|
Post by Lord Harrab on May 4, 2014 21:15:32 GMT
Soldiers and CrusadesEver since Mortals where Formed from the Divine essence of Gaia in the First Days, there has been a need for soldiers to destroy the lairs of monsters, keep the peace in their villagers and to defend their kin from those that would wish them harm, and while their titles, organization and armament differ depending on the Culture that they hail from, there are consistencies common to all: a weapon, an internal organizational structure and vigorous training to overcome the natural hesitation to kill another. Faith in a Higher power can reassure these men and women who take up arms in their name, easing fears and doubts and perhaps even rewarding loyal service with divine favor. If a God commands it, an entire nation may take up arms but such an overabundance of soldiers would be short-lived, for while they are patrolling, training or waging war, soldiers do not plant or harvest, pay tithes or build homes. This ensures that while the citizens need soldiers to defend them, so too do soldiers need the citizens to fund, feed and supply them. Players may designate any number of Followers to become soldiers, however, soldiers require and upkeep of gold per turn, their pay and cost of equipping and training them, and can perform no other tasks once they take up the sword and do not pay tithes. Once created, soldiers will manage themselves for as long as their upkeep can be maintained, they will guard their villages, patrol the countryside and roads and keep the peace between citizens automatically unless commanded to do otherwise. Crusadesif a player wants their soldiers to gather in large numbers, either to expand their borders, hunt a monster or invade a neighbor, they must declare a Crusade then they can specify how many soldiers, Heroes, Messengers or Prophets they wish to gather and declare what the target of their crusade is. Those sent on the crusade will then try to achieve the objective to the best of their ability or until they are all dead or routed. However, the costs of supporting a campaign will increase the overall upkeep of your soldiers and this cost will continue to grow larger the longer the crusade goes on. There is also a chance that, whenever the Crusade does battle, that a new hero may rise from the ranks as the stress and turmoil of war forges them into something greater than a common solider.
|
|
coolyo294
Iconic
Slayer of Demons
Posts: 1,169
|
Post by coolyo294 on May 5, 2014 3:11:01 GMT
Toth, Lord of Death
The Carrion King, The Reaper of Souls, The Watcher in the Void "I am the King of Kings and the end of all life. Gaze upon my work, ye mighty, and despair." -Toth, speaking through the Prophet Kuzariel, to the 4 Lords of Hjoldstadt Just as there is life, so too must there be death. It is the natural end to things, a balance to keep the forces of man and nature in check. Death is not evil. Just as a hurricane bears no hatred to the lives it ruins and a plague carries no anger against the people it strikes down, death simply does not care for the machinations of man. It is cold, it is impartial, and often it seems unfair. Because of this, mortals tend to fear death as something frightening and unknown. Consequently, Toth's godhood is a lonely one. No mighty nations march to war in his name. No soaring cathedrals chant his praise to the sky. Few followers fill the streets, screaming his name in their ecstatic devotion. But Toth does not care. That mortals die is offering enough to sustain him and the shadow of his passing is evident everywhere. He spends the eons in his shadowy realm of Mori, keeping an eternal tally of the dead and occasionally intervening in the mortal world to ensure that the natural balance of life and death is maintained. That is not to say Toth is without worshippers. Wherever you find death and suffering, so too will you find devotees of the Carrion King. Some worship him in a futile attempt to stave off death. Others embrace their mortality wholeheartedly, gleefully exhorting the virtues of death to any who will listen. Toth rarely listens to the prayers of his followers, yet many still see his messages conveyed through natural disasters, plagues, and particularly gruesome deaths. Toth remains neutral in most conflicts, godly or otherwise. Only in self defense or times of great need will he raise his scythe against a fellow deity. As is the same with mortal wars. The only thing that Toth and his followers will take an aggressive stance against is undeath and its practicers. To master death is to commit the greatest of blasphemies and Toth will not rest until the twisted souls of those who do are condemned to eternal purgatory, unable to pass into the realm of their patron god. Toth's sacred animal is the vulture. His sacred number is 13. His symbols are the hourglass, the scythe, the human skull, and the black gravelotus MoriToth's domain is known as Mori. It is a barren grey landscape that extends forever in all directions, shrouded by mist and covered in the gravestones of everyone who has died. At its very centre Toth sits atop a great obsidian throne, marking the eternal tally on endless sheaves of parchment. Kuzariel, Toth's pet vulture and faithful messenger, perches on his shoulder and whispers to him everything that happens in the mortal world so he does not have to take his eyes from the tally.
|
|
|
Post by Lord Harrab on May 5, 2014 4:06:16 GMT
The Cult or The Church?There have been many cultures and civilizations to rise and fall across Lorestir, and with them are different social values and "acceptable faiths". Some see worshiping certain god as inviting ruin and forbid such practice as a whole, but individuals may still gather in secret, honoring their patron behind closed doors and in hidden temples with half remembered rites and mumbled prayers; only ending when the soldiers of the Nation find them or when their number grows so much that concealment is no longer possible or necessary. Or, that the god simply does not have enough followers for there to be grand temples filled with masses of faithful to sing their praises, in this case, worship of the God is not outlawed, simply considered odd, or perhaps the nation has not declared loyalty to a single faith and countless other sects are allowed to openly practice their faith, provided they have the paperwork or known approval of the ruling body. A Church is formed when the sheer numbers of faithful make concealment or smaller gatherings impossible, or when a nation declares the worship of a single god to be their state religion. In this form, the worshipers have more political power than cults, its priests able to tilt the actions of the country towards their god's wishes . They may in fact be the ruling power, its clergy both gospel and ruler, guided by the commands of their faith in their mind and Messengers whispering to them the will of their god. This may not be permanent, and the collapse of a country may force the Faithful underground, forming the cult style in order to keep the faith alive, emerging many years later to take back their lands, or vanishing into the dark as their Gods' power wanes. In this RP there are two ways to direct your followers, the Way of the Cult or the Way of The Church
The Way of the Cult provides at game start: Pros:- A wide network of followers able to react across the world - The ability to act unseen - New Cults can be formed within the Lands of others without their knowledge - Faithful are Difficult to Eliminate all at once Cons-Little ability to affect the course of nations beyond assassination or bribery -Slow Gold acquisition -Little Military Might. The Way of the Church provides at game start: Pros:-Strong Political pull -Faster follower gain -Can Gain Gold through Tithes -A nation to host and defend your Church Cons:-Has difficulty operating outside their nation beyond missionaries or crusades -Actions of Followers are hard to keep secret -Nations opposed to Your God's tenants will be hostile. Players can swap between Cult and Church in game at will, provided that: A Cult has over 20,000 followers in a single location and formed ties to a nation's leadership. A Church cuts all ties to a nation and orders its followers away so that less than 15,000 remain in a single location. in both cases a turn must pass before the change is complete and the God may issue commands again
|
|
coolyo294
Iconic
Slayer of Demons
Posts: 1,169
|
Post by coolyo294 on May 5, 2014 6:39:28 GMT
Kuzariel, Speaker of the Dead Prophet of Toth
Toth is not a god that is known for interacting with his followers. Messengers and heroes dedicated to him are rare. Prophets, even more so. So rare in fact, that only one has ever been born. His name was Kuzariel. Details of his early life have long since been lost to the fog of time. The only fact that remains is that he was born in the north during a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity in Lorestir. No wars stirred the land and harvest were bountiful. Disease touched neither man nor beast. It did not take Toth long to become discontented. Too few were dying and the world was rapidly beginning to grow out of balance. If something drastic was not done, it would become permanently askew.
And so Kuzariel appeared. His first destination was the mighty northern capitol Hjoldstadt. Shrouded in a black cloak he demanded an audience with its four kings and informed them of his godly patron. When they laughed and tried to have him expelled from their city, Kuzariel merely tapped his staff thrice and left. Within hours, nearly the entire city had been struck dead by a vicious plague.
Accompanied by the survivors, who were awed by Toth's power, Kuzariel began to head south. Where he stepped crops withered and animals died. Disease and famine swept the land. The streets grew thick with the bodies of the dead and dying. Armies attempted to stop him, but none reached the black cloaked prophet. All fell victim to hunger and disease.
When Kuzariel reached the southernmost tip of Lorestir, Toth did declare his purpose fulfilled and commanded the prophet to throw himself from a cliff. For his great service, Toth rewarded Kuzariel by turning him into a vulture and granting him a place by his side for all eternity. Now Kuzariel acts as Toth's eyes, ears, and voice in the mortal world, just as he did when he was a human.
To mortals, this was a terrifying reminder of the power the Lord of Death wielded. To his fellow gods it was seen as an affront to their power. Some wished to strike Toth down, while others saw the purpose behind what he did. In the end their wrath was stayed. But Toth didn't even take notice, never moving from his obsidian throne. Forever writing. Forever watching.
|
|
Judge Death
Regular
Mandalorian warrior
I am your Death!
Posts: 224
|
Post by Judge Death on May 5, 2014 17:29:21 GMT
Still room to join in?
|
|
|
Post by admiral9 on May 5, 2014 17:33:11 GMT
Sophazia, Goddess of wisdom. Sophazia is a goddess of knowledge, she started out as a goddess worshiped by philosophers, scientists and many people concerned with learning, she is most known for the eternal library, an infinite place where all knowledge of the world is stored and where she gathers all the literature, scriptures and books written. (part about the library needs a yes word cause it would mean she knows allot of the techs and stuff)
|
|
|
Post by Lord Harrab on May 5, 2014 21:21:01 GMT
Elysium, The Court of the Gods, and its Keeper."The Mother of All created Mortals, but does not ask that they think of her, only that they think."mortals have many legends and myths on where the gods reside, most agree that they have their own realms beyond the mortal world, but all contain tales of a celestial hall where the Gods meet. Called Elysium and ruled by the Departed Goddess, it is said to be Lorestir's Moon, or a Castle beyond the clouds, crude attempts by mortals to understand the concept, but accurate enough. The same legends also whisper of the realms ruler, the Departed God, or the Ceator, a God of Gods who oversees the meetings and speaks only through her Messenger, for a single spoken word could raise mountains and boil seas of the world below. The legends managed to get this part exactly correct. For Elysium is the Gods Link to Gaia, Mother of All, although long departed is still tied to Lorestir by her divine essence, and perceived by the lesser gods as towering over the carved marble halls in every direction they turn their perception. The Goddess never moves beyond a tilt of her head to regard her children, and never speaks directly. Enforcing her rules falls to her Messenger known to the Gods as The Keeper. Gaia does not need or desire followers or faith, her primary concern is the continued existence of Lorestir and the life upon it's surface. Mention of The Keeper can be found in fragments of ancient texts, often with links to the Moon which most likely birthed the myths. The Keeper keeps order between gods in her Mistress' halls and is believed to be a being of great power by mortals, but all attempts to worship her as a god have been quickly stamped out by The Keeper herself, Temples burn, cultists die and idols melt. Her Duty is to the Halls and Goddess, nothing more. Elysium is where IC interactions between the gods will occur, similar to ROTCS's Galactic Senate, players can have their gods argue and scheme with each other here. If they wish to IC action in their god's own realm, they can do it here also, but must be clearly marked as such to prevent confusion.
|
|
|
Post by AegisFate on May 5, 2014 22:04:23 GMT
The Shadowed Goddess Nirtinia
Nirtinia's domain is the night, the dark, the inky substance that conceals both man and monster. She is not a cruel goddess, oft regarded as the mother of those who worship her, protecting them from that which dwells in the night and the day. Nirtinia is opposed to the daylight, not only because she is the antithesis of it, but because it oft signifies the slaughter of her children by those who would call themselves morally right.
Her domain is known as the Empty Plains, an endless expanse shrouded in inky black, those souls who dwell within gathered into groups to seek out those who are lost, to bring the Shadowed Goddess' children home, endlessly searching through the dark. This is no purgatory, for they are happy to serve the Shadowed Goddess, each new soul adding their life experiences to the group, each group rarely coming in contact with another.
Nirtinia is personified as a motherly figure, holding onto her children with a tight grip in her left, a short sword in her right, hair flowing far down her back, face tilted down towards the child, shrouded by hair. Her greatest link to the mortal coil is known as the Kathedrale von Nacht, a monolithic structure built many ages ago of rough hewn stone and erected in the center of the vast plains of Lorestir.
|
|
|
Post by Lord Harrab on May 6, 2014 0:14:49 GMT
@ Judge Death, certainly. The World of LorestirAs much as i'd like to display the full map, it must be left a link due to it being a page stretcher, the mortal nations are left unmarked as i';d like to get an idea of how many players will be using the Church method, but i will be posting it in its entirety in the companion thread. Once i have a full player count i shall carve it up into nations. i1104.photobucket.com/albums/h336/lord_harrab1/LorestirMainland_zpsb01df080.png
|
|
|
Post by Nepty on May 6, 2014 2:44:34 GMT
Uh, Harrab, that's a link to nothing.
Also, northern sea raiders for me, once it's up, I'll take a look at that area. (I'll be going church)
|
|