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  1. - Top - End - #151
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Knights Hospitaller
    Language
    I think if papal education is made into a culture feat for all the European cultures, I don't think it would be particularly painful for knights/inquisitors/priests to acquire. It's not like they're going to have a whole lot of non-European members.

    Bioluminescence
    I mean, magically enhancing the bioluminescence... why not just drop the bioluminescence? It would be easy enough just to make it a straight-up magic effect. Besides, I don't think the bioluminescence would survive once the sea water was dried out. Naturally, it's only a soft glow when it's disturbed by movement in the water, we're already pushing it to have it glow bright enough to see by, and have it glow without movement. A magical light effect just makes more sense in my mind.

    Prestige Class
    Ehh. I mean, these guys are supposed to be the purely-good counterbalance to the inquisition. I don't think they would be quite THAT accepting.
    I think the falcon thing is probably going to be fine. if they don't want to do anything with it, it can disappear into hammer-space like an unused familiar.

    Hisatsinom
    Silk
    I know! I learn the craziest stuff researching this game.
    You know, thinking about it, I don't think that would work quite like that. It would shrink each fiber on contact, yes, but unless you uniformly wet all the fibers, they would shrink unevenly, which would strain some fibers and not others, possibly even leading to tearing.
    Additionally, while they do shrink 50%, the fibers still stretch, though only half as far (the fiber will stretch up to 5x its relaxed length before breaking, the length of the initial fiber being reduced 50% when wet). They would have to load it the exact same amount each time to ensure the fiber would stretch to the same length. The stretchiness of the fiber would make it difficult at best.

    I think it should probably be possible to waterproof a spidersilk garment or item with some sort of alchemical substance or maybe even something as simple as an oil treatment or covering it in some kind of sap, or something.
    Spider silk probably shines a bit, it's a very fine fiber, and very long. It would be very smooth, with very few loose or ragged ends. It just wouldn't have the impressive, shimmering look of silkworm silk.
    I think a base white color would probably work.

    I find evidence of cotton fabrics in Mesoamerica, but I can't seem to find anything north of the Aztecs. They might well have traded some weaving techniques north to the Hisatsinom. If the Hisatsinom had no weaving techniques, the silk likely would have only been used in ropes and cords pre-contact, until they traded for large-scale looms from the Fusangren. Either way, before they got large-scale weaving, the silk was very useful as ropes and some simple clothes, but it likely wouldn't have been a major trade good until they could start producing it faster and in greater quantities.

    Spiders
    Technically, limiting the spiders to the grand canyon would prevent them from living in Tohopeka, as it's not quite in the grand canyon.
    We could say the spiders can only live in significant numbers in the river canyons of the whole Colorado watershed and connected canyons.
    Perhaps their food source only lives in the canyons above the rivers, something like mayflies, or perhaps something larger, like bats or birds?

    Web Below
    I could see the road system and the nation being referred to as a whole as the web below, though it occurs to me that each individual city-state would still maintain some independence, sort of like american states to the federal government.
    There should be a term for such a trade system, though, even if it's not

    Colorado River
    Something that's occurred to me: The current water level of the Colorado river is significantly lower than it would have been in the past. Historically, it moved something like 22,500 cubic feet of water per second on average, making it second only to the Mississippi in flow. With all the dams on it now, apparently it doesn't even reach the ocean anymore. There's a new initiative thing going on that's actually helping the problem, but even in this case, it's something like 1/10th the flow.
    The point being that the water level in the images of the grand canyon would be significantly raised, the water would be less green and more red, due to natural sediment coloration, and there would be a much greater supply of fish. There might well be no slope along the bottom for farming, and all the people may have to live in the walls. It's certainly doable, though I'm not sure where their food supply would come from anymore. Fishing's a good start, but it wouldn't be able to feed the whole city.

    Disease
    Well, it's sort of arisen out of a few factors.
    One, the knowledge of variolation already existed, which shows that they had an understanding of the principles the medicine plague would work on. In addition, they likely would be able to see that those who survived the plague the first time don't catch it again, quite clearly considering the 90% death rate.
    Two, they were in a state of desperation. Creating a magical plague like this had never been attempted before and if it were to get out of control and change, it would only worsen the damage. This was a Godzilla threshold situation. If they didn't do anything, they were facing a near-total annihilation of their people and way of life. A survival rate of ONE IN TWENTY (well, more like one in two, or two in three, for any one specific plague, but even that much is still a terrifying prospect. Just look at the measures taken during the black death.). Literally ANYTHING was a preferable course of action to letting this happen. Even if the medicine plague killed 50% of patients, it's better than the alternative.
    Three, the increased availability of magic in the new world would have put them in a better situation to create such a thing by cooperating in numbers. It would also have made it easier for the spell-casters to experiment to create the disease in the first place, thanks to magical safeguards.
    And fourth, the black plague in europe wasn't a valid target, as it wasn't transferred human-to-human, it was spread by fleas. I'm not aware of any other significant plagues that would be suitable for such a solution that had already taken place at the time of the setting. Well, beyond very early history. The one previous to the black plague was in 500 or so.

    Spell Versions
    You know, oddly enough, heal doesn't have a use to identify a disease at the moment. Which is just plain wierd. There's a first-level spell that does it, though. Definitely something to add. But on-point, yes, something like that.

    That sounds like a pretty good baseline for how many cross-culture spells to allow.

    I could see a feat like that, though maybe it would be a bit more involved than that. Being well-traveled in a world such as this has the potential to be a much greater investment.

    Classes
    Really? I could have sworn I put the bard in there. I'll add it now.
    Alchemist's kind of a maybe. I like the idea, I will admit. There was something that bugged me about it, though...
    I don't think cavalier's really suitable. The knight in shining armor on a valiant steed leading the charge... it's not really a valid option anymore. The challenge is no longer a valid tactic. The orders would need the be entirely rewritten. The charge would be lost. I could see making some sort of marshal/tactician class, but the cavalier would need to be almost completely rewritten to work. Plus, it would only exist in european cultures, and it would only be an extremely limited number of them. Not really worth the full base class treatment.
    Paladin can definitely fit into the brute. The paladin CONCEPT is really just a warrior with a holy cause. I'm still planning to add a mystic route to the brute to cover paladin/spirit warriors/gishes.
    Maybe the brute should have a better name that doesn't make it sound so... brutish. Something relating to strength.
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  2. - Top - End - #152
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Lightbulb IRe: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Knights Hospitaller

    Bioluminescense
    Yes, a magical light effect probably makes things easier. It's also a little less special.
    "The Knights have improved the native Saint Croix bioluminescense into a signature that can be used as a weapon." or "The Knights have a really bright light spell."
    While the effect is the same, the first description sounds a lot more unique and adds more flavor.

    Language
    Alright, a feat it is then.
    Do we give them Maltese as their official language or do we just give each Langue the language of where it's based and make Latin into the official language of the order?

    Code and Oath
    Been doing some research for this and it's probably impossible to find a unified code that applied to Knights during the Middle Ages (on which the Hospitallers code would be based). I've come across some lists that we could use, the best one in my eyes is the one from the Song Of Roland.
    I also have the vow the Knights take currently, but i'm unable to find the historical vow. Don't even know if they changed it or not.
    Spoiler: Code
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    ◾To fear God and maintain His Church
    ◾To serve the liege lord in valour and faith
    ◾To protect the weak and defenceless
    ◾To give succour to widows and orphans
    ◾To refrain from the wanton giving of offence
    ◾To live by honour and for glory
    ◾To despise pecuniary reward
    ◾To fight for the welfare of all
    ◾To obey those placed in authority
    ◾To guard the honour of fellow knights
    ◾To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit
    ◾To keep faith
    ◾At all times to speak the truth
    ◾To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun
    ◾To respect the honour of women
    ◾Never to refuse a challenge from an equal
    ◾Never to turn the back upon a foe

    Spoiler: Oath
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    In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti, Amen.

    Upon the True Faith of a Christian, may God witness that I hereby vow and dedicate myself as a servant of Christ and the Poor, the first qualification of a True Knight.

    I promise to be faithful and loyal to Christ and to be guided by the ideals of the Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem: to do everything in my power to contribute to its Glory, Protection, Prosperity, Support and Utility: to combat everything prejudicial to its well-being: never to act contrary to its Dignity, but to conduct myself always as a true Knight of Christ: a good Christian and a person of Honour.

    Believing that Christ will grant me a special token of his favour, I therefore, in all Humility, Charity, and Respect agree to join with every sincere and Godly Christian of whatever Church, to bring about by prayer and deed the salvation of the Christian World by helping to promote a lasting Christian Unity.

    I will adorn my Knighthood with true Charity, the mother and solid foundation of all virtues.

    I will wear on my person the Christian Maltese Cross of eight points, to constantly remind me of my religious vow of always bearing in my heart the Cross of Jesus Christ, adorned with the virtues that attend it.

    So help me God.


    Hisatsinom

    Silk
    Good point about the silk, guess the native elevator is out.

    I agree with your other points as well, the spider silk weaves should be a relatively new product.
    This has the nice side effect of completely taking the Fusangese by surprise. Suddenly a (cheaper?) product of equal quality appears on the markets. I think it's best if spider silk has some benefits over worm silk and the other way around as well. That way we have similar products competing with each having it's own benefits and downsides.
    Over the course of a few years the Fusangese silk market loses about half of it's clients. And the other half wants lower prices because there's a cheaper alternative. Suddenly there's a recession. Months later an economic crisis erupts in the parts of Fusang that are dependant on silk production.
    The effects of the crisis ripple through the whole of Fusang and leave their effects on the national economy.

    I propose we either let that economic crisis hit somewhere around 1720-1730. That way Fusang would have somewhat recovered by the time 1750 comes around and they will have had the time to breed a grudge about whose silk is the best.
    And they are very motivated to get their hands on The Web Below.

    The Web Below
    Yes, each city state would have a lot of independance. Outwardly they try to appear unified, but there's a lot of squabbling between the cities. And while they mostly agree on the big lines, they constantly bicker over the small rules.
    They would need a council that makes the decisions, the ruler of Tohopeka is the leader of the council but he only has equal power to the rest. To the outside world the ruler of Tohopeka is the leader of The Web Below, but he can't decide anything without letting the council vote on it.

    Colorado River
    A higher water level would also mean that boats have a much easier time navigating the river.

    Food: Fishing is a good start, yes.
    We could have The Web Below import most of their food. That would leave them dependant on the three large nations surrounding them while still trying to remain fiercely independant.

    Disease
    Alright, i see your point and that could work storywise. They sacrifice part of their population to save the rest. Drastic measures, but they worked.

    One question: what's to stop them from weaponising this technique and creating a disease to unleash on the Europeans? As revenge or as a way to clear the lands of them and repopulate.

    Heal
    Could we remove the diagnose disease spell and give that to the Heal skill? That would at least make things a bit more difficult.

    Also, i know you asked your mother who's a nurse, but i am still unconvinced that Heal should be a wisdom based skill.
    Everything i read about disease or injuries and how people treated these tells me that most treatments were based in experience. They learned how to solve things one dead patient at a time. Trial and error the hard way.
    And all these experiences got passed on from one healer to another. Knowledge increased. People started dissecting corpses to learn more about the human body.
    The oldest known text about medicine is from 2000 BCE and is about gynaecological diseases. India and China have very old texts about medicine as well. Hippocrates (the guy from the oath) laid a basis for rational medicine. He started categorising diseases.
    The Greeks did brain surgery.
    The Aztecs did brain surgery, here's a link to the wiki article.
    The Arabs researched medicine.
    In Europe there was a bit of a stagnation during the middle ages because people kept believing wrong theories the ancient people had, but that improved after the black death.
    Bacteria were first viewed under a microscope somewhere in the 1670's.

    All of this was done through research. Some theories were correct, others weren't. But the end result was that people built on what the people before them had learned and improved on that.
    This screams out an intelligence based knowledge skill.

    Classes

    Alchemist
    Alchemy was a very important 'science' during the middle ages. It's what eventually led to Chemistry. Isaac Newton practiced alchemy.
    There is some stuff that should probably be changed, but i think the base could fit the setting.

    Cavalier
    Good points about the Cavalier.
    But the sad thing is that now we don't have a class focused on mounted combat. Which would have been really nice to have with all those Great Plains tribes. Plus it would fit the Europeans loving their cavalry, even though it's becoming less important by 1750

    Paladin/Brute
    If you think it can work, i believe you. I'm not good enough with mechanics for that.
    Name: Warrior or Soldier? Both are simple and easy to remember.

  3. - Top - End - #153
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Flumph

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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    One question: what's to stop them from weaponising this technique and creating a disease to unleash on the Europeans? As revenge or as a way to clear the lands of them and repopulate.
    That is why I was wondering about Skinwalkers, since they are an outcome of weaponizing a disease. A way around it is to have the plague be of a weak enough version that it is not an effective weapon. Another way is that it is NOT researched, as it is a great sin, and as such will not progress. A bit of railroading, but it can work.

  4. - Top - End - #154
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Knights Hospitaller

    Bioluminescence
    They already did weaponize the bioluminescence, in those target-painting things aboard ships. You know, actually, we could make that into a hand-held version, a nonmagical kind of faerie fire splash weapon.
    Anyway, the point is, the bioluminescence is cool, but it shouldn't be crammed into things because it kinda fits.
    The lighting tabard/sails thing is cool, I just don't think it neatly fits with the bioluminescence. The luminescent organisms would have to be magically engineered to turn on and off with a magical trigger, to be several orders of magnitude brighter, and to survive outside of it's natural seawater environment. In an age where the concept of microscopic organisms was barely understood.
    I think, if handled well, a 'really bright light spell' could well be very interesting. What's Cahokia's ironwood if not a 'really strong ironwood spell'? What's the hisatsinom spidersilk other than a 'weird control vermin spell'? It could divine somehow, or have special properties. Maybe the light dazzles evil that looks upon it? Or maybe the flash/daze thing only works on non-christians?

    Language
    I think we could keep the official language to latin safely. I mean, it has been like a hundred years since they lived on malta, it probably wouldn't have been passed on too strictly.

    Code and Oath
    I like the code and the oath quite a bit!

    Hisatsinom

    Silk Trade
    I don't think the spider silk would be cheaper than the worms', as the spiders aren't really farmed, so much as harnessed, and it requires magic to do it the easy way, though perhaps there could be some mundane silk-harvesting method, like they did with the orb weavers for the cape.
    Spoiler: Trait Comparison
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    Worm Spider
    Appearance Extremely beautiful, lovely shine Lacks shimmer, though still appears smooth.
    Texture Very soft and smooth Extremely soft and smooth
    Strength Strong, but loses strength when wet Astoundingly strong and tough.
    Stretch Once stretched even a bit, it does not retract. Very stretchy, easily returns to shape
    Care Weakens in sunlight, vulnerable to insects, but does not decay easily. Requires a waterproof treatment as part of creation process, but repels insects.
    Weight Average weight Extremely lightweight
    Harvesting Simple, cocoon is boiled, and the loosened silk is pulled off. Challenging, requires magic or a rather slow 'milking' procedure.

    One concern I've just uncovered: there are no native mulberry trees in the western portion of the continent. They might be able to raise some imported ones, but it may be challenging to expand a relatively limited initial population into something significant enough to feed generation upon generation of silk moth. Though, they could import some southern species from the Mexica.

    I definitely like the idea of a financial crisis due to silk competition.

    The Web Below
    This seems like a pretty reasonable plan. I do think we should make a point of comparing cultures to make sure we're not making them too similar.

    Colorado River
    Actually, did a bit more research. When the Colorado River meets the sea, it creates a huge, fertile delta, much like the Nile. It's entirely possible that this delta could be the backbone of the Hisatsinom food supply, supplying the entire nation with maize, beans, squash, and Nipa (Known as Palmer's Saltgrass, a wheat-like wild grain that can absorb saltwater). That, fishing, and bird-netting, would likely be enough to provide a pretty durn good supply of food to many Hisatsinom cities.
    Also, apparently it has a really variable flow between summer and winter, like, 40x as much in summer as winter.

    Disease
    Well, it had the potential to kill a lot of people if it got out of control, but it had a very low death rate in the end, mostly due to people being exhausted or incapacitated from the medicine plague and being unable to defend themselves or tend to their food supplies via hunting or managing their crops. There were a number of deaths in the creation process, from failed versions of the medicine plague, too.

    Weaponizing it's off the table for two reasons.
    For one, the Europeans aren't particularly vulnerable to any new world diseases. Well, other than syphilis (the nasty kind that melted your brain back in the day), so they couldn't weaponize a more intense version of anything that would affect the Europeans.
    For another, there's no way to control the plague once it's out of the bottle. It worked in this case because it had to spread to everyone, as fast as possible. If they tried to unleash something that was actually damaging to the infected, there would be almost no way to prevent it from spreading back into the native population and doing exactly what they were trying to prevent in the first place.
    Plus, there are the obvious ethical concerns with genocide and disease weapons.

    Also to note, Skinwalker is not a disease, it's a class (or maybe a feat chain), something you learn to do. Werewolf is a curse. Neither's a disease.

    Heal
    Probably would make sense.

    I don't think the argument that it builds off of the experience of previous generations merits an intelligence-based skill. Really, the argument you're making is to make it a trained only skill, which is exactly what I've already been convinced of.
    Look at profession, wis-based, trained only. Let's take brewer from the example. You don't walk off the street and start throwing things in barrels to see if it works. you apprentice to a brewer, who teaches you how it works, what you're supposed to use and how much. He's building on the experience of previous generations of brewers, as you will, once you become a brewer of renown. You can substitute brewer for any number of other professions. Farmer, fisherman, engineer, midwife, herbalist, gardener, merchant, baker... It's all building on previous generations of knowledge. That's represented by the 'trained only' part.

    Yes, there were some advanced medical procedures going on. But that doesn't indicate intelligence.

    Oh, and they saw the bacteria in the 1670s, but they were still thinking the bacteria was generated by the illness by setting time.

    Studying disease and illness in a scientific fashion might be intelligence-based, but actually performing the healing would be wisdom, in my opinion.

    Classes

    Alchemist
    True enough. I'll add it onto the list provisionally.

    Cavalier
    The cavalier wouldn't have worked for the great plains anyways, the cavalier was melee, heavy armor, and inspiration focused.
    There are a number of hunter tactics relating to mounted combat and mounts, under the animal companion one. Great Plains hunters could easily use those. Heck, Europeans that have a special attachment to their horses might well be able to use them, too.
    A little research says that cavalry charges were still important in military, used to penetrate enemy lines after a successful artillery attack, but they were rapidly losing importance thanks to the bayonet, which allowed any soldier to turn a musket into a pike, perfect for skewering a horse. Mostly light cavalry saw use as messengers, and mounts for leadership, carrying messages and supplies around the battlefield as necessary. They also mentioned fancy riding techniques for shooting while on horseback, which sounds perfect for a hunter with a special bond to their mount.

    Paladin
    I'm also planning to include some supernatural options under feats of strength, which will make thing a bit more paladin-like.
    Warrior would work fine, but it's still the name of the NPC class. Soldier doesn't work, really, since the current soldier doesn't have much to do with strength, they're more about guns.
    I considered 'Grunt' but it sounds a bit too modern in my mind.
    Heavy? Tough?
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  5. - Top - End - #155
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Flumph

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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Skinwalker is not a disease, it's a class (or maybe a feat chain), something you learn to do. Werewolf is a curse. Neither's a disease.
    I did not mean to be worded as such. I was thinking along the lines of that studies to weaponize diseases would be in the realm of the Skinwalker. The Skinwalker would work well as a fallen Medicine Man, when I think about it.

  6. - Top - End - #156
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Ahh. Well, skinwalkers aren't inherently evil, it's just it's own kinda power. They are evil in some myths, but in others they're just powerful.


    I figure I should give you guys a bit of an update on what I've been working on, considering it's both important to the project and I'm somewhat stalled on them anyways.

    Giantkin
    This is a race that replaces/fuses the Tuniit and the Trollkin. I'm somewhat hesitant to do it, since I know how popular the trollkin were, but I think this better represents the myths.

    It's sort of a two-in-one race. There's the normal version, which are just regular giants with abilities dependent on the variety of giant involved. I'm trying to come up with a pretty comprehensive list at the mo', but it's challenging. Then there's a 'sealed version' filling the role of the trollkin. Medium normally, but they can unleash their giant heritage to return to large size temporarily.

    So far I've got Frost, Fire, Sea, Stone, Mountain (which are builders ala cyclops), Titan (Who are extra-strong and may get bigger with a PRC), Glutton (Man-eating giants of various types), and Warped (Multi-headed/multi-limbed giants). I could probably use better names for the last three.

    Oh, and I'm definitely adding feats for rock throwing/catching.

    Innunguaq
    Now that I have the basis of the runecasting system, I can make these guys happen.

    The initial plan was to be living constructs, just stacks of stone with magical runes that imitate bodily functions. But there's no living construct subtype here, and I'm hesitant to make one. I'm actually thinking half-construct humanoid at the moment, the fluff explanation being they were created as stone beings, then converted into a humanoid form via runes, though they still retain construct traits.

    One thing I want to do is tie the runecasting into them somehow. I'm thinking of going either the simple route and giving them a single simple glyph somewhere on their body they can cast/charge as a runecaster, or by giving them a 'key rune' on their forehead or over their heart that has an effect based on the rune's effect (sort of giving a nod to the original golem with 'truth' on his forehead).

    Totemic
    Could probably use a better name for these guys. they were originally Tonal, but I figured I could broaden my horizons a bit.

    Basically, the character has some manner of connection to an animal spirit. they're linked at birth. the spirit animal is normally invisible/immaterial/inaudible, but the totemic can see and hear them, as well as having a passive see invisibility effect. the animal spirit moves and acts independently, but it only has very limited ability to affect the world. They have a handful of spirit traits, which can be auras that affect creatures around their location, active abilites they spend actuions to use, or passive traits they just grant to the totemic.

    I'm a little stalled on the spirit abilities. I'm also considering adding a feat chain/prestige class that allows your animal spirit to possess things, like familiars or animal companions or even you yourself.

    Martial Artist
    I'm thinking that, perhaps I could de-specify this one. Move away from specific schools as part of the class and just make the class itself, with different schools for techniques. Sorta like ToB, but not quite. Maybe some passive abilities that you can select from as part of the class.
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  7. - Top - End - #157
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Knights Hospitaller

    Bioluminescense
    Alright, a really bright light spell it is then. Using the bioluminescense as a nonmagical faerie fire sounds good.

    I wouldn't limit the flash to non-christians, they actively hunt pirates as well. Besides, what is a non-christian? Would a baptised person that doesn't go to church be a non-christian? Is somebody from an 'unofficial' christian sect a non-christian?

    Code/Oath
    Anything you can think of that needs to change in the Code or the Oath? I'm not sure on a few things:
    - 'To respect the honour of women', would this still work in Vespuccia where Native females are leaders and combatants are relatively normal?
    - 'Never to refuse a challenge from an equal', is this doable? And what is an equal in their eyes?
    - '...guided by the ideals of the Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem...', is that still the official name of the Order?

    Hisatsinom

    Silk trade
    Question time:
    About the Hisatsinom traders, are we talking caravans complete with beasts of burden or are we talking single traders with a group of men and women carrying packs?
    Ropes, to make a rope apparently a ropewalk was used throughout Europe. These were very long buildings where the rope was twisted or braided or whatever they did to make rope. Is this something in The Web Below?
    Clothes, do they make them or just send out the fabrics? Making the clothes would make the Hisatsinom have a whole sewing industry.

    Disease

    Just one more problem i see with the idea: the Natives were killed by various diseases. Measles, smallpox, polio,.... It wasn't one big epidemic, it was the succession of several epidemics spread out over a few decades that killed such a high percentage of the population.
    Other than that the idea sounds good.

    Who would have made the magical disease (we need a name for it)?

    Heal

    Actually, i think profession should be int as well but let's not start that discussion

    We're probably not going to agree on what the Heal skill should be labeled under, so for simplicity's sake we should probably keep it under wis. I think it doesn't fit, but it's really not that important.
    I'm just glad it's going to be trained only.

  8. - Top - End - #158
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    PirateCaptain

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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    I kind of disagree with that Code. Especially if we're playing the Knights as Combat Pragmatists.
    "◾To fear God and maintain His Church
    ◾To serve the liege lord in valour and faith
    Which Liege Lord? The Knights are their own organization.
    ◾To protect the weak and defenceless
    ◾To give succour to widows and orphans
    ◾To refrain from the wanton giving of offence
    ◾To live by honour and for glory
    I don't see "Living for Glory" as really working out. It sounds like that would tell them to value their own glory/reputations over their mission as defenders. To run off and hunt down the bandit chief, leaving the people they should be guarding undefended.
    ◾To despise pecuniary reward
    ◾To fight for the welfare of all
    ◾To obey those placed in authority
    ◾To guard the honour of fellow knights
    ◾To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit
    If things like "Luring enemies into Ambushes" are not counted as "Deceit", I'm okay with that.
    ◾To keep faith
    ◾At all times to speak the truth
    ◾To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun
    ◾To respect the honour of women
    ◾Never to refuse a challenge from an equal
    Again, I don't really like this. It seems far too aggressive a stance for the Knights. Somebody could, for example, eliminate a Knight by challenging them, thus leaving the Knight's charges unprotected.
    ◾Never to turn the back upon a foe
    Once again, no. Honor and Bravery are all well and good, but a strict "No Retreat" policy is for fools and fanatics. A Knight that gets himself killed charging against impossible odds is one who can't protect people later.
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  9. - Top - End - #159
    Firbolg in the Playground
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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Knights Hospitaller

    Bioluminescence
    I hadn't really thought that far, I was just brainstorming ideas for possible things to attach to the light effect.

    Code
    Okay, going point-by-point:
    ◾To serve the liege lord in valour and faith
    We could change this to serving their commanders or superiors, easily enough.

    ◾To live by honour and for glory
    I think it could be practiced as 'for the glory of the knights' not personal glory. So, while hunting down a bandit leader might earn you glory, failing your charges would dishonor the knights as a whole.

    ◾To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit
    I think it refers to deceit on the personal level, which ties into the 'always speak the truth' thing.

    ◾To respect the honour of women
    This one kind of depends on how you define 'honor' in this context.

    ◾Never to refuse a challenge from an equal
    This one should probably go.

    ◾Never to turn the back upon a foe
    Hmm... But fleeing to preserve one's self rather than one's charges would be in direct conflict with the purpose the knights.

    I think 'the Sovereign Knights of St. John of Jerusalem' would probably still be the official title, yes. The order has many pseudonyms, but they would likely have kept the official title.

    Query; Would these oaths be magically or mundanely enforced? Some sort of ritual gaes/quest?


    Format Location
    Here's something that occurred to me: We don't yet have anywhere in the main posts to put all this stuff about the knights. I'm thinking they could be counted either as one of the 'independent groups' for that post I'm workin' on, or I could add a 'organizations' tab under each empire to represent groups found in that area.

    Hisatsinom

    Silk Trade
    I think they would have adopted the use of horses for long-distance travel and trade, though they likely wouldn't have many, considering how much of their lives would be spent up on cliffsides.

    Disease
    This is true. However, firstly, any one of the plagues would have been enough to warrant such a measure, each being highly fatal. Second, the first few waves would likely originate in the fusang settlements, and by the time the europeans arrived, the first one or two medicine plagues and the news about them, would likely have already reached that coast, and given them a rough idea of how to create ones to counteract new European plagues.

    I think the idea of having the hisatsinom be the first inventors of it works pretty well, though the idea, once out, could well be done by any group with a sizable number of healers.

    Heal
    Right, I shall go make a note of the change... somewhere. I have to figure that part out.
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  10. - Top - End - #160
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    Quote Originally Posted by Admiral Squish View Post

    ◾Never to turn the back upon a foe
    Hmm... But fleeing to preserve one's self rather than one's charges would be in direct conflict with the purpose the knights.
    Yes but "Never to turn back upon a foe" implies a total non-retreat policy.

    For example, if a Knight is protecting some settlers, and they come under attack, the best way to ensure the Settler's safety is for the Knight to cover the settler's retreat then, when they are safely away, withdraw and regroup with them in order to continue protecting them.

    "Never to turn back upon a foe" implies a sort of Glory-hound "NO RETREAT! EVER!" approach. The Knight should keep fighting, even in the face of certain death, and leave his charges unprotected, rather than retreat with them. A Knight shouldn't need to break their code to fulfill a mission so in line with their order's purpose.

    The Knights are pragmatists, whatever mission they are given, or take upon themselves, should theoretically be their priority. If a Knight promises to safely get you from one place to another, that Knight should be doing everything in their power to fulfill that objective, not taking unnecessary risks in the pursuit of martial glory.

    The Knights should value Courage, but I wouldn't write "No Retreat" into their code

    Also, the knights are largely a naval power, what about their crews? If a knight's ship has been damaged, and their quarry flees into a storm, the captain may be willing to risk almost certain death for the chance of bringing down the pirates, but is he obligated by oath to make that decision for his crew as well. (Especially if they have a better chance of catching the pirate by holding back rather than chasing them into a storm)

    The Knights are fearless, but they shouldn't be suicidally reckless.
    Last edited by BRC; 2014-05-27 at 05:26 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by BRC View Post
    Yes but "Never to turn back upon a foe" implies a total non-retreat policy.

    For example, if a Knight is protecting some settlers, and they come under attack, the best way to ensure the Settler's safety is for the Knight to cover the settler's retreat then, when they are safely away, withdraw and regroup with them in order to continue protecting them.

    "Never to turn back upon a foe" implies a sort of Glory-hound "NO RETREAT! EVER!" approach. The Knight should keep fighting, even in the face of certain death, and leave his charges unprotected, rather than retreat with them. A Knight shouldn't need to break their code to fulfill a mission so in line with their order's purpose.

    The Knights are pragmatists, whatever mission they are given, or take upon themselves, should theoretically be their priority. If a Knight promises to safely get you from one place to another, that Knight should be doing everything in their power to fulfill that objective, not taking unnecessary risks in the pursuit of martial glory.

    The Knights should value Courage, but I wouldn't write "No Retreat" into their code

    Also, the knights are largely a naval power, what about their crews? If a knight's ship has been damaged, and their quarry flees into a storm, the captain may be willing to risk almost certain death for the chance of bringing down the pirates, but is he obligated by oath to make that decision for his crew as well. (Especially if they have a better chance of catching the pirate by holding back rather than chasing them into a storm)

    The Knights are fearless, but they shouldn't be suicidally reckless.
    A collection of good points, sir!
    I'll agree, the line in the code is a bit too hard-line for the knights to be able to do their job properly. We could probably drop it safely.

    However, we should add something about the aforementioned dedication to their particular mission. I suppose it's kind of covered under the 'persevere to the end of any enterprise begun', though...
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    As promised, here's what I've found about Fusang so far. I decided to skip British Columbia, since we've already covered them before in the thread.

    Spoiler: Fusang Locations of Note
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    Washington
    • Seattle is heavily engineered for human habitation: much of it was originally mudflats and skerries. The city is long, twisty, and dominated by water. Famous locales include Pike Place Market, Capitol Hill, and Puget Sound & Islands.
    • Spokane, WA -
    • Columbia River - largest river in the Pacific Northwest (perhaps all of Fusang?)
    • Olympic Nat'l Park - hot springs, beachcombing, rainforests, Sasquatch territory
    • First Beach - My wife said it was really cool here. There were TONS of driftwood on the beach, and it was very scenic.
    • Forks, Washington - a coven of powerful jiang-shi vampires, who have been cursed to sparkle forever, have recently made their nest in this town. They must be exterminated!
    • Mount Tahoma (or Takoma) (later “Mt Rainier”)
    • Ohanapecosh (“Grove of the Patriarchs”)
    • Lawetlat'la (Mt St. Helens) – dormant but still dangerous
    • Hoquiam – this milling town got its name from a Chehalis word meaning “hungry for wood”. In our setting, it would probably be a major lumber town, selling both bamboo and hardwoods.
    • North Cascades National Park
    • Cape Disappointment <– great name, where did it come from? Sources disagree.
    • Soap Lake, WA - “The name Soap Lake came from the word Smokiam, an Indian term which translates to “Healing Waters.” The tribes used the lake for healing purposes for themselves and their animals for many years before the area was settled by pioneers.”
    • Makah art is very famous and beautiful. (But is it more beautiful than other tribes’ artwork? Debatable, but I thought it was worth mentioning.)
    • Yakima Valley - wine country
    • San Juan Islands (btw. Seattle and Victoria)



    Oregon
    • “Wy'East” (Mt. Hood) and "Klickitat" (Mt. Adams) - Multnomah tribe legend about two rivals who were turned to smoking mountains, who still rumble defiance at each other to this day. (source)
    • Oregon Caves Nat'l Monument
    • Crater Lake – 1,943 feet deep. Very clear; sunlight penetrates to a depth of 400 feet! Volcanic, not meteoric. The lake surrounds Wizard Island, which has a little peak with its own little crater in the center.
    • Wilamette Valley - wine country
    • Newberry National Volcanic Monument
    • Neahkahnie Mountain - mysterious petroglyphs, shipwrecked sailors, and rumors of a sunken, gold-laden Spanish galleon treasure-ship.
    • Oregon Dunes
    • Bayocean – 30 years ago, this entire thriving resort-town washed right into the sea! We might not use this actual town, but we could include one like it.
    • D. River – at 445 feet, it's the shortest river on Earth!



    California
    • San Francisco Bay => “Golden Bay”
    • Central Coast
    • Central Valley
    • Deserts
    • Gold Country => undiscovered at this point. PCs may have a hand in the first Californian gold rush.
    • High Sierra
    • Inland Empire
    • Los Angeles =>
    • Napa Valley
    • North Coast
    • Orange County
    • San Diego => Fēn Qiūlíng ( 雰丘陵, “foggy/misty hills”), is known for its mild year-round climate, natural deep-water harbor, extensive beaches, and long association with the U.S. Navy.
    • Shasta Cascade
    • Redwood/Sequoia Forests => protected by Colossal treants! Don't make them angry...



    P.S. Logging is HUGE in the Pacific Northwest, so I therefore, I propose that we add Po Buan-Yan to the list of official NPCs. There might even be rumors that he's part sasquatch, since he's so big and hairy.


    ...and here's some other stuff I've been thinking about.
    Quote Originally Posted by Steckie View Post
    Heal
    i am still unconvinced that Heal should be a wisdom based skill.
    I feel like there's a lot of good arguments on both sides. Frankly, I'm not sure anymore which one I think is more appropriate. Fortunately, most characters who are smart will also be wise, and vice-versa.

    Quote Originally Posted by Steckie View Post
    Who would have made the magical disease (we need a name for it)?
    I was thinking that it would be either the False Face Society and/or the Midewiwin. On the east coast, that is. I can't find any similar societies to match their size and influence on the west coast...

    Quote Originally Posted by Mith View Post
    If we want different properties for spider silk versus silk worm silk, maybe the spider silk is a stronger material, but it does not work well for fashionable items like clothing, but works wonders as rope and durable fabric to be worked with (parachutes anyone?)
    At first I thought this might be too much, but then I realized that this is about the era when lighter-than-air flight was first being experimented with in Europe. Can you say "synergy"?

    Quote Originally Posted by TheWombatOfDoom View Post
    I tend to look at the map and break it up into chunks. Then I figure which chunks they would definately have, and which chunks they would definately not have, and which chunks would be contested or go either way. The border goes along the middle of a contested region, or roll/fluff which area has which region and draw the border to suit it.
    So you mean break it down by geographic features? Like, by watershed, for example?

    Big question, byDo the provinces of Fusang have border-wars with each other, or is the Empress' grip too tight for that?

    Quote Originally Posted by TheWombatOfDoom View Post
    Chunks could be anything from mountain regions, to the border along a river, to various towns and the surrounding area, forests, plains, ect. Think of it as a small scale risk board, and... That would be cool...a Crossroads Risk set....
    Oh my goodness yes! We can make that one of our stretch goals, after the Crossroads books are all published!

    Quote Originally Posted by TheWombatOfDoom View Post
    Also, my map maker within me is screaming to come back out...we should really chat sometime.
    Agreed. PM has been sent. I can't wait to trade map ideas!

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    Speaking of skype, this month ends in in the middle of next weekend. Do you guys want to have the meeting on the 31st/1st weekend, or the 7th/8th weekend? And who wants in on this one?
    I'd vote this weekend, personally.
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  13. - Top - End - #163
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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Personally, I think one could just leave Paul Bunyan unstated, because he could easily be giantkin/trollkin/whatever the cool kids are calling it these days as much as he could be a sasquatch-human hybrid. I would just put him as an Augmented Human (?) Ranger and leave the actual details of what he would be to the tall tales.
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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    I decided to skip British Columbia
    Is that directly under Fusang control? I am asking since some of the jade supposedly found in China may be B.C. jade from the Great Exploration.

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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Disease
    Those two might work for some european-origin plagues, but the first ones would have to come from somewhere in the southern or south-eastern area of the west, somewhere inland of golden harbor or so.

    Parachute/balloon
    I could see this being mentioned in a campaign or something, but I don't think we should formally endorse it in game terms.

    Fusang Borders
    I'll try to doodle something for you to work off of soon.
    I think the empress would be too strong a control for there to be border wars. If there's a conflict, it's settled in the imperial courts, not by armies.

    Risk
    I dunno, we're definitely going to have a new world map in the book somewhere, I don't think a risk board would be strictly necessary.
    Besides, only people who hate their friends would subject them to Risk. Risk ENDS FRIENDSHIPS.

    Skype
    Well,t hat's one vote for this weekend. Anyone else wanna weigh in?
    If you want to join in, just send me a PM with your skype info.

    Paul Bunyan
    Seconding what pokonic said, more or less.


    I'll get into the fusang locations stuff soon.
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  16. - Top - End - #166
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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Question about Skype: Is it audio or a mass chat room idea?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mith View Post
    Question about Skype: Is it audio or a mass chat room idea?
    Usually audio, but the mass chat room thing's always available.
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  18. - Top - End - #168
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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    I might join in on one of these conferences, though depending on the number of people, I may use the chat, since I am kinda hearing impaired, so many people talking may not be so useful to me.

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    Bugbear in the Playground
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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Regarding the skype call:

    I could probably join in this weekend, assuming it's the usual time. But perhaps we ought to create a few talking points this time?

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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    I could perhaps join depending on when my wife gives birth (she was due two days ago) and if my other two kids are already asleep.
    And if it's a reasonable hour here in Europe when you want the meeting to start.
    Oh, and if i figure out how Skype works, never used it before.

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    What is the usual time, anyways?

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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Originally Posted by SuperDave
    Oh my goodness yes! We can make that one of our stretch goals, after the Crossroads books are all published!
    I was just about to pause and ask what the endgame of this project will be.

    Are you planning something along the lines of a comprehensive CRB, or more or of a setting description with sections for additional rules and subsystems?

    It sounds as if you're going to have a completely reworked list of spells, plus a variety of base classes and PrCs, plus secret and not-quite-secret organizations, in addition to the geographic regions, cultures, cities, races, monsters, and all the rest.

    And, presumably, maps and artwork in there too. Adding it all up, especially given the detail you've all been working up, this sounds huge.



    So. How are you planning to organize and present the material? How many books are you expecting to bring out? And will all this be done through Kickstarter and a self-publishing website?

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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    It's usually not more than four or five people, and we're reasonably good at taking turns.

    The usual time is something like 3 PM EST on Saturday. I don't think it's an unreasonable hour in Europe. I know Aux-Ash usually makes it, and he's in Sweden.

    Skype's pretty simple to use. All you gotta do is download it, set up an account, and send me the address so I can add ya in.

    I wish you luck with the baby on the way!

    Talking Points
    Good point!

    We're just starting Columbia, so we should probably focus there for this talk.
    • How do the colonies interact with each other? (Spanish, English, French, Dutch, Portugese, Papal)
    • How do the colonies interact with the natives? (Cahokia, Iroquois, Mexica, Caribbean)
    • How strongly do the colonies hold to the church's church's campaign against arcane magic and magical creatures?
    • Are the colonies on the road to a rebellion?


    The Project
    The basic plan is somewhere between a Core Rulebook and a Setting sourcebook, something like the Eberron Campaign Setting with a bit more in the race/class section. We haven't really gotten into a formal discussion of what the end product will actually look like, considering we still have a ways to go. But if I had to say right now, the eberron sourcebook is probably the best example I can give you.

    The basic plan is one book, at the moment, which covers everything in a reasonable amount of detail. If that one launches successfully, I think the next thing I'd want to launch is a detailed look at south america, a sort of adventurer's guide to the adventure continent, possibly followed by a set of books that go into much greater detail about each of the five major empires. I'm kind of a fan of details, so, I don't think I'd be able to put all that I really want to in the first big book.

    As of now, the plan is to go through kickstarter and a self-publishing site, hiring artists out of DA and an editor/graphic designer from somewhere along the way.
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    Knights Hospitaller

    Code
    I'll go over the code and change some things taking remarks into account. Changes are in red.
    ◾To fear God and maintain His Church (stays as it is)
    ◾To serve the Grandmaster in valour and faith
    ◾To protect the weak, the diseased and defenceless
    ◾To give succour to widows and orphans (stays as it is)
    ◾To refrain from the wanton giving of offence (stays as it is)
    ◾To live by honour and for the glory of God and the Sovereign Order of St John
    ◾To despise pecuniary reward (stays as it is)
    ◾To fight for the welfare of all (stays as it is)
    ◾To obey those placed in authority (stays as it is)
    ◾To guard the honour of fellow Knights (stays as it is)
    ◾To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit, unless it is needed to uphold the Vow and the Code.
    ◾To keep faith (stays as it is)
    ◾At all times to speak the truth (stays as it is)
    ◾To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun (stays as it is)
    ◾To respect the honour of women and men
    The Knights of Obedience swear the Vow and live to the Code, it is not magically enforced in any way.
    The Knights of Justice swear the Vow and live to the Code enforced with a Geas. They don't choose to become Knights of Justice, they are asked to become one and have the right to refuse. If they refuse there are no consequences, they just remain Knights of Obedience.

    Hisatsinom

    Silk Trade
    If the Hisatsinom use beasts of burden for the Vespuccian Silk Road (name?), they should be of Chinese origin. Are there any special animals used by the Chinese that could be adopted by the Hisatsinom?

    Disease

    Hmm, doing it this way would still mean the people inventing the magical disease have to infect the populace anywhere between 5 or 15 or even 25 times. Every time a new European or Chinese disease makes it's way across one of the oceans, they'd have to do it again and kill ten thousands of people.
    First of all, that's a HUGE burden to bear for the people making the diseases.
    Second, it's a lot of work trying to infect enough people to spread the disease, especially when population numbers are lowering.

  25. - Top - End - #175
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    Are there diseases that were common between the Chinese and the Europeans? If so, then there could be some overlap to reduce the spell. Furthermore, is there a limited wish or something that would allow them to craft maybe an artifact that allows to combine diseases into one that would grant immunity to both diseases if contracted and survived?

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    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Knights Hospitaller

    Territory
    Been working on the Knights a bit, and i think i've got most of their territory sorted out. They hold very little land, but they make it count. Here's what they have:
    Saint Croix:
    Main island of the Knights Hospitaller. Holds the capital 'Lascaris', located on the Bay of Light on the north shore of the island. The capital is named after Giovanni Paolo Lascaris, the Grandmaster who bought the islands. The island holds several plantations where criminals are forced to work.

    Saint Christopher (Saint Kitts) and Nevis:
    While the Knights owned Saint Christopher since 1651, Nevis was under English control until 1690. Nevis was one of the best islands for sugar cane production and the English profited greatly from the island. In 1690 a massive earthquake and tsunami destroyed Jamestown, the capital of Nevis. The whole city sank into the sea and was abandoned. The knights, using the garrison from nearby Saint Christopher were able to save most of the population. They stayed to help build a new city but in the end they never left. There was a short struggle with a small English fleet over control of the island, but the Knights repelled the attack and in the resulting treaty they purchased the island. Baseterre, the harbor on Saint Christopher, is where the main Knights fleet is stationed. The north side of the island is where the training facilities of the Knights are located. There is a sizable army and fleet present most of the year, ready to strike at any threat.
    Nevin, after the rebuilding, remains a large producer of sugar cane and provides a lot of wealth for the Knights.

    Saint Martin:
    The Knights purchased the French part of Saint Martin in 1651. The other part -Sint Maarten- was posessed by the Dutch. In 1672, during what the Dutch called the disaster year, the Dutch part of the island was sold to the Knights. The Dutch were desperate for money to fight several wars and were glad to be sell a harbor they would otherwise have to defend. Cotton, tobacco and sugar are cultivated on the island and it holds several salt mines

    Saint Barthélemy:
    An island with mostly housing and small farming. Farming is difficult due to the dry and rocky terrain, but the inhabitants are able to produce vegetables, pineapples, bananas and sweet potatoes. The island has a large fishing fleet.

    Auberge de France:
    Located in Québec City, Québec. It is the home of the French Langue.

    Auberge of England:
    Located in Providence, Rhode Island. It is the home of the English Langue.

    Auberge de la Espana:
    Located in La Habana, Cuba. It is the home of the Spanish Langue

    Auberge de Portugal:
    Located on the island of Saint Christopher. Previously it was in Brasil, but after the expulsion of European colonies there they were forced to relocate to territory owned by the Knights. It is the home of the Portugese Langue

    Auberge van Nederland:
    Located in Nieuw Amsterdam. It is the home of the Dutch Langue

    Auberge de Italiae:
    Located on Saint Croix. It is the home of the Papal Langue.

    Auberge von Deutschland und das Skandinavien:
    Located in Fort Kristina in what was previously Nya Sverige. It is the home of the Germand and Scandinavian Langue.

    Auberge ??????:
    Located in Nouveau Orléans on the mouth of the Mississipi. It is the home of the Native Langue.
    I need some help with the name for the Native Auberge.
    Also note i have only listed the main Auberges, don't want to start working into detail yet and list every small cottage the Knights own.

    Relics and holy days
    I've found something about the Right Hand of the Forerunner that the Knights own (right hand of st John the Baptist, the hand that baptised Jesus).
    It is reported that the relic would be brought out and shown to the faithful on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14). If the fingers of the hand were open, it was interpreted as a sign of a bountiful year; if the hand was closed, it would be a poor harvest.
    June 24 – Nativity of St. John the Baptist and the evening of june 23 is st John's eve. It is usually celebrated with bonfires.
    August 29 – Beheading of St. John the Baptist. Don't know how this day is celebrated.

    Naming
    The Knights add a prefic to their name once they are sworn in. This is historical and i'd like to keep it in the game for flavor.
    they add [Fra'] to the name of a person. I'm not really sure why, i think it has something to do with the fact that they were originally named "Fraternitas Hospitalaria".
    Bruce Willis obtaining Knighthood would become Fra'Bruce Willis.
    Dan Aykroyd obtaining Knighthood would become Fra'Dan Aykroyd.

  27. - Top - End - #177
    Titan in the Playground
     
    PirateCaptain

    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    On Paper
    Gender
    Male

    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    How do the Knight's govern their islands?
    Like, there are probably Knights of Justice serving as governors on each island, but how far in the local government are Knights present. Do Knights patrol the streets? Are the plantations owned and operated at the behest of the Knights, or are there private citizens who support the Order through taxation.

    And then there's the Slavery question. Do the Knights use slaves on their plantations , do they tolerate other plantations on their islands using slave labor?

    So, the Knight's sources of income are
    Taxation from their island
    Profit from their plantations
    Donations
    Selling pirate ships captured intact (Assuming they don't keep them all for themselves)
    Quote Originally Posted by Dsurion View Post
    I don't know if you've noticed, but pretty much everything BRC posts is full of awesome.
    Quote Originally Posted by chiasaur11 View Post
    So, Astronaut, War Hero, or hideous Mantis Man, hop to it! The future of humanity is in your capable hands and or terrifying organic scythes.
    My Homebrew:Synchronized Swordsmen,Dual Daggers,The Doctor,The Preacher,The Brawler
    [/Center]

  28. - Top - End - #178
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    Flumph

    Join Date
    Sep 2013

    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Parachute/balloon
    I could see this being mentioned in a campaign or something, but I don't think we should formally endorse it in game terms.
    Well you can always have a creative PC develop it on their own.

  29. - Top - End - #179
    Troll in the Playground
    Join Date
    Jan 2012

    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    I'm probably a bit late in the development cycle of this project, but I saw one of these on the highway today and immediately thought of this project. It's a collection of ~150 factoids about the U.S.

    I thought it might be useful source material.

    I thought this one might be especially interesting.

  30. - Top - End - #180
    Titan in the Playground
    Join Date
    Feb 2011

    Default Re: Crossroads II: I'm on a Mammoth.

    Originally Posted by Grinner
    I thought this one might be especially interesting.
    Indeed, yes. I've been to Serpent Mound, and it's incredible.

    I was in Columbus for a conference a few years ago, and took a day to rent a car and tour as many mound sites as I could reach. They were all impressive, but Serpent Mound was the absolute crown.

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