The "Daily" Worldbuilding Prompt. Chapter 2

[Orc Knight]

Question 55: How is light taken care of at night? (Candles, torches, electric, magic. Who keeps them lit?)

Magic, oil, torches, candles, natural lights and glowing plants and other such things. As electricity isn't really a thing, light bulbs aren't really a thing. Or, some people ignore lights all together and just don't bother with them at all. Night vision is a great thing.

 

[Vaporo]

Question 55: How is light taken care of at night? (Candles, torches, electric, magic. Who keeps them lit?)

Ooh. This is actually a good one for me. My world is a tidally locked double planet system composed of two earth-like planets. In other words, two planets that orbit each other and always, have the same side facing the other. They orbit on a 24-hour cycle, and there is no other moon, so there is no concept of a "month." There are also no stars, so the opposite planet is the only natural source of illumination at night. On the side of each planet facing the other, there is no truly dark night. The opposite planet will always be at least half-full at night, providing huge amounts of illumination because of how near it is. In these parts of the world, artificial nighttime lighting is practically never needed.

As you move outward towards the "edges" of the illumination, nighttime lighting becomes more and more necessary. Typically, you'd use a simple fireplace or torch, or whale oil if you're a bit wealthier. On the opposite side of the world, where the other planet is never visible, night is true black. Many predators avoid hunting at night simply because it is so dark that they can't see. There are also a variety of creatures that have developed bioluminescence.

The continent of Tule is in this dark part of the world. Many Tulvian tribes make mixtures from crushed bioluminescent insects to provide light. Many are also aware of magic and use it to provide illumination. For regular use, though, most just have a large fire burning in the center of their village. Tending the fire is one of the most sacred duties among the Tulvian tribes, since if the fire goes out you have bathed the village in blackness and it is usually dangerous to try and relight the fire before morning. Some tribes impose a death penalty upon those who let the fire go out on their watch or even leave the fire unattended. As a result, the duty is typically shared among two or three people, so that one may leave without leaving the fire unattended.

For a very short time, one city in the subcontinent of Halgol actually had electric street lamps and electric lights in wealthy homes. There was a university that had been researching the properties of electric current. When a few wealthy merchants gained a monopoly on the city's supply of whale oil the university proposed a solution. They would dam up the river and build a hydroelectric plant. Then, they could install electric lights wherever they pleased. Naturally, the merchants were rather upset at this since they had just spent a fortune creating this monopoly. So, they brought their grievance before their various kings and formed a collective army to storm the city. The dam was destroyed, the lights smashed, the electrical research burned, and anyone who may have the knowledge to re-invent electricity executed. Thus, the electrical age was put on hold.

 

[Ban]

Question 56: Can you give me a proverb or two (or more) from your world?

 

[Svrtnsse]

Question 56: Can you give me a proverb or two (or more) from your world?

As subtle as a shark in a chicken coop.

 

[TheCrystallineEntity]

Question 56: Can you give me a proverb or two (or more) from your world?

Reality is in the eye of the beholder.

The dream and the dreamer are one.

 

[WooHooMan]

Question 56: Can you give me a proverb or two (or more) from your world?

"Saying it three times makes it true" (usually said sarcastically when someone keeps making a false assertion)
"If you drink like a fish, you're going to get battered"
"A tangled mind tangles the body"
"Nothing goes on forever, it just loops back to the beginning"
"Just because you don't see the wall that doesn't mean you can walk through it"
"What is, was once and will be again" (this saying is sometimes reffered to as 'The Eight Words')

 

[Orc Knight]

Question 56: Can you give me a proverb or two (or more) from your world?

"Everything's lunch."
"Trust a drow. You know where they stand." (Usually with a knife in your back, or at least in the old days)
"Never owe money to a dwarf or drow."

 

[Miles Lacey]

Question 56: Can you give me a proverb or two (or more) from your world?

The best teachers are the survivors.

It matters not how much you gush. It requires only one sperm to create life. - Elvish proverb

Those with nothing left to lose make the deadliest adversaries.

Beautiful people don't lead revolutions. - Occidental proverb

A true warrior is one who dances as passionately as he wages war. - Nada the Victorious.

 

[Ban]

Question 57: I’m invited to the grandest event of the year. What is it, and what should I wear? (And what would I wear if I were a woman? Or another species? Or…)

 

[TheCrystallineEntity]

Question 57: I’m invited to the grandest event of the year. What is it, and what should I wear? (And what would I wear if I were a woman? Or another species? Or…)

The yearly party at the House of Dream is probably the qualifier. You can pretty much wear whatever you want, as there's no rules. If you don't like loud noises or crowds, you can always hide in the kitchen or garden.

 

[Orc Knight]

Question 57: I’m invited to the grandest event of the year. What is it, and what should I wear? (And what would I wear if I were a woman? Or another species? Or…)

Probably, once again, the Victory Feast. Which, unless you're military or rich, generally is fairly relaxed about dress codes. Rich do whatever the fashion is and the military people are stuck in dress uniforms. And depending on location, dressing for the weather. Be it frosty, mild or tropical and beyond. Though Val Royale counts it's Summer Ball as the event of the year. But given it's a city ruled by a pirate, the dress code is also fairly relaxed. Except with whatever fashion the nobs think is in.

 

[Ban]

Question 58: What’s the greatest trick pulled in your world’s history? (You have free reign to determine what “great” entails)

 

[Orc Knight]

Question 58: What’s the greatest trick pulled in your world’s history? (You have free reign to determine what “great” entails)

Depends on so, so much. Though most will point at the drow and their goddess queen Lolth for any of that tricksy stuff. Given their tricks and jokes often get anywhere from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of people killed for fun, they are kind of lethal jokesters. They've done everything from starting the Arthurian Mythos and human chivalric orders to Lolth as Spider tricking Bastet and her people to help free humans. Though the one they teach in their schools is War of Love. In which they acted out a wood elf and a delver dwarf falling in love (very much forbidden at the time between the races, much less even thought about) and they managed to make them go into (for the wood elves, yet another) centuries long war. The drow thought it was great and didn't tell anyone until a long while after the fact.

 

[TheCrystallineEntity]

Question 58: What’s the greatest trick pulled in your world’s history? (You have free reign to determine what “great” entails)

Well, there was the time the seventh Eternal One sealed an entire universe away, but it wasn't really a trick and more of an act of self-sacrifice. [Long story.]
Hmm...
I must investigate tricks.

 

[Ban]

Question 59: When broken down to its essence, what do the biggest religions in your world believe in? (Bonus: How do they treat eachother?)

 

[Orc Knight]

Question 59: When broken down to its essence, what do the biggest religions in your world believe in? (Bonus: How do they treat eachother?)

For the most part, it was War, Martial prowess and sheer Power. That's changed a bit with the deities of those Domains taking a back seat (or being punched to the back, because the gods have not failed to notice there's still a lot of mortals about that could kill them outright and have for messing with them.).

As of right now the rising stars in the pantheons are the Protectors and those who are compassionate and loving. And old enemies, or at least watched from a distant sorts are getting together to help make things work with the mortals. If the Lich Wars taught anything it was not only that gods and their religions can be killed, it was also that unity works best. Not all of them have gotten that message, but Hestia and Lolth are teaming up to beat and/or teach that lesson.

 

[Devor]

Question 59: When broken down to its essence, what do the biggest religions in your world believe in? (Bonus: How do they treat eachother?)

In most of my settings religions work a little differently because nobody would question if the gods are real, and the question is more about how do you feel about their antics.

In my sprite setting specifically, the otherworld fairy realm is ruled by a seelie court, which has often sought to develop the sprite kingdom (for want of a better word) directly with powerful magical artifacts. Fairies, for their part, have an instinct to create mischief and to trick people, something that's built into their languages and even the way their magic works. As time has gone on they have sought to varying degrees to try and control this instinct, and to fit in with other races, which of course leads many people to rebel against that and embrace this instinct and believe it's their natural calling to humiliate people. There are also a handful of the seelie court's immortal members acting as demigods in the mortal world, but they mostly give the fairies a bad name even if they sometimes do contribute amazing things to the world.

In the same setting there are other races with other otherworldly realms and other immortal deities with their own rules. At one point in my outline, which may or may not change considerably, I have the characters being offered a deal with an orc god, whose otherworldly warcamp appears through a doorway in city ruins. The orc gods treat the orcs as mercenary slaves and trade them by the clan to kings and other deities in exchange for whatever favors the god wants. In this case, the god wants to trade an orc assault on a city in exchange for certain items. The orcs for their part just want bloodlust, to greet their gods through a ruined city, and the rewards of a slaughter well done.

 

[WooHooMan]

Question 59: When broken down to its essence, what do the biggest religions in your world believe in? (Bonus: How do they treat eachother?)

The biggest religion, Olympianism (which makes-up some 60-70% of the world's population), stress the importance of the inherent duty and moral obligation people have towards each other to keep their shared society operating smoothly.

No person is totally autonomous. All people are connected by a greater connection; biologically, spiritually or by relationship. But people, being autonomous beings with freewill who natural operate in self-interest, need law or otherwise some kind of system in place to keep those relationships running smoothly.

 

[Ban]

Question 60: What about weddings? (Who officiates? Where are they typically held? How many people are invited? How significant is marriage in your world? What would be an ideal wedding?)

 

[Orc Knight]

Question 60: What about weddings? (Who officiates? Where are they typically held? How many people are invited? How significant is marriage in your world? What would be an ideal wedding?)

They happen. The officiate is usually a priest, priestess, Captain or even rulers and sometimes no one officiates at all. They are usually held in the Love Temples or the Hearth Temples when they happen. As for the guest list, it can range from a few family members or close friends or an entire kingdom to come. For significance, it's usually a big deal for the royals and nobles, if only securing alliances and the like. Little less so for those below them. For the Greenskin's weddings aren't really much of a thing anyways. Simple affairs of calling mate(s) and doing a few tangos. Drow hold nothing really sacred and the closest they come is the Matriarch taking a significant other or a harem. As for the ideal, while it varies, again between races and certain beliefs.

For some like humans and certain elves, it's a grand day of celebration, even if it is just a political affair. The Greens and gold elves make it a community thing and most happen during the feast times. Then for the drow, the ideal is to get wasted and be found in the bed of someone your not marrying by the marriage partner. Ideally traditional, for drow anyways.