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Post by Nygil, Nickolie on Aug 23, 2012 2:04:44 GMT -5
I think if I run something I may want to go with ' a portal opened up and from it poured forth a small army of strange humans. Each blond and blue eyed, dressed in black and baring powerful and advanced fire arms. They were aided by strange metal monsters that spat flames, they spoke in an odd angry speech and showed no mercy.'
Thoughts?
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Post by Rofusco on Aug 25, 2012 4:33:45 GMT -5
Alright, here's a rough outline of my province so far. The map is included as an attachment- messed up on the attachment, its in my next post- (I did it in MS Paint so it doesn't exactly look like a grand work of art). I still have to write a summary on a few of the smaller factions, including one of the major ones. I'll edit in the additional information when it's written out.
Regarding the map, the unlisted areas don't officially have anything in them so those areas can be ignored/filled in by the other areas when the complete map is done or however we'll be handling it. Also, large chunks of the Mongke Gal Khaganate Steppe can be cut out if necessary.
Province of Soreillia
Map Legend Woad Forest Outlined in Green Mountains in Grey Primary Major City of each area is coloured orange on the map for its location. League of Trium and other city states. 1: Boerenycia, 2. Chronia, 3. Syntioch, 4. Ronon(ruled by Boerenycia) 5. Palmos 9. Assorted city states 11. Unconquered Areas 15: Inland Sokos Sea 16: Kern Sea
Barbarians: Woad Forest: Outlined in Green 6. Triballoi 7. Velgae 8: Scordiscoi 10. Mongke Gal Khaganate(Steppe lands) (Eternal Fire Khaganate) 14. Sacred Grove of Tynvald
Republic of Dreistiones 12: Main Republic Area, where the city of Dreistiones is located. 17: Londo Sea 18: Outer Areas
League of Trium The league of Trium is collaboration of city states based in the Trium peninsulae who banded together to protect themselves from barbarians. The league is primarily made up of various collaborations of smaller city states under the dominant state in their area. These dominant states are Boerenycia, Palmos and Syntioch. Leaders from each state meet in a congress at Boerenycia to decide on diplomatic and military matters. The Boerenycians are in charge of defense and hold a veto over the other primary states in times of emergency.
Boerenycians: Current King: King Horos The Boerenycians are the strongest military power in the Trium Peninsulae. They boast a powerful navy and army which they have used to conquer and intimidate the minor city states in their lands into submission. They made great gains in the former Ronon region, south of the Woad Forest. The Ronon peoples were turned into slaves who the Boerenycians use as cheap labour and as combatants in their rite of passage. Ronon lands are primarily used for farming. Boerenycian government is a monarchy. There is a king who rules over the entire Boerenycian kingdom though each city state is largely autonomous in its own matters. Their governments vary and may be monarchies, oligarchies or even democracies. These governments ultimately answer to the Boerenycian king. The Boerenycians demand tributes of gold and soldiers to use in their armies. These tribute soldiers are often treated as being inferior to Boerenycian warriors in regards to military rank and prestige.
Every Boerenycian child is taken at the age of 10 to undergo rigorous physical and mental training in a special academy known as an Agrello. It is here that they are tested and evaluated to determine their career. Any child skilled in a particular area will be sent to specialized guilds to become trained in a certain occupation, whether it be a blacksmith, farmer, craftsman, scholar, ect. The most prestigious occupation is that of a warrior.
Boerenycian culture is heavily based in military glorification and warfare. As such, all students in the Agrello receive military training and a select few become warriors to fight in the professional army. Children who are skilled in magic- whether by innate affinity or through intense study- are taken to become magicians in an Arcane Spellcaster guild. The Boerenycians implemented the Agrello schools into their neighbouring city states during the conquest of their own peninsula.
At the age of 18 when a child has completed the Agrello training, he or she must go through a rite of passage known as the Tyrunos. The Tyrunos involves a one on one fight with a slave which takes place in a coliseum for public spectacle, usually done for rich children, or in more private sparring chambers within the Agrello. The slaves are gathered from the Ronan area or elsewhere in an event called the Scourge in which soldiers are sent out to forcibly take young slaves.
If the slave wins the fight they are given freedom and may become full citizens. This is very rare, as slaves usually have little combat experience to beat the trained Boerenycian children. Even if the slave does succeed the dead child’s family will likely attempt to exact revenge. If the slave survives they are given the option to receive Agrello training. If the Boerenycian child wins they become full citizens and are considered an adult.
Boerenycian religion is largely monotheistic as they worship Moard who is the God of War to them.Moard was a great king who united the league of Trium many years ago during the Great War hundreds of years ago. He was slain in battle and the city states of the Trium Peninsulae split apart until their unification again when the league of trium was formed. Moard has ascended to a God like status to the Boerenycians. In addition to worshipping Moard directly, they worship is weapons and armor as their own separate entities. These are as follows. Riklos: Moard’s Spear. Sourus; Moard’s Shield. Whir: Moard’s Helmet. Galkurone: Moard’s Breastplate. Quorinas: Moard’s Grieves.
When Boerenycian warriors go into battle they typically shout “Riklos” for Moard’s spear if they are attacking and “Sourus” for Moard’s shield if they are defending. Moard himself would be classified as True Neutral. Warfare: Boerenycian warriors often use spears or shortswords. Most of the Boerenycian army is made up of infantry but they frequently use medium cavalry for flanking and support. Infantry archers are also fairly common, though in Boerenycian culture archers are usually perceived as cowards in the eye of the public. The Boerenycians are well known for their arcane spell casters, which can offer support through their vast array of spells within, or outside of combat. Phalanxes are also occasionally used, though it is a looser formation than the style of phalanxes used some other city states. The houses of the Trium city states are usually made up of tiles in the city, and thatched houses in the countryside. Stone is commonly used as well, especially in grand building projects. The Boerenycians are notable for making the Wall of Sourus. This wall cuts across the border of the Boerenycian and Ronon lands. It was initially designed to keep the Woad Forest barbarians out of their land and remains as a symbol of power of the Boerenycians. At Boerenycia itself there is an enormous statue of Moard looking out onto the Kern Sea.
Syntioch: The Syntioch government is an oligarchy in which a dominant noble class holds most of the power. Unlike the boerenyicians, the Syntiochs enforce an oligarchy upon their conquered minor states. This has been met with much resistance from cities that held a differing style of government and rebellions are frequent and punished severely by the Syntiochs. The Syntiochs rely on the older phalanx style of warfare. Their army is almost exclusively infantry and they almost never utilize mages in combat. This warfare worked well against the minor states they aced but a conservative attitude towards warfare has resulted in stagnation and the Syntiochs have had difficulty expanding beyond their initial lands. The Syntiochs are largely submissive to their Boerenycian allies, as the Boerenycian military is very powerful compared to the Syntiochs. Much of the land in Syntioch is hilly and infertile. As such, the Syntiochs rely heavily upon fishing and trade to supply themselves. This means the Boerenycians hold great sway over the Syntiochs as hold naval dominance. Most Syntiochs Worship Zuruvia, the Goddess of the Sea.
Most art in Boerenycia and Syntioch is done on pottery. The art in question varies from state to state but it usually depicts people as being rather static and with unrealistic features. The reliefs, statues and other sculptures on the temples and monuments in Trium are done in a similar fashion and are often done on the outside of buildings.
Palmos: Archon: Toria Alamona Palmos is located near the border of the steppe lands where the Mongke Gal Khaganate are dominant. As a result of this, Palmos culture is partially influenced by the culture of the steppe tribes and the Palmos peoples frequently interact with them. A slave trade has been established due to the Boerenycian desire for slaves in which the Palmos play a large part. They trade with the steppe tribes for their captives and sell them to the Boerenycians. Their government is monarchical.
The Palmos utilize a different style of warfare compared to the Boerenycians and Syntiochs. They use mostly lightly armored infantry alongside archers and light cavalry. The Palmos frequently hire mercenaries from the steppe tribes to fight for them. Horse archers are also fairly common among Palmos ranks, making their forces especially deadly in open planes.
The architecture of Palmos and the area around it have a mix between the Trium style and typical medieval housing. The cities have largely Trium style architecture except that most statues are indoors and not presented directly to viewers on the outside of the buildings. The buildings are not as grand as Syntioch or Boerenycia and their surrounding city states. This makes palmos and its surrounding city states seem humble compared to other Trium states who prefer enormous statues and buildings.
The Palmos vary drastically in their art compared to other city states on the Trium Peninsulae, largely due to their influence from the steppe tribes. Much of their art is done by embroidery and sewing as the Mongke Gal are nomadic and need mobile art. The palmos represent a cross between the typical Trium style of art and steppe art, with fairly large indoor statues and figures adorned with specially made clothing and trinkets. Palmos art depicts the human body in a more realistic sense than their Boer and Syntioch counterparts as the clothing must match the contours of the body. This unique style of art has made Palmos clothing, statues and figures very valuable in other lands.
Mongke Gal khaganate(Eternal Fire khaganate) The Mongke Gal khaganate were initially a confederacy of tribes that all held a similar culture and lifestyle. They have since absorbed many other steppe tribes into their ranks resulting in an enormous, and incredibly diverse empire. They are a mix of Eastern and Western style steppe tribes. Their leader is a man named the Chagan Chinua (or White Wolf) who is the Supreme Khan of the Mongke Gal Khaganate. Their military is almost exclusively made up of horse archers. They forces lack siege equipment making attacks on walled cities very difficult. Most warriors use bows at range and spears in melee while on horseback. Barbarians of the Woad Forest: The barbarians of the Woad forest are various groups of tribes who inhabit the Woad Forest. The primary groups are the Scordiscoi, the Velgae and the Triballoi. The barbarians of the Woad Forest often meet at the Sacred grove of Tynvald to discuss diplomatic matters. It is seen as a holy ground where fighting it forbidden. It is named after the Great King Tynvald who once united the tribes of the Woad Forest but was killed in combat.
Scordiscoi: The Scordiscoi are not native to the Woad Forest. They previously held land where the modern day Dreistiones rule. They ruled over the Dreistiones and treated them as slaves. The Dreistiones rebelled and formed their own republic that outlawed slavery and became a trading hub. The scordiscoi were pushed back into the forest where they continue to use some guerilla warfare against the Dreistiones. Since their expulsion the Scordiscoi have stagnated culturally and have developed little new technology.
Most scordiscoi despise the Dreistiones and depict them as being evil for ousting them from their lands. The slavery of the Dreistiones is rarely mentioned as they do not wish to make their people appear as though they were in the wrong. On the other hand, The Dreistiones depict the expulsion of the Scordiscoi as being a moment of triumph for freedom and liberty.
The Scordiscoi military is primarily made up of infantry using simple axes and spears. Chariots are used in open areas to transport troops and harass the enemy. There is typically a driver and a spear thrower. The Scordiscoi employ very little magic, although there are a significant number of rangers in their area. They consider the Sacred Gove of Tynvald to be ridiculous but meet there with the other tribes for diplomatic matters.
Velgae: The Velgae are in stark contrast with the scordiscoi as they are a chiefdom that has flourished considerably. The Velgae are led by Torinx Alvad, who is at the top of the hierarchy of chiefs and essentially acts as a king. The Velgae frequently trade with the Dreistiones and the League of Trium and have been influenced by their culture.
The Velgae have druid priestly class known as the Grona. The Grona act as the heads of their religion and, in times of war, even as military advisors. The Grona hold great sway in Velgae politics. They train apprentices called Vilock who use their druidic powers in combat, with many turning into large animals to act as heavy infantry or birds to use as scouts.
The velgae have also experimented in arcane magic though it is not used as heavily. Rangers are also very common among the Velgae and among the other Woad forest factions. Longswords are very common among warriors of the Velgae and are a significant cultural symbol.
Triaballoi: Barbarian faction. Minor in the plot, more to come about them.*
Republic of Drestiones: A trading republic, minor in the plot, more to come about them.*
Gouros Empire: Led by Emperor Versaric The Soreillia invasion army is managed by the Emperor’s representative, Arlen Vow. The Gouros Empire invades Soreillia early on and war eventually breaks out between them and the League of Trium. This war is the focus of the main plot in my province, unless we end up changing it. They are based in a different province across the Kern Sea, so they aren't terribly important when establishing the initial setting of our areas. I’ll add more about the Gouros soon, as they are quite important plotwise.*
Plot details: Everything that follows is a rough outline of what I plan to do. It is very subject to change. The plot begins with the Gouros Empire having invaded and conquered Chronia(2 on the map). The plot primarily concerns the political tensions that erupt as a result of this and the eventual outbreak of war between the Gouros Empire and the Boerenycians. This war breaks out fairly early on. Eventually both sides become severely drained by the war. The Boerenycians begin placing an enormous amount of pressure on their allies for tributes. Eventually, their allies begin to rebel and leave the League of Trium. The Boerenycians begin to crack down on these rebellions and use their veto power in the League as an excuse to subdue and rule over their allies. The Boerenycians essentially create an empire of their own. The Gouros Empire also begin committing atrocities as they are pushed to their limit. They will likely conquer the assorted city states located at 9 on the map. More to come on this eventually.* Near the end of the story, a great sea battle takes place between the Boerenycians and the Empire. The players will side with a faction and their actions will help determine the outcome of the battle(unsure about this part as it will likely be difficult to get all the players in a group to agree on one faction but we'll see). Should the Boerenycians win, the Gouros are pushed back to their invasion headquarters in Chronia. The Boerenycians counterattack with a landing party including the players and this makes attack makes up the final mission. If the empire wins, the Boerenycians are pushed back to Boerenycia and the final battle occurs there as the Gouros invade.
I'm worried there may be a few spelling mistakes or inconsistencies(I changed the names of things a lot when brainstorming) so let me know if there are any problems or if you have any questions about things that need clarification.
For your idea Brent, the main king in my province will likely be King Horos of Boerenycia as the Boerenycians and their League of Trium are pretty much the primary native faction of Soreillia. So we can incorporate him somehow into that if you want. Also, when are we having this DM meeting? I won't be back in Hamilton until September 1st if that matters.
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Post by Rofusco on Aug 25, 2012 4:35:54 GMT -5
I messed up on the attachment, here it is again. Attachments:
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Post by illios on Aug 26, 2012 6:58:20 GMT -5
Okay I have more to come but this is just an update in relation to having negotiations with brent and colin. I have the last major war at around one and a half elven generations ago so between 200 and 300 years ago. There is also some event that caused people to forget their past, mostly in the capital city. I havent decided on a cause for this because i wanted to talk to you guys about this, but i was thinking a self imposed curse to forget the atrocities that they themselves had commited. Further the war strongly influenced a gathering of power in the hands of a few. The land is a kingdom, with noble houses and certain factions holding all the power. I am in the process of listing particulars for each faction, including important npcs, history, culture and simillar things. The major conflict of my plotline is that the house that lost power during the last war wants it back and they go a little far, even contacting the drow that they helped to banish. The drow however see the weakness shown by the elves and take that chance to turn the tables secrectly turning the house disposed's plan to their own advantage. As for diplomatic concerns the major players on a diplomatic front would be the house Grey for the dwarves, and the merchant's guild for the humans. And of course the house Royal in general. Also I decided that the country has a significant halfling minority, but since they travel a lot perhaps that spread to your countries too. The major impact of the halflings is they build roadside churches/inns for weary travellers. Maybe you could include that in your countries to create a bit of a sense of connectivity, as well as having branches of the factions I mentioned; the eleven house Grey (they are lofty grey elves who value magic of all kinds and are at home in mountainous regions) and the merchant's guild (who are humans who only value money and power, formed from merchant families that cooperated to help each other make even more money). As for geography i have a couple specifics but they can be met in many different ways, i intentionally left myself flexible there. I have a map in my head but I really just need the following list of geographical features: a major river running from a mountain to a delta at a sea or ocean, a large forest that contains a mountain range that flattens to a hill range, a second major river that runs through a valley to a waterfall at some point (while in the forest) and then meets the first major river, and a swampland that is large. Oh and obviously one extra large mountain called Mt. Grey. Also I haven't planned any of this to be cold only temperate and warm.
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Post by brent on Aug 29, 2012 19:05:34 GMT -5
The three of us should meet up before the dm meeting to get most of this worked out. I don't know when ill be back, but ill let you know when I do. For now, what days would work for you two?
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Post by illios on Aug 30, 2012 1:49:07 GMT -5
I'll be back probably monday so any day after that. I have flexible plans.
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Post by brent on Aug 30, 2012 18:42:22 GMT -5
What if we aim for tuesday afternoon in the student center? Though I am also flexible
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Post by Rofusco on Aug 31, 2012 3:53:34 GMT -5
Tuesday should be fine. I'm pretty free next week so it doesn't really matter much to me when we do it.
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Post by illios on Aug 31, 2012 17:26:15 GMT -5
Tuesday sounds like a go. I will be there with ma notes.
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Post by q on Sept 1, 2012 11:05:33 GMT -5
Tuesday what time?
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Post by brent on Sept 2, 2012 18:06:13 GMT -5
around 5?
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Post by Rofusco on Sept 3, 2012 0:48:12 GMT -5
Sorry to change plans, but can we meet on Wednesday instead? I don't think I'll be able to make it on Tuesday. Is around 5 on Wednesday ok?
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Post by q on Sept 3, 2012 6:02:42 GMT -5
provided it is after clubs fest, an event I will be at for maclan and to say hi to you nerd club guys yes that will work...
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Post by illios on Sept 3, 2012 7:30:42 GMT -5
Umm q this isnt the dm meeting. This is so me colin and brent can world build together Before the dm meeting. But on that topic; when do we want to do the dm meeting?
Woops forgot to mention wednesday is fine.
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Post by brent on Sept 3, 2012 14:48:36 GMT -5
Wednesday at 5 works for me. For the actual dm meeting sooner would be better, but I don't want to rush it. it should probably be after the exec meeting but as soon as saturday would probably work assuming everything gets done wednesday and everyone is ok with that. Adrian if you see this, what's going on exec meetingwise? I should probably just use e-mail though.....
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