More Taboo information!
Here is some more info about the world I've created for Taboo! No spoilers here, I promise!
What do people in general look like? Would a blonde (redhead, brunette) stand out in a crowd? Someone 5' tall? 7'?
o Our humanoid race is descended from cats. A basic description is -
· Tough, furless skin that may have marks showing where spots / stripes / color patches would have been if they had a pelt
· Skin tone - pale, dark, olive, etc - depends on breed
· Furred tail, the length of which depends on breed
· Furred ears set high on the head, pointed (Commoners) or rounded (Nobles and Mages) depending on breed
· Short, sharp, non-retractable claws on fingers and toes (toe claws are cut or filed so they don't tear and ruin shoes)
· Rough, slightly barbed tongue
· Eyes similar to ours, with horizontal pupils (or round among Nobles and Mages who are big cats: lion, tiger, leopard, etc) and a slightly larger iris
· Teeth designed for eating a diet of almost strictly meat, with prominent canines and cutting teeth in the back
· Very slightly flattened nose
· Hair is usually the dominant color in the pelt, though it can be any shade of any color in the pelt
o Who would stand out in a crowd -
· Every once in a while, someone has striped hair that matches or is very close to what the pelt on their head would have looked like if they were still true cats - very rare, most often seen in mixed-breed Commoners
· Bi-colored eyes are common enough that they don't attract a lot of attention, but are rare enough that they do often earn surprise when first noticed on a person
· A Commoner with solid brown fur (Havana Brown breed) is very rare, and tend to draw attention; in contrast, solid brown is a color often seen in young Nobles before their Choosing
What do people wear? How expensive is it? Can the material be produced locally, or must some or all of it be imported?
o Summer
· Males
· Tend to go shirtless in the summer, unless they are prone to burning
· Shirts, when worn, are thin cotton or silk
· Pants are heavy linen, cotton, light canvas or wool
· Shoes are heavy canvas or thin leather, both soled with thick leather
· Females
· Dresses are sleeveless, skirts are sometimes slit to show glimpses of leg
· If the queen is patterned, the dress is usually backless to show off the pattern; if not patterned, the dress has a bodice or corset to draw attention to figure
· Underskirts and undergarments are thin cotton, thin linen or silk; overdresses are linen, wool, cotton or silk and often embroidered with subtle patterns - the more elaborate the pattern, the better off the queen
· Shoes are thin leather or thick linen soled with thick leather; leather sandals are often worn within the Noble and Mage Districts
o Winter
· Males
· Shirts are heavy canvas or thick wool, often accompanied by a leather or wool vest
· Pants are heavy wool or waterproofed leather lined with thick cotton
· Boots are thick waterproofed leather lined with thick wool and soled with leather-wrapped wood
· Coats are waterproofed wool lined with cotton
· Females
· Underskirts and undergarments are heavy silk or thick cotton
· Overdresses are heavy wool or heavy cotton
· Boots are thick waterproofed leather lined with thick wool and soled with leather-wrapped wood
· Coats and cloaks are waterproofed wool lined with cotton or waterproofed canvas lined with cotton
o All pants and underskirts are designed to come up to just underneath the tail and to be fastened above the tail with ties or clasps, while overdresses are completely slit from the just above the tail down, fastened above and below the tail with buttons or clasps so that queens don't have to wrestle their tails through a hole in the cloth
· Queen-kittens wear pull-over dresses with their tails underneath the skirts - easier to put on and easier for them to go to the bathroom without messing their clothes - until they turn seven, when they get their first adult dresses where the tail rests on top of the skirts
o Wool, linen, and cotton are abundant and cheap (linen being the cheapest), making them the materials of choice for cloth. Most silk is imported, but there is a small domestic industry; all silk is expensive due to the time and amount of manpower it takes to produce, and imported silk is in higher demand for clothing than domestic. Domestic silk is used more for practice embroidery, lining of clothes or bags, and undergarments.
Does it require a license to be a wizard? A driver's type license (something nearly everyone gets upon coming of age) or a doctor's-type license (something that only a small portion of the population will ever get)? Who certifies wizards: the government, wizard's guild, local priests, independent accounting firm?
o The Mages are the only ones who can wield magic, and only a small handful are born without the ability to do so. Every time a Mage reaches a new level - Initiate, Master, etc - they receive a certificate from their school (or University if they have enough ability to become an Adept) which is to be displayed in the foyer of the house.
o All Mages must wear a leather wristband that shows which level they are, indicated by the color of the leather. The animal(s) stamped on the wristband determines job / specialty. These wristbands are made at the University by the most skilled leather-Mages, and their production is overseen by the Magi. A Mage must present their most recent level certificate (which will also state their specialty), along with proof of their profession if employed. Counterfeit production of the wristbands is illegal and punishable by jail, stripping of magical ability, or death.
· Levels -
· Talentless - black, possible jobs:
o Private guard - Terrier
o Servant (in a Noble household) - Mouse
o Caretaker / Nanny (sometimes of Mage kits, often of Noble kits) - Hen
o Assistant to any of the other levels - Mule
· Initiate - violet, possible jobs:
o Assistant to any of the higher levels - Mule
o Caretaker / Nanny of Mage kits - Dove
o Head of housekeeping in Mage / Noble home - Rat
· Apprentice - blue, possible jobs:
o Assistant to any of the higher levels - Mule
o Tutor to kits, Initiates and below - Barn Owl
· Master - green, possible jobs:
o Assistant Healer - Wyvern
o Teacher / Tutor - Horned Owl
· Adept-in-training - orange, possible fields: see jobs under Adept
· Adept - red, possible jobs:
o Healer - Two entwined Dragons (eastern)
o Professor / Teacher / Tutor - Eagle Owl
· Magus - white, whichever of the four Leopard-Chosen they serve as advisor plus the animal(s) of their specialty
· Jobs that are not restricted by Level or that are composed of multiple Levels -
· Police -
o Talentless - Fennec Fox, officers, sergeants
§ Are the primary law enforcement in the Noble's District since Nobles get a little irritable if there are Talented Mages poking their noses in their business on a regular basis without valid cause (not that they'd ever admit it)
§ In Mage's District, patrols are accompanied by an Initiate or Apprentice
§ In Commoner's District, oversee forces of Commoner officers and patrol with them
o Initiate - Grey Fox, lieutenants
o Apprentice - Red Fox, captains, majors
o Master - Bull Mastiff, commissioners, investigators
o Adept - Rottweiler, investigators, forensics
· Military -
o Talentless - Wolf, infantry and cavalry
o Initiate - Merlin, cavalry, oversee Talentless and Commoner soldiers
o Apprentice - Kestrel, archers
o Master - Gyrfalcon, assistants to Adepts
o Adept - Golden Eagle, full-fledged Warrior Mages, generally kept at the rear where they are best protected, answer only to Noble COs
· Merchant - Shrew
· Trader of Mage goods - Stag, very rarely someone who is lower than Master since they deal with magical artifacts and have to be able to deal with potential accidents
· Business owner - Red-winged Blackbird
· Specialties (worn from left to right as most skilled in to least skilled in) -
· Metalwork -
o Blacksmith - Bull Ox
o Jeweler - Squirrel Monkey
o Both - Gorilla
· Leatherwork - Armadillo
· Clothwork - Moth
o White Moth - Silk
o Yellow Moth - Linen, cotton, and other plant-based fibers
o Brown Moth - Wool and other hair-based fibers
· Glasswork - Otter
· Healing - Dragon (eastern)
· Security / Stealth / Illusions - Cobra
· Transmutation - Swallowtail Butterfly
· Telepathy / Empathy - Lamb
· Weather manipulation - Crane
· Plant manipulation - Fawn
· Elemental manipulation -
o Fire - Horse Water - Barracuda
o Earth - Badger Air - Bat
· Forensics - Beetle
· Pleasure magic - Dolphin
· Communication magic (scrying, relaying messages, etc) - Sparrow
o Someone who is considered a high master or Authority in a skill has a gold corona around the symbol of that skill (ex: Adassa, though only a Master, is an Authority in impregnating leather with spells and so has a corona around the armadillo on her wristband)
o The animal of a Mage's occupation is bordered by a gold diamond (animal can be a job-specific animal - mule / fox / owl - or a specialty-specific animal - cobra / crane / bull ox)
All questions taken from Patricia C. Wrede's worldbuilder questions.
What do people in general look like? Would a blonde (redhead, brunette) stand out in a crowd? Someone 5' tall? 7'?
o Our humanoid race is descended from cats. A basic description is -
· Tough, furless skin that may have marks showing where spots / stripes / color patches would have been if they had a pelt
· Skin tone - pale, dark, olive, etc - depends on breed
· Furred tail, the length of which depends on breed
· Furred ears set high on the head, pointed (Commoners) or rounded (Nobles and Mages) depending on breed
· Short, sharp, non-retractable claws on fingers and toes (toe claws are cut or filed so they don't tear and ruin shoes)
· Rough, slightly barbed tongue
· Eyes similar to ours, with horizontal pupils (or round among Nobles and Mages who are big cats: lion, tiger, leopard, etc) and a slightly larger iris
· Teeth designed for eating a diet of almost strictly meat, with prominent canines and cutting teeth in the back
· Very slightly flattened nose
· Hair is usually the dominant color in the pelt, though it can be any shade of any color in the pelt
o Who would stand out in a crowd -
· Every once in a while, someone has striped hair that matches or is very close to what the pelt on their head would have looked like if they were still true cats - very rare, most often seen in mixed-breed Commoners
· Bi-colored eyes are common enough that they don't attract a lot of attention, but are rare enough that they do often earn surprise when first noticed on a person
· A Commoner with solid brown fur (Havana Brown breed) is very rare, and tend to draw attention; in contrast, solid brown is a color often seen in young Nobles before their Choosing
What do people wear? How expensive is it? Can the material be produced locally, or must some or all of it be imported?
o Summer
· Males
· Tend to go shirtless in the summer, unless they are prone to burning
· Shirts, when worn, are thin cotton or silk
· Pants are heavy linen, cotton, light canvas or wool
· Shoes are heavy canvas or thin leather, both soled with thick leather
· Females
· Dresses are sleeveless, skirts are sometimes slit to show glimpses of leg
· If the queen is patterned, the dress is usually backless to show off the pattern; if not patterned, the dress has a bodice or corset to draw attention to figure
· Underskirts and undergarments are thin cotton, thin linen or silk; overdresses are linen, wool, cotton or silk and often embroidered with subtle patterns - the more elaborate the pattern, the better off the queen
· Shoes are thin leather or thick linen soled with thick leather; leather sandals are often worn within the Noble and Mage Districts
o Winter
· Males
· Shirts are heavy canvas or thick wool, often accompanied by a leather or wool vest
· Pants are heavy wool or waterproofed leather lined with thick cotton
· Boots are thick waterproofed leather lined with thick wool and soled with leather-wrapped wood
· Coats are waterproofed wool lined with cotton
· Females
· Underskirts and undergarments are heavy silk or thick cotton
· Overdresses are heavy wool or heavy cotton
· Boots are thick waterproofed leather lined with thick wool and soled with leather-wrapped wood
· Coats and cloaks are waterproofed wool lined with cotton or waterproofed canvas lined with cotton
o All pants and underskirts are designed to come up to just underneath the tail and to be fastened above the tail with ties or clasps, while overdresses are completely slit from the just above the tail down, fastened above and below the tail with buttons or clasps so that queens don't have to wrestle their tails through a hole in the cloth
· Queen-kittens wear pull-over dresses with their tails underneath the skirts - easier to put on and easier for them to go to the bathroom without messing their clothes - until they turn seven, when they get their first adult dresses where the tail rests on top of the skirts
o Wool, linen, and cotton are abundant and cheap (linen being the cheapest), making them the materials of choice for cloth. Most silk is imported, but there is a small domestic industry; all silk is expensive due to the time and amount of manpower it takes to produce, and imported silk is in higher demand for clothing than domestic. Domestic silk is used more for practice embroidery, lining of clothes or bags, and undergarments.
Does it require a license to be a wizard? A driver's type license (something nearly everyone gets upon coming of age) or a doctor's-type license (something that only a small portion of the population will ever get)? Who certifies wizards: the government, wizard's guild, local priests, independent accounting firm?
o The Mages are the only ones who can wield magic, and only a small handful are born without the ability to do so. Every time a Mage reaches a new level - Initiate, Master, etc - they receive a certificate from their school (or University if they have enough ability to become an Adept) which is to be displayed in the foyer of the house.
o All Mages must wear a leather wristband that shows which level they are, indicated by the color of the leather. The animal(s) stamped on the wristband determines job / specialty. These wristbands are made at the University by the most skilled leather-Mages, and their production is overseen by the Magi. A Mage must present their most recent level certificate (which will also state their specialty), along with proof of their profession if employed. Counterfeit production of the wristbands is illegal and punishable by jail, stripping of magical ability, or death.
· Levels -
· Talentless - black, possible jobs:
o Private guard - Terrier
o Servant (in a Noble household) - Mouse
o Caretaker / Nanny (sometimes of Mage kits, often of Noble kits) - Hen
o Assistant to any of the other levels - Mule
· Initiate - violet, possible jobs:
o Assistant to any of the higher levels - Mule
o Caretaker / Nanny of Mage kits - Dove
o Head of housekeeping in Mage / Noble home - Rat
· Apprentice - blue, possible jobs:
o Assistant to any of the higher levels - Mule
o Tutor to kits, Initiates and below - Barn Owl
· Master - green, possible jobs:
o Assistant Healer - Wyvern
o Teacher / Tutor - Horned Owl
· Adept-in-training - orange, possible fields: see jobs under Adept
· Adept - red, possible jobs:
o Healer - Two entwined Dragons (eastern)
o Professor / Teacher / Tutor - Eagle Owl
· Magus - white, whichever of the four Leopard-Chosen they serve as advisor plus the animal(s) of their specialty
· Jobs that are not restricted by Level or that are composed of multiple Levels -
· Police -
o Talentless - Fennec Fox, officers, sergeants
§ Are the primary law enforcement in the Noble's District since Nobles get a little irritable if there are Talented Mages poking their noses in their business on a regular basis without valid cause (not that they'd ever admit it)
§ In Mage's District, patrols are accompanied by an Initiate or Apprentice
§ In Commoner's District, oversee forces of Commoner officers and patrol with them
o Initiate - Grey Fox, lieutenants
o Apprentice - Red Fox, captains, majors
o Master - Bull Mastiff, commissioners, investigators
o Adept - Rottweiler, investigators, forensics
· Military -
o Talentless - Wolf, infantry and cavalry
o Initiate - Merlin, cavalry, oversee Talentless and Commoner soldiers
o Apprentice - Kestrel, archers
o Master - Gyrfalcon, assistants to Adepts
o Adept - Golden Eagle, full-fledged Warrior Mages, generally kept at the rear where they are best protected, answer only to Noble COs
· Merchant - Shrew
· Trader of Mage goods - Stag, very rarely someone who is lower than Master since they deal with magical artifacts and have to be able to deal with potential accidents
· Business owner - Red-winged Blackbird
· Specialties (worn from left to right as most skilled in to least skilled in) -
· Metalwork -
o Blacksmith - Bull Ox
o Jeweler - Squirrel Monkey
o Both - Gorilla
· Leatherwork - Armadillo
· Clothwork - Moth
o White Moth - Silk
o Yellow Moth - Linen, cotton, and other plant-based fibers
o Brown Moth - Wool and other hair-based fibers
· Glasswork - Otter
· Healing - Dragon (eastern)
· Security / Stealth / Illusions - Cobra
· Transmutation - Swallowtail Butterfly
· Telepathy / Empathy - Lamb
· Weather manipulation - Crane
· Plant manipulation - Fawn
· Elemental manipulation -
o Fire - Horse Water - Barracuda
o Earth - Badger Air - Bat
· Forensics - Beetle
· Pleasure magic - Dolphin
· Communication magic (scrying, relaying messages, etc) - Sparrow
o Someone who is considered a high master or Authority in a skill has a gold corona around the symbol of that skill (ex: Adassa, though only a Master, is an Authority in impregnating leather with spells and so has a corona around the armadillo on her wristband)
o The animal of a Mage's occupation is bordered by a gold diamond (animal can be a job-specific animal - mule / fox / owl - or a specialty-specific animal - cobra / crane / bull ox)
All questions taken from Patricia C. Wrede's worldbuilder questions.