Was the blood of Chaos also the origin of magic? Or did that stem from somewhere else? I think that's the one part that I wondered about the most as the spiders' existence explains the existence...
Was the blood of Chaos also the origin of magic? Or did that stem from somewhere else? I think that's the one part that I wondered about the most as the spiders' existence explains the existence of the elements.
All in all, it's rather unique to use spiders which kept me interested.
I don't think creation myths should be difficult or even have to be accurate, it's generally apocryphal or perhaps never the entire truth.. just the one we, or rather the people in your dnd world, know. A story usually passed down through oral tradition and it's possible it lost some nuance or facts somewhere. What if it isn't true in the slightest? Just to be clear, I think it fits this bill.
But what does this creation myth do for people? Do they revere the spiders? Do churches exist? Do the spiders' personalities bleed into normal life? Are some of these traits extolled as virtues? Which one of the spiders has the largest influence? Or is there perhaps another pantheon of Gods that people borrow from? What are the spiders to this pantheon then?
If you can answer those things you have a functional creation myth. Which I don't think should be too difficult, it's already rather complete.
Edit to add: you asked for feedback on style, and while I'm not a writer in the slightest I do think this story is written well as a folkloric fairytale. It explains things, but not too much. It has mystery, but not too vague. I've read stories similar to these that are actual creation myths, Anansi comes to mind.
These are some interesting questions, thanks! I hadn't given that a lot of thought. I suppose in my mind magic was always just "there." Maybe it originates from nature itself, or it's sort of like...
These are some interesting questions, thanks!
Was the blood of Chaos also the origin of magic? Or did that stem from somewhere else?
I hadn't given that a lot of thought. I suppose in my mind magic was always just "there." Maybe it originates from nature itself, or it's sort of like the Force in Star Wars. Perhaps it's in some sort of interaction between all the elements. One for me to think about further for sure, as you've got me curious now!
But what does this creation myth do for people?
I think it simply allows them to explain the world they live in and where it came from, and some of the many natural disasters that occur. The world that I'm creating consists of a single continent as a result of that final attack by Water, so maybe there's a need to understand why there was once a lot more to the world than there is now.
Do they revere the spiders? Do churches exist? Do the spiders' personalities bleed into normal life? Are some of these traits extolled as virtues? Which one of the spiders has the largest influence? Or is there perhaps another pantheon of Gods that people borrow from? What are the spiders to this pantheon then?
Initially, yes. The Five Children were as giants and gods on Imaval, and in attempts to placate these eldritch beings the Quick will have worshipped and feared them. In the setting of my story (several thousand years later) it's less relevant though, and while there are still some spider cultists who still worship the "old gods", and a population of giant spiders living in some of the woods, the majority have come to believe in other pantheons and religions. Taking inspiration from American Gods, I really like the idea that simply believing in a god creates one, and so there are many gods to choose from in the present day. Maybe they are best thought of as demigods, though, as they are not all-powerful super beings like the Five Children. I hadn't given it much consideration until now, but I like the idea that in these distinct mythologies the new gods arose and smote down the Five Children to save the Quick from total destruction, rather than it simply being the combined forces of many powerful magicians. Another one for me to think about!
I do think this story is written well as a folkloric fairytale. It explains things, but not too much. It has mystery, but not too vague. I've read stories similar to these that are actual creation myths, Anansi comes to mind.
Thank you! I was worried that the prose might come across as a little florid and overly ornamented. I wanted to try something Tolkien-esque with it (and there is one very direct reference to his own creation myth in here), and while my work pales in comparison, I think it's a reasonable facsimile of that grandiose kind of style that Tolkien draws upon.
The fantasy trope being that Druidic or nature magic is old, often titan or elemental in origin. You then have your regular magic like leylines which is tapped into by sorcerers and wizards, with...
Maybe it originates from nature itself
The fantasy trope being that Druidic or nature magic is old, often titan or elemental in origin. You then have your regular magic like leylines which is tapped into by sorcerers and wizards, with the divine magics coming from, well.. the divine. I recommend playing around a bit with the types of magic and their origins. It doesn't even have to be something the players will ever know, but it allows you to add some flavour if an NPC is casting divine magic inspired by an old eldritch spider god.
None of this is written in stone. Magic is one of those things where the origin simultaneously matters and doesn't, so whatever you do with it is entirely up to the world builder. It can give players a handle on how to approach or learn magics without forcing them to take that path, or it can even shape cities and the general populace.
Consider a cult of the chaos spider and what their magic would look like. Is it divine in nature? Corrupted perhaps by the fraying of chaos itself. No longer a golden shine and a cleanly healed wound, but a sickly red silk binding a wound leaving a marred scar.
All in all, magic can enhance the verisimilitude as long as it fits within the world building. A creation myth is just that, a framework you use to build the rest of the world's history. Make it consistent and players will feel it's consistent, often giving them a clear example how magics can interact with the world and how they can use that to their advantage.
I enjoy reading creation myths, I think they are a fascinating insight into the character of a people or work. I've been putting together a homebrew world for D&D, and I took a break from some of...
I enjoy reading creation myths, I think they are a fascinating insight into the character of a people or work. I've been putting together a homebrew world for D&D, and I took a break from some of the planning and plotting to write up how the world came to be created.
I would be grateful for feedback on the content and the style!
Was the blood of Chaos also the origin of magic? Or did that stem from somewhere else? I think that's the one part that I wondered about the most as the spiders' existence explains the existence of the elements.
All in all, it's rather unique to use spiders which kept me interested.
I don't think creation myths should be difficult or even have to be accurate, it's generally apocryphal or perhaps never the entire truth.. just the one we, or rather the people in your dnd world, know. A story usually passed down through oral tradition and it's possible it lost some nuance or facts somewhere. What if it isn't true in the slightest? Just to be clear, I think it fits this bill.
But what does this creation myth do for people? Do they revere the spiders? Do churches exist? Do the spiders' personalities bleed into normal life? Are some of these traits extolled as virtues? Which one of the spiders has the largest influence? Or is there perhaps another pantheon of Gods that people borrow from? What are the spiders to this pantheon then?
If you can answer those things you have a functional creation myth. Which I don't think should be too difficult, it's already rather complete.
Edit to add: you asked for feedback on style, and while I'm not a writer in the slightest I do think this story is written well as a folkloric fairytale. It explains things, but not too much. It has mystery, but not too vague. I've read stories similar to these that are actual creation myths, Anansi comes to mind.
These are some interesting questions, thanks!
I hadn't given that a lot of thought. I suppose in my mind magic was always just "there." Maybe it originates from nature itself, or it's sort of like the Force in Star Wars. Perhaps it's in some sort of interaction between all the elements. One for me to think about further for sure, as you've got me curious now!
Do they revere the spiders? Do churches exist? Do the spiders' personalities bleed into normal life? Are some of these traits extolled as virtues? Which one of the spiders has the largest influence? Or is there perhaps another pantheon of Gods that people borrow from? What are the spiders to this pantheon then?
Initially, yes. The Five Children were as giants and gods on Imaval, and in attempts to placate these eldritch beings the Quick will have worshipped and feared them. In the setting of my story (several thousand years later) it's less relevant though, and while there are still some spider cultists who still worship the "old gods", and a population of giant spiders living in some of the woods, the majority have come to believe in other pantheons and religions. Taking inspiration from American Gods, I really like the idea that simply believing in a god creates one, and so there are many gods to choose from in the present day. Maybe they are best thought of as demigods, though, as they are not all-powerful super beings like the Five Children. I hadn't given it much consideration until now, but I like the idea that in these distinct mythologies the new gods arose and smote down the Five Children to save the Quick from total destruction, rather than it simply being the combined forces of many powerful magicians. Another one for me to think about!
Thank you! I was worried that the prose might come across as a little florid and overly ornamented. I wanted to try something Tolkien-esque with it (and there is one very direct reference to his own creation myth in here), and while my work pales in comparison, I think it's a reasonable facsimile of that grandiose kind of style that Tolkien draws upon.
The fantasy trope being that Druidic or nature magic is old, often titan or elemental in origin. You then have your regular magic like leylines which is tapped into by sorcerers and wizards, with the divine magics coming from, well.. the divine. I recommend playing around a bit with the types of magic and their origins. It doesn't even have to be something the players will ever know, but it allows you to add some flavour if an NPC is casting divine magic inspired by an old eldritch spider god.
None of this is written in stone. Magic is one of those things where the origin simultaneously matters and doesn't, so whatever you do with it is entirely up to the world builder. It can give players a handle on how to approach or learn magics without forcing them to take that path, or it can even shape cities and the general populace.
Consider a cult of the chaos spider and what their magic would look like. Is it divine in nature? Corrupted perhaps by the fraying of chaos itself. No longer a golden shine and a cleanly healed wound, but a sickly red silk binding a wound leaving a marred scar.
All in all, magic can enhance the verisimilitude as long as it fits within the world building. A creation myth is just that, a framework you use to build the rest of the world's history. Make it consistent and players will feel it's consistent, often giving them a clear example how magics can interact with the world and how they can use that to their advantage.
I enjoy reading creation myths, I think they are a fascinating insight into the character of a people or work. I've been putting together a homebrew world for D&D, and I took a break from some of the planning and plotting to write up how the world came to be created.
I would be grateful for feedback on the content and the style!