Immaculate NES II: Emperor of the Fading Heavens (pre-NES thread)

I'm going to post stuff here in no particular order. You are free to post to your heart's content wherever and however you want.

by the way, this is a mix of my first NES (FFH NES II) and of a RPG/video game called 'Emperor of the Fading Suns'. The material i included here (and will include elsewhere) is a combination of mine and others- i make no claim to its originality.

Dammit, Immac, I'm supposed to be taking finals right now, not reading up on NES's... I'm in, as whatever you want me to be.

I'm in as well

Okay, I am authorizing Merciary as first dibs on a Hippus-based nation (if he wants). I am authorizing Ekolite as a Bannor-based nation (if he wants).

Merciary doesn't have to play a Hippus-based nation if he doesn't want to (but i think Ekolite wants to play something based on the Bannor).

Seon and Orange can design noble houses based on other nations, a multi-national corporation, or some other government/organization that fits the history i have outlined above.

What i need from the player base if five players who are willing to play a major Noble House and to design that house.

The story is that the house should have some relation to the distant nations of times past. but i expect it to be greatly evolved but at the same time keep some element of the earlier nation....

So if Ekolite wants to play a nation descended from the Bannor that would be great... perhaps now its called the Pawhner or something and is made up largely of militant nobles with a penchant for bullish diplomacy and strong ties to the Church. A Hippus-based house might also have strong ties to the ancient and now-defunt nation of Grigori (for example) and its nobles might be best known for its excellent pilots and its fighter division but have made enemies amongst the church (and friends amongst the Guilds)

I'll post a bit of history in a bit and you can take that into consideration when detailing your noble house.

before i get further into that, let me tell you what you will be playing:
The Noble Houses are made up of many actual families (families is important- remember this is a feudal system) with exact leadership and succession totally up to you (between families, within the main family, etc).

You control maybe 1/8th to 1/4 of a particular planet from a geographical point of view- we'll talk about that later and command maybe 1-2 million people. the vast majority of those will be serfs who do little more then till the land. But you will have assets (and a tiny bit of stats).

When you write up your noble house, you will have 1-2 military assets. In addition to these 'elite' components of your military you will also have a bunch of WW1-era infantry, artillery and navies.
But you'll also have something along the lines of:
Griffon's Legion: Ceramasteal Armour Infantry Division: a division of infantry clad in ancient ceramasteal armour from the days of the Grand Republic. House XXX(your house)XXX was able to maintain these ancient suits of armor during the purges by hiding them and only using them when the time is right. Now, with ceramasteal routinely worn by the church's fame-gun wielding soldiers, it is not nearly as heratical and so the Griffon's legion has become the elite infantry division of house XXXX, nearly industructible by the ballistic and fire-based weapons of the modern noble house.
Seraphi Fighter Wing: (perhaps appropriate to a Hippus-based house): a unit of jet fighters and the tech to run them (for a little while anyway)...

Also, you'll have 1-2 non-military assets (these could be contacts in a particular faction, a financial asset, an industrial asset, etc).
here are some examples:
Banks: the house has many well organized banks that provides loans and investments to many of the freemen and lower-ranked nobles of the known world. The house has gained some enemies amongst the league of guilds but has also produced a steady source of income.
Oil Wells and Small Refinery: the investment of the house in these oil wells and the refinery to go with them has provided fuel for the combustion engine that runs much of the house's tranportation and manufatoring. It also provides an export item for trade to the guild and other noble houses.
Wind Farms: The noble house produces great quantities of electricity on such and such continent of such and such planet making power plentiful and cheap for its serfs. Electric power and lighting is available to many in the area and quality of life is greatly increased.
Mystic's Lodge. it is rumoured that the noble house has a hidden mystic's lodge where the ancient magicks of long-ago are being practiced and studied. Perhaps this makes available a small number of magics for minor things

Playable Factions:

So what’s available to you the player?

I’m looking to have 5 major noble houses. These are the major diplomatic, military and political players of the modern worlds. Each of the noble houses will have 3 (THREE! Not five as originally advertised) sceptres and significant political influence, military power and man-power to draw upon. Each will be approximately equal in power to the others.

You could also play one of 12 minor noble houses. You can design these as you see fit. Each one gets 1 (ONE!) sceptre and will have reduced political, military and man power to draw upon vis-à-vis the five major houses but will still be able to significantly change the face of the worlds if they see fit to do so.

Players may also play a church sect. You can’t play the major sects of Erebus but you could play, for example, the sect of St. Caswel’s Scribes on such and such a planet. The Universal church has 5 sceptres to distribute according to the whims of the patriarch Barbatos (head of the Orthodox Order). So potentially your church sect could wield some small political power. I won’t be allowing players to play major multi-world sects like the entirety of the avesti or some such.

You could also potentially play a minor guild operating either in league or independently of the gnomish League of Guilders. The head shareholders of the League of Guilds command 5 sceptres which might, should you play your hand right, be provided to your guild. You probably won’t be commanding large armies as a guild but it might be fun trying to corner spice trade or some such nonsense.

Anyway, that’s pretty much the player options. You have to design your own faction based on the history, the setting and what I’ve outlined here.

Sceptres:

There are 37 sceptres in total.
15 are owned by the reamining great noble houses (3 to each of 5 houses)
12 are owned by 12 of the minor noble houses (1 to each of 12 houses)
5 are owned by the Universal Church (and awared by its patriarch according to his whims)
5 are owned by the League of Guilds (and usually awarded to its most prosperous or influential guilds).

What are the sceptres?

The sceptres each represent a single vote for imperial regent. They are also each entrusted to a specific individual (characters within your house or one of the NPC factions). Every twenty years (4 turns; each turn is 5 Erebus years) a new regent will be voted into power. The candidates are free to campaign however they like but must be a sceptre holder. Voting is performed through the sceptres themselves and the vote represents the opinion of the sceptre-holder (and may or may not represent the opinion of the player controlling that noble house depending on character loyalty).

The imperial regent is heir to the throne of the assassinated emperor and of the imperial fleets, armies and espionage bureaus. The imperial regent must appoint a sceptre holder to each of these appointment: ‘Imperial Fleet Admiral’, ‘Imperial Guards Captain’, and ‘Keeper of the Imperial Eye’. The sceptre holder may assign his own house to any single one (and no more then one) of these appointments if they so wish (but will then have 2 of its characters involved in politics and less available for their own use (which could be good or bad). No single house can hold more then one of these appointments at any one time. Failure to vacate the seat after the election will result in prompt and rapid response by the other noble houses and by the church as well as the sceptres themselves which guard against this sort of behaviour.

The sceptres are either magical or of extremely high technology that they might as well be magical. The bearer of the sceptre is bonded to it (a process that takes 20 years) and gains immunity to age and resistance to poisons and disease (though some of the poisons and diseases designed in the last century are so lethal that the sceptre will provide no protection whatsoever).

Additionally the sceptres allow instantaneous communication over any distance (voice only) which should greatly assist with diplomacy and explaining how messages are getting around so quickly.

Cultural Attitudes towards technology

The largest roadblock to scientific advancement isn't the lack of artifacts, but the public perception that these artifacts of higher technology will lead to destruction. This perception is fueled in large part by the Universal Church, who blames technology for the downfall of the Grand Republic. The Church claims that technology in its higher forms (computers, cybernetics, robotics) corrupts one's morality. When human dependence on physical material becomes too great, then humanity forgets the need to cleanse the soul. In large part, the public has adopted this belief and is content with older technologies that do not approach that of the Grand Republic. Scientists, on the other hand, believe that the Church's doctrine is simply a deception that keeps the people in ignorance and the Church in power. Advanced technology still exists in every corner of the Known Worlds, but it often must hide in the shadows, lest the Church declare its users heretics.

The Universal Church of the Celestial Sun is a massive organization that dominates the Known Worlds. The Church touches the lives of each and every sentient. Even pagans and apostates define themselves in terms of their opposition or difference from the Church. Perceptions of the Church obviously vary, but the majority of people in the Known Worlds look to the Church for guidance and attend services at least once a week. They are devout, and are much more likely to follow the direction of a priest than their own Noble masters. This then is the source of the Church's enduring power: Nobles who fall afoul of the Church often find their serfs running away and freemen refusing to work for them.

Because of this, almost all Nobles appear to be devout supporters of the Church. Many really are devout believers. The Church is full of the sons and daughters of Noble families. Others Nobles are less than devout, but they understand that without the Church's blessing, they could and probably would lose all they have. The Noble families and the Church have an implicit understanding: The Nobles support the Church through their tithes and the Church support the Noble's position to rule, which carries immense weight with the serfs. The League of Merchants also has a contradictory relationship with the Church. The League is a much younger institution than the Church and the relationship is often rocky. Yet many lower level guild members come from or are themselves believers. And the League could not withstand a crusade against it by the Church and allied Noble families. Of course, there is balance, and the Church itself relies on Guild technology, often technology it bans for the rest of the Known Worlds.

The Universal Church, is ironically, not quite Universal. There are other religions, although they are practiced in secret for the Church will stop at nothing to exterminate them. Even within the Church, there are distinct divisions.


Orthodox

The largest sect, it is the Orthodoxy that most people associate with the Church. Its priests can be found on all worlds, from the ostentatious bishops of the capital cities to the more humble parish priests in the most poverty-stricken fiefs. While the Orthodoxy has gained a reputation for their cunning political manoeuvres, most priests know little of such things, being entirely too busy protecting the souls of the simple faithful in their parishes. When tragedy strikes, it is still to the Orthodoxy that most of the faithful turn for consolation.
When people refer to ‘the church’, they are referring to the Orthodoxy.
Favoured saints of the Orthodoxy include “St. Lugus”, “St. Junil”, “St. Sabel” and the living patriarch, “St. Barbatos”.

Eskatonic Order

These hermetic sages are often thought of as wizards by the common folk, but the nobles and guildsmen know them for the kooks they often are. While there are many within the order who possess profound wisdom and learning, there are just as many who are obsessed with the end of the universe and who stand on street corners telling everyone about it. Eskatonic history begins in ancient times, during the great ‘soul wars’. They were derived from Amur wizards and hermetics who fought alongside the church to end the spread of the demon-servants and their tyranny and yet they used the heretic magiks often associated with the enemy. And thus there was much struggle and agonizing debate over the fate of the Amur mages and sages. Their continued devotion to the church and their willingness to share their secrets with the orthodox and other sects eventually won the day and they were accepted, at least for awhile. As the years turned into centuries the church led many inquisitions against the ‘Order of St. Oghma’ (as they were known at the time) and purged their numbers of heresy and witchcraft and eventually drove them from the fold.
During the ‘Grand Republic’ the ‘Order of St. Oghma’ was confined to a few minor cities on Errovus, their rites and secrets scrutinized by the church at any moment. That all changed when the Symbiots struck. Suddenly the weapons of the ‘Grand Republic’ were no longer sufficient and it was left to the church to battle for the souls of man in the face of overwealming odds. Knowing that flame-guns and missiles alone would not win the day, the Church called upon the ‘Eskatonics’ (as they had become known in an effort to distance themselves from the heretic ‘old gods’). The Eskatonics were admitted into the fold when their theurgical rites proved effective against the Symbiots. Some see this concession as a sign of weakness as the Orthodoxy struggles to regain ground lost during the Wars, but others quote the old saying: "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."
Though publicly the Eskatonics share many of the same saints as the Orthodoxy, in private many also venerate “St. Caswel” and “St. Oghma”.

Brother Battle

This order of warrior monks is the most elite fighting forces in the Known Worlds, surpassing even the Emperor's Phoenix Guard in martial prowess. Originally chartered to protect pilgrims and pursue heretics, the order is now petitioned by noble houses, other Church sects, and even guilds to perform military operations on many worlds, including the infamous Stigmata Front against the dreaded Symbiot invaders. Despite rumors of heresy and usury within their ranks, everyone wants a Brother Battle monk by their side in times of trouble. Though technically bound to obey the directives of the Patriarch Barbatos, some worry that the Brother Battle are gaining too much power as they accumulate lands on frontier worlds where barbarians and heretics remain a threat.
The Brothers Battle are the most recently formed sect, having arisen only at the end of the Grand Republic as the church became more and more involved, once-again, the military affairs of man, although many of their scriptures and popular liturgy can be directly traced to the ‘Cult of Fortune’ of old and their patron saint, Baelious, is thought to have been worshiped as a god in the ancient times.
The Brothers battle are often recruited from the population of ‘House Eekin’s’ serfs and freemen and many are toweringly large blond-haired and blond-bearded men of cunning martial prowess.
Their favoured saint is “St. Baleious”.

Temple Avesti (Avestites)

The Avestites were formed under the personal direction of Patriarch Barbatos during the ‘Soul Wars’ so as to find and root out demonic worship and heretic followers of the ‘pretender gods’. Some whisper that the Avestites were originally formed as a means of blinding the most zealous followers of the ‘Church of Celestial Light’ to its leaders own hypocrisy and secrecy by turning their attention to targets of their choosing. Those that whisper this too openly may soon find themselves stretched over the ‘electro-racks’ and targets of inquisition themselves however.
The Avestites long ago seized most of the seats on the Inquisitorial Synod, but even pilgrims who hold no Inquisition seal have a habit of sticking their noses in other people's business. Avestites consider it their duty to search the Known Worlds for signs of heresy, demonism and any other threats to the faithful, and are not about to let such technicalities as law or status get in the way. Their rejection of learning and dogmatic adherence to certain extreme scriptures makes them the object of fear and hatred for the enlightened, although the peasantry might cheer when one of their betters is the target of Avesti ire. Publicly, they are obeyed, but Avestites who wander alone into dark alleys are sometimes never seen again. Only the most fanatic and ascetic initiates are admitted to this sect.
The Avestites almost universally favour the living patriarch as their saint of choice.

Blossom of Mercy

This order of healers and compassionate mystics is as old as the Orthodoxy, although the Blossoms of Mercy conceded leadership of the Church long ago, preferring to dedicate themselves to the perfection of their salutory arts. Everybody loves the priests and priestesses of Blossom of Mercy, followers of Saint Sirona, for their very touch can effect miraculous cures of injuries and sickness -- at times even when artefact tech of the Grand Republic has failed. When a Blossom comes to town, there is always someone willing to provide hospitality for her. Many serfs and freemen will plant a plum tree in their yard in an effort to win the favour of this beloved sect by paying homage to their most well-known symbol, the plum blossom. Indeed, so beloved by the commoners are they that when one was once accused of witchcraft by an overzealous Avestite, the Avestite was seized by the populace and burned at the stake instead.
In addition to “St. Sirona” many also pay homage to “St. Nantosuelta”.

There a number of smaller and obviously pagan faiths throughout the worlds as well but these are considered heretical and that just won't do!

So would you like us to post our houses here or would you like us to pm them to you?

here's a good spot.

Here's an example from the actual RPG:

House Decados

House Decados is, in current estimation, either the weakest or the second to weakest Royal House. Its ruthless tactics have made it many enemies over the years, but the house persists.

House Decados has seen the crown change hands a number of times. Originally, the Tchaikof line held the throne. Over time, the throne has passed into the hands of the Maleviks, the Romanovs, the Vladislavs, the Ivanoviches, the Aleksandrovs, the Sfillis, and six other extinct dynasties. The Romanov dynasty, always strong, was deposed during the brief reign of Halvor the Theocrat, and since then the position passed to the Maleviks, who were deposed in 2882 and replaced by the Aleksandrovs. The Aleksandrov reign lasted until the middle of the Emperor Wars, when a series of defeats led the Vladislav line to take over most Aleksandrov holdings. Current politics are chaotic as normal, but the Vladislavs hold the throne. The Romanovs and Vladislavs are on guard against threats from the Malevik and Ivanovich families, each of which wishes to reclaim its lost glory and continually looks for new allies, and the Slava and Sharn families, which are trying to work their way inside from without. Prominent allies of the Crown include the Bogakovs and Czernys, military powerhouses bound by oath to the Vladislavs, the Gurovs, Sfillis, and Innokentis, who maintain good foreign relations for the house, and the Valushnya and Krusczek lines, which are involved in propaganda and intelligence within the house.

The Decados mindset creates a constant struggle between emergent families trying to claw their way to the top and established families trying to keep them in line. These struggles can often distract house members to no end and waste house resources on vendettas and constant mutual surveillance, but they really do cease when the crown or the agency wishes it so. More than any other house, the Decados put aside their differences and cooperate against foreigners. Decados are willing to betray anything and anybody except for the house itself. To the extent that this phenomenon is recognized, it is considered uncanny.

The strengths of House Decados are not immediately apparent, but are no less real for it. Outsiders would consider the chief strength of the house to be its incredible intelligence network, which allows it to use its power most efficiently and bargain from a position of great strength. This is all true, but it is only possible to the extent it exists because of another strength of the house– the uncanny allegiance it can command and the centralization of that allegiance. The weaknesses of House Decados are its poverty of resources, its non-martial orientation, and the lack of trust it inspires in potential allies. The house is fairly isolated, enjoying good if frosty relations with House Hazat, strained toleration by the Church and the Merchant League, and fairly poor relations with everyone else. Indeed, astute students of Known Worlds politics predict its imminent fall from prominence. Of course, they have been predicting this imminent fall for centuries now.

Decados Fiefs

The Jakovian Agency

The Emperor Alexius insisted upon the disbanding of the Jakovian Agency as a precondition for any surrender settlement on the part of Czar Hyram. Despite a number of highly-publicized purges, it is not believed by many that the much-feared spy network has simply ceased to exist. Still, those looking for Jakovian activity have found it far more scarce in recent years than it was before the end of the Second Emperor Wars.

The Fleshcrafters Cartel

A cartel specializing in body alteration, the Fleshcrafters always fight with the Engineers over market share in Decados space. They are quite skilled at cosmetic surgery and body alteration, and they are under constant Church investigation for their genetic engineering facilities

Selected Decados Families

- Vladislav: The royal family. Traditional in its Decados ways, but courting the Empire aggressively and willing to grant concessions. (Crown on Severus, big on Cadiz, Malignatius, Cadavus, Criticorum)

- Romanov: One of the founding families of the house. Has held the crown many times in the past. Rules Cadiz from the city of Vilna (Crown on Cadiz, big on Severus, Cadavus, Criticorum)

- Malevik: Aggressive if not completely subtle, the hot-tempered Maleviks have considerable enmity with the Romanovs and the Vladislavs. Accordingly, they are somewhat exiles right now. (Crown on Cadavus, big on Malignatius, Pandemonium)

- Bogakov: The most military branch of the family, and the most honorable (such as it is). Grudgingly respected but disliked within the house. (Crown on Malignatius, big on Pandemonium, Cadavus)

- Ivanovich: One of the more powerful families at court, though they consier themselves “robbed” of Malignatius’ throne by the Bogakovs. (Big on Malignatius, Severus, Cadiz, presence on Manitou)

- Sharn: Utterly calculating, almost robotic. Up-and-coming, and regarded with suspicion by Vladislavs and Romanovs. (Crown on Pandemonium, big on Severus, Malignatius)

- Gurov: Cultured and subtle, considered by many to be not far removed from the Criticorum al-Malik. The Gurov line tries to maintain good relations with non-Decados. (Big on Cadiz, Severus, Criticorum, Sutek)

- Sfilli: One of the chief Italianate families, the Sfilli line is closely allied with the Castenda Hazat and with the Vladislav line. (Big on Cadiz, Sutek, presence on Severus)

- Slava: Underdog rivals with Romanov family for control of Cadiz. Preach loudly about reform and overtures to Empire. (Big on Cadiz, Cadavus)

- Durneyev: Cultured and witty, often engaged in feuds and vendettas. (Big on Severus, Cadiz, presence on Criticorum)

- Innokenti: Highly religious, but not amazingly honorable. High incidence of theurgy. (Big on Malignatius, Cadavus, presence on Cadiz)

- Bratislav: Excellent with biotechnology, chemicals, and genetic engineering. Under close Church regulation. (Big on Severus, Cadavus, presence on Cadiz)

- Petrovna: Decadent, extremely wealthy and high-technology. Home to many cyberfetishists. (Big on Cadiz, Severus, Manitou)

- Gagarin: The most cultured and artistic of the house, as well as the most psychic and alien. The Gagarin line has long been plagued by troubling visions and portents. Once rebellious, then crushed and bound by oath to the Vladislavs. (big on Severus, Cadiz, Manitou)

- Aleksandrov: Once the crown family, deposed and largely crushed in beginning of Emperor Wars. Now they try to insinuate themselves into the politics of the backwaters they find themselves exiled into. (Big on Malignatius, Cadavus, presence on Pandemonium)

- Krusczek: Courtly family, excellent rumormongers. (Big on Severus, Malignatius)

- Chomolny: Highly mercenary, known to work for the highest bidder. Somewhat outcast. (Big on Cadavus, Criticorum, Cadiz)

- Czerny: Highly disciplined and extremely insular. Excellent rangers and warriors. Serves the Vladislav family (big on Cadavus, Malignatius)

- Turian: Strictly neutral information brokers. Still distrusted by many. (big on Cadiz, Criticorum, Manitou, Sutek)

- Mikoyan: Ardent supporters of the cartels. Often come into conflict with the Merchant League. (Big on Severus, Cadiz, Criticorum)

- Valushnya: Home to many scholars and intellectuals. (Big on Severus, Cadiz)

- Romany: Naval family, fond of life in space. Allied with Bogakov line. (Big on Severus, Cadiz)

- Tatarin: Somewhat Li Halan-influenced, this family is very religious (though not always Orthodox) and somewhat anarchic. (Big on Malignatius, Manitou, Cadavus)

- Sobor: Dissidents highly persecuted by Czar Hyram. (big on Malignatius, Pandemonium, Cadavus)

- Tchaikof: The most decadent of the house, considered to be degenerates and failures by all, but still tolerated because they are the family of Antonin and Jakob. (big on Cadavus, Cadiz)

- Strelnikov: Allied with the Castenda Hazat, still trying to demilitarize after the war. (big on Severus, presence on Sutek)

- Vaclav: Warrior family (presence on Malignatius, Cadavus)

please note that a lot of this doesn't make exact sense because we aren't playing in that universe but it gives an example of a developed noble house

STATS AND GAME MECHANICS

So, in the past, FFHNESII was increbidly stat-heavy and frankly, labour intensive.

This NES is going to be exactly the opposite. it will be almost entirely story driven. You will have only a handful of stats.

Reputation:
[Your reputation relates directly to the influence you have with the associated people.
Popularity: This is your standing within the general serfdom- both your own and others.
Noblesse: This is your standing amongst the nobility and higher classes.
Piety: This is your repuation amongst the religious.
Profitability: This is your reputation amongst merchants and the league (and maybe the 'Lost')

Resources:
Financial: describes your piggy bank (note that the currency used in the known world is called 'firebirds'.
Industry: describes your capacity to produce, repair, etc. high industry and low technology could be many many blacksmithes high industry and high technology would mean many specialized mechanic's shops or electronics factories etc.
Man-Power related to your population, man-power reflects your ability to raise a work-force capable of manufactoring new assets or fighting wars.
Research Capacity to develop new technology. May adversely affect piety.

Technology
Physics: Physics is an important technology as it dictates apptitude for things as wide ranging as ballistic weapons, jet engine technology, new weapons and armour, etc
Biotech: Biotech includes chemistry, biology and medicine.
Cultural: Social sciences and anything not directly related to biotech or physical

Magicks
Thaumaturgy capacity for traditional spell-casting and mystic rituals. High Thaumaturgy will quickyl lead to a drop in Piety.
Theurgy capacity for faith-based worhsip- also pertains to your direct involvement in preaching and religion (family members serving in churches, etc). High theurgy will increase your piety.
Heresy capcity for influence and power in faiths not part of the Universal church. Your piety will REALLY drop if this gets high but then you might make some interesting friends.

Your military assets will be highly simplified as well with an exact form that i have yet to determine.

In addition to these stats you will have individually listed assets that could include things like major fruit growing fiefdoms, oil refineries, shipyards, advanced military acadmies, or whatever else you can think of.

In addition to your stats you will have characters. Characters are important as they determine the maximum number of actions or projects you can take per turn.

Any organization (noble house, guild, sect, whatever) that has a a sceptre receives one character per bonded sceptre (remember that bonding to a sceptre takes 4 turns (20 years).

You may have characters additional to your total number of sceptres, especially if they manage to acquire immortality somehow (available from some of the guilds apparently). Characters do not have stats but may have descriptors or traits that affect your stats or make certain actions easier.

Note that commanding one of the imperial factions (the imperial garrison, the imperial fleet, the imperial eye) or the regency requires a character action but obviuosly you'll have signicant resources and assets to command as such.

You can have up to 3 characters only with the following exception: IF you have more then 3 sceptres, you can have a number of characters to command equal to the total number of bonded sceptres (so sceptres may make a nice war tribute).

Here's an example character:

Guillaume of House Decados:
- trader (increases likelyhood of sucess when applying 'profitability')
- political savy (increases likelyhood of success when engaged in political machinations)
- disloyal (may not always perform as you expect, may siphon funds, may vote differently then ordered to)

I am in, and that is a lot of read material...

Requesting to join. (Will write up relevant info in a bit)

Okay now, guild? Or a noble house... Zombie corporation idea is apparently taken by someone (curse you Tyrs). So should I just go ahead with that other idea, or...

My proposed idea.

The Rajenite League- An Introduction

1: In Basic
The Rajenites, who call themselves "The Dynasty" informally, are distinctive in the modern era for three things. First, an ideology in which even the idea of a leader is seen as morally wrong, as is the idea of a nation. Second, strong anti-unity sentiments and racist sentiments against Gnomes for creating the League in the first place. Third, large numbers of conspiracy theories claiming that all or part of history was fabricated.

2: Ideology and Government

i: The System of Government
The Rajenite ideology is a strange one- whilst they are held in subservience to the Empire by fear, they have a system of beliefs in which the very idea of a leader is morally wrong. This is based on a claim of natural human equality, rationalised very poorly as an extenstion of the doctrines of the Universial Church. (Whilst serfs have some influence in power, their very existence in an embarrasment, rationalised by the fact that random office-holders have yet to depose them. This in turn is due to fear of the Empire)

Despite the inefficency, people from amongst the Rajenites are chosen at random to occupy the several "Governorships" (The word Ministries was avoided on the pretext of avoiding antagonising the Church, but actually in a misguided attempt to reduce tensions)- Foriegn Affairs, Imperial Affairs, Church Affairs, Administrative Affairs, Army Affairs, Road&General Affairs (the domain of the Megran, which will be gotten too later), and Security Affairs (actually the department of spies).

The power of the Nobility rests upon their ability to rig elections for these posts, the responsibility of Security Affairs. They combine several methods- "persuading" apointees to resign on the pretext of health (in reality for fear of the Empire and Security Affairs), murdering apointees, rigging ballots, and eliminating names from the registry. Despite this, their rivals in the Department of Security (which will be explained later) manage to put a peasant candidate in one of the posts roughly 15% of the time.

ii: The Balance of Power in Government
Without a leader in the government, in practice a balance of power exists between several factions- the Governorships each are one, as are the Department of Security and the Environment Fund. Each one possesses Traditional Rights (things which they can do without challenge as accepted by convention), Areas of Influence (rights they claim are theirs but are contested with other factions), Traditional Allies (obvious), and Noble Ties (good relations with the families within the Rajenites are necessary to prevent corruption when one of their members is appointed). These factions tend to work together in practice over Foriegn Affairs (ironically), but squabble in everything else.

The Governorship of Foriegn Affairs is given primacy in foriegn relations and the right to negotiate agreements with other houses (which must be approved by the other Governorships). However, despite their protests the Governorships claim right to overrule them, which they have been forced to reluctantly accept. As the most loyal to the Empire, however, they have often threatened the other Governorships and major powers if they go too far in independent policies- consequently, the only family within the House who doesn't despise them are the Grewnaught.

The Governor's officials would plead that this was necessary to appease their "true" overlords. In all matters relating to the Empire, the Department of Imperial Affairs is given primacy despite their policy of antagonising the Empire. Additionally, Imperial Affairs has influence over several sections of the House's land (designated "Imperial Cities") and thus control over key trade areas (disputed with Administrative Affairs, but reluctantly backed by other Houses). To counter the influence of the Deparmtnet of Foriegn Affairs, they tend to work together with the Environment Fund in the informally named "Greengold Pact"- an agreement to use their vote (most of the time) in Fund interests in exchange for their money to augment the Imperial treasury. The local officials tend to prefer Freyan or Jannite Governors, but accept any Governor that is "of Moragion true". (A sentiment informally tolerated, but in theory should result in execution)

iii: Philosophy and Doctrine
(NOTE: Immaculate, I will need to request help with this- making up Universial Church doctrine would be stepping into your area, and so I can't make up a rationalisation yet)


iv: Views on Nationalism


3: Sentiments on the Empire and the Gnomes



4: Conspiracy Theories



(TO BE COMPLETED)