Of string sketches

Following my own Vitruvian/Incendio demands, I need to rush in order to take time for some thoughts and research for the design of all things in this world. Fortunately I have the cultural themes already defined, so I am not without any starting place.

In addition to the cultural themes, there’s another layer to them. It’s another layer of definition which I hope will help me create the appropriate atmosphere that’s more intrinsic to the feeling they ought to represent.

For Ersatz scourgers, it’s the theme of abandon, of ill-planned and botched constructions. Quite medieval and rustic. This way Ersatz characters will also be more brute and dressed in rags, as it would pretty much represent how much we do not care about our appearance when we’re depressed. As it represents lack of life, black and grayish tones are very common. It just feels naturally to me that there are a lot of dim-lit ambients, and even outdoors it feels dark all the time with frequent storms in these grayish marshes and moors. An early flag would be a black field with a white or brown dragon as a badge.

Lazuria is about opulence and exaggeration and how excess of luxury feels to me. It shows an almost overwhelming concern with ornaments and details, and I really want to make this to contrast with the misery of Ersatz. It could have something of the heavy tone of baroque art, with dark values over primary colors to represent poignancy. Lazurian characters will show this feeling of egotistical preoccupation natural to the rich. It’s the revolting feeling when we see some taking everything to themselves, isnit. An early flag would have a dark orange field and a green or white flower as a badge.

Ilium city is simpler, and with a quite peaceful cleanliness. It’s about open spaces, light colors and green areas. It’s a world of balance and simplicity, with light value over all colors to indicate serenity. It’s got resources and they live in balance and with a sound economy, but without lavish characteristics, I don’t want that. Ilium characters, especially in this class where Vesta and Hephaestus belong to, they use some kind of uniform that reminds me of the traditional Jedi outfit (eh, it seems I’m quite inspired by the Jedi vs Sith quarrel). The early flag would be a red field with a gold or silver lion as a badge.

Zhàn’s theme is more difficult to string. How can it show time? My first guess is to show things with a blurry definition. Something abstract, but in the sense of ethereality and lack of solid presence; like a smokey thing. In fact, greyish themes seems nice for me. I can’t help but think of the Therns from Burroughs’ Princess of Mars trilogy. The Zhàn characters do look like some sort of immortal entities. In fact, time is about that. They will eventually invade this tiny land like a tidal wave and eliminate it forever. The flag would be a grey field and no badge, but maybe a white or blue circle or strip.

As for scourgers in general, they’re so far in a generic shape of monsters and evil looking characters. Are they going to be like roaming beasts around the world or experiments? Just chthonic scourgers feel appropriate to be like this. Thinking of them as game bosses don’t feel very satisfying. Other figures can be more like actual characters with speeches. Overall it’s a very deficient situation, but I’ve got tricks to try bringing some visual appeal to them. But I don’t want to worry about that for a while, as I rather prefer understand my own feelings and roles they play in my life.