Vlugzul
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Vlugzul
March 19, 2014: Shop thread opened to general posting!
March 6, 2014: Shop thread created
Vlugzul
Vlugzul
Goblins live in villages, towns, and cities, and each settlement has its own laws and its own ruling class. There is no centralized goblin government, although it is common for groups of tribes to have standing alliances. In the light of humanity’s recent attacks on border towns, there have been some attempts by the bigger goblin cities to establish some sort of larger army or globally recognized authority figure, but none have managed to gain much momentum.
The insular nature of goblin tribes means that every village has its own micro-culture; what’s normal in one goblin group may be frowned upon in others, and this makes it difficult to communicate and immigrate from group to group.
Goblins have a lifespan of 10 – 15 years. Side by side with humans, the aging rate is about 1:6 – that is, a 1 year old goblin is comparable to a 6 year old human, a 2 year old goblin is akin to a 12 year old human, and so on. Rather than mark their years by numbers the way humans do (for example, we are in the year 2014), goblins give years names.
This is done at an annual solstice festival in which the village seer makes sacrifice to the spirits or to the gods they worship and experiences a year-vision. This vision shows a glimpse of what is to come for their community in the next cycle of seasons, and based on that vision the seer will announce the name of the cycle they are about to enter. This is how they mark birth and death – for example, Vjarrj the Seer was born in the Year of the Great Hunger and died in the Year of the Angry Crow. It’s important to note that the names of these years will vary from village to village, which contributes to the difficulties in communication across goblin cultures.
Goblins, being practical creatures, generally prefer to measure their time in seasons rather than years; for the age ratio of seasons, one season of age is the equivalent of two years of age for a human. A goblin that introduces itself as 13 seasons old is about the equivalent of a 26 year old human.
Because goblins age so quickly there is a lot of emphasis on succession, having children, and training your juniors to carry on your task (and in some cases your legacy). Goblins often consider themselves to have two sets of parents: their biological parents, who represent their history as an individual, and their mentors (usually an immediate superior in the workforce) who represent their future as an individual.
The sexes of goblins have absolutely no impact on their social standing. Indeed, most humans can’t tell the difference between a male and a female goblin. They dress much the same, look much the same, and act much the same. Female goblins do not nurse their young, but give live birth in the way of mammals. Gestation for a goblin is a half-season (6 weeks) and a new mother is ready to reproduce again within one season of giving birth.
As a race, goblins have many of the same flaws that other creatures do: pride, greed, selfishness, malice, and cruelty, among other things. They also have the same range of possible redeeming traits, like community, love, creativity, compassion, ambition, devotion, kindness, and even altruism. The savage, brutal portrayal of goblinoids in human culture is often skewed by an overrepresentation of warlike clans in those goblins humans have had the chance to interact with. Over recent years, too, goblins have often excised softness and compromise from their culturally approved narratives of the self in order to deal with the harsh reality of the neverending war with the humans.
Vlugzul
Vlugzul are giant bats that are bred and trained by goblins for a variety of purposes, primarily for warfare.
The oral history of the goblin community holds that about three hundred seasons ago, the small farming village of (name) endured a series of horrible attacks from a small colony of gigantic bats that emerged from the depths of a nearby cavern. Dozens of goblins were hunted and devoured by the great beasts. The village council argued over whether to abandon the village or try to find the roost and kill the bats while they slept. As the body count piled up, a young goblin named Wrackle explored the caverns and eventually discovered the giant bats, which the goblins had taken to calling flying gnolls or, in their tongue, Vlugzul. The histories vary in the telling of how exactly he accomplished this, but Wrackle tamed and rode these monstrous beasts, and soon made trusted mounts of the creatures that had before been the things of their nightmares.
Now that village has all but abandoned farming as its main industry and instead flourishes by breeding and trading away their magnificent war bats to other goblins. Rumors of other villages with similar bat populations occasionally pass by on the tongues of travelers, but if they exist they are far from (name). The best evidence of them has been the occasional visitor who comes riding on a strange breed of Vlugzul never before seen by anyone in (name) – but these encounters are rare indeed.
Vlugzul have a lifespan of 10 – 15 years and mature very quickly. Vlugzul have more intelligence than many animals, but are still only animals and cannot speak or express complex thoughts. They fall somewhere between a cat and a parrot in terms of intelligence, and will have their own unique personalities. They do not completely understand their goblin trainers but can learn anywhere from three to thirty distinct commands.
When born, Vlugzul are tiny bundles of fluff and fangs that are commonly called pups. Vlugzul pups spend much of their time clinging to the bellies of their mothers, unless for some reason they can’t be with their mother – in which case a goblin must be their dedicated caretaker, carrying them around everywhere and feeding them raw meat and sometimes bat milk harvested from a nursing mother bat.
By two months of age, Vlugzul are considered adolescents and will begin learning to fly on their own. By this age they are primarily eating birds and small mammals, and will learn to hunt on their own. One owl makes a tasty meal for a young Vlugzul. This is the age at which training must begin in earnest in order to shape it into an obedient mount.
By six months of age, Vlugzul are fully grown adults. Adult Vlugzul are raised to specialize in different occupations – there are currently four varieties that consist of Scout, Warrior, Hunter and Breeder.
Vlugzul Scout: These bats are the silent watchers, the sharp listeners and shadows in the darkness. Their role is primarily to fly ahead of battalions and patrol borders listening for enemies in the dark conditions where a flier can’t be easily spotted by ground troops. They rarely engage in combat themselves, but make good mounts for snipers equipped with longbows. They can glide silently for hours but lack the raw strength and carrying power of Warriors, and are fleet on the wing but cannot execute the sharp dives and maneuvers that Hunters can.
Vlugzul Warrior: Beasts of war with powerful grasping hind feet, gnashing teeth, and jaws capable of snapping bone, these mounts are capable of carrying a goblin in full armor and sometimes are outfitted themselves in thick leather armor. Trained from a young age to dive onto targets and then seize them in their massive claws, warrior bats have little fear of pain and bloodshed. They wear harnesses that can be ridden on either the front of the back, allowing a goblin to clamber over mid-flight and position themselves snugly against the bat’s chest. Once an enemy soldier is grasped and lifted up off the ground by the bat’s hind legs, the rider is then in position to finish off the soldier with the quick application of a blade.
Vlugzul Hunter: Hunters were bred with the utilitarian goal of contributing to the food stores of a village or a war band. Tapping in to their basic hunting capabilities, these bats are specially trained to locate large prey animals and kill them with a crushing blow to the neck or head, leaving most of the hide intact for tanning. Traditionally, a hunter bat is allowed to consume the first and last kill of every hunting session. Goblin trainers have noticed over the years that Vlugzul have a particular fondness for eating owl, which is considered amusing and even appropriate as owls in the goblin lands frequently prey on the much smaller kin of these giant bats.
Vlugzul Breeder: While they are still perfectly capable and dangerous predators, what with being giant bats, breeders are mostly kept and fed up for the purpose of churning out greater numbers of Vlugzul pups to sell or to try to attain a certain breeding goal. Breeders tend to be a little more docile because they are kept so well fed and are so frequently handled, although they get irritable if they aren’t allowed to get out and fly often enough. They have higher birth rates than the other variants.
Clan Markings
Those Vlugzul who are part of a warband or military formation or belong to a goblin warrior will have war paint dyed on their faces. The complexity of these markings will indicate the role and the rank of the bat, and at a glance can provide a lot of information about where they are from and who they belong to.
The clan marking that forms the base of every set of war paint indicates which village they hail from, and is the same marking that is used on that goblin tribe’s banners and in their rituals. Applying war paint to a bat that you do not have a right to (for example, representing a village you don’t belong to, or displaying a rank you haven’t actually attained) is a serious offense and will get you into varying amounts of trouble depending on who it is that catches you doing it.
Vlugzul
Anybody can make a goblin character, even if you don’t own any bats yet! In fact, being an active member of our roleplay is a great way to earn your first bat. So you’re ready to start filling out a character application, are you?
The first thing to do is make sure you read through all the setting information available on the first page. This will help you get character ideas and help your character fit in with the world of Vlugzul.
If you’re having trouble getting started, don’t hesitate to post in the main thread looking for ideas. Definitely consider playing a goblin who is the offspring or apprentice of other peoples’ characters! (Make sure you actually have their permission for that, though.)
Start filling out your character application, and when you’re done, post it to the application subforum in the guild. Be sure to have a read through the character rules. A staff member will review it shortly and provide feedback, and when it’s up to scratch it will be marked as accepted and you’ll be ready to roleplay!
Are goblins in this game good or evil?
Neither – like humans, some of them are good and some of them are evil. The direction of the village will be determined by the players and by the goblins who end up in power. Get your goblins involved in the politics and you can influence the sort of tribe they are – Ruthless? Compassionate? Gentle? Hardened? Compromising? Proud? Good? Evil? Anything you want to play, you can!
Vlugzul
Flatsales of premade Vlugzul happen occasionally and will be announced a few days in advance. Flatsales are first come, first served – a list of the available Vlugzul will be posted and when the flatsale is declared open the first person to claim a Vlugzul has attained the pet and should immediately send the fee to the shop mule. Each person may only obtain one pet per flatsale. Users unable to be present during the flatsale may have a friend proxy for them if this is communicated to a member of the staff beforehand.
Flatsale prices are as follows:
25k gold for adults
50k gold for adolescents
100k gold for pups
Sometimes roleplay contests are held for special or unique Vlugzul. Winners are selected based on a variety of criteria, such as adherence to the contest guidelines, originality of ideas, and writing skill. These contests will be announced in the thread and located in the guild; Vlugzul won from contests cost a flat rate of 50k gold regardless of age. To view current and past contests, check out the Contests & Other OOC Events Subforum in the guild.
Custom Vlugzul start at 100k gold and increase in price depending on age, complexity, and level of customization. Custom slots become available on a per-artist basis. You can read the full Custom Shop Rules and Prices for more information.
Very special pre-made Vlugzul, often featuring rare markings, complex lineart edits and even new breeds, are occasionally auctioned off. Auctions will be held in a separate thread and will start at a bid of 50k.
Colorists will announce when breeding slots are open; slots are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and like flatsales, a player can only secure one breeding per breeding event / opening.
Breeding costs 100k gold; if the parents have two different owners, these players have the option to split the cost between themselves however they please.
Breeding will result in 1 – 2 pups in neither parent is the breeder type of Vlugzul, 2 pups if one parent is a breeder, and 2 – 3 pups if both are breeders. The colorist in charge of the breeding will use the Gaia dice system to roll for how many pups and the genders of the pups.
Roleplay Bonus: If you can link to three completed roleplays in which the parent Vlugzul interacted in a meaningful way, you have the option of choosing one of two bonus dice. If you select the Litter Size bonus die, the colorist will roll a six-sided die, and if the roll lands on a six, you will get an additional pup in that litter. If you select the Special Pup bonus die, the colorist will roll a six-sided die, and if the roll lands on a six, one of the pups in your litter will receive lineart edits as chosen by the colorist. Once three roleplay scenes have been used to purchase a bonus die, they cannot be used to purchase subsequent ones, whether or not you successfully gained a special bonus to your breeding.
Breeding with NPCs: Sometimes a special roleplay event happens where a traveler with a Vlugzul passes through the village. Wandering Vluzul riders often bring with them mounts from strange and exotic places with unusual fur colors and strange physical features like different ears and snouts. These Vlugzul are often highly in demand as a bringer of genetic diversity! If you participate in this roleplay event and successfully negotiate a deal with the NPC rider to use their Vlugzul as a stud to a female Vlugzul that your goblin character owns, you receive a rare breeding. The breeding fee for this still applies, but it is not possible to apply a roleplay bonus.
Unlike most B/C shops, we allow and indeed encourage pet trading between players. In the goblin village, the trade and acquisition of Vlugzul is common and necessary for their economy. If you roleplay out an exchange, we will honor that IC exchange and swap the ownership OOCly. Trades can only happen if they’ve been roleplayed out – an OOC agreement to exchange pets is not sufficient.
Vlugzul Trading Rules
1. You must have owned the pet you are trading away for at least one month
2. It is not possible to trade pups – only adults and adolescents can be traded
3. Trades do not have to be 1:1 – if one person has an especially unique Vlugzul it’s reasonable for them to expect two or three more common Vlugzul in exchange
4. The trade must be roleplayed out by the owners of the Vlugzul being exchanged before it can become official
5. Once the Ownership Change Request form has been posted into the certing thread in the guild, the trade is official and cannot be undone
6. Before the form is submitted, if any party changes his or her mind the trade is annulled, whether or not a roleplay has happened
Trading with NPCs: On occasion, an NPC with one or more Vlugzul will arrive in the village who is willing to do more than just stud their cool foreign bat out for breeding – they’re open to trade offers. These trades are different from trades with players, because while you are getting a very cool, rare Vlugzul from the NPC, those Vlugzul that you trade (and you will always need to offer the NPC more than one for his or her rare species) will be gone from the game forever and there will be no getting them back. The opportunity to do these NPC trades are rare events that can only be accessed via roleplay and will be announced in advance.
Vlugzul
Current Events
It is currently Spring of the Year of the Unflinching Mercenary.
It is currently Spring of the Year of the Unflinching Mercenary.
At the very beginning of the year, an army of five hundred goblins was spotted arriving from the north-east - the army came upon the village and its leader demanded the surrender of all battle-worthy Vlugzul for the fight against the encroaching humans. The village was given two options: surrender the Vlugzul or be slaughtered in the name of the greater good. The army left with 95% of the adult population of the Vlugzul, including Orcbearer and the only three of her offspring who inherited her great size.
Several weeks passed as the council of elders squabbled over the best strategy for how to recover from this devastating blow to their village's economy and their Vlugzul breeding program. On the third week, a single Vlugzul rider returned to the village with the word that the human army was a vast, well-equipped machine, more metal than organic, and the goblin mercenary army - along with the stolen Vlugzul - had been slaughtered.
Village Culture
Goblin culture is widely varied from tribe to tribe. Cultural norms depend heavily on geography, industry, history, and any number of other factors. It should come as no surprise that (village) culture is tied in closely to the raising of Vlugzul.
The whole village pools its efforts to enable the breeding and export of the great monstrous bats that are their trademark. Whether directly involved in training and breeding them or indirectly involved by providing the cattle that feed them or mining out the caverns that house them, every goblin in the village works towards this collective goal in some way.
Vlugzul ownership is as much a status symbol as it is a practicality. Goblins without a Vlugzul are considered somewhat inferior, even if they really have no need of a giant bat.
Courtship between goblins in this village is also tied to Vlugzul. When one party wishes to woo another, he or she will generally take their object of interest out for a ride on their Vlugzul, for one invented reason or another. It serves as a great way to get alone time away from the eyes of one’s gossipy neighbours – although it’s considered incredibly skeevy to ask someone an important question or ask them to make a decision while you have them ‘captive’ as a passenger on your Vlugzul, and that goes for business deals as much as it does for asking that special someone if they really like, like like you. Heavy conversations stay on the ground, where there is no implied penalty for rejection.
If a goblin pair do find themselves falling madly in love, marriage may be on the horizon! For that to happen, one of the goblins must make a marriage offer – and if that offer doesn’t include the gift of a Vlugzul, you can bet your best belt buckle the offer will be rejected. If you aren’t willing to save up to buy your loved one a giant war bat, you’re clearly not serious enough about the relationship to take it to the next level.
These Vlugzul that are purchased and given as marriage offers are generally considered to be connected to the couple – if the Vlugzul of their marriage offer falls ill, for example, it means something is deeply wrong with the relationship. It is also completely unthinkable to even suggest trading away a Vlugzul that was given as a marriage offer, and in fact is the action generally taken when one or both parties decide they want a divorce.
Goblins have a great deal less sexual dimorphism than humans do, and so it isn’t considered terribly odd if an individual tends to prefer their own gender when it comes to romance. It just means that some sort of arrangement with a donor or a surrogate will be needed if they want children – which of course they do, because you haven’t made it as a goblin until you’ve reproduced. With how short their lifespans are, it is absolutely essential to maintain a steady population by having lots of babies. In this village, it’s considered far more freakish and antisocial to not want children than it is to form romantic partnerships outside of the “one male, one female” template.
For the most part, occupations are equally respected. The powerful, victorious warrior with only one Vlugzul is considered less successful than the mild-mannered potter with three Vlugzul and a brood of seven children.
Some goblin villages are incredibly violence-driven, their culture revolving around strength and battle and their best warriors treated as celebrities. These tend to be the villages further to the west, closer to enemy territory, where the opportunity for raids and glory are greater. In this village, violence can be used as a way to resolve conflict but is not the most common mode of communication. Goblins lead a sparse, brutal life, but this village has prospered from trade and so their culture is a little softer and kinder. Whether this will change as the world around them becomes more dangerous has yet to be seen.
Hierarchy
Like most goblin villages, the tribe of (village name) is headed by a Chieftain.
The Chieftain is elected by the Council of Elders, which is a collection of eight goblins. Seven of these goblins represent one of the core trades of the village, and the eighth is the village seer. The trade representatives are literally the oldest living practitioner of that trade, which means many council positions are held until death.
The Chieftain position is officially held until death, which occasionally leads to suspicious endings of widely disliked leaders... which is often an effective deterrent for tyranny.
Villager Occupations
Core Trade Occupations: Vlugzul breeder | Vlugzul trainer | Leatherworker | Cattlekeeper | Warrior | Hunter | Carpenter
Other Common Occupations: Butcher | Forester | Builder | Fletcher
Uncommon Occupations: Smith | Farmer | Doctor | Seer | Diplomat | Merchant | Potter | Jeweler | Angler | Brewer
Vlugzul
Hundreds of seasons ago, the humans concluded their generations-long war with the orcs and emerged victorious. The orcs, who had occupied the mountainous lands in the northwestern reaches of the continents, are all but extinct now, their civilization ground to dust and burned to ash and replaced with copper mines and refineries.
Now Man has turned its greedy eyes to the east, where gangly forests, rumbling hillsides and poisonous swamps beg to be mastered and made into farms, quarries and castles. The only thing stopping them is the huge population of goblins that call these places home and have lived there for more generations than the wisest seer could accurately estimate. But what does Man care of such things?
The tales began filtering in six seasons ago, in the Year of the Ill-Omened Refugee, that human forces had began systematically attacking the goblin cities and villages closest to the informal border that separated their lands. Although (village name) is located deep into goblin territory and was historically considered safe from human incursion, the reported progress of human troops is alarming.
Several goblin warbands and, indeed, entire tribes, have thrown themselves at the marching army of Man – to little effect. Their superior size and metal mines have overwhelmed the less organized goblin groups nine times out of every ten. Naturally this has made the demand for Vlugzul skyrocket, as control of the skies and vision in the dark are two advantages that goblin fighters have over humans.
Still, the soldiers who stop by (village name) on their way to the battle front rarely return – and when they do, it is with news of razed villages and a steadily advancing battalion of steel-clad giants.
Vlugzul
Chieftain ???
Uoga the Seer
Teg the Elder Warrior
??? the Elder Breeder
??? the Elder Trainer
??? the Elder Leatherworker
??? the Elder Cattlekeeper
??? the Elder Hunter
??? the Elder Carpenter
Vlugzul
Vlugzul is not a roleplay-required shop, and you will never have a pet taken away for inactivity. Roleplaying, however, unlocks many exciting perks!
RP Perks include:
Clan and rank markings for military characters
Free edits earned from roleplay (battle scars, items, etc.)
Chance to earn free or special breedings
Ability to have your bat grow into lines other than what its parents were via IC training
Ability to breed your bats with NPC travelers’ studs
Ability to trade your bats with NPCs for bats bred in different villages (e.g. different breeds)
Vlugzul
General Shop Rules
1. Be courteous and respectful to other players and to staff
2. No guilting, intimidating, or discouraging people in auctions, contests, flatsales, etc.
3. Whining and bullying behaviour will not be tolerated
4. Comments that are offensive or hurtful, especially regarding religion, sexual orientation, or race, are not tolerated
5. Generally speaking, follow all of Gaia's TOS rules
6. Vlugzul can only be colors and patterns found on any the following types of mammals: chiroptera (bats), canidae (canines), and rodentia (rodents).
Roleplaying Rules
1. Please only roleplay characters that have been approved by a staff member
2. Goblins and Vlugzul should have thematic names - no Bob, Okami, or Laserbeam
3. No powerplay (controlling a character not your own)
4. No godmoding (making your character invulnerable to attack beyond reason)
5. No extremely explicit gore or sexual content in any roleplay
6. You may not play species other than goblins and vlugzul
7. Vlugzul may not be played as able to talk / think complex thoughts
8. No playing NPCs; if you'd like an NPC to appear in a scene, just ask a roleplaying staff! c:
9. No metagaming (having your character know something that they wouldn't realistically have a way of knowing)
Vlugzul
Art Credit
Vlugzul sketches: Kiniro Oniba
Vlugzul lines and templates: Keppit
Shop graphics and certs: Keppit
Current Staff
Kiniro Oniba: Worldbuilder, RP Manager, Colorist
Keppit: Worldbuilder, RP Manager, Colorist
Tyia Clone: Worldbuilder, RP Manager
Hiring
We are actively looking to hire colorists, particularly ones interested in getting involved in the roleplay world of Vlugzul - more details soon.
Vlugzul
How do you pronounce 'Vlugzul'? It kind of sounds like someone puking.
It's pronounced BLRRRAGURRUG no just kidding it's "FLOOG-zool". c:
With how fast the characters age, are the players expected to keep track of their character's age? What happens if a player goes away for a long time?
Character ages, at registration, are actually indicated by birth year rather than "current age", so that you never have to update your profile. It will always be current because you'll always have been born in the Year of the Creaky Shoe, so your character's age is automatically advanced when a new year rolls around and the shop holds the solstice festival event in which the new year is named. As for disappearing, for the most part, you just have to deal with the fact that your character is a bit older when you come back.
Can one goblin own multiple bats?
Yes, as long as it makes sense. A senior bat breeder or trainer can have as many as twenty bats in their care. A young breeder apprentice might be in charge of as many as three bats, where a carpenter of the same age is incredibly unlikely to have more than one, if they have any bats at all. If you're not sure about what's reasonable for your specific character, just ask!
Vlugzul
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