Sekai: Land of the Fading Sun (Pre-FantasyNES)

[Adrogans]

Okay so could a samurai learn attack and defense skills, but no magic while a sorcerer can learn magics but no skills?

I am not trying to be annoying, just want to make sure I get this right.

 

[kkmo]

Okay so could a samurai learn attack and defense skills, but no magic while a sorcerer can learn magics but no skills?

I am not trying to be annoying, just want to make sure I get this right.

That is correct. Skill-based characters can learn all skills, and spell-based characters can learn all spells. However, remember that it is cheaper to learn spells/skills that are specific to your class.

 

[Adrogans]

All right well then that makes my choice harder...I will go Samurai.

EDIT - Actually can I wait for stats to decide between the two classes?

 

[kkmo]

All right well then that makes my choice harder...I will go Samurai.

EDIT - Actually can I wait for stats to decide between the two classes?

What kind of stats? No matter what, you will have 10 experience points to divvy out at the beginning of the game, and 10 spending points to use (for Turn 0).

By the way, I don't know if anyone noticed, but, the Ronin Class has been changed to "Budojin", because Ronin are simply Samurai without a home (meaning all samurai characters are technically Ronin in a sense). Budojin means a samurai or person who has achieved the "way". Great substitute for the paladin.

 

[Shadowbound]

Ohitsuji/ Shadowbound
Race: Nezumi
Daimyo: Shibutoi
Advantage: +1 Attack for Archers in Lowlands
Description: The Ohitsuji were driven south in an ancient war, in which many Nezumi clans were decimated. To survive they fled across the mountains towards the southern edge of Sekai. Here, they rebuilt their shattered kingdom in quiet and isolation. Today, they remain distrustful of outsiders, especially humans, and hope to weather coming storms in the sanctity of their hermit kingdom.

 

[kkmo]

Shadowbound, random rolls:
First Random Roll: 5, meaning your starting economy is 5,200 gold pieces per turn.
Second Random Roll: 1, meaning your starting territory amount is 4.

Please make your claims when you have a chance, then move onto Step 2, which is creating a Starting Profile (see the rules - much of what you already wrote can fit in there ).

Also, just wrote this in the rules everyone:

Spells
The world of Sekai features many types of magic. The magic of Sekai is channeled through energetic chants and ritualistic movements of the hands. In a sense, it is a combination of Shinto, Buddhist, and Daoist concepts. To learn and then use a spell is to channel the energy you were born with.

Skills
Where spells require a mystical oneness with energy forces, skills are a concentrated practice of technical knowledge. Where the sage might be a spell-caster, a woodcarver would be a skill-user. Skills show a high degree of fortitude and willingness to perfect oneself through advancements in technique.

 

[Frozen In Ice]

I will play as a Party. Here is the leader of the group for now, I will add the other characters in when I know how many I will get.

Name: Haruki
Class: Ninja
Race: Yato
Description: TBA
Background: TBA
Gender: Male

 

[Kyzarc Fotjage]

Hawk Clan/Kyzarc Fotjage
Race: Kitsune
Daimyo: Lord Katsuro Sachiko. He is the son of the great Lady Hikari, the founder of the clan. Through his leadership the clan survived the rise and fall of dozens of human kingdoms. He has eight tails and silver fur. Life has left its scars on his face, the most remarkable being a slash running from his left brow down across his neck and body to his right hip. He hates the Yoma and has long since destroyed all within his realm.

Description: There are relatively few farmers compared to most humans, depending more on hunting and fishing in the nearby Tenryu-gawa river for food. Most of the people live in villages scattered evenly across the realm, but there is a significant population at the capital of Itami. The typical settlement contain five hundred souls. There is almost always a small shrine to the local spirits, a blacksmithy, and a dozen less important shops. Itami is quite large by these standards and has almost five thousand residents. Many dozens of skilled workers live here, this is where you go for the best tools in a hundred miles.

History: The Hawk Clan was formed countless aeons ago in the aftermath of the war between the gods. Lady Hikari took three hundred of her people, some of the few survivors of a Kitsune and Tengu empire that once encompassed all of southeastern Sekai and beyond, into the unknowns past the lands currently known to man, and marched east. They survived bandits, yomi, and ona in their quest for a new home. They ended up in what are now the Hawk lands and began to build small villages. As the world settled the Hawk learned of metal-craft and stone-shaping. Empires rose and fell around them, none taking notice of the collection of villages in the deep woods. Lady Hikari died seven centuries past when a petty necromancer named Hedge tried to take the lands of the Hawk as his own. His Yoma marched through the forest and slaughtered the Kitsune whenever they met. Lady Hikari and her three sons led the counterattack, but she and her eldest died. Lord Katsuro became the new Daimyo and has led the Hawk since. His younger brother is the head of a subservient family, the Kyou.

Castles: Sachiko Castle, built three hundred years past by Lord Katsuro to provide a focus for the Hawk clan, a symbol of their connection to this land. Originally built almost entirely of wood and earthworks, much of the original structure has been replaced by stone. This is the center of a bustling town. It is on the top of a hillock that overlooks the Tenryu-gawa River.

Other: The Hawk warriors are few in number and depend on their woodland home to mislead the enemy while they wear down large armies and ambush smaller ones. There is no cavalry, but many archers and skilled rangers. In times of emergency the people will take up arms, using axes and hunting bows to defend their homes.
A primitive gate lies across the Tenryu-gawa river, merchants are only allowed to pass if they pay a small tax to use the waterway.
They're less magically inclined then other Kitsune, depending more on stone and steel then is normal.

Advantage: Archers: +1 defense in woodlands.

 

[kkmo]

Frozen In Ice: I rolled a 4 for you, which means you start with 3 characters.

 

[Omega124]

Raijin Teikoku/Omega
Race: Tengu
Daimyo: Hayato Akiyama
Advantage: Stronger/Cheaper Electric Wizards?
Description: Raijin Teikoku settlements are like huge roosts build upon the side of the mountains. Settlements are often far apart, but each is humongous in size. The central building in each settlement is a temple devoted to Raiden.
History: Many years ago, in the most southern area of the empire, were two warring factions; the small but proud Tengu, or the plentiful and determined Kitsune. Each one invaded the forest/mountains, in order to rout the other out.

Eventually, one day, the Kitsunes rallied all of their troops for one final, big push. The Tengus were all doomed, as it seemed. Yet, with honor, they still armed themselves, still stood in their mountain homes, in defiance. The two armies at first stood at each other, waiting. Then, a giant lightning bolt from the heavens crashed upon the Kitsunes. No one knew how, or why. It killed most of them, and the rest scattered. Meanwhile it not kill a single Tengu. Declaring it an act of Raiden, the Tengus decided to honor him by creating an Empire of Lightning.

The Tengus flew to the north, and told their tale. They stood in awe, and they to declared it a miracle. Eventually, they peacefully joined the Lightning Empire, citing peace and prosperity as the reason.
Castles: The Shiro-Shin Kaminari No the Daimyo's Castle, a testament to the original war between the Kitsune and Tengu. It is the largest and most fortified building in the entire empire. The outside of the building looks like a larger version of the Himeji Castle, but in Red and Yellow (Just for reference). In said castle, there is a large shrine devoted to Raiden. The largest town in the empire, and its capitol, Raioyko, surronds the castle.

 

[kkmo]

Your advantage can be +1 Attack to Wizards in Mountains, if you would like Omega124.

And by the way, Kitsune plural is Kitsune, and Tengu plural is Tengu.

 

[kkmo]

Ok, I just changed the Hex Maps, to make it easier to locate hexes (still not the easiest, but it is an improvement).

 

[Omega124]

Your advantage can be +1 Attack to Wizards in Mountains, if you would like Omega124.

And by the way, Kitsune plural is Kitsune, and Tengu plural is Tengu.

Works for me, and I'll keep that in mind.

 

[Immaculate]

So my leader, Kyousei Hige ("Great Mustache"- someone tell me if i translated that wrong) will have been a ronin that turned from the samurai code in his disgrace and became a sorcerer. is that okay? most of his troops will be lancers and horse-archers though so can he ride a horse as a sorcerer? would that cost money or just be allowed?

 

[kkmo]

Notice:

Changed Druid class to Shaman (in name only - Shamans were summoners in Japanese mythology more or less). And changed Necromancer class to Yadokai (who are turned monks)- but the magic they use is still called "Necromancy". You can still call them Necromancers.

 

[kkmo]

So my leader, Kyousei Hige ("Great Mustache"- someone tell me if i translated that wrong) will have been a ronin that turned from the samurai code in his disgrace and became a sorcerer. is that okay? most of his troops will be lancers and horse-archers though so can he ride a horse as a sorcerer? would that cost money or just be allowed?

All the fluff you want is fine, but it won't effect your hard, cold stats. You can say you have a horse, but your movement will remain what it is in your stat listing. This is just to make things easier for updating. But you can fluff it up all you want. That sounds like a great story.

Hige is actually beard. Great Beard sounds cooler than mustache anyway, unless your character is an Italian plumber.

 

[Immaculate]

its a reference to his rat-like whiskers. so how do i say mustache? or whiskers?

 

[kkmo]

its a reference to his rat-like whiskers. so how do i say mustache? or whiskers?

Hige would be okay for that, as well, to be honest - especially in light of his appearance, it will make sense.

 

[kkmo]

Here is the updated Japanese Culture section.

And here are a few things I am going to put on the map:

Spoiler :

Note: All monasteries, temples, and shrines have living quarters, which means you can sleep there in your stories. Sleeping in this game does not mean healing. It only means rest.

Monastery of Heaven

Within Sekai there are a few Monasteries of Heaven. These structures are masked in fog and actually disappear and relocate, as if the monastery itself were a living, ethereal creature. Every five to ten turns, the Monasteries of Heaven re-locate. The monasteries emit a blue pillar light into the sky, and thus travelers can easily find the structures. Within a Monastery of Heaven, you can completely heal your troops or characters (if you remain for the entire turn) while in the comfort of a completely neutral place of worship. If you are violent within a Monastery of Heaven, the Heavenly Monks will make swift work of you and any army you might have brought along. In addition to complete healing within a turn, the Monastery of Heaven contains many secrets of Sekai. If explored, the libraries and secret passageways of a Monastery of Heaven may provide you with the answers you were looking for.

Monastery of Yomi

Also within Sekai are several Monasteries of Yomi. Like the Monasteries of Heaven, these disappear and re-locate every five to ten turns. Monasteries of Yomi do not heal you at all, and in fact they contain massive chambers and catacombs filled with demons and angry spirits that are not allowed to leave the monastery. Answers can be found here, or perhaps some experience points or enchanted items. Beware, though, of the Yadokai (or necromancers).

Shrine of Fortune

Torii are large red gates that mark the entrance to a shrine, and these permanently placed torii icons show the mark of Shrines of Fortune. These places are incredibly useful centers of worship and learning. If you pray at a Shrine of Fortune, you will have good luck for the next turn, or if you're really lucky, the next two or three turns. Shrines of Fortune also contain peaceful gardens. Very often the patrons of these shrines also hold valuable information about Sekai.

Temple of Onmyodo

Onmyodo is the Japanese concept of magic. Therefore, at a Temple of Onmyodo, you are likely to meet powerful spell-casters. It is said that by coming to this temple, certain benefits can be obtained. This could range from more powerful spells for a few turns, to learning a completely new spell, to simply chatting to other spell-casters from far away lands and learning about some of the secrets of Onmyodo. Do not pick fights with the powerful sorcerers that usually operate Temples of Onmyodo, or you will regret it.

Ronin Temple

Ronin are warriors without loyalty to any realm. Several of them have opened their own temples, posing as religious figures teaching "the way". Essentially, these are ronin training facilities. Warriors from all over Sekai will flock to these skilled ronin to learn new techniques or perhaps have their skills honed for the next few turns. Characters can practice skills with other skill-users. Try not to anger or taunt the ronin, as these ronin are usually extremely fierce and powerful, and have a loyal following of students.

Grand Ihorsehockyoro

Ihorsehockyoro means "stone lantern". There are many small ones at every religious site, lighting up pathways for visitors and travelers. Grand Ihorsehockyoro are massive stone lanterns, above five times the height of normal ones. They are eternally lit by a special magic light. When one looks through these grand lanterns, one will see another part of Sekai - the area around another grand lantern, which could be several kilometers away! Not only can these two grand lanterns share sight, but also sound and smell. However, the relationships between the Grand Ihorsehockyoro switch around often. During one turn, you may see the southern mountains from a forest in the north, but the next turn that same Grand Ihorsehockyoro will now give a glimpse to deep beneath the ocean.

Stone Kirin

Long ago, the greatest kirin roamed. They were much more powerful than the common kirin of today's Sekai. The kirin became so powerful that Izanagi did not want them to die. He required that Sekai always be protected by these creatures. Therefore, he encased them in stone and scattered them throughout Sekai. Now, sometimes with vines and moss growing all over them, these powerful kirin remain encapsulated in stone in random locations throughout the map. These sites are often nice places to relax and to ask the gods for help, but they are mysterious in nature and strange things always happen around stone kirin, especially when one lingers around.

 

[kkmo]

Here is a map with all territory names:

Spoiler :

"gawa" means river. River names are in black.
"dake" means mountain range. Mountain names are in gray.
Forests are in white. You can write the word "forest" after those names ("Shinrin" is forest in Japanese, if you want to know).
There is really only one sea in Sekai (Seto Sea).
"Ko" is lake, or you can just write Lake.
Bodies of water are teal colored.

My apologies to those of you who already wrote up names of some rivers and what not. Please change those to these names.