So following up on the (very long and ass kicking) bull session of last night, this is the exact kind of subcreation...
So following up on the (very long and ass kicking) bull session of last night, this is the exact kind of subcreation with invented artifacts that I love so much about Morrowind (and Balder's Gate with magic items) that I want to do so much. Found this book the other day when playing.
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Aedra_and_Daedra
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Aedra_and_Daedra
And this one: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:The_Monomyth
ReplyDeleteI love how many rpg and novel references can be found in just those two, as well, and how it sets up an inherent struggle between order and chaos, like in The Young Kingdoms or Tekumel.
ReplyDeleteMichael Moscrip I see heapings of Tekumel there in that version of the cosmology for sure. The Daedra seem both akin to Barker's Change pantheon (which has an internal division between the "Dark Trinity" and the other two major gods) and to the Pariah Gods (the inimical gods that have two slightly less inimical gods).
ReplyDeleteBTW this is a pretty interesting exploration of Morrowind's literary side: http://www.gamerswithjobs.com/node/22717
ReplyDeleteTrying to track down who it was that had the full-time job of writing those in-game books. Maybe someone mentioned his name in the last bullsession? Anthony Picaro? cole long?
Not having any exposure to Morrowind, I'm surprised at the depth of the background.
ReplyDeleteChris Kutalik actually exposure to Morrowind helped me grok the Barker pantheon when I encountered it!
ReplyDeletetrey causey a newcomer myself, I was surprised once I started fiddling around with the books (the kind of thing I am honestly on again, off again interested in with crpgs). So I figured out who the author is, a dude named Michael Kirkbride. Some of his illustrations look very Tekumely to me: http://www.imperial-library.info/content/foul-murder
ReplyDeleteI am going to try and track him down for an interview on the blog.
Man, seemed like the bull session was mostly kicking my ass, but it was definitely still engaging (and went on for hours after).
ReplyDeleteThat's what you get for calling me a pussy. Ha
ReplyDeleteTotal fucking pussy, dude! Evan's the only real man around here!
ReplyDeletehttp://crimegorilla.8m.com/ If this is his resume it looks like he's done some work for Tekumel before.
ReplyDeleteGreat find! Link confirmed.
ReplyDeleteapparently there are over 1,200 pages worth of books in morrowind
ReplyDeleteThat's kind of amazing though I guess if I had a full time gig writing this kind of stuff I would go to town.
ReplyDeleteyeah his stuff in unknown east is in a little different style but still weird and great
ReplyDeleteSome of those pics are pretty good.
ReplyDeleteSo btw I contacted Kirkbride and he's agreed to do an interview.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome!
ReplyDeleteHoly... grail!
ReplyDeletefuck yeah Chris Kutalik
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've found fascinating, and which is something I've always done in my own settings, is that the powers of chaos and/or evil are far more willing to dig their hands into the mud of the mortal realm. Order and/or good rarely come right out and ask for help or interfere. You don't get to hear their voices boom in your head.
ReplyDeleteFucking with mortals, in any sense, is, in itself, an act of chaos (at least.) This is different than Moorcock's realities, where the Gods of Law manifest and interact directly with mortals. For Moorcock, it's a function of the current state of the mortal plane. If it's more ordered, the Lords of Law can manifest. If it's tipped more to chaos, then the Lords of Chaos can manifest.
In my own milieu, and in the Elder Scrolls, it seems to work the opposite way. When the mortal plane is tipped toward one direction, the powers or gods of the other find themselves able to interact directly in the world, thereby nudging reality toward balance.