Race: Inferno

[Artifice]

Forward: The following is meant to be an overview of each race, not a definition. Like humans, each race contains members that vary to some degree; there are thieves, madmen, dissidents and honorable members of each race. Hopefully this can be reflected in the writing of the game whilst still maintaining the flavor of each race. Furthermore, these descriptions are for a localized region of Radakan. There exists lands across sea and deserts where races have developed differently: Arachs may be little more than wild nomads, Grogg may have set up large cities and Infernos may be living without any modifications. Much like the difference between the elephants of Africa and Asia, species adapt to their surrounds and modify their culture to fit their needs. I would hope this is something that could be explored in the future, possibly through expansions.

Inferno
-I think we should consider renaming these guys. Inferno suggests either something chaotic and powerful or something demonic. I also think it not only sounds completely stock RPG and cheesy, but breaks the mold of creating a truly new race for a game. I'd rather see it be an interesting sounding name rather than something that 'describes' the race (ie Xemna instead of Unicorn Dudes ). Given that nothing has struck me yet, the Inferno moniker is still used throughout. Open to suggestions here..

Biology
To those not accustomed to an Infernos' appearance, they can appear to look quite startling, monstrous even in some cases. This is due to the fact they are a blending of biology, wood and metal connections in the place of missing limbs and appendages, to give animation to this troubled specie. Infernos are bipeds, with two arms (organic or otherwise), and stand about 6ft tall. Their caste system decides what kind of prosthetic aids the people will be able to afford. While the poor have wooden legs or metal arms with perhaps hooks or a shear in place of a hand, the rich possess slightly better replacements, often decorated.
Some modifications are specifically functional, ie a farmer with a scythe for an arm, or a blacksmith a mallet. Some, especially in the upper ranks of the guild, are purely decorative.

Addition: Without modifications, Infernos are the most 'human' looking of the Radakan races, though their heavy modifications make them almost unrecognizable as humanoid sometimes.

Habitat
An Infernos' home community is very much a mirror of the specie itself. Usually wood and stone dwellings, Infernos are quite capable of adapting to many climates and locations, although they do prefer mild weather. They tend to build in places that have the materials they require, such as at the joining of mountains and forests, on hillsides with trees, or in forests with cave access. Their obsession with astrology and the mechanics of the stars do impact heavily on the look and placement of their architecture. When the first studies of the stars and moons where made by Infernos, their wise men saw that the cosmos moved in a set system, and the understanding of mechanics grew into a passion until it had major influence of the entire specie. Infernos were perhaps the first specie to realize the work of the gods, and decided that their disease is a gift given to them, allowing strive to turn their bodies and homes into celebrations of holy wisdom. Most commonly, buildings are in alignment with the pattern of the stars and moons, and represent their placement, size and importance, with each building paying tribute to the celestial body that represents each god.

Politics/Society
An Infernos community is very male dominated, with woman having no political influence over the people. A caste system exists within the Infernos' culture, with five different castes ranging from the lowest which make up the majority of the society, to the highest who are the elites. The lowest of Infernos are commonly the laborers or unskilled class. The second tiers are the more skilled craftsmen and merchants. The third tier is the army or warrior class of Infernos; anyone who serves the upper echelons through enforcement of Infernos laws and statutes. Fourth tier are the priests and astrologers, who advise the chieftains or governors about the gods, and are usually called upon to give readings and perform ceremonial duties. Above all the others, but few in numbers, sit the chieftains and governors of the community. The actual number of leaders varies from tribe to tribe, but one chieftain or governor, and a handful of advisers are common.
-A total reworking of the Inferno society follows. I felt the original was too directly reflective of Indian/Middle Eastern culture and therefore neither original or interesting. The changes bring their drive for production and creation to the forefront, as well as creates an interesting melding of religion and politics and gives a basis for their need for body modification.

Productivity and the molding of the natural world is the basis for Inferno society. They believe that the world was set in place by their god, to be molded and shaped into pleasing forms. To this end, Inferno society is based around a guild system, which also doubles as a religious order. Their religion is inseparable from their society and forms the basis for all that motivates and rules their culture. The top echelon of the guild consists of the inventors, which are also the shaman/holy men and lead the group both spiritually and socially. Beneath them are the engineers and doctors responsible for carrying out the inventors' designs, and the surgeons responsible for the Divine Transformation of the people. The next sect are the craftsmen, which is anyone involved in the hands-on production - this also includes farmers (as they are the ones with day to day responsibility for creating the food). The next rank in their society is the common laborers; anyone involved in carrying out day to day tasks to maintain the working social order (ie cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc). Women are given an equal task in all things, as excluding a segment of society would lower the chance of productivity.

One of the most interesting aspects of Inferno culture is the idea of the Divine Transformation. As a sacrifice to their god, Infernos remove pieces of themselves as a 'tithe' for their ability and inspiration. This starts at a young age (around 5-6), as soon as their bodies can support it. Early modifications are usually small (fingers, toes, ears, etc). By the time Infernos reach maturity, they usually have replaced a major limb, or have grafted items to their head. This process is considered an honor, and the status of a person is often determined by the amount of modifications and the quality of their replacements, in addition to their 'official' ranking in the guild. Divine Transformations are generally either coming of age/rite of passage related, or bestowed by priests.


Crime
Crime is quite common in an all-Infernos environment. Most petty crime is committed by the lower castes; thievery and assaults are frequently perpetrated by these classes, partly due to the fact that they are the poorest, and have to work harder to eat and buy goods. The upper classes are sometimes involved in corruption, briberies are not unknown and neither are sex related crimes, although punishments handed out to soldiers and higher ranks are rare, unless of course, the victim is of a higher caste. Violent crime is not the most important of concerns for the Infernos though. Being hot tempered people, fights are common, but it is only when a higher caste is attacked by a lower caste that violence then becomes an issue.
-Due to the reworking of their social order, changes have been made to reflect their views and the occurrence of crime in Inferno society.

Crime is very rare in Inferno society. The single minded purpose of the race keeps most focused on the tasks at hand. As law is considered divine decree, most are unwilling to break it. Some rivalry or jealousy exists, especially between levels in the guild. Most crimes are not violent in nature, though there are exceptions. Crimes generally take the form of sabotage, theft of materials, or something to create public embarrassment.  Violent crime is usually attributed to mental illness, and either dealt with by banishment or lobotomy. Nonviolent crime is usually dealt with in like (eye for an eye), or by removal or prosthetics, removal of rank or in cases of sever crimes, banishment or death.

Food
Harvesting and Livestock are the primary source of food. As the culture embraces seasons and cyclical changes, so too does their agriculture. Different plots of land are harvested in each different season, with each producing its own unique crops. Livestock are slaughtered in a random fashion however (why random?), but the method of slaughter does change according to the time of year.

Economy
Infernos are mainly adept farmers, and their exports of vegetables and meat are popular goods among Radakans other species and can be seen in many marketplaces. Infernos' are a diverse race, and can fulfill a variety of roles. Their short tempers do not always make them good priests, but they do have the aptitude to apply themselves to most endeavors. It is common for Infernos that have left their hometown, to seek a position in a mixed-specie community that is above their original casting.
-Changed to reflect the removal of the 'hot headed' sterotype. I'm thinking about adding some motivation for them to leave their communities, possibly as engineers in trade for rare materials, to prove themselves, or to escape the guild society

Main exports
-   Astrological charts
-   Telescopes
-   Surgeons
-   Clocks
-   Crops
-   Livestock
-   Metals
-   Machinery/crafting ability

NOTE: Machinery in the case means simple machines. In the world of Radakan, no race has developed anything driven by something other than people or animals. Infernos have developed technolgy equivalent to the ancient Greeks or Egyptians - use of systems of pullys, levers, and simple gear systems to transfer kinetic energy supplied by manual labor. In contrast, races such as the Xemna are more on par with the Dark Ages, where simple machines may be used occasionally, but most work was done by hand and mass labor forces. Again, there is no steam driven technology, no explosives, no gunpowder etc in Radakan.

Communication
Infernos speak fluently and clearly, but are prone to profane outbursts, whether in normal conversation or an argument. They do usually limit their responses to short answers, unless they're talking about invention/construction/engineering/etc. When talking about these subjects, they tend to go on ad nauseum and lose the other party entirely.
-This is just silly. There's no motivation for profanity in the original design and certainly not in the new one. It seems to be a cheap ploy to make them distinct, but will most likely come off as childish and vulgar in game. Now I'm no prude, I curse like a sailor in everyday conversation, but I've yet to see a video game that comes off as realistic when inserting excess profanity. Changes made to reflect their single minded pursuits
 
Personalities
Being a hot-headed specie, the Infernos can seem very rude and short with people, and they do not forget a trespass against them easily. Due to their appearance, other species mainly avoid them, as they find it hard not to stare in morbid fascination at some deformity that adorns an Infernos' body. This can make a Hot-headed Infernos explode with rage, so it is best to exchange words quickly and go about your business.

Infernos are single minded in their pursuits, and tend to lack social skills or patience when dealing with matters outside their goals. It is common for Infernos to walk away when in the middle of a conversation that does not interest them, though they will ramble on for hours about their plans and goals. Their lack of social graces have lead other races to try and avoid conversation with them unless necessary, and then only for brief encounters. It should be noted that some Infernos will react with hostility if pressed into conversations they find uninteresting or uncomfortable.
-I really feel that a 'hot headed' race is unrealistic and should be confined to individuals. I think the above addendum is much more plausible given the alterations to their culture, while still leaving open the idea of the quick-to-temper Inferno.

Gods
Infernos are the most pious of races, with their entire society based around their belief that their god created the universe for the sole purpose of being molded by the races in it. Their intense beliefs boarder on zealotry.
-I think we need to address the Religion(s) of Radakan. I'm not nixing this completely, but I think it deserves some thought and revision. More to come..

Lifecycle
Conception
Infernos can marry into their own caste only, neither above nor beneath themselves, and the place of marriage is caste specific also. The higher the caste: the grander the wedding and its venue. The female and male then normally stay together for as long as they both live, and produce as much offspring as they wish (around 3 on average).

Infernos tend to marry within their guild status, though inter-rank pairings do happen. While this is not strictly taboo, it is frowned upon in some Inferno societies. Pairings are sometimes arranged by the leaders of the guild to product what they hope to be workers with particular traits.
-Reworked to reflect changes in society

Birth
A female Inferno stays pregnant for around 10 months to a year, and gives birth presided over by family members and a doctor. Normally she is quite drunk during the whole process. Due to a hereditary disease, Inferno babies are born deformed, sometimes hideously. Mostly it is limbs that are missing, or an eye or a jawbone or a combination of all. It is common for the female to have one child at a time, though up to five in one birth have been noted. After the birthing period, the male Infernos would normally celebrate with the other males of the family by drinking himself into a stupor, not uncommonly disappearing for a day or two to be found almost paralytic in a strange place, missing an artificial limb.
-Removed alcohol references due to new reasoning for modification. Despite the change to birthing, I still like the idea of new dads getting wasted and losing their prosthetics. Might lead to an interesting quest..."Dude, where's my leg?"

Life
The lower castes of Infernos are seldom educated, save for what they are taught by their familial elders. They usually begin work at an early age, and labor up until they are around 60 years of age, then when they are physically unable to work, the younger family members take care of them. The higher castes are gifted with a good education and/or craft apprenticeships, up until adulthood, and normally stay in their chosen vocation for their working lifetime.

Infernos are trained in the culture and religion of their society from birth. Usually beginning with the parents, children are tutored in the sciences and engineering, then later through apprenticeships with other Infernos. During all this, they are given many aptitude tests to determine where their abilities lie. Usually by the age of 13-14, they are placed within the appropriate calling in a large ceremony with other children entering the same profession, presided over by the leader of their guild sect. Here they begin the lifelong training and education that is being an Inferno.
-Reworked to reflect guild system

Death
Funerals are quite sombre. All Infernos mourn the passing of friends, family, and anyone they held in high regard. Most Infernos however, are buried with their material possessions and artificial body-parts, which does give raise to grave robbery, especially by other races, though not exclusively. Like the Infernos society structure itself, the higher the cast - the grander the funeral. A funeral ceremony for a high ranking member is very ritualistic, and is performed with precision. It is again influenced by the mechanics of the cosmos. With the cadaver rotated daily in a circular motion for four days, until he has achieved a 360 degree movement, he is then placed in the ground to be buried with his worldly goods. Lower Infernos are deemed less worthy of such an effort, and are put into the earth after the service.
-Still working on this part

Skills
Due to their culture, Infernos has become very adept at surgery and mechanics. Although they are not gifted with great accuracy, (accuracy of what?) their engineering aptitude is to be celebrated. They are highly skilled in clockwork, astronomy and surgery, and these skills are much sought after. Infernos are the only race known to have mastered advanced metallurgy (though the Xemna have made some inroads), a process that is closely guarded from other races. Their metals and metalwork are prized throughout the land. Being as strong as they are, they also make good soldiers, sailors and laborers, though they are not quite as powerful as the Grogg. It is not uncommon for other races to hire Inferno engineers to design specific devices or buildings, just as Infernos sometimes employ Grogg as manual labor.

Race relations
Some Infernos proclaim themselves as the gods 'chosen ones', which does sour relations between themselves and the xemnas. This specie can be found throughout Radakan, and integrate well into a mixed specie kingdom. They also employ other species to build up their settlements, and have an appreciation for the Harpies music and arachnyd crafts.
-Need to add specifics for each race, still WIP

[Taldor]

Your additions and improvements look very good!

Differentiating members of a single race is fine, but the differences should be very simple. (E.g. house styles differ in hot and cold regions.) It's nice to have detail, but we shouldn't overcomplicate things. Our players will only get confused.

I think we should consider renaming these guys.

Agreed.

Without modifications, Infernos are the most 'human' looking of the Radakan races, ...

How would they look like without modifications? Not exactely as humans, I hope.

Infernos were perhaps the first specie to realize the work of the gods, and decided that their disease is a gift given to them, allowing strive to turn their bodies and homes into celebrations of holy wisdom.

I thought you wanted to scrap the disease idea.

I'm thinking about adding some motivation for them to leave their communities, possibly as engineers in trade for rare materials, to prove themselves, or to escape the guild society

It's a good idea. From a game design standpoint, mixing races can result in very interesting situations.

I really feel that a 'hot headed' race is unrealistic and should be confined to individuals. I think the above addendum is much more plausible given the alterations to their culture, while still leaving open the idea of the quick-to-temper Inferno.

Agreed.

Due to their culture, Infernos has become very adept at surgery and mechanics. Although they are not gifted with great accuracy, (accuracy of what?) their engineering aptitude is to be celebrated.

I think the original writer meant dexterity (hand-eye coordination).

[Artifice]

Your additions and improvements look very good!

Thank you, and thanks for the comments!

Differentiating members of a single race is fine, but the differences should be very simple. (E.g. house styles differ in hot and cold regions.) It's nice to have detail, but we shouldn't overcomplicate things. Our players will only get confused.

I think this was more just for flavor, and to set the scope of the world. I was thinking of Europeans discovering the Americas, or the first explorers in Asia. When you travel to a part of the world that's been cut off from the rest of it, either by distance or geography (as I assume our section of Radakan will be since designing the entire world would be beyond the scope of this project), people tend to have differences in culture, technologyand development. I suppose I was trying to leave the door open to further expansion while setting some boundaries for our game world. I'm thinking the game will be bounded by water on two sides, a large mountain range on one and something else on the other. If we really get the game going and decide to expand it down the road, opening passage to another area would be an easy way to expand the game world, and would let us maintain the races while introducing interesting differences. At this point, I don't imagine it'll be anything the players ever see or something we'll have to deal with. Sorry for the rambling, I hope this makes sense.

How would they look like without modifications? Not exactely as humans, I hope.

No, not exactly human. I was thinking they'd be hairless, and possibly have some minor but distinct feature like a bony ridge on their heads or something like that, and possibly iridescent red eyes (kind of a nod to the inferno name, even if we rename them).  I was really going to address it during the concepting phase. I figured harpies have the legs/wings, arachs have the lower body, xemna have the skin color and horn and grogg are huge and 'grogg-like', therefore infernos would be most humanlike if only because I didn't plan on adding big body parts or anything radical.

I thought you wanted to scrap the disease idea.

I did. This part slipped through, I'll edit it.

It's a good idea. From a game design standpoint, mixing races can result in very interesting situations.

I agree. Part of my goal with this redesign is to have a motivation for all the races to live in the same places while not seeming artificial and still maintaining their distinct personalities and cultures. I want players to walk into a town and really believe there's a reason all these races are there and not make it seemed forced.

I think the original writer meant dexterity (hand-eye coordination).

I see. I'll make a note of it.

[Jecho]

So I'm attempting the concept art for the Inferno species. No hair and ridge on head can be done but I've hit a bump at the artificial limbs.

They attach metal or wooden limbs, but how do they attach them exactly? Bolts..? Not sure how it's done in the time period.

[Artifice]

I envisioned it as a graft, where the skin actually grows over the new limb. I guess there'd probably be some instances when the use of pins or shafts would be necessary, especially at joints. Another option would be replacement above/below the joint. As for "how it's done in the time period"...it's not. Just use your imagination.

From a design standpoint, it'd probably be best to do the humanoid Infernal, then the individual attachments. This would let us build modularly. Do include how the limb would operate and attach. For important NPC Infernals we can do a whole design, but I'd think it best to start with the run of the mill guys and work up to the important ones.

[Taldor]

http://www.radakan.org/setting/races/inferno has been adapted.