Dunefolk(previously Khalifate) race description

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Tad_Carlucci
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Re: Dunefolk(previously Khalifate) race description

Post by Tad_Carlucci »

Xalzar wrote: -the Dunefolk could be as prone to magic as the Wesnothian Humans, and repress and hide the few who have an affinity for it (for whatever reasons);
-they could indeed have a declining - or simply rarer - affinity for magic (for whatever reason).
My thinking is that the former naturally leads to the latter. Those with natural ability are ostracized (if not outright killed if they are too showy), therefore less likely to reproduce and pass on their ability, leading to declining, and increasingly rare, abilities.

So, yes, they have some people who seem to be able to make longer-lasting candles, or more-effective remedies. But someone who can flame an arrow with a thought or cause a sword to fly across the field of battle to strike the opposing leader, is likely to have caused a cup to fly to their hand as an infant and been shunned thereafter; which, of course, opens up some classic story lines.
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Post by Can-ned_Food »

Nobody actually said whether you guys liked this or not, besides the reference to Djinn | Jinn forbidding magic, so that is the only part I tweaked.

Code: Select all

[race]
    
    description =  _"  Dunefolk.  It is said among their champions that sand, and not blood, flows in their arteries.  Those who are proven wrong are said to have lost their sand in the defeat, and that any liquid which issues is the repayment owed to the sands for their vanquished pride.
  Nevertheless, legs and skin acclimated through a lifetime living on the harsh dunes makes any warrior of the Dunefolk a formidable opponent when on their native terrain and in their native clime.
  Nary a conjurer or enchanter is to be seen among the Dunefolk, warriors or otherwise.  They rely on swords, spears, and on potent mixtures of substances, from both mineral and vegetable sources, which are used either to injure enemies or to heal friends from injury."
Only because I don't see any other proper race descriptions being posted. Too short? Wrong style? Incorrect information?
My thinking is that this serves to describe the attributes of the [race], and so anything pertaining to the faction is irrelevant. Backstory can be appended under a

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<header>text='History and Ancestry'</header>
or the like.
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Re: Dunefolk(previously Khalifate) race description

Post by Pentarctagon »

Can-ned_Food wrote:Nobody actually said whether you guys liked this or not, besides the reference to Djinn | Jinn forbidding magic, so that is the only part I tweaked.

Code: Select all

[race]
    
    description =  _"  Dunefolk.  It is said among their champions that sand, and not blood, flows in their arteries.  Those who are proven wrong are said to have lost their sand in the defeat, and that any liquid which issues is the repayment owed to the sands for their vanquished pride.
  Nevertheless, legs and skin acclimated through a lifetime living on the harsh dunes makes any warrior of the Dunefolk a formidable opponent when on their native terrain and in their native clime.
  Nary a conjurer or enchanter is to be seen among the Dunefolk, warriors or otherwise.  They rely on swords, spears, and on potent mixtures of substances, from both mineral and vegetable sources, which are used either to injure enemies or to heal friends from injury."
Only because I don't see any other proper race descriptions being posted. Too short? Wrong style? Incorrect information?
My thinking is that this serves to describe the attributes of the [race], and so anything pertaining to the faction is irrelevant. Backstory can be appended under a

Code: Select all

<header>text='History and Ancestry'</header>
or the like.
I agree with what other have said regarding magic users being rare rather than non-existing. The sand flowing in their arteries piece I do really like, though I think "veins" sounds a bit better than "arteries".
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Re: Dunefolk(previously Khalifate) race description

Post by Celtic_Minstrel »

Indeed, in casual speech you don't generally make the distinction between "veins" and "arteries"; you just say "veins".
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Eagle_11
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Re: Dunefolk(previously Khalifate) race description

Post by Eagle_11 »

Swap vegetable with herbal and should be good to go.
Hmm, wait you need to add one more line about liminal alignment to that, probably.
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Kasdel
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Re: Dunefolk(previously Khalifate) race description

Post by Kasdel »

About the roc, I did a bit of research and found that rukk is a romanization for the Arabic form, while rokh or rukh would be a romanization for the Persian form. I also whipped up a description for it, just in case.
The monstrous rukk - an enormous, savagely strong bird bearing the likeness of an eagle - once soared high above the lands of the Dunefolk, preying on human and animal flesh alike. Now, the key to its loyalty uncovered, it fights at the sand warriors’ side, lifting enemies up in the air and dragging their bodies across the sand. The particular sounds and commands that guide these creatures into battle are a matter of constant study among scholars, but the consensus is that they are, in fact, more intelligent than they seem, feigning mindless savagery to be brought into human lands and cared for, while benefitting from easily-obtainable food in battle.
A rukk can puncture a living creature so significantly that it is often rumored that the pierced carcasses are used as nests for its offspring, the holes alodging the eggs until they crack open.
And a description for the Dunefolk.
I wrote it to fit the more informative, direct style of the current Wesnoth race descriptions, while also being fairly long compared to unit descriptions. (Isn't Can-ned_Food's description too short?)
The origins of the Dunefolk are a well-kept secret, as well as the exact location of their homes, shifting and changing amongst the dunes, only vaguely identified as being situated on deep southern territory. But one thing is widely-known across the Great Continent - the Dunefolk are composed of cultured scholars, talented healers, and ferocious warriors who master both steel and fire to tear their enemies apart in combat. Their expertise in living in the desert is as masterful as the scientific techniques they have perfected over the years. In their hands, herbal medicine is not the false promise of a miraculous cure-all, but rather an incredibly efficient way to keep their fighters alive between the deadly rounds of battle they must face over the course of their harsh, blood-forged lives.

The Dunefolk have not been involved in brutal wars with the people of Wesnoth, even though there have been several organized attempts on their part to attack the Crown's border towns. Talks and negotations with these southern people have mostly remained in the unwritten pages of history, as if the very mention of their existence would strike fear in the hearts of the general populace, but it is rumored that many kings of Wesnoth retained the knowledge of their motives and ambitions through successive diplomatic attempts.

While seemingly bearing a grudge against elves, mages and the horrifying undead, the Dunefolk employ other, lesser-known races of creatures in their arsenal, while battling the hardships of the desert and the ferocious drakes, their nearest and most aggressive enemies, in unending, bloody strife.
Dunefolk society rarely encourages the use of magic amongst its people, shunning those who dedicate their lives to practicing it instead of merely studying it. However, some would say their scientific techniques and the effective methods of training nearly untamable creatures are as close as possible to the magical arts. Alongside the human warriors and those who handle flame as a weapon, their ranks include beasts such as Wyrms, captained by their Dunefolk trainers, riderless Rukks, and the mystical, cryptic Jinn, magical beings who do not seem to be allies, yet are not enemies either.

The Dunefolk maintain complex relations with these creatures, aware of their immense power and fickle behavior, but ultimately, juggle the risks and rewards wisely enough - Wesnoth travellers who visit Dunefolk lands and live to tell the tale speak of enormous, fearsome armies that would pose a grave risk to all foolish enough to stand in their way.
Last edited by Kasdel on January 19th, 2018, 10:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Eagle_11
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Re: Dunefolk(previously Khalifate) race description

Post by Eagle_11 »

Eastern people ? last time i checked they were southern.
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Kasdel
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Re: Dunefolk(previously Khalifate) race description

Post by Kasdel »

Indeed. I thought they were southeastern for whatever reason, but yeah, you're right. Fixed.
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Post by Can-ned_Food »

Yeah, i guess yours is more akin to the style of the others than mine. One request: Would it be possible for you, or anyone I guess, to squeeze that bit about the veins of the never–scathed warriors being reputed to flow with sand rather than blood? :D
Of course, the healers and medicineers would know better, but let's say that they have a code of confidentiality — and an interest to protect the mythos of their warriors.
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Re: Dunefolk(previously Khalifate) race description

Post by Celtic_Minstrel »

Kasdel wrote:About the roc, I did a bit of research and found that rukk is a romanization for the Arabic form, while rokh or rukh would be a romanization for the Persian form. I also whipped up a description for it, just in case.
Indeed, but we don't necessarily need to restrict ourselves to Arabic sources exclusively. Personally, I like the spelling "rukh" better than "rukk". The unit description seems serviceable enough.

As for your dunefolk description, my impression of them was that they were a settled people, not nomads. They formed settlements around the oases and/or rivers in the desert. Though there could be both settled and nomadic elements to them, I suppose; the liminal ones might be the nomads while the lawful ones are the city-dwellers. (Liminal as nomads is because deserts have extreme temperatures; they'll be blazing hot during the day, then - relatively speaking - freezing cold during the night. Note that "freezing cold" here doesn't actually mean below freezing, most of the time.) If we went that route, there'd be some cultural differences between the two, which might make the faction more interesting.

Also, herbal medicine in the world of Wesnoth is probably never a false promise of a miraculous cure-all. Even the Wesnoth humans probably have some knowledge of it, and the elves probably have quite an extensive knowledge of herbal medicine too. However both the Wesnoth humans and the elves probably pass down knowledge of the properties of herbs through word of mouth, maybe recording some of them; the dunefolk, on the other hand, try new things and discover new uses for herbs.

Interesting that you suggest there has been sporadic yet unrecorded contact between the dunefolk and the races to the north of them. I think any significant (and official) negotiation would have been recorded though, so such contact would probably need to involve commoners in the case of Wesnoth; that said, I think it's quite unlikely that the dunefolk had any contact with Wesnoth. More likely they've only had contact with the elves, which form a buffer between them and Wesnoth; it could also explain why their presence is (at least mostly) unknown to Wesnoth, as the elves see no reason to share that information (even if they might share items that they obtained from the dunefolk through trade).

A grudge against elves and rivalry with at least one faction of drakes seems good. Dislike of undead seems reasonable too, and I like the idea of the dunefolk as tamers. Note that their horses also count here! Camels could be added too, if we wanted to (though the merging of the two horse lines does make that a little difficult, perhaps; also I think camels are slower than horses). What's this about "wyrms" though? What exactly do you have in mind there? The word "wyrm" is itself rather vague and could refer both to a dragon (which I doubt they could tame) or some sort of giant serpent (which also seems dubious). I think you should suggest that the jinn are only an occasional sight, as well. "...and occasionally the mystical, cryptic Jinn, magical beings who..."
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Re: Dunefolk(previously Khalifate) race description

Post by Pentarctagon »

Celtic_Minstrel wrote:What's this about "wyrms" though? What exactly do you have in mind there? The word "wyrm" is itself rather vague and could refer both to a dragon (which I doubt they could tame) or some sort of giant serpent (which also seems dubious). I think you should suggest that the jinn are only an occasional sight, as well. "...and occasionally the mystical, cryptic Jinn, magical beings who..."
Perhaps the bottom left sprite from here?
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Re: Dunefolk(previously Khalifate) race description

Post by Airatgaljamov »

Celtic_Minstrel wrote: Though there could be both settled and nomadic elements to them, I suppose; the liminal ones might be the nomads while the lawful ones are the city-dwellers. (Liminal as nomads is because deserts have extreme temperatures; they'll be blazing hot during the day, then - relatively speaking - freezing cold during the night. Note that "freezing cold" here doesn't actually mean below freezing, most of the time.) If we went that route, there'd be some cultural differences between the two, which might make the faction more interesting.
I believe it is common in some deserts to have actual freezing temperature at nights. That is the case for regions with cold dry continental climate. Adding the mountain range which bound the desert makes the nights and days even more extreme. Specifically you can look at the Gobi Desert. In case of Wesnoth the Dunefolks' desert also separated from central the Great River region with the mountain range - Estmark Hills and even quite large Bitter Swamp. That could also explain the lack of contact between the civilizations.

Also, regarding their civilization and economy: being just tamers is not enough to create sophisticated culture with cities. Dunefolk must domesticate some animals. Available domesticateable animals are considered to be the main factor for city grows civilization shaping and technology advancement. Horses are the first pick for domestication. And in history you can find many domesticated working animals, even unusual looking one (for current situation with animals in Wesnoth), like Gaur. That would totally help to shape Donefolks' culture and add some flavor. I wonder does Wesnoth have only real-world plain animals: horses, bulls, camels, sheep etc. Or it is possible to invent new working animal?
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Re: Dunefolk(previously Khalifate) race description

Post by Eagle_11 »

Fantasy becomes what you shape into, that being said its totally possible for us to invent new breeds of fantastic animals. The question arises do we need to, as it must be different enough compared to existing to warrant its presence.
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Re: Dunefolk(previously Khalifate) race description

Post by Celtic_Minstrel »

Airatgaljamov wrote:being just tamers is not enough to create sophisticated culture with cities. Dunefolk must domesticate some animals.
Uhh... do you not understand that domesticating animals is basically what a tamer does?
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Re: Dunefolk(previously Khalifate) race description

Post by Airatgaljamov »

Celtic_Minstrel wrote: Uhh... do you not understand that domesticating animals is basically what a tamer does?
These are totally different processes. One tame one particular animal, but domesticate a species. Domesticating requires very specific traits from animal and also several generations of breeding. One can tame tiger but cannot domesticate it. Elephants in circus are tamed, cows in a farm are domesticated. Taming vs domesticating
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