Yucopia Project (Massive, Collaborative, and Recruiting New)

[Lyhoko Leaci]

Cockroach: For my own logography I'll need mainly logograms for mainly simply concepts. (AKA: Pick stuff off of the Swadesh lists) It will mainly be based off of the Tll system, with primary unique symbols with only a few direct copies.

Here's what I have so far for Ezperta:

Early Life
Ezperta was born in the underground city of Olneůik at some point during the ancient times, early in the history of Olneůik. As he grew up, he began to take an interest in the Vdiruzq religion, as well as the the rituals preformed in relation to it. Seeing this interest, other others chose him to become one of the 100 Vazoto, and as such he began to receive the necessary training for this position. Finally, at the age of 15, he had received enough training and there was an open position available, and he formally became one of the Vazoto.

Mid-Life
During his time as one of the Vazoto, he came to realize that the current practices were too limited, they were currently mainly limited to the Vazoto themselves, and there were only some rituals that were performed with the general population. The only major rituals that did involve the main population were one that celebrated the addition of a new member of the population after childbirth, and one that remembered the life of one who had recently died. If Vdiruzq was meant to promote a personal familiarity with the vazůlav, it was only doing enough to get by in Ezperta's view. The current system would have to be either completely changed, or added to, if the main goals of Vdiruzq were to be met. However, at the time there wasn't much he could do to change the system, and instead he thought of ideas of what he would change when he could, continuously revizing these plans, trying to figure out which would be the best plans would be to implement.

Later Years
At the age of 46, the previous Vaztoto died, and Ezperta became the next Vaztoto. At the time, the Vaztoto was simply an informal position, being the Vazoto who had been serving for the longest time, rather than being a special position. However, even though it was only an informal position, the position was still respected by the people and the other Vazoto, simply because of the tenure involved. He then began implementing the various changes that he had thought of over the years, now that he was more well known and liked, it was much easier to get people to accept the changes than if he had tried from the start. One of the major changes was the modification of the daily rituals that the Vazoto preformed to access the power in the vazůlav to include the entire population, this alone would help tremendously in the promotion of a personal familiarity with the vazůlav. In addition, he began a system in order to help members of the population to discover their place in life, or to help settle disputes. With these changes, the position of Vaztoto became an actual, official position. While the position had much more power than before, and now was a major influence on daily affairs, Ezperta made sure to limit the actual influence and power the position had, in order to not push everyone away with the changes. He was certainly successful in that regard, the changes were well enough received by the population that they remained in place even after Ezperta's death at the age of 64, and continued to exist for a significant amount of time afterward.

[treskro]

Nice. I was actually thinking of making him a bit more evil and power hungry, but that looks good to me.

Do you want anything specific for yours?

[Lyhoko Leaci]

Not much really, someone for the Caron or Qhalqon, and probably science or math related, maybe mix a bit of the religion in as well, such as a notable Daoqon (or Thauqon if Qhalqon) who comes up with a new method of communicating with the spirits that can have other uses as well, or something. The Qhalqon, and especially the Caron, are quite separated from all the events occurring in South Keskus, so a possible 'discovery' of something that has already been discovered down there but my people don't know about it yet is also okay.

Is there anything that I should change/add for Ezperta for finishing touches/anything that doesn't fit in with what you have already, or is it fine as it is?

[treskro]

Not really..there are some minor things that I can edit to be more specific. Other than that, I would expand the early-mid life and possibly add some more specific events that led to his decisions in his later life.

Sounds good, I'll get back to you soon.

[treskro]

Not done yet, just checking in to see if this is okay. I'm open to suggestions and can edit whatever you need, especially if it's too far-fetched.


Mevorfec

Mevorfec was a Caron Daoqon living on the (large offshore island). His is most well-known for his voyage east and into the inland of North Keskus, his alleged discovery of the Qhalqon, and the development of spirit screaming.

Early Life
Born Erpine Nami, Mevorfec was born several hundred years after the departure of the Qhalqon from the Caron ancestral lands of Western North Keskus. Erpine grew up hearing many myths and legends of the Qhalqon from the tribal elders, not necessarily always positive. His ancestors, like most Caron, were hunter-gatherers, though the family had also grown to become associated with the lumber trade. As a result, Erpine had a natural affinity with the varied of arboreal wildlife of his surroundings. According to the Daoqon presiding over Erpine's tribe during his childhood, this connection to nature manifested itself very strongly. The Daoqon Devonnac noted that the spirits always seemed to point to single out Erpine as someone who would perform a great task sometime in the future. At the age of 12, Devonnac's apprentice disappeared mysteriously from the tribe, and Erpine was elevated to the position as the youngest apprentice ever to hold the position. As Caron customs dictated that the Daoqon and his apprentice must be able to communicate freely with the spirits, they must also take on a spirit name that signified this change. Erpine Nami was thus given the name Mevorfec, or (derive name? or maybe not).

Daoqon and the Voyage
Mevorfec was taken under Devonnac's wing and true to the spirits, acquired the Daoqon's skills very quickly. When Devonnac's died only five years later, Mevorfec rose to the position of Daoqon at age 17, though village elders deemed him too young to select an apprentice. Although he performed the Daoqon's job dutifully, the absence of an apprentice left him a large amount of free time. Having grown up with stories of the Qhalqon, Mevorfec spent much of his time trying to consult with the spirits to learn more about these people who had passed into folklore. It has been said that one night as he sat in meditation, Mevorfec was contacted by an oddly familiar strange tongue telling him to travel south, away from his tribe in search of the source of the voice. The impulsivity of the youth was too much to resist, and he disappeared from home.

Very little is known of Mevorfec's travels after his departure from Caron lands.

Contact
Thirty years after Mevorfec's departure, his tribe had taken on a new Daoqon named Pomva.

[Cockroach]

Stuff I worked on on the bus




Man: Ikish
Rock: Msr
Eagle: Ta'a
Rabbit: Horh
Sun: Tshl
Moon: Eh
Flower: Hosh
Fire: Pshs
Eye: Hhim
River: Qhm
Spider: Khil
Blood: Lot
Sand: Pht
Wheat: Hhe
Leg: Han
Canvas: Lor

More to come. The evolution takes up alot of space, so I might just skip it for the next ones

[Lyhoko Leaci]

The Caron only have a single name for a person at this time, which is made by combining two non-compound words together. Most non-compound words are single syllable, so most names would have two syllables... though there are occasional three syllable names. They aren't common, though. "Nami" is a valid, though slightly weird, name by itself, though. Aside from the odd names, I can't think of anything that really needs to be changed.

Some example words that are reasonably common in name creation:
At: mountain
Boc: stone
Ca: some sort of lizard-dog thing
Can: pool/pond
Caor: trout
Cua: wolverine
Cuv: fire
Dun: good
Fan: tree
Ga: deer/elk
Gutar: horse... well something horse-like, at least
It: Moon
Laon: dog
Let: horn
Mai: short
Mani: change
Mi: nice
Mue: long
Nac: new
Pac: sun
Pat: light
Pom: nose
Pot: mouth
Puc: eye
Ref: water
Sa: lynx
Si: not really a word by itself, but it's a prefix to modify the meaning of the word it's attached to.
Sias: tail
Tai: location

You don't have to pick something from that list... just beware that doing so may result in something completely weird.

Incidentally, "Come south" would be this in Proto Caron and Proto Qhalqon:
Caron: Pacana vupvup.
Qhalqon: Paqqhaŋa vupvup.

[Lukas Kelly]

Pretty much. You make an agreement with a person to create a great person for them as they create a great person for you.

I always thought it was like a one-way deal... I really could make another one, though, since Djamele got such a good reception... how about a genocidal warlord for you, treskro?

Finally, I put the following idea to you all: we need more conflict!

After all, yucopia seems to be too benign, and in the real world[s?] people kill each other. How about your guys invade the southern tip of Chalmea, Lukas? we can resolve things with a game

Actually, I have a war-loving city state who may take that route.

[Torco]

Pretty much. You make an agreement with a person to create a great person for them as they create a great person for you.

I always thought it was like a one-way deal... I really could make another one, though, since Djamele got such a good reception... how about a genocidal warlord for you, treskro?

Finally, I put the following idea to you all: we need more conflict!

After all, yucopia seems to be too benign, and in the real world[s?] people kill each other. How about your guys invade the southern tip of Chalmea, Lukas? we can resolve things with a game

Actually, I have a war-loving city state who may take that route.

Right on!

[treskro]

@Leaci
I'll let you deal with the names then.


Edit: Done-ish, except for names.


[Name1]

[Name1] was a Caron Daoqon living on the (large offshore island). His is most well-known for his voyage east and into the inland of North Keskus, his alleged discovery of the Qhalqon, and the development of spirit screaming.

Early Life
Born [Birth Name], [Name1] was born several hundred years after the departure of the Qhalqon from the Caron ancestral lands of Western North Keskus. [Birth Name] grew up hearing many myths and legends of the Qhalqon from the tribal elders, not necessarily always positive. His ancestors, like most Caron, were hunter-gatherers, though the family had also grown to become associated with the lumber trade. As a result, [Birth Name] had a natural affinity with the varied of arboreal wildlife of his surroundings. According to the Daoqon presiding over [Birth Name] tribe during his childhood, this connection to nature manifested itself very strongly. The Daoqon [Old guy name] noted that the spirits always seemed to point to single out [Birth Name] as someone who would perform a great task sometime in the future. At the age of 12, [Old guy name]'s apprentice disappeared mysteriously from the tribe, and [Birth Name] was elevated to the position as the youngest apprentice ever to hold the position. As Caron customs dictated that the Daoqon and his apprentice must be able to communicate freely with the spirits, they must also take on a spirit name that signified this change. [Birth Name] was thus given the name [Name1], or (derive name? or maybe not).

Daoqon and Spirit Screaming
[Name1] was taken under [Old guy name]'s wing and true to the spirits, acquired the Daoqon's skills very quickly. When [Old guy name]'s died only five years later, [Name1] rose to the position of Daoqon at age 17, though village elders deemed him too young to select an apprentice. Although he performed the Daoqon's job dutifully, the absence of an apprentice left him a large amount of free time, and he chose to spend this time honing his ability to conduct conversation with the spirits.

This quickly turned into an obsession, as [Name1] found that by focusing on a clear mind, he could access the spirits on a much greater level than previously thought. It has been said that the spirits also learned to reciprocate his advances, and the sounds that they made were akin to screams, giving rise to the development and later refinement of spirit screaming.

The discovery immediately prompted many members of [Name1]’s tribe to seek more intimate counsel with the spirits, using the Daoqon as interlocutor.

Disappearance
Having grown up with stories of the Qhalqon, [Name1] spent much of his time trying to consult with the spirits to learn more about these people who had passed into folklore. At the age of 24, it has been said that one night as he sat in meditation, [Name1] was contacted by scream telling him to travel south, away from his tribe in search of the source of the voice. The impulsivity of the youth, coupled with the increasing pressures of his tribe for his services was too much to resist, and he disappeared from home. Very little is known of [Name1]'s travels after his departure from Caron lands, and his ultimate fate can only be speculated upon.

[Lukas Kelly]

So, how will we decide a victor?

[Lyhoko Leaci]

treskro: Yes, that looks good.

[Torco]

So, how will we decide a victor?

how about some third party rolls dice and we set battles? like first battle, some guys trying to take the shore of the island and establish a fort there, someone rolls, and one of us looses... or something.

[Cockroach]

I don't like that. I'd prefer that wars be won by strategy and battles by tactics, rather than chance. Either you should both come up with the outline of the war together, or if you both really want to win, give it to an intermediary to write up. He could set up external conditions, and while the players could supply helpful information about their army's to him that might sway the battle, he would have the ultimate say. If he says that general A is less competent than general B, no complaining, no matter how much explanation or back story you give to general A.

[Trailsend]

I recommend FactionRPG.

The system is simple, flexible, and tons of fun to play, especially when you get multiple players all stabbing each other in the back simultaneously.

[Lukas Kelly]

How would we pull that off?

[Torco]

I don't like that. I'd prefer that wars be won by strategy and battles by tactics, rather than chance. Either you should both come up with the outline of the war together, or if you both really want to win, give it to an intermediary to write up. He could set up external conditions, and while the players could supply helpful information about their army's to him that might sway the battle, he would have the ultimate say. If he says that general A is less competent than general B, no complaining, no matter how much explanation or back story you give to general A.

Wars be 'won'? what does it mean for a war to be 'won'? Is this a collab conworld or a boardgame xD ? also, factionrpg looks awesome, but it assumes monolithic and politically coherent factions under single leaderships, and neolithic cultures tend not to be that. How about we just agree on the results of teh conflicts and then someone works out the history behind them? the geopolitic outcome of the first chalmean-sbakaz conflict could be, say, a couple of cities in the north-eastern region of the island -some sbakaz warlord wanted a beachhead in order to allow his trading ships to avoid Tabêt taxing - and a large degree of social hibridation, setting the grounds for syncretic cultures, the emergence of creoles, syncretic religions, trade and other effects of the war on each culture... fun stuff!.

I, at least, don't envision this as a boardgame with 'my guys are more awesome that your guys' kind a thing.

[Cockroach]

Good point. I actually really like that idea. It's the best I've heard so far. I just don't like dice rolling, as it seems like a cheap and brainless substitute for the complexity of war.

[Lukas Kelly]

So, where shall we begin?

Let's say Vawz SavaΓche moved to conquer Tabet because they didn't want to risk waging a two front war against SavaΓ Borodche for interrupting trade routes. Then after that, they establish a colony directly east and as far east as possible from Tabet.

How would that play out? What kind of forces does Tabet have?

[communistplot]

Well, I was going to post what I've got, but, my dorm's internet really fuckin' sucks. So, it'll have to wait, I apologise for any inconvenience. ;D

[Torco]

So, where shall we begin?

Let's say Vawz SavaΓche moved to conquer Tabet because they didn't want to risk waging a two front war against SavaΓ Borodche for interrupting trade routes. Then after that, they establish a colony directly east and as far east as possible from Tabet.

How would that play out? What kind of forces does Tabet have?

Tabêt probably would allow the Vawz forces to settle a small piece of the coast and would even provide them will a few slaves and engeneers as a welcome gift, you know, to help them settle in. Tabetian politics are really really into peaceful coexistence, hospitality, goodwill and all that touchy-feely stuff. Of course, problems will arise, but it's up to you to tell what they are. the Tabetian crown would expect the newcomers to behave themselves, even pay a bit of worship in shrines and that kind of stuff, at least symbolically if not sincerely, as a courtesy to their guests. They would also, from time to time, request their cooperation in building roads and shrines, and even would require a few pretty virgins now and then as wives for notable people. That's just their style.

I imagine your guys won't be too okay with it ?

[Lukas Kelly]

Not so much. I'd imagine they'd launch a coup against the central leadership rather than fighting them all, and then use resources and new slaves to establish the new colony/military outpost to the east.

[Amuere]

Hi guys, if ya'll don't mind, I'd like to hop back on this project. I now have much better computer access and will be able to commit.

[Risla]

If there's no space for you (I haven't checked the map), you can have the inland half of my land or so; I mostly want the coastal area.

also, I promise that I will have some substantial information up by tomorrow night.

[treskro]

So...anyone want to save me from complete and utter isolation in the eastern hemisphere?