01-16-2010, 10:48 PM
Sidh OhnNov 23 2009, 07:26 AM Hmmm...I would prefer the majority of our border to be a series of high plateaus, perhaps with a low mountain ranges slightly further inside your own borders if you like. The summer passes thing works though.
I'm not entirely adverse to it (I did come from a dying RP region, so its not entirely unthinkable) though the point was that the polar mass was at one time much much larger than its current state (large enough to have been considered its own continent at one point) such that the northern plate shift would not have been excessively extreme (extreme still but not excessively so) to move to its current position. The likelihood would then be that the plate shift resulted in the destruction of much of the northern ice shelf (and likely numerous icebergs in the northern seas.) As I said, I'm not completely adverse to the arrival from an alternate reality idea, but would prefer to keep things as "natural science" as possible. Besides, it would lead to much more interesting history with the Sidh Ohn migrating through early Bear Lands and so forth, rather than just spacia-temporialy displacing the previous nation.
Not a fan of catastrophic geo-history theory I take it? Bear
in mind that in the terms I was discussing the Sidh Ohn are not "new" to the region, only the Nation as it currently exists is. So you have a nomadic people that, despite learning everything they can, spend centuries if not millenia maintaining an ancient form of existence with only sporadic (usually violent or trading based) interactions with the developing nations that would eventually form the IDU. The nation would only have "officially" formed when driven from every other place, they stormed the lands ruled by Frontenax and established their own nation. So, while their cultural memory may include the "geologic upheaval", it does not mean that it would have occured in recent or even "IDU" history but rather at some point in the regions "mythic" past. As such, while the continental drift would have been relatively rapid by normal geologic standards, it likely would actually have taken centuries if not a millenia to complete.
I find it much more likely that the "Ice Crow" is simply a case of isolated benign mutation spread throughout the breeding stock. Simply put, the land that Sidh Ohn inhabits it geologically isolated enough (mainly by low mountains and high plateaus) that the Chromatic Crows simply developed their own strain through basic natural selection. A silvery to bluish sheen is much more useful to survival in Sidh Ohn, than any other color except perhaps dark green, but hey they can't have it all right?
In the northern IDU? The current theory (see above) is that occured as described in the continent's pre-history. In their current form as a regional nation? Realistically (ie. the "invasion" began), whenever it was I arrived on the forums (not sure how that equates in terms of regional years.) Politically, when Frontenax became inactive.
Bears ArmedNov 7 2009, 07:05 PMFauna of the North
This isn't by any means a complete list, and of course you don't have to accept any of the species that I mention, but anyway_
Frontenax had the Grizzly Bear as his national animal and before vanishing he agreed that an Ursine species which I'd invented probably also extended into part of his lands: The 'Mountain Bear' (or 'Varying Bear', or 'Blue Bear'...) is a relatively lightly-built species that, instead of hibernating, normally changes its fur's colour seasonally for better camouflage... and also has a version that stays 'blue' all year, just as the Arctic Fox does. It's mainly found inland (because Polar Bears, which are significantly larger, monopolise the richer food resources along the coast) and in winter it's primarily a hunter/scavenger rather than an omnivore. Whether any of the Bears on your side of the border are sapient (and possibly anthropomorphic, too)? is, of course, entirely up to you...
The clan at the south-west of the Bears' 'Northlands', marked on the map to which I've linked in this post as 'F'' which stands for either 'Five Lakes' or 'Forest Lakes', includes a group that herds semi-domesticated Moose and we've also got at least one other sort of Deer thereabouts... and there are definitely Reindeer/Caribou up north, especially along the northwards-pointing peninsula ('N.C') that I've added to the map near the eastern end of the Bears' Northlands , too.?
How do you feel about the Woolly Rhinoceros, which is a grazer? I'm thinking of having a surviving (but "dwarfed") stock of thsi in 'B.F' & possibly elsewhere, in which case it could plausibly have relatives on your side of the border too...[/quote]
I see no problem with any of this. As said before, the Auroch also exists in Sidh Ohn, and given that they were driven to the continent (by whatever means we eventually agree on) it is possible some may have strayed into Bear-lands as well if you like. There is also the Sidh Ohn "Brother-Wolf" (to be described in detail at a later date) but the Ohn keep such a tight cultural attachement with them that it is unlikely they have spread beyond Sidh Ohn lands. As I said before, sadly, the Arctic Wolf is extinct in Sidh Ohn due to (I assume) an already low population from hunting by the people of Frontenax, and competition and outbreeding by the Sidh Ohn Brother-Wolves.
Sounds good. I'll be looking into the sea life of Sidh Ohn when I get the chance.
As to anthropomorphism. The only semi-examples of it occur in the protectorate of Tharnwoad, which I'll get into later in a dedicated thread. [/quote]
Hokay, let's see _
Re the nature of the border, of course you're free to make your side of it whatever you want: The "mountains" that I visualise as existing on my side of the line are mostly fairly low ones, worn down into linear ridges rather than peaks, so your side being more plateau-like works well enough.
Re the arrival of your people, even the slightly slower "fast" continental drift that you're suggesting is something that I wouldn't really be happy about. We'd apparently be talking about something on the line of 15-20 degrees of latitude of movement for the two land-masses combined, after all: Consider what ithe logical side-effects would be in terms of vulcanism, earthquakes & tsunamis, as well as the difficulty of species evolving fast enough to cope with the climate & latitude changes!
Perhaps leaving the precise details of your people's arrival buried in the depths of your mythology might be the wisest solution after all?
Re the limited nature of "pre-recent" contacts between your people & the rest of the IDU, if you arrived in the coastal "lobe" immediately to the east of my 'Northlands' then this could -- like the Northlands themselves -- have been basically sealed-off from its neighbours until very recently by one of the mystical barriers that seem to have been emplaced during the Wizards' War that took place during parts of the 1st century BC & 1st century AD... although of course that would be up to you.
Re the 'Ice Crow', okay.
Re the Aurochs, I suspect that any who strayed through to us probably got eaten rather than domesticated: We have enough other herd-beasts, after all...
Oh, and now that you've chosen a location for your nation we can decide where your embassy to the Bears is placed: Considering your lcoation, and Ursine history, the best option would be to put it in 'NorthPort' -- in the 'Northlands' -- and you'd be dealing with the 'Council of the North' rather than [directly] with the 'High Council of Clans'. Is that okay as far as you are concerned?
I'm not entirely adverse to it (I did come from a dying RP region, so its not entirely unthinkable) though the point was that the polar mass was at one time much much larger than its current state (large enough to have been considered its own continent at one point) such that the northern plate shift would not have been excessively extreme (extreme still but not excessively so) to move to its current position. The likelihood would then be that the plate shift resulted in the destruction of much of the northern ice shelf (and likely numerous icebergs in the northern seas.) As I said, I'm not completely adverse to the arrival from an alternate reality idea, but would prefer to keep things as "natural science" as possible. Besides, it would lead to much more interesting history with the Sidh Ohn migrating through early Bear Lands and so forth, rather than just spacia-temporialy displacing the previous nation.
Not a fan of catastrophic geo-history theory I take it? Bear
in mind that in the terms I was discussing the Sidh Ohn are not "new" to the region, only the Nation as it currently exists is. So you have a nomadic people that, despite learning everything they can, spend centuries if not millenia maintaining an ancient form of existence with only sporadic (usually violent or trading based) interactions with the developing nations that would eventually form the IDU. The nation would only have "officially" formed when driven from every other place, they stormed the lands ruled by Frontenax and established their own nation. So, while their cultural memory may include the "geologic upheaval", it does not mean that it would have occured in recent or even "IDU" history but rather at some point in the regions "mythic" past. As such, while the continental drift would have been relatively rapid by normal geologic standards, it likely would actually have taken centuries if not a millenia to complete.I find it much more likely that the "Ice Crow" is simply a case of isolated benign mutation spread throughout the breeding stock. Simply put, the land that Sidh Ohn inhabits it geologically isolated enough (mainly by low mountains and high plateaus) that the Chromatic Crows simply developed their own strain through basic natural selection. A silvery to bluish sheen is much more useful to survival in Sidh Ohn, than any other color except perhaps dark green, but hey they can't have it all right?
In the northern IDU? The current theory (see above) is that occured as described in the continent's pre-history. In their current form as a regional nation? Realistically (ie. the "invasion" began), whenever it was I arrived on the forums (not sure how that equates in terms of regional years.) Politically, when Frontenax became inactive.
Bears ArmedNov 7 2009, 07:05 PMFauna of the North
This isn't by any means a complete list, and of course you don't have to accept any of the species that I mention, but anyway_
Frontenax had the Grizzly Bear as his national animal and before vanishing he agreed that an Ursine species which I'd invented probably also extended into part of his lands: The 'Mountain Bear' (or 'Varying Bear', or 'Blue Bear'...) is a relatively lightly-built species that, instead of hibernating, normally changes its fur's colour seasonally for better camouflage... and also has a version that stays 'blue' all year, just as the Arctic Fox does. It's mainly found inland (because Polar Bears, which are significantly larger, monopolise the richer food resources along the coast) and in winter it's primarily a hunter/scavenger rather than an omnivore. Whether any of the Bears on your side of the border are sapient (and possibly anthropomorphic, too)? is, of course, entirely up to you...
The clan at the south-west of the Bears' 'Northlands', marked on the map to which I've linked in this post as 'F'' which stands for either 'Five Lakes' or 'Forest Lakes', includes a group that herds semi-domesticated Moose and we've also got at least one other sort of Deer thereabouts... and there are definitely Reindeer/Caribou up north, especially along the northwards-pointing peninsula ('N.C') that I've added to the map near the eastern end of the Bears' Northlands , too.?
How do you feel about the Woolly Rhinoceros, which is a grazer? I'm thinking of having a surviving (but "dwarfed") stock of thsi in 'B.F' & possibly elsewhere, in which case it could plausibly have relatives on your side of the border too...[/quote]
I see no problem with any of this. As said before, the Auroch also exists in Sidh Ohn, and given that they were driven to the continent (by whatever means we eventually agree on) it is possible some may have strayed into Bear-lands as well if you like. There is also the Sidh Ohn "Brother-Wolf" (to be described in detail at a later date) but the Ohn keep such a tight cultural attachement with them that it is unlikely they have spread beyond Sidh Ohn lands. As I said before, sadly, the Arctic Wolf is extinct in Sidh Ohn due to (I assume) an already low population from hunting by the people of Frontenax, and competition and outbreeding by the Sidh Ohn Brother-Wolves.
Sounds good. I'll be looking into the sea life of Sidh Ohn when I get the chance.
As to anthropomorphism. The only semi-examples of it occur in the protectorate of Tharnwoad, which I'll get into later in a dedicated thread. [/quote]
Hokay, let's see _
Re the nature of the border, of course you're free to make your side of it whatever you want: The "mountains" that I visualise as existing on my side of the line are mostly fairly low ones, worn down into linear ridges rather than peaks, so your side being more plateau-like works well enough.
Re the arrival of your people, even the slightly slower "fast" continental drift that you're suggesting is something that I wouldn't really be happy about. We'd apparently be talking about something on the line of 15-20 degrees of latitude of movement for the two land-masses combined, after all: Consider what ithe logical side-effects would be in terms of vulcanism, earthquakes & tsunamis, as well as the difficulty of species evolving fast enough to cope with the climate & latitude changes!
Perhaps leaving the precise details of your people's arrival buried in the depths of your mythology might be the wisest solution after all?
Re the limited nature of "pre-recent" contacts between your people & the rest of the IDU, if you arrived in the coastal "lobe" immediately to the east of my 'Northlands' then this could -- like the Northlands themselves -- have been basically sealed-off from its neighbours until very recently by one of the mystical barriers that seem to have been emplaced during the Wizards' War that took place during parts of the 1st century BC & 1st century AD... although of course that would be up to you.
Re the 'Ice Crow', okay.
Re the Aurochs, I suspect that any who strayed through to us probably got eaten rather than domesticated: We have enough other herd-beasts, after all...
Oh, and now that you've chosen a location for your nation we can decide where your embassy to the Bears is placed: Considering your lcoation, and Ursine history, the best option would be to put it in 'NorthPort' -- in the 'Northlands' -- and you'd be dealing with the 'Council of the North' rather than [directly] with the 'High Council of Clans'. Is that okay as far as you are concerned?