Antaus
Minstrel
World Setting – Risadum (Rise-a-doom): Part 1
Technology – The fictional world that I'm working on is set in a very early industrial age. To be more detailed the industry within the story is very production specific. It's limited to certain items and has not yet overtaken society as a whole, aside from what items are manufactured, primarily two types of engines and firearms (both hand and rifle variety), most everything else is still made by hand. Because of this you can still see a lot of technological mixture. Even swords and armor still tend to be hand forged because of the higher quality involved. Yet technology is creeping forward as more and more things are becoming manufactured.
Magic – Within Risadum magic is very real, Magi (the common term of mystic types) can hurl fireballs, summon massive pillars of water, fly, it's by and large a high magic setting. However magic within the story is slightly different. Instead of being some great mystical force, drawn from ley lines, or granted by some great force/being, it's entirely internalized.
Mysticism is also starting to give way to logic and reason as the term 'magic' is still quite common, but in the story setting about 100 years ago the practice was officially renamed Energy Sciences. The reason for this is because in order to achieve these otherwise magical effects someone must harness, amplify, manipulate, and project (termed HAMP) using their own internal energy to achieve what would otherwise be seen as supernatural.
Government – The world of mankind is still governed by the feudal monarchy system. While there are some slight variations on the monarchy design they are kingdoms in which the king has near or total autonomy to do as he pleases. This form of government has existed as long as the people can remember and is in good standing. There is no desire or movement to change to another form of government thereby approaching what one might term the early stages of 'modern feudalism'.
Population - The population of Risadum isn't anywhere near what Earth's is. This is the result of two primary factors. The first is that farming is still done by ox and cart, or manually. Because of the lack of industrialization in this area production is limited which hampers population growth when compared to modern farming on Earth. The second is the wildlife of the planet, most commonely referred to as monsters. A lot like most fantasy stories the creatures of Risadum can be fantastic, magical, powerful, and dangerous.
Outside of the urban population centers that have been pacified, most of the world remains untamed and to an extent, unexplored. Because of how dangerous it can be outside of cities the average citizen doesn't wander too far for fear of being attacked. These two factors combined have kept the population of the world, despite their technological advancements, to around 100 million people. It's not impossible for them to grow and expand, but is it hard.
Monster Hunter's Guild
Often referred to simply as MHG this single organization is the oldest in existence, predating the world's three major powers and is what the main hero of the story is associated with (more on both later). The MHG is wealthy and powerful, but maintains complete political neutrality. They don't involve themselves in politics and have been very careful throughout the centuries to limit their involvement with kingdoms and kings to matters pertaining to their job.
Because of this they are the only organization that can move between the three kingdoms with relatively little entanglements. As a result of their political neutrality and carefully monitoring their members to make sure they don't stray from this ideology, the MHG has earned the trust of the three powers. The guild's existence is both supported and appreciated by the three kingdoms because they take care of any monster problems that might appear leaving the normal military to focus on one another.
As there are three major political powers there are three main guild headquarters, one for each kingdom. The highest level of their organization is the guild master, of which there are only ever three at any given time. All three branches maintain full autonomy from one another, but do at times meet to discuss matters of concern to them. No one branch has the legal authority to compel another to do something. There are no formal annual meetings these tend to be on an as needed basis.
Infighting within the guild is rare in any true sense of the word. As the members often work in teams of five there is competition, sometimes heated and even unfriendly. They can face both legal charges from the kingdom for attacking a person for openly fighting, and expulsion from the guild if the offense is serious enough. This is something that every guild member is aware of, which can be tricky at times when venturing into another kingdom on business. Often times when this occurs and time permits, guild members will request a legal adviser to accompany them into a foreign land to avoid any unintentional breaking of laws.
Established Parts of the MHG
Hunters – They comprise the bulk of the MHG, they respond to reports of hostile monster activity, fight vicious creatures, and keep people safe. As one might imagine they are the most knowledgeable on how to deal with monster threats and are much better at this than even the standard military, who tends to focus on fighting people instead of monsters. Hunters are expert trackers, combatants, and know what strengths or weaknesses monsters tend to have.
Standard Hunter Party
Combat Heavy – The combat heavy is the one who runs into the conflict sword swinging and gun blazing. They get up close and personal with the target and know the best means to take them down through sheer brute force. If brute force doesn't work, then the combat heavy will intentionally distract the target and keep them occupied while other members move into position to take the monster down through other means. Parties usually have two heavies.
Magi – The magi is the group's mystic, the one who is versed is the arts of combat magic. They are vital to the survival of hunting parties as some monsters have specific mystical vulnerabilities, or are highly resistant to physical attacks. Magi also know the best methods to defend against monster who have natural inborn mystical abilities of their own. Because of their scholarly nature these party members also tend to serve as the group's thinker.
Scout – These hunters specialize in tracking monsters, running ahead of the party to keep an eye out for trouble, and recognizing signs of danger. They also tend to focus on combat tactics and baiting targets into following them so the other hunters can spring an ambush. Because of their job requirements scouts are athletic, favor light armor and weapons, and are without a doubt the fastest runner in the group. Almost 90% of guild scouts would be able to compete with Olympic level athletes while carrying their full compliment of gear.
Support – The role of support is also filled by magi, however they are not combat oriented. They are the groups mystic healer and defender. The one who treats injuries, raises protective barriers, and casts enchantments to augment the party's combat abilities. While they are not combat oriented they do still maintain a small compliment of mystic abilities that can inflict damage for personal protection. They can fight physically, but like combat magi their prowess isn't impressive. Because of their generally benevolent nature these party members tend to be peace keepers within the party in the event of internal conflict, as well as the diplomat.
Mix and Match – Naturally there are those who will sometimes mix disciplines such as combat heavies who have some mystic abilities, or mystics who can double as a scout in a pinch. Although by and large it's extremely rare for someone to excel in two areas because of the time, effort, and training required. More often than one one will focus in a specific area and dabble in the other.
Gatherers – The gathers are a specialized faction of hunters comprising about 20% of their ranks. While they can respond to monster threats just like normal hunters this isn't their primary function. Much like we harvest animals on Earth, using them for food, medicine, and other applications, the gathers do the same of monsters. The majority of what they gather is used by the guild for their own needs and they careful not to over hunt monsters and threaten their population.
There are also some gatherers who don't hunt at all. They run monster farms operated by the guild in order to supplement the need for raw materials. These roles tend to be filled by guild members who are too old to go into the field anymore. When there is a surplus of materials the guild needs to get rid of, they will sell to merchants, though this is infrequent. They sell to merchant and not the general public to avoid causing waves in the local marketplace.
Technology – The fictional world that I'm working on is set in a very early industrial age. To be more detailed the industry within the story is very production specific. It's limited to certain items and has not yet overtaken society as a whole, aside from what items are manufactured, primarily two types of engines and firearms (both hand and rifle variety), most everything else is still made by hand. Because of this you can still see a lot of technological mixture. Even swords and armor still tend to be hand forged because of the higher quality involved. Yet technology is creeping forward as more and more things are becoming manufactured.
Magic – Within Risadum magic is very real, Magi (the common term of mystic types) can hurl fireballs, summon massive pillars of water, fly, it's by and large a high magic setting. However magic within the story is slightly different. Instead of being some great mystical force, drawn from ley lines, or granted by some great force/being, it's entirely internalized.
Mysticism is also starting to give way to logic and reason as the term 'magic' is still quite common, but in the story setting about 100 years ago the practice was officially renamed Energy Sciences. The reason for this is because in order to achieve these otherwise magical effects someone must harness, amplify, manipulate, and project (termed HAMP) using their own internal energy to achieve what would otherwise be seen as supernatural.
Government – The world of mankind is still governed by the feudal monarchy system. While there are some slight variations on the monarchy design they are kingdoms in which the king has near or total autonomy to do as he pleases. This form of government has existed as long as the people can remember and is in good standing. There is no desire or movement to change to another form of government thereby approaching what one might term the early stages of 'modern feudalism'.
Population - The population of Risadum isn't anywhere near what Earth's is. This is the result of two primary factors. The first is that farming is still done by ox and cart, or manually. Because of the lack of industrialization in this area production is limited which hampers population growth when compared to modern farming on Earth. The second is the wildlife of the planet, most commonely referred to as monsters. A lot like most fantasy stories the creatures of Risadum can be fantastic, magical, powerful, and dangerous.
Outside of the urban population centers that have been pacified, most of the world remains untamed and to an extent, unexplored. Because of how dangerous it can be outside of cities the average citizen doesn't wander too far for fear of being attacked. These two factors combined have kept the population of the world, despite their technological advancements, to around 100 million people. It's not impossible for them to grow and expand, but is it hard.
Monster Hunter's Guild
Often referred to simply as MHG this single organization is the oldest in existence, predating the world's three major powers and is what the main hero of the story is associated with (more on both later). The MHG is wealthy and powerful, but maintains complete political neutrality. They don't involve themselves in politics and have been very careful throughout the centuries to limit their involvement with kingdoms and kings to matters pertaining to their job.
Because of this they are the only organization that can move between the three kingdoms with relatively little entanglements. As a result of their political neutrality and carefully monitoring their members to make sure they don't stray from this ideology, the MHG has earned the trust of the three powers. The guild's existence is both supported and appreciated by the three kingdoms because they take care of any monster problems that might appear leaving the normal military to focus on one another.
As there are three major political powers there are three main guild headquarters, one for each kingdom. The highest level of their organization is the guild master, of which there are only ever three at any given time. All three branches maintain full autonomy from one another, but do at times meet to discuss matters of concern to them. No one branch has the legal authority to compel another to do something. There are no formal annual meetings these tend to be on an as needed basis.
Infighting within the guild is rare in any true sense of the word. As the members often work in teams of five there is competition, sometimes heated and even unfriendly. They can face both legal charges from the kingdom for attacking a person for openly fighting, and expulsion from the guild if the offense is serious enough. This is something that every guild member is aware of, which can be tricky at times when venturing into another kingdom on business. Often times when this occurs and time permits, guild members will request a legal adviser to accompany them into a foreign land to avoid any unintentional breaking of laws.
Established Parts of the MHG
Hunters – They comprise the bulk of the MHG, they respond to reports of hostile monster activity, fight vicious creatures, and keep people safe. As one might imagine they are the most knowledgeable on how to deal with monster threats and are much better at this than even the standard military, who tends to focus on fighting people instead of monsters. Hunters are expert trackers, combatants, and know what strengths or weaknesses monsters tend to have.
Standard Hunter Party
Combat Heavy – The combat heavy is the one who runs into the conflict sword swinging and gun blazing. They get up close and personal with the target and know the best means to take them down through sheer brute force. If brute force doesn't work, then the combat heavy will intentionally distract the target and keep them occupied while other members move into position to take the monster down through other means. Parties usually have two heavies.
Magi – The magi is the group's mystic, the one who is versed is the arts of combat magic. They are vital to the survival of hunting parties as some monsters have specific mystical vulnerabilities, or are highly resistant to physical attacks. Magi also know the best methods to defend against monster who have natural inborn mystical abilities of their own. Because of their scholarly nature these party members also tend to serve as the group's thinker.
Scout – These hunters specialize in tracking monsters, running ahead of the party to keep an eye out for trouble, and recognizing signs of danger. They also tend to focus on combat tactics and baiting targets into following them so the other hunters can spring an ambush. Because of their job requirements scouts are athletic, favor light armor and weapons, and are without a doubt the fastest runner in the group. Almost 90% of guild scouts would be able to compete with Olympic level athletes while carrying their full compliment of gear.
Support – The role of support is also filled by magi, however they are not combat oriented. They are the groups mystic healer and defender. The one who treats injuries, raises protective barriers, and casts enchantments to augment the party's combat abilities. While they are not combat oriented they do still maintain a small compliment of mystic abilities that can inflict damage for personal protection. They can fight physically, but like combat magi their prowess isn't impressive. Because of their generally benevolent nature these party members tend to be peace keepers within the party in the event of internal conflict, as well as the diplomat.
Mix and Match – Naturally there are those who will sometimes mix disciplines such as combat heavies who have some mystic abilities, or mystics who can double as a scout in a pinch. Although by and large it's extremely rare for someone to excel in two areas because of the time, effort, and training required. More often than one one will focus in a specific area and dabble in the other.
Gatherers – The gathers are a specialized faction of hunters comprising about 20% of their ranks. While they can respond to monster threats just like normal hunters this isn't their primary function. Much like we harvest animals on Earth, using them for food, medicine, and other applications, the gathers do the same of monsters. The majority of what they gather is used by the guild for their own needs and they careful not to over hunt monsters and threaten their population.
There are also some gatherers who don't hunt at all. They run monster farms operated by the guild in order to supplement the need for raw materials. These roles tend to be filled by guild members who are too old to go into the field anymore. When there is a surplus of materials the guild needs to get rid of, they will sell to merchants, though this is infrequent. They sell to merchant and not the general public to avoid causing waves in the local marketplace.
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