Anteal

[MysteryX]

You say that spirits aren't divided by species but aren't the spirits technically the same species of the creature they were when living. Also is there going to be any unique Fauna and Flora in Anteal because lots of complex settings tend to have them.

[Observer]

While a spirit's appearance is initially based on what they were in life, they can change not only their appearance but also add new features like wings, horns, tails, tentacles, etc. which would make each individual spirit completely unique.

As for unique fauna and flora, I'm think I might make a few. Maybe I'll feature them in the misc section. Right now I only have a couple of vague ideas. One is a flightless bird that has the body-shape of a big cat, basically my take on the gryphon. Hmm... maybe I could try making original-ish takes on other mythical animals as well...

[Hood]

So if I become a spirit can I, I don't know, make my hair look like a bunch of baking bananas?
And for the flora and fauna I´m quite curious too? Are there animals similar to those of our world?

[Observer]

So if I become a spirit can I, I don't know, make my hair look like a bunch of baking bananas?
And for the flora and fauna I´m quite curious too? Are there animals similar to those of our world?

Sorry for the late response, but yeah, I guess you could do that. Never thought about that. I was mostly thinking of what more MGs I can think of with in (perverted) mind. But if you are a spirit and are indeed male like it says in the profile, you'd probably be too busy fending off the succubi hunting you down for your delicious spirit energy to think about making your hair look like baking bananas. (what the hell is a baking banana anyway?) Although you could stand a better chance as an aesthetic; monks, shaman, priests, stuff like that. That means no sex and no fapping. Yes, spirits can do those, even in the afterlife. But I've already mentioned that in the text.

In other news, I have a new region description for Southern Makra'kje:

Spoiler: show

The southern part of the Makra continent straddles the Antealese equator, being one of the four rainforest regions of the world. It is bordered by Central and Northern Makra’kje to the north, The Crescent to the west, while the Tarkaf Sea and The Great Ocean provide the southern and eastern boundaries respectively.

Since Southern Makra'kje is situated on the equator, the climate would obviously be equatorial with a drier climate further inland. The Vitar-Varun rainforest dominates much of the coastal area, gradually transitioning to a savanna in the west and north and then into the Voz Desert. The regions sees regular occurences of hurricanes coming from the Great Ocean and passing through the coastal areas, sometimes even reaching inland into Central Makra'kje. In fact“Hurricane season” is used as a colloquial term in the languages of the South Makra'i, Thari, Vythari and other peoples living in the region.

The region has been inhabited for tens of thousands of years. Southern Makra'kje is the Elves' homeland. The first civilisation that appeared was the Narin Civilisation (“Nar” meaning “first” in the Vytharin language; their actual name is not known) of the Elves centered around what is now called the Varun Flow, the confluence of the Trazhen and Varhajan rivers. This civilisation, which set the basis for organized spellcasting by opening the first mage school in history, existed for 1000 years before it was swept aside by the Madar Stone Lamias. Elves were then spread to other regions as slave populations after the Desert Lamias established their trading posts in the region. In Southern Makra'kje, the remaining Elven populations coalesced into the Tharin coastal villagers and the Vytharin fortress dwellers. Meanwhile, the Stone Lamias established new civilizations, considerably influenced by the Narin.

Humans first settled the area in the First Era, when the Xatal established their own colonies on the shores of Makra'kje. Those were wiped out during the Collapse at the end of the Era. What would be the Makra'i showed up in the Third Era. Similarly to Central Makra'kje, Southern Makra'kje contained various states during the subsequent Eras, but by the Fifth, two of them became the dominant powers of the Region: the merchant kingdoms Dori'kje and Vorzhen'kje. Eventually, they both joined the Greater Confederation of Makra'kje. Today, Vorzhen'ov is known as the premier place of learning in Makra'kje thanks to its five universities as well as its civilian and military Research and Development centers. Dori'ov, meanwhile had the distinction of having the largest harbor in Anteal.

The region wasn't very safe during the Crescent War. Even though the frontline was mainly situated in Central Makra'kje, cities in Southern Makra'kje were raided by the Sentaren navy in order to disrupt supply lines. The most notable raid was the Vorzhen'ov Raid which prevented the delivery of several new weapons to the front. Dori'ov, meanwhile, caught the business end of a nuclear missile.

Today, Southern Makra'kje, much like the rest of the continent has fallen into anarchy. Dori'ov has been reduced to irradiated ruins. Vorzhen'ov was spared this fate and its government still functions, although it struggles to maintain control over its territory and it is too isolated and weak for anyone to bother recognizing it. The Vythari took the opportunity to consolidate their power in a number of city-states. Besides them, the region consists of cities, towns and villages, which if not under the protection of either previously mentioned governments are likely under the 'protection' of various gangs. In the years since the Crescent War, both Vorzhen'kje and the Vythari city-states have made good progress into consolidating their own territories and, perhaps, they'll turn their attentions to the other people in need and rein in the gangs.

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I'm thinking of filling in the History section. Right now, it's still just an empty post. More on that later.

[Observer]

<.<

>.>

I made some more doodles, I'll probably made these once in a while while trying to get ideas. What does anyone think of these ideas? I'm thinking of making the Stone Lamias more beetle-like in the next remake. If anyone bothers to reply, what do you think about these horn and tail variants? Personally I'm thinking of using horn 1 or 2 and tail 3.

Also, harpy wing folding.

I'm also, thinking of fleshing out the Crescent War, so I can finally add something to the history section. The basics of it is that it was fought by the Sentaren Combine and the Makra'kje Confederation over resources that may have been illegally mined by the megacorp running the SC. The western part of Makra'kje is ravaged by war, while most of the major cities are nuked resulting in most of the country in anarchy. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas relating to this, you are welcome to post them.

[Observer]

<.<

>.>

I told myself it was time to get s*** done but all I have to show for it are these crappy doodles.

Also, some plans for the future: I want to remake ALL the profiles I've done so far in the form of linework. Even the latest ones. Until I feel that they came out right. Then, after I posted enough of them I'll start applying shading. And when I have enough of that, I might think of coloring. I need to look up some traditional drawing techniques and see if there are any special tools that I need.

[Observer]

<.<

>.>

So, yeah. I was serious about remaking everything. Here is my fourth (or was that fifth?) remake of the Traveler Harpy profile picture. Maybe I am losing it

Traveler Harpy.png

I also made some minor changes to the profile text to improve consistency, maybe add some new tidbits.

Spoiler: show

Traveler Harpy

In-universe: Hsuhse (“Bird People” > onselth lang.), Noyern’i (“Sky People/Harpy” > makra’i lang.), Fhanair Zhar (“Air Flying People” > jun lang.), Herier (“Flyer” > wesen lang.)
Type: Mamono
Family: Harpy
Regions: Cang, Lai, Lower Urmeth, Rao, The Crescent, Central Makra’kje, Southern Makra’kje, Sentar Valley

The Traveler Harpy is a migratory species of harpy, flying long distances between their wintering grounds, situated in Southern Makra’kje and Lower Urmeth, and the Cang Lowlands in the north, where they spend the summer (taking stops along the way as needed).

With a standing height of around 2.5 m and a wingspan of around 6.8 m, Traveler Harpies are easily the largest species of Antealese harpy, their size and strength allowing them to carry man-sized objects (most obviously, men).

Infants have large clawed alulae that they use to hold on to their mothers during the migratory flight, at a time before any sort of harness was introduced, as the chicks only learn to fly on their own after one year. Needless to say, this was painful for the mother. As they grow, the alula usually remains undeveloped and one can barely see the comparatively tiny claws poking out among an adult's wing feathers.

The plumage of a Traveler Harpy changes depending on the season. During autumn, on the way to the wintering grounds, the Traveler Harpy’s feathers turn to a light gray before withering away during winter’s moulting cycle. Interestingly, during this period, Traveler Harpies experience a time of physical and mental weakness dubbed “moulting fever” or “the withering”, exhibiting symptoms of depression that appear and disappear just as suddenly. When the cycle is over, the Traveler Harpy gains a new plumage colored navy blue with white highlights on their wings’ primary feathers.

A Traveler Harpy with her endurance and high energy reserves gathered while wintering could potentially fly to her destination in Cang non-stop without any sleep. A limitation, however, comes in the form of their husbands. In the past, their men were left behind in Cang, while the flocks traveled to their wintering sites, but as time went on, the Traveler Harpies, as with other previously “feral” mamono took on aspects of human society, including attachment and the concept of marriage. Entire families were known to have been transplanted along the migration routes. Examples of such displaced populations are the Lensar, a Jun population that used to live around present day Vozhen’sk, and the Ferfer, a group of elves inhabiting the central Naodan Mts., north of the Cang lowlands.

These days, Traveler Harpy migration has been formalized following the Treaty of Taihuang due to safety concerns, following the advent of flying machines as well as for the people being transported by the harpies, and the formal nature of modern politics.

There are two major groups of Traveler Harpies: the Liair (“Eastern Flyers”), who have Southern Makra’kje as their wintering site, and the Eliair (“Western Flyers”), who fly south to Lower Urmeth. There is also a small segment of the population that chooses to remain permanently in the Cang region as the living conditions in the Jun cities allow them to remain even during winter.

Can you spot anything new in the text?

[Hood]

My apologies in advance but...

Spoiler: show

Batfap.jpg

Man! She looks so MILFy beautiful! And your style has improved a lot! Thanks for re-introducing us to this beauty!
Damn, that plump body... Those huge and warm looking wings

[Observer]

My apologies in advance but...

Spoiler: show

Batfap.jpg

Damn, that plump body... Those huge and warm looking wings

... Wait ... plump? I didn't really have plump in mind when I drew her. Is it because of the creases on her clothes? I figured some of them need to run a lot in order to take off so their legs would probably be a bit more muscular.

Regardless, I'm glad you like her.

[Observer]

<.<

>.>

Ummm... well, I didn't make much progress here. Besides the profile pics, I decided to redraw the map. It'll still be similar the the last one and reimagining the history aspect. Might have to make adjustments to region description in light of this.

Otherwise, I've remade one vehicle: the ZPV-21, but I've renamed it to the ZI21. What the "ZI" means, I'll figure out later. In the meantime... enjoy...

ZI21.png

ZI21

Makra'i vehicles are generally known to have very interesting designs. The ZI21, a light gunship with a centrally mounted duct-fan is one of them. This as well as a pair of rear thrusters and retro thrusters provide stability and propulsion. The engines are powerful enough that the engineers could afford encasing the cockpit in a layer of armor capable of taking some damage. Redundant sets of cameras provide vision. The craft is flexible when it comes to weaponry, being able to carry machine guns, auto-cannons, high explosive and armor piercing missiles, rocket pods, grenade launchers, targeting lasers, laser cannons, searchlights, etc. As such, there are many possibilities for variants, without counting modifications done in other areas.

[Feathers]

I haven't had a chance to check this thread in months.

You've improved a lot on your harpies I see. Especially liking the new detail and accuracy in the leg/talon area.

Definitely an interesting design on the ZI21. I especially like the propellers in the middle.

Nice clean and neat work as always.

[Observer]

Thanks for the reply!

I suppose I should get more chatty if I am to expect replies here, but I don't want to post without having anything to show. Work is slow, while looking for some actual work.

I've decided to start over with the map. Again. I've only done a very basic outline so far.

Anteal basic.png

And I have a long way to go. Here's my revised to do list (warning: it's quite long)

Spoiler: show

x = MISSION ACCOMPLISHED... for now...
R = to remake

Human R
Elf R
Lizardfolk
Triton
Neko
Monkeyfolk

Alraune
Anenome
Girtablil R
Lantern Arachne R
Moss Arachne
Mountain Arachne R
Mukade
Forest Centaur R
Qirin
Steppe Centaur R

Gadfly
Honeybee
Mantis
Cliff Harpy R
Jungle Harpy
Lake Harpy R
Tara Siren R
x Traveler Harpy R
Desert Lamia R
Kirrish Lamia R

Northern Lamia R
Rattlelamia
Eel
Mermaid R
Channel Scylla R
Shallow Sea Scylla
Snail R
Blue Slime R
Black Slime
Mould Slime

Stone Lamia R
Sphynx
Monkey Arachne
Dryad
Jellyfish
Deep Sea Scylla
Chimaera

Succubus
Golem
Vampire
Wisp
Ghost

Jun MBT R
x Jun APC - G8W-108
Jun fighter plane R
Jun ground effect vehicle R
Jun hovercraft raider R
Jun hovercraft MLRS

Makra'i MBT
x Makra'i light gunship R - ZI21
Makra'i heavy gunship/transport R
Makra'i heavy tank R

Other vehicles that I haven't thought about yet

Various Osprey Publishing-style drawings of Antealese soldiers

Integrating the mamono in an urban enviroment
Mamono sprts

Antealese history
Map of Anteal R

That's about it from me for now.

[Observer]

So... it's been what? Half a year?

I haven't really done much in that time, but I felt that maybe I should do a little status report.

I wrote a new introduction for the setting at the beginning of the thread. I left it vague (maybe too vague) to leave room for fleshing the world out in the future.

Work on the map is proceeding at a glacial pace.

Anteal wip1.jpg

Planning to add Dieselpunk and maybe Teslapunk elements to the setting.

ETA 'till next post is... I have no idea.

[Feathers]

Which map making technique will you be using to fill in the white? If you need help I have some pretty good guides from http://www.cartographersguild.com

[Observer]

I'd have just used the Magic Wand on the outline layer to make it quick, but I seem to have left a lot of gaps in it so both sides of the black line get selected so I'm doing it by hand. Which is kind of tedious.

[Feathers]

Yeah the "Noise" option can make realistic jaggy shorelines pretty nicely (and easily).

[Observer]

I don't really know about a "Noise" option. I did the shores by hand. When I decided to raise the resolution, it left the lines a bit blurry so I used the Sharpen tool which left a lot of gaps. I found the last ones and filled them up now.

[Feathers]

Wow yea, the effect result and process sounds nearly identical, but I think it looks good and also impressive that you did it manually.

This tutorial explains what I meant from before: http://oldguygaming.com/realistic-coastlines-revisited

Looking forward to seeing some detail work next.

[Observer]

Finally!

Stone Lamia.JPG

Stone Lamia

Names: Makra Zhahara (“Stone Lamia” > Zhaun Makra'nay lang.), Ahashahaar (“White Lamia” > Vythari lang.), Aias Shainaar (“White Lamia” > Elthiri lang.)
Family: Lamia
Type: Mamono
Regions: Southern Makra'kje, Central Makra'kje

Stone Lamias are probably the least populous species belonging to the Lamia family. This distinctive species resides in a few of the cities and villages in Southern Makra'kje, more specifically: the cities of Zanar'sk, Telner'sk, Shanore'sk, Zhauntravo'ov and the countryside of northern Vythar.

Their length can vary between 5 and 7 m which makes them of medium length among Lamias. Their scales seem to be made for living in deserts, giving them a slightly spiny appearance, especially their dorsal scales, while their belly scales have a distinctive 'fanged' look which allows them better grip on vertical surfaces. The white to light beige and light blue scales run along the entirety of their back as well as up to their chest. Their tail ends in a bony club studded with up to three spikes. Finally, above their forehead is a single large horn. Their eyes tend to be colored various shades of blue, grey, more rarely, green which covers much of the visible surface aside from the black of their slit pupils.

Additionally, Stone Lamias possess exceptionally high levels of iron in their bodies. A heavily iron-rich diet in their original homeland in what is now Myatan'kje in south-eastern Central Makra'kje has built up their tolerance to the point where not only does the iron reinforce their bones and scales, but their cells are more resistant to damage allowing these Lamias to age at a slower rate and have a higher life expectancy than most other species.

Historically, they were responsible for the end of the first Elven civilization in the area, the Hunai Culture. Ancient legends speak of the Stone Lamias having a great and terrible power that allowed them to decimate the ancient Elves. Of course, ancient legends are rife with fantastical elements; how much is true and has actually happened is a matter of debate.

Though originating in Myatan'kje as the Myath culture, only a handful remain in the Central Makra'kje region. Today, the bulk of the species resides in Southern Makra'kje, living alongside the Human and especially Elven populations.

I originally intended to draw all the scales on her but it didn't come out right. This is actually my 4th attempt for the 3rd remake.

I plan on remakes of everything else I've posted before this. I will also be removing direct references to magic and the Spirit World. I'm not sure about their place in Anteal right now.

[Feathers]

Hmmm she actually looks quite lovely, and in my opinion, your best yet. Looking forward to Harpy remakes, of course. Hee.