Undying and Nuum Lore Questions

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TheCacklackian
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Undying and Nuum Lore Questions

Post by TheCacklackian »

Undying:
1.Are undying born as such, or do they become undying at a certain point of their life?
2.Are undying able to become liches lorewise?
3.Are non undying able to become undying lorewise?

Nuum:
1.How are the Nuumic people united if in any way? How would their government work?
a.If they are not united, is there a current power struggle in Nuum?
2.What drives Nuumic economy?
3.What happens to those in Nuum who don't have much knack for the occult?
4.What characteristics do Nuumic people value?
5.What characteristics do they shun?
6.How do Nuumic people on average view sorcery? Is it considered tabboo in their arcane-centric society?
7.Does the Nuumic lands have pyramids or tombs akin to those of egypt? Mummifcation seems to be a part of their undertaking of the dead.
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Rias
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Re: Undying and Nuum Lore Questions

Post by Rias »

1.Are undying born as such, or do they become undying at a certain point of their life?
Nobody knows they're Undying until they die and then wake back up in an identical body, so it's impossible to tell.
2.Are undying able to become liches lorewise?
Lichdom and Undyingdom are both exceptionally obscure topics, so I don't think I have a straight answer for you. I will say that Undying people aren't immune to aging and eventually die permanently of old age just like everyone else. Combined with the lore concept that Undying don't know how many times they'll be coming back, this does mean that even an Undying could have reason to seek some means of immortality.
3.Are non undying able to become undying lorewise?
See the answer to question 1.

----------

When it comes to the Nuum questions, I'm still hammering out some of the details, so we might have some partial or lacking answers here. And I'll get to work on those racial lore documents.
1.How are the Nuumic people united if in any way? How would their government work?
There are a handful of cities out in the deserts of Nuum, each like a kingdom unto itself. They are all technically united by a singular ruler, but most of the time this ultimate leader (still need a term for it) is up to their own vague and mysterious devices while the cities avoid having much to do with one another. They're all vying to outdo the rest and prove they'll be the next to be on top. Shifts of power are not uncommon in Nuumic history. Competition between the cities is the name of the game, but it's rarely to the point of outright hostility. They tend to think they're above any issues of the outside world, but they can come together when necessary (such as in times of war against other nations).
is there a current power struggle in Nuum?
There's -always- a power struggle in Nuum, with one historic exception: Aside from Nu, the founder of Nuum, there has been only one Nuumic leader who managed to hold the respect of all the cities. His name was Ammun, and this is why there is a constellation in the sky dedicated to him known as the Seat of Ammun. Those were prosperous times, and a lot of Nuumic leaders since then -think- they're the next Ammun who will win the respect of all, but it never seems to pan out that way. Probably because they always clash with the other leaders who are thinking the same thing about themselves.
2.What drives Nuumic economy?
Rain check. Economics is not my strong suit.
3.What happens to those in Nuum who don't have much knack for the occult?
(Tangent alert) Nuumic society is certainly a society of occult wonders, but it's still reliant upon all the mundanity required for a society to function. The reality is that the majority of Nuumic citizens have little to no occult ability, nor understanding of occult arcana. It's what you might imagine: The exclusive upper class are the ones with the exceptional power, and aside from situations where they feel it will benefit themselves in some way, they do all they can to keep this knowledge and power out of the hands of their lessers.

There's a middle class made up of those who have shown signs of occult talent or affinity and are allowed a level of arcane teaching (similar to what you see with our Arcana-based abilities in-game). These individuals are allowed to legally practice - with significant rules and oversight - in order to serve primarily in three ways:

The first and largest group is a sort of force of occult maintenance workers. They manage the daily busywork required to maintain what occult-based infrastructure is there in the Nuumic cities, and other day-to-day stuff like that. While some might see this as essentially amounting to boring gruntwork, these arcane service workers do enjoy a considerable amount of prestige and can afford to live quite comfortably.

The second group serve as specialists in military or law enforcement positions, using occult methods of combat, surveillance, espionage and the like.

The third and smallest group serve as, essentially, occult entertainment. Particularly useful in keeping the lower classes content.

Having no knack for the occult does mean that you don't have much security in maintaining your rights. One little slip-up, one wrong word in earshot of the wrong person, and you could find yourself demoted to the slave class. If you had even an inkling of occult affinity you would likely have been given leeway.
4.What characteristics do Nuumic people value?
Beauty, intelligence, cleverness, and ambition are up at the top. It's ofen said that there's no such thing as a beautiful slave in Nuum, because the beautiful ones always get picked up by someone in the upper class willing to work on salvaging their role in society somehow. It's not uncommon to hear about pretty faces manipulating their way through society despite their obvious and glaring flaws otherwise.

Many times when those of the lower class are required to be in the presence of those of the upper class, the former will be required to wear masks to hide their ugliness. This is often done despite their actual physical appearance, as a way for the upper classes to feel superior.

You'll also occasionally see some members of the upper class wearing beautiful, ornate masks themselves. While any of the upper class are free to do this, the rumor is that this is only really done by those of the upper class who are too talented or powerful to be shunned by their peers, but have ugly faces.

The Nuum are really caught up on physical beauty, as you can see. Rumors abound that the famed extraordinary physical attractiveness of the Nuum as a people is the result of some kind of occult tinkering, often attributed to work started all the way back at the time of Nuum's founding. This is often the explanation given for the unique eye colors that the Nuum exhibit, in particular. (Not that the Nuumic standard of beauty is universal - the Giganti and Faewyr likely find them a bit too willowy and frail compared to their own cultural preference for having more meat on the bones.)
5.What characteristics do they shun?
Too much kindness, tenderness, or compassion is often seen as a sign of weakness in Nuum. Not to say that all Nuum are cold, mean, and unforgiving. There's just that extreme cultural pride and even haughtiness that comes into play.

The big burly types are often assumed to be of lesser intelligence, and ideal for manual labor (or perhaps a product of it) that is a sign of the lower class. As such, being an individual of particularly impressive physical stature can actually a hindrance when it comes to social status. A common way for such individuals to try and maintain some respect is to join the military, law enforcement, or a sports team. This isn't to say the Nuum shun a well-toned body, however. They're all over the lean athletic look. It's just things like the big broad shoulders, barrel chests, and rippling muscles that could spell social disaster.
6.How do Nuumic people on average view sorcery? Is it considered tabboo in their arcane-centric society?
Sorcery is known to be practiced by some in Nuum, and while it has a reputation for being unpredictable and difficult to keep under control, it isn't an outright taboo. That said, only those in the upper class could ever get away with it. Anyone else, and they're going to get arrested and likely have their class status demoted.

That stuff is too dangerous to allow just anyone to play with. Can you imagine if the practice spread and got into the hands of malcontents? It can't be regulated the way arcana can be with restriction to specific glyphs and diagrams. Historically, sorcerers have had a disturbing tendency of discovering things on their own, once they get into the craft.
7.Does the Nuumic lands have pyramids or tombs akin to those of egypt? Mummifcation seems to be a part of their undertaking of the dead.
Each Nuumic city has a large pyramidal structure at its center. While strictly off-limits to the public, they are known to serve multiple functions, including high-security storehouses, places of occult teaching, ritual, and research, and yes, tombs for rulers and a rare few other privileged individuals. (Mummification is indeed practiced by the Nuum.)
<Rias> PUT ON PANTS
<Fellborn> NO
TheCacklackian
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Re: Undying and Nuum Lore Questions

Post by TheCacklackian »

3.What happens to those in Nuum who don't have much knack for the occult?
(Tangent alert) Nuumic society is certainly a society of occult wonders, but it's still reliant upon all the mundanity required for a society to function. The reality is that the majority of Nuumic citizens have little to no occult ability, nor understanding of occult arcana. It's what you might imagine: The exclusive upper class are the ones with the exceptional power, and aside from situations where they feel it will benefit themselves in some way, they do all they can to keep this knowledge and power out of the hands of their lessers.

There's a middle class made up of those who have shown signs of occult talent or affinity and are allowed a level of arcane teaching (similar to what you see with our Arcana-based abilities in-game). These individuals are allowed to legally practice - with significant rules and oversight - in order to serve primarily in three ways:

The first and largest group is a sort of force of occult maintenance workers. They manage the daily busywork required to maintain what occult-based infrastructure is there in the Nuumic cities, and other day-to-day stuff like that. While some might see this as essentially amounting to boring gruntwork, these arcane service workers do enjoy a considerable amount of prestige and can afford to live quite comfortably.

The second group serve as specialists in military or law enforcement positions, using occult methods of combat, surveillance, espionage and the like.

The third and smallest group serve as, essentially, occult entertainment. Particularly useful in keeping the lower classes content.
Would those in the second group, eg the military and law enforcement positions be permitted to have access to sorcery to any extent? Or are they excluded like the other castes. What about the 'Occult Maintnance' workers? Do they have a group of nether channelers who are taught little beyond how to imbue nether-animated things with more energy to keep them going? If not, do they rely on another form of occult magic to do so?

How are military occultists(and military in general) treated in Nuum? Are they treated with respect by the middle class, or is it more like conscription?
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Re: Undying and Nuum Lore Questions

Post by nobody »

Rias wrote: Tue Sep 22, 2020 2:36 pm
2.What drives Nuumic economy?
Rain check. Economics is not my strong suit.
Too be fair, it's a pretty broad question. That question, and the rest of the responses have inspired some more narrow questions I'm curious about.
1. Is there a market for slave class citizens (or in other words, are they owned by individuals [slaves as we know them in western history], or by the city [more like a permanent indentured servitude, or required to follow orders of anyone who outranks them unless they already have higher orders], or some combination of the two)?
2. Nuum almost certainly exports art (what isn't good enough for the elites), but do they consider art from other cultures worthy of importing?
3. Does Nuum have to import food, do they have desert specific crops that they rely on almost exclusively, or have they found some way to use arcane arts to bolster their ability to produce food (presumably the work of those middle-class arcanists)?
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