OptNES III: Foundry of Nations

Definently in, will apply in a few hours.

Movadimn/Thomas.berubeg
Capital: Melorn
Colour: Purple
Location: I'd like to be anywhere with alot of mountains. (The Movadmin are a mountain people)
Demonyms: Both are Mobadi
Flag:

Government:
Theocracy: The rulers of the Movadimn are the Theratran monks, who live in monasteries on the high peaks of mountains. Each monastery rules a specific mountain peak, and has stewardship of peaks near the monastery if it does not have it's own ruling monastery. To decide the course of the nation, there is a regular meeting of Abbots and abbesses.
Religion: Theratra: The belief that, the closer one is to the sky, the closer one is to purity. Monks and Nuns are housed together, as, in opposition to most religions, Sexual contact, Drinking, and Feasting are not considered obstacles to purity.
Engines:
Aerocraft
Airship
Conventional Soldiers:
Pikeman, Light infantry, Musket
History: The history of the Movadimn as a people is inextricably linked to that of Theratra and the Theratran Monks. The Movadimn were simple hunter-gatherers, subsisting on the few resources of the land, when the first Theratran monks appeared, recognizing the mountains of the Movadimn as the best place to attain purity. Bringing agriculture, which was quickly adopted to the native crops of the mountains (Potatoes,) the monks and Nuns quickly established themselves within the local political structure, intermarrying and interbreeding, until the ethnic identity of the original Theratran Monks was lost.
Description: Monastic Mountain dwellers

Charj
Capital: Charj
Colour: 255/0/0
Demonyms: The people of the city of Charj and the outlying islands are known as Charjians; the language is usually referred to as Charjan.
Government: Primitive Monarchy
Religion: Though the majority of the people of the city of Charj follow the one true belief of the Almighty Char'j, the government is relatively secular to allow for the distinctly different (although similar) religions of the other islands.
Engines: Raider Prototype, Marecraft
Conventional Soldiers: Musket, Light Infantry, Light Cavalry
History: The Great City of Charj began as many others did; a small collection of homes, surrounded by farmland and sea. In the early days, most men made their lives off the sea; fishermen and explorers. Those early Charjians bowed to a number of dieties, many of whose traits are now within the mighty Char'j - it was around now that a central government began to form, as the many deities of Charj consolidated into just a handful. As the number of deities decreased over time, many priests found themselves unemployed. As educated, intelligent, and unemployed priests grew in number, they eventually established a government, with Lord Byron the Savage as the de facto leader of it all. He was the man who ordered the first privateers to raid neighboring islands; over many years, he claimed hundreds of pounds of loot from the surrounding islands and, eventually, incorporated them into the Charj dominion. Ever since the time of Byron the Savage, Charj has had a proud naval tradition, boasting one of the strongest fleets in the region and dominating nearby islands politically and economically.
Description: Charj is a naval oriented society based on raiding coastal towns for loot and glory. Most of the populace worships the Almighty Char'j, though the government is officially secular.

@Bair:



That's pretty much Avirria's territory.

Hydragia/Nintz
Capital: Moinya
Color: 22/103/103
Demonyms: Hydragian for language, culture, and nationality.

Government: Other, Merchant Republic. Explanation under history. Similar to High Council, but tweaked slightly.
Religion: Religious tolerance is active, ad the individual people follow a spirit worship. Different spirits for different people. Smiths and miners one spirit, farmers another, fishers a third, etc. Some cults and sects follow a monotheistic religion, though it is not very common.

Engines: Marecraft and Aerocraft
Conventional Soldiers: Hunter, Musket, Light Cavalry

History: Hydragia was a group of people that was unable to produce everything it needed. Though their and was naturally rich in fish, and timber, it lacked serious deposits of minerals, as well as significant amounts of produce. The tribe was thus very poor and weak for a long time. When contact with other minor tribes on their island begun, the aspiring merchant class managed to exploit the natural resources of Moinya and Hydragia in general to produce massive surpluses. In a devious scheme, these merchants actually undercut similar products in other cities, driving those men and women to pursue different professions. With their artificial monopoly, these merchants proceeded to import the missing components for their tribe (at great cost), and achieved a position of great leverage over the entire nation. Eventually, they were so important that they physically took control of the council democracy that had existed, overriding the old aristocracy. Given that the aristocrats were very poor, and many were simply bought by there merchants already, there was very little resistance to this move. With the coming of the engineers, the valuable naval and air vessels naturally called out to the traveling merchants, representing an opportunity for a greater network of wealth. However, it would appear the wide world is not exactly without danger. This is their worry, and what they prepare for to this day.

Description: A mostly peaceful society that builds upon intrigue and behind-the-scenes conflicts to determine ahead of time what will happen throughout the nation.

Dài Khộl/Bair_the_Normal:
Capital: Sàkhộn Pràh Thộng/ Sàkhộnpràhthộng Former preferred though.
Colour: 103;0;0
Location:
Demonyms:
Language: Khộlla
People: Khộllaedàn
Flag:

Government: Pseudo-elective Monarchy: The incumbent monarch is the one to choose his or her successor. Other than that, there is no real difference, rule-wise, from a typical monarchy.
Religion: Saekhi. Saekhi is a religion of balance. Its primary principle states that everything existing on this planet: every living thing, every inanimate object, has a certain amount of both good energy “Hàithiàm” and evil energy “Wộdiàm”. It is the duty of the followers of Saekhi to maintain a good personal balance of Hàithiàm and Wộdiàm. By doing this, they can help balance the whole planet’s energy levels. Saekhi preaches that maintaining a close to equal balance is the only way to have peace, prosperity, and happiness.
Engines:
Naval: Marecraft
Land: Tortoise
Conventional Soldiers:
Infantry: Musket
Infantry: Hunter
Infantry: Pikeman
History: The nation of Khộl found its origin on the rich lands around the Tham Pràyakh River. The seclusion of the sea to the east and the mountains to the west meant that the Khộlla people and their neighbors were the only ones that were able to lay a proper claim to the lush land around them. And as such, before the unification, the region was in almost constant warfare. The Khộlla, however, did manage to unite the region, using both warfare and diplomacy to slowly acquire the territory of their neighbors, until they gained control of the entire region, forming the boundaries of what is now the nation of Dài Khộl, which just means “Greater Khộl”.
Description: Ocean-looking nation based on a strong, but expensive military and advanced domestic techniques.

I'll be following this, seems like it will be a great NES! Might join later.

Yyaraskihn (Children of Yyara)/celticfury
Capital: Undalysh
Colour: Red: 169; Green: 95; Blue: 33
Location:
Demonyms: Yyaraski
Flag:Government: Primitive Elective Monarchy. Each individual tribe is ruled by an Ilyhk, or chieftain. An Ilyhksol, Great Chief, rules over the whole of the Yyaraskihn tribes. When the previous Ilyhksol dies, the ilyhks gather at Undalysh to select a new one. In order to maintain their power, Ilyhksols’ often establish marriage alliances between their tribe and other tribes.
Religion: The Yyaraski religion centers around the worship of a singular god, Yyara, the Great Rider. Yyara is believed to be the father of all horses, as well as the father of all Yyaraskihn. While the Yyaraskihn do not worship any other gods, they recognize the existence of other deities alongside the Great Rider’s.
Engines: Terracraft (Land); Aerocraft (Air)
Conventional Soldiers: Horse Archers (Rykasol); Hunters; Light Infantry (Korlaen)
History: Since time immemorial, the Yyaraskihn have fought; usually, they fought amongst themselves, engaging in bloody feuds and rivalries that transcended generations. The other nomads, the Urgyhs and the Tarnai, also competed with the Yyaraskihn for dominance of the steppe. Eventually, a leader managed to arise from the Blood Grass tribe. Kyjitou, third son of the Blood Grass ilyhk, outmaneuvered his older brothers to succeed his father as head of the tribe. Claiming to have received a vision from the Great Rider, he quickly moved to unite the Yyaraskihn tribes, either through diplomacy or by the sword. He declared himself Ilyhksol, head of all the Children of Yyara. Kyjitou then set out with his new horde, crushing the Urgyhs and scattering the Tarnai to the four winds. Those he defeated were added to the Yyaraskihn as slaves. After his death, Kyjitou’s sons continued his legacy, keeping the Ilyhksol within his bloodline and improving upon the reforms he had established during his reign.
Description: The Yyaraskihn are a semi nomadic pastoral culture. They are rather aggressive, excelling better at fighting than at ruling.

Yyaraskihn society is primarily divided between three “tiers”;

• The Skihnliat (True Children): those of pure Yyaraskihn heritage. They are the only ones who may inherit herds or horses, be chosen for Ilyhk or Ilyhksol, be allowed to ride in the Rykasol (Great Horde), or own slaves.
• The Sekrasaer (Half Bloods): those of mixed heritage, usually the descendent of a skihnliat-kyloh pairing. Despite often being treated as second-class citizens, the Sekrasaer do have several advantages. Since they cannot be chosen as leaders, they often devote themselves to the arts of stewardship. Thus, they are considered the de facto rulers of the city of Undalysh. They also form the bulk of the Korlaen (Horseless). Foreigners also fall within this category, though it is extremely rare to find one that has not been enslaved.
• The Kyloh (Servants): those who were forced into or born into slavery. They are considered to be the property of whoever owns them, and while they can be dealt with as their owner sees fit, they are also under their owners protection. The Kyloh perform tasks considered unfit for the skihnliat and sekrasaer, such as farming and mining.

Kingdom of Jedorra/Patchy
Capital: Jedorra
Colour: Brown
Location:
Demonyms: Jedorran for both
Flag:
Government: Primitive Monarchy
Religion: The Jenorran worship a pantheon of gods headed by Kamun, god of rivers and the sun.
Engines: The Tortoise, Airship
Conventional Soldiers: Axemen, Crossbow, Lancer
History: The Jedorrans live on vast open plains, interrupted only by rivers which together provided the conditions for a vast system of agriculture to evolve. Using the rivers for irrigation and the near endless plains for farming ground, a large population was able to develop. The move towards urbanization begun out of necessity as large cities were less prone to being attacked by bandits, this created a number of city-states in the region the most prominent being Jedorra. The kings of Jedorra conquered other city states through war, being the first to implement the crossbow in the region.
Description: A somewhat war-like nation based around tribute of the conquered people to the rulers until the conquered people gain citizenship.

Name of Nation/Player: Irran Empire/Popcornlord
Capital: Mytre
Colour: 85-107-47 (Olive Green)
Location:
Demonyms: Karros People/Culture/Language
Flag:
Government: High Council w/ Primitive Monarchy: the Emperor is a hereditary position, and originally the government. After the War of Souls, he conceded much of his power to the Council. Each consul chooses his successor upon death, allowing powerful families in the Empire to dominate politically.
Religion: The Irran Empire consists primarily of two religions, Thytism and Nagraism, which stem from similar roots. Each of these are considered legal, and practiced freely, although there is competition between the two.
Thytism is an umbrella term for the traditional beliefs of the Karros people. By far the most numerous, although extremely decentralized, its especially popular in rural communities and the north. Thytists generally believes that Thyt, the creator, is inconceivable by the human mind, and therefore represents himself in numerous lesser deities, or aspects. These aspects are worshiped through many shrines and temples scattered around the countryside. As the aspects are often abstract concepts, it is not uncommon for priests to argue over which aspects exist, and sometimes even invent new ones.
Nagraism, in contrast, is a relatively recent invention. Nagraism still acknowledges the existence of Thyt, but argues that he does not take an active part in creation. Instead, he leaves the management of creation to a feudal system of races, the last of which is Humanity. Nagraism preaches that humans must remember their place in this divine order, known as Nagra, and work for the desires of the next higher being, the spiritual Harat. Furthermore, humanities' forgetfulness as to their place means that they can no longer directly contact the Harat. Instead, a proxy is used, the Emperor and his priestly advisors. Nagraism is popular in the southern cities, especially Mytre itself, and the elite. As it proclaims the Emperor as the most important figure in the world, it has never been overly popular outside of the Irran Empire, except for small packets of dissenters.
Engines: Marecraft, Aerocraft
Conventional Soldiers: Musket, Pikeman, Light Calvary
History: The Karros People have, since prehistiory, lived as farmers and traders along the Arka River. While some contact was made with the northern tribes, facilitated by the river, the local warlords were to busy fighting amongst themselves to give much thought to expansion. Within time, the fertility of the south led to the development of a few major cities, which led to the development of "river-princes", warlords who changed focus from military to economic expansion.
These cities soon developed a sophisticated elite class, fueled by ownership of the river ships that made the south so profitable. These elites prioritized intellectual discussions over the properties of Thyt, and this created the theories that led to Nagraism. One of the elite, Tarr of House Roen, used this to gain prestige in the great houses, eventually performing a coup d'état to gain control of Mytre. With powerful supporters, he soon gained a strong foothold in the southern cities.
Fearing this new power, the remaining warlords joined together in a loose alliance against Tarr Roen. Although mostly about politics and power, the importance of religion in the resulting war meant that it became popularly known as the War of Souls. The economic power and unity of the Nagraist armies were balanced by the raw numbers behind the Thytists. After years of bloody stalemate, an agreement was made that led to the current imperial infrastructure. Tarr Roen was given the title of Emperor, but his power was limited by the remaining warlords, now consuls. 14 years later, Avirri engineers came to Mytre, with promises of machines that would satisfy the Emperor's thirst for power...
Description: A somewhat divided nation, between the urban, Nagraist, and rich south, and the rural, agrarian, Thytist north. The emperor has ambitious dreams, facilitated by a loyal and strong military, but needs to deal with the High Council first.

Tengalu’kulchen/Vertinari118
Capital: Ilki’tah
Colour: Perhaps a dark red or maroon or a regal purple or even a green. Or gold/yellow? I really don’t mind whatever will be most easily distinguished on the map. Definitely a dark colour though.
Location: A humid sub-tropical or tropical climate. Coastal, ideally on an island or part of an island chain else I’ll have to change my engines
Demonyms: Tengalu is the demonym for the main ethic group. Tengalu’kulchen means kingdom or sovereignty of the Tengalu. The language is nameless as they simply call it language and so most people would presumably call it their equivalent of Tengaluese.
Flag: What do we do if symbols of the kingdom are all living people or objects carved into or made from stone, often on a large scale? Also OOC I have neither the time nor skill to make numerous flags to depict the major cults and persons of the Kulchen though they would have emblems to signifiy them.
Government: An elective monarchy with the religious elite as the electors

Religion: Tengaluism, for want of a better word. The Tengalu are polytheistic with hero and ancestor worship also playing important roles. Different cults are organised around different deities or smaller groups of deities that make up the whole of the pantheon.
Engines: The Raider prototype and the Marecraft
Conventional Soldiers: Hunters, Spearmen and Light Infantry
History: The Tengalu are an old and advanced tribal nation bound together by religion and tradition. They urbanised as they expanded subjecting people and taking slaves along the way in addition to an explosion in native population growth due to advancements in cultivation of domesticated crops and animals. Urbanisation was the main factor that led to the formation of a unified kulchen, which then formed the basis of the present state. Now industrialisation is set to radically change Tengalu culture again, though, at the moment, they’re simply struggling to cope with the future shock. A violent, dangerous and insecure kingdom with a history of enslavement and even human sacrifices is the dark cloud on many a lesser peoples’ horizon…
Description: Imagine a suffusion of Mesoamerican, South-East Asian and Ancient Egyptian with a dash of late Imperial Roman culture perhaps. Then industrialise and future-shock it. An ancient society with more gods than you’ve had hot dinners, mostly nature-based, in a world were nature is struggling to cling on. A world the Tengalu where they must slay their oldest, primordial gods in order to survive. Did I mention they dislike work and like slaves?

We Tengalu are old; old as the hills and forests in which we dwell. For a thousand, thousand years we have lived, loved, fought and died in these virgin lands. Then the men came with smoke and fire, black magicks and mighty sorceries. They offered us these powers and told us if we did not take them then other kulchen would. We will not fade from the world! Our kulchen is not the greatest, the black sorcerers are, but it is the most pious, the most glorious, the most ancient and favoured by the gods! We have corrupted and poisoned our lands with steam and fire and coal. We revel in the death that gives us power, for if we did not the grief and shame would surely slay us. We took their cursed weapons and now it is time to ravage the world!

OCC: Finally decided to resurrect my account. I apologise to all the people I disappeared on probably nearly two years ago now. A-levels were a more work than I had anticipated. But uni is less time consuming and more fun so nesing is back as a hobby! Will this do Optical? Anything that needs fixing up other than issues about flags?

Feedback

mayor said:

I do have a question about the Airship. We have access to them before Early Steam, but the ships do need steam to be of any use... Doesn't that mean we are in Early steam?

Click to expand...

Everything from Experimental tech onwards has access to steam. Early Steam is just when steam tech is basically perfected - it's a lazy name for that tech level I admit.

Vertinari118 said:

*snip*

OCC: Finally decided to resurrect my account. I apologise to all the people I disappeared on probably nearly two years ago now. A-levels were a more work than I had anticipated. But uni is less time consuming and more fun so nesing is back as a hobby! Will this do Optical? Anything that needs fixing up other than issues about flags?

Click to expand...

I'm fine with people having no flag if it works IC. Everything checks out fine with your submission. Happy to have you aboard!

To All: Beginning work on first update, and all going well it should be up before the end of the weekend here (I'm off school until February - summer ).

Edit: I'll do the bits where people have left WIP or haven't done that bit yet last. I'd like to have everyone's submissions to work with by the time this timer
[TIMER=11/25/2012 1:00 PM UTC+13; Thank you for getting your submissions in on time!][/TIMER]
goes off, ideally. Cheers.

Second Edit: OK, all the signup posts are now linked here. Thanks to Sonereal, Mosher, Bair, Nintz, thomas.berubeg and Vertinari for having already completed their sumbissions. Reward: you guys will probably turn up near the start of the update

Sorry about that, I should be all updated.

What about me?

Patchy said:

What about me?

Click to expand...

Description.

Things that aren't done are listed next to people's submissions on the post I linked to. A lot of people haven't filled out the description, but I'm less worried about that.

WOO! I win!

I was planning to write down my religion tonight. However, I broke the cork of my wine bottle which meant it needed to be finished... let's just say that was the end of a, planned to be, productive evening/night. I have however wrote down the basics, so I hope to have the time tomorrow.

mayor said:

I was planning to write down my religion tonight. However, I broke the cork of my wine bottle which meant it needed to be finished... let's just say that was the end of a, planned to be, productive evening/night. I have however wrote down the basics, so I hope to have the time tomorrow.

Click to expand...

Developing stuff drunk is fun. Do it!

well, I already developed it, writing it down is the problem

furthermore, I kinda told my girlfriend to come over, which she is currently doing