Jason The King
Deity
JN ES: Time Will Tell
Update 0
Times are changing. For thousands of years people have lived the same way: in small communities, mostly organized along familial and ancestral ties, with no great ambition. Across the globe, some people are abandoning this tried-and-true way of life. Men and women of ambition have risen. Society at a large scale is being organized. Trade on a commercial level has replaced domesticity for many people. Those of a common language and culture, though perhaps not common blood, are banding together. Civilization is being born. But just how this civilization will look, and how it will shape the future of humanity, remains uncertain. Only time will tell.
-----
On the shores of the Pon Sea, Gau Buo casts his line almost directly into the soft rhythmic waves. Its been three days since the last moon and still Gau had not captured a single fish. It was a good thing his father was adept enough not to rely on his sons efforts, or else Gaus family would have a bleak winter to look forward to. Not that Gau was much on self-loathing. He was not yet a man and was not expected to perform as such, but he still could not help but wonder if fishing should, or could, be his future.
Although why shouldnt it? It was the way of his people, the Ghortha, who had relied on the bounty of the sea for hundreds of years. He was no Malouta from the south. Those who shared the island with the Ghortha had forsaken their fishing heritage, their civilization slowly falling into decay until Chief You Knit had led a band of warriors to overtake them. Now with the full island under the rule of the Ghorthans, all was supposed to change. And yet Gau was still expected to carry on the tradition of his people.
As he sit there in the sand, his pole firmly dug into the grainy earth, Gau thought of the Tesinou, those Ghorthans who took to the waves in Homans (1) not for the mundane activity of fishing, but for travel to distant lands. They usually carried with them tradition Ghorthan shell ornaments or surplus fish and returned with dozens of foreign objects. Gau wondered at the possibility of never casting a line again, of never facing the disappointing look on Fathers face when he returned with only a shade of darker skin to show for his efforts. He contemplated visiting far off lands, meeting people like Hyni city folk or Gernian horse-men. Yes, he could imagine his future aboard a Homan of his own, sailing to lands never before seen by another Ghorthan, and bringing back tales of his ventures.
Alas, though he would have much rather of been awoken from his day dream with a surprising tug of his line, it was his father who had shaken his shoulders that did the deed. Come, we will fish on the waves. Today I will begin the training you need to become as good of a man as I. Gau had not spent a day with just Father since he could remember. Perhaps learning to fish wouldnt be such a bad thing after all.
1. A Homan is the tradition sea vessel used by the Ghothans as well as most people of the Eastern Mediterranean. It is generally large enough to fit five adults with enough room for several dozen pounds of fish.
-----
The Gorthan People originated from a past migration that brought mainland tribes to the three islands of the Pon Sea hundreds, if not thousands of years ago. As time progressed, the people of the larger island, called Gortha Un, diverged into two tribes. The less numerous Gorthans of the northern and western region congregated along the coast, focusing on fishing and maritime travel/trade with those of the smaller islands and the mainland. The Malouta were the second tribe, inhabiting the mountainous west and rugged south. The Malouta had originally been fishing people as well, but gradually drifted from the coast toward inland valleys where they focused on growing grain, at which they became very successful.
As the Malouta population boomed in the centuries following the inward migration, so did the intensity of their agriculture. Eventually even the volcanic soil of the island became exhausted through unsustainable farming, and, coupled with three consecutive droughts within a decade, led to the collapse of Malouta civilization. It was then that Chief Homie Gee You Knit led a crowd of a few hundred Ghorthans to capture the Maloutans dilapidated village of its namesake. In the years since, Chief Homie Gee has built on his successes by encouraging more maritime travel, settling a smaller island to the east called Ghortha In, and establishing routine contacts with the people of the mainland. Of those mainland people, the Hyni have become close friends with the Ghortha. The Ghorthan language, after hundreds of years of isolation, still resembled the Hyni tongue, which made communication and trade much easier. In particular, the Ghorthans are welcomed guests in two major Hyni cities, where the Ghorthan shell trade has led to an economic boom.
In the east, contact has been made with the powerful Kingdom of Rath. Exotic goods like ivory and salt is traded readily for Ghorthan goods, though the distance and danger of such a journey as the one to Rath makes trade and communication rare.
-----
The nation of Sheol is most unlike the Ghortheans in that its walls rose amongst those of many other civilizations in the area. The Assyrian Empire to the north of Sheol is deeply militaristic. From the city of Nineveh, Assyria has already conquered the twin cities of Abyis and Tonice, both of whose people are very closely related to the Sheol.
As the Assyrians wage war in the north, the Sheol multiply within their city walls and the countryside. Aside from the Assyrians, the Sheol are the most numerous people of the region. A second city is soon founded near the capital of Lof Yfel, though being on the banks of the LaVey river it has access to a variety of villages and cities downstream. In the coming years, the LaVey becomes the most trafficked river in the world as pottery, grain, and protein finds its way south to the city of Heol and beyond to the Kingdom of Amon and its southern neighbor, the Ovarri Kingdom. Though oftentimes the river routes are disrupted by brief wars, the trade and exchange of not only goods, but ideas and culture as well has helped Sheol develop in ways their northern neighbors have not.
Despite the growth of wealth in Lof Yfel and its sister city, Singodia, many Sheol remain anxious. Mesopotamia is becoming an attractive place for migrants, which has made the expansion of the Sheol into uncivilized lands rather difficult. Though Lof Yfel is a bustling center of commerce, without a level of greatness it risks slipping into the annals of mediocrity.
-----
Among the banks of the Teskin River the Kintash settled. Heralding from a westward migration that lasted centuries, the Kintash people have become the only Krissani-speaking people who have built for themselves a civilization. And one can hardly blame the Kintash for their choice of land on to which they would build the famed city of Locet. Though in some parts overwhelmingly marshy, the Kintash rule over a landscape of incredible fertility. As such, their population doubled in just ten years, and then again in the following five years.
Such rapid growth has indeed attracted the attention of other civilizations on the Teskin River, and even those Hoelian nations of the north. At one point, Kintash was invaded by their northern neighbor who brought with them horse warfare and the wheel, ruling the Kintash from the city of Azareh for nearly thirty years. After the Hoelian rulers had been deposed, the Kintash rose anew, establishing their dominance over the southern delta.
-----
Like Mesopotamia, the Nile River has proven an attractive location for those ambitious few to found civilization. Annual floods blanket the Nile river basin with rich silt that replenishes the soil and gives birth to modern society. Along these life-giving banks arose two separate civilizations: the Hem and the Egyptians. Though a common pantheon of gods spans the river basin, the two people have been at war with each other since anyone could remember.
Though it wasnt a decade ago when the Hem were knocking at the gates of Thebes, it appears that the Egyptians have the upper hand now. After capturing the city of Herat on the Red Sea coast, Pharaoh Hotep IV recruiting nearly every man to fight for his army and support the invasion of Hem. Soliciting the help of the Delta city-state of Yentet, the Hem fought bravely at the Siege of Sairet, eventually outlasting the invaders and driving them back across the border.
That is not to say that the problems for Hem are over. The Cult of Seth, the official religion of Egypt, has been growing rapidly among the Hem population, who generally worship as part of the Cult of Isis. Though strict laws have been created that outlaw those who worship Seth, the cult has continued to operate secretly, gaining members as far north as the city-state of Yentet.
-----
The most powerful empire on the planet, the Empire of Bara Magna, is situated around the Indus River, a thousand miles east of the Kintash. The Posan peoples of the Indus River were united long ago by the Toa Mata, a legend who has since been elevated to the status of a god. And that may be the most peculiar aspect of the Bara Magna: these people worship only one god, Toa Mata, though all other major civilizations are polytheistic.
It is in the name of Toa Mata that the Bara Magna have conquered so many cities and people. The warlike heritage of Toa Mata has lend itself to the aggressive nature of the Bara Magna, who have taken it upon themselves to convert every last soul to the worship of Toa Mata, lest his or her soul forever be the possession of a true believer.
The Bara Magna are not all just sword and arrow. A magnificent organizational trait of the religion has led to the establishment of a bureaucracy that helps manage an empire of thousands. This very same bureaucracy also manages internal commerce and agricultural production to ensure the cities have enough grain and meat. It is the only system of its kind in existence until neighboring kingdoms of Rarran Oma and Gujarat adopt the Bara Magna bureaucracy and religion for their own.
-----
The Bantu are people who are great adapters. The land in which they live is rich with game and tradition, though hostile and dry. Not suitable for large-scale agriculture away from the banks of the rivers, the Bantu must compete with a myriad of other tribes and peoples for the precious land and water. This constant struggle has shaped most Bantu into strong and resilient people. Though unfortunately it has done the same for all their neighbors.
The Weshi in particular are people who are almost constantly at odds with those Bantu who are lucky enough to farm the banks of the Zambezi River. Overcoming the constant struggle for water and land will be a major task for the Bantu in the future.
-----
The history of East Asia began with the powerful Empire of Shiang. Shiang brought together many different tribes of the Great River in defense against the migrating northern peoples. Shiang prospered for nearly half a century before the eastern provinces began to become restless. The firs to rebel were the Yi of the city Xinjao. The rebellion was quick yet painful. Thousands were killed from the fighting before the Shiang were forced to withdraw in order to shore up their northern defenses against a Mongol horde.
Xingbao and the Tinao were the others to rebel. During a particularly difficult Mongol attack, the Xingbao took the opportunity to seize control of the Shiang control posts in the region, tossing off the shackles of the Empire and installing the first elected Emperor of the Xingbao-Tinao alliance: Emperor Win Chu Minau.
Since the rebellion, Xingbao has prospered. Trade with the small kingdoms of the northern peninsula has diversified an economy based mostly on rice and wheat. Meanwhile, relations with the Yi have never been better, and the Shiang looked as if they have been mortally ruined by a disastrous war with a Mongol horde.
-----
Some Notes from the Mod:
Following updates will have more detail and action in them, this one was to just set things up.
Notes on the map: gray colors represent semi-civilized peoples of the same culture/ethnicity/language. All grays are the same, the color was just used to show where one group ends and another begins. Its likely your civilization derived from one of these ethnicities. If its not mentioned in the update, be sure to keep this in mind.
My worst fears have been realized weve got many people along in different places. Lets up we get some new blood to take up NPCs or new countries in these regions.
Send in orders. Deadline will be sometime this weekend tbd.
This weekend Ill be doing a layer of city names for the map as well as geographic names. If they arent mentioned in the update, be sure to let me know what you want named and/or if you have suggestions for city names.
Update 0
Times are changing. For thousands of years people have lived the same way: in small communities, mostly organized along familial and ancestral ties, with no great ambition. Across the globe, some people are abandoning this tried-and-true way of life. Men and women of ambition have risen. Society at a large scale is being organized. Trade on a commercial level has replaced domesticity for many people. Those of a common language and culture, though perhaps not common blood, are banding together. Civilization is being born. But just how this civilization will look, and how it will shape the future of humanity, remains uncertain. Only time will tell.
-----
On the shores of the Pon Sea, Gau Buo casts his line almost directly into the soft rhythmic waves. Its been three days since the last moon and still Gau had not captured a single fish. It was a good thing his father was adept enough not to rely on his sons efforts, or else Gaus family would have a bleak winter to look forward to. Not that Gau was much on self-loathing. He was not yet a man and was not expected to perform as such, but he still could not help but wonder if fishing should, or could, be his future.
Although why shouldnt it? It was the way of his people, the Ghortha, who had relied on the bounty of the sea for hundreds of years. He was no Malouta from the south. Those who shared the island with the Ghortha had forsaken their fishing heritage, their civilization slowly falling into decay until Chief You Knit had led a band of warriors to overtake them. Now with the full island under the rule of the Ghorthans, all was supposed to change. And yet Gau was still expected to carry on the tradition of his people.
As he sit there in the sand, his pole firmly dug into the grainy earth, Gau thought of the Tesinou, those Ghorthans who took to the waves in Homans (1) not for the mundane activity of fishing, but for travel to distant lands. They usually carried with them tradition Ghorthan shell ornaments or surplus fish and returned with dozens of foreign objects. Gau wondered at the possibility of never casting a line again, of never facing the disappointing look on Fathers face when he returned with only a shade of darker skin to show for his efforts. He contemplated visiting far off lands, meeting people like Hyni city folk or Gernian horse-men. Yes, he could imagine his future aboard a Homan of his own, sailing to lands never before seen by another Ghorthan, and bringing back tales of his ventures.
Alas, though he would have much rather of been awoken from his day dream with a surprising tug of his line, it was his father who had shaken his shoulders that did the deed. Come, we will fish on the waves. Today I will begin the training you need to become as good of a man as I. Gau had not spent a day with just Father since he could remember. Perhaps learning to fish wouldnt be such a bad thing after all.
1. A Homan is the tradition sea vessel used by the Ghothans as well as most people of the Eastern Mediterranean. It is generally large enough to fit five adults with enough room for several dozen pounds of fish.
-----
The Gorthan People originated from a past migration that brought mainland tribes to the three islands of the Pon Sea hundreds, if not thousands of years ago. As time progressed, the people of the larger island, called Gortha Un, diverged into two tribes. The less numerous Gorthans of the northern and western region congregated along the coast, focusing on fishing and maritime travel/trade with those of the smaller islands and the mainland. The Malouta were the second tribe, inhabiting the mountainous west and rugged south. The Malouta had originally been fishing people as well, but gradually drifted from the coast toward inland valleys where they focused on growing grain, at which they became very successful.
As the Malouta population boomed in the centuries following the inward migration, so did the intensity of their agriculture. Eventually even the volcanic soil of the island became exhausted through unsustainable farming, and, coupled with three consecutive droughts within a decade, led to the collapse of Malouta civilization. It was then that Chief Homie Gee You Knit led a crowd of a few hundred Ghorthans to capture the Maloutans dilapidated village of its namesake. In the years since, Chief Homie Gee has built on his successes by encouraging more maritime travel, settling a smaller island to the east called Ghortha In, and establishing routine contacts with the people of the mainland. Of those mainland people, the Hyni have become close friends with the Ghortha. The Ghorthan language, after hundreds of years of isolation, still resembled the Hyni tongue, which made communication and trade much easier. In particular, the Ghorthans are welcomed guests in two major Hyni cities, where the Ghorthan shell trade has led to an economic boom.
In the east, contact has been made with the powerful Kingdom of Rath. Exotic goods like ivory and salt is traded readily for Ghorthan goods, though the distance and danger of such a journey as the one to Rath makes trade and communication rare.
-----
The nation of Sheol is most unlike the Ghortheans in that its walls rose amongst those of many other civilizations in the area. The Assyrian Empire to the north of Sheol is deeply militaristic. From the city of Nineveh, Assyria has already conquered the twin cities of Abyis and Tonice, both of whose people are very closely related to the Sheol.
As the Assyrians wage war in the north, the Sheol multiply within their city walls and the countryside. Aside from the Assyrians, the Sheol are the most numerous people of the region. A second city is soon founded near the capital of Lof Yfel, though being on the banks of the LaVey river it has access to a variety of villages and cities downstream. In the coming years, the LaVey becomes the most trafficked river in the world as pottery, grain, and protein finds its way south to the city of Heol and beyond to the Kingdom of Amon and its southern neighbor, the Ovarri Kingdom. Though oftentimes the river routes are disrupted by brief wars, the trade and exchange of not only goods, but ideas and culture as well has helped Sheol develop in ways their northern neighbors have not.
Despite the growth of wealth in Lof Yfel and its sister city, Singodia, many Sheol remain anxious. Mesopotamia is becoming an attractive place for migrants, which has made the expansion of the Sheol into uncivilized lands rather difficult. Though Lof Yfel is a bustling center of commerce, without a level of greatness it risks slipping into the annals of mediocrity.
-----
Among the banks of the Teskin River the Kintash settled. Heralding from a westward migration that lasted centuries, the Kintash people have become the only Krissani-speaking people who have built for themselves a civilization. And one can hardly blame the Kintash for their choice of land on to which they would build the famed city of Locet. Though in some parts overwhelmingly marshy, the Kintash rule over a landscape of incredible fertility. As such, their population doubled in just ten years, and then again in the following five years.
Such rapid growth has indeed attracted the attention of other civilizations on the Teskin River, and even those Hoelian nations of the north. At one point, Kintash was invaded by their northern neighbor who brought with them horse warfare and the wheel, ruling the Kintash from the city of Azareh for nearly thirty years. After the Hoelian rulers had been deposed, the Kintash rose anew, establishing their dominance over the southern delta.
-----
Like Mesopotamia, the Nile River has proven an attractive location for those ambitious few to found civilization. Annual floods blanket the Nile river basin with rich silt that replenishes the soil and gives birth to modern society. Along these life-giving banks arose two separate civilizations: the Hem and the Egyptians. Though a common pantheon of gods spans the river basin, the two people have been at war with each other since anyone could remember.
Though it wasnt a decade ago when the Hem were knocking at the gates of Thebes, it appears that the Egyptians have the upper hand now. After capturing the city of Herat on the Red Sea coast, Pharaoh Hotep IV recruiting nearly every man to fight for his army and support the invasion of Hem. Soliciting the help of the Delta city-state of Yentet, the Hem fought bravely at the Siege of Sairet, eventually outlasting the invaders and driving them back across the border.
That is not to say that the problems for Hem are over. The Cult of Seth, the official religion of Egypt, has been growing rapidly among the Hem population, who generally worship as part of the Cult of Isis. Though strict laws have been created that outlaw those who worship Seth, the cult has continued to operate secretly, gaining members as far north as the city-state of Yentet.
-----
The most powerful empire on the planet, the Empire of Bara Magna, is situated around the Indus River, a thousand miles east of the Kintash. The Posan peoples of the Indus River were united long ago by the Toa Mata, a legend who has since been elevated to the status of a god. And that may be the most peculiar aspect of the Bara Magna: these people worship only one god, Toa Mata, though all other major civilizations are polytheistic.
It is in the name of Toa Mata that the Bara Magna have conquered so many cities and people. The warlike heritage of Toa Mata has lend itself to the aggressive nature of the Bara Magna, who have taken it upon themselves to convert every last soul to the worship of Toa Mata, lest his or her soul forever be the possession of a true believer.
The Bara Magna are not all just sword and arrow. A magnificent organizational trait of the religion has led to the establishment of a bureaucracy that helps manage an empire of thousands. This very same bureaucracy also manages internal commerce and agricultural production to ensure the cities have enough grain and meat. It is the only system of its kind in existence until neighboring kingdoms of Rarran Oma and Gujarat adopt the Bara Magna bureaucracy and religion for their own.
-----
The Bantu are people who are great adapters. The land in which they live is rich with game and tradition, though hostile and dry. Not suitable for large-scale agriculture away from the banks of the rivers, the Bantu must compete with a myriad of other tribes and peoples for the precious land and water. This constant struggle has shaped most Bantu into strong and resilient people. Though unfortunately it has done the same for all their neighbors.
The Weshi in particular are people who are almost constantly at odds with those Bantu who are lucky enough to farm the banks of the Zambezi River. Overcoming the constant struggle for water and land will be a major task for the Bantu in the future.
-----
The history of East Asia began with the powerful Empire of Shiang. Shiang brought together many different tribes of the Great River in defense against the migrating northern peoples. Shiang prospered for nearly half a century before the eastern provinces began to become restless. The firs to rebel were the Yi of the city Xinjao. The rebellion was quick yet painful. Thousands were killed from the fighting before the Shiang were forced to withdraw in order to shore up their northern defenses against a Mongol horde.
Xingbao and the Tinao were the others to rebel. During a particularly difficult Mongol attack, the Xingbao took the opportunity to seize control of the Shiang control posts in the region, tossing off the shackles of the Empire and installing the first elected Emperor of the Xingbao-Tinao alliance: Emperor Win Chu Minau.
Since the rebellion, Xingbao has prospered. Trade with the small kingdoms of the northern peninsula has diversified an economy based mostly on rice and wheat. Meanwhile, relations with the Yi have never been better, and the Shiang looked as if they have been mortally ruined by a disastrous war with a Mongol horde.
-----
Some Notes from the Mod:
Following updates will have more detail and action in them, this one was to just set things up.
Notes on the map: gray colors represent semi-civilized peoples of the same culture/ethnicity/language. All grays are the same, the color was just used to show where one group ends and another begins. Its likely your civilization derived from one of these ethnicities. If its not mentioned in the update, be sure to keep this in mind.
My worst fears have been realized weve got many people along in different places. Lets up we get some new blood to take up NPCs or new countries in these regions.
Send in orders. Deadline will be sometime this weekend tbd.
This weekend Ill be doing a layer of city names for the map as well as geographic names. If they arent mentioned in the update, be sure to let me know what you want named and/or if you have suggestions for city names.
