Questions

The map that has the werewolf territories marked isn't online. (In fact, I think we only have a hard copy right now) but they do have specific territories. It's something we probably won't post until we get more into it. (Aside from one of them- the crescent moon you see.) http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n2/talcomic/solumianacademies.jpg is a map made for the rp, which lables Solum's schools to let you know which is which. However, we pretty much marked Solum as the big spell circle anyway. :P As far as Maloret.... don't remember if it were important enough a town to be shown on there, I'll have to ask/check. ^.^;; But yes, werewolves DO have their own territories. :3

... Why does that map remind me of Pern?... Was that intentional, or am I just strange?

Yeah. For example, and these are just my own extrapolations, have to wait for Cassie or Lara to give their thoughts for anything concrete. Sear Mage Blaze Mage Firestorm Mage Flashfire Mage Inferno Mage Magma Mage Coldfire Mage Ghostfire Mage And that's just what came off the TOP of MY head....no tellin' what THEY might come up with. Anyway....I was asking them in the first place. ...I know what books you've been reading. BWAHAHA!! Well, some of them, anyway. James Clemens, anyone? :D But anywho, after all that, all our determined "fire is fire," rhetoric... we've been talking. I don't know what precisely brought this up again, but ADK and I were discussing this fire sub-category thing. She has long been dissatisfied with the way it stands out from the rest in that regard, and I likewise was never particularly keen on it. However, since we couldn't come up with any reasonable sub-divisions, we left it as it was. But life goes on, and the question arose again. So we thought about it, setting aside all our preconceptions and decided to take the plunge and go ahead and break this baby up. The new sub-divisions are as follows: Flame Mages - The most "standard" of a fire mage, and therefore, the most common. (As common as fire mages get, anyway.) These guys (and gals) specialize in burning any combustibles that are around them and bending the conflagration to their will. Granted, they can also conjure fireballs with ease, and as far as offensive magic goes, that's quite their forte; they are used quite first and foremost in the military, and we well-trained Flame Mage is a frightening opponent, to be sure. When most people hear "fire mage," this is the type of spell-caster that they most frequently think of. Heat Mages - These folks are a little different in terms of how they use fire. While still certainly capable of offensive styles, it's just as often that these characters will turn their magic to a more creative bent, such as the forging of weapons, or (as in Sei), the crafting of glass. They do this through their ability to use fire to manipulate another element, most commonly some form of Earth. Make no mistake, they CANNOT control the other element directly, but rather, use fire to melt and shape it to their will. For example, a Heat Mage with an affinity for stone has the ability to melt that stone into magma, and from there gains some measure of control over what the heated earth does. This isn't as complete a control as a Stone Mage would have, and the Heat Mage must constantly work to make sure the earth is at that liquid hot, otherwise he will be unable to do anything with it. Think of it not so much as him controlling the magma itself, but rather, the heat within the molten rock. Solar Mage - These mages only come around every once in a great while, second only to Quake Mages in their rarity. They are said to be the favorites of Ilios for not only their great affinity for fire, but their ability to create massive explosions from out of thin air. It's that very trait that separates them from the rest of the fire mages: while others can conjure flame and even use the heat of fire to influence and manipulate other elements, a Solar Mage is able to create detonations with nothing more than their force of will. As a result, however, many face tragic ends early in their lives, killed by their own wild magic. Still, a small few are found from time to time, and trained long enough to gain a measure of control over their destructive powers, learning to create and maintain mastery over the fabled "sun drops," (the aforementioned explosions) so named for their resemblance to the Sun God's powers. And there you have it! The new lineup! However, we’re still a little iffy on the “Heat Mage” title, so we’re opening up the discussion to you all. If you’ve got any brilliant suggestions about what they ought to be called, given the information on what they do that we just gave you, please feel free to speak up! Perhaps your suggestion will wind up in the comic! *coax, coax* Heh. Anyway, let us know if there any questions, and we'll try to be better about answering them in a timely fashion!

Just jumped on randomly...'tis late, and my brain is low on inspiration...best I can come up with, sadly, beyond what I already have, is Spark Mage, so named for the spark of fire and heat that lies within all things, which is what their magic effects. Doesn't sound all that great though, nor does it quite fit the theme. But it's all I've got at the moment without breaking the single-word theme you've got going. From my earlier list, Sear Mage sounds theme-appropriate, but not terribly spiffy for overall sound.

Got a rather complex question here, so bear with me. It's about the nobility of Solum. I'm wondering how exactly the noble houses interact with each other, how the nobles themselves act, (tendencies, prejudices, expectations of themselves, of each other, of those higher/lower than them, attitudes, etc.), and in general how they are raised, and the overall culture of the Solumian nobility. I've got a noble character in mind, and I was wondering what his childhood would have been like, as well as fishing for character and background ideas, particularly high to impossible expectations from one's parentals, levels of pressure, and the level of disdain held for those of lower classes. Also what education would be given and expected to be passed or even excelled at outside of and even in addition to mage school, as he's a weak water mage as well, and DID go to school to learn to control it. Probably the military school or the noble school.

um, um, um, I have a question about familiars. Er... questions actually I'm not sure if this has already been asked, I've been skimming through the pages, but I haven't gone through all of them, so I apologize if this is a rerun D: Are there common familiars? Like.... A type of animal that seems to end up bonded more than any other species? Like, there were two rabbits in Raamah's class, was that simply coincidence? Or are rabbits more likely to be bonded (either through some sort of magical aptitude or perhaps because they are so numerous?) Or, forgetting specific species, are certain groups of animals more likely to be bonded? Also, does one's personality or values influence the type of familiar they may end up with? Such as a vegetarian getting a herbivore? Or a skittish, shy person getting a rabbit or mouse? Also, what happens if someone bods, say, a dolphin or fish, or something that can only survive in a particular environment (in those cases, water) What limits are there on what can be bonded? Obviously sentient creature generally can't be bonded (but obviously there are exceptions) But what about a bug? Has anyone ever gotten an ant familiar? XD And what are the rules concerning 'mythical creatures'? Could one, conceivably, bond with a dragon? (assuming that dragons are present in this universe) Also, I'm guessing there is different fawna in the different nations, so could one guess what nation/area a person is from depending on their familiar? Um... I'll.... stop this now, sorry for the question spam..... ^^;

Good questions! I think bits and pieces might have been asked before, but honestly anywhere you might think to ask them is really a mess right now so I can hardly blame you if you missed anything. :P No single animal is especially common as far as familiars go, but there are several factors that affect things. The first, and biggest, is environment. I say biggest, because, no matter what the other factors are, you aren't gonna be bonding an elephant in the middle of the ocean, period. It has to be within a certain distance when you perform the ritual, and able to conceivably get to you. As far as what type of familiar you end up with, well, there's a variety of factors going into it. Element has a minor affect for some species; its more common for wind mages to bind flying familiars then non wind mages, earth mages are more likely to bind ground based familiars, water mages water based etc. However, these aren't by any means a rule, more what is often favored in a very general way. Personality has a much bigger affect. Someone who is shy and timid might bind something like a mouse, while someone short tempered and aggressive might end up with a Tasmanian devil. As far as mythical creatures go... the only species on Cheled that fit the bill are werewolves and gryphons. Gryphons are exceptionally intelligent, but unlike the werewolves, not sentient and thus bondable. However, this is exceptionally rare and almost never happens. (In fact, it is the single rarest familiar that should in fact be possible.) Familiars who can only exist in certain conditions are still bondable, though they make things a bit more challenging for the mage who binds them. It might leave them waterbound, (for one can only be so far apart from ones familiar) though most who end up as such have techniques of manipulating small pools of water around them when they wish to travel on land. However, this is taxing and usual brief, and these mages will no doubt have commissioned homes with areas that replicate the environment their familiar needs to survive. (Waterbound familiars are not uncommon in Undaquinus.) Yes, you could in fact get some idea of where someone might be from based on their familiar. (Good question!) Of course, it would only be a general idea and only if you have a firm knowledge of the fauna of the different areas, but otherwise is quite possible. :3 Dragons, aside from the Goddess Oneira, do not exist in the world of TaL, at least not so far as anyone knows. Feel free to ask as many questions as you want, that's what we're here for! (And Shard, sorry, your questions a bit more complicated thus would take at least one session of discussion with Lara before it could be answered. ^^;; )

Ahh, cool. Thank you for answering my questions! I was also wondering what sorts of animals can't be bonded? Like, what about insects or spiders? I dunno why, but the idea of someone with an ant familiar makes me laugh.

Ah yes, sorry, forgot to answer that part. ^^; Most insects can't be bonded, things too small can't. Mouse is about the limit, and as far as teachers go, one DOES have a tarantula ( http://talcomic.com/comic/v1p72.html he has glasses, next to the black haired Qhuchit guy. You'll actually see a tad more of him in the remake) However, ant is way too small, as are most insects. (It'd also beg the question of how the whole hive mind thing affects them and souls...)

Ah cool, a tarantula XD I like spiders, I think they're awesome.... as long as their not ON me, then I do the "get it off me" dance. Ah, I figured as much, it'd be interesting if one could bond an entire hive though, but I guess that wouldn't work. Oh, one more question (sorry!) Are familiars often the same gender as the mage that bonds them? Sorry if that's been asked before, I just noticed that Raamah and Barak are both male, Mattiew and his Stag are both male, and I think Chania and her rabbit are both female? Unless Raamah wasn't referring to the rabbit when he said "she".

Heheh... actually... A familiars gender usually denotes the mage's sexuality. :3 If a male bonds female, or visa versa, they're probably gay. There are, of course, exceptions to each rule... but its something to keep in mind, and what people will be thinking when they see animals of the obviously opposite gender (if not obvious, they will usually assume, as people tend to do, that its the 'correct' gender.) Notice how one of the women teachers in the background has a rooster? (Well, probably not, its rather poorly drawn....) But the point remains. (And yes, no bonding entire hives. :P)

Oh, interesting! (and I see the rooster now... and I see a teacher with another rabbit, rabbits all over the place! XD ) I'm still full of questions... sorry ^^; Are there any creatures in the TaL world that aren't in our world (besides gryphons and werewolves, I mean) Either animals that went extinct here, but haven't gone extinct in TaL? Such as dodos or Tasmanian wolves? Or are there animals that have never existed here? (like, perhaps, a new subspecies of feline or canine?) Sorry, I really like animals, and I've always liked the idea of wizards and witches having familiars, so my mind mostly seems to be on animals and familiars ^^; I was also wondering if there's any place with more information on the countries? Like, what sorts of environments/animals/culture is in each nation, I know Sei is mostly desert, and Solum is mostly forest I guess, but where would savanna or jungle lands lie? Is there a forum thread I'm missing with info, or a place on the website, or a map? I'm sorta curious because I've been looking at the roleplay forum and debating joining. I'm not sure if this is possible if restricted solely to Solum, but the idea of an extremely short character with a giraffe as a familiar popped into my head.... I... I'm a fan of irony ^^;

We don't have any especially fantastic maps, but Sei is mostly desert, of various kinds, a few savannas etc. It is a place of extremes- the mountains recieve snow, and behind the desert is a land of frozen and shattered ice beyond the survival of most Qhuchit is swamplands, and some areas that are on the jungly-side.... though the most tropical jungle-ish place is a small island off the cost of Solum and Qhuchit. Solum has quite a lot of forests, grasslands, etc. They have the most flourishing lands for food, etc. We really need to get more details and a new about section up, and have for over a year now, it's just many other things have had priority. ^^; Short character with a giraffe WOULD be amusing. However they would most definitely have to come from Sei; while the border towns might have a few giraffes, some of Sei's plain lands are the only place. On the upside, the redux will be open to multiple countries... ...though you will be only allowed to rp with one country. Don't apologize for you're questions, they're perfectly welcome! ^-^ More then that, it makes us happy that you're interested. ;3 As far as working out other species... there's not too much, if I remember correctly (I'll have to go over it with Lara again next chance I get) however, several animals have larger species then would be normal in our world.... these tend to be the main prey of the wolf packs capable of hunting them.

Ah, cool, frozen land.... ...penguins >w< So no extinct animals? I mean, I figured "no dinosaurs" XD But dodos, thylacines, quaggas, etc. are extinct in cheled? And cool, larger than normal animals, like giant elk and such? Um, I was also wondering about the differences between elements, I saw the post describing the differences between weather, wind and storm mages, but I couldn't find anything describing the differences between others. For most I can guess the difference (like stone mage vs. plant mage vs. quake mage) but I was wondering about the differences between water-seekers, tidal mages and tempest mages?

Some of the megafauna are not extinct. While we have not made a huge list of what is and isn't on Cheled yet (And we really, really should, I'll try to have that ready before the redux of the rp is out,) there are a few we know of. Among them are the Giant Deer (aka Irish Elk, though they actually weren't elks) and a few other herbivores, though the larger ones are rather rare, and tend to be a food supply for werewolves. Hum... I know we posted about the differences between the water mages somewhere, I'll have to dig it up... @.@; Honestly, we really need to get the About section back up, dig through the forums and get up all this info that's buried in random places up in a nice, organized manner... @.@;

View Full Version: Questions