pre-TNESIII: The Once and Future Thread

Expressing interest as well, currently have exams soon but will try to get an application up after that, in the next few days.

Sounds good. All of you who are on the roster, please try to respond to the religion poll today or tomorrow.

Currently I'm looking at 8 confirmed players and expecting submissions from bombshoo, Amesjay, Golden and nuke in the coming days. We certainly have additional locations available, especially in the far north, but act soon if you're still interested in securing a large tract of open land. Barring that, you could always be the retainer of another player. Or I could start cramming you closer together.

You are allowed to name your regions! Naming major geographic features like rivers or mountain ranges will require popular/my approval. I will be taking another pass at the map in the next week or two in order to distinguish forests, farmlands, heaths and hills to make things a bit clearer.

Polytheistic
Spiritual Evolution
Landed, politically isolationist
Other: reincarnation

Pseudo-monotheistic (dualism)
Mystery Religion
Unlanded, politically influential
Other: Male-Female dualism

1. Polytheistic
2. Appeasement and Sacrifice
3. Unlanded - Politically Influential
4. Polytheistic religion where the various gods represent human emotions, such as the god of happiness, god of anger, etc. as opposed to gods being in charge of different elements or realms or activities (god of war, god of the ocean, god of fire)

An ancient family that can trace its lineage from before the original Greyling migration, House Siegaesc is a proud noble family, even possessing one of the ancient diadems. Initially, House Siegaesc greatly benefitted from the migration, growing from bannermen to other lords to becoming a house that only answered to the King himself. However, as time went on, poor rulers and their decisions, bad political marriages, and general bad luck brought them to the dirt, barely above the smallfolk they ruled over. In recent years however, House Siegaesc’s fortunes have turned for the better. Led by Unferth Siegaesc, the family made a very advantageous marriage into the powerful House Schlett, and inherited their lands. Their hope lies in Aethelred, a young but tested man who has already reclaimed the family’s ancient sword and has fought in wars to help secure the family’s powerbase. Now, as the most powerful house of the East, House Siegaesc turns to the pending civil war between the Elming family. Though a staunchly traditionalist family, there are rumors that they seek to marry Aria Siegaesc to the Greyhound in an effort to further their aims. Perhaps it will lead them to prosper once more, though it may very well lead to further hardship.

Aethelred “The Winged Stag” Siegaesc, Age 18: Aethelred, the Winged Stag as he is called, is the culmination of years of planning by his family and their return to prominence. The first in his family to hold any meaningful title for generations, Aethelred has received the best possible education, in both the martial and diplomatic arts, in order to prepare him for his role. Having recovered the ancestral family sword Talon, and wearing House Siegaesc's diadem, Aethelred led an army against the alliance of some of the disloyal Schlett, and Houses Grafford, and Sagrud that rose up against his rule. Now the Master of the East, he turns his eye westward to the coming war between the Reds and Grays. In honor of his passed mother, Aethelred’s personal standard is a stag with wings.

+9, -4
+Clever
+Lucky
+Hardy
+Attractive
+Trained (Knight)
+Friendly
_Amoral
-Temperamental
-Vain
-Depraved

Unferth Siegaesc, Age 58-The Head of House Siegaesc, Unferth grew up when the House Siegaesc had little meaning. Though holding the ancient symbols of their House’s former power and wealth, none took their house seriously. Unferth watched with fury as his sister was forced to marry into House Grafford in order to help justify their wars against other houses . Since that day, Unferth swore to make it so that when people heard the name Siegaesc, they would not only respect it, but fear it.
+5, -6
+Clever
+Master (Strategist)
_Amoral
_Patient
_Cynic
-Vain
-Obsessive
-Distant
-Cruel

Wiglaf, Age 39-Wiglaf was perhaps the perfect consort for his wife. While she ruled her lands, Wiglaf supported her decisions, made for a loving husband, stayed out of court politics, and when the time came for it, would lead her armies. Wiglaf has, for the most part, a non existent relationship with his father. Wiglaf gives his father pride when he competes in melees and lists, but after his marriage to fulfill his familial duties, Unferth’s interest in him is only as a seasoned commander for the family’s army when the time comes. He tries to be a better father to his children, but feels lost without his wife Edith. She has been dead for 3 years, and his only solace comes from swinging either the bottle or the blade. A good warrior, he has many scars over his once beautiful visage, and when the time comes, he is one of the most dangerous men in the world with a sword in his hand.
+3, -6
+Master (Knight)
_Patient
-Ugly (Scarred)
-Shy
-Addicted

Modrya Schlett, Age 46-the elder sister of Edith, Modrya was intended to be the heiress to her father Haefen after her younger brother’s death. While before she had been shunned in favor of her prettier and more intelligent sister, her newfound status flooded Modrya with suitors. However, aside from the attention she received, she cared little for the men who paid her court. However, when her sister gave birth to a son, her father informed her that Edith would inherit his lands unless she bore a son before his death. In desperation, she married Caedman of House Grafford, but they had no children. She found few supporters for her claim, and upon Edith’s death, her own claim was overshadowed by her distant relative Faerian Schlett. She and her husband’s house supported Faerian’s war against Aethelred, but were soundly defeated and her husband was killed. Due to her age, she remains locked away, out of sight and out of mind, only seconds away from death...
+0. -10
-Homosexual
-Ugly
-Incapacitated
-Sickly

Aria “The Doe” Siegaesc, Age 16-the eldest daughter of Wiglaf, Aria is beautiful and, from her countless suitors, she knows it. Through her grandfather’s training, she learned how to manipulate others with it to use to her advantage. Aria has a love for politics, and is an avid social climber, her goal to be seen by all and to inspire envy in them. She does not seek power for the sake of ruling though, and would rather leave that to her family. +4, -4
+Attractive
+Clever
_Amoral
-Vain
-Arrogant

Tigel, Age 14. The younger brother and squire for Aethelred, Tigel is not much like his brother. Slow to make friends and quick to hide from strangers, Tigel seeks to become a brave warrior like his brother.
+1, -1
+Diligent
-Shy

Myiria Siegsaec, Age 11. The youngest daughter, Myiria is already described as fair and beautiful, though without her sister's mean and arrogant spirit.
+1
+Attractive

Grayvheg “The Black Eagle” Siegaesc, Age 36-A cousin of Unferth, Grayvheg officially serves as the personal guard of the family. However he serves a far more sinister purpose, working as a spy, messenger, torturer and executioner. On the battlefield, he is dangerous and imposing, wearing jet black armor and wielding a sword that has been dubbed “Night Terror”. Grayvheg, trusted by the cousin who is near paranoid of all, earned his position not only due to his efficiency, but also his misfortune: he is mute.
+2, -6
+Skilled (Knight)
+Diligent
_Cynic
-Mute
-Ugly
-Cruel

Ideal lands (in orange)

Nice work, nuka. You're confirmed. I will probably pare down your lands slightly and leave some of them in control of your bannermen, though there will be some independents as well.

Q1. Monotheistic
Q2. Code of Laws/Values
Q3. Landed, Politically Influential

Can I extend my holdings to completely surround the center lake of the three? I was envisioning putting my capital holding between the lake and the mountains.

I could expand your holdings a bit, though the impression that I've gotten from NK is that that land close to the mountains is particularly rugged. Also, I'm probably going to put some pseudo-Fennacht mountain clans in somewhere, which will make things troublesome for everyone.

Ah, understood.

On the holdings of House Aurené


Staadenport - One of the largest cities in the kingdom, Staadenport is a rapidly growing commercial and a great source of House Aurené's wealth.

Guilderwall - Built by Courdre's father, additions are continuously being added onto the castle by Courdre. It is by now one of, if not the, most lavish seats in the realm.

Aalgar - A small fishing village on the eponymous Isle Alesong.

Zeegroot - Once a competitor of Staadenport, Fairharbor has fallen out of favor recently, though it still experiences a respectable volume of trade.

Endspoint - This keep has always been the first line of defense for the Isle, though with the extension of the King's rule further into the sea it has fallen into relative disuse.

Cicero, I approve of the locations and descriptions of your cities. The one critique I might have is that you pretty much used conjugations of modern English words for all but one of them. That's fine for some of your holdings, but not *all* of them. So I'd rename a few of them.

Masada, that was really well done. Welcome to the NES.

A one-handed pauper against a green and white field.





*Hah, like mottos matter in the ICY HEART OF THE NORTH.

m.t.cicero said:

Pseudo-monotheistic (dualism)
Mystery Religion
Unlanded, politically influential
Other: Male-Female dualism

Click to expand...

I'm down with these choices.

Okay, so far we're looking at 2 polytheism votes, 2 dualism votes, 1 monotheism vote. Values are all over the map and there's no consensus on priests.

I'll need more people to give input before I can make a decision based on THAT.

Other: Polytheistic, Ancestor worship
Mystery Religion
Other: roaming warrior priests and priestesses who tend to only congregate at certain times of the year in sacred groves and the like... at which point they can become problematic for the impious lord. Occasionally, this can boil over and the priests and priestesses go on a Hunt for the impious. This may be associated with consumption of sacred things which tend to bring on altered states of being. Otherwise they like to keep themselves to themselves and only really hold religious services like in certain places at certain times. A small proportion of the clergy are organized more formally as knights, and can sometimes be induced to fight particularly in the targets are Fennacht. Human sacrifice, animal sacrifice and the like are still Done Things. The former being much rarer than the latter. It'd be sorta cool if had to execute people whenever we built a castle to sanctify and placate the Gods.
Other: a Cult of Ancestor worship honoring whichever of our Ancestors come over on the boat.

Interesting idea! Hopefully the other players will weigh in tomorrow and then I can make a final decision.

Q1: Polytheistic
Q2: Virtues as well as a system of Mysteries for the Initiates. The common folk worship the gods by following the virtues and avoiding the vices, but for the Initiated there's a whole new world of rituals and mysticism to understand.
Q3: Unlanded, Politcally uninfluential.