Ideas Wanted.

Hey, it's JT the insane cartographer and geographer. I was just looking at the map and that stretch of forest and coast to the North West of the Fairy Kingdom keeps catching my eye. Is it really just generic Felaryan forest?

Basically I'm wondering if anyone had any ideas what could be there. Being so near to the fairy kingdom, surely it must be like the Forest of Whispers in that it has a larger Fairy population. Are there Sea Fairies? Fisher Fairies? It's a remote corner so there could be something cool there.

A suggestion - though I like the fisher-fairies idea too...

PS: I didn't proof-read or doublecheck any of this, so it could be way off beam in places.

The Fairies Preyground (or Playground, for the naive)

Danger: Normal
Inhabitants: Fairies, Humans, Elves, Lemurians, Miaxi; Tomthumbs, Efrii, Ariformids, Neeras; Gekkotas Nekos and Nagas albeit in smaller numbers.

The preyground of the fair-folk is a veritable Garden of Eden, which they delight to tend. Fruit hangs low on the trees, each more delicious than the last; flowers burst into bloom year-round, their only concern making their displays more beautiful than their neighbours. It is only natural that this should be so, for this is in many respects the game-reserve of the fairies.

Fairy magics prevent Jotuns from crossing the Elifga gorge at the border between that valley and the Direwind Hills. To the south, Akaptor Desert is a natural barrier to even the greatest of great predators. In this apparent Nirvana lemurians, miaxi, efrii, ariformids and especially humans, elves, tomthumbs and neeras thrive, living in a variety of scattered settlements. Scale matters less than one would believe, and it is not uncommon to find six-inch elves or six-foot neeras here. One individual may change sizes many times in their lifetime. Such is the curse, or the gift, of the fairies.

For this reason, human-sized predators are not well-tolerated, even by their size-mates. Small nagas and similarly sized gekkotas inhabit the forest; alone with pariah, roving groups of nekos. Small scorpisaïs can be found in the south, in the hotter climes bordering the desert.

Awareness of the role of the fairies varies from worship as protectors; through to the true knowledge that they devour as they please. Predators, perhaps due to habits of thought, tend to be more aware of this.

All, however, are aware that the fairies occasionally claim from among the mortals numbers – for 'companionship, or music or laughter, surely...', or so the naïve believe – and hence the influx of fairy hunters and adventurers is very much welcomed. Their return is rare, but at least they bring much-needed capital. And they blunt the fairies predation on the native population.

Two settlements of note exist, both essentially for outsiders benefit. They're linked by a relatively safe (from predators) stretch of road, although the locals – efrii especially - often indulge in a little light banditry on the wealthy fairy hunters and adventurers.

Sandsedge: Both a caravanserai, seaport – thanks to the shelter of Levianthan's Bite Bay - (and calling point of the Felarya Express?), this tent-city sits at the interface between the Akaptor Desert and the Preyground. Access to the rare, high-level fairy-hunting zone of Sunfall Thicket is charged highly, to the adventurous, by zip-wire cable. Most prefer to travel instead to...

Bridgetown: Sits at the mid-point of the Preyground. It's a jumping-off point for access to the Fairy Kingdom, and last-chance to relieve the inbound fairy-hunters of their valuables before they're lost in a fairy's stomach. There are apparently two wide, vine-supported suspension bridges, each one-way. In fact, the bridge out of the Fairy Kingdom – and its travellers – are an illusion, creating the impression of successfully-returning fairy-hunters. Of course the locals know this, but the more fairy-hunters who go in, the fewer hungry fairies who come out.

Hrm. Interesting, but a lot seems off.

It doesn't seem likely that fairy hunters would somehow go all the way to the other side of the kingdom to hunt, rather than at least attempt such things in areas closer to Negav. Basically none of them could get there at all.

The mix of races also sort of makes the area seem more generic. Knowing fairies as well, such large groups of prey species would be devoured en masse.

I'd almost think that there would be near no prey species on the other side of the Kingdom. There would be more "primitive" fairies living there who don't know much about the food available in central Felarya.

Another, opposite way is that the reason that the chasm to the fairy kingdom starts there is because this area is really dangerous for whatever reason. Lots of insects or an ocean bound threat perhaps?

Some very interesting ideas here

I like the bridge descriptions. I feel the most important bridges linking to the fairy kingdom could have a name and a short description indeed ^^
and the suggestion something dangeous for fairies live here make sense. I personnaly especially like the idea of some ocean-borne threats

Hey,

Just to say, first, that I wrote it that way because the wiki entries are written in that style. It's probably not so useful from the point of view of developing some useful ideas, though. Anyway, if you want to stop discussing it and definitely go in some other direction that's fine, but as there's nothing else on the table at the moment anyway, I'll try to answer your points...

Jætte_Troll wrote:

Hrm. Interesting, but a lot seems off.

It doesn't seem likely that fairy hunters would somehow go all the way to the other side of the kingdom to hunt, rather than at least attempt such things in areas closer to Negav. Basically none of them could get there at all.

Yeah, I don't think I thought that through properly. I still quite like the idea of somewhat conniving locals, and the two bridges making fairy-hunting seems safer than it really is, but it belongs more properly elsewhere on the perimeter of the Kingdom. Certainly, we know that unscrupulous business practice is not uncommon in Felarya... ;-)

Quote :

The mix of races also sort of makes the area seem more generic. Knowing fairies as well, such large groups of prey species would be devoured en masse.

I'd almost think that there would be near no prey species on the other side of the Kingdom. There would be more "primitive" fairies living there who don't know much about the food available in central Felarya.

This is very similar to my own thought process. That nothing would be able to survive on the East of the fairy kingdom if most of the fairies weren't getting fed elsewhere. Hence this 'free-range farm' of prey-species that the fairies tend to, and keep ignorant, for snacking purposes. Predators - even of the normal scale like nekos, are rare.

On the other hand, such a 'farmed zone', could easily exist within the Kingdom itself at tinies scale, with the food enlarged as required for filling fairy bellies. I... hadn't thought about that until just now.

Quote :

Another, opposite way is that the reason that the chasm to the fairy kingdom starts there is because this area is really dangerous for whatever reason. Lots of insects or an ocean bound threat perhaps?

This is certainly the other way of looking at it. I don't have any good thoughts for this at the moment, but I'll mull. Whatever could make the fairies build those kinds of defences, though... truly fearsome. Thinking in a broader sense, what is decided here may have strong impacts on the shimmering sea. Do people live across it? On its islands. Do they view the Felaryan coast - correctly - as a terrifying land of fearsome denizens, or - through rose tinted glasses - as a nirvana-land of milk and honey?

Yours,

Ambrose

Hmm. It just doesn't seem in character for fairies to set up such an organized "farm." Plus, if they were to do so, why put it outside the Fairy Kingdom? I'm sure that within it's borders Fairies have enough power to set something like that up, as you mentioned.

As for a threat, though insects are the most obvious the ocean is generally not a habitat for them. However, this is Felarya, so we can do what we want. It would be interesting to have a species of insect, like dragonflies, which has it's "nymph" phase actually in the ocean but when they mature fly inland to feed.