Beta Changelog

Summary

This change log will notate the major contributions or changes to the work. In general, things that alter the 'bones' and 'meat', such as character identity, design, narrative story, etc. Minor alterations or clarifications will not be tracked as, ideally, these serve to enhance and clarify any issue. The log will be sorted as: top is most recent.     asdasdasd    

Bestiary

New

Octahedron Annihilator

The bigger, meaner sister of the Tetrahedron Destroyer.    

Geography

New

Z'gon

A massive region deep in the abyssal zone of Veltrona, and home to abysid peoples, Z'gon is an epicenter of abyssal life and a world unto itself in many ways.    

Technology

New

Korlat

A living composite material of coral and various substrate, becoming the backbone of civilization throughout the many oceans of Veltrona.  

Neverburn Candle

A type of magic candle that provides light, tiny warmth, and the safety of never setting things on fire (for the most part).    

Species

Changes

Harpy

One of the few flight capable species on Veltrona, the harpies are mistresses of the skies (unless wyverns are around). Whether as hired-for mercenaries, merchants, or messengers, everyone desires their services (and them), giving the harpies incredible clout in many civilizations. Entire wars, alliances, and civilizations have had their fate guided by their talons or carried upon their wings, making them a cornerstone of history almost everywhere.   One of the first species articles on Veltrona, harpies have been a cauldron of interesting ideas that weren't cohesively mixed very well. With Veltrona's increasing maturity, the surrounding ecology has helped define the harpies and their niche much better. With some very specific strengths and glaring weaknesses, they're a formidable aerial people who've had a wing in a lot of major developments on the world. Veltrona's great size isn't that much of an issue if you can pay a harpy to fly your message across the country, after all ...    

Bieneren

A superorganism of many different bee-like hives, the bieneren have always been set apart from every other species on Veltrona. The Hive Mind herself has always been one concerned only with her own affairs, and ever saw everything as 'notus', to be hated or destroyed as needed. Yet, in discovering that other peoples—other intelligent minds—existed, the bieneren were forced to review their concept of life and what it meant. Though very much their own island, they've learned to co-mingle with the world around them.   A species that straddled the idea of individuality and hive mind intelligence originally, the decision was made to fully migrate the bieneren into being a hive mind proper, rather than the weird half-baked solution they were prior. While rarely, if ever, seen in fantasy fiction, we're pretty excited to see how they do on Veltrona. Fret not, their type of gestalt intelligence is pretty varied and dynamic, rather than a monolithic 'one view, one will' existence. The finer details of which will make for interesting narrative exploration as we see what individuality and collective identity truly mean.    

Baarham

An ignoble people, scarcely remembered by history, yet dragged from their homes by the greatest evil of an ancient era. Oppressed by slavery and pushed to the brink of extinction, it was only through the charismatic prowess of their future Sorcerer King that the baarham yet survived. Honed by his vision of power and purpose, they embraced strength to overcome any and all before them. Yet, pain and hatred remained, and the baarham scorned all others for the horrors they'd suffered under.   The baarham have always been relatively well-defined, so their beta update is principally about expanding their existing information and polishing it. There is a tremendous amount of potential within them as a species, and their concepts are quite volatile. Navigating both has been an interesting exercise, especially as their compelling narrative does well to match the imposing shadow they cast on the world.    

Petrakin

Veltron-aspected peoples with a close and intimate connection with the world, the petrakin have ever remained in the 'background' of worldly affairs. More interested in the simple pleasures of life, they rarely face the impetus for development or progress like others do. It is easy to dismiss them as slovenly, but one need only think on the timescale the petrakin usually work by, and most mortal civilizations never realize their true nature.   One of the first species written, the petrakin always had a sort of 'in the background' aspect to them that undermined their narrative potential. By bringing them to the forefront, and emphasizing their unique abilities (e.g, psionics), their niche carved itself out. While they may not take the front stage in some respects, the petrakin should always cast a shadow where they (or their influence) appears. There's more to them than one might expect, after all.    

Muurun

Apex predators of their given homelands, the muurun are proud, fierce, and all too ready to make everyone know their greatness. Often nomadic by nature, they wander the world in search of challenge, great food, and pleasures/experiences yet unknown. Though their numbers may not be as high as some others, few strategists would willfully entertain fighting a tribe of them.   The front runners for the nomadic, tribal lifestyle when first designed, the muurun identity has always been there but lacking development. By better defining their individualistic and prideful nature, they stand stronger on their own and foil much better against their historic rival, the collectivist nebusah, as well.    

Lauraume

The living flora of Veltrona herself, the lauraume are at home in the wildernesses and wilds, which unfortunately means they contend with the fiercest competition imaginable. Born and galvanized in the crucible of such conflict, they are fierce huntresses and proud warriors, ever willing to tackle the greatest challenges thrown their way. For everyone else, they may be among the best allies to have, or the worst enemies to fight.   A species with several different design conflicts initially, the lauraume have been redesigned under a fiercer demeanor. One imagines a plant (or fungal) people to embody aspects of a world's wilderness or demeanor, and so the lauraume do so: spritely, energetic, and ridiculously fierce. They're capable survivors and deadly huntresses, but just as much fun-loving and pleasure driven.    

Vampyr

For the vampyr, who dwell within the dark, fear and enmity have ever been cast upon them by the light-dwelling peoples. Yet they are a helpful and sociable people, a fact woven into their very existence through their symbiotic connection with the blood of sapient life. Despite all the misery and harm, the vampyr have taken such troubles in stride, soaring to greater heights and taking their allies along with.   While the vampyr had something of an identity in their first draft, they suffered from a lack of verticality in their conceptual space. By boiling down to their symbiotic nature, we've refined them around their very unique niche and buffed them up to take more presence in their space. A somewhat newer angle was the 'saviors in the dark' motif, which should help paint them in a more positive light (heh) as well. The vampyr have highly complex ideas woven into them, but we do like them as a strong example of what a 'dark dwelling' species might be like.    

Jiuweihu

A species of fox-like immortals quite possibly descended from a more ancient Heavenly people, the jiuweihu weave mortal and immortal together in a curious journey. For them, who are born weak, they must build an identity for themselves that realizes a purpose deserving of immortality. The many stories in pursuit of that, however, defines the triumphants and tragedies of their species.   A rather ill-defined species in its initial draft, there's a lot of concepts surrounding mythical foxes and their meaning, but the jiuweihu themselves suffered from indecisive designs. With the greater development in the immortal space, though, they came into focus with a much clearer niche they could occupy. Leaning more directly onto the idea of a 'divine species', or at least one descended thereof, and mixing the concepts of mortality and immortality together created a unique mixture not really seen elsewhere on Veltrona.    

Karsoru

Belligerent, combative, and pleasure seeking, the karsoru are more like walking storms of activity and excitement. While they may not have forged great empires like other species, their prevalence across the world and constant intrusion into other peoples' business means everyone has to deal with them. And, as most would come to find out, the karsoru inevitably remind others what the real value in living is all about.   An initially very ill-defined species, the karsoru thankfully had a solid core, it just needed room to grow and stand on its own. They're a curious example of a species involved in everyone's business, yet never quite take the front and center stage as most would expect. That isn't to say there haven't been great leaders, conquerors, or otherwise, but one always finds such karsoru well-embedded in with others already; unseen as the wind yet just as important in many ways. It's a very interesting space to occupy, but nonetheless carries great merit for existing.    

Rachtoh

A hyper social species of arachnids, the rachtoh once opened their arms to the world, but only found iron cuffs chained to them. Their great hatred of slavery and oppression almost made them violently isolationist xenophobes, but the efforts of those like the karsoru adverted such a fate. Instead, choosing guarded seclusion, they're proud mistresses of their domain and fearsome fighters even dragons do not want to cross.   The spider people! When first designed, the rachtoh were loaded with fairly complex ideas that didn't have a lot of development space. By reviewing and modernizing these ideas, they've come together into a newer, deadlier package. With the rougher parts sanded off and their monstrous ferocity brought to the fore, they're a people any spider lovers should enjoy.    

Nebusah

A collectivist people, the nebusah have stood against adversaries and nature itself countless times in their homelands of Immensio and Sa-kemet. Long-time rivals/frienemies of the muurun and humanity, the three together have ever been intertwined in their fates. The nebusah, however, sought the building of great civilizations to solve the most fundamental problems: security, prosperity, and happiness for all.   The wolf people of Veltrona, and one of the first bold attempts to differing cultural designs being woven together, the nebusah much more boldly wear their cultural inspirations up front than others. There's always various concerns about that, but in keeping with Veltrona's motto of 50/50 recognizable/new, we're hopeful everyone enjoys what was done with them. The overall core of the nebusah remained quite strong, so their update was mostly standardization and polishing.    

Zoaen

A species of quasi-shapeshifters native to the Underworld, the zoaen have never quite been top of the food chain in such a harsh place. Nonetheless, their inventiveness and unique nature has seen them carve out a respectable niche that even the top contenders fear challenging. The unexpected calamity wrought by the World Gate explosion on the Overworld, however, saw this balance of power fall apart, and so the zoaen fled enmasse to find a new homeland.   One of the first Underworld species built for Veltrona, the zoaen were an interesting experiment in pushing conceptual boundaries for their time. However, with maturity in the Veltrona project, their design space was crumbling under numerous issues. Thus, they've been remade from the ground up. Rather than a 'living shadow' species, they're closer to 'sapient cluster of stars trapped in a jar', and boldly incorporate the rare Eclipse mana type in their existence. There is some 'ancient civilization' aspects also sprinkled in, letting them stand as a unique power among their peers.    

Nuhara

The serpentine nuhara are ancient denizens of Sa-kemet, and a people charged with a sacred task: slaying an evil god. Though he has been a timeless and formidable foe, the nuhara remain undaunted by such a monumental challenge. Time, patience, and constant work has seen them try and try again, constantly honing their scholar-warriors, honor, and virtue in an unforgiving crucible.   The first serpent people of Veltrona, the nuhara's concept has stood up reasonably well, they just needed updating. By emphasizing their religious and nomadic lifestyle, we hope to carve out a more specific niche for them. Religion is a topic nominally left to the cultural level, so the nuhara are unique in that it is a major component of their species across Veltrona. The ramifications of this fact has led to some interesting consequences in their history, and their broader place in other civilizations.    

Chimaera

An artificial species created by the Baarham Dominion, the unnatural creation of the chimaera represented the worst evils science and cruelty could conspire to make. Nonetheless, despite their origins, the chimaera have come to shrug off such concerns and carve out a place for themselves in the world. The only problem they face is everyone else still isn't sure what to make of them, for better or worse.   One of the few artificial species on Veltrona, the chimaera are an interesting quagmire of very radioactive ideas and concepts that requires careful exploration. Their core concept was solid, though, and just needed to be expanded upon, polished, and given room to stand on its own.    

Tokyau

A people who once created an ancient superpower and ruled Etzli Cuauhtla, the egalitarian tokyau are a sociable species at home with making friends and ensuring common good amongst everyone. Their pleasant demeanor, however, belies the natural ferocity only a people from the Bloody Jungles learns. Despite the downfall of their heaven's reaching nation, the tokyau remain undaunted and are, ever slowly and certainly, making strides to their return to glory—for themselves and everyone else.   The titular 'bunny girls/boys' of Veltrona, the tokyau have occupied an interesting if undeveloped niche. Combining the ideas of 'ancient precursors' with 'democratic idealism' put them into a very peculiar spot, but one that has since grown to be wholly their own. It has, however, led to some dramatic trickle-down effects, such as completely recontextualizing Etzli Cuauhtla as a continent, as well as its resulting civilizations. As the beta update continues, exploring these ripples will become a major component of Etzli Cuauhtla's overall upgrade, so it'll be a curious thing to see develop further.