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SM - Duncan Haylen Captain
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 Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 11:32 am
Materials and Movement
This section will outline the materials used in Tarallus, the styles of clothing, construction and architecture, and modes of transport.
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 11:35 am
Materials
The world is similar to that of our 16th to 18th centuries. The planet started out with very little in the way of natural resources and ran out quickly, and so natural gases, coal, oil, metal, and gems are incredibly rare. Because of this, most objects can be run with other materials, leaving such natural resources (besides metal and jewels) rather useless. The materials most used to power things are the wind, water, wood, and steam. Mills use running water to power machinery, and ships and high-tech windmills use the winds. Wood is used for heat, usually to create steam to run things. A rather recent power source is the Magika stone: a chunk of stone that harbors Magika, the substance that creates Daemons. This stone's Magika can be extracted via a special machine, and used to power many things: lighting a lantern, or powering a mill, for example. These bits of stone are extremely valuable, as they can power things without using extra resources or manpower to do so. No one is quite sure how, though.
As for metal, it is used only for the most necessary items. It is typically only for weapons and armor of the armies and law-enforcing bodies. It is sometimes seen in the homes and buildings of the very wealthy, and is sometimes used in transportation, such as ships and carts. Human and animal-controlling devices (shackles, harnesses, bridles, etc.) use metal, as well. For objects that would normally be made with large chunks of metal, stone or a type of tree with very hard wood are substituted. Any jewelry containing metal is very likely a family heirloom, passed down from when metal was widely available and having somehow survived the Panic. Nowadays, metal jewelry is pretty much never made, except for the nobility who can afford such a luxury. Gems and jewels are also rare, and reserved for family heirlooms and the wealthy. A common man or woman is not likely to be rich enough to purchase such an item.
Clothing is of silk, leather, wool, and sometimes cotton. Denim is widely used, often a substitute for just plain cotton in either more formal or more casual situations, depending on the people involved. Construction is with stone and wood, mud being occasionally used in the poorest regions. Glass is usually only used in buildings and homes from the upper middle class to royalty, as it is relatively difficult to make and transport in large pieces, and a group of smaller pieces is more expensive. Otherwise, curtains and wooden shutters are used to cover a window.
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SM - Duncan Haylen Captain
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SM - Duncan Haylen Captain
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 11:38 am
Clothing
Overall, clothing follows the patterns of the people in the 16th-18th centuries of our world, though women in pants are not looked down upon quite so much, though dresses are more common.
Clothing is of silk, leather, wool, and sometimes cotton. Denim is widely used, often a substitute for just plain cotton in either more formal or more casual situations, depending on the people involved. Buttons and ties are typically used to secure pieces of clothing; metal snaps are reserved for the wealthy and nobility. Belts are typically tied together with no buckle, or secured with a stone or wood one; those that can purchase one prefer a metal buckle. Glasses can be made, as the material needed to create them is easily made, and not very large. Glasses are rarely seen among the lower classes, however. Hair dyes do exist, but they are only ever natural colors, like gray or brown; any brighter color would result in its owner being laughed at or snubbed.
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 11:39 am
Construction and Architecture
Construction is with stone and wood, mud being occasionally used in the poorest regions. Glass is usually only used in buildings and homes from the upper middle class to royalty, as it is relatively difficult to make and transport in large pieces, and a group of smaller pieces is more expensive. Otherwise, curtains and wooden shutters are used to cover a window.
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SM - Duncan Haylen Captain
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SM - Duncan Haylen Captain
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Posted: Sat Jun 19, 2010 11:41 am
Transportation
Transportation is by foot, beast of burden, or ship.
Horses are the most commonly used and prized creature, as they can be either ridden or used to pull a cart. Any city has a good number of them going around, with people aboard or behind. Oxen are normally only used for towing large loads or for very long journeys, such as trade by land.
Ships cross the waters of the world, trading goods between places in larger quantities and shorter times than any other form of transport, making them very important and their owners and merchants very rich. Usually only the best merchants have ships, due to the time it takes to build one, and the amount of people to crew one. Often jobs will be open to the poorer citizens to help crew a merchant ship.
Even rarer than the ships of water are the ships of air: medium-sized hulls kept airborne by propellers and balloons of hot air, a recent invention, within the last twenty years or so. These are incredibly pricey and hard to both build and run, and so are reserved for the richest of the merchants. These are rarely worth the trouble to use, as they are slow and require plenty of resources and maintenance to run, as well as have little cargo space. The better option for the rich merchants is the Magika-powered airship. These are the size of real ships, and work in a similar way to the ships of the seas: Magika buoys up the hull, allowing it to fly, while the sails and rudder help it move forward and turn. The ships are rather similar to normal ships, though have a few slight differences: a more streamlined hull for air travel, a larger rudder, etc. These tend to have Magika stone extractors on board to keep them airborne. Due to the rarity of such large pieces of Magika stone, very few of these Magika-powered airships exist. For now, the best bet for a typical merchant is travel by either land or sea.
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