LeumasWhite/Autochthonia

Autochthonia Revised

In progress! So go away. Er, unless you wanna read my ramblings. Mostly just an outline at the moment.

For the record, this is just a basic re-write of the setting so that Autochthon-only games are somewhat more interesting. I find the canon boring, you may not. In which case, feel free to ignore this. :)

The very basic idea: wintry Aztec steampunk hell. There's very little Aztec in the steampunk hell at the moment, so I'll need to be revising it a bit.

Organization

Autochthon
People
Creatures

Setting

Everything outside of the cities is a smoggy, ashen hell, covered in frost and rust the further away you get. Gremlins can be found almost everywhere; usually only weak scouts or similar beings, but larger ones are more common away from the cities. Filter masks, goggles, and heavy clothing are standard, and it is generally accepted that going outside without one of the above is a death sentence.

Inside the cities, it is considerably safer. Clean air, warm temperatures. Some of the largest cities even have a small garden for use only by the highest-ranking members of the Tripartite Assembly. The plants are fairly average for a Creation-born person, but to an Autochthonian they are strange and alien relics of an ancient world.

AUTOCHTHON

The Primordial

Crippled because he brought too much Wyld with him when he manifested. Can’t do anything but create, and cannot stop. The other Primordials look down on him, as he was their weakest sibling, mentally inferior, almost autistic, but also the one who gave them the ability to shape. The Wyld core at the pole of crystal is the source of his creative urge; without it, he would be dead.

Elemental Poles

The elemental poles are used for creating magical materials, though it's possible to do it on a small scale elsewhere.

Crystal

The Elemental Pole of Crystal remains the core of the Primordial; an outwardly perfect sphere, cleaner and more beautiful than almost anything else in Autochthonia. This core sustains surprisingly few attacks; small gremlins kept nearby for too long become dormant, lulled into unconsciousness by the sleeping thoughts of the Great Maker. Larger gremlins try to damage it upon occasion, but few attempt more than a few quick strikes before retreating. This damage is always repaired in short order, as the cracks where the crystal has been cut away is a weakness that the pollution can easily exploit; the true danger to the core.

When the gas clouds filter into these points of weakness, the surface of the sphere turns black with corruption, chipped and weathered around the edges. Reconstruction spirits can often be seen emerging from the crystal, scuttling off towards whatever damage has occurred. When they arrive, they quarry away the corrupted rock, filling in the new hole with a shimmering liquid that slowly hardens into new crystal.

Unknown to the people of Autochthonia, at the very core of the godhead lies a small sphere of whirling, chaotic energy, not unlike the Wyld that borders Creation.

(unedited) Source of starmetal, very carefully sheared away from the thought-cables.

Metal

(something), Body of Autochthon

(unedited) ... is the normal portion of Autochthon. Outside the cities, it is freezing cold, and visibility is cut severely due to the drifting clouds of ash and smog, necessitating use of thick clothing, filter masks, and goggles. Gremlins are everywhere; mostly small, easily-slain ones, but occasionally a nastier one makes itself known. They get worse the further you get from the cities. No-one would even consider venturing out without an Alchemical on-board. Source of jade, usually through conduit lines (see below).

Conduit lines: these vary; some lines may hold plain (if extremely pure) iron, while other hold the coveted Magical Materials. Almost every nation in Autocthonia has at least one city resting atop one of these; they are the best and most reliable resources available, as long as they are not over-used.

Lightning

The Golden Tower, The Inferno

Though the rest of Autochthon's body is hardly a paradise, the Elemental Pole of Lightning is considered particularly hellish, and the people who maintain it obviously mad. The Pole is a roaring tower of gold and diamond, lit by a million continuous explosions and surrounded by clouds of smog and hovering gremlins. Volatile and unpredictable, it seems to hinder as much as it aids, but the people of Autochthonia would not survive without it.

When smog and noxious gas filters up from the Pole of Smoke, it is a dangerous hazard. Impossible to breathe and highly incendiary, even the tiniest of flames could cause it to ignite. What happens, then, when the gas is a miles long fog, and the flame a bolt of lightning that could span a city? The Lightning Pole is wracked by these detonations, both miniscule and colossal, and without the maintenance that the Autochthonian people provide, it would soon be nothing but a shattered ruin. Worse yet, the gremlins are always watching for a break in the Pole's shell, to allow them to siphon away the power for their own uses.

The Pole is vital to Autochthonia, providing power for almost everything that the populace uses, and so they have an entire nation dedicated solely to its repair and maintenance. Even their efforts are barely adequate at times, and it always seems to be on the edge of outright failure.

(unedited) Source of orichalcum, by hitting alchemical mixtures of gold with a sufficiently powerful lightning bolt.

Oil

The Black Sea, The Depths

(unedited) This great reservoir is vital for the survival of the Autochthonian people. Terrifying place, since you’re effectively blind in there. Huge, massively armoured arkships patrol it; more in the appropriate nation. Source of moonsilver, bizarrely.

Smoke

The Corruption, (something)

The Elemental Pole of Smoke is the bane of the Great Maker; the enormous filter system that long ago ceased to function properly, and now is the representation of all that is wrong with Autochthonia. A living hive of corruption, seething and hating, with thousands of miles of rusting black tunnels and acidic fog, marked by lakes of acid and the dissolving corpses of fallen gremlin.

Once, the Pole functioned as it should, cleaning the spent breath of the Maker and returning it to his body. And once, there were nine nations in Autochthon, regulating the systems that kept him alive. But long ago, something entered the Pole of Smoke, and changed it. At first, no-one noticed; a few stray wisps of coloured smoke, an odd scent here and there, surely, these things were no cause for alarm. But once the wisps became clouds, the smells became sickness, people noticed. But by then, the corruption was expanding so quickly that it could not be stopped. Cities were overwhelmed, thousands lost, and then, the nations were eight. Only the lack of easily corruptable landscape halted the spread of the disease.

Today, the Pole is kept in check by the efforts of the remaining Autochthonian nations, who fight daily to hold back the sickness and the creatures it creates. The combined force of the Silver and Golden Towers prevent the worst of it, though incursions past (Pole of Crystal name) are a common enough occurrence.

(unedited) Gremlin home. Acid smoke, basically pure corruption. Source of soulsteel, as gremlins fight each other and dissolve in the acid, eventually solidifying into souled metal. Nobody harvests from here, though, since it’s suicide to even get near it.

Steam

The Silver Tower, The Mirrors

(unedited) ...whilst still the most lethal pole, is also the cleanest; the purifiers there are more than a match for any sort of smoke. It is almost preferable to be blasted with a gout of smoke coming out of a vent than it is to be hit by a burst of high-pressure steam. Gremlins hate this place, and are constantly trying to break open seals and crush bulkheads. Large source of adamant, but the material is not uncommon elsewhere, plus the Estasians like keeping their Pole intact as much as possible.

PEOPLE

blurb goes here.

Nations of Autochthonia

Claslat

(unedited) Claslat maintains the Pole of Lightning, simply due to the fact that they have the largest amount of people, and are thus more capable of keeping a constant watch for the titanic amounts of damage that occurs in and around the Pole. Most of the more experienced Alchemicals from this nation have Lightning-Inured Frame installed on a permanent basis, since they rarely have the luxury of time when it comes to pole-related disasters. The cities all have ventilation systems buried into the side of the Pole that prevent gas from building up (and destroying any cities) but the explosions can often get very close. The people of Claslat are loud and friendly; when you could die in a fireball at any moment, you tend to care less about petty matters. Connection system: tram system, magnet-based, since established tracks would soon be destroyed by gremlins and explosions; they fire the trams in the rough direction of the desired city, and the pilot steers it into the "catching zone."

Estasia

Estasia is a long chain of cities wrapped around the Pole of Steam. Their Militate caste are constantly on patrol up and down the Pole, searching for even the slightest hint of gremlin activity. Most of the cities rest on large steam vents, using them for power and heat, and even weaponry in extreme cases. The largest wars in Autochthonian history have all taken place here, as massive hordes of rust-streaked gremlins descended on the cities.

(unedited) Always surrounded by gremlins, hence the Militate. A sea of living corruption. The metal is cleared out to a mile from the Pole, for clear line-of-sight. Connection system: pneumatic tram, obviously.

Gulak

(unedited) Gulak co-exists with the Pole of Crystal. Two of their main cities mark the only entrances to the Pole; perfectly circular tunnels piercing the crystal barrier. The rest of the nation's cities reside inside the Pole, hanging like spiderwebs between the thought-cables. The people here have an almost uncanny sense of balance, and are usually the creators of any new technology. Connection system: probably a flight method of some sort, or elevators along the cables. Quiet, sometimes born hairless, almost monk-like. Uncomfortable outside the Pole.

Jarish

(unedited) Jarish is sometimes seen as the unofficial leader of Autochthonian society; they certainly have a strong hold over the religious ceremonies, sending priests to every nation on a regular basis to ensure they are following the correct methods. They don't get on particularly well with Gulak, given that they are such staunch traditionalists, but as yet no full-on wars have erupted between them. Connection system: pneumatic tram for city-to-village. Not sure about intercity. They hold the Ewer of Souls.

Kamak

(unedited) Kamak rests on one of the conduit lines that leads direct from the core to the Pole of Oil; not only do they have access to the vast chemical stores of said Pole, but the conduit line itself is rich in magical material. Possesses gremlin reconstitution techniques, which is another source of their wealth. Cities inside the pole as well. Seen as sometimes unethical and possibly unholy, but a valuable ally. Owners of the hollow ships that cruise the pole (disguised as rock deposits). The rock disguises are usually mostly-empty sensor hulls, a framework connecting it to a core (possibly just a single alchemical) inside. They have tactile sensors rather than sonar, and retaliate with massive, sudden force, probably harpoons/nets. Hunters rather than hunted, but are so far from the Pole of Smoke that they almost never see serious gremlin invasions, and thus are only aware of the problem as a distant thing. Connection system: usually crawlers when moving outside the Pole, or speedy submarine vessels inside it. Need to emphasize the fear these missions create; effectively being stuck in a sensory deprivation tank that is itself underwater, with no idea if the surface is still nearby or if the anchor has broken and you've drifted a hundred miles away.

Nurad

In stark contrast to rowdy Claslat is Nurad, often referred to as the Silent State. This nation lies around one of the larger tunnel networks leading from the Pole of Smoke towards the rest of Autochthon, an area that was once high in mineral deposits but which has now been stripped nearly clean. This network is a common path for the gremlin hordes, those vast and lethal waves of shrieking metal beasts, and Nurad would be their first victim in any invasion if the gremlins knew of their presence.

As they favor moonsilver for their cities, Nurad is very well hidden. The method of concealment varies; the city of Gath favors camouflage emitters, so that it appears as a plain metal wall, whereas the township of Kaelan is rock, having anchored itself inside a depleted mine and slowly expanded through the empty tunnels, all of the entrances to which are carefully hidden. Regardless of how well these systems may work, the people take no chances; at the first sign of gremlins, an alarm goes out, and the city shuts down all but the most vital systems, the quiet clanking of which is easily lost in the constant rumble of Autochthon's innards. Conversation halts, people move indoors, and the wait begins. Even in times of (relative) peace, the people are unusually subdued.

Though their protection is very effective, Nurad is still in dire straits. The acidic smoke from the Pole is thick outside their cities, resources are nearly exhausted, and with the gremlins tearing up more and more every time they pass through, morale is at an all-time low. And things do not appear to be getting any better; the hordes mean that establishing a new city is an extremely difficult task, as is moving any the existing cities. Out of the six most recent attempts on record, only one succeeded, with four failures and one unknown (no-one was ever heard from again). Unless something changes soon for Nurad, the nation is surely doomed.

(unedited) Whisperweb warning systems. Not sure how these work yet. The first city was founded here as a defence against the original rare groups of goblins, and the defences became so entrenched that it became almost impossible to move. Eventually changed from defence to concealment, but there’s a political faction that favours returning to the old ways. Despite their doomed-ness, they are an unparalleled source of information on gremlin movements, and can usually trade this for resources.

Sova

(unedited) Sova; deliberately trying to remove personality from their population, and ruthlessly clamping down on even the slightest insubordination. Mentioning the war with Yugash is a serious offence. They thought that Ixut was invincible, so when it was destroyed they naturally started looking for a traitor in their ranks. They use a lot of soulsteel, usually traded from Kamak. Unpleasant rumours of forced breeding programs in place to replenish their ranks, amongst others.

Yugash

(unedited) Yugash and Sova fought the Elemental War over a vast store of Magical Materials that had been previously undiscovered. Yugash won after destroying the Sova forward base of Ixut, and two of their newest cities now sit atop this cache. Connection system using connection outposts when travel is needed. They have a few outposts at key sectors, which are linked to whenever a city draws near.

CREATURES

Mostly mad Dragon-Blooded, trapped in a world with none of their natural elements. Three basic categories: the desperate outcaste ones who use mechanic/necromantic rituals to take element essence from living humans, clinging to jade deposits and frightening the populace; the type who live among normal Autochthonians to partake of such essence naturally (by being overly social, and have to balance the need for social contact with the Autochthonian need for privacy) and the truly insane ones, short-lived but powerful, who consume all the elements in all forms.

A Celestial soul or two trapped there who manifest every century or so. Lunars, likely, but maybe others. Maybe a legendary Solar/Lunar romance.

Gremlins: souled gremlins are rare, but get used for soulsteel; most are feral and non-sentient. Probably stealing some inspiration from the silicon creatures in Blame! for their design, as well as that picture which I now can’t find. >_< Likely three different kinds of them, with plenty of crossover: one, the corrupted gods and alchemicals that were in the Pole of Smoke; two, life that evolved at lightspeed from out of the corpses and acids in the Pole, and three, something that I have yet to decide.

Yet to come: Demons! The dead! Maybe!

Random ideas

Luminors: do more than just make lights. They also wield various flame-weapons that they use to cleanse the corrupted portions of Autobot.

TIME TO WRITE CHARM MECHANIC OUTLINES I GUESS also defining use of elements would probably be good. Alchemicals, and their charms, are based on two areas of action; the Terrestrial area, which is fairly similar to Dragon-blooded but for an entirely different set of elements, and the Celestial area, which is um. Something.

Steam: building up pressure, up to a cap or requiring a set level, to achieve force
Lightning: Distraction and sudden (obvious) increases in power
Crystal: Temporary impenetrability, stasis, purification
Metal: Endlessness, supports and containers
Oil: Absorption and slowness; burning for quick bonuses
Smoke: Obfuscation and stealth, production for longer-term bonuses

Alchemicals: 5MM body, powered by autochthonian elements, with a human soul, a great hero of the autochtonian nations nominated by the people, or a council, or something like that

Souls and death is like pre-First Age state; no oblivion or underworld, just return to the ewer of souls. the dudes chosen to be autobots are naturally exempt from this; their souls go directly into the alchemical shell upon death. usually their body's death fuels it, for gruesomeness++ and also aztec vibes.

Soulsteel isn't so much horrible screaming metal anymore. It's something like a (very long) lifetime of indentured service for crimes in a previous life.

Since you need generally very bloody and visceral facilities for making alchies, the dudes who live in the pole of crystal don't have access to the facilities needed to produce them like other nations do. the heavily religious nation has been moving to block their excursions out of the pole to create said alchies.

Comments

This PDF might be of slight use to you, for reference. -- Wordman

Hmm, I'm shifting around the society a fair bit (if I ever get around to actually writing this), but that's a nice overview, thanks. - LeumasWhite