EDIT: It's my NES, I'm allowed to triple post, right?
Anyway:
Update on the Update 12-4/12/12
Orders Recieved
Eltain
Milarqui
Spaceman (Please resend)
Gemhound (Please resend)
Optical
Stockholme
Tycho
Skilord (I will PM you something)
Luckymoose
Lord Iggy
Erez
Tambien-Please finish orders
Chrisos-Please resend/reformat
Orders Needed
Moldath
Lord of Elves
southernking
Notes
I can update this weekend and rush, or next weekend and work on it slowly, and get some of my other stuff done. What do you guys want?
EDIT: Wow, lots of orders. Do you guys want me to update now or not? Anyway, will work on the awards for the marriage thing now. Long term, I still need to do the Religious stuff, Military Stuff, Orders guidelines.
That sounds ominous, are they Saturan orders? (I fear nothing more than Saturan orders)
-
@erez: It's not that I'm really that smart, it was just an IC move. When the Administrator gets a message from a "God King" he tends to take it very seriously. Not that he necessarily believes every claim on divinity he sees, but to him what "God King" means is "Someone with a Great Deal of Influence on Their own Domestic Policies" (i.e. someone who gets away with calling themselves a God King). So, when you say "invade a country" your citizens say "which one," and when the Administrator says "invade a country" his citizens say "Why bother?"
He just doesn't have that sort of authority. Everything in his nation is privatized to religious organizations, he doesn't control the police or the Assassins. Even his name is designed to make clear that "nobody rules the League, but sometimes it is convenient for someone to administer and facilitate it."
It's no less dangerous of a place, just because it's a libertine meritocracy, but I'd have to do story gymnastics to explain why he felt a need to overstep his authority all the way to "starting a war."
Terrance you can update if you want right now. If you don't mind me asking, are the Iron Lances that I have considered a UU or a Faith based unit with better stats? Even though I have not recruited any yet.
@ Tycho, I'm thinking it would be our first "international religious organization" of our game, especially if it spreads after the council, which in all respects, it probably would.
I would need an awesome player to play the Iron Lances organization.
Here is the grading scale. Grading starts NAO. I will pick the winner for each one as an example, and the top three for the RNG picks. The RNG numbers is 10, 2, 8.
Then, everyone who is in the top 2 in the 3 chosen categories will be eligable for the final Top 3, upon which prizes will be handed out like candy!
Flags will be to Sunday. If you want to spend time to remake your flag, go ahead. Just put the newer flag on the bottom of your post, and I will grade the last flag, along with any complementary descriptions.
It seems that our criteria for Minigame-1: Marriages is Most Crazy, Most Concise and Best stretch... I think Lucky won, even before looking at the stuff.
I will update this post when I am done grading.
1-Most Unique
“having no like or equal; unparalleled; incomparable:”
The central critera for being most unique is by showing the most different, unusual, unexpected or simply unexplored points of view on the subject.
2-Most Crazy
“senseless; impractical; totally unsound
Simply the most insane and out of this world. To win this criteria, the submission must show the sheer illogical points of view the culture has on the subject; bonus if the submission also proves how said culture justifies it.
3-Most Strange
“unusual, extraordinary, or curious; odd; queer:”
Rather hard to differentiate from Unique and Crazy, but the central criteria is not simply illogical or unmatched, but simply very very different. A submission must show how their culture is truly different from ours, while also showing some connections to our world. Technically, it is the least weird of the bunch.
4-Most Familiar
“commonly or generally known or seen:”
To win at this criteria, the submission must be able to be accepted into mainstream Asian/American social life. This does not mean copying real life traditions, but that such traditions are grounded in the real world. This is completely opposite to the three above.
5-Most Awesome
“inspiring awe: an awesome sight.”
I only need this quotes to define this criteria.
Po: "So deadly in fact, that his enemies would go blind from over-exposure to pure awesomeness!"
Blind Gator: "Ahh! My eyes! He's too awesome!"
6-Best Remix
“to mix the elements in a different way.”
The central criteria is basing the submission off of something I know already, and changing it to suit your culture in such a way that both the original themes and cultural themes are evident.
7-Best Deconstruction
“When applied to tropes, or other aspects of fiction, deconstruction means to take apart a trope so as to better understand its meaning and relevance to us in Real Life.”
The central criteria is to take something taken for granted and revealing its actual effects. Example: King Midas wishes for golden touch->oh snap!!!. Another example: Spartans are awesome warriors->can’t cross an unbridged river due to no knowledge of bridge-building
8- Most Concise
“expressing or covering much in few words; brief in form butcomprehensive in scope; succinct; terse”
The winning submission has to combine both briefness with wide scope point of view on the subject.
The Continuing Saga of Amos the Just (aka: Proto Noir part 2)
Amos was a Priest of Ius, ordained in the northern city of Ugarit and so he knew well the strength of the Temple of Ybal. In Ugarit blood fueds are frequently waged between families, and although it can be said that the Priests and Priestesses of Ybal spurn collateral damage those same holy people get rich murdering one loved one after the next.
So Amos didn't expect a warm reception when he came into Tyre to investigate the murder of a wealthy landowner from Ugarit, the father of a high ranking officer. That was all Amos needed to know to start developing possibilities, a land grab of northern shepherding pasture, possibly a spurned suitor of Tur's shapely new Tyrian bride, but there was one possibility that chilled him to the core.
Someone could be targeting the Army.
By using Priestesses of Ybal to murder the family members of targeted officers it would be possible for someone to start a massive blood fued among the northern armies.
The Truth is Out There, and Amos took a vow to Ius and to the Council of Ugarit that he would find the truth.
He had lists, cross referenced them, found soldiers who took Ybal as their patron and the ones who took Resurus as their patron. Tur and his family were among the latter. It all added up. This goes all the way to the top.
And if it gives him an excuse to knock the priesthood of Ybal down a peg then all the better.
-
A Council Meeting of Tyre
"And so the new noise ordinance will pass with one dissenting vote, loud parties without a license will now carry a penalty of no less than six months in the dungeon."
"Any other business then?" asked Leopa, Priestess of Sune and proprietor of the Tyrian archives.
"One more thing, a request from the Administration," answers the Lead Councilor, Gabriel, the land baron of Tyre, "He wishes us to extend 'Consideration' to the Temple of Tarias."
Issac laughs at the Lead Councilor, "Hardly a surprise to see a suspicious request from that man."
"Do you call for a Full Council on the matter?"
Issac leaned back, "I'm sorry, Lead Councilor, I spoke out of turn. The Administrator means well. He spent a great deal of time in Tyre as of late and we all have good reason to be confident about his character," but the Councilor couldn't help but lean in to smile when he said, "But this particular request does beg me to comment on some of the more colorful parts of that character."
"I am told that Ugarit and the Northern Cities have passed the resolution, is there any opposition in Tyre?" Gabriel looks from one Councilor to the next.
It is Rebekah, Priestess of Ybal who finally replies, "If the Priesthood of Tarias is to be granted consideration then I demand that Ybal be afforded the same. The northern cities might have taken to this, but I have word from Damascus that they laughed the idea out of the chambers. I don't know if you remember, but this same issue was brought up before in Damascus. It didn't end well."
"Are you proposing to murder us?" Issac asked, "Rebekah your skills are legend, but you know as well as I that it ended as badly for the Temple of Ybal as it did for the Council of Damascus."
Leopa cuts in, "It might do us well to consider how this will affect their industry."
"Their Industry?" exclaims Zeke the Priest of Morae, a burly man forged in the temples of Craftsmanship, "When was the last time you saw a Priest of Tarias on this Council? If we had a few less trackers Tyre would continue to prosper."
"But caravans depend on their services."
"Bah, I say it is a crippling blow to their priesthood anyway," replies Zeke, "Ascend to the glory of Kitab, and the empty temples that come with it. They'll have to keep working just to maintain. Frankly, I think that we should revoke Kitab's Privilege, just to allow him his true glory."
"Then let us vote on the matter," Gabriel begins to call the roll, "Rebekah."
"Against."
"Zeke."
"For."
"Issac."
"For."
"Leopa."
"Against."
"Well, well, it seems that we shall have to call in witnesses and go through the full process. I hope you are satisfied with yourselves. We will adjourn for the evening and set the hearings for two weeks from now, each side will have opportunity to either convince me or break the tie. You know how it works. I'm sorry to exposit so much."
"No harm done."
"Well, people are going to complain about suspension of disbelief," Gabriel tells the assembled council.
"Bah, they weren't reading it anyways," replies Issac, "Trust me."
"And so it is decided, we will meet at dawn to offer sacrifices to Ius and then we shall begin the meeting. I hereby grant you the power to compel witnesses to be present and provide legal exception and compensation for duties they would otherwise attend to during that time, and this power shall only extend until these hearings. This Session of Council is hereby ended."
-
A Prayer Answered
The Jealous Suitor had waited anxiously for the news from Ugarit, and making his daily prayers exclusively in the temple of Ybal for months. When word finally came back that Peth of Ugarit had been murdered and his vengance had been exacted.
But when the priestess told him of this she offered him something else as well.
"A Charge, a demand from Ybal. I prayed often on your request and Ybal demanded one more thing of you, should your soul hope for rest in the next life. Ybal demands that you make right this thing, there are widows and orphans in Ugarit that were once under the care of a just man, and you have seen him dead. Ybal charges you to tend his flock."
"This is outrageous, I've never heard of such a thing!"
"It is rare, but on occasion the War God makes his demands. You ignore them at your own peril."
And so the Jealous Suitor prayed and pondered this task.
Today had been a busy day down at the old Zhou docks; after the acquisition of the Oceanstriders, there had been endless sounds coming from every building, from the waterfront, and from the inn houses where the workers went to relax after their day's work. Uncharacteristically loud, for a country that apparently thrived on silence.
Of course, at night it was a different matter. The sea birds were silenced, dock-workers all slept, and the only activity on the ships were the rats; and not even many of those, the things having largely been exterminated during the time when they had carried Emesis through the empire.
Nobody was awake to notice the shadowy, yet bulky, figures that walked casually towards two of the Xiyi boats.
In pairs and threes, Silent Guards crept toward the Oceanstriders. Anything that stirred was mercilessly beheaded or stamped on; the lone human that spotted them simply disappeared. And when the ships set off towards Shanghai, with those Guards who couldn't fit on the ships moving equally silently down the road... not a peep came from even one of the houses in the sleepy little seaside town.
...
The announcement that the army was leaving for the southern lands came a week later. Despite some opposition, the Emperor's suppiorters eventually moved the dissenters around to their way of thinking, and the army set off. A Yueh spy set off at the same time, and before the month was out the Yueh chief knew the size, nature and distance away of the approaching army.
OOC: No idea for minigame RP. Below is a combination of what I can think of (probably my worst RP ever) and on a more positve, unrelated note, a flag.
IC:
Marrige in Axum was never standardized. Amongst the rich merchant families, marriges were often pre-aranged, as ways to establish buisness partnerships, or even buy out trade ships, caravans or road rights (though naturally, the planned couple did not always go along with this buisness based model of marrige, creating several scandals, (and future folk stories)). Amongst those who live in the countryside, marrige often follows the traditions of ancient Ethiopeans. The Axumite government never attempted to remove South Ethiopean religion, though missionaries of Egyptian Mythology converted many. Farmers and country folk thus often marry according to the traditions of these two religions, either paraying to the gods of Egypt or giving offerings to Ethiopean idols, hopeing for the blessing of the spirts. The trade based government usually does not interfere in these rituals. Slaves often retain the religion of their homeland, usually the far South of Ethiopea. Thus, they mostly marry according to Ethiopean traditions, often differ from those of there Northern neighbors, but similar in many ways.
Flags:
1: King's Flag (OOC: In case my paint skills are limited, the left is wheat and the right is a gold bar, the center is a ship with a crown.: This flag was used by Zoskales and is the closest Axum has to an official flag, flown by later kings, the port authorities, The Great Axumite Trade Fleet (which sailed as far as India, before being forced to turn back)
2: Military Flag: Flown by military patrols land and sea.
Weddings to the Exnot faith were at their core, a practical affair, developing over time among the farmers of the great wheat fields of the fallen sea.
a pair hoping the to be wed would begin a ritualized courtship of each other, spread over a period of a few days to several weeks. what this exactly entails varied from region to region, but there were usually three core elements to it.
first, the couple would declare their love to each other in a fairly public place, pledging to seek each in marriage.
Second, when the time was available,they would present their prospective partner to their parent/extended family/clan head to approval. while they were not always approved, it was considered bad manners to deny this approval. If both sides did not approve, the marriage would be called off, but as long as at least one side did, it would go ahead.
the third step was one or both of the parents/extended family/clan head to present a small keg of beer to the priest. the priest would then say a blessing over the couple, confirm that they did indeed want to get married, then declare them officially married.
About the Egyptian Flag. There is none. Egyptians write royal important things into stone tablets and stick them in the ground, and less important ones into unimportant and easily destructible papyrus. They carry no flags or anything similar, but once you are in Egypt you will know who's king from the large numbers of stone tablets speaking of the god-king as well as the many statues in his figure.
So no flag for me
If you HAVE to have something, The Pschent would be the mark of the Neo-Egyptian Empire as a sign of its unity with a second sign as the Crook and Flail of Osiris to mark the God-King uniting the land.
1-Most Unique
having no like or equal; unparalleled; incomparable:
The central critera for being most unique is by showing the most different, unusual, unexpected or simply unexplored points of view on the subject.
Tambiens society, with loose bonds and basically open systems of family is really different and unique, and not at all in a bad way.
2-Most Crazy
senseless; impractical; totally unsound
Simply the most insane and out of this world. To win this criteria, the submission must show the sheer illogical points of view the culture has on the subject; bonus if the submission also proves how said culture justifies it.
1. Lucky, just luckys. Jeez! The unfortunate implications there. (especially royal marriages)
2. Tychos. Really, how do they figure out if stimulants and stuff are taken, do they taste the pee or something? And to the DEATH? At least Chrisos uses fake swords.
3. Tambiens society is really crazy. I guess communal raising of children?
4. Chrisos has an honorable mention for having the groom and the bride duel. I am imagining something from kill bill right here.
3-Most Strange
unusual, extraordinary, or curious; odd; queer:
Rather hard to differentiate from Unique and Crazy, but the central criteria is not simply illogical or unmatched, but simply very very different. A submission must show how their culture is truly different from ours, while also showing some connections to our world. Technically, it is the least weird of the bunch.
Dakinsa by SouthernKing. Firstly, I would not think that they like their boats THAT much. Secondly, how they do go to the sunrise when on the coast, the land is to the east and on the river, the river goes north-south.
4-Most Familiar
commonly or generally known or seen:
To win at this criteria, the submission must be able to be accepted into mainstream Asian/American social life. This does not mean copying real life traditions, but that such traditions are grounded in the real world. This is completely opposite to the three above.
None, really. . No, well I would have to say that Stockholmes is really close to Chinese marriage in the form of arranged marriages, especially the communal atmosphere of the marriage compared to just paid by the groom or the bride. Usually in china, only the most opulent of marriages are such. (Traditional china my parents lecture me about, of course)
5-Most Awesome
inspiring awe: an awesome sight.
I only need this quotes to define this criteria.
Po: "So deadly in fact, that his enemies would go blind from over-exposure to pure awesomeness!"
Blind Gator: "Ahh! My eyes! He's too awesome!"
You guys are all awesome for pandering to a fanciful idea born from the desperate attempt for me to do something before I leave.
6-Best Remix
to mix the elements in a different way.
The central criteria is basing the submission off of something I know already, and changing it to suit your culture in such a way that both the original themes and cultural themes are evident.
Eltains marriage vow is really familiar, but also really different and has good connection to his own culture.
7-Best Deconstruction
When applied to tropes, or other aspects of fiction, deconstruction means to take apart a trope so as to better understand its meaning and relevance to us in Real Life.
The central criteria is to take something taken for granted and revealing its actual effects. Example: King Midas wishes for golden touch->oh snap!!!. Another example: Spartans are awesome warriors->cant cross an unbridged river due to no knowledge of bridge-building
.
Luckymoose clearly deconstructed the traditional meaning of courtship.
8- Most Concise
expressing or covering much in few words; brief in form but comprehensive in scope; succinct; terse
The winning submission has to combine both briefness with wide scope point of view on the subject.
1.Tambien wins here, with a few terse sentences he basically outlined bonding in his society and how it affects his society.
2. TerrisH gets second, because not only did he outline procedure but also how it is affected by the location of the birth of his religion; even when it migrates far, I suppose the custom will try to adhere to this tradition.
3.Luckymoose reveals perhaps too much with his sentence, although I will refuse to give him 1st or 2nd due to much better comprehensive gathering by the first two.
9-Cultural Fit
This criteria is looking at how well the submission fits what is already known about a culture.
1. Opticals emphasis on the importance of rivers and the warmth in his nation, despite their adoration of silence and dignity, brings a new dimension to what silence truly means in Xiyi.
2. Stockholme/Iggy/SKILORD for meshing very very well the combination of religion and government essential to the Exalted-style of government is affected by local flavors.
3. Luckymoose. God, he is just too much. >.< Cant keep it out of my mind.
11-Narrative Fit
This criteria looks at how well the submission fits in the narrative a culture is creating.
This goes to Erezs excellent stories. The reason it doesnt fit in Narrative Stretch is because this sort of stuff happened already, and the writing was designed to fit the narrative.
12-Narrative Stretch
This criteria looks at how well the submission reveals new ideas and points of view on the narrative a culture is creating.
This goes to Skilord. His story expanded the political maneuvering of the Administrator with arranged marriages.
OVERALL WINNERS.
1. Tambien- Concise and crazy, your marriage submission somehow hit the spot.
2. Luckymoose: God, I refuse to give it to Lucky for his one liner, simply because it gave me a nightmare. A wet one too. *shudder*
3. Tycho-Your consisness is up there, and your cultural stretch contended well for the top spots but were edged out. You got 2nd for crazy, and that nomination let your win 3rd.
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I still want some big power to stand in my way once Egypt is united 
... Right now Egypt can pretty much wrack the nearby world.
