Leytech

I always thought ley lines are a cool fantasy idea that could make for a lovely source of magic. These days, I've been pondering how to make a world, in which people could make technology using some sort of magic, but also utilize this magic on their own. Divtech and orbtech are both bound to their items, a human couldn't use their magic without them. Runes can be drawn on any surface, and all it takes is amber, but it's impossible to draw them without it.

Seeing how last time I changed my mind a lot right after publishing the article, take things written here with a grain of salt (pun intended). It’s a proof of concept, not written in stone just yet.

I wish you a good time while reading this article!

X marks the spot! Except the lines would be hovering high up in the sky, and way wider.
The art is drawn for the Magic: The Gathering card Leyline of Singularity, by Zoltan Boros and Gabor Szikszai.

Azureley

• Magitech System: ley lines that rush the saltwater along their direction
• Input: ley energy, flowing saltwater, mechanical valves, and metal rings
• Output: water that's colored or vibrated in different ways using metal rings
• Motion: water turbines, cogs, and pistons
• Fuel: ley energy

The world of Azureley is a planet enveloped in a multitude of ley lines. A ley line in this world is a stream of energy visible high up in the sky that resembles an aurora borealis, continually flowing in a singular direction at all times. Each ley line is a circle, going around the sphere exactly once without crossing itself. The ley lines radiate ley energy, which compels saltwater within a certain range of the ley line to flow in the same direction when the water absorbs the energy. This can lead to sights uncommon to our world, such as saltwater rivers flowing out of the ocean uphill, digging canals into the earth and rock, permanent whirlpools if three or more ley lines form a small enough shape, causing the water to flow in a circular motion within them, and more. So far, there are no known means of creating, destroying or redirecting ley lines, and it is uncertain whether the ley lines will last forever.

Humanoids and animals of this world are capable of absorbing the ley energy while staying within the range of one or more ley lines. When a living creature focuses on releasing some of its ley energy, it can shape saltwater, or direct it to flow somewhere. Running out of ley energy runs the same risks as dehydration, which is why most of the major settlements are built underneath ley lines, especially at the ley crossings where the exposure to ley energy is greater.

When humanity discovered that hollow metal rings can change the properties of ley-infused water that flows through them or telekinetically prevent it from passing, it was only inevitable before they could create ley-powered machinery. This technology—leytech—is built out of stainless steel and glass pipes, too small for even a pinky finger of most people to fit in. The rings have the following properties on the ley-infused water that flows through the central hole, even if the water is not in contact with the metal:

Aluminium: Cooling

Water that passes through a ring made out of aluminum will become colder.

Cobalt: Heat

Water that passes through the magnesium ring will become warmer.

Copper: Information Relay

These rings only operate if there is at least one sending copper ring and at least one receiving ring with matching identification. The receiver rings will only let water through if at least one of the sending rings has water flowing through it. What exactly lets these copper rings be identified as pairs, as senders or receivers, and what constitutes the contents of water is yet to be determined by me.

Its opposite can be achieved through the use of Tin: a receiver ring made out of tin will only let water through if none of the sender rings made out of tin with a matching identification has water flowing through it.

Gold: Color

Fill this ring with one or more dyes, and the water that comes through it will be colored appropriately. If the ring is empty, any gold-induced coloring of the water is removed. The dyes are made out of specific materials, but for the purposes of this article they are not so important that they’d need to be listed. Picture them as a powder of a single color.

Nickel: Sound

When water passes through the tin ring, it produces a sound. … please don’t ask me how, I don’t have an explanation for this yet. After trying to somehow mix nonelectric hydraulophones with talking piano illusions for hours, I'm resorting to just saying magic and leaving it at that.

Silver: Filter

This ring will let through it only material that the inside of the ring is filled with. For example, if the inside of the ring is filled with fresh water, all of the salt will gather on the inside, while fresh water comes out. These are used commonly in households to make sure the used water is fresh, but they need to be cleaned a lot. If the ring is filled with a water that’s been colored using a gold ring, it will only let through water colored using the appropriate dye.

With all of the above as well as the natural properties of water, people were capable of creating various machines such as vehicles, plumbing, computers, and even their own equivalent of the internet. Besides these, they also possess their own weapons powered by leytech: frostguns and hofficers. Their operation is simple—a human uses their ley energy to fire a deeply frozen projectile at the target. In the case of a frostgun, it is a bullet roughly as big as a single digit of a finger or smaller. In the case of a hofficer, it’s a cannonball a little smaller than a human head. Due to its temperature, the projectile won't melt after being shot, and in the hottest weather, it takes less than an hour to melt inside of a wound.

Azureley is a world that consists of one stretched mega continent that passes through a pole and one ocean filled with a myriad of islands. Sailing along the ley lines is popular, though a ship must avoid leyline crossings on the open sea for the chaotic currents and the risk of getting caught in an eternal whirlpool. At the same time, the continent has its desert recently populated by people looking after the riches hidden within it. The formerly unpopulated desert is seen as an opportunity for a new life, which is why some folk have taken it into their own hands to bring justice to this land.

So in a nutshell, this is a world of water-bender cowboys and pirates possessing water-powered smartphones and the internet, as well as railguns that shoot ice bullets/cannonballs, while northern lights are all around the place. Not exactly cyberpunk, but silly enough to sound like fun to me.

Happy anniversary for the first article of a Runehack city, New Prista! I'm so happy about how much the world has changed. From a runic system that could do basically anything, all the way to a fleshed-out unique world with such a huge potential for stories. What's more, it has siblings now. While the siblings might not all be as cyberpunk and universal as Runehack, each of them feels like it has its own aesthetic, which I find cool. I only hope I'll be able to make up more of these magitech worlds that I could later find a nice use for and possibly flesh out.

Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day!

Runehack: Helethon

If decades worth of movies and nearly one century of comic books tell us anything, it's one thing: people love their superheroes. And I want people to love my world So maybe I should put some superheroes into it. Probably focused in one place so that they don't alter my world too much.

Helethon

Deep in the Hidden Valley found in one of New World's numerous forests stands the majestic city-state of Helethon. What seems to be an ordinary modern city owned by a corporation surprisingly disconnected from both Nexuspace and Lifestock turns out to be a system corrupt to its core. As soon as the sun goes down, the crime rate grows tenfold. However, the valley this city exists in is a zone overflowing with anomalies. It is a valley of superstitions and myths come true, of deities walking among the mortals, of scientific experiments gone wrong in an amazing way, and of real magic. If you believe just hard enough, you too might gain the capabilities to change this city for the better... or worse. All of this has led to many vigilantes seeking ways of curing the city, only to get tangled in its web of corruption.

Geography

Helethon is found in the Hidden Valley that's supposedly found someplace in the continent of the New World. Its precise locations are kept secret from others for a reason that's unclear to most, if not all. A legend says that whoever will wander into the wilderness and follow their heart will stumble upon this place within a season. The city's walls encompass a fairly large lake, as well as a small mountain.

Whatever people need, Helethon can provide. An abundance of meat from chicken and sheeplets, as well as rare cows, pigs, and goats, are raised on multiple farms found within this city's walls. Many fish are caught in the lake, which also provides plenty of other resources. All sorts of vegetables, and many fruits, are also grown here. Silver, amber, gold, iron, and many other minerals and metals can be mined in the mountain that the city of Helethon protects. This mountain also provided the city with plenty of wood, and its powerful warriors are known to protect the woodcutters doing their work outside of the city walls by fighting off the morphers. Strangely, however, this state is unwilling to export or import any of these goods.

History

The Hidden Valley was left untouched until 52 years ago, when a collective of wandering humans, elves, and dwarves entered it. Due to unknown powers influencing the valley, some of these people have gained supernatural powers. Within years, they’ve gathered enough materials to build up a city, with more and more people moving in. The city remains independent from both Nexuspace and Lifestock to this day.

Structure

Helethon's districts are extremely straightforward, named after colors that dominate them. While residences tend to be brown in color on the inside, outsides of the houses of each district are mostly monochromatic, using various shades of their district's titular color. Vigilant and villainous lairs are hidden in each of the districts.

Blue District. The lake, as well as all ports, are part of this district found in the northern parts of the city. It borders the Green, Red, and Yellow Districts.

Gray District. The mountain, along with all its mines, makes up this district. It's found in the southern part of the city. It borders the Green, Red, and Yellow Districts.

Green District. The district dedicated to the variety of people who grow plants for a living can be found on the western edge of the city. Contained within this district is even a small forest, grown by the local vigilante Dryadica. The Green District is on the west of Helethon and borders the Blue, Gray, and Yellow Districts.

Red District. This formerly residential district on the east has been turned into the nest of most lowly criminals, which has led the Helethon’s governing body towards training guards and sending them to this area. This is where most villains’ henchmen usually come from, as well as where most trained non-vigilante soldiers reside. The Red District borders the Blue, Yellow, and Gray Districts.

Yellow District. If you wish to visit a bank or someone in a corporate position of power, you should visit the central district of the city. It borders all other districts.

Culture

For the most part, living in Helethon is like living in most other city-states owned by corporations, such as New Prista. However, all the differences come from the fact, that people can seemingly develop powers out of nowhere due to the secretive influences of the Hidden Valley. And civilians have largely adjusted to these.

If there is a fight between a vigilante and a villain that can’t be observed safely, civilians of Helethon struggle internally with a choice between two opposing forces. Either give in to the curiosity and approach the struggle to watch how it will end, or rush as far as one can to safety. Observing dangerous combat can be risky for those who lack special abilities that would let them survive it easier, and yet many do it in order to watch the spectacle, or sometimes to try and help the vigilante. News of such fights spread faster than a wildfire thanks to technology. 

Due to the possibility of the city getting destroyed, people of this city try to minimize assets that they own which could be put at risk when two or more superpowered individuals face off. Ownership of cars or other vehicles that are hard to hide in case of trouble is rare since most civilians prefer to use public transportation. Owning a big house or multiple buildings, personal vehicles that aren’t used for work, and expensive fragile possessions is a display of either courage, riches, or both since it translates to a higher chance of getting damaged in dangerous combat between vigilantes and villains. The damages tend to be repaid by the villain if possible, or in uncommon cases the vigilante if they were proven to act recklessly enough, or the villain can’t be proven to be guilty.

Beyond managing their villains and their personal problems, the vigilantes have one more thing to look out for—public relations. If people love the vigilante, they are seen as an idol, celebrated by others whenever witnessed personally. However, not all vigilantes do or can manage their public relations so well. Whether it’s negligence, arrogance, incompetence, or a different reason, vigilantes like these actively hide from the public eye to avoid hostility from the civilians. Of course, companies capable of fixing one’s public relations for the right price are commonplace in Helethon.

On the 10th day of the summer, fans of vigilantes (and occasionally even villains) gather together for the VIVICON, a meeting of people rooting for the superpowered masked individuals. Many people bring their costumes here, in order to appreciate these individuals for their contributions and efforts to society. Panels with the vigilantes are held, where they tend to talk about themselves, what they do, and how they do it. Most of all, though—it is the one day of the year when villains are not judged by the public unless they decide to commit a crime on that day. As it has been proven in the past, sometimes a villain needs only a kind heart, an open ear, and some comforting words in order to turn back to the side of good. Actual vigilantes and villains mingle with the crowd, blending in and interacting with people even in their alternate personas because they belong. Ever since VIVICON has been organized on the Blue District’s beach once, it has been the preferred location for everyone involved.

The following are some phrases and slang words used in this city:

• “Battleground” is, simply put, an area in which a violent fight between a villain and a vigilante is currently going on.
• “Curio” is a nickname for a person that always rushes toward a battleground to witness the fight.
• “Daft” is used as a verb describing the transformation of a vigilante into a villain, be it because of a reputation that goes way too low, broadening the scope of means through which one is willing to achieve their goals or another reason.
• "Rolling uphill" is what happens to the vigilantes and villains drawn to other, way more famous vigilantes and villains, with hopes of challenging them and usurping their fame. It can also be used as a description of what someone is doing, for example, "rolling uphill to defeat Reaal".
• "Skyfolk", "seafolk" and "groundfolk" are all nicknames used for bizarre alien invaders who lived in the sky, sea, or earth respectively, and try to overtake the city or the world.
• "To wick" is when a vigilante kills a villain. Vigilante who does so is sometimes called "wicker", and villain who dies due to this is posthumously called "wickee". It tends to be one of the signs of a vigilante who's about to daft into a villain themselves. Wicking is followed by a punishment equivalent to murder if possible.

Subculture Showcase: Vigilantes and Villains

Note: This time, this section definitely implies that the presented subculture is unique to this city.

Vigilantes and villains of Helethon prefer tight form-fitting clothes since those tend to be ideal for fighting and moving around a lot. This art was kindly created by my amazing girlfriend Arell.

Art Curiosities: Depicted here are two of Helethon's many vigilantes: ML8R on the left, and Long Joanna on the right. Showing their superpowers was rather difficult to figure out, especially in Joanna's case, but I'd say that this art turned out great.

Duty resides in power. There are four types of people in this city: those who commit crimes, those who try to stop the criminals legally, those who take the matter of stopping the criminals into their own hands, and those who do nothing about it. The difference between a vigilante and a villain is that vigilantes step outside of the bounds of law in order to stop the villains who do the same.

To a villain, ends justify the means. These are people so driven to achieve their goals, that they will do anything for them, even if it means paying lowly criminals to do their bidding. What ends are they trying to achieve depends from villain to villain. Riches, power, chaos, death, or some weird contorted form of justice are usual suspects. Sometimes they unite their forces into organizations, but for the most part, they operate without the assistance of other villains. That being said, rumors say that most of the villains in the Helethon serve the Cabal of Five, a secretive group of five unknown figures who supposedly pull all of the strings behind their actions. Plenty of villains claim that their actions are independent of any greater force, but it’s generally unknown if this is true if there are five of these figures, who they are, and what powers do they hold.

The vigilantes are people with supernatural abilities who oppose villains in fulfilling their plans. While their methods of doing so tend to vary, usually it ends in some form of violence. What unites vigilantes overall is their desire to avoid unnecessary murder. The villains are sent to the Forgiving Penitentiary for a hopeful reformation and change for the better. The vast majority of the prisoners held there however manage to escape the facility, leading them back to wreaking havoc upon the world once again. The henchmen usually get away with a mild slap on their wrist due to how little importance they have in the overall crime when compared to the villain. While vigilantes start working on their own, it's normal for them to join not one, not two, but a whole lot of vigilant organizations that mirror the villainous ones.

The two sides are united by the fact that their superpowered persona is merely an alter-ego to their actual identity. Its name, outfit, and supernatural abilities are all hidden from the public in order to let these people experience an ordinary life too, free of judgment. It is frowned upon by both sides when a vigilante or a villain has their secret identity exposed, and it is seen as a brave move for someone to expose it themselves (such as Long Joanna).

Relations

All other countries are aware of Helethon, but none of them knows where the Hidden Valley is. Thus, if anyone travels anywhere, it’s usually Helethon’s denizens traveling to and from other cities temporarily.

Curiosities

Much like the Hidden Valley, Helethon too holds a multitude of curiosities, such as:

• Cairn Manor is located on the edge of the Yellow and Blue District. It is the home of lonesome millionaire triplets who have inherited the ownership of several city banks when their parents died. Gossips around the city claim that at least one of them is secretly a vigilante, despite the fact neither of them seems to have any extraordinary powers.
• Esqape is a name of a nightclub frequented by both vigilantes and villains. All enmities vanish in this place of true neutrality, letting anyone who wishes to reveal some personal aspects and opinions of themselves while relaxing here.
• Forgiving Penitentiary is the prison dedicated to reforming all captured villains. It's found on the bordering point between the Gray, the Red, and the Yellow Districts. Rumors claim it's a former factory building repurposed to serve as a prison, and that over the years many secret tunnels have been built into the walls of the building without its guards becoming aware of it.
• Justice Hall is home to a court, in which vigilantes can serve as judges side-by-side with non-superpowered judges. It has been established because oftentimes it has been proven that issues regarding the villains need the perspective of both vigilantes fighting them off, but also civilians who are affected by the collateral damage.
• Memorial of the Thousand Burdens is a massive stone statue in the port area of a man holding a gigantic boulder on his back, representing the duties so many of the superpowered people in this city hold. It is a frequent target of attempted attacks by the villains trying to convince the vigilantes that they are not obliged to fight.
• The Sentinel University is an educational institution dedicated to training those who have developed supernatural powers and wish to become vigilantes. It’s located in the Blue District, where it can be easily found thanks to its golden tower. There are still many vigilantes who are self-taught in their powers, not seeking any guidance on the use of their abilities and instead choosing to learn on their own.
• The Violet Tower is a tower covered by violet velvet fabric that can’t get wet, created by the Pink Genius. This vigilante has lost her life when Reaal tried to kill half of Helethon’s population by detonating a massive runic bomb. Nowadays, her tower remains unvisited by anyone except for the vilest of villains and teenagers who have no respect for her or what the tower came to represent—the sacrifices that the vigilantes have to make sometimes in order to save others.
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Important People

Helethon is a home of many vigilantes and villains, which is why each of these characters will have its nickname listed in front of its actual name.

• “Achoe”, Snozz Lozz, goblin, male; a minor villain with the ability to make any person or group of people sneeze with a snap of his fingers. Generally viewed as a harmless nuisance. Tends to get annoying when he has a song stuck in his head that he can’t help but snap to.
• “The BubbleBot”, no other name given, runebot, female; a vigilante who traps the villains she fights in psychic spherical force fields. She is enthusiastic about the prospect of fighting the villains, and oftentimes seeks ways of making people’s days generally better.
• “Dryadica”, Lesann Woods, elf, female; vigilante who embodies the soul of the forests. She can grow plants, flowers, trees, and vines as she wills, and seems to be partially made out of wood herself.
• "Emulator" also known as "ML8R", Hed Lived, human, male; vigilante who was brought back to life by an unknown being from another world that also granted him shapeshifting powers. Many citizens dislike him despite helping them out because they think he is a very intelligent monster that has infiltrated the city and is trying to gain people's trust. Curiously, the silver is his weakness—when touching it, his muscles strain and lock, causing him paralysis everywhere except for his face.
• “Meatball Moon”, no other name given, unknown, unknown; a sentient villain that was a shapeshifter equivalent of a rat king. This ball of flesh has hurled years ago towards the Helethon city without any other city noticing. It has been dispatched by the combined forces of several vigilantes, and now it is gone.
• “Mr. Kat”, Marquis Katoward Felmund Starfur XVII. of Amberwatch Lineage, cat, male; an orange-furred villain who’s extremely wealthy, influential in the society, and possesses an army of custom-made runebots with cat heads. All of the tools he uses are cat-themed, and he speaks through a runetech-powered translator. His superpower is to access all of the memories of his ancestors named Marquis Katoward Felmund Starfur, but he can’t do so on the first day of a season. On such days, he goes on a wrath-filled rampage, knocking down any objects placed on top of other objects. His only weakness that’s a well-kept secret is his love for layered pasta meatcakes, which are capable of incapacitating him until he’s done eating them.
• “Runegirl”, Amber Drawn, dwarf, female; a vigilante with the ability to manifest the effects of runes out of nowhere. Her powers also allow her to access the Mistweb intuitively through unknown means, which is why she uses plenty of Mistweb slang and analogies. She likes to browse encyclopedic articles in her free time.
• "Traveler", Long Joanna, human, female; vigilante with a supernatural speed (roughly twice as fast as a trained runner), and an ability to teleport anywhere she can see. Her vigilante nickname has eventually been used less and less in the actual stories. She loves teas that she makes on her own at home.
• "Æp", Tarisha Greenblossom, fairy, female; vigilante with a magical ability to forbid people from taking some actions (or to take this restriction away), as long as she can touch them and speak. In her personal life, she serves as a judge giving out life sentences, and she battles the temptation to use her powers every day.
• "Reaal", Joh K'eeng, orc, male; villain with the power of commanding people to take certain courses of action. The main opponent of Æp, and one of the few people with willpower strong enough to resist her powers.
• "Fowls", Bay DeVeil, goblin, male; a villainous farmer with the power of transforming into and controlling game such as chicken, ducks, geese, and pheasants. Strangely, his powers also cover games played with cards, dice, boards, and balls. His main enemy is Mr. Kat.

I would like to suggest you read out loud to yourself the nicknames of the last three superheroes in quick succession before you continue.

The Truth

Now that you know what day I've published this work on, here's the truth about this city: It is a work of fiction within the world of Runehack. People produce comic books, movies, and stories of these fictional characters in this fictional city, for the same reason for which we've done it. Entertainment. And this was quite an amusing city-state to write about for me. I can only hope you've enjoyed it too.

Runehack: Wineholm

Worlds should have a variety of places. In a world like Runehack that can be a little difficult, but even then, I firmly believe that it's possible to make up cities that stand out here. It might actually even be easier here, seeing how I have an excuse for the cities to be isolated. I hope you'll enjoy this article, and have a beautiful day!

Wineholm

Centuries before the morphers overwhelmed the wilderness, there was an ancient kingdom that prohibited the usage of runes. Within it, a small island was populated solely by people who were arunic. Once this island has established its independence from the kingdom, it has surrounded itself by walls. What could have been a truly preserved landmark of the old era before the age of monsters has been turned into something entirely different when The Spiritual Advent occurred.

Geography

The Antediluvia Jungle hides within it many wonders. The kingdom of Bedenblume is one of them, and it encompasses the Gray Sea within it. Wineholm is an island found in this inland sea. Its beaches are surrounded by walls, and a portion of it goes into the sea, framing a ship gateway.

Due to the Wineholm being an island, it has some space for the safe wilderness. This means that people can hunt for their meat in the forests, gather fruits there, grow them in their own fields, and find other kinds of resources too. While amber and silver are scarce on the island, it's rich in iron, wood, and other natural resources. Fortunately, it doesn't need silver, since it is surrounded by a kingdom that's protecting them from the morphers.

History

Centuries ago, the kingdom of Bedenblume has spread all around the Gray Sea. The royals who ruled the Bedenblume began their kingdom based on the prohibition of the runic magic. Over time, they noticed that some of the people were completely unaware of the runes' effects. Seeing these as the blessed people, they decided to gift them an island of their own, Wineholm.

Eventually, the people of Wineholm have forgotten what the rulers of Bedenblume have done for them, and demanded independence. When the larger kingdom refused the offer, Wineholm started to a revolution. Shortly before their success, the era of monsters began, and this has weakened Bedenblume enough to force them into giving up on Wineholm's island. Several kinds of rulership have been tried in Wineholm since then until it has settled into rulership by a trinity.

Years after the era of monsters began, a handful of denizens of Wineholm found out that they can see ghosts. Eventually, it was found that an elven woman living in the city was to blame. They exiled the necromancer to live in a tower. The problem kept getting worse, until the day when she vanished mysteriously. Those who could see the ghosts, labeled mediums, reported that the ghosts have started to vanish one by one, as the necromancer's magic was fading after her supposed death. Several years later, the island has gone through what's referred to as The Spiritual Advent. Mediums describe that the island has been submerged in a dozen of ghosts, who constructed ethereal structures around it and spoke many wondrous things of the outside world, beyond Bedenblume.

Structure

Wineholm is an island, surrounded on all sides by a wall. Within these walls are a sizable forest, a singular hill, several small hamlets, and a settlement built on the hillside. The round capital of the island nation, most often called Wineholm just the same as the island, is surrounded on the outside by the farming fields. It lacks a dedicated residential district, and on the inside, it's split into the following seven districts:

Alliance District. The southwestern district of the city is primarily focused on relations with the outside world. While Wineholm borders only with the kingdom of Bedenblume, the kingdom is populated by a large variety of smaller groups of people to keep relations with. It borders the Guild District, the Military District, and the Trinitial District.

Artisan District. Most of the artists and plenty of shops can be found in the northwestern part of the city. It borders the Alliance District, the North District, and the Trinitial District.

Guild District. The craftsmen are mostly concentrated in the Guild District, which makes up the southern part of Wineholm's biggest city. This part also includes the port that serves as an entrance into the Gray Sea. This district shares borders with the Alliance District, the Scribe District, and the Trinitial District.

Military District. The military of Wineholm came to be all the way back in the beginning when the city had to defend itself from the wilderness that surrounds it on the island. Quickly, the northeastern district became the focal point of training and housing soldiers of this nation. It borders the Alliance District, the North District, and the Trinitial District.

North District. Found in the northern part of the city, the North district mostly concentrates on the religious aspects of people's lives. A vast amount of temples and priests can be found here. It borders the Artisan District, the Military District, and the Trinintial District.

Scribe District. Science is an area that's rather new to Wineholm. Its district is populated by researchers and inventors, trying their best to collectively or individually understand the world. Libraries are for the most part found in this section of the city. It borders the Guild District, the Military District, and the Trinitial District.

Trinitial District. Trinitial district is home to most of the governmental bodies of Wineholm, most importantly the trinity. It borders all six of the remaining districts, located in the center of the city.

Culture

Traditional outfits worn in the older times featured legwear that reaches up to one's knees, scarves that were tightened up in the case of windy weather, and long sleeves that could be rolled up while working. I don't know what kind of material would they use for these, I'm not that knowledgeable in history of fashion.
All art featured in this article was kindly created by my wonderful girlfriend Arell.

The population of Wineholm is mostly made up of humans and dwarves, with a very small minority of elves and fairies present on the island. Goblins and orcs are unheard of on the island itself, so it is an oddity to them when some make it to the island or sail the seas. The first assumption of Wineholm's denizens was that orcs and goblins are humans and dwarves respectively, corrupted by the upper class of Bedenblume through some unknown magic. While the tension between Wineholm and members of those species still persists, currently they recognize orcs and goblins as living sentient beings, independent from other species in their origin.

Wineholm lacks knowledge that's common in the majority of the civilizations in the world due to their isolation. The runes are a secret art, only practiced by the mediums since they have near to no usefulness for others. Runetech is something that the mediums only hear about from the ghosts present on the island. While the existence of morphers as a general global issue is unfamiliar to the denizens of Wineholm, it's a common fact that the ruler of Bedenblume can shapeshift, and so can some of her soldiers. On the other hand, thanks to their abundance of animals and flowers found on the island, they possess a greater awareness of the natural world and its inner workings. While it's not as in-depth as sciences taught in the Avurai University, it is broader and taught in a way useful to common people.

Dichoarchy is a religion that's widespread in most parts of the world, ever since an expedition has reached the North Pole. However, it has developed during the Wineholm's fight for independence, after which the era of monsters began, which is why it hadn't reached this solitary kingdom. Due to this fact, this island is the only place in the world where the most ancient religion is still worshiped, with very few alterations. Simply called Faith, its followers believe in a single omnipotent deity that created the world and all the life in it. As its story of the world's origin goes, all life began egocentric and selfish, caring only for oneself and not for others. Until some of the beings realized that they do not like being treated as such, but to not be treated in that way, they must change first. The core belief of the Faith is that all things born into this world are evil, and they must learn how to become good during their lives in order to get into a good afterlife. Ever since the Spiritual Advent, the religion has adapted itself, and the priests claim that those who do not learn how to be good are doomed to remain in the spirit realm among us, only permitted to converse with the mediums, until they are ready to leave for good. The ghosts of the spirit realm are less about unfinished business and more about an afterlife that has to be earned.

To see the ghosts and the spirit realm in the first place is considered a blessing. Mediums are born with such blessings and are always encouraged to become priests. At the same time, the believers in Faith discourage mediums from having children due to a superstition that a medium gives birth to a vessel, which can be possessed by any of the ghosts present. Elves and fairies are subject to same opinions, which has lead to tension and founding of a hidden hamlet that's far away from the Wineholm's capital city. Currently, the number of fairies and elves in capital city is fewer than 5.

Some of the phrases used in this region, and traditions practiced here include:

• People of Wineholm consider the first day of spring to be the beginning of a new year. The local belief is that plucking a bloomed flower on this day brings you good fortune for the rest of the year. This is why people of Wineholm sometimes refer to a beginning of something as "spring".
• Every year during the winter, plenty of hummingbirds visit Wineholm, flying there from the north. This is why followers of the Faith say that hummingbirds are holy birds, bringing goodness from the north and reminding us at the end of the winter what we should strive for.
• "Elflike" is an adjective that came to mean "introverted, reserved, mysterious". "Fairylike" is synonymous, but it implies that the person hides their intentions or thoughts on purpose.
• The Spirits Festival is celebrated during the 7th and 8th week of autumn. In this time, people remember those who have passed away by drinking to their memory and using special dyes mixed with phosphorus that glow in the dark to imitate the visions of spirit realm that the mediums share with others.
• One common format of a joke in Wineholm is "A researcher, a priest, and a socialite enter a tavern", with the order of the three profession varying depending on which of them will be the punchline of the joke.

Subculture Showcase: Dichoarchy

Note: This section is not meant to imply that the presented subculture is in any way unique to or most represented within this city. It is just a subculture I chose to present because it felt most thematically fitting and it wasn't introduced yet.

Art Curiosities: I have yet to figure out whether the mask markings have some deeper meaning. Originally, the purple colors on the green outfits were an accident made while recoloring, but I think I'll keep it. I like the symbolic contrast between the starry sky and a pink-flowered meadow.

While the religion is not present in the Wineholm, most of the world outside of it is at least familiar with it. It came to be as an explanation of people's findings in the North Pole. For the longest time, people debated whether it's the star or the Mount Boreal drawing them to the north. Once the first successful expedition there found out it's both the ground beneath, but also the Still Star above, the Faith had to adjust to accommodate for this fact, evolving into the Dichoarchy.

All believers of Dichoarchy divide themselves into two groups, depending on which they personally believe to be the greater good. Those who believe in the Sky God believe that what matters the most in judging the morality of one's actions are its consequences and results. Making the world a better place is worth it if the benefits outweigh the costs. They wear blue colors with golden details that represent the stars. The believers of the Earth God claim that the most important facet of an action when judging its goodness are the intentions. Even if your action (or inaction) resulted in something terrible, you did well as long as your intentions were good. Their color of choice is green, with purple or pink highlights sometimes included in the designs.

Even if they both believe their definition of what is good to be superior, plenty also recognize that both are equally necessary. However, not everyone throughout the history thought the other side is necessary, leading to conflicts between the groups. This has resulted in the development of a secretive tradition, in which each believer of this religion keeps their preference of the deity a secret to protect themselves outside of temples.

Relations

Wineholm is clueless about the world beyond the kingdom of Bedenblume. Currently, its relation to that kingdom is neutral, as the tensions have cooled down over the years. What people of Wineholm are not fully aware of is that they have a connection to the city of Everling, which is sending its tourists into the city digitally. When the Everling discovered and started to visit Wineholm, the locals called it Spiritual Advent, wrongly believing it's a supernatural bridging of the realm of spirits with theirs.

Curiosities

The island of Wineholm holds many curiosities, some of which include:

• Cathedral of the Faith is found in the North District of Wineholm, and it is the greatest Faith temple in the world. It's rotund in shape, and its main chandelier is shaped like an arrow, always pointing to the north. Legends say that it has been forged from a starmetal, gathered from a fallen star.
• Hidden Elven Village is a village located somewhere on the Wineholm island, in which majority of island's elven and fairy populations reside. Some mediums claim they have found it, but none of them is willing to share its location with those who do not possess the sight of the spirit realm.
• The Invisible Runestone that stands in the middle of the Trinitial District's main square is an illusion of a great monolith of impossible geometrical regularity. It has the instructions for scribing the runes written on it, and it has been created by one of the ghosts who linger in the city, X8R. Only mediums can perceive it.
• The Tree of Peace is a massive tree grown in the Guild District's port by the former ruler of Bedenblume. It's a sign of truce between the two nations that has been planted there when Wineholm became independent.
• Tresethes is the palace in which lives the trinity that rules Wineholm, located in the Trinitial District.

Nixly Everglade

Nixly has been born in Wineholm shortly before the era of monsters began. She was one of the few citizens of Wineholm who could be influenced by the sacrilegious runes, so she spent her life researching two things that fascinated her the most: the runes, and overcoming the death. Once she managed to combine the two and perfected her art, she's been exiled from Wineholm by people who labeled her 'the necromancer', forever forced to live in her tower alone. That is until people from beyond the Wineholm came to her rescue on a strange hovering construction. The only thing she left behind was her legacy, and half a dozen undead, who roam the land to this day.

Nixly has thus been taken to a whole another city, filled with wondrous creations. It turns out Wineholm was unique—most of the world's population can be influenced by the runes. In fact, most of the cities have constructed marvelous devices using these runes, and they wanted to incorporate her creations into them. With their assistance, her creations have taken on a new form—scans of people's minds could either emulate digital ghosts or enter special runebot bodies for them to animate at their whim. The genius of Nixly Everglade has forever changed the look of the modern world.

Wineholm never understood her genius.

Important People

A few examples of the important people from Wineholm:

• Abaron Sevenshield, human, male; the head diplomat of the current triumvirate.
• Belixta Treesap, human, female; the head researcher of the current triumvirate.
• Caldiffer Starsteel, dwarf, female; the head priest of the current triumvirate.
• Jeribel Freestone, elf, female; the founder of Wineholm who started the fight for its independence.
• Nixly Everglade, elf, female; the dreaded necromancer whose invention started the development of runebots and digital ghosts.
• Ricford Allwill, human, male; a fierce soldier who fought in the war for Wineholm's independence.
• X8R, ghost, either; one of the most well known ghosts in the Wineholm who has created many illusory markings in the capital city.

1d10 Vestigia's Skylands, vol. 1

New Year Resolutions don't need to wait. The sooner I start, the sooner I could be done with one. The context for these is here.

1d10 Skylands of Vestigia, vol. 1

1. Ironsong

Massive primordial clock Metronomicon ticks ever since this skyland came to be when the Shadowfell collided with Dis, the second circle of Nine Hells. Metals found in the pits of Dis have been possessed by the tormented souls of Shadowfell, ringing their weeps of agony. The only thing that it missed was a spark of inspiration, which occurred when the Elemental Plane of Lightning passed by. All it took was a single spark to bring life to this skyland. Fiends, undead, and the mortals stuck in between fight for the rulership over this skyland by combining the martial prowess with the dissonant music natural to their home.

Metronomicon is the place that's supposedly where the spark of lightning met with the forces of death and hell, inspiring both.
Yes, this island is indeed inspired by Pentakill, so I'm keeping the metronome as an homage. Image credit of course goes to the Riot Games.

2. Faegard

Another skyland that's in constant conflict happens to be a collision of the Ysgard with Feywild. The result is a land of uneven battle, between the fairies and the nonmagical giants. While one of the sides is obviously much more powerful when it comes to pure physical strength, the other side possesses greater magic potential. The result is a fairly balanced fight of the greatest proportions, puns very intended.

3. The Wild Crest

A black salt desert of an unknown origin has attracted adventurers ever since people discovered blackrocks deep beneath the salts. Rumors have it that this used to be some unspecified layer of Abyss that was an ocean dried out by the collision with the Elemental Plane of Fire. Once the blackrock is crushed into a fine powder, it becomes flammable. People who live here are rather religious, vary of monsters like fiends or undead, and most live off of either their crops if possible, or by herding the cattle.

4. Baldur's Fate

Myths say that this city used to be in the Material Plane itself, found in a location called Word Coast. Even before the beginning of Vestigia, this city was a port. Back then, it was however a port for sea ships. The structure and infrastructure were there, but the city has been partially rebuilt in order to serve as a proper port for skyships.

5. Viperpunk

People doubted the existence of something as ridiculous as the Elemental Plane of Snakes, the true origin of creatures such as yuan-ti or naga. They have been proven wrong once this plane collided with just a small fraction of the Limbo, as well as a shard of Mechanus stuck in one mad inventor's head. Ever since the snake elementals have been much more... mouldable by those who populate this land, and much more submissive to the commands given to them. They could be stretched to incredible lengths, rolled to be extremely thin, or even contracted. Those who populate this island soon discovered how to change their colors on command, react to things these snakes can see, hear, feel, or even smell, and even how to produce words and other sounds. It's hard to even tell if these snakes are alive anymore, or if they are just objects that resemble snakes. Through years of trial and error, the snake-based technology arose, so incredibly complex that a human couldn't understand it within one lifetime. The most complicated of their creations, however, has to be the Labyrinth, a network of snaketech machinery that connects the vast majority of the devices on this island and allows for nearly instantaneous communication between the snake-based creations.

All of this came to be underneath the rulership of the Serpent Empress, the one true ruler of the former Elemental Plane of Snakes. Her ultimate plan is to take over this wretched world and connect it whole with her network of snakes. However, things may change, for the rebels are among the common folk, scheming their plans of overthrowing the true empress. Rumors have it that some elves are assisting them.

6. Bruxwar

The collision of a small chunk of Acheron with a portion of Beastlands had catastrophic consequences for the formerly good-aligned plane. The wilderness has been forced to change in order to survive, adapting to the predatory hellish warriors. Thus, most of the Bruxwar is populated by predators hunting for other predators. There are no herbivores, everything is either an omnivore or a carnivore. The vast majority of these animals are capable of flying, swimming, or burrowing, have extraordinary senses, and occasionally even abilities that replicate the effects of spells. Survival here is so difficult, that there's only one permanent settlement of humanoids on the whole island, simply called Bastion.

7. Thermina

The Para-Elemental Plane of Ice has always been rather inhospitable. What made it worse was when a portion of it entered an Astral Plane bubble, which kept getting smaller and smaller until it enveloped only a thin layer of the skyland's atmosphere. Time ceases to flow for anyone who touches the island with a bare body part, and their body will slowly begin to freeze. Ice and snow eventually gather around the frozen body, until it completely becomes part of the island. This is why the skyland lacks any form of flora or fauna. Only flames created by sufficiently powerful magic can melt these bodies, which have been gathered here over the centuries.

8. Eternalitree

It is unknown whether a small piece of wood from one of the elemental planes fell into a bubble of unfiltered positive energy from the Positive Energy Plane, or vice versa. What's known is that a tree has sprouted out of this destined meeting, and it keeps growing. While by now its growth is hardly noticeable on even a monthly basis, the truth is the skyland keeps getting bigger nonetheless. Sometimes, its branches twist in unpredictable ways, which is why flying creatures make up the majority of this land's population.

9. Skyland of Hats

The first impression that a visitor would have of this island is that it's populated by the undead and constructs. A closer look reveals that the vast majority of beings on this island wear a large variety of hats. The truth is, these hats are sentient and control any sufficiently humanoid bodies. On their own they can't do much, so they must rely on others to put them onto humanoid bodies such as corpses, skeletons, mannequins, statues, and other constructs. If two of these hats are close enough for an extended time duration, they produce a smaller offspring, that grows over the course of a year into a full hat. If living being dons (or is equipped with) this hat, it must resist its mental influence, or else be controlled by it (as per Ghost's possession).

10. Ælfenheim

The legendary empire of the elves ruled by the Shadow Queen floats through the sky is a constellation of incredibly tall spires, each overpopulated by the doorways to magnificent mansions that hold hundreds of elves each. Training, exercise, casting the spells, pledging allegiance to the Shadow Queen and to the Caretakers, ... Some may see this as a cycle, but it is a snowball, growing larger and larger the further it goes. It is the most dominant force of this realm and the major reason why most of the islands have elven populations on them.

Edit: Several days after publishing this article, I noticed that number 9 was not saved before publishing. I forgot what this island was, so I had to make up a new one.

Review of my 2021

I did it last year, so I'll do it again.

How was 2021

With 14.9K views, it's fair to say that the blog has improved quite a lot. I'd say that the primary cause of this is my presence in a greater variety of groups, writing on it more often. These result in it being shared with more people, and more often. Compared to last year, I'll change up the structure and talk about each of the resolutions I made one year ago.

Homebrew

This year was a little more difficult on homebrews for me. I have made some, but I haven't made as many as I did some of my previous years, mostly because I focused on writing more stuff for the blog. Here are some of the brews I've published last year:

• The Roamer, an artificer specialization for lovers of bikes,
• Flatbread Specialization, an April Fools' post for an artificer who invited pizza and pizza delivery services,
• Minimus Magus, a rework of my fighter subclass that focuses on making the most out of their cantrips,
• Soulweaver and College of the Nameless, two undead-themed subclasses for the Playing Dead, a product I'll mention in a bit,
• 10 Guidelines to Moderating Magic, which is not a player material and more of a set of suggestions for DMs to consider when figuring out their worldbuilding,
• Inchlings, a race of cute tiny people inspired by the Borrowers,
• and several Devotees of the Kings and Queens, which I'll talk about in a bit.

There were fewer homebrews and further apart, but going back through them, most of them have been more popular than any previously released products of mine. It's not something I've intended, but I suppose I focused more on the quality rather than quantity of my products.

What's more, I've published two products, one of which can be bought, and the other can only be bought. Runehack: University's Pillars is a solo journalling tabletop RPG, in which the player must maintain balance in their personal, scholarly, and social life by balancing three towers of stacked dice. It was made as part of the One Page RPG Jam, and I am happy about how it turned out. The other project came to be when the small community behind the Mooncell subreddit, which I am a part of, has decided to put their heads together and make a compendium for players who want to play undead characters. Playing Dead is a fairly successful product, and I still find it hard to believe I became part of the team writing it just like that.

My goal of revisiting at least three subclasses or one compendium of mine was successfully fulfilled. The Trial of the Seven Queen is going to get reworked into a project I've hoped to make for a long time but got stuck on for a time. The Cursed Sovereigns Compendium will be... coming soon™, whenever the artworks for the rest of Kings and Queens get completed. Most of my brews do bear my brand, but I also forgot to post most of them to my blog. I'll consider this a success though!

Blog Posts

The only month, for which I haven't written an article this year, was November. The total number of articles I've published is 27, which is a lot more than the 18 articles I aimed for. I'll forgive myself for the November, NaNoWriMo was exhausting enough, even if I could have prepared myself an article to publish in November during October. Success!

Villainous Cookbook

I'm happy to say that the Villainous Cookbook is, for now, finished. The finale was a lengthy article about an infinite elven army, which I definitely want to have present in my future settings instead of the default "human is default" feel. Compiling them into a compendium will be a bit harder because some of them will require a rewrite - things I assumed would get from UA into a book didn't. We'll see what comes for this in the future, in the meantime, I will gladly announce this was a success!

Novel

Sadly, I didn't get to rewrite it through the year, until November came around. When I participated in NaNoWriMo again, I overhauled the novel, changing almost everything in it. I'd say the rewrite made it a lot better, as well as...

Runehack

Writing articles about my world was a difficult endeavor, but it was worth all the effort. After writing about the various cities in the world, I had a much easier time writing my novel. There are plenty of other details too that I discussed privately with my closest friends, which eventually made their way into the novel. This resolution and the previous one are both a resounding united success.

Feedback

While others had only small mistakes here and there, things are going to go downhill from here. Writing comments on every blog post I've read is a difficult thing to remember to do. I will say that when it came to smaller blogs like those of my friends who I got into writing these, I always left a comment whenever I finished an article of theirs. But as the year went on, I forgot more and more often to do it on blogs I don't have a personal connection with. I'll chalk this one up as a failure, but I think I'll keep leaving comments on the small blogs my friends have, and maybe on some others too every now and then.

Game

... yeah, about that. I did not start a new campaign at all. While I've participated in some as a player, I've run very few TTRPG sessions this year. I think... two of them? Yeah, this one is overall a failure.

I think I overcame my burnout, but then went into the phase of overthinking my next campaign. The 10 Guidelines to Moderating Magic were a good helping step for me to figure out what I want out of D&D, and my article on minimalistic worldbuilding is another great idea that I plan to use, but now the hard part is solidifying the rest of the world, getting a group together, and actually dedicating several hours of my time to them every week or two.

Unrelated to any of the above resolutions, there's one other dream of mine that I've had as a new year resolution for several years, but to no avail until this year. Some of you may have noticed that my Runehack articles have been brought to life by original artworks created by my dear friend Arell. Well, about two months ago, we have talked about something very important together, and I can gladly announce that our friendship has blossomed into an actual relationship. While I'm not going to edit the past articles, in which I've used artworks she has drawn just for me, I think it's only fair to credit her from now on as I should - as my girlfriend. I usually don't talk about my personal life on this blog, but this was fairly important to me and her.

Goals and Hopes for 2022

I think I'll write them in a bullet point list, otherwise, this article will get even longer. I wouldn't say that these things are all my new year resolution, the resolution is to fulfill at least one of these, but hopefully more than one.

• Vestigia. Write articles that would describe a total of 100 islands floating in my minimalistic D&D world.
• Runehack. Finish writing articles for all of the cities I have figured out at the moment for my Runehack.
• Novel. I'd love to get my novel published, but I have no clue if it'll be possible within one year. The second draft is done, now I just need to go through it, fix all of it, and then figure out how to do publishing. Sounds easy enough... for now.
• Cursed Sovereigns Compendium. It's not too high on my priorities list, since I'd rather let Arell work on potential commissions rather than ask her for more artworks of the remaining kings, queens, and other potential things in the book. But finishing and publishing this even just in PDF form would be cool.
• 10 kilometers. It might not be a D&D goal, but I would love to run 10 kilometers someday again. I did succeed at it a couple years ago, but relative to back then I got out of shape due to various forms of stress.
• Stream. I've started to do some more livestreams on Twitch last year, and I would like to do some more.
• Sprinters. I want to finish my TTRPG that takes place in the world of Runehack. More details on that in the future, possibly soon.

Of course, this is not everything, but it's everything I'd like to state on the blog. I will continue to leave comments on the blogs of my friends to help them out, 

Edit: I almost forgot about one of the resolutions.

Magitech Multiverse

Everyone has a multiverse. Brandon Sanderson has it, Spiderman has it, D&D has multiple. I want one of my own too. Not for D&D, for my stories, as well as my games.

I like magic-powered technology that isn't just "re-branded electricity". I also like minimalistic hard magic systems. The number of things they can do could be counted on one, maybe two hands, but it's low either way. Plenty of thoughts have gone into how technology works, and I think I got some details narrowed down. I'd say there are four important elements when it comes to technology that I like (at least, at the moment of writing this article):

• Input: Detecting inputs and activating magic based on that, to provide autonomous machinery.
• Output: Giving sensory outputs (sights, sounds, etc.), to provide easily read data.
• Motion: Giving motoric outputs (moving objects), to provide outputs that affect the physical world.
• Fuel: What the device requires in order to operate, to limit the time for which a device can function.

(I know that Output can be done by Motion, I just like the convenience.)

Coming up with "hard magitech systems" isn't easy for me, but I want to get better at it, maybe to grow my multiverse some more. But I have three worlds that I could work on now. Each of them is built with a magitech system at its heart, and they are all connected in a way I'll keep to myself for now. Of course, the magitech system doesn't need to be the only form of magic that's present in that world. Needless to say, one can't just travel from one of these worlds to another as they wish - none of my worlds will just have a spell, like plane shift in it. That would require an extraordinary amount of effort, and some magic that I already have in one of these worlds.

Let's have a brief rundown of the magitech worlds I've made so far and their technology. I'll use this opportunity to write up updates on the original concepts I wrote before for each of these.

I've spent too much time looking for artwork to use here. I've seen too many artworks that are just grids or random assortments of ball-shaped universes, D&D-styled cosmology charts, or abstract trippy nonsense on my search. I wanted to go with something that feels fresher, and... while it's not a multiverse per se, I liked The Game Bakers' portrayal of the universe that Haven takes place in. I couldn't track down the artist right now, but the art seems to be their property.

Runehack

• Magitech System: runes
• Input: detection runes
• Output: illusion runes, encryption runes
• Motion: telekinesis runes
• Fuel: amber or tree sap

I'm not sure what more is there to say about Runehack. I don't want to update it in any major way, and if you want to know more about it, there are so many articles about it on my blog that I made a reading guide included in the sidebar.

Ælfheim

Magitech System: truncated octahedrons that produce light based on one's belief (divtech)

Input: thought, and personal identity

Output: light displays

Motion: piston cubes, rotor cubes

Fuel: light

The world as we know it has become inhospitable. Those who wanted to survive have been converted into a mechanical form.

For the sake of simplicity, I'll refer to the truncated octahedrons as cubes. I chose this shape because it can infinitely tile a 3D space, and it has plenty of sides.

Just like in the original article about divtech, these shapes can produce light that goes through logical gates which operate based on one's belief. You'll get a result out of technology based on what you believe to get. If you have a calculator, and you believe that by inputting 1+1 you'll get 99, you will. Thus, people of this world are trained to have no expectations when using technology.

The first important change I'll make is this: Perhaps I could change how the interior works. While I could say "quantum physics" and it could make some sense, I think I'll just boil it down to one item in particular. A gemstone that can shine light if it's receiving light and if someone believes it should shine. Each cube can be suited for usage by someone specific or left for anyone at all to influence it, perhaps by denoting their name in the crystal somehow. The cheapest solution is to have one of the cubes produce light when a specific person believes in it. The best solution would be for all of the cubes to let their light through only when a specific person believes in them.

Another thing that's different is the energy source. Long story short, the powering cube will require the reception of some form of light in order to power the rest. The most reliable form is the sunlight, but fire works too. Moonlight works only on a full moon, and only when it's fully visible. Starlight is too weak. Light from other cubes explicitly doesn't work.

Now, these mechanical remnants of sapient species are beings that require light in order to operate. When the light is not present, they go into sleep mode - their operation resumes only once they get enough light. Sleep is not something these machines require, so going to sleep is pretty much optional. You could stay up all night working, provided you have light all night long. This could have several interesting implications. For example, at night some of them could try to commit crimes while others "sleep". They can't get too close to others though, because they could accidentally wake them up. This could cause these communities to develop patrols, guards who walk around the town with torches. But that in return could cause these criminals to extinguish torches, pausing the guard in their tracks harmlessly. The other guard passes by, sees a deactivated guard, activates it just by proximity to the torch, and relights their torch, and now they know something's wrong.

What if the displays that the cubes possess are somehow filtering the light of the gems to make it safer again, thus disallowing it from triggering other cubes? What if the light that these gems produce is very destructive? Maybe you could attach them to some weirdly-shaped sticks, point them at people or objects, and do harm that way. In other words, ...

Wizard guns.

Another interesting realization - maybe the cubes could be arranged in any way of sensors and outputs. Maybe they could have outputs that produce sound instead of light if it can somehow be converted. And thus, maybe a majority of the surface of these beings could be made up of inputs, thus allowing for "skin that can feel". The world has enough to be worked on. But I'll have to get working on it. Who knows when possibly when I get tired of Runehack and I'll need a quick distraction.

Part of the inspiration here is Bionicle, surprisingly - a world populated completely by mechanical beings sounds dope to me. Though I'd imagine they used to be not mechanical. Whether there are any non-mechanicals left I have yet to figure out. Perhaps trees, maybe insects. Who knows.

Globus (name WIP)

Magitech System: quartz orbs, with a dream world on the inside made up of semi-tangible strings (orbtech)

Input: orb's surface sensing

Output: orb's surface illusions

Motion: orb's movement

Fuel: mare's blood

Let's be honest here - the main reason why I'm writing this article is that I wanted to make some changes to the orbtech, but when I realized I can't come up with a good title, I figured I may as well unveil my larger dream project while doing so instead of hiding it forever and ever.

First of all, fuel. I figured quartz itself being fuel is kind of silly, especially with orbs getting smaller as they get used. They could get smaller if they roll around too much, as most physical things would. But instead of quartz getting consumed, I think I'll go with something else. The dragon blood was just a spontaneous idea I went with while writing the original article, and looking back at it hardly has anything to do with dreams. Instead, I'll go with a mare. Not a horse, mare as in a legendary creature of nightmares. How exactly will it look I can't quite tell, maybe something canine or feline. It will definitely have the ability to paralyze people who are unconscious through touch. The orb is hollow on the inside, and for the sake of keeping the movements predictable, the liquid inside of it hovers, not interacting with the orb's movements.

The dream within the orb is made up of "strings", but they're not actual strings. It's just something people grew to call it because the string is the closest thing they could approximate it to. One can pass through them or touch them whenever they wish to.

The orb can record anything that it could see, and it can record audio it could hear if it was a human ear. However, this audio is only stored inside of the orb, since quartz lacks a way to produce a multitude of sounds. It could technically only produce a ringing sound that sounds like someone striking the orb. If you get multiple orbs of different sizes, and all of them play the recorded audio all at once, they could reproduce the message, but it's much easier to just enter its dream and hear for yourself.

Orbs only allow you to enter their dreams when they are filled with mare blood. If they run out of blood while someone is inside, the person is awakened immediately.

Furthermore, there's a curious race in this world. I'm not sure what I'll call them yet, I'll refer to them as kitsunes for now. Chances are if I keep this name, they could have fox-like traits, although a more feline demeanor, and they would come with a special ability - to enter a dreamscape at will. Whether it's a sleeping person or an orb, they can simply touch it, will themselves to enter, and they immediately appear in this space. What makes them even more unique is that their physical form completely ceases to exist whenever they do this, including objects they are wearing or carrying, except for orbs. Due to the danger that these people present, it is best to ponder your orbs in private spaces, otherwise, you're inviting kitsunes to invade your dreams.

Fun thought: If you make a car that has orbs for wheels, you could have the car move even sideways without really turning its wheel. It could move in any direction, as long as you could somehow transmit that information to all of the wheels. Maybe an orb could work as a steering wheel too. I would however consider reimagining the shape of such cars, and maybe adding more wheels so that if one runs out of fuel, you still have five more.

Have you ever seen the musical marvel called Marble Machine? Imagine if each of those marbles was an orb. Imagine if they could determine what paths they roll up or down in. Imagine if the crank was turned by another orb, perhaps a much bigger one. Or maybe there's a big orb covered in small boxes for the marbles to travel in. And the orbs determine on their own where they roll and when. All of them entangled, working in harmony. Bonus points if they light up in various colors, possibly even changing colors as they travel around the machine.

Right now, I have no clue otherwise about anything else within this world. I just like the fact that I figured out a way to make spherical magical computers.

Soulfire Stone, by JoshEiten

No clue if this will be useful for me, it's just cool art I found along the way.
Ancient Titan, by Deiv Calviz

It's not a cube, nor a "cube" (that being: truncated octahedron). But hey let's imagine it is. This looks neato!
3D steampunk magic thingy, by dchan

This was fun. I want more. Some on my to-do list are clothtech, aquatech, and maybe somehow turning language into technology without it seeming like a copy of runes.

Orbtech

This started off as a thought experiment about a technology programmed in the dream world. Once a need for a physical focus came though, I recalled a meme that's currently trending, and… my mind couldn't help but ponder. Don’t take things written here as gospel, it’s just me making up wild ideas as I go. If I ever write again about Orbtech, I could change any of these details.

Yes, this meme inspired the article partially. Cover art of Middle-Earth Quest: A Spy In Isengard, illustrated by Angus Mcbride.

Take some quartz and start polishing it until it's nice and round. Keep going until you can practically see through it. Once that's the case, dip the creation in the dragon blood for 24 hours. It must be the only orb dipped in the dragon blood, if there are multiple this process won’t work. The less blood you use the better, because after using it this way the blood is drained of its magic. If you've done all the steps correctly, you should have a dream orb. Though since any other orbs are way less important, by now it is simply called orb.

Orbs are special devices because at a glance they lack any visible signs of internal logic, and yet they can change their appearance and roll around, even reacting to outside inputs. In actuality, there's a complex code written inside of the orb, accessible through a highly unusual method - dreaming. If one falls asleep while touching the orb, they'll enter the orb's dreamscape. It's a world of dreams, shaped by the person who dreamed in it first after the orb's dragon blood bath. The simplest way to use orbs is for message delivery. Although impractical, since these messages can only be delivered in one’s sleep, the messages require no programming and they can target any of the senses. You can completely overhaul the dreamscape of an orb by dipping it in dragon blood for 24 hours.

Those who dream within the orb and search for the code will find it. It takes the form of a large lattice of strings with vertices that can be knotted at the crossings, or not. One can walk through this lattice only interacting with it when they want to. Depending on these knots, the orb gets its programming, which then manifests outside. I don’t feel like coming up with the exact logic behind these is all that important, so that’s where my specifics of the programming language itself will end.

If you wish to take inputs from the outside world, you must cut one of the strings, create the input within the orb’s dreamscape, and tie the thing to it. Since it’s rather difficult to imagine smells or temperatures, the vast majority of orbs take visual inputs. Maybe in the future, I’ll even figure out a way for the orbs to record and produce sounds. There are two more inputs: the last direction in which it has rolled, and the current direction it would fall in (in one word each, “front” and “down”).

The orbs have two major outputs: Images, and rolling. Through complicated knot schemes, you can project any image that you can code or that the orb can record on its surface. The image is projected onto the orb always the same way front and down. As for rolling, the orb can move on its own, and as it does it changes which way its “front” is. Maybe there could be a way to make the orbs fly, but right now the idea is too raw for me to figure out how exactly.

I don't know where is this from, but it's a lovely animation.

If you search long enough, you’ll find the orb itself within the dreamscape. If you tie a knot around it and attach it to some configuration of knots, it will record its surroundings. It’s a standard to program these orbs to reveal their recordings by waving your hands over them for a couple of seconds, though you could also watch them in the dreamscape.

The more an orb is used, the smaller it gets. When it becomes as small as a marble, it becomes incapable of giving outputs. It can still receive inputs, which is why these orbs can be useful as security camera replacements - tiny enough to be unnoticeable, and useless for most other things. At some point after that, the orb becomes too tiny to even record, or let anyone into its dreamscape. Due to this shrinkage, many people work on maximizing the work time they get out of a single block of quartz. Is it better to create a myriad of small orbs, or one big orb and then sculpt orbs out of the remainders?

If you fall asleep touching multiple orbs at the same time, you’ll enter a random one. However, through doing this you will entangle the orbs - each of these orbs will contain within its dreamscape copies of other orbs, through which they can exchange information. Changes made to one orb will manifest in the copies inside of all other orbs entangled with it.

A cracked orb brings bad luck. It has a harder time rolling, its image is disrupted, maybe even its function goes wrong. Maybe something worse happens if an orb cracks while you’re in its dreamscape. Handling the orbs without cracking them is an art form.

For now, the system is way too simple to be useful for actually evolving a fantasy setting into a true cyberpunk one. But who knows, maybe in time I’ll figure out ways to add more things into it.

David Bowie, from The Dark Crystal

Minimalistic D&D Setting

D&D is a neat system with too many things to keep in mind. Spells, legacies (also known as races), capabilities of people, monsters and their abilities... and that's just the rules. On top of all this, there's stuff like geography, history, and so much more. If you think all of this is easy to manage, bear in mind that you're probably still thinking only about the Material Plane, and not about all the other planes of existence. While I'd love to be a DM someday, I know that I would much rather work on Runehack than on whatever world I run my D&D campaign in. Running a game of D&D in Runehack would require me to drop the vast majority of classes, my own system for games in Runehack is being worked on (with heavy quotation marks, since I keep getting distracted), … Wouldn't it be nice to have a low maintenance world to run D&D games in?

I felt creatively drained when I started to write this, but it's a subject I've been thinking about for a long time. It only makes sense for me to post it here, hopefully I get some sort of response to see what I could improve on it.

The land of million possibilities. Except it's lands actually.
Storm Wars, by Elena Konstantinova

Minimalistic D&D Setting

During the war of gods, all of the planes of existence have crashed into one another, leaving only two: Material Plane, now made up of planar remnants shaped like flying islands, and the Ethereal Plane, which was untouched since it overlaps all of the planes according to its lore. Personal name for this world is "Vestigial Itonia", but that's just for the ease of personal use.

Each island is a closed system, unless it has a way of traveling to other flying islands. Islands flying in parallel trajectories are rare, but not unheard of. Each island is a microcosm of its own, taking on characteristics of a plane of your choice, or a combination of planes. All of this in mind, chances are this island hadn't been visited by anyone, or it was, or it was visited and colonized too. In order to navigate to a specific island, you need a compass made out of special rocks inside of the island the compass points to. Cardinal directions are determined solely by celestial things, like the Sun and stars.

People need to traverse the islands somehow, so there could be three broad ways of achieving that (plus combinations), consider which of these is the most commonly used one. Not all islands are guaranteed to have access to any of these. Listed in an order in which I would expect them to appear in the world history-wise, these are:

1. domesticated flying creatures,
2. magic,
3. technology.

I like for all the islands to have the same gravitational orientation (same "down"), and for the "bottom of the world" to be filled with a dark Void that the Sun goes beneath to create a day-night cycle. Since rich get richer, I'd assume there would be 1-3 big countries that are spread over many islands and try to colonize more at all times, so that could be a simple way to bring player characters together.

What do we achieve with a world like this? The lowest maintenance world I could think up.

• It's not necessary to figure out a big picture geography of the world, which makes it easier for the DM to draw maps of individual islands. No need to make the land fit a bigger environment.
• Each island can have its own history, and if it's a closed system, its history could reasonably be unaffected (and unaffecting) the world outside of the island.
• When the DM and players feel like it, they can visit all sorts of planes of existence, including nonexistent ones. Want a candy island? An island populated only by the bears? How about a mixture of Elemental plane of fire, Carceri, and Feywild? Whatever that would be like, you can just decide to have an island like that fly by, and give your players an offer to fly there. If they don't want to, you can also just... have the island never appear in the game again.
• This kind of world can support pretty much any player option that the player could want to pick. On one hand, plenty of uncommon species could be unfamiliar to the wider world, which could make general population suspicious of players who choose unusual races. On the other hand, with such a huge variety of races, they might also all be accepted equally. Both can work well, whether applied to the whole world or to the individual exceptions.
• Tying it to the previous two bullet points, does your player want to make up a corner of the world to call their own? Be it their birthplace, the island they wanted to visit all their life, or the isle where their mortal enemy sits upon their iron throne? All of this is very much doable!

… wait, is this all just One Piece but without water and with D&D's magic replacing all of the magics that are in the original story? Wait no, this world doesn't have a famous pirate announcing a race for the biggest treasure of the world that's located on an island which hasn't been finished by anyone but him and his crew for centuries. So of course this isn't One Piece!

Thank you for reading, and have a great day!