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Flesh out my fantasy world.
Topic Started: Sep 11 2012, 02:56 PM (3,560 Views)
lamna
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After I ran way crying trying to start my own RP in the same vein as the Cultural Evolution game I decided to get back to it with a fantastic piece. I want to include a variety of species and cultures and both keep it simple and not clichéd.

Here is the map.
Spoiler: click to toggle


Currently the big Northernmost island is inhabited by Dwarves, who rule, the Finns, who enforce that rule and the Saami, who get seven shades of shit kicked out of them whenever they complain about being at the bottom of the pile.

The big green island is inhabited by Elves. I'm not sure what to do with them, arrogant racists and arrogant perfect hippies have been done. I'll probably make them live only 200 or so years, and incapable of hybridizing with humans, or at least not producing very many fertile hybrids.

The yellow islands are inhabited by Dragons, who are intelligent but rather possessive and straight forward, which can make them seem child-like. They also live with humans and act as their nobility, defending them in exchange for the humans doing all the things dragons can't. It's got a reputation as a place the oppressed can flee if they are desperate and willing to work. The dragon's don't care about your ideology or religion as long as they get their sheep tithe.

On the "mainland" are the Human kingdoms. Once most of the island was united under an empire, the empire started to crumble under barbarian attacks, poor harvests, a bad economy and religious strife. The last Emperor decided that to turn things around he would conquer the dragon kingdom, plunder their gold and then use the dragons as soldiers to help restore his empire. The expedition was destroyed and the capital was razed. With no emperor, no capital and hardly any army left the empire collapsed in less than a decade.

One province did manage to survive, mostly thanks to the corrupt governor having skimmed enough money to pay the local barbarians to fight for him rather than sack the place, and when the dust settled he found himself the most powerful and wealthy man left standing so just declared himself Emperor. That's the purple nation.
Edited by lamna, Sep 18 2012, 12:43 PM.
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lamna
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zaktan, that's fine.

Name: Friedrich von Goldenbaum II
Title: Emperor
Province: Imperial Province
Official Religion: Father worship
Alignment: Imperial
Notes:
Spoiler: click to toggle
Troop strength: 280,000 men.
130,000 Musketeers
110,000 Pikemen
40,000 cavalry
44 warships
89 wyverns*
100 Rosen Ritter**

*Wyverns are large flying reptiles used for reconnaissance, communication and occasionally skirmishing.

They are extremely expensive and require a lot of meat. When they are not working hard they need to eat an entire sheep every other day. That's $300/£180 every week, just on food, when they aren't doing anything. They need even more when they are working hard.

They are very slow breeders, quite fragile, stupid and violent. Which means if an animal gets maimed so it can't work, you still need to keep the beast alive for breeding stock.

They are large, but they are right at the limits of how big something can be and still fly. They can carry only one slightly built person at a time, and a very small amount of cargo. Most riders are women.

These aren't troop transports and they aren't bombers. You can use them to drop a few grenades, but given how unpredictable grenades are, and how hard to light a fuse is when you're flying at 50 mph, few people bother with that.

Their only real combat role is fighting other wyvrens. They are the fastest and most reliable way of sending messages, and are extremely useful when scouting.
**The Rosen Ritter are old fashioned, heavily armoured knights. They are specially selected for their loyalty, bravery, size and strength. They ride on a special breed of massive heavy horses, the size of Shire Horses but as fiery as Arabs. Both rider and mount are fully armoured in mithril, stronger than steel but many times lighter. They are armed with lances, basket-hilted swords and flintlock pistols. Their armour is painted all in black aside from the red rose that is they symbol. The cost in upkeep is phenomenal, and their numbers few. But their reputation alone has caused armies to scatter. When they hit massed infantry, it's like the fist of a god.
Edited by lamna, Oct 12 2012, 09:41 AM.
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dialforthedevil
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Name: Ulrich von Schwarzstein
Title: Duke
Province: Nord Grenzland
Official Religion: The Father (although he is seen as a combination of the Northern Mountain Gods)
Alignment: Imperial
Notes:
Spoiler: click to toggle


Troop Stregnth: 13,000
5,000 Musketeers
4,000 Pikemen
1,500 Cavalry
1,000 Kvenn Skirmish troops (armed with a variety of weapons from Longbows, Crossbows and the odd musket, mainly used to hunt elves and magic users across the wilds)
500 Hakkapeliitta
2 Wyverns

4 small ships
1 Middling Ship- The Meteor



Edited by dialforthedevil, Oct 13 2012, 04:23 AM.
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Ànraich
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L'évolution Spéculative est moi

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Oct 10 2012, 08:44 PM
The WoW Orcs are pretty much copied off of the Warhammer Orcs. Speaking of Warhammer races, why not have the skaven or something similar as this slave race? They may be smallish and weak, but they breed insanely fast, so you have a readily available source of cheap slave labour; this opens them up to pretty horrible treatment.
As a fan of both series, I have to say that is completely wrong. They're nothing alike. The Orks from Warhammer are some kind of crazy ass photosynthetic WAAAAGH people while the Orcs from WoW are a noble, ancient race that were too naive to avoid falling prey to demonic corruption, though they did eventually free themselves of it and embrace their shamanistic heritage.

Orcs may work well for your purposes though. The ones from WoW and Warhammer aren't necessarily stupid though, mostly just uneducated. In WoW the orcs originally lived a nomadic existence, but as the demons of the Burning Legion corrupted them they rapidly developed the capacity to create civilization. They had the potential all along, they just had no reason to do so. In the same way your orcs may not be any less intelligent than humans, or any other race, but simply lack the motivation for developing beyond their current lifestyle. Like the Native Americans or Africans of bygone eras they may be misinterpreted as being less mentally capable than other peoples and be exploited because of it.
We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar.

"The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming

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lamna
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I think the northern elves will have been elevated by the Russian analogue to administrate the Finns (Now known as Kvens). When "Russia" collapsed and was conquered by "Poland" the Elves tried to stay in power and the Kvens revolted, and the Empire used this as and excuse the conquer the region.

It would have been similar to the relationship between the French, Alawites and Sunnis in Syria.

Title: Duke
Troop Strength: 13,000 men
Feel free to divide them up as you wish.
You also have 4 small ships and one middling ship (middling ships have 32/30 guns, small have less than 30)
You can't afford an eyrie, but wyverns are so important for communication you still have a pair.
And you have one specialist unit, Hakkapeliitta. These are light Kven cavalry, who excel on raiding and reconnaissance and are noted for their savagery. Their horses are small and sturdy.
Posted Image

Just watched a documentary about repeating crossbows, part of one anyway. Interesting to see them in action, but they look a bit...shit. Very low powered and wildly inaccurate. Peasant weapons. Mike Loades said they were poisoned though, and I trust him.
Edited by lamna, Oct 12 2012, 05:46 PM.
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zaktan
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Adolescent
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Mercenary Captain

Name: Constanze Von Dieter
Name of company: Verhackstücken ( according to Google Translate this is "rip apart"/"murder" in German... )
Alignment: Neutral, but currently working for Mother Cultists. Imperialists can buy them over if you want :P
Notes:
Spoiler: click to toggle



[/spoiler]
Troop strength: 4000

( I probably won't get any wyverns, they are big and expensive. Mostly my troops will just team up with an army with wyverns. )
Edited by zaktan, Oct 14 2012, 04:49 AM.
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dialforthedevil
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Post edited.

Also may I ask about what field artillery is there?
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Ook
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not a Transhuman
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what's the relationship of elves, goblins and humans in southern marches? Im thinking about some elven rebel who managed to convince various elvish groups, slaves of all sorts as well as serfs to rebel against empire
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lamna
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zaktan, remember as a mercenary you don't have control over a province unless you conquer it. And there is only one nation involved in the conflict, it's a civil war.
Troop strength: 4,000

dialforthedevil, it's fairly basic but diversifying. There are mortars, light, medium and heavy cannons and organ guns. There are rockets, but they are wildly inaccurate.

Quote:
 
what's the relationship of elves, goblins and humans in southern marches? Im thinking about some elven rebel who managed to convince various elvish groups, slaves of all sorts as well as serfs to rebel against empire
Many are resentful towards the humans because of their conquests. The old Elvish nations also kept Goblin as slaves, so relations are not great. Native humans are mostly supportive of the Empire for freeing them from Elvish rule/raids, and Imperial immigrants are also mostly pro-empire.

Everyone respects the martial abilities of the elves though, so everyone will want them on their side if they can get them.
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dialforthedevil
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Do you think my faction would field artillery? Im trying to think whether or not it would be practical in my region?
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bloom_boi
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If Zaktan remains a mercenary could I claim Tônmark?
"You shall perish, whatever you do! If you are taken with arms in your hands, death! If you beg for mercy, death! Whichever way you turn, right, left, back, forward, up, down, death! You are not merely outside the law, you are outside humanity. Neither age nor sex shall save you and yours. You shall die, but first you shall taste the agony of your wife, your sister, your sons and daughters, even those in the cradle! Before your eyes the wounded man shall be taken out of the ambulance and hacked with bayonets or knocked down with the butt end of a rifle. He shall be dragged living by his broken leg or bleeding arm and flung like a suffering, groaning bundle of refuse into the gutter. Death! Death! Death!"



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lamna
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Of course, this is a Thirty Years' War/Deluge/English Civil War/Eighty Years War/Sengoku jidai type setting. These videos ought to give you an idea of the sort of setting this is taking place in.
Spoiler: click to toggle

Quote:
 
If Zaktan remains a mercenary could I claim Tônmark?
It's Thônmark, but yes.
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Ook
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not a Transhuman
 *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *
whats status of Neue Land? Geography, climate, economy? Whats the demographics, relationships etc.? I guess because of various forced exiles, there will be quite strong antipathy towards empire
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urufumarukai
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Hitler is my spirit animal
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Helseth is mine, official application later today.

I assume areles is french no?

Name:Anders Anderson III
Title: Baron
Province:Helseth
Official Religion:Currently neutral, previously father worshipers,
Alignment: Imperial ; not attending, sending word.
Notes:
Spoiler: click to toggle

Troop strength: 18000

7500 musketeers
5000 pikemen
1500 Calvary
1500grenadiers
1000 dragoons
1000 Arlesian knights
500 seige troops

1 Alesian engineer Silas herren

2 small ships
2 middling ships

6 wyverns



Edited
Edited by urufumarukai, Oct 14 2012, 09:46 AM.
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lamna
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Quote:
 
whats status of Neue Land? Geography, climate, economy? Whats the demographics, relationships etc.? I guess because of various forced exiles, there will be quite strong antipathy towards empire
It's comparable to 1600's colonies in North America. The colony has only just become established enough to support itself.

The Neue Land is mostly temperate forest, it's not especially mountainous and it seems quite fertile. The land is regularly buffeted by storms though.

Most people there are farmers, but there are vast silver deposits lots of furs.

Most people who move they do so to make a new life, it's not a penal colony. There are a lot of Mother cultists fleeing persecution.

Imagine Jamestown or Plymouth. There are no natives, which means no attacks but not looting either.

Quote:
 
I assume areles is french no?

The Queen is based on Elizabeth I but it's basically France.
Edited by lamna, Oct 13 2012, 10:17 AM.
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Ook
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not a Transhuman
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any slaves here? Only humans?
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