TerraNES2: No Change Necessary

Terrance888

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Next Orders Due in: Wednesday 23:59, June 11, 2014

TERRANES2: NO CHANGE NECESSARY

Welcome one and all to TerraNES2! The central concept of TerraNES2 is that an easily updated, self-maintaining, and long lasting NES would foster interest and development of an internal mythology. That said, this NES will also be a Google Docs experiment. Everything will be on Google Docs. Rules, Updates, Stats, etc. Comments will also be enabled! Any important announcements will be in the OP. Finally, I’m always available for questions and stuff! (Also, cool NESing Guide here)

LATEST UPDATE: DOESN’T EXIST!

TURN 0 SIGNUP
Nation Name, Location, and Color is all that’s necessary! More information makes me happier, and may make you a better position. Everyone starts as city states or small collectives, ready to expand. If there was a preexisting empire, it has collapsed by the time of NES start. Cradles would be Bronze Age. Most places would be Early Bronze Age. Crazy places would be Copper.

TURN 0 STORY CONTEST
Tell me about your culture’s and nation’s origins! Mythos or historical, I don’t care! Name your potential neighbors for bonus points. Due Wednesday 23:59


Rules
Stats Overview
Other Rules
FAQ

Stats

Unique Units

Stories

Updates

Current Map

Acknowledgements
North King for always being there to support me.
Lord Iggy for his drive and his kindness.
Luckymoose for, well, stuff. >.>
Crezth and Amon Savag for elements of their rulesets which I shamelessly stole. SO SHAMELESS


YOU MAY NOW POST
 
I'd like to claim the southern coast of France, centred on OTL Marseille as Kairos, coloured red, if possible. I'll write some stuff up once I get off work.

Nation Name: Triarchy of Kairos
Map Colour: Red
Location: French Riviera, centred on OTL Marseille

The people of Kairos eschew 'traditional' religion in favour of a heavy emphasis on ancestor worship, believing that the dead remain in some way tied to the material world, and are able to influence the fortunes and fates of the living. Filial piety is an absolute, and those who disrespect their elders and disobey their forebearers face ostracization and the occasional banishment. With this emphasis of family and ancestry, the people of Kairos have mapped out their ancestry to three major families involved with the establishment of city. Kairos is ruled by a Triumvirate, with the eldest member of each of the three families presiding. Following absolute primogeniture in this case, it is not uncommon for females (the husbands of the eldest daughters would take the wife's family name)to sit as a Triumvir.
 
Expressing interest, going to join when a few more peeps jump in so I dont end up isolated and making myself a burden :p
 
Expressing interest, going to join when a few more peeps jump in so I dont end up isolated and making myself a burden :p

I'll join right next to Azale! :3

(In seriousness, let me get my update out before I look into this too hard.)
 
The Bloody Throne abides.
 
Principalities of Echi-Akti
Color: Indigo
Location: Along the OTL Danube (called Mak-Itka by the Echi-Akt’ol) from the delta to a couple hundred miles inland.

The Princes of Echi-Akti (meaning ‘all the world’), whose people call themselves the Echi-Akt’ol (‘ol’ meaning ‘man’), rule over the Principalities, claiming to be descendants of the sons of the Echi-Akt’atl (‘atl’ meaning ‘god’). Incest is commonly practiced among the princes and their sisters so as to preserve the purity of their “godhood.” Land is evenly divided among sons, who are all considered to be equal as descendants of Echi-Akt’atl. Fratricide is not uncommon, but still the repeated divisions of patrimonies have resulted in a fractured people. The Echi-Akt’ol have several small settlements along the Mak-Itka (River of Life).

Settlement names include:
Sakta
Polta
Ketkla

Depending on how detailed other people decide to be, I might add more, but I hope this'll do for now.
 
Expressing interest and posting to subscribe, though not decided on whether or not I can join quite yet. Possibly at a future point, if it would be permitted.
 
Oh jeez, the prophecy's been fulfilled.

I'm in with Nova Sarkov and the Faith mk. 274 if that is permitted.
 
Expressing interest!
 
Nation Name: Lóng rén guó (Nation of the Dragon People)
Map Colour: Violet
Location: OTL mouth of the Liaohe River
Disclaimer: I know little actual Chinese history, so this will have nothing to do with RL. Lets call it ignorance creativity :p


Aeons ago, when the world was young, the great dragon came onto this earth. It shaped the seas and the lands, and gouged out the Great Gulf with its mighty claws (OOC: This is the OTL Liaodong Bay). And on this young world, it created the first people, to worship it and glorify it. And those people spread far along the rivers and steppes, and built great temples to the Dragon. Until one day, a fell sorcerer came from the North. He tricked the noble dragon into taking him in, by pretending to be injured, and in need of hospitality. And when the dragon took him in, the sorcerer cast a wicked spell, putting the dragon to sleep. Without the great Dragon's fire, the world went dark and cold, and the Sorcerer's Age of Winter reigned upon the Earth. And in this dark age, most people abandoned their temples (for, they cried, "The dragon has forsaken us!") and came to worship other gods and godesses, and speak butchered and barbaric tongues. Many of these gods were manifestations of the sorcerer, who commanded their followers to fight each other for his amusement, and so strife was sown amongst the people of Earth. Only in one river valley, near the bay which the dragon had long ago made, did men remain loyal to the giver of fire, and through the gift of flames, which they cherished while the others forsook, they survived the long winter, and hunted the Sorcerer's beasts.

A thousand years ago, the dragon awoke again, and soared far into the sky, vanquishing the sorcerer, who fled Northwards in dismay.

The Dragon set afire that which is today called the sun, and brought a new age of light upon the world. And the dragon saw what had been done to his followers, and saw the few who had retained his gift of fire. And to us, the people of the dragon, he gave an order and a gift. We must spread the true word of the dragon once again to the other people's of the Earth, to vanquish the sorcerer's lies and rebuild the temples, and in exchange, we receive bronze, forged with the dragon's fire. With this metal, we shall be able to tame the lands, and plant fields of millet crop, and tame the sorcerer's wild men, and bring them back into the dragon's light.

Government: The Priests, who lead the dragon's armies, and keep his temples, consult with the mighty dragon (OOC: hold a vote in secret) and choose from amongst their number one who is ordained by the dragon, to lead his true followers to greatness. The chosen one rules until their death, unless they fall out of the dragon's favor, in which case they are replaced.
 
... Let me go write something quick about the cabbage kingdom. I'll be back.
 
*changed all mentions of rice to millet
 
Nation Name: Sarkov
Color: Dark Grey
Location: Near Vladivostok, Russia

The legends speak of a time of tumult and of war, of blades and blood, of ruin and despair, of the world descending into chaos and into madness that engulfed the lands and devoured the men who had unleashed it. The storms that had gathered smote the face of creation, cleansing and scourging the world as it was known, leaving behind only those that had rejected the chaos, the madness, the desperation and the struggle of man, and instead had turned inwards and fought against war itself. The world emerged from this storm, beaten and bloodied, but alive and whole, leaving only those that had possessed the foresight for their actions to survive. Among these, the Sarkovites of Sarkovia, managed to survive and weather the tumult, establishing themselves on the banks of a great sea that stretched before them. Peaceful and small, they prepare for the future; a future that speaks of a people forced from ploughshares to swords, and from swords to ploughshares in an endless cycle.
 
Nation: Andani
Color: don't care. Green works, i guess.
Location: west coast of galicia, spain
Stories
Myth of how we got here: Our ancestors tell of a time when the land was cold and white and warfare was everywhere. After the death of Grin, king of the hairy men, his curse slowly faded away, though it took many generations for the land to turn green again. After it was completely green, one of our shamans learned the hairy king's secrets. Not of death, but of life. Though it has been many millenia since the days of that shaman, and many more millenia since the days of Grin, we have retained the ability to farm the land. We have settled on the land near the great waters to the west and hope to continue, or perhaps even surpass, the greatness of our ancestors.
Development: Many more millenia have passed and we have greatly urbanized into a strong city-state, though we still farm our lands near the river and fishing is a common profession. Our government is a direct democracy where all free adults-including women, who enjoy relatively equal rights-are eligible to vote. Military service is required for all males 15 and older, which is what we consider age of adulthood.
 
I will post soon.
 
I'm reusing something from EltNESIII because i never really got to see it fufilled and i rather liked the idea:

Immaculate
Phoolan Devi
Government: Theocratic Despotism
Starting position is the island of Sicily near Catania (in the Simento delta).
Color: white or pale purple


The Poolan Devi are said to have arrived by small water craft some 300-400 years ago from the shores of Iberia. They are a fierce, militant society with a strong central matriarchal leadership. The grand leader is the high priestess of a bitheist religion. Their primary goddess is dedicated to the constellations, the moon and the tides (the Devi Mareas). Amongst their religious traditions is an ancient dedication to ritualized cannibalism as well as murder (sacrifice?) by drowning. Seismic activity from Mount Edna has always been thought to be the grumblings of the darker, more chaotic god and is associated with the shaking earth and the volcano while the good one is associated with the sea or night sky. On the other hand, the soil is incredibly rich here and agriculture has been very successful.

The Poolan Devi have strong traditions of small-water craft, fishing and farming (and a large population). They also have sophisticated methods of government and oral tradition. They are not yet strong in the areas of metalcraft or animal husbandry.

From Eltain's NES:

A Treatise on the Devi Mareas (the faith of the Phoolan Devi)

(in lieu of a story)


Gods:

The Phoolan Devi are bitheists, believing in two gods, which although often confrontational, are by virtue of their specialization, also complimentary.

The first is Mayrei and is female, nurturing and lord of the sea, tides, night sky and stars. She is also associated with order, often due to the repetitive order of the night sky’s passing. The second is Olap and is male, destructive and lord of the mountains, fire, and copper (and other metals as they are developed). Unlike Mayrei, Olap is associated with chaos, often the passions of appetite of sexual passion or a burning fire.


Creation Myth:

The Phoolan Devi can trace their lineage only as far as their arrival to their current home (the island of Sicily) though this occurred only some 400-600 years ago. They are originally of [Iberian people] descent and their language is even now almost indistinguishable from theirs. Despite their rather recent arrival, the Phooland Devi believe they come from the sea, creations of Mayrei. Mayrei created them each from a star, just as she created all people.

The first prophet was a women named Beyvi and she taught the people the secrets of the Devi Mareas, established the priesthood and made them the rulers of the people so as to better serve the goddess.

But though Beyvi and the priestesses served Mayrie well, Olap became jealous and stuck the earth with his great copper hammer setting it to shake. His jealousy was so great that he struck at the people and at Mayrei directly, sending great gouts of fire high into the night sky and sending a rain of fire to punish the people by burning their homes and scattering their livestock. But Mayrei interceded and awoke the sea, sending great waves and a mighty gale to calm the rain of fire and extinguish the flames of Olap’s jealousy.

Since that time, the Phoolan Devi have been matriarchal, led by the faith in their goddess, secure in her protection, though offering her gifts (usually human sacrifice) to please her. Many however, both men and women, still worship Olap, offering sacrifice (usually burning something) to ward away his jealousy.


Liturgy and Tradition:

Since the becalming of Olap’s wrath, the Devi Mareas have developed rather complex liturgy and ritual as well as a rather complex religious hierarchy, with the leadership falling to a single high-priestess, the “Matriarch”. The Devi Mareas priestesses meet once, every night, to observe the stars and divine the will of the goddess. Approximately once every month but often much more often depending on recent events and whether they believe their goddess is pleased with them or not, the Matriarch and high-coven will sacrifice an individual, usually a boy-child, by drowning in the sea at high tide under a clear night sky. The coven will then consume the sacrifice raw while praying for guidance and blessings.

Smaller, local covens will also engage in ritual sacrifice and cannibalism for special events such as to gain blessings upon the sowing or harvest of grain, the launching of a naval expedition, the construction of a temple, etc.

While worship of Maryei is ordered and structured within a well-regimented matriarchal hierarchy, worship and prayers to Olap are much less formal and often involve little more then the burning of some sacrifice and a few quick words. Both priestesses and common people worship in this way.

Reincarnation

The Devi Mareas believe in reincarnation. Those who truly please Maryeas will return to the night sky while those who do not will return once again as a new child. The Devi Mareas believe women are closer to reincarnation in their final form then men are and this (along with the formal leadership by a female priesthood) has translated into a subtle cultural superiority amongst women over men amongst the Phoolan Devi.

Animals that serve a priestess well such as by providing a particularly luxuriant wool to a favorite of Maryei may reincarnate as a human. Humans who displease Maryei actively, such as by insulting or disobeying the priesthood may return as animals.




and resubmitting an old story from that NES to go along with the rest of the submission:

The hands on my face are gentle

The hands on my face are gentle, comforting, motherly; and that, perhaps is the worst part. Part of me wants to just surrender to them; they are so reassuring, like the hands of my mother. But they want me to die.

A loop of braided leather holds my head against the stone. It loops around my neck, and behind my head, passes into a hole in a large piece of slate. The stone is wet, slick with seaweed and salty ocean spray. The priestess holds the end of the leather noose in one hand, pulling it up to her chest to force my head back to the stone. With the other she caresses my face and whispers soft soothing words.

Each wave washes over my body as the tides come up; I struggle with each one as they lap at my ears and cheeks, threatening to enter my mouth and nose. I close my eyes against the salty burn of the sea water and open them between each lapping wave to see the stars above me, the souls of my ancestors, watched over by the goddess Mayrei. The priestess tells me I will be among them soon.

I try to relax; I will soon be at a better place. Looking past my toes, at the two priestesses that hold my feet in place, I can see my parents. My mother is joyful, pride evident on her face at her son being selected for the harvest sacrifice. My father is less sure, doubt and anger evident on his face. I try to smile at them but a particularly large wave washes over me.

I thrash, all thoughts of acceptable and calm gone now. The water was in my nose and for a moment I knew what I would feel as I drowned to death. NO! I could not allow this. I struggle, arching my back and bending my knees with all my childhood strength. For a second I manage to loosen myself but the high-priestess jerks the noose tight, the lower ranking priestesses hold my arms and legs down in the water. They caress me, softly whispering to be calm and accept the tides.

Another wave and I struggle again, sputtering and coughing. The tide is coming quickly and even between the waves I am up to my earlobes. I pull as hard as I can with my left arm, feeling that the young novice priestess there might be weakest but she moves her shin onto my arm, burying it in the seaweed and the sand. She shoots the high-priestess a quick questioning look but the high-priestess doesn’t notice her. She is invoking Mayrei now, one hand on the noose cord and the other high to the sky. She is asking that the goddess accept their sacrifice… accept my death.

The waves are higher now and I am growing desperate, coughing and sputtering for breath. I have to arch my shoulders against the noose to even get a breath between the waves now. I cannot hear what the priestess is saying; my ears are covered by Mayrei’s tide. I take one look at my parents. I know it will be my last. My mother is so proud, hugging my older sister and pointing at me with a smile wider than I have ever seen. I am angry with her- I am only seven summers- why would you raise me only to watch me die? What is wrong with you? My father is pacing furiously, anger evident on his face. A priestess is talking with him, gesturing to me but he is ignoring her. I want him to come and save me. I scream, “FATHER!!!” I had wanted to say more but the waters rush into my throat. This time it has reached my lungs. I cough and sputter, choking. Choking! I want to scream again but I cannot draw breath. Finally my chest quivers and I spout up the water. I feel hot. I can hardly see. My father is a dim figure, distant, red and furious. He is trying to break from the grasp of the villagers. I want him to save me. We can run away together, away from these crazy women and their heartless goddess. I am only seven; how can Mayrei want me to die? THEY'RE GOING TO DROWN ME. DROWN ME and EAT ME! DADDY SAVE ME.


...another wave...

...distant now, above me...

...the sea is warm...

...another wave...

For a brief moment the tide recedes and I see the stars clearly. Twinkling. Peacefully. My ancestors. My death. Another wave. My eyes stay open, watching the night sky through the tide. The water is inside me burning my chest but distantly. I no longer feel it. Above me the stars. Twinkling and clear. I will live forever. With Mayreas.
 
Interested as well, will make a claim later.

Nation Name: Seu Lugar Escolhido
Color: Kelly Green
Location: RL Rio De Janeiro

History:

Seu Lugar Escolhido was believed to be the resting place of God himself and the people who accompanied God on his journey to Seu Lugar Escolhido were the "os escolhidos"--or the chosen ones. They were believed to be the protectors of God in the Temple of Gaõmeras. The title of "os escolhidos" has been passed on many generations from the original protectors of God. Today, they find it their duty to make prayers and pilgrimages to the Temple of Gaõmeras and also to protect God's name from anything displeasing to the society.
 
How much fantasy aspects are allowed again?
 
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