I'm absolutely stunned (and happy, shh) to see @Terentia returning, and I know there are a lot of Celestians who missed your character deeply. Was she your first choice? Without giving away too much, had you ever interacted with her while you were a mortal?
Terenta was, in fact, my first choice. I sought out roles based on characters I hadn't had the chance to play (most of my player characters were less martial or commanding), and I knew from the start that I didn't want to create a new role. I landed on Terentia because I thought that there would be something very enjoyable in plumbing the depths of a pre-existing god, figuring out how they were portrayed beforehand and building from that. Terentia's militarism is something very interesting to me, and I'm hoping to figure out ways to make it more nuanced.
To my recollection, I never had the chance to interact with her while I was a mortal. I think most of the times when I was playing, she was inactive. But everyone has a very strong memory of her (both Celestians and non-Celestians alike), which helps mediate that lack.
A few conlang questions, especially regarding Fae:
If you're allowed to share, what are the inspirations of Fae, real-language wise? Or more just kind of whatever?
How do you feel about mortals going through IC channels to learn more of Fae, like from one of the Moon or Night Avatars? Should I just go ask and find out, or would you rather discourage it?
Do y'all enjoy playing with it in general, or is it more of just a lore thing that exists?
Another question! How tall do you imagine your characters to be? I know Czixi is about 4-5 feet tall, and Shofet-Mysrai is about that height also.
I am not touching the conlang question because other people better than me will be able to answer it, but Terentia is on the shorter end of 5 foot. Czixi and Terentia, I think unintentionally, are similar in statures.
Another question! How tall do you imagine your characters to be? I know Czixi is about 4-5 feet tall, and Shofet-Mysrai is about that height also.
I am every height and no height. But I enjoy this question and while it is currently a non-answer, look back here in a day or two to see me have edited it to include the canon height of every Aspect I care to mention. Because what's the point of having data if I can't share?!
Canon Mysrai Heights (unless I'm drunk and say otherwise in-game):
Scarlet Goddess: 7'
Manifold Adjudicator: 5'8
Heirophant: 8' when standing straight, but bent over he's 6'10
Dancer Upon the Void: 9'
Urchin in Ivory: 3'11 (she's 12)
Hermit: 7'5
Resin Child: 6', 9' with horns
Gentleman: 13' at least, and the most likely to make himself taller at a moment's notice. He's the Slenderman/Jack Skellington of the Havens, after all.
Merchant: 5' in height and 4' in width.
Thousandfold: 10'
Thousand Hands: 9', 11' at the upward hands
Aspect in Scarlet: 6'
Black Star of Morning: 8'
Empress of Bright Aspects: 9'8
Thrice-Crowned: 12'
Moth on Scarlet Wings: 6', but floats 3' off the ground for wing comfort
Beckoner: 13', 14 with wings
Thousand-Shrouded Ivory: 11'
Doom of Spires: 18'
Shofet: Only as tall as Czixi because of Their ears. Don't mention it. Simultaneously 50' tall.
I love Fae. I probably overuse it! I can't answer the questions about its possible inspirations, myself, sadly.
As far as learning more, I'd never want to discourage anyone from wanting to dig deeper into all things Lusternia. Please understand you're very rarely going to get any answers in the moment about specific translations as there's a good chance we just don't have one. I think it's always fine to ask either in prayers, letters, mobs, etc... Just please don't feel bad if we end up not giving you an answer very quickly.
I've always imagined Nocht as the taller end of the human/elfen range of heights. Maybe 6'2" or 3"? If you're a giant and he's looking down at you, he's just floating to be intimidating.
Here's a fun behind the scenes tidbit: The fae language does have its own set of documented linguistic rules that admin follow for consistency, and we do keep track of our existing fae vocabulary. I'm not as versed on fae as other members of the Havens, so I'll turn to admin like @Viravain or @Nocht for when I have a question on how something should be phrased in fae.
As for height, am I the only one who imagine Elders as towering above mortals? Pfft, why would we share their puny height? (If everyone else is mortal-size though, Lantra would likely be over 6ft. I imagine her as a tall lady!)
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Lantra said: As for height, am I the only one who imagine Elders as towering above mortals? Pfft, why would we share their puny height? (If everyone else is mortal-size though, Lantra would likely be over 6ft. I imagine her as a tall lady!)
Not at all! This is why Czixi (and other short Elders) throws me off so much. I picture Elders being 7-8 feet tall. Maybe 6ft on a short side. But to see an elder that is tiny just looks odd. I can't help but think 'why are you short. Did something go wrong in the past.'
I always visualized Divine closer to heights of 10-12ft (possibly due to Nocht often using the term "little one" -- Rancoura is around the 7ft mark in demidivinity).
Also, I too love the Fae language, and would love to see more revealed! Please? (@Nocht, you're definitely not overusing it in my opinion, at least from what I can see)
Tonight amidst the mountaintops And endless starless night Singing how the wind was lost Before an earthly flight
I typically picture Carakhan as being on the towering end in the 10-12 foot range. Apparently I need to revise my mental picture of Carakhan, Lantra and Terentia. I somehow missed how short Tere is.
I've always imagined the size of Divine to be fluid; in their typical interactions with mortals, they mirror our heights as described above. But I recall a number of fights between Divine that included world emotes with them being clearly visible to everyone in the Basin -- in those instances I picture them being absolutely massive.
Another question! How tall do you imagine your characters to be? I know Czixi is about 4-5 feet tall, and Shofet-Mysrai is about that height also.
You can also put me in the camp of those who assumed that Elders were of superhuman and/or mutable size, with even the short ones still being larger than an average mortal (See: Meridian being a threat the Soulless while still being able to pass as a mortal). As far as Thax goes, I've always imagined him as massive and hulking, the Gregor Clegane of the surviving pantheon. But if you ascribe to the changeable size theory, that now that raises questions...can Thax still alter his size? Is zingavium capable of changing size too, or is it immutable? Is he stuck in massive form, or small form, or what? Hmm...
OR!
...
...
...
Thax's armor was crafted by Clangorum and amended by Agamemnon, two deities whose splinters are known for being in a very specific size category... is it possible the armour was made in their image?
(No, but the thought of diminutive Thax made me laugh too much not to share it with you all)
I typically picture Carakhan as being on the towering end in the 10-12 foot range. Apparently I need to revise my mental picture of Carakhan, Lantra and Terentia. I somehow missed how short Tere is.
Terentia's description (of which there have been two other variants--her original desc and the one where she got beat up by the Dreadform) all describe her as having a "diminutive frame." Which I take to mean that she is on the shorter side!
I find it so interesting that everyone assumes the Elders were giants. I ultimately land on how @Ghibli describes it, that Divine bodies and figures are fluid to their whims, but I think I have a very strong Xena: Warrior Princess fantasy where the difference between the gods and mortals is in terms of "power," not stature.
(No, but the thought of diminutive Thax made me laugh too much not to share it with you all)
Images of a robotic Veigar here.
STOP LAUGHING! I AM EVIL!
Everiine said: The reason population is low isn't because there are too many orgs. It's because so many facets of the game are outright broken and protected by those who benefit from it being that way. An overabundance of gimmicks (including game-breaking ones), artifacts that destroy any concept of balance, blatant pay-to-win features, and an obsession with convenience that makes few things actually worthwhile all contribute to the game's sad decline.
I think Czixi and Terentia are perfect examples of the concept of dynamite coming in small packages.
Terentia has never really been imposing because she towers over people. She's always been imposing because of Her presence. Czixi tends to be in the same mould, though she's more...I'm not even sure how to explain the difference.
Everiine said: The reason population is low isn't because there are too many orgs. It's because so many facets of the game are outright broken and protected by those who benefit from it being that way. An overabundance of gimmicks (including game-breaking ones), artifacts that destroy any concept of balance, blatant pay-to-win features, and an obsession with convenience that makes few things actually worthwhile all contribute to the game's sad decline.
I think Czixi and Terentia are perfect examples of the concept of dynamite coming in small packages.
Terentia has never really been imposing because she towers over people. She's always been imposing because of Her presence. Czixi tends to be in the same mould, though she's more...I'm not even sure how to explain the difference.
Carefully.
(It is deliberate that Czixi is that small, yes. It's related to her fighting style).
I typically picture Carakhan as being on the towering end in the 10-12 foot range. Apparently I need to revise my mental picture of Carakhan, Lantra and Terentia. I somehow missed how short Tere is.
Terentia's description (of which there have been two other variants--her original desc and the one where she got beat up by the Dreadform) all describe her as having a "diminutive frame." Which I take to mean that she is on the shorter side!
I find it so interesting that everyone assumes the Elders were giants. I ultimately land on how @Ghibli describes it, that Divine bodies and figures are fluid to their whims, but I think I have a very strong Xena: Warrior Princess fantasy where the difference between the gods and mortals is in terms of "power," not stature.
Oh, I definitely think size is very much mutable. I just think Carakhan defaults to taller than mortal sized. Some of it may be partly because of the image of tae with the first furrikin.
I've always thought of Carakhan as MUCH larger than some other people. I've thought of her being somewhere near 20 feet at least, considering how bloody large everything in the ocean is. As the person who was the literal 'Sculptor of Waves', I can't imagine Her being any less grand, imposing, and pants-wettingly large as the ocean itself.
I've always thought of Carakhan as MUCH larger than some other people. I've thought of her being somewhere near 20 feet at least, considering how bloody large everything in the ocean is. As the person who was the literal 'Sculptor of Waves', I can't imagine Her being any less grand, imposing, and pants-wettingly large as the ocean itself.
I can't disagree, but it's not like the Skypainter is large.
Everiine said: The reason population is low isn't because there are too many orgs. It's because so many facets of the game are outright broken and protected by those who benefit from it being that way. An overabundance of gimmicks (including game-breaking ones), artifacts that destroy any concept of balance, blatant pay-to-win features, and an obsession with convenience that makes few things actually worthwhile all contribute to the game's sad decline.
I think Czixi and Terentia are perfect examples of the concept of dynamite coming in small packages.
Terentia has never really been imposing because she towers over people. She's always been imposing because of Her presence. Czixi tends to be in the same mould, though she's more...I'm not even sure how to explain the difference.
Carefully.
(It is deliberate that Czixi is that small, yes. It's related to her fighting style).
Czixi is a rogue, Terentia is a paladin. There we go
Everiine said: The reason population is low isn't because there are too many orgs. It's because so many facets of the game are outright broken and protected by those who benefit from it being that way. An overabundance of gimmicks (including game-breaking ones), artifacts that destroy any concept of balance, blatant pay-to-win features, and an obsession with convenience that makes few things actually worthwhile all contribute to the game's sad decline.
I think Czixi and Terentia are perfect examples of the concept of dynamite coming in small packages.
Terentia has never really been imposing because she towers over people. She's always been imposing because of Her presence. Czixi tends to be in the same mould, though she's more...I'm not even sure how to explain the difference.
Carefully.
(It is deliberate that Czixi is that small, yes. It's related to her fighting style).
Czixi is a rogue, Terentia is a paladin. There we go
I think from my OOC perspective (and also maybe even Terentia's IC one), I am interested in Czixi being a rogue! Clearly she is a Dueling/Two-Weapon Fighting Battlemaster with a bunch of mobility related maneuvers!
...Does this make me a very tall cleric supporting small tanks?
That depends. Do me a favor and yell "CAN'T YOU STAY OUT OF THE FIRE FOR NINE SECONDS?!"? That'll determine whether you're sorted into Healer or Support cleric.
I typically picture Carakhan as being on the towering end in the 10-12 foot range. Apparently I need to revise my mental picture of Carakhan, Lantra and Terentia. I somehow missed how short Tere is.
Terentia's description (of which there have been two other variants--her original desc and the one where she got beat up by the Dreadform) all describe her as having a "diminutive frame." Which I take to mean that she is on the shorter side!
I find it so interesting that everyone assumes the Elders were giants. I ultimately land on how Ghibli describes it, that Divine bodies and figures are fluid to their whims, but I think I have a very strong Xena: Warrior Princess fantasy where the difference between the gods and mortals is in terms of "power," not stature.
To link these two thoughts together. Gabrielle is someone who fits that mould, I think. She's someone who is slight and diminutive but not necessarily short, per se, and is more than capable of rendering idiots that underestimate her into chunky salsa. Depending on the writer.
A few conlang questions, especially regarding Fae:
If you're allowed to share, what are the inspirations of Fae, real-language wise? Or more just kind of whatever?
How do you feel about mortals going through IC channels to learn more of Fae, like from one of the Moon or Night Avatars? Should I just go ask and find out, or would you rather discourage it?
Do y'all enjoy playing with it in general, or is it more of just a lore thing that exists?
This is one of my favorite pieces of Lusternia's lore that I helped with, directly. Another administrator and I built out the Fae lexicon bit by bit, adding grammar to it as we went. As it evolved, we added more "rules" (if Fae can have such a thing) that allow for the language to be familiar across the Basin of Life.
As Lantra pointed out, the other administrators will shoot me a message when they want a translation, so everything stays fairly connected.
In terms of height: Viravain's short and petite in stature, intentionally. Before the Taint, She was unimposing and fairly forgettable, and now, She uses that to Her advantage. It's a great thing to be underestimated when you wield so much undiluted power.
I think Czixi and Terentia are perfect examples of the concept of dynamite coming in small packages.
Terentia has never really been imposing because she towers over people. She's always been imposing because of Her presence. Czixi tends to be in the same mould, though she's more...I'm not even sure how to explain the difference.
Intense. The word you're looking for is intense. Everything Czixi does is with extreme focus and intensity. She prides herself on being unpredictable, and she hones everything about herself, physical or otherwise, to be a weapon. Everything is a fight of some kind - and I do mean everything - because she's a general at her core. It's as much a part of her identity as the air.
Or at least, this is the impression I've gotten.
Czixi, the Welkin murmurs, "Fight on, My Effervescent Sylph. I will be with you as you do."
Aian Lerit'r, Lead Schematicist exclaims to you, "A *paperwork* emergency, Chairman!
Intense. The word you're looking for is intense. Everything Czixi does is with extreme focus and intensity. She prides herself on being unpredictable, and she hones everything about herself, physical or otherwise, to be a weapon. Everything is a fight of some kind - and I do mean everything - because she's a general at her core. It's as much a part of her identity as the air.
Or at least, this is the impression I've gotten.
Now I can only think of Czixi as the Type A in the Flower Smelling Champion Meme.
Comments
To my recollection, I never had the chance to interact with her while I was a mortal. I think most of the times when I was playing, she was inactive. But everyone has a very strong memory of her (both Celestians and non-Celestians alike), which helps mediate that lack.
If you're allowed to share, what are the inspirations of Fae, real-language wise? Or more just kind of whatever?
How do you feel about mortals going through IC channels to learn more of Fae, like from one of the Moon or Night Avatars? Should I just go ask and find out, or would you rather discourage it?
Do y'all enjoy playing with it in general, or is it more of just a lore thing that exists?
As far as learning more, I'd never want to discourage anyone from wanting to dig deeper into all things Lusternia. Please understand you're very rarely going to get any answers in the moment about specific translations as there's a good chance we just don't have one. I think it's always fine to ask either in prayers, letters, mobs, etc... Just please don't feel bad if we end up not giving you an answer very quickly.
I've always imagined Nocht as the taller end of the human/elfen range of heights. Maybe 6'2" or 3"? If you're a giant and he's looking down at you, he's just floating to be intimidating.
As for height, am I the only one who imagine Elders as towering above mortals? Pfft, why would we share their puny height? (If everyone else is mortal-size though, Lantra would likely be over 6ft. I imagine her as a tall lady!)
Also, I too love the Fae language, and would love to see more revealed! Please? (@Nocht, you're definitely not overusing it in my opinion, at least from what I can see)
Tonight amidst the mountaintops
And endless starless night
Singing how the wind was lost
Before an earthly flight
OR!
...
...
...
Thax's armor was crafted by Clangorum and amended by Agamemnon, two deities whose splinters are known for being in a very specific size category... is it possible the armour was made in their image?
(No, but the thought of diminutive Thax made me laugh too much not to share it with you all)
I find it so interesting that everyone assumes the Elders were giants. I ultimately land on how @Ghibli describes it, that Divine bodies and figures are fluid to their whims, but I think I have a very strong Xena: Warrior Princess fantasy where the difference between the gods and mortals is in terms of "power," not stature.
Images of a robotic Veigar here.
STOP LAUGHING! I AM EVIL!
Terentia has never really been imposing because she towers over people. She's always been imposing because of Her presence. Czixi tends to be in the same mould, though she's more...I'm not even sure how to explain the difference.
(It is deliberate that Czixi is that small, yes. It's related to her fighting style).
Czixi is a rogue, Terentia is a paladin. There we go
That depends. Do me a favor and yell "CAN'T YOU STAY OUT OF THE FIRE FOR NINE SECONDS?!"? That'll determine whether you're sorted into Healer or Support cleric.
She's even dual-wielding!
As Lantra pointed out, the other administrators will shoot me a message when they want a translation, so everything stays fairly connected.
In terms of height: Viravain's short and petite in stature, intentionally. Before the Taint, She was unimposing and fairly forgettable, and now, She uses that to Her advantage. It's a great thing to be underestimated when you wield so much undiluted power.
Or at least, this is the impression I've gotten.
Czixi, the Welkin murmurs, "Fight on, My Effervescent Sylph. I will be with you as you do."
Aian Lerit'r, Lead Schematicist exclaims to you, "A *paperwork* emergency, Chairman!