Worldbuilding - Aquas: White

White is the color of order, protection and light. It believes in the greater good, and is perhaps best exemplified by a Star Trek quote: “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.” But what form does it take on an underwater world?

The first step when designing White is to decide on the races we want to represent it. The previously used White races are: Kithkin, Loxodon, Kor, Leonin and Human. I've already decided not to use Humans, as Merfolk occupy their niche on Aquas. I'm already using Kithkin on Tyranix, and I don't want to use them again so soon, and the Leonin have the problem that cats don't mix with water very well. That leaves Loxodon and Kor. I can't imagine an underwater elephant species, and the design for the Kor is reliant on their nature as explorers – they are masters at moving through difficult terrain. Maybe they have a place, but I can't think of one.

So, what to do? Well, let's make a new race. Out of the creature types available, the aquatic and amphibious creatures that could be appropriate are: Crabs, Crocodiles, Fish, Frogs, Hippos, Leechs, Nautiluses, Octopi, Squids, Turtles, Whales. Out of these, Frogs are historically Green, and both Crocodiles and Hippos feel more like Green or Red. If we decide to use Leechs, they have to be Black – I can't imagine them to be anything else. And everything underwater is a Fish, so perhaps they should be saved for non-sentient species. That leaves Crabs, Nautiluses, Octopi, Squids, Turtles and Whales. Out of these, I think Crabs and Whales fit right. Crabs are an easy match for the more militaristic aspect of White, as they are visually very easy to make look like Soldiers and Knights, while Whales fit the more spiritual aspects nicely.

So, we have Crabs and Whales for our small to medium sized creatures. For the big, iconic race, I'd like to keep Angels. However, they need a massive overhaul while still being recognizable as Angels. Any input would be appreciated, as the only thing that I can think of is Bio-luminescence.

For culture, the fact that Crabs are natural fits for soldiers and knights means they are likely a military based culture, reacting to the knowledge of Planeswalkers (Remember them? They're well known on Aquas!) by strengthening their military against the perceived threat. Whales don't feel like they would have their own culture, mostly living among the Crabs and the White Merfolk. However, they value endurance and patience. The White Merfolk are more open to the Planeswalkers than the Crabs, but are insistent that they are not above the law, and thus have created prisons that are able to hold them.

The Merfolk won't be split into five seperate cultures, though – it's one of the things I didn't like about Mirrodin, that the five kinds of humans were barely recognizable as the same race. So, the merfolk are the dominant race on Aquas, and they have a culture that spans most of the plane.

Looking back on my Magic Theory blog about White, it seems like Aquas has a higher number of Hieromancers than other planes – the Crabs (who we need a better name for) use it extensively, with a large amount of Soul magic to back it up. The Whales use mostly Soul magic, representing their toughness and their ability to withstand the worst dangers. Their nature as priests and clerics does give them some experience with Divine magic, though it is mostly the defensive style rather than the wrathful aspect. The Merfolk represent the general feel of White magic on Aquas, so they use all three schools in roughly even proportion, with a slight focus on Hieromancy.

So, for White we need a name for the Crabs and Whales, and we need examples of the magic they use. Tomorrow morning I'll be posting something for Tyranix, and in the evening I'll be looking at Blue magic on Aquas, but I will post anything that I've received at the beginning of the blog.