A Glorious Sepulcher; Fresh Start NES

Deadline, March 28th


Welcome to A Glorious Sepulcher, a collaborative world-building fresh start NES exercise in futility. Over the course of however many updates we may be able to put out it is our goal to work with players to create a relatively-plausible world with unique societies, cultures and nations covering a time-span of many centuries leading from the earliest centralized polities to modern nation-states. Players will create a culture and guide that culture, and eventually a state or nation of that culture, throughout history for good or for ill. All the action, drama and intrigue (and potentially violent revenge by the players against the moderators) will take place within biosphere of an Earth-similar planet, orbiting an Earth-similar sun, which is home for a species of apelike bipeds that we will assume for all intents and purposes are identical to Homo sapiens sapiens. In order to be a part of this NES, you need to have a pulse – if you run your culture poorly, rest assured you will end up some Spartan's Helot. Culture submissions should follow the template below...

Culture Name: What your people call themselves
Location: Where you start
Culture Description: Important notes about the origin of your culture, what your people value or believe, that sort of thing
Political Description: A brief or lengthy overview of how your people are organized under the authority of a tribal council, a monarch, an assembly of important merchants and patricians, etc.
Religious/Social Description: Overview of important religious or social customs, any important notes on religion, etc.
Army/Navy Description: Notes about the makeup of whatever military or war band structure your culture might have, and seafaring where applicable
Myth: Any notes about your culture's interpretation of the origin of the universe and mankind
Economic Notes: Information about how your people subsist off the land, and how the economy is organized (or not organized)
Person Names: Generic male and female names from your culture's language
Place Names: Generic place names from your culture's language

Click to expand...

This template will be used to assemble a basic start for your culture, and any information in here will be highly, highly subject to change over the course of the NES as cultural, religious, political exchange and conflict occur. Almost inevitably, your culture will give rise to other cultures and multiple states, and will be subject to some form of political diaspora. This is to be expected; original cultures will serve only as the ancient origins of great seafaring nations, revolutionary states and colonial empires later on in the NES.

The Cradle System

This is where we callously cramp your style by restricting where you can create a culture. At the start of the NES, cultures which will be relevant to the events of early history will exist in one of three geographic cradles where climatic and topographical conditions are conducive to successful, early agrarian societies. Later on, we will expand the world and places where players can start. Cultures which exist outside of the initial cradles will not necessarily be as advanced as their older neighbors, but trade and exchange will bring these societies up to date eventually.

On Warfare

Wars between players' cultures, states, nations, etc will be handled by a system of arbitration, strategy, cunning and blind luck. Also heavy doses of mod bias. Someone once said no plan survives contact with the enemy (quotes are fickle things) and this holds true here as well. Players that understand the ramifications of military action, and are willing to do the legwork of writing battle plans and accounting for the requisite eventualities, will experience success.

Culture and Stuff

The only thing separating your noble people from the hordes of unwashed barbarians just outside of your borders in the sum of your culture. Sort of. Sadly, NESing and my mental capabilities haven't reach the point where I am able to correctly apply and represent the growth and expansion of culture throughout the history of this world. So we're just going to toss some arbitrary numbers out there, and hope for the best. Each nation is part of a culture group, and has a certain amount of culture points, which are basically currency... for culture. Culture in the NES takes the form of military power, and UU's. Culture points represent how much your culture has been flourishing; so build a temple? Get ,more culture points. Conquer a people, and force your cultural dominance on them? Get more culture points. Write delightful stories, or essays on the tenets of your made up religion? Get culture points. Realistically, they're very easy to get, and one shouldn't really fret over getting them. You all have equal, and easy chances.

Now, I'm sure you're wondering why you'd necessarily want culture points. I mean, why waste your time building temples, when you could be building ships to raid your neighbors? Well, the short of it is, culture points allow you to build and expand your military capabilities. Culture points act like Gold in that the more you have, the better your UU's can be, or better your basic doctrine can be. For example, say you have the "TLK Culture."

TLK Culture
Training: 1
Armor: 1
Melee: 1
Mounted: 1
-Spearmen: 5 Gold for 1 Unit
-Horsemen: 5 Gold for 1 Unit

Clearly, you're going to want to improve some of your stats to stay ahead of the curve. Through the collection and allocation of culture points, it's possible to get your units to fighting trim. To raise any of your points, it costs 60 Culture Points.

But what about the other stats that have the same culture as me!? They get to benefit from my culture points?

Yes. But you're thinking of it wrong. It's not your culture points. It's your culture's points. Yes, other states may benefit from your accumulation of points, and you may do the same with theirs. That's the hard facts of sharing a culture with another nation.

I can't chose what nation's join my culture? What if my enemies hop aboard my culture, and get all of my benefits?

If your enemies decide to try to 'game the system', and change their culture to better you in a war, your battle is already half-way completed. They'd be sacrificing their culture, and whatever stability they have for a military advantage. That'd be the equivalent of the Persian Empire attempting to completely Hellenize to combat the Greeks better. By and large, should anyone do that, you'll get the better of it.

What if I want to switch cultures?

It's very possible. It just takes a few turns to do, and you have to run through some common-sense check marks. Ask yourself, "realistically, what can I expect to happen here?". If you are a very peaceful, trade oriented culture, and you wish to turn into a warmongering expansionist nation, you should understand that it's doubtful that everyone citizen of your empire is going to sit back and allow their cultural legacy to be torn apart. It has to be gradual, and you have to be willing to basically spend a few turns in limbo dealing with the domestic strife that might come about.

What about hybrid cultures?

I'm sifting through this idea for now, but honestly, I can't give a concrete answer.

Can I just start a new culture up out of nowhere?

Again, I can't really answer that. Unlike the previous question, I'm tentatively leaning towards a "no, not in an already established area." If you want to make a case for some newly civilized barbarians, or another cradle region that I may or may not open up, then of course. But having one nation disregard centuries of a previous culture, to start a new one from scratch doesn't seem possible. If you want to change the direction your culture is going in, try invading a few neighboring cultures, and gradually making changes yourself.

Speaking of invasion, can I force my culture down other people's throats?

Of course! That's half the fun, isn't it? Invading other places is nice, but what's even nicer is forcing them to *insert your culture's name here"-ize. You get a few cultural points from winning major battles, and even more for clearly winning the war. You can also get to reap some of the best that the other culture has to offer you as well. Basically, for at least the time frame we're in, wars and campaigning can be very beneficial.

UU's

What about UU's? Good question. UU's are going to be treated in a similar manner to your army doctrine, only that they're much cheaper to make, and your cultural partners in crime don't get the benefits right away. Each point in a UU design costs 15 culture points to get. So if you wanted to make a ship that had;

TLK's Pimpship
Armor: 1
Size: 1
Sail: 1
Missile: 1
Can be built by: TLK
Price: 5 Gold

It would cost you 60 cultural points. Adding another point into any category would make the price 75.

Can I only get points for designs from spending culture points?

Nope! UU design points will be given out as bonuses every once in awhile, or even as rewards from fighting in a war. Did you happen to capture one of your enemies super-strong ships? You get an extra naval design point!

Do people in my cultures get my designs?

Not immediately. Though, history has shown that being a copy-cat isn't necessarily a bad thing. You'll have to play it by ear; feel safe in knowing that you should have technological dominance at least at first, and your wonderful ideas might gradually spread throughout your culture overtime.

Can we trade designs?

For now, yes.

Can we co-make a design?

Sort of. For want of making stupid technicalities, country X and country Y cannot build a ship together. Country Y can give Country X money, and entrust that Country X will make a ship that it can share with Country Y.

What are the basic design structures for each type of UU?

For now;

Naval UUs

Name
Armor:
Size:
Sail:
Missile:
Can be built by:
Price:

Cavalry UUs

Name
Training:
Armor:
Melee:
-Missile
Can be built by:
Price:

Infantry UUs

Name
Training:
Armor:
Melee:
-Missile:
Can be built by:
Price:


If you have a UU in mind that you feel is not properly represented under these structures, contact me, and I'll see what we can figure out.


Turns and Orders

Turns will take different forms throughout the NES. At this particular moment, it is the intention to have several Boring Times jumps that will bring players and their societies hundreds or even thousands of years into the future. As the NES continues, turns will get shorter and shorter as is applicable. At the start, turns will last at least ten years' time. As turns get shorter, players should adjust their orders accordingly. BT orders should of course consist of broad guidelines, instead of specific orders (when/where applicable).

Reserved for more stats, just in case.

THE NATURAL WORLD

The world of "A Glorious Sepulcher", as stated before, takes place on a planet not too different from our own. Identical in axial tilt (or so a few rather interesting minds have proposed), distance from the sun, and a slew of other things, one should not be surprised to find some familiar climates, plant-life and of course, wild-life throughout the world. To help those of you along who may otherwise be disinterested in doing research on a subject matter as dull as climates, liberties have been taken to explain the natural world of" A Glorious Sepulcher" to you.


Ice-sheet: By far the most severe climate your people will face. With average temperatures throughout the year below freezing, no vegetation can be found in this climate. Wild-life too, is highly limited, if completely-non existant in the frozen wastes of the planet's Ice Sheets. Polar winds, always prevelent over the areas of the world covered in an Ice-sheet, can produce a complete white out, a period of absolutely no visibility due to the blowing of snow and ice crystals. Needless to say, it is far beyond the technological capabilities of your peoples to survive for very long in this rather unhospitable climate. You've been warned.
Comparable to; parts of Greenland, Antarctica

Tundra: Where there are Ice-sheets, there must be Tundra, somewhere seperating the rest of the world from the barren ice wastes. Permafrost allows the limited percipitation it recieves to form marshes and swamps during the "summer" seasons. The result is largely a breading ground for mosquitoes, gnats and other petulant pests that like to assault the few humans that attempt to make a habit of forging across the desolate regions. Vegetation is present, though is rarely larger than a few small plants. Trees, and any large plants such as that are completely non-existant.
Comparable to; Northern Alaska and Canada. The Muskag

Subarctic: By the definition of what exactly a "Subarctic Climate" is, regions falling under the term must have at least 1 month with an average temperature above 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Farhenheit). Ocean currents, and global positioning allow for subarctic regions to be notably warmer than regions where Tundra may be prevelent. Despite that, subarctic regions have short, cool summers, followed by bitterly freezing long winters. Almost endless tracks of Coniferous Forest keep penetration into the confines of Subartic areas limited at best, and they are not agriculturally viable lands. Deposits of ore, and the presence of highly desirable animal pelts (fox, wolf and otter fur, for example) do offer some incentive for exploring and exploiting these lands. Just make sure the people that come to call these regions home are hearty folks.
Comparable to; Most of Siberia, most of Canada, parts of Alaska

Humid Continental Mild Summer: The start of what I would consider the "temperate" climates. Weather in these climate zones is a major variable. Unlike it's "Hot Summer" counterparts, the HCMS remains true to it's name. Constant 'war' between both tropical and polar air masses allow for relatively quick and dramatic shifts in weather for those caught under this climate. Vegetation in this region remains to be a bit more hardy than their southern counterparts (firs pines and spruces, rather than maple and oak), though it is pleasant to say that agriculture, however irradic, is possible to start and mantain in these regions. Weather dependent, of course.
Comparable to; northern New York, New England, parts of Southern Canada

Humid Continental Hot Summer: Very similar to it's 'Mild' counterpart , though one must make note of the agricultural potential the region holds. The warmer climate allows for far more human appropriate agriculture to be enabled on a large-scale basis, especially since the soil is so damn fertile. Of course, this is not to say that the HCHS doesn't have pitfalls. It's hot summers can be brutally so, and it's winters aren't much to snuff at either. The extreme climate conditions that make agriculture and by extent trade such a viable option can also prove to be it's undoing, should a particularly long drought make an appearance, or a particularly harsh winter stay longer than welcome.
Comparable to; the Mid-Atlantic States

Marine West Coast: The first thing you'll probably notice about Marine West Coast climates, is how unusually north they are. It's relative position to the polar regions of the planet would of course lead one to believe that subarctic climate is far more suitable, if not sensible. Yet, the proximity of these regions to the sea, and the prevailing on-shore winds insure that the Marine West Coast climates are incredibly temperate, especially in comparison to the Humid Continental climates. Summers are mild, and generally temperate, while winters can be harsh.
Comparable to; North-western Europe, the Pacific Northwest, New Zealand

Subtropical: In a nutshell, much wetter and hotter than their Humid Continental Counter-parts, Subtropical regions often have long hot summers, and mild winters. That is not to say they are not prone to the ocassional frosting, here and there. But realistically, the general warmth of the region allows for farmers to prepare a wider variety of crops. It is that frost that is the killer, however, as it can often be the death-blow to farmers, and their delicate crops.
Comparable to; The American South (South Carolina, George, Flordia, etc.), Southern China

Tropical Savanna: The most interesting aspect of the Tropical Savanna is perhaps it's nature as being a transitional zone between the dry climates of a Steppe, and the wet Rainforest climates. Vegetation is primarily a mixture of grassland, scrubs, thorn bushes, and of course, trees. Vegetation varies as one gets closer to the Tropics, or towards the more arid Steppes.
Comparable to; Much of East Africa, many 'tropical' islands, parts of Brazil

Tropical Rainforest: Hot and wet throughout the year, any distinction between winter and summer seasons are forgone, and instead reffered to in regards to amount of percepitation. Constant rain means a wild overgrowth of vegetation. In this climate, it is truly man vs. nature, and rarely is there a clear-cut victor. Civilizations can rise and fall in the confines of the rainforest; though expect disease and natural predators to play more than just a small part in that fall.
Comparable to; northern South America, Equatorial Africa/the Congo, the East Indies, Indochina

Steppe/Dry Grasslands: They have been referred to as deserts that have been watered more often. It's an apt statement, surely, though the ability of the Steppe to give and mantain life is infinitely more than that of a true desert. Percepitation in the Steppe (however limited it may be) gives life the chance to grow, and sometimes flourish, depending on how much percipiation is constant. Steppe regions close to Mediterranean climate zones, and Tropical Savanna Zones receive far more rain than areas adjacent to the desert.
Comparable to; the Eurasian Steppe, the North American Great Plains

Desert: By far the most arid regions on the planet, Deserts form in areas of low percepetation as limited cloud coverage allows for the sun's rays to scavange the planets surface. The lack of any sort of insolation in desert regions allow for extremely cold and hot temperatures, and little in the way of 'moderate'. Scarcity of water means any oasis' or rivers that find their way in the desert are to be viewed as being good as gold.
Comparable to; The Saharan Desert, the Great Australian Desert, the Mojave Desert, the Gobi Desert, etc. etc..

Mediterranean: Dry summers, moist and mild winters, allow for highly distinguishable climate zone than regions under similar longtitudes. Unlike the Subtropical climates, the greatest killer in the Mediterranean climates is not the frost, but the possibility of drought. Home of Chaparral plants, the lands in a Mediterranean climate is lusciously green in the spring, and slowly turns to a brownish hue as the long, hot summers drag on.
Comparable to; the actual Mediterranean, Southern California

Highlands: Wide variety of mountain ranges, with a wide variety of climate conditions. Keep moving along...
Comparable to; Freaking mountains.

Resources

Resources will be present in the NES, represented on the map by classic Civilization 3 symbols. Resources will provide extra income for your nation, population boosts, prestige, or some sort of military value. Initially, in the current age of the NES, few resources hold strategic value, past giving your economy or population a boost. Over time, this can of course change. Some resources are also 'hidden', and can be stumbled upon over the course of the game.
Current available resources include;

Gold: Provides a major economic boost
Gems: Provides an economic boost
Elephants: Provides a small economic boost, and gives you the ability to use elephants in your military.
Furs: Provides a small economic boost.
Wheat: Is a representation of prime farming land. Can give you an economic boost, and helps raise population.
Fish: Is a representation of prime fishing areas. Can give you an economic boost, and helps raise overall population.

THE MAP AS WE KNOW IT

Starting Cradles

Archive of important events, locations, and anything else generated within the world's context by the players. The Encyclopedia will be added to as the NES goes on, and players are encouraged to name places around them in order for the sake of clarity and to expand the Encyclopedia's inventory of subject knowledge.

Deposited here will be an archive of states (and sometimes cultures) that no longer exist. Any nation which is relegated to the “Hall of Destroyed Nations” is one that has ceased to be sovereign, controls no territory, and is under the dominion of another state. When and where applicable, states may sometimes pull themselves out of the grave and rejoin the world of the living to feast upon their conqueror's brains, however. All credits to Imago.

Cultures​

Cradle 1



Cradle 2

Cradle 3

UU's

Cradle 1



Cradle 2



Cradle 3

As a note, more information will be coming over the next few hours, everything depending. Many questions will be fleshed out after the initial BT. This is an NES worked on, and dreamt up by me and LoE over the past few weeks. Countless hours have been spent discussing possibilities, ideas, and arguing over points. We intend to run this NES as effeciently as possible. I'll be the first to admit that my largest shortcoming as a moderator has been my penchant for quickly burning myself out in attempt to 'out do' my ability to realistically moderate. Which is why I sort of brought LoE on board to help me moderate, and to of course, take part of the major workload. Questions or comments, please feel free to ask.

When you are dead and gone, future generations will remember your name, and their greatest scholars will tell them you weren't as tall as they expected.. Go forth and multiply.

Post!

Assisting Moderator In Charge of Artistic Prose Flair present.

Culture Name:
Tog

Location:


Culture Description:
The Tog are strongly associated with the sea and most of their towns and villages are coastal. They subsist on a combination of fishing, agriculture, and hunting. They are sailors, having invented an early lanteen sail to power an early form of dhow. They use these ships for trade and to raid. The Tog value poetry very highly and have a strong musical tradition. They are led by a queen and an organized priesthood dedicated to a monotheistic god, Lytsu. Lytsu is neither benevolent or cruel but does demands blood sacrifice.

Political Description:
Authority is highly centralized in a single monarch, usually a queen. While the familial and village hierarchy isn’t particularly matriarchal, it is much less patriarchal then we are used to in OTL. Woman play equivalent roles to men in leadership, religion and warfare. Tradition dictates that the monarch be a queen however and except for in brief periods of transition, this has always been the case.
The queen devolves her power to regional governors whom she appoints and who have authority over the area (usually an island) in her name and who appoint village leaders as they see fit. The governors tend to circulate every four to six years and may be recalled to court to serve some administrative function there. In this way power remains highly centralized.
Though the queen has ultimate temporal authority, she must submit to the priesthood in matters of spirit and faith.
Laws are based upon the needs of the monarchy, upon tradition, and upon the holy book of the faith, the Maj, which outlines, in very broad and easily reinterpretable terms, the duties of monarch and her people.
The Tog do not practice slavery.

Religious/Social Description
Faith in Lytsu is an organized affair with a written holy book, standing temples and an organized priesthood.
The faith was revealed to the Tog by Prophets, of which their have been six. The first prophet is also said to be responsible for the first written work in Tog history, the Maj (Lytsu bible). Each of the six prophets has added a section to the Maj and the Maj itself has evolved both in style and in content over the course of revelation by the six prophets. The revelations of the Maj are singsong poetry and easily committed to memory for oral tradition. Each of the six divisions has its own style and modern Tog poetry is defined by its association with each one of those six styles.
Lytsu cannot be known or understood. He does not have a form or a voice such that we might recognize and does not ‘appear’ as this or that terrestrial manifestation (this is despite the assertion that the world was created from blood drawn from Lytsu's palm - so perhaps he once had form and no longer does? the issue is one of continued debate in theological circles). Lytsu is known by Lytsu’s will and infinite power over all things. The Tog believe Lytsu created the world and all its inhabitants from blood drawn from his palm. He gave life to the animals and people with his breath. All beings, animal or people, have an immortal soul and this soul reincarnates according to the whim of Lytsu upon the death of the person or animal. Men and women are the highest of Lytsu’s creations and there is no angels or demons or anything like that. There is also no heaven or hell. The Maj believe in creation without end.
Because we are created from blood and breath, Lytsu can best be served or appeased or invoked by a sacrifice of blood. In rural and outlying villages and towns this is typically of goats, oxen or a deer trapped specifically for the purpose. On rare occasions a human will be slain at the alter. The sacrifices are washed and perfumed, decorated in seashell jewelry and flowers. During times of war or conflict many captured prisoners will be slain at the alters to Lytsu to better invoke his will in the conflict at hand.

Army/Navy Description:
A typically Tog warrior, be they man or woman, will fight in loose formation with spear and shield or spear and net or with bow and arrow. They are better raiders then conquerors and make extensive use of hit and run tactics, striking at night or at the vulnerable without a sense of dishonor. Because they fight without heavy armor, they are often very mobile, especially when they fight near coasts where they can make the most of their strong naval tradition.
The navies are made up of dhow. These are typically fitted blanks held together with cord woven from local fibers. The dhow have a characteristic lanteen sail developed by the Tog and is the primary vessel for fishing, pearling, trade and raids.
A naval battle is based on similar philosophies to that of land-based warfare. Soldiers armed with bows, spears and nets will fight from the decks of ships, attempting to do the most damage they can in a short period of time before using their fast ships to withdraw, regroup and strike again.
Armies are commanded by generals appointed by the queen.

Myth:
Lytsu created the world from clotted blood he drew from the palm of his hand. All souls are eternal and subject to reincarnation. Blood will satisfy and influence fate.

Economic Notes:
Mostly barter. Agriculture is based on barley, millet and rice. They raise hogs, chicken and goats and make use of oxen for overland trade and to assist in planting. They dive for pearls and hunt the interior of the islands for boar and deer. Trade between villages and towns is primarily by their characteristic early-dhow-like ships.

While the Tog quarry stone effectively from the interior, their mining is limited to what is easily accessible at the surface. They do not yet practice any form of deeper mining techniques. As such metal is limited and very valuable and most tools are hardened wood, stone or bone. They do have a thriving lumber industry however as the highlands are home to several species of hardwoods.

(a note on names- i am really really horrible at this so i just stole from Thai)

Location Names
Dāw Cıklāng (capital city),
Keāa klāng (capital island),
Klāng (island),
Pĕn (sea),
Reụx (boat),
Khị̀muk (pearl),
Keāa muk (the string of island that make up the archipelago we are on),
Leụ̄xd ṣ̄ạkdi̒s̄ithṭhi̒ (blood sacrifice)

People Names
Ratree (f)(current queen?)
Sasithorn (f)
Wattanda (f)
Khulap (f)
Kanya (f)
Malai (f)
Mongkut (m)
Thaksin (m)
Preecha (m)
Klahan(m)
Arthit (m)

Culture Name: Vorvesusk

Location: See Attachment, Red Dot

Culture Description: Vorvesuski people live a quiet, and peaceful lifestyle along the banks of the Nyiss River to the West, and The Kelure River to the East. The Capital of Vorvesuk is at the meeting point of the two great rivers, this city is Kalaell'u. The City of Kalaell'u is very advanced for its time, it is bustling and has many markets and open squares for trading, and bartering. Trading and Bartering is a major part of the Vorvesuski life style, the two great rivers are very wide and good for this. Every major Vorvesuski city has a large port for which to trade with.

Political Description: Vorvesuski is a typical Monarchy, led currently by King Ialea, the King is thought to be descended from the Gods and he holds much respect. Women may inherit the throne if there are no eligible males, although that is admittedly rare. There are four main classes in Vorvesuski Society. The top class is the Noble Class which generally involves family of the King, and other wealthy and powerful. The second class is the Merchant Class, trading and bartering is very respected. The third class is the Warrior Class, this includes members of the military. The lowest, and final class is the slave class which obviously includes slaves, it also includes farmers who are thought to be of extremely lowly status. , these slaves are born into this class it is impossible to move up.

Religious/Social Description: The religion of the Vorvesuski people is polytheistic. There are several 'main' Gods and Goddesses and many lesser ones. The few main ones include;

Stik; God of The Sun, Head God
Agequa; Goddess of The Sea
Kinaque; Goddess of Fertility
Saybom; God of Good Fortune
Ilmose; God of War


Army/Navy Description: The army is pretty typical for the time period, they employ the use of the phalanx. In general the army is not that important. There are several river going warships to help project trading power, and defend the coasts.

Myth: I'll edit this in.

Economic Notes: Trading and Bartering are by far the most important section of the economy. The most successful part of society is employed in trading with far off lands. There is a sizable Farmer class which provides much of the food for the nation.
(I'll edit in more tomorrow)

Person Names: King Ialea (current King), Queen Rynhona, Turbat, Anton, Lyle, Cheburgar

Place Names: The Nyiss River, The Kelure River.

Major Cities; Kalaell'u (capital), Croess (Large Trading city), Eride (Large city)

Culture Name: The Cavharians
Location: See Map
Culture Description: The Cavharians are a highly disciplined and war-like society. Their peoples migrated from the north conquering and enslaving the peaceful agrarian societies along the river. Over time they have adopted the sedentary lifestyle of their subjects.
Political Description: The Cavharians in their past have been ruled over by war-like chieftains whom united during the conquests along the river. The Cavharians chieftains settled down with their tribes to rule the conquered cities and settlements. A constant stream of infighting to control the river valley has slowly led to political consolidation around the city of Draema
Religious/Social Description: The religious practices of the Cavharians revolve around observing the night skies looking for a path back to paradise. It is believed one day the Gods will signal through the stars a way home when man has earned the right to return to paradise. Temples are built to observe the night sky constellations waiting for the right moment. Until that day comes most temples serve as a conduit for Gods to hear the pleas and prayers of the people for their wisdom. Priests often will decipher the night sky for signs or warnings for the Kings. Men are viewed as strong and they alone are capable of most of ruling and fighting. Weak or sickly boys are delegated to the place of women to serve the strong. Male names are long while female names are very short. Marriages are monogamous and always performed after a military campaign. Young warriors are only allowed to marry after proving their strength and bravery in battle. The position of King is hereditary with the first young son to prove themselves battle the next in line. Women are barred and if there is no male heir the priests will appoint a new dynasty to rule.
Army/Navy Description: The primary focus of the military forces of the Cavharians has been the land forces. Their military forces are considered the fiercest and most highly disciplined developed from the war-like people. Most of the fighting forces are a mix of spearmen and archers. The naval forces are mostly nonexistent except for a few bands of ships to escort trade ships.
Myth: The Cavharians believe all man originated from the stars. The stars are glowing beacons pointing to the paradises of the Gods. There are numerous legends on why man was banished from paradise with most revolving around testing man’s loyalty to their creators.
Economic Notes: The economy is primarily based around agriculture along the river. Some minor trade occurs up and down the river as well as along the coastline. The Cavharians also derive benefits from tribute paid by nearby conquered peoples.
Person Names:
Current Ruling Dynasty: The Carrideon Dynasty
Male Names: Davarniteon, Cavarth, Athoreon, Umorit, Beverodi and Drivitzeon
Female Names: Ava, Itia, Mri, Pli, Dri, and Sil
Place Names: The Cavath River (River near my starting point), The Hvarn (Peninsula south of my starting point, Dritigeon Bay (bay where the river empties)
Chathorn (Capital) where the red dot is.
City Names: Atergeon, Gearid, Miberion, Kothileon, and Iberun (many cities were conquered and old names were kept)

Claiming this location, or at least, somewhere on the island marked by the red dot in Cradle 2. Culture will be up when I finish writing it.

I'm glad a few people are willing to try this out. :3 The deadline for initial postings will be in two or three days, so we can get this bad boy rolling.

Culture Name: Galyma ; The people call themselves "the Galymians".
Location:

Culture Description:
A Short History :
The Galymians are descendants of the much larger tribe of the Chlyma, our brothers and arch enemies farther to the north of our location. The Galymians and the Chlymians have but one point of argument, our faith. We, the galymians are followers of the noble Saint Kulap Somchai, who preached to our men the significance of serving the one true god, Arthit, the god of the skies, the patron of human kind and heroism, while the Chlymians followed the evil warmonger, Thaksin, the self appointed king who knew nothing but killing people. Thaksin was a preist of the evil goddess Satithorn, the patron of vileness and witchcraft.
The beginning of troubles :
We have spent years together in harmony, fighting shoulder to shoulder against many a wild tribes that have over the years tried to encroach in our lands. It so happened that once while successfully defending our ancient homeland, the King Thaksin and his squadron was chasing an army that was fast retreating into the dense forests, having lost all hope and deserted the main body of troops . The group was gone for 3 nights, without any information. One of the junior commanders, Klahan Somchai of the auxilia wing, volunteered to go in search of missing corps. After 2 days of searching in the dense forests, the search party came across a terrible sight. King Thaksin, along with his body guards, were busy in some sort of ritual, that required them to pronounce words of the most vile kinds, and eating flesh of some hunted animal. The young commander, Klahan, refused to join in on the ceremony, however, all his members gladly accepted the fine veal that was offered to them. The ceremony continued deep into the night, where Klahan was explained that the Goddess Satithorn, had herself appeared in front of him, and had informed the king that if he managed to present the goddess the heads of 7 slain enemies, she would be pleased and bestow great strength on the soldiers. The ritual was now complete now that they have consumed the meat off the freshly killed enemies. The King turned to some of his personal troops and joked, that the meat was rather fine as they reached the city gate midst pomp and glory.
Commander Klahan was found dead the next morning, with a sigle line sent to his uncle and guardian, Sulap Somchai, "I have sinned, I do not deserve to live any longer." There was a private send off that was managed outside the city gates, since committing suicide was considered a great sin among our kind.

The heresy that the king committed however, was not kept entirely silent. Week after week, in dark corners of the tavern and drinking stalls, there were rumours that the king had indeed gone insane and had now made cannibalism a regular practice, which was increasing his powers many fold. The noble saint Sulap Somchai, actually handed the first person who suggested this, to take some time off his obviously tiring schedule, for he was imagining things. Unfortunately, with repeated reports of missing prisoners and the other outcasts, a closed door meeting amogn the two leaders was organized. Saint Somchai shocked to learn that the cannibalism was indeed true. After a moment of silence, without even trying to drive home logic, he had made up his mind to leave the heathen kingdom once and for all.
As the announcement was made public, along with the reason of the same, a third of the country's citizens were packing bags to follow the saint. Even though a safe passage was promised, there were reports of several divisions of the king's royal army taking in prisoners, for use as forced labor or worse.

After 2 months of travelling south, with half of the men killed, due to starvation and disease, we arrived at Deramar, our old trading outpost, we had abandoned to its ruins.

Political Description:
Theocracy
The country is presently ruled by the council of elders, who are also the preists of Arthit.
There are several advisors, from various feilds, ranging from military and commerce to advice the elders on this and any foreign policy that needs to implemented.

Religious/Social Description:
Henotheism is practiced. While the men accept the position of Arthit as the supreme god, there are other minor characters who are shown adequate respect as well.
Thale : The mother of Arthit, who takes him in her grave everyday, as he goes to sleep.
P̀ā : The forest spirit, that offers the men with bountyful of resources for the survival of the men.
Satithorn: The goddess of moon and witchcraft. She is not exactly worshiped, rather, out of fear the people prefer to stay indoors on full moon days.

Army/Navy Description:
The army presently is composed of infantry primarily with spearbands and archery units.
The men have noticed the enemy use seige equipments like rams, however, our archers have sofar been easily able to find their mark quite effectively. Some modifications are being made so as to make some viable changes to this.

Myth: Any notes about your culture's interpretation of the origin of the universe and mankind
The supreme mother Thale, gave birth to Arthit. The young Arthit, without knowledge of his power, burned all the gods. It was then that Thale, created the men and women, who would be the ones Arthit, would care for. The men and women would serve Arthit only, as the one true god.

Economic Notes:
The men practice subsistance agriculture. The great river Fler, deposited enough alluvial each other, so that the men could cultivate crops on its shores as well as fishes. The forests provide several types of produce, fruits, wild yams, honey as well as the delicious wild boars and the ever growing need for timber for our construction needs.

Place Names:
Tritanti, Tinyu, Damir,Kobi, Briga, Logash

Misc. Information:
Standards :

Culture Name: Einion (for reference, that's adjective/plural)
Location: See map
Culture Description: The Einion make very little distinction between religion, family, and politics. As the "family" thing would suggest, they're intensely tribal - they're incredibly loyal to members of their own village, indifferent to suspicious of Einion from other towns, and confrontational with non-Einion. They also believe that a leader must lead from the front.
Political Description: Each town is (at present) its own city-state with its own God-King - there are about 15 at present. Uniting them into a whole is a challenge I leave for later. The various cities periodically found a colony (always up the river - the rainforest downriver scares them), and the colonies periodically break free.
Religious/Social Description: Very heavily invested in the whole God-King thing. As there are multiple God-Kings there are naturally multiple gods/goddesses.
Army/Navy Description: Einion warfare consists of raiding parties with varying degrees of organization led by the city's leader or some deputy. A signature weapon is a wide-bladed spear (the head being currently crafted of bronze). This can be used to stab or swung in wide arcs to slash, as appropriate. Einion seapower is based on one simple concept - closing to fight as though on land. Accordingly, Einion use long, thin canoes loaded with men, who paddle quickly to the enemy boat or enemy shore and engage in melee attack.
Myth: Teachings vary from town to town and King to King, but generally it is held that all life comes from Father Earth and Mother River. The source of both is said to be in the Voeloughs, the mountains to the north. Baptisms are common as rites of passage, be they births, maturations, weddings, coronations, and so on and so forth.
Economic Notes: Einion farm crops (primarily wheat) in long-thin familial fields perpendicular to the river. Towns tend to be built near riverbends or streams emptying into the river, where the increase in shoreline allows for more fields. Towns built at riverbends will invariably be on the inside curve.
Person Names: Some male names: Glencar, Slane, Leuthar, Bilimer, Sion. Some female names: Felinda, Mirn, Drogheda, Cela, Oriel
Place Names: Guill (meaning river - Rosguill, "riverbend", is particularly common), Lough (paired with other names, Lough meaning hill), Inish (being a general term for wooded areas), Voe (meaning "great", again frequently paired with other names). The word for settlement is "glen". All place names are generally a descriptor paired with an appropriate noun.



OOC: I am maintaining a midnight vigil tonight for the Republic of Crimea.

Subbing, will submit a nation and stuff when I am not dead tired.

Does this mean the end of SMW4??