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>>29996389

Daven Miline, City of a Million Prayers (Pop: 225,000)

>"When man looks to the sky, he sees his lords in the clouds. The immortals in their forests feel their lords in each leaf and tree. The smallfolk know their gods walk the roads and ride the tide. But we are a people who have lost their lords, and now it is time to remake them in our image."
- Commentary 25, Saifil Galigai.

Daven Miline (also known as the City of a Million Prayers or the Turning City) is a perfectly circular tiered city renowned for its unique architecture. Founded by the dwarven outcasts known as the Daveni, the city's circular form is turned by the slow movement of the great River Tine which winds around its circumference in twin tributaries before meeting the estuarial plains leading to the Eastern Sea.

The city's architecture is dominated by its large cylindrical guard towers, each of which slowly turn one full rotation over each solar year, and the six tiered walls that separate its circular districts. Each of these individual tiers shifts at its own rate, while the city itself shifts imperceptibly, and completes a full cycle every hundred years. Daven Miline serves as a trade hub, and its leaders, the Matlumartar, use the trade to allow for their meditative existence.

>>29996389

>Hebrew

JIDF pls go.

>>29996389

While most of the books in question are kinda crap, there is one part of the Sword of Truth books that seems relevant here:

The streets and halls of the imperial capital of one of the setting's nations are laid out in a specific pattern and path, such that they form a massive spellform. In essence, the entire city is warded from magical attack and scrying by outsiders with a huge ass spell that is drawn in blood. It is just that the blood is still inside of the people in question as they walk around.

Might be an idea worth stealing in some form or another.

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>>29996705

Who are the Daveni?
"In the night the Lord called Matlumarta Echard to the peak they walked around its base. Upon their meeting Matlumarta Echard did not speak, for He had not spoken. When He began to walk, the Matlumarta followed. As they walked atop the peak the Lord walked in silence, and the Matlumarta tried to follow. Each turn passed, longer than the last, with the sun and moon and stars greeting his gave, as the Lord walked silently. Bloody feet, weathered face, and bone weary the Matlumarta followed.
When the Matlumarta could walk no further the Lord smiled, and walked ahead. And when he awoke, the Matlumarta was whole, but the path had been worn, and the light of the sun could barely reach him. And so the Matlumarta learned that while a dwarf may not walk as the Lord, that his actions place a mark upon the soil in silent repetition as a Lord's actions place a mark upon the skies and stars."
- Lesson 10, Saifil Galigai.
Daveni (the Mindful [Prayerful?] People), known in the common vulgate as Wheelwrights, are the dwarven clan who rules Daven Miline. While most dwarven clans are known as masters of the mountain, the Daveni have chosen to follow the way of Saifil Galigai (known as the Book of the Wheel or Book of Wheels), a living text passed down through the holy caste led by the current Matlumarta (Scholar [Architect of Learning?] This tome speaks of the power of cycles and circles, and a seeking of completeness in repetition. It is not uncommon for a Daveni to spend their entire adult lives repeating the same tasks and finding a certain stubborn pride in learning the perfection of their art. A Daveni blacksmith may be a master of the creation of the hand ax, mastering each individual step in the process over the decades of his life, to seek perfection of his craft.

>>29996995

Yeah, I have a minotaur city based on a labyrinth model. I like the idea of the labyrinth and its meditative message throughout multiple cultures.

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>>29997034

Religion/Philosophy

>“Matlumarta Abra Ima speaks of Matlumarta Esrim's commentary that time is a cycle of events, and that one may predict the cycle to prevent death. We disagree. Upon each revolution even a more perfect cycle may waver in ways We cannot understand, so too may time have bumps, grooves, and changes which are stark. Each path, each cycle must have its end, for a dwarf may not know its end but must be mindful of the beginning even at its close. It is not pure to seek in the mind a path beyond or before that which is to come."

-Commentary 74, Saifil Galigai

Repetition and circular reasoning may also be seen in the omnipresent symbol of Daveni worship, the prayer wheel. Carved in sizes ranging from hand-held devices to the very revolving disc upon which the city itself sits, these wheels are a major part of life in Daveni Miline. A common handheld prayer wheel may contain a single phrase or meaningful quote from the Saifil Galigai, while larger wheels may contain an entire chapter of the Book, and require several individuals to move only a few inches a second.

While many travelers believe these wheels are wholly there for prayer to the Lord, Daveni and scholars of the Saifil Galigai know the true purpose. In his five Commentaries Matlumarta Echard, the first Scholar, explains that each turn of a prayer wheel is a generation of mindful focus that, as they accrue, leads to an accumulation of power that will bring about a cycle of rebirth returning the second incarnation of the Daveni Lord.

This is not to say the Daveni do not have shrines to other deities. Visitors are allowed to worship their deities as they choose, and the dwarves have created the Park of Lords where Daveni craftsmen create statuary in veneration to the deities. These statues are not normal representations but rather meditative abstractions of the tenets and ideas of priests and worshipers formed into a cohesive whole for prayer and mindfulness.

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>>29997261

While many consider the Daveni to be peaceful individuals prone to trances and constant meditation, the commentaries of the Saifil Galigai warn against such behavior as Legil Davi (Foot Minded) rather than Natifah Davi (Path Minded). As a dwarf seeks perfection in its path it must not become totally mindful of only the way the path is walked (the feet upon it), but the overall nature of that path. A balanced path may find a dwarf living a life of scholarship, battle, contemplation, and childbearing all in keeping with their understanding of their path, with each step informing the process and nature of each other step.

The Daveni have an aversion to Necromancy due to their belief that one must not attempt to emulate the path of their Lord. Necromancers, and cults of death deities, are shunned by the populace, though the teachings of Matlumarta Esrim formed a small but powerful schism within the philosophical tradition of Saifil Galigai with the apocryphal commentaries known as the Avad (Lost), which has yet to truly close. A Daveni separated from his people may find himself brought back from the end of his path, but those who return from their natural end suffer listlessness and confusion. These dwarves, the Sufsofh, wear the grime and dust of their broken path and are found among the lower classes of the Daveni, mainly as beggars and the occasional mystic, and are not fully embraced by anyone save those who follow the tenets of the Avad. The Sofsofh, some claim, have seen a secondary path, and some Sofsofh throughout the years have claimed to have seen the Lord's body upon that path, a heresy in the eyes of the Matlumartar who claim the Lord's path is that of the infinite.

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>>29997722

Society

>"As the wheel spins upon its axle, so too does the path of life lead through highs and lows, zenith and nadir. A wealthy dwarf, refusing the alms call of a beggar, has lost the true path, while a beggar who refuses the gift of alms from such a benefactor will be unable to climb the wheel without understanding."
-Commentary 35, Saifil Galigai.

The society of Daven Miline is controlled by a strange series of customs outlined in the Book of the Wheel known as Imun. Imun (Trust [Fidelity?]) is based on a complex series of relations with individuals, groups, and the Daveni themselves revolving around cycles of time. Imun is based on time more than deeds; even someone a native may not trust who has been in the city for a longer period may have more Imun built up than a friend, though of course the benefits of Imun may extend differently to an enemy than an acquaintance. For instance, let us speak of dealings with a Devani merchant.
A trader comes into Daven Miline for the first time. The trader may find unfavorable trade conditions, and a loan or trust will not be extended to the trader by any but a dwarf who has known the trader in other dealings and thus has a strong bond of Imun. As the trader keeps returning, over many years, his Imun with those he deals with grows, while those who may vouch for his personal Imun may help the trader make headway in dealings with those who do not know him based on the voucher's personal Imun.
Now the trader is being hunted for unfortunate business practices. During his escape into the city he meets a citizen who he has known for a decade, though they have what others may consider bad blood due to the trader stealing the citizen's love interest. To maintain his personal Imun among others whom the trader knows the citizen may offer the trader his house, along with food and transportation safely from the city, respect for the amount of time they have known each other.

Anyone out there?

>>29997836

Good. Too much text. What do you want here? It's a fucking novel.

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>>29998089

Yeah. I need to narrow it down to an elevator speech piece but I wanted to give a feel for the city and main points while providing for plenty of framework. Is it the language issue? I'm not sure why people seem to be so adverse to commentary, as a little OC is always nice.

I was planning on doing the same for the minotaur city, but if no one is going to use it it seems to be a moot point. I'm afraid of posting it as a pastebin because then it will just roll off into nothingness quickly.

Dumping a dorf.

>>29997836
Don't mind me, just stealing most of this for my upcoming campaign

>>29998379

Is there anything you would add or subtract? Would love to have some input as I pretty much had to wholesale this myself and would enjoy adding some exterior sources that show me what needs to be cut and what should be elaborated on.

>>29998501
>Imun (Trust [Fidelity?]) is based on a complex series of relations with individuals, groups, and the Daveni themselves revolving around cycles of time. Imun is based on time more than deeds; even someone a native may not trust who has been in the city for a longer period may have more Imun built up than a friend, though of course the benefits of Imun may extend differently to an enemy than an acquaintance.

What benefits does Imun extend? How would it differ?

>To maintain his personal Imun among others whom the trader knows the citizen may offer the trader his house, along with food and transportation safely from the city, respect for the amount of time they have known each other.

Can you explain more about this?

>>29998712

Let me answer this first with a post, then I'll return to it.

While personal Imun may develop, cultural Imun is more permanent if less effective in such situations. A guild which has plyed its trade for a century offers a certain Imun to its members, while a newly formed craftsman group may rely on the personal Imun of individual members to continue in its dealings.

Another important social oddity found among the Daveni is the concept of Zahil (Prudence [Guardedness?]). Daveni are insular in their own understanding of their path and its way, and find proffered advice to be offensive. This leaves non-natives at a disadvantage in many social situations as they find themselves lost in a strange culture where advice must be requested, denied, and requested again. Daveni also consider gossiping and falsehoods among their own kind to be taboo unless it is to prevent direct injury or harm of a living dwarf or their community. To the outsider the Daveni appear aloof and secretive, though this same isolation combined with Imun make the dwarves of Daven Miline a common target of criminals looking to capitalize on their isolationist nature to hide out from the law of other kingdoms and cities.

>>29998980

Now, gonna be a big post here:

>What benefits does Imun extend? How would it differ?


Imun's benefits extend to hospitality and Zahil. It is a social contract based on time spent within the ingroup. An newcomer may find a cold welcome to the transient nature of travels. After a few days a traveler may find that the innkeeper offers water without being asked, or speaks to him politely. If the traveler returns over time the innkeeper may extend further greetings, begin to learn of the individual's life, and seek out specific things they may enjoy. If the traveler sought, let’s say figs, on their first meeting, they may be given information about a local fig merchant on their next meeting, and over the years the innkeeper may have a bowl of figs prepared, or if the traveler is trading for figs may extend his personal Imun with a local fig factor to gain a better price for figs in return for similar Imun being expressed (perhaps the trader recalls an enjoyment of a specific piece of leatherwork and gives the innkeep information on the leatherworker who made it, then presents a small gift like an armband as a sign of hospitality).

These small gifts develop a personal social credit, and should be considered balanced or, if the PC prefers, tilted on their side (which is considered gauche, but you're an outsider so you don't know).

Now let’s say the traveler does something inappropriate, like giving advice on the innkeeper's business (a big no no if not asked). The Innkeeper's gift may be less, or of a slightly inferior quality, but the gift is still proffered due to the bonds of Imun. When the social issue has been resolved and a balance in Zahil has been restored through actions or manners, the traveler is welcomed again. Perhaps he passes through after twenty years of staying at the inn and finds the innkeeper has planted a fig tree to symbolize their entwined Imun, and the subtle changes that have been placed in the path of the innkeeper.

>>29999136


Now let’s say the traveler has become an enemy, by doing something that Is transgressive but not truly strong to the point that Imun may be renounced (this requires a lot, murder or severe taboo like raising an elder from the dead). It is an interesting take as the effect of this individual on the path of the Daveni involved is much greater than most any other to which he owes Imun. The Daveni will offer similar gifts, to the point of overstepping the normal bounds at first, to demonstrate this greater step… But not necessarily directly to the traveler. That same fig tree may become a small grove donated in the name of the transgressor to a local orphanage, or a tithe of figs to a group of ascetic Caad in the name of the hosted individual. This is to assuage and help, in a subtle way, to guide the individual back onto the path of balance without directly discussing the issue and breaking Zahil.

Abuse of this system is a taboo. Going around and beating on Daveni to trigger this effect throws off the overall system of Imun, and risks severing of ties of Imun with the community.

Imun also has a minimum. A being able to express Imun must not be denied water, or a place to stay. Anyone but a Sofsofh, ascetic, or the lowest beggar would not look to impinge on this right, but it ties the community together. A displaced Daveni may find gifts of food, shelter, and water given freely, though the accommodations may be sparse. It is considered rude to refuse such an expression of Imun without having a replacement, and a gift in kind is expected when available to correct the balance.

>Can you explain more about this?

I hope that explained it? It is a systemic form of generosity to create social integration. If you have further questions I am ready for them.

>>29996389

Stealing all for game. Great OC.

bump for OC.