[0] World of Hetherev

Welcome! Do you have an original character, and do you enjoy drawing them in new and unusual places, with the characters of others? Then Hetherev is the place for you! This world is a crazy mixture of people and creatures created by other artists. Hetherev provides a few places your character can arrive in (with pretty general descriptions you can build on). It also provides written challenges or tasks you can use to help you decide what your character does or who/what it interacts with. This is a pretty flexible group! The purpose of Hetherev is to have fun.

The idea is that your character can be leading their normal life, trip over an inter-dimensional hole and Hetherev is where they end up. With no idea how they got there, how they're going to get home, or why they suddenly can't remember where they came from. One thing is for certain, you can only get to Hetherev by accident, and there's no exit in sight! No one knows exactly where or at what point it's boundaries begin or end. It is essentially a dimension that sits alone with no discernible door in or out. Once your character is here, it appears to be here for the long haul.
About Hetherev

      It's a one way door - Coming into a Hetherev (as a character) is pretty much a one way door. They're dropped in and.. uh oh, they have no way to get home. Teleporting won't work, magic won't work, egads, they're stuck! The only exceptions are made with the Portal Home challenge which will be introduced later. Though this is intended only as a story-tool and not a way to remove your character from the group. We don't want characters to disappear from the ref folders or the world, it's confusing to new members, haha.

      Technology - If you're unfamiliar with steampunk, all you need to do is run a google image search and you'll get an eyefull. (Of steampunk, we hope, and nothing else...). Steampunk is a concoction of fantasy and technology. In the most technologically advanced areas of Hetherev (such as Aspik City) we have cars, the occasional junker propeller plane and if you're in a particularly techno-savy city, you might have train service. Computers and cellphones don't really exist here. Other, high-end technology is possible, but it was probably brought by a character and isn't actually native to the world.

      People and Cultures - (ANY original character type is permitted! There are rules and guidlines.) Besides being populated by the plethora of characters that are dropped into the dimensions by accident, the world of Hetherev is populated mostly by humans. These human families can't trace their roots back to a source, but they know they've been around for a while and if Hetherev wasn't their world at first, it certainly is now. That's okay though, they're used to strangers dropping in. Other native races may be developed later. The native people of each area are fictional, and pretty much left up to you. Just remember that what you draw or design is probably going to get drawn by other people too. Don't submit anything you're not comfortable with sharing!

      Government - Presently only Aspik is governed. Politics are great for you if you're a good guy, you've got rights, freedom and a round mayor that might, maybe care what's going on in your city. If you're not a functioning member of society, tough luck. You've got to move into the general anarchy of the 'bad guy' neighborhoods. If you live in Aspik, for instance and you kill someone and get caught, you'll be forced underground into Acliba, the designated living quarters for the swindlers, killers and worst of the worst. Unless of course you get away with it.

      Magic - We don't have many rules on magic. Our only request is that it not be abused too fiercely. We don't really care what your character's magical abilities are. As long as you respect the other characters and remember that this world belongs to everybody (and cannot be dominated by one person), then you're good.

      Weapons/Other technology - We feel the same way about this as magic. As long as it's not too overbearing, it's cool. It might even be fun to see a working fighter jet, as long as it's not causing mayhem where not wanted. The only hitch is your character brings the technology with it, that is if it outclasses middle technology.

      Travel - Travel in Hetherev differs depending on where you are. Each area has a different form of travel and some are quicker than others. It doesn't really matter how your character travels. After your first three challenges (in order), on the third challenge you're given a choice of finding a mount or just traveling in your character's preferred method. After that mount challenge your character can go to the other areas and do the challenges there, if you want!

      Language - For the sake of convenience, everyone who arrives in Hetherev magically speaks the same language! Or can, if you choose. You can also choose to have them learn it. Some characters just wake up one morning and speak the common dialect with no good explanation.

      World Map Drak-Arts was kind enough to make us one! drakhanlord.deviantart.com/art…

History
Hetherev's history is largely unrecorded. Some of the more aristocratic families probably have theories of how long they've been there and what they're entitled to because of it, but the fact is no one really has a clue. The facts are: People are dropped here. It's some kind of dimensional crossroads where apparently random drop-ins occur, and nobody knows why or how to predict them. It's so common it's practically unnoticed by the natives.

All of Hetherev's material is completely made up. The names below are not taken from anywhere, or based on any places. They're just sounds we threw together the night we constructed the group.

Hetherev Towns/Areas
If you are new, a green bullet () indicates this area has arrival challenges. You MUST choose a green area for your character to arrive in. They cannot arrive in Aspik City or The Boneyard, and must complete their first three challenges before going there.

      Aspik City - Aspik City is the metropolis of Hetherev, with big buildings and steampunk inventions. Think of it as an average city, with skyscrapers, but give it a fantasy twist. Your character must complete three challenges in one of the other areas before it can enter Aspik, or the underground city of Acliba that rests beneath it.

      Morran Forest - Morran forest is a great, and sometimes dark forest that covers most of the continent. The nature of the forest differs from area to area, with a small tropical area near the southern coastline. Morran is home to Ventry, a forest city with low-level technology. The people here would like to be one with nature, but nature proved too wild for them.

      Mellekori Island - A swashbuckler's paradise! Have a pirate? This is a good place for you! Mellekori is an island off the southern coast mostly populated by traders and pirates of various kinds. The island is shared with native tribes (what they look like, who they are and how they respond is up to you. These are fictional tribes). It's capital city of Swashboo is mostly drunk.

      Kobaken Mountain - Kobaken is a peaceful place, probably because it's not as populated as some of the other corners of Hetherev. People are spread out here, and those that aren't tend to be of a gentle persuasion- though there are always exceptions to the rule. It's peaks are snowy, with the exception of one active volcano. You may find the more active mountain city of Lang Chi to be the place for you.

      Sen'nahat Desert - Sen'nahat is full of sand, lost treasure and ruin. The Desert is a secretive, vast place where it's easy to get lost (or eaten by a sandworm). The capital, Sen'na, is a year round place of trade. It's easy to stumble on hints of lost civilizations, but living cultures flourish too. (Again, fictional peoples. They're whatever you want to make of them).

      The Boneyard - The Boneyard is Hetherev's place for the deceased. Unfortunately, even the perished appear to be trapped in this dimension. Living entities can only access the Boneyard if they acquire a key during stage 3. Or, by dieing. But careful! For the dead the Boneyard is usually a one way trip.

Interested? Great! Visit this page to learn how to join. hetherev.deviantart.com/blog/3…

Here's a journal 'site map' for the world info: wolfy-t.deviantart.com/journal…