Let's make a Conanesque Fantasy setting!

Not OP, but I personally think that Lovecraft is done to death these days, so for the of freshness I think that Sword and Sandal without Lovecraftian elements would be great.

>Great Giants stalk the frozen tundra to the North. Though they seem brutish, The Giants are ancient beings and are said to hold much wisdom from before even the fall of Pecuniae

Humans are unable to perform more than the weakest, most basic magic on their own. To cast better magic, Wizards must make a Pact with a spirit capable of performing more advanced magic. A Pact is essentially an agreement between a Human, and a spirit. The Human agrees to give the spirit something or perform a specific task, and in exexchan, the spirit will do a magic spell according to a Wizard's specifications, or agree to unconditionally serve the Wizard for a certain amount of time.

Spirits are found in nature everywhere and are capable of doing nearly anything. However, most spirits willing to consort with Wizards are benevolent, and are typically only able to preform healing, buffing, warding, and utility magic. Malevolent spirits capable of destructive magic like throwing lightning, disintegrating living things, and raising the dead are far more likely to betray a Wizard, and are far less likely to speak to them to begin with. The few Wizards capable of forming Pacts with malevolent spirits often lose their souls, sanity, and even free will in the process.

Note, spirits do not conform to human morality. The only significant difference between a benevolent spirit and a malevolent spirit is the magic they are capable of casting, and the likelihood they will stick to their end of the bargain. The more ancient and powerful a spirit is, the more it will demand of a Wizard in a Pact. Usually, spirits are invisible and unknowable to mortal men. Only a few Humans are capable of sensing and communicating with spirits, only these few are capable of becoming Wizards.

What if the ruins of Pecuniae become a perilous Oasis? Some residual magic power or mysterious evil force has caused the entire area to become surrounded in poisonous thorns and vines. Almost no one who enters returns. There are rumors the corrupted jungle turns humans into creatures of various kinds. The beginning of the scenario could be about gathering enough information or artifacts to even be able to enter the ruins to unlock some of the mysteries there.

In the land of "cliffs and plains" live the people of the "sword and bow", shamanistic polytheist horse riders who value independence and martial prowess. They live in clans and congregate for commerce and major religious festivals. Very taciturn and secretive about their religion , their priests/shamans wear wodden masks and are rumored to conjure up spirits , though no one outside their circles has ever witnessed it.

Think SOC meets Rohan !

So this is Conan-esque, right? Anything goes, right?

Ahem.

The Warrior Queen Reya leads a unified tribe of warrior women, armed with spear and sword, supported by their men armed with bows.

It is said that men that fight with honor and courage on the battlefield that fall but do not die will find themselves taken back to the camps, and have their bloodline added to the reporte of the Warrior Queen's cadre. Those that do not pledge allegiance and join the ranks of the warrior women's support, find themselves gifted with precious gems and set off.

(Eh.)

For hundreds of years humans have avoided the cursed ruins, however drought, famine, and little fertile land are making people desperate enough to explore the cursed forest for food and water.

The forest seems to feed on such people, displaying tantalizing fruit and flowers that smell like a midsummer feast on the outskirts of the ruins.

Those of the line of Urgarth are known for their strange, golden, cat-like eyes. Supposedly, those with golden eyes are capable of seeing into the very souls of men and women. It is unknown how much of this is true, but some with golden eyes seem to be almost supernaturally more perceptive of the emotions and dishonesty of others.

Anyone who is not part of the Urgarthin royalty who is born with golden eyes is declared chosen by the gods, and is taken away from their parents, to be raised as royalty, and given a title and fief when they are older, if male, or married, if female. Golden eyes are a dominant trait, meaning that the Urgarthin are able to marry beyond the royal family without compromising their bloodline. Golden eyes is the evidence the Urgarthin royalty has to substantiate its claim of being descended from the ruling class of Pecuniae.

((Like pic related, but on a person.))

the bronze age is much more hyboreanesque. The iron age is more along the lines of bran mak morn which is also pretty cool but it feels much more modern. Also if you want to do conan right you dont want tolkein creatures like orcs, but instead some lovecraftian monsters like snake men. also sorcerers need to be rare and usually evil bastards.

The people of the "sword and bow" are in a constant state of war against the "beast tribes", neanderthalish cannibals who'se entire culture revolves around being at the top of the food chain !

((Nice. What is SOC?))

The people of the sword and bow often gather into warbands to raid and plunder neighboring kingdoms, and are generally a scourge upon land merchants everywhere. They aren't xenophobic however, and will occasionally do work as mercenaries for foreign kingdoms. Clans will often trade their plunder, captives, and hides for metal tools and weapons.

Many fear that eventually the people of the sword and bow will unite into an enormous horde and destroy civilization, though it has been centuries since a warlord was powerful enough to gather the clans under one banner.

>What is SOC?
Shadow of the Colossus.

OP here. By Conanesque, I don't mean a clone of Conan's setting, but rather, the same general feel of the collapse of an ancient civilization, followed by the rise the new, along with barbarism, mysterious wizardry, and adventure. If it's interesting and adds to the setting, I don't see any reason we shouldn't include Tolkienesuqe or Lovecraftian monsters, as long as it's done uniquely. I don't mean to sound like a pretentious bastard, I just want a cool fantasy setting.

((Ah, thanks.))

Lizard men from hollow earth!!

I envisioned the Sword and Bow people as less "mongolish"

Me to, that was just the best nonanime stock image of a horse warrior I could find.

Did you just combine the concept of Conanian wizards with JoJo stances?

Let just say for the sake of cooperation that spirits become visible when performing magic.

Perhaps with proper rituals, artifacts or spells of your own you can counter spells, disrupt the bond of the spirit and the wizard, damage the wizard through the spirit, or even harm the spirit.

You can also play with the awareness of the bond of spirit and 'wizard'. Perhaps some people have (acquired) a bond with a spirit without realising the full extent of the power.

You can take that down the 40k demonic-psyker-timrbomb route, or the more benevolent guardian-angel-on-your-shoulder route.
>you have no power over me! my ancestors protect me!

And then there is the matter of how big, how deep and how strong the portfolio of one spirit can be.

Sorcerors in Conan being rare is a bit silly since wherever Conan goes, wizards seem to always pop out of the woodwork to either fall on his sword or grant him some magical boon so he can stab some more people better.

There lives a king in a granite palace whose sole left ambition is to cheat death by old age and restore his youth, he thus sends of officers and mercenaries after any and all rumors of a way to once again become the young ma he once was. Mages, sorcerers , conjurers and shamans are also welcome at his court and his people are getting worried !

> Did you just combine the concept of Conanian wizards with JoJo stances?

Nyeheheh...

> You can take that down the 40k demonic-psyker-timrbomb route, or the more benevolent guardian-angel-on-your-shoulder route.

Why not both, with some alchemy, a reputational shroud of mystery and unnatural power, along with a bit, (or a lot) of superstition thrown into the mix?

To be fair he's fucking Conan. Sorcerers, babes and adventures come through an apparent process of spontaneous generation wherever he goes.
That's why we love him.

I'm rereading Conan's stuff right now. The "ruin" part is surprsingly sparse. I mean, yeah, Hyboria IS littered with ruins with yer olde friendly wizard mosters, but it doesn't have really the feeling of a wasteland, execpt when they are in the wilderness to some extent (Stygia).

A thing REALLY important is the "anthropology" thing. While pretty much stereotyped even for those times, the nations and the people are not!India or not!Rome... with some quirks.

>funnily enough REH comes through more racist than HPL, for the very simple reason that Conan interacts with other races.

The Achewind Plateaus are the home of Orc tribes that have tamed enormous eagles. Flocks of raiders have descended upon the Armato delta, and now enslave its farmers through terror. Young men are being recruited into an orcish led army aiming to plunder the mountain temples of Sinduk.

Are you a bad enough dude to free the Armatic people and save the mountain temples? Alternatively, are you a bad enough dude to impress the Achewind tribes, and get your own giant Eagle?

>PANTHER
>LIKE

Orcs aren't Conanesque user.

How about a tribe of savage fish-negroes?

Shouldn't it be pterodactyls for that proper Conanian lost ancient world vibe?

Quit trolling faggot.

Right, then

Once the Sweetwind Plateaus were known for the pleasant smell carried on the winds to Armato by the pine trees that topped them. Now named the Achewind Plateaus for the monstrous forces that reside atop them, they are the home of raider tribes that have tamed enormous pterodactyls. Flocks of warriors have descended upon the Armato delta, and now enslave its farmers through terror. Young men are being recruited into an slave-army aiming to plunder the temples of Sinduk Mountain, where countless ancient treasures lie. With fierce wind-lizards to ride, an army of slave-soldiers and the treasures of Sinduk there would be nothing to halt the armies of the Achewinds rising king, Thridatis the Swift.

Only a few of the Armato people have joined a small band of warriors to fight the Achwind tribes in the mountains. They are joined by a handful of priests from Sinduk Mountain, who guide them through the mountain passes, away from the vigilant eyes of the wind-riders. Thridatis plans his conquest of Sinduk soon.

Are you a bad enough dude to free the Armatic people and save the Sinduk temples? Alternatively, are you a bad enough dude to impress the Achewind king, and get your own giant Eagle?

I think more grand, mysterious magic is appropriate for this setting. Wizards don't cast spells so much as they enact their will on the material world, granting their own miracles. It isn't so much about craftiness as it is about willpower, strength of mind. This is why a determined fighter might be able to withstand a wizard's wrath, through sheer force of will.

So incredible things: turning men into pillars of salt or helpless animals, thunderbolts, turbulent weather, roaring voice. There would still be some subtle things, of course: paralysis, terror, total mind control, invisibility, teleportation.

>REH comes through more racist than HPL

>Thinks back on Conan stories
>Final acts of "Red Nails" have two groups fighting each other in ancient ruin gang warfare.
>Groups are described as deformed, unseemly, crazy, malnourished, insane, tribal
>Both groups are Not!Africans

Oh my god.

Tolkien presented some very Hunnish characteristics in the orcs. The orcneas of Beowulf were the undead. To make it Conanesque, orcs could easily be some form of man-apes with Asian characteristics and some rudimentary understanding of civilization. Maybe they're barbarians, or maybe they're slightly more civilized but worship horrifically evil gods in savage cults...

Why make a Conanesque setting when you can just run things in the Hyborian Age itself? Especially if you're not really going to make any real changes, like nonhuman races.

To see what Veeky Forums can come up with, why else?

>Both groups are Not!Africans

Neither group are not!Africans, despite the city's location in not!Africa. They're not!Aztecs, except for one semi-immortal chick who is a high-class Stygian woman (and so pale-skinned).

What it's going to amount to is slightly different names for the same basic gig.

An unstoppable horde of man-ape savages from beyond the mountains? Interesting... what would be a good name? Othar, maybe, it sounds vaguely Orcish, and the word could have easily evolved from the word Other.

The scourge of the Gods, each one has the frenzied strength of five men, and they fight like animals, in a howling, frothing rage. The foul creatures are a mockery of man, their minds are inferior, and they are consumed with an insatiable degenerate thirst for hedonistic pleasure and primal violence.

They breed like dogs, and live two decades at the most. The monsters have only barely harnessed fire, and don't farm when they can hunt for meat, especially manflesh! They haven't learned to forge metal, and see no need when they can simply plunder it, they speak an unintelligible langauge of grunts, growls, and shouts, they see no reason, and are a plague to be exterminated wherever they take root.

And I'm sure that all of the works inspired by Tolkien were just the same basic gig with slightly different names.

Thinking on this; if you want to make a Hyborian-age like setting but not just have it be the Hyborian Age with the names swapped out, try moving it to a radically different location; I suggest the Americas. Develop cultures and kingdoms based, derived, or extrapolated from the Mexica, Iroquois, and others.

As for physical changes, sink Texas and Florida into the sea, but raise up land around Cuba, Hispaniola, and Jamaica to make it a single large island. Split California and Baja California off from the mainland to create a pair of islands, and flatten the Rockies out to extend the plains and deserts. Expand the Great Lakes and raise Bermuda into a much larger island. Sink Panama and Patagonia, move South America up so that the Amazon Rainforest and Venezuela are across a narrow sea from Central America. Create a line of islands from California that stretches all the way to a massive version of Hawaii. Move the entire pairs of continents south so that they're closer to the equator, warming more of Canada and Alaska (while still leaving its northern extremes pretty cold).

That should give you a pretty good starting point for some genuinely new and interesting ideas.

>the eyes
>small eyeballs with lizard like legs. no one knows where they come from or how they sustain themselves, but they pop up every so often. animals have long since stopped eating them, as they taste terrible. all they do is watch things. theyre not picky either. wether a king or a pauper, the object of their observation will simply be watched for a seemingly random amount of time.
>some consider them status symbols, and attempt to collect them, other consider them pests, and attempt to get rid of them (usually unsuccesufully.)
>no one knows why they watch, but they do.

>they are the subject of considerable superstition. some myths cast them as the eyes of gods, whereas others maintain that they allow a great darkness to look into our world.

Orcus.

The Old English word for Forest Monsters that Tolkien took the name Orc from.

There we go. 9000 hours in MSPaint. Plus some time in Paint.net, which is great for rotating images but royally fucks up resolution. Plus I forgot to enlarge the Great Lakes.

Still, that gives you something to work with that will at least produce more interesting results than Yet Another Fantasy Europe.

Hmm. The more I think about it, the more I think that South America should just be smashed fully into Central America, with Baja California remaining attached to California proper. Probably forming a sort of "V" with California, with the point of the "V" almost but not quite touching North America.

Need to change the contours a bit as well to make it less immediately recognizable.

>Another beaner amerifat wants the setting to be about America.

> North, and South America. Instead of Europe and Africa.

It's more about the

>Develop cultures and kingdoms based, derived, or extrapolated from the Mexica, Iroquois, and others.

There's no need to limit it to strictly American cultures, there's a whole lot of room for European, African, and Asian cultures given the setting's time-frame.

I feel a better idea would be that they hold tourneys and games amongst their men, or even give them civil service tests ala China. The most capable men are allowed to become breeders, and are expected to service many women unless their bloodline is purchased by a matriarch.

Non qualifying males serve as laborers and foot soldiers.

>All Sorcery is what we would consider "Support" magic. Healing, Empowering, immortality, etc.
You think me a fool?
All flesh made and mended with your fowl sorcery belongs then squarely with the unknowable things that gave 'em to you. Men are mortal, and mortals die when they die, and it ain't smart to try and tell the world 'no'.

The Sea People are a collection of raiders that come from across the untracked oceans bringing with them violence and death. Clad in light armor of wooden slats banded with metal and leathers made of shark skins, they wear intimidating masks and wield advanced iron weapons. They rarely any known civilized language and typically strike without warning from the sea, attacking towns to steal plunder and capture women and children. These people are never seen or heard from again as the sea people sail off in their square sailed long ships.

Dark skinned and tattooed, they seem like demons from hell. On very rare occasion they will come to peacefully trade However, and this is the only source of Iron Weapons in the setting beyond ancient relics. They are just as likely to attack you as do business, however

Mix of Pacific islander, viking, and japanese

I'm confused. Is this earth really far in the future after some nuclear holocaust?
Are we doing this sonic the hedgehog: expanded universe style?

Yes. No. Maybe

>SUPPLE

What?

>STEEL-SPRUNG REFLEXES

>THEWS OF IRON

>RIPPLING MUSCLES

>PANTHERISH GAIT

>THICK BLACK MANE

>SMOLDERING BLUE EYES

>NOT WEAKENED BY CIVILIZED LIFE

>THE KING
>THE REAVER
>THE THIEF
>THE ADVENTURER
>THE CONQUEROR
>THE CIMMERIAN
>CONAN
>THE BARBARIAN

>no mention of conan's intelligence

Come on lad.

I swear, Conan is the smartest fantasy hero in the history of fantasy fiction.

>story takes a plot twist down stoker-ian vampire horror
>conan FUCKING BAILS

>story takes a plot twist down lovecraftian cosmic horror
>conan FUCKING BAILS

When people think that Conan is a marysue who wins every fight, they forget that Conan knows exactly how strong he is, and what he can and cannot do. If Conan sees a slaughter instead of a fight, he runs. Because there's no fun in getting disemboweled with the thumbnail of some Stygian vampire, nor is it fun to have your soul sucked out of your skull by some horror from beyond the stars.

My suggestion was to draw inspiration from people like the Iroquois and Aztecs - and by extension, all the other native cultures.

It would have basically nothing to do with the modern USA.

True, but how many times have we seen variants on Europe and Asia? Africa (except Egypt) does offer some potential, at least.

By point is to try something genuinely new. I've never seen a setting that tries to make a full setting out of Native American cultures.

>nor is it fun to have your soul sucked out of your skull by some horror from beyond the stars.

I mean, yes and no. There's another story where he's confronted with a cosmic horror (he identifies it as a being of the Outer Dark) and leaps right at it, explaining to the chick of the week afterwards that even though cosmic horrors are weird alien things, when they come to Earth they have to take on an Earthly, physical form, and anything with physical form can be killed with physical means if the person doing the killing is strong enough and has the will to do it.

Let me look up which one...ah, "Vale of Lost Women."

Never read it, but a quick glance on Wikipedia says the climax was supposed to feature something from Lovecraft's stories. But the thing in the story isn't from Lovecraft's stories.

Also, it's published after Howard's death, so there's always the question if it was a story Howard wanted published or something that didn't fit his standards.

That's because beaner and injun cultures are flat and dull

>True, but how many times have we seen variants on Europe and Asia? Africa (except Egypt) does offer some potential, at least.

That reminds me, you Americans have a Conan-inspired fantasy series that's set in not!Africa. I forgot the name, because hahahaha why would anyone translate a fantasy series in Dutch that doesn't appeal to dumb teenagers.

The Aztecs alone prove that wrong.

>you Americans have a Conan-inspired fantasy series that's set in not!Africa

...we do? I've never heard of it, if that's true.

That's because cracker and chink cultures are flat and dull.

Plus, let's not forget the image that is made of reaction images, is Aztec-inspired while also clearly harkening to Conan.

I think he's talking about either Detroit or Chicago.

HURR DURR SO FANNY TOPKEK

Fuck off back to /pol/. Adults are talking.

...

>Aztec-inspired
looks more pacific islands to me, particularly the faces

It's actually a big mix of cultures. There are, for example, horse-headed statues, which would have been alien to either culture.

And the goddess appears kind of Egyptian.

>Make a tongue and cheek joke about not!Africa being Detroit or Chicago
>Told to get back to /pol/
I thought you Americans we're suppose to have thick skin. You're just as bad as /pol/, believing that anything that could possibly relate to racism, is actually racist. What's next? I make a joke about the dog missing and a Chinese resturant, and I'll be told to go back to /pol/? I can only make jokes about straight white males, because everything else is either racist or sexist? You're a fucking piece of shit, you know that. Here I thought that "hey, nice thread. People seem nice and I'll see if I can add anything. Oh look, I can come in with a little joke before trying to help flesh the setting out". People like you make me sick, just like the people in /pol/. I've been Veeky Forums for almost ten minutes, and I'm done. By the way, I would like to put forth violent pygmies (because who doesn't like pygmies?) that live in a hilly area who use mountain goats as mounts (and food).

What makes you think anyone is America is up this early in the morning on Christmas Eve?

>tell a retarded /pol/ faggot to fuck off back to their containment board
>WHY U ACCUSE ME OF RACISM RACISM RACISM?

I didn't. I told you to fuck off. You don't bring anything to the discussion, you fuckinf faggot.

You may have a point, but it's fucking 11:55 am in Nova Scotia right now, so Americans are up. Well, some anyways. Sorry for shitting up the thread with my rant, that just put in a horrible mood.

You insinuated that by making a joke about Detroit or Chicago being Not!Africa, I was being a racist. It was a joke. I'm not pulling some stupid "Dues Vult" or "gas the kikes! race war now!" bullshit, I made a small joke and you've jumped on me saying I need to go back to /pol/. Secondly, I did say why not have a tribe of violent pygmies that live in a hilly area of the setting, who use mountain goats as mounts, food, and beasts of burden (I added the third part). For some reason though, you're extremely ass blasted by me. Do you live in Chicago or Detroit? Are you perhaps black? You've been personally attacked by a /pol/ lover?

I just told you to fuck off to /pol/.
That is the place where you can derail threads with retarded lowest-common-denominator jokes without a care.

Do not do that here.

Fine. I didn't realize that low brow humor wasn't excepted in Veeky Forums. I apologize, and I'll leave. I'll stop bumping your thread, and I'll make sure to stay away from threads like this.

as for the the portfolio of different kinds of spirits: it might be interesting to use ars goetia demons as the basis for the basic kinds of spirits. Have a tall owl that allows wizards to predict the future from the stars and identify alchemical ingredients, or a merman that causes storms and can make people sick/heal them. Balam is a naked guy on a bear that tells the future and makes the person who summoned him "witty and invisible". The possibilities are fucking endless.

Could you explain some more? I am not really knowledgable on "real life" documentation on "magic".

Are dragons conan related? If so, should they be in every mountain range, or but two or three throughout the continent/known world, born from unknown origin?

I'm partial to this idea: There are two dragons vying for some region of land. One is smaller but extremely intelligent, a rival for any wizard or king. He is the Wyrmlord, wise and powerful, sometimes generous to those who serve him well, but he is by habit cruel and tyrannical to the subjects of his small kingdom. His soldiers are few in number, loyal, and well trained. They man his castle, which he rarely leaves and keep it safe from Wyrmlord brother, the dragon of the mountain. He also fears to leave his castle, for though he does not speak of it he fears he is not strong enough to survive in the world as a lone beast without his protective servants,

A large dragon, three times as tall as an elephant and twelve times as long from head to tail is the small ones foe roosts within a mountain several leagues from the Wyrmlords castle. This great beast is a dumb brute, with no palace or court, scrolls or soldiers. It hoards treasures as all legendary dragons do, in a heaping pile in a high mountain cave for its bed. This lumbering beast scours the countryside, consuming whole herds of elk and bison in its hunts. The mountain-dragons death is the only object that the Wyrmlord truly covets. It is unknown why though, for the Wyrmlord never elaborates on his hatred. Perhaps there is some treasure in the mountain dragons lair? Does he disdain his brutish cousin as an insult to his own intelligence? Or is he jealous of the great scourges strength?

No other creatures in the world such as the Wyrmlord and the winged despoiler are known. Many whisper in this land that the world would be better off if the larger one ate the smaller, and then choked on him.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_demons_in_the_Ars_Goetia
the ars goetia is a book that has a list of different high-level noble demons. What I like about it is that almost all of the entries focus more on the mundane knowledge that the demons teach people than their arcane powers. They also look amazing (pic related. he helps settle disputes, lets you talk to some but not all animals, and gives true answers about the future. why is he a crow with arms? who knows!)

I'd keep it simple.

No typical dragons, but a lot of dinosaurs and reptile-mammals.

Maybe a draconic eldritch thing that sometimes speaks to people in dreams or something, but the magical stuff should remain far away and above all, should remain without stats.

You know the whole "Cthulhu eats 3d6+1 player characters a turn, no saves allowed" thing.

Hey, that faggot wasn't OP. I am, and I'm black, and I thought that joke was hilarious. He's just assblasted and looking for an excuse to be offended. No need to leave the thread when you can contribute as well as any of us.

>mundane knowledge

How would you weaponize that I wonder...
>spirit, oh mighty spirit... please tell me - what is behind this door?
>turvol, directly behind the door you will find two stygian guards with curved swords. a meter behind them, are two hyborian mercenaries, one using a spear, and the other has a greatsword. at the back of the room which is five meters across are two pictish assassins with poison dipped crossbows guarding the zamorean diplomat.

Just jumped into thread.

A meteor hit one of the polar ice caps, creating a large crater in the icy wastes where eventually a vast rainforest grew full of dangerous wildlife.

Maybe mixing ideas from user and user
The meteor hits a polar cap, which through "magic" (could be anything) has brought back animals of legend as the icy tundra turns into a dangerous land of jungles and plains. Stories tell of dragons with teeth the size of swords and fleshbirds the size of war horses. Some speak of horrific half men, half serpents, who use the most foul of juju and a trying to bring a sleeping god back to life. However, those are only fanciful tales of vagabonds, right?

Detriot is not a fun place to adventure

Right, then

The two brothers here would not be dragons, but the sons of a great king who forged a great kingdom long ago. Now the brothers in the prime of their lives, battle for rulership of their fathers domain. The same basic traits could still be kept: The enormous, muscular brother, seven feet tall and leader of a warband in the like of which their father first began his kingdom with; the smaller brother, who rules a more sophisticated realm, the type of domain their father might've made had he lived longer. The forsaken brothers fight ceaselessly to claim each others half of the kingdom. Both are thwarted by the others intelligence and indomitably in battle.

Maybe both can command a "draconic" spirit?

The warrior brother commands a spirit of healing, inwards healing. Unnaturally bulging muscles, overflowing with life energy.

The intelligent brother commands a spirit of fire, sheathing him in flame, his armour and weapons black with sooth as he cooks away the opposition.

Perhaps the meteor just smacked the polar caps, causing the downfall of the Pecuniaean civilization?

Or what I'd personally like, in an uncharacteristic display of compassion, the brutal oppressive mass-murdering Pecuniaeans with their blood-sacrifices used their unholy magic at the meteor, sacrificing every single Pecuniaean soul in one massive spell to destroy the meteor. Of course, shards still rained down on the Earth and fucked shit up, but that's better than another K-T extinction event.
In my opinion, it puts a little doubt in how players can see the Pecuniaean civilization. Were they bad guys? Were they good guys?