Nova]

Cloud: [essence—and face—twist, visibly concerned]

Nova: [struggling to keep their panic from their face, forces an awkward grin]

Nova: (voice shaky, but still faux-amused) "I just—I've been awake for a while, but I've just—I've had a hard time coming up with one, is all!"

Cloud: [has the saddest smile on her lips as she meets Nova's eyes, but she quickly looks over Nova's shoulder as—]

Voice: (speaks from behind Nova, hard) "Cloud? Who's this?"

Nova: [tenses, quickly turning to see—]

Faerie: [standing to her side, arms crossed as they look between Nova and Cloud suspiciously]

Faerie: [has long, flowy white hair, blue-purple skin freckled like stars in the night sky, and two sets of long, pointed fae-ears… all angled backwards, aggressive.]

Nova: this must be the brother! :'D

Nova: [both annoyed and anxious, to themself) but Cloud said he wouldn't be upset… of course she was wrong.

Nova: [offers a wide, awkward grin as they bring their hands up in surrender and struggle to come up with a response—]

Cloud: (from behind them, voice gentle and yet subtly pointed) "this is a faerie I just met. Sky. They seem nice."

Sky: [looked at Cloud over Nova's shoulder as she spoke, but quickly returns his eyes to Nova]

Sky: [lip curled slightly; voice tense and just as pointed) "plenty of fae seem nice, Cloud. That's how they trick you. We've been over this."

Nova: (quickly, before she can think better of it) "I really mean no harm! I'm just travelling and wanted company!"

Sky: [leaning in closer so his and Nova's noses touch, sharply) "likely story."

Nova: [panicking, reflexively reaches for the nearest bit of unclaimed essence to take it to protect herself—]

Sky: [except, pulls away?]

Cloud: [at his side, hand clenching his shoulder as she glares at him]

Cloud: [hair darkened into storm clouds, crackling with electricity, and fae-ears held high and back from anger]

Cloud: (sharply) "I said to be nice! They're a BABY!"

Nova: [bites back a 'I'm not a baby!', ears low and eyes wide with panic as he looks between the two]

Sky: [clenches his jaw as takes deep, angry breaths, glancing between Cloud and Nova—]

Voice: "HEY! FAE!"

All three: [tense, turning to face—]

And so the grand adventure begins...

story intro table of contents < last chapter next chapter >

Faerie's Dawn taglist:

@honeybewrites @the-golden-comet @illarian-rambling @ashirisu @urnumber1star

@the-letterbox-archives @48lexr @aalinaaaaaa @thecomfywriter @an-indecisive-nerd

@seastarblue @rae-butter @teamarine777 @caffeinated-starsailor @oliolioxenfreewrites

@corinneglass @thebookishkiwi @storyteller-kara @themongosianhorse @theburningeyeofdawn

@notyourlocalworm @write-with-will @mildlybizarrecorvid @forgottenvalor @huewrite

@vesanal @differentnighttale @plip-plap-plop @olliedoesthings @pupculture

@princessuncertain @mythicalmagical-monkeyman @i-do-anything-but-write @a-zendrial

@real-fragments @lunauphternal @sullymarlowe @aalinaaaaaa (ask and ye shall be added)

dividers by @thyming and @saradika

[writers-potion]

Writing Weapons (2): Knives and Daggers

Dagger vs. Sword

In many situations, daggers might be more plausible than a sword fight.

Dagger are eaiser to carry and conceal, lighter, faster, good for spontaneous action, suicide bids, self-defense and assassination.

Dagger vs. Knife

No clear distinction; terms used interchangeably

Dagger is more for thrusting with 2 sharp edges

Knife is more for cutting (slashing) with 1 sharp edge

Concealment

Carried in a leather sheath on the belt

Can be concealed under a cloak, in a bodice (sheath sewn into the bodice), in a boot, behind hari ornaments

Bodice daggers (popular in the Renaissance) had no cross guards.

Connotations

Beside its combat value, the dagger has lots of emotional and sexual symbolisms.

The closeness need to attack with a dagger creates intense personal connection. They are often used in fights where emotions are running high: gang warfare, hate crime, vengeance.

Due to its shape and the fact that it's usually worn on a belt made it a symbol of virility in many cultures and periods.

Sometimes it was the hilt rather than the blade: like in the case of bollocks daggers with two...balls on either side of the hilt.

Fighting Techniques

Stabbing:-

The dagger with long, thin blades are made to stab a vital organ like the kidneys, liver, bowel, stomach or heart.

Stabbing directly at the chest seldom works, since the blde may glance off the ribs. Position the dagger below the ribcage and drive it upwards, through the diaphragm and into the lungs. If the sword is long enough and your fighter is a professional, you can get to the heart.

If no professional, just keep going for the stomach and you'll get one of the vital organs eventually.

Slashing:-

When describing a slash wound, show a lot of blood streaming, or even spurting.

Slashing dagger fights are bloody - show your MC's hands getting slick with blood, grip on the weapon slipping.

The aim is to cut the opponent's throat or cut tendoms, muscles, or ligaments to disable. Slashing the muscles in the weapon-wielding arm is the most effective; insides of the writst or back of the knee is also critical.

Assassinations:-

Show good knowledge of the humna antatomy

Use a stabbing dagger

A single, determined, calculated and efficient stroke, probably below the ribs.

Self-Defense:-

Disable the attacker by slashing their weapon-wielding hand (elbow or wrist)

Quick, multiple stabs wherever the MC can get the blade to land; the attacker won't give time for careful positioning

If the blade is too short to do any significant damage, maek up for this by stabbing so ast that the pain and blood loss distracts the opponent.

Vegeance and Hatred:-

Someone who is motivated by raging emotions will stab the victim repeatedly, even after he is already dead.

The attacker may stab or salsh the victim's face, disfiguring it.

Contemporary street fights and gang warfare usually involves these.

Duels:-

If both fighters are armed with daggers, include wrestling-type moves as they try to restrict each other's weapon hand.

Show them trying to disable each other by slashing insides of writes, elbows, the back of the knees, etc.

Dagger + Sword

If the character is expecting a fight, they can hold a sword in their right hand, and a dagger in their left to fight with both

Sword + mace combination also common.

Blunders to Avoid:

Direct stabbing at the chest wouldn't work.

Hero cannot cut his bread with a stabbing sword

adapted from <Writer's Craft> by Rayne Hall

[rumeysawrites]

Dear fellow writers, can we please stop acting like we have to make our fantasy worlds "historically accurate"? Can't a completely different world have completely different historical events & norms than ours?

[baronboar]

This time let's circle back to equity later and focus on some basics! What's up with TAILS?

Transcript under the cut:

1. First of all, why do the people in a setting even need tails? Humans don't have tails for a number of reasons, we don't chase prey so we don't need it to help us change direction like a rudder. We also don't climb trees so we don't need one for keeping hold of branches or for balance. But in a world of megafauna, maybe you need a tail to help you turn fast to flee? Or maybe a hunter needs a rudder to swim? But most importantly!! It's fun & helps your people feel unique!

[IMG: A an anthro rat and sea lion, the rat is leaning over in a similar fashion to the sea lion who naturally stands horizontally like a T-rex. This shows how they both can use tails as counter balance.]

Think about why species in a setting might have tails and perhaps you will think of something that adds depth to your world… For warmth, like a blanket! To increase visibility when foraging! For Combat!!!

[IMG Three tails, a big fluffy artic fox tail, a tall lemur tail, and a spiny draconic tail.]

2. Clothing is the main issue I see brought up when discussing tails & Furgonomics. many solutions can be found when looking at furry artwork, so look around! The only solution i'd say is not valid is…The belt under the tail.

[IMG: a tailed person from behind, their jeans are below the tail, you can see their butt cheeks.] [IMG: Two illustrations of human femurs with tails, the spine points them downwards.]

A tail would sit far too low to comfortably wear trousers there, imagine wearing yours below the pelvis at your hips? Even with a belt that is far too risqué! The best solutions all put the waistband above the tail and either have a hole for the tail or in the case of clothing like dresses and skirts allow the tail to sit freely beneath.

[IMG: Three different people with different garments. The first is labelled 'breech cloth', it's a Y shaped cut of fabric attached to the waist by a string. The second is labelled 'sarong', the feline figure from the side has a length of fabric around the belly with a length hanging down over their pubic area like a loin cloth. The third is the most like trousers/pants, the belt keeps shut a flap that goes over the base of the tail that overlaps with the tail hole.]

In my setting of Firnus different cultures have their own designs to fit environmental needs. The Gilter braghe is a sleeveless trouser designed with modesty in mind. compare this to the rav breechcloth, made for wearing under robes. Or avoid the tail hole all together and beat the heat with the pantheran quarter sarong!

3. So where else can tails be a problem…? CHAIRS.

[IMG: Two normal chairs, they have back rests but also gaps between that and the seat.]

most people are going to jump immediately to seats like these:

But i'm going to make my case as to why this would not be comfortable: See this dog skeleton to the right? When a quadrupedal animal sits, they don't rest on their upper legs or put any pressure on their fragile tails, Instead they rest on their hocks & hind feet! Why? Exactly as we discussed with trousers, tails wouldn't go out, they'd go down. As part of the spine, if you wanted to sit back in a chair your spine would be vertical.

[IMG: A dog skeleton from the side.] [IMG: A small concerned mustelid says: "Sitting on your tail would feel like bending your fingers backwards with your full body weight!"]

…So, I believe anthro species wouldn't want to put pressure on their tails by sitting on them… So we cut a hole out from the bottom and back of the chair, right? Yes! and no. Yes because when you're world building you can do whatever works best for you! But no because I'm not satisfied with this answer and I'm driving this PNG!!!! So how do we fix this? Let's see why chairs even exist in the first place!

[IMG: a chair like the ones above with a half circle cut from the back of the seat.]

4. The earliest (known) chairs come from the 2nd dynasty of Egypt during the Thinite period. These chairs were as short at the seat as 10 inches! …But like, Why? as a status symbol! These caught on as nobility wished to copy kings, and then the common people copied nobility. They're also useful to keep your clothes clean and prevent you from resting on cold or wet ground.

[IMG: Two desert foxes, one on a chair is joyfully sitting upon a chair, covered in gold adornments like a pharaoh. He says: 'I'm sitting higher! So I'm better than you!' The other fox looks concerned, wears no gold as she kneels and says: 'Hm.']

But we don't need kings!! If you want something for similar use without those connotations. Here's some options:

[IMG: Two people sitting on a bench and a large plush pillow as well as a rectangular cushion that's rolled up.]

Kneeling! While many cultures use this to show reverence, few still kneel for comfort.

Benches and stools! Before chairs became affordable for the average person simpler furnishings were commonly used. These don't have tricky tail holes to fumble around with and can be as simple as a plank.

cushions! A thick pillow or rolled rug would allow a person to sit cross-legged without their tail pressing down against a hard surface.

Think about who needs chairs, where they'd be used, and the answer will come naturally! Have fun world building!