Neophyte World Builder Extra: Current Cultures (Paid only)

Since the Administrator is focusing on a single group of Calen Elves, the actual cultural progression of other communities isn’t in the narrative. So let’s talk about the status of the rest of civilization! This is far from complete but should give a decent idea of where the cultures are as of Chapter 50, which is around where the current narrative is, chronologically.

Elves

The ‘elves’ aren’t all that elflike, as you’ve probably noticed. They are scattered about and splintered, so giving a concrete answer of ‘advancement’ is difficult.

Most of the Calen and Sylen communities use a form of writing. Some Aravel communities do as well, but most Aravel-only communities are secretive and withdrawn. A few are close enough to others to trade and communicate, and these have also learned writing. It has been long enough that writing has started to diverge, but most languages still have a common root, at least among the elves. Longer lifespans means that only a few major dialects have emerged, and linguistic drift is slower than among humans in our world.

Tristka’s clan is nomadic by season, which is common amongst Calen and Sylen elves. Some villages have formed, mostly Aravel, but permanent settlements are still rare. A few have started to experiment with proto-agriculture, but it is not common yet.

Some Aravel and Calen communities have started primitive astronomy, and despite the difficulties Tristka’s clan had, a few communities have made the leap to abstract numbering, but not enough for it to have an effect worldwide yet.

Many communities have developed some kind of proto-religion, depending upon what is most useful to them. Gods of harvest, of the sun, moon, stars… these are still early in development, with conflicting stories between communities, but within a few generations a baseline for religious beliefs will congeal for some communities.

Tastka’s clan has more of a quasi-religious belief in the System itself, though it is more a spiritual reverence than a worship at this time. This is not uncommon amongst the elves. Animism is surprisingly rare, although not unknown, but is growing increasingly popular amongst the Sylen, especially.

Mixed communities tend to have the most advancement, between the adventurousness of the Sylen and Calen, mingled with the long memories of the Aravel.

Child-rearing varies wildly. Tristka’s clan raises children communally, kept by their mothers until they choose a mentor, whereupon they live with their mentor, male or female, as a foster parent. Males and childless females all contribute to supporting the child-bearing females.

Other tribes/clans or settlements have variable child-rearing cultures, though. Some are fully communal without the idea of ‘parents’ while others are more like what we know, with a nuclear family and extended support network of friends and extended family.

Most tribes are at some level of the late Paleolithic in technology. Despite what the Administrator thinks, they have ‘discovered’ fire, but do most of their cooking and warmth with magic. Only those who happen to spend a lengthy time away from the community, or very small communities, bother to start fires.

Tools are usually wooden or stone, but there is some variation. Most Aravel communities use magic-reinforced wood. Tastka’s clan is more advanced than most in weapons technology, and have throwing sticks, the atl-atl, and use a shaped crystal head for their spears that channels magic more easily, allowing them more versatility than the largely Cruxis-heavy hard stone heads that most use. Knives and hatchets are also known, but for hunting the spear is king right now.

Dragons

Dragons consider themselves above all these species, though find them curious. A few have had contact with the elves, both violent and not, and as dragons can communicate long distances with one another, the elf languages are fairly well known even by dragons which are far from elf lands.

Although dragons are not the inventors of writing, they have been exposed to it and are taking their time in developing their own script. Being largely solitary yet long-lived creatures by nature, their culture changes slowly, and without direct access to the system they find that concept confusing.

Their culture has developed over time, largely their mating rituals becoming more egalitarian. As many have guessed, dragons tend to settle on a gender identity, but are biologically hermaphroditic.

Dwarves

The elves had a head start, but the dwarves have started to experiment with agriculture already, in tending mushroom crops. They have also developed a writing system, though more primitive than elves currently possess, and are on the cusp of breaking through to abstract numbering.

They have not developed gods yet, but have a proto-religion forming around types of rock and ore.

Mushrooms

As these are largely a few large beings, they don’t yet have a culture, and are only now starting to comprehend the idea of ‘others’ at all. While incredibly intelligent, they do not have need of even language.

Insect Folk

The ‘Guardians of the End’ have not had much time to develop, but the various hives have developed a language to communicate with one another. Interestingly enough, while religious belief is relatively new for them, the hives have rapidly developed some quasi-religious beliefs, mostly centered around the ‘edge’ of the cap they linger at. They have only now begun to explore inward, toward the main inner lands.

Core-Eaters

This didn’t work out quite like the Admin expected, but it’s still early. Unlike the elves – and unsurprisingly if you think about it – the Core-Eaters have a heavily animistic belief system already.

They’ve also been splintering into tribes, with two different ideologies. Some believe that the various cores they should consume should be either ‘the strongest possible’ or in some of the more clever tribes ‘the cores that cover the weaknesses of the tribe.’ Other tribes adopt ‘totem animals’ or ‘totem monsters’ and they all choose the same core to consume, or at least a variant.

We’ll revisit the Core-Eaters at a later date, after they’ve had more time to develop a culture of their own.

I might add more details to this post as I think of them.