Doing a little worldbuilding in a high magic city. I'm interested in referring to the levels of background magical radiation.

The obvious ways to refer to levels of magic are using thaums (which is too Pratchett) & something related to mana (too Melanesian & Polynesian).

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good terminology?

#worldbuilding #rpgResearch #rpgLore #ttrpg #rpg

Reading folklaw and came on this lovely little rhyme:

Ellum he do grieve,
Oak he do hate,
Willow do walk
If you travels late.

There's a nasty piece of background tree law I may have to drop into a game at some point.

#folklore #rpgResearch #worldbuilding #treelore

#rpgresearch - thieves guilds are a trope created by Leiber. But thieves guilds do appear in literature.

The Banu Sasan in medieval Arabic writing:
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/islams-medieval-underworld-15821520/

"The tortoise is employed thus. The burglar has with him a flint-stone and a candle about as big as a little finger. He lights the candle and sticks it on the tortoise’s back. The tortoise is then introduced through the breach into the house, and it crawls slowly around, thereby illuminating the house and its contents."

#rpgresearch #notes - Brazen heads/medieval prophecy engines. Built by alchemists, completed with the assistance of demons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazen_head

Modern version
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune_teller_machine