Bug World IX - Bug Life Edition

>>46159336
How you doing PR?

What do we still have to work on? Termites, butterflies, mantis lore?

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>>46159814
Termites sorely need fleshing out. I remember something about them being mostly blind.

A general idea of average day buglife is needed. I think a writefriend said they were going to post something last thread.

Also - I re-drew the comic I was working on

>>46159867
Lookin good.

Don't have anything for termites off the top of my head but how do you feel about Orchid Mantis living in the jungles and actually embracing their cannibalism?

Something like a mix of Maori and Aztec levels of ritualized combat, cannibalism, and worship?

>>46159939
Entirely possible if the mantis monks would find it hard to reach isolationist tribes far away. That or the orchid mantis simply eat every missionary that attempts to change their culture.

>>46159867
Here's some stuff I came up with reading about them:

>Unlike other Hive bugs which are heavily matriarchal, Termites are govern by both a Queen and a King. However, Termite Queens have the longest lifespans of all bug races. As such, they often outlive their spouses and remarry often. Indeed, some Termite Queens are truly ancient, and the oldest one, Queen Isapt, is even said to have met Khepri himself in her youth.

>>46160330
I like it, the queens in their age would know all kinds of historical information having experienced a lot of it personally but not necessarily remember events in order or relevance due to senility.

>>46160619
If you want to keep it hyper realistic, the longest queens live is 50 years.

>>46160824
I certainly didn't when I made that post: I exaggerated it a whole lot. Hence the 'met Khepri', which I imagine would be quite a lot longer than 50 years. Then again, I believe Bug World years are measured differently than our years, so it could just loop back around to being 50 years anyways.

>>46159867
That looks awesome PR!

>>46160330
I like it. Don't forget Termite Soldiers who would be living cannons. They would likely be supplemented by Termite Warrior reserves, both to protect and guide them

Can someone put that crab fluff I wrote last thread into the doc? I would but I'm on mobile.

>>46161210
Link me to that shit, nigger

>>46161210
I think i did already. The different sub species, right?

>>46161239
I have no idea where it's archived.
>>46161256
Yeah. Ghost crabs, hermit crabs, fiddlers, and those mangrove ones.

>>46161239
>46141357
>46141551
javascript:quote('46142629')

>>46161950
Fug, let me attempt to fix that.
46141357
46141551
46142629
46143816

>I see it now...the stars have aligned and the ritual complete. I had spoken with the Mountain and with Khepri, who told me of ascension, and Hotek, who showed me many paths.
>I have lost my eyes and yet I see all the hidden machinations and invisible toil that this hollow shell of creation sits upon. Five circles of Indomitable chaos, order, time, element, and dream. I thought this plane was the sixth sphere.
>The sixth sphere, the underpinning of creation. The Spire of the universe. Oh how terribly deluded I was, madness and idiocy I took for knowledge poisoning my mind.
>This world is nothing more than a battle ground, the arena in which the forces of the spheres gird against eachother, our wild minds creating gods and demons and Angels and Devils for every rock and broken twig, and endless army for them to use as pawns.
>O' Misery! Cruel Epiphany! But it is us who are the greatest pawns. Tools for which they manipulate and toy, use and abuse. And all the while this sick parody of a plane is torn asunder whilst the spheres attempt to gain supremacy...the future bleeds into the past and the past become our future, the linear path of time made into a horrible circuit. Order and chaos lock their battlefields in abhorrent stagnation and send the world into hideous mutation. The material realm is eroded by the world of dreams and our deepest dreams, fears, and lusts are made manifest.
>This world is not OURS. It is THEIRS. We are but FOOD for their hidden armies.
>I...I...I feel my very binds loosening...the universe rejecting me like a sickness, I am become a cancer...
>I lack the will to ascend through enlightenment, and I have not the will to ascendancy through violence. The shadows stalk me...the animals watch me...the very earth is undone under my feet and the air cuts me like razors..
>I will be undone. I will be torn asunder..

>>46162062
>WILL. Remember this. Do what I cannot. Should you attract the eye of the Other, do not falter. Do not go quietly into that crushing oblivion. Do not let your cowardice envelope you and crush you under its embrace.

>Should you read this...should you know the nature of things...
>You must fight.

>Kill or be killed.

>-Excerpt from the hidden journal of Barnum Türle the Hermit, carved upon his own carapace.

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>>46162129
Mad ramblings of insane bug? Or the objective truth?

That's for you to decide. Have a relevant image

>>46162021
Will three carats fix it?
>>>46141357
>>>46141551
>>>46142629
>>>46143816

>>46162247
it's all good anon, I already got it all in last thread.
For future reference, it's 2 arrows to quote

>>46162306
Looks like you missed the Mangrove Crabs.

>>46162387
Got it now

Anybody here?

>>46163119
I am, but I came so late to these that I'm afraid to try to contribute

>>46163163
Don't be hesitant, if you're concerned give the google doc a read or just throw out ideas

Everyone can contribute

>>46163343
Well, what's something that's lacking, or something that could use lore?

>>46163389
Termites, ants, and matis folk could use some love

>>46163421
*Mantis

>>46163389
At the moment there's a lot of stuff about battles and great figures but not so much about general life which would need fleshing out.

I remember there being a really good post about how the bugs treat infancy and how butterflies never show their children to anyone and scurry them away in shame.

>>46163421
>>46163436
Mantis are monks and priests? I'm assuming you guys were thinking of them as asian-y

>>46163441
Gonna see what I can do. Preference for from a single Bug's point of view? Or a general description of, let's say a branch town or a beetle clan?

>>46163557
I think a Branch Town since it'd have a bunch of different species interacting with one another

>>46163576
You got it friend

>>46163441
>PublicRlations keeps saying something you made is "really good"

This is a good feeling. Though I really hoped others would pitch in as to how other bugs would treat their young as well. I wonder if one of the more belligerent races, like scorpions or beetles, would give them the spartan treatment?

>>46163576
Thoughts?
>>46162062
>>46162129
>>46162231

>>46159867

Writefriend reporting in

An Examination of Dewhall
By Alehano Solar, Temple Priest

Dewhall is a characteristic border town on the edge of the Big Green, a melting pot of culture and peoples. Founded just over a decade ago during The Push, the town serves as a hub for frontiersmen and explorers, while also cultivating the rich land to grow fruits and tend to large herds of domesticated Sugar Aphids bred for eating. The graze lands and fruit fields extend about a mile outside the town. The town's primary exports are berry wine and aphid meat, which they exchange with neighbouring border towns in exchange for other essential supplies, and they also ship them back into the heartlands commercially.

The town itself is centred on Dewhall itself, a great stump excavated and carved by masterful Termite craftsmen. The hall, a single, massive room with doors and pathways leading off into branching corridors and sections carved into the floor, walls, and ceiling, serves as the seat of the local marquis. The Marquis of Dewhall is a neurotic, but good hearted butterfly, named Ico Nohastro, the fourth of his name. He has only recently come into rule, succeeding his father, who financed the expedition to the area years ago. His rulership is just and fair, but lately taxes have been inching higher and higher in light of recent raids from Locust Reavers and Roach Bandits from the hinterlands to the north. The taxes have been being funnelled into financing stronger defences for the town, including the newly erected chitinmold walls encircling the houses and trade bazaars built around Dewhall.

Cont

>>46163879
Pretty dope man. No idea what was going on, but that made it even better
>>46163474
Yeah we've got that, but we need more about their culture. Right now it's just been "They have books, and meditate to suppress the cannibalistic urges

>>46163753
I like the idea of the hive species, mainly bees, children being sent to either live under a "father", who is more of a religious father, if they are male, or kept under the close watch of the queen and princesses if they are female.

>>46163983
The ever-present Alchemists Guild has recently set up a guild mound in Dewhall, lead by the veteran apothecary-chemist Burzat-zo-Burzat, a large horsefly with a large appetite and and even larger hunger for science. The rest of the Guild is composed nearly exclusively of novices, no more than a dozen. They have recently been petitioning Marquis Nohastro for funding, claiming they could help secure the town with their alchemical experiments and weaponry. In just the six short months they have been in town, their guild mound has burned down twice already.

The two main religions tolerated in town are the Golden Mound, practiced by the unfortunate and poorly educated land bugs, and the Temple of Lunara, which is adhered to by we, the glorious chosen people of the moon. There is a small shrine dedicated to the Horn and Shell which often has some stale or lost tribute laid at its rest, though there are few Beetles that pass through this town. Most of the beetles in the border provinces make careers as explorers and adventurers, their natural size and strength allowing them to function as a more mobile baggage carrier than a snail, and their toughness making them formidable opponents in battle, even against the larger monsters in the Big Green. The few beetles that remain in Dewhall are mostly sentinels upon the wall, or patrolling yeomen who keep watch over their adopted household's lands. Many of the beetles have converted to the Golden Mound, away from their mother religion because of economic and geopolitical relevance. There is a mad preacher in town, a shrimp too far from the sea, that screams of the shedding of the world-skin and the coming end times, and he is regularly jailed, or placed in stocks for disturbing the peace.

Cont

>>46163441
>As the sun rises over the forest, the Light falls of the town of Leafdown. The small town is built into the valley between two hills, with a small wooden palisade. On the wall, the lights from torches are extinguished as the weary Beetle, Hornet and the odd Grasshopper stationed as guards prepare to change shifts. Throughout the town, Arthros of all species begin to awake.

>The Lunarian Priest, a wizened old Moth, gets up from his Vigil of the Moon, and prepares to hobble back to the Temple. The Butterfly acolytes in the Temple, which serves all faiths, prepare to make meals for the rest of the clergy and any unfortunate souls down on their luck. Others, such as a mighty Stag Beetle, begin their morning prayers to various deities.

>In homes across the town, families prepare for another day. The fires are stoked, pots put to boil, and young grubs and nymphs start to hunger and pester their parents about it.

>The shopkeepers prepare to open their businesses, with a few Fly alchenists preparing their wares, Roaches frantically sweeping up their shops, and two Grasshoppers firing up the forges.

> Down by the river, the resident Leech and Crab couple prepares for their day, with the Leech preparing her herbs and poultices for the day, while the Crab, a Fiddler, starts to tune his fiddle.

>>Cont'd

>>46163994
Would mantis keep their method of reproduction? Its pretty strange for civilized bugs

>>46163879
Well i'm putting it in the doc so its pretty good.

Its rambling to suggest how mental they can go with mad desperation to explain things they don't have words for.

>>46164107
I feel as though they would have suppressed that as well, with the rare occurrence of "marital death" would be severely punished, possibly with a banishment.

>>46164054

The three economic pillars of Dewhall are the industries of: aphid breeding, berry growing, and security. Everything in town exists to supplement and make money off of these industries and the people that perpetuate them. The aphid breeders make the smallest demographic of the big three, but still outnumber all of the professional craftsmen in town combined. Salt miners just to the south of town provide much needed preservative for shipping the dried meats between towns. Spice traders from distant lands have made permanent shops in the bazaar, each peddling raw spice and cooked aphid seasoned with their cultural herbs, providing a great variety in flavours, despite all being founded on the staple of aphid meat. The Alchemist's Guild is working on a brew to accelerate aphid growth.

The berry growers, who tend to the massive fruits that grow, are careful to guard their crops from the aphids, who are mostly bred free range. Most of their job consists of checking the freshness of the fruit, which is whittled away in slices because of its mass, rather than plucked from the stem. The berries are nearly the size of a house-mound, and a berry tending family only needs a single berry to thrive to count it as a successful season. Most berries find themselves eaten by stray aphids, stolen away by bandits in the night, or munched on by wild creatures. Adventurers often lend aid in hunting down the root cause of defiled berries. In town, wine makers and dessert cooks are the most interested in the raw berry meat. Whereas a slice of berry the size of a plate might sell for a few copper pieces, a slice of berry cooked and spiced and served with iced honeydew will sell for nearly a dozen. Wine makers purchase wholesale, or own their own vines, the produce of which they distill into sweet wines, mixed with honeydew and spices.

Cont

>>46164107
To be fair mantis rarely eat each other in the wild. The myth comes from a researcher who shoved two starving mantis into a cage together. Cannibalism is relatively rare with Mantis species

>>46164176

The security forces, the town guard, mercenary companies, and adventurers form the third pillar of the economy. Much of the wares peddled in town are to attract adventurers and brave insects to deal with Dewhall's problems so the townsfolk and landowners can get on with their simple, content lives in relative peace. There are three smiths in town, and while the majority of their work is towards creating tools and implements for the other craftsfolk and doing elaborate metalwork commissions for the Marquise, their largest source of income is certainly adventurers and mercenaries, who are often commissioning replacement arms and armour. They mostly work with rudimentary irons and bronze, and while the local smiths work fast and to order, their work is paled in comparison to the Cricket Steel imported by savvy caravaners, who also employ mercenaries and adventurers. The town's location on the edge of the Big Green makes it a profitable place for adventurer's to travel to and rest their head on their time off of expeditions for ruins and treasure in the great and dangerous grasslands.

Cont

>>46164184
Wow, you learn something everyday. Kinda disappointing that that kinda thing is a myth...

Just to clarify, by "cannibalism", I mean the eating of any other bug, not just each other.

>>46164184
About a quarter of male and female intercourse ends in cannibalism in the wild

>>46164199

There are several large tavern-mounds, and even one that is prestigious enough to be within the Dewhall stump itself. They make their income off of selling individual servings of berry wine and in-house prepared food using local and imported produce, sometimes spiced if they are cheap enough for the tavern owner to consider purchasing them at market. They make most of their income through selling beds. The taverns outside the Dewhall sell cheap stays in communal nesting rooms, tunnelled spherical rooms that offshoot from the main hall, where it is guaranteed to be warm and secure from outside forces, but it is up to the purchaser to find somewhere to lay his head amongst the dozens of other insects in the chamber. There may be a small fire in an alcove in the room, but it is more likely that the room is heated geothermally. The prestigious "Stag's Pride," inside the Dewhall has individual rooms and serves exquisite meals, and is composed mostly of the same staff of the Marquis' own cooks. The Marquis owns the Stag's Pride, but the innkeeper is well treated and paid, and mostly runs the affairs without the Marquis' meddling and keeps a large sum of the profit. That means the Stag's Pride is straight laced and doesn't allow any funny business, and has loyalty directly to the well being of the town, so rabble rousing adventurers are not tolerated, and will often be turned in directly to the palace guard, a few of whom are actually stationed within the bar itself.

Cont

>>46163994
>we need more about their culture.
Well I remember writing something a few threads back that expanded on their lifestyle. Essentially, they live in small towns. Once these towns become crowded, some mantis feel compelled to leave, and so they travel until they're suitably far away from other settlements, and build a new town. It wasn't much, though.

>>46164139
I agree, the mantis is very much about suppressing their instincts. But I'm sure "marital death" is a taboo kink in Bug World

>>46164224

The other security forces such as the Town Guard and Palace Guard, are hired directly by the Marquis, rather than drawn to the town by its promise of fortune like adventurers are. Their duty is to uphold the law of the Marquis first and foremost, and of the empire at large as a secondary duty. Many laws that make sense in the inner empire are simply unwarranted or cumbersome in the border provinces. For example, many towns in the inner kingdoms are prosperous and large enough to have dungeons for imprisoning prisoners of war or criminals awaiting trial. In the border marches, such dungeons are nearly unheard of, with the guardhouse having maybe one or two holding cells, mostly reserved for political prisoners. This means that justice is swift and done with once its sentence is served. Thieves will have a hand removed, con men, their tongue. Murderers are hanged and divided into thorax head and abdomen before being mounted on the walls as a warning to other law breakers. This also means that many things that don't warrant such a punishment aren't even considered crimes worth the time of the Guard, and the townsfolk must deal with such petty disputes amongst themselves, creating yet another source of income for adventurers who simply don't have a weta in the race of local politics.

Cont

>>46159336
Do bees and ants forage by themselves or do they incorporate trade into their agriculture

>>46164270

The mercenary companies and adventurers are often indistinguishable visually and functionally, the only difference being the size of the group. Once a group becomes large enough, it is taxed as an entity by the Marquis, but additionally is often offered exclusive contracts straight from Ico Nohastro or his advisers, generally rendering the taxation less trouble than it would seem, since the amount owed is often earned back many times over by the lucrative and dangerous jobs given to them that is outside the Town or Palace Guard's jurisdiction and outside a mere adventuring party's capabilities. This includes jobs such as hunting down monsters larger than a Thornback, such as the River Dragons to the south and east, or a Basilisk that has come too close to the town for comfort from the Big Green.

Most of the townsfolk within the town are craftspeople who simply work their trade or maintain their shop, which is often the front room of their residence mound. They wake up at sunrise, go to bed at sun down, and work during the day at various levels of industriousness. Noon time is often something of a siesta, where the workers will venture to the bazaar for food if they can afford it and haven't prepared something themselves. Caravaners and adventurers have a good deal going on and can often be found hand in hand and exchanging protection for goods.

>>46164069
>As the sun continues its march across the sky, Leafdown only gets busier. The town council, including Ant, Bee and Termite representatives, headed by the Hornet known as Horan Greywing, meets and prepares to discuss and vote on matters concerning the town.

>Travellers, including the odd adventuring group, stop by the shops for supplies or Myra's riverside den for patching up. Or they stop at the Spinning Leaf Inn, owned by an old Mantis, Kren'thak, who likes his tea and talk with his patrons, for rest and a hot meal.

>At this time, once a week, the caravans roll into the town. The first is pulled by large Snail mounts, herded by Ants riding Wetas. This caravan is from Queen Uza's colony. It is well stocked with honeydew and aphid meat. Another, not far behind, is also pulled by snails, and is guarded by Termites. The guard includes two fearsome looking Termite Soldiers, from Ferngrowth Mound. This caravan's wagons are full of fungus flour, grass seed beer, and Termite saliva, which is a potent glue. The last caravan is from Goddess-Queen Radia's Hive. The Bees fly in carrying containers full of pollen, honey, Mead and beeswax, all valuable trade goods.

>The caravans of the Termites and Ants pass through fields tended by farmers of all species, growing and harvesting things like berries and raising Snails, which are traded or sold to the Caravans.

>Cont'd

>>46164123
>>46163994
The thought is that you take a wrong intellectual turn and suddenly you find yourself on the wrong end of the CHIM stick and things get Lovecraftian real quick.

Then again if you're a Bad Enough Dude you go head first into Kill Six Billion Demons territory wielding the right end of the CHIM stick.

Epic level bug world campaigns are basically vedic sagas, while low level ones are Call of Cthulu and WHFBRPG

>>46164320
I'd imagine they'd incorporate trade, if only for rare materials or resources that are uncommon in their local areas. Otherwise they'd largely be self-sustaining.

Do we have any stories about our crustacean pals? I know we have some info about Blackfeeler and different crab species, but do we have any narratives?

Hermit crab wizards a best.

>>46163983
>>46164054
>>46164176
>>46164199
>>46164224
>>46164270
>>46164324

Yooooo this is fucking fantastic dude! This is exactly what I was imagining with a bug city that wasn't dominated by one species. I especially love the naming of the various "higher ups", and it really shows how brutal bugworld can be

>>46164387
We don't have any stories about anyone other than Blackfeeler and the king of the lobsters right now.

>>46164418
What crustacean races are there? Craps, Lobster and Shrimp?

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>>46164448
>craps own the largest casinos in the world

Just kidding.

>>46164448
Yup. We also have a small population of Craw-fish that live underwater permanently. I think shrimp need the most love.

>>46164349
>As the sun grows closer to its rest for the night, shadows play across the rooftops and the Stone spire that marks the Town Hall. Young Arthros scamper back to their parents to eat dinner and talk about their "adventures" with their friends. Games like Hidey Hole and Slay the Dragon are embellished and laughed about.

>Shops begin to close, with Amber chips being counted up and stored away safely. The Spinning Leaf's patrons are served dinner, and treated to lengthy debates on philosophy. Myra and her husband clean up the den and tend to any injured or I'll who need to stay over night.

>Guards finish their last patrols of the day, and the night guards prepare for their shift on the Wall amd in the streets. The farmhamds put the livestock are put away, the Arthros prepare for another night's sleep, and the sun sets. The next day, the hustle and bustle repeasts again.

How about having Archer Fish as sharks?

>>46164225
The more I read about these mantis, the more they seem like they would be sort of the Mendicant orders of this world, vowing poverty and suppressing their worldly urges, while going out and trying to improve their world, when not in the monasteries

>>46164576
what about the Mudskippers or Climbing Gourami

>Life in the hive is simple, you're born to serve. And you'll serve until you die. Everyday is the same. Wake up. Work. Eat . Sleep. There's the occasional scrap outside the hive gates it's good fun to join a fight. Hell of a distraction from the drab repetition. It's no wonder people run off for their own advances, those are just the thoughts of a lowly ant though.

>>46164630
Nothing says there can be just one species.
Giant plankton as regular fish fished by fisherbugs? Mixed in with regular fish like trouts and salmon: yay or nay?

>>46164656
There's gotta be some color in an ants life.

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>>46164690
Mudskippers would be fucked for everyone else, since they can go on land

>>46164698
>While the life of the drone is bleak, nothing keeps them in the hive other than obligation to the queen. Due to all males being raised by certified "fathers", many find it hard to leave of their own free will.
>The females almost never leave, due to living in the lap of luxury with the Queen. All females born to her are deemed princesses, and are to be treated as such

>>46164605
I like that. Traveling around the world, preaching inner peace and harmony.

>>46164757
Sports would be popular, I think. Something like rugby or caber tossing. Betting would also be popular, too

>>46164656
Well, ants from the Jack Jumper colony are notoriously independent, and while they while they still work for the benefit of the colony and the queen, unlike every other colonies they do it as loners, eschewing teamwork and foraging on their own. They usually compensate with advanced knowledge of poisons. So while they have a higher number of workers and soldiers striking out on their own in the world then other colonies, those usually end up finding work as assassins.

>>46164732
Like land sharks!
Makes for good guard beasts for Mer bugs, or good starter kill quests for novice adventurers.

>>46164698
I imagine ant kingdoms being a bleak socialist empire. You do every job from guardsman to waste disposal not much to look up to except maybe a chance out of the hive or the thrill of the fight. Just my ramblings mind you.

>>46164539
Crawfish were amphibious living in swamps closely tied to the Leeches Healing Mansions and Toad herds

>>46165056

The Craw live in and around the Nineteen River Cities, each one effectively a city state. They function outside of the jurisdiction of any other empire, mostly because the danger of the swamps and bayous makes any enforcement of imperial laws impossible, or at the very least, not worthwhile. The River Citites are autonomous, and frequently have petty wars with one another, but all of them rely on escorting travellers as their economy, so ferrymen and caravans are given total diplomatic immunity during these times of war, because were the River Cities to develop a reputation for endangering travellers, the adventurers, settlers, and caravans that journey through their lands would simply go around, or worse yet, invade.

The Craw are known for their hospitality and warmth, but below the surface, both literally and figuratively, they are cut throat businessmen and entrepreneurs, and have a rigid honour culture that demands certain ways of acting. It is better for a Craw to die than to be dishonoured.

>>46165166

For the Craw people, I'm really thinking Antebellum South plus Renessaince Italy. Plus special bug culture things to make it completely stand out on its own legs.

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>>46164778
The one anon said they live in self regulated small towns, maybe they could be monastery villages? The monks run gardens, plan civic projects, maintain infrastructure and create intricate works, and tend to their business, while the town surrounding it do more brute labor, like building and such. The monestaries could also be sturdy fucking fortresses where the village can rather than fight

>>46165274
>special bug culture
What kind of unique behaviors do crawfish display in real life?

>>46165505
Being fucking delicious.

>>46165274
I think being Antebellum South plus Renaissance Italy is a "special bug culture"
Plus we have the yearly crawfish hunt, to keep their lands safe

>>46165317
That's a great idea. I'm picturing the Grand Library of the Mantis being high in the mountains, like a Tibetan Monastery

>>46165541
Crawfish meat is a black market delicacy

>>46165638
I'd have them be books rather than scrolls. I'm picturing these guys as a three way between Christian Friars, Nestorians, and Tibetan monks

>>46165686
Yes, books seems better. Never liked scrolls really, they don't like to stay open.
Also
>The art of booking binding has been practiced by the mantis scholars since before anyone can remember
>Few can craft a cover so beautiful, yet sturdy, to a book like the mantis can
>From a young age, many find studying this art helps to repress the urges, even more so than meditation

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>>46165887
Illuminated manuscripts really are quite badass

>>46165950
>Many a Mantis who choose to leave the life of seclusion can find a well paying job in the sale of beautifully woven tapestries, much to the chagrin of the Spiders
>This is mainly due to the slight mistrust of Spiders still present in most Bug-Folk
>Almost all Spiders are capable of crafting tapestries far greater than those of the Mantises, but social stigma keeps sales low

>>46165950
Some mantis choose to study within hornet bookmaking guilds to bring back new techniques mastered there

>>46166445
>The hornets prize their papercraft above almost all other aspects of their creative culture, so to gain entrance to the guild as an outsider requires some great show of devotion to the art

>>46166445
Not to mention a lot of resources such as berry-ink to color and write with.

>>46165638
>>46165317
Didn't we have Pseudoscorpion scholars working claw in claw with the Mantis Monks tending to their libraries?

>>46166703
Yes, the tiny Pseudoscorpions tend to the books in the libraries

>>46166780
Pseudoscorpion bookies working for Roach Crime families, pseudoscorpion stenographers in every royal court and townhall, pseudoscorpion wizards teaching at the Magic academies, pseudoscorpion diplomats acting as neutral negotiators between angry factions or tribes, pseudoscorpion teachers tending to classes of young grubs and nymphs of all species.

Pseudoscorpions being giant bespectacled nerds basically

Don't know what bug culture could have this but I feel it's unique enough to have.

>The [bugs] of [place] have a strange and fatalistic religion. Their kings are seen as harbingers of holy war and the direct mouth pieces of their gods. The only way for one to ascend to the throne, however, is by the slaying of the previous king and claiming the throne for themselves. This had been a cycle for hundreds of years, and many a great War had been waged over who would commit regicide first, and who would remain to keep the crown.
>From a religious standpoint the killing of the king was necessary as the royal blood weakened the binds of their demon lord and brought them one step closer to an Apocalypse where they would be able to bring wanton destruction alongside their master.
>This would all come to change with the arrival of missionaries from across the land, bringing a message of peace and serenity. These missionaries where of course, slain posthaste, but not before their message took root in the minds of those peasantry that was often preyed upon by the warrior caste and nobility.
>Eventually a peasant uprising occurred and the farmers and tradesmen, backed by the guilds, sieged the royal palace.

>>46166780
I figure whenever they do trade with large settlements, they give much value to both their tomes, and ones they could potentially get, trading theirs for goods and their goods for books

>>46166883
I like it. They are an essential part of any town larger than a village, as record keepers and clerks.

>>46166992
>There was much bloodshed but eventually a blacksmith, his name lost to history, reached the throne room. Loath to continue the cycle of regicide and holy bloodshed used to hasten the end times the smithy performed an action reserved for humiliation and Capitol punishment; he used his hammer to maim the king, robbing him of his limbs and honor, a fate equivalent to death.
>Legally the Smithy had won the crown and became the new sovereign. Eventually the kingdom's cult evolved into a preventative order, made to prevent total Armageddon. They accomplish this by preventing any death at all. When in combat maiming and permanent disablement are the only options when facing an enemy. When one attempts to take the crown they must not kill the king, but rob him of his limbs as their forefathers had.

>>46166703
While certainly included I think maybe something a bit off with the name 'pseudoscorpion'

Might a name used by others more frequently fit?

I'll do a write up of the Nineteen River Cities at work tonight

>>46167448

Pseudo scorpions are also called book scorpions.

If that's not fitting, I don't know what is.

>>46167005
Some of the rare braver pseudoscorpions will actually go out into the world in search of esoteric knowledge, prefering to be the author rather than a librarian. These pseudoscorpions will join mercenary or adventurer groups providing several much needed skills to aid their companions. Whether it be offering knowledge of strange lands or lending whatever spells they may have learned at spell academy or translating the ancient languages in old ruins

>>46167448
I'm kinda drawing a blank

>>46167026
>>46166992
Any ideas where this might fit? If it does at all?

>>46167623
It's really interesting, but i'm drawing a blank. Maybe some lost Beetle tribe in a far off land?

>>46167675
>>46167623
It's a really neat story though Arbite
left my name off

>>46167623
New subspecies?

>>46165887
And they are bros with the pseudoscorpion librarians, who were originally their prey?

>>46167830
I would think that pseudoscorpions might've helped them in the early days of the first mantis monastery, maybe even helping them with meditation and philosophy.

>>46167830
I could see them more as the first who saw the Mantises as not pure menaces, so the Mantises tried to better assimilate.

>>46167958
>>46167986
My idea was more around the pseudoscorpions having started the Mantis' modern scholary culture by forgiving the Mantis', and they being best of bros ever since.

>>46167958
>>46168012

Yeah, this is what i'm thinking.

SHIT I just realized that we have no name for the first Mantis to introduce the meditation philosophy. I could have sworn I saw something in a past thread, but it's not in the doc anywhere

>>46168091
We could start a github project and use its wiki, or get some dokuwiki. It isn't hard to set up.

>>46168299
Do we even have a setting name beyond fucking Bug World?

>>46168332
We voted on Arthroterra I think

>>46168370
No seriously what's the setting name

>>46168299
That might be a good idea, easier to access and work with that a google doc

>>46168332
>>46168370
We never decided on a name other than BugWorld, but Arthroterra is a good sounding name

>>46168408
Arthroterra, I'm serious

Real life getting in the way, but slowly working on 5e conversion for races. Ill be posting by the end of the week with what i have so far.

>>46168429
Thanks anon

>>46168299
>>46168332
Edition should be public, https://github.com/BugDude/Bugs/wiki

>>46168409
>>46168423
>Arthoterra
>Literally bug/joint world

I'm feeling pretty tired guys, I think I'm going to turn in and play some Dragon Age in the land of Cliche'ia. Oh! Or maybe Elder Scrolls in the strange world of Papyrosterra. Maybe some Fallout in the blasted landscape of Apocalyptia. Then again I might have enough energy to play some DnD in that new 5e splat set in Vampirelandia.

Not to be a dick but that's as subtle as a gay pride parade.

We can do better.

A name wasn't really settled upon. To be honest BugWorld is just the stand in association name.

A brainstormed list of potential names might be required

>>46168543
I'm for this. I'll try to think up some names overnight
>>46168530
I'm out for the night as well. I also might try writing a thing.

>>46168091
I called it the Learning. The logic being that it's about self-discovery, the goal being to aknowledge and know one's instinctual urges, rather than try to control them.

In my mind, followers, or adepts, don't have a specific title other than the Master, who is one who has taken it upon himself to selflessly guide others in their quest for self-discovery.

>>46168530
That much salt is bad for the body, anon.

I was just repeating what I saw in an earlier thread, calm down duder. It's not the best name true but you dang, that really hurt my feelings

>>46168595
The Learning started and stayed a Mantis and Pseudoscorpion dominated practice for several generations. Then with the teachings and eventual assassination of Brieta the Wise many spiders found their way to the Monasteries, seeking wisdom and peace to sate the hunger and fury ignited within them at the death of their messiah

>>46168595
No, not the name of the practice, but the name for the first one to begin the practice.

The Learning is a great name though. And I do like what you have there, so I guess we don't need a name for the "first", he/she can just be called The Master

>>46168686
It sounds fitting to me. I feel like Masters would eschew personal fame, perhaps not as a matter of philosophy. Humility may simply be tradition at this point, as the first Master would do.

>>46168775
>The first to begin Learning chose no titles, for choosing a title is hedonistic
>They did not allow their names to be recorded, lest they be worshiped
>Only to their pupils did they allow conversation
>Out of respect, they were named Master by the pupils
>The naming convention never left, with the shunning of speaking ones name following suit

>>46168469
So is that just a wiki? Or a community page? I've never used github before

>>46168891
That's a wiki. You need a github account to edit it, but that's all.
Right now I am seeing if I can upload a wiki to github's file hosting, but sadly it only accepts html files so php (AKA Anything complex, like wikis) is kinda out of the question.

>>46168859
This sounds perfect, though in my story the Master used his own name, even demanding it be used by non-pupils. The non-recorded name part is the important bit, to me. But if it were better for Masters to be nameless, then I will agree.

>>46168988
Why did the first Master demand use of his name in your story? That might prove to be more interesting than "we're all nameless"

>>46169017
Well, it's almost how you said here >>46168859, 'Master' is how the pupils refer to their teachers, for they are much more knowledgeable of their instincts than they are of their own. It's essentially a meaningless title to someone who seeks no such knowledge, Masters understand this, and would be embarrassed for strange protocols to get in the way of a more relaxed conversation.

>>46169081
Ah ok, so the first Master wanted to be called by his name because he did not want to be a "Master" to the students, as he wanted to be equal with them?

>>46169131
You misunderstood. The first Master claimed no title, but he was called so by his pupils, because they understood he had masterful knowledge of himself. Someone who is not interested in the Learning shouldn't be forced to consider them Masters, and so they would prefer their name to be used by them instead. If you want them to guide you in your Learning, they're your Master. If you just want to ask them for directions, or ask about the weather, or have dinner with them, they'd much rather you used their names.

Again, it's a convention, rather than a written rule. They just find it strange, if you're not their pupil, that you think them Masters. If they wanted to learn to swordfight, their teacher would be the Master instead.

>>46169291
Ah ok ok, I think I misread one of your posts. I really like that though, it's some excellent fluff for the Mantis and the Learning. Try to find a way to put that into a form that you can put into the doc for PR to see if you can

I'm actually off now though, night all

>>46169291
I like this. It is very elegant and a really unique way for the Mantises to think about things. Great work anon!

And now, because I live in burgerland, I going to bed. Good night all!

What did we call the chickens that roamed the Big Green?

>>46171115

Basilisks, because their gaze is petrifying, either magically or just because it's a giant goddamn soulless eyed monster.

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I made a thing. My art fu is weak but I can try.

It's just a tanky looking rhino beetle

>>46171938
OOOOHHHHHHHHH SHIT BIIITCH WE GETTING ELDER SCROLLSY UP IN THIS BITCH

>>46171938
Noice

>>46159336
This is my first time seeing this and I just want to let you guys know that this is one of the coolest fucking ideas. In my 5e d&d game I was going to create a kingdom of different ant (Thri-Kreen) species but I think this idea is way better. I look forward to seeing where this goes!

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>>46171998

Moth sorcerer-warrior

Pens are hard

>>46172241
Not pictured: the seven hours of ritual and invocation it took for the moth to prepare his glowy hands spell

>>46169476
There, I've replaced the original text for the mantis with what has been established, if I missed anything, let me know.

And now, since I'm inspired with mantises, a tale.

>I found him after 14 months of traveling and searching, in the hollow trunk of a fallen tree. He looked frail, one of his claws was missing, and the luster on his cracked chitin had faded out completely. Would you believe me if I told you he almost killed me when he saw me, even in that pitiful state? He's every bit as deadly as I remember him, my Master Anhu. He did welcome me once he'd recognized me, and apologized profusely.

>"I'm sorry", he said, "I thought you were him".

>"Master...", I began, but he cut me off;

>"No! I am... I am Master no more."

>It took a bit of convincing (and some bribing, berry wine was most effective), but he told me everything that he remembered eventually. Back then, the events had been confusing, but I learned much from his tale::

>"It's funny. We Masters were always warned of the dangers of attaching oneself to one's pupils. 'Hubris', they'd say, 'is to believe the pupil to be more important than their Learning'. Well, they were right, they were, and all Masters would eventually find themselves having to pacify a would-be student, taken by their instincts, wondering what went wrong. But they never did warn me of...

>Cont.

>>46172657
>Well, while you, Ai'inu, were still my pupil, I had many more, as all Masters do. But the Learning is not so only for the novice but also for their Master as well, who must learn from them so as to guide them better. But I failed N'hari in this. I did not know him at all, and if I had... N'hari, he was like you, a most wonderful pupil, eager, but patient, obedient, but willful. If I had reached further from this, I could have seen he was not eager, he coveted. He was not obedient, he was deceitful. He Learned of himself, and acknowledged himself, and what he saw, it was unspeakable. At the stage of the embracing of one's instincts, he emerged unscathed, but I should have known...

>He learned all there was to learn. He knew all that was worth knowing. And once our wisdom had been consumed, and our might had been mastered, he hungered for more, and more than just wisdom, more than just might. Power, is what he sought. This hunger, it was not primal, it was not the instinct we fear. It was my own, fatal mistake, which guided him to his coveting, to his cruelty.

>I couldn't stop him that night when he maimed the other masters, when he stole the texts of the first master. I protected you and some of the others, and for this he took my hand, but I know how close we all were to be finished then. I know how much my mistake cost us. You came back to me, and for this I know he still roams, and he still hungers, and he still covets. I sought to make myself stronger, but I've only grown frail, so I beg you, hunt for N'hari, stop him, kill him, you must, I beg you, I beg you!"

>Cont.

>>46172676
>>46172676
>After that, he was feverish and close to collapse. Calming him down was not easy (berry wine was once more, extremely helpful), but we both knew he was at his wit's end. I stayed with him for a week, but there was not much I could do for him, his body had given up on him, but I'm glad he passed in his sleep, at least. My journey was long, but now I know it is far from over. I'm sorry that I will be away from home for much longer, but the Hunt must begin, for N'hari poses great danger. I am sorry, my love, I promise to you my safe return, but I know not when. Tell the others, I beg for their aid, but I do not rely on it. If you have begun to believe in a god in my absence, pray to him.

>Master Ai'inu's last letter to her family

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"Git off yer arses, ye' overgrown grubs!" the Captain shouted as she strode into the barracks of the Spearbough Riders, quickly followed by a flurry of movement. Soldiers jumped from their previous distractions to stand at attention by their bunks or hammocks.

The war-scarred scarab marches past her soldiers, her three remaining arms clasped behind her as she inspects them silently. The Spearbough Riders were a ragtag bunch of grizzled warriors of various races mostly comprised of beetle and grasshopper lancers yet included several spider lassoers, a trio of locust sibling berkerkers, even a handful of moth battle-mages. This wasn't including the group of Unhived riflers, ants who became independent mercenaries after their Hive had been lost to a fungal plague.

Captain Unpo was a veteran of a long life living on and surviving the Big Green, her carapace and chitinmold armor both scarred and rough with age. She wasn't one for unnecessary flash or decoration having been raised on a simple Aphid Ranch. Yet her tortoise shell shield and cricket steel lance were her pride and joy, polished to a bright shine. Captain Unpo whirls around to face the company of weta-riders staring straight ahead as they await her commands. Clicking her mandibles the dun colored beetle barks out, "Alrigh', we got tha watchtowers reportin' some bad news, grubs. Seems tha Locust Reavers we drove off las' week weren' too happy about it, eh? Watchtowers are in a panic, sayin' the Reavers are usin' flames to drive a whole flock o' Basilisks our way," this caused hushed whispering to break out in alarm.

Unpo let's out a short bark of a shout and the gathered soldiers go quiet and she continues, "Now we know what we're goin' to do, righ'?" She pauses, glancing around the room, "We're goin' to mount up and ride to meet them scum and their feathery devils!" she stamps her foot, her soldiers standing rigid at attention, "Who are we?!" she shouts

>cont

>>46172800
"We are the Spearbough Riders!" the all shout as one.

"These hungry basterds think they can run us over an' eat us outta home an' hearth! Not on our watch!" she thumps her remaining left hand against her armored chest, "We are the Riders! Our lances, rifles an' shields will rout these ruffians an' their beasts! Spearbough is our home an' I'll be a dung-roller before I let them harm it!"

Her soldiers shouted in agreement, stamping their feet and clacking mandibles. Captain Unpo speaks out once more, "Armor up an' ride out! Harrying formations, this isn' the first time we've had to fight those feathered demons!" she shouts and marches past her soldiers hurrying to armor themselves the pass by the armory for their weapons.

It takes hardly fifteen minutes before the Spearbough Riders are riding out from their stables. Wetas hopping and dashing forward with Captain Muic on her piebald spiny weta she called simply Kicker, her gleaming lance held high at the front of the Riders.

Spearbough was an old tilted Greattree, it's trunk shattered by an ancient and ferocious lightning strike and worn with age. Tilted toward the center of the Big Green it resembled a jagged spear guarding against the wilds of the vast plains. Scaffold buildings hung from the leaning trunk, spiders and flying residents making their homes far above the bustling trade-town that spread out around the roots.

>cont

>>46172831
The main road was cleared as the Spearbough Riders rode forth, the citizens waving and shouting encouragements or standing patiently aside waiting to resume their errands. Young grasshopper nymphs and spiderlings carrying peeping frogs chase after them shouting and cheering for their local heroes. Several of the soldiers waved to the crowds as they passed, one young grasshopper lancer trying to hide his face from a female grasshopper glaring at him from the crowd. The pair of ant riflers riding on his weta behind him goad and tease about his latest tryst that ended up with him suffering a cracked exoskeleton only nights before.

The main gates of the stone wall that wound around the town creak open at their approach. Unpo salutes the cannoneer crews manning the walls as they pass through, the gates sealing shut once the last of them made it through. The Big Green stretched out before them and the Spearbough Riders could already see the pillars of black smoke and dust rising on the horizon.

The captain dons her helmet of burnished bronze and barks her orders, the soldiers separating into their groups each of them with their own important task and mission. They'd planned for events like this and they knew their parts. Lancers rode their weta mounts, shields and lances held ready, each accompanied either by a pair of Ants armed with rifles and grenades or one of their few battle-mages.

The Spearbough Riders rode toward the oncoming raiders and monstrous denizens of the plains. They had fought many times to defend their homes and loved ones and today was no different. They were the Spearbough Riders and they would defend their home until the very last of them drew their very last breath.

>>46172800
>>46172831
>>46172845
That's amazing, anon.

>>46172907
thx anon

Journal of Phoros the Dragoon

Entry 1
I have been called many things, but the most common are Phoros the Failure, or the first of the Frog Dragoons. My clan had already been taming frogs to protect our young from marauding Ants,mindless drones, love our eggs. The frogs serve as early guardian against them, they will eat some invaders and croak to alert the parents and other guardians. Generally the frogs and Goliath are bonded right after we hatch. The frogling then marches to the hatchling and stands over them. They protect us while we are young, and in turn we protect them when we grow larger then them. My own bonding was almost a catastrophe, no frogling marched to me, an event that happened only once a decade ago. After an hour of waiting and no froglings hopping at me, an ancient frog jumped to my parents and motioned them to follow Him. He lead my parents through the thickets of the jungle, he lead us to the largest lake of the land, and there was a Clan of frogs, larger then any my forefathers have seen. The Frog croaked and one of those Giants dove into the lake and brought one frogling. My Parents said that both of use squecked at the time. All I remember is looking into the eyes of my oldest friend, Ambrose. I was the first bonded with the Giants, now they send us one of their young each Hatching Ceremony.

>>46173137
An idea I have it will describe average spider life before, during and after unification

Ideas.

>The world is slowly falling apart Mages aren't dying like they used to be.

>Magic slowly kills you

>There's Not!Lyrium

>The Geckos have gained sentience.

>There is a sickness that strips men of their decent insect nature and makes them less than skittering beasts

>Divine Will to Live is the strongest thing in the universe. If you want it hard enough you can achieve it.

>Badassery is like the one thing that will grant you success upon the universal scale.

>The poles are just floating chunks of ice

>There's sections of floating land everywhere like Zendikar

>Babies are cute Lil grubs

>The more you know about the universe the more deadly you become

>Sword Logic and Killing Logic are in full effect on the cosmic scale

>The stars are breaches in reality where beings infiltrate our world. The bands of the galaxy that can be seen in the night sky are the spheres tearing their way into our reality.

>The spheres are worlds, much like ours, that have evolved into a single conceptual Singularity. We exist because their universes where on a collision course and that conflict is the foundation of creation.

>There is no creator god. Gods are simply tulpas and Angels are their tulpas.

>Arbites finishes his fucking story or helps fluff one of his thousand projects he has a hand in

>>46173941
>>The more you know about the universe the more deadly you become

I actually like that part.

>>46173941
>Babies are cute Lil grubs
This would be a cute idea for some species, but I actually think we have butterflies (and maybe one other species) HATING the baby stage of their children. They keep their children hidden away until they blossom into butterflies.

>There is a sickness that strips men of their decent insect nature and makes them less than skittering beasts
This sounds super awesome though. An off shoot of the cordyceps maybe?

>Arbites finishes his fucking story or helps fluff one of his thousand projects he has a hand in
Do not bully the Arbites, he's working hard

>>46172193
Glad you like it anon! Feel free to contribute any ideas you have, and look through the google doc

>>46175873
>There is a sickness that strips men of their decent insect nature and makes them less than skittering beasts

I agree MapAnon. It could be a symptom of Cordeceps infection, and depending on the individual, the infection could go one of two ways.

>One: Quick Infection
The infected individual is quickly overcome by the invading fungus, over the course of a few days to a week. As the infection progresses, the Mold gains more power over the host. The host's mind is slowly consumed, until a slavering beast is left behind. Like the Flood from Halo

>Two: Infection takes hold of the mind
In some infected individuals, the infection cannot, or will not outwardly change or consume them. Rather, the infection attacks their mind. The infected slowly starts to believe that the Mild is correct, that the whispers of power and promises of wealth are worth spreading the disease throughout the town. Entire Hives and towns have been consumed this way.

>>46176103
I really like the differing types of infection, but what would cause one or the other to occur? Is it merely chance, like how some humans immune to certain diseases?

>>46176850
It would depend on how useful the infected individual would be to the Mold. The infection would start invading the brain early on. At that point, the infection would try to rifle through the memories of the host, with the Mold determining how well suited the individual would be in what role.

Individuals in positions of authority would be more likely to become willing servants.

When armies have marched against towns infested with Cordeceps infection, reports of Arthros horribly mutated into twisted forms have been sent back to commanders. This gives me an idea for some writing.

>>46176850
Perhaps the ones with 'weak' immune system would succumb to the quick infection, which is the hardest to cure (since it attacks real hard and fast) - while the stronger immune system would be more likely to resist and the mold has to switch to the slow infection. But as a result, the slow infection is easier to be cured. There is a very small chance that some bug has immunity to the mold, whether through naturally fierce immune system or natural magical defenses.

Thus, usually Cordyc outbreaks take quite some time to be fully exterminated - first they have to kill and burn the quick infected, then a year or five of closely-monitored quarantine and decontamination.

Can cordyceps spread underwater?

>>46177689
I doubt that them would be able to spread underwater, unless an infected bug got into an underwater city, which had pockets/sections if air

>>46176850
>>46177381
>>46177418

>Today our Battalion reached the infested town, formerly known as Carix Cross. It used to be a trade hub for goods for the Big Green heading towards the inner territories. This is how the infestation likely arrived.

>Our Battalion is a joint army group. The Bee Hives, Butterfly Mages, Beetle Clans, Scorpion Empire, Ant Colonies, and the Lunarian Priesthood have all contributed supplies and troops for this. The Cricket Forges have even provided each front line warrior with a Cricketsteel shield. Perhaps 100 or so such shields were donated for this campaign.

>Our Commander is a veteran Beetle Clan Lord, named Corenthia Greenspring, of the Greenspring Clan. Some of the Beetle Warriors have told us that she is a veteran of more than one campaign against the damned Cordeceps.

>Tomorrow we should arrive and we will begin to prepare for the attack.

>Excerpt from Vurn the Ant, of Drax Colony

>>46177689
>>46177796
After reading on Wikipedia, it seems that ingestion or inhalation of the Cordyceps spore causes the infection.
So unless somebug intentionally ships contaminated food to a water city, they're usually safe from Cordyceps infestation.

>>46177418
This is a great idea for how it works, although I dont agree completely with the idea that you have to kill the infected. Possible/rumored cures should exist, possibly as a plot device/macguffin for PCs to go find

>>46177842
Well, then you're in luck: there exists a fungi that parasitizes Cordyceps. That's right, it's a hyperparasite! It will stop the Cordyceps from producing a fruiting body.

Also, maybe if Codyceps is a mouthful to say, maybe have it be the Cord-head Fungi? Since usually the fruiting bodies erupt from the head, and they look like ropes.

Another fun fact: turns out Cordyceps does have medicinal properties - but that's for humans. Who knows about the bugs?

>>46177809
>This morning, we assembled in the center of the camp. Commander Greenspring addressed us. She told us that the Infested would have a strong grip on the city, and that there would be fierce fighting in the urban center. She told us that the Horned Father's blade and the Shelled Mother's shield would be with us today. We were all given a few vials of a reddish brown liquid by some Fly alchemists. We were told to drink it before we entered the city, and every day that we were in the city. They said it was to ward off infection.

>The battle started when catapults were set up by a group of Roach engineers. The balls of refuse and straw were lit on fire and launched into the city. The bombardment lasted an hour, and the largest buildings were burned to the ground. If there had been any survivors, they were either dead or extremely hopeful now. Too bad that hope would be short lived. We were ordered to kill anything living, as anything could be a Cordeceps infected spy.

>We formed up into platoons, with Beetle Vamguards at the front, with their huge shields and thick Chitinmold armor. They would be a defensive bulwark for the rest of us, their greathammers smashing the Infested as they get close. Each platoon was also given a supply of torches and firestarter, to burn any buildings that were too overgrown to save. We also had a Butterfly Sorceror and two Moth priests and a Leech ready to heal battle wounds. I adjusted my Chitinmold again, and made sure my buckler and mace were ready. I was scared. We could smell the smoke from the fires.

>Underneath it we could smell the stink of rot and infection.

>Excerpt from the journal of Vurn the Ant.

>>46177924
The bugs would probably have a nickname for it, kinda like how humans can catch Influenza, but we just call it the Flu. We can also probably take some creative liberties with how the infected look

The hyperparasite is super cool though! I can see this being a story hook for adventurers

What if the Mold is actually the ones manipulating the Cicadas?

The Cicadas first unearthed it from a Trilobite science-prison and at first they were able to control it. Yet with every mind it adds to its collective the Mold gets smarter and craftier until it has broken free of their hold yet still acts servile for the moment until it can make its final move to truly take over.

The Molds got big plans for the world.

(Can be nomcanon if need be)

>>46177418
>>46177924
Someone should add this to the doc, I can't because I'm on mobile, but it's some good stuff

>>46177989
>We marched into the city along two other platoons, through the east gate. A few of my fellows had crossbows, and they quickly spotted and shot a couple of spiders who were Infested. The creatures let out a terrible wail as they were pierced by the bolts. There were these disgusting growths all over their bodies. The streets were not empty. The infected were waiting for us.

>When they charged, they were like mindless beserkers. Their charge broke against the shield wall, and we were able to beat them back. The air was thick with smoke and spores. The draughts we were given ought to work. We continued towards out objective. Recon by some Hornet mercenaries showed a building covered by Cordeceps. Our platoon and the two others with us are to investigate and burn it.

>We marched through the street, stopping every few moments, either to kill some warped imitations of Arthros, or to burn a building that was too full to clear.

>By nightfall, we are almost to our objective. The smoke is thicker here, but it is starting to clear. The spores are thicker though. We must be careful. Our Captain is having us search for a building we could use for shelter, so that we may rest for the night. I am assigned to the first watch.

>Excerpt from Vurn's journal

>>46178304
This is getting spoopy trilo, I like it

I've been thinking about something. Lately I've been reading up on mediveal combat and I've found that the weapons our bugs use would be kinda hard to use in large formations because they require a lot of space to swing. Their only option would be to overhead their weapons so as to not hit their allies but that would become very predictable and easy to block.

>>46178722
Spears, spears all
Or short swords

>>46178793
Spears have a small contact point, super easy to block with a shield. Fights would be poke block poke block. Short swords might be a bit more vicious moving quickly passed your armored foe stabbing and cutting at his joints. Half swording would also be useful for those who use swords.

>>46178722
Maybe they're deployed in a staggered formation? Like, front line of the swing weapons spaced apart, then the pikes/spears readying behind them to clean up or flank enemies?
I'm picturing that the big bugs are probably treated like War Elephants: nobody wants to really get up close and personal with them, except for other big bugs.

>>46178971
That could work. The big bugs are a lot like tanks during World War I and II.

>>46179041
Remember that these are also bugs, so they have the option if flight in most situations.

>>46178960
I was thinking classical tactics like phalanxes and testudos

>>46178304

>While on watch, I could hear the sounds of fighting in the city. The cries of warriors in battle and the terrible screeching that could be heard calling back at them. It sent chills down my thorax. I could see them. In the dark. Skittering forms, darting here and there. Big, brutal creatures, their outline full of growth and their shells cracked and breaking apart. They didn't charge our makeshift fortifications. It was like they were waiting for something. Then they would scurry away. And we would be left waiting.

>After a few hours my shift was over. I scarfed down some field rations. The honewdew sweetened termite loaf disappearing down my gullet as fast as it would go. I was ravenous.

>I later learned that the butterfly mage contacted base camp. The others were whispering that a third of the forces that had been sent in to burn centers of infestation were killed. Or worse. I've heard stories of the infected dragging corpses and those who are near death into burrows or other such places. Whether they become food or more infected, I scarely know which would be worse.

>Sleeping in Chitinmold is uncomfortable. But I was tired enough that I fell asleep almost right away.

>In the morning, we gathered our supplies and downed our draughts. We prepared to march out towards our objective again. The spores were thicker in the air. The smoke is gone, but it is likely that the catapults will fire again. I am terrified that one will hit us.

>We almost reached our objective. By the Queen, it is terrible here. Almost everything is covered by growth. Threads like vines stick out, almost as if they were trying to grab us. We break them down where they are and leave them. We need our torches for the Big building. It was probably the town garrison, but it is too covered in fungus to be sure.

>The approach to the building was blocked. It was terrible. There was a horde of infected waiting for us. Why would they wait?

>Cont'd

>>46179403
How would those formations work with maces and hammers though?

>>46179428
>The fighting was brutal. They came in waves and forced us to dig into a square formation. The Beetles were blessing. They held the line with their tower shields and greathammers. Any infected that tried to get through were picked off by my fellow Ants and their crossbows.

>Then the real force attacked. Infested Arthros of all kinds fell upon us. Massive Stag and Goliath Beetles tried to smash through our lines, only to be taken down by our Bee Pyromancer. We advanced slowly, wading through corpses that crumbled into blinding and noxious dust. We were able to beat back the horde after almost an hour of fighting, but we lost almost an entire platoon. We decapitated the corpses that didn't crumble, and those of our slain fellows. The Lunarians tried to heal our injured the best they could, but some needed to be put down.

>I just want to go home.

>Vurn's journal excerpt.

>>46179486
>>46178793
Maces and hammers are well and good, you could always have them hold off on those until they full on engage the enemy

>>46178722
>>46178793
>>46178960
>>46178971
>>46179403
>>46179486
Remember that these bugs also have access to gunpowder, as well as whatever alchemical concoctions the flies can make up, and possibly magic users during conflict.

While this ground to ground conflict would exist, I feel it would be a rare sight to see without any of the aforementioned things

>>46179582
Do they have Calvary?
I would mostly suspect it is pikemen and musketeers, with either ground forces or Calvary doing flanking maneuvers. I guess flying units could function like Calvary, but much more of a bitch to deal with

>>46179643
We do have calvary in the form of Weta mounts, and possibly frogs for certain spiders

>>46179643
Weta riders are the Calvary IIRC

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>>46179680
Reiters, dragoons, and hussars then

>roll 20 bug world campaign when?

>>46179729
You can convert the setting to the system you use if you want to use it for a campaign. One anon is converting it to 5E.

We don't have a "bugworld system" yet

>>46179729
I'm all for it.

>>46179790
>>46179798
id make the listing but i wouldnt be able to dm

Are there ticks yet?

>>46179942
Yes they're in the doc

>>46180006
Anything left that needs some work atm?

>>46179729
I would play it

>>46180019
That's a question for MapAnon

>>46180019
Ants and Termites

>>46180019
>>46180045
Basically we need a culture for termites, they've gotten very little love

>>46180072
Aren't they basically the dwarves of this setting?

I've got something cooked up for them, but I'll have to share it when I get back to my battlestation

>>46179798
>>46179790
>>46180030
https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/43608/bug-world

>>46180045
>>46180093
I guess I'll work on Ants then?

who are the settings orc like war race?

>>46180108
Could also see a role unfulfilled by the current races and add another, I guess

>>46180110
The Hornets I believe

>>46180108
Alright sounds good.

>>46180110
Wasps. They're not!mongols plus not!nazis, want to purge the rest of the world

>>46179718
Gunpowder for seige and support, air for anti formation and anti Calvary tactics, ground for direct assault and defence, and Calvary for flanking maneuvers and quick placement of musketeers

Ok I'll do Ants. I've got a few ideas.

The Ants aren't religious in any conventional sense. Instead, they have a fanatical quasi-spiritual devotion to the hive itself, typically manifesting in a cult of personality based around the queen.

Ants live in conditions that would be intolerable to a more individualistic race. Privacy is non-existant, and virtually all activity is done collectively. This can make visiting an ant colony extremely awkward for members of other races.

More coming soon

>>46180110
Locusts WAAAAAUGH and hulk out when they're in large enough groups.

But every race has members that can become dedicated to war or vice versa.

There's a Swarm of Wasps that left the Hordes and now roam as wandering militias defending the weak and innocent

So, other than workers, soldiers, and queens, do you guys think the Ants should have other castes?

I was thinking of some kind of leader caste that directs the others via telepathy, as well as serving as the managers and intellectuals of ant society.

>>46180789
We decided a while back that they aren't telepathic but rather a scent/pheromone aided empathy that guides them, similar to real world ants. Queens are the ovaries, not the brain

>>46180789
Yeah, pretty much what >>46180827 said. I like to imagine that the females are higher than the males, if only because they have potential to be Queens.

I also kinda like the idea that all females can reproduce, but it's very taboo, sometimes outlawed, if you're not the current Queen

>>46180789
>>46180871
I didnt even answer the question, my bad, just kinda rambling. Fuck work

>>46180827
Alright then.

I'm wondering whether Ant society should be outright dystopian, or just an extreme form of collectivism that seems to work fine for them. Maybe it should vary from hive to hive.

>>46180098
Posted. And fret not, Vurn's tale will soon be finished. I had to step away for a while and will start the last bit very soon

>>46164656
>>46164757
>>46164892
>>46180943
Myself and another anon wrote a little about it but we didn't get much feedback

>>46180943
I liked the idea of it being VERY collectivist, with most ants believing that there is no reason to leave the colony. Whether this is due to raising, or being near the queen, or what, I dunno

>>46180229
dope, your in

>>46181080
I liked what you wrote, maybe throw that in the doc, or have AntAnon look over it

a lovecraftian cult centered around a giant squid

>>46181146
forgot pick

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>>46181161
holy shit

>>46181144
Alright I'd rather have ant anon look it over first

>>46181209
I have ideas for ants but stuck at work on mobile and got beat to the punch like I did with the wasps

>>46181209
Sounds like a plan

Someone start a collab at all the wierd shit like this.
>>46173941

>>46179556

>I don't think I will ever sleep soundly again.

>My squad and two others were chosen to search our objective, while the rest of our comrades held the entrance. Our group was my squad, the other was a Beetle Vanguard group, and a Pyromancer and her guards. We entered the garrison.

>The place was foul. It stank of rot and death. The air was choked with spores, and everything was covered with fungal growth. Every surface was covered with threads, each thread spitting out more spores. It was dark and cool.

>We starred to move further when we heard an explosion outside. Another fireball had been launched, and it hit near our position. The rumbling from the blast kept reverberating throughout the structure. We didn't know why, until that rumbling broke through the floor.

>A monster, the size of a Crab Siege Engine, broke through the floor, spraying us with rubble and bits of fungus. It was covered with fungus, a terrible grey-red color. It's Maw was large enough to swallow a Moth whole, and spores spewed from its mouth as it roared, and a foul slime dripped from its mouth. Its claws were sharp and jagged like broken wood. I could scarecly see it's carapace for all the fungus covering it, but I could swear it looked like bodies Arthros were fused into the carapace.

>None of us knew what to do. I was terrified

>The Beetles regained their senses first, telling for us to retreat. The Pyromancer fung some firebolts at our foe, but they only managed to scorch it. The beast roared again, and we tried to flee. The Vanguard were crushed with a swing of the beast's massive arm.

>We ran outside, yelling for the platoons to burn the building. They started piling torches up and lit them. I thought we were safe. Then the beast broke through the wall.

>We scattered, with everyone trying to run, hide or fight back. The Infested were waiting for us. The target was burning, but now we were being torn apart by the massed hordes.

>Cont'd

>>46181612

>My squadmates and U were able to shelter in a collapsed building. We were too scared to try and do anything other than hide. After a while the screaming subsided, and we could hear scraping sounds as corpses were dragged away.

>Under the cover if night we tried make it out of the city. I don't know how but we made it. Just in time to watch the catapults fire another volley into the city, trying to burn it to the ground.

>I was forced to give a report to Commander Greenspring. She listened, then offered her condolences for what we had to endure. She ordered us to be examined by the Leech healers for injuries. We obliged.

>I don't know what to think. The Leech healers told us we were infected. We are to be executed at dawn and our corpses burned. We are to be given a last meal and last rites.

>I asked the Ant guarding us to give this to my broodmares at home. At least they would know what happens to me.

>Last entry in Vurn's journal.

>>46168091
Maybe Sidd'arta the Enlightened?

>>46181746
Those were pretty great

>>46182838
Thank you anon!

Has it been decided what roll the queen would play in Ant society, other than breeding?

>>46183139
Religious leader

>>46183261
No, the Bees have a Theocracy, Ants are a regular Monarchy

>>46183139
I don't remember if we had an Ant god/dess other than a belief tied to the idea of The Hive and its philosophical importance to the ant species

>>46183351
We didn't. At least I don't think we did.

>>46183351
I was thinking that the Ants wouldn't have an actual religion as much as a religious devotion to the Hive.

As for queens, I was thinking that they would be sort of like Japanese emperors, very culturally important, but extremely sheltered and without much real political power. A ruling committee, either from a mix of castes or a special leader caste, would handle the actual affairs of state.

>>46183680
Of course, if a Queen converts to a religion, than her entire Colony would too by default.

Alright, I'm gonna do some sketches and write things up properly, then show you guys what I have on the termites

>>46184483
Awesome. Can't wait to see!

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Mantis buddha?

>>46173941
More shitposting

>The fungi is sentient in ways we can't understand

>The plants have a spiritual psedosentience because they absorbed souls/are the reincarnated remains of the last universe

>>46185052
>Mantis Buddha reached enlightenment by becoming the best gish

>In fact most enlightenment revolves around discovering that the Sixth Sphere is a bullshit fabrication slapped together by the other spheres as server for the greatest MOBA of all time.

>Pretty much all animals are kaiju compared to the sentient races

>The fabricated nature of the universe allows for one to hack it by having balls the size of the sun

>The rings around the planet are inhabited. It's basically Morrowind, Throne from Kill Six Billion Demons, and Mos Eisley Cantina on space rocks.

>The moon is inhabited by radioactive space liches that fucking hate you in particular

>The Beetles once killed a planet by throwing themselves into space and holding their breath

>The scorpions are all horrible monsters made by the moon, regardless of how many legs they have

>Non exoskeleton bugs are alien refugees

>>46185344
Getting off track from the original premise, I think.
We already have a setting for KSBD, and we should focus on making the world fun, not 'impressive' or 'cosmic'.

Also, while quite a few animals are large, I don't think 'All of them are Kaiju' would work very well for this setting. It's not an 'everyone is some kind of adventurer' setting, with no regular farmers.

I like Mantis Buddha though.

>>46185581
"should you encounter Buddha on the journey of life, Buddha will be eaten"

>>46186073
"The head is especially delicious. Don't worry, it isn't rude or anything."

>>46182314
I like that, but I think we have a name in the doc now. If not, i'll throw it in though

>>46177924
Wrote up a small story hook for a Cordycep centered adventure of sorts
>Cordycep Conundrum

>A portion of a large town has recently been quarantined due to an outbreak of the Cordycep virus.
>With the entire population in a panic, the players are contracted to go seek out a cure of some kind to save those who can be saved, and to stop the outbreak.
>Can the adventurers find the cure and make it back in time before the city is overrun?

>>46182314
Don't you think 'literally Buddha' is a bit heavy handed? I'd prefer a nameless historical figure, really.

>>46187428
This would probably work better, given how the Mantises have been fluffed out in this thread. They don't like to be seen as greater than anyone

>>46187473

I'd be interested in the implications of a stoic society. I'd imagine there'd be outliers, and Mantis that have freed themselves from the ways of their people and reverted to a slaaneshi level of hedonism, murder, and indulgence. It's their very nature. Maybe secret pleasure cults are slowly gaining traction amongst the mantis as their historical figures and legends fall back further and further into the past becoming less and less relevant, with several generations not having experienced the horror of an unshackled Mantis society and not being able to understand the tenets of their religion.

These pockets of hedonistic supremacists could lead to serious political strife amongst their neighbours, loathe to see the return of the Mantis not as monks but as warlords.

>>46188079
>slaaneshi level of hedonism, murder, and indulgence
It would be khorne levels of violence mixed with very much rape

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>>46188221
Eh, Khorne and Slaanesh are both pretty murdery.

Khorne does it more, Slaanesh does it better.

Trying to keep them distinguished from the locust and the moth cults I was working on earlier. This whole this doesn't revolve around eating or hunger, just unchecked bastardry and being shitty because they're better than you, and they know it.

>>46188079
I like it, although it seems to me as if it would be less a concerted effort and cults, and more a dangerous trend with no clear causation, and possibly the indicator of something more dangerous. I was tumbling the idea in my head that 'feral mantis' is something people hear sometimes, and it's not something you take lightly, if one were to be in your surroundings.

Can somebody post the map please? I don't see it in the thread

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>>46188562
gotchu man

>>46188734
Who is where?

>>46188562
>>46188734
Just ignore the stars, arrow, and box for now, i'm retconning that out of the map

>>46188762
Because major retcons need to occur, based on past thread consensus, so this is all subject to change

>yellow-desert area, dark suns feel, populated by all manor of scorpions, beetles, and ants predominantly
>Light brown-land claimed by the wasp hordes, very dangerous, almost no settlements, other than wasp camps
>Light green island-Ignore this
>Big brown triangle-Mount Khepri, a mountain dedicated to the First beetle king Khepri. Probably home to a large beetle run city
>Grey land bridge-decimated landscape, due to past wars
>Green blob-a large forest, home to many species
Onto eastern island/continent now
>Large bright green section-The Big Green, named by an anon some time ago. Very wild area, a story placed the town of Dewhall on the edge of it somewhere
>Darker green-swampy area
>Darkest green-Dense jungle
>Blue-Inland sea

>Grey island-unexplored land

>>46185581
I wrote this long ass explanation as to why this shit is good then the Internet shit the bed and I don't feel like retyping all that shit.

My argument was basically thus. When playing Skyrim you're not walking around aware that everything is a vishnu-esque dream of a dude sleeping under a tree after breaking up with his girl, right?

Well that's because all that shit, and the examples I listed, from Elves being spirits in mortal bodies, to Shor and Akatosh being the same dude (as well as Talos, Alduin, and the PC Dragonborn) and even the space ship shit is buried under mountains of esoteric text and contradictory bullshit. The beauty of settings like K6BD and TES is the layers. Granted K6BD is more in your face about how weird and vedic it is, the Elder Scrolls has droves of 2deep4u and wierd when you want it.

This is information that GM probably knows, maybe the Players know that the world is deeper than they realize but when killing Centaurs and ants and collecting honey and ducking around with this already interesting world, they won't be worried about the deeper intricacies of the setting. When you pull the trigger on a Knight in Destiny do you give a fuck about Sword Logic? When you FINALLY get that piece of exotic gear do really give a shit or even know what the Nine are?

No. Who gives a fuck? But it's there if you want it.

All this stuff that is "impressive" and "cosmic" is there for players who crave more than A Song of Ice and Beetles or Lord of the Hives. Preferably it's slightly contradictory or open to interpretation so when the players hit level 20 or are the baddest motherfuckers in the setting the GM can pull back the curtain and be like "Check THIS shit out."

Am I making any sense here?

>>46188552
Yeah exactly, that's what I'm thinking. It's not an orchestrated thing, it's just a cultural trend with the younger generation that's slowly gaining traction.

Like young adults being rebellious, but instead of wearing black and shouting at their parents, they're sacking villages and bathing in blood

>>46188942
No.

It feels like trying to change the initial tone of the setting halfway through.

>>46188942
I get what you're saying, and a lot of the "cosmic and impressive" ideas are really interesting, and could possibly be included at some point in our creation process, but we're at way too early a stage to begin thinking about those kinds of things.

When the first thread started it was basically PR saying "hey bugs are cool right? What if we had a bug world setting?", and it's grown into this. It still has a lot to go though. Hell, it wasn't until this thread that we got some semblance of everyday town life, let alone how the secret mysteries of the space beetles happened.

We need to get the bones and soul of the setting done before we can start styling it's hair. We don't even have a resolution mechanic, if we ever intend to make one.

They are great ideas, but it's just not the right time for them to be implemented. Added to the chalkboard under "maybe", sure. But not thought on heavily.

>>46173941
>>The world is slowly falling apart Mages aren't dying like they used to be.
So a slightly inverted Bitequest?

>>46188734
When you get the map all together, why not take it to the draw thread to make it a little more professional? Unless this is just a place holder and I'm a cock

>>46189231
No idea what that means. But I meant to say BECAUSE they aren't dying like they used to. Some 2deep4u magical bullshit or something. I'm just spitballing

>>46189063
Multiple Anons and a couple name fags said they wanted more wierd. Specifically of the Morrowind variety.

Besides the original tone was "Hey, let's make a fantasy bug setting." Nothing more. It's not comfy, it's not noblebright, it's not grimdark, it's not 2deep4u psuedointellectual Kirkbride bullshit. There's been no consistent tone, and I don't think there should be, especially since Morrowind, the most requested kind of wierd can be the comfiest thing in the planet and deeply disturbing at the same time.

>>46189152
That's the problem, there's been no consistent creative flow.

I say we work from big to small. From the creation and greater nature of the universe to the large scale stuff to the little comfy details, incorporating what we've already done on the way.

>>46189412
Yeah I just suck at drawing, and it still does need more stuff in it. So we'll go with this being a place holder. I'm gonna try to get it prettied up once we name some more areas and possibly start placing cities.

>>46188942
I believe the inherent problem is that a lot of the time spent creating 'woo' adds little other than filler and a lot of the time is the easiest derailment point as posts become discussions on Dyson Spheres, memetic space gods or whatever 'woo' factor is suggested at the time.

Its the difference between the hobbit and the silmarillion - one is a story set in a world, the other is supposed mythic events in the same world that tangentially bear relevance.

One is a coherent story with relatable small events nd the other might as well be a dictionary of myths.

We have still yet to impress players with the basics, let alone impress the ones that max out their characters and want to go fight a psychic crystal dreaming of reality

>>46189415
Also it may just be the way that I deal with the creation process. Small to Big as the Big can easily be changed whereas altering ingrained small details to account for some grand change, like gravity being 20 times normal for example, is tedious

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>>46189415
In Bitequest, the plot mainly goes on about how mages don't get born anymore so the few that are left
A) are in most cases nearly Lovecraftian beasts with fucked up bodies. Pic related
B)Can't afford to die anymore, as even the crazy ones have a certain need to keep the world somewhat safe (This doesn't stop them from fucking up the world, however) and if there weren't any mages a fucked up black tar of fucked up-ingness would fuck everything up
C) Are stupid powerful due to all the knowledge they have
There are a few mages that aren't very fucked up (Like a giant shark ladywho is the living definition of bro) but they are invariably depressed, mad, or both.

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>>46189601
Oh, and ehre is the Bro Shark Lady talking with a Bitch Snek Lady.

I vote we don't discuss the weird actively, but are encouraged to include various flavours of weird in our own works as we contribute, hinting at something more insidious or mind fucking maybe, if it's appropriate for the contribution, but nothing explicit or derailing. No cosmic truth. Just a whole lot of crazy ideas that may or may not have any feet in reality.

Like tha shrimp stuff earlier. They might be right, they might be wrong, maybe a little of both, or maybe they just see too many colours for their own good.

>>46189711
This is a good idea. It lets the weird occur more naturally, as the world grows.

>>46189667
Is the shark lady looking at the snek tits?

I'm off to bed. See you guys in the morning

>>46188079
Deep in the Mantis original homeland of the dense island jungles the fierce Orchid Mantis still roam and hunt. They still give into their cannibalistic natures but ritualize their hungers for both flesh and combat.

Warring tribes and city-states raid each other constantly, vibrantly colorful Mantis warriors clashing in brutal conflicts as they capture members of enemy tribes and warriors for their ritual sacrifices.

Orchid Mantis warriors eat the meat of the warriors they've slain in battle, believing their strength bolsters them while the children and non-warriors feast on the captives slain and prepared in ritualized fashions.

There have been several attempts by Learned Mantis missionaries to bring enlightenment to their savage cousins but to this date ever single one of them have been slain and eaten within a week of arriving to the ferocious habitat.

>>46189507
When I say big to small I mean working on grand scheme things them working down to daily life for a rollypolly farmer. Just look at Hua Yuan, they smoothed out the broad things before going into a bizarrely specific level of detail.

>>46189711
>>46189782
That will lead to an incongruous and tonally dissonant work, Working from the outside in will provide a more cohesive setting narrative.

>>46191558
But we need to realize the basic ideas each species has before we can mix them together in the grand scheme of things. The world itself grows from discussion and design of the cultures, which, once fleshed out fully, can be looked at in relation to each other.

>>46191558
>>46191721
I lot of what you're saying is making sense, but we already have a foundation to build up from, built by the other threads. While it may still be a small foundation, it exists. To completely turn around how we're going about things now seems counter-intuitive.

some general questions
what is the bug currency
are there any specific bug drugs of note?

>>46192367
Currency wouldn't be much different would it? Just less value since there would comparatively be more precious metals

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>>46173941
>The Geckos have gained sentience.
I want to expand on this.

Geckos exist throughout the world, found in many environments from the wettest swamps and jungles to the driest deserts. They exist in a large range of shapes and sizes. From fierce predatory pack hunters to solitary camouflaged ambush attackers geckos are almost always carnivorous.

There have been attempts to domesticate the Geckos to some success, a breed barely larger than the domesticated frogs popular to spider populations is a common sight in scorpion settlements as pets and sometimes as food. The popularity of the Domesticated Gecko is spreading with breeders and merchants spreading their numbers through the world.

What the world does not realize is that there is a type of Gecko that has grown intelligent, one of the few intelligent vertebrate and only vertebrate race to gain true sentience. These Geckos do their best to hide from the insect and arachnid races that dominate the world, forming their secretive villages in dark jungles and scorching deserts. Their sentience and breed originated on an island tainted and twisted by ancient Ammonite technology and pollution, generations of hunting among the ruins causing mutations and adaptations that lead to their eventual sentience. They are mistrustful and skittish, seeing themselves as strangers in a deadly world that treats their kind as beasts and monsters.

The most successful home of these Geckos lies in a coastal cave system they claimed after leaving their former island home as it sank into the ocean. There the Geckos are building their civilization, tending to feral mollusks and cave worms they paint their pebbly hides with paints made from ground up shellfish and cave molds. Psychotropic cave fungus is a common staple in their fledgling religion that worships the energizing sun drawing remarkable similarities to the distant Wasps and their Sun God.

>>46191721
>But we need to realize the basic ideas each species
Not so. Working on the universe at large then the world and a bare bones history will help set a precedent for the insect culture. Remember, history and ecology informs culture. Besides we can justify the established lore as we go along, so nothing major is upset, only we have a more focused way to conduct worldbuilding.

>>46192557
>>46192367
Currency is currently a form of amber mined from an extinct mega-tree species. These Amber Mines are owned largely in part by the Bankers Guild, a wide-spread establishment that regulates trade and commerce. Staffed mostly by Flies, Book Scorpions and Mantis Scribes the Bankers Guild has branches and offices in nearly every trade town no matter how distant.

Some of the Roach Crime Families and their Fly alchemists seek a way to create counterfeit amber from fresh sap treated by alchemical solutions but so far their replicas are easily spotted by a Guildsman. There are rumors however of a secretive Alchemist and their fake amber that is difficult to prove as fake.

As for drugs, I don't think we really talked about them. With the flies picking up and running wild with Alchemy I'm sure there is quite a range of options out there.

>>46191558
Tonal incongruity isn't always a bad thing given that it is a world first and a setting second. To mash an entire world as 'Its like this everywhere' pigeonholes groups who might not want to play particularly themed things.

Take a crude film example:
>The Hateful 8 is a tense dialogue heavy grim film set in mostly a snowy wild west.
>The Ridiculous 6 is a dumb/gross out comedy set in the wild west

They're both set in the wild west where certain things are concrete but are completely different in tone. While they are completely different and tonally black and white they could potentially occur in the same wild west world.

If you wanted to run a noble bright game of bug paladins or a grimdark knowledge = madness there is cogent material that can be used to suggest either.

>>46191558
The Hua Yuan were built into an big existing setting and by and large simply slotted 40k things in and patched the rest up with minutia which made them unique. Its kind of jumping over the Big to Small and starting at a Medium that way.

Imagine the absolute clusterfuck guard unit creation would have been if those threads had to first discuss in detail the big concepts in 40k at a base level

I can't imagine there being MUCH difference in Bug World to earth geologically or climate wise, socially its a race by race thing and things like gods and magic equally so.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpCARk689zU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsQHWj2RfXg

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1MB, 1622x1122px

Termites are generally but into three categories, so I figured three kingdoms or nations would work well and provide just enough diversity. The woodland termites, the wetland termites, and the subterranean termites. They all have a king, and two have multiple queens, while one does not. Queens IRL can live up to be 50 years old, so they act as the spiritual guide and royal consultant the older they become.

I have more, but I'm just testing the waters

>>46193017
>gods and magic equally so
People have proposed that gods be ubertulpas or very real. People have suggested that magic be mana or the very life force of the user.

Working from the big things like the origin of the universe helps break down things like that

>>46192640

Get outta here

Not everything has to be a goddamn space opera, and especially in fantasy settings, establishing the cosmology fucking cheapens everything dude. It's gotta be mysterious and flexible, not hard and fast rules of this is how things exist.

Despite what we think we know, we don't have the slightest clue to our cosmology and we've still got a pretty interesting universe IMO bruh. And the mystery and wonder of "is it, isn't it" for various deities and magics is part of the deal man, it feels so stale going like "this is definitely how magic works because X and Y Z and T gods are real and the rest are fake etc." Fucking dumb. We don't know how things began. We don't know a cosmic truth, even if in universe they don't, because then we start applying that cosmic truth to everything and the whole setting ends up with a "theme" beyond "bug people fuck yes."

Just drop the topic, you've been pushing it hard and no one is biting for a reason

>>46194591
>"bug people fuck yes
But darling, that's retarded. Are you a child?

>>46194646
>darling
Oh shit, it's you

Bug pantheon and bug universe creation don't matter because they don't affect the worlds the bugs live on a day to day basis. They all have their beliefs, and those matter, since they do directly and tangibly affect the little buglings, but since their universe works much the same way it does for us, what is the definite truth changes fuck all

You should probably fuck off

>>46185344
These ideas are shit.

>>46194790
Could work for some esoteric spiritual beliefs though

>>46194190
This is actually pretty great, though, I want to hear what else you have.

>>46194646
Seriously, go away or stop shitposting

>>46195037
Well, only the subterranean kingdom is a unified state. Like the document says, they live in city states, each their own political entity. The woodland termites are well and divided, using alliances to maintain the peace, despite ancient rivalries. The wetland termites exist in two places, one being a largely irrelevant, but stable and loosely unified backwater, while the other is full of isolationist citadels, with high walls and canons, where they use their bog iron to craft technically impressive yet crude metalworks. The subterranean are 100% isolationist, paranoid, and war-like. The woodland termites plant great orchards and make wonderful alcohol, relying on slave labor

This isn't all that fancy, but I swear I have a more official write up

>>46195187

Would the nineteen River Cities of the Craw be on good terms with the wetland termites? The River Cities are also city states, so I'd imagine it may well vary from city to city.

>>46195167
>>46194767
>>46194591
>We want things wierder
>Proposals are made to make things weirder or otherwise streamline worldbuilding
>WAA STOP SHITPOSTING

what the fuck

>>46195187
While I don't see slavery being popular with most termites I could see some Mounds doing so. What little we had of termite lore said that some mounds welcome outsiders into their homes but making them obey their strict rules and laws. Lawbreakers were usually banished or put into indentured servitude

>>46195322
>>We want things wierder
Only one person said this, and did not garner much support.

>>46195487
But you're, like, dead wrong. Multiple people said this beyond myself.

>>46195487
I think by weirder, anons meant culturally and aesthetically. As in, don't just copy paste real life cultures in and switcheroo humans for bugs. Like, we need to create authentic cultures and stuff, not just like "Holy Roman Empire but bugs," and "feudal Japan but bugs" and "dark ages England, but bugs"

Like, society and culture needs to be weird, like morrowind. Not CHIM level insanity that completely overshadows everything

>>46195545
That's actually exactly what I meant, but I don't think you've ever played an Elder Scrolls game because when does CHIM overshadow anything in a game?

>>46195577
The second you start talking about it

>>46195545
I would agree. But >>46185344 these are pretty much counter to the whole setting, 10 steps above the scope that we've been previously working on, and basically gets only one thing right:

>Pretty much all animals are kaiju compared to the sentient races

>>46195586
Yeah but when you are actually playing the game?

Never. Never ever. Never ever never.

>>46195624
How can it be a Counter when we haven't even worked on that scale? Fool. It cannot.

Unless you mean a Counter Balance, but I doubt that highly.

>>46195647
Previously
>A beetle performs amazing martial feats, becomes king, and has a mountain named after him

Now
>The Beetles once killed a planet by throwing themselves into space and holding their breath

It minimizes previous established facts, to the point King Khepri becomes an irrelevant chump, compared to whoever is managed to kill an entire planet. How is any of the things that we've discussed going to even matter once we're working on the space opera scale?

I'm back. I'll try to post some more Ant stuff.

>>46195693

Anyway, we should really put a solid fantasy setting together before we even think of approaching Michael Kirkbride levels of strangeness.

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>>46194646


I check TG everyday and still manage to miss entire threads.
> feels bad
Still we're past the bump limit, anyone with a good pic for it want to set up a new thread?

>>46195739
Personally, I quite liked the 'low fantasy' feeling we've been working with, and would definitely tolerate and embrace a 'high fantasy' shift. But not a 'weird fantasy' one.

>>46195693
Ahhh, this is why I should have retyped all my bullshit.


Just like in TES the space opera stuff is ancient history and supposedly myth shrouded in contradictory fluff and obfuscating innuendo. It's there so you can draw your own conclusions. Is it fact or is it legend? Maybe Khepri blew up a moon or mantled a god and did all that stuff. Who knows. It's there for those that want and its cultural legend or obscure and highly esoteric occultism for those that kinda don't.

Actually, I think I already said that.

Oh I get it, you just want to shoot down the idea because you think that it works to overturn everything.

I get it. Cool.

Besides I was just spitballing

>>46195762
Or perhaps you could read this

>>46188942
>>46195780

And realize that it's totally doable to have all three.

Predominately low, possibly gritty, fantasy with some areas or specific things that are high fantasy that serves to accentuate each other with elements of wierd fantasy cropping up here and there and possibly in the far past and in the greater scheme of things.

It's all very doable.

So, I like the idea of Ant queens being spiritually and culturally important, but without much political power, like Japanese emperors. I'm split as to whether the actual business of government should be handled by a leader caste or a Communist-style committee. What do you guys think?

As for the whole tone of Ant culture, I was think ultra-collectivist dystopias are kind of overdone. I think that the Ants should be generally happy to live in a society without privacy or much individuality. They are Ants after all. Ants living outside the colony, such as adventurers, would be the rare exceptions, living in voluntary exile.

>>46195807
Right, anon, it's doable, but do people _want_ to do it is the question. If we stick with what we're doing now, so be it, if we go in the direction you proposed, we go in the direction you proposed. All depends on what the majority wants.

>>46195780
>>46195807
I'd prefer a low fantasy setting, with some weirdness buried deep beneath the surface (literally or figuratively). But definitely something other than the D&D "mages throwing fireballs is a regular occurance" type high fantasy. I'd prefer if magic was either highly ritualized (think real world occult traditions like the Goetia), or quasi-scientific, like alchemy.

>>46195813
Committee sounds best. Just imply that with Ants, you'll deal with a near I finite Bureaucracy.

Eventually, one of them snaps and just walks out.

>>46195807
But anon, it works in videogames like TES because it's all 'optional' lore, which is why all sorts of bullshit can be hinted at, since 90% of everyone is going to miss it, and the rest are just going to make wild conjectures to make it make sense. When world building, you can't just drop your suggestions and then the rest of the setting marches on, it's a huge tonal shift. You can go ahead and use Bug World in whatever kind of kitchen sink fantasy game you want, but when it comes to actual world-building, there's an expectation that suggestions will be in line with the established scope or 'genre'.

>>46195861
It's not up to a vote, anyways.

>>46195935
>It's not up to a vote
We shall see...


Also I think you're wrong and I'm going to make it work.

Fuck you and your Nay saying.

>>46195964
>We shall see...
It's literally not up to a vote. PublicRelations is the final word on conflicts like this. Votes held without him calling for them have been vetoed.

>>46195935
Eh, just saying that the majority of people may not want to do his idea, and there's no reason to get mad over it, just how the world works.

>>46195813
What if normal ants were happy in slavery time of people? And maybe some parts of civilisation would use slave workers as trade good?

>>46198328

New thread is up