EltNES: THIS World is Yours

Minigame 1: Zanomar's origins

Spoiler Map turn 0 :

Spoiler PHASE 1 :

Rules:

1.1: I have pre-planned natural caverns and events. You will be given no warning and no knowledge of them until they are discovered or happen.

1.2: Each player will receive 2 + 1d6 EP every turn. The mod receives 4 EP per turn.

1.3: During a turn, a player may only build either Issith -or- Swiech constructions, but may change the next turn. The mod is exempt from this rule.

1.4: At a TBD turn, we will transition to phase 2 of the minigame.

1.5: Fractions may not be banked. Any unused fractions will be spent willy nilly by me to fill out your orders or forefeit.

Turn 1 specific rules:

2.1 player will be chosen by popular vote to plan the original Issith settlement. You cannot vote for yourself, and the mod will not vote except as a tie breaker.

2.1.1-The chosen player will be given 25 EP and can only spend it on Issith items.

2.1.2-The settlement must be on the second level, and have at least one staircase.

2.2: At the end of turn 1, EP will be given to players via RNG.


Turn 2 specific rules:

3.1: Swiech constructions become available.

3.2: To simulate mass immigration, I request that you build Swiech constructions.

Spoiler PHASE 2 :

Rules:

1: Players will declare themselves as either Human (pick any applicable you like), Issith, Swiech or Krutargg factions. They will be given appropriate starting funds and units, TBD by me, privately. No going back, period.

2: They will provide faction names and "basic gyst" stories. "This group of people want this monarch or this to happen".

3: Each player will have "population" units from which they derive income, and "soldier" units which will defend the population. Wacky hijynx ensue as the players fight for supremacy. Form alliances, draw income from portages both above and below the falls, control the "farming zones", industry, population, exact vengeance, have fun.

PRICES GUYS

Spoiler PHASE 1 :

Constructions:

Issith:
Issith Temple Room: 4 EP
Issith Large Den Room: 5 EP
Issith Barracks: 5
Issith Den Complex: 3 EP
Issith Food Storage: 0.3 EP
Issith Connecting Tunnel: 0.5 EP
Issith Sun Rock: 2 EP
Issith Other

Swiech:
Wengi Grand Temple Room: 10 EP
Swiech Large Den Room: 5 EP
Swiech Guard Room: 2
Swiech Den Complex: 3 EP
Swiech Food Storage: 0.2 EP
Swiech Connecting Tunnel: 0.5 EP
Swiech Other

Staircase: 1 point. (connects 2 levels. requires pre-existing construction on both.)

Spoiler PHASE 2 :

Phase 1 constructions are still possible in phase 2, but cost three times as much as normal.

Units:

Swiech soldiers: o.5 EP
Issith soldiers: 1 EP
"Human" soldiers: 1 EP
Krutargg soldiers: 3 EP

Spoiler Updates :

Updates and stories from before the ether:
Pre-game: I:I
Pre-game: I:II
Pre-game: I:III
Pre-game: I:IV
Pre-game: I:V
Pre-game: I:VI
Pre-game: I:VII
Pre-game: I:VIII
Pre-game: I:IX
Pre-game: I:X
Pre-game: I:XI Special
Pre-game: II:I
Pre-game: II:II
Pre-game: II:III
Pre-game: II:IV
Pre-game: II:V
Pre-game: II:VI
-A Mahaki Night by Eltain
-On the Boyking of Ari by Eltain
-Aspects of the Wengi; Wengi Statues by nutranurse
Pre-game: II:VII
-Sha-Taaug, of the Ogres by merciary
Pre-game: II:VIII
-Something wicked this way comes. By merciary
-Midnight sun madness? By Gem Hound [non-canon]

Updates for Minigame-1: Zanomar's Origins.
M1: Update 1: Issith arrival.
M1: Update 2: Swiech Arrival.
M1: Update 3: Earthquake. Zapha-nav | Ratville conflict.
-M1-3: Crushed or starved from glory. -Terrance.
M1: Update 4: Gurkish arrival. Population explosion.
M1: Update 5: Gurkish raids. Walls of Zanomar.
M1: Update 6: The Ratway is finished.
-M1-6: New Beginnings, or The Ratway -Terrance.
M1: Update 7: The Collosus rises. Zanomar expands, Krutargg invade.
-M1-7: On Arkhassi Polytheism -Eltain
M1: Update 8: Bridge of Zanomar finished. Second Zapha-nav | Ratville conflict.
M1: Update 9: End of the world. Intermediary period between Minigame 1: Zanomar's Origins phase 1 and phase 2.

 

Pre-game rules, for posterity.

World

Spoiler Arda :

Arda,
the Cold Continent


Actual Photograph​

Arda is a massive enigma. Geographically it has been estranged from its sister continent in the south by a narrow mountainous isthmus and the high-altitude freshwater lakes further south. One of many saving graces for this far-flung land of bleak beauty are its many hot springs which have since time began been focal points for civilization, warmth, food and culture. Also its mountains look like a giant question mark when viewed from above.

It can easily be divided into regions: the North, West, South, East, and Central.

-The north coast of Arda is largely uninhabited. It is made up of dizzying frozen mountain crags and peaks, and permafrost clings to the rockface and ground year-round, while the coldflows from the hub of the world makes the sea a floating ice sheet. On the flatter western half of the shore however lie the Men of the Ice.

-The west coast is cold and flat and dry. Covered mostly by icy deserts and seasonal pasturage it is home to only the tough wandering Mahaki tribesmen.

-The southern regions are divided in two by the high Krutargg mountains. The western portion is a warm, humid mountainous isthmus populated by the Irilene, the Sephirod and the Krutargg.

The south-eastern region, consisting of the majority of the south coast of Arda, is known collectively as the Tempest Coast, due to its frequent monsoons, seasonal flash-floods and proximity to the Tempest Sea. It is almost sub-tropical in climate and suspect to tremors. It is about evenly populated by Swiech and Quatriut.

-The eastern region is the wide wind-swept grassy plains of the Mahaki tribes. From south to north the population grows sparser, and the temperature gradually goes down.

-The central region is home to both extremes of temperature. In the summer it can become stiflingly hot and bone dry. Likewise, in the harsh winters, it can (and usually does) become bitingly cold. The extreme excess of humidity in the air often (by some strange mechanic of nature) causes immense thunder storms which shower rain that freezes on contact with living flesh, rendering it useless, dead and hard.

The hardy Malkieri dwell here in the pockets of warmth cast by the region's countless hotsprings, drawn in from the cold in the winter and the dehydration in the summer.

---- ****---- ____ ----**** ****---- ____ ---- **** ----​

Spoiler Men of the Ice :

An ice man​

Ice men are on average 6'0", with slender, powerful figures. They have no hair, nor scales, nor feathers; instead, their colorings come from whatever liquid substance they happened to have been exposed to recently, often blood.

Not much is known about the men of the ice. They have never been observed to communicate between eachother, but it is obvious from their actions that individual intelligence and community are given social factors with them.

Military

Ice infantry fight with weapons of ice. It has been observed that if they go too far south or anywhere near a good source of heat, their weapons become permanently affixed to their hands, making them walking killing machines.​

Spoiler Malkieri :

A Malkieri soldier engages in combat​

Malkieri are big, hardy people. They stand at around 6' generally, have bulky frames (but not overly so), and have a very light complexion. The color of their hair ranges from yellow to brown to black, and sometimes even red. Their eyes range from blue to brown to very rarely green and red.

They wear everything from wools to leathers to furs and cotton. In the summer their garb is more flowing and robe-like, while often in the winter they wear more conservative items that cover all of their exposed skin, wrapped tight and warm.

Natural farmers, made by the weather to bunker down from the cold in the winter, they excel at extracting their lifeblood from the Erth and putting right back in again what they took away. Trade with the desert tribes in the west and south have proven less than fruitful, but the mountainmen of the east have brought much good fortune to the Malkieri people.

Military

Malkieri infantry are generally armed with wooden spears and shorter throwing spears.

Malkieri navies consist of large, slow-moving river barges, but not usually anything ocean-going.​

Spoiler Mahaki :

A Mahaki without a war-mask​

The average Mahaki usually stands at about 5'6". They generally have a darker complexion, black to brown hair, and eyes ranging from blue to black. Males are born with scars all over their body, as if they were the veterans of a thousand battles. The perceived fiercity as well as the strong eyebrows and cheek bones cause most adult males to be menacing indeed. The more violence-prone have even been known to file their teeth into canines and rip the flesh from their enemies mid-battle. This is of course a small percentage of the entire population, but often they are drawn to the military anyway.

They wear light clothes such as cottons and exotic silks if they can get it despite the extremity of varying temperatures from day to night, generally claiming not to feel the cold. Wool is worn farther north or during the winters, however, and furs often adorn the ancient and pregnant, as a sign of respect.

Mahaki are wanderers. Herders and raiders, the Mahaki often gather into small clans, which pledge allegiance to larger Tribes. In more recent years the more sedentary have settled down along the rich Maki river, making farming and trading their economic mainstay, but still allegiance is more often than not expected to be owed to the roving warlords of ancient times.

A Spokescouncil is invoked during times of inter-tribe warfare to elect a leader; each tribe has a Kol, meaning elected Chief or King. On rare occasions when a non-Mahako threat is perceived, peace is declared between the Tribes and the spokescouncil is spread to encompass all of the Tribes.

Military

Mahaki infantry are armed with wooden spears and many bows, making them particularly effective on the plains, and very good for raiding.

They have no naval capacities to speak of. If any, a mercenary fleet would be commisioned.​

Spoiler Krutargg :

Dust settles around a Krutargg warrior​

Krutargg are towering giants at an average height of 8'7". They have no hair to speak of, and their black to blue to red eyes appear absurdly small compared to their other features. Their stone-like skin absorbs the strength, durability, color and characteristics of whatever mineral they have dieted on recently, allowing any given Krutargg to change his or her appearance radically by just eating different minerals.

They wear no clothing, as they never developped a need for protection against the elements. Some have been known to wear metal armor into battle when it is available, though simply consuming the material of the armor would eventually give them the same protection.

Krutargg have a primal need to consume minerals, just as you or I (presumably) have the most basic of instincts to consume plant or animal flesh. Of course, that is not to say that minerals and stones are the Krutargg's only source of food. Many empty human villages and forests devoid of large animals will tell you otherwise. Krutargg have a negative buoyancy, meaning they will sink like.. well, a rock. Pun intended.

Raiders and pillagers, Krutargg have no need for farms save for feeding their livestock of humans and assorted lesser races. But then, the livestock/peasants usually take care of that themselves. Large quarries or mines will tether Krutargg populations to a particular area however, as it serves as a portion of their diet. The weaker Krutargg are driven away from the larger food sources by the stronger Krutargg, causing an anual migration of Krutargg away from viable food sources, however, much to the chagrin of their neighbors.

It is of note that the 'weaker' Krutargg that are forced into areas less rich in minerals essential to their diet exhibit radically altered behaviors. Many believing the Erth from which they would normally gain these minerals had forsaken them, had taken to cannibalizing their deceased elders for these minerals. These hyper-aggressive Krutargg are known colloquially as Ogres.

Military

Krutargg infantry are armed with massive stone axes and hammers, the latter of which is particularly effective against other Krutargg. They make amazing shock troops.

Krutargg navies are manned and built by mercenaries, so vary widely.​

Spoiler Sephirod :

A Sephirod woman with her hair down​

Sephirod stand at average about 5'6", a breath shorter than their Irilenic cousins in the west. Their complexion is light, while they have brown and black eyes, and rarely deep green. Their hair is usually dark.

They wear the flambouyant silks of the Irilenes, but during the rainy or monsoon seasons they wear leathers and light wools.

The majority of their economy is based from farming and agriculture along the Sephirod river, as it has proven time and again to be a major boon to the region. The maize, wheat and chick peas native to the region can be found in dishes as far away as the Horkin and the Gurks in the south, and easily the Quatriut and Swiech.

Military

Sephirod infantry are generally armed with long wooden spears and the odd well-trained bow, making them good for raiding.

Sephirod navies consist of smaller bastard versions of the Irilene ships, with fewer oars and thinner hulls.​

Spoiler Quatriut :

A Quatriut soldier rides to war​

The average Quat stands at 5'4", shorter than most save the Swiech. Their complexion is darker than fair and their hair black or golden blonde, with soft blue eyes, soft chins and feminine features. Their soft appearance makes them appear exotic and distantly foreign, and above all desired by non-Quatriut.

They wear colorful silks of green, blues and yellows, and light flowing overgarments during the monsoon season. Often their hair will be well past the shoulders, and in one or multiple braids, depending on local custom.

Quatriut are sea-farers by nature, fishermen and traders all, who live their lives on the sea. Their powerful galleys have reached the distant south and unified cradles, worlds and empires. Recently, however, the poorer Quat will take up farming, learned from their Sephirod neighbors, or the worship of the Wengi from the migrating Swiech.


Military

Quatriut infantry are armed with long wooden spears.

Quatriut navies are well-oiled machines. They are made up of massive oar-driven galleys armed with ramming heads and arrow-slots, and are generally crewed by two hundred or more oarsmen and as many sailors and fighters. Truly unmatched in the world in terms of power and speed.​

Spoiler Barasia :

Barasia,
The Wide Continent


Satellite composite by Google​

Barasia is easily the largest continent in the known world. The crossroads of the world both north, south, east and west. The mighty east-west coasts have both birthed and destroyed vast civilizations, its tropical heat residing throughout the year in many places. Although it is largely cut off from its neighboring continents by towering mountains and high-altitude lakes in the north and sunken land-bridges in the south, it is far from isolated.

Barasia can be easily devided into three major regions and countless archipelagoes and island chains:

The Umiritsine Isles, the northwest, the center, the south, the Warren Isles and Horka.


-The Umiritsine Isles vary from mostly rocky and mountainous in the northwest, to the lower, windswept and hurricane-harrowed tropical isles further east and south. The Umiritsine make up a good majority of the population of the isles, but Aodaran minorities can be found throughout the eastern islets.

-The northwest is surrounded by a formidable ring of rain-capturing mountains known as the Fradtjaws. In the farthest, iciest northwest, the Fradtjaws become rocky fjords jutting unmolested from the sea. Farther east the mountains become lower but steeper, and are known locally as the Edge mountains. The cool, humid Gartino river basin plays host to the Hurinth and Montholin/B] peoples, with the Aodaran tribesmen in the southern mountains.

-The central regions are east of the Edge mountains, and are made up primarily of the warm, humid Teiden Valley, and end at the Gurkish Plateau and foothills of the Danae mountains in the south, at Lake Gellir, the high-altitude freshwater lake in the east, and the Irilenic Sea and the Arhkass lands in the north. In the west, the population is split about evenly between the Arhkass in the north and the Obayonid in the south. Eddarians have gradually leaked through the mountain passes there as well. In the eastern half of the region, the Irilenes reign as the majority, while the Gurks play a strong minority.

-The southern regions are south, beyond the Gurkish Plateau and the Danae mountains, and consist of almost the entire south coast of Barasia. In the very farthest western reaches, the Aodaran live in their cold, scraggy mountain homes, with pockets of intermingled Umiritsine. Lavrani towns dot the warm, rocky coast between there and the Eddarians in the dry hills. In the southwest, the Lavrani mainland, which once connected Shakar and Barasia with a land-bridge, dominate the central sea in the east, north, west and south.

In the north, the hot, humid and high Toravopes River Valley is home to the Issith and Gurks, with Swiech in small quantities. South of there, the Harnacoarse River winds its way through the valleys and basins in the Viper Fang Mountains, in and out of underground caves, and through swamps and large deepwater lakes. The western coast beyond the Viper Ridge is populated largely by the Lavran and the Horkin tribesmen.

-The Warren Isles are low-lying islets in the Tempest or Mashariki Sea, supposedly once great mountains before the Great Flood, the ubwa-wMbi and the ubwa-wMaj. They are in prime monsoon territory, are hot, humid, prone to tremors, largely made of mud, and densely populated by a rat-like people known as the Swiech.

-Horka is a large island south of the Tempest Sea. It is hot, humid and sparsely populated by the Horkin tribesmen. Firemountains dot the northern coast and can be seen from hundreds of miles across the sea.

---- ****---- ____ ----**** ****---- ____ ---- **** ----​

Spoiler Umiritsine/Aodaran :

Umiritsine soldiers practicing​

Umiritsine stand at approximately 5'6". They generally have a dark complexion, brightly colored almond shaped eyes ranging from blue, to green, to exotic pinks and yellows and reds. Their hair is almost always dark.

Umiritsine clothing consists of warm, flowing silks lined and decorated with the exotic Moa feathers, hard boiled leathers for the rainy seasons, and skin-tight tasseled caps.

Umiritsine people are naturally seafarers and farmers. The wet climate is perfect for rice and beans, and the endless bounty of the sea keeps Umirit bellies full to the brim with fish, urchins and occasionally delicacies such as whale or dolphin.

Umiritsine language is, compared to other languages, fast and incomprehensible. Others inability to pick up their language has given the Umiritsine a pointedly superior attitude regarding outsiders.

Military

Umiritsine infantry are armed with wooden longspears with hooks adapted from fishing, and the odd bow.

Umiritsine navies are made up of large, wide-hulled, low sunken ramming ships with banks of rowers and oarsmen.​

Spoiler Hurinth :

A Hurinth man with impressive moustache.​

Hurinth stand on average at 5'1, one of the shorter races. They are dwarfed by their neighbors, the Montholin. Their skin is unusually browned for the clime, and their eye and hair color are fairly plain: grey and black, respectively.

A Hurinth woman​

Hurinth generally dress in thicker garb, more appropriate for the cold, wet weather of the region. Of particular note is the wearing of the expensive Mammoth hide, and in some rare cases when it is willed by a dying Montholin, Montholin hide is worn in ceremonial circumstances, usually weddings.

Hurinth are farmers, fishermen, herders; whatever is necessary to survive in the cold riverlands. Hunting the wild Mammoth (a large elephant-like creature) is a community effort, which usually takes dozens to do successfully and on a good day results in only a few deaths. It has become a passtime for the richer portions of society.

Military

Hurinth infantry are armed with wooden spears and a few bows.

What naval capabilities they do possess are generally spent on large river-barges, to better navigate the Riverlands.​

Spoiler Montholin :

A Montholin Matriarch on the long migration eastwards.​

The adult Montholin stands around 11 feet tall, dwarfing their close relatives the Mammoths, which stand at 9 foot or lower. Their hair ranges from mostly brown to sometimes grey or even blonde in the older members of the race. They have long, curved tusks that grow and age as they do, reaching maturity and full length of four feet, when accounting for the curve.

Their highly opposable and versatile trunks split into two at the midway mark, and each portion can be moved independently of the other, making manipulation of tools or food easily possible. While Mammoths are shorter, they are also heavier and wider, making them more turtle-like, whereas the Montholin are quicker and more intelligent.

While it is customary for members of the race to migrate yearly, many Montholin find permanent work or societal positions with the sedentary races of the Riverlands, usually as scholars to Kings, even scribes or palace guards. Their unusually long memory and life span make them perfect for many such duties.

Upon the death of an important Montholin, it is usually their dying wish that a portion of their fur go to a particularly close member of the lesser (meaning smaller) species. This is not always the case, though.

Military

Montholin infantry are armed with massive, heavy, solid stone clubs which they utilize as a human would a light-weight stick. Their particularly thick hide, massive size and tusks make them immensely effective shock troops, and add a great deal to any fighting force.

They have no naval capabilities, and cannot be transported artificially across water.​

Spoiler Arkhass :

An Arkhass Warlord​

Spoiler Obayonids :

An Obayonid Monarch



An Obayonid warrior standing guard.​

Spoiler Eddarians :

Eddarian Warriors​

Spoiler Irilenes :

An Irilenic woman in summer robes​

Irilenes stand at an average of 5'7". They have light complexions and brown to black hair. Their almond-shaped eyes range from brown to blue and rarely to gold. Thick, dark eyebrows are prominent amongst both male and female Irilenes, while deep-set emphasize them, giving them a thoughtful and kind look.

Irilenes generally wear light, breezy fabrics such as silks, usually in elaborately decorated ankle-length robes to protect them from the sun and the heat of the day, and a warmer outer-robe made of roughspun wool during the night to keep the warmth of the body in. Dark dyes worn about the eyes and face mark beauty and rank amongst wealthy Irilene.

An Irilenic woman milks a bison​

The Irilenes are easily farmers. The perfect weather along the Teiden valley has guaranteed them a bumper harvest for thousands of years, and only occasionally has it failed them, to catastrophic ends. The diet amongst the poor and pious is often vegetarian in nature (excepting of course poultry and saltwater fish), while the rich eat and do as they please. The slave trade has boomed since the Krutargg appeared in the mountainhomes millenia ago, and life is good.

The Irilenic language is flowing, colorful and song-like, with as many vowels as there are shades of color in the Irilenic painter's pallete.

Military

Irilenic infantry are generally armed with long wooden spears and the odd well-trained bow, making them good for raiding.

Irilenic navies are well-trained and often independantly owned oar-and-sail ships, with rams on the prow and a hundred or more oarsmen. They are sea-worthy vessels worth their weight in salt and gold.​

Spoiler Swiech :

Swiech warriors​

" align="" border="0" />