Overview

I come bearing some very good news for the TOW project. Since my last announcement, I have made a ton of progress on the race and history rework, and at this pace, it will be released sometime before the end of the year or very early in 2025.

Welcome, @kloroks, @XRN8PGR, @asdfmovie666, and @DGG11!

Welcome, @MekkP, @PristinePlywood, @ARSENICAVIS, @Uins_ag, @zc0766, @DaftGamer, and @Over90000!

Welcome, @Gouda Borgor, @Wh1t3XxX, and @ljss!

Welcome, @Nik786!

Welcome, @WarbleLord!

Welcome, @Unterweltler!

Welcome, @metaxa.exe!

Welcome, @riloxo7539!

Sorry about the hiatus and radio silence. I've been busy with IRL stuff and the other club and needed a break from this project. During this time, it's dawned on me that my fixation on formatting everything as data-based point lists was causing me nothing but stress and delay after delay, sapping my excitement and slowing progress to a crawl. As a result, I have decided to switch focus. From now on, information will no longer be represented as neatly formatted point lists, but rather, as free-form text split into paragraphs depending on subtopic. Besides giving things a more personal touch, I believe strongly that this approach will allow me to finally rework the timeline and race lore entries.

Welcome, @obonelayer!

Welcome, @AAAsopp and @N7Brutor!

Welcome, @sdg1204!

Welcome, @tangshantang, @darxkol, @dezlysjl, @Artes17, @Nova Exxi and @Thegodsdemise!

Gess : a large, inhabited planet situated within the Material Plane. It is the main setting of TOW as a franchise. the Heavenly Plane (strongly preferred for out-of-universe discussions and lore-writing but also used in-universe) / the World of Gods and Spirits : the plane of existence within which most gods and other ethereal beings reside. the Immaterial Plane (strongly preferred for out-of-universe discussions and lore-writing but also used in-universe) / the World Beyond : the plane of existence to which most souls pass after death. the Material Plane (strongly preferred for out-of-universe discussions and lore-writing but also used in-universe) / the Mortal World / the Living World / the World of Men (used mainly by humans) : the plane of existence within which Gess is situated and most mortal beings reside. the Plane of Atonement (strongly preferred for out-of-universe discussions and lore-writing but also used in-universe) / the World In-Between : a transitional plane of existence situated somewhere in-between the Immaterial Plane and Material Plane. It occupies the same space as the latter plane and is thus a parallel incarnation of it. It is the place where the souls of those who have committed grave injustices and/or atrocities during their lives end up if they never atoned for their sins in the eyes of the gods. Some who end up there are permanently stuck in limbo while others are given an opportunity to go back to the Material Plane as Spirits and atone for their sins.

Beast : any being with dense fur-coverage across its body. Dragonborn : any being which is the direct offspring of a Dragon and something else. Demigod (if male) / Demigoddess (if female) : any being which is the direct offspring of an Immortal and a Mortal. Ethereal : any being born outside the Material Plane. God (if male) / Goddess (if female) (The term is self-explanatory.) Halfborn : any being which is a cross between two species or races. Halfrenn : any being which is a cross between a Human and a non-human humanoid. Humanoid : any bipedal being which has hands and a human-like torso. (This term is only used out-of-universe.) Immortal : any being which is unable to die from old age and disease. Mortal : any being which is able to die from old age and disease. Sentient : any being which can be classified as a Basal Sentient, Low Sentient, Primal Sentient, Primitive Sentient, Barbarian Sentient, or a High Sentient.

Non-sentients . . . are unable to communicate directly, but they can indicate their presence and availability as a mate through pheromones or bodily fluids and they may also be able to perform threatening displays. . . . are unable to make or use technology at all. At most, some races/species may use shells for protection. . . . live in the nude. Pre-sentients . . . are not able to speak, read, or write, but they can convey danger, affection, status, availability, and the intent to mate through body-language, posture, and vocalizations. . . . are unable to make or use advanced technology but some races/species do make bedding or nests out of foliage and a few are even able to use natural objects as makeshift weapons or tools. . . . live in the nude. Basal Sentients . . . are not able to speak, read, or write, but they can communicate in a limited fashion through grunts, facial expressions, and very simple hand-gestures. . . . are able to use things like shaped pieces of wood and sharpened rocks and bone as weapons and tools and they can also construct highly rudimentary shelters using things like logs, rocks, and foliage. . . . live in the nude and totally lack any stigmas around nudity. Races/Species belonging to this level of sentience: Girlnefaiyn, Fargr, Wemr, Virmgr? (I did not make any of the images shown above. They are personally modified versions of existing media that have been included merely to provide visual representations for what one would expect of races/species at this level of sentience) Low Sentients . . . are not able to speak, read, or write, but they can communicate through advanced hand-gestures, facial expressions, grunts, and special vocalizations. . . . are able to make primitive weapons and tools – such as clubs, spears, and daggers – using things like wood, string, bone, ivory, and flintstone and they can also construct primitive tents and shelters using things like logs, rocks, thatch, and animal hide. . . . live in the nude and totally lack any stigmas around nudity. That said, some Low Sentients have managed to develop rudimentary shoes and a few races living in colder climates may even wear simple pelts for insulation while outdoors. Races/Species belonging to this level of sentience: Esner, Maugr, Idner (I did not make any of the images shown above. They are personally modified versions of existing media that have been included merely to provide visual representations for what one would expect of races/species at this level of sentience) Primal Sentients . . . are able to speak, but only in a primitive, often ungrammatical fashion where the vocabulary is extremely basic, everything is said in present-tense, and most sentences only consist of 2-3 words; e.g. “Me like human”, “Meat good”, “Her give water?” or “Woman tall”. They are unable to read or write. . . . are able to make primitive weapons and tools – such as clubs, spears, and daggers – using things like wood, string, bone, ivory, and flintstone and they can also make clothing out of string and animal hide (or foliage) as well as tents and wooden huts using things like animal hide, bone, logs, rocks, and thatch. . . . tend to have a stigma against showing genitals and thus cover them up on the basis of embarrassment. Some Primal Sentients living in colder climates also wear more extensive clothing for the purpose of insulation, but most Primal Sentients are very lightly dressed, often only wearing a thin, revealing garment over the crotch. Races/Species belonging to this level of sentience: Hirlfaiyn?, Boegen, Goblahr, An'weiyn, Coh’weiyn, Fal'weiyn, Mer'weiyn, So'weiyn, Yao’weiyn, Lilritten, Rhet (I did not make any of the images shown above. They are personally modified versions of existing media that have been included merely to provide visual representations for what one would expect of races/species at this level of sentience) Primitive Sentients . . . are able to speak, but their vocabulary tends to be quite limited and straightforward. Primitive Sentients are rarely able to read/write unless they have been taught by a more advanced race, and even then, they are rarely able to do it very well. . . . are able to make fairly advanced weapons and tools – such as flint swords, axes, and even bows – using things like wood, string, bone, ivory, and flintstone and they can also make fairly advanced clothing as well as simple pottery and buildings using shaped wood and clay. . . . tend to have a stigma against showing genitals and thus cover them up on the basis of embarrassment. Primitive Sentients also tend to wear clothes for insulation, status, and/or protection, but the amount of clothing worn can vary a lot depending on the race and time-period in question. Races/Species belonging to this level of sentience: Imnr, Rainr, Elfaiyn?, Aoren, Hipponen, Rheenen, Ohtehn, Rennlahr, Renn'weiyn, Mmorokar?, Sonmer?, Dalmer?, Koimer?, Kishaari, Vulpen, Rekaari?, Setaari?, Vemaari?, Skekaani, Llekaani (I did not make any of the images shown above. They are personally modified versions of existing media that have been included merely to provide visual representations for what one would expect of races/species at this level of sentience) Barbarian Sentients . . . are able to speak, even in a sophisticated, formal fashion, but they tend to prefer blunt, direct language. Most Barbarian Sentients can read and write. . . . are able to forge weapons and tools from iron or alloys and they are also advanced enough to build large structures with stone. . . . usually have stigmas around being nude, though the degree to which nudity is stigmatized can vary a great deal by race and society. Races/Species belonging to this level of sentience: Koiydnr, Goehirenn, Khwen?, Dirshr/Droshr, Draellr/Dreshr, Drokmar, Oromar, Ansaari, Lishaari, Pantaari, Anuuten, Drekaani (I did not make any of the images shown above. They are personally modified versions of existing media that have been included merely to provide visual representations for what one would expect of races/species at this level of sentience) High Sentients . . . are able to speak in a clear and coherent fashion that would sound mostly normal to anyone out-of-universe and most individuals are also able to read and write. . . . are more technologically advanced than other Sentients. . . . usually have stigmas around being nude, though the degree to which nudity is stigmatized can vary a great deal by race and society. Races/Species belonging to this level of sentience: Anahr, Yoenahr, Aldnr, Dvaifnr, Kemnr, Lobsnr, Eiyhirenn, Estrenn, Elrenn, Valhirenn, Yoerann, Nessessi, Sivaiessi, Viveissi ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Difference between Uncivilized, Semi-civilized, and Civilized When a race, species, or lifeform is referred to (or described) as "uncivilized," it means that it has a Basal ~ Low level of Sentience. When a race, species, or lifeform is referred to (or described) as "semi-civilized," it means that it has a Primal ~ Primitive level of Sentience. When a race, species, or lifeform is referred to (or described) as "civilized," it means that it has a Barbarian ~ High level of Sentience.

Thilts are a group of stationary organisms which constitute an entire biological kingdom of their own. They come in various sizes and shapes, but most species are several meters tall and stand upright. They often have an appearance similar to that of young Coprinus comatus mushrooms, but it varies by species. They sprout from the ground by way of a short, stocky, central stem that then connects to a large, elongated, fleshy head. The latter is hollow and partially filled with water, often supporting a small, internal ecosystem of insects and other invertebrates. Thilts are dry on the surface but have a fleshy consistency on the inside. They maintain internal temperatures that make them highly vulnerable to fungal infections. Thilts also grow spores – called Cyllixes – on the surface of the elongated head, and they use these to propagate by allowing strong winds to carry them to new locations. Thilts dominated nearly every terrestrial environment on the planet during the Primordial and Forgotten Eras, but due to a fungal infection that spread at the end of the latter, they mostly disappeared from humid, warm-weather environments. As of the current era, Thilts can be found in almost every arctic, red rock, and hot desert environment and dominate plants in such biomes whenever both are present. There are also a handful of species which have managed to survive in humid tropical regions and swamps, but these usually only exist in scattered pockets and are generally rare.

Welcome, @huishoubuzai

Welcome, @titaniumhead

Welcome, @Pingu08

Likewise. Happy to have you.

Thank you, welcome, nice to meet you

Emlaish (most universal name) Emlaish is a large but quite rare flower that mainly grows in the deep, humid forests of east–central Eiarelm. Its petals shimmer with vivid reds in the presence of strong light and alternate between a faint, magenta-pink and a dark yellow in terms of pigmentation. It grows on vines in the tree-canopy and has a powerful, fragrant smell that is sometimes used for expensive perfumes and scented candles. The Emlaish is heavily associated with the concept of true love and is also believed to bring lasting fortune to a future marriage if presented to one's first love. For this reason, some men (and the occasional woman) take on the dangerous task of retrieving an Emlaish so that they can present it to the one they love as a token of their affection.