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Post by Jack of Names on Sept 13, 2021 8:13:10 GMT
I've wanted to do a game like this for a long time as well, though in my younger years I was all too nervous about it. No more.
This will be very much in a similar vein as another game many of you know and/or participated in once upon a time, Nepty's Rat and Dragon. That's inevitable, as the primary inspirations are so similar: A Song of Ice and Fire namely, but also The Witcher, The War of Roses, the 2021 Film 'The King', and to a lesser extent the Dark Souls series.
Each player would assume control over a Lordly House, the details of it's history, banners, diplomacies, culture, current members and more being up to each player to decide for their own within a measure of relevant reason. The narrative connection to each House would be very similar to A Song of Ice and Fire, with a King crowned and throned above all others ruling over a realm in which you preside as lords of your own lands.
As is bound to happen in times of monarchies and magics, plots will arise that will shake the realm to it's core. Threats both familiar and not will begin to threaten your lands and your crowns. All while passions and politics eat away and those who don't know how to play the fabled 'game' to stay on top.
As the Gamemaster, I'd be controlling the world around you. Both the way it responds to your actions, and the actions those not under your wills will be at my discretion. I know this doesn't quite tread much new ground yet, but I figured with a few worthy souls we might have some fun.
Expect posts to be a little inconsistent. I work a lot these days. Sometimes updates will come quickly, sometimes they won't. But I'll be in communication.
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Post by Jack of Names on Sept 13, 2021 10:44:09 GMT
The way I see the structuring of posts going, in character posts of various house characters / player controlled characters could happen whenever said player wished. But the effects of any such posts would essentially group into a 'season' post, made and sort of GMED by myself, with perhaps smaller updates made for more minor affairs on a more regular basis.
Glad to have your interest, Darko.
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Post by Jack of Names on Sept 14, 2021 7:58:54 GMT
A little bit of content to wet the appetites: a timeline. Not complete for it doesn't yet feature the important events centered around or caused by player controlled houses, but does cover much bigger general events in history.
A HISTORY OF THE REALM AND CHURCH, SUMMARIZED
What lay below is a short account of events of import, as assigned by date where available, in the history of Arcadia. These events describe important events of the Haspurian faith, in which the Allfather God Haspur rules high above all other gods, as well as the beginning of Arcadia's grand kingdom as best as can be interpreted up until it's present day.
Unknown Date - Haspur creates the first children, and then creates ancient man. The First children are meant to serve as paragons, bringing with them infinite wisdom and guidance to ancient man. The Ruiner, he who's name is stricken from all record but was once of bortherly bound with Allfather Haspur, becomes jealous of Haspur's creations and the utopia they have created. The Ruiner sows seeds of discontent, ambition, dishonesty, and all manner of vice into the minds of mortal men.
Unknown Date - Some ten thousand years after the creation of the First Children, they are each in turn slain by ancient man out of greed and desire for power. The allfather falls silent, and a long era of fisaster, famine and war consumkes the world. This even is known as the Darkness, or the Ruination.
864 - On this date by reckoning of the Othstet standard calendar of Othsum, Arcal The Bold sails in Exodus from the despoiled shores of the land of Urntoyyer. When he makes landfall, his army conquers the demense now known today as the King's Seat and Arcal is crowned King Arcal by his High Bishop, Magnell. King Arcal names his new continent and future conquered kingdom, Arcadia. According to Haspurian sources, the formation of Arcadia officially ends the era of Ruination.
884 - The last of the local barbarian kings bends the knee to King Arcal, and all of Arcadia now flies the same banner for the first time in seven hundred years if the local historians are to be believed. At the behest of his small council, King Arcal allows the barbarian peoples to keep their gods as long as they place Haspur, Father of All, above even them. This does much to quell stirrings of unease and restlessness in the newly conquered peoples. The former kingly families that remain are made lords and ladies of the land as well, and formed into Houses.
886 - The city of Raspatha, across the King's Strait from the newly completed grand capitol of Arcadia 'Highcrown', becomes a sister city of trade, commerce and splendor with Highcrown itself. Plans begin for the Great Bridge, a massive structure that would connect the two cities with an enormous bridge crossing the great strait. For now, all manner of queer ship from Raspatha arrive in the port of Highcrown, delivering fine silks and jewels, exotic animals, and odd looking folk looking for work in the new kingdom.
887 - The Hillfolk of Sodden rebel. They're put down within a fortnight, every male put to the sword and every woman run off their ancestral home. Thus ends with finality the lives of the Hill Clans.
889 - The New High Bishop, Kelligan, accuses Omid of the House of Gym of haboring heresies against the Church of Haspur. Proof can not be ascertained to satisfaction of trial however, and Omid simply repeatedly rebukes the High Bishop's efforts to see him punished until, in late spring, a dinner within the King's Palace turns awry when Omid of Gwyn flies into a rage at the latest accusation, and guts Kelligan where he sits upon the table. Omid of Gwyn is put to the stake the next day for the High Bishop's murder.
970 - King Arcal finally dies, having lived to the absurd age of 130 years old. Reportedly, he is of ghood enough health to fight, hunt, and mount his own horse up until is one-hundred and eighteenth year. Postumhously, King Arcal is declared a Saint, known as the King Saint or King of Saints.
973 - King Arcal II is mobbed and murdered by bandits in the lower district of Highcrown, along with seventy members of the King's Guard. Earlier the same year, his son Arcal III was seized by illness, meaning his youngest son Asmund becomes a boy king.
979 - King Asmund outgrows his need for a regent, and begins his first year as the King in more than name. Asmund, only eighteen, leads his own vanguard when the armies of Arcadia clash with the invading Neffeti in the south. Asmund defeats the foe and pushes them further back, breaking their lines and burning half their ships as they attempt to escape Arcadian shores. King Asmund becomes known as Asmund the Great.
982 - Raspatha, sister city of Highcrown across the Great Bridge and capitol of the land of Vhorun, pays tribute to King Asmund and requests aid in putting down it's rebels lead by Bhor the Blade, also known as Bhor the Undying. In the fall as preperations to aid Raspatha are nearly complete, the city can be seen burning from the Arcadian side of the great bridge. Scouts report that Bhor's forces are much greaer than previously realized, and when Asmund learns of their precise number, he orders the Great Bridge collapsed so that Bhor's rebels do not have easy access to Highcrown or Arcadia. The winter is spent preparing for possible attacks by Bhor's men from the sea, but none come. Raspatha burns until it is nothing more than a ruin.
983 - Vhorun officially falls, and Bhor the rebel becomes the Maraja Bhor, king of Vhorun. Relations with Arcadia are tensely cordial, but do not come close to the former brothership between the two countries.
988 - King Asmund is challenged to a duel by a hedge knight who refuses to give his name. The two men fight, much to Asmund's surprise, to a draw. The knight with no name is offered many a prize for this feat, but shortly dissappears having claimed nothing.
989 - The Neffetti attempt to invade Arcadia again, striking up the second Neffetese war. Asmund the Great takes an arrow in his throat as the siege of Blogdel and expires. Arcal IV is crowned king.
995 The Second Neffetese war ends, Arcal IV is yet only sixteen. His regent, Hand Folger of Redchapel, serves for only two years before a plot for the Hand to have the boy killed and usurp his crown is revealed and stopped. Folger is put to the stake and burned for high treason.
1026 - Arcal IV dies mysteriously in the night, on the road to visit one of his vassals. With no living sons, his daughter Anmanda is declared Queen.
1036 - A love triangle between Anmanda and two suitors of noble houses who desire her hand erupts into the Lovers War, splitting the kingdom in twain. When the smoke kills, Queen Anmanda has been felled in the crossfire, and so the direct lineage to King Arcal is ended. Anmanda's cousin, Dreman, is named King.
1041 - High Bishop Ghellar convinces King Dreman to pass a law forbidding a Queen to rule without first marrying, citing the issue of Anmanda as evidence why such a thing cannot be allowed to happen again.
1058 - Dreman dies of a sickness having just barely grayed his hair. His son Dreman II is crowned king.
1062 - A plot is exposed to kill the king. Since the king has no living heirs, the King's cousin Rossel plots to kill him and inherit the throne before such heirs could be born to he and his wife. Rossel is put to the stake and burned for high treason.
1071 - In Raymar, the demense under the governance of the Hose of Roye, a cult of the Ruiner attacks and kills several families of noble birth. They gain ever-swelling support from the common folk looking to depose their rulers. Eventually, the armies of Roye and of the King put down the cult as they head into open rebellion. Ingmund Roye, head of house Roye, leads the van and is slain, His is made a saint posthumously, as Ingmund the Faithful.
1085 - Dremar II is killed in a hunting accident. His son Cole is declared King. King Cole rules not but two weeks before he is stabbed to death in his bed, his assassin aprehended and revealed to be his own brother, Darmin. Their youngest brother, Darren, is declared King and given a regent until he comes of age.
1098 - The first confirmed raid on the northern shores of Arcadia by the people who would become known as the Skaelers, of Skaelwulv.
1103 - King Darren's hand Jon Bertryn interrupts the attempted kidnapping of King Darren, and throws his would be kidnapper from the King's Tower. King Darren convenes the small council and creates the Black Order, and order that will be composed of no more than thirty men, free of knightly vows and sworn only to the King and his Hand. Free from rules of chivalry, the Black Order, who would become more commonly known as Black Riders, would be closely associated with the mot necessary judgements of the King's justice and who's main purpose would be to prevent such attempts upon the King like Darren's own near kidnapping, and the fates that had befallen many kings before him.
1149 - King Darren dies of age, and the throne and crown passes to his son King Cole II.
1152 - A particularly harsh famine rages upon Arcadia. Radicals in the church attempt to blame any number of things, though it usually comes back to some noble family or another committing some secret sin and needing to be cleansed. Accusations are even made against King Cole II, and a flagellant mob is put to the sword on the front steps of Crownkeep by the Black Order. King Cole II nearly dismantles the church before putting it back together, and passes several reforms distancing the church from official powers over trial and punishment for crimes.
1160 - King Cole II is found dead from a fall at the bottom of the stairs in the King's Tower. Guard rails are installed, and the crown passes to King Cale.
1174 - King Cale, upon birthday, receives a present from the Maraja of Vhorun. Within the box turns out to be a venemous snake, which a member of the Black Order quickly beheads before it can bite the king. The gift is an act of war, and so the bottom of the King's Straight becomes littered with bodies and broken ships.
1185 - The First Vhorun war, sometimes called the Neighbor's War, ends in white peace. King Cale passes of age the day before he is due to sign the treaty. it is instead signed by the new king, King Cale II.
1234 - While riding for pleasure in the northern forest, at a place that would become known as King's Folly, the King's small company is attacked by Skaeler raiders. As the battle becomes lost, a member of the Black Order named Matthias puts the King to the sword to keep the Skaeler's from capturing the king for ransom, and to ensure his crown passes to his eldest son Cartur. Matthias escapes the Skaelers, but is charged with Cale II's murder and put to the stake for high treason. The next night, his sentencer King's Judge Morin Fallan is found murdered in his office, the blade wound left behind black like seared metal. Evidence is found in the following days that prove Matthias was following the King's own orders when he slew him, and Matthias is posthumously made a saint, Saint Matthias, known as the Saint of Loyals and the Saint of Justice and Vengeance, also sometimes called the King's Darkness.
1239 - After a five year debate about which of the former King's twin sons would be crowned, King Artur is finally crowned.
1257 - The first war against the Skaeler's begins in earnest, after Skaeler raiders attack and raise the city of Whitehold. Great Jarl Ynar beheads King Artur at the end of a glorious duel remembered by both Skaelers and Arcadians in song, but is himself mortally wounded and dies respectfully cradling King Artur's head. Artur's twin brother and the new King, Cartur II, comes to an agreement with Ynar's son and new Great Jarl, Floki Ynarsson, to turn over the respective bodies of their family members and go apart in peace.
1268 - King Cartur II convinces his high Bishop Martin Morland, though all manner of drinking and gifts, to pass a reform on marriage that allows King Cartur II to officially mary both of the women he admires.
1274 - King Cartur II dies when a portion of the King's Tower catches fire. Both his wives champion their respective eldest sons to become king, and when the High Bishop choses one the other rebels and calls her supporters. The Woman's War, also known as the Wives' War, begins.
1277 - The Wive's War ends when the rebels are shown secret passage into the Crownkeep by servants. The 'pretender' king, as he would become known, is deposed and banished. King Adam is crowned, with Queen Mother Annabelle as his regent.
1285 - Queen Mother Annabelle attempts to remarry on the eve of her son's eighteenth birthday, in an effort to keep her status as queen and make her new husband the king. Her own son Adam gets wind of the plot however, and has her jailed -- allowing her to remarry only after his coronation. King Adam then as such laws changed, preventing future Queens from remarrying to keep the crown. He also has the secret passage his mother's supporters used to infiltrate the Crownkeep collapsed.
1289 - King Adam's wife gives birth to triplets, the first recorded such birth in the history of the royal line.
1286 - Prince Jonn falls from the King's Tower while playing wit his siblings and perishes.
1288 - Prince Adam II is taken by a sudden illness and dies within days, leaving only Prince Abel as the remaining heir.
1291 - Queen Marienne apparently commits suicide. Distraught over the deaths of two of her children, she hurls herself from the King's Tower. King Adam does not remarry.
1319 - King Adam develops an infection that festers and makes him ill. He dies after a few months, and the crown passes to King Abel.
1320 - A particularly pious king, King Abel as the previous laws about nobles being allowed to marry multiple women annuled. All men currently married to multiple women are to divorce all but one. Several nobles take issue with this, and when the matter is pressed by the King raise their arms in rebellion.
1321 - The Second Wives War is ended after only a year. Each noble who refused to surrender is put to the sword. The men who do surrender lose their right hands, and still must divorce all but one wife. Children from these other wives also lose any claims to lands or titles, a declaration which nearly starts the war again.
1322 - King Abel, in conference with his Bishop Gormund, officially creates the Holy Inquisition in order to enforce the dictations of the Haspurian church.
1336 - As King Abel's faith increases so too does his boldness, and some say his madness. In this year he declares the old laws under King Arcal annulled. Now no god may be worshipped in any Arcadian home, noble or common folk, other than Haspur, and those that resist shall be put to the sword. Once more a rebellion occurs, the Rebellion of Gods as it would come to be known.
1339 - King Abel receives what he believes to be a vision from Haspur telling him to lead his own van. At the battle of Agrost fields, King Abel is rode down and trampled by rebel cavalry and is killed. His sons, possessed of the same religious fervor as he, are put to the sword within the Crownkeep. Abel's cousin and leader of the rebellion, Arcal XI, is crowned king by the rest of the rebel leaders. High Bishop Gormund refuses to recognizes the crowning, and is therefore put to the sword and replaced with High Bishop Gamlin. King Arcal XI dissolves the inquisition, and rebuilds the Black order which had been killed to a man.
1361 King Arcal XI passes in his sleep, and the crown passes to King Arcal XII.
1378 - King Arcal XII feeds his grand ambitions by striking at Nefetti lands, starting the Third Neffetese war. six islands are conquered before King Arcal XII is slain by a wayward thrown knife. Peace is negotiated by the new King, King Artur II, though Arcadia keeps the islands.
1383 - King Artur II is killed by his own pet ape, which is hacked to pieces by the Black Order. The crown passes to King Abram.
1467 - After a long and peaceful reign, King Abram dies in his sleep and his son Artur III is crowned.
1491 - For two days, King Artur III is held ransom on his own boat in the King's Strait, which has been boarded by foreign pirates. The pirates are told that the ransom will finally be paid, but instead that night members of the Black order quietly board the King's ship and kill the pirates to a man.
1492 - Perhaps upset as how long he was held prisoner and how paying the ransom was never considered, and knowing the alternative had the Black Order not been able to rescue him, King Artur III uses a secret decree to forbid members of the Black Order from killing their King in order to avoid their king's capture.
1506 - King Artur III passes, and his song King Cale III is crowned.
1512 - King Cale III has his throat slit in a training accident and barely survives. He is, however, rendered mute and communicates to a royal speaker through written word for the rest of his days. He will become known as Cale the Mute.
1520 - As Skaeler raids increase in the north, Cale the Mute once more declares war upon them. The Second Skaeling War is bloodier and longer than the first.
1553 - The Second Skaeler war, which would become known as the Bloodwinter, ends in the winter of 1553 when the King's Champion Breckam "Breck" Gwyn slays Great Jarl Djolfin Djundorsson despite being blinded by the blood seeping from his own head would. Breckam was a ghastly sight, and many of his own men believed him to briefly be a walking corpse.
1556 - King Cale the Mute passes, and due to the deaths of his two oldest children during the Bloodwinter, that leaves his youngest and only son King Charl, nineteen years old, to wear the crown.
1557 - Game begins.
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Post by Jack of Names on Sept 18, 2021 5:36:53 GMT
Condensed Game Summary:
Cale the Mute was a widely respected king, there's little much a point to argue that. An injury that should have so hampered one of his title he instead took in stride, did not let it for a moment prevent him from doing all the things Arcadia expected of it's king. Hunts and rides were undertaken, grievances still heard within the Crownkeep, and jousts and melees still attended. That the king needed to communicate through a speaker and orator barely managed to hamper his image, so outgoing he remained and so strong his choice of words when needed, even though it was not his voice that spoke them.
Though as the king began to grow older and frailer, he was as vulnerable to the fragilities of time as any other. He became more withdrawn, some days not leaving his chambers, and for a king who's orders and commands could already be slightly delayed due to disability, there were sometimes complications of this. There were no shortage of lords and ladies who took advantage of the king's new fragileness and inability to notice or quickly respond to oversteps in power. Most did so in small ways, others were braver. While Cale III remained respected, by his final day there were few of power in the realm who expected much in the way of repercussions from him
This excuse of power remains yet now that he's gone, mostly due to the youthfulness of his son Charl. The crown barely fits the head of the new king yet, and the throne is yet uncomfortable to him. He remains somewhat witless to the complex political workings of the realm, which is something even most loyal subjects would take advantage of when possible.
Much of the realm prospers, though all still work to recover from the awful Bloodwinter, the second war with the Skaeler's beyond the north sea, especially many of the Northern houses which suffered the most in losses. Highcrown, the capital, remains the opulent beacon of the King's power that it always is, while hiding it's seedy, poverty stricken lower reaches beyond it's high walls. News from the rest of the world trickles in as slowly as it ever does, but one does not need to look far at all to sense the beginnings of trouble.
The rivers soon will run red in Arcadia, but the red of what? Fortune or misfortune? Glory or death? Blood or wine?
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Post by Jack of Names on Sept 18, 2021 6:24:03 GMT
HOUSE SHEET:
When making your house, you can either post the template here or, if you wish, fill it out in a google document and make it fancy then link it here in this thread. Please make sure I can view it when you do.
Name: This is the name of the house. In old times the formant would have been "House of [Name]", a format that is still used in certain official capacities. More commonly though, it is treated as a surname [ex. Mannfred Roye, Beckam Gwyn].
Motto: This should be a short motto, perhaps spoken between house members to display support for one another or used as a battle cry. ex 'What is dead may never die' 'Ours is the fury' 'Winter is coming'.]
Banner: Self explanatory!
Demesne: This is the domain, or region, your house rules over. Players may assume their houses rule over several minor houses. You don't need to name them here, but you can! [ex. domain names 'Westerlands, the Vale, the Reach, The Summerfields, The Eerie, The Crag, Southernmount]
Terrain: Obviously, a domain does not need to be locked to a sole kind of terrain. So take into account the sorts of terrain you're imagining for your houses domain, and list the two or three most important ones. But if you do what to have a domain that's basically just forests or something, that's okay too! What you put here will sort of determine a rough estimation of your population, too.
Head of House: First and last name here please, along with age. Keep in mind the rules of succession. Children of the previous head of house always inherit the title first. If no children, then it would pass to siblings of the former heir. It's customary for children under the age of eighteen to have a Regen to advise them in all things, and this regent even has the power to overrule the Head's decision. If your Head has a regent, also please state their full name and age.
Other living members: Aunts, Uncles, mothers, brothers, sisters, cousins, spouses, etc. Please state their full name, age and their relation to the Head of the House.
Politics: This is sort of going to be used as a place for possible story hooks. These are the opinions of your Lord Head of House, and other prominent members. Do they think the church of Haspur has too much power? Not enough? Do they think the young king is a fool, or just someone who needs to be properly shown the way and given time to grow into the throne? Do they have a grudge against a member of the royal family, or another house? Do they think Cale III should have demanded harsher terms of surrender from the Skaelers in the Bloodwinter? Do they fancy the chance to go to war with the Neffetese again? Would they like the Law of Wives to be reinstated? These are just some examples, but feel free to get creative!
Traditions: What rules, laws, social norms, etc. are different in your lands and House than in others? This is something you are free to add to in the future. Include any non-Haspur gods you worship here, for example. Perhaps marriage laws are a little different, or succession laws have a quirk to them? Again, get creative!
Forces: Carefully consider the culture of your domain, the density of the population, the fertility of the land, the size of the region, the normal population and the size of the region when you determine this number. While everyone could go all in and give themselves like a 100k troops, that would be pretty lame wouldn't it? For reference, something around 15k is small for a grand army, while something like 80-100k is ENORMOUS. In aSoIaF, the North, the Westerlands, Dorne and the Vale each can supposedly field a number of men between 45-50k, while the fertile wide randing land of the Reach can field 80-100k with a third to a quarter being cavalry because of the lands high population and other advantages. Note that the Crownlands casn only field around 15k, and the Iron born can field around 20k+ lots of longships. Also remember that your forces are made up of a few types of social class: knights, nearly always the fewest in number, conscripted men at arms, smallfolk, and sellswords.
Martial Traditions / Materials: Does your house have a specials way or tactic they used in warfare? Do their archers sometimes tip their arrows in a special poison? Are they fond of fire? Do they prefer heavy cavalry? What about light cavalry? Or are they fond of a strong core of armored footmen? Do they have a larger than normal number of knights? Just examples, I'll let you know if something is too outlandish.
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Post by Jack of Names on Sept 18, 2021 21:31:21 GMT
Here is the first of the NPC hose writeups, as an example.
Name: House Roye Motto: We Are The Vigilant Banner: A sword-headed hawk on a blue shield, over a field of white, blue or both. See above. Demesne: The Southrun. Terrain: The Southrun is the domain of House Roye, southern mixed broadleaf forests that give way to grasslands and shrubby savanna, then depleting into desert. More than half of the Southrun is dominated by the upper reaches of the Golden Desert, called the N'cholla desert by the Neffetese. Farmland is scarce, existing only in the northern grasslands and in rare pockets of fertile soil near the few oasis that the house can secure. Despite this, the Southrun maintains a decent population due to the wealth of it's trade, both by sea and desert caravans. Head of House: Lord Olfric Roye, 38 Other living members: Imoen Roye (Daughter, 17) Olfred Roye (16, twin son), Tzarah Roye (16, twin daughter), Patra Roye (wife, 37), Edmund Roye (brother, 37), Hannah Roye (29, sister-in-law) Osbert Roye (nephew, 20), Colter Roye (brother, 34), Nutra Roye (19, sister-in-law), Esmond Roye (1, nephew) Politics: The house remains civilly divided in the issue of the Neffettese. The Lord's younger brothers both believe the desert warlords should be put in check with the mustered banners of House Roye to put a stop to their occasional raiding and at times flagrant disrespect for old treaties concerning trade and piracy. Traditions: Despite how often they have come into conflict with the Neffettese, historically being the first line of defense against the southern desert peoples, their proximity to them has in turn melded some of their more minor and harmless traditions into their own. Gender expectations are somewhat relaxed, though not nearly as much as the Neffettese themselves, but a woman can hold minor political office and even chose the way of the sword with very little fear of ostracization. Haspur remains the chief deity, though worship of the Neffettese deities is tolerated among the smallfolk. Forces: 42k on foot consisting of men-at-arms and smallfolk, 3000 cavalry of mixed horse and camel (excluding the camels leaves about 1500), and 600 knights. Martial Traditions / Materials: Due to the dominant desert terrain, camel is just as common as horse among the steeds of Roye. Camels are slower but smarter, and much more reliable in hot environments where water becomes scarce. They also have surer footing upon sand. Light cavalry is favored by Roye due to the flexibility and agility of movement it provides, as are troops of crossbows. Many knights and men-at-arms prefer the Vhorunese talwar as opposed to the typical Arcadian arming sword or longsword, though most eschew the use of the Neffetese scimitar due to it's difficulties against plate.
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Dewin
Overlord
Posts: 776
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Post by Dewin on Sept 18, 2021 22:25:08 GMT
Just to make sure, assuming that this is like our older nations games, how would issuing turn orders work? Does the game use the "normal" 6/3 order PMs or are they made in IC posts?
Also, how specific would you want these House sheets to be? Mainly asking in regards to the characters and forces parts.
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Dewin
Overlord
Posts: 776
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Post by Dewin on Sept 19, 2021 18:24:54 GMT
Well, "Ere we go. Not really sure about the troop count. It's 54k atm which should be within reasonable range considering that it's somewhat well populated state but you never know. I'm also not sure if this should be northern or eastern House considering that North got fucked up hard during the war.
I can't be bothered to make up bunch of names for house members at the moment so I'll probably patch it in at some point.
Name: House Kershaw Motto: With fire and sword. Banner: Silver wyvern with crossed battleax and warhammer on the background on black and yellow shield Demesne: Iron Peaks
Terrain: As a relatively large domain, region of the Iron Peaks is defined by its namesake mountains that sit at the center of the domain. From its shadow, water flows to either the large Coldwater lake near the capital or the twin rivers that flow around the peaks heading either towards west and the coast or towards south-east where they merge into single great river that flows towards the heart of the Realm. Most of the domain is made out of grassland and steep hills that gives away for steppes and evergreen forests in the north.
Head of House: Lord Mihaly Kershaw, 50
Other living members: Matthias (Brother 46), Anna (Sister-in-law 40), (Nephew, 20) Kevan (Brother-in-law, 36), Aurora (Sister, 36), Milan (Nephew, 15), Mary (Niece, 10) George (Heir 28), Catherine (Wife, 20), (Grandchild, 1) Elizabeth (Twin Daughter, 25) Peter (Twin Son 25), Thomas (Son, 20),Katherine (Daughter, 18)
Politics: The house is unconcerned about Neffettese as they considerer them as the responsibility of southern houses. Kershaw is more focused on the Skaeler who they consider greatest threat to the real with certain voices within the house still resenting that they didn't put enough of them to pike and torch during the war that costed the Iron peak so much. While the late king is somewhat fondly remembered, the new king is considered untested and unreliable due to his youth and inexperience.
Within the house, the question of heir is starting to raise up with the current lord reaching his 50th summer. With the senior son having been lost during the Bloodwinter, it leaves the junior sons up as options for the lord hood. While the current heir has completed his studies and has served alongside his father during the closing hours of the war, his political marriage to outsider of the domain still leaves uncertainly among the senior nobles. Even then, he is considered better option over droll bean counter or drunkard.
Traditions: Having been descendants from the steppe tribes that once inhabited the region, Iron Peaks has it's own a culture that houses both the traditional tribal and Crownland culture to a point that they consider themselves separate people from rest of the realm. Most of the realm is fairly conservative that prefers to follow old ways with Haspur worshipped as chief deity alongside some of local pagan gods. While women are permitted to study and serve in certain jobs like scribes and merchants within reason, proper rulership and military positions are officially banned from them.
One noticeable part of the culture is the duelling law that permits legal protocol for freemen and nobles to settle their issues with steel. The law contains complex system that has to be followed or the rulebreaker will be dishonoured as well containing terms that allow certain groups to deny challenges with losing face or honour. This law is the reason why you can generally identify noble from Iron peaks due to their scars.
It is also one of the primary methods of gaining social prestige without needing wars or marriage alongside the tournaments with the eventual peak at the famous Iron Circle that serves as the banner guard of the Lord.
Forces: 3000 House guards, 20k men at arms, 25k levies, 6000 medium cavalry, 700 knights.
Martial Traditions / Materials: Due to mines and fields of the domain providing healthy flow of gold, the Iron Peaks is able field well equipped and trained levies to war. These levies are typically manned by core of freemen who are required to serve certain amount of time in the army by the law that is typically reinforced by conscripted peasants during wartime.
Alongside these levies is the standing army of House guards that serve as the premium force at arms for the main house. These men are typically recruited from lesser noble houses and proven freemen and serve as professional troops that make their oaths directly to the Lord of the Main house.
Typically, footmen are equipped with munition plate and armed with either spear and shield, pike or halberd with knights preferring two handed weapons like poleaxes or longswords due to better armour provided to them. Archers are usually armed with composite bows both on foot or horseback with crossbows and longbows being used in lower quantities.
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