#offworld spaceverse

[jerreeeeeee]

📓 👀👀

so originally, offworld was supposed to have a sequel. it fell apart for a couple reasons, but the premise was that barry, despite being personally forgiven by his friends, didn’t receive a pardon or anything for the many terrible crimes he’s done.

most governments don’t allow necromancy, but the raven queen in particular fucking hates it (this was one of the thing i got stuck on - kravitz is a bounty hunter and doesn’t really answer to mortal laws, but i couldn’t decide if the raven queen’s followers were, like, a dispersed loose group that didn’t really interact except with the raven queen directly, or if the raven queen would be the ruler of an entire theocratic planet. the second would be cooler but also more difficult to flesh out). so she sends kravitz to hunt them down. the majority of the plot was, at first, kravitz chasing barry lup and taako (referred to as blt in my notes) but i ended up also threading in a b-plot featuring angus mcdonald.

we start in the first chapter with a pretty normal day for blt, preparing for sizzle it up; they’ve been touring all over the place, but have stayed on this planet for a while. at the end of the chapter taako leaves the ship so barry and lup can have a date night. he tells them he’s got “lessons with the kid,” which we learn is why they’ve been staying for so long in one place: taako has an apprentice! when he gets there, though, “the kid” is not angus but sazed, eager to learn how to cook.

this was another thing i didn’t know what to do with; taako being an asshole to sazed doesn’t really work here, because he’s happy and has a family, and i wouldn’t want to undo all the work with regard to learning to trust people and allowing himself to like them etc etc from offworld. he wouldn’t be so dismissive or at least would be nicer about it, so the glamour springs incident would just feel a little awkward and forced.

anyway, glamour springs happens, but taako is more confident and his wizard powers weren’t reset to level 1, so he thinks something weird happened. he hires a local detective… who turns out to be a child. but whatever, the kid is confident he’ll be able to solve it, so along comes angus. after a confrontation with kravitz, though, angus gets a second case, “who the fuck is this guy, and why does he want to kill barry so bad?”

i never wrote this because i couldn’t figure out how to end it. the necromancy is definitely intentional, so kravitz can’t really just, like, look the other way? also, introducing angus posed a huge problem because i wholeheartedly believe taako does NOT want to be a parent and would be bad at it (especially if he’s just starting a relationship with a guy that not long ago wanted to kill his brother in law), but angus is still a child and he NEEDS a parent. i didn’t want to just wave it away that he’s just an apprentice, because he’s still, like, twelve, and none of the adults in his life (reduced to blt and kravitz since the rest of the starblaster crew are pretty scattered) are equipped to raise a twelve year old, but also, if the ango subplot isn’t in there, the rest of the plot gets pretty flat and boring? also, i don’t have the skill or interest required to write a romance, and that’s what the resolution to kravitz’ plot would end with. so in the end it was scrapped :( rip kravitz

[jerreeeeeee]

Elves are from Sylvanus, the fifth planet from Tusun’s stars. It’s on the closer end of the habitable zone, and contains a single continent and few islands, but the way the continent is shaped means that there are a lot of coastal areas and not too many dry interiors. Most of the settled parts of the planet are fairly temperate, since the majority of the landmass is nearer the poles. A band of equatorial jungle and a handful of islands are home to the green and sea elves, respectively, and wood elves live across the rest of the planet’s thick woodlands in areas that haven’t been settled by the high elves, who mostly live in the few, but large, cities.

Elves are unique from other races in that they are not as “advanced” as many others. Most “wild” (a term for non-high elves, often used by court elves in a derogatory manner) elves’ settlements are isolated, and the high elves have an extremely controlling and traditionalist ruling class, so not much advancement in the way of technology is made. However, Sylvanus has many deposits of highly valuable magical ore, which elves use to trade with other races for their technology and use themselves to develop their own magical advancement. That, and they also have a powerful magical military. Despite this, Sylvanus was one of the first planets to develop space travel, one of the only large advancements they made on their own (though their ships are known for being unpredictable, because they’re mostly held together by magic).

The elven lords possess an ability to “order” other high elves. Most would have their subjects believe that an order is a compulsion, but it’s more like a form of very powerful suggestion. An elf can still resist an order if it demands that they do something they’re extremely opposed to.

Not all high elves are of the upper class. The lords are the highest authority, and each has a court; officials who manage what are essentially fiefdoms. These high elves, though no different biologically from any other, are of a higher class and referred to as “court elves.” Most high elves are not court elves, but instead are workers in the cities that support them. Many are miners, farmers, janitors, or any number of “low-skill” labor, or servants to the courts.

One thing that all elves have in common are large, animated ears. They are the most important part of elven body language, being highly visible indicators of emotion. Most court elves learn to stop their ears from moving unwilled at an early age. Elf ears are very sensitive and easy to injure. Allowing someone to touch their ears is the greatest sign of trust in elven culture. Ear rubbing is a common form of familial affection.

Elves are capable of producing a sound similar to a cat’s purr, though deeper. Court elves are very conservative when it comes to displays of emotion, so purring is considered unseemly or embarrassing. For most other elves, it’s a normal reaction to feeling especially content, relaxed, or safe. Some elven clerics and monks can channel their healing through it, leading to a myth that elves purr to heal wounded people.

Drow, or dark elves, are actually a different species, living on one of Sylvanus’ moons for which the race is named. It’s theorized that their population was established centuries ago after an elven spaceship crashed there, and over the thousands of years without contact, they became their own species. Drow have a separate government and culture to “Sylvan” elves, and are recognized by most as a different race.

A few “wild” elves have moved to elven colonies, or settlements populated by many different races, though they are still looked down upon by court elves. Wild elves aren’t controlled by the lords, so they can come and go as they please, provided they are able to get ahold of a ship; Sylvanus’ trade connections rarely include wild elves at all.

Elves have many established territories, notable ones of which include a colony on a moon of Tri-Sellun, a sizeable settlement on the otherwise uninhabited N2-02 (a moon of which is the orcs’ homeworld), a section of the Intersystem Station, several settlements throughout Solsun, and a newly established colony on one of Bacilus’ moons.

[jerreeeeeee]

He tries not to look too suspicious pulling his hood over his face as he rushes by the IPE officers. The laws have gotten tighter, and even if that dipshit Miller hadn’t panicked the second the Institute was investigated, Barry would’ve been found out eventually. It’s best he leaves now.

Another squad, but their attention isn’t on him; one officer plunges into the crowd after a tall woman and pulls her to the edge, near Barry. She’s an elf, Barry realizes with surprise. The cop takes the bag she’s holding and starts rustling through it. Finally, he finds what he's after, or rather a lack of it; the woman doesn’t have an ID. She’s from off-world. Barry sighs.

He’s gonna get himself arrested.

[jerreeeeeee]

Gnomes are native to Baireag, the sixth planet from the stars of Tusun. It’s relatively small, toward the middle of the habitable zone, and consists mostly of one large continent with a smaller island continent and large archipelago. It’s axis is tilted far more dramatically than most inhabited planets, meaning scorching summers and freezing winters; this is why gnomes tend to live underground in warrens. Access to groundwater and a cool shelter from the sun in the summertime, and a warm space away from snow and ice in the winter mean that gnomes can weather the intense seasons.

Gnomes differ from other races in that they have tails; since becoming bipedal, they don’t serve a practical purpose, but the styles can be culturally significant, as well as just aesthetic. Most gnomes style their tail tufts; it’s common for men’s tails to be spikier and longer, and women’s tails to be rounder and fluffed. Some warren leaders, elders, or priests braid their tufts. In current gnomish counterculture (punk gnomes), some make a straight cut for what’s referred to as a “tasseled” style, and some shear their tufts completely. Ornaments can be added to tufts just like hair. Bows, rings, and ties are seen often in more elaborate styles.

Gnomes’ ears are mobile and often indicate emotion. They are round, have limited movement, and don’t grant gnomes an especially elevated sense of hearing. They are sensitive enough to make piercings uncomfortable; the most common piercings among gnomes are nose piercings. In gnomish culture, very unlike elves, touching ears is usually considered erotic, which can cause some confusion when interacting with other races.

As a primarily subterranean race, gnomes have poor vision; most have what would be considered nearsightedness compared to humans. They have average hearing, as well as darkvision. Gnomes in multi-species settlements are often picky eaters because of their strong sense of smell. They are also more sensitive to touch than most other races, but only in very localized areas, like their ears, tails, and fingertips. This sensitivity to touch is mostly used in traditional warrens to feel out the soil and rock when digging, and to sense vibrations underground to avoid dangerous animals. Because of this, gnomes often prefer bass-heavy music.

Gnomes on Baireag and more established gnomish colonies typically live in warrens. On the homeworld, warrens are literal underground complexes; in colonies, sometimes they are large interconnected houses or dorms. Warrens are typically made up of 50-300 gnomes, though warrens the size of small cities as well as warrens populated by a few generations of a single family aren’t unheard of. Most gnomes live in multigenerational families within a warren, and if a gnome marries, their warren merges with their spouse’s, until they become large enough to split into two. Most gnomes, especially those on Baireag, spend their entire lives living with their parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, at least. Because of this ever-growing method of building warrens, typically only 1 in 4 gnomes will marry. The average number of children for Baireagan gnomes is 6.

Gnomes are an extremely social race; most gnomes need a lot of social contact or they will become depressed. Because of this, the majority of gnomes (though there are always outliers) don’t move to settlements without established gnomish populations on their own. Sometimes, however, an entire warren will move to a new place together. Ambition is not highly valued in the gnomish culture, so oftentimes ambitious gnomes feel isolated, and as such are more likely to strike out on their own. Gnomes were the first race to develop bond technology, and most large Baireagan warrens get most of their power, for ships, electricity, agriculture, and any number of things, from a bond generator.

There are 9 official gnomish territories, or settlements that are officially recognized as colonies by the gnomish confederation. In Tusun: Rrea, Yair, and Gairge, the three moons of Baireag, Aurell, a moon of Tri-Bolk, Erloea, a settlement on Paltor, and Wale, a moon of the gas giant Brigt. In Solsun, Egri, a moon of Erral, Werrth, a settlement on the planet Igrineall, and Resicia.

[jerreeeeeee]

Dwarves are native to Durre’ak, a planet in the Solsun system. It’s the farthest planet from the sun; if it weren’t for the dramatic axial tilt, Durre’ak would be a frozen wasteland. As it is, the planet has a multitude of small, fast-moving tectonic plates that crash together to build a planet whose land consists almost entirely of dramatic mountain ranges. Dwarves evolved to be industrious miners in order to carve out halls under these mountains to live in, because the land outside their tunnels are wind-blasted and icy. Initially, fires were mostly used to keep warm in the cold underground systems, but dwarves soon learned to use their forges to create metalwork. Durre’ak is one of the richest inhabited planets due to its wealth of precious metals and talented smiths. Because it’s so close to Erral, the human homeworld, the two are close allies who have been trading with one another since before the two systems were even aware of one another’s existence.

Dwarves are short, stocky, and hairy due to the cold conditions of their homeworld. All dwarves naturally grow thick facial hair, starting from birth. Most don’t shave their beards completely, unless they choose to after a big life change; many dwarves will shave their faces clean when they produce their first piece of metalwork, have children, move to a different planet, or any number of big events in their lives. It signifies that they are starting over and beginning new lives. As such, many other races hold a misconception that clean-shaven dwarves are shady or even criminals, because they’ve “left their old life behind.” In reality, most clean-shaven dwarves are newlyweds. 

Dwarves age slightly faster than humans for the first twenty five or so years of their lives, and then slow down, aging around 25 human years every century. The oldest dwarf was 341 years old, but most live to about 275.

Dwarven hair and beard styles vary across their homeworld and other territories; some styles are more common in some places than others. Bacilan dwarves, or “beach dwarves,” usually wear their beards wild, grooming them minimally and weaving flowers and beads into them, whereas traditional Durre’akan dwarves oil and straighten their beards. Since the hair on their heads is quite similar to their facial hair, many dwarves have long hair, as well.

Dwarves often live in clans; they’re less tight-knit than gnomish warrens, but dwarves who are kin typically live near one another, a habit formed from the difficult-to-traverse nature of their homeworld. Arranged marriages for inter-family or political reasons are common on Durre’ak, but low-stakes; most of the time if married dwarves are genuinely unhappy together, they can separate easily. However, on Bacilus, the planet other than the homeworld with the highest population of dwarves, arranged marriages are significant and typically expected to stick it out.

Dwarf children grow facial hair from the time they’re born, but usually only have whiskers until they’re twelve, around when dwarves hit puberty. While still children, they shave their chins until they turn sixteen, when they become adults. Then they shave their sideburns and begin to grow their beards out. Rites of passage and welcome into adulthood are important aspects of dwarven culture; often in smaller towns or areas where an extensive clan lives, a dwarf’s sixteenth birthday is cause enough for an entire festival. Dwarves are stereotyped with a love of alcohol, which comes from the fact that they naturally aren’t as affected by it as other races, in combination with the fact that their mines and forges often taint nearby groundwater, so dwarves often drank alcohol instead.

There are few large dwarven colonies; dwarves, like humans, live in small populations on nearly every inhabited celestial body. Large dwarven settlements include a huge population across Bacilus, many dwarven cities on Wexrit, and a shielded habitat settlement on Unheim that as far as technology goes is the dwarves’ pride and joy.