Kael
Deity
Living close to the Balserph border is also nice sicne you can jump across to attend the revelry and such (which is why the main character in the Revelry pedia entry picked that city for his post).
Which FfH leader would run the most/least pleasent empire to live in?
- Thread starter Monkeyfinger
- Start date
If we assume, that we can't know what we are going to be, nobility or slaves, there are two major choices:
-taking a risk and going Calabim, Infernal, Clan or Doviello, where the strongest and the toughest have the easiest, but being a weak one would make your life pretty ruined.
-taking no risks, and choosing the one where the weakest are the best off.
The Bannor are fanatics, and they'll genocide you if you are on the wrong side, but you'll be safe from the most of the typical dangers.
The Elohim care for the weak, and that would be an obvious choice if someone chose the least risk option... until they get overrun by the Infernals for being too weak because of their pacifism.
The Grigori have a lot of freedom when compared to the most, and Cassiel is one of the more level-headed people of Erebus, but they are shunned by the religious leaders and might be living in a constant fear of "conversion of the heathen" by Bannor armies.
The Amurites and the Sheaim have both great scientific possibilities, but the Sheaim are often crazy, and they don't care for your safety at all, if it prevents their summon-a-host-of -huge-balors-for-no-reason-beyond-balors-themselves next door.
Under Valledia's rule you'd be taken from your family, to a school where your life serves one purpose: magical power. It's not so bad if you want it, but if you don't share those goals your life would be miserable. At the age of ten you could already be dead from dangerous tasks, and after that you have to stand the blood and death of being a siege mage. But you can rest assured that nobody will summon an army of undead in your neighbourhood while you are sleeping.
-taking a risk and going Calabim, Infernal, Clan or Doviello, where the strongest and the toughest have the easiest, but being a weak one would make your life pretty ruined.
-taking no risks, and choosing the one where the weakest are the best off.
The Bannor are fanatics, and they'll genocide you if you are on the wrong side, but you'll be safe from the most of the typical dangers.
The Elohim care for the weak, and that would be an obvious choice if someone chose the least risk option... until they get overrun by the Infernals for being too weak because of their pacifism.
The Grigori have a lot of freedom when compared to the most, and Cassiel is one of the more level-headed people of Erebus, but they are shunned by the religious leaders and might be living in a constant fear of "conversion of the heathen" by Bannor armies.
The Amurites and the Sheaim have both great scientific possibilities, but the Sheaim are often crazy, and they don't care for your safety at all, if it prevents their summon-a-host-of -huge-balors-for-no-reason-beyond-balors-themselves next door.
Under Valledia's rule you'd be taken from your family, to a school where your life serves one purpose: magical power. It's not so bad if you want it, but if you don't share those goals your life would be miserable. At the age of ten you could already be dead from dangerous tasks, and after that you have to stand the blood and death of being a siege mage. But you can rest assured that nobody will summon an army of undead in your neighbourhood while you are sleeping.
xienwolf
Deity
Rincewind the Wizzard!
Well, there would also be some good points. Enjoying paintings in octarine. Bribing the librarian at the Catacomb Libralus with bananas. The occasional conversation with the anthropomorphic personification of death. Plus, it's just about your only choice if you'd like living in a mage-heavy civ where you can't be eaten or sacrificed on a whim.
wilboman
Hibernorse Frost Giant
I think maybe the Kuriotates is the best safe-better. After all, the hallmark of Kuriotate society is tolerance, and a city is always a good place for someone with a brain to work his way up from a rubbishy starting point.
Don't forget that Amurite society is very split. The fast track to power is being good at magic. But you can also be a normal citizen. Valledia the Even has, I seem to recall, no magic skillz. She's just damn good at what she does.
Don't forget that Amurite society is very split. The fast track to power is being good at magic. But you can also be a normal citizen. Valledia the Even has, I seem to recall, no magic skillz. She's just damn good at what she does.
Humakty
Happy Goblin
I think Valledia has some magic skills, 'cause at some occasions she transforms into an earth elemental.
Rod
King
Valledia has magic skill, but that is not the point.
In a fantasy world the skill for magic is simply equal to higher mental abilities. In the same way as on our world some people are born with more and some with less brain. So we might assume that the same percentage of our society that has academic skills would have magic skills in Erebus.
A city is certainly always a good place for making a career and Kuriotates cities, which are full of immigrants and refugees are breeding pits for a number of exceptionally able and resourceful characters, that is for sure. Nevertheless the question is whether you want to live in the chaos and the filth that comes with such circumstances. No doubt a Kuriotates city is a good place to work your way up, but maybe later you would like to shift to more pleasant locations.
In a fantasy world the skill for magic is simply equal to higher mental abilities. In the same way as on our world some people are born with more and some with less brain. So we might assume that the same percentage of our society that has academic skills would have magic skills in Erebus.
A city is certainly always a good place for making a career and Kuriotates cities, which are full of immigrants and refugees are breeding pits for a number of exceptionally able and resourceful characters, that is for sure. Nevertheless the question is whether you want to live in the chaos and the filth that comes with such circumstances. No doubt a Kuriotates city is a good place to work your way up, but maybe later you would like to shift to more pleasant locations.
DharmaMcLaren
Warlord
If I could be an elf, I'd like to live with the Ljosalfar - beautiful treetop cities, lush forests all around, growth and vibrance everywhere. I think for the sheer aesthetics of their lands, it would be lovely to live there. The whole nature worship thing is nice as well, pretty romantic.
My other choice would be the Grigori. They seem the most liberal and open-minded of FfH's civilisations, providing a safe haven from those fleeing the zealotry of the religious states (though if you lived in an Empyrean Kuriotate empire, that wouldn't be a problem). The Grigori seem very philosophical, which I like.
The worst to live under, for me would probably be the Bannor. Better to live in fear of crusading armies than live in a society of zealotrous nutcases, I say. Probably also anyone under the Octopus Overlords - mind slavery, hurray! The Balseraphs would not be pleasant either, I'd feel terrible living amidst all that decadent revelry and grotesque entertainment, not to mention fearing the whimsical commands of a mad king.
My other choice would be the Grigori. They seem the most liberal and open-minded of FfH's civilisations, providing a safe haven from those fleeing the zealotry of the religious states (though if you lived in an Empyrean Kuriotate empire, that wouldn't be a problem). The Grigori seem very philosophical, which I like.
The worst to live under, for me would probably be the Bannor. Better to live in fear of crusading armies than live in a society of zealotrous nutcases, I say. Probably also anyone under the Octopus Overlords - mind slavery, hurray! The Balseraphs would not be pleasant either, I'd feel terrible living amidst all that decadent revelry and grotesque entertainment, not to mention fearing the whimsical commands of a mad king.
Tyrs
King
Everyone mentions the Balseraphs (other than Kael) as one of the bad places to live. But why? There's always going to be some entertainment for whatever you're into, you'd learn to ignore the stuff you didn't like. As for crazy king, if he doesn't ever see you, then he won't randomly order you to be a dancing monkey. Course, he could decide to give you an upside down mansion if he felt like it. There's always an upside to insanity, or else no one would survive there.
reverend oats
King
Best Good- Luchirip or Kuriorites for reasons stated above.
Neutral- Falamar's Lanun. ARR! Who's up for some swashbuckling?
Evil- Svalvafar- As far as we know, they only kill enemies/neighbors.
Neutral- Falamar's Lanun. ARR! Who's up for some swashbuckling?
Evil- Svalvafar- As far as we know, they only kill enemies/neighbors.
DharmaMcLaren
Warlord
Well I wouldn't
What, the bloodsports and... whatever they do with the caged slaves, and the freakshows?
Tyrs
King
Mewtarthio
Emperor
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2004
- Messages
- 1,930
Add some gambling and it sounds just like Las Vegas
To be honest, that really is how I've pictured the Balseraphs. I figure people on Erebus look at the Balseraph Empire the way people in America look at Las Vegas: The center for all sorts of entertainment you can't find anywhere else--some because everything's brighter and grander in Vegas, others because everything's legal in Vegas. A nexus of decadence and sin that everybody who's anybody would gladly visit as a tourist (some under assumed names). What happens in Balseraph lands stays in Balseraph lands.
Except for the birth of twisted Freaks. Those sometimes escape into the wilderness.
DharmaMcLaren
Warlord
Add some gambling and it sounds just like Las Vegas
Heh, I felt the way I described above when I went to Las Vegas, actually. Although it's all very big and amazing, I couldn't help but feel that the whole place was wrong - every massive portion of food and every free refill made me think about how much food must be eaten in that place every day, and how many starving people it could feed. It was always there, in the corner of my mind, how horribly decadent the place was.
