Introduction
in TheshineIncluding basic common knowledge, and a Complete Compendium of Theshine Common Knowledge for those familiar with Theshine.
Some of this will be hidden from Players not playing or familiar with certain species, areas, races, or cultures.The World
The Scene
Starting Point
Physical Environment
• Atmosphere • Volcanology • Seismology • MeteorologyMagic
• Celtia • ɛɭⱱɛɳȁ • SalamandeaCosmology
• The Creation Myths • The RealityBasic Theshine Geography
Lambence is a small planet circled by two visible suns, a very light-hued chartreuse (pale green) Sun and a white pinpoint (called Gɒɱɛsa – pronounced go-MAY-sa). This pair is thought of astronomically, astrologically, and animistically (spiritually) in the same way as the Sun and the Moon on Earth.
The People
There are five sentient species on Lambence, including the three Great Civilizations: • Humanity/Celtia – Celtia (coll.) – Human (Celtic) (adj./lang.) – Humans (Celts) (pl.) – (wo)man (Celt) (sing.)Ordinary humans. Equivalent to the ancient Celts of Western Europe in the "BCE - Before Common Era" on Earth, IF their culture and civilization had survived unchanged for four millennia, and inhabited a jungle instead of the heath. Ave. height 5'8"-173cm, Ave. weight 155lbs-70kg. Late Mediaeval "fantasy/fairy-tale genre" technology (GURPS TL3).• ɛɭⱱɛɳȁ – ɛɭⱱɛɳdom (coll.) – ɛɭⱱɛɳ (adj./lang.) – ɛɭⱱɛs (pl.) – ɛɭⱱɛ (sing.)
Elves from "fantasy/fairy-tale" lore. Equivalent to Christmas Elves from the Santa's Toyshop legend on Earth: smallish, playful, tricky, clever, industrious. But their culture and civilization may be the oldest on Lambence, and they inhabit the deep and dense rainforests, rather than snowy or temperate woods. Ave. height 5'0"-152cm, Ave. weight 125lbs-57kg. Solidly Late Enlightenment "Cinderella/Three Musketeers fantasy/fairy-tale genre" technology (GURPS TL4).• Salamandea – Salamandom (coll.) – Salamandic (adj./lang.) – Salamanders (pl.) – Salamander (sing.)
The Newts from the SciFi writer who invented the word "robot," Karel Čapek's Válka s Mloky (War with the Newts). Large semi-humanoid sentient amphibians, resembling salamanders. Their culture and civilization is largely unknown (or more likely, misunderstood). They live near ocean shores or in swamps. Ave. height 7'6"- 230cm, Ave. weight 265lbs-120kg. Early Industrial "steampunk genre" technology (GURPS TL5).And the two ancillary sentient species: • Faeryfolk – Faeryland (coll.) – Faerysome (adj.) – Faeries (pl.) – Faery (sing.) – Fa'yspēʧ (fay-UH-speesh) (lang.)
Think a wide variety of magical "little folk," starting with Tinkerbelle from J. M. Barrie's Peter and Wendy; or, the Little Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up, or the fairys from the Fern Gully series. Tiny to human-sized semi-humanoid sentient insects or non-aerial homunculi, resembling slim or deformed humans. Female flitters are seen more often than males; the reverse is true for the homunculi. In the Faery family there are also apparent apparitions, usually female, such as selkies, banshees, púca, sirenes, cat sìth, and the like. The homunculi are variously called gnomes, goblins, hobgoblins, bogarts, brownies, leprechauns, kobolds, gremlins, pixies, jinn, nyads, dryads, etc., depending on their form and function. It is thought that Faeryfolk have no centralized culture or societal organization, being a collection of loosely-related entities of "magical" origin. The specific association between the flitters, homunculi, and apparitions is unknown, but they often appear together or in tandem. They generally dwell near rainforest clearings in magically-charged areas, and are rumored to have secret, otherworldly colonies that cannot be found by happenstance. Ave. height (flitter faerys) 4-½"-10cm, (homunculi) 4'6"-136cm, Ave. weight (flitters) 1oz-28g, (homunculi) 100lbs-45kg, apparitions have no apparent substance, generally human-sized. No known technology (GURPS TLØ).• Frungi - Frungi (coll.) – Frungi (adj.) – Frungi (pl.) – Frungoid (sing.) – Frungish (lang.)
Think the dancing Chinese mushrooms from Disney's Fantasia sequence set to the Щелкунчик, балет-феерия (Nutcracker Fairy-Ballet) by Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky). These appear to be actual mushrooms, or other semi-humanoid sentient fungi, resembling toadstools with toadheads. They seem to have a rudimentary stone-age culture organized into colonies that can be quite large. Like the Faeryfolk, they gather in more magically-infused areas. Ave. height 4-½"-10cm, Ave. weight 8oz-225g. Early paleolithic technology as far as anyone can tell (GURPS TLØ).
A Note on Species, Race, Ethnicity, Coloration, and Nationality
There are of course hundreds of thousands of species living on Lambence. Several large families include felinid (bobuars, treecats), caprinea (xalibu), rodentiae (gerbils, kangaroo rats), serpentae (emerald boa vipers), fungae (frungi, toadstools, lichens, mosses), humanoids (humans, ,salamandea, faeryfolk, mushrooma), etc.
The five sentient species are considered as a group, divided between the "civilizations" (Celtia, ɛɭⱱɛɳȁ, Salamandea), and the "others" (Faeryfolk, Mushroom Men). In the sentient group are five races (humans, ɛɭⱱɛɳȁ, lizardmen & women, faerys, and frungoids).
Within each race there are vague familial ethnicities: Humans come in all shades of a basic brown coloration, from pale creamy-beige to dark mahogany-chocolate and everything in between, including shades of red dependent upon skin thickness. ɛɭⱱɛɳȁ have precious little melanin, and so tend to be pale with silver, white, blonde, or ginger hair. Lizardfolk not only come in different colors, but different patterns (spotted, solid, striped, mottled). Faeryfolk further differentiate into flitters, homunculi, and apparitions.
Over everything is the greenish cast of the chartreuse Sun, the frequent pale green overcast cloud cover, and the vast overgrowth of green flora, all of which turn black or dark brown hair shiny, light brown hair blue, and blonde, silver, or white hair green. Orange/red/ginger hair becomes crimson or violet. However, beings do not tend to congregate by likeness in appearance, as do many peoples on Earth. There's no consideration at all of how one's associates look. There are congregations of common dialects, geography, and origins, which organize themselves into Nations, which take on a decided sovereign and political character.
Complete Compendium of Theshine Common Knowledge
