worldbuilding dump

I answered some questions from this site while procrastinating one day, thought I'd post em in case anyone's interested. (Don't get mad if I end up covering most of this in the comic otl that happens every time I post textwalls)

*Italics mentions how it relates to characters.

Is this generally an earth-like world?

Very nearly--
+thinner atmosphere (pressure at sea level ~460mmHg)
+high oxygen content (30%)
+Hot climate, no polar ice caps, freshwater oceans
+Surface 90% submerged
+Years/seasons same length as Earth's

Are there different human races, whether or not there are non-humans like elves or dwarves? How does the cultural and ethnic diversity of this world compare to the real world?

Humans: used to be, but nearly eradicated. Most cultural practices denied or outlawed after angels took all their land by force

Angels: two subspecies, angels and archangels. Some diversity between city districts, oriented around vocation, rather than origin, as kids get moved around a lot.

Centaurs: crazy lots of diversity. Dozens of tribes, some allied and some enemies. Culture varies by environment.

But overall much less diversity than the real world, due to there being not that much habitable land in the first place

How long have there been people on this world? Did they evolve, or did they migrate from somewhere/when else?

About 15,000 years, all humanoid species evolved at roughly the same time during an ice age.

Prior to the supercontinent's formation there were two main landmasses on which tetrapods and hexapods were more or less separate, so they evolved to fill parallel niches without competition. (though there were some cross-overs such as tetrapedal birds ending up on both and outcompeting dragons/early griffons etc. etc.)

If there are imaginary animals (dragons, unicorns, etc.), how do they fit into the ecology?

yeah we got a few

modern griffons: basically rats with wings and bird tails. They're pests, they eat garbage and live in urban areas and breed nonstop. And they fly and nest up high and rain urine wherever they go. Some breeds were artificially developed for lab use. (Even though they're classified as griffons, most people refer to them as “rats” and picture “griffons” as the extinct flying hexapod reptiles.)  *the “lab rats” vester mentioned are these

dragons: small extinct flightless lizards. The middle appendage made them look like dimetrodons. Modern descendants are Dracanolis

thunderbirds: teratorns (giant vultures). Live in the mountains to use slope soaring/thermals. Actively hunt. Slow to reproduce but long-lived.

Giant arthropods: due to the high oxygen content of the atmosphere. Includes butterflies, dragonflies, myriapods, spiders, crickets, crustaceans. They live anywhere on land or in shallow water. Basically just regular insects but bigger  *Vester encountered some giant butterflies on the surface

amendments to familiar animals: horses are smaller and stockier (like ancestral Earth species) (though angels bred domestic horses large enough to ride), wild ones live in plains/forest edges. No flightless birds or chickens. Prosimians extinct in the wild, simians (minus humans, angels, and centaurs) extinct altogether.

Which resources (e.g., coal, oil, iron ore, gold, diamonds, limestone, etc.) are particularly abundant, and in which areas?

Angels are aces at mining. Limestone cleared for urban development is used to make cement. TONS of anthracite (high-quality coal), which is burned to supply electricity. They have the technology to locate and drill for oil, but don't bother because they don't need it. They also have gold, silver, precious gems, sphalerite, salt,  copper, iron, lead, silicon, and a chest full of redstone blocks. Elaborate flood control from the surface supplies topsoil for farming.

Centaurs use turquoise for jewelry. Some herds have obsidian, which is used to make weapons/tools. Flint is common. Semi-nomadic herds in arid climates use clay to make pottery. *Procyon is a potter, which is common in his native herd but not in Vella's

How far back are there records or tales of historical events?

For the angels, about 400 years, canonically. They've been around far longer, obviously, but the hand wave “it was destroyed in the war” (while sometimes true) became an excuse to destroy/neglect anything that wasn't of direct benefit. Current generations have no way of knowing what really happened, what was lost, what was made up, what was intentionally eliminated, good lord, it's a mess. So they just stick to passing on what they do know for sure, which is limited to fairly recent events.

Centaurs actually do much better in this regard. They aren't literate but pass stories along orally and aren't conspiring to delude future generations, so that's nice.

Which peoples/countries/races have traditionally fought, allied, traded, or been rivals? Where are there still hard feelings about old events?

Angels and humans are enemies 5ever. The humans eventually lost. So they're pissed because the angels took their land and enslaved them, the angels are pissed because the humans hate them. it's just an endless cycle of misery

The centaurs would rather stay out of it. They fight among themselves but don't consider themselves friends with either humans or angels. They slightly resent the kind of people who are so eager to fling themselves into devastating wars. (the wars they wage between tribes are Not the Same.)

How many languages are there? Which ones are related (e.g., the Romance languages) and why? Which languages borrow words or phrases from other languages? Which is likely to be most widely spoken?

Currently just Latin in several dialects (varies across Agartha, plus the centaurs all have their own)
used to be a trade language so it sort of progressed among all the species. Humans used to speak Greek but angels banned it and that was that.

Why did people settle in this country in the first place — strategic location, trade route, water transport, minerals, good farming, etc.? Have things changed much since, or do they still depend on whatever brought them in the first place?

The angels came to live in the cave network because the humans were there. As the war progressed it became the only place the angels couldn't really attack, so its population (of humans) grew. So when the angels finally figured out how to invade and conquer it, that was instantly their favorite trophy.

Thing is some nutty extremists played a big role in that, so they gained influence with their ideas of what a wonderful utopia this could be........

What is considered a normal family unit? How extended is an extended family? How important are family connections and responsibilities?

For angels, two parents (male and female) and at least three adopted kids of different ages. Angels don't keep their own children, and after six months, the kids are required to move to a different family. The parents may or may not be married. The kids' responsibilities include basic chores like laundry, cleaning, running errands, dishes, taking care of pets, and supervising the younger siblings. Teenagers are expected to help with the family's business, stocking, answering the phone, boxing or unboxing goods, making shipments, or working the register. *See why Julius has no idea what to do with himself now

Archangels aren't held to any real expectations as far as families go. If you ask advertisements, their family should be 1-2 parents + 1-2 kids. But adult archangels know that's hit or miss. Some may have kids (adopted or biological), and some may live alone or with a significant other. Their kids' responsibilities vary depending on the parent, most archangels don't run businesses like angels do.

Extended family is not important to either, as most angels/archangels don't even know who their biological parents and siblings are.

It used to be typical for human slaves to live with the families. They were taken off the market forty years ago.

What are the rites of passage in this culture?

For both angels and archangels, completing the equivalent of secondary/high school is an understood transition to adulthood. Afterward, angels are expected to join the workforce, and archangels are invited to further schooling. It's the same for males and females.

Centaurs have a variety of “coming of age” rituals. Not defined yet.

Who is normally present for births? Is it strictly a matter for women, or are men involved, or is the only woman present the expectant mother?

For angels, the surgical team... they don't participate in vaginal birth. The father probably isn't there because he has to work.

For centaurs, the mother's close female relatives and the tribe's healer (usually male)

What customs surround death and burial?

Angels: the dead are salvaged for any organs, tissues, and blood, then cremated. Fun fact: if we're talking about euthanasia, the patient is typed and matched beforehand so the transplant can be scheduled based on the recipients' availability. How considerate! *this is what happened to vester

Centaurs have a variety of funeral rituals. The Abacos have “sky sendoffs” where the dead is taken to the mountains, painted and dressed, and left to be consumed by wild animals. They believe the Runner goddess travels all the mountains every sunset and takes souls up to the herd in the sky (stars).

When meeting someone, how are they greeted?

(Angels) Handshakes for formal settings, waving the alula for informal. If the other person is physically distant, might turn into a full-wing kind of wave, with or without the hand too.

Are gestures and body language in this society generally subtle or not? Do people talk with their hands, or is that considered vulgar?

(Angels) Kind of in the middle. It is definitely rude to flail one's wings around, though.

What is the most desired/most valuable stuff in this society? Is there a race/culture for whom non-material things (information, time) are the most valuable things?

(Angels) Immaterial first: a job that demands long hours and a lot of work. Angels are even more obsessed with work than america, gee whiz. It comes from the idea that caves are a tricky place to live so everyone has to put forth 10000000%  if anyone's gonna make it. Also it has to do with the way money/resources are distributed as a percentage of the gross total—no one wants to be seen as a freeloader.

Stuff: currently it's fashionable to buy new furniture like every other year. If you own a business, remodel, and then also buy new furniture. It used to be buying lots of new clothes. *so Vester boycotts furniture but sticks to the old spending fad? w/e man

What things are considered normal and acceptable in this society that would not be considered normal or acceptable in yours?

A lot of the angels' medical practices would be considered immoral. They're quick to euthanize, everyone is considered an organ/tissue donor by default, and they don't feel bad offing babies they know they can't take care of (whether due to physical/mental defect or simple overpopulation).

Agarthans are also willing to sacrifice privacy for security, like overkill. As evidenced by the kids/angels' wires, and there are cameras and microphones in pretty much every public place (including the stores where most angels also live) The police force is basically their military since they have no external enemies.

also they do orgies but they're actually super regulated. You can't even get in without an ID that requires medical examination (and is only good for one... “outing”), procreation license up to date, and they're segregated between angels/archangels to prevent any accidental crossbreed babies. They're set up to be ridiculously safe because otherwise no one would go for it!

But to be fair, angels have a lot of taboos on stuff we'd consider harmless. There's a neurotic universal burn ban that extends to anything smoke-producing. Candles, incense, basic cooking, smoking (anything), it is all illegal. “electricity ftw.”

Who is considered a citizen, with the rights and privileges thereof?

No one is allowed to leave/enter Agartha so like... anyone who's breathing there is implied to be a citizen. The only time one might be denied “citizenship” is any fetus or newborn found to have unacceptable defects and must thusly be terminated. But if you make that cut:

rights/privileges:
+education (up to high school level for everyone, university level for archangels)
+protection by the police
+get married if you want (to someone of the same social class)
+housing, food, electricity, etc

responsibilities:
+limited voting
+donating unused income at the end of the month
+donating body to science/organ donation
+“repay” expenditures (on education, cost of living) through work work work
+if the Powers That Be tell you to jump, you ask how high

Who are this culture’s historic heroes and villains?

Avex Devi—sources are unclear whether she was real, made up, or maybe several people—but the idea of the powerful, benign founder of agartha is the main point. Many old, perhaps outdated, policies are held to as “the way the founder wanted it”

Where is scientific and/or magical research done?

Most research is privately done. Researchers are responsible for buying/maintaining their own equipment (which the exception of outrageously expensive stuff, which is available for use at universities/hospitals), finding their own assistants/grad students, and probably hardest of all, managing to get approved to move to one of the districts allotted to researchers—that alone can take years but it's pretty hard to do that kind of work without the proper facilities.

They can make appeals (there are loads of different committees involved) to have some or all of the research funded. If they're affiliated with a university/hospital, that institution gets a cut in exchange for providing some materials/equipment and featuring the finished article on their site, which in turn can lead to both the institution and the researcher getting more funding in the future.

There's also a secondary, slightly different method of researching. Anyone who knows proper scientific procedure can submit data to a collective archive of All the Data. It can be about absolutely anything, as long as collection information is submitted with it. Then other researchers can pull that data and find correlations, write about it, etc., instead of/in addition to collecting their own.

What are the various ranks and titles and proper forms of address for the aristocracy/nobility?

Archangels go by Avix (males) or Avex (females). Formally should include the last name
anyone with a doctorate is called Doctor, of course
and seraphim (ex or presently serving) may be addressed as Seraph + last name

How many levels are there in this society?

Archangels, angels, and slaves. It's based on species so absolutely no mobility. Angels and archangels work and live pretty close, but slaves are another story—owned only by large businesses and work/live far out of sight from normal people.

Again though, used to be different. When slaves could be purchased by angels/archangels they were common in homes.

Who will take over running the government if the current head of state is incapacitated?

the way it's set up is: seven seraphim, each with dictator-like authority, but only over his division. The seven used to be from ruling families and the role was hereditary. But stuff changed and it's not anymore. The seraphim only serve for five years, and they appoint their successors. So this way, it's merit-based, no one has total control, and it doesn't take forever to campaign and count votes or wait for a committee to elect them.

During the last one or two years of office, it's expected for a seraph to more or less decide who's getting the job next and personally train him. Sort of like an apprentice. So in the event of incapacitation, the apprentice, the past seraph of the same division, or the other seraphim will find a way to make decisions. *This is Dr. Kulski's relation to Ethan. She gets the job as Seventh Seraph after him

Who is responsible for coinage?

They've actually shifted to doing everything digitally, since their money was plastic anyway:

credits are based on a percentage of the city's total profits for the previous year. They can only be spent on those things. The idea is to prevent anyone from accumulating too much wealth/power and destroying the careful balance of production and consumption that living underground requires. It also helps keep tabs on what people are buying/earning which is used to calculate rations, income tiers, and all sorts of wonderful things

but it ain't that easy, of course—criminals use sphalerite found in the caves as an agreed-upon Mineral of Worth so they can use it as currency for things like drugs, weird brothels, and weapons. It's not that common anymore (the cops keep finding and destroying it) but it keeps reappearing on the black market anyway. Its value is based on the purity and mass of the specimen, as it's far too difficult to really “coin” in a consistent way.

What are considered normal and legal ways of gathering evidence and determining guilt? Is torture allowed? Are arbitrary judgments by the lord or landowner allowed, or is there an independent standard of justice?

Property can be searched at any time for no apparent reason. If a cop finds something he doesn't like, he can confiscate it, and it's evidence. It's considered  a reasonable price to pay for safety.

Torture isn't allowed—in fact, great lengths are taken to avoid pain even when deliberate mutilations are enforced as a punishment. Doesn't convince the general public when they see the results, though...

conflicts are resolved in semi-public small courts. There are lots so the one nearest the location of the crime is used. If it's a clear case, only a judge is needed to pass the sentence. But if it's more serious, it'll be taken higher up.

Really there are only two punishments for crime in agartha: fines or mutilation. They don't use prisons (waste of space/resources). Fines are enforced by cutting wages (rations) until the debt it paid.

Mutilations are done by physicians in a sterile environment, and anesthesia/pain medication is provided. Might get physical therapy at some point down the road if you've been good. It's all quite nice and codified, and some penalties even include options.

Minor punishments are things like losing digits, sterilization, or cosmetic damage. Slightly worse is linguectomy, having an eye, ear, hand, or foot removed, but you might get to pay in organs instead if the guy next door needs a kidney. Severe punishments are loss of entire limbs (wings are least detrimental, then legs, then arms) or menticide. Other punishments can be administered for multiple levels, at different increments of damage—plucking, burn wounds, and removing nails.

Most of the “punishment” is due to society's fear/aversion to cripples. Somewhat to postoperative inconvenience, lost wages, anxiety over adjusting to the injury, that kind of thing. Least of all about the pain.

Oh and the death penalty also. They've got plenty of unborn babies who might turn out to be decent people, so if you fuck up, it's no problem to give your accommodations to someone who deserves it. Lethal injections are the only method considered humane.