End of Empires - N3S III

[North King]

Saturday, June 22nd, 2013, 6 AM Eastern Time: Orders Due (Tentative).

New Players Welcome!

End of Empires - N3S III

Welcome to the End of Empires.

If you are completely new to NESing, then I’d like to give you a warm welcome, and am flattered that you happened to visit my NES first. NESing is something of a combination of strategy game, collaborative world-building, and collective setting for fiction; players take a country (or rebellion, church, bank... really anything that could plausibly have a significant impact on the world), send orders relating to how they want that country's turn to go (politically, militarily, culturally, etc.), and possibly write stories relating to characters in their faction. Read the rules (post #2) for more information.

The world of End of Empires is a large and probably somewhat intimidating one. I’d like to discourage this feeling. It is entirely player created, and while the background information may take a while to absorb completely, there’s no reason someone can’t start with this NES and learn as they go.

In that vein, I’m going to try and offer a quick summary of the world, then present the rules; for more information on any of these subjects, I encourage you to read through the updates in this thread, or to use the slowly growing and mildly entertaining wiki.

First things first, this is an NES based on a world that is not Earth, though it is similar enough that humans came to evolve here. All the players are located in a rather small portion of this world so far. This is the known world:

And this is its history (in abbreviated form; follow the wiki links to read more on specific topics; read the updates (links below) to gain more knowledge about specific time periods):

World History

Spoiler for Ancient History:

According to most historians, the earliest civilization began on the banks of the River Had and Sesh, in the center of what we would later call the known world. Each river fell from mountains and steep canyons down to a flat and well-watered delta. It would be the middle stretches of each – the meandering bends of either river, that saw the first cities arise, taking root near where people had first domesticated crops and animals.

The principal peoples to rise here would be the Seshweay and Arkage along the Sesh, and the Hu'ut near the mouth of the Had. By the time of the earliest records, the Seshweay and Arkage already struggled for dominance over the River Sesh, each fighting desperately to eject the other from the delta; neither quite succeeding for hundreds of years. The Hu'ut, by contrast, never even hoped to dominate all the Had, instead focusing on the problematic Farou, a state of escaped slaves to their north.

Other peoples had already begun their ascent as well – the seafaring Trilui on the coast near the Farou, the merchantile Opulensi and religiously devout Arta Xorti on the eastern islands, and Krato and Thearak across the southern mountains (already called the “Kotthorns”).

Far to the west, cities rose somewhat later, relying mostly on a staple crop of maize. Aeda, Tiagho and Dula were the greatest of these, with the first being the most impressive by far, already starting to conquer an empire across the western plain.

As the age of bronze and early empires wore on, things got much larger – and more complex.

The Seshweay and Arkage conflict never really resolved in a satisfactory way, for both peoples came under a sudden invasion by steppe peoples. After a series of conflicts, a general known as Te'esh united the various peoples of the Sesh into the Empire of the Sesh, the largest empire the world had seen to that point. Rivalries immediately developed with the second and third largest empires – the Empire of the Trilui, who had expanded from their humble origins to dominate the seas, and the Hu'ut Empire, which nearly united the Had under its rule.

Krato and Thearak had become locked in a series of wars of their own, which more or less completely isolated them from the rest of the world – passage over the mountains was difficult enough, and their wars meant they had little interest in northern affairs. Meanwhile, the sea route around the Nakalani had become nearly impassible, given the three-way rivalry rising between the Opulensi, Trilui, and southern Hamakua.

Northern states like Gallat and Ferman started to grow as well, though they were largely ignored by the main branches of civilization. Still unknown, too, were the western states, of which Tiagho had started to rise to prominence with a significant empire nearly uniting their river valley.

Spoiler for The Rise of Classical Civilization:

The three great empires of the cradle would each nearly collapse in a devastating series of cycles that marked the end of the Bronze Age and the beginning of the exclusive use of iron. The Empire of the Sesh fell completely, being reunited by an Arkage warlord later, but never recovering its former glory. The Hu'ut managed to survive, if only in truncated form – only the Trilui really emerged with their imperial system intact and growing, subduing the Hamakua as they went.

In the west, Aeda nearly managed to unite the entire valley under a single state, though it fell quite short – possibly as part of the same turmoil that struck the eastern civilizations.

The Trilui had ascended to to the point where they could conceivably have been called a world-empire. Allied with Seshweay exiles and the Farou, they destroyed the remnants of the Empire of the Sesh and the Hu'ut Empire, respectively. Alas, even as it seemed like the cradle of civilization was on the brink of peace, a new threat emerged – an invasion of the steppe people known as the Satar. Under their Redeemers Arastephas and Atraxes, they conquered the Sesh and united it under the rule, and pushed southwards before retreating once more.

This very same southward push halted the rise of the Empire of Krato, which had only just subdued its longtime rival in Thearak. The Satar invasion devastated the agricultural heartland of the country, and though it would partly recover, it never again came as close to hegemony as it had here.

The north saw the rise of new powers, the Evyni Empire and the Ming. Conquering many of their rivals with an extremely efficient, organized military, the Evyni would soon come to threaten even the established powers of Gallat and Ferman. The Ming, on the other hand, remained largely disunited, though legend has it that they had once been part of a single, enormous empire, still unknown to modern historians.

Even today, historians are caught off-guard by the rise of the Tollanaugh Empire. After thousands of years of disunity, it seemed as though the western cradle of civilization would never see the same splendor as the east. A dynasty out of the far western shorelands, the Tollanaugh swept over the armies of Aeda, easily conquered Tiagho, and reigned unchallenged in the west for nearly a century, more powerful, perhaps, than any other state in the entire world, known or unknown.

As their ascent had come at the expense of many of the great powers in the cradle, the Satar quickly amassed a whole host of enemies. These states would ally against the Satar in what would later be called the War of the Crimson Elephant, easily the largest war the world had seen up to that point, ending in the defeat of the Satar by the coalition, commanded by the Emperor First-Gaci. The war would have dozens of major consequences – the fall of the Trilui, the descent of Krato into civil war, the rise of the Holy Moti Empire, the destruction of the first Satar Exatai and the rise of Acca, and the founding of the Kothari Exatai being only the most important of these.

At the same time, numerous events came to a climax elsewhere in the world. The Opulensi would finally be united by a certain King Charitas I, who became their first Emperor. In the north, Ferman would finally be destroyed by Gallat, while the Evyni Empire crushed the northern Ming states, incorporating them into their growing realm. The Gallatene faith of Maninism would be exported southwards, where the nomadic peoples would be united by the Roshate of Sira.

Of course, the most incredible development would surely be the rise of the Dulama Empire. The Tollanaugh had reigned for scarcely any time at all before they would attempt to bring down the Dulama, a comparatively compact state in the mountains near the east of their cradle. The Dulama, under their Emperor Cairl I, put the Tollanaugh to flight in a series of titanic battles, crushing the western state, and soon conquering the entire thing and putting it under their own rule. The Dulama would rapidly expand in all directions, coming to the borders of the Moti and Krato in the far east, and bringing the two cradles in direct contact for the first time.

Spoiler for The Classical Age:

The Satar stabilized into the Ardavai Exatai, which would have a centuries-long rivalry with the Holy Moti Empire to their south. The fall of the Trilui after the War of the Crimson Elephant paved the way for the rise of the Kothari Exatai on land, and the ascension of the Opulensi to the title of most powerful seafaring empire in the east – one that they would not relinquish for centuries thereafter, as they easily fended off challenges from their new rivals in Leun.

The north had nearly been unified by the Gallatenes before their own state fell apart at the seams during civil war – one that left the Evyni as the primary power in the region. At the same time, however, the rising Savirai Empire loomed on the southern horizon – a threat that became all the more imminent with the beginning of a violently evangelical religion there. Sira, one of the few countries that might have staved off the Savirai, had split in a series of fratricidal conflicts.

In the west, of course, the Satar would be replaced on the steppe by the Vithana, who established an enormous trio of states that connected much of the central continent into a coherent trade network for the first time. To the south of the dominant Dulama, Haina and Trahana began to emerge as regional powers.

A new war, later to be called the War of the Three Gods, pitted the Ardavai against the Moti and Evyni. In the end, the Satar Exatai would be utterly defeated by the Moti, driven out of the Sesh entirely, and into the distant north, where they would scrabble with the Evyni over the remainder. The rest of the known world increasingly came under the control of a few states. The Seshweay and Faronun united after their long struggles against the Satar, forming the Farubaida o Caroha. In the north, Gallat collapsed entirely, falling to the mercy of surrounding states – the Savirai, whoever would win between the Evyni and Satar, and the rising island state of Cyve.

In the west, the cracks began to appear in the Dulama Empire, which would soon plunge into a massive civil war.

Since then, civilization has trudged on much as it had in the past. The Satar, under their new Karapeshai Exatai, defeated the Evyni and united much of the north, struggling with the Dual Empire of the Savirai for supremacy over Gallat. The Holy Moti Empire still reigns supreme in the south, though its dominance has come under increasing scrutiny with rising religious tensions, aristocratic discontent, and corruption. The Opulensi finally succumbed to a civil war, leaving the path open for Leunan supremacy in the east. And the Dulama, long the greatest power in the west, have finally fallen to pieces.

All this brings us to the modern world:

Read here for the most recent events in history.

* * * * * * * * *

The cradle of civilization is home to a number of different religions:

I'll summarize them here, going in a vaguely counterclockwise spiral around the world.

Spoiler for Religious Summary:

Ytauzi is a non-theistic faith with a dualist philosophy somewhat similar to the Tao. It has a strong dislike of idols and has generally not made many friends among its neighbors. It has spawned a somewhat heretical branch named Enguntith, which borrows aspects from various Ancestor Worships and Maninism. Both of these are struggling along with their sponsoring empire.

Maninism is a large, fast-growing monotheistic faith which advocates spreading the “light” of Manin (not God; rather a semi-mystical “path” towards righteousness) to the far corners of the world.

The Dulama follow a number of religions, most prominent among them being a faith which promotes the active sacrifice of human beings.

The rest of the west follows Machaianism, an ill-defined set of beliefs that hold that a sort of deific "world force" emerges from the souls of people or animals.

Ardavan is a faith of the steppe, built on the philosophy of the rule of the strong, and believing that the battles of men on Earth mirror those of the gods in the heavens. It has a strong monastic tradition.

Aitahism is a syncretic faith based on a number of local religions, most notably the Seshweay; originally these people believed in the struggles of the ancestors against the gods. Now it is an even more radical religion which offers up the Aitah, the mother as one of the keys to salvation. It is very evangelical.

Eastern Aitahism is properly an offshoot of Maninism -- one which was revolutionized by the appearance of a reincarnation of the Aitah. It borrows elements of doctrine from both its parent faiths.

Iralliam is a dualistic religion, preached originally by the Prophet Kleos some years ago. It is the most well-organized of the faiths, with a strong hierarchical Church and a strong evangelical impulse.

The other faiths in this region are generally shrinking fast in the face of these larger religions.

In the east, the most prominent religion is Indagahor, which promotes enlightenment and the fulfillment of one’s life, by a number of different methods. It has proved popular among the merchant community of the eastern seas, and is in recent years spreading rather more rapidly westward.

As usual, if you want to know more, please look into the wiki.

A couple of final references; a map of the cities currently extant in the world of End of Empires:

And a map of the economy of the world:

Spoiler for Key to the Economy Map:

There are four things of importance in the climate map:

Economic Zones: Generally speaking, how developed a region is.
White: Uninhabited.
Gray: Sparsely populated, usually by nomadic peoples.
Brown: Settled, agriculturally productive.
Gold: Thickly settled, extremely productive.

Trade Routes: Exactly what it says on the tin, the lines in red. Maritime trade routes are dashed lines.

Goods: Listed in text on the map, they are what various regions specialize in producing.


Zones: Areas outlined that are heavy producers of certain important items.
Green: Producer of staple crops.

And last, but not least, a map of the climates of the world:

Spoiler for Key to the Climate Map:

Dark Blue-Green (extreme north): Taiga.
Pale Green: Cool Continental
Medium Sea Green: Continental
Aqua: Mediterranean
Brown: Steppe
Tan: Arid
Orange: Semi-arid
Medium Green: Humid Subtropical
Asparagus Green: Tropical monsoon; savannah
Dark Green: Tropical rainforest
Sky Blue: Alpine

Anyway, that’s the bare-bones summary of the world. If you want to know more, feel free to ask me questions or even read a few updates.

If you have any questions at any time in this NES, please ask me. I’d rather take the time to answer them than have someone not join or quit in frustration because they don’t know what’s going on. I will admit that especially lately, I have been quite swamped, so it may take me a while to get back to you fully, but I will always try.

The basic ideas behind an NES are explained in the post immediately below, and also the particular rules of this NES.

Read the rules, even if you are experienced at NESing.

[North King]

Playing

In theory, this is pretty close to most NESes.

You, as the player, run a nation. Your responsibility is to PM me “orders,” which are simply instructions to me of what you want done and how you want to do it. From your orders, I write an update, which is a summary of what happened in the world from the combination of player orders. Then you write the next set of orders. And so on.

The other two things that you write are diplomacy and stories. Diplomacy can be conducted with other players’ nations, or with NPCs. NPCs are more or less run by me, so you can refer your diplomacy directly to yours truly. If orders and updates are the heart and lungs, and diplomacy is the brain, then stories are the soul of an NES. They are what gives this world life. You can write a story about whatever you want to: commoners in your nation just trying to make a living, the king making a crucial decision, and so on. Try your hand at it, even if you think you suck at writing. Most likely you don’t, and even if you do, practice will make you better.

The other things you need to worry about are rules and stats. Rules are a couple of posts below this one. Stats are also on this page. The rules essentially tell you how your nation functions in game terms. Note that common sense trumps rules every time; if I find a rule to be idiotic for a certain situation, I’ll throw it out. Stats are basically a list of statistics about your nation.

Some special rules of mine:

Have fun, but don’t be stupid. This is a game/story, but it will be somewhat realistic. Spamming this thread will not be tolerated.

I will give significant bonuses to nations whose players write stories. I prefer when people actually describe or characterize their nations, and while they won’t make or break your nation, they will help.

Orders should be limited to a maximum of 2 private messages. I set a length limit because I don’t have time to read extremely long orders without delaying the update. Below that, I can work with any order length: send me short ones or long ones as they please you. Some exemplary orders (and not so exemplary, but I trust you can figure out which is which) can be found here.

If you want a basic idea of how I like orders to look, your PM goes something like this.

Title: [Nation]’s Orders

Stats - Not necessary, but nice.
Spending - I prefer this near the top, as it’s what I do first anyway. Feel free to add detail about the exact things you are spending your money on. At a bare minimum, tell me the field it goes into.
Other stuff - Here’s where you add whatever else you want to say: invasion plans, notes on your nation’s culture.

* This NES is the third of my new series of NESes, N3S. This is shorthand for NNNES, which I figured was rather unwieldy in a title, which stands for “New North King Never Ending Story”.

RULES

Spoiler for Rules:

These are what the stats of your nation will look like:

Country - Player
Culture: Culture Group, Influence
Religion: Dominant religions in order of adherents (there are usually other, less popular religions)
Government: Type of government
Income: Amount of money you can spend per turn, not including military upkeep, (Treasury: saved money) (Debt: “negative” money)
Military: Forces (Upkeep: cost)
Manpower: Number of men you can have in your military without impacting the economy.
Description: Outline of the country. Hosted on the End of Empires wiki. Some nations' articles are more complete than others, due to limited moderator time. Feel free to expand your own article to add details that cannot quite be included in stories or orders – and also feel free to add to articles that aren't your own, if you have the time and inclination, so long as you add material that is canon.

Culture

The Culture Group is, broadly, what group of peoples you belong to. In modern times, most cultures are unified under one nation, but in the ancient era, cultures spread across national boundaries, and in some cases more than one group can be in a single state.

Your Influence, on the other hand, is a much more practical stat. This is how much of your culture is exported to the neighboring states, and how much your people refuse to imitate the culture of their neighbors. One might ask what practical effect this has; I’d ask them if they read or watch movies. More cultured people tend to be more educated, more motivated, and more productive members of society.

Religion and Government

These stats should be fairly self-explanatory to anybody reading this. They are what religion your people adhere to (with minorities listed, if any exist), and what general government form your people follow. Most governments are similar to Earth's, though there have been a few notable exceptions.

Economy

The economy is the sum of all goods produced, consumed, exported, and imported in your nation. It could be summarized as everything to do with money and standards of living. In this NES so far, you have relatively limited control over your economy.

The Income stat shows you how much you have to spend. In your orders, you should account for where every piece of gold goes from this income each turn: you can spend it on increasing the size of your military, invest it back into your own economy (improving agricultural techniques or equipment, for example), patronize artists or writers to give a boost to your culture, invest in large projects to improve a specific aspect of your nation: basically anything you can think of. You can also bank it for use in a future turn (useful when you want to perform an action that requires a large one-time expenditure).

One nifty thing you can do is spend more money than you have: deficit spending. This basically represents at this time pillaging your own assets to get something now rather than later. We are only barely into the era of credit, so there’s no official interest on your national debt (mostly to keep me sane), but at some point, accruing too much debt will cause your nation to collapse. Be warned.

Ask me if you want to know how much Debt is considered "too much".

Prices:

Military:

Soldiers (per turn):
Levies: 10 soldiers for 1 “gold”
Infantry: 5 for 1
Cavalry: 1 for 1
Elephants: 1 for 10*
Steppe Cavalry: 2 for 1*
Ships: 1 for 50
Siege Train: “1” for 500

To build and maintain a military unit, due to the rather long turn lengths, is the same on the first turn as it is to maintain it for subsequent turns.

One will generally need to spend additional money to support troops outside of your own borders -- logistics spending. This represents upkeep on equipment over the course of a campaign, which tends to destroy it at a faster rate than sitting around does. You will also need to feed them to keep an army in being. For a given campaign, a good rule of thumb is that you'll need to spend roughly one extra "gold" for every ten soldiers you're bringing along. Venturing further from home raises this price. Ask me what an appropriate amount is if you're not sure. A general rule of thumb is that a medium-sized expedition (~10-20,000 men) venturing a short distance away would usually require about 1-2,000 “gold” worth of extra logistics spending.

Notes:
*Nations on the savannah (currently, the Holy Moti Empire) are the only ones who can recruit elephants. Others must arrange to buy these beasts from the Moti in some fashion.
**Steppe Cavalry are, obviously, only available to countries on the steppe, unless they are hired by neighbors as mercenaries. Feel free to inquire if you are interested.

1,000 establishes a small colony, fort (add money for distance, difficulty; less if the place is already developing on its own).
1,000 - 5,000 for a small scale project (new harbor, temple complex, reconstructing walls).
5,000 – 15,000 for a large scale project (bettering major roads, irrigation system, campaign of religious conversion or political subversion, wonder of the world of some kind or another)

Military

Your military forces are usually composed of an army and a navy. The core of your army will always be professional soldiers (see prices above), but keep in mind that the interior of your country is defended by militia. Militia will be enough to deal with most minor threats, but cannot long withstand a comparable professional force. In emergencies, your country's “AI” will raise extra levies during the turn, taking out some debt in order to salvage a situation, meaning even if someone leaves their frontier “undefended” it usually isn't actually undefended.

Upkeep simply refers to the cost of maintaining that army. Due to long turn lengths, recruiting and maintaining an army are essentially equivalent, so the prices above apply for new troops as well as standing forces.

Wiki

If you add articles to the wiki (basically relevant stuff about the NES), then the moderator will love you for it.

If you are starting a new culture entirely, fill out the following template:

Spoiler for Cultural Template (for new players only):

[Culture Name]
Starting Location: [Choose from the cradle map; preferably giving me your own map pinpointing the location for me and other players]
Society: [Add a description of your people’s society: how it is structured, how it functions]
Lineage: [How do your people trace descent?]
Values: [What do your people believe to be the most important human qualities?]
Religion(s): [Add a description of your people’s religious ideas]
Language(s): [Add a description of your people’s language, including, if applicable, their writing system]
Mythos: [Explain the mythic origin of your people]
Economic Base: [Give the general economic basis of life for your people]
Nation Names: [Make a list of nation names for me to use]
Person Names: [Make a list of names for me to use of famous persons]
Place Names: [Make a list of place for me to use for notable places]
[Add anything else you want to say]

As always, please let me know if something is unclear in the above instructions.

Even more details about the world will be given in the following few posts.

[North King]

Countries


Political map

Country - Player
Culture: Culture Group, Influence
Religion: Dominant religions in order of adherents (there are usually other, less popular religions)
Government: Type of government
Income: Amount of money you can spend per turn, not including military upkeep, (Treasury: saved money) (Debt: “negative” money)
Military: Forces (Upkeep: cost)
Description: Outline of the country. Hosted on the End of Empires wiki. Some nations' articles are more complete than others, due to limited moderator time. Feel free to expand your own article to add details that cannot quite be included in stories or orders – and also feel free to add to articles that aren't your own, if you have the time and inclination, so long as you add material that is canon.

Stats are organized by region, currently North, South, East, West, and the Cradle in the center, and alphabetical within those regions.

Spoiler for Cradle stats:

Airani Roshate – NPC
Culture: Nahsjad, Moderately influential
Religion: Maninism
Government: Monarchy
Income: 20,000 (Treasury: 3,000)
Military: 30,000 Infantry, 10,000 Cavalry (Upkeep: 6,000 + 10,000 = 15,000)
Description

Church of Iralliam – NPC
Culture: Uggor, Liealb, Quite influential
Religion: Iralliam
Government: Church Hierarchy
Income: 2,500 (Treasury: 2,500)
Military: 1,000 Infantry (Upkeep: 200)
Description

Farubaida o Caroha – Lord_Iggy
Culture: Seshweay, Faronun, Neruss, Center of the World
Religion: Aitahism, Iralliam, Ardavani minority
Government: Federation with a Pentapartite Council and Assembly
Income: 55,500
Military: 90,000 Infantry, 3,500 Cavalry, 390 Ships, 1 Siege Train (Upkeep: 18,000 + 3,500 + 19,500 + 500 = 41,500)
Description

Jipha – Golden1Knight
Culture: Liealb, Zyeshu and Hamakua, Quite Influential
Religion: Indagahor
Government: Monarchy
Income: 4,700 (Treasury: 200)
Military: 7,500 Infantry, 1,000 Cavalry, 35 Ships (Upkeep: 1,500 + 1,000 + 1,750 = 4,350)
Description

Kilar – NPC
Culture: Zyeshu and Liealb, Less influential
Religion: Indagahor, Iralliam minority
Government: Monarchy
Income: 5,750
Military: 12,000 Infantry, 2,500 Cavalry (Upkeep: 2,400 + 2,500 = 4,900)
Description

Kothari Exatai – spryllino
Culture: Satar, Hu'ut, and Palmyrian, Moderately influential
Religion: Iralliam, Ardavani Minority
Government: Exatai
Income: 36,000 (Treasury: 13,000)
Military: 75,000 Infantry, 13,000 Cavalry, 30 Ships (Upkeep: 15,000 + 13,000 + 1,500 = 29,500)
Description
Hanakar Exatai (rebellion) – NPC
Military: 15,000 Infantry, 5,000 Cavalry

Holy Moti Empire – das
Culture: Uggor, Center of the World
Religion: Iralliam, Aitahist and Ardavani minorities
Government: Monarchy
Income: 100,000 (Treasury: 32,000)
Military: 125,000 Infantry, 22,000 Cavalry, 500 Elephants, 80 Ships, 2 Siege Trains (Upkeep: 25,000 + 22,000 + 5,000 + 4,000 + 1,000 = 57,000)Description

Spoiler for Northern stats:

Brunn – azale
Culture: Stettin, Regionally Significant
Religion: Maninism, Eastern Aitahism minority.
Government: Monarchy
Income: 3,800 (Debt: 1,000) (Treasury: 1,500)
Military: 8,000 Infantry, 700 Cavalry, 3,000 Levies (Upkeep: 1,600 + 700 + 300 = 2,600)
Description

Chapru – Ninja_Dude
Culture: Chapru, Isolated
Religion: Polytheism
Government: Tribal Democracy
Income: 2,800
Military: 3,250 Infantry, 50 Cavalry, 20 Ships (Upkeep: 675 + 50 + 1,000 = 1,750)
Description

Cyve – Luckymoose
Culture: Ederru, Cyvekt, Influential
Religion: Eastern Aitahism (official), Maninism (popular majority), and small Ardavani minority
Government: Monarchy
Income: 11,750 (Treasury: 750)
Military: 6,000 Infantry, 2,500 Cavalry, 25,000 Levies, 100 Ships (Upkeep: 1,200 + 2,500 + 2,500 + 5,000 = 11,200)
Description

Dual Empire – Masada
Culture: Savirai and Arta Xorti, mixed, strong, but not influential
Religion: Eastern Aitahism, Maninism, Tribal Polytheism, Indagahor
Government: Theocratic Monarchy
Income: 40,000 (Treasury: 4,000)
Military: 40,000 Infantry, 18,000 Cavalry, 1 Siege Train, 75 Ships (Upkeep: 8,000 + 18,000 + 500 + 3,500 = 30,000)
Description

Ereithaler – NPC
Culture: Stettin, Insignificant
Religion: Maninism
Government: Monarchy
Income: 2,500
Military: 4,000 Infantry, 1,000 Cavalry (Upkeep: 800 + 1,000 = 1,800)
Description

League of Gallasa – NPC
Culture: Gallatene, Nahsjad, Somewhat influential
Religion: Maninism, Eastern Aitahist minority.
Government: Oligarchy
Income: 17,000
Military: 22,000 Infantry, 5,000 Cavalry, 1 Siege Train, 100 Ships (Upkeep: 4,400 + 5,000 + 500 + 5,000 = 14,900)
Description

Karapeshai Exatai – Thlayli
Culture: Satar, Accan, Xieni, Avaimi, and Vithana, Very Influential
Religion: Ardavan, Ytzauzi, Maninist, persecuted Enguntith, Aitahist, Ancestor Worshiping, and Polytheist minorities
Government: Exatai
Income: 65,000
Military: 120,000 Infantry, 12,000 Cavalry, 9,000 Steppe Cavalry, 50,000 Levies, 80 Ships, 1 Siege Train (Upkeep: 24,000 + 12,000 + 4,500 + 5,000 + 4,000 + 500 = 50,000)
Description

Seehlt – SamSniped
Culture: Stettin, Regionally significant
Religion: Maninism
Government: Monarchy
Income: 4,500 - 1,500 = 3,000
Military: 6,000 Infantry, 1,200 Cavalry, 4,000 Levies (Upkeep: 1,200 + 1,200 + 400 = 2,800)
Description

Sharhi – ~Darkening~
Culture: Sharhi, Isolated
Religion: Enguntith, Polytheism
Government: Tribal monarchy
Income: 7,500 (Treasury: 1,000)
Military: 3,500 Steppe cavalry, 1,000 cavalry (Upkeep: 1,750 + 1,000 = 2,750)
Description

Spoiler for Western stats:

Dehr – NPC
Culture: Dehr
Religion: Machaianism
Government: Monarchy
Income: 7,000
Military: 15,000 Infantry, 2,000 Cavalry (Upkeep: 3,000 + 2,000 = 5,000)
Description

Empire of Dula – NPC
Culture: Dulama, A juggernaut
Religion: Dulama Religion, Machaianism, Iralliam
Government: Monarchy
Income: 20,000
Military: 40,000 Infantry, 5,000 Cavalry (Upkeep: 8,000 + 5,000 = 13,000)
Description

Dulama Empire – NPC
Culture: Dulama, A juggernaut
Religion: Dulama Religion, Machaianism, Iralliam
Government: Monarchy
Income: 42,000
Military: 75,000 Infantry, 20,000 Cavalry, 1 Siege Train (Upkeep: 15,000 + 20,000 + 500 = 35,500)
Description

Haina Remnants – NPC
Culture: Haina, Influential
Religion: Machaianism
Government: Monarchy
Income: 8,500
Military: 12,000 Infantry, 2,000 Cavalry, 80 Ships (Upkeep: 2,400 + 2,000 + 4,000 = 8,400)
Description

Laitra Empire – bombshoo
Culture: Dulama and Ndeos, Minimal influence and imitative
Religion: Iralliam
Government: Monarchy
Income: 8,000
Military: 15,000 Infantry, 1,000 Cavalry, 250 Elephants, 10 Ships (Upkeep: 3,000 + 1,000 + 2,500 + 500 = 7,000)
Description

Naran – tuxedohamm
Culture: Naran, Unnahan, Regionally Influential
Religion: Machaianism, Polytheism
Government: Monarchy
Income: 13,500 (Treasury: 1,000)
Military: 35,000 Infantry, 3,000 Cavalry, 10,000 Levies, 20 Ships, 1 Siege Train (Upkeep: 7,000 + 3,000 + 1,000 + 1,000 + 500 = 12,500)
Description

Nóaúnnáhá – Symphorien
Culture: Únnáhá, Minor
Religion: Polytheism
Government: Monarchy
Income: 5,000
Military: 3,000 Infantry, 50 Ships (Upkeep: 600 + 2,500 = 3,600)
Description

Opul'annai – Optical
Culture: Opul'annai (eastern outcasts, natives), Unimportant
Religion: Polytheism
Government: Monarchy
Income: 750
Military: 500 Infantry, 3 Ships (Upkeep: 100 + 150 = 250)
Description

Paitlóma Empire – NPC
Culture: Dulama, Uninfluential
Religion: Traditional Dulama, Machaianism
Government: Monarchy (Pirate King)
Income: 12,000 (Treasury: 7,000)
Military: 12,000 Infantry, 1,000 Cavalry, 90 Ships (Upkeep: 2,400 + 1,000 + 4,500 = 7,900)
Description

Sechm – NPC
Culture: Dulama and Peninsular, Minimal influence
Religion: Machaianism
Government: Monarchy
Income: 6,500
Military: 15,000 Infantry, 2,000 Cavalry (Upkeep: 3,000 + 2,000 = 5,000)
Description

Trahana – Hightower
Culture: Trahana
Religion: Machaianism
Government: Monarchy
Income: 34,000
Military: 45,000 Infantry, 2,000 Cavalry, 10 Ships (Upkeep: 9,000 + 2,000 + 500 = 11,500)
Description

Vischa – NPC
Culture: Vischa, Quite influential
Religion: Polytheism, Ardavani, Enguntith minorities
Government: Tribal Confederation
Income: 20,000 (Treasury: 2,000)
Military: 28,000 Steppe Cavalry (Upkeep: 14,000)
Description

Vithanama Empire – NPC
Culture: Vithana and Dulama, Moderately Influential
Religion: Traditional Dulama faiths, Machaianism, Aitahist, Ardavani (official), and Iralliam Minorities
Government: Monarchy
Income: 40,000 (Treasury: 5,000)
Military: 20,000 Steppe Cavalry, 10,000 Cavalry, 60,000 Infantry, 1 Siege Train (Upkeep: 10,000 + 10,000 + 12,000 + 500 = 32,500)
Description

Spoiler for Eastern stats:

Republic of the Daharai – TheMeanestGuest
Culture: Opulensi and traces of Arta Xorti, Trilui. Quite Dominant.
Religion: Indagahor, Aitahist minority
Government: Republic
Income: 39,000 (Debt: 4,000)
Military: 60,000 Infantry, 8,000 Cavalry, 185 Ships (Upkeep: 12,000 + 8,000 + 9,250 = 29,250)
Description

Farea – NPC
Culture: Faron and Hu'ut, Moderately influential
Religion: Indagahor
Government: Monarchy
Income: 7,000
Military: 10,000 Infantry, 3,000 Cavalry, 20 Ships (Upkeep: 2,000 + 3,000 + 1,000 = 6,000)
Description

Iolha – NPC
Culture: Acaya, Less influential
Religion: Polytheism
Government: Republic
Income: 12,500
Military: 15,000 Infantry, 5,000 Cavalry, 3,000 Berathi Mercenaries, 10,000 Levies (Upkeep: 3,000 + 5,000 + 1,500 + 1,000 = 10,500)
Description

Leunan Republic – Matt0088
Culture: Opulensi and Arta Xorti, Moderately influential
Religion: Indagahor, Eastern Aitahism
Government: Republic
Income: 31,000 (Debt: 6,000)
Military: 40,000 Infantry, 3,000 Cavalry, 210 Ships (Upkeep: 8,000 + 3,000 + 10,500 = 21,500)
Description

Lesa – Gem Hound
Culture: Lesa, Minor
Religion: Polytheism
Government: Monarchy
Income: 5,500
Military: 9,000 Infantry, 1,000 Cavalry, 12 Ships (Upkeep: 1,800 + 1,000 + 600 = 3,400)
Description

Parthe – Terrance
Culture: Parthe, Mildly Known
Religion: Polytheism
Government: Monarchy
Income: 6,500 (Treasury: 200)
Military: 5,000 Infantry, 1,000 Cavalry, 20 Ships (Upkeep: 1,000 + 1,000 + 1,000 = 2,750)
Description

Rihnit – Cannae
Culture: Rihnit, minimal influence
Religion: Indagahor
Government: Monarchy
Income: 4,100
Military: 3,000 Infantry, 1,500 Cavalry (Upkeep: 600 + 1,500 = 2,100)
Description

Serkos – NPC
Culture: Opulensi
Religion: Indagahor
Government: Monarchy
Income: 700
Military: 500 Infantry, 10 Ships (Upkeep: 100 + 500 = 600)
Description

Spoiler for Southern stats:

Atsan – NPC
Culture: Kayana, Minimal influence
Religion: Iralliam
Government: Monarchy
Income: 750
Military: 2,500 Infantry (Upkeep: 500)
Description

Dziltocampal – dominatr
Culture: Dziltocampal, Completely Isolated
Religion: Polytheism/Animism, Iralliam (minority, patronized)
Government: Monarchy
Income: 2,000 (Treasury: 500)
Military: 3,000 Infantry (Upkeep: 600)
Description

the Ilfolk – lord_joakim
Culture: Ilfolk, Opulensi Influences, Growing
Religion: Tribal, sacrificial
Government: Tribal Theocracy
Income: 1,800
Military: 1,500 Infantry, 20 Ships (Upkeep: 300 + 1,000 = 1,300)
Description

Parna – NPC
Culture: Kayana, Minimal influence
Religion: Iralliam
Government: Monarchy
Income: 1,100
Military: 3,000 Infantry, 5 Ships (Upkeep: 600 + 250 = 850)
Description

Country – NPC
Culture:
Religion:
Government:
Income:
Military: (Upkeep: cost)
Description

[North King]

Skies

The nighttime sky of our world is strikingly different from Earth:

Firstly, there is the moon. Looming rather large in the sky, it has a reddish-yellow surface, occasionally changing from year to year. These changes have often been interpreted by shamans and mystics to herald the favor of the gods coming and going. There are, of course, occasional eclipses, where the moon actually more than covers the sun; its disk travels over the orb for several minutes. This naturally terrifies the locals.

Sweeping across the night sky is a rather thin, bright cloud, much more defined than the Milky Way. It is visible almost throughout the year, though in the latter part of the summer only very light traces are visible; these are hard to spot.

During the early parts of winter, a prominent nebula rises and falls. It almost seems as though it has been caught in the midst eating the stars around it, or possibly spewing them out. To the less imaginative, though, it simply seems like an unusually still cloud. It can sometimes deceive people into believing the sun is rising when positioned directly over the horizon.

There are a number of constellations, naturally, but they have yet to be named and catalogued.

In addition to all of these, there are five wandering stars. One is rather difficult to spot: it only comes above the horizon very soon after sunset or before dawn. Observers with an incredibly keen eye have claimed to observe it as two stars, very closely linked, though any normal person probably can’t distinguish that. Two more are very bright: the first is a brilliant, pearly white, and the second is a dull yellow. Then, the last two are slow moving across the sky from night to night.

The first, primitive observatories have begun to peer up into the heavens, but apart from studying the orbits and details of the known bodies the non-existence of optics limit them in further study.

**********

History

Update One - Sunrise

Mankind is not by nature a civilized beast; in the distant past he lived in nomadic tribes; indeed, over most of the world, he still does. Slowly, though, he collected into groups, and settled, sowing seeds and reaping a harvest. The earliest times saw the rise of agricultural societies based around the two main rivers: the Sesh and the Had. The Sesh was home to the Seshweay and Arkage civilizations, which clashed repeatedly, resulting in a civilization that could not look past its neighbors. The Had, by contrast, was first home to the Salgaron, and then later the Hu’ut.

Later tribes rose from these starting civilizations: the Bahrans settled upstream of the feuding Sesh civilizations; Serat formed a trade conduit between the two great rivers. The Farou were a slave peoples who rebelled and fought their way out of the Hu’ut, settling next to the Trilui, who were a seafaring people.

To the south, the River Kiyaj was home to Thearak, while the River Yensai housed the Uggor; between them were the Duroc peoples. The Epichirisi and Hamakuans rose as sailing states, while in the far north, several peoples began to adopt an agricultural way of life...

Update Two - The Forge’s Fire

The Duroc, Uggor, and Thearaki struggled in the south in repeated wars, while the Trilui rose to become a major power, to the dismay of Hamakua and the Epichirisi. Indeed, the Trilui were one of the first real empires, able to fend off both their rivals and secure all trade going through the Lovi Sea – that is, nearly all trade in the known world. The Salgaron were partitioned by their own brothers in Serat and the foreign Hu’ut, while the latter fought the Palmyrans and their allies the Trilui.

But all that was minor in comparison to the largest threat to civilization. The Satarai were a steppe tribe that managed to bowl over both the Seshweay and the Arkage in a few years, and establish a great empire known as the Grand Satrapy of the Sesh. This state was inherently unstable, and eventually fell to a rebellion that united Seshweay and Arkage; both formed the new Empire of the Sesh.

Around this time, the religion of Indagahor, focusing on the attainment of enlightenment, spread from the Arta Xorti lands into surrounding mercantile states.

[North King]

Update Three - Bitter Shards

In truth, though, this new world order was unstable as well. The three great Empires were all able to survive for quite a while, and indeed conquered vast territories – the Sesh, the Hu’ut, and the Trilui. The Sesh and the Trilui fought to a stalemate; later the Hu’ut and the Trilui jointly attacked Hamakua and nearly destroyed that nation. In the south, Thearak had risen again to become nearly an equal to the larger states to the north.

In the end, though, civilization fell, and remarkably quickly. The bronze age was torn to pieces by an acute shortage of tin, and even as iron technology spread from the innovators in Farou, the rest of the civilized world fell to pieces. The Empire of the Sesh, for example, fell apart due to aristocratic feuding, even though the people would have preferred it to stay united. The Hu’ut Empire shrank to a fourth its former size; the Trilui faced problems as well, though not as serious. Many nations regained their independence in this time; the Sesh Delta was depopulated entirely as barbarians raged over the landscape.

As the south collapsed, the north became the focus of civilization, with Rutto and Ferman emerging as the most important states, with Gallat, Ritti, Acca, and Peren behind them. The Ederru were a strange northern people useful for trade, but nearly barbarians, in all truth. Yet still, with the disruption of trade from the south, they were forced into self-sufficiency, which eventually would allow them to create their own civilizations.

In the south, aside from the usual battles between Thearak and the allies, the religion of Iralliam was founded by a priest in Thearak, which quickly spread even to their enemies, uniting this corner of the world ideologically.

Update Four - Flickering Embers

Records from the Iron Age are much more extensive than those from the Bronze; time seems to slow down compared to previous periods.

In these fifty years, events in the south seemed completely distinct from those in the north, separated by the great Kotthorn Mountains as they were. The Uggor managed to unite with the Duroc into a single great Republic of Krato. This entity invaded Thearak, managing to recapture old Duroc cities lost in the innumerable previous wars, however the Thearaki were able to destroy one of the allies in their own rebellious colony of Piatrata.

Hamakua had fallen almost entirely due to barbarian invasion, but was able to recoup its losses and recaptured the ruins of its old capital, Waipio. However, they let the Hanakahi rebellion be, which would, many years later, prove disastrous...

The Empire of the Trilui was able to recover from the collapse splendidly, and went on their first new imperialist excursion, destroying the army of tiny Pekorova almost in a day. The Hu’ut Empire made their peace with Palmyra, while their traditional enemy the Farou continued a fairly peaceful existence, though eyeing their rivals warily.

The Arkage were able to reunite the old Empire of the Sesh under their rule, but this was a much more one-sided rule than the earlier Empire; the Arkage were none too kind to their many-time foes. The last free Seshweay states were exiled across the sea in the north, isolated and slightly nervous about their southern neighbors.

In the north, Acca began its expansion, while Rutto began to collapse under a horde of Prokym barbarians. Gallat was nearly the equal of Ferman now, as the latter had begun to enter a period of stagnation.

Update Five - Red Dawn

The end of the Krato-Thearak conflict came spectacularly, as bad luck seemed to strike the Thearaki armies at nearly every turn, while the naval superiority of Krato enabled them to conquer the heartland of Thearak itself. The southwest had been united under a single large nation, though there were still independent states on the periphery.

Hamakua launched a minor assault on the Trilui colony in Sivi, which ended badly; the Trilui were able to decimate the Hamakuan armies and fleets, though a follow-up invasion was decided against for the moment. Stad Men managed to assert itself as the greatest Arta Xorti state around this time.

As the Farou and Hu’ut mostly kept to themselves, the Trilui took Pekorova under their wing as a client state, then invaded the new Empire of the Sesh in conjunction with a grand coalition of Neruss, Bahra, and the Exiled Seshweay. This was able to topple even the highly professional and well-trained Arkage armies, and brought the Empire crashing down not too long after it was founded.

In the north, Rutto completely collapsed, replaced by Acca and Ritti as the most prominent powers of the Ailuttorutto culture. Gallat also surpassed Ferman at this time, though it wasn’t evident to the people of the time. The Ederru began to civilize to a surprising degree at this point, though most still regarded them as savages.

Update Six - A New Era

Krato began exploratory voyages southwards along the coast in this period, while a wave of new nations popped up to their north and east, all with the potential to become great. It also made contact with Bahra, forming a cross-Kotthorn trade route for the first time since the Bronze Age collapse.

The Trilui led a very costly expedition against the Hamakuans, managing to topple their former rival entirely (with the help of the Hanakahi and barbarians), but suffering horrendous casualties against allied enemies for apparently little strategic gain. Meanwhile, the east saw considerable developments as the king of Epichirisi overthrew the merchant families as the most important power, and Nahar suddenly rose to prominence among the Arta Xorti states.

The Farou became a land of peace and plenty, and out of this came a great cultural flowering. Theater and artwork were popular, and both literature and music were enriched by a great mass of Hamakuan poets and singers who fled the chaos after the fall of their home nation. The Hu’ut began a great statue to commemorate a ruler around this time, while Palmyra innovated extensively in the agricultural field.

The River Sesh was repopulated, and indeed became a rightful center of civilization again, with the Seshweay taking a prime role in its restoration. Their religion of Ancestor Worship became the most popular in the world at this time, having been exported to nearly all surrounding states.

The north saw the continued rise of Acca, Gallat, and a resurgence in Ritti. The Ederru were increasingly on the brink of massive change, with the old ways dying out due to increasingly warm weather. Meanwhile, the Avaimi people, with a strange philosophy emphasizing complementary and opposing forces, fled oppression in the unknown northwest to settle on the edge of civilization...

Update Seven - When the Sun Stood Still

Slowly, the Avaimi came into contact with the rest of the world, and with them came the knowledge of the far northwest. This was a temperate land, with thick winter snows and warm summer days, filled with forests of pine and leaf. In the ancient days, it had been ruled by some forgotten Empire, but now it was home to a collection of Ming city states.

Meanwhile, the Seshweay had begun to expand outward into the Kern Sea, bringing with them their faith, though they ran into some trouble when they came into conflict with the expanding Maninist faith of Gallat.

For their part, the Opulensi city states were finally united by the brilliant King Charitas; the new Empire converted to the monastic religion of Indagahor.

Around the same time, an epic piece of Faronun theater, Slave, was written by Salai of Therefau. The work proved to be one of the enduring masterpieces of literature – following the story of an escaped slave from the old Hu'ut Empire.

The Hu'ut, under the leadership of the powerful Emperor Gepo, led a war of conquest against Neruss, and then the Seshweay in turn, though he was stopped short of entering the Sesh.

The first hint of a swing in the balance of power in the Uggor lands appeared with the emergence of First-Gaci in Moti.

And in a quiet corner of the steppe, a shepherd by the name of Ephkar found and donned the golden mask of the Satarai, took the name Arastephas-ta-Valaxai (the Redeemer), and set out on a path to rebuild the Exatai of old...

Update Eight - The World Ablaze

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Faron joined the war against the Hu'ut. More surprisingly, so did the Kratoan Empire. Together, they managed to turn the tide against the massive Empire. Gepo's armies and fleets met with defeat on every front, but stopped the allied armies short of taking the heartland around the River Had.

In the far north, the Avaimi founded the Evyni Empire, which started a series of expansions that transformed the state into one of the most powerful in the whole north.

This time also marked the conversion of the Siran Nahsjad to the Maninist faith – an event that was to have significant consequences later on.

The great behemoths of the cradle – the Union of Aya'se and the Empire of the Trilui – began to clash in titanic fashion near Kargan, though neither really made much headway for quite some time.

Arastephas' new Exatai of the Satar expanded in rapid fashion across the steppe, crushing the old nations of Oscadia and Katdhi, and finally invading the Sesh in dramatic fashion. Magha and Seis both fell in rapid fashion, and the Union of Aya'se was caught quite off-guard by an advance via river ark. After a great battle in the shadow of Seis, the Satar, victorious, took the Sesh – a valley which they were to dominate for centuries after.

Update Nine - Many Ends

At long last, the Empire of Hu'ut fell to the allied coalition. The Faron, overjoyed at finally liberating millions of new slaves, began to pick up the pieces – the land which they had conquered required quite a lot of administrative reform to bring up to the standards of the long-free Faronun in Helsia; many refugees from the fighting settled a new colony of Farea in the far east.

The fall of the Seshweay had opened many doors for neighboring nations. The Evyni and even the little Duchy of Liang expanded across the north, while the maritime states of the south prospered.

Krato, for its part, expanded in all directions, but soon fell prey to invasion by the growing Exatai of the Satar from the north. The Raid of Atraxes carved a path of devastation through the heartland of the old Empire, and sent Krato into chaos.

Atraxes proved a brilliant monarch in many capacities, overseeing the construction of many new architectural wonders in his chosen capital of Magha, including the Matraxas and the Den of Wolves.

In the center of the cradle, the Moti became a fully-fledged empire with the conquest of Bysria.

Update Ten - The First Armageddon (Part One) (Part Two - New Arrivals)

Rivalry between Gallat and Ferman finally flared into full-fledged war. The Gallatenes proved able to outnumber and outgeneral their southern neighbors, and in a reasonably short span the Maninist nation found itself as almost the uncontested leader of the north. Almost, because the rising Evyni Empire launched an invasion of the westernmost Maninist states, which soon drew in Gallat as well – the conflict exhausted both of the northern powers in short order, and they concluded peace.

Sira soon flowered into a powerful Maninist state as well, expanding toward the south and encroaching on the northern lands of the Trilui.

Atraxes was succeeded by a new Redeemer, Xetares – a clever but extremely ambitious leader who found himself at war with a coalition of the Uggor peoples. Despite this, he led a campaign eastward, against the peoples of the River Had and Helsia – in short order, he was able to sack Trovin and Faron, and utterly demolish the Empire of the Trilui and the Faronun.

At the same time, however, the Uggor pressed northward into the center of the Exatai of the Satar, laying siege to Magha. Xetares returned mostly triumphant from his campaign in the east, and engaged Third-Gaci in a tremendous battle beneath the walls of Magha. There Xetares met with his doom, falling to the numerically far superior Uggor, and dying in the reeds of the river Sesh.

Update Eleven - New Dawn (Part One) (Part Two - All Under the Sunrise)

But the Uggor lacked the strength to hold onto any part of the Sesh. The Censoratta Macrinus of Acca saw an opportunity and reached out to the Satar in friendship – they crowned him Redeemer, and he founded the Accan (later Ardavai) Exatai. He managed to retake the Sesh from the weak garrisons left by the Moti, and once against subjugated the briefly free Seshweay, sending their new goddess (the Aitah) into exile, where she would much later become the stuff of legend...

Problems even followed the Uggor southward. The old Kratoan Empire expanded still further – and then fractured under the strain of repeated campaigns as the various chiefs tore it apart, each seeking power for themselves. The Moti remained aloof initially, but were soon drawn in to try and settle the conflict (and perhaps take it entirely).

At the same time, a new Empire emerged in the far west – the Dulama. Hailing from a cradle of their own, they had forged a state greater than any the known world had ever seen before, and indeed threatened to swallow up the disorganized Uggor wholesale.

In the Kotthorns or Kothai, an isolated Satar army under Prince Hashaskor founded the Kothari Exatai, a state that survived mainly by the forbearance of its stronger neighbors.

The territories of the Faron on the River Had ironically became their best-surviving haven, as their Helsian provinces slowly fractured. Each Faeoria blamed the others for the Satar invasion, and the Faerouhaiaouan highlands effectively seceded – becoming a cultural and scientific powerhouse (indeed, it was around this time that the study of geometry was invented) but withdrawing almost entirely from the political arena.

As the Trilui Empire fell to pieces around them, a general, Vol Juluii, attempted to forge them back together under his reformed army. Alas, his newly styled “Empire of Helsia” was unable to hold onto any Trilui provinces beyond Helsia itself, and the power remained confined to that peninsula.

The Opulensi took much of their remaining colonies and became the preeminent power on the Nakalani.

Update Twelve - Age of Dynasts; Age of Gods

An extremely long time passes here:

The growth of Nahar was halted by the rise of the Opulensi Empire, and the remainder of the northern state was overrun by a new desert people – the Savirai Empire. The rest of the east was split between two more powers – the Eastern League, a collection of allied city-states, and the Leunan Empire, once an Opulensi colony and now a great state in its own right. Conflict between each of the four powers flared, but none were able to make much headway against the others, as most of the states allied to stop the most powerful – the Opulensi.

Trade began to flourish with a faraway people known as the Acayans, and even further peoples like Parthe and mysterious voyagers from across the sea called Kitaluki began to appear on the edges of the known world. The religion of Indagahor flowered brilliantly through the period, especially with the life of the monk Arasos, who made the most significant advances that that faith had experienced since its foundation.

The cradle of civilization stabilized around the opposition of the two great powers – the Holy Moti Empire, protector of the faith of Iralliam and the Great Family of the Uggor, who conquered, albeit slowly, the warring clans in Krato, and the Ardavai Exatai, the Satar successor state in the Sesh. Each launched invasions against the other, but aside from Regalius Tephas' invasion of Moti in the mid 400s, none of them had a serious impact.

The Helsian Empire broke up shortly after its foundation, owing to tensions between the ruling families; soon only a rump state in the south of the peninsula survived, while the Empire of Dremai rose in the north.

The Kothari Exatai prospered greatly during this time period, conquering the eastern Had Valley and Palmyra, and becoming the third-most powerful entity in the entire cradle.

The great evangelical religions made great strides in this period. Iralliam earned many new converts – most notably the Kothari Exatai. Aitahism survived repression by the Ardavai Exatai, and managed to expand into Helsi and all around the Lovi Sea. Maninism, under the sponsorship of various successor states to the Siran Empire, expanded all across the center of the world, even making inroads into the great Savirai Empire.

The north was dominated by the Evyni Empire, who managed to surpass all its rivals. Its traditional rival, Gallat, stagnated greatly, and proved unable to make much of a contest of things. Meanwhile, the rise of the seafaring Sarrukh threatened the survival of many of the smaller northern states, and even some of the larger states.

A plague swept the whole of the known world towards the end of this era, killing millions and significantly unbalancing the power of any given state against the others.

Update Thirteen - Wolf Pack

An invasion of the tiny city-state of Neruss triggered the greatest war the world had seen since the fall of the Exatai of the Satar. A coalition of various nations attacked the Ardavai Exatai, and under the leadership of the Moti managed to take the Sesh Delta in a single tremendous stroke. Simultaneously, Evyni forces from the north attacked and took the Accan satrapies. The Exatai scrambled to react, but against the sheer weight of numbers that the coalition brought to bear the situation looked bleak.

In the Empire of the Savirai, the advance of Maninism and Aitahism engendered a strange syncretic heresy – Eastern Aitahism. Led by a supposed reincarnation of the old Aitah, this faith, somewhere between the two religions in terms of doctrine, swept the empire like a wildfire, and converted the royal family in short order.

The Kothari invaded the southern states that bordered the Nakalani, extinguishing the long-independent states of the Hanakahi and the Zyesh.

Meanwhile, the Opulensi struck at their old rivals of the Eastern League, sparking a huge war that threatened to engulf the entire east of the known world.

The great Dulama Empire, still experiencing the tail remnants of the Plague, moved its capital to the central city of Mora, and began to sponsor the new and rising faith of Machainism.

Update Fourteen - Nightmare

The War of the Three Gods, as the conflict between the allied forces and the Ardavai Exatai had come to be called, turned nightmarish as each side fought still more fiercely. Ardavai forces in Kargan, holed up by the advance of Faronun and Seshweay forces, organized a cannibalism of the civilian Aitahist population of the city, allowing it to hold out nearly indefinitely. The city only fell after a gory assault that utterly demolished it and killed the garrison and remaining population to a man.

The advance of the Allied forces up the River Sesh proved more difficult, as the Ardavai reunited under the leadership of the newly crowned Vithana-born Redeemer Jahan, who retook Acca and led a tremendous host of a quarter million against the Moti. The Moti forces, this time slightly smaller in number than the Satar, all the same proved of a much greater quality and were able to defeat them at the apocalyptic Battle of Karhat. The Satar remnants fled northward to found the Karapeshai Exatai.

The Opulensi finished their conquest of the Eastern League, while the Leunans and Fareans began to quarrel over rulership of the center of the Auonan island.

The Savirai started to launch a religious war against their orthodox Maninist neighbors, taking the mouth of the River Peko and sparking a civil war in Occara.

In the west, the Dulama recovered slowly from the plague, building a Grand Canal; to the south the Clan of Kogur, an exile band of Kratoans owing nominal fealty to the Holy Moti Empire attacked the fledgling Kayana states.

Update Fifteen – Storms Without Calm

The Karapeshai Exatai launched a northward campaign against the Evyni even as their war against the Moti and the Aitahists in the south continued in lackluster fashion. The Faronun and Aitahists, having fought side-by-side through one of the bloodier fronts of the war and sharing much economically, culturally, and religiously, founded the Federation of Kargan (the Farubaida o Caroha). Aitahist agents began to cause trouble throughout the Kern Sea.

Tarena, a Gallatene successor state, converted to Eastern Aitahism, and the heartland of Maninism itself was threatened even as the powerful Khivani Roshate fell.

In the East, the Opulensi and their erstwhile allies in Farea became estranged due to an embarrassing incident of piracy.

The Dulama Empire invaded the mountain kingdom of Sechm, but rapidly began to fracture under the strain of its size and the interests of the old elite who had seen their privileges slip away under new reforms. At the same time, the states to their south were plunged into conflict as Trahana attacked the rising nation of Dehr.

Update Sixteen – Fortune's Flight

The War of the Three Gods continued in spectacular fashion as the Karapeshai managed to kill the Lawgiver of the Evyni Empire, while the southern allies launched an amphibious assault on the city of Acca that ended with the utter destruction of their fleet and the disgrace of many in the Aitahist command structure. A more modest attack by the Moti managed to capture Sacossa.

The Stettin saw a rise of a new power, Brunn, who took advantage of the distraction of the war between the League of Gallassa and Tarena to expand rapidly; meanwhile, Cyve and Luskan joined in the Satar war against the Evyni.

The Savirai, Farubaida, and Leun launched a multi-front assault on the Opulensi Empire, though the latter managed to hold on for the most part.

The Dulama civil war continued, and in fact expanded somewhat, threatening to split the Empire in two. The Haina joined the war against Dehr, and soon the tide had turned... leaving the two countries nearly supreme on their peninsula.

Update Seventeen – The Imperial Blueprint

After much hullabaloo, the latest Eastern War ended unspectacularly. The Opulensi gave up a considerable chunk of territory in hope of long-term peace. With their new-found spare time, the Savirai joined Tarena in an invasion of the League of Gallasa, which was supported by the Karapeshai Exatai. Leun, for its part, invaded the upstart Acayan state of Iolha.

The Karapeshai suppressed almost all remaining opposition in the north, including both the most powerful Evyni remnants, as well as the Ming and Xieni, creating a princedom for the latter. The Sephashim dated from this time. Actions by an unpopular Prince Xardan led to war with the Vischa steppe kingdom.

The Cyvekt dynasty finally destroyed the Lusekt.

A string of assassinations in the Holy Moti Empire somewhat destabilized the Ayasi's rule, but ultimately led to little, while Caroha enjoyed the fruits of a new peace, experiencing what was called a new Golden Age.

Update Eighteen – Prisoner to Promise

Peace, of course, was shortlived.

The Savirai-Satar war quickly embroiled half a dozen other states, pulling the Opulensi back into war even as they wrested with unrest among the Daharai warrior monks, the Farubaida despite their peace with the Satar, and consequently a whole host of countries around those ones.

The war was indecisive, though, and did little to interrupt the ongoing cultural flowering around the Lovi Sea and in the Holy Moti Empire.

Update Nineteen – Faults in Heaven

Though the War of the Empty Throne in the north seemed to come to a close with the decisive defeat of the Dual Empire, the rest of the world plunged further into darkness. The Karapeshai were plunged into an enormous civil war between the merchantile Accan faction, and the steppe faction that claimed the truer Satar lineage.

The Faronun launched a great assault on the Kothari, while the Opulensi civil war raged on, with the Daharai scoring a number of critical victories. In the east, Leun struck against their longtime rivals in Iolha, and landed what seemed to be the decisive blow in that short war.

The Dulama, meanwhile, fell victim to a dozen plots at once, and experienced their worst crisis yet.

Update Twenty – To Dream of Ruin

The civil war in the Dulama Empire continued at a frenetic pace, with multiple warlords breaking away, and the influence of the various claimants to the throne extending only as far as their armies could march. The Hai Vithana invaded, compounding things, while the Narannue invaded from the west.

The Farubaida o Caroha and the Kothari continued to make war against one another, with the Hu'ut rising in the River Had, and Kothari raiders burning Dremai and threatening the northern part of Helsia.

A new Church crisis threatened to rend the Holy Moti Empire apart at the seams, forcing the Ayasi to call a new ecumenical council.

The Opulensi Empire collapsed, falling under the fist of the Leunans, while what remained became a Republic under Daharai rule.

Update Twenty-one – And So the Day Fell

The Dulama Empire has more or less fallen, with a medium-sized rump state remaining in the west. The rest of the western lands have increasingly come under the dominion of the Hai Vithana, or the Trahana. The Moti, meanwhile, started to extend westward, conquering the steppe cities once dominated by the Hai Vithana nomads, and even menacing the Dulama highlands.

The Farubaida-Kothari war continued, much to almost everyone's dissatisfaction.

Aitahism's latest schism became more or less official, as the temple leadership in Caroha declined to recognize the divinity of Aelona's lineage, infuriating Kintyra. Thus, “Northern” Aitahism, or perhaps “Aelonist” Aitahism started to follow its own doctrine, surging in popularity north of the Savirai Empire.

The Leunan Republic stagnated, allowing new states to start to rise to prominence in the east – leading them, Parthe.

The Karapeshai Civil War finally concluded, with the victory of Karal-ta-Asihkar and the steppe faction, driving the Accan Tephras from the position of ultimate rule.

Update Twenty-two – Tread Lightly

Animated map for updates 1-17

[Thlayli]

Here. In. Don't you dare let this die, NK, because I have faith in this one.

[Masada]

Here. In

EDIT:

I claim the River facing the inner sea with the island at its mouth

Its almost directly south of dldnjstjr

[~Darkening~]

In (not so much for the win.) For the record, I would appreciate the spot alongside the second northern most river (the shortest shown on the eastern side of the map, i.e the one surronded by the hills.) The specific spot being at the start of the river.

If I somehow missed the part where we don't reserve spots, then apologies.

[Ninja Dude]

I guess I'm in.

[dldnjstjr]

I think I'm in too.

[LightFang]

I'm in, but you better hope to Providence that you don't let this die.

[dldnjstjr]

When do we get to pick spots and fill out stats?

[North King]

Originally Posted by dldnjstjr

When do we get to pick spots and fill out stats?

Feel free to do so now.

[dldnjstjr]

I call dibs here:



Anaroth
Starting Location: Shown Above
Society: Absolute Monarchy. Royalty -> Priests -> Noble -> Intellectuals -> Artisans/Craftsmen -> Farmers/Others
Lineage: Patriarchy
Values: Religion, Nationalism, Education, Filial Piety
Religion(s): Monotheism with a god called Elifer.
Language(s): Adorian, paper writing with ink
Mythos: No Mythos.
Economic Base: Fishing, Farming, Crafting, Mining, Forging, Ship Building, Trade
Nation Names: Lanquin, Adorin, Telin
Person Names: Kalin, Lian, Renson, Hayden
Place Names: Lanquin Temple, Hagroc Mountain, Cervais Port, Gelion River, Palorim Valley

[flyingchicken]

Edited for values (May 21, 2008, at 10:34 PM). Entry is as follows:

Ailuttorutto/Lutto (adjective and noun; denotes the dominance of Lutto/Ailutto and how it's tied to the Rutto peninsula)
Starting Location: See map above.
Society: Centered around the self, the family, and the home. There is an upper class of aristocrats, a yet-developed middle class of lesser aristocrats, and a large lower class of artisans/craftsmen, farmers, laborers, servants, and slaves (in order of societal rank; also, technically, slaves are property, not people).
Lineage: Patrilineal, very few exceptions.
Values: (and sub values:) Personal Success → Personal Wealth → Bravery | Philosophy → Knowledge| Personal Integrity → Filial Piety → Lawfulness
Religion(s): The religion is very loose polytheism--there are several gods, and they come and go as the masses will. Some become popular and die out, some are staple, some compete for the same function. In any case, there is a wide number of "scripture" available, and a wide variety of gods and priests to subscribe to, often on a very pragmatic basis. There, are, of course, a few "major" gods, but sometimes entire pantheons fall out currency for better, sexier gods. So, in short, it's pragmatic polytheism.
Language(s): (spoken) Central Stutto, Northern Stutto, Southern Stutto, Old Stutto, New Ritti, and Old Ritti (in order of age, young to old; everyone speaks in a staccato, strangely enough, though the newer languages more so than the old ones). (written forms) Countryside Lutto-Stutto, Lutto-Stutto, Stutto, Smooth Ritti, Jagged Ritti (in order of age, young to old). Writing often consists of using paint or carving on wax or pottery.
Mythos:
Born of a sea-god (in dispute between Ruttocatton, a fierce warlike sailor-god, Nacatton, a primal mermaid-ish god of earthquakes, Iccon, a womanizing god of sea travel, and various cult-gods) and a mortal woman (never named, neither is her ancestry ever described), a hero (generally named as Sattoros, Sattoronos or Sattoroccos) traveled from tribe to tribe in the peninsula (generally named the Rutto Peninsula), doing great deeds in between and impregnating all the women (it's really an okay thing to do in the stories).

He eventually clashes with a god (in dispute between his father, Haratton, a wise-type elder god, Nactton, a terrifying god of retribution, Ekitton, a warlike god of forges, and various cult-gods), enters a bet (what was on the line is in dispute, but a popular one is his life or the status of godhood), wins but is cast down to the Underworld (descriptions vary) unfairly (although this really depends on who's telling the story), and his children cursed. He escapes, as heroes do, and slays the god who cast him out, gaining the love and praise of a goddess (disputed between Rinna, the promiscuous goddess of love, Itanna, the cheating goddess of jealousy--yeah, I know, Luccottonna, the warm and single goddess of fertility, and various cult-gods--some even claim it was a guy).

Sattoros's sons and daughters are eventually uncursed and even blessed (how usually depends on the goddess used) by his goddess girlfriend, for whom he does magnificent and entertaining heroic deeds. The couple's numerous sons and daughters eventually become the leaders of Lutto society, though the two are too busy bonking and doing hero things to care about the disputes between their sons and daughters. Sattoros eventually dies, claiming that the life of a god was too difficult for him and he would rather retire to the idyllic afterlife of heroes (or the boring generic afterlife, the good portion of one version of the Underworld, and other pleasant places). His girlfriend naturally becomes unhappy (her fate is in dispute, depending on what goddess, usually--if its an important non-seasonal one, she just does something terrible and moves on; otherwise, suicide and seasons-changing are popular).

The bickering sons and daughters of Sattoros eventually formed the tribes and eventual small states in and around the Rutto peninsula. All claim direct or exclusive descent from the legendary hero, though politics had stopped (or eventually will stop) revolving around the mythos due to the nature of Lutto religion.
Economic Base: Agriculture (both agronomy and animal husbandry), aquaculture, pottery, shipbuilding, mining, metalworking, woodcarving, and various other normal Imperial Age things (in order of importance).
Nation Names: Lutto, Ailutto, Gutti, Acca, Onttoco, Sattocco.
Person Names: Sattoros (mythic), Aittos (the first king of the Lutto, formed the kingdom of Lutto which comprised of the old Lutto tribe and several nearby tribes), Arnatteo, Datteres, Erettes, Harattos, Iccos, Ittos, Mandettes, Matteos, Sitticcos, Sizacces.
Place Names: Rutto Peninsula, Ritti (eastern island), Vitti (southern island), Arutto (southwestern island), Kletto (random island of importance), Izicci (random island of importance), Lutto (city), Lutto (region), (places of fighting, sites of cities, or other stuff:) Hills of Gutticci, Hills of Stuccotti, Hills of Ritticco, Itacca Plain, Ontocco Plain, Shores of Mattecco, Atticco Cliffs, Mount Izitto, Mount Pottocco, Mount Ilziccotto, Tuttocco River, Ittocco River, Luttocco River, (ambiguous place/geographic formation names:) Amitticco, Amicci, Ilmatto, Ilmitti, Occotti, (cities:) Aitto, Accotto, Almetticcotto, Almocco, Illutto, Ilmocco, Ilmetticotto, Iluttocco, Ittocco, Guttocco, Mocco, Meticcotto, Satticco, Viccotto, Ziccotto

duckspeak

[alex994]

I express interest.

[North King]

Just FYI, I'd like all submissions before Monday of next week. That includes a filled out template and orders or stories if you choose to do either.

[conehead234]

Trilui
Starting Location:
Society: There is a small upper class of nobles, which rule over a larger lower class of workers. A middle class of traders exists but they are influenced by the upper class. There is a strong desire to explore and the traders and merchants are considered heroes because of there actions (explained in Mythos).
Lineage: Paternal
Values: Honor and Loyality; they believe that it is important for a Man to keep his word and they value this above all others.
Exploration because they desire to find the lost members of their society.
Religion(s): They worship the god of the sun (Hulos) with other minor gods represented by the celestial objects.
Language(s): The writing system evolved from pictures to a crude alphabet containing 2 dozen characters. Writing is done in clay, until a more suitable method is obtained. There is a dialect of the language spoken by the lower class (Trihi) and a more sophisticated version spoken by the upper and trader class (Triha).
Mythos: At the beginning the world was completely land. The people of Trilui worshiped Lulos. However there were 2 gods, the god of the sun (Hulos) and the god of the moon (Lulos). There was an agreement between Hulos and Lulos that one shall rule the day and the other shall rule the night. However, one day the Lulos decided that he shall have rein over the day also, and blocked out Hulos. In anger, Hulos burned the Lulos, turning Lulos red and threatened the people of Trilui. Helos threatened them, to stop worshiping Lulos, however this brought disagreement to the people of Trilui on who to worship. Helos in anger fractured the world, creating the ocean out of anger, separating the land. The people who decided to continue to worship Lulos were banished across the great ocean from the ones that repented. Helos burned the skin of the Trilui to the color it is now.

However, Helos eventually forgave Lulos from violating the agreement. But Helos's punishment could not be reversed. The people of Trilui long to find where the banished members of the society are. And are determined to.

Economic Base: A large base of herders and farmers, however there is a growing merchant economy. With traders just beginning to explore and creating trading posts across the sea. The mountains are mined for their minerals and craftsmanship developing.

Nation Names: Linlui, Helonui, Trilui, Sivilui
Person Names: Knovli, Sovau, Son Vasv, Wolse, Vadenl
Place Names: Lov (the Ocean), Ovi (the mountains), Trovin (capital), Lokovui, Sinvaoui, Avolvi, Sovi
[Add anything else you want to say]

[Cannae]

Later stats

[Masada]

Culture Name: Seshweay

Spoiler:

Starting Location: Specified

Society:

Seshweay is broadly divided along “ancestor linage” which is idealized and is used primarily to separate the political blocs. So different cities and polities will claim different “ancestors” as the primogenitor of their respective group naturally those who claim the same ancestors are likely to get along.

Most of Seshweay is ruled by a patchwork of different Oligarchies who normally rule a city and surrounds but little else. There are Kings in some areas but none have a real power most are figureheads. The Oligarchies in most cities by custom admit anyone with the requisite amount of wealth, although those newly wealthy are often relegated to non-voting status. This has created conflict, with the people often siding with the newly wealthy against the old wealth, in some of the cities this has led to outright conflict.

This conflict between the new and old wealth has led to a steady stream of new wealth leaving the old cities and founding new cities. The old cities were typically built in the most defensive positions possible which hampered economic efforts. The new cities were typically built in the areas likely to generate the most wealth for those fleeing the conflict in the old cities (typically those who were still in touch with generating wealth) and those members of the common people who were interested in money making and not tied to the old Oligarchs.

Seshweay has four major factions; the traditional Red and Blue group of cities who are broadly represent the traditional homelands of the Seshweay and are mostly composed of old cities. The Greens and Browns are mostly composed of the new cities and broadly represent the furthest flung cities of the Seshweay. Of course this is not always the case, with Green and Brown cities sitting in the interior of the homelands constructed to exploit some important resource. Likewise on the outskirts of Seshweay it is not uncommon to find Red and Blue cities surrounded by Green and Brown cities. Compounding these problems is conflict between traditional ancestral enemies; it is not uncommon for cities of the same faction to fight against each other over ancient slights. It is furthermore not uncommon in an ancestral conflict to find members of every group fighting members of every group over the same slight. It is furthermore not uncommon in many of the cities to find rival groups fighting over the same slight, these city tussles are also not uncommonly erupt inside even cities uninvolved in the greater struggle. It is also even more bizarrely not uncommon in a war against a rival faction for cities to refuse to fight one another because of ancestral links and it is not uncommon for cities to fight on different sides depending on who is on each side.

Broadly speaking there exists few constraints on professions for people of different lineages, it is however not uncommon that members from opposing ancestral groups to on principle not purchase from other groups. If one keeps silent on the ancestor purported to have birthed that particular person’s linage then it nobody is going to know, although different lineages can have distinctive features but with mixing between the groups it is almost impossible by looks alone to tell.

Family groups are almost impossible to chart, given that families often split as conflict between portions of the family that claim descent from one ancestor conflict with another. It is not uncommon to find a mother and father fighting with words normally over the linage that a son or daughter is to claim, wars have started over such disagreements.

Lineage:

Depends on city custom, but generally on “influence” which is in short the apparent traits shared in common with an ancestor, women can also inherit although the chances of inheritance are markedly increased if the ancestor is female likewise for men it is easier to inherent if the ancestor is male. It is not uncommon for inheritance to just be given by mutual agreement to the eldest male or female (although inheritance by preference of the parents is common). The rich commonly resolve to keep the riches firmly in one child’s hands (this is a reaction to the stipulation that those sitting on the Oligarchies must have a set wealth or be able to hold that much in a set period or lose their seat).

Values: Seshweay society values Freedom (albeit a slightly warped concept of it) seeing the relative Liberty of the Oligarchies as infinitely preferable to the Tyranny of One (it’s enshrined in the Seshweay creation story and Myths, bizarrely Military service to the state constitutes an important part of maintaining freedom from Tyranny through serving a Tyranny). Seshweay culture also values Individual Independence (which is achieved in part) and Self Reliance (which in Seshweay society represents more a desire to only rely on oneself and family).

Religion(s):

Ancestor Worship is deeply ingrained into the Seshweay, from the Seshweay individually trying to model themselves on the “Majesty” of their ancestors, to the constant warfare between the different factions and to the fanatical attention to familial links. Whether or not it constitutes a religion is unclear, Seshweay have the beginnings of a priesthood but at the moment they are really only paid “worshippers” who constantly honour the chosen ancestor of the payee with whatever the ancestor preferred in life.

Language(s):

Seshweay speak one language, however from region to region it varies heavily with different dialects being the norm. The most spoken version is perhaps with a hint of humour “High” Seshweay spoken primarily by the elite in business and civil interactions it is characteristic of the Seshweay language as a whole; Complex.

Seshweay between Ancestral groups will speak to each other differently to those outside the group using different greetings and changing the formality of the speech and changing the verb endings and even in the more extreme cases omitting whole sounds.

Seshweay is characterised as a language group by its extremely complex sense of timing, events of in the past, present and future have sub categories, those events which happen in the distant past and in the close past have different sentence construction. Similarly events which are happening in the present and those which have been resolved in the present have different construction. Throw into that a completely different approach to speaking about the ancestors and possible futures and the average non-native-speaker is unlikely to ever learn.

The word Seshweay means variously, people, the people, the four cities which claim to be the only real Seshweay, culture, the world, the heavens and a great many things beside (what context it is being used in is generally codified directly after or before the word is used, generally, Seshweay humour is composed of forgetting to codify the exact usage properly).

Mythos: The Seshweay claim to be the only true people in the world, claiming that their ancestors were the beloved of the world (whose soul they murdered to be free after it became a tad to demanding) and were bought into being as perfect paragons of all that is the Seshweay. After the ancestors murdered the world soul they resolved that never again would they be governed by one that instead they would be governed by many (of course this failed with predictably bloody results) this lead to the first of the great wars of the Ancestors who breed soldiers to fight each other (the Seshweay proper). The Seshweay have not yet reconciled what the other peoples around the world are, but they know that the Ancestors didn’t create them therefore they are not people. Since the Seshweay were created as soldiers it is expected of them to be soldiers. The site where the battles were fought and the Ancestors lived in first is hotly debated with four candidate cities jumping forward all calling themselves Seshweay. Seshweay logic dictates that since the Ancestors had only themselves to rely on and lived in perfect freedom (the murders don’t count they ignore that leap of logic) it is therefore logical that all Seshweay should try to live in freedom. There is no inherent contradiction between them living under tyranny and maintaining freedom. It is also logical only to the Seshweay that since the ancestors initially did not rely on each other during the wars that Seshweay should model themselves on this they ignore the fact that the ancestors later teamed up to fight amongst each other leading in their logic directly to the current red vs blue conflict in the old cities and all the disasters that have followed since.

Economic Base:

The old cities are for the most part heavily reliant on agriculture and industries which compliment them, while the new cities are largely trade, raw resources and complex goods which are not related to agriculture reliant. Since the Oligarchs are constantly competing for the greatest show of wealth (while retaining the requisite amount) fine wares are therefore extremely sought after, leading to a game of one-up-man-ship.

Nation Names:

Seshweay, Seshweay, Seshweay (I’m not joking), Seies, Aysh, Tisesh, Shw, Esay, Pa, Paasa, Paies, Kesseihw, Sei’Sh, Se’Pa’Pa, Kesh’esh’Sei, Sesh’Ay’Tes, Nes’Sh’Ies

Person Names: Ta’Val, Kes’Se, Pa, Aya’se, Te’esh, Paa’Oa, Te’Tes’Nes, Viws, Ihw, Es’w.

Place Names: The River that my culture will be on is to be called Sesh while the sea is to be called Weay, the Island at the mouth of the river is to be called Seshweay, while the Mountains nearby are to be called the Eay’Val Mountains.

Just to clarify my starting position, im taking the river nearest to Slave Sioux's claim with the island by the mouth.

*Evil Laugh* your on my Mountains