Thrones of Lore (SLNES III)

[Starlife]

Welcome to Thrones of Lore.

This fictional world is not unlike Europe. While this single continent is physically similar to Europe in its various ecosystems and biomes, it is of course far, far different when we look a bit deeper.

Upon this continent, a host of tribal peoples have gathered together and emerged as greater collectives of civilization, while others have been left behind. These great migrations to useful and resource-rich geographic locations have set the stage for the creation of distinct cultures. Many tribes have flocked to greater regional powers for protection. Protection from what, you ask? Well, our world is a dangerous place, filled with barbarians and a variety of different fantastic and mythical flora and fauna. And of course, that includes the most vicious creatures of lore.

And seeming to bind everything together is the enigmatic energy known as Magick. One of the hallmarks of the beginning of civilization on this world has been the attempt to understand and manipulate the "laws" of this energy. Emerging nations have begun to harness Magick and use it for their benefit. Magick is not a strange force to the humans on this world, but rather it has and always will be there. It is like the sun and the moon and the stars, yet much closer to home. It is the norm to those who inhabit this fictional world.

So there you have it. The rules of this NES might seem like an eye-full at first. If you don't understand something, please ask me.

The Basic Premise

This is a "fantasy fresh start", yet it is not entirely fantastic. Magick exists, but it is not the type of Magick you are familiar with. There are no wizards running around shooting lightning bolts or color sprays. In fact, single persons who can manipulate Magick by themselves are incredibly rare. Those who can perform such feats are considered heretics or witches and cast out of society. The lucky ones who are accepted by society often choose isolation or life as a hermit because they are too dramatically different from their fellow humans. Rather, Magick in this world is subtle and it is mostly used to subvert and lend a helping hand. It is not an all-powerful force capable of annihilating entire armies.

Fantastic, mythical creatures roam our landscape. This includes great beasts, such as giant eagles and ogres, but it also includes more vicious, intelligent creatures such as goblins and gnolls. Even featured are elves, yet they are elusive wood spirits and seldom wish to interact with the human world. You can read more about the creatures of our world later on in this ruleset.

The first step of joining this NES and playing this NES is to create a culture. This culture will become the main culture group of your realm. However, other realms adopting your culture group will begin to form and co-exist near you (they will usually be NPCs). They can be both friend and foe. While they might share your culture, they could have dramatically different national values. In addition, different cultures can begin to influence your realm aside from your main, starting culture (the one you created).

Once you have created a culture, you will create a realm. This realm is not guaranteed to be the most powerful or the most influential realm in your culture group.

It is expected that some players will rise to power faster than other players. They may eventually evolve into empires.

Turns

Like other fresh start NES, this one will feature BTs ("Boring Times") and ITs ("Interesting Times"). There will inevitably be far more IT turns than BT turns. Turns will progress via Age and Part. For example, Update 0 is "The Early Bronze Age, Part I". The Early Bronze Age is our starting era. Once we reach the Medieval Era, the game will slow down considerably.

Orders

Orders should be concise and clear. It is best if you give a list of goals you wish to accomplish for the given turn, and then elaborate upon those goals in the orders. You should also clearly indicate, preferably in bold, any changes you expect to your profile as a result of your orders (be it in wealth or your military or any other factor).

Updates

Updates will be given as frequently as possible. We will go by "eras", but we may remain in a certain era for a rather lengthy time. For example, Update 0 will be "The Early Bronze Age, Part I". The changing of eras will also change the appearance of our landscape, cities, armies, and so on.

Stories

Stories are encouraged and your realm can receive story bonuses for your efforts in expanding upon the lore of our world.

 

[Starlife]

The World

tundra
taiga
mountain forest
alpine tundra
temperate broadleaf forest
temperate steppe
Mediterranean vegetation
dry steppe
semiarid desert
xeric shrubland
arid desert​

Features

For all intents and purposes, our "world" is a single continent. However, it is not round. There are potentially other lands beyond this continent. These lands, if they exist, will most-likely not be present in our game.

The northern part of the continent is similar in climate to central-northern Scandinavia (the islands in the north might resemble Iceland, though perhaps more inhabitable). There are sparse and dense taiga forests in those regions, and the weather patterns and seasons are similar to those found in northern Europe. The mountain ranges of the north tend to be far colder during all seasons than their southern counterparts, especially the higher altitude regions. Fair-skinned peoples with blonde and red hair (and blue eyes) reside in these regions.

The majority of the map is covered in temperate forests, both sparse and dense. Dense forests are indicated by tree icons on the map, while blank regions are either sparse forests or even temperate grasslands with small groves dotting the landscape. These areas are similar in climate to central Europe. A variety of appearances can be found in these regions.

The southern part of the continent has many areas which are covered in Mediterranean vegetation biomes. These areas are similar to Spain, Italy, Greece, and the coastal regions of North Africa. As such, darker skinned/haired peoples reside in these regions.

The mountains of the south are a bit warmer than the northern mountains, but because of their higher altitude they are obviously colder than lowlands. Most mountainous regions resemble the Alps, with the exception of a few (their color on the biomes map will indicate what climate they best represent).

There are a few temperate steppes which resemble lands around the Crimea or in Eastern Europe. There are a few dry steppes which resemble the steppes of Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan. Dry steppe regions are usually hilly and dotted with several plateaus.

Perhaps the most notable three differences between our world and Europe is: 1. The large desert in the center, 2. The fact that the continent is surrounded by ocean, and 3. The presence of a few large, fresh-water lakes and inland seas. The desert in the center is to resemble North Africa and the Middle East in climate. The further towards the center of the desert, the more uninhabitable the desert becomes. Darker-skinned peoples reside around these sunny, desert regions. Elephants are a natural fauna found in the semiarid and xeric shrubland regions.

The ocean and seas around our world is filled with a variety of flora and fauna that might exist within the Mediterranean Sea (in the south) or the North Sea (in the north) or the mid-upper Atlantic (in the far north). Most large lakes in our world are remarkable fresh-water lakes. The densely forested regions surrounding these lakes are somewhat swampy and murky (see the southern lakes), while sparsely forested areas around the lakes are fertile. The largest inland body of water, the massive sea to the east, has a bit less salinity than the Caspian Sea, but in its brackish condition is moreso fresh-water, fed by the rivers flowing into it (it is suspected that a great geological event took place, creating this sea). The forests directly adjacent to the edge of this sea are often murky, dark, and swampy. The flora and fauna of this lake is most similar to the Black Sea, and not the Caspian Sea. The lakes of the north are all fresh-water, even the small one close to the sea. They share a similar climate, flora, and fauna to the lakes of Scandinavia.

Please note that even if there are not icons on the map, some geographic features might exist there. The icons represent significant features. So, for example, the majority of the dry steppes are indeed hilly, but these hills are not prominent and therefore have not been given icons. In addition, of course, there are smaller rivers, lakes, and ponds on the map that are not necessarily shown.

Flora & Fauna

For all intents and purposes, all non-fantastic flora and fauna found in our world are found in the real world as well. See the above comparisons to real-world locations to get an idea of what animals and plant life exist where. For example, the northern region of the map will have flora and fauna similar to central-north Scandinavia.

Fantastic Creatures

Tribal creatures include: goblins (small, scrawny scavengers residing in most lowland regions around mountains), gnolls (dog-like bipeds residing in most steppes), and avians (winged bipeds that form nests in the mountains). These creatures gather and travel in groups. Although they are incapable of civilization, they often maintain a primitive tribal lifestyle based on collective attacks for food.

Monstrous creatures include: ogres (massive and hideous humanoid monsters capable of great strength and who feed on humans, found in dense forests), trolls (smaller than ogres, mischievous, and hairy man-eaters, less humanoid - usually come in pairs or trios, found in mountain crags), and sea serpents (large, snake-like beasts found in oceans and seas, but not lakes). These creatures can be found and witnessed, but are not as common as tribal creatures.

Legendary creatures include: dragons (large, winged beasts said to roost in deep caves upon high mountains), griffins (wings and head of an eagle, body of a lion, ferocious and said to live in the southlands), kraken (a massive, oversize octopus, perhaps a few of them, said to live somewhere in the northern seas), and several others that have not necessarily been "documented". These creatures do indeed exist, but are extremely rare and very little is known about them.

Mystical creatures include: elves (reclusive spirits of dense forests, said to live forever and will engage in mischief to protect their woods), fairies/sprites (tiny, beatle-sized, mischievous spirits found in dense forests), dwarves (strange, short mountain hermits with long beards), gnomes (tiny tricksters that reside in old mountains), wraiths (black-cloaked, violent spirits that walk murky, poorly-lit regions), and centaurs (half-man, half-horse creatures that roam isolated regions of the steppes). These creatures are rare, and will only show themselves to humans if they need to. Sometimes they communicate. They are incredibly territorial and protective of their lands. They do not create settlements and are found alone or in small groups.

Animal creatures include: giant eagles (found in many different climates), giant spiders (found only in murky swamps), giant crocodiles (found only in murky swamps), giant wolves (found in the northlands), and so on. They are fairly common, but of course not nearly as common as normal animals.

Forgotten creatures include: skeletons, ghosts, and strange aberrations. Not much is known about these creatures, and many do not believe in their existence.

That should be enough information for you to get a grasp of our world. Feel free to ask questions if you have them. Note: This list of creatures is not complete.

 

[Starlife]

Cultures & Nations

Cultures

The first step in this NES is to design a culture. This culture will eventually fracture into many different city-states and nations. You will be in control of the most influential nation to arise from this culture. To begin, please give me this information (kudos to North King for this):

Culture Name
Society: [Add a description of your people’s society: how it is structured, how it functions]
Lineage: [How do your people trace descent?]
Values: [What do your people believe to be the most important human qualities?]
Religion(s): [Add a description of your people’s religious ideas]
Language(s): [Add a description of your people’s language, including, if applicable, their writing system]
Mythos: [Explain the mythic origin of your people]
Economic Base: [Give the general economic basis of life for your people]
Nation Names: [Make a list of nation names for me to use, in order of preference]
Person Names: [Make a list of names for me to use of famous persons]
Place Names: [Make a list of places for me to use for notable places, such as cities]
Geographic Names: [Make a list of names for geographic features near your culture]
[Add anything else you want to say]

Nations

Now that you have the backbone of your nation, your culture, you need to actually design your nation. The nation you play is derived from the culture you created. It will be the most influential nation that holds that culture, though it is not guaranteed that other nations with your culture line will be your friends. Your nation is what you will play as throughout the game, so it requires a bit more rules regulation (but not too much). Read on to find out.

Nation Name
Culture: [What culture does your nation belong to? / Cultural influence]
Government: [Brief descriptor of your type of government]
Wealth: [How much money does your realm generate / hoard?]
Population: [How many people are citizens of your realm?]
Magick: [What is your nation's understanding of magick?]
Schools: [Which two schools of magick do your people currently prefer?]
Pedagogy: [How do you educate your people?]
Society: [How is your society arranged?]
Military Description: [What is your military composed of? How are your armies trained?]
Background: [Tell us about your nation]

In detail:

Culture is quite simply what culture group you belong to (the one you made). Also listed here will be other cultural influences tugging on your nation, which the moderator will include if they become relevant. Having other cultures tug on your nation will mean you might have to make changes to your nation somewhat appeasing that culture if your people are to remain happy.

Government is quite simply a brief descriptor of your government. Example: "Monarchy" or "Council of City-States". A bit more detail can be added, but keep it brief. Next to this, a leader will be given based on the names you provided.

Wealth is to be determined by the moderator each turn. Your wealth will be important because it will fund your nation's endeavors.

Population is to be determined by the moderator each turn. This will tell you how many troops you can have raised at any given time.

Magick is generally divided into two distinct schools of explanation: Religious and Scientific. Your nation can be either on one extreme end of that spectrum, or somewhere in between. Religious explanations can involve superstition, such as astrology or wind songs. Scientific explanations can involve alchemy and experiments. Give a brief descriptor. The catch is, you must relate to one or the other, but not both. Begin your descriptor with one of those words. Examples: "Religious - Certain constellations represent certain magickal feats" or "Scientific - Certain compounds, when mixed, contribute to the presence of energy". Remember that as a nation, you do not have to abide by your culture's religious beliefs. You could reject your religious beliefs in the name of science, but that might anger other nations with a similar cultural line. Please note that "science" in this NES should be science according to the time period we are in. Do not get into genetic codes and nuclear physics, please.

Schools is the category where you write the two types of magick your people currently prefer. This is ever-changing (you can change one of these preferences during every BT). Please see the Magick section below to view the seven schools of magick.

Pedagogy is generally divided into two distinct forms of explanation: Introverted and Extroverted. This basically informs us if you keep your people sheltered, one-minded, and possibly xenophobic, or if you allow them to study a plethora of subjects and topics that might even cause them to question their own faith or nationality. Just as with Magick, you should offer a descriptor and remember that you do not have to be so black-and-white - yet you should identify with one or the other. Examples: "Introverted - Religious texts are studied at length, but some teachings of other religions is offered" or "Extroverted - National songs must be recited, but an array of teachings from historical figures around the world are covered". This category classifies how you educate your people and what you teach them. It is not how well you educate your people.

Society is divided into these two forms of explanation: Free and Structured. This tells us how your society functions, based on your culture's values. A free society promotes free will from birth and the ability to choose your own path, while a structured society maintains a class system. As with other descriptions, please give a brief descriptor phrase next to your single-word (Free or Structured). Examples: "Free - All citizens may choose their own path, yet the families of warriors are often pressed into service" or "Structured - A strict class system in which the merchant class reigns supreme".

Military Description is to be determined by the moderator each turn. It is a brief series of descriptors telling us what elements make up your military (both army and navy). This more or less remains standard unless you are given the opportunity to change it.

Background is an overview of your nation, including its general description and history or other information you might want to include.

 

[Starlife]

Magick

Magick is not divided into good or evil. It is not black and white. Rather, magic is an open-ended energy that exists in many forms throughout the world. There are seven distinct "types" of Magick, though they often overlap. In a broad sense, these magick types are often a means and not an ends. That means that the same end could come from multiple separate magick types, but the means to reach those ends change with magick type. For example, if you want to destroy an enemy's castle, each magick type could be employed in some way to accomplish that end. However, the nuances of how you use the magick are incredibly important and outline the effectiveness of what you wish to accomplish (obviously a flood is different from summoning a group of locusts).

Magick in our world is quite different from "magic" in other fantasy universes. There is no mana, and it is not divided by the elements. Magick and the descriptions you give of this powerful force should be subtle. Think of a mysterious death in a family, or the crumbling of a castle tower. Or the rotting of crops in a series of farms, or a mysterious plague killing only the merchant class. These are the types of magickal events we are thinking of in this world. We are not thinking of giant fireballs, summoning great ancient beasts capable of devouring cities, or anything of that sort. Think of Magick in our world as being similar to superstition and lore in medieval Europe.

Schools of Magick

Natural Magick: The magick of nature.
Summoning Magick: The magick to summon, control, and deal with entities or beings both higher and lower than humanity.
Talismanic Magick: The use of active or passive magickally-enchanted talismans/amulets.
Sympathetic Magick: The use of representational objects to heal or harm someone or somewhere (i.e. voodoo).
Alchemic Magick: The mixture of a variety of compounds resulting in magickal objects or effects.
Illusionary Magick: The magickal altering of appearances.
Divination Magick: This is the magick of subtly discovering information about the future that can provide insight.

In detail:

Natural Magick is the harnessing of powers which occur in the natural world. This is generally divided into two separate "schools", such as: Realms of Nature and Powers of Nature. The realms of nature would include using aspects of nature in their pure, "normal" form to achieve a goal. For example, if there exists a type of boar immune to the venom of a snake, the tusk of that boar, enchanted with nature magick, would provide immunity against the snake's venom. In contrast, the powers of nature would be akin to summoning a thunderstorm before a battle, starting a fire in the forest near your enemy's lands, or flooding a village.

Summoning Magick is the ability to summon, control, and deal with beings both lower and higher than humanity. This summoning can be the calling of a host of locusts to plague a farm, or it can be the calling of a bear to catch fish for a village. It can also deal with summoning the dead or perhaps spirits and ghosts. Keep these uses of magick subtle, as with all the other ones. You cannot summon massive beasts of lore or hordes of zombies.

Talismanic Magick is the use of active or passive enchanted objects for a magickal purpose. Talismans might be active, while amulets might be passive. These objects can be small and large and can serve a variety of purposes. Perhaps an enchanted stone gives light to your troops marching during the night, simply protects them from natural disasters, or keeps them warm in the cold. Many possibilities here.

Sympathetic Magick also uses objects, but in a different way. Objects in sympathetic magick are used as symbols of a real-world person or place, and given a piece of that person or place to supplement the magickal effect. For example, a piece of stone is taken from the castle of your enemy's king. You then create a replica of that castle, a miniature, perhaps even if it is just made of sand or mud. Then you place that stone within it, and curse the entire object. You can then knock a tower of the castle over or bring a bridge down. Another example is to take a piece of hair of your ally's sick king, enchant it within an object, and pour healing oil over it to cure that monarch's illness. And so on.

Alchemic Magick is typically the creation of potions or foods which will assist your realm or a single person. This does not have to be a single glass bottle filled with liquid, but can be something you add to your water supply for a temporary effect (or to an enemy's water supply). Generally speaking, it is the creation of compounds which are magickally enchanted.

Illusionary Magick is the magickal altering of appearances or creation of illusions to serve any purpose. This can be as simple as turning fire from orange to blue, or as complex as causing the enemy to see twice as many troops as you really have. Like all other magick types, the use for this magick is incredibly open-ended.

Divination Magick is the creation of windows in time, to see into the future (not too far!). This will allow the user realm to predict certain aspects of their destiny and give them increased foresight into events to come. These predictions are not always perfectly accurate (like other magick types, prophetic magick can both fail and backfire). Think of this not as much as seeing into the future, but as gaining insight into how to make wise decisions.

Rules of Magick

Allowance: Each nation can have two types of magick. This represents what types of magick your nation prefers as a whole. As mentioned in the section above, they can overlap and can serve a variety of purposes in unison. A nation's choice to use magick in these two ways defines that realm's magickal understanding. Therefore, a culture can have multiple nations using magick in different combinations. You can change one of your magick types during BT (boring time) turns. This means your use of magick is always changeable and diverse. It is less based on what you have done, and more based on what you can do now, or what your government/people are interested in accomplishing.

Explaining Magick: The above section does not mention the explanation of Magick. How your nation explains magick should be related to their culture somewhat. Nonetheless, variations occur and even a fanatically religious culture can have a nation which has begun to advance in the sciences. Even though there are seven "types" of magick, these magick types can be interpreted in a plethora of ways. A scientific nation might describe their version of summoning magick as being a series of inter-connected mind energies promoted by a single element, such as silver. Magick exists in this universe, and has since the beginning of time and civilization. Therefore, scientific explanations do not have to be credible (just take a look at medieval or even Renaissance scientific theory).

Using Magick: Magick is not used actively. You will not be casting any spells or anything like that. Magick requires massive amounts of energy, and this energy must be acquired from somewhere. It can be acquired from a collective chanting of your people at a shrine, or it can be acquired from deep meditation at an academy. It is up to you to figure out a way to weave a story and come up with an energy supply for magick. Every IT, you can attempt to use magick once. BTs are a bit different. For IT orders, you must include these four things when attempting to use magick:

School: [What school(s) does your attempt at Magick represent?]
Goal: [What specifically do you want your attempt at using Magick to accomplish?]
Means: [How do you envision this spell will accomplish your goal? (physical description)]
Source: [Where are you drawing energy from to harness this power? (this can be the exact same every time, if it has worked for you in the past)]

(keep this stuff brief)

Example:

School: Sympathetic
Goal: To destroy King Drola's keep.
Means: A great wind will blow, intense enough to bring down stone towers.
Source: Collective chanting at a temple. Candles will be lit around a model of Drola's Keep. A piece of the castle's stone will be enchanted and placed within the model. Servants in the temple will use large fans to invoke a great wind.

During BTs, specific uses of magick are not given, but rather legendary events are created. For BT orders, you can give a broader use of magick in a generalized sentence or point. Magickal events are largely up to me during BTs, and will be somewhat based on your broad note, but mostly based on the condition and personality of your nation.

Consequences

If your use of magick was well-balanced and inventive, the backlash from your spell will not be significant. Still, for every spell there is displaced energy, so something might happen to your realm, no matter what. This might be insignificant and perhaps not even mentioned. However, if you are arrogant in your spell, it could not even succeed, and such a displacement of power will backfire and create problems for your realm.

 

[Starlife]

This is reserved for the full-size map.

 

[Starlife]

This is reserved for stats.

 

[Starlife]

One more for stats.

 

[Starlife]

You may post now.

Please note: I know you probably posted your profiles in the other thread. Please read these rules and post Culture first, and do so based on the profile system given. Your cuture description / later on your nation description can take elements of what you already posted. After initial cultures are posted, I will ask for nations.

Please remind me of your location, too.

Try to keep questions, OOC, etc. in the other thread.

 

[Abaddon]

​

 

[Abaddon]

The Sheol

Society: The usual collection of peoples (Nobles, priests etc attempting to garner power, a despot trying to stop them and the poor living on). Women face much more difficult upward social mobility, although a route is open through the priesthood. Wealth is the main dividor of society.
Lineage: Eldest Child, Parents' Discretion
Values: Money, Achievement, Trust
Religion(s): Animalistic Polythesium. The people beleive in many different, animal based gods. A River snake guards the waters, a cow the god of fertifilty etc.. all rather loosly described, but with "religous leaders" moving in on the act and building temples an thus starting to organise religion a bit more.
Language(s): A simple language in regards to the number of words, but with expression and hand gestures also incorperated quite complex discussions can be had
Mythos: An endless flowing river~like a seed that germinates in the fertile banks, so did the Salgarons. They now ply the river for its bounty, also as numbers grow spreading into the land around it.
Economic Base: Herding, Agriculture, Fishing, Artisanry, Trade
Nation Names: Sheol, Shayol, Sharnol, Heol, Heoal, Salgaron, Saragon, Serat.
Person Names: Szandor LaVey, Akbul Sala, Joaquin Rafael, Ule Metan
Place Names: Lof Yfel, Singodia, Yfel, Hi Yfel, Abyis, Tynet, Sulawy, Tinker.

 

[Optical]

The Frethnisi

Society: Individual tribes under a tribal council of chiefs and a high-chief. Much social freedom is practiced and for the most part individuals are left to their own business - Frethnisi are relatively solitary.
Lineage: Downwards - through the eldest child. Ancestry traced backwards is through the eldest parent.
Values: Wisdom, independence, logic
Religion: Monotheist worship of Frethnil, a mysterious creator being.
Language: Syllabic language largely based on tones and vowel sounds. Runic writing system extremely similar to that of OTL Saxons.
Mythos: Claim descent from the Lapizar - an ancient race of blue wraiths - and a race of humans known as the Apprentices. Their wraith ancestors are reputed to be responsibe for their height of about 7ft. and bright blue eye colour
Economic Base: Barter/self-sustainability
Nation Names: Na Lapi, Na Tapa, Ki Rina, Ki Tana, Na Jino, Ki Jita, Ki Lipa, Na Paji, Un Jiwa, Un Wapi, Un Siwa
Person Names: Oslarina, Nonapaji, Wanapiwa, Unnajino, Silawaji, Tasiriwa, Pitasiwa, Sijilapi, Jiripawa, Zalataji
Place Names: Ji Talapiza, Ji Zasipata, Ji Pilawaza, Ji Lijinosi, Ji Siwajino, Ji Rinatana, Ji Wajilawa, Ji Litanasi, Ji Rilipaji
Geographic Names: Any combination of two to five syllables with spaces as desired. Syllabes in language include {na, la, pi, ta, pa, ki, ri, ji, no, wa, un, si, os, za, li}

Legend tells of some power who lived here, in the days when the world was not of the shape it takes now. Nobody knows what its nature was, only its name, Frethnil. The Frethnisi are descendended from what are reputedly one of his works: the Lapizar, blue wraiths. Over thousands of years, through the world's changes the Lapizar interbred with other races, and thus the Frethnisi were born.
The Frethnisi live in mountainous regions near the south of the continent. They mine and trade for a living - and their culture revolves around these two activities. The gem they mine is a bright, pure blue. Nobody knows its nature, or what it can do, but it is agreed that it is very pleasing to the eye and can be bartered for large quantities of valuable goods.
For the Frethnisi do barter - and it has served them well as an economic tool. Everyone has something somebody else needs, and talents are never wasted.
Recently, news of other races has spread throughout Frethnisian territory. Nobody is sure what this will mean for the future.
The Frethnisi worship Frethnil, their creator, and also the Lapizar, some of whom still roam the area. Cairns are built to him in the mountains whenever good fortune visits a Frethnisi.

Within any one individual small community of Frethnisi, there is a single leader. The method used to select these leaders vary: in one village, a dying leader will pick the next leader's name out of a box; in another, any individual may challenge for the position in a fight to either submission or death. However chosen, once every five turns of the moon, the leaders all meet at a secret location in the mountains, where they trade amongst each other for goods not found in their area. They also choose a supreme leader, through popular vote. This supreme leader wears a crown and an armband created from the blue gem. It seems to empower them to rule, but nobody knows how...

The Frethnisi are, despite their mixed background, human. They are very tall - about six and a half to seven feet on average - with the males sporting long, flowing beards that reach down almost to their knees, and the females with long hair to about the same point. They have fair skin, and completely invariably, piercing blue eyes. Their hair is always white, which may be put down to an unusual, limited strain of albinism. Weight varies from about sixty to seventy-five kilograms, depending on occupation and build. They have an extremely high toleration for the cold, and as such, wear not the furs many expect of a mountain-dwelling race, but flowing blue woollen robes, which provide adequate protection from the cold.

OOC:I'm away for the next 5 days so don't expect me to get any orders in for updates (see sig).

 

[Vylinius]

Surrian - Locations: The most southern Delta on the mainland, heading north slightly along the same river, and nomadic groups travel the plains usually farming for a generation then moving on to new fertile ground.
Society:Surrian society is relatively new considering the recent ascendancy of the culture as a whole. Women and men share equal positions in society as they have had to perform all sorts of tasks once out of the norm when the culture was nomadic. This has caused a lack of well established gender roles in the culture as a whole. The age of a person beyond the test of adulthood which is different for each nation and sometimes each settlement is almost worthless except for the eldest of the elder population. Most of the nations send representatives to a meeting every year which is to discuss the advancements of the entire culture and sharing of these advancements between all nations. Other aspects of society remain vague and varied between the nations.
Lineage: Through both mother and father relying on usually the most prominent in their lives of the opinion of the child usually chosen upon emergence into adulthood.
Values: Curiosity, Sacrifice, Unity, Vigilance, Perseverance
Religion(s): Believing they have been blessed by the sacrifice of their ancestors to the magick forces of the world. They have no deities or spirit belief and rather believe through magick everything is connected in a sort of network of energy. Each nation have their own thoughts on how this network of magick is to be treated some treating it as a deity others as part of the world to be understood leading to the only and rare conflicts between the Surrian nations as of now.
Language(s): Their language recently having risen into complexity and only in the last few generations developed a system of pictographic writings that is standardized for the most part between the main delta nations is a system with only 4 tenses being present, past, future, and the equivalent of english -ing.
Mythos:Their religion is linked to their mythos of their origins in the world. Before they were awakened there was simply chaos and greed and these forces competed for the allegiance of them. However, after the sacrifice of their ancestral chiefs giving their lives in order to bless their people as a whole they have risen up and anything that occurred before the awakening is a mystery to be discovered through the magick forces that awakened them.
Economic Base: Based on mostly agriculture along the river most of it being for food crops to support the small rising towns and cities where crafting of bone, stone, obsidian and in the richest bronze occurs. However, some farms grow flax which is woven into linen and then used to produce clothing for the richer merchants of the towns and cities. The longer distance trade being based on the cities that produce linen and the cities that produce bronze trading with each other.
Nation Names: Surria, Vikaren, Surrak, Surren, Surresia
Person Names: Coming Soon?
Place Names: Named after the cities for more local places while the major region such as the two plains on either side of the river delta/ river would be The Plain of Curia (west) and The Fields of Parsia (east)
Appearance: Tanned skin a sort of spanish complexion really. Their hair varies in Brown, Dark Browns, Black, and some redheads for the most part. Eye Color is mostly hazel, brown, black and some green, however, blue is non-existent for now. Clothing on the farms and in the poorer towns is mostly leather, the richer towns having tanners to make tanned leather, and the richest of city's their upper classes having linen clothes most of the time. Hair styles are usually short for men and small beards or cleaned shaven is the norm. Women's hair is usually loose and long down to their knees amongst the rich but more normally only slightly below the shoulders, however it is common to see women put their hair up into pony tails for most of the day when at work to keep it clean.

Surriak
Culture: Surrian
Government: A council of elected officials from each of the settlements in the nation the job of this council being to standardize the language of trade between the settlements and help organize the development of the nation as a whole however how effective their actions are vary on the influence of the members in the council.
Wealth: N/A
Population: N/A
Magick: Revered for being the origin of their awakening and considered to hold the answers in some form to the mysteries of the world is the overall agreed view but some settlements worship it as a sort of deity while others see it as simply a constant like the weather and the sun.
Schools: Talismanic and Sympathetic
Pedagogy: Extroverted - Education is mainly handled by the influential council and is quite spread thin through out all groups of people. This has caused a natural curiosity being part of the culture as a whole and the people are open to the suggestions of others. The developing middle and upper classes which make up the majority of the council only now beginning to fund the creation of artistic and education devoted factions of society.
Society: Free - The society's equality of women and men is the norm for this nation and others. Without an organized religion and very little cultural elements so far the society is relatively underdeveloped with only the passage into adulthood being the largest tradition with an effect on society. The tradition varies from personal sacrifice to forced temporary banishment from the settlement for a certain amount of time. All in all its a developing society.
Military Description:N/A
Background: Coming Soon?

 

[thomas.berubeg]

Gibrali - Locations: Southern Islands.
Society: The Gibrali are generally a Patriarchal society, with Men holding many of the governmental and administrative positions. However, the religious orders tend to be equal opportunity, with roles being held by both men and women.
Lineage: Through the Mother. (As that is the best test of parenthood.)
Values: Nobility, Spirit, Bravery, Curiosity
Religion(s): The world of Gods and Demons is a Chaotic, ever changing realm, incomprehensible to the Human mind. The Entities of this realm may sometimes enter into agreements (beneficial or not) with the people of earth, and the Priesthood is responsible for managing the pacts with the Other. The Ocean, as the closest our earth has to the Chaos of the Other, is the wellspring of life, and be both guarded against and worshiped
Language(s): The Language of the Gibrali is one with many Sibilant sounds.
Mythos:
Once, long ago, the Other place and the Ocean were one great sea, Chaotic and full of turmoil. Over time, The Chaos of the Other ripped it from this world. The turmoil this caused splashed bits of the Essence of the Other onto land. from this essence sprang up life.
Economic Base: Fishing for Subsistance, Trading and pillaging with distant people (Depending on the relative strength of the party and the target.)
Nation Names: Athraki, Gibu, Uss, Nisson, Seneth-es
Person Names: IDK... think about this.
Place Names: I figure most Nations would be, at least at the start, named after the city, so: Athraki, Gibu, Uss, Nisson, Seneth-es
Appearance: Tall, Svelte, Dark skinned people. There is a general trend for Thin pointed noses and red hair. Men to tie it up in Knots above thier heads and grow thin pointed beards, while Women let their hair grow long. Fashion, for both Men and Women is a skirt with the waist above the navel, but a bare upper torso.

Athraki
Culture: Gibrali
Government: Hereditary Kingdom. (The King will appoint a Male Heir from all appropriate relatives (sons, Nephews, cousins, brothers)
Wealth: N/A
Population: N/A
Magick: Religious - to a point: The entities and spirits of the Other are summoned and bound in accordance with the religious laws... (However, there is a hint of the scientific, as entire religious orders are devoted to cataloging the Seemingly infinite Varieties of inhabitants of the Other.)
Schools: Summoning and Talismanic
Pedagogy: Extroverted - While education is generally reserved for those who enter the religious orders, Most Ship captains have a rudimentary knowledge of Numbers and Mathematics, as well as a general knowledge of Foreign people
Society: Free - Generally a Patriarchal society, with Men holding many of the governmental and administrative positions. However, the religious orders tend to be equal opportunity, with roles being held by both men and women.
Military Description:N/A
Background: Coming Soon?

Thoughts, Starlife?

 

[KaiserElectric]

Working on my culture, I'll post the finished creation tomorrow.

 

[Seon]

The Norignans/Seon
Location: the large northwestern island with a temperate climate.

Culture: Legends speak of the Prophet Donnelly, who came to this island in a boat without a bottom. All the animals of the sea rose to keep him company throughout the journey, although most people now expect that he was quite bored throughout the journey.

But then again he did not seem to need company too much, for when he came to the island he immediately went into a cave and never came out again. Islanders, trying to hear the wisdom of the old man, offered him gifts, which they left outside the cave. Donnelly never took any of the gifts, and legend goes on to claim that he died 116 years later because of fever. When the islanders finally peeked into the cave that had become the old man's tomb, they saw drawing after drawings of star patterns and a certain Goddess, who, as far as they could deduce from the paintings, came from the stars and was the one who created the islands and the continents from the deep sea before dying in a firestorm.

This had been the primary belief of the the Norignans for many years, although only a few are ever deeply religious. Nevertheless, the Norginans have thusly always been interested in the study of the Stars and the sea. Where had Donnelly come from? The question always lingered in the minds of the Norignans, and many heroes had braved the sea and journeyed throughout the lands in their everlasting search to understand and know.

Or they were pirates. There only seemed to be a few difference between the profession of explorers and pirates after all.

Shipbuilding makes for the primary industry of the Norignon. Most Norignon thusly use said ships to fish for food and use salt gathered from the sea to preserve them. Some animals such as sheeps and goats are also grown. Some agriculture do exist, growing wheat, potatoes, and carrots.

Government: Small villages dot the coastlines of the island which meet at the Cave of the Hermit every 3 years in order to discuss the affairs of the People. Decisions made in such a meeting is absolute and all the villagers on the island are expected to enforce it. A prosperous village, governed by nobody in particular, have formed around the Cave of the Hermit and serve as the de-facto capital city of the Norignons.

Dissent between villages do exist and naval and marine raiding battles often occur as a method of solving such disputes.

Description: Norignons are generally musculur and grow long beards. They have an unkempt appearence (or at least those who venture outside their island does) and are often described as crude or blunt by other cultures which meet them. They are, however, curious of other cultures and seek to understand as much as possible.


Lineage:: Parents decide whomever the freak gets what.
Values: Humor. "Manliness." Curiosity
Religion(s): They worship, or at least is aware of, a certain fire-headed Goddess who raise the continent from the depth of the sea and then died herself in a storm of fire. They believe that Donnelly the prophet could either speak with her spirit or was somehow aware of the Goddess's sacrifice.
Language(s): The language spoken by the people of Marignon is almost sing-song like, rapid, and flowing language. Writing is mostly done with an ink made from barnacles used on sheep skin.
Mythos: *shrug*. Dunnow, child. We were always here.
Economic Base: Fishing. Ship-building. Livestock herding. Piracy and trade.
Nation Names: Marignon. Norignan.
Person Names: Jamon Namir. Donnelly Jacobson. Hannah Rivers.
Place Names: Arkham. Newport. Fatlilngton. Darkfalls
Geographic Names: The Cave of the Hermit. Hammud's Fall. Lita's End.


Lanignon
Culture: Norignan
Government: Village chiefs of the coast of the island meet together every couple of years within the sacred halls of the Cave of the Hermit in order to discuss rules that will be declared universal throughout the villages and also to discuss common grieviances. One person is declared the Chief of Chiefs and is expected to lead the other chiefs throughout the discussion and remain impartial.
Wealth: N/A
Population: N/A
Magick: They believe in the ethereal tenet. (Which, after multiple simplications, reads: it just does, 'kay?"). Scientific in a way that they honestly do not believe that there is no specific "will" that guides these powers.
Schools: Nature and Talismanic
Pedagogy: Apprenticeship to craftsmenship and what the parents teach the young. Extroverted in a way that they are eager to learn the cultures of others.
Society: Villages. Free, in the truest sense of the word, although their parents do have massive influence on their children.
Military Description: Mostly pirates.
Background: Later.

 

[Mosher]

Start at the dual-rivers near the center of the map.

Nyfali
Society: The Nyfali have an ever-changing, fluid societal structure; only the strongest survive in the wild, so why should it be any different in the civilized world? Any man could challenge his superior to take his place. This leads to constant chaos in their heirarchy, though Nyfali people are disciplined - to an extent.
Lineage: Through blood.
Values: The most important quality, in the eyes of a Nyfali person, is strength, courage, and endurance; perhaps the bear might not win against the army of wolves, but it will put up a helluva good fight - and the Nyfali respect such qualities.
Religion(s): Raegism - the head diety of the pantheon of the three gods in Raegism is Oyt, God of War. The other two, Yto and Goyush, are gods of metal and agriculture. There are generally three priests in any one village or city; a head priest, and two apprentices who eventually migrate to different towns when they are bestowed with an emblem, made of pure iron, with the figure of Oyt inscribed in it.
Language(s): Nyfili - having twenty characters. It is generally written out left-to-right, the same way it is read.
Mythos: There was once a mighty bear - the strongest in the entirety of the land! It went where it went, eating what it wanted. No animal could beat it in combat - luckily, however, the mighty Bear rarely fought. However, a pack of wolves - more than the Bear had ever seen, over a thousand. It fought furiously, killing many of the wolves. The Bear was worn down, though, and was nearly killed by the remaining wolves. It fought them off, and they retreated. The Bear, dying slowly, created with the last remaining vestiges of his power, created the first Nyfali people.
Economic Base: Raiding, pillaging, farming, fishing
Nation Names: Nyfalleman, Nyfalle, Syfakale, Fyili, Fyileman
Person Names: Saek, Nyf, Yerbatuka, Jushunom, Tinua, Babush, Kapit
Place Names: Nyf, Huromane, Bugomane, Jebuij, Geluif, Zaweq, Bitnuy, Oij, Wert
Geographic Names: Juih Mountains, Zor Mountains, Lake Ladoga, The Great Sea, Jort River, Vazu River, Myiane River, Raeg River, Hyji River Valley

Nyfallem
Culture: Nyfali
Government: The leader of the armies rules over the nation, and heads the Defense Council - a branch that oversees the conscription of armies, the economy, etc
Wealth: The general populace is relatively poor; the nation, however, has hoarded thousands of pounds of loot from villages that they have raided. Heavy taxes also contribute to the peasantry's poverty and the richness of the state in general.
Population: There are only ten-thousand citizens of the nation; the other seven-thousand are slaves and have no rights.
Magick: Magick? MAGICK? BURN THE WITCH! BURN IT!
Schools: See above.
Pedagogy: The parents teach their children what they need to know. There is no formal education.
Society: Everyone follows orders - discipline is a staple of the society. However, any person can challenge any of their superiors, and if they win a fight with them, can assume their position.
Military Description: The military is composed mostly of infantry, with a small cavalry division (who are often considered cowards for fighting on horseback). They are trained for a year before sent off to combat; all citizens take basic military training.
Background: Later

 

[KaiserElectric]

Jynaryan

Society: Jynaryan society is said to be as close to classless as can be. While there are those in the top and those in the bottom, money comes and goes so easily that a clever peasant can easily rise to a higher position, or vice versa. Government is usually administered through independent trade empires, which recruit mercenaries to defend the land and administer justice. Competition sometimes leads to feuding between other nations and each other, but for the most part they agree that peace is better for profit. While Trade Officials run the higher Echelons, day to day activities are usually administered to by a Council made of elected officials and Trade Federation advisors, whom hold no power and simply exists to nudge Councilmen in the right direction.
Lineage: Done at the parent's discretion, but inheritance usually passes to the eldest son unless otherwise stipulated.
Values: Prosperity, Cleverness, Intellect, Benevolence, Honesty
Religion(s): There exists no unified religion in Jynaryan lands outside of pagan worship and communal religious sects. Jynaryans don't follow the gods, for lack of a better word, religiously, although some accept the existence of a higher power. Cynics like to say that the only God the Jynaryans believe in is money. (and they may just be right).
Language(s): Jynaryan language is made up of flowing vowel sounds and very few hard sounds. The written language of the Jynaryans exists, but styling varies as the language has not been created in whole.
Mythos: Where did the Jynaryans come from? Well, they certainly aren't telling anyone anytime soon.
Economic Base: Trade forms the crux of economic prosperity in Jynaryan lands. Enterprising young men can also elect to serve as mercenaries for foreign nations to collect a well-earned salary. Agriculture exists in small scale, as most peasant farmers work at harvesting and manufacturing luxury resources, especially valuable metals, rather than foodstuffs.
Nation Names: Syrja, Yrja, Erya, Hirja, Syra, Eyer, Aylja, Wyja, Urja, Iorja
Person Names: Working on this.
Place Names: Sja, Yja, Hja, Lji, Sej, Eyj, Ahj, Ihj,
Geographic Names: Jyaja, Ghahja, Ylhaji, Rjihaji, Hjoiya,
Appearance: Jynarians generally have tanned skin, lean figures, darker hair, and dark colored eyes. Males will often go clean-shaven or sport modest facial hair. Females tend to wear their hair short, at the most up to the shoulders. Common wardrobe for all classes incorporates long robes and dresses, which are unrestrictive and cooling. Men and women of the upper class like to wear jewelry to exhibit their status. Leaders will distinguish themselves with a golden band set with the family jewel worn on the right index finger.

In summary, Jynaryans are traders and mercenaries by heart. They often put profit over morality and ruthlessly crush competition, but Jynaryans are always ready to help the least fortunate, and it's rare to find a Jynaryan who will cheat you. Unless you deserve it, of course...

Jynaryan Trade Federation (Jynarya for short)
Culture: Jynaryan
Government: Power is held by the Jynaryan family, with most domestic affairs run by the Jynaryan Council
Wealth: N/A
Population: N/A
Magick: Jynaryan understanding of Magick leans towards the Scientific, as religion has no great hold on them.
Schools: Talismanic, Alchemical
Pedagogy: Extroverted- Education mainly focuses on Jynarian history and knowledge, but worldly cultures are also taught. After all, it never hurts a trader to have knowledge of other peoples.
Society: Free-The Jynaryan family places no restrictions on who can do what in society. It times of need, however, emergency drafts are always a possibility.
Military Description: N/A
Background: N/A

 

[Oruc]

Nope!

 

[KaiserElectric]

By the way, here's my start location.

 

[Lord of Elves]

Culture here soon(TM).