EMPIRE2!-CWBG-I-Begin-Again [Applications Open!]

[BananaPhone]

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...?

[Lord Of Mantas]

Upon rolling some rather lackluster stats, and upon realizing that I'm kind of in a metric ton of games already, I've decided to withdraw. Region 236 is now back up for grabs. Have fun, everyone.

[WaylanderX]

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...?

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This. (Still working on the male one, but work is progressing slowly)

[BananaPhone]

Hmmm, curious *strokes jaw*.

[Dracolon]

BananaPhone I am going to list some pros and cons of you starting under a player, or in this case me.
Keep in mind that all of this in contingent on QB saying 280B exists at all, but if it does not it the information maybe helpful when selecting a new region.

Pros:
Easy Trade with the above surface nation.
Possible defensive nation above you depending on temperament.

Cons:
Limited growing room, as this was an issue in the first empire already and looks to be worse now for underground kingdoms.
Easily embargoed or trade blocked.
Possible hostile nation above you depending on temperament.
Great Kingdom issues, as in your capital may have to be moved at a later date to get enough connected regions for a great kingdom.
Forced to discover other underground regions for expansion early, or become militant with the above nation.

In the end it is really your choice but just some information I thought you might like to know when you can do something about it rather then finding out later.

I should also let you know I got a little burned by close allies in Empire 1 and I might have some trust issues.

[WaylanderX]

Hmmm, curious *strokes jaw*.

For a more detailed description, plz look here :P.

[BananaPhone]

In actuality I had no idea you had chosen 280b, as I don't think you're listed on that front page.

It'd be easy for one of us just to be next to each other.

[Dracolon]

In actuality I had no idea you had chosen 280b, as I don't think you're listed on that front page.

It'd be easy for one of us just to be next to each other.

Actually I am 280 the surface region above 280B. Link to a description so far.

Spoiler: QB approval thing

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Dracolon you are approved to post your region writeup here

[BananaPhone]

Well yeah I figured you have a legitimate claim . What I was saying is that when I checked out the front list you weren't there, which is why I felt okay to choose it.

*see's draco's military stat is 1*


Er...I mean >_>

*soldiers start preparing behind the leader*

Yeah! So, 280B huh? Guess we'll be best of pals .

It's time to hunt some cats...

[Aedilred]

I think only the regions that have been updated to the Lands thread so far are listed in that table, so there's a bit of an information gap. Kasa's picture with the regions labelled with their claimang player is probably most up-to-date.

If I might make a suggestion, BananaPhone (and feel free to ignore me if you disagree) you might like to move slightly further north, to 232, 269 or one of the other mountainous regions. It's still the same part of the world, but they're more likely to have underground regions beneath them, and you wouldn't be starting right under another player, so you'd probably have more opportunities for expansion.

The Wandering Clan; The Hands of the First Architect

Totally read that as "The Wandering Hands of the First Architect"...

[BananaPhone]

Aye, I'm going to move, I figured it'd just be fun to imagine my future abundance of cat-fur coats ^_^.

Probably the one just north or south.

[WaylanderX]

Aye, I'm going to move, I figured it'd just be fun to imagine my future abundance of cat-fur coats ^_^.

Probably the one just north or south.

May I suggest 281 or ....wait 281 also.....Eeehhh one of both 281's.

[Kasanip]

I was tired from reading rules, so to make the quick sketch of future plan of <Region 9>.

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Of course it is a joke!

[lt_murgen]

Because I love worldbuilding, here is a list to help folks know what their neighbors' lands are like. It always bothered me a bit to see widely varying ecologies right next to one another. UPDATED, I believe

Note- THIS IS NOT THE OFFICIAL LIST OF WHO HAS WHAT TERRITORY
I leave that to the GMs. I just post as the ecology-monkey.

Spoiler: terrain information by region

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Region #	Claimant	terrain and weather
1	Aedilred	Open prairie- near desert, long, hot summers,
9	kasanip	?
17	lt_Murgen	Rolling hills, long growing seasons, mild dry winters
44b	WaylanderX	Underground, dark, very hot, nearly plant-less with hot springs
48	PepperP	coast, meadows, fotthills, strong west winds
53	Philote	High rolling grassy plains, few trees
57	Half Tangible	mountains
62	Mynxae	Forest, croplands.
64	Reggiejam	Seasonal, deciduous forest
65	TheDarkDm	mountain, pine & bramble
66	Gengy	Forest, long rainy season
67	Randoman	Forest and beach, seasonal climate? (inferred by bears)
70	GorinichSerpant	Island, tall cliffs, dark forests,
74	DoomHat	Mediterranean forested coast
122	Sommor	temperate, cliffed highlands of bush and shrubs
139	ReaderAt2046	Lush volcanic jungle
142	m9p909	Lush volcanic jungle
144	wooli264	jungle everywhere!
145	Zayuz	monocline and deciduous forest, mountains, strong winds
176	Pierrefrench	?
234	ImperatorV	?
250	Lord_Burch	coastal, rolling hills
274	Elemental	Island, mediterranean
275	BladeofObliviom	?
280	Dracolon	large temperate deciduous forest leading into mountains, lazy streams and rivers
280B	Bananaphone	underground, few plants, lots of metals
281	Geckus	low-mountain valley and rolling hills, cool temperate
326	The Blue Guard	scrubland, little rain
P5	Tychris1	Polar, snowy

[QuintonBeck]

I have some minor questions (despite not playing) about the world.

Is the surface area of this planet Earth like? I don't remember it being mentioned anywhere and it'd be a useful detail for writing about quests where people are journeying for months and figuring out how far could they go given the described terrain.

Are there moons? (For stable weather/rotation a big one would be easiest). Then calendars could be made to be consistent. (When I was making Fera's calendar, I had to average a couple of calendars, ignore one and make assumptions about all of them which was a bit of a pain.)

Why is the recruitment thread so barren?

I was just reflecting on some things in Telluris and remembered these details...

Earth-size planet with a single (currently known) moon.

Ah, that explains it. Sorry for the confusion. QB, please fix that link ASAP.

Fixed

Spoiler: Application

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High Order of the Pran-El
Region 53 (Glasco), Philote

Original Rolls

Current Queen: Lorena Effigy



Stats at end of round 1:
Diplomacy: 2
Military: 2
Curiosity: 2
Faith: 4
Luck: 4 + [0/2]

Mechanical Population: 960,000
Fluff Population: 192,000
Standing Army: 0 native land troops, 0 native naval troops

Original Stats:
Diplomacy: 2
Military: 2
Curiosity: 2
Faith: 4
Luck: 4 + [0/2]

Spoiler: Summary

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Region name: Glasco
Region: 53
Queens:

Lorena Effigy [New Testament]

Voice: Sky Blue / Primary
Terrain: Capital Pran-El and Insight Lake, Corpse of the Last
People: Giant Sub-Species (Glascans)
Resources: Idols

Spoiler: Terrain

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Spoiler: Reference

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Capital Pran-El and Insight Lake: The capital city, Pran-El, lies to the south-east of Insight Lake, a large flat reflective lake that is Glaso’s largest body of water. The capital itself holds a large castle in the style of a gothic church that it is the main monument of the city, though it is not uncommon to see a church dotted on every road of the capital.

Corpse of the Last: Glasco’s north-east island is marked by a titanic fossilized skeleton that stretches across the landmass. The fossil’s skull lies on the south-east end while the creature’s right leg dips into the ocean on the north-west side. This is a highly spiritual place for the Glascan people who claim that this creature is one of their ancestors, a people who found the true path to enlightenment.

Spoiler: People

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Spoiler: Reference

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Add a face, tint it blue, and you have the sort of spiral-textured physical structure of a Glascan.

Glascans are a sub-species of giant that feature a rough, spiral-textured, blue-tinted skin. While each Glascan is roughly three times the size of other sentient species on Arandi, a single Glascan could be considered to be equal to five members of other Arandi species. Glascan’s claim to be the descendants of an extinct titan sized species, but no link has yet been proven.

The High Order of Pran-El is a highly religious empire that has become frustrated with the current paths to enlightenment present on Arandi. Glascans have been easily swayed between practicing many different organized religions before ultimately settling on paganism. It is still common to see churches and worship for various different organized religions within the lands of Glasco. So great is the religious influence within Glasco, that the High Order of Pran-El exclusively anoint Queens due to past involvement with the The House of the Pale Lady.

Spoiler: Resources

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Idols [Faith / Luxury Resource]: The high spirituality of the Glascan people has guided them to become adept idol makers. With a devotion to capturing even the most miniscule details of each organized religion, these idols compliment the construction of any church and aid in the execution of religious rituals across Arandi.

Needed Resource: Animals. With such a giant stature and religious fervor, Glascans require additional animals to sate their appetites and offerings.

Needs a religion section and a more specific necessary resource. Seems like herd animals/livestock would be the word you're looking for based on the description.

Let's see how this goes:

Spoiler: The Necron Directorate

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The Necron Directorate

"Duty, Community and Industry"
"Fire and Steel"

Dominion of Queen Selindrak Highstar

Sovereign Stats:
Military: 5
Diplomacy: 4
Curiosity: 5
Faith: 2
Luck: 1
Rolls: Are found here.
Position: 280B

Population: 800,000

History:

Spoiler: History

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For centuries the Illithids of the Spire Crag Mountains preyed upon the humanoids of their surroundings, picking and choosing slaves as they wilt. For those captured by the aberrations a life of misery was all they could expect, and indeed, that’s all they received. Looked upon as little more than fodder, humans were put to work building the illithids cities, sculpting their materials and weaving their clothes. In the eyes of the aberrations menial labor was a task befitting only the lowest of the low, and so the slaves toiled beneath unbearable conditions to provide for their ungrateful masters.

They had cities. They had riches. They had comfort. And they had power. All of these things and more were built upon the backs of a vast army of slaves. But still, the Illithids wanted more. The aberrations selfish greed inflated their sphere of terror into the surrounding lands until they came across an unlikely opportunity: the human kingdom of Iola. A small but ambitious fiefdom, Iola’s king made a bargain with the Illithids – help him defeat his neighbours and make him a King and he would hand over the captives of his conquests. Excited, the Illithids accepted.

Following through with their words the Illithids provided Iola with the intelligence and surreptitious help it needed to defeat its enemies. One by one the neighbouring kingdoms were broken, their people enslaved and vanishing mysteriously into the mountains, never to be heard from again. The King of Iola eventually passed on a happy and fulfilled man, while the subjects of his expanded kingdom knew little of the horrors their leader had inflicted on their defeated enemies. But for those who were taken and enslaved, they never forgot.

Dragged into the bowels of the subterranean enclaves of the Illithids, hundreds of thousands of humans were cramped into squalor and impressed into chains. As over-joyed as the Illithids were they faced a problem. In their avarice and insatiable greed they had not fully estimated the logistics of housing, feeding and containing such a vast number of slaves. Soon, thousands of salves starved to death on a daily basis, while disease and cannibalism claimed thousands more. Panicking and desperate as they watched their prize melt before their eyes, the sorcerers of the Illithids turned to dark magics in the hope of finding anything that could sustain their way of life. When all seemed lost for the aberrations, when the opulence to which they had grown accustomed seemed in its nadir, the most devious of their sorcerers found that thing.

A ritual. A mystical ceremony on a grand scale. An eldritch maw was to be opened and into its gullet was to be poured the remainder of their slaves who would all return…changed.

They would no longer require food, rest, water or comfort nor would the afflictions of disease cause them discomfort. The expense of maintenance, which even the penny-pinching Illithids sneered at, would be cut by one tenth and they would retain their slaves. Compelled by greed and desperation the Illithid sorcerers gained permission to proceed with the ritual that seemed too good to be true. Unbeknownst to them, it was.

The ritual was performed and was a resounding success. The hundreds of thousands of humans that were once on the verge of death were transformed into something else. Much as the sorcerers had promised they no longer needed rest, comfort or water. What food they needed was now replaced with only one item of sustenance: living blood. To avoid even this necessity the crafty Illithid alchemists concocted a gruel-like substitute, and all seemed well with the world.

However, cracks slowly emerged within their new system. The spirit of their slaves, once believed thoroughly broken, now seemed to have returned. Fear of the lash did not register within the slaves new psychology. Where once they looked up at their illithid masters with whipped obedience, the humans crimson orbs were now seeing only one thing: prey.

What was supposed to be their salvation was instead their damnation as the Illithids Frankensteinian creation turned on them. From the ranks of the Homo nocturnus emerged their most charismatic figure: an elf named Selindra Highstar. Outnumbered twenty to one and remiss of their mind-bending powers, the Illithids were mercilessly torn limb from limb in the very halls their slaves had once built, and as the last of their race pleaded for mercy Selindra Highstar drove a dagger into the black heart of the Illithid king before casting his body into the veins of molten steel that coursed through the subterranean kingdom. Those illithids not killed in the initial uprising all suffered a similar fate – their bodies immolated within the flows of lava and their death squeals cheered by the hundreds of thousands of freed undead.

“We were all brought here in chains, as slaves. Whipped, beaten, abused, exploited - never again!”


Death to Tyrants

The Necron Directorate rose from within the corpse of the Illithids self-indulgent decadence. Yesterday the vampires of this kingdom were slaves, but now they are free. Craftsman, builders, engineers, alchemists and soldiers, they now look to a future as dark as the undercaverns they gleefully call home.

Terrain:

Spoiler: Terrain

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Situated below the surface of the planet and away from the uncomfortable sun, the lands of the Necron Directorate would be bleak and inhospitable for unwary outsiders. For those who know how to scrape a living, however, there are resources abound.

Situated close to the rich veins of mountain metals, the populated areas of the Directorate are industrial-military centres. The capital city, Otrava’drecnha, which means “Heart of Fire and Steel” in their tongue, lies at the centre of their nation. The city is built from obsidian, stone and steel to form a labyrinth through which veins of molten rock provide amber-hot illumination and the constant scent of sweet sulphur. Regularly the caverns ring with the industrial horns the vampires use to communicate social directives across an area. For a Homo nocturnus these are reassuring, orderly sounds, but for visitors they are a haunting bellow in the deep.

Across this huge, industrial city the vampires work unceasingly. The cacophony of blacksmith hammers ring constantly from deep within the vast forges of the cities base, the innumerable chimneys billowing forth black smoke that rises from the tops of mountains. From this huge factory pours forth the beautiful work of goldsmiths, metal workers, engineers and architects to create an atmosphere few other places can replicate.

People:

Spoiler: People

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Homo nocturnus – vampires.

The people of the Necron Directorate are a dichotomous lot. Numb to many of the emotions that run hot through the surface dwellers, they nevertheless feel a great sense of nationalism and optimism for their newfound freedom and nation state. Suspicious of outsiders but not entirely hostile, their very existence is just a rumour to those many miles away. Though cool-hearted and rarely emotional on the level of a human, Homo nocturnus are capable of feeling as such in the face of evocative stimuli. As such, the art and cultural items of the outside world are becoming a much desired commodity within the Necron Directorate as the flush of sensation a vampire can feel when beholding a stirring painting or listening to a moving song adds that spice to unlife that makes it extra nice.

Much like their former masters, the people of the Necron Directorate are an orderly, almost fascist society. Three civic virtues are considered paramount above all in their society: Duty, Community and Industry. Militaristic nationalists, they nevertheless have an innovative and industrial bent to them that ensures that their society is a productive one. Atop the summit of this pyramid sits Queen Selindrak Highstar, a cool-hearted but fair ruler. Though possessed of dictatorial powers she displays a shrewd level of restraint when exercising her great power, preferring to allow the National Assembly to operate as the regular legislative body throughout the Directorate.

Resources:

Spoiler: Resources

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Export: Metals

As enslaved builders and craftsman for hundreds of years, the vampires of the Directorate are first class metalworkers and miners. As their civilisation is nestled at the root of the mineral-rich mountains they have access to abundant metals and their forges boil constantly with the strength and beauty of molten steel, gold and silver.

Wants: Art/Luxury goods

An emotionally numb people, the vampires of the Directorate enjoy the passing rush of emotional stimuli. As such, the luxury goods and artwork of foreigners are something they look upon favourably, the least of which its value is evocative and moving beauty.

Religion:

Spoiler: Religion

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For mechanical purposes, the Necron Directorate are “pagans”. Their worship, however, goes to Desy’min.

The religion of the Necron Directorate is Desy’min, which, in their harsh, aggressive language translates roughly into the “Ten Starred Mother and Creator”. Desy’min is a goddess depicted as an enormous spider with ten legs, one of each of which is a star and represents a virtue for her undead children. Much like the progeny that worship her, Desy’min is a pale, albino spider that dwells in a series of infinite caves whose flooring is lined with her webbing that allows her to detect all intruders, where-upon she ensnares them in her webs and drinks their blood, leaving them withered husks upon which her countless children feed. Her ten stars are the virtues that have laid the foundation for the Necron Directorate’s national psyche.

The ten stars of Desy’min are:

• Duty: The Directorate was born from unity among vampirekind. Fragmentation leads to chaos and renders them as prey for outsides. All must do their part for the greater good of the Directorate. Duty is the essence of vampirehood.
  
  
• Civility: All vampires are brothers and sisters in blood, and all are born from the fires of conflict and the bonds of slavery. Those worthy of respect show civility and decorum to their fellows, and your nature will be exposed by how you treat your lessers.
  
  
• Enlightenment: There is no shame in ignorance, education is the great liberator. It freed the vampires from the shadows and equipped them with the expertise needed to forge the future.
  
  
• Family: The most basic unit of the nation is the family. From the seed of the father and the womb of the mother do we all come, and the strength of communities rests upon the foundation of its families.
  
  
• Prowess: Among other evils it brings you, being unarmed causes you to be despised. Pursue your field, from the plumber to the soldier, as labor disgraces no man.
  
  
• Industry: A man is remembered for his achievements.
  
  
• Bravery: A coward is much more exposed to quarrels than a man of spirit.
  
  
• Discipline: Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable, procures success to the weak and esteem to all.
  
  
• Patience: Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.
  
  
• Loyalty: In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

280 doesn't have an underground region. The southern 281 (I will try to fix that on the map) would though.

Resource production needs to be a bit more specific than Metals, a particular type of metal they're famous for be it real world or fantasy and precious or practical.

Such a vast backstory told as fact is a problem on multiple levels, anything that leaves the demesne of your region is overstepping a bit and to define an Ilithid empire as well as a human kingdom and their history of interactions seems like something that would have dominated that portion of the world but will ultimately no doubt be incongruous with other people/regions in the area. Narrow that down and vague it up severely.

The race as literal undead is also a no-go as well as the literal idea of sorcerers. I must admit the worn and wearied D&D Ilithids as an existing race I'm a little iffy on seeing as they seem to rely on D&D knowledge and Empire is not really a D&D setting since it's rather low magic. If these are metahumans of some sort, and the general idea of a human population stripped of emotion in an attempt to create servile slaves is fine, that's fine but I won't be allowing their starting as a race of literal undead and you might be better served finding another word than vampire (I like Homo Nocturnus) though if you really want vampire that's fine just be aware they need to start as mortal beings.

In essence, narrow the scope of the backstory, shift from factual to mythical on origin, and make sure it's clear these are altered humans rather than undead horrors.

[DimpleLoamsdown]

Deva

Population:890,000
Region 141

Spoiler: Ruler

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Michael Solar is the current military general for the Devan Army. His skin is silver and his hair is gold.
His eyes are like tongues of flame. He is respected by most of the Angels and is stronger, as though he was blessed before he fell from the heavens. He has three children, but his wife died in battle.
Military 4+1=5
Faith 3+1=4
Diplomacy 3
Curiosity 1
Luck 1

Spoiler: Terrain

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The Terrain of Deva is very simple. It is a relatively flat, filled with a dense forest. The Devan houses are built around the trees, as the Devans want to harm the least amount of nature as possible because it would be against their faith. On the North Western side of the island, there is a long white sand beach.

Spoiler: People

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The People of Deva are fallen angels. They stand between 5 and 7 feet tall when fully grown. Their hair colour starts as Bronze at birth, then by the time they are adults, their hair becomes gold, then when they are old, their hair becomes silver. The Angels living close to the water tend to have bronze skin, and when they live in the bottom of the forest, they tend to have copper skin, and those who live in the treetops frequently have silver skin. Angels have wing spans equal to three times their wingspan. Their wings are always white like snow. There are 16 different eye colours found amongst the Angels. They can look like burning tongues of flame, drops of purified water, small tornados, planets, garnets, amethysts, aquamarine, diamonds, emeralds, pearl, ruby, peridot, sapphire, opal, turquoise and topaz.

Spoiler: Culture

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In the beginning, the known world today had four moons, connected by sets of bridges. This served as the heaven for Dæn, the Watcher. It made a triangle, with Dæn's residence in the centre, with the three tribes of angels's residences coming from the outside. The three tribes were the Devans, Dovans and the Dallys. The Devans were the soldiers, the Dovans were the assassins and the Dallys were the farmers. If Dæn wanted a pagan leader assassinated, the Dovans would do the job. If he wanted a religion whipped out, he would send the Devans. And finally, if he needed food, he would call on the Dallys. Eventually, when they weren't getting any jobs, the Dovans started testing there metal on the Devans, causing a major outrage amongst the Devans. The Deveans then attacked the Dovans. Just as the Devans were about to eliminate all of the Dovans, Dæn literally cut his ties with the Dovans and the Devans, causing them to fall down to the planet. The Devans landed in the region 141, and the Dovans landed in the ocean.

Spoiler: Resource

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Abundantly, in Deva, you can find angel mercenaries. Hired Wings. Very useful in combat.
The people of Deva need non natural resources used for building houses, as they believe it is a sin to destroy nature.

Spoiler: Religion

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In an attempt to remake their relationship with Dæn, the Devans are attempting to be the most devoted followers of Dæn.

[QuintonBeck]

Deva

Population:890,000
Region 141

Spoiler: Ruler

Show

Michael Solar is the current military general for the Devan Army. His skin is silver and his hair is gold.
His eyes are like tongues of flame. He is respected by most of the Angels and is stronger, as though he was blessed before he fell from the heavens. He has three children, but his wife died in battle.
Military 4+1=5
Faith 3+1=4
Diplomacy 3
Curiosity 1
Luck 1

Spoiler: Terrain

Show

The Terrain of Deva is very simple. It is a relatively flat, filled with a dense forest. The Devan houses are built around the trees, as the Devans want to harm the least amount of nature as possible because it would be against their faith. On the North Western side of the island, there is a long white sand beach.

Spoiler: People

Show

The People of Deva are fallen angels. They stand between 5 and 7 feet tall when fully grown. Their hair colour starts as Bronze at birth, then by the time they are adults, their hair becomes gold, then when they are old, their hair becomes silver. The Angels living close to the water tend to have bronze skin, and when they live in the bottom of the forest, they tend to have copper skin, and those who live in the treetops frequently have silver skin. Angels have wing spans equal to three times their wingspan. Their wings are always white like snow. There are 16 different eye colours found amongst the Angels. They can look like burning tongues of flame, drops of purified water, small tornados, planets, garnets, amethysts, aquamarine, diamonds, emeralds, pearl, ruby, peridot, sapphire, opal, turquoise and topaz.

Spoiler: Culture

Show

In the beginning, the known world today had four moons, connected by sets of bridges. This served as the heaven for Dæn, the Watcher. It made a triangle, with Dæn's residence in the centre, with the three tribes of angels's residences coming from the outside. The three tribes were the Devans, Dovans and the Dallys. The Devans were the soldiers, the Dovans were the assassins and the Dallys were the farmers. If Dæn wanted a pagan leader assassinated, the Dovans would do the job. If he wanted a religion whipped out, he would send the Devans. And finally, if he needed food, he would call on the Dallys. Eventually, when they weren't getting any jobs, the Dovans started testing there metal on the Devans, causing a major outrage amongst the Devans. The Deveans then attacked the Dovans. Just as the Devans were about to eliminate all of the Dovans, Dæn literally cut his ties with the Dovans and the Devans, causing them to fall down to the planet. The Devans landed in the region 141, and the Dovans landed in the ocean.

Spoiler: Resource

Show

Abundantly, in Deva, you can find angel mercenaries. Hired Wings. Very useful in combat.
The people of Deva need non natural resources used for building houses, as they believe it is a sin to destroy nature.

Spoiler: Religion

Show

In an attempt to remake their relationship with Dæn, the Devans are attempting to be the most devoted followers of Dæn.

Terrain needs one defining feature/landmark.

Much as with BananaPhone again I must insist that the history, especially as relates to such spiritual manners as these, become more vague and myhtological rather than presented as facts as they stand. That being said, I like that you've worked some fluff up for one of the three existing religions and portions of that will be incorporated.

The required resource needs to be more defined than that and you may wish to pick something else since I can't think of a non-natural construction material.

EDIT: Also, please list scores in the standard order of Diplomacy, Military, Curiosity, Faith, Luck.

[BananaPhone]

Spoiler

Show

280 doesn't have an underground region. The southern 281 (I will try to fix that on the map) would though.

Resource production needs to be a bit more specific than Metals, a particular type of metal they're famous for be it real world or fantasy and precious or practical.

Such a vast backstory told as fact is a problem on multiple levels, anything that leaves the demesne of your region is overstepping a bit and to define an Ilithid empire as well as a human kingdom and their history of interactions seems like something that would have dominated that portion of the world but will ultimately no doubt be incongruous with other people/regions in the area. Narrow that down and vague it up severely.

The race as literal undead is also a no-go as well as the literal idea of sorcerers. I must admit the worn and wearied D&D Ilithids as an existing race I'm a little iffy on seeing as they seem to rely on D&D knowledge and Empire is not really a D&D setting since it's rather low magic. If these are metahumans of some sort, and the general idea of a human population stripped of emotion in an attempt to create servile slaves is fine, that's fine but I won't be allowing their starting as a race of literal undead and you might be better served finding another word than vampire (I like Homo Nocturnus) though if you really want vampire that's fine just be aware they need to start as mortal beings.

In essence, narrow the scope of the backstory, shift from factual to mythical on origin, and make sure it's clear these are altered humans rather than undead horrors.

As it stands I wasn't looking for any mechanical advantage in the game - if you wanted to try an advantage/disadvantage later on down the line that's cool (like ruler longevity vs minor penalty fighting during the day), but not to start off. I figured a medieval nation of vamps was a fun idea - particularly if they were something other than the tired cape-and-castles lot we always see.

In regards to the backstory, I figured most of it was a "long time ago", so the human kingdom mentioned isn't around anymore, and any remnants of Illithids are long gone. If mystical rather than factual is preferred, then that's no worries, I can change that. I figured including a history would spice things up a bit and add more flavor and character.

[QuintonBeck]

As sit stands I wasn't looking for any mechanical advantage in the game - if you wanted to try an advantage/disadvantage later on down the line that's cool (like ruler longevity vs minor penalty fighting during the day), but not to start off. I figured a medieval nation of vamps was a fun idea - particularly if they were something other than the tired cape-and-castles lot we always see.

In regards to the backstory, I figured most of it was a "long time ago", so the human kingdom mentioned isn't around anymore, and any remnants of Illithids are long gone. If mystical rather than factual is preferred, then that's no worries, I can change that. I figured including a history would spice things up a bit and add more flavor and character.

I don't even mean mechanical, it's just that a (un)living (non)breathing race of undead right at the start isn't kosher to the low-magic world. Evolving them more and more into proper undead down the line is fine but to start they need to be baseline mortal even if they sustain themselves on blood and are quite pale.

All I mean is accenting it was a long time ago and making it less "This is what happened" and more "Among the people of the Necron Directorate it is told that in ancient times-"

[BananaPhone]

That should be fine.

Perhaps faith in the directorates proposed deity has been thickening as the society works towards "ascension".

Was everything else satisfactory? Apart from that minor stat mishap I have to correct.

[Lord_Burch]

I advocate for only one moon so I don't have to redo my national flag!

Also, given that we have to explore any given region in the current known world before colonizing it, how much can we nations likely know about each other? I ask because I've been discussing some pregame intrigue and I don't know how much of it could be feasible turn 1. How much contact could I expect to have with someone in the east for example, beyond a vast expanse of unexplored islands?

Did this ever get a reply, Quinton?

[Aedilred]

That should be fine.

Perhaps faith in the directorates proposed deity has been thickening as the society works towards "ascension".

Was everything else satisfactory? Apart from that minor stat mishap I have to correct.

To follow up on Quinton's comments, and as you've probably picked up, something as simple as inserting "the people believe that..." will probably be sufficient to resolve the majority of issues relating to history. As we found with E1, starting relatively vague allows you to uncover evidence later that actually all of it's true, without tying the hands of other nearby players (or new ones who start up nearby) in writing their own histories. Such histories can also change through collaboration with other people, to take on different interpretations and nuances. In E1 this happened on a couple of occasions where players worked together to develop a history which accommodated both their peoples without according one of them any necessary supremacy in the present as a result.

Also, given that we have to explore any given region in the current known world before colonizing it, how much can we nations likely know about each other? I ask because I've been discussing some pregame intrigue and I don't know how much of it could be feasible turn 1. How much contact could I expect to have with someone in the east for example, beyond a vast expanse of unexplored islands?

I missed this earlier somehow. It's a tricky one, but I'd assume that our kingdoms are not completely ignorant of everything in the surrounding area and are probably aware at least of rumours and stories concerning functioning realms within a reasonable distance. With the cultural spread that Quinton has talked about in the past, it's perfectly reasonable for some neighbouring regions to be, effectively, outlying regions of one's kingdom which as yet have no control exerted over them from the centre (and this is certainly my plan, should I succeed in acquiring neighbouring regions). I suspect that unless you're right next to another player, though, there won't have been extensive diplomatic contact.

[QuintonBeck]

That should be fine.

Perhaps faith in the directorates proposed deity has been thickening as the society works towards "ascension".

Was everything else satisfactory? Apart from that minor stat mishap I have to correct.

I'll need to reread it once the changes are made but I think so.

Did this ever get a reply, Quinton?

It doesn't make much sense for nations to know others that aren't relatively (think 2-3 regions apart) close. In that case it might be some limited contact/communication. Beyond that would likely only be rumors until the unexplored between is explored or contact is made at some event or another.

EDIT: What Aed's said about cultural/demographic spread is also true. Unexplored regions may be "claimed" by a kingdom though they have no actual control there but once they do come to find out, yes, these are similar people with a similar culture and now they're officially in. I'd wait to write that into anything concrete until you had the region though of course.

[ZakThar]

I've been working on this since getting home from work. I'm tired, so if there are mistakes, forgive me! However, do let me know what I need to fix, if anything.

Spoiler: Nation Submission

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The island nation of Melrakki-ey [Mel-ra-key ee]
Region 240 - Melrakki-ey
Population - 1,050,000 (Roll is here)

Spoiler: Leader

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Leader: Zin'Aii Refr [Zin-ah-hee Re-fer]
Stats: (Click here for rolls.)

• Diplomacy: 5 [4+1]
• Military: 4 [4]
• Curiosity: 5 [4+1]
• Faith: 3 [3]
• Luck: 4 [4]

Spoiler: Terrain

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Melrakki-ey is a region on a large island that is located in the tropical zone, just north of the equator. The region, though seemingly standard for a tropical area along the coast, has a large inland jungle. The jungle is full of thick, tall, gray (ash) colored trees with olive colored leaves. To any outsider, the wood will look dead or petrified, but in reality, it is the island's most precious resource. (See resource spoiler.)

The region is filled with rolling hills, which, closer to the coast, makes for strategical defense points around the island.

There is a small peninsula along the southern tip of the island. The peninsula creates a large bay for the region, this bay could eventually provide a natural harbor for seafaring vessels. The bay is also a major landmark for the natives. It, along with the surrounding area, is known as Magi, with the peninsula being named Kjoptr.

Due to its ideal location, the region is in the upper end of the warm spectrum year-round. At night, the warm breeze from the ocean keeps the temperature along the coast within a comfortable temperature range. Though, farther inland, where the jungle lies, and the hills have broken up the coastal winds, the temperature at night can dip to more chilly temperatures.

Melrakki-ey has an average animal population, with the various species ranging from turtles, reptiles, crab, and horses (still a mystery how they got to the island) on the coast, to panthers, primates, larger reptiles, and tropical birds in the jungles. What is not average, however, is the difference in color the jungle animals have, compared to normal jungle animals. They appear to have developed color schemes which aid in their camouflage with the gray trees of the jungle. The panther, for example, has a light gray coat of fur, as opposed to the standard black coat one would expect to find.

Spoiler: Meet the Natives

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The natives of Melrakki-ey, appropriately named Melrakki, are bipedal, humanoid, foxes. They stand five to six feet tall, standard human height, but with a much more lithe frame than a human. Due to the plentiful sunlight the region has to offer, the natives have fur colors ranging from white to light tan. However, the ruling tribe seems to have a stronger affinity to the island's jungles, and much like the animals there, they have light gray, almost silver colored, fur.

The Melrakki have 'tribes' instead of 'families.' This is due to their history: The Melrakki were once barbaric, blood-thirsty tribes, set forth to kill off the other tribes. This all ended when the Refr tribe managed to, mostly peacefully, unite all of the tribes together and create the island nation of Melrakki-ey. Many generations have passed since the days of bloodshed have ended, and the tribes now co-exist in large townships along the coast, though the capital is located on a hill in the jungle, and has a good view of Magi. Most of the towns/cities have the name of the main tribe that once resided there. The largest city, Refr, being the capital.

Spoiler: Resources

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(Good) Jarnvior - Meaning "Ironwood," Jarnvior is the island's most precious resource. The gray (ash) colored trees of the jungle provide this fantastically strong wood, which shares many of the same strengths as iron, but with the work-ability of wood. Though it is not yet known by the natives (Needs to be researched), when a specific process is applied, the Jarnvior can become as strong as steel.

(Bad) Non-Wood Fuel Sources - Melrakki-ey has a sparse amount of non-wood fuel sources, such as coal, oil, etc. Though there is plenty of wood on the island, it is pretty much completely Jarnvior, which does not burn nearly as easily as normal wood. In most cases, more energy is put into getting Jarnvior to burn, than the energy the burning Jarnvior provides, thus being counter-productive. Add that with the practicality and value of the Jarnvior, and it becomes nearly criminal to use it as fuel.

Spoiler: Religion

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Shamanism Minority - Though there is no established 'major religion' in Melrakki-ey, the different tribes all seem to practice their own version of shamanism in order to commune with spirits of their ancestors and the spirits of the jungle. The Refr tribe, being deemed as having a closer affinity to the jungle, have some of the region's more devoted shamans.

[Gengy]

I missed this earlier somehow. It's a tricky one, but I'd assume that our kingdoms are not completely ignorant of everything in the surrounding area and are probably aware at least of rumours and stories concerning functioning realms within a reasonable distance. With the cultural spread that Quinton has talked about in the past, it's perfectly reasonable for some neighbouring regions to be, effectively, outlying regions of one's kingdom which as yet have no control exerted over them from the centre (and this is certainly my plan, should I succeed in acquiring neighbouring regions). I suspect that unless you're right next to another player, though, there won't have been extensive diplomatic contact.

Speaking as only one part of Tir Amser, I'm still fairly certain that - at most - the history of the Aeldir to the outside world is 'mythical'. Other nations may have heard of a race of beings that 'control the seasons' (myth!) and are 'constantly warring with each other' (...sort of myth, read our history), but Aeldir have not explored beyond Tir Amser (our island) previously. Though now that we're no longer fighting over the Rose Throne, you can bet that Lady Spring is itching to approve her explorers to take some boats in the directions of the four seasons.

In other words: I'd hold that, even if other nations are aware of each other in some fashion, the Aeldir and Tir Amser are themselves considered 'stories' and not 'a real nation'... until we prove otherwise, of course!

Edit: ZakThar your stats and population rolls... daaaaaaaaaaaaammmmn. Very nice. /envious

[Philote]

Needs a religion section and a more specific necessary resource. Seems like herd animals/livestock would be the word you're looking for based on the description.

I sort of combined the Religion / People sections before but I'll make a proper Religion section now.

Herd Animals sounds good. I'll update.

I've also added the "Art" tag to my resource.

Spoiler: Application

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High Order of the Pran-El
Region 53 (Glasco), Philote

Original Rolls

Current Queen: Lorena Effigy



Stats at end of round 1:
Diplomacy: 2
Military: 2
Curiosity: 2
Faith: 4
Luck: 4 + [0/2]

Mechanical Population: 960,000
Fluff Population: 192,000
Standing Army: 0 native land troops, 0 native naval troops

Original Stats:
Diplomacy: 2
Military: 2
Curiosity: 2
Faith: 4
Luck: 4 + [0/2]

Spoiler: Summary

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Region name: Glasco
Region: 53
Queens:

Lorena Effigy [New Testament]

Voice: Sky Blue / Primary
Terrain: Capital Pran-El and Insight Lake, Corpse of the Last
People: Giant Sub-Species (Glascans)
Resources: Idols

Spoiler: Terrain

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Spoiler: Reference

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Capital Pran-El and Insight Lake: The capital city, Pran-El, lies to the south-east of Insight Lake, a large flat reflective lake that is Glaso’s largest body of water. The capital itself holds a large castle in the style of a gothic church that it is the main monument of the city, though it is not uncommon to see a church dotted on every road of the capital.

Corpse of the Last: Glasco’s north-east island is marked by a titanic fossilized skeleton that stretches across the landmass. The fossil’s skull lies on the south-east end while the creature’s right leg dips into the ocean on the north-west side. This is a highly spiritual place for the Glascan people who claim that this creature is one of their ancestors, a people who found the true path to enlightenment.

Spoiler: People

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Spoiler: Reference

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Add a face, tint it blue, and you have the sort of spiral-textured physical structure of a Glascan.

Glascans are a sub-species of giant that feature a rough, spiral-textured, blue-tinted skin. While each Glascan is roughly three times the size of other sentient species on Arandi, a single Glascan could be considered to be equal to five members of other Arandi species. Glascan’s claim to be the descendants of an extinct titan sized species, but no link has yet been proven.

The High Order of Pran-El is a highly religious empire that has become frustrated with the current paths to enlightenment present on Arandi. Glascans have been easily swayed between practicing many different organized religions before ultimately settling on paganism. It is still common to see churches and worship for various different organized religions within the lands of Glasco. So great is the religious influence within Glasco, that the High Order of Pran-El exclusively anoint Queens due to past involvement with the The House of the Pale Lady.

Spoiler: Resources

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Idols [Faith / Art / Luxury Resource]: The high spirituality of the Glascan people has guided them to become adept idol makers. With a devotion to capturing even the most miniscule details of each organized religion, these idols compliment the construction of any church and aid in the execution of religious rituals across Arandi.

Needed Resource: Herd Animals. With such a giant stature and religious fervor, Glascans require additional animals to sate their appetites and offerings.

Spoiler: Religion

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Paganism: The Glascan people currently exist in a state of Paganism after a long history of experimenting and shifting between the Arandi’s major organized religions.

[Aedilred]

Angels have wing spans equal to three times their wingspan.

Er, I'm not sure that's entirely what you meant

[BladeofObliviom]

Er, I'm not sure that's entirely what you meant

x = 3x -> 0 = 2x. Therefore, x = 0. Ergo, Angels don't have wings. Checkmate, Theists.

[HalfTangible]

x = 3x -> 0 = 2x. Therefore, x = 0. Ergo, Angels don't have wings. Checkmate, Theists.

Clearly what he meant is that an angel's wingspan increases by a factor of three every time they're spread to their full wingspan.

[Arutha]

Could I swap my nation to location 32? It fits the fluff I have been making a bit better.