LINES- World of Magic
Hi, and welcome to my first NES. Its an althistory of sorts, although for almost all practical purposes its a fresh start. It is different from the real world in one major way. The world is filled with magic. Humans wield great powers, mythical creatures roam the lands, and you will lead a nation to greatness. Heres how it all started
The Warlord of Zagraz stood celebrating in the bridge of his command ship. The enemy Calonian fleet was scattering, retreating from the outer provinces back to the core.
Sir! shouted an underling, The sub-admirals request permission to pursue the retreating Calonians.
The warlord stood in thought for a few moments. His fleet was slightly damaged from the battle, and normally he would spend time to repair it. But the Calonians weakness would not be likely to last long. To act now in a brief window of opportunity, or to be cautious and attack a strengthened enemy?
***POINT OF DIVERGENCE***
Establish connection with the Sub-Admirals. grunted the Warlord. Several holograms rose up from the floor, each showing one of the Sub-Admirals.
Pursue the Calonians. Well never get a chance like this again.
Yes sir.
The Warlord of Zagraz calmly adjusted his spiked battle armour as the massive Zagrazi fleet began accelerating to lightspeed. Which is where we leave this great war to follow a single proton, blasted out of a ship as it engaged its anti-matter drive.
The proton blasted through space at half of lightspeed for hundreds of thousands of years, before colliding with a soccer ball-sized mass of microscopic particles. The proton bounces off harmlessly, but pushes the mass of particles off its original course by an infinitesimally small degree. The particles glide through space for another few million years before it falls into the gravity well of a small planet halfway down one of the spiral arms of the galaxy.
This planet has recently experienced a mass extinction, which wiped out the vast majority of life on the planet, particularly a group of massive reptilians. Creatures descended from an unassuming warm-blooded herbivore have spread all over the world. And one of them has recently become self-aware, and has begun developing civilization. It was then when the mass of particles hit. They blasted through the atmosphere, and crashed into the side of a mountain somewhere in the largest landmass. Winds helped to spread it, but the particles were attracted to sentient life. They clustered around the primitive creatures, called humans, and were carried by their oblivious hosts all over the world. The humans, though unaware of the existence of the particles, eventually discovered that they could manipulate things. Minds could be changed, lives extended, and creatures changed into incredible creatures that had earlier existed only in myth.
The first people to master a form of magic were the people of Ur. They practiced weather magic, irrigating their fields further beyond the high-water mark of the rivers. They were the first people to create dragons, which they used to great effect in their campaigns against nearby peoples. After hundreds of years, the Empire of Ur stretched from western India to northern Italy. But they would not be alone as a dominant magical power for long.
Far to the east, in China, farmers in China had begun developing a civilization. Their first magic-wielders continued the ancestor worship practiced by the people for some time by learning how to bring back the dead, and heal the mortally wounded living. This would have been an excellent tool for the conquest of nearby primitive kingdoms, but the Chinese didnt believe in using their skill for conquest, in reverence for the dead.
And in the furthest western points of the known world, a people in Iberia began practicing Geomancy, earth-magic. Constantly forced west by barbarians, who were in turn pushed west by Ur. When it seemed that the people could hold out no longer, the desperate mages who ruled them joined their powers together and raised a massive citadel of an island out of the depths of the sea. Christening it Atlantis, the people were safe in their island fortress. They developed scientifically, culturally, and militarily. The Atlanteans became masters of their form of magic, turning dead stone into mighty golems to fight for them.
After two centuries of isolation, the Atlanteans returned, bent on retaking their former lands. Their huge armies swept over Iberia and northwestern Africa. Rapidly establishing itself, Atlantis then claimed Gaul, the English Isles, central Europe, and the Baltic. Of course, this expansion could only bring it towards conflict-with the mighty Empire of Ur.
Ur had ceased to expand several centuries before the rise of Atlantis. Some would call it decadent, others would call it peaceful. The truth was that the majority of the people had grown too enamoured of their magnificent cities to leave. However, they still kept a massive army of infantry, cavalry, mages, and Dragon Riders ready to mobilize at a moments notice.
As Atlantis borders expanded to meet those of Ur, it became almost certain that violent conflict would ensue. The two types of magic reacted violently with each other, preventing the magic-wielders from spreading knowledge. The two powers aggressively ignored each other, refusing to admit that they had met their matches. The borders were fortified, and armies readied. Small groups of primitives near the borders fled in terror from the approaching storm. All that remained was one event to trigger the war. It was to happen in Urs city of Rome.
During an annual celebration, all of the people of the city were engaged in a majestic show of their powers over the weather. The skies would burst, filled with blinding lightning. Rainbows would then flood out the sky, followed by cleansing winds. All sorts of incredible weather would exist on that day of that incredible show of power (it was also very useful for convincing barbarians to join the Empire).
It was a terrible accident that caused an Atlantean scouting force to arrive near the city. The winds generated by the celebration had thrown the Atlantean galley off course, causing it to land outside Rome. Upon stepping upon the shore, the Geomantic energies of Atlantis mages reacted with the weather control of Ur. The great infernal storm that struck the city killed thousands of locals, and obliterated the Atlantean force.
Ur was the first to respond. It launched its massive army upon Atlantios-owned southern Italy. The fortresses were obliterated by enemy lightning storms and hurricane-force gales. Meanwhile, another army of Ur met a primary Atlantean force in the Alps. While outnumbered, the Atlanteans managed to get away by blocking the pass between the two armies with a massive rockslide.
Many more battles raged through central Europe, while the Atlanteans sent a secret army through northern Africa to take out Urs territory of Egypt. Ur detected the army early, and the two forces met in the middle of the Libyan desert. The battle was bloodier than anything that the earth had ever seen before. The armies were so evenly matched that the only survivors of the battle of over a million soldiers were two of Urs dragon riders, who proceeded to wreak havoc on Atlantis territory in western Africa.
The two mighty powers clashed with each other for centuries, training new soldiers as fast as they fell upon the battlefield. But slowly, each enemy weakened. At last, they signed a peace. But Italy, the Alps, and parts of the Mediterranean coast were so horribly damaged that no one would live there for generations.
At first, the borders were the same as they had been before the war. But Ur fell into a decline. It had lost too many men and wizards to maintain its massive irrigation projects in normally infertile lands. Ur eventually pulled out of these lands as well, as they reverted to desert. People fled to the capital, swelling it to a tremendous population. Ur struggled to accommodate. Its great buildings became crowded apartments, and clean streets became congested. By the time this NES starts, it has shrunk to contain little more than Mesopotamia.
Atlantis, at first, appeared to have come off much better from the war. It repaired its lands, which had suffered far less than Urs. But some people grew tired of the monarchy. They believed that an advanced country such as Atlantis should be represented by the people, rather than the all-powerful high prophet. A civil war broke out, almost as damaging as the terrible war with Ur. Atlantis and its colonies were badly damaged. The republicans eventually made a compromise, and left Atlantis forever. They claimed western Africa and various Atlantic islands as their own, and called their nation New Atlantis. At the same time, the current general of Atlantis, Karrak, demanded that Ur should be ended once and for all. But the immortal high prophet, ruler of Atlantis, refused to bring back the bloodshed. So the general took away his supporters, almost half of the Atlantean army. He claimed the coasts of Gaul and Iberia as his own. Karraks nation became known as Atlantica.
This brings the story of the world of magic to the present. Atlantis proper has become very isolationist, while New Atlantis and Atlantica push their agendas upon the new nations forming in the lands once occupied by the two superpowers (Representation and Militarism, respectively). In the far east, unchanging China continues on as it always has, despite the recent development of new states near it. The lands have healed, and new peoples are ready to make their mark on the world.
(A bunch of this stuff is from Kamilians system, with a few little changes. Kamilian, mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery
)
Nation Template:
Name:
Capital:
Ruler:
Government:
Population: 2000
Economy: Stable (3/0/4)
Education: Average
Technology: Bronze age
Loyalty: Tolerating
Army: 100 infantry
Navy: 10 galleys
Magic: 10 magic users + your magic type
UU:
Projects:
Description:
Economy (Almost like Kamilians System)
From lowest to highest:
Depression (1/0/3)
Recession (1/0/2)
Failing (2/0/3)
Stable (3/0/4)
Growing (4/0/5)
Prosperous (5/0/6)
Wealthy (6/0/7)
Outstanding (7/0/0)
1st number is # of economy points you can spend per turn.
2nd number will represent # of points put in to increasing economy, in this case, empty.
3rd number is number of turns you must increase economy in a row to reach the next level. You can only put 1 economy point into increasing the economy per turn.
Education
How smart your people are. Can be increased by paying the number beside the education level, at one economy point per turn.
Idiotic +1
Ignorant +2
Below Average +3
Average +4
Above Average +5
Clever +6
Wise +7
Enlightened +8
Loyalty
How faithful and patriotic your people are towards you and the nation. You can increase this stat with economy points, but it will fluctuate with your nations success. Levels: Hateful, Resentful, Tolerating, Respecting, Admiring, Loving, Worshipping
Projects
Like in most other NESes. Explain what it does, and Ill judge how long itll take. You can only put in 1 economy point towards its construction every turn.
Stories
Liven up the NES! Ill give rewards to those who write good stories.
UU
Your nation can have ONE type of mythical unit. Make something up and describe it to me. You can train 10 UU for an economy point.
Military
In the bronze age, you can train 100 infantry, archers, or cavalry for 1 eco. point each. Upgrading to the next age costs one economy level. Infantry are equally powerful on offense and defense, but slow. Archers are simply ranged support foot units. Cavalry are strong on offense, weak on defense, and fast, though they are inefficient on uneven terrain. Your army can consist of a maximum of 10% of your population in a representative government, and 25% of your population in a monarchy. The only limit in a militaristic government is your population. But you get loyalty problems in less representative governments. If you go over your unit limit you have to pay support of 1 economy point per turn.
Navy
In the bronze age, you can train 10 galleys for 1 eco point. Upgrading into the next age costs 1 economy level.
Magic
You can train 10 magic- users for 1 economy point. You need at least 10 of them to invoke magic in one area. While powerful attackers, they are slaughtered without an escort.
Types of Magic
Nature magic- Combat bonus in enemy land, because healing powers keep soldiers alive. You can grow rich forests and farms, providing some extra food and small defense.
Necromancy- Soldiers are less likely to die. If they do, you may be able to raise them back to life.
Pyromancy- Offensive combat bonus. You can destroy enemy territory by scorching it.
Geomancy- (Earth magic) Defensive combat bonus, and you can raise islands from the depths of the sea (or sink them)
Weather magic- Enemies moving through your territory are slowed, because of bad weather caused by you. Your own lands can support more population.
Blood worship- The bloodlust of your warriors strikes terror into your enemies, greatly increasing offensive combat strength.
Aquamancy- Ships are much faster and perform better in combat. Cities near water can surround themselves in water for defense.
Time/Space manipulation- Troops can teleport through space or into the future. But no returning from the future to the past! I don't want you to summon a nuke from the future when you're in the bronze age.
Notes on Magic:
-Magicians on opposite sides can cancel each others power out, so the force with more magic-wielders gets to use its spells.
-If I find a certain branch of magic becoming overpowered, I will weaken it slightly.
-Rulers can be granted immortality (solving the problem of a ruler dying every turn)
-You can ask for your magic-wielders to do many sorts of spells not listed by me, as long as it fits with the magic type. I.e.- A geomancer can cut off a pass with a rockslide, or an aquamancer can flood a city (with great effort)
-More to be added later.
Note to new players: Don't be too shy to join this NES. We'll help you get a grip on the rules. Hey, I was a complete NESing noob just a few months ago, and all I had to do was ask to join one.
If you have any suggestions, tell me.
Hi, and welcome to my first NES. Its an althistory of sorts, although for almost all practical purposes its a fresh start. It is different from the real world in one major way. The world is filled with magic. Humans wield great powers, mythical creatures roam the lands, and you will lead a nation to greatness. Heres how it all started
The Warlord of Zagraz stood celebrating in the bridge of his command ship. The enemy Calonian fleet was scattering, retreating from the outer provinces back to the core.
Sir! shouted an underling, The sub-admirals request permission to pursue the retreating Calonians.
The warlord stood in thought for a few moments. His fleet was slightly damaged from the battle, and normally he would spend time to repair it. But the Calonians weakness would not be likely to last long. To act now in a brief window of opportunity, or to be cautious and attack a strengthened enemy?
***POINT OF DIVERGENCE***
Establish connection with the Sub-Admirals. grunted the Warlord. Several holograms rose up from the floor, each showing one of the Sub-Admirals.
Pursue the Calonians. Well never get a chance like this again.
Yes sir.
The Warlord of Zagraz calmly adjusted his spiked battle armour as the massive Zagrazi fleet began accelerating to lightspeed. Which is where we leave this great war to follow a single proton, blasted out of a ship as it engaged its anti-matter drive.
The proton blasted through space at half of lightspeed for hundreds of thousands of years, before colliding with a soccer ball-sized mass of microscopic particles. The proton bounces off harmlessly, but pushes the mass of particles off its original course by an infinitesimally small degree. The particles glide through space for another few million years before it falls into the gravity well of a small planet halfway down one of the spiral arms of the galaxy.
This planet has recently experienced a mass extinction, which wiped out the vast majority of life on the planet, particularly a group of massive reptilians. Creatures descended from an unassuming warm-blooded herbivore have spread all over the world. And one of them has recently become self-aware, and has begun developing civilization. It was then when the mass of particles hit. They blasted through the atmosphere, and crashed into the side of a mountain somewhere in the largest landmass. Winds helped to spread it, but the particles were attracted to sentient life. They clustered around the primitive creatures, called humans, and were carried by their oblivious hosts all over the world. The humans, though unaware of the existence of the particles, eventually discovered that they could manipulate things. Minds could be changed, lives extended, and creatures changed into incredible creatures that had earlier existed only in myth.
The first people to master a form of magic were the people of Ur. They practiced weather magic, irrigating their fields further beyond the high-water mark of the rivers. They were the first people to create dragons, which they used to great effect in their campaigns against nearby peoples. After hundreds of years, the Empire of Ur stretched from western India to northern Italy. But they would not be alone as a dominant magical power for long.
Far to the east, in China, farmers in China had begun developing a civilization. Their first magic-wielders continued the ancestor worship practiced by the people for some time by learning how to bring back the dead, and heal the mortally wounded living. This would have been an excellent tool for the conquest of nearby primitive kingdoms, but the Chinese didnt believe in using their skill for conquest, in reverence for the dead.
And in the furthest western points of the known world, a people in Iberia began practicing Geomancy, earth-magic. Constantly forced west by barbarians, who were in turn pushed west by Ur. When it seemed that the people could hold out no longer, the desperate mages who ruled them joined their powers together and raised a massive citadel of an island out of the depths of the sea. Christening it Atlantis, the people were safe in their island fortress. They developed scientifically, culturally, and militarily. The Atlanteans became masters of their form of magic, turning dead stone into mighty golems to fight for them.
After two centuries of isolation, the Atlanteans returned, bent on retaking their former lands. Their huge armies swept over Iberia and northwestern Africa. Rapidly establishing itself, Atlantis then claimed Gaul, the English Isles, central Europe, and the Baltic. Of course, this expansion could only bring it towards conflict-with the mighty Empire of Ur.
Ur had ceased to expand several centuries before the rise of Atlantis. Some would call it decadent, others would call it peaceful. The truth was that the majority of the people had grown too enamoured of their magnificent cities to leave. However, they still kept a massive army of infantry, cavalry, mages, and Dragon Riders ready to mobilize at a moments notice.
As Atlantis borders expanded to meet those of Ur, it became almost certain that violent conflict would ensue. The two types of magic reacted violently with each other, preventing the magic-wielders from spreading knowledge. The two powers aggressively ignored each other, refusing to admit that they had met their matches. The borders were fortified, and armies readied. Small groups of primitives near the borders fled in terror from the approaching storm. All that remained was one event to trigger the war. It was to happen in Urs city of Rome.
During an annual celebration, all of the people of the city were engaged in a majestic show of their powers over the weather. The skies would burst, filled with blinding lightning. Rainbows would then flood out the sky, followed by cleansing winds. All sorts of incredible weather would exist on that day of that incredible show of power (it was also very useful for convincing barbarians to join the Empire).
It was a terrible accident that caused an Atlantean scouting force to arrive near the city. The winds generated by the celebration had thrown the Atlantean galley off course, causing it to land outside Rome. Upon stepping upon the shore, the Geomantic energies of Atlantis mages reacted with the weather control of Ur. The great infernal storm that struck the city killed thousands of locals, and obliterated the Atlantean force.
Ur was the first to respond. It launched its massive army upon Atlantios-owned southern Italy. The fortresses were obliterated by enemy lightning storms and hurricane-force gales. Meanwhile, another army of Ur met a primary Atlantean force in the Alps. While outnumbered, the Atlanteans managed to get away by blocking the pass between the two armies with a massive rockslide.
Many more battles raged through central Europe, while the Atlanteans sent a secret army through northern Africa to take out Urs territory of Egypt. Ur detected the army early, and the two forces met in the middle of the Libyan desert. The battle was bloodier than anything that the earth had ever seen before. The armies were so evenly matched that the only survivors of the battle of over a million soldiers were two of Urs dragon riders, who proceeded to wreak havoc on Atlantis territory in western Africa.
The two mighty powers clashed with each other for centuries, training new soldiers as fast as they fell upon the battlefield. But slowly, each enemy weakened. At last, they signed a peace. But Italy, the Alps, and parts of the Mediterranean coast were so horribly damaged that no one would live there for generations.
At first, the borders were the same as they had been before the war. But Ur fell into a decline. It had lost too many men and wizards to maintain its massive irrigation projects in normally infertile lands. Ur eventually pulled out of these lands as well, as they reverted to desert. People fled to the capital, swelling it to a tremendous population. Ur struggled to accommodate. Its great buildings became crowded apartments, and clean streets became congested. By the time this NES starts, it has shrunk to contain little more than Mesopotamia.
Atlantis, at first, appeared to have come off much better from the war. It repaired its lands, which had suffered far less than Urs. But some people grew tired of the monarchy. They believed that an advanced country such as Atlantis should be represented by the people, rather than the all-powerful high prophet. A civil war broke out, almost as damaging as the terrible war with Ur. Atlantis and its colonies were badly damaged. The republicans eventually made a compromise, and left Atlantis forever. They claimed western Africa and various Atlantic islands as their own, and called their nation New Atlantis. At the same time, the current general of Atlantis, Karrak, demanded that Ur should be ended once and for all. But the immortal high prophet, ruler of Atlantis, refused to bring back the bloodshed. So the general took away his supporters, almost half of the Atlantean army. He claimed the coasts of Gaul and Iberia as his own. Karraks nation became known as Atlantica.
This brings the story of the world of magic to the present. Atlantis proper has become very isolationist, while New Atlantis and Atlantica push their agendas upon the new nations forming in the lands once occupied by the two superpowers (Representation and Militarism, respectively). In the far east, unchanging China continues on as it always has, despite the recent development of new states near it. The lands have healed, and new peoples are ready to make their mark on the world.
(A bunch of this stuff is from Kamilians system, with a few little changes. Kamilian, mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery
)Nation Template:
Name:
Capital:
Ruler:
Government:
Population: 2000
Economy: Stable (3/0/4)
Education: Average
Technology: Bronze age
Loyalty: Tolerating
Army: 100 infantry
Navy: 10 galleys
Magic: 10 magic users + your magic type
UU:
Projects:
Description:
Economy (Almost like Kamilians System)
From lowest to highest:
Depression (1/0/3)
Recession (1/0/2)
Failing (2/0/3)
Stable (3/0/4)
Growing (4/0/5)
Prosperous (5/0/6)
Wealthy (6/0/7)
Outstanding (7/0/0)
1st number is # of economy points you can spend per turn.
2nd number will represent # of points put in to increasing economy, in this case, empty.
3rd number is number of turns you must increase economy in a row to reach the next level. You can only put 1 economy point into increasing the economy per turn.
Education
How smart your people are. Can be increased by paying the number beside the education level, at one economy point per turn.
Idiotic +1
Ignorant +2
Below Average +3
Average +4
Above Average +5
Clever +6
Wise +7
Enlightened +8
Loyalty
How faithful and patriotic your people are towards you and the nation. You can increase this stat with economy points, but it will fluctuate with your nations success. Levels: Hateful, Resentful, Tolerating, Respecting, Admiring, Loving, Worshipping
Projects
Like in most other NESes. Explain what it does, and Ill judge how long itll take. You can only put in 1 economy point towards its construction every turn.
Stories
Liven up the NES! Ill give rewards to those who write good stories.
UU
Your nation can have ONE type of mythical unit. Make something up and describe it to me. You can train 10 UU for an economy point.
Military
In the bronze age, you can train 100 infantry, archers, or cavalry for 1 eco. point each. Upgrading to the next age costs one economy level. Infantry are equally powerful on offense and defense, but slow. Archers are simply ranged support foot units. Cavalry are strong on offense, weak on defense, and fast, though they are inefficient on uneven terrain. Your army can consist of a maximum of 10% of your population in a representative government, and 25% of your population in a monarchy. The only limit in a militaristic government is your population. But you get loyalty problems in less representative governments. If you go over your unit limit you have to pay support of 1 economy point per turn.
Navy
In the bronze age, you can train 10 galleys for 1 eco point. Upgrading into the next age costs 1 economy level.
Magic
You can train 10 magic- users for 1 economy point. You need at least 10 of them to invoke magic in one area. While powerful attackers, they are slaughtered without an escort.
Types of Magic
Nature magic- Combat bonus in enemy land, because healing powers keep soldiers alive. You can grow rich forests and farms, providing some extra food and small defense.
Necromancy- Soldiers are less likely to die. If they do, you may be able to raise them back to life.
Pyromancy- Offensive combat bonus. You can destroy enemy territory by scorching it.
Geomancy- (Earth magic) Defensive combat bonus, and you can raise islands from the depths of the sea (or sink them)
Weather magic- Enemies moving through your territory are slowed, because of bad weather caused by you. Your own lands can support more population.
Blood worship- The bloodlust of your warriors strikes terror into your enemies, greatly increasing offensive combat strength.
Aquamancy- Ships are much faster and perform better in combat. Cities near water can surround themselves in water for defense.
Time/Space manipulation- Troops can teleport through space or into the future. But no returning from the future to the past! I don't want you to summon a nuke from the future when you're in the bronze age.
Notes on Magic:
-Magicians on opposite sides can cancel each others power out, so the force with more magic-wielders gets to use its spells.
-If I find a certain branch of magic becoming overpowered, I will weaken it slightly.
-Rulers can be granted immortality (solving the problem of a ruler dying every turn)
-You can ask for your magic-wielders to do many sorts of spells not listed by me, as long as it fits with the magic type. I.e.- A geomancer can cut off a pass with a rockslide, or an aquamancer can flood a city (with great effort)
-More to be added later.
Note to new players: Don't be too shy to join this NES. We'll help you get a grip on the rules. Hey, I was a complete NESing noob just a few months ago, and all I had to do was ask to join one.
If you have any suggestions, tell me.
