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Lore Q&A
🕑 Added 2024-10-15 20:23:38 +0000 UTCHey folks! Matt Colville coming at you like a beam, like a ray, like a laser!
This month's Q&A we thought we'd do something different and give y'all a chance to ask questions about the setting/lore. About Orden, the Timescape, the gods, ancestries, whatever you're curious about!
We can also use this as an opportunity to ask about writing in general. We'll be live at 4pm Pacific, this Thursday the 17th.
You can ask as many questions as you want, but we're probably going to pick one per person.
This is just a fun change of pace, if you have lore questions we don't get to, you can always come by a stream or just ask in the Timescape channel in the MCDM Discord! I hang out there all the time. Lore isn't treasure, we don't hoard it. And of course you'll get a lot more lore if we get to make more products.
To give you something to chew on, I thought it'd be fun to share Orden's creation myth, if myth it be. The answer to the question "Why do humans have so many gods?" is in here, although it may not be obvious. I'll explain the connection at the end of this post.
This information may not be in the core rules! I think of it as information for the Director, so it shouldn't go in the Heroes book and it feels out of place in the Monsters book so it'll probably end up in the Vasloria box set or something like that.
So this isn't 100% canon yet, it'll get revised and edited prior to ending up in a real Draw Steel product, this is just "what we think is true now."
A couple of points for context; This lore is obscure even in Orden. For reasons that will become clear, the Elder Gods decided it was best if humans did not know their true origins and obscuring that lore meant obscuring most of what you're about to read.
As a result, most people including elves and dwarves and orcs assume the gods created the world, they believe Ord was involved in some principle capacity because the dwarves keep banging on about it, but they assume all the gods were involved, including the human gods. Most people do not know the difference between the Elder Gods and the Innumerable Younger Gods of the humans.
Folks just accept that there are deathless like zombies and skeletons and assume it has always been like this.
Secondly, and lastly, the gods have no gender. But when people write about them, even people who know the gods transcend gender, they still ascribe gender roles to them, which says more about the people doing the writing than it does the gods.
On with the show....
The Creation of the World
In the beginning, there were only the gods. They spoke and debated and argued endlessly. About what, we cannot know.
At some point in the nothingness before everything the Gods Ord, Eth, Aan, and Kul said; "Enough talk! It is time to make our philosophies real!" And those four created the mundane world. The prime manifold.
Ord said; "Listen now. Strength and permanence are best." So he created the land, mountains, and stone.
Eth said, "Listen brother. Strength is good, but permanence is limiting. Change is best." She created the water, seas, oceans, and rain.
Aan said; "Brother and sister. Change is good, certainly! But strength is overrated. Subtlety is required!" So she created the air, winds and clouds and breezes and hurricanes.
Kul said; "Yes, this is all very well. But more than any of these things, action is required. Thoughts and philosophies alone are not enough." So he created fire, volcanoes, and magma.
The Gods Ord, Eth, Aan, and Kul made mountains and seas and skies and under them all, fire. And the world was perfect.
Lyl said to her brother and sisters; "But look here at what you have made. It is sterile. It does not grow or progress." These were concepts alien to the gods and they asked for explanation. Lyl thought for a moment and said; "There is no struggle." This, the gods understood. "Let me bring growth to your creation," Lyl offered politely, and the four gods accepted.
Lyl created life and placed it in the world. And life grew and multiplied, and Lyl created the first Law, the Law of Nature. Whether by the energy of sea or sun or fire, whether by muscle or thew, all that exists within the World must act according to the limits of physical being. Nothing can act by will alone. This was the first great limit on the creation of the four gods, and it would shape the history of the mundane world in ways none of the gods could anticipate.
Now the world surged with life and the living things fought and struggled and multiplied and the five gods were pleased with their creation.
Nyl, who had not been impressed with the world until there was life upon it, said "But look you, brothers and sisters; your life grows unchecked. Nothing ends. All which has a beginning must have an end." This was a concept alien to the gods and they asked for explanation. "Our creation should have value," Nyl said, and the gods nodded their agreement. "Let me make life precious, so all may love its sweetness," Nyl asked politely, and the five gods accepted.
Nyl created the second law, the Law of Death. All that lives must die. Now the struggle for survival was all the fiercer, for life was precious, and the six gods were pleased with their creation.
Then Ket looked upon the world and frowned. This wondrous creation lacked understanding. The gods could appreciate it, but it could not appreciate itself. He looked at his brothers and sisters congratulating themselves on their creation, and he knew they would not understand. So, working alone, he created life that could know and understand. Life that could appreciate the work of the gods. Ket made the first speaking people. The elder dragons. Draco Nobilis. Using his own essence he formed the magnificent beasts and gave them minds. He placed the dragons within the world.
Because each dragon was formed from Ket's essence, the elder dragons bent the laws of creation around themselves. They did not obey the law of nature, using their will to create and affect the world directly. They did not die, though they occasionally grew bored and rejoined themselves with Ket. They spent all their time in contemplation. They sought neither to create or destroy. They were the ultimate creation within the mundane world, able to look upon it and appreciate its majesty.
This creation was deemed impolite by the gods, though some believed the dragons to be magnificent creatures. Ket had not asked permission, and some of the gods were vexed by his actions. Because the dragons were made from Ket's power, they knew Ket. They shared his thoughts and knew his mind and he could see through their eyes. They loved Ket, and Ket loved them in return. Ket was so absorbed in his love for his children that he did not notice the other god's disapproval.
Val, seeing what Ket had done, thought the creation had been marred by imperfection. The dragons fawned over Ket, and this Val thought unseemly. Thinking he could do better, and no longer feeling constrained by the need to be polite, Val created the celestials and placed them within the world without permission. They were beautiful and powerful but unlike the dragons, while they were made from Val's power, they had no link to him. They did not know their creator the way the dragons did. In the absence of this perfect knowledge of their god, they invented art and music and poetry. Val was very proud and felt his folk were chief among the creations of the world. The dragons and the celestials, being the only two speaking peoples, traded thoughts and culture and lived in peace.
Some of the gods argued that the world was no longer perfect and the time had come to begin again with a new world. Some said the world was better without life, some said without death, and many said without dragons or celestials.
Meanwhile Ord thought things were getting out of hand. His creation was now populated by creatures that could think and know, but did not know the creators of the world. Worst of all, the other gods were now speaking openly about unmaking his creation! Ord contemplated this a while, and came upon a solution. The elementals. The Children of Ord.
Placing the elementals in the world, Ord created a new law, the Law of Time. Nothing that is done, can be undone. Nothing that is made can be unmade. No thought can be unthought, a word said cannot be unspoken. Every cause must now have an effect. The world, their creation, could not be unmade.
Ket objected. Val objected. Their creations should not be hampered by such limitations. They should be free to act and change using Will alone!
"Would that not be a violation of the law of nature?" Lyl asked pointedly. Some gods agreed, some disagreed, and the gods fell into bickering.
Meanwhile Cyn saw the creations of Val and Ket and Ord, and felt the gods were cheating. Of course their creations were marvelous! Each carried with it the power of a god! Each reflected the merits and temperaments of its creator. How could they be proud of their creations? These things achieved nothing but through use of the power of their creators. Cyn thought it unseemly for a god to take pride in his children, when his children were just extensions of the god.
Cyn wanted life that could know the world and truly belong to it. Was a part of it. So he created the terrans. And instead of giving them a part of his power, he bound them inextricably to the Laws of Nature, Time, and Death. They would be short lived, and they would achieve nothing through will alone, but would have to marry their will to action. They would die in their own course and live out their span of years in an orderly manner, each day following the day previous, with no exceptions.
Not knowing their creator, the terrans named themselves. "Humans. "
While the other gods argued amongst each other, Cyn placed his creations in the world, on the earth, and whispered to them; "Go forth, little humans, and live life by your own measure, and not the will of the gods."
Humans were frightened and confused, they had no understanding of the world, except that which they could reason. They were superstitious and quarreled amongst each other. And Cyn was afraid. Had he made a mistake? But then some humans mastered their fear, and others sought knowledge, and yet others sought peace. And Cyn believed his creation the greatest of all that walked or crawled or flew. Not because they had courage, and knowledge and wisdom, but because they had fear, and ignorance, and hate...and mastered them. All without the aid of the gods. Cyn came to see fear, and ignorance, and strife as necessary to creation, because without them there could be no courage, nor knowledge, nor wisdom.
But then humans began to fight the other peoples. Cyn frowned. The elementals, the celestials, and the dragons never fought amongst themselves much less each other. And now the terrans were audacious enough, hostile enough, to fight anything and everything around them. Humans fought the other speaking folk. Humans fought nature. Humans fought time. And humans fought death.
The other gods were astonished that war had come to their world. Some were horrified, some were fascinated. When humans began to fight dragons, Ket, the First Father, was furious. He ordered his dragons to destroy the terrans. Many gods supported Ket, others opposed him. Some said he had no right to compel the dragons, nothing more than extensions of himself, to destroy the terrans who had nothing except their own wits and skill. Cyn, feeling the support of many of his brothers and sisters...lashed out. He tried to destroy the dragons.
But this proved impossible. Lyl, the Goddess of Life, had created the Law of Nature. And the law of nature forbade anything in the mundane world from acting by will alone. The gods, lacking any substance apart from will, could not directly affect the world. Lyl's Law forbade them.
Ord and Kul tried to directly interfere on behalf of their elementals...and found they could not.
Val tried to interfere on behalf of the celestials...and found he could not.
Cyn, seeing his creation being destroyed by the dragons, unable to aid them directly, found a way around the Laws of Nature, Time, and Death. He created Worship.
He granted his creation access to his own essence, if they obeyed certain rules. Thus, by requiring action on their part, he could grant them power. Almost completely destroyed, and far outmatched by the dragons in every manner, the terrans worshiped their god and with his power they could fight back, battle the dragons…and win. They were not divine, but they could wield divine power.
In time, they almost completely destroyed the dragons. For humans proved far more cunning and savage, supremely adapt at this new concept: War. Willing to do things no civilized people would.
This near genocide drove Ket into a rage. In his anger, he did the unthinkable.
He attacked Cyn.
The war between the gods cannot be said to have been short, or long, for it took place outside the Law of Time. That it happened at all is astonishing. In later ages of the world, Cyn would be portrayed as being alone against the rest, but in fact many gods sided with Cyn and considered him in the right, and Ket in the wrong.
Cyn struck back. He lashed out with his power, Nyl saw Ket was defenseless. Nyl took the blow meant for his brother. And Cyn slew Nyl.
The God of Death was dead.
Cyn created war. Cyn created worship. Cyn slew his brother. The gods were unanimous. Cyn must be censored.
Cyn was banished and forbidden from contacting his creation. The other peoples were given a mandate; Humans must never know their creator. The Inexorables were created to serve this mandate. They proved so effective, the gods expanded their function to enforce all the laws.
The god of death was dead. The god of humans was censored. With Nyl gone, the law of death was no more, and the deathless rose in the land. Death became a surmountable obstacle.
In mourning for his destroyed children, in mourning for his dead brother, Ket created the Law of Magic. In opposition to worship, Ket granted access to his essence and power to any being who obeyed his esoteric rules. Who learned the secrets of the first language, the speech of his dead children.
Good, evil, these concepts had no meaning to Ket. He did not desire worship from any source. Those who used his power would never know him, never know his mind. But by using his power, he would be dimly reminded of his children, and their lost connection to him.
Why So Many Gods?
That's the story of the creation of world, and though it doesn't directly state why humans have so many gods, it sets up the explanation.
Because one of the elder gods was killed, there's a lot of "ambient god energy" floating around Orden. When enough humans believe someone is divine--like Adun and Cavall, once two mortal humans--their worship makes those people immortal gods through the unconscious use of this Dead God Energy. It is not something the humans are aware of, it just happens.
This is also why, like here in the real world, the gods humans worship tend to be expressions of their own culture, mores and folkways.
That's it folks! See you Thursday!
Comments
Callum Iles
Now that is an immensely thought provoking creation myth
Zoopshab
Thats excellent. Really well done Matt. Im not usually a fan of Matts writing but this piece I really enjoyed.
Hunter Brown
For my notes, the indirect answer was many planets, one sun illuminating them all. “A planetary romance scenario kind of like Cowboy Bebop; you visit all these different planets but you spend pretty much the whole series in our one solar system.”
Tim
Thanks for the reply Matt. I look forward to meeting him and hopefully learning more about the secret society he's a part of 👍🤞
MCDM Productions
I think we will meet Tace at some point, yes. -MC
Tim
Hey Matt, kind of a low question... Did the Revenant Shield ever rescue Tace and if so is he powerful enough to be in any of the Draw Steel books?
Maxim Pitroff
From the worldbuilding streams, it appeared that the gods of Rioja were more or less alternate interpretations of the Vasloria pantheon. I was curious if this would be the case for other human civilizations or do their deities manifest differently? For example, I know that Khoursir has its own unique pantheon with four primary deities and thousands of djinn. In the case for the djinn, were they previously extraplanar entities that achieved apotheosis because of the human worship they received or would some of them be similar to how the Riojan and Vaslorian pantheon arose? Could you draw direct parallels with one of the four primary gods of Khoursir with someone like Cavall/Lord Anso?
Celeborn
What step will it take for Ajax to become a god?
Eduardo Barrancos
Here go a few questions :D: - Can you talk a bit about the eight dragonflights? Their names, what made them different, their captains, ... - We know about Gozomoc, the Kraken, the Fenix and the Unicorn, but what are the other titans of Orden? - What are the ages of the world and why each began/ended? - Who are the Iron Wizards from Khoursir?
CaramelKat96
Thank you 🩷
GubDM
they'll post here a link to an unlisted youtube video/stream. There'll also be an announcement on the discord (link your patreon to the discord!)
CaramelKat96
First time Subscriber (: where can I watch the Live today at 4pm? Is it on here?
biscotti
What advice would you give to a college student who wants to be a writer and live a creative life but is afraid of job prospects and studying something else?
Jonathan Rowan
Minor addition: my understanding that is that Vasloria represents fantasy Europe broadly, and that it’s the region of Aendrim specifically that is medieval Britain. I recall medieval France and Germany being cited as inspiration for other regions, but I don’t remember which.
Vitruvian Link
SSRI overdose.
Vitruvian Link
All the other speaking people know who their god is, but since Cyn (Sin), the god of humans is censored and unknowable by mortal races, their worship is directed to non-gods, which become "Younger Gods." Since there is an empty space in the pantheon for a whole-ass elder god, lots of these younger gods fill in the gap.
Vitruvian Link
With the god of death gone, but the law of death still in place, do the other laws overrule it? EI Death exists, but can be overcome by Magic or Worship?
Sam McGurran
What can you tell us about the Queen of Night, Queen of Shadows aside, who is the third Sister?
Roman Penna
A question for Dael (Hi Dael) Are you going to create more lore for the Wode Elves? And if so what Wode Elf heroes haven't we heard about that we should know more about?
Josh Rodell
Just to jump on the end of Skyao's correct answer, some dwarves consider living a life so notable that Ord remembers you after you die to be a sort of afterlife.
Josh Rodell
Within the Timescape, up is Law and down is Chaos, right? We know that Orden sits at the perfect neutral point in the middle, and that there are the perfectly lawful and perfectly chaotic planes at either end, but for all the others, are their positions fixed in the same way? If a lawful plane was overrun by chaos would it have to reposition itself?
D.R.
If this is how Orden was created, how did the rest of the timescape and its worlds come to be? I would also be curious whether the timescape has any rules for time travel - aside from 'Ord said no and fighting their law is very, very hard'. But this is a second question and I'd personally be more curious about the answer to my first one.
John Mangan
From a lore perspective, do you imagine the fiends from S&F and K&W likely to make it into the DS Timescape? Do you see the Courts from S&F&K&W as canon to the setting? How do you imagine the setting will change to support DS w.r.t. to the Courts? (Other than the hinted removal of angels, not to be confused with Val's celestials.)
Lebo Munjeri
lol thanks
Tamwin
How hard is it to make a ship that can sail the timescape? Does it requires special materials, or some sort of skill?
Chad Desrosiers
If human gods come from the dead god energy where do saints fit into the equation?
Paul Sabatini
If Memonek become "sick" with emotion when they enter Orden, do ancestries native to Orden get "sick" with something when they enter Axiom? Do all ancestries get "sick" with something upon entering a plane they aren't native to?
MCDM Productions
Alloy is the capital city of Quintessence, the Plane of All Elements. It's the lowest of the Upper Worlds. -MC
MCDM Productions
The ancestries in the latest Patreon/Backer packets are the final ancestries for the core book. We plan on making lots more! Presuming the game finds an audience willing to pay for it....
MCDM Productions
The Mighty Boosh! -MC
Andrew Greco
Ah, I vaguely recall Matt mentioning that at some point. Still, this does explain exactly why magic and undeath are not "of the world".
Skyao
You're right! It's as if the quirks of physical laws which allowed those technologies to work just disappear. It's inspired by how the universe works in the Fire Upon The Deep. The concept was made up expressly to justify differently advanced civilizations coexisting.
Morgan Freeman-Sheehy
Not so much a Draw Steel question, what is the "like a beam, like a ray, like a laser, like a frog" thing and where does it come from? I could swear you've said it before too
Skyao
We can assume every human region has a lot of gods and saints. Because most of Matt's campaigns have taken place in Vasloria or Capital, they have actual lists with domains and such. Here's a list from an old MCDM wiki. Ignore the gods of other species, that info is definitely outdated. https://mcdm.fandom.com/wiki/Gods
Skyao
The Ratcatchers story takes place in a universe similar to the Draw Steel house setting, but ultimately un-connected. The two don't affect each other. Matt likes to re-use names, just like there's a lot of Johns running around in the world!
Skyao
Humans can sense anything unnatural, because they are "of the world" in a way no other speaking ancestry is. Undeath and magic cheat the natural laws, and therefore they stand out to human senses.
Skyao
This question has come up in a few recent livestreams! There is no after-life. Souls exist, but they are not immortal tickets to heaven. They're one's spark of creativity. The cultures of Orden don't conceptualize living forever. The one exception is dwarves, who believe that if you live a sufficiently cool life, their god will remember you, and that's a kind of immortality. At the bottom of the Timescape, there's a kind of pit where all undeath gathers. That's where the Court of the Decay from KW resides, but its not really an afterlife either. We don't know how raising the dead or communing with them fits into this concept.
Skyao
It's because humans are "of the world" in a way no other speaking ancestries are. We know that it takes humans using their belief to ascend gods, but the locus of that faith doesn't have to be a human.
Skyao
Dusk (or Equinox) is a manifold which comes in and out of alignment with other manifolds. When it's alignment is growing, places in Dusk can reflect places in the Mundane World. The World Below is somewhat similar, where certain caves in Orden can link up with it, creating passages.
DimaJeydar
Why is he called Count Revile? He doesn’t really revile much.
Jonah Gallagher
More a question about making lore and when it is needed. When you are designing or brainstorming when do you realize you need some lore to contextualize something instead of just presenting it? I’m thinking about the Orc fiction in the book specifically.
Attelino
As far as I have experienced, the setting of the Timescape sets itself apart from other fantasy settings by being a lot less "whimsical". Are there any more reasons behind that decision and will it be true for all settings?
Lagrange0
I would be curious to know more about Ix, as far as I understand it is quite the opposite of the place where the name comes from
Ed Kinsel
What do time raider settlements look like? Are there cities, or are they nomadic or something else?
Ed Kinsel
How easy is it to move between manifolds, is this something available to everyone, gated by cost or something that requires a quest
Cyclicbuffer
In Orden, are there overlapping manifolds? Similar to "the upside down" in Stranger Things or the "near umbra" in the World of Darkness... Are there worlds that occupy the same physical space but are separated by a dimension?
T. Ashley Jenkins
I'd love to know more about fey in the Timescape! I remember hearing about how they were created by song, and some whisperings of the "faerie elves" - I'd love to know more.
Christian Rommel
How and why have the relationships of the first talking people changed to one another? (i.e. are elves and dwarves friendly or not? Mostly interested in Omund time)
WaywardWasp
Knowing that all elves have some form of glamour, how do the glamours of the (currently) unplayable elves work? Shadow Elves and Star Elves, for example?
alon yairi
Is there a limit to the ambient god energy? Can it run out? Reach a point where humans can't make new gods anymore? Also, who is XXAXX?
Jx
If you had to remake the setting from scratch, would you do anything differently?
Propane
“ …because the dwarves keep banging on about it”, best thing I’ve read all week thanks!
Miranda Hawthorne
What makes a Draw Steel dragon interesting? Are dragons different in the timescape vs Orden?
Aidan Herklotz
Woah
Xentis
About how many Saints are currently alive and working in Orden? Who are the most influential? Are the gods attempting to influence Ajax's campaign transitively through their Saints? Do they care? Which gods (if any) are in favor of Ajax?
Ricardo
At request of my players, they would like to know more about why hobgoblin was considered a 'dead language' in the backer packet (if that was intentional), and more about Hobgoblin culture, creation, existence in orden or beyond, etc.
Antan Karmola
I'd also like to say that this lore is really inspiring! I've been working lore for a creation myth for my own settings for a while now and it's fascinating to see how others do it. After reading this I feel inspired to add more nuance to mine!
John
So to clarify… can only humans use the ambient “God Energy” left over from Nyl’s death to make new gods or can any race do it? If so, what makes humans specially able to use the God energy in this way?
Antan Karmola
If the God of Death is dead, does that mean that *every* living thing that dies becomes undead or that everything *can* become undead?
Anastase - Alexandre Charantonis
How is the multiverse connected to this? The prime manifold feels like one plane, how does the astral sea fit into this? Dusk and the other manifolds? Hell and the other planes?
KingGurke
Before the gods created Orden, did they exist in the timescape, or in a different space beyond it? I know there are other gods in the timescape, too (like XXAXX), but were some of the timescape worlds created by the gods that turned away from Orden? (Or is XXAXX even one of them?) And lastly, are all worlds in the timescape their own manifold, like Orden, or is that something done uniquely by these gods?
Mendelll
In case you’re not joking, he answers this question at the end of this exact post!
Lebo Munjeri
I know you've answered this before, but I haven't seen the answer: Why do humans have so many gods?
Nicholas Lanier
Man, it's been so long since I read that, I'd forgotten!
John Brocklehurst
As my surname means Badger of the wood I've been very excited about a race of Badger folk since they showed up in the novels.
Valentino Konjik
Which ancestries will be present in the core rule ? Will you increase the number in follow-up books?
Seras564
Not sure how cannon this is, but there is also lady ERN-F8 from the illrigger fiction
Tony Spencer
Me at the start: Ho hum, another origin story, whatevs Me at the end: Hell yes. I'm replacing the cosmology in every game I run with this
Benjamin Ford
As a longtime follower, the question of "Why do humans have so many gods?" has been a mystery the community has loved to fan theory about. A part of that, I think, is the Tolkien-esque mystery of it, the feeling of a living world full of mysteries that will never receive a true answer. You've hinted in the past that it was a solvable mystery that no player had yet solved. What made you decide to talk about it now after all these years?
Nicholas Lanier
What are Memonek naming conventions? Our one example so far, Count Revile, strikes me as having a suspiciously European name, for an alien.
Eric G
In Kingdoms & Warfare there are multiple types of Devil's introduced (Hate Devil, Stone Devil, Fang Devil, Steel Devil, etc.) how do these fit with the Devil's presented in Flee Mortals! and the Draw Steel Ancestry entry? Are they all one species or does a Devil undergo some ritual or transformation to become a Steel Devil?
JPR
I am curious about afterlife(s) in the setting. Is there an afterlife, and if so how do people interact with, believe in, or feel about it? If people can come back from the dead, do they remember anything from the other side? Can the living speak with the dead? Is the afterlife a place that the living can travel to by some means, or is it more abstract?
Sky-Blue
I have two questions so feel free to only answer one of them! - What is the nature of Time in Orden/the multiverse? I.e is it all one timeline or are there branching paths, is prophecy set in stone and how can one see the future etc. - If the Elder Dragons are gone, where do the dragons of today come from? And what makes them special above all other 'monsters' of Orden?
Sampson
Previous MCDM products have defined psionics as the ability to affect physical change the power of thought alone. How does that gel (or not!) with the Law of Nature, and where does psionic power come from?
Cormac Connolly
I'm also curious if there's any Lore regarding psionics. It's not arcana or worship but it also breaks the law of physical being.
Cormac Connolly
So... All my players need to do to cheat time is slay the inexorables and get a couple gods angry with each-other?
Andrew Greco
Also I think I just realized why humans can smell magic and undead. Undead because their god kill the god of death *causing* the undead. And magic because it was created in opposition to their power of worship. Not really a question but I would love a confirmation of this.
Andrew Greco
In Ringwell, the worship of death seemed to be associated with the downfall of civilizations. Is that linked to Nyl having been killed by Cyn and Inexorables having the mandate of enforcing the laws of the world including that humans cannot know their creator? If so, would that mean that information is in Ringwell and would spell the destruction of the civilization that uncovers it? If not, what exactly is the connection between death worship and a civilization's downfall that the mural in Ringwell alluded to?
Eugene Cheney
Ahh thank you for the clarification!
Sebastian Armstrong
As human heroes ascend to their young godhood, what is their relationship to the Elder gods? Are they aware of/existing on a similar plane as them? How do the Elder gods view the young human gods and do they see them as equals?
Hunter Brown
If Orden is actually a disk world and I’ve failed to notice, please let me know!
Hunter Brown
So the prime manifold Orden at least has a sun, planet, and moon. Do all the manifolds operate with orbital mechanics and all that? Ie,; are there some manifolds with disk worlds, wonky or no gravity, etc, or is that weirdness reserved for parasitic manifolds?
Christian Keegan
Are all worlds in the timescape created by some god or another? If so do the gods usually stick to that world or could they have a group of worlds they watch over?
MCDM Productions
Yep! -MCDM
MCDM Productions
The sun was not created to hold Cthrion Uroniziir, but it *does* hold her.
MCDM Productions
Probably Quickening. Powerful local shaman or witch uplifts a nearly-sapient species. This is briefly mentioned in the packet. -MC
MCDM Productions
Nope, that's it. A cool idea from Jim's game that, once I started streaming, I didn't feel right stealing. -MC
Terryc
Oh man, 8 did not see it until you mentioned haha. Thanks for promoting a re-read
Tyler Hobbs
Why are there Gods *and* Saints? What happened to make Saints the conduit of worship instead of Gods?
Michael Kingery
I can definitely pick out the Belgariad influence.
Kill Your Masters
I would love more on the origin and culture of the Time Raiders. Thanks Evil Matt.
Markeith Parker
With Vasloria, Rioja, the Timescape, etc. all using the same core system, will we get a good bit of lore for each setting in the same, initial hero book or will we have to wait for supplements tailored to specific settings?
Laerite
I believe in a previous post he stated that when people from higher magic manifolds travel to lower magic manifolds a lot of their "tech" stops working/becomes weaker? I might've misunderstood or remembered tho.
SteveWasEre
That was freakin' amazing!
Tim Mason
Why are humans innately resistant to Ket’s law of magic?
Ry
In a recent live stream when naming saints you mentioned Saint Teagan The Sunbringer, was that a throw away line or potentially what's to come in the future for the character from Ratcatchers?
YesterdaysGlory
What does resistance to Ajax look like in Khemhara? I recall on one stream there was a very evocative name for a special forces/royal guard unit in the infinite desert that I always kick myself for not having written down.
Callum Grier
It keeps being said that there are “so many human gods”. I’ve not seen a list of them. How many are there and who are the ones I should know?
Dylan Denesik
Is there any backstory to the teeth of the dragon besides "ripped off from Jim's game"?
John Brocklehurst
How did some of the other peoples in Orden arise. Examples being the Rat folk and the Brock.
Skyao
If I'm flying a Timescape Ship, can I visit Arcadia just as easily as any other manifold?
Cole Wallace
Does the amount of worship correlate to power for the non-Elder gods/saints? For example, would Adul and Cavall who have been around longer and have more worshippers be more powerful than a newly raised god/saint?
Oakenbear
How do levels work narratively? Are classes/levels acknowledged in fiction or are they a fully behind the curtain thing. Does a mercenary captain know he's got a team of level 4 guys to hire out? Is there a reason PCs grow in power so fast compared to normal people? Are we "favored by the TimeScape" and that's why we can triple in power over 2 months of adventuring?
Zrin
What's the origin of the Olothec and Synlirii? The gods of Orden had their own creations - so what created these other creatures in all their alien creepiness?
Skyao
What manifold is Alloy in? When D&D cosmology was relevant, it seemed like it was at the center of the elemental chaos. Where is it now?
Corey Knowler
How aware is the wider timescape of Orden? The reason why I ask is because Vasloria at least is stuck in this low tech medival age, what is stopping a highly advanced group of memoneks or Kuranzoi from the timescape from dominating with superior technology?
Caspar Rahm
What, when and where are the beast lords? And do you have thoughts on what needs to be true/to happen for a people (like the polder) to be created?
Patrick Joel Hansen
Who are the seven Great families in Higara.
Patrick Joel Hansen
What is Ajaxs motivation and over all plan to execute said motivation.
Skyao
For the purpose of portraying them as a Director are the Gol meaningfully different from a stereotypical roaming barbarian tribe? What does "anti-civilization" translate to beyond not building roads?
GubDM
I've heard the same as Skyao, but I'll add that I believe Matt has specified that real cultures do not serve as a checklist either. In other words, just because each Orden culture loosely interprets a real world culture does not mean every real world culture is owed an Orden equivalent, iirc
Robert Sachse
Are the other manifolds creations of the gods or the god's children, a la celestials and dragons?
Skyao
Matt has often said (I believe he was quoting another author he agreed with) that no wholy original fantasy culture can be more interesting than the ones we have here on Earth. As such, all of the regions of Orden are inspired by real life cultures. Vanigar - the viking societies Vasloria - medieval Britain Higara - feudal Japan Ix - Mesoamerican societies (I think Aztecs, but i can't remember) Phaedros - Ancient Greece Khemhara - Ancient Egypt Rioja - Renessaince Florence, Venice, etc. Khoursir - pre-Islam arabian societies Throughout history Orden was conquered by different empires, one of which was inspired by Indian culture, I think there was also a Chinease and Persian one. We don't know about what societies out in the Timescape look like because they weren't seriously fleshed out yet, but if you want to imagine how that goes, I refer you to my first paragraph.
Alex Nelli
We’ve learned about the creation of Orden, now I’m curious about the creation of the other manifolds. Were they individually created or did they just ripple out from orden? What about the speaking peoples who live there (devils, memonek, proteans…)? Do they also have gods?
Joshua Heisler
Matt mentioned that in Orden a soul is what makes you creative/capable of original thoughts and that it might be that the Greater Dead like vampires have a soul. In that case how does resurrection differ from raising the dead, and what causes someone to be raised as the Dead vs being resurrected?
Mitch De Zylva
If Saints are a result of dead God energy being captured by human heroes, how do other species get Saints too, given they know their gods are still alive?
Fìonn Kusnir
What are some Vaslorian folk horror tales? Who was the first New God?
Skyao
It seems that every element on orden can be tied to one of the elder gods. Almost every element, save for void. Obviously the current notion of the elements is much newer than the Creation of Orden, but do you think void is associated with a specific elder god?
Kelby B
Enjoyed that read. Thanks Uncle Matt.
Jake Smarrella
Who is your favorite Saint and what is their story?
Overse
Great post, thanks, it was so good to read 😃 Which leads me to think, who/what are The Inexorables? And how did they make the Humans forget Cyn and erase traces of previous worship of Cyn?
Ruben Vega-Poblete
How do you make the cultures for your fantasy races? Do you take real world cultures as a base inspiration or do you try to make them more alien and create them from whole cloth?
Lo-fi Jedi
As someone excited to witness the launch of a new 'campaign setting', I'm curious about MCDM's approach to the chronology of Draw Steel's lore. Will the Draw Steel universe be presented as a 'living world' where significant events—such as major wars, rising threats, or the births and deaths of key NPCs—unfold over time? Or will the setting remain more static, leaving it up to the players to shape those developments in their own games?
Eugene Cheney
I wonder if it’s Cyn
Skyao
Don't know about Vanigar, but we know of two other titans! Higara's titan is the Kraken, from Flee Mortals. We also know that, at least currently planned, the titan of Vasloria would be the Unicorn.
Mattamue
A lesser being might call it irony, but we directors know that the drama of Nyl's polite question isn't so simple. Do you think Nyl appreciated the poetry of their sacrifice?
Skyao
From the Kingdoms and Warfare lore: "Fringe sages among the dwarves wrote that all Orden was a prison for something poisonous to the timescape." Not sure if it's still canon, but I'm quite excited for an answer either way.
Viktor Sroba
What do you like about and why did you chose the idea of different manifold of Timescape having these energy levels inspired by Fire upon the Deep ?
Caleb Fasnacht
What's the difference between a God and a Saint?
Gogo M
Since the new gods become divine, rather than being pure manifestations of will, are they more able to alter the creation than the Elder Gods?
Vocahag
As there's Ajax's flying fortress, is there flying ships in Orden? Or just in the Timescape?
Joshua Heisler
Is he more of a dish soap, or warrior? Also does he ultimately get turned into a flower? The people deserve to know
Duda Bonjean
I’d love to know more about what kinds of people come from the World Below and/or Equinox! We know about Shadow Elves, and maybe Night Elves? And it’s been talked about how Gnomes might also be down there. Then there’s the Voiceless Talkers. But are there any others? Whether they were originally from different manifolds or are native to DUSK and the World Below, I’d love to know about them :)
Joshua Heisler
Is there a Sumerian or Akkadian analogue on Orden? A city like Ur? How do gods feel about a good old fashion ziggurat?
David Russell
What are some traditions and strange cultures that priests in orden follow. How does worship vary from Saint/God to Saint/God?
Eugene Cheney
The sun was created to imprison Cthrion Uroniziir… I’m curious does the world imprison anything?
GubDM
Ix has Goxomoc. What are some other titans? What's the Higara titan? The Vanigar titan? Are titans only endemic to Orden? Do other manifolds have titans? Why or why not?
GubDM
Are the seasons in Orden similarly timed to how we experience them on Earth, and do they flip in the southern hemisphere like how they do on Earth? Does Graid experience Winter when northern Aendrim experiences Summer and vice versa?
GubDM
The NUMBER FIVE lore coinciding with all the Dusk character backstories was a really really cool setup. Are there any plans for subtle lore like that in Orden culture for Draw Steel big bads? What cargo cult thoughts are inspired by stories of High Mage Vairae, Forzaantirilys, etc?
Eli Zupke
Why do humans have so many goods?
Threebane
With the open license are we able to write in your setting and publish it?
Bryce Anderson
Really good read. My Director brain is absorbing so much.
Ormus Erebus
Awesome peek into the lore!
Jake Walsh
What is an Ajax? (just kidding) How did Ajax rise to power?
