Introduction
Ancient Times, Reign of the Gods of Old
Thousands of years before present, immeasurable by current reckoning, it is said that the Old Gods walked the land of Arcanum. An enormous pantheon of these demon-beings is thought to have existed, although their worship is now neglected and forgotten. In the most rural of areas, often those located nearby an old temple or shrine, a select few still respect or revere this beings, calling them the "Old Powers of the Earth".
The most ancient of lore still remembered in Arcanum tells that the Old Powers of the Earth were birthed at the very same moment as Arcanum itself. For reasons of their own- for who can understand the thoughts of a god?, of the Earth itself?- these Old Gods gave rise to the hominid races. As such, certain among these Powers created a child in its own image, that it might procreate, in a sense. It is assumed, then, that some of the Old Powers in their corporeal form appeared similar to the peoples of Arcanum, if much grander and more awesome to behold.
In the Ancient Times, the peoples of Arcanum lived in a variety of lifeways and in a variety of places. There was commonality among them, though. The societies and peoples of the Ancient Times are generally accepted to have been much simpler, roughly more egalitarian, and less concerned with race.
Then, the Great Schism occurred.
The Great Schism
During the Ancient Times, the technology utilized by the peoples of Arcanum never came into conflict with the use of the lifeforce known as Magic. The two co-existed, even thrived together. Smiths imbued their tools and weapons with the Arcane Forces, druids were called upon to bless the land and all the plants and animals within and of it, broken pots were mended with a small charm or a Word of Binding.
It was widely accepted that wizards, sorcerers, shamans, witches, diviners, soothsayers, mages, and all manner of other magical specialists were conduits of the Natural Energies given them by the Old Powers of the Earth. It was widely known and accepted that magic in tandem with handicrafts and land-based technologies was enough to fulfill the needs of the people.
But for some, it was not enough.
For certain minds among a certain group of Elves, the quest for Knowledge and Wisdom had to be pursued at all costs, with no regard for the consequences. It was these Elves who developed what they called the "Scientific Method", leading to what is commonly called the Great Schism. These researchers, whose names are lost to history, soon found a foothold with their people. Similar minds among a certain group of humans sprung up almost simultaneously. An alliance was formed. Then came the Rational Inquisition, wherein the Old Powers of the Earth were at first denied, then shunned, then forbidden.
Then came the building of vast, sprawling cities. Then, the first Steam Engine was constructed. Not all was well with these "advancements". The Elves and Humans who made up this alliance soon discovered- quite by unfortunate accident, mind you- that their Steam Tech and the ancient force known as Magic were entirely incompatible. This was troublesome at first, but, as with the Old Powers of the Earth, the Human and Elvish scientists simply relegated Magic to the past, ruled it out as Obsolete and Irrational.
It wasn't long before they sought to eradicate Magic altogether. This was also the period of the Enslavement of the Dwarves. Those Elves who innovated Steam Tech- they called themselves "High Elves" or "Highborn"- had long looked down on the Dwarves of their region, not only for their diminutive stature, but also for their differences of custom and tradition. The Human allies of the Highborn had looked down on nearly all the other races simply because they weren't Human.
Therefore, using their newly found and lovingly embraced Scientific Method, the Highborn Elves and Humans rationalized a hierarchy of races, at the top of which, conveniently enough, were the Highborn Humans and Elves. The Highborn knew that their burgeoning industrial way of life wouldn't support itself, and they certainly didn't want to get their own hands dirty digging in mines or plowing fields all day. There was research to be done,
discoveries to be made, after all.
A labor caste was needed, and a labor caste was found. The one trait possessed by the Dwarves of the region that the Highborn admired was their stamina, their long-winded constitution, their strong backs. Using what little Steam Tech had been invented, it wasn't difficult for the Highborn to annex the surrounding Dwarven villages, and force them, culturally, economically, and with military might, to adopt the Way of Science and Steam. The poverty and disparity this created among the local Dwarves was enough to force them to become the Laborers that the Highborn desired.
Years Following the Schism up to the Present Day
Of course, the Highborn did not stop their expansion with the conquest of the local Dwarves. They knew they'd need more resourecs, more unskilled laborers, and especially more agriculturalists and pastoralists to feed the growing populations of their cities. Along with the Dwarves, the Highborn imposed a "rational" hierarchy onto the other races as well. Just beneath themselves came the Halflings, since they appeared to be genetically related to Elves and Humans, though they had obvious differences. After Highborn Elves and Humans and then Halflings, came all of the other Ethnic Groups of Elves and Humans in Arcanum. This included the feral elves, the tribal humans, those elves and humans who continued to use Magic, and who failed to see "reason". After those elves and humans came everyone else, the "bestial" races: goblins, orcs, gnolls, kobolds, and so on.
With this racism neatly disguised as Scientific Inquiry, the Highborn humans and elves were able to justify their further expansion, further conquest, and further abuses of all the people of Arcanum. Their cities grew, Steam Tech spread outward, huge economic disparities grew between castes in the cities, racism flourished. Many members of other races began to forget that Dwarves even existed, since the majority of Dwarves now spent their entire lives laboring underground in mines, in factories, in laboratories, or in clockworks. The contemporary situation is much the same. The Highborn mechanist bourgeoisie rule the cities. Poverty is rampant. Dwarves are nearly invisible. Steam Technology grows and changes by the day. The Old Powers of the Earth have been nearly forgotten. The Grand Scientific Inquiry attempts to impose "reason" and "rationale" on those peoples and communities who still use and revere Magic. And there is resistance: those who revere and use Magic have formed organizations, fellowships to combat the expansion of Technology.
What's more, with the imposition of control and law imposed by Science and cities, the universal forces of Chaos and Order daily come into extreme conflict. Where once there were sharing communities, now there are darkened alleyways haunted by footpads and cutpurses. Where once there was economic equality for all, now there are the Technocratic elites, the fat, wealthy merchants who profit off of their inventions, and the soot-covered orphans who cough blood in the streets. Where once healthy landbases proliferated, now smog darkens the sky, ash blankets the cobblestones, sewers overflow with refuse and other,fouler things...
The world of Arcanum at present is a place of intrigue, adventure, and turmoil.
The Story So Far... Write a Post » as written by 7 authors
"Once I take over my parent's company, I can start my collection" he whispered to himself. He stowed he plate back into his pocket and hoisted his pack up on his back. HE looked around the bar. Usually there was a captain or a first mate in here looking for buccaneers, but there wasn't yet. He walked up to the bar. There was a young man wearing a sword on his back, Otto smiled, such old fashioned. He put a seat between himself and the man with the sword on his back.
"Hello George, how are you." he asked the bartender coming up to him.
"Fine, just fine Otto, what will it be?"
"Glass of Absinthe, make it strong, but burn some of the Alcohol off"
The setting changes from The Whistling Pipe to Arcanum
"The name's Otto Bumgarner, and yes from Bumgarner shipping company."
The setting changes from Arcanum to The Whistling Pipe
"So..... what's up with that large sword? Swords haven't been standard in army or civilian life for what... 200 years? Even back in my days in the royal air force, my rapier here" and he tapped his rapier "was considered old fashioned, and I was actually the last graduation class to receive it."
Amelia von Rosenberg was a well known woman in, not just Axis, but throughout most of Arcanum. She was a witch, a blasphemer against The Master Builder, and most notable of all, a vampire.
The vampiress's limbs were slender and lean, though they held the supernatural strength that came with all of the Blooded. Her stride across the floor of The Whistling Pipe was so smooth and perfect it was as if she glided, or floated just above the wooden boards. Amelia had golden eyes that were unnatural to those who lived in Arcanum. With those eyes she stared down those she passed by, not sparing Otto nor Xavier.
When Amelia reached the counter, she remained standing as if she were not going to stay long. "An Unfortunate Soul, please Mr. Bartender," the vampire cooed in her silken voice.
"An Unfortunate Soul, Mr. Bartender, or do you have plans to keep me waiting all day," Amelia voiced in her deceptively alluring voice.
"N-N-No ma'am. I'm right on it, I am," he stammered.
When he placed the cold, red, drink in front of Amelia, she thanked him.
As her hand wrapped around the glass, the bartender grasped his chest and gasped in pain. He was having a heart attack.
Amelia just stood by and watched, drinking from the thick fluid in her glass. "How unfortunate," she crooned. "We may need another bartender, and soon."
The setting changes from The Whistling Pipe to Old Quarter
One moment it was clear as a starry night, minus the ever persistent fog that laid overhead the city, and then it was raining cats and dogs! The more upper class citizens of Axis had their vassals procure umbrellas, suitcases, or even their ragged jackets to cover their patrons expensive hair. Those who were lowborn fled to awnings or inside shops along the streets.
And then there was Ellie. She stood in the middle of the street with a car putt-putting past her. The poor elf-girl's hair was matted against her skull and her ears drooped. Her clothes clung to her body and the rain was unforgiving with its cold.
"Alek! Alek! Aleeek!" she called, cupping her hands around her mouth. She had lost him. One moment he was there and the next, he was gone!
The man look strange in this place. Alek stood at least 6 feet tall, his black shaggy hair shaping around his face slightly and a five'o'clock shadow a constant appearance on his face-- Even when he swore he had just shaven. But underneath his cloak, he work a matte black leather armor with a bit of silver trimming, that fit his form better than most, as if he had been born in it. But most strange of all was his bright yellow eyes against his unusually pale complexion and black hair.
"Ellie, will you at least attempt to keep up with me? And get out of the middle of the road before you get hit." He said, his voice deep and gruff with a slight commanding tone. He had never really remembered how he had picked up the strange elf that followed him around like a lost puppy. Just one day, he turned around and she was there. He hadn't been able to completely shake her off since. And so, he felt somewhat responsible for her now.
Alek looked tired, more so than he had in a long while. It was coming close to his hunt night. "And if you get sick, don't think I won't tie you down to the bed until you get better."
The thought rolled through her mind again and again. Ellie would never be able to forgive herself if she lost Alek and never found him again. Axis was a large enough city to do so. Most faces Ellie saw in passing on the street she never saw again. And Ellie would absolutely die if Alek had disappeared on her watch!
Tears glittered on her long lashes and obscured her vision, making it swim. Another car whizzed by and almost hit Ellie. "Hey!" she yelled at the driver as she kicked the bumper of the vehicle. "Watch where you're going! You could hit someone!"
Ellie raised a fist to shake but Alek's voice cutting through the rain stopped her. "Alek!" she yelled, once again back to her normal perky self. A smile almost split her face into two halves as she bounded over to him.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I just turned around for a sec-ACHOO!"
She sneezed all over his chest as that was just how high she reached on Alex, even in heeled boots.
Clumsy.
He nodded in agreement with himself. She was bright and cheerful for the most part, but there were days he wondered what she would break more, herself or the stuff she was handling. He placed a hand on her soaking hair and petted her slightly. Sometimes it annoyed her, he thought, but other times she seemed to like it.
At her sneeze however, he sighed and began to unfasten his cloak and place it over her shoulders. The outside of the cloak was soaking wet, but inside was remarkably dry and warm. "There.." He would mutter. "That will hold you until we find an Inn to stay at. Put the hood up." He looked around, his yellow eyes searching the street. He had never been here before. "Have you some clue of a good place to stay here?" He asked.
After all, he had saved her life. Ellie was never going to forget that night where Alek had killed the vampire who attempted to blood her. The vampire had slaughtered everyone except her. Why? Ellie had no idea why she had been chosen. All that mattered to her was that Ellie now believed there truly were vampires and Alek had saved her from one.
Shaking her head clear of memories, Ellie spoke up to Alek. "I thought you had something to do? Don't stop just because I sneezed. It was one sneeze! I thought you had to... you know..." Ellie whispered to Alek, "Feed yourself?" The pitch of her voice rose to extreme highs.
Alek cringed still every time he admitted it. He hated who he was, what he was. "And a sneeze can lead to being sick in bed with a fever if ignored. You remember the last time you caught fever, don't you?" He hoped to have reminded her. If she still was not convinced, he was half tempted to pick her up and carry her. At least that way she wouldn't get lost again.
"And I survived my fever," Ellie said, throwing her nose into the air to meet his gaze head-on. The elf-girl had barely survived her sickness, mostly due to Alek's nursing. She had been so close to death but one day, the fever broke and she had gotten better. Ellie had just recently got rid of her cough.
"Let's go, big guy," Ellie said, grabbing at his arm, trying to tug him down the street and failing.
He remembered what it was like to be alive. He had never given up the traits that had made him a man, although he only saw himself as a monster now. It was what confused him the most about Ellie following him around. Oh, he care for her. But he was frightened more than anything he'd lose himself to the monster he was and he'd lose her too. He wouldn't admit that to her, though. It was almost like admitting he had been wrong after a long and drawn out argument about who was right.
"Either way.. I need to wait until it is darker, and with the traveling we've done today, I need to rest myself." He stated, still hoping to convince her to at least consider an Inn. If he were to make it seem it was more for him than for her, then hopefully she would fall for it.
Ellie cared a great deal for Alek. She wanted to possess romantic feelings for him, and there was a small part that did too. And yet, she couldn't do it. He was after all, not human... or even living. He was a vampire. Alek was the very thing that had almost killed her. Ellie should have been terrified of Alek but she wasn't. There was no trace of fear at all... only worry.
"Maybe you could get some," she leaned over and whispered again to him," food, first." Ellie raised her eyebrows at Alek and narrowly dodged a street lamp. "We do, after all, have that meeting with that man, you know, the one that wanted to talk to us about that plague spreading in Axis?"
The setting changes from Old Quarter to The Whistling Pipe
" Don't die on me George!" Otto started to crank a small lever on the device around and around. He then removed to small metal rods. HE touched them together and speaks flew from them. He slapped the rods on George's chest. George jolted a bit and his shirt stared to smolder a bit, but Otto quickly patted it out. Otto continued the process, ignoring the voices around him,
The setting changes from The Whistling Pipe to Old Quarter
His yellow hues gazed blankly down the walkway. What could this man possibly want with him about some plague? It could mean only a few things. "Come on, Ellie." He started down the street once again towards the building he had intended to go to before Ellie had lost herself.
The setting changes from Old Quarter to New Quarter
I'll have this place cleaned up in no time! She thought brightly. She forced the two windows in the front room open. The breeze that swept in blew the dust into the air. She set to work arranging her possessions in her new home. The fluffy bed roll she had carried with her as she traveled through the woods she set up in a comfy corner of the bedroom, she put her books on the shelf that hung in the living room, and she stored what food provisions she had left in the little kitchen. She looked around and took stock of what she would need to buy with the bit of money her parents had sent her with. She needed chairs, a proper bed, a chest or wardrobe for her clothing, candles or lamps, and more food.
However, shopping would have to wait a bit. She was hungry. She whispered an incantation into the little wood burning stove in the kitchen and a small blaze burst out of thin air and crackled there merrily as she cut up what was left of the potatoes, carrots, and beef she had brought with her from her parent's beloved farm. She felt a shadow of dread pass over her as she realized that this was the last of the food from that place that she would eat for a long time. She thought sadly of the beautiful homestead, hidden deep in the woods, that had protected and provided for her all these years. She remembered her parent's warm smiles and well wishes as she left that place to strike out on her own, and finally meet some other people. Her sadness faded back into excitement when she considered that she was now living her dream!
With her last meal from home cooked up nicely on the stove, she ate quickly, sitting at a build-in table and bench in the corner of the kitchen. She watched out the window while she ate, people were passing by, going to and from the shops that were just down the road a bit from her new home. She grinned and tried to eat as quickly as she could. The day was growing late and she wanted badly to finally go look around the town and buy some necessities.
The setting changes from New Quarter to The Whistling Pipe
When Xavier grabbed Amelia, he might as well have been grabbing at cold marble. She flashed a white smile at him, though her eyes showed no humor at all. "Me? Kill the man? Why he's having a heart attack. How could I possibly have done that?" A single laugh rumbled like a purr in the back of her throat.
Ignoring the hand on her, Amelia took another dainty sip from her drink, and set it down.
"Good luck in saving him. I am sure you will need it. There are many fine coroners around if he does not, however..." Amelia threw her head back and laughed as she exited.
The setting changes from The Whistling Pipe to Old Quarter
"I could eat and then we could get a room and, you know..." Her cheeks flushed an even deeper pink. "You could do it with me." Ellie needed to learn how to speak outright what she wanted. It almost sounded like she was propositioning Alek for sex.
"I mean... if you want. It would be better. We'd be in privacy, alone, you know. There wouldn't be a risk of you getting caught... eating." she whispered, finally clarifying what she was speaking about.
"Oh! There it is! The Whistling Pipe!" Ellie exclaimed. "See? I'm sure that place has rooms and food. I can smell the grilled pigeon from here!" Ellie's stomach rumbled and she grabbed Alek's arm, attempting valiantly to tug him along to the bar.
View All »Arcs
Arcs are bundles of posts that you can organize on your own. They're useful for telling a story that might span long periods of time or space.
A Meeting with Talos
Ellisandre and Alek, an unusual pairing meet, for the first time, a contact named Talos to speak of the spreading "plague" of vampires in The City of Gears.
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The Blooded
"In the Night the streets of Axis will run red with its own Blood," a common phrase said by Amelia von Rosenberg, the vampiress who leads The Blooded, a secret organization of vampires and their brood.
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View All » Add Character » 15 Characters to follow in this universe
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Olgra Grash
The owner and proprietor of The Whistling Pipe tavern.
Calhoun Linfael Aldon
Who says you can't love your work?
Talos
"I come to show you the light; and I shall do so with vindictive literalness."
Ellie Coulter
A part mechanical lowborn elf who never seems to leave Alek Constantine's side.
Alek Constantine
'All of God's creatures have a place in this world.. You are not one of those creatures.'
Otto Bumgarner
The world is a fantastic place, and I'm going to see every corner.
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71 posts · 11 characters present · last post 2013-07-18 16:59:46 »
A bar tucked into the back of the Old Quarter where few of the middle-class citizens of Axis venture and even fewer Highborns.
24 posts · 0 characters present · last post 2013-06-25 19:02:42 »
Old Quarter Owner: Maree
Old Quarter is considered a middle-class neighborhood, and is noted for its densely-packed houses and chaotic street design. It is composed almost entirely of middling merchants and the city's many tradesfolk and craftspeople.
6 posts · 0 characters present · last post 2013-06-22 21:49:35 »
Arcanum is a land of high-fantasy, dingy cityscapes, idyllic countrysides, and eerie ruins of times forgot. It is a beautiful land, teeming with all manner of flora and fauna, and a diversity of "sentient" species.
28 posts · 1 characters present · last post 2013-06-19 16:16:10 »
An inn that was built directly above The Whistling Pipe Tavern. Its construction caused the entire building to lean and the whole establishment looks ready to topple over at any given time.
1 posts · 0 characters present · last post 2013-06-11 04:32:47 »
New Quarter Owner: Maree
As the name suggests, New Quarter is the most recent addition to the City. It is primarily a lower-middle class residential district with a handful of shops. It also serves as headquarters for three of the City's factions.
0 posts · 0 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
Blackwall is the poorest, dirtiest, most diseased district of Axis. It's known by its inhabitants as The Grim, or, among those who speak with thick Cockney Arcanian dialects, the Arsehole o'th' World.
0 posts · 0 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
This city is so named because it lies very near the center of the world Arcanum, both geographically and indisputably in the cultural and technological arenas. Axis is the largest, most "developed" (i.e.: industrialized), most powerful city in all Arcanum
0 posts · 0 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
The largest continent on the world of Arcanum. Its major cities include: Axis; City of Gears, Alderville, Grayhall, Ironcrag, Deerfield, Sunport, Fort Oakhold, and Southwall.
0 posts · 1 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
The City's Docks are a place of unparalleled filth and grime. They're also the backbone of Axis's wealth and prosperity.
0 posts · 1 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
Stone Market Owner: Maree
This district is named for the stone quarry that once stood here, from which the City's original streets and buildings were made. Nowadays, Stone Market is an upper-middle class neighborhood, boasting several fancier shop
0 posts · 0 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
This is the administrative and governmental hub of the City of Gears. Downtown also contains The Barracks, which garrison the city's standing military forces.
0 posts · 1 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
In stark contrast to all other districts of the city sits Audale, the high society neighborhood of extreme wealth. This neighborhood is almost exclusively Highborn, although a very select few Halflings (and even fewer others) reside here.
0 posts · 0 characters present · last post 1970-01-01 00:00:00 »
South Quarter Owner: Maree
South Quarter contains nothing of note except the ominous, forboding Cragscleft Prison.
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Arcanum; A Steampunk Universe
by Maree on Fri May 24, 2013 5:09 am
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Arcanum; A Steampunk Universe
Most recent OOC posts in Arcanum
Re: Arcanum; A Steampunk Universe
Re: Arcanum; A Steampunk Universe
Re: Arcanum; Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura
See you there.
Re: Arcanum; Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura
Re: Arcanum; Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura
And roleplay can begin whenever you like. There is no approval for characters. Invite your friends and have fun.
Re: Arcanum; Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura
Re: Arcanum; Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura
Re: Arcanum; Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura
Re: Arcanum; Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura
I may run a plot or two in Arcanum but as for now I am just going to make a character or two and play them in the available locations. Also, the more players that arrive, the more possibility for locations to be added (i.e.: rural areas or more specific places in Axis to meet roleplaying needs). I am also not opposed to giving sovereignty to players so that they can build on the world as well.
Those who become committed to the roleplay and add a great amount of depth and character to the roleplay will be considered highly for a co-GM position.
I have put up the basics of the world and it is the players' responsibility and privilege to expand on them (as I will be doing the same).
Arcanum is not an original work. I did not come up with this concept however a message was left by the original creator.
For those with respect for intellectual property laws: Contents are protected under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share-Alike 3.0 United States license. You are free to copy and make derivative works for non-commercial purposes.
For everyone who realizes copyright laws are idiotic: This work is Anti-Copyright. Do what you
will, provided it's not for profit, and please credit me when using this material. Plagiarize, steal,
reprint, republish, redistribute!
November 2011
Written & Published by Rowan WalkingWolf
Questions, Comments, Contributions:
walkingwolf@riseup.net
Re: Arcanum; Of Steamworks and Magic Obscura
Arcanum; A Steampunk Universe
For those that want more information on the Arcanum Universe please refer to this link: Arcanum: Steamworks and Magic Obscura It's far too much information to post in OOC threads. You do not have to use the information if you do not wish. By all means, create you own content, the original author even suggests to do so.