Beneath the Jade Moon (pre-NES)

Retainer house names added.

Excellent, North King. That was a good read.

On a related note, I might actually take out jadeite mineral deposits outside of the Valley of the Blessed River, to make the crafting of jade a rarer and more sacred pursuit.

Updated my post. I added retainers and more information on ancestors, holdings and a little bit more history.

Nice, bombshoo. It's good to see profiles somewhat linking up before I lay a hand on them.

Background and history expanded. Many things renamed.

I am just trying to get some basics up in line with the existing setup as i understand. As I indicated, I would like to run a semi-outcaste group who haven't and may not yet have it easy.

House Name: Haerasii
Sigil / Words: A single flame in a half circle.
Lord: Vagnes II, 47, married
Family: 1 son and 3 daughters
Ancestors: The most important ancestor of House Haerasii is Haerasus, the founder of the dynasty. House Haerasus believes that Haerasus is the “Tenth Prophet,” although this is not religious canon accepted by any other house. Haerasus is considered to be the Prophet and Master of Fire, who gave warning to Luseysi of the Sprit God Euleshun ‘s impending wrath. Haerasii belief is he sacrifieced himself early in the crossing in order to give the Luseysi and the migrants time to cross the bridge.
Holdings: House Haerasii is based in one of the few areas of Jyotnun that contains primarily native Raayakin, although by in current times most Raayakin have been somewhat assimilated. Due to the circumstances related to the arrival of Haerasii and general cultural problems, House Haerasi does not have significant assets compared to others. There is only one Aulesiri-grade fortress on the island, near the main city, but most Aulesiri from the continent would only grudgingly concede the point. Due to constant skirmishes with Esurks, Haerasii does have simple coastal fortifications in many places.
Sources of Income: Fishing, Wine Production, and Trade. Haerasii struggle to trade with the mainland Aulesiri and the closer to the pale city the more difficult. Thus, the Haerasii are good traders for getting goods from the Esurks or beyond, or in engaging in less honorable trade practices (such as smuggling).
History: The history of House Haerasii is not clear, unlike most other houses, due to its quasi-outcaste status, which has hurt the ability to maintain records. Haerasii’s records indicate that:
* The House is descended from the 10th prophet Haerasus, the master of fire.
* The descendants of the House made it with the migration and settled in North of the Pale City.
* Sometime during the reign of Tares I, worship of Haerasus was ruled heresy and the shrines were destroyed. The Emperor Tares I attacked Haerasii holdings and the family was forced to flee to the islands. (Note, official religious doctrine does not accept this)
* Early life was a difficult struggle to survive both the natives, Esurk Raiders, and Aulesiri war parties.
* The great civil war brought a measure of relief against direct oppression. In addition, Haesarii allied with Auren the I, providing mercenary forces but particularly experienced ships that could privateer. This relationship also allowed Haerasii some breathing room to build up its own territory and provide greater defense and stability to its holdings.
Location:1782/1489

I edited my profile; offer any critiques Starlife. Just need to work on holdings

To Seon: Seems fine; I'll probably end up editing all claims of war machine and supreme military might.

To alex: Looks great, but as a note, we aren't doing prophets anymore (that was in the backstory of the previous thread). Nonetheless, you may speak of Padimon as an ancestor -- but technically speaking, the only prophet is Luseysi (though I did vaguely mention in this backstory that he was aided by various figures, if I remember correctly, and so your clan can be descended from one of those figures; feel free to rename if you don't want to use the name Padimon, and feel free to come up with your own backstory to that figure [what you have now is nice, though]). You can see what I mean in the OP. Looking forward to seeing it all finished up!

Massive Attack: Welcome. Same note to you, as was given to alex: pretty much all information in the previous thread is hereby invalid, so mention of prophets, etc. seems a bit out of place. If you want your house to have been exiled to some islands, there are numerous other routes you can take (supported the False Stone, or perhaps you were sent there earlier by the False Stone, and then you supported the current line, etc.); a variety of new information has been posted in the OP, and an entirely new backstory. I also need to look up your location point to make sure info about the Esurks, etc. is all in place.

Claiming this spot. House info later, when I have the time and can actually flesh it out.

House Name: Eyiniyas
Sigil / Words: The golden outline of a lantern on a black field; A Lantern In The Dark

Lord: Kellan [23, engaged to Anye Derost]
Family: No children. A younger brother, Fayar [15, unmarried] who is his heir and dependant

Ancestors:
- Lord Sallan Iyas, a traveller with Luseysi
- Essan Iyas, second son of Lord Sallan who designed and oversaw the building of much of the defensive workings of the Pale City
- Armai E'in, a traveller to the north who discovered Isle E'in and raised his family there. A minor count or the equivalent under the Emperor of the time.
- Lord Talkan Iyas and his wife, Lady Coira E'in, the Lady and Lord when the house changed holdings To Isle E'in in the north.
-Guardian of the Inner Seas, Lord Darra Eyiniyas, who presided over the Eyiniyas holdings from the year 1298 AR until his death in 1333. A supporter of the new emperor; killed in battle. The title of Guardian of the Inner Seas was granted to him and all his descendants by the Emperor's brother, and confirmed upon his accession to the throne.

Holdings: E'in Keep, on the highest point of the Isle; the northern fort (unnamed), on the mainland north of the Isle; Derost Hold, on the smaller island just south of the Isle; Sarrel Keep, on the peninsula just south of the small island; Tiyas, the largest town on the island with a population of about thirteen thousand and situated on a natural harbour on the southwest coast

Sources of Income: A small sound toll on the straits, with the Emperor's permission; fishing in the Inner Seas

History: House Iyas, a prominent house before the Ruin, was an advocate of the migrations under Luseysi. The house eventually settled on the eastern coasts of Jyotnun, just north of the Pale City. Sallan, the lord of the time, was a warrior, but his second son was an architect by trade, and he was particularly involved in the construction of walls and defences for the new nation's capital; in return, he was granted his own lands inland of the traditional Iyas holdings.

The Iyas family became one of the key bastions of defense against any invasions from the north, and they served this role for several hundred years - in fact, until around the year 816 AR, when the younger brother of the head of the house of the time married into House E'in, and in a bizarre twist of fate became the heir to these estates.

Upon the death of Lord Iyas in the south, Talkan Iyas, the northern brother, made the decision that his house would remain in the north. Both the Iyas house and its cadet branches, the descendants of the Architect - known as the Essaniyas - and a vassal house, the Derost - gave up their holdings in the south to the Emperor and moved to the north. Both cadet houses built their own holdings around the Straits, and in addition to this the existing forts in the north of the straits were revamped and brought up to relatively acceptable standards for defence and living. Under the new House Eyiniyas, an amalgamation of the two houses' names, the islands and the surrounding parts of the mainland saw significant growth and fishing in the Inner Seas grew.

Lord Darra came to power in 1298 AR, and declared his support for the new Emperor in 1308, a few years after the civil war began. He led troops from the north for twenty-three years in battle against the False Stone; upon his death in battle, the Emperor's brother - soon to become the Emperor himself - bestowed upon Darra and his descendants the title of Guardians of the Inner Seas, and the promise that, if he ever ascended to the throne, the Eyiniyas family would have the right to raise a tax on ships passing through the strait, and use the money made in their own domain. This promise was kept, and since then the north has been all too quiet. However, instead of concerning himself with the affairs of the mainland, like his ancestors, the new Lord of the Isle, his fiance and his brother have set their sights on the lands across the seas, and the fascinating tales told about the strange sights in those lands...

Location: Above

Welcome, Optical. It's good for NK to have another player so potentially involved in the court of the Pale from the get-go.

I need House info for Luckymoose and Azale. Once that's in, I'll start piecing together profiles. Try to recruit some responsible players, if you can -- more houses wouldn't hurt, but I'm confident we can have an interesting NES with what is posted (and I'll make NPCs, which can be taken by players later in the game, if they want to see a few updates first).

edit: Also need updated details from Thlayli.

Starlife said:

Massive Attack: Welcome. Same note to you, as was given to alex: pretty much all information in the previous thread is hereby invalid, so mention of prophets, etc. seems a bit out of place. If you want your house to have been exiled to some islands, there are numerous other routes you can take (supported the False Stone, or perhaps you were sent there earlier by the False Stone, and then you supported the current line, etc.); a variety of new information has been posted in the OP, and an entirely new backstory.

Click to expand...

You still have a reference to the nine prophets in your introductory page in the new version so I went off of that, not the old version. Ill look into an alt though.

OK. I'm still waiting on Azale (I know he's working on it), Luckymoose, Thlayli (who may or may not still be deathly ill), and MA's revisions (sorry for the confusion!). In the meantime, I'm working on mechanics and stuff like that.

House Name: House Godhart
Sigil / Words: A gold whip on a field of black, a compromise on the old sigils of House Godhart and Mabun. No slave to destiny.

Lord:

Fjorst Godhart - a rather old and ineffectual leader, prefers to revel in the pageantry of nobility and leave the running of affairs to his relatives, Godhart and Mabun.

Family: Surprise me.

Ancestors:

The Tamer of the North, Lord Bretz – a lowborn farmer who migrated to the northland frontier. Led a commoner army against Raayakin in response to their aggressive raiding. Gained the attention of the House nobles and was given a true command, partly to blunt and partly to co-opt the popular power of the "Commoner King." Drew out a particularly nasty brand of Raayakin from the caverns and tunnels, defeated them, and led campaigns in the region to extinguish the remaining Raayakin resistance.

Master Mabun, The Great Enslaver – Resourceful entrepreneur from Carthstadt. In the aftermath of the Children’s Rebellion, uses his substantial financial capacity to kickstart a mining enterprise on the backs of Raayakin slave labor. Becomes the political boss of Bretz, pushing out competition that can’t compete with non-slave workers and constructing a vast iron and gem mining operation. His lineage would eventually marry into the Godhart lineage, a surprising nod to circumstance and away from class designation. Both lineages were strengthened by the unification.

Carth Godhart – Founder of the modestly named Carthstadt. The progenitor of the Godhart lineage as we know it. Deftly played the Order of the Moon's manic solemnity against their simultaneous desire to subjugate the Raayakin, overselling the threat of the natives.

Holdings:



Carthstadt - A fairly cosmopolitan city in a Hold very much the opposite. Bustling trade and overflowing marketplaces make this city the heart of the Hold's economy and host to perhaps the most well developed criminal underground in the entire Empire.

Bretz – Mining town in the north reaches of the Hold. Center of House Mabun's power if not their residence. Sometimes described as a mining pit with some town around it, Bretz has developed enough for this truism to be a little outdated. A grim and gray city, the architecture fits the personality of the city almost a little too perfectly. Dilapidated and shoddy residences are proof of poor urban planning as Bretz expands rapidly to accommodate an ever increasing workforce.

Waldemar - Mainly responsible for shipping iron and timber from the northern reaches across Lake Tares and down the river. Dirty, dingy, and constantly smelling like the docks.

Bjarter - Along that vital artery of a river, it is home to a large marketplace for the haggling and selling of rice/wheat crop to licensed Hold merchants and those representing the wider empire.

Shulensi’s Redoubt, Carth Keep, Godherth, The Spear (in disrepair), Haraldorn Keep - these guard the passes around the hold. I would not assume that they would be amazingly gallant structures, except for Godherth nearest the capital. Emphasis on trade and mineral extraction and political dominance by essentially sequestered/distance nobles and conniving merchants means the armies suffer in times of peace.
Haraldorn Keep is the second main residence of House Haraldorn, their martial power diluted by residences in Carthstadt and in the far eastern frontier of their Keep. The Spear was constructed during Lord Bretz’s Northern Campaigns. With the defeat of the Raayakin and the Striking of the Names, the Spear fell into disuse. Godherth is the most ornate and sturdy of the Hold’s fortresses due to its location on the Sibor route. Carth Keep and Shulensi’s Redoubt guard the northwest and southwest passes respectively.

Offmap – House Godhart does not hold direct territorial control but it does exert economic and political influence over the trade route all along the Sibor to the [BAY] and the settlements therein.

Retainers:

House Mabun – Retainer house in name only. Has a real sinister past as far as its Bertz operations go. Lords of the underworld in the capital city too. They use the Godhart as a shield of respectability for their unscrupulous and sometimes unbecoming behavior. It doesn’t help that they were originally a lower class merchant family. Somewhat afraid of Hold expansion since it could potentially mean new economic resources for the Hold that they would not be able to control. This puts them at odds with other retainer houses at court as well as with non-house factions.

House Haraldorn – They typically can be found in the strongholds and bastions that guard the passes around Hold territory. Haraldorn sons are frequently high ranking officers in the Hold’s armies and Lord Haraldorn is one of the few who at any time can have Fjorst’s ear in Carthstadt. Haraldorn daughters are encouraged to be their Houses presence at court.

House Otovacar – One of the old noble families. They have worked in partnership with the Mabuns for generations and were their early financial muscle when the Mabuns were common merchant rabble. Now they are slavish sycophants of House Mabun, their residences and status having been inflated by Mabun patronage.

House Baske – One of the few vocal opponents of the Mabun’s, House Baske survives only by being even more ruthless in the shadows and kissing more ass at court. Their noble lineage as one of the original families in the migration from the Pale City, they look own upon the lowborn ancestry of House Mabun. Vociferous loyalists of House Godhart, they petition the Lord to expand the Hold and press for a wider role in the Empire.

House Tormod – Originally a castoff family who attempted to establish their own Hold. This failed in the face of Raayakin resistance and economic isolation. Lord Bretz brought them into the fold during the Northern Campaigns but House Tormod was shorn of much of its wealth and status in the process. Slowly rebuilt their reputation as a stalwart supporter of House Godhart and their expansion. Influential in Waldemar, its timber trade, and its nascent shipbuilding industry, the Tormods are just now dipping their toes into wider political intrigues in Carthstadt. They hope to throw their weight behind the expansionist faction without stepping on too many of House Mabun’s toes.

Sources of Income:

Iron mining in the Bretz region.
Timber and iron extracted from north, passed through port city of Waldemar to Carthstadt where it is taxed again and floated down the Sibor to the [BAY].
Wool sheared and traded to the Carthstadt, where there are factories for textile production. A major source of capital and one of the few economic provinces not dominated by the Mabuns.
Rice and wheat farmers sell their crop at the markets of Bjarter along the Sibor. A certain percentage is required to be sold to the major settlements of the Hold while the rest can be sold to merchants operating downriver.

History:

Though the migrations passed through this region, heavier than usual native resistance and badly organized attempts at settlement left this region of Jyotnun ill developed. This region was truly settled under House Godhart only starting in the early 500s. Carth Godhart tamed the land near the Lake of the Travels (later named to Lake Tares during the Solemn Age).

The Godhart's were an ambitious lot. Originally called the Black Shields in the Pale City, Carth found it prudent to change it to sever their past and leave them no choice but to forge into their future. They would retain only their sigil, a black field, which to them symbolized a blank slate on which any destiny could be written.

Expansion northwards from Carthstadt met resistance from a league of allied Raayakin tribes. We only know them by the names tunnelkin, forestkin, and mountainkin since the Striking of the Names, but it would take decades and the herculean efforts of the 'Commoner King' Lord Bretz to tame the region. The Northern Campaign of 645-658 destroys the Raayakin as a fighting force, especially the brief War of the Caverns where Bretz drew out the infamous tunnelkin with punitive suicide raids by condemned men, setting fires and fanning smoke into the structures, and hiring rival Raayakin as scouts to inform on the locations of supply tunnels.

The Raayakin were subjugated after more than a decade of fighting but there was a fierce debate about their fate. Some, mostly people living on the fringe and tired of the savagery of war including Bretz himself, favored a measured integration. A second group composed of the still fledgling merchant class and the Order of the Moon saw enslavement as the best option. Others, including most of the nobility and warriors, vacillated and forced a bad compromise. The Raayakin were resettled to the south of what would become Bretz townhold, their labor extracted when necessary.

=Children's Rebellion
=The Great Enslaver
=the "extinction" of the Raayakin, labor transition
=the role of religion and other miscellaneous

Here are some other random notes:

Architecture is rather austere and grim in the north. The wealth of the southern regions means an arms race in extravagance between the merchants and nobles, which is manifested in the architecture of public works and entertainment areas, sometimes breathtaking in its gaudiness.

Population must be fairly high to support the economy I’m envisioning. Rice farming is very labor intensive, as is mining, but it is essentially the only directions I could go in considering the region. So by necessity I need a high population. I will balance out my endowment in resources and population by adding in a fair amount of corruption, inertia, and infighting.

The history is, obviously, not complete. I wanted other people to see my ideas in case they need to play off them. I am also unsure on how I want to date some of these events.

To prove I'm actually working on something:

Huzzah! Hopefully Thlayli is doing the same.

All right, here is my list of things that need to be done:

-> Thlayli's entry.
-> Luckymoose's entry.
-> Alex's list and description of holdings and retainers.
-> Son of Erdrick's elaborated history and description of retainers.
-> A map of the Pale, if North King would oblige (transposed on my map would be helpful, for reference -- basically a map of the region with all important spots within the Pale marked).
-> Optical's list and description of retainers.

-> Optional: You can describe houses and settlements that might exist beyond your immediate realm, but that are adjacent to you. I might not use what you propose, but if it has a good ring to it and fits with the overall idea of what I had in mind for that region, than I'm willing to use any interesting creations you might have to give.

House Dyre

They say, as they sit in their rich castles, bedecked in silks and furs, that they fought for justice. They claim, as the great temples fall into decay and the holy relics gather dust, that they were built by madmen and murderers. They proudly declare, with all the righteousness of the fat in their voice, that those who rule have the right of it.

They are wrong.

They will tell you that the Solemn Age was a time of horror. It was a time of glory and greatness. They will tell you that the Order of the Moon was lost from the true path. That the new priesthood, useless lapdogs to the warriors with their filthy lucre and endless lust for power, is a better path. Better to serve men than gods? Is this the world we live in?

They say that the line is pure. It is polluted. They say that the lords are just. They are lost.

Under a false world, lies a True Stone.

We are the last.

-The Secret Words of House Dyre

His History:

Artavin Dyre was the son of a priest. So say even the legitimate Chronicles of the realm. In truth, he was the bastard of a priest. But Dyre had a mind unconquerable, a tongue that could convince men and armies to follow him, and a fierce love for battle against whoever he deemed was impure in the eyes of the Gods. He was the Solemn Age personified at its end. He tried to push back the tide of the turning Age by providing a new model inspired by the old: A warrior class composed of priests themselves. Artavin Dyre, the Warrior-Priest, the Great Rebel. His name has almost been forgotten.

Dyre was legitimized by the Emperor, for whom he rose (in mysterious circumstances) to become the High Castellan. Despite his dubious background, Dyre was given great lands, and many castles, across the realm. This of course alienated many of the rising warrior class, who fought for the Emperor's brother during the Great Treachery. In that war that divided the land, Artavin fought a dozen battles, triumphing o'er superior numbers with luck, ferocity, and the insane loyalty of his men.

But it was not enough. Valiant men can struggle against the turning of the Age, but it turns nonetheless. Lord Dyre and his ilk could no more restore the primacy of the Order of the Moon than they could return the falling stars to the sky. While Artavin campaigned to put down yet another rebel house supporting the Traitor, the capital was seized by his supporters. The Emperor, the last beacon of hope for an Age of priestly and imperial authority, was captured and murdered by the men who had sworn to serve his blood unto death.

Upon returning to the capital, Artavin blinded himself in his anguish. The victorious new Emperor stripped the rebel lord of his lands, his wealth, and his titles, leaving only his life. Lord Dyre knelt so that his men and his sons might not be put to the sword. Lord Dyre's wife, a niece of the Emperor himself, had her name stricken from the records, along with the many loyalist members of the Imperial Family and high-ranking priests of the Order of the Moon that fled, exiled along with Dyre. Many followed him, having nowhere else to go.

Dyre's dwindling army retained a core of a few hundred supporters. As they marched out of the civilized world, the Priest-Lord began to have visions. His supporters said that he had been given a second sight by the gods to replace that which he had lost. A growing coterie of minor nobles and priests cast out by the new order gathered around the polarizing figure of Dyre. They marched into the Godspire Mountains, known for being impassable but for a small, lost pass sometimes taken by pilgrims to worship a great shrine to Shulensi atop Kharadas, the tallest peak in the realm. It was believed by all, as his band of fanatics passed into the deeping walls of the Godspires, that they would never be heard from again.

Some decades later, news came. Artavin Dyre was dead. His son, Varat Dyre, had made peace between the barbaric mountain clans and the lowland houses, and gained the allegiance of both with a combination of force and diplomacy. Furthermore, he had built a great castle into the rock of Kharadas itself, and a winding stair up the mountain to a second fortress higher still. The newly-protected pass began to attract pilgrims, and a steady source of revenue from the shrine for the Priest-Lords of the Godspires.

House Dyre is feared to this day. Feared because it is not an old name. Feared because of their unholy allies, barbaric clans with strange customs. And feared because of their blood. Imperial blood, boiling blood, beneath a mountain that the legends say will one day erupt in fire.

His Lands:


[Red = Townships, Black = Castles]

His Holdings:

Godsjaw: The vast fortress that is the seat of House Dyre. Its gates are set into the sides of Kharadas itself. Legend says that the Dyres have tunneled deep into the rock in the past two decades, and that the countless twisting passages, courts and halls mask an array of deadly traps for invaders.
The Spite: A redoubt built around the great shrine to Shulensi. Offers protection for pilgrims, and a potential refuge if Godsjaw is taken or besieged.
Pilgrim's Pass: A small castle that marks the southern edge of the Dyre holdings, Pilgrim's Pass sits over an arch of stone that one must pass through to enter the mountains. Charges a toll to traders and pilgrims passing through.

Artavin's Pit: A town with forges and smelters, and a small quarry. Stinks because of all of the smoky applications therein.
Aon Niath: A gathering point for many of the mountain clans, pays tribute directly to the Dyres. Has a seasonal population as many sub-clans take refuge here from the winter snows.

His Retainers:

House Fell: An old lowland house that lives around the headwaters of the Tyne. Once controlled most of the Upper Tyne, but incessant raids by the mountain clans weakened them. Their only remaining holding is Fellhome, a sturdy old hillfort. Supplies many soldiers and guards to the Dyres.
House Valant: One of the migrating houses, a class of priestly lords fiercely adherent to the old ways. Built the town of Bitterreach, and controls many tea-farming villages. The second most powerful retainer house. Their seat is Tares.
House Haften: The most powerful house in the region before the Dyre migration. Fought a brief war after the building of Godsjaw, during which the entire Haften army was wiped out by Clan Morwraith and the Dyres. Owns the largest castle in the region besides Godsjaw, Breakwater Keep, and the largest town, Selswich-on-Tyne, with many major lumbermills and farms.

The Clans:

The fractious mountain clans of the Godspires [native Dulmorg] are known for their high percentage of Rayakiin blood, their love of battle, and constant feuds with each other and the civilized lords of the Tyne. It is said that they worship strange gods from before the Migration. They were brought only to heel by Artavin Dyre, who they believed to be a great druid, and his son Varat who inherited his power. The relationship between the clans and the Dyres is complex, with 'subservience' being too direct a term. They are not retainers as the houses are, but they owe the Dyres a measure of respect, and do pay tribute to the Godsjaw. Lord Dyre often serves as an arbitrator between the clans, and limits their raiding into the Tyne, preferring to direct it at the Cyirlands and the South. Certain rivalries persist, most notably between Morwraith and Haften, Morglammin and Fell, and between all of the clans themselves.