World Compilation

Generated: 2026-01-17T03:48:33+00:00 World directory: /builds/bahaynes/varanth/world

Note: Each top-level heading (#) below corresponds to one source file. The original file H1 is removed to avoid duplication. A comment under each heading shows the source path and category.

Table of Contents

• character_template — world/character_template.md (World)
• Morphotype_Taxonomy — world/races/Morphotype_Taxonomy.md (World)
• Rules — world/Rules.md (World)
• Toxicology — world/Toxicology.md (World)
• Culture_and_Customs — world/Velestra/Culture_and_Customs.md (World)
• Economy — world/Velestra/Economy.md (World)
• Geography — world/Velestra/Geography.md (World)
• History — world/Velestra/History.md (World)
• meta — world/Velestra/meta.md (World)
• Titles — world/Velestra/Titles.md (World)

character_template

Race: [Race] Title: [Title] Occupation: [Occupation] Affiliation: [Affiliation] Gender: [Male/Female/Androgynous/Other] Pronouns: [he/him]

Background

[Detailed background description. This text is included in the character's Description field.]

Key Traits

• Trait 1: Description
• Trait 2: Description

[This section is appended to the Description field.]

Current Role

[Description of the character's current situation, goals, and context. This maps to the Scenario field in SillyTavern.]

First Message

[This section maps to the First Message field. You can provide a single block of text, or a list of links to source files.]

Option 1: Direct Text (Dialogue Examples)

You are in the Hall of Pledges...

Option 2: List of Links (Alternate Greetings)

• Main Greeting
• Alternate Greeting 1

Note: The first item is the main greeting. Subsequent items are added as alternate greetings (swipes).

Key Relationships

• Character A: Relationship description.

Narrative Themes

• Theme 1
• Theme 2

Notable Achievements

• Achievement 1

Dialogue Examples

[This section maps to the Mes Example field. It provides examples of how the character speaks. You can use direct text with <START> separators, or a list of links.]

Option 1: Direct Text

<START> {{user}}: "Hello." {{char}}: "Greetings."

Option 2: List of Links (Dialogue Examples)

• Example 1
• Example 2

Note: The script automatically replaces the character's name with {{char}} and inserts <START> delimiters between examples.

Morphotype_Taxonomy

Morphotype taxonomy and naming conventions used across assets and prose. Latinized stems support noun/adjective/verb forms (e.g., lupastrine gait, to lupastrate).

Species Overview

Binomials and Latinized Stems

Use these binomials in bestiary notes and metadata. Stems provide gendered nouns, adjectives, verb forms, and quick human-form tells for portrait work.

Dracan Morphotypes

Felan Morphotypes

Lupan Morphotypes

Chiropteran Morphotypes

Cervan Morphotypes

Tauran Morphotypes

Lutran Morphotypes

Ursan Morphotypes

Rules

Purpose: independent of any plot or character; defines the physics, biology, theology, and sociopolitics of shapeshifting civilization.

I. Core Premise

Varanth is a post-mythic world where mammalian shapeshifters form a stratified theocratic empire ruled by dragon-blooded elites. Shifting obeys thermodynamic and neurochemical law; faith interprets this as divine mandate.

II. Biological Principles

• Mammalian Limitation: only warm-blooded species can shift.
• Cognitive Anchor: the brain holds a self-image mapping to genetic templates; loss of coherence causes pathology.
• Energy Law: transformation converts stored biochemical energy to structural rearrangement; energy cost scales with mass and complexity.
• Faith Feedback: disciplined belief stabilizes neural self-model; ritual meditation measurably improves shift coherence.
• Transformation Pathology: misalignment between brain and body templates yields partial shifts or metabolic collapse.
• Maternal Transmission of Form: morphotype (the inherited shift-template) passes strictly through the maternal line. Children inherit the mother’s House and its morphotype regardless of paternal form.

III. Mechanisms of Shifting

• Dual-Form Equivalence: mass conserved between forms; wounds transfer.
• State-Mapping: body maintains a neurochemical blueprint across forms; conscious alteration can “save” or “heal” changes.
• Metamorphics: empirical study of transformation mechanics; banned as heretical.
• Physiomorphia: orthodox doctrine asserting divinely fixed forms.
• Metastable State: partial transformation held at the threshold—temporary, energy-intensive, inherently self-limiting.

Toxicology

• Shifting maps state between bodies. This means that damage caused in either state propagates to the other. Poisons and toxins which are harmful to a shifter's animal form poison them when they shift, and the damage is mapped back to their human form when they shift back.

IV. Species Ecology

Morphotype ecology, binomial naming, and Latinized stems are consolidated in races/Morphotype_Taxonomy.md. Summary: Varanth's mammalian shifters span Dracan (imperial), Lupan, Felan, Chiropteran, Cervan, Tauran, and Lutran lineages, each adapted to distinct environments and economic roles.

V. Society & Governance

Velestra

• Matrilineal Succession: inheritance, property, and authority pass through the maternal line. Noble daughters inherit title, land, and command; sons serve as soldiers, scholars, or wards.

• House Structure: every noble family operates under a Matron, supported by elder Patronae and succeeded by a designated Domina. Non-heir daughters and sons are styled Nobilis, while recognized descendants without claim are Lineata or Lineat.

• House Forms: a House’s morphotype is uniform across houseborn descendants via the maternal line. Consortors do not transmit form; children belong to the mother’s House and morphotype.

• Consortors: noble husbands or ceremonial spouses who hold social prestige but no ruling authority. Their influence derives from alliance, not inheritance.

• The Velastra Empire: a centralized, matrilineal imperium ruled by the Imperatrix. Noble Houses govern territories as hereditary vassals of the throne, balancing local autonomy with imperial oversight.

• Imperial Governance: ranks granted by the Imperatrix or her ministers supersede hereditary ones. Granted titles include Praefect/Praefecta (civil or military command), Canonis/Canonat (high clergy), Tribunae/Tribunat (pledged envoy or noble ward), and Magistra/Magistrat (administrative authority).

• Tribunat Status: a temporary noble appointment held by Houseborn heirs or wards serving the empire as hostages, scholars, or envoys. Their loyalty ensures the obedience of their Houses.

• The Church Anatomica: a theological-scientific order claiming to interpret divine transformation as the foundation of social hierarchy. While nominally under the Imperatrix, it operates as a semi-autonomous bureaucracy that often resists reform.

• Reform Spectrum:

• Traditionalists maintain strict hierarchy and divine right through fixed Houses and theocratic law.
• Pragmatists (like Thalyra) uphold imperial order through function and merit rather than blood.

• Radicals seek dissolution of hereditary Houses and redistribution of authority.

• [[Titles]] and Forms of Address: (everyday speech favors simple terms—Lady, Lord, Matron, or Scholar—while formal occasions invoke full rank. Example: Domina Thalyra of House Renaris, Praefecta of the Western Hall.

VI. Technology & Era

Late-Classical to proto-Industrial. Empirical instruments, metallurgy, anatomy, early chemistry.

VII. Core Themes

Entropy, hierarchy as biology, rational inquiry versus dogma, faith and science as interdependent systems.

Toxicology

Toxicology Overview

This document tracks known toxins, their vectors, species-specific effects, and narrative usage within Velestra. Substances are categorized by delivery method and specificity. All substances listed here have real-world biochemical parallels or inspirations.

🥀 Aconite (Wolfsbane)

Type: Plant-derived neuroinhibitor Vector: Ingestion, contact with open wounds Effects:

• Disrupts transformation coherence (short-term memory loss, form instability)
• Commonly used in suppression rituals or to induce submission
• Non-fatal in low doses; fatal in concentrated extracts

Species Sensitivity:

• Lupan: Moderate (nausea, delayed shift onset)
• Felan: Low
• Dracan: Low

Narrative Use: Weaponized by Church Anatomica in early purification rites.

🍫 Theobromine (Cacao)

Type: Natural alkaloid (found in chocolate) Vector: Ingestion Effects:

• Cardiac and neurological overload in Lupan and related morphotypes
• Symptoms: trembling, nausea, seizures

Species Sensitivity:

• Lupan: High (often fatal)
• Felan: Negligible
• Dracan: Negligible

Narrative Use: Used in Petran's poisoning to mimic a natural accident.

🌿 Melaleuca Oil (Tea Tree Oil)

Type: Essential oil from non-native flora Vector: Topical or ingestion (e.g., sacred oils) Effects:

• Causes hepatic and neurological distress in Felan
• Symptoms: vomiting, coordination loss, shift-rejection

Species Sensitivity:

• Felan: High
• Lupan: Low
• Dracan: Negligible

Narrative Use: Nearly used during a tribute ceremony; stopped by Mal after uncovering southern trade routes.

🔥 Winterheart (Ergotized Cherry Bark)

Type: Fungal alkaloid (Ergotamine) Vector: Inhalation (incense) or ingestion Effects:

• Potent vasoconstrictor (clamps blood vessels)
• Causes "Thermal Runaway" in Dracans during shift (inability to radiate waste heat)
• Results in rapid internal hyperthermia and organ failure

Species Sensitivity:

• Dracan: Critical (Fatal during shift)
• Felan: Moderate (Circulatory distress)
• Lupan: Low (Disorientation)

Narrative Use: Used to mimic "divine failure" or biological weakness, as the victim appears to burn out from their own power rather than being poisoned.

Notes

• Species-specific vulnerabilities are shaped by metabolic demands, surface area exposure, and transformation thresholds.
• Many traditional Church rituals use or suppress these substances without full awareness of their physiological consequences.
• Future additions should note whether a toxin is banned, restricted, or in active ritual use.

See also: Rules/Shifting_Use.md, Characters/Malric_Aerath.md, Factions/Church_Anatomica.md

Culture_and_Customs

Social Norms

• Daily Life: For a commoner, life is defined by the traditions of their morphotype and the will of the local House Matron. A Cervan might spend their days tending communal farms, while a Lupan would be part of a shepherding or guard rotation. The day is structured around work, with social life revolving around small, close-knit kin-groups. Loyalty is owed first to the Matron, then the Imperatrix; the Church is a respected but often distant authority.
• Family Structure: The matrilineal system is absolute. A child's identity, name, and morphotype come from their mother. The maternal home is the center of life. Fathers are respected guests and partners but are not considered part of the core family lineage; their children belong to the mother's House. "Uncle-brothers" (the Matron's brothers) often play a significant role in a child's upbringing and training.
• Life Events:
• Birth: A birth is a celebration for the entire maternal line. The child is presented in a ceremony where their morphotype is formally acknowledged by the House Matron.
• Marriage: A "Consortor's Pact" is a pragmatic arrangement, often for alliance or trade. The Consort holds prestige but no authority. Love matches are common among lower classes, but the pact is what is legally recognized.
• Death: Funerary rites vary. Dracans and other "high form" nobles are often cremated on pyres, a practice echoing the Dracans' high thermal output. Other morphotypes may be buried in clan-specific grounds. The focus is on the soul's energy returning to the world, a concept the Church interprets as divine recycling.

Festivals and Rituals

• The Empress's Ascension: A state holiday celebrating the current Imperatrix's coronation day. It is marked by military parades in Aeltheguard, displays of wealth by the Great Houses, and mandatory oaths of fealty. It is a show of imperial power.
• The Quickening: An older, more popular festival in early spring. It celebrates the renewal of life and the stability of the morphotype. It involves feasting, dancing, and ritualized hunts. In some regions, it's a time when young morphosapiens attempt their first shift under supervision, making it a rite of passage.

Arts and Aesthetics

• Architecture: Imperial architecture, especially in the capital, is monumental and intimidating, reflecting Dracan dominance. It features massive stone, sharp angles, and motifs of scales and horns. In the provinces, architecture is more functional and adapted to the local morphotype—Lupan halls are communal and built for warmth, while Felan trade towns have open-air markets and easily accessible rooftops.
• Clothing and Art: Clothing is generally practical and made of wool, leather, or linen. Social status is shown through the quality of the material and the use of rare dyes, not through impractical designs. Jewelry is common for all genders. Art is often devotional, depicting the "divine forms" of the various species, or historical, chronicling the deeds of a House's ancestors.

Cuisine

• Food as Status: Cuisine is a major status symbol. Dracans and other powerful nobles favor rich, heavily spiced, cooked meats, showcasing their wealth and control over resources. It is considered "civilized."
• Regional Variation: In the provinces, diets vary by morphotype and available resources. Coastal Lutrans have a diet rich in fish and shellfish, some of which is eaten raw. Lupans in the hills might subsist on mutton, hard cheeses, and bread. A noble sharing a "primitive" meal with a lower-ranking morphotype would be seen as either a profound gesture of unity or a deeply insulting political statement.

Economy

Currency and Trade

• Currency: The economy operates on a two-tiered system. The Imperial Sol is the standard gold coin of the empire, used for high-level transactions, inter-House trade, and tax payments to Aeltheguard. For daily life, commoners use local currencies, which can vary by region—such as silver Talons in the west or stamped copper Tokens in the capital. This system allows the Great Houses to maintain some control over their local economies.
• Valuable Goods: Beyond raw materials, the most valuable goods are unique to the setting:
• Metastable Crystals: A rare, crystalline substance that is a byproduct of a catastrophic failure to shift. These crystals retain a significant amount of bio-energetic potential and are highly sought after by alchemists and the Church for research.
• Sunscale Hides: The shed skins of Sunscale Lizards, which are masterfully crafted into lightweight, heat-retaining armor for nobles.
• Falen Blood-Grapes: A variety of grape grown only in the Falen house's ancestral valley, producing a deep red wine that is a major luxury export.
• Trade Routes: Two primary arteries of trade dominate the empire:
• The Spine Road: The main land route that runs through the Aethel mountain range, controlled by the Dracans. It is the most direct way to move goods from the western provinces to the capital, but tolls are high.
• The Sea-Silk Route: A coastal sea route managed by a coalition of Felan and Lutran houses. It is slower than the Spine Road but allows for bulk transport of grain, timber, and textiles, avoiding the direct control of the Dracans.

Industries and Guilds

• Guilds exist in the world, to consolidate merchantile and artisan power.
• Many jobs are done traditionally by specific morphotypes
• Many jobs are gendered (Men work fields, are enlisted, woman study, lead, and handle logistics)
• Guilds are checked by imperial beurocracy, but regulatory capture happens.

Geography

Key Regions and Features

• Aeltheguard (The capital of Velestra) is located on a plateu below the largest pass through the Aelthel mountain range.
• The areas west of Aelthel mountains are hills and valleys, grapes, olives and sheep mostly grow there, managed by Lupans and Felans of the region.
• Farther west are small regions of forest, filled with ursine, cervan, etc. morphotypes.
• At the west end of the empire lies a warm water sea. Aquatic morphotypes live here.

Climate

• The empire is in a temperate region, warmed by westerly winds which bring warming currents from the sea.
• Seasons exist, but are mild. This has a key political consequence: warfare and trade are not halted by winter. The "political season" is year-round, leading to a state of constant, low-level tension and maneuvering between the Great Houses.

Flora and Fauna

• Birds and reptiles exist in plenty, but many mamallian niches were outcompeted by "Humans" in this world. All "Humans" are morphosapiens.
• See Toxicology.md for interesting plants.
• Sunscale Lizards: Small, golden reptiles that live on the Dracan highlands. They are non-sentient but their scales are prized for their thermal-retentive properties, often used in the armor of noble Dracans to help regulate their high body heat.
• Glimmer Moths: Their wings, when crushed, produce a fine powder that causes mild hallucinations and interferes with a morphosapien's ability to concentrate on their 'cognitive anchor', making shifting difficult or dangerous. The Church Anatomica has declared the substance heretical.
• Ironwood Trees: A slow-growing, incredibly dense hardwood found in the western forests. It is one of the few materials strong enough to be used in the construction of fortifications meant to withstand a charging Terradracan.

History

The Mythic Era

• Prior to the current age, individual clans of morphosapiens lived in their own regions, forming early nation-states.
• People tell legends of the goddess, how she bestowed the strength of beasts onto man, gave them divine forms to hunt and fish and explore.
• Rules of shifting have stayed stagnat for thousands or millions of years. Morphosapiens outcompeted non-shapehsifting mammals in most niches, though some still exist.

The Founding of the Empire

• The initial formation of Velestra was bloody, and built out of necessity as much as greed. Dracans, specifically Altadracans who lived in the Aethel mountain range controlled all land-bound trade in the region. They began by extracting tolls and tariffs, but as nations rose against them, their superior military crushed opposition and conquered.

Major Conflicts

• The War of Broken Forms (c. 300 years ago): A massive, empire-wide rebellion sparked by a coalition of "lower" morphotype Houses (Taurans, Cervans, and Lutrans). Fueled by the heretical teachings of the "Metamorphics"—scholars who claimed all forms were biologically equivalent and the hierarchy was a social construct—the rebels sought to dissolve the Dracan-led imperium.
• Consequences: The war was brutal and lasted nearly a decade. The rebels were ultimately crushed by the unified might of the Dracan and Felan houses. The aftermath saw the formal banning of Metamorphics, the execution of its practitioners, and the dramatic expansion of the Church Anatomica's power. The Church was given authority to "purify" bloodlines and enforce doctrinal loyalty, creating the rigid, dogmatic system that exists today. The memory of this war is a major reason why houses are so hesitant to challenge the Church or the Imperatrix openly, as the fear of another such conflict is deeply ingrained in the political consciousness. It is the historical precedent that the "Hereditary Preservationists" use to argue against any form of reform.

meta

Velestra is an empire in the world of Varanth. It is ruled by the Imperatrix, a powerful dragon-blooded noblewoman who wields the power of the empire.

Titles

Houseborne Titles

Imperial Titles

Notes on Succession and Imperial Daughters

• Succession is strictly matrilineal. The Imperatrix’s daughters hold specific legal and social standing as acknowledged heirs.
• Legitimacy is demonstrated in form; an heir’s animal form validates inheritance in public rite.
• The designated imperial heir may be styled (privately) as a Domina of the imperial line (e.g., “Domina of Flame” for the Dracan heir). This is not used in open court while an heir operates under cover.
• Male spouses (see Consortor) hold ceremonial roles without succession rights; sons do not inherit.

Common Noble/Alliance Titles