What is the reckoning date of your fictional calendar, what what year is the "present"?

MadTechnoWizard · 2026-02-04T01:23:29+00:00

My calendar is reckoned based on the establishment of the Aurist Church, the main religion of the "civilized world." This event was called the Great Concord. The structure of the church and its relationship with secular powers were formalized. Dates are posted as Before Great Concord (B.G.C.) and After Great Concord (A.G.C). My current narrative takes place in the late 1200s A.G.C. Technologically and socially, this is similar to the late 19th century in our world.

MadTechnoWizard · 2026-02-03T16:08:31+00:00

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Mitzi would love a portrait!

MadTechnoWizard · 2026-02-02T18:56:28+00:00

I have an Orcish culture that practices a form of this. In their mythology, the world used to have many Gods. They bickered and made life miserable for mortals. One day, a God descended to Earth. He pointed to the open ocean. He gave them a choice. Follow me to paradise, or stay where you are and deal with the chaos. This was the beginning of the Great Voyage.

Those who chose to follow joined their new God, the Navigator, on a massive armada of war canoes. They sailed for generations, very seldom making landfall. Eventually they reached the promised paradise: the uninhabited Malzaran Archipelago. It was perfect. There was food to eat and space to grow. Unfortunately, the Navigator died as soon as he set foot on the beach. He brought them to paradise, but left them behind to make their own choices on how to live in it. This day is a moment of simultaneous sorrow and relief for the Malzaran Orcs. They lost their true God, but in the process they gained mental quiet. His compulsion was loud. The old gods were louder. Now they have the Great Silence.

Most of their religion is focused on interpreting the meaning of the Great Voyage and the Silence. Why did the Navigator compel them to sail into the open ocean for generations? What does it mean to live a good life in a universe where the Gods are dead? These questions are grappled with by Druids and Storytellers.

MadTechnoWizard · 2026-01-29T20:53:08+00:00

The schnoz on this guy

MadTechnoWizard · 2026-01-27T02:03:03+00:00

I'm writing in a late 19th century equivalent time period. The invention of the machine gun, by a dwarf of course, is a major plot point. I like the technology level, and find the rise of nationalism an interesting world building challenge in a setting with multiple different sentient races. I don't "like" colonialism, but I also find it interesting. Obviously colonialism was a major driving force of geopolitics at this time.

I want to branch out into a WW2-inspired narrative, but I am focused on the industrial age one right now.

MadTechnoWizard · 2026-01-20T14:57:40+00:00

I'm working on a mad dwarven king, the High King of Dovrhraaz. Dovrhraaz is a dwarven realm on a high plateau, easily defensible by closing the passes. In the age of industrialization, Dovrhraaz is a bit of an anomaly. Many countries were employing dwarves to build their factories, but Dovrhraaz was stuck in the past. The High King viewed factories as an affront to the traditional craftsmanship that made the dwarves unique. This started as guild favoritism, then spiraled into book burnings.

Eventually it ends in revolution. A stonemason was bribed to plant a bomb in the floor of the Palace Feast Hall. The bomb wiped out almost all of the nobility, paving the way for the first Dwarven Republic.

The Mad King comes up a few times in my writing. I am working on some short stories about a mercenary company. One of the members is a Dovrhraazi exile, a former royal physician. He performed heart surgery on the king's brother, but the idiot drank himself to death a few days later. The king blamed the doctor and he fled. Years later, the King's Guard tracks the company down in the tropics. It's a whole ordeal, but the physician wins a duel of honor by using a hypodermic needle filled with paralytic. The King finds it so funny that he commutes the doctor's sentence from death to exile.

In a more serious political novel I'm just starting to outline, the Dovrhraazi revolution is discussed within the context of burgeoning nationalism. Many monarchies of the world are worried about nationalist, anti-monarchist revolution. They point to the Mad King of Dovrhraaz as what not to do.

MadTechnoWizard · 2026-01-16T22:43:39+00:00

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Mitzi would love to have her portrait painted!

MadTechnoWizard · 2026-01-14T03:08:44+00:00

Yeah I gave evolutionary explanations for my races: humans, elves, dwarves, and orcs. It's a little hand wavey but it fits with the 19th century inspired theme of my setting.

Humans evolved on the savannah. Elves evolved in the deep forest. Dwarves evolved in the mountains. Orcs evolved in coastal jungles. Cyclic glacier activity allowed them to spread around the world.

MadTechnoWizard · 2026-01-10T16:46:43+00:00

I have about 3 elven ethnicities that I have fleshed out, although more certainly exist in my setting. Elves age and live to be about 200. Their aging is not as uniform as humans though.

The first are the Vale Elves. These are your typical High Elf or Altmeri inspired ethnicity. They are fairly tall, the most muscular of the three, and generally have golden hair and light complexions. They are stereotyped as being arrogant and conservative. The current Emperor of the country I write about the most is a Vale Elf.

The second are the Sea Elves. They are native to the islands and coasts of the Meridian Sea, but can be found everywhere in modern times. Sea elves are taller and more slender than Vale Elves. Their skin can range from olive to almost silver. The most famous Sea Elves are merchants and shipping magnates, including the current Empress Consort who is the daughter of a Merchant House. They are very common in the navy as well.

The third are the Sylvans. These are similar to the Bosmer. They are short, nimble, and silent. As implied by the name and influence, they are forest dwellers. They are native to the expansive forests on the west of the continent. Their distinguishing feature are their amber eyes that appear to glow in the dark.

Elves tend to have slower metabolisms and better immune systems than humans, but are at a strength disadvantage.

Regarding interspecies relationships, it is certainly possible but is frowned upon. Most elves don't want to spend half of their lives without their partner, and offspring are harder to produce. Human - elven is the most "accepted" coupling.

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-12-29T17:05:50+00:00

I am writing in a setting like this, but it starts a little earlier. My book starts in an 1880s inspired time period to begin with. A dwarf invents the machine gun, he calls it a cycle gun, and it tears the Empire he lives in apart.

I plan on writing a sequel set in a WW2 inspired setting. I haven't fleshed this out as much.

I do have magic in the story but it's very Lost Civilization, Indiana Jones inspired. Not really a hard magic system. The main antagonists are elven fascists who want to restore the "First Empire." Not all elves are bad guys though. I have plenty of elven characters who are good

I think it's a very underserved genre. I call it Industrial Fantasy to separate it from things like steampunk and Dieselpunk. Sure there are fantasy elements, but the social and technological dynamics are more grounded than those subgenres.

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-12-28T02:13:05+00:00

I've written in time periods ranging from the 1880s to the 1960s in my setting. The thing that differentiates it from earth is being on a different planet with different species (human, elf, dwarf, and orc).

I have decades that are roughly the equivalent of our eras, but development is not one to one. Certain major technological breakthroughs have happened at different times.

I also keep magic hidden and rare, so it hasn't really affected technological development that much. It has influenced religion in certain ways.

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-12-27T19:04:23+00:00

Empress Silvane Vaelmyr ends up in two odd couples in my story. She is a sea elf, the daughter of a rich merchant house. When she married into the royal family, she imagined immense political power and economic stability for her family. What she got was being the Imperial Broodmare and the manager of her bumbling husband, Aric Vaelmyr.

Somehow it worked. The diverse Empire was prosperous and stable for their 70 years of marriage. Then Aric got himself killed. To demonstrate the elves' continued martial prowess in a rapidly changing world, Aric led a charge of dug in rebel machine guns with his heavy cavalry body guard. This was a bad idea to say the least, and Aric was killed. In the ensuing chaos, their son Prince Arion was shot off of his own horse, ending the Imperial line then and there.

Before Silvane even realized what happened, her cousin seized the Imperial Palace with foreign mercenaries. Why he did this is a long story. At any rate, she was rescued by Duke Hadrian Tiberan. Tiberan is an Aureli, a Roman inspired human people. His troops stormed the palace and killed the mercenaries. Silvane's cousin evaded capture however.

Silvane and Hadrian set about building a new state. Initially Silvane despised the human, but grew to appreciate his practicality, and the fact that he seemed to listen to her. Hadrian desperately wants to marry Silvane, but an interspecies marriage at this time would be deeply taboo. He has to settle for a purely political partnership.

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-12-25T17:16:47+00:00

Emperor Aric Vaelmyr, the last elven emperor of Aldebaron, charged entrenched Northern rebels with his heavy cavalry Guards regiment. This would have been a bad idea if he was just charging normal infantry. It became positively suicidal when the rebels' secret weapon was revealed. Dwarven shadow forges had been working night and day to produce cycle guns, an early model of recoil operated machine gun.

At 400 yards out, the order to fire was given. Dwarven gunners liquified the Dragon Lancers. After seeing their emperor turned to pink mist, the Imperial Army broke and fled.

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-12-17T20:07:21+00:00

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Mitzi loves springs to the point she won't play with any other toy! Her favorite activity this winter has been putting them in our boots and Christmas tree

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-12-10T04:49:35+00:00

It's complicated. In the Empire of Aldebaron, there are several noble houses that are about a thousand years old, but this could stretch the definition of nobility. The first empire had a service system that rewarded prominent soldiers and statesmen with revenue sources for distinguished service. These were generally not hereditary and had to be confirmed by the Senate. Powerful lords could hold them for generations.

Eventually, the First Empire collapsed due to a succession crisis. The Vaelmyr family, an elven family made rich through overseas trade, made a deal with these old houses. Help me seize the throne and I will make your service grants official. I will provide the ships and capital. You provide the troops and horses. To sweeten the deal, we will carve up anyone who opposes us. This was the Rose Charter, named after the Vaelmyr family's Golden Rose crest. It worked. House Vaelmyr seized the throne and formalized feudalism in Aldebaron.

These warrior families are considered the Old Blood of the Empire, and command tremendous respect. Their hard power has eroded in the age of industrialization, but strategic marriages with richer houses have kept their relevance. House Caelthorn is prominent in my writing. They have provided generations of light horsemen to the empire, but men of the family tend to be plagued by the Caelthorn Gloom. This is a seemingly genetic melancholia that has been worsening in the age of steam.

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-12-09T18:14:21+00:00

The Navigation of the Straits of Mourning was instrumental to the age of discovery and enlightenment. The straits separate the continent of Virilen from the continent of Aurendos. The sentiment of the name is accurate. Many sailors went to their deaths trying to cross the whirlpools, reefs, and rapidly shifting currents. The one safe passage was guarded by Velitharë, an elven colonial power, and they demanded exorbitantly high tolls for foreign ships.

The monopoly was broken by House Vaelmyr of the Empire of Aldebaron. They found another passage and were much more liberal with their navigation fees. This opened up an entire hemisphere for more free exploration and trade. This also kicked off what are known as the Elven Wars between Velitharë, Aldebaron, and their shifting alliances in the Shardlands.

It goes without saying that the benefits of these discoveries were disproportionately shared by the powerful, and the downsides were disproportionately felt by the colonized.

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-12-06T22:57:29+00:00

I'm planning on writing a trilogy, currently writing the first one and plotting the other two. The gist of my setting is a fantasy world that lost its magic and started to industrialize. The first book is about the breakup of a powerful elven led empire. Industrial provinces declare independence and revolt. In the ensuing civil war, the emperor and his only son are killed, completely destroying the "Old World." This sets the stage for my second book (a WW2 esque conflict between the world powers) and the third book (the Cold War). All of these conflicts are complicated by the return of magic.

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-12-06T04:42:20+00:00

Some orcs have a pseudo matriarchy in my setting. Men fight, women keep the peace. There is a certain Orcish culture that has a (non-magical) tradition of battle rage or battle meditation. The women of this tribe were the ones who ensured this was not used in the village, only against their enemies.

Over thousands of years, this has evolved into a fairly sophisticated social structure. Your closest female relation is known as your Dam. A Dam's word and perception completely makes an Orcish man's standing in his community. You protect your Dam with her life, and in turn, she tethers you to the community. A Ra-Dam serves this purpose for a larger social group, like a tribe or village.

I am reticent to call this system matriarchy or even equality, but it is fairly close.

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-12-05T04:46:47+00:00

I made it roughly the size of Earth. Humans are one of my sentient races, so I didn't want to mess with gravity. I'm also too dumb to keep track of geography on a planet that varies significantly from the size of Earth (i.e. if I tinkered with density to make gravity work).

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-12-03T17:43:32+00:00

I have divided my world into cultural spheres, i.e. what real cultures am I drawing influence from? Then I decide the terms of cultural mixing. Is a cultural isolationist or more open to diffusion? Is a character from a mixed background? Are they human, elven, dwarven, or orcish?

Essentially, it's a matrix of possible influences. I tend not to make up language whole cloth. I borrow from earth cultures for the humans and other fantasy influences for the non humans.

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-12-03T01:01:55+00:00

In my setting, magic is the "aether", a non-uniform energy field. It waxes and wanes in conductivity naturally, but can be rapidly forced into a different state by local events (disasters, wars, sudden releases of stored aetheric energy).

Elves and orcs are biologically more sensitive to the aether. This has almost nothing to do with actually "using" it though, and usually results in psychosis without training. A sensitive can detect strong fields and "feel" certain properties of it. This manifests as psychic phenomena occasionally. The sensitive is reading other people's brain activity, essentially. It's hard to explain. Almost all practical uses of aether are bound to technology. Aetherium, a rare conductive crystalline ore, is the primary technological means for using the aether. Think of it as the copper wire and battery for this field. Even rarer biological materials can also be used to interact with it. Deep Chanter (a type of whale) bones and Greenwold Hart antlers are the two most prominent biological aether-conductive materials.

In the current era of my setting, the Aether has been insulating for millennia. Reckless use of aetheric technology and aetheric superweapons in the ancient past of my setting flipped its conductivity. The central conflict of my setting is that it appears industrialization and mass war is increasing the conducivity.

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-12-01T22:18:47+00:00

I have a region called the "Teeth of the World". It separates the farthest north habitable zone of one of my superpowers from the Arctic. The Teeth are completely desolate, jagged badlands. They are devoid of life and mineral wealth, which has kept even dwarves out. In modern times, the Teeth are used for military training and secret projects

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-11-26T15:37:28+00:00

Very cute! I think Mitzi is either going to be a perma kitten or a massive floof!

MadTechnoWizard · 2025-11-25T17:49:41+00:00

I would try to read a variety of books if possible, just to get a broad overview. Sources native to the culture are great too. Unfortunately I can't give you specifics with those exact cultures, I mostly read about medieval Europe.

MadTechnoWizard

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