Reviving an idea - freeform nation rp

[Sydonai]

Kings and Queens II

Alright then, my last attempt at group roleplay didn't turn out well, so this time I was thinking of reviving someone else's idea only because I am extremely interested in it and I thought there's a potential for it. Previously the rp is called Kings and Queens, Kate's own idea and it goes here: " https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=57610.0 " . Basically, players are required to create their own nation or kingdom and this will be set in a fantasy settings, as such go wild with your imaginations! ;D . Of course there's limit, I certainly wouldn't want to see deities or some invulnerable monsters joining the retinue of your nation's military, as always, no god modding. Each player needs to submit and post their nation's profile here, this will be the default format. Kate's original idea would have the players create important or VIP characters of their nation, this may range from the nation's sovereign to the common people living lives in your kingdom and you may create as many as you wish, however, you may only control 6 of these characters throughout the entire game.(there is a reason for this in which I will explain later) So when writing and posting your nation's profile, do mark these chosen characters whom you wish to control.

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Kingdom's profile

Nation's Name:

Nation's Ruler: (This must definitely be one of your controlled characters)

Population: [Each nation must start small, either as a city-state(pop: 30000-50000) or a fledgling kingdom(pop: 50000-100000)]

Local: (Describe the location of your kingdom with the use of words or images, it's landscape and climate and you may as well give information and details regarding your cities and settlements)

Background: (Divided into three parts: First is your nation's history in which you describe your nation's history as extensively as you could, it's beginning to its present time, just to give a feel for your kingdom. Second part would be the nation's society/culture in which you are needed to describe the every day life of the citizens of your nation and how they get through the day, be creative here. Finally, the governance, you need to describe how your nation is being run, is it through representative system, council system, monarchy, theocracy or anarchy)

Military: (Describe in details the military technology and units of your nation, if you could find images for your military units, they'd be awesome ;D your initial military population can never exceed 10% of your total population, later on this rule can be ignored for many different reason such as citizen drafting etc.)

Characters: (Here you may write up character's profile for important figures of your nation. It may be more than your 6 controlled characters, hence the other characters may be used as reference for storytellers. However, do mark those 6 main characters you wish to control)

((Take note however, that the above is just the basic profile with important details, you are encourage to give more details regarding your nation, such as goods produced by the nation and what it would like to export and import, information pertaining to religions in your kingdom or information about other factions established inside your kingdom))

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Once I have sufficient numbers of Nation's profile I shall start the game. From here on out the game shall be divided into three elements:- the OOC thread, The game's overview thread and the nation/ story thread.

As for the rules of the game, this will be a bit tricky for those who was never part of the original game, but believe me it's quite simple actually and if it still doesn't make any sense, do blame me for my rather appalling attempt at explanation, not the game mechanics :P Each nation shall start its own main thread, the first post of this thread will be an introduction to your nation. The rp involves in this main thread is strictly that which happens in your capital city, as such main thread = capital city. So for an example, an envoy of kingdom B arrives at the capital of kingdom A to initiate diplomatic talks, in this case player who runs kingdom B will have to post in player A's main thread. The basic rule still stands here and that is both player may only control any of their 6 main characters, and if this diplomatic talks does involve a non-controllable characters or it involves extensive use of non-essential characters(such as palace's maids, attendants and scribes) in this case you would need to find another player to become storyteller that would co-write with the two of you and take on the roles of all the non-essential characters and the uncontrollable characters. (You may do this in the OOC, it is a place of discussion on requesting a storyteller amongst the roleplayers aside from being a place for idle banter :D )

Unlike most nation rp, you cannot tell the story of your nation alone. If for example, you'd wish for something interesting to happen like for an instance, your nation's ruler decided to colonize a land nearby, or your nation is trying to dislodge an army of marauders camping out near your border or your nation is trying to form an alliance with an indigenous lifeform within your territory, something that doesn't directly concern other player's nation then you will have to post the event details at the OOC thread and request for a storyteller to co-write with you on what happens next. As always you may only control any number of the 6 main characters of your nation, but such an event would certainly features some important characters that are certainly not insignificant and may even be integral to the story. As such these characters will be controlled by the storyteller, if your nation is waging war with some marauder army for example, it is only logical that your storyteller will control the characters of the marauder army. As always, in this instance, the storyteller not only controls the marauder army but also roleplay as the soldier's belonging to the player's nation. Since some of these events game won't happen in the capital, then you will need to start a new thread, stating the name of your game and then whatever name you wish to give to the event, for the sake of simplicity, we shall call this branching off since you are not posting in your nation's main thread even though it affects your nation directly.

The overview thread of the game is where I shall post the map and links to all the nation's main thread. This is where you posts updates on your kingdom and if the updates is about an event in which you're branching off to another thread, then do summarizes what happened and put the link to the thread as well.

The rp is set in a world called Titan and is divided into 4 small continents. Everyone is required to state the starting location of their nation that best resembles the landscape and climate detailed in your nation's profile. Once that is done, I will go over your nation's profile and if I'm satisfied that everything is in order then your nation will be approved and you may begin to posts your main thread. However for easier reference, it is recommended that you put in the link to your nation's profile from your main thread, this will make it easier for other players(or you might simply post your nation's profile as your first post in your main thread). Finally, conflicts are unavoidable, either it'll be a full scale war or a simple skirmish but if it does happen then there will be battles between two nation's armies, then as always a storyteller is needed. Each player may only, as always controlled their 6 main characters that will probably issue commands to their troops and the storyteller will roleplay this event out. In this case, your storyteller is also your GM and should, in their best judgment, figure out the outcome of the conflict and how much casualty suffered on both sides.

Any questions?  :-)

[swordwind]

Kingdom's profile (Updating)

Nation's Name: Sisirath Empire

Nation's Ruler: Emperor Lakaruk

Population: City-state pop: 40500

Landscape: A harsh and unforgiving landscape of endless sands, while upon the coastal edge a beautiful city of plants and foliage

Background:

Part 1 (History):

Long ago within the sands of Titan a race was born, called the SISIRATH. A strong race of reptile humanoids that came forth from the sea’s them selves to built massive structures and temples for their gods. Known for their strength, and durability to the harsh sands and their abilities of healing themselves from deadly wounds few ventured into the sands to see them. Each building is a testament to their dedication to the gods and so their buildings are not only works of art but engineering marvels.  Centuries pasted and the race continued to thrive as other nations rose up around them.   

Part 2 (Culture)
Sisirath culture revolves around the workings of their gods, and their servitude towards them. For a normal Sisirath his life is decided upon his skills. Based on their talents they are quickly assigned a role within the nation. Intelligence, charisma, and strength play vital roles within the empire and are placed in area’s that other Sisirath will benefit from. While other lesser Sisirath are placed in area’s that benefit themselves. In the end all Sisirath work towards the betterment of the empire and anyone that gets in their way are quickly crushed.

Part 3 (Goverment)
The Sisirath Empire is ran by their Priests and by their Emperor and Empress. The priest decide what the gods will and the Emperor and Empress decide what action best helps the empire towards the will of the gods. Sadly as time rolls on the corruptions within ether side grow and now both wish to eliminate the other.

Military:
Infantry:

Archers:

Cavalry:

Elite:

Support:

Standing Army: 4050 Soldiers
Broken Down: 10 Battalions of 405 soldiers
Technology: Steel, Fire throwers, engineers

Characters:

Emperor- Lakaruk: Current leader of the Sisirath Empire and devote follower of the Sisirath Priesthood. Brought up within a religious family at a young age Lakaruk seeks to expand the empire under the watchful gaze of the Sisirath deities and show all nations that they will ether bow to the Sisirath gods or pay tribute.

General – Kashik: Raised deep in the deserts of the Sisirath empire Kashik was taught the ways of war. Raised within the ranks of the Sisirath military he rose quickly as his battle prowess and dangerous tactics distinguished him from the other common soldier, it also left scars upon his body. Having lost at least one of each of his legs and arms, and having them re-grown within the coming season while on military campaigns does stick out from a normal soldier. And within a few decades he rose to the rank of Brigadier General  and now commands the army for the Sisirath Empire. He’s a calm person at heart but when at war he quickly and ruthlessly strikes down his enemies.
Priest- Zegzi- An intelligent and wise priest of the sun gods. Zegzi seeks to rise up within the priesthood and gain access to his own household one day. Currently he lives within the temples of the Sisirath gods with his brothers and sisters but he wishes to get out and grow in power.

Merchant- Ganosh: A slave merchant of the Sisirath empire. Normal travels about with a number of slaves and guards to different area’s of the empire and abound. Seeking to open up new markets and capture fools that fall prey to his roaming band of men, all in the name of business.

Emperor’s Slave- Zettik: Zettik is apart of the first race subjugated to the Ssisirath rule. He is a Seline and he’s fiercely protective of his master. Raised by the Emperor himself he has been shown the Emperor blessings and his wrath since he could understand the difference between the two. Raised as a bodyguard and as a spy, Zettik knows little about himself but knows everything that his emperor would need for his praise. Which is the only thing that Zettik seeks in life.   

Soldier- Ssakrish: A common footsoldier within the 6th battalion of the Sisirath Empire. He wants to rise up within the ranks and one day command his own battalion within the Ssisirath military. Normally he’s layed back while roaming the city but while on the march you couldn’t find a better soldier.

[Sydonai]

cool! the third person ;D. Now as players may have guess, I shall be the main storyteller for most of the events going on in the game, which means you shall see me co-writing a lot of stories at once, but that is fine since I only have one game going on at the moment. It should be noted however that you are not entirely restricted to having me as your storyteller, you may ask other players to be the storyteller, infact this is encouraged since it allows other people to experience the characters you have created for them and the culture of your fictional nation :-)

Currently we have two ladies and two lords who had shown interests in this game, I'm waiting for two more players before we can proceed :-)

[Silk]

I'm defently interested, but I think it may be a bit above my current roleplay capability.

[Sydonai]

swordwind, currently you have 5 main characters, are you going to stick with only 5? it isn't compulsory to have all 6 main characters but it sure won't be limiting. A little more details on your kingdom would also be appreciated, for example images that could described the locales within Sisirath and also, I'm pretty sure those 4050 soldiers isn't completely comprised of infantry, yes? But there's a lot of time to continue editing your nation profile so don't worry about taking too much time.

With Silk joining us that'll be three ladies and two lords joining this game, I shall wait for one more lord before I'll start posting the OOC, overview thread and my own kingdom profile.

[Black Orchid]

Time to do this over again I see, I'm using the old format, but if there's anything you feel has been left out, do tell me and I'll add it in. Also, I would like to claim kingdom placement on Rhaza, mainly near the east side where that tiny piece of land is slightly separated; that would be really nice for my sacred grounds.

My main character will be Martirika, but I will also have full control over Durra, Jagadev, Sultana, Pramodini, and Aagneya.

Nestemată

Country: Nestemată is a small desert land that hides itself in the mound of red sand, it's border is completely bare and travel on for miles before it reaches the vast population; the long travel is a means for defense, tiring out wondering travelers and killing the unprepared. Even though small and secluded, Nestemată prosper for its beauty and tranquility. Created off the legend of the pearl goddess, the country is known for its black pearls, and many other valuable gems. Nestemată gems are used fondly in their medicine, the Mată people take the harvest gems and grind them into smooth powder, the powder can take on many forms, from food, for internal purposes; rubbing paste, for superficial wound healing; or even rubbed over one’s body. A rare, but traditional, remedy is the black pearls, the finely crushed calcium carbonated stone is thought to be a healer for every, and any, thing—only royalty possess such an item. Nestemată is a vain golden country, living in lavished beauty, gems are easily attainable in small caves or even a few feet under one's backyard, so almost every resident drapes themselves in them.

Religion:The Mată people believe in reincarnation, karma, and a vague unique form of fate. They believe that everything is set in stone, that if something happens, then there is no way of changing it, and if it ever was foreseen and altered—then the alteration was supposed to happen in the first place. They take great pride in spiritual healing, and that if one wish to be healed, then they will.

Indira

The country harbors a legend of an ancient woman who once ruled over the land, it is not known if the woman ever even existed, though the legend is widely known, and highly worshiped. It is told that a female child was birth from a giant clam that washed up from the watery cavern, a cave that houses a deep lake inside it; it is now called Nestemată bay. The baby from that clam was found by a woman name Dara and her fellow Vestal Virgins nursed the baby into adulthood. The pearl child's name was only known as Indira, training now in the ways of the vestal, Indira began to construct medicine out of the gems in the land. She began to use foreign new pearls in her care, seemingly curing every illness, even the unknown; the Vestal Virgins began to grow jealous of her healing and followed her to her watery cavern. There the giant clam she was birth from provided the pearls to her in bulks; stealing the pearls for themselves, the Vestal Virgins commence to drowning her in the deep black waters. The act was found by Dara, minutes too late as Indira's body began to sink below the surface. Dara banished the maidens, and return to the cavern to see the decades old giant clam gone, and a pile of black pearls left in its spot.

To this day, a legend has blossomed that any female child found in that cave is the reincarnation of Indira; and a 'Dara' would be chosen to care for the child. It leaves a lot of room for any unwanting mother to desert their child in such a way, but the hot barren trek to the miles away sacred grounds takes desperate families when they could easily place the child on any doorstep—this supernatural abandonment seemed to happen only once every thirty to fifty years.

Population: 30,000
pyramid is out weighted by the elderly, slender some to the adults, and bust again to the children.
     Army: 3000

Surplus:
Medicine

Exotic greenery

Spices

Cereal grain

Livestock

Exigencies:
Water

Various fruit and vegetables

Metal

Wood

Many raw material

Luxury:
Gems

Resin

Clothing material (Silk, cotton, flax, leather, jute, ect.)

Clay dye

Glass

Castle Grounds

A grate portion of the country is the castle grounds, the peasants’ city surrounds it like a mote; the royal land is border off by a great wall as the castle itself sits in the center. This is where the wealthy of the population reside, and even the royalty themselves. Hardly anyone is welcome within it unless they can afford the homes inside them, or have been summoned and granted entrance by the sultan; this is where the royal army and their family lives. Some peasants, however, do work inside the castle grounds, but when their shift is over, they must immediately return back to the city.

Mubariz

The General of the royal army, Mubariz grew up alongside the sultan, but him being the kings best and most trusted friend was not what owed him the place as general; Mubariz have grand strategical skills, has fast eye sight and reflexes, though his body is growing bridle and rigid, it is becoming harder for him to fight in war. He can create a full proof strategic plan, however, it is greatly hampered when he's not fully there to fight it. Mubariz is a fifty two year old married man who has three daughters and one son—the youngest. He also trains the prince in the art of fighting.

Nabhasi

Nabhasi is one of the few, but greatest, female warrior in the royal army. She is Lieutenant, and just recently taken up after her husband with his poor health; though a woman of her statues is highly disrespected. She is future general, though she plans to pass the title over to Aagneya. A forty five year old married woman, the wife of Mubariz, Nabhasi has three children with him; three daughters and one son.

Aagneya

The strongest warrior, Aagneya is new to the royal army, and even to Nestemată. A wondering traveler that managed to survive the harsh desert without an ounce of supplies. He's a mute who keeps to himself, causing people to distrust him. Mubariz does not approve of him being in his army, and Nabhasi wishes for him to take over when her husband retires. A thirty four year old man, Aagneya has not made clear of rather he accept her offer or not, and seems to be waiting it out until the time comes.

Wayland

Indeed a warrior from the royal army, he is placed as the messenger who mainly sits out on wars and is there to past the news of their failure or successes to the sultan. A thirty two year old man, Wayland has abandon his family into the main city to live by himself in the Castle Grounds, he places himself with Aagneya, as his powerful skill makes him feel safe.

Army

Mainly all of the royal army dresses as such. They live on the castle grounds with their families; they are treated much more fairly than the people who live in the city.

Castle

The castle itself is also bordered off with a great wall, here, only royalty and servants may roam the grounds without suspicion; these peasants, however, will not return home. Here, the sultan lives with his wives and children, and all of their servants; the priest and healers also resides in the castle.

Jagadev

Sultan of Nestemată, he was born into royalty just like every other before him. Jagadev isn't really classified in any special section, he rules over adequately, like any other, he feeds into the wealth of his land, saving all the best for himself, the finer for his army, and the rest for the city peasants. Jagadev is the nephew of Baasu, the castle highest priest; he's a fifty five year old man who has nine wives, the first of which is his ruling queen. A great population of Nestemată takes on polygamy, but it’s not always practiced; though it is a common tradition in the royal bloodline. Only the first wife is allowed to bare children, unless barren—then the second takes on the role, unless she too is also barren, then it moves on to the next, and so on—The other wives undergo a special remedy to make themselves infertile. Jagadev has two children with his first wife, one is the first born, a son, and the other is a daughter.

Sultana

The first wife, a thirty six year old woman who is assigned queen to Nestemată. Sultana is a bride of war spoils; she is not native to Nestemată and was won over once her father's country was raided. She is the only wife allowed to bare children, and have given birth to two of them; her son and daughter. She has more say over the ruling with her husband than the other wives, and doesn't waste a minute to remind them that she is more important.

Vidura

The second wife, a thirty nine year old woman who was once the sultan's first fiancée, she was hastily pushed to the side as Jagadev chose to marry Sultana first. Vidura was born from a highly respected family, catching the eye of Jagadev, but suddenly he brought home Sultana and married her on the spot; no one knows why he gave Sultana the spot of first wife, but in Vidura's respect, she was assigned second, months after, and given the title of wet nurse, as she is assigned medication to lactated for the royal children; thus growing a special bond with the prince and princess.

Neha

The third wife, a forty three year old woman, Neha was spotted by the king when she brought over bred plants to use in the castle medicine, though her intelligence in plant medicine was far better than anyone in Nestemată, her beauty is the only reason he married her. She also teaches the princess the art of medicine.

Sahila

The fourth wife, a thirty five year old woman, Sahila was a spur of the moment bride, her fiery attitude and bold nature sparked a fire in the sultan. Her loud nature and fast knowledge of the land lead her to be a guide to those who are new as warrior or castle servant. She is difficult and at times don't seemed to want the attention of her husband, so she hardly ever gets it, unless her cat and mouse game becomes too enticing.

Purna

The fifth wife, a forty two year old woman, Purna was a great dancer of the Castle Grounds; her dance was highly admired by the sultan, until he grew jealous of her audience and wanted her dancing only for him. Purna teaches the princess how to dance in her culture.

Mela

The sixth wife, a thirty nine year old woman, Mela was a spiritual healer training to be a Vestal Virgin before the sultan claimed and demanded her as his bride. She once healed the sultan after one of their wars, and he claimed her on sight, marrying her only three days after his recovery. She was one of the first to not willingly accept his marriage, but as the years passed, she became comfortable. She teaches the princess and other Vestal Virgins the ways of their origin.

Narani

The seventh wife, thirty three year old woman, Narani has sought the courtship of the sultan, being a child of a wealthy family, she found that she deserved to be his first wife, though she was ten years too late for such a position, she settled for her current spot, and lavish herself in the royal attention of the sultan. She is a cocky woman who usually causes trouble for the first wife, though that angers the sultan, so she keeps it to a minimal.

Kakanda

The eighth wife, a woman of forty, Kakanda is the only fighter of the nine wives, she tried to go for a position under Nabhasi and add to the growing female warriors; though she was tossed over to the sultan as he requested her service instead. She was placed into marriage two weeks later and was granted the luxury of training partial warriors; she teaches all the women in the castle how to defend themselves.

Pramodini

The ninth and last wife, a woman of twenty five years old; Pramodini is the youngest wife. Her naïve and young manner causes her to be a mockery of the other older wives, they know and taunt her for being the sultan's leash on youth. She gains the respect she deserves, just like all the other wives, though her mother disapproves of her choice of a husband and marital status. The middle daughter of Mubariz and Nabhasi, she was just recently married into the royal family six months ago.

Shahzad

The Prince, A twenty three year old man, Shahzad is the heir to the royal family, he is well on his way of taking over the throne once his father decide to retire, though the sudden taking of a wife is a sure sign that he plans to stay ruler for a much longer time. Shahzad is very laid back and seems to follow in his father's footsteps; he did not train to be a priest, but just like his father, Shahzad was train in the art of leadership by his great uncle, Baasu. Before his crowning of king, Shahzad has taken on a wife, now the couple waits for their father to turn over his position.

Martirika (my character)

The princess, Martirika is nineteen years old; she is the second child of Jagadev and Sultana. She studied after all of her mothers as they found it would be useful if she variegated in skills; most actually enjoyed imprinting themselves onto her and teaching her to act like them. She was taught the art of fighting by Kakanda, though never placed in battle, or even have any intentions in going into one, but she enjoys mixing the style with Purna's dance skills. She spent time with Neha, but didn't quite understand, or even enjoy, plant breeding, though healing was a favor of her's, so Mela was the main influence in her training into a Vestal Virgin. Even though Martirika was breast fed only once by her mother, and mainly looked after by Vidura, she grown to take after her mother in more than just looks.

Martirika was in the middle of training to be a Vestal Virgin when she was proposed to by Akhilesh, the relationship was highly influenced by her family, so she accepted; however, a child was found inside the sacred cave of Indira, and she was suddenly titled Dara of the little girl. She was forcibly placed back into the life of a priestess, and now her wedding is placed on a sixteen year halts.

Aanetra

The wife of Shahzad, a twenty year old woman married into royalty; Aanetra was a childhood friend of the princess, as she grew up, she planned to become a Vestal Virgin with the princess, but was claimed as the fiancée of the prince. It was granted as the sultan was nearing the beginning of his retirement, but then the sultan remarried, claiming a young wife that gave symbol to a longer leadership. This action placed Aanetra in a position that if Shahazad decided to marry after his kingship, their marriage would be void and they would have to do the ceremony over again, or she would be pushed to second wife.

Baasu

The first and live uncle of the sultan, a seventy nine year old man, he is the head priest and holds a great rein of power over Nestemată, he was the second son of the king before his brother, placing him to where he'd never be king. He was a mighty adviser of his older brother, and carried this helpfulness down to his nephew. Baasu never had to attempt treason as he got what he wanted through the kings, even without the fear of being assassinated. Though many decisions he imply on the sultan is of his own selfish gain, he does also help in the proper caring of Nestemată.

Akhilesh

The grandson of Baasu, a twenty four year old man, Akhilesh is following the path of his decease father and highly respected grandfather. He is the fiancé of the princess and desire to gain favor in the sultan and take crown of the throne, it have never been done to take a crown while the heir is still alive, but Akhilesh and his grandfather feel that the prince must have upset the Sultan in some way to make him drastically restart his reign over Nestemată.

Durra

The child of the clam shell, a two year old toddler; Durra was found in the sacred bay when Mela and Martirika went to the grounds with the other Vestal Virgins. Mela was the one who found the child asleep in front of the dark water with black pearls splayed around her, but when the child awoke, she would shrink into Martirika side like a frighten cub; they never told anyone that Mela was set to be the Dara, the title was quickly placed onto the princess. Durra is a quite child who doesn't ever speak, she has spoken before, so she isn't mute, but her silence has left some to believe she is. Though she could very well be the daughter of a desperate peasant, Durra is highly honored and respected by default of tradition.

[Sydonai]

alright, black orchid, almost everything is in order but there's one more tiny bits that needs clearing up. The military forces of Nestemata, we'd sure appreciate it if you could somehow provide us with exact number or at least approximate numbers of Nestemata military forces. More details would certainly be welcomed I'm sure as it'll provide more background info for storytellers to get a feel of how Nestemata's military functions

[Sydonai]

Now, I was asked some questions over at the pm about the game and I thought I'd post it here so that it'll be able to clear up more things regarding this game:

1) I'm curious about the chosen map.  Why was it picked/what is it from?  I'm not familiar with it, could you give me some insight into why that map was selected?
The chosen map was chosen at random but there's enough there that allows players to pinpoint and describe the location of their nation and it seems to me the most well balanced map I've seen so far with all the climates being equally there

2) How large are we allowed to make our nation?  The first posts seem to have rather small nations (though I only skimmed them), are those normal?  Do you expect alot of nations along the lines of the ancient Greek city-states?  Is an Egypt, Rome, or Ethiopia sized nation appropriate?
A nation of 20000-50000 is a city-state nation in which you'll only be allowed one city as it's name suggest, but if you're planning to create a nation of more than 50000 population than it's a fledgling nation in which you are allowed in between 2 or 3 major settlements. I purposely want everyone to start small either as a city-state or a fledgling nation because there will growth in population every week, this I shall explain more once all 6 players have posted their kingdom profile. As for the size of your nation being equaled to that of ancient Egypt or Rome, that'll be too big unfortunately, it should be a smaller state actually.

3) How much variance in technology is appropriate?  Is lower technology okay?  What about advanced/primitive culture?  What kind of government/social systems do you expect to see?
As for technology, it should be along the lines of medieval fantasy or something that is common during that era. Halberds, swords, bows and arrows are norms. Mode of transportation should be carts and horses, I might be more lenient to steampunks as long as no gunpowders are involved.

4) I see that we are only allowed direct control over six characters how much control do we have over the rest of our nation?  How much control does a storyteller have over another player's nation, when they are asked to run a scene?
It is with my intention that I allow every player to control only limited numbers of characters so that they'll have to rely on storytellers to co-write with you regarding events surrounding your nation and this is what I believed sets my system(or rather it is actually kate's, I just modified some things) apart from other nation rp. What I am aiming for is for other players to roleplay and get a feel for the fictional nation you had created, seemingly giving life to what would first appeared to be nothing more than a strands of imagination on one's head. I for one would certainly loved to roleplay on all these exotic cultures and nations created by our fellow roleplayers.

5) Should we expect that there are other, NPC nations all over?  Is most of the world unclaimed?  Or is there some mix of the two?
There's certainly going to be other NPC nations all over, even ones that are next door to yours just beside your own borders, but that is entirely up to you. If you wish to engage in a diplomatic talk with these NPC nations, you may request for a storyteller and either create this minor nations on your own and provide a rather brief background for it, just enough for the storyteller to understand the nation and the storyteller will roleplay that nation as if it his/her own nation for you or let the storyteller help you create this minor nation. The same goes if you wish to wage war against it, if you won the war(and that is entirely up to the storyteller, if he figures your armies response to all the challenges he/she created for you is adequate then he/she may deem that you have won some territory from that nation and you'll be allowed to update the overview thread, stating that your nation has conquered a few more territories and you'll be able to update your nation profile accordingly.

2b) It looks like you have an image of urbanized cultures - would a more pastoral nation be okay?  How about a Nomadic one?  Are unusual settlement or architectural habits okay?  (For example, a fishing culture wherein many of the fishermen spend their live on a boat, or a culture that lives underground, in caverns or tunnels?)
Any nation type is fine, nomadic, barbaric, urbanized even nation that is built on top of fleets of gigantic ship, sailing through the seas are welcomed, no problem with that, use your creativity. Just as long as that 'unusual'-ness of your nation would not be considered godmodding, like for an example, a nation built on top of giant flying fortress that could shoot destructive rays on top of other land nation, then as long as it is not overpowering then it is fine.

3a) Do swords/bows/ carts & horses, etc. have to be prevalent in my culture?  Or is that just an example of the upper limit of technology?  Would it be okay to have a culture that uses less advanced technology?
it is just an example of the upper limit of the technology, yes. Using less advanced technology would only make your nation seemed far less superior but I'm sure you can figure something else out to balance that, like for example, higher birth rate or some such

3b) Are we limited to feudal governments?  Can we have other kinds of government and culture than were present in medieval Europe?
You may have use whatever types of government as you wish, even democracy or some other strange form of government that I am not aware of. The game is set upon a fictional world so earth's timeline has nothing to do with this game

4) It looks like the other players have more control over a player's nation than he does.  How do we make sure that each player is able to take his culture in the direction he intends?
Which is why I can't reiterate enough the need to provide as many information as you can in your nation profile to give a feel of your nation's culture and lifestyle. If you have some specific instructions to your storyteller than it should be discuss over at the OOC thread where you go for a request on any storyteller or it can be done over at pm, but as I say, you can never have enough information pertaining to your nation.

[Scribbles]

Nation's Name: Rheydan (The Rheydanian People)

Nation's Ruler:
Rheydan is ruled by nobody, with the clans each answering to their own leaders.

Warmonger:
This is a title taken by those who seek to unite the clans by force, they're normally the strongest amongst their band of warriors.

Thane:
The thanes are the leaders of the various clans, nomads and villages.

Lady/Lord:
These are the thanes which have managed to peacefully unite various other thanes under themselves.

Hag:
These are the spiritual advisors and keepers of lore for the people of Rheydan. Each tribe has only one.

Witch:
Hags which take on the title of thane are known as witches.

Sorceress:
This is the title given to the lady of Helm.

King or Queen:
Nobody can even recall the last time Rheydan had a ruler but, if one were to rise, this would be the appropriate title.

Background:
History:
The history of Rheydan is extensive but dull, with the story of its beginning long lost and the current years filled with little more than bickering and wars between the clans. Each clan now holds its own history which is protected and passed on by their respective hags.

Culture:
The Rheydanian people are a very energetic lot, who happily indulge in war and festivities in almost equal amounts. The only differences between the clans are their spiritual beliefs and histories, both of which are held, protected and recorded by the hags of the tribes. A clan which loses its hag is considered one without beliefs or a past and is dishonoured in the eyes of the other tribes.

Another common cultural aspect which the clans share are the arena fights. It can be anything from a fully-fledged stadium, to a simple rope to outline the boundaries of the arena. The clans use these arenas to satiate their competitive natures, with activities such as axe/javelin/rock/etc throwing to a series of brawls or armed fights. The type of competition and the rules are usually chosen by the defender (or clan leader in the event of a festivity), unless a moment of bravado has them allowing the challenger the chance to set the conditions. Declining a challenge is seen as a great act of cowardice.

Governing Bodies:
There is no true ruler of the Rheydanians and the only thing that comes close are people of influence and the thanes themselves. The thanes meet regularly in the halls of Helm to ensure that contact is at least retained, if not peace, between the clans.

Spirituality:
Each clan reserves the right to worship whoever or whatever they desire. Rheydan effectively has a cornucopia of gods, goddesses and even idols. Some clans even choose to worship their ancestors. The only similarity the clans really share in spiritual belief is that those who die in battle are honoured and instantly accepted into the Hall of Ancients, where they can partake in all the battling and feasting they desire. Otherwise, only old age or a funeral service performed by the clan can help a member find their way to the Hall of Ancients. All services are usually performed out in the snow, where the body is placed atop a funeral pyre and burnt to ash.

Resources:
Rheydan has plenty of wood, animal pelts and stone. It also has small metal deposits but only enough to equip every Rheydanian with a weapon. Metal armour is rare outside of Helm. The only other export a few clans might provide is a chocolate like substance produced by a small, bluish, plant. It's a sweet tasting aphrodisiac which can be used in the creation of a variety of drinks or baked goods.

Population: 100000 (Roughly)
The general population consists of a variety of differing communities, from small groups of nomads to established settlements. These groups usually have around a hundred Rheydanians. On the very rare occasion you might find communities which hold up to a thousand.

Local: Vlagomir
Terrain:
This mountainous region is thick with snow and forests, an unforgiving sea of white where the ground can crumble from beneath your feet or an avalanche could occur within a moment's notice. It's a difficult land to cross with an army and almost impossible for siege weaponry, with little food or actual paths to guide those who seek to traverse it. Besides the vicious animals which roam the land, such as bears and wolves, the Rheydanian territory is also home to thugs and bandits which lie in wait for unsuspecting travellers.

Helm:

As the trade and diplomatic centre of Rheydan, this castle is rarely quiet, from the rowdy lower levels where near everything is for sale/hire and all manner of drinking and arena fights take place, to the upper levels where the thanes engage with each other and take part in their own revelry. Helm is considered neutral territory amongst the tribes and is protected by a group known as the Knights of Helm.

Zerrin's Keep:

Zerrin is a long dead mage who came from afar and attempted to use his powers to subdue the tribes. He was finally butchered by the Order of Helm. The castle was built to signify his power and act as his base of operations. It is now occupied by the warlord Felgrin and so is considered to be dangerous territory where bandits roam freely.

Galen's Fall:

It's said that this long abandoned castle once belonged to Rheydan's last king, Galen. It's a cursed place where none dare tread, more for the tales of horror which surround the castle than the dragoness which sits atop its towers.

Frostmorne:

This is a place which almost resembles a fort in its makeup. The village is considered to be one of the few places of luxury in Rheydan, a reputation which normally has it being labelled as "weak". And yet none dare assault its wars.

Earth Wound:

This is one of the few mining communities within Rheydan and it is here where they find their precious metals. The diggers actually call the mines their home and live within the earth itself, where they've setup a number of underground houses, shops, etc.

Military:
All within Rheydan know how to swing a sword but that doesn't necessarily mean everyone has a chance to take part in the field of battle. Those who are considered too elderly, or have yet to prove their adulthood, are usually left behind to manage the clan's affairs while every able-bodied man and woman usually ventures forth to do battle. Even so, despite the fact that the clans devote so much of themselves during times of war, it's highly unlikely anyone will ever face more than ten percent of the divided nation at any one time. Some of the most recent invasions only stirred up around five percent of Rheydan's population.

Rheydan Villagers: 60%


Raised as warriors but taught in a different field, each contributes to their clans in their own way. Depending on the size and needs of the tribe these men and women can fulfil all kinds of tasks. It isn't all that odd to come by a bear of a man, with an immense sword, only to find out he's actually the village's tailor or skald.

Huntress: 30%

While the huntress is more of a gatherer of food for the village, it is not uncommon for the tribes to use them for protection. These women are both able scouts and versatile combatants, capable of holding their own both from a distance and in close-quarters.

Huscarl: 9.5%

These are the sole warriors of the tribes, picked by the thanes themselves to protect the people under them. They are masters of melee combat and shun almost any form of ranged combat, although it is not unheard of for a huscarl to have some ability with thrown weapons such as axes or javelins.

The Order of Helm: 0.5%

In order of appearance you have the Guardians, Valkyrie, Foreigners, Paladins and Clerics. Although most know them simply as the Knights of Helm and of their sole duty to uphold the tenets of Helm. These men and women swear allegiance to nobody and will never intervene in the conflicts which occur across Rheydan, unless a tribe breaks a treaty or an outsider attempts to influence their culture. It is rare to see them beyond the walls of Helm. The knights of Helm are strictly melee fighters and some of the few who are able to equip metal armour. And while it's rare to see a male, the Valkyrie of the knights all share the same appearance.

Characters:
The Warmonger Felgrin

Felgrin was once an ambitious thane who earned the reviled title of warlord when he sought to force various leaders to kneel before him. It was a task which was doomed to fail, especially as the nearby tribes put aside their differences and rallied against him. Even so he was never truly defeated. Thanks to Zerrin's Keep, a near impenetrable fortress, Felgrin remains alive to this very day and continues to send out raids to various villages while coercing others to pay him tribute.

The Thane Lycan (Played)

Lycan is a man whose family was once believed to be cursed, or at least that is how some believe he came by his terrifying ferocity in battle. Beside his intimidating blood lust, he is also known for having a quick temper, a hearty attitude and the drinking constitution of a bull. Lycan controls one of the larger nomadic tribes in the region, Wolf Pack, and is well respected for his wisdom and leadership abilities. He also acts as the custodian for Earth Wound.

The Thane Rhea and Sister, Valen (Played)

Rhea (Brown Hair) is considered to be honoured as one of the few female thanes, where she has to fend off the rampant sexism almost as much as the actual threats to her tribe's livelihood. Rhea controls the small village of Frostmorne and is so far unmatched with the sword. Valen (Blonde) acts as Rhea's advisor and is Frostmorne's current hag.

The Sorceress Videl (Played)
Little is known of the sorceress Videl with few having even met her. All that is known is that she has watched over Helm, the only neutral territory of Rheydan, for longer than most live. Her face and body are usually concealed by heavy black robes.

A Valkyrie (Played)
As a Valkyrie warrior, this one has forsaken her name and (like her sisters of Helm) she shares the same face, build and hair. This Valkyrie's mission revolves around outsiders. Some of her tasks include gathering information, escorting those who have been offered safe passage, or delivering missives for Helm. She has also been called on to perform some slightly more sinister undertakings relating to outsiders.

The Dragoness Kessel (Played)

Kessel rests safely atop the tallest tower of Galen's Fall, where she surveys that which she calls her own. As an ice dragon she is both revered by some tribes while called a pretender by others. Rheydan itself sees her as a Warmonger...

[Sydonai]

Veridian Insignia

Nation’s Name: Kingdom of Veridia

Nation’s Ruler: The Sorcerer King, Arynn Genn

Population: 90503
          Humans(majority): 72.14%
          Elf: 27.86%
          

Local: The Kingdom of Veridia is located in a verdant and lush valley just south of the Blood Flats and northwest of the Green Sea. The kingdom has a natural barrier of two thousand miles long mountain ranges to the west, called Xillia's wall, that protects the kingdom of Veridia from any attacks, mostly from the mysterious nemesis of theirs from the Blue Anchor. Veridia's border reaches from the northern reaches of the Blood Flats to the northern shores of the Green Sea, and from the mountain ranges in the west to the center of the Blood Flats where a fortress stood guard against any trespassing hostile forces into Veridian lands.

The Kingdom of Veridia has two major cities and a citadel fortress. The Capital which is the city of Verilith is currently home to more than forty thousand souls and the second city, Teralond is home to more than thirty thousand souls. There's also the lone citadel, Greyhold that sits in the middle of the barren wastelands in central Blood Flats, standing watch over the main entrance into Veridia's realm.
          
Religion: Myris The Knowledgable (Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge)
               Vesincouth(Human’s God of battle and warfare)
                Sylanna(Elven Goddess of Nature and Beauty)
                                          

History:
Veridia was before a collection of independent state and barony owing its allegiance to no sovereign. These independent state and barony were once part of the great Dirussian Empire that ruled almost all of Mag'lan and did so for a couple of centuries before internal strife, rebellion and natural disaster shook its foundation and it was toppled. The fall of the empire came swiftly and unexpectedly when the combination of common people and the noble houses of Dirussian has finally had enough of the royal family's rule of the great empire. The noble houses were the ones who financed the activities of the rebellion while the angry and under-appreciated common people were all to eager to be recruited into the resistance force. When the end finally came it was swift, the noble houses smuggled an entire army of rebels into the capital city of Diruss, now a ruin and only recently have been a town of scavengers called Goldhurst. The royal family were massacred down to the last descendants and none were spared. After the complete destruction of the royal family, the great military forces of Dirussian empire had mostly disbanded, those who didn't serves those collection of independent baronies and states.

Three independent states sits at the very western edge of the Dirussian empire, Verilith, Terralond and Greyhold. Verilith had always been the shining beacon of civilization at the untameable western part of Mag'lan. It is a port city that sits at the northern shores of the Green Sea and serves as an important trading hub between the Dirussian Empire and that of the oriental Yang'Jin kingdom to the south west and the many independent state nation at the isles around the Green Sea. Terralond on the other hand is a relatively new city, and it hasn't even seen it's fifth century when the rebellion took place and bought down the empire. It was originally called Tharmak before a count took control of the city during the rebellion and change the city's name into that of Terralond, it was founded when a Dirussian excavation team unearthed massive lode of ores in the northern side of Xillia's wall. Greyhold had always been a stronghold and fortress of the Dirussian Empire, near the end it was left in the state of disrepair and neglect where it was once before an important and strategic stronghold of the Dirussian Empire against the undead hordes plaguing the western Mag'lan. Now it was claim by an influential warlord.

With the collapse of the empire, the vast territory of the Dirussia was unevenly divided amongst the nobles houses to rule as their very own fiefdom. Unfortunately for the three fiefdom of Verilith, Terralond and Greyhold, they were forced to  hold whatever territory they still have against the undead onslaught from the Blue Anchor region of Mag'lan and the desert marauders of the Blood Flats. The three rulers were barely able to hold their ground until a powerful Lich who commands vast armies of undead lay siege to Terralond. In desperate attempt for survival, the Baron of Terralond, at the time a wealthy nobleman by the name of Jaques request the aid of Verilith. Verilith came to the rescue with an army smaller in size to the lich's undead legion but were enough to repel the vast undead hordes if only for a moment. Verilith current ruler, a powerful sorcerer and also one of the former archmage of the mages guild of Dirussian Empire, by the name of lord Arynn Genn recognizes the need to merge with Terralond for mutual protection and survival against their many enemies. This war would later be known as the Liches War.

Arynn was a powerful sorcerer who had used magic itself to prolong his life and apparently his youth as well, but aside from being a powerful wizard, he is also a very capable mastermind. Arynn recognizes the military capability of Lord commander Reister who then, alongside his elite corps of former Dirussian soldiers, occupies the Greyhold citadel and sought to bring the proud but efficient lord commander into their fold.

As Arynn had expected, the undead hordes weren't entirely put down, a few months after Terralond, Greyhold and Verilith forms an alliance, the same lichlord who commands the vast undead army from before returns and this time, the undead hordes has completely recovered. However, the alliance has a few tricks up their sleeves as well. The undead forces outnumbers the military might of Verilith, Terralond and Greyhold combined, yet for all their numbers, the lichlord who commands them were still susceptible to mortal prides. The first few minor victories for undead made the lichlord confidant in his own victory and he pushes deeper into Veridia's territory and as the Arynn's forces drew them ever deeper, he began to weave powerful illusion magic that was able to fool the eyes of the powerful lichlord and this caused the massive undead hordes to lost their way inside the valley leading to Verilith. In truth the vast undead army were merely walking in circle and the lichlord were unable to dispel the powerful spell.

With the advantage on the alliance's side, Reister led the forces of the three states. Dividing the armies of into smaller parts, they strike against the undead hordes but with speed and tenacity that practically caught the undead hordes by surprised. Cut off from their main source of reinforcements, the alliance slowly chipped away at the undead's numbers until finally Reister felt they were ready to face the lichlord in one final battle. The battle took place on a plain south, not far from Terralond and it shook the ground and bathes it in blood and vile puss from the many fallen battlefield combatant, living and the dead. The alliance carried through the day but not without their own casualty, Lord Commander Reister was killed in the battle but fortunately, his death wasn't in vain as he provided enough time for the sorcerer Arynn, who fought side by side with him, to cast powerful spell that binds and imprisoned the vile lichlord into the deepest recesses of the earth.

Following lord Reister's death, his step son and apprentice, Hazarel took command of Reister's forces. Hazarel is a capable military commander on his own yet he lacks the charisma of his step father, and so it didn't take too much convincing by Arynn to persuade him to merge with Verilith and Terralond. A year after the great battle, Greyhold, Verilith and Terralond celebrated the birth of a new nation, their merged states into that of a proud kingdom, Veridia.


Society
Veridians lived in three separate society, this is obvious since the merging of the three states had only happened barely two decades ago. Yet despite their differences, they were once part of the great Dirussian Empire and their customs and culture doesn't differ by much.
The people of Terralond are mostly artificers and craftsmen, the city itself sits upon the mountain side of Xillia's walls and stood directly above countless ore mines that litters the mountains side. In the pasts it may not have been a significant city to the Dirussian Empire, now it has become a major supplier for ores and metals to fuel the military engine of Veridia.

Greyhold had always been the forefront and first line of defense for Veridia against any threat from the east. This mostly involves the desert marauders of the Blood Flats but it also serves as the main gateway into Veridia since the only other way into Veridian territory is through the Green Sea to the south and the mountain ranges to west. The residents of Greyhold are hardy folks who are used to warfare, being the bastion of civilization amidst inhospitable wasteland which is also home to many marauder tribes. The people of Greyhold are mostly soldiers or smiths who forged weapons and armors for the armies of the Sorcerer King.

Finally, the major settlement of Veridia is the capital itself, which is the city of Verilith, home to more than forty thousand souls. Verilith is also home to the Sorcerer King Arynn Genn and his beautiful wife, Lady Aria the enlightened. Both had ruled the kingdom for two decades now since the kingdom was first established as a merged independent states. Verilith is described as being a towering city built upon levels and each of them higher than the last. The buildings are made from a very strange type of bricks and stones native to the valley in which at night as the temperature cools off, it emits a faint hue that made it looks as if the buildings are made of amber throughout the entire city. As time pass by this materials became a commodity only for the upper class of the population that only houses of rich merchants and nobles are built using these strange materials. Verilith is home to the wise and politicians. Noblemen, scribes and mages as well as entertainers prefers to live within its comfortable walls.

Aside from humans, some elves had also took refugees inside Veridia, when the lichlord first came to power, the elves of Blue anchor was the first to be attacked. Many of the elves died in the initial battles but many more escapes, some sails to the south while others who could not afford it would take refuge in Veridia. With the lichlord defeated they decided to stay in Veridia and made a home for themselves amongst the wild untamed forest in the valley. Some of these elves lives within a tight-knit group of enclaves, others prefer to live in the cities and town amongst humans and as such inter-breeding is quite common in Veridia amongst human and elves. Some of these elves would even joined forces with Veridia's army should the kingdom comes under attack.

Governance
Veridia is ruled justly by the sovereign of its nation, the sorcerer king Arynn Genn and his consort, Lady Aria the enlightened. It is a typical monarchical kingdom in which the king rules with absolute power and the noblemen serves in the court of advisers to the king, mainly in matters pertaining to state affairs. Some of these noblemen are also given lands of their own, where peasants works the land and pay taxes to the kingdom which would later be divided between the kingdom's coffers and that of the nobles owning the lands. In return both the nobles and the sovereign would provide these peasant with protection. Through scheming and machinations of his own, Arynn was able to make himself the absolute ruler of all three major settlements of Veridia, Jaques who was the absolute ruler of Terralond submitted to the sorcerer king and in return, he was allowed to rule and govern the city of Terralond as he pleases as long as there;ll be monthly tithe delivered to Verilith and a share of Terralond's own contingents of army. The same goes with Greyhold, yet Arynn had no problem whatsoever with convincing Hazarel about giving up the governance of Greyhold to him, just as long as he is allowed to lead his men in battle.

Arynn however recognizes the need for a capable supreme general for his army, promises much more than that, Hazarel was to lead all the forces of Veridia should it be threatened by an external force, it is an offer difficult for him to refuse for his passion is not that of governing but rather leading armies in battle. And so the sorcerer king established the rank of High Archon, equivalent to grand marchall to many other nations and the first to hold office is none other than Reister's stepson, Hazarel. Veridia mainly relies on discipline of its troops and their superior equipment to carry them through the day. In the past this reliance had them gained victory against the more brutish but undisciplined marauders and the disorganized undead hordes however, with the emergence of new nations around the world, this tactic might not proved to be as effective as it the Veridians would like to believe.

Military                 
Veridia currently maintained a strong army of more than 9000 soldiers, most of them having been posted at Greyhold to serve as Veridia's main line of defense. Smaller armies have been known to patrol the valley where Veridia is located and guarding the one pass across the Xillia's walls. Veridia's army is separated into three different organization, The Guardians, The Veridian Armada, and the Shadowguards. Currently, the Guardians are the mainstay of Veridia's land forces which comprises of almost 7000 active soldiers, while the Veridian Armada are manned by nearly 2000 sailors with a few hundred ships. The shadowguards on the other hand is the Sorcerer King's private army and also serves as his agents. They are not under jurisdiction of any military officers within Veridia and instead answers only to King Arynn. Military equipments are provided by the kingdom to the soldiers that enlisted into the military service and would have to be returned when they are discharged from service. Armors and weapons of Veridia's military forces are forged mostly at Greyhold and some at Terralond and later on these equipments will be delivered to Verilith, where the scribes and mages there will imbue it with minor magic through the use of glyphs. This act of further imbuing their equipment would not make them invulnerable, but it does help them slightly in battle and might just increase their chance of survivability in battle. Glyphic magic differs in strength and function, some would make the heavy armor of Veridian soldiers, much lighter and some would make even make them more resilient in battle, they attributed this special ability of the kingdom to the fact that even during the time of Dirussian Empire, Verilith had always been the city of mages and scribes, libraries would litter the streets and mages schools seems much more comfortable opening their institution here than the capital itself. As such most of Veridian armors would look rather ornate and exotic even the ones being worn by the mainstay of the force.

The Guardians are the primary fighting force of Veridian Kingdom. They are well equipped and maintained as the kingdom has its own source of metals an ores and rarely ever imports new metals from external source. The mountain ranges of Xillia's walls provide near endless supplies of iron and metal as well as a few mithril mines that are rather uncommon, even the most basic of Veridia's soldiers are armed with standard military equipment that can be found in many kingdoms. Militia of Veridian Kingdom mainly can be found in many major cities and town across Veridia and are armed with boiled leather armor as well as a longsword with no helmet. Some of these militia even used some of their money to buy a shortbow that they straddle to their back to provide better chances in battle.

The standard footsoldiers of Veridia are called the Veridian Guardsmen. Since the nation of Veridia is mostly a nation of artist and artificers, even the basic footsoldiers of Veridia has their armor imbued with glyphs of minor magic to provide a slight advantage over their foes. This advantage mostly come in the form of their armor being lighter than it should. This knowledge, couple with their confident of their commander has made most if not all of Veridian soldiers to be rather bold, most Veridian Guardsmen wore the ornately crafted iron armor and armed with two long swords which they dual wield most of the time, however some guardsmen are equipped with a shield on the left hand if they requested for it. These guardsmen fights in tight formation and rely upon each other to hold the line against their enemies, they advantage is their well-disciplined minds and their confident that is a deeply ingrained propaganda that they are the best soldiers in Titan bar none.

Marksmen are Veridian soldiers armed and specifically trained for range combat. The marksmen provided the support for range combat and covers the more slowly moving footsoldiers before they could smash into the enemy battle lines, and though their training may not be as rigorous as that of Veridian Guardsmen, they are no less deadly either. Veridian marksmen are usually citizen soldiers who are trained by veteran rangers before being sent out as an attachment to a company of soldiers. They are armed with chained leather armor that are imbued with minor glyph that gives them added strength to pull the string of the bow they are using and armed with two weapons, the first being their primary weapon, which is a wooden longbow manufactured in Terralond by elven smiths and a dagger for close-combat protection.

Elven ranger These are the elven militia who had sworn to defend the kingdom of Veridia the moment the lichlord was defeated. During their exodus into Veridia, it was king Arynn who ordered some of his own troops to protect the elves as they make their way into the sanctuary of the valley's forest. Indebted to the Veridians for risking their own lives protecting the elven refugees, these last defenders of the elves have sworn fealty to the sorcerer king and would fight with vigor and tenacity, a match to any loyal Veridian soldiers. Armed with longbow superior to that of Verian marksmen and armed with boiled leather cuirass imbued with druidic magic these elven rangers are capable of moving swiftly inside any forest and ambushed enemy forces while they make their way deeper into Veridian territory. These is the only Veridian military section that allows both male and female members.

Before Terralond became a part of Veridia, they are protected by a cadre of city guards known as the Crimson guard. These are the mysterious caravan guard guild of Lord Jaques. They are clad from the head to toe with hardened weaved quilted armor, infact even their faces are enclosed within the head cover. While it may seem practical since Terralond is located in the cold mountain ranges to the north, they are still treated with suspicion by the locals because they would never reveals their face in the public. Rumors had even sprung about the crimson guard being made of spirits of vengeful soldiers who died during the time of Dirussian empire revolt or that underneath all that cloth and quilted armor is a conjured magical spirit. Whatever the speculation regarding the crimson guards are, their martial prowess could never be denied, while they never had their armor imbued by the mages and scribes in Verilith, they are inhumanly agile and highly proficient with their halberd, thus casting away the doubt about their capability, more so since the crimson guards are the only Veridian defense against determined cavalry charge.

Veridian Cataphracts is the mainstay and the only cavalry forces of Veridia. These cavalry knights are some of the best fighting forces of the region and high ranking members of the Guardians. clad in imbued plated armor and armed with a broadsword and a shield, these elite force of the Guardians could form formation during their initial charge that could easily smash through the enemy battle lines.

The most powerful of the Veridian warriors are the Deathguards. These are not part of the Guardians nor do they fall under the guardians jurisdiction. Instead they are the natives of Verilith and the personal guard of the sorcerer king himself. These Deathguards were all orphans who survived the Liches War and bought to the capital where they were trained from they were children to become the ultimate killing warriors of the Sorcerer King. Currently they numbered up to a hundred strong and most may be found protecting the palace of the sorcerer king. In battle, they are the armed bodyguards of Arynn and served as his personal entourage should the sorcerer king wishes to travel outside of Verilith. Armed with ornately decorated armor that is imbued with the best glyphic magic and armed with massive imbued scythe that could easily cleave a well armored soldier in two, they are a deadly sight to behold in any battlefield.

Aside from the troops, Veridia also maintain more than a hundred siege equipments currently, all of which being stored in Greyhold for use in siege warfare. These includes the crudely built catapults, trebuchet that the forces of late Lord Reister had managed to acquire before the fall of the Dirussian Empire and a few battering rams. The Veridian Armada currently stands of more than 70 vessels, these may includes the mainstay Galleon, the lighter multipurpose Dhow or the transport arc that could carry up to 200 soldiers each.


Important Peoples of Veridia

Sorcerer King Arynn Genn(Current Ruler of Veridia) (Main Character)



Background: Lord Arynn Genn was a member of the archmages of the wizard's guild. This was during the time of the Dirussian Empire. Born almost 60 years ago in an outlying village far at the eastern frontier of the Dirussian Empire, he had always been fascinated with magic even from his childhood. When cantrip mages and performing trickster would come over to his village he would be the first to attend. fascinated by the boy's eagerness to learn magic, one of the traveling mage that wanders through the village agrees to take him as his protege and teach Arynn, all he knows regarding magic. When he was 20 years of age, his tutor and mentor decided at it was time again for him to travel and bid the boy farewell, now a grown young adult, Arynn decided to leave his village and make his way to the capital city of Dirussia, where he was immediately accepted into the wizard's guild per recommendation from his former tutor.

At the ago of 30, Arynn began occupying important seats within the wizard's guild and making a name for himself. He was able to master the arts of evocation and elemental magic relatively easy and was offered a lower ranking seat within the council but for such a young age it was a wonder. Arynn began experimenting with the magic to prolong one's own life and in so doing their youth, his discovery of the concept and later applied it to himself has shoot him to a position of power within the council, he was regarded as a prodigy as well as a brilliant mage who was never afraid of trying something new. When the empire collapse, Arynn had actually started to meddle in politics an became a member of the noble's council, yet he did not really side with the rebels nor did he defended the crown, instead he was merely studying the human behavior, to him it was all an observation and experiments. Unfortunately, the empire did not lasts long and when it fell the wizard's guild was also affected by it.

Arynn left for the city of Verilith where he believed he had receives vision about his mission. While it may not be as noble as trying to revive the empire, he was certainly excited about the idea of leading his own nation. Arynn may be a very talented sorcerer yet he is also a capable mastermind. Arynn successfully planted evidence and framed the governor of Verilith to be a supporter of the old monarchy and the governor was forced to fled, hailing him as a hero, the people of Verilith had long heard of Arynn's amazing talent and his mastery of magic, they quickly elected him to become their leader in Verilith.

Arynn is usually seen clad in an artificer armor that he personally oversaw it's construction. In fact, while most armors within the kingdom would be imbued by normal mages with glyphs, Arynn's armor is imbued by a stronger magic and it's glpyhs hidden underneath the layers of the plate armor. His sword, he named it Arval, is a sentient weapon, during the era of turmoil within the Dirussian Empire, Arynn was challenged by another powerful wizard who put on a wage that whoever lsoe would have to give up his own soul to the winner. Obviously, Arynn won the battle of magic and took the soul of the wizard, named Arval and store it within the sword. Although grudgingly, Arval is force to obey his master in a form of a powerful magical sword. Even though he is 6 decades old, Arynn looked young in his twenties mainly because of his discovery of the age prolonging spell, he appeared as a handsome young man with black hair and deep brown eyes with a fair and white skin color tone.

Queen Aria, the enlightened



Background: Aria is the queen and consort of the current ruler, Arynn Genn. She appears as a young woman in her twenties with flowing violet hair, fair and unblemished white skin and a set of different colored eyes that made her stand out amongst most common folks, one green in color and the other one purple. She has her beautiful look and appearance from her elven heritage, she was born to an elven sorceress and a human nobleman. Throughout her entire childhood, she had been witnessed to a rather shaky relationship of her parents until she ran away and stayed in the nearby elven enclave where she was taught magic and the ways of the world.

Aria met the Sorcerer King during the later's journey to Verilith from the capital city when the Dirussian Empire was about to collapse, and throughout their journey and adventure there, Aria fell in love with Arynn for his wise perception of the world yet a young appearance that would make any girl easily fell for him. Their romance began to blossoms when the two of them conspire to bring down the governor of Verilith and when Arynn successfully overthrew his predecessor, he announces his wish to marry lady Aria and make her the queen of Veridia. Aria's magical knowledge and prowess may not be as great as her husband yet she is an accomplished wizard of her own and her looks made it easier for her to engage in diplomatic talks with other nation in her husband's place.

Aria always appears in public in her elegant outfit that is made of two part set that reveals her rather voluptuous body, and it portrays her beauty and charismatic look. She is also adorned with scores of jewels that are either attached to her outfit or worn separately. The Queen is armed with a powerful magical staff imbued by her own husband as a means of protection.

High Archon Hazarel (Main Character)



Background: Hazarel never knew his origin, he was found by Reister amongst a ruined village near where his troops patrol. The following investigation later revealed that the village was attacked by a band of marauders and since the empire was in turmoil, no troops could be spared. Hazarel was found by Reister when he was only 3 years of age, too young to remember who his real families are, either way he was the only lucky survivor of the ruined village and was then taken care of by his adopted father, Lord Commander Reister. Throughout his entire life, Hazarel has been following his adopted father into many battlefield, absorbing much of Reister's legendary commanding skill yet none of his charisma, so it didn't came as a surprise that while he certainly has plenty in terms of brilliant strategic mind, he had no knowledge nor the charisma needed to turn that into a successful political career.

When the empire finally fell, Reister allowed Hazarel to command most of his forces while he works to solidify his position in the region after becoming the sole ruler of Greyhold alongside all of it's holdings. A combination of Resiter's brilliant political mind and Hazarel unmatched battlefield knowledge was the only reason why Greyhold still stands till today even amidst the chaos and the marauder's attacks, taking advantage of the chaotic time.

After the death of his adopted father in the battle against the lichlord, Hazarel was allowed to command all of Greyhold's original military forces and becomes the supreme commander of Veridia's military forces. Arynn had no qualms of doing this since he believes Hazarel is incapable of betraying him, he may have command over the realm's fighting men and women, yet he lacks the charisma and the needed leadership to inspire these troops to break their sworn oath and that is to defend the kingdom and the sorcerer king. Hazarel is always seen in public in the plate armor belonging to his Reister, in any council of during peaceful time, he is seen as a giant of a man, with his gray hair and black eyes as well as a grizzly look beyond his years, probably due to his years of warfare.

Illia the Elven Ranger (Main Character)



Background: Illia is currently, the leader of the elven ranger detachments that protects the forests of Veridia. This rather young and beautiful elven maiden was a simple ranger back when the Blue Anchor was still home to thousands of elves living in Mag'lan, it was her homeland. When the undead strikes without warning, she was amongst the first to organized evacuation of the refugees even while most of the elven forces were panicking and fleeing in terror, had it not been for her, most of the survivors that now dwells comfortably in Veridia would not have been alive. Illia's past had always been a mystery, nor had she ever told anyone of it, be that as it may, when she first joined the elven rangers, her skill is nothing short of prodigal. For a young elf such as her, to have such an acute sense and the ability to seemingly control the arrow as it flew to it's target is a skill belonging to senior members of the ranger's society.

After leading her people safely within the border of Veridia, she did not take time to sit down and wait for the Veridians to deal with the undead plague. Instead she gathered the few survivors of the elven rangers to help their new ally. Battered, exhausted yet hungry for revenge, these rangers eagerly follow her as she and her small contingents of rangers were able to slow down the undead march into Veridia.

Her skill and valor was recognized by the sorcerer king, who not only offered her a rank in the guardians military force, which at the time had become part of the Guardians organization but also a seat in the ruling council to represents her people. Her calm and collective minds is what the Sorcerer King needs to further integrate the elven society into the mainstream Veridian society. In public or during wartime, she would always be clad in her traditional druidic ranger garment which consists of two set of boiled cuirass and a very short version of silk skirt attached to a belt. She is also armed with her heirloom longbow, she newly dubbed the Anchor's Despair.

Reddin Martel (Main Character)



Background: Reddin Martel is an ordinary mercenary soldier in the service of Veridia. He isn't part of Reister's original mercenary army that split off from the Dirussian Empire at it's collapse but rather an offshoot from a very well known mercenary group from another continent who had came here to Veridia after the commander of the mercenary force was contracted by the Sorcerer King during the Liches War, ever since then, the mercenary army has been the only mercenary force contracted in the region.

Reddin was born into a craftsmen family in a small kingdom situated to the south, at the continent of Cros'lan. While not having any difficult childhood, Reddin had always been told stories of heroes past in the annals and legends of his homeland and this inspires him. So it didn't came as a surprise that he refuse to take up after his father and instead left the house to search for an adventure, against his parent's wish. At the time, a mercenary group was starting to formed up and he was quick to signed up and started as a low ranking soldier of the mercenary group. Reddin was later on shipped off to distant lands to fight as mercenaries either for warlords vying for power or in civil war that has torn a country apart, either way over time, Reddin began to realized that the path of becoming a hero and forging legends is not as easy as the fairy tales made it sound and he was plunged deeper and deeper into unwanted conflicts and doing things that are against his principle in life.

Supposedly, Veridia is just another one of such cases where the contract takes them and he begrudgingly followed the mercenary group only because he has no home to return to. Reddin would however spends most of his time in the tavern, drinking away his sorrow and disappointment in life but when call to battle, he is a force to be reckoned with. Clad in chainmail suit and armed with a two handed hammer which have killed perhaps hundreds of undead during the Liches War, Reddin is apparently much more stronger than he looks, wielding the two handed hammer as if it was a dagger. He now holds the rank of lieutenant in the mercenary company.

Sylri (Main Character)



Background: The northern shores of the Green Sea is home to a half a dozen fisherman village, all of the part of the Veridian Kingdom. These villages are mostly unaffected by the Liches War nor the marauders incursion into Veridian territory, they are mostly peaceful villages in which the greatest harm that could come to them would be giant tidal waves and great storms that could caused flooding, all in all a relatively uneventful and peaceful place. However, a few years back there was a terrible storm that plagued these fisherman villages for two weeks continuously, it was unnatural and the villagers fearing that they might have upset some spirits of the sea, the village elders tries to find a wizard or a cleric to make sense of what is happening to them.

Unfortunately, the clerics and mages that came could make no more sense to the disaster than they could and decided that it must be a natural disaster, but the villagers were not easily convinced, in fact they were so superstitious that the elders began contemplating the fact that it might've been the Great Sea Spirit tormenting them for a transgression that they might've accidentally did on purpose. Their fear and superstitious belief caused them to commit a great crime. A virgin girl was chosen amongst the fisherman villages and Sylri, an orphan who has no family or relatives was forced to become a sacrifice and be thrown into the sea, supposedly to be appeased the sea spirits. Sylri was at the time just barely 16 years of age and no one knows of her origin except for her name. However, instead of resisting, she appeared calm and contend as if she knew she's going to be chosen for this.

Sylri was tied to a pole and thrown into the ocean but the storm did not abate, infact it goes on for two more weeks before it finally stops. Surprisingly however, Sylri did not die from, she appeared at a shore at the eastern edge of the kingdom a month later, naked and 'changed'. Her most notable change is the pale color of her skin, second is her eyes, where it was once brown it has turned deep purple and finally, her right hand which now turns black obsidion with strange glowing yellow markings on her right hand. She woke up not remebering who she was and losing all of her previous memory, however a name was etched into her memory, Sylri, her real name. With this knowledge, she scrounge up some nearby pieces of cloth and make do with it.

Sylri is on a quest to find out who she was and why was she different or what has happened to her but most important of all, she begun to show strange affinity to magic and able to cast them with relative ease as if she's an acomplished sorceress. Sylri is armed with a wooden staff she carved herself and imbued with a potent magic from her own powers.

Amy Delroug (Main Character)



Background: Amy Delroug was raised in a rather wealthy house Delroug. Her family had always been a wealthy nobles since before the fall of the Dirussian Empire and it was only normal that she spends most her time with her tutor in her study room. At the age of 16 she joined the diplomat's academy in Verilith and studies as a diplomat to serve her kingdom. At the age of 18, Amy distinguished herself as a capable diplomat when she was able to get the city-state to the south to sign a treaty with Veridia, while many diplomats before her had failed to persuade the lord governor of the city-state to engage in trade, she was able to do so.

Amy may not be a warrior or a powerful mage per se but it is her words that is her sharpest blade and her sturdiest armor and she used it to the best of her ability as well as her sharp minds. Such an asset was immediately noticed by the sorcerer king himself and she promoted her to become the chief ambassador of Veridia and now handles top negotiation treaty with significant powers in the world of Titan. Whenever she goes on a diplomatic mission, she would wore a rather revealing outfit that shows her curves and her fair toned skin, her red lips spoke sweet words that could enticed even the more ruthless of warlords, her green emerald eyes seemingly pierces through the soul, as if enabling her to see hidden intents and her red well groomed hair flowing effortlessly down her shoulder only adds to her beauty and her rather majestic aura that hypnotizes common folks into leaving behind what they were doing just to watch her pass by.

[Kaja]

EDIT: Elysium is complete. I welcome all comments/questions.

Nation's Name: The Holy Elysian Kingdom (The Temple Kingdom, Elysium, the Elysian people)

Nation's Ruler: Queen Isabella Eliseus

Symbol: A holy laureate with a superimposed sword striking downward.



Colours: Black and white, with gold trim for the nobility.

Traits: Militaristic Theological Monarchy

Capital: Elysium City

Population: approximately 80,000 (80% human, 15% Hobgoblin, 5% other)

Resources: wheat and other crops, timber, steel, quarry rock, slaves. Lacking: medicines, silks, spices.

Locale: 
http://oi52.tinypic.com/9ulp9d.jpg
http://oi52.tinypic.com/2i0vyie.jpg
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Elysium lies on the northern tip of the continent of Mag’lan, taking up most of its North-Eastern coast.  It is mostly a land of vast plains and plateaus, bordered by the Blackfrost Mountains along the North coast, and the Forests of Ralima in the South.


Climate: Elysium’s climate is temperate but cool.

History
The Elysian Plains have been home to various tribal factions of humans for centuries, and for centuries these plains had been fraught with peril.  Hobgoblins, marauders from the sea, and the cruel machinations of Liches were curses upon the land... until a divine dream touched a great chieftain named Gylus Eliseus.
Gylus was convinced that God had spoken to him in this dream, and had ordered him to unite the Elysian tribes under the banner of religion.  Thus the First Great Crusade began. Gylus used his charisma and strength at arms to slowly conquer or annex the other tribes. He became known as Gylus the Uniter, and under the banner of The True God, Gylus wrought the nation of Elysium. Gylus and his knights suffered through much adversity, but gradually, they enslaved the Hobgoblins and pushed the marauders back into the sea. The people agreed it was a miracle, and that Gylus’ True God must have indeed blessed him.
Marrying church and state forever, Gylus decreed himself both King and High Cleric of Elysium, and that forevermore, the firstborn of each family would pledge him or herself to strengthening the Holy Kingdom. The firstborn of the royal family would succeed the line, and continue the Hegemony of the Temple-Kingdom. 
Throughout the following years, the Holy Elysian Kingdom has withstood attacks from without from pirates, anti-religious zealots, marauding barbarians and the armies of Liches. These attacks have actually strengthened Elysium, as they have proven time and time again to the common humans that they need the Hegemony, and that the True God is ever vigilant in return.  The line of Gylus has continued for generations; each generation has built upon the power of the last, consolidating their rule and expanding the tenants that Gylus set down into a full-blown religion.
Recently, the Hegemony has suffered the threat of revolution for the first time, as a tiny cell of mage non-believers has managed to evade capture.

Society/culture
Elysian cities are fortified temples as much as habitations. Immense towers and Gothic architecture dedicated to The Hegemony are the centerpieces of every Elysian city. The three major cities of the Kingdom are Elysium City (capital), Callistratus in the West, and Onesimus port-city on the Eastern coast.
To live in Elysium is to give yourself completely up, body and soul, to the Kingdom and to the God that watches over it. Every aspect of an Elysian’s life is dictated by The Hegemony, the dual ruling body and church of the land. Everything from ethical law to spiritual morality are within the constraints of the Hegemony.
The nation avoids crippling bureaucracy by maintaining a rigid caste system within the Hegemony, and by having its agents’ words be absolute.  Most of the populace are content with this combination of theocracy and absolute monarchy because the government has rewarded their obedience in life with prosperity and security... and has promised them an afterlife filled with the same. It isn’t all roses, however, as a commoner cannot improve his station. The castes are set in stone and can never be changed. If you are born a slave, or a race other than human, you are doomed to live the life of a slave forever.  Slavery is inherited, but it can also be earned for committing crimes or incurring too much debt with the state.

The Anar Hobgoblins are the most populous non-human race in Elysium. They were conquered generations ago and are now wholly a slave-race. From birth they are bred for labor as workers, combat as warriors, or entertainment as gladiators in the arena. They are fed propaganda constantly and always kept watch over for signs of rebellion.

The populace is also kept distracted by the popular Gladiatorial Games. Arenas and fighting pits run by the state are common; at least one is present in every Elysian city.
The outside world is viewed by the populace with suspicion and xenophobia, if not outright contempt for their heretical ways. The rulers of the Hegemony, however, are rarely so hostile in their outlook. They realize that Elysium is a nation with diplomatic and economic needs as well. There is a budding middle class in Elysium, as the nation begins to spread its trade routes. Merchants and explorers are a new concept amongst the Kingdom.

Governance
The governance of Elysium (The Hegemony) is an absolute monarchy supported by a theocracy. The Royal Family is supported and advised by a council of houses that includes Economy (Frugalitas), Science (Sciencia), Diplomacy (Amicitia), the Witch Hunters (Fateor), and the Millitary (Sepelio).  Each government official is a Cleric of the True God first, and his/her regular title second. The populace is governed by feudal nobility that answers to the Royal Family. 
The Kingdom is protected from threats within by the Witch Hunters. Magical beings, mages, non-humans, and heretics to the True God are enemies of the Kingdom and must be controlled or eliminated. Anyone who fits into these categories without diplomatic immunity is not allowed to walk freely in Elysium.

Religion: The True God. Basic tenants of faith include ideals of duty to the state, a sense of national pride, respect for one's equals, respect for anyone of noble birth, the romanticizing of Combat, satisfaction in one's own station, the supremacy of Humans, the suppression of sorcery, and the duty to procreate.  ~ Abortion, homosexuality, sorcery, and the worship of foreign powers/dieties are all executable crimes. Ambition outside the Noble caste is frowned upon.  Protection and maintenance of community and of the Hegemony are encouraged, as is charity and goodwill towards other Humans. The Royal Family (and to a lesser degree, other government officials and the Templar) are considered to be holy clerics as well as royalty/nobility.  In Elysium, there is NO separation from Church and State.

Military:
Elysium is a warlike nation, used to taking what it needs through force. This is reinforced by a mandatory military service for every human citizen of adult age for a period no less than two years. This has the double effect of always providing a steady stream of recruits into the men-at-arms, and also causes every last adult in the Kingdom to be able to take up arms to defend it, if needed.  Although a Crusade has not been called in decades, such an event would likely cause the Kingdom's ranks to temporarily swell as the God-fearing populace rushed to battle. To slay an enemy of the Hegemony is to do God's will...

Numbers:Approximately 2,500 Goblin Warriors, 5,000 Men-at-arms, and 900 Knight-Templar when at peace. Some hundred siege weapons and less than a dozen Conqueror Worms.  When at war, or during a Crusade, Elysium could expect to double its men-at-arms.

Organization:Men-at-arms are organized into roughly ten Battalions of 500 men. Depending on the situation, a battalion can divide itself into smaller units.  Battalions are lead by about a third of the available Knights Templar (roughly 300, or 30 Knights per battalion). 

Specialized Templar units are organized into Seven Companies. Each Company is composed of approximately ten Lances which include eight Knights in each Lance. Lances will band together if necessary and the Templar like to keep their organization fluid to meet the needs of any given situation.
A further 40 or so Knights protect the Royal family at all times.

Each Battalion is usually further supported by approximately 250 Hobgoblin warriors used as laborers and assault troops.

Men-at-arms:  http://oi52.tinypic.com/35jfj2c.jpg

Elysium’s human armies come almost exclusively from common volunteers and drafted citizens who have laid down their other duties to protect the Kingdom in times of need. Although fanatically loyal to the Kingdom and its faiths, Men-At-Arms are not especially well trained. Men-at-arms are well equipped and always lead by Templar and the combination of zealotry, gear, and leadership is a fierce combination.
Men-at-arms fight with sword and shield, but they are also equipped with pole arms if they are combating armoured foes. The simple crossbow is equipped to some units to provide long range support.  In addition, it is men-at-arms pulled from engineering positions who operate the Kingdom’s siege weapons such as catapults, bolt-throwers and trebuchets.

Goblin Warriors:  http://oi51.tinypic.com/11b5k7q.jpg
The most populous of the Kingdom’s slave-races are the Anar Hobgoblins, and the military does most of its slave-warrior recruitment from them. Not all Hobgoblins are warriors, but they are all slaves. They are savage and fierce foes in combat for they know their only path to living lies in victory. Hobgoblins provide muscle-work, front-line assaults, supply-carrying, and any task that humans find distasteful. The Hobgoblins have a war-like nature and are drilled in basic combat tactics, yet the sad reality is that goblinkind is treated as fodder. They always suffer the worst of any battle and their enlistment is kept high to replace their severe casualties.

Templar:   http://oi55.tinypic.com/2ccoyeu.jpg
The professional military-elite of Elysium are the Templar. These are the life-time swordsman, archers and lancers who have devoted their lives to both the Hegemony and the protection of its Kingdom. They are both priests and warriors with a progressing chain of command. Aside from the Witch Hunters, they are the only citizens of Elysium allowed to study sorcery.

Acolyte: Squires, shield-bearers, and apprentices. These young men and women strive to become Knighted.
Knight: The bulk of the Templar are Knights: professional priest/warriors who specialize in one or two forms of combat. The primary task of Knights and Paladins is to lead the men-at-arms into battle. They are inspiring representations of both the noble-class and the priesthood. The other important role they fill is to organize themselves into elite units of heavy infantry, cavalry, or as mounted archers. 

On foot they favour heavy broadswords and shields, with a select few taking up two-handed swords if fighting against armoured foes.  On horseback the templar arm themselves with a heavy lance and shield, or alternatively in smaller groups with a longbow.  The few Knights who are skilled in the arcane arts use their talents to enhance themselves and their allies.

Paladin: The officers/leaders of units of Knights are known as Paladins. They are the elite leaders of the Kingdom, and demonstrate great combat potential. Many Paladins are now undergoing Naval training in order to also lead the Kingdoms forces at sea.
Exemplar: A Paladin or Knight who proves himself through completing some great quest or otherwise demonstrates his piety or valour can be elevated to Exemplar. These men and women are great heroes and peerless combatants.
Master/ Grand Master: Masters are the Generals of the Elysian army. They are experts of strategy and tactics and inspiring examples of the Hegemony as well. Only through extreme trial and merit can a Templar become a Master, and only four Masters currently exist. The greatest of all the Masters is titled as Grandmaster, and is the Royal Family’s adviser in the house of Sepelio.

The Witch Hunters:  http://oi51.tinypic.com/6elobk.jpg
The men and women of the Witch Hunters dedicate their lives to root out threats from within the Kingdom and, as such, act as sanctioned spies, saboteurs and assassins. The use of unsanctioned sorcery in Elysium is strictly forbidden; the very thought of beings able to walk about manifesting their will outside the Hegemony is unthinkable.  The Witch Hunters spend their lives training to use their very faith as anti-magic.  In order to capture or slay mages, the Hunters use guarded techniques to resist and temporarily dispel magic to even the field.  Aside from the Templar, the Witch Hunters are the only citizens in Elysium allowed to study sorcery.

Conqueror Worms: http://oi51.tinypic.com/9vgoph.jpg
In the southern, warmer edges of the great Elysian plains dwell monstrous worm-like creatures. These Conqueror Worms are vicious, territorial, and somewhat dim-witted. Perfect for enlistment! The Templar have managed to rear a few of these great beasts to use as living troop transports, assault weapons and siege engines. While some in the Witch Hunters consider their use to be heresy, the Templar insist that the beasts are simply one more tool wielded by the True God.

Elysian Navy: http://oi56.tinypic.com/sw71aa.jpg  (Approximately 500 sailors across half-dozen heavy galleons and close to fifty light frigates and smaller vessels)
Although Elysians have sailed the seas for over a century for fishing and light exploration, having a naval military was never a priority for the isolationist nation. Now that Isabella is Queen, the House Sepelio finds itself with the secondary duty of establishing a powerful navy.

Copying Veridian designs, the Elysians have a handful of heavy galleons, but rely mostly on light frigates that can keep up with their fast merchant ships and protect them from pirates.

Important People:
Queen Isabella Eliseus II: (current ruler of Elysium, main character)
Isabella is sometimes known as ‘The Iron Queen’ for her strict adherence to law, protocol and to the tenants of the Hegemony. Isabella is a ruthless and cruel woman who some outside the Hegemony have called a tyrant. Despite her reputation she cares for Elysium more than anything. Her late husband, Leonus, was killed while crusading in the northern Blackfrost Mountains which left her as heir until their son, Crucius, is of age. She has proven herself more than capable. Despite her hard reputation, Isabella is a progressive leader, keen on expanding the Kingdom through exploration and trade.

Isabella is a thin woman with fair skin, long blonde hair and deep green eyes. She is currently in her mid forties and some might say she is beginning to show her age. She favours clothes in the black and gold of her country.

Prince Crucius Eliseus: (main character)
Crucius is the only child of his parents, the King and Queen of Elysium. He has been raised with a silver spoon and has seen very little of the world outside the walls of Elysium City. An adventurous and severely curious young man, Crucius wants nothing more than to become an explorer or merchant King, able to ply the seas and see new places. Crucius is betrothed to Abelia Vallo, much to his own dismay, as the Prince secretly years for the touch of men (a crime against the Hegemony). Crucius has undergone the basics of the Templar training, and would prove to be an excellent tactician if he ever got his head out of the clouds. His lack of royal ambition or religious fervor is a source of contempt to his mother, Isabella.

Crucius is a well muscled and lean young man of 16 years old. He has dirty blonde hair, fair skin and green eyes. He has a well-set jaw and is the very definition of a handsome young prince.

Princess Ambassador Abelia Vallo of House Amicitia: (main character)
Abelia grew up in the nobility, but she has made allies and friends everywhere she has traveled. She is known to have a tongue of silver and a wit that cuts like enchanted steel.  Her primary duties are those of an Ambassador and diplomat of the Kingdom to other nations and it is likely she who would meet emissaries from other places. She is betrothed to the young Prince Crucius, which she is not happy about. She finds Crucius unattractively effeminate and has no wish to give up her duties as a diplomat.  Abelia is a charming and amicable young woman.

Abelia is 23 year old petite woman with fair skin, long curly blonde hair, and blue eyes. She is enchantingly beautiful and possessing of a charming smile. She is considered the most skilled orator and diplomat in the Kingdom.

Grandmaster Sophia Adelphus of House Sepelio (aka The Pale Death): (main character)
There are none more feared on the battlefield in the realms of the Kingdom than the warrior known as The Pale Death. Sophia Adelphus is the youngest person to ever achieve the rank of Grandmaster, and the first woman. She is a cold, ruthless combatant powered by faith in her God and by a fierce love for her Queen. For years, Sophia served Isabella as her personal bodyguard, but has since served in that post only in name, so that she might better command as Grandmaster to the Templar. She is without a doubt the greatest warrior in the Kingdom, a peerless swordsman, an uncompromising strategist and a fearless officer with a terrifying reputation.  As commander of the Royal Family’s own unit of Templar, she has earned many victories quelling Goblin insurrections and threats to the Kingdom. All military matters fall into her domain.

Sophia is a severe but beautiful 29 year old woman with short black hair, ghostly white skin, and pale blue eyes. She is in peak athletic condition and bears numerous scars from battle. She is always armed with her favoured curved longsword.

Minister Balius de Warenna of House Frugalitas: (main character)
The position of House Frugalitas has traditionally been one responsible for monitoring the Kingdoms expenditures and internal economic needs. As the fledgling empire spreads its reach, this role is changing. Balius de Warenna is an accomplished navigator, explorer and merchant. Above all others in Elysium, he has made the push for the emerging middle-class. He is by far the most successful merchant of the land and his primary goals include forming economic ties with other nations. He is down-to-earth but shrewd, for he knows that his aims can only be met through financial success.  The maintenance and passage of mercantile ships in the Silverburn and Draconis Oceans are his responsibility. He works closely with Lord Darmon to keep his small fleet safe from pirates.

Minister Balius is a rugged, sharp-featured middle-aged man with brown hair and brown eyes. He has an almost roguish disposition and prefers modest, practical clothes than the uniform of his station.

Inquisitor Ignatius Ramus Of House Fateor: (main character)
Inquisitor Ramus is the head of the Witch Hunters and also serves as the Royal Family's spymaster. If there is secretive or sinister work to be done, the Kingdom turns to Ramus. He is fanatically loyal to the crown, and his talents often make other members of the Court uneasy. Ramus revels in his reputation, knowing that fear is his greatest weapon.

Ramus is a rake-thin man in his late forties. He keeps his hair shaved, but has black eyebrows. Like most witch-hunters, he bears a facial tattoo over his eye.  He is a dour, pinched faced agent with dark eyes and a sinister grin.

Lord-Commander Elbus Darmon of House Sepelio:
The chief of Elysium's fledgling navy is Elbus Darmon. He is responsible for the upkeep, maintenance and acquisition of the Kingdom's ships as well as its protection from sabotage or pirates. He is a stern, gruff old seadog with decades of naval experience. He is often proud and boastful, however, and his blustering attitude and tendency to posture sometimes leads to unnecessary conflict. He does not often get along with his land-based contemporary: Sophia Adelphus.

Elbus is an imposing, distinguished old man with graying black hair and a sea-weathered face. He takes his position very seriously and always dresses as befits his station as naval commander.

First Alchemist Lazarus Lucianus of house Sciencia:  Lazarus is a man occupied with study. He is the foremost scholar of the Kingdom and it is his responsibility to head all matters of scientific research. An alchemist by trade, Lazarus also doubles as the Royal Family's physician. Lazarus is always interested in acquiring new scientific theory and information; he secretly approaches magic as a new science, and has been covertly studying its effects. He might approach a more openly arcane nation with questions or requests for components. If the Witch Hunters were to know, he would certainly be executed.

Lazarus is a clean-shaven elderly man with long white hair and piercing blue eyes. He often wears protective goggles and leathers for concocting new alchemical tonics and potions.

Zegrin Gorble, Slave Captain:
Zegrin Gorble is the Hobgoblin who has been tasked with leading his slave race for the Kingdom. He answers to Grand Master Adelphus primarily. For a non-human, Zegrin is given an enormous amount of leeway and responsibility. He is tasked with organizing his people into military units, seeing who is fit for combat, the acquisition and maintenance of slaves and of the gladiatorial arenas. Although loyal to the Kingdom on the outside, Zegrin's first loyalty is to his race. He would see the Hobgoblins rise up from bondage and be free, but knows to even attempt such would be suicide.

Zegrin is an impressive physical specimen, standing over 7 ft tall. He has a hooked nose, razor sharp teeth, and yellow-green skin. He has red eyes and heavy scars all over his body.  He wears combat gear any time he is in public and favours the two-handed sword.

Jaccobus the Hound: Jaccobus is Elysium's bogeyman. They say he is the Devil's own son and nightly dines on the flesh of children when he isnt out razing villages and slaying Templar.   The truth of the matter is that Jaccobus is one of the last Free Mages left in the Kingdom. He is a rebel who disagrees with the absolute power desired by The Hegemony. With each year, his power grows, and with every failed attempt to capture him he turns more citizens over to his anarchistic cause... He is by far the greatest threat to the Kingdom yet known and the price on his head is truly enormous.    Few have met the man in person, but those who have find him to be a soft-spoken but terrifyingly intense young man.

Jaccobus is a 26 year old mage with dark brown hair and golden eyes. He is athletic and wild looking, with a soft voice and intense disposition. He can be extremely charismatic when he wants to be, and his ultimate goal is the overthrowing of the Hegemony. The precise reasons why are not entirely known.

[Scribbles]

Edited my nation. Still not finished but I'd like some thoughts to know if I'm on the right track.

[Sydonai]

scribbles: well everything is in order, although you've missed out on the exact number of military forces for Rheydan, but aside from that all the basic information are there. More information would certainly be welcomed but for now your profile is almost done, all you need to do is state the exact or approximate number of military combatants that Rheydanian has and you're good to go :-)

I've also noticed some other things, it seems the term 'empire' is being used rather casually. Realistically, I'm pretty sure a nation with the population below 100k can't be calling itself an empire as they're too small. I purposely wanted every nation to start either as a small kingdom or a fledgling nation because every week, there shall be an increase in population for every nation. So, when you'd think that realistically your nation deserved the title of an 'empire', then you may update your profile accordingly.

[Sasha]

I am very tempted to put Mystoria ..back into play in this game ....might be very interesting .

[Kaja]

I am very tempted to put Mystoria ..back into play in this game ....might be very interesting .

You should! It seems like a lot of fun, and something long-term to sink our teeth into!

[Sydonai]

that'll be great! one more joining in the game ;D I'd love to see Mystoria back for the second game :-)

Now, I'll be starting the game soon since most of the players have already submitted their nation profile. In two days time I will post the OOC, overview and my own main thread. Once everyone has posted their own main thread, do pm me the links and I shall list it in the overview thread. As for those who are still in the process of writing down your nation profile, you may join when you are ready as I probably won't close the recruitment thread but you'll start late and so might appear weaker if compared with older nations.

Now there is only one more matter that needs straightening out. I probably won't be able to juggle between everyone's nation and become the only storyteller in the game, so I do hope I could get some volunteers for storytelling other player's nations?

[Tomalak]

I have one last question about how the game will work.  How do we maintain mystery and secrecy, if everything we do is shared with the other players?

[Kaja]

What sort of responsibilities would we have in being a story-teller?   I might be interested, but I'm worried abut taking on too much work and letting us down.

[Sydonai]

I've done some thinking and now I wished to modify one of the original rule of the game. As I have said in the first post, players may control 6 main characters in whatever endeavors your nation has subscribes itself into, be it war, expansion or diplomacy. However, I have originally also said that when a nation sends an envoy to another nation to discuss diplomatic treaty, a storyteller must be chosen to control all other non-essential or even essential characters that are not part of the 6 main characters. This rule shall be abolished, from now on, only during diplomatic mission(an battlescene game) would the players be allowed to control characters other than the 6 main ones, thus storytellers are not needed for any diplomatic mission. However, during other events, such as the nation's expedition to colonize new lands or during battle with other players nation, then a storyteller is needed.

Kaja: Storytellers have multitudes of responsibility which is why I wouldn't suggests taking more than one requests to be a storyteller at any one time and that I've limited any nation's endeavor, be it solo quest or battle scene game to no more than two games at any one time. When a player requests for a storyteller at the OOC thread, the player would have to give details into what the story was about, what the nation wishes to achieve from this endeavor and which of the 6 main characters will be appearing in the story. Also the player may also let the storytellers know of any specific information or events that the players would like to occur and the player may also create his/her own NPC characters during the endeavor, complete with their own biographies, to be controlled by the storyteller. Storyteller may also create their own characters throughout the entire game as they wish.

Once the game have started, storyteller's first post should be to describe the current scenery or what the current situation is and the player would respond to it through the main characters. Storytellers would also act as GM, presenting challenge and guiding the players as necessary. Players will respond to these challenges put forth by the storytellers but in the end of it all, the player shall emerge triumphant and his/her nation would have succeeded in the endeavor. Along the way though, the storyteller may put difficulties as he deems fit, even as far as creating disastrous result from the player's response to the challenge being put by the storyteller but never entirely a failure, so presented with such challenge players would respond and in the end their nation would be victorious. Another set of rule that must be remembered, the GM may never control the main characters as they are solely under control by the players and the same goes to the player. The storyteller may create NPC belonging to an entourage of one of your main characters, the main character may command the NPC but the storyteller will be the one to play it out. More explanaition on what the storyteller's responsibilities are in a battle scene will be answered below in response to Tomalak's inquiry.

Additionally, here's a good example of storytelling and player responding to it: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=59193.msg2680389#msg2680389

Tomalak: This is not a race for players to win and to conquer other player's nation(unless the said player wishes so), we are here to roleplay and have fun but it is true I would also like to maintain the 'fog of war' elements in the game, however this is common in nation rps, for players to roleplay and then seemingly revealing his plan in his post before the opponent player's post, I would also welcomed any suggestion on how to do this, I have my own idea but if you have a better idea on how to maintain the elements of mystery and secrecy in this game I would be glad to hear it. That being said, I trusts the players to act accordingly and not roleplay as if their nation had foreseen the opponents movements, I may tolerate rare occasion of this happening but it mustn't happen all the time and this is why there is a need for storytellers.

In a battlescene between two player's nation, storytellers shall act as moderators and GM and would play a major role on the outcome of the battle. Storytellers should start the thread first and describe the battlefield in detail either through picture or words and then the players may reply by stating how their armies arrive upon the battlefield, form formation and positions their army. The player may command the soldier characters of their nation and they may roleplay as their armies collides in the battlefield, but never in your post must you suggests that you have won or gain any significant advantage over your opponents. This is left to storytellers who would, based on their judgments and how the players roleplay, continue the roleplay of the two armies clashes and finally describe the outcome, such as who the victor of the skirmish or the main battle, the casualties, the loot that the victor had gathered and the such.

A battlescene is also where the players will be allowed to control NPC of their armies, originally I had wanted to let the storytellers control the NPC and the players stuck with controlling the main characters whom in turn able to give command to these NPCs, however for the sake of simplicity, I shall allow the players to control the NPCs belonging to their nation during the battlescene. However, storytellers are still GM and is given the power to kill any of these NPCs be it the ones created by the storytellers or even the ones created by the players themselves prior and during the battlescene. They MAY NOT however kill any of the main characters, these are strictly under the players control and only they may kill their own main characters.

(I do not claim my freeform system to be perfect but I would welcome any suggestion to improve this system nonetheless :-) also, do let me know if any of these rules isn't clear to you and I shall do my best to explain it)

[Sasha]

 count Mystoria into the group then ..... and I will volunteer to be a storyteller as needed .



Nations Name: Mystoria
Folk Name : Mystorians
Breed : Elfin Fairies said to have disappeared into the Mist.

The Ancient One ...Creator of the Mist , Guardian of the Kingdom and The One they Serve.

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Mage Abilities : Impressive

Summoning - 
     Animal Speech
     Summon Awakened One - Limited those that worship her

Enviromental -
     Hide from Sight
     Call up the Mist
     Manifest the Storm

Charms -
     Healing Touch
     Power of Pain and Pleasure
     Self Projection -Image
     Transferance - Absorb Soul

Instiling -
     Toxic Substance
     Amplify Ability of Object

The Legend:

   The world was once a different place and the Elfin Nation was quite young before the humans were born and the demonic creatures crawled out of the crevices of the earth breathing a dark magic the evil began. Fairies were not always the small creatures one thinks of now only those that stayed behind chose that. One Moonlight Dance many centuries ago a mist rolled in and surrounded the folk of our kind as it sparkled of light . Out of it the Ancient One appeared and gathered all around. In the mist she showed all what was about to come the wars, the death as one tribe turning against another, deceit and slavery. We were the chosen to carry the rare essence of the light of the mist to a promised land that would be guarded and obscured from all if we believed and would follow. It is said that a pure ball of light appeared and the Ancient One asked who would give their life to ensure this protection. Two children, twins no less stood up and holding hands they danced into that magical ball of light before anyone could stop them. It lifted in the air and spun changing from darkness and back to light and the Elfin Faeries cried out begging the Ancient One to take them instead falling to their knees. All that stayed with their hearts crying out was then transported to this land we know now nestled in the mountains and hidden away. The two children became one aged by the number of both their years, merged and filled with knowledge of dark and light. That was the birth of  AlySandra the Mystic and the promised land was named Mystoria …and our people became known as Mystorians. The whisper of what happened spread across all lands.


Queen : AlySandra the Mystic

The Queen has two sides to her persona ...the protector and the comforter.

The Protector  :
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Mage Abilities :



Charms - Impressive


Gift : Transferance - Absorption of the Soul ...is a ritualistic power that allows one to see into the heart of another and if a dark void resides there. The Soul is pulled out and the shell crumbles to the ash from which it came. This is a Ritualistic power and only has been used internally on the people of the land that worship the Ancient One.
 


The protector defends the lands and has an evil nature about her coming to the surface in times of war, conflict, judgment and in the Awakening Ritual of a child. The woman's justice is swift and without mercy given to torment the mind of those that oppose her and it is said that looking upon her one can see the faces of prior judged and found unworthy.

The Comforter :
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Mage Abilities :



Charms - Impressive



Gift :  Self- Projection ...allows the individual to project her image to a given destination can be used as a defense mechanism to project two of them in the same room. Mirroring themselvesso to speak. The ability to cast thoughts so the image speaks and moves as a more effective tool. Can be cast over distances but limited in time span, the farther the distance the lower the timing to keep the reflected image open.



The Comforter is the one who rules the kingdom with a graceful beauty that is compassionate and understanding holding up the values of peace and tranquility. Bestowing honor and guidance to the Truth Seekers and Priests of the Mist  preparing the chosen Royalty for the future tasks they must face.

Royalty :

Children that have been Awakened as Royalty make up the Queen's Court ...currently 6 exist in various stages of training for the tasks to come. The Position of Prince currently held by Carlito serves in the realm under the Protector's guidance and handles the defense of the Kingdom. The Position of Princess has been given to Evelyna and she serves the Comforter helping to assure the innerworkings of the Kingdom.

The Prince :Carlito

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Warrior Skills: Archery, Strategy Oriented, Quick Witted

Fighting: Capable
Tactics: Adept
Strategy : Capable

Gift : Eagle Eye – increased vision to that of an eagle.


Mage Abilities :

Summoning: Adept

Gift : Animal Speech – has the ability to call and speak to the internal beast of animals. Can calm or sooth an animal with the sound of his voice.


Carlito is charged with perfecting the defense needs of the Mystoria , he is gifted with the ability to speak with animals and eagle eye making him an excellent archer. He is the competent strategist overseeing both the Beastians and the Archarians of the Woods.

The Princess : Evelyna

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Warrior Skills : Minimal,  Strategy Oriented , Quick Witted.

Fighting : Adept
Tactics: Capable
Strategy : Adept

Mage Abilities :


Charms : Capable


Gift : Touch of Pleasure or Pain , can generate an inner energy that creates sensation of immense pleasure or pain . Does drain the inner energy though and not strong enough to actually kill anyone with this power though can drop them to their knees.


Gift : Healing Touch , requires placement of hands on wounded individual ..Healing is done by transference of energy and can speed up the natural process. Does drain the inner energy, limited to 3-4 people in one setting.



Evelyna is charged with the task of overseeing the Pleasure and Craft –Specialty Guilds meeting with the masters of each to discuss needs and issues being faced. She works as a communications liaison and walks openly amongst the people of the Mystoria solving minor disputes as they come up. She has the gift of the Healing Touch and Power of pain and pleasure.

Servants of the Ancient One :

The Horsemen : Specialized Swordsmen Knighted by the the Ancient One
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Warrior Skills : Swords, Close Combat , Motivational

      Fighting – Impressive
      Tactics – Impressive
      Strategy – NA

Gift : Quickness of Movement - Increased Awareness


The Elite Warriors of Mystoria acting as Generals that have been kissed by the Touch of the Ancient One. It is said that if a warrior reaches the level of excellance he is called by the song of enchantment to the side of One they Serve the union of which returns the man with a crisp mind. All touched in this manner have darkened black eyes.

Priests of the Mist:

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Warrior Skills : Swords, Close Combat Oriented, Ruthless
                Fighting : Capable
                Tactics:   NA
                Strategy : NA

Mage Abilities : Mostly Ritual Performance

Enviromental - Capable

Gift :Call up the Mist - drawing in the mist to encircle a ceremony or hide themselves or the party they are traveling with. Fog like substance difficult to see through. Limited Expansion.

Instilling - Capable

Gift : Toxic Substance - can through a ritual performed make the posions the cause one to fall into a deep sleep if absorbed into the flesh. Even magnifying that to Death if need be.

Gift: Amplify Ability of Object - performed through a ritual ..can make objects perform a greater function. For example a woodland flute with the ability to calm others with the sound of the music being played.  A sword to be made light to be welded with ease. Strengthening a Shield. 


Currently consists of eight women whose main unknown function serves to balance the scale absorbing the evil that enters the kingdom of Mystoria. They guard the Queen with eyes of dead black and protect the Sphere of Light performing the full moon ritual every month to rejuvenate the Queen. With the knowledge of the Ancient One they can create poisons that cause a deep slumber and or death. They have the ability to walk into the shadows and are disciplinarians if and when needed. They also train the Truth Seekers giving them the knowledge needed to perform their scouting tasks going with them on more dangerous journeys.  Those chosen to join the ranks go through vigorous training to prepare them to accept and control the darkness.

The eight are currently assigned :  The Queen - 2 , The Prince - 2 , The Princess - 2 ,  Protecting the Light of the Mist -2 .  Children awakened to become are in training until proven worthy.

Religion and Beliefs :

The Mystorians still worship the Ancient One of the Mist and the moonlight dance is performed at every full moon. A ritual of respect for the protection given as food is plentiful with music, dance and laughter lifting up and filling the Kingdom till the fall of the moon from the sky. In the Castle the Queen returns into the Ball of Light and is renewed with the knowledge of things yet to come though the time of protection is coming towards its end.

The Mystorians worship the light in all living things from the plant life to the animals and believes the essence of goodness if nurtured will always prevail. The preservation of their land is held in high esteem. The replanting of trees to the harmonic balance of aiding the animal life to sustain manageable numbers for the lands given is done with much skill.

Mystorians believe that one is born containing a blueprint of their design and purpose inside. Children are raised by the Overseers. At the age of twelve they are brought before the Queen for their Awakening, upon her touch that which station they are to be is known to them and spoken out to all along with any gifts. The training then moves to the chosen fields Archerians, Beasterians, Crafterians , Culinarians , Herbarians, Overseers, Truth Seekers , Priests of the Mist and Royalty. There is a dark side to this Awakening Ritual if the touch reveals a darken cast heart resides within, the life of the child is forfeit before all as the shell crumbles to ash and is deemed one of the Unworthy and not spoken of again.

Pleasure Guilds : Feed the Power of the Ancient One

The Mystorians are open in sensuality and sexual stimulation as giving pleasure and enjoyment is openly embraced and shared communally. There is no monogamy standard in existence in the Kingdom or pairing off as with most cultures. They are free and encouraged to experiment all forms of pleasure and with both sexes. The Pleasure Guilds become a station for release of tension and stress .They pride themselves on the creations of pleasure ointments, erotic chocolates and fine tobaccos that allow one to fully experience full orgasmic release. The only restriction of entry to a Pleasure Guild is age and that has been defined at 16 years .

Children after birth are raised in a communal setting and ones selected as Overseers become the caregivers, teachers and councilors. Emphasis is on Art , Music , Dancing , Language , Story Telling , Puzzles , Riddles , Physical Challenges , Nature and the pure essence of understanding your own soul. The children take part in small chores and encouraged to ask questions and debate all that they see around them. Visiting each guild and learning small things about them all before the age of 12. Children also enjoy spiritual teachings in the ways of the Light and foretelling of the outside worlds.

Commerce and Trade :

The infrastructure of the Mystoria is more a communal Utopia where excess is brought to the River Entrance trading center to be shared distributed as needed throughout the kingdom and or collected by the Truth Seekers and traded to outside nations. The trading outside their lands is a new process in the making as the time has come to Rejoin the World.

   

River Entrance Trading Center :
   

Considered Exports :

Medicine ...healing ointments, sensual ointments
Wood/Rough cut boards: Oak, Walnut, Maple, Cherry, Rosewood, and Mahogany
Small crafted boats and or woodworked items as negotiated.
Handcrafted Bows and Arrows
Silks and Lace
Nuts, Berries, Herbs, Teas
Erotic Chocolates
Breads
Various Tobacco –plain and gifted


Considered Imports :

Gems, Pearls, Silver, Turquoise
Colored Glasses or Crystals
Bronze, Copper
Metal Ore to make arrows and wood working tools and daggers
Light Swords, Metal Shields, and Light Chain style armor
Building Stone- bricks, blocks
Tanned Hides
Exotic Fruits , Vegetables
Grains , Rice
Musical instruments

The Truth Seekers : Missionaries of the Kingdom

The Truth Seekers are healers in their own right with the ability to speak with animals and into the minds and hearts of men. Their touch has the ability to give out both pleasure and pain to others though it does have limits and drains the individual after a time. This can be replenished but the requirement is drinking the soul essence out of another and to date none have used the gift. Identified in the Awakening Ritual and trained in language, negotiations and social etiquette used as scouts and are refined to speak for the country as missionaries and set up alliances for the kingdom. New Kingdoms visited might find it strange the scout can efficiently speak their language.  Currently 12 have been chosen by the Awakening to serve the kingdom in this function and are in various satages of training.




The Crafterians Guilds :



The guilds serve as training center for various craftsmen in the kingdom each is customized for specific fields including Woodworking , Pottery, Leather making , Finer fabrics and lace , Jewelers , Metalworkers. Some items crafted can be blessed by the Priests of the Mist.

Culinarians : Perfectionist in the making of Elfin breads, cakes ,pies , jams , chocolates , candies , Curing of meats and fish  and drying of fruits and vegetables. Other duties include the storing of food sources and preparations to feed the people.

Herbarians: Study of herbs collected and used as spices, creation of tobaccos, pleasure ointments, medicines, healing potions and ointments. Tasks include tending to small box style gardens throughout the Mystoria.


Military - Defense of the Mystoria:

 

Archarians of the Woods :
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Warrior Skills: Archery

        Fighting: Impressive   
        Tactics: Capable
        Strategy : Adept

A group consisting mainly of both sexes that protects the borders and discourages trespassers from entering the realm. Poison dipped arrows are used to make the incoming fall into a deep sleep while they are brought to the Queen to decide the trespassers fate. The poison can be increased to cause death in times of war but that has been avoided for many years. The archers also hunt to bring back meat and furs used by the kingdom.

Beastarians :
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Warrior Skills: Combat
        Fighting: Capable   
        Tactics: Adept
        Strategy : Adept

Mage Abilities :
        Summoning: Capable

Gift : Animal Speech – has the ability to call and speak to the internal beast of animals. Can calm or sooth an animal with the sound of his voice.

Beastarians handle the care of the domestication of animal creatures such as hawks, bears and wolfs. Able to call forth the animals to stand beside them in battle armed with swords, spears and throwing knifes and metal shields. They are outpost style guards and protect the boundaries of the Kingdom. Men of Brawn used for other intensive manual labors of the Kingdom as required. Four main outposts exists with about 30 men per post on the corners with the remaining used at the Trade Centers.

White Winged Gryphon : Mountain Dwelling Allies



The mountains surrounding the Utopia are the home of exotic White Winged Gryphon type beasts that lives in harmony with the Mystorians . As fish and food is shared between them, Their services then are given in a form of protection and can be called by the blow of the golden horn. It is not uncommon for the elite archers and scouts to mount and ride these glorious beasts. The Gryphons have been domesticated by the Beastarians.

The Missionaries - chosen to seek out other Worlds:

The First chosen Truth Seeker - Radella   - Played by Sasha
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Warrior Skills:

      Fighting: Adept
      Tactics: Adept
      Strategy : Adept

Other Gift : Elegant Speech - ability to speak several outside languages with a soothing tone.

Mage Abilities :

      Summoning: Adept

Gift : Animal Speech – has the ability to call and speak to the internal beast of animals. Can calm or sooth an animal with the sound of her voice.

        Charms : Capable

Gift : Touch of Pleasure or Pain , can generate an inner energy that creates sensation of immense pleasure or pain . Does drain the inner energy though and not strong enough to actually kill anyone with this power though can drop them to their knees.

Gift : Healing Touch , requires placement of hands on wounded individual ..Healing is done by transference of energy and can speed up the natural process. Does drain the inner energy, limited to 3-4 people in one setting

Gunthur the Beastman :
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Warrior Skills: Combat
       
        Fighting: Capable   
        Tactics: Adept
        Strategy : Adept

Mage Abilities :
        Summoning: Capable

Gift : Animal Speech – has the ability to call and speak to the internal beast of animals. Can calm or sooth an animal with the sound of his voice. Specialty Wolf.

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Krandall of the Horsemen
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Warrior Skills : Swords, Close Combat , Motivational

      Fighting – Impressive
      Tactics – Impressive
      Strategy – NA

Gift : Quickness of Movement - Increased Awareness

Bethonia the Archarian : played by Sasha
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Warrior Skills: Archery

        Fighting: Capable   
        Tactics: Capable
        Strategy : Adept

Mage Abilities :
        Summoning: Adept

Gift : Animal Speech – has the ability to call and speak to the internal beast of animals. Can calm or sooth an animal with the sound of her voice. Specialty Falcon/Hawk.

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[Scribbles]

I'll be editing in the changes I've made later today.

[Sydonai]

alright then, now that some nations are ready, I'll make the OOC thread and the overview thread by today. Once both of these threads are up, do feel free to start your own main thread in which your first post shoul be your nation profile, this is to make it easy for future reference followed by your first introductory post into your nation.

[Tomalak]

I am new to Elliquiy; could you explain where to post our threads?

[Sydonai]

alright then, for anyone who have finished your nation profile, you may start posting your nation's main thread at the Extreme: small group section of the board. Keep in mind though that this game would probably see us branching out a lot of times and for every story too. So to keep track of every one of them do typed in the thread name as:-  "Kings & Queens II: (followed by the appropriate subtopic)".

I will continuously update the overview thread with new links to your nation's main thread but do let me know where it is by either pm-ing me or post the link in this thread

EDIT:-

Here's the link to the OOC: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=99173.0
Here's the link to the overview: https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=99174.0

[Scribbles]

Okay, I'm sort of done.