[Blissey]

Could you perhaps outline the Tenets of Mercala and what they entail? I'm not looking for paragraphs or highly detailed explanations, but a general list of sorts -- perhaps with potential consequences? I think this would be important to any potential Mercalan devotee characters, and I'd also like to document these on the wiki officially from you (aside from what's already been provided by Ashe via the main quest line, but I lost whatever little she said about the tenets).

[Soapy]

Hell of a way to get this started, but:
Do Vampires/Doriad use the bathroom? Do the women have a time of the month?

Mechanations can absorb Focus from food. How does this work?

Eating and sleeping are two big ways to restore Focus. Liches do neither of these things, despite having the most. How do they do it?

Now that every bodybuilder is also a pyromancer, how does elemental non-magic work? Is it just like Monk/Verglas 'spiritualism' or whatever where you (presumably) just learn to manipulate elements/Focus without casting spells?

Can we get a couple more 'official' slurs, or should I work with a GM or something?
I'm fond of crab (Shaitan) and log/firewood (Doriad), but it'd be nice to have something 'on the books' since most PCs are ultra-liberals.
Edit: Also, piss-blood for Glykin, thumper for Leporidae, milk-licker for Felidae, and cow/goat for Zerans.

Is Lichdom a thing in Mersales? How about dark magic?

How present is religion in Mersales, and if more than 'not at all', what flavor is it generally?

When did Mersales come to be, and how aware are its citizens of the events of Heaven's Contention?

Can Mechanations get drunk/be affected by drugs in general?

Are Spatials edible?

Is it possible to fly by using a glider with [strike]airbending[/strike] Sylphid magic?

Q: Is there any difference between feeding on a vampire and on a mortal?

A: Not really, though drinking the blood of another vampire is extremely taboo to them. The only exception would be a vampire offering their blood to a starving vampire who could die without it, and even then, it's considered very strange but necessary, and some vampires will just refuse it outright for that reason, even if it results in the other vampire dying.


Q: Does feeding on people of any race/ability have different effects, other than the obvious "Glykin = much pain, very wow"?
For example, would feeding on an extremely powerful mage/redtail/elf be any different than on a simple goblin.

A: A mage would probably have more focus in their blood, making it more 'nutritious', but otherwise no.


Q: If they don´t drain essence, what exactly happens then since I don´t believe that they can create infinite essence like that. Whats the reason why it´s taboo for them when it has no downsides? If it has downsides, what are those?(Besides that its cannabalism)

A: The blood of a vampire doesn't contain focus, which is why they have to get it from other places, namely the blood of others.

This is a retcon, right?

[Cat15]

What's the state of plumbing in the world? Is running water a thing? Are sewage systems?

[Autumn]

Is using mercalan domain healing magic considered abuse of Mercana when used in a spar? I feel as if this comes up a lot as it's been slowly slinking it's way in to just casual spars nowadays.

[Cat15]

Vajistra is commonly used to bring justice to apostates of the Church of Lispool,as well as those who abuse Mercana, despite given prior warnings for its misuse.

The wiki entry for Vajistra seems to clearly imply that Ashe, and perhaps her Church Knights by extension, execute apostates and Mercana abusers. Recently, I've seen the idea pop up a few times as well. Is this a thing that only happens in Lispool, or do they do this in other nations as well? Are they only allowed to act in this capacity in certain places?

I can perhaps see the governments of nations where Mercala worship is dominant tolerating it, but why would Egwyn/Alstalsia/Oniga allow members of a foreign government/religion to kill people in their own cities for breaking foreign religious laws? Does Ashe just ignore local laws and catch people outside the cities where she's not legally allowed to act?

[Raigen.Convict]

So, I was looking through the lore questions and noticed you had said youkai take contracts on the summoners body.
1). Does this mean that each one is a sort of tattoo on the summoners body?
2). Do these spots glow when that youkai is in use?
3). Does the summoner get to choose where these contracts take place on the body?
4). If the contracts are like tattoos are these symbols the same for each youkai or different?
5). If the Tattoo question is also true, about how large are these symbols on the body?

[Slydria]

1) Are dreams magical or otherwise special in the world of Sigrogana?

2) Can dreams be affected by magic either way? If so, can a person possibly tamper with dreams? Are there any sort of special creatures or items that can affect dreams?

3) How do the robotic devices Engineers create work?

4) Are the Automated Shopkeepers/Housekeepers Robots or Mechanations? If they are Robots, how do they work?

[Neus]

So, I totally understand the need to shroud Asha in mystique, but I can't help but ask:

What can you tell us about Asha? Affiliations, maybe? Or is she simply so Elven and rooted in her culture that she'll always remain an enigma? Would she be more open to those of the Elven persuasion?

What makes you think she's Elven? Either way, she's not very talkative, so I can't tell you very much that you don't know already.

Out of curiosity, aside from the Herons you mentioned in an earlier "Lore Questions," are there any yet-to-be "unlocked" Kaelensia? Or better yet, are there any other known/believed-to-exist (either in reality or 'myth') races outside of *insert whatever you labeled Ashe/Kinu as, assuming that wasn't strictly a mechanic-based namesake* and the known monster races?

There are a few that are mentioned in the lore bits, for example, the Reapers.

Sooo Not sure if this was ever asked but, Papilion wings are as real as they believe? Then if they believe they're fully real and functioning, can they fly?

Probably not, too heavy. If they ever acheived anything like flight it would be supported by magic, regardless of what they believe.

Could glass eyes be enchanted to work as visual sensory inputs for people who've lost their eyes.

Can mechanation eyes be put in normal organic races.

Sure.

No.

Given the dark zone between it and Sigrogana, and the large bandit infested deserts to all sides, how does Oniga get it's trade goods and supplies? I would assume the easiest way would just be through mage teleportation, or is there some other way they ensure they don't lose everything to bandits?

And if it is that, is there any real limit to how much the guild can teleport at a time? (Carts, Elephants, convoys worth... Just ballpark estimate if anything, the exacts aren't needed.)

Ships, mainly. As mentioned in the Noble Houses: Oniga thread, House Cyre tends to be the one who secures trade for Gold.

You can't move large amounts of goods or people through portals because this is strenuous for the portal mage and causes stress to the portal itself, which makes it unsafe.

Another query about Dark Zones is that, how is it that Dark Zones can simply exist? What kind of power is required to actually explore a Dark Zone without becoming Corrupted or simply dying, or just forgetting everything if one were to survive? I can totally understand the mystique behind it, but if Dark Zones are simply dangerous, unexplored areas of the world, then wouldn't that mean all else was a Dark Zone once upon a time as well? (You know, aside from when the world was presumably on fire due to the whole double Sun situation (stupid Nairyf).)

Surely someone or something should be capable of shedding light on them.

A) They just do.
B) You would probably have be a God or something.

One mooooore thing, Laplace.Net messages take exactly how long to send? Are they instant over the forum thing? I could've sworn there was a post somewhere about it being three hours but I can't find it.

Whatever you read was likely rule related to prevent it from being abused.

Is it actually possible for a vampire to be a priest of Mercala, or no?

It would be very unusual but there's nothing stopping them.

NAGA QUESTIONS!

Were Naga at all while captive, educated and had any rights, or did Snakemen treat them as property, pretty much?
Were Naga community-captives, or were some of them 'owned' by individual Snakemen.
How does Snakemen society work, is there any form of Hierarchy?
Being as Snakemen come off as a immoral, brutish race, did Snakemen allow Naga to fully mature before using them for reproduction purposes or did they only wait long enough until they could have offspring?
Were Naga singularly kept by the Snakemen, or were they kept in groups, furthermore, were they allowed to have familial groupings at all?
When were Naga first made by the snakemen, and when were they released (preferably years for the purpose of back-story creation)
Are Snakemen and Naga technically the same race/species? I ask this because Snakemen can only use nagas to have children, and Naga don't seem to have a male incarnate otherwise.

A) I don't think the Snakemen would have given them anything along those lines.
B) Owned.
C) I would hesitate to call it a society since they're just a group of monsters living inside of a cave, but if there were any heirarchy, it would be the priests > the mages > the grunts > the Naga > everyone else.
D) The Naga ritual only works if the subject is sufficiently grown, so they only really kidnap those kinds of targets.
E) Snakemen don't have any concept of family. Naga are kept in the dungeon cells together most of the time.
F) It's not known how long ago they first made them but they were freed and the cavern sealed off was about a decade ago according to the Argentyle post.
G) They are and are not.

What is Verglas Ice ICly? manipulation of Ki or something else?

Focus manipulation. Ki is a Monk thing.

Kaellia questions:
Is it costal if not how do you get straight out from there?
Can non-Kaelensia (Or Naga) have a semi-permanent home there?
Did/do Naga often live there or did/do they mostly live deeper in?

Old Beast Worship Questions:
Beyond the tattoo and paint what are common ways to worship?
Is the religion mostly based on asking for guidance and protection or is there a philosophical competent?
Do the Old Beasts refer to the group as a whole? Or does it mean older beings than those with their own paints?

I have more but that's probably enough for one month

A) It's near the center of the continent, on the west side.
B) Probably not, except in special circumstances (for example, having a Kaelensia spouse or parent.) Naga count as a special circumstance.
C) Some do, some prefer the swampy areas instead.

A) Hunting, I suppose.
B) It's mostly ancestor worship.
C) Yes, the Old Beasts refers to the group as a whole.

What would happen to a doriad if their entire forest were to disappear? Say there was a bamboo forest or cherry blossom forest on Gold before all of the land was consumed by the sands, would that doriad still exist?

Yes.

Okay this is going to be a weird question, how does one meet Huggessoa if they actually either want to fight the man, or really learn what he is about without listening to mercalan church pamphlets?

Furthermore, is he within the lands of Sigrogana, or is he in some pocket space by himself?

Huggessoa only meets those he wishes to, otherwise I expect he would have a lot of attention from some radical elements.

He's somewhere in Sigrogana, but then again, so are we all.

Have vampires and/or elves existed in the world prior to the Enlightenment? There have been several characters (at least PC wise) who are old enough that they would predate it by far longer than a human lifespan. Is this a mistake on the parts of players, or something actually ICly plausible?

In either case, how widely known would the answer be to those who aren't themselves ancient elves/vampires?

Vampires and elves, at least, have existed since before the Enlightenment. Even the description for the vampires say they have existed since 'days before days'.

Is there an explanation ICly as to why Vampires can absorb essence from Mechanations, Liches and Dullahans? They don't have any blood, after all. Is it just a case of 'They absorb it a different way than biting' or what?

This is mostly a case of in-game mechanic convenience. There are very few enemies in the game that vampires could 'actually' feed on, but since that would make playing a vampire very annoying, it doesn't work that way.

Can Wyverns breathe fire?

Is the ASAGO house portal IC? If so, can people's homes be accessed this way ICly? Where are the houses actually if that's the case?

That's a Hyattr thing, so not naturally.

Yes. Yes. I don't know, but that circle looks demonic, so take your guesses.

Hell of a way to get this started, but:
Do Vampires/Doriad use the bathroom? Do the women have a time of the month?

Mechanations can absorb Focus from food. How does this work?

Eating and sleeping are two big ways to restore Focus. Liches do neither of these things, despite having the most. How do they do it?

Now that every bodybuilder is also a pyromancer, how does elemental non-magic work? Is it just like Monk/Verglas 'spiritualism' or whatever where you (presumably) just learn to manipulate elements/Focus without casting spells?

Can we get a couple more 'official' slurs, or should I work with a GM or something?
I'm fond of crab (Shaitan) and log/firewood (Doriad), but it'd be nice to have something 'on the books' since most PCs are ultra-liberals.
Edit: Also, piss-blood for Glykin, thumper for Leporidae, milk-licker for Felidae, and cow/goat for Zerans.

Is Lichdom a thing in Mersales? How about dark magic?

How present is religion in Mersales, and if more than 'not at all', what flavor is it generally?

When did Mersales come to be, and how aware are its citizens of the events of Heaven's Contention?

Can Mechanations get drunk/be affected by drugs in general?

Are Spatials edible?

Is it possible to fly by using a glider with [strike]airbending[/strike] Sylphid magic?

Q: Is there any difference between feeding on a vampire and on a mortal?

A: Not really, though drinking the blood of another vampire is extremely taboo to them. The only exception would be a vampire offering their blood to a starving vampire who could die without it, and even then, it's considered very strange but necessary, and some vampires will just refuse it outright for that reason, even if it results in the other vampire dying.


Q: Does feeding on people of any race/ability have different effects, other than the obvious "Glykin = much pain, very wow"?
For example, would feeding on an extremely powerful mage/redtail/elf be any different than on a simple goblin.

A: A mage would probably have more focus in their blood, making it more 'nutritious', but otherwise no.


Q: If they don´t drain essence, what exactly happens then since I don´t believe that they can create infinite essence like that. Whats the reason why it´s taboo for them when it has no downsides? If it has downsides, what are those?(Besides that its cannabalism)

A: The blood of a vampire doesn't contain focus, which is why they have to get it from other places, namely the blood of others.

This is a retcon, right?

A) No. No.
B) They have a sophisticated artificial organ that simulates the function of a stomach, which is why they can also use potions. Waste materials are turned into a gas and expelled through the mouth and nose.
C) The arcane ritual to create a Lich let them create a connection with powerful sources of focus, such as the Salamander Structure. Furthermore, the Lich's body can hold more and absorb it at a rate faster than an organic body could.
D) You'd have to be more specific about what kind of elemental non-magic you're talking about. High strength doesn't necessarily mean big muscles and large bodymass; all of the stats are more or less vague concepts that can be interpreted creatively.
E) Nothing good comes to mind at the moment, but you're free to make your own. Make them catchy for best results.
F) No. No.
G) You are expected to live your life a certain way in Mersales, so in a way, it could be seen as religious. The only thing they really worship there is that big old tree, though.
H) A long, long time ago. They probably aren't.
I) Not in the traditional sense, although you could probably simulate its effects via 'system malfunctions' from consuming irregular substances.
J) They don't have any meat, so I would say not.
K) It would probably get tiring but most likely.
L) I guess so.

What's the state of plumbing in the world? Is running water a thing? Are sewage systems?

Yes, and yes, but only for places that have access to the Salamander Structure usually.

Is using mercalan domain healing magic considered abuse of Mercana when used in a spar? I feel as if this comes up a lot as it's been slowly slinking it's way in to just casual spars nowadays.

If it's not an emergency then yes, that would be abuse, albeit on the low end of the scale.

Vajistra is commonly used to bring justice to apostates of the Church of Lispool,as well as those who abuse Mercana, despite given prior warnings for its misuse.

The wiki entry for Vajistra seems to clearly imply that Ashe, and perhaps her Church Knights by extension, execute apostates and Mercana abusers. Recently, I've seen the idea pop up a few times as well. Is this a thing that only happens in Lispool, or do they do this in other nations as well? Are they only allowed to act in this capacity in certain places?

I can perhaps see the governments of nations where Mercala worship is dominant tolerating it, but why would Egwyn/Alstalsia/Oniga allow members of a foreign government/religion to kill people in their own cities for breaking foreign religious laws? Does Ashe just ignore local laws and catch people outside the cities where she's not legally allowed to act?

It happens everywhere. In more developed parts of the world such as Sigrogana and Alstalsia, they will go through due process, and often times the authorities themselves will arrest the person in question and ship them off to Lispool to whatever fate awaits them. They are almost obligated to do so, because the Mercalan faith is so popular, and upsetting the faith will result in them no longer supporting your country. Having Mercalan healers is considered very important because they are your only option in emergency situations. They have the support of the common people, which gives them a lot of influence, and since they leverage it so rarely it's even more powerful; if the Mercalan Church calls you out, people are going to listen, because it happens so rarely.

There are times when the Church gets stonewalled trying to obtain abusers but depending on the level of offense, they may let consider it not worth the effort and let it go until they have a better opportunity (if ever). Also, Ashe herself is like a walking nuclear weapon; she is an extremely capable fighter with divine powers far exceeding anything the average guard has seen. Vajistra, the sword, is also extremely dangerous. No one knows exactly what it's capable of, but everyone fears it; even Sadie gives its power some credibility.

Ultimately people trust the Mercalan Church and working with them is much more beneficial in the long run than not.

So, I was looking through the lore questions and noticed you had said youkai take contracts on the summoners body.
1). Does this mean that each one is a sort of tattoo on the summoners body?
2). Do these spots glow when that youkai is in use?
3). Does the summoner get to choose where these contracts take place on the body?
4). If the contracts are like tattoos are these symbols the same for each youkai or different?
5). If the Tattoo question is also true, about how large are these symbols on the body?

A) Yes.
B) They can, yes.
C) The youkai chooses, and often it just picks a spot where it feels comfortable.
D) Yes.
E) It depends on the youkai. Usually smaller youkai have a smaller contract.

1) Are dreams magical or otherwise special in the world of Sigrogana?

2) Can dreams be affected by magic either way? If so, can a person possibly tamper with dreams? Are there any sort of special creatures or items that can affect dreams?

3) How do the robotic devices Engineers create work?

4) Are the Automated Shopkeepers/Housekeepers Robots or Mechanations? If they are Robots, how do they work?

A) They can be. Some use dreams as a method of divining.
B) Yes. They could. Some types of ghosts and cursed objects will affect dreams in a negative fashion.
C) You'd have to be more specific with what you mean by 'work'. How do they move and such? Well, focus is probably the answer. It's always the answer.
D) They are robots.