72 lines
2.9 KiB
HTML
72 lines
2.9 KiB
HTML
<head>
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<meta charset="UTF-8" />
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<title>Chapter Introduction</title>
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<link rel="stylesheet" href="book-page.css" />
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</head>
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<h1>INTRODUCTION</h1>
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<blockquote class="epigraph">
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“Before deciding how to face this calamity, you should understand what created
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it.”
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</blockquote>
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<section>
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<h2>VERTICAL DEVELOPMENT</h2>
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<p>
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Natural fantasy campaigns are often set in small regions or villages rather
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than entire continents and cities, but compensate for this “limited
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perspective” with vertical development: the current world was built upon
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countless layers of history, where terrible powers and wondrous magics are
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buried. These are truly ancient worlds, where the past is millennia away
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rather than centuries, so that the causes of today’s misfortunes are often
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incomprehensible.
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</p>
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</section>
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<section>
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<h2>LIFE, DEATH, AND TRANSFORMATION</h2>
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<p>
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Natural fantasy mostly does away with epic and spectacular aesthetics,
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instead presenting Fabula Ultima’s thematic core in a visceral and sincere
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way, and involving the protagonists on an intimate and personal level: these
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are stories about the environment, life, and death. Like fairy tales, and
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the philosophies and traditions that inspired it, the natural fantasy style
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presents death as a necessary step for the world to regenerate – a terrible
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pain and yet an opportunity to appreciate life; a meaningful act which
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cannot be inflicted lightly, nor be stripped of its solemnity.
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</p>
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</section>
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<section>
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<h2>MAIN REFERENCES</h2>
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<p>Here are some titles that shaped the artistic vision of this book:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>
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<strong>The Dusk trilogy</strong> (Ayesha, Escha & Logy, Shallie) from the
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Atelier series is without a doubt one of our main influences. It’s set on
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a dying world victim of the manipulations of ancient humans, a world that
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can only be revived thanks to the tenacity of a younger generation. The
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Ryza trilogy and the Sophie duology also influenced the aesthetics of this
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book.
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</li>
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<li>
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<strong>The Monster Hunter Stories series</strong> shares its setting with
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the famous Monster Hunter saga, but emphasizes cooperation between human
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and monster and the importance of preserving even the most dangerous
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species.
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</li>
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<li>
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<strong>Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu</strong> is a great example of
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a campaign that takes place in a short time frame, and is set in a
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relatively small place: a single village and the surrounding forests
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struggling against a terrible curse.
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</li>
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<li>
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<strong>Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl</strong> features a
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truly inspired cast of characters and a plot centered around the
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progressive discovery of the mysteries of the past. It also reinvents the
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concept of a post-apocalyptic world as a lush and verdant landscape.
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</li>
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</ul>
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</section>
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