thomas.berubeg
Wandering the World
Consider, then, the fall of the Sorcerer Kings of Ancient Times.
The men of yore were a great people, standing proud above the world. With their noble sorceries, they raised great cities of Iron and glass from the earth, bound the demons of the earth and forests with their great black chains, many of which still crisscross the land. They even conversed with the stars themselves, learning of the Elder wisdoms. Every man and child enjoyed lives akin to that of kings.
Jealously did the vile serpent Petro, he of smoke and poison, lust after the works of man, but even in its base cunning it knew that they were beyond his clawing grasp. And so the demon approached the Black King, the king of all men. Never before had a more noble man, a wiser man, ruled. Thrice, the serpent came, promising riches, knowledge, and power, and thrice the Black King sent him away.
And so the serpent slipped into the King's White Gleaming Palace, darting from shadow to shadow, before coming to the oval room of the Black King's daughters. Rearing over them, he breathed a portion of his noxious self out. The foul miasma coiled, like an oily black smoke, slipping into the lungs of the seven girls.
Where before there had been seven girls full of life and joy and beauty now lay girls wasting away, sickly and pale. No ball could bring more than a thin, wispy smile to their face, no song could move their feet for more than a few steps. The Black King despaired, calling for doctors from all over this empire, but none could lift the curse upon the seven girls.
Finally, the Serpent returned, offering to lift the curse if only the King would take his counsel. Despairing, the king accepted, and his daughters were returned to their lovely selves... but the seeds of the downfall of man were laid.
From then on, all the works of man were tainted by the foul magics of the Serpent, and slowly it eroded the chains that man had put on the demons of the world. As man grew more and more powerful upon the back of the forbidden knowledge they now bore, so too did evil forces of the world prepare to take them down.
Many of the City-Weavers were corrupted by the subtle whispers of demons, and they worked against their brothers in secret, weaving enchantments that would free Petro's mother, the greatest of the Primeval Serpents, from its icy prison. Of the men unwittingly sworn to Serpent was the Black King, who, with his greatest mastery of the arcane secrets, was named the Witch King. From his steely throne, he turned the magics of mankind against itself.
And so were the works of Mankind undone. in a single day and a single night, the Primeval Serpant broke her chains, and with Petro and his kin disease and famine and war at her side, consumed the flesh of the cities of man in a great wave. When the waters receded, not one man in a million remained alive.
But as great evil rose, so did a great good. The Witch King, who was once the wisest of all men, had born daughters, and they had born sons. Taking up the ancient weapons of their line, they found and brought heroes from all around the earth. Expending the last magics of the earth, they slew Petro and his Mother, and cut Disease and Famine into pieces so that alone they could not threaten mankind again. Together, they stood against the Witch King, and together they tore down his White Palace, and together they slew him. As the last of the magics of this earth faded, so did the heroes, laying down their swords and passing into the beyond, till such time as they are needed again.
- Excerpt from Lessons in Sin, Book Of The Years.
The Broken Bell will take place nearly a millennia after the fall of the sorcerer-kings of yore.
While I intend to accept as many players as I feel I can handle at any one time, there will be an application process wherein I hope that players can work together and with me to create cultures that fit the feel I hope to accomplish within the setting. Ultimately, I hope that we can work together to create a cohesive and interesting universe. I heavily encourage people to work together on applications, so that there IS a sense of coherent narrative.
To apply, simply fill out the below as completely as possible (With great thanks to thy for allowing me to rip him off.)
Location:
History:
Themes and Values:
Goals:
Variations:
National Focus:
National Failure:
Location: Choose on the map.
History: Please describe the historical background for your culture/nation. Bear in mind that it’s been one thousand years since the almost literal end of the world. Time enough for SOMETHING, or even a few somethings, to have risen up and declined again. Additionally, the Sorcerer Kings of old used up most of the accessible non-renewable resources, so things like oil and coal aren’t easy to access with technology equivalent to modern technology. As such, Technology will be kept at some weird hybrid medieval stasis thing, with some exceptions: some advanced states may have electricity on waterways, what with hydroelectrics, while others may have figured out lighter than air flight. However, these are in no way standards.
Themes and Values: Describe the ideals and values that your people prize as important, as well as their taboos. Pretty much anything can go here; pick the ideas that excite you most. You can also talk about government types, religion, and other social structures. You don’t have to name anything IC yet unless you want to. [no limit]
Goals: What are your overarching goals for your people(s)? In a perfect universe, describe how you would like to end politically and culturally, with respect to yourselves and your neighbours. Examples might include dominating the region's trade routes, acquiring immense levels of cultural and religious prestige, or conquering the world. Plans for transitions, collapses or getting conquered by someone also go here. [2-4 sentences]
Variations: Will different cultures emerge from your root culture during this period? If so, what types? Consider hybridization with and influences from your neighbours. No one exists in a vacuum.
National Focus: Everyone wants to be effective at everything, but what are your people best at? [1-2 sentences]
National Failure: What do you see as your people’s greatest weaknesses? [1-2 sentences]
Stats and Doing Things.:
Stats will remain, until such time as I see fit, a simple affair detailing only in relative terms your military and economic might. The focus of this NES will be overarching cultural themes and affairs rather than the nitty-gritty numbers involved in what happens. As Lord of Elves put it in The Noisome Silence:
Stats will look something like this:
THE WORLD:
The world is similar to ours in terms of climate, though likely quite a bit hotter. I’d imagine the northern areas of the map are tropical, while the southern bits are temperate. The western portions are a series of storm-wracked great deserts and plains, while the eastern ocean is theoretically navigable, and some drunken sailors claim to have crossed it to lands on the other side. The people of the known world generally have knowledge of the lands within its bounds, but not much beyond it.
Thick old growth forests cover the less inhabited areas, but farms and settlements dot the areas surrounding denser population areas. The seas are plied by warships and trading ships similar to that of our early middle ages, but a skilled sailor can travel from the far north to the far south without too much difficulty.
The agricultural package is similar to the modern American one, with corn, grain, barley, rice, and potatoes coexisting peacefully.
I'm OFTEN on the discord, if you have questions. In fact, i'd prefer talking about stuff before you post.
