[b]The Dark Age of Brythunnia[/b] The year is 964 AC, or After the Crowning. A threat of civil war and conflict with its neighbouring kingdoms looms over the head of the Brythunnians. The old King Aedin the Second has died, and his only lawful son Duncan has inherited the throne, holding his court in the city of Lundine. But Duncan's hold on power is meagre at best, as his father left many illegimite sons and daughters, and many of his nobles would like to replace Duncan. How will you react to the situation? Will you start playing the game of power politics, or will stand in the sidelines, compromising and adapting to the situation? The choice is yours, and yours only. The Dark Age of Brythunnia is a character-driven RPG á la Game of Thrones, Witcher and Dragon Age, main point being realism and gritty world. I have drawn inspiration from A Song of Ice and Fire, the Witcher series and Conan, and slightly from real history, mainly from the early medieval Europe after the fall of Rome and before the Crusades. There will not be much magic or supernatural elements, and I would like to point out that make your characters three dimensional. I want to see some effort on that regard. Make them feel real. [hider=The Kingdom of Brythunnia's brief history] The history of the kingdom streches back about thousand years, starting from the Unification War from – 6 to 4 of the Calendar. During this war, King Aed united several tribes that inhabited the lands that make up the modern Brythunnia. He was crowned during the midwinter of year 0, which is held as the starting point of the Calendar. King Aed became the first Brythwalda, meaning the King of all the Brythunnians. Brythwalda has since then become a historical title used to refer to the first kings of Brythunnia. The heir apparent is called an Aedheling, meaning either a prince or lord in the Old Brythunnic tongue. King Aed strenghtened his hold of power for several years after his crowning, and founded the first royal dynasty, the House Griffind, soprting a silvery griffin on black field as their sigil. The Grffinds held power for four hundred years until the reign of the King Ulster the Red, who was known for his red face and short temper. It is said that he succumbed to madness and was ousted from power by his council members. He left no heirs, and so his council held regency for three months until the nobles of the realm had decided who should rule them. The nobles voted on Lord Rickard Mawr of Castle Stonehold. The Mawrs have ruled ever since for about five hundred years, but it seems to change in the coming days. [/hider] [hider=Geography of Brythunnia] Brythunnia is a coastal nation divided into several regions that are ruled by local aristocracy. In the eastern coast that ends to the Old Sea, is the [b]Crownlands[/b], a rich area that is held by the king, here is where the capital city [b]Lundine[/b], along with few minor town and the Kingswood where the king has the sole hunting right. A lot of merchant caravans and ships travel in and out of this region. However, the honor of being the most fertile region goes to the [b]Heartlands[/b], located in the south and south-west to the Crownlands. It has the most farms and rivers, has the greatest population. The sun often shines to the Heartlanders, and they often have positive attitudes. The capital of this region is the city of [b]Whitecreek[/b], founded on the banks of a large river known as the Milksnake Stream. To the north are the [b]Highlands[/b], a hilly region that has sturdy people and lots of sharp axes. The Highlands resisted the longest the attacks of King Aed, being the last region to fall to the hands of Aed. This mostly thanks to the renowed adventurer and warrior Hildebrand the Dragonslayer, who is said to have killed the last dragon in the world. Hildebrand was a clever tactician, but he was outmanned and outmeneuvered at last at the battle of Camlainn, where he met his destiny. The population centers Highlands are mostly castles built in the centuries after the conquest. The "capital" is [b]Kaer Camlainn[/b], a large castle named after the battle of Camlainn. In the far west are the [b]Dragon Mountains[/b], which are hardly passable, and serve as the western border for Brythunnia. There are a few mining towns providing the kingdom with precious gems and metals, along with much of the metalwork, mainly armor and weapons. The capital of this region is the town of [b]Edithburg[/b], founded by Quuen Edith during the third century of the Calendar. Though the city, the great river [b]Dragonstail[/b] flows all the way to the Old Sea. [/hider] [hider=The world around Brythunnia] To the south is the Kingdom of Rikain, a rival nation to Brythunnia. It is a monarchy, and I hope make a short summary of it in the coming days. The main focus will be in Brythunnia, but Rikain will make at least cameos and provide an outside threat for Brythunnia in the form of invasion, similar to the Norman Conquest. [/hider] Rules The forum rules apply. Be a friendly person and keep me informed of your activity, and we will come along just fine. The regions are ruled by a select few of people, and the first come, first serve. If you want to make a character that rules a certain region (Heartlands, Highlands and Dragon Mountains), then be quick about it. You can also make a minor noble who just rules a castle or a town in a certain region. A rule of thumb for towns and castles: towns provide higher taxes, but also a great number of low-grade troops to be levied, while a castle provides a smaller number of taxes and a medium amount of moderate to good troops. [hider=Character sheet] Name Gender Age Occupation/Title Appearance Personality History [/hider] If you have questions, improvements or suggestions, I'll be listening. This will be the first RP I am managing, and created this post to see is there anyone interested something like this, so be straight and honest. If this gets enough attention, I'll start expanding the world.