[OOC] The Broken World: Nations of Azoth

[The Nexerus]

Varrod League

Government Type: The Varrod League is a faction of city-states within the Salished Empire, each one governed independently of the other and each technically subject first and foremost to the Salished. However, the capital of the Varrod League, Vertskhlis, is home to the Orpalstrah: a building and organization which advises the cities of the Salished Empire on domestic policy, officially for purposes of inter-city harmonization of law. It merely just so happens that only the cities of the Varrod League are represented in the Orpalstrah, and that only the cities of the Varrod League follow its recommendations.

Faction Species: Humans, with small minorities of non-human species centred in Ter Kundzil and Vertskhlis.

Location: The cities of the Varrod League are geographically clustered in the Salished Empire's south-west, stretching over the border region between the Rainlands and the Arm of Azoth, along the Bay of Kundzil. The countryside in this region is less inhospitable than in most of Azoth, and the areas around the major cities are home to a plethora of nameless villages, eeking out a living in the humid shrublands and farming what they can.

Faction Ideology: The Varrod League is firmly aligned against all wizards, warlocks and other manipulators of magic. The devastation of Azoth is perceived by the league and its cities' citizens to largely have been caused by abuse of magic. As such, practice of magic is officially prohibited by each of the city's respective governments. Ichor in particular is especially despised; ownership of it, in either crystalline or raw form, is punishable by death.

Equally as important as the Varrod League's hate for magic, though, is its love of technology. The league's great cities are pioneers in gunpowder weaponry in particular, but also excel in other technological pursuits, such as building vessels and designing fantastical architectural works. Vertskhlis is said to be the technological capital of Azoth, and the rest of the league's great cities follow close behind. This dedication to furthering the cause of technology is seen by the Varrod League as a long-term way of displacing the utility of magic, rendering it unable to spoil future generations as it has spoiled the current one.

Faction Description: The Varrod League is a group of rebellious cities within the Salished Empire, more loyal to each other than to Nyssos and the leadership of the Empire. Though they are very much culturally similar to the rest of the Salished Empire, they are ideologically united against it by their distaste for magic and their desire to be free of the declining Empire and its yoke. It is a political open secret that the cities of the Varrod League wish to secede; however, their method of secession, whether peaceful or violent, and how they are to be constituted after they achieve their independence, remains to be seen.

The Varrod League excels at inventing and employing new technologies to bolster its member cities' relative strength against the rest of the Salished Empire. Their armies are equipped with cannons and primitive pistols and longarms, and their cities, Vertskhlis especially, are constantly improving on their own success, creating new generations of weaponry as their own old creations proliferate. Tactics, too, are innovated in the cities of the League, with older combat styles and strategies largely shunned in exaltation of the new.

Faction History: Formed as an alliance of sorts between four Salished cities—Vertskhlis, Lerrkar, Razmiktun and Ter Kundzil—the Varrod League's creation was heralded by the invention of what was perhaps man's most important new tool since the wielding of fire: gunpowder. A Vertskhilisi technologian by the name of Puizan Varrod created the substance, and the alliance, dedicated both towards its use and the development of ever more new technologies to displace the destructive power of magic, took on his name in his honour. Over time, the alliance simply grew tighter, and the Orpalstrah was developed as a way for the cities to begin to share each other's specialities and bring the leaders of smaller surrounding towns and villages to the Varrod League's way of thinking.

Although it has existed for as long as the Salished Empire has been in steep decline (around fifty years), the Varrod League could still be fairly said to be a movement in its infancy. Its history, antithetically to the history of the Salished Empire, seems to largely lie ahead of it.

Important Characters

Ghougas Varrod, Governor of Vertskhlis

The leader of the Varrod League and descendant of its namesake, Ghougas is one of the most powerful men in the Salished Empire. The grandson of Puizan Varrod, the inventor of both the first firearms and the gunpowder used to fuel them, Ghougas is nearly worshipped by the technologian class, the technocratic aristocracy of the Varrod League whom constitute the majority of the Orpalstrah. Though respected among those great minds, Ghougas is mostly feared, either reverently or despisedly, by the rest of Azoth. He is known to most by way of his purges—violent campaigns against magic users, which have rid the great cities of the Varrod League of wizardry, at the cost of cementing Ghougas' reputation as an autocrat and a tyrant.

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Tanien, Dumast of Hamalsarak

WIP

Ssoss Tsertdze, Governor of Lerrkar

WIP

Araz Reizian, Governor of Ter Kundzil

WIP

Hrag Kiyad, Governor of Razmiktun

Right hand of Ghougas Varrod and High Commander of the Krakzin, the Varrod League's standing military force, Hrag is the League's foremost general and tactician, and easily the most violent and domineering of the League's governors. Winning his election to the governorship by simply threatening to execute any who opposed him, Governor Kiyad rules Razmiktun with a red hot iron fist, demanding total loyalty from his citizens and quashing any faint whiff of opposition that arises. Hrag has helped to transform the Krakzin from a simple city guard into a proper, disciplined army, and has spearheaded the introduction of technological and tactical innovations to maximize their effectiveness on the battlefield.
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and more

Important Holdings/Territory/Possessions

Vertskhlis: The political capital of the Varrod League, and the technological capital of all of Azoth. Verstkhlis is home to the Orpalstrah: a grand marvel of architecture, built in an intentionally non-Salished style, and dominating the city's skyline. It is from there that the Orpalstrah organization, named after the building and vice versa, meets to discuss political affairs and issue 'recommendations' to the Varrod League's city governments. Elected among the nobility and landed gentry of the league cities, the Orpalstrah is effectively both the acting government and formal government-in-waiting of the not yet independent Varrod League. This makes Vertskhlis the League's capital, and for obvious reasons. Besides being the largest city in the league, and the second largest in the empire, Vertskhlis is also a hotbed of technological progress. It is the place in which firearms (among other things) were invented, and are continuously perfected to this day, worked on day and night by the generously funded and ever-tired technologians, tasked with outdoing the powers of magic as rapidly and as capably as possible.

Ter Kundzil: An island city, whose sea-bound home is the namesake of the Bay of Kundzil. Usually simply called 'Kundzil', especially by its own inhabitants, Ter Kundzil wields major maritime power, and conducts much of the trade and commerce between the Rainlands, the Ashlands, and the Arm of Azoth. Easily the most cosmopolitan of the cities of the Varrod League, Kundzil is home to both a great diversity of human ethnicities and a significant minority of non-humans. Especially noteworthy among the latter are the Valoth, who possess their own section of the city: the Valoth Quarter. It is there, and in the surrounding neighbourhoods, that Kundzil's infamous underworld predominates. Ter Kundzil's international reputation is as a mover of goods both legitimate and not, and it is said that any item that exists in Azoth can be found in the shady bazaars of Ter Kundzil. The island's and city's culture and architecture show influence primarily from the Salished, but also the Drathan Union and the other societies of the Ashlands and the Arm of Azoth.

Lerrkar: Sprawling out over a series of cliff faces and into a network of exhausted tunnels, Lerrkar is a city carved into the mountains, and is the nexus for the great many mines that dot the area, drawing forth the bounty of the earth. Especially plentiful in iron, the ore deposits in and around Lerrkar provide most of the raw metals used in the industry of the rest of the Varrod League. Although it is a sizeable city, Lerrkar is not an especially safe or pleasant place to live; the limited space in the cliffs leads to all of the city's buildings being clustered together, forming more of a mass shanty town than a proper, planned city. It is not uncommon for the expended mining tunnels that constitute the city's centre to collapse, either wholly or in part, either crushing or trapping away whoever was unlucky enough to live in them. Even the city's outskirts are dangerous in places, many of the cliffs slowly withering away from exposure or collapsing under the weight built upon them, occasionally sending whole rows of shacks tumbling down to dash against the rocks.

Razmiktun: Far and away the most militaristic of the great cities of the Varrod League, Razmiktun is a city to be reckoned with, an expert in the use of the military inventions for which the League is known. Razmiktun is the origin of the Krakzin, an organization that used to serve merely as Razmiktun's city guard, but has since become a standing military force that has expanded throughout the Varrod League, keeping the peace and supplementing local militias in all four of the league's major cities. Most of their number still come from Razmiktun, though, trained from adolescence to march and to obey. The design of Razmiktun fits this disciplined nature. Unlike the rest of the Varrod League, Razmiktun is a planned city, with neatly organized rows of well-patrolled streets, kept clear of rabble by decidedly overzealous men with guns. As much a fortress as a city, Razmiktun is protected ever more by four great walls, manned with cannons, guarding the city's approaches from each direction.

Hamalsarak: Not considered one of the league's great cities, both due to its smaller size and its rather singular purpose, Hamalsarak could be most easily described as a large school. To those who study and teach there, however, this would be understating things, as Hamalsarak does not only spread old knowledge, but create new knowledge. Effectively the Varrod League's university, Hamalsarak was established long ago, well before the rise of the league. Originally built by a lost society native to the Arm of Azoth, the Amalsar, Hamalsarak as it is now was constructed on the ruins of the Amalsar's capital and northern-most outpost, destroyed in a bloody conflict with the Salished Empire, which saw to the Amalsar's utter destruction. Cognisant of the enormous loss levied upon civilization to create it, Hamalsarak has been dedicated to saving both humanity and the world ever since, sharing openly all that it learns and teaching freely to anyone who displays aptitude in the scholarly arts. Controversially within the Varrod League, Hamalsarak even studies archeo-tech, the ancient and quasi-magical technology left behind by the old ones in ancient times.

Relation to other Factions: The Varrod League are the subjects of the Salished Empire, notwithstanding their rebelliousness, and are therefore at least formally enemies of the Salished's enemies and allies of the Salished's allies. Effectively, though, the Varrod League work against all those support magic, and support all those who oppose it.

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[Flagg]

@Vahir NS is looking awesome dude. Accepted. Will have time to read in detail tomorrow and will send you any questions or critiques I find.

[Keksalot]

@Flagg
Thing's still kinda WIP.
Please tell me about difficulties connected to living near the Sea of Glass and the hostile creatures in there. Are two rivers that flow to the west from it kinda-sorta clean? How hard it is to protect them if they mark the borders of my sovereignity? Can barbarians and mutants be reasoned with? Like, just open my gates to them and tell them that they can get their ichor easily - but we'd like for it to be paid for in coin or labor rather than blood, and that'd satisfy both sides since you don't REALLY WANT to fight for your lives all the time, m-m-m?

Throne

Faction Name: Throne, The Corpse-City

Motto: One Man, One Vote(One Guilden Entry Fee, No Refunds, Enjoy Your Stay, Remember To Visit The Flesh Pits And Gutburster's Eatery)

Alias: Sitty Offa Fouzend Sure-Praises, as written in the official guide by the Guild of Beggars, Street Vendors and Bonepickers

Government Type: Meritocratical Tyranny(sic)

Faction Specie(s): All and any and all of them. Throne opens its gates to all who ask - even armies of foreign conquerors.

Location: Thought about having it situated between the two rivers left of the Sea of Glass.

Faction Religion/Ideology: Everyone is permitted to believe anything they want - as long as those believes do not conflict too much with others'. In case a conflict escalates, the parties are ordered to settle it through a personal public duel to death, without any other variants. As such, most problems are often taken care off quietly, quickly and without alerting the authorities.

Faction Description: There is too much to describe in a few words - one biggest common factor that unites the people of Throne is the great desire for every new day to be exactly like the previous one and readiness to defend this and many other of their interests with swords and purses in hand.

Faction History: Too tired to write out a long thing rn so short version - some travelers happen upon a side of a gigantic beast sticking out of the earth and discover that it's rotten eyes and blood are pure Ichor, it's tissues are as soft as the day it died, it's meat whilst petrified becomes chewy and tough but nutritious snack if heated and shattered - and decide to settle. Time goes, city grows, bridges are built, in comes Mister Glitter who turns a ragtag bunch of people trying to make a living into ruthless and savvy merchants and moneymongers. City grows even bigger and more advanced by the minute, eating people, goods and resources and churning out Civilization.

Important Characters: Mister Glitter - Supreme High Tyrant of Throne. An ancient spirit personifying the best traits of Old World's commerce and capitalism and trying to mould this world into the form he remembers. His usual form is that of a man of solid gold dressed in 19-century England's White Tie clothing complete with cane, monocle and a cylinder. His true shape however is a gigantic whirlwind of razor-sharp precious gems like rubies, sapphires and diamonds and leaden and golden coins spinning at incredible speeds. He possesses powerful magic, a cunning mind for business, psychology and negotiations and rules the city with a golden fist, ready to sacrifice all that he has for his vision and peoples' stability. It was he who came up with the "One Man, One Vote" words - the catch is that HE is that One Man and it is His One Vote.

Theresa Garcia-Sciavolla Cassini - Lady Whore and mistress of flesh pits. Greatest rumormonger and socialite in the city.

Gutbuster Gob - Head of the Charnelworkers, Butchers and Skinners Cabal, tasked with carefully exploiting the Corpse's innards and digging it's nigh-infinite carcass out of the earth.

Grand-Greater Slaymaster Deathlord Warking Krestislav - lord of the High Arcana Society.

Whip-It-Quick - minor spirit, mascot and patron and head of the Thieves' Consortium.

Suffer-Not-Injustice - Mr. Gitter's personal one-legged, one-armed, one-eyed and sixty-seven-eared(he amassed a really big collection of those in his active duty days) hound and the city's Marshall-Provost. He and his guardsmen are tasked with rooting out the REAL crime - that which is wrought for evil rather than good of the city and can topple the Throne. He realizes the irony of his job but also knows just how vital it is.

More to come.

Important Holdings/Territory/Possessions: to be done

Relation to other Factions: WE love everything about our neighbours - but most of all we love their gold and their water. Please tell us what do you want for those and we will give it to you. And if we don't have it we will steal it for you. And if we can't steal it for you we will at least make it up.

Also i had another stupid idea about making not a usual city but an ancient Old World techno-wonder in form of a gigantic aircraft carrier turned Ark for many thousands of totally-not-genetical-purity-supremacists.

[potatochipgolem]

Does anyone else think that the whole island looks like a dragon (or maybe something else)?

With it's mouth being the cinderlands and appropriately, the place is teeming with steam vents and geysers.

Then the arms of azoth being an actual arm, claw-like in shape.

The belly of the dragon is the poisoned sea, perhaps where it was wounded and where bile is leaking out in ichor.

The broken coast it's spines on its skiull.

Then the Rainlands, the most untouched of all, it's chest and breast where such a creature would likely be most scaled and protected?

...It is an interesting point to me that perhaps might shed light on the origin of ichor, and though sadly, I must say that I am unable to join this RP anymore due to some other events happening in the forsaken realm we call reality. I wanted to make a guild-conglomerate that bases it's commerce on excavating the ruins of ancient civillizations in the arms of azoth, with it slowly becoming a nation as the salished are dwindling in influence throughout the roleplay. :).

[Southern Sun]

Liandry is complete besides the regional map...
EDIT: Still functionally operation but need to work out details concerning Juro's Divide and the lighthouse, since it overlaps claims of the Varrod League currently.

Liandry

Faction Name: The Kingdom of Liandry
Alias: Liandry; The Port City of Liandry; The City-State Liandry
Government Type:
Monarchy; Lord Ardenholt the 5th of Liandry presides over the city primarily, with only a tax- and defense-based relationship with the much smaller surrounding mining and farming towns.
Faction Species: Human
Location:
Due south of Sebir Tul, situated alongside the coast with claims stretching north west towards the Smoky Mountains that divide the Ashlands and the Rain Lands. See attached map for more detail.

Faction Name: Revolutionary Army
Alias: Insurgent Forces; Traitors; Rebels
Government Type: No formal government
Faction Species: Human
Location: Primarily based in the mountains to the northwest of Liandry.

Faction Description:
Situated on a short peninsula stretching into the Oromis Shelf, Liandry has, through history, served as a critical access point to the sea and trade hub for traffic trying to either avoid the dangers of road travel through the Rainlands or speed up movement of goods. Ships tend to travel around the Arm of Azoth, letting traders avoid the mountain pass on their way from Sebir Tul to Kul Nabal.

Liandry itself is not incredibly resource rich, with farmland difficult to maintain on the Steppe. The combination of soot and dry air from the Ashlands hinders the formation of rainclouds, quickly cutting off the forests around Sebir Tul. Perhaps the only benefit of the hard, dry ground is the easily travelled roads. Liandry’s primary export, ore, is pulled down from the Smoky Mountains by the Smoky Mountain Mining Company and shipped to the port city to be traded for the necessities of life. For a time, livestock was also moved through Liandry, but the dangers of travel combined with diminished air quality has made shepherding increasingly difficult in the recent era.

Riverbend marks the effective ‘border’ of Liandry. It sits upon the joint between the White River, which flows down from the highest peak of the smoky mountains down past Sebir Tul, collecting ash, pollution and watershed from a great area; and the smaller but much cleaner River Nevra, which flows from the east. The town is primarily responsible for receiving downriver shipments from Sebir Tul and rerouting them to Liandry, as well as attempting, somewhat futilely, to prevent hostile incursions.

The Smoky Mountain Mining Company is a city in and of itself. Although the mountains fail to yield the necessities of life to support the workers under the employ of the company, trade of ore and stone with Liandry enables it to continue functioning. Clean water is difficult to come by in the mountains, so the people here have innovated the use of sand filtration to get the ash out of the water. This is effective for its intent, but ichor-polluted waters easily resist the treatment.

The term Juro’s Divide is used by Liandrians to both describe the two routes of water around the island as well as the island itself. Due to the shallow waters of the Oromis Shelf, dangerous rock formations, and sometimes strange currents, the island is very difficult to get to, discouraging visitors. Despite its size, it lacks any significant habitation besides the lighthouse operators and their families.

Faction History:
The Kingdom of Liandry finds its roots in the emigration of humans from Sebir Tul and other Salished cities looking for a sea route to avoid mountain travel. The origin years were violent and bloody, with beasts and monsters coming out of the northern forests on a nightly basis to terrorize the poorly defended coast village.

After a few years and failed attempts to mount an effective defense with mercenary forces, Gale Ardenholt, then a powerful politician in the village, struck a deal with the Salished Empire to accept vassalage. The terms traded priority shipping rights through the city and the right to levy taxes for the Empire’s promise to protect the lands from both pirates and beasts. However, an extra term was added to the agreement; Gale Ardenholt was to be named Lord of the village and associated holds. This secret clause created significant distrust within the public, but the peace that resulted from the signing of the contract was far too valuable to sacrifice over a leadership dispute. So began monarchy in Liandry.

As years passed, Liandrians set up the outpost town of Riverbend and the somewhat independent Smoky Mountain Mining Company, reaching a metered prosperity in the shadow of the Salished Empire. Five generations of Ardenholts have passed, and the current king is facing a threat unlike those that have come before. Growing taxes and crumbling defensive lines have led to unrest in the public, who believe that, without intervention, the greed of the Crown and the weakening of the Salished will spell the end of Liandry. A revolutionary army, led by former noble Cain Haidryn, the Crimson Reaver, has set up camp in the mountains north of the Mining Company. It draws war supplies from the Mining Company and smuggles food and water from [see faction relations].

Faction Religion:
Although life is not distinguishingly difficult in the Kingdom of Liandry—at least not when compared to some of the close by and magnitudes more inhospitable lands to the west—the scarcity of unpolluted food and water, the danger of raids getting through the ever less vigilant Salished Empire, and the unbreathable horror of hot, dry soot storms sliding in from the Ashlands keep its people routinely appealing to the will of a higher power. Whether these Gods are listening, or even exist, often comes into contention in the aftermath of the plethora of natural disasters that strike the broken world of Azoth.

• The Goddess of Wind and Storms, Jitara, is the leader of the Liandrian Pantheon. The people pray to her to maintain the powerful winds out of the south and east that act as a bastion against the brutally thick clouds of ash that curl over the shorter mountains of the southern Arm.
• The God of the Seas and Safe Passage, Juro, is husband to Jitara. He is called upon primarily by traders and travelers, as well as fishermen. His devotees know him well as the arbiter of who passes safely through the treacherously rocky waters around Juro’s Divide.
• The Goddess of Harvest and Fertility, Kunilou, finds her patrons among the spice farmers who rough the dry grasslands of the Liandrian steppe, as well as mothers and wives across the land.
• The God of Battle and Ferocity, Kord, often finds his popularity variable, due to the horrors that war can bring forth. Still, he is highly revered among the Revolutionary Army, as well as by the Liandrian soldiers who carefully watch the forests for beasts, abominations and other nightmares.

Important Characters:
Cain Haidryn a.k.a. the Crimson Reaver is a former noble of Liandry most notable for being leader of the Revolutionary Army. Years ago, he self-imposed exile from Liandry, determined not to return until he held the power to change the corruption and properly protect the land from hostilities. He journeyed to the Blood Spring to strike a deal with the Gorelord; in exchange for his left arm, his sword was enchanted to drink the blood of those it cut, elevating both it and its wielder to ever greater power. The blade’s corrupting influence incites a craving for bloodshed—an addictive, ever present urge to cut, kill and maim. It was once passion for a better world that drove Cain. While his intentions remain the same, the motivations behind them have become more sinister.

Lord Ardenholt the 5th is the latest in a line of Liandrian Kings whose rise to power is contested and whose authority is dwindling. While the nobles are mostly supportive of the Crown, taxes and poor border control have set the public convincingly against him.

Important Holdings/Territory/Possessions: The City of Liandry; Juro’s Divide Lighthouse; The Smoky Mountain Mining Company; The Town of Riverbend; Revolutionary Army Mountain Camp

Faction Relations: Vassalage with the Salished Empire; *Looking for a local player who can supply food to the revolutionary army*

Regional Map:


Note: I made the assumption, based on city spacing and similar maps of territory claims and spacing from the 1500s, that the scale of the map is about 1 px to 1 mile to 1.5 km. The total size of the map is then about 1000 by 500 mi, or about 1500 by 750 km. My regional map is scaled down to 1/25th of the original map (by area), and so it corresponds about 1 px to .2 mi or .3 km.

[Kingfisher]

Here's a bit of extra info on Feikania, Oskamoore amd Tzienna, just as a reference point.

Feikania

Feikania

Faction Name: The People’s Republic of Feikania

Alias: Feikania

Government Type: Whilst technically a democracy, In reality Feikania is a strict autocracy, governed by a council

Faction Species: Humans, Valoth, Dratha, and captive Beastkin.

Location: The border between Meridion and the Eastmarches.

Faction Religion/Ideology: The Sacred Hinoria Patriarchate : A religion which traces its roots back to the days before the sundering, Hinoria preaches unity between church and government; citing the rulers of Feikania as divinely appointed champions of the faith. The Patriarchate worships the mighty Taouan’Hai; the Sun Lion, Eternal Emperor of creation, and Keeper of Peace.

Faction Description: Feikaina is an almost entirely self-sufficient city-state, sealed off from the rest of the outside world by enormous stone walls; a technological marvel in their own right. Governed by an oppressive militant regime known as the Seikai, Feikaina is one of the few truly safe places left in the region; even if that safety comes at the cost of complete and utter submission to the City-States supposedly benevolent overlords.

The current head of the Seikai is Grand General Ermolia Karasu.

Faction History:The People’s Republic has come a long way since its earliest days, when it was little more than a cluster of savage clans, squabbling over patches of land around what is now the Sullied Coast. The faith of Taouan’Hai brought the natives together, and that unity helped the once primitive people grow into a thriving eastern civilisation. The current leaders of Feikania are the descendents of those who used the cataclysm to seize power, and govern with the same authoritarian principles as their forefathers.

Important Characters

Name:

Grand General Ermolia Karasu.



Description:

A brilliant military tactician, and cunning political strategist, Karasu brought his household out of ruin, and seized control of Feikania with brutal precision. Under the old Grand General, Feikania was slowly slipping into obscurity, but Karasu’s vicious tactics and iron will have re-asserted the city-state’s place in the world. He is a cold man, and is far from a merciful ruler, but no one can question his succes.

Name:

Magistrate Deemah Garlott



Description:

Feared and hated by almost all the other magistrates, Deemah was responsible for the biggest crime wave Feikania has ever known, but is also the man who brought about its end. Born the son of a common whore, Deemah was raised in the most lawless corners of Feikania, and rose to prominence as a sadistic crime lord. Through legitimate fronts, Deemah expanded his business opportunities and climbed the social ladder, solidifying his image as a force to be reckoned with. In return for a place on the Seikai, Deemah seemingly solved Feikania’s growing crime problem, when in reality he simply moved his thugs into more legal lines of work.

Tzieania

Tzieania

Faction Name: The warring peoples of Tzieania

Alias: The Sentinels/The Chainless

Government Type: Loose autocracy/ Anarchist

Faction Species: Humans, Abhumans, Beastkin

Location: Situated inside a nearly inhospitable lagoon of ichor in the midst of Sour Fenn, and riddled with abhuman degenerates, Tzieania is a loose cluster of bandit settlements and raider outposts living in the shattered remains of an ancient city.

Faction Religion/Ideology: N/A

Faction Description: The alliance which binds the Chainless together is tenuous at best, but their hatred of the Sentinels runs thicker than their hatred of each other. The Sentinels, on the other hand, are a loosely regulated band of warriors and settlers, who try desperately to enforce structure upon the people of Tzieania. Though the Sentinels have achieved some success, the Chainless take great strides to block their every move.

Faction History: Perhaps, before the cataclysm, there was order in Tzieania; but all that remains of those times is the name of the city itself. Tzieania was hit hard by the apocalypse, and now stands as a rotting carcass of a city, with a few scraps of life clinging to its bare bones.

Important Characters:

Name:

Louise Couriere



Description:

Louise Couriere was never meant to be a leader. She’s the daughter of the brother of the man who was squire to the once leader of the Sentinels. But the war with the Chainless has cost the Sentinels dearly, and Miss Couriere is the closest thing that these militia-men have left which resembles a leader. She's a popular general, charming when she needs to be and fierce when it's required of her, but even still she’s got a lot left to learn about leading her people.

Name:

Warlord Sangstreux



Description:

The most bloodthirsty and ruthless warrior from a city full of bloodthirsty and ruthless warriors, Warlord Sangstreux grew up as a member of the Twisted Hand clan, where he became infamous for his untamed sadism. As a boy he would single out the weakest children, often beating them to death, and torture rodents which infested his village.

After he was caught sleeping with the daughter of the then chieftain, Sangstreux was exiled from the Twisted Hand, and cast off into the depths of Tzieania. The clansmen thought never to hear from Sangstreux again, but he returned later that year; with an army of beastkin snapping at his heels. The Warlord swept over the Twisted Hand, and forced them into submission beneath his barbaric dominion.

Oskamoore

Oskamoore

Faction Name:The City-State of Oskamoore

Alias: Slaver Town

Government Type: Autocracy

Faction Species: Free Men: Humans. Slaves: Abhumans and Beastkin.

Location: The Sullied Cost.

Faction Religion/Ideology: Religion was long ago abandoned by the Oskamoorians. Fear governs the streets of Oskamoore, and all that drives its people is a desire to survive long enough to see their next sunrise.

Faction Description: Oskamoore is governed by the Archons; a council made up of the wealthiest, and most devious merchants that the city has bred. What passes for law in the city-state is enforced by the Archon’s own private armies, who are little better than gangsters.

Faction History: In days gone by, Oskamoore was a peaceful and prosperous city-state, one of the great trading hubs of the south, but it has since descended into a land of madness and depravity. Having been rocked by the earth-shattering cataclysms which pollute Azoth, the Oskamoorians survived by preying on neighboring cities, looting and pillaging whatever hadn’t already been swept away. Now a capital of criminal activity along the Broken Coast, Oskamoore’s chief exports are slaves and contraband items of the darkest nature.

Important Characters:

Name:

Lord Kanaerian



Description:

Kanaerian has come a long way since his days as a street thug. He taught himself to read, write, and speak well, then started bribing and backstabbing his way to the top of Oskamoore. Kanaerian got to where he is now by making sure those who stood against him quickly regretted their decision, and showering wealth upon those who fought for him. Although ruthless, Kanaerian is a relatively reasonable megalomaniac, and is not above offering second chances to those who fail him.

Name:

Lady Bloodrose



Description:

Born a slave, the woman who would become Lady Bloodrose gained the Archon’s attention when her exceptional craftsmanship became apparent. She was brought from her owner by one Lord Grimm, and put to work in his own private forge. With the help of her fellow slaves, Lady Bloodrose began constructing weapons in secret, until she and her brothers and sisters in chains were able to take seize control of Grimm’s Household in a bloody Coup d’etat. Bloodrose then entered a partnership with Lord Kanaerian, and worked her way up to the rank of Archon some years later.

[Boop_Im_A_Dragon]

Does anyone else think that the whole island looks like a dragon (or maybe something else)?

@potatochipgolem

I don't see a dragon, however if you look at the white sea it does look like a pig in the fetal position.

[TheSovereignGrave]

Still a WIP, but this is what I've got at the moment. Hope there's no problems with anything. And I feel like I may have spent a but too much time on the religion bit. XD

The Singing Hive

The Singing Hive

Government Type:
The Singing Hive could be considered something of an autocracy, but with an emphasis more upon individual merit rather than any silly notion like 'blood' or 'divine right'. The Singing Hive is divided into a number of different castes, such as warriors, artisans, scholars, farmers, builders, etc. and within each caste their is a hierarchy of individuals, with members of the next tier in the hierarchy governing over those below them. Some castes, such as the artisans and farmers, have few tiers aside from common citizens and the highest tier who sit upon the Grand Council which rules the Hive itself. However, the name 'caste' can be rather misleading as it is not a position one is born into; there is a special caste with no political power for nymphs who apprentice themselves to skilled members of real castes and upon becoming a true adult they are allowed to choose which of the castes they join for themselves. In addition the tiers of the hierarchy are based upon one's merit; individuals will be promoted when their superior(s) feel they are ready. The exception to this is the highest tier which governs the Hive itself; the Grand Councillors of all the castes are voted upon by all members of their caste from among the penultimate tier. The Grand Council is the body that debates on matter effecting the hive as a whole, and chooses what action to take. The word of the Grand Council is law, and none may oppose them unless the Grand Council rescinds the decision. However, for the most part the Grand Council does little to limit the personal freedoms of the hive members. Most are free to do as they please so long as it does not harm another, and they do their jobs and are not a burden to the hive. As mentioned previously, things such as blood or divine right matter little as the Hives raises children communally and none can trace their lineage and the only ones with a true claim to divine rule would be the extinct Queens. That is not to say, however, that cronyism is unknown within the system but it is technically a crime; though one that can be difficult to actually prove.
Faction Species:
Nearly all member of the Hive are Nyr'kiin, with the exception of foreigners temporarily staying and the (extremely rare) non-aboriginal who decided to join the Hive's society.
Species Descriptions:
TBD
Location:

Faction Religion/Ideology:
The faith of the Singing Hive is the faith of the Queens; they revere the extinct Queens as having been living Gods whilst the Ghuls were nought but devils and demons. However, these are not their only beliefs and are hardly indicative of Nyr'kiin religion as a whole. They believe in a pair of great sibling deities, the Great Mother and the False Father. In the beginning there was nothing but a great swirling chaos, but from this chaos the two Gods were born. It was they who shaped the oceans and the and and the sky into what is now Azoth. But it was not enough, and so the two mated and gave birth to the first people of the world: the Old Ones. And the Old Ones were great, but the Old Ones were flawed for despite their greatness and power they warred with one another and broke the land and destroyed themselves. And so the Great Mother wept for the children she had lost to themselves.

However, this would not be the end of the creation. For though the Great Mother mourned the loss of her children, she could always make more. However this time she would give birth on her own, without the False Father's seed. And what she gave birth to was perfection; from her body came the great Queens who in turn gave birth to the Nyr'kiin themselves. And when the Great Mother saw what she had made, she was overjoyed and wished to show her brother. But when the False Father saw the Nyr'kiin he was overcome with anger at the Great Mother for making them without him, at them for even exiting, but most of all at himself for having been unable to create perfection himself. And so the False Father stormed off, intent on creating his own children without the Great Mother. And, unfortunately for Azoth, he succeeded. His efforts gave birth to creatures that ranged from imperfect, like mankind, to the foul, like the Dratha and Red Gods. But worst of all, his misguided efforts led to the birth of the Ghul.

The Ghul, born of the False Father in his time of greatest rage, burning with hatred with the Great Mother and her Children. While the False Father came to regret his anger the Ghul had already been born and waged war upon the Nyr'kiin, slaughtering them and devouring their Queens. And this was a sin the Great Mother could not forgive, and in a fit of rage and anger she slew the False Father. And when his corpse fell to Azoth it tainted the land, the blood seeping out and becoming a second source of the ichor, creating the Poisoned Sea and Sour Fens. But then her rage subsided and she saw what she had done; she had murdered her brother for an action he regretted and poisoned the world of her children. And so the Great Mother wept for the brother she had lost to her rage.

But the Great Mother knew she could not weep forever, and she returned to watch Azoth, only the find that the war between the Nyr'kiin and Ghul had already raged and ended. The Great Mother returned to find her Children devoured and her grandchildren motherless, but the Ghul likewise killed or forced to flee to the ends of the world. She watched as her beloved grandchildren's hives decayed and fell into disrepair, as the imperfect children of her brother came to dominate the world. And she blamed herself; so caught up in her anger at the False Father she had failed to protect those she cared about most. And so the Great Mother wept for the children she had lost to her inaction.

And so the Great Mother continues to weep to this day. However, those of the Singing Hive believe that one day the Great Mother shall cease her weeping. And on that day she will birth new Queens for the Nyr'kiin to lead them back to greatness and dominance over their land. The Nyr'kiin, with the aid of their mother, will take back their place a rightful rulers of Azoth and they will make certain that their Great Mother shall never weep again.
Faction Description:
Located near the southernmost borders of the Salished Empire, the Singing Hive is one of the few Ancient Hives which remain inhabited by the Nyr'kiin. It is a place where the Nyr'kiin wait until the return of the Great Mother and the Queens to lead them to greatness and dominance once more. They are considered by many to be xenophobic, and this is not entirely true and most have a patronized view of the 'lesser' races born solely of the False Father. However, it is more complicated than that. Despite being mostly self-sufficient, a necessary thing in this world, completely isolating oneself from the outside only invites death. They deal with other nearby civilizations, and usually try to keep the patronizing attitude to a minimum. An exception to this are the Dratha and those who are overtly supporting of the magical arts; both of which are hated by even the most tolerant of the Hive's Nyr'kiin. In addition there are also rare occasions in which an individual who is not Nyr'kiin wishes to join the Hive as a true member; usually such requests are denied as a matter of course, but if the individual is truly gifted the Hive will accept them as one of their own with less discrimination than one might expect (though it will not be entirely absent).

However, lately there is a growing movement in the Hive that simply waiting for the Great Mother to cease her weeping is a path only to ruin. They believe that they must go out and prove they are truly worthy of inheriting Azoth once more, which will make the Great Mother take notice and cease her weeping. These individuals are highly jingoistic and violent, as conquest is their preferred method of showing their worth. And this line of thinking is gaining traction as the Salished Empire to the North begins to falter and fall, with a growing number of Nyr'kiin believing that restoring their rightful dominance of the Rainlands will gain the Great Mother's notice.
Faction History:
TBD
Important Characters:
TBD
Important Holdings/Territory/Possessions:
The major holding of the Singing Hive is, well, the Singing Hive itself. It is quite typical of most ancient hives in many ways, appearing similar to a massive termite mound. It has many towering spires towers, though the hive extends a fair distance beneath the earth itself. However it differs from most other hives in one major detail, that which gives it its name. In eons past it was the pinnacle of Nyr'kiin architecture; its spires were built with numerous extra holes and tubes whose function is not immediately apparent. But according to legend, in times past when the wind blew it would pass through these tubes and the hive would function similarly to a massive musical instrument and create beautiful songs. However, the millennia have not been kind to the Hive. While not the most deteriorated ancient hive chunks of it have cracked and broken, spires have collapsed, and tubes and holes have deteriorated. The result is that with a good wind it simply sound out of tune or just as the wind, but it's not uncommon for the wind to blow in such a way that the hive sounds like it is screaming or howling. Because of this only the Nyr'kiin themselves refer to it as the Singing Hive; most refer to it by less flattering names such as screaming, howling, screeching, wailing, or shrieking. Aside from this, the hive is mostly self-sufficient with fungal farms within the hive itself and wells that dig deep. Unfortunately the water is not always clean, and they must important metal and ores since they have few settlements outside the Hive itself.
Relation to other Factions:
TBD

[Slamurai]

@TheRedViper
Hop in the chat so we can flesh out our relations and decide how we'll terrorize the Xiang.

[Slamurai]

Helvetani WIP

The Helvetani

Faction Description:
Beyond the Godsfangs, northwest of the Rainland, there lies a small domain unmolested by the Salished Empire. Here, tucked into the foothills of adjoining mountains, thrive a loose confederation of men, abhumans and beastmen. Though the tribes that fall under their banner are many, their sum is known collectively as the Helvetani. This union of people are deemed savage by more “civilized” lands, yet the Helvetani are not without culture. Their lands harbor chains of gold mines, and they mint their own coinage, and turn the metal into handsome jewelry. They trade with their neighbors, having even done so with Salished merchants that dare the journey through the Godsfangs.

While they are more than the uncultured brutes popular opinion makes them out to be, the Helvetani are still a largely straightforward, bellicose people. They clash with nearby tribes often, over disputes of land, property, gold and of faith. They pride themselves on the ability to defeat one's enemies, having resisted the hordes of mutants that rove from the east for generations. Impetuous warbands sally from their palisades in search of glory and material gain, some just as likely to test themselves against fellow Helvetani as they would their traditional enemies.

Of the Helvetani's humans, Salished scholars exaggerate, “They are tall and lofty, possessed of a dour visage and equaling the vigor of ten Salished men. Were a man to call his wife to his side, not a whole squadron of foreigners could withstand them.” They are fair-skinned, usually birthed with light eyes and dark hair. It is common for both men and women to tattoo or paint their bodies with tribal markings. It is said that the ancestors of the human Helvetani migrated from beyond the Broken Coast, before a nomadic lifestyle brought them to the Godsfangs.
The abhumans counted among the Helvetani include the aelgs, a race of broad-shouldered men with pointed ears and brutish faces. These orcish reavers are indigenous to the mountains and make up the most warlike of the tribes. Yet, they are renowned trackers and huntsmen, knowing their territory like the face of a lover.
Other abhumans include bands of ogres, and beastmen driven from more civilized lands. Provided they are able-bodied and sound of mind, the Helvetani welcome most undesired refugees that happen upon their hillforts – as servants, more often than equals.

Government Type:
Each individual tribe enjoys its own political independence, without a definitive ruler over all. The aelgs and ogres are known to elect and follow chieftans, but tribes with greater human populations typically decide on matters through a semi-democratic conference of nobles. This is just as well, for perhaps the Helvetani are more beholden to the words of the Mountain Wisdoms than any secular king. Man, aelg and ogre alike all look to the trio of Red Gods that dwell in the Godsfangs for guidance. The Wisdoms do not commune with their faithful directly, but through the Pale Witches. This order consists of three women, who reside in a sacred cavern within the Godsfangs. These witches can be said to be at the tip of the Helvetani hierarchy, both revered and feared by all. By their word, the tribes set aside all rivalries and worldly concerns, and carry out their will.

Faction Specie(s): Human, aelgs, ogres, beastmen & misc. abhumans

Species Descriptions:

Location:


Faction Religion/Ideology:
The tribes of the Helvetani revere the Mountain Wisdoms through three Pale Witches, called so because they dwell in an ancient cavern called the Pale. They are respected by all of the Helvetani, feared, even, as they are powerful wielders of magic. It is believed that they interpret the will of the Mountain Wisdoms, and then pass along this knowledge to the Helvetani. The unfiltered voices of the Wisdoms are said to be too great for mortals to hear without sundering their bodies.
The Pale Witches appear as three young women, clad only in cloaks of fur, gold and totems of animal bone. Their eyes and lips are daubed black, and they bear tattoos on their arms. It is unknown for how long they have lived in the Pale, and how, for they rarely appear to the tribes of their own volition. The word of the Pale Witches has been passed down for centuries, yet they can always be found in the Pale when visited by men for their guidance. Some suspect that new witches are chosen by the Wisdoms as they pass on, other swear that the witches themselves are immortal. They are often indirect and cryptic, preferring to reveal their wisdom in visions. Should a need arise that demands all of Helvetani heed their call, their voices roll like thunder from the heavens, and the tribes obey without hesitation.

Faction History:

Important Characters:

Important Holdings/Territory/Possessions:

Relation to other Factions:

[Eru Iluvatar]

Faction Name:
The Reformation of the Salished Dynasty

Alias:
Zoltur, the Ministry of Zoltur

Government Type:
As befits a dynasty, members of a single family lead the Reformation. Two brothers and one sister hold control over all aspects, with each assuming responsibility for certain matters, such as military, administrative or religious, and possessing a comprehensive title: 'Minister'. The siblings permit nobody else any functional control within the Reformation, due partially to a ubiquitous mistrust of others and a history of betrayals or misuses of power perpetrated by their previous confidants. Despite this isolated type of government, the siblings almost completely welcome outsiders into their jurisdiction, for the very nature of their nation is as a recreation of the former glory of the Salished Empire, with modern revisements - where members of any species or background could convene and live congenially within the walls and regulations of a strong presence. Entrants into the Reformation are greeted amiably and provided initial refreshment and shelter. They are offered to contribute by a plethora of ways to the survival and growth of the nation, to work and live under the watchful but welcoming eyes of the siblings and their militant employees.

The Reformation, led by the Ministers, functions as an open society with a logical dubiousness of newcomers, that is kept alive and dwelled in by its populace.

Faction Specie(s):
The Ministers are pure-blooded humans, having come from the Salished Empire, and belonging to its dominant species. However, any being capable of benefiting the Reformation in some way who does not possess ill intent or pose a threat to the lives of the masses is welcome.

Location:


Residing on the subtlest incline of the mountain appropriately nicknamed, 'The Isolated Mountain', stands Zoltur - the capital and sole city of the Reformation of the Salished Dynasty. It lies close to the coast, on the outer perimeter of the Rainlands, and within sight of the creeping fog-clouds of the Eastmarches. To the north-east stretches a largely uneventful plateau, though several mountains occupy the eastern edge of this land, and the looming walls of Tirak are visible in the far distance. To the west the coast embraces the land for as far as the eye can see, and a large forest stretches out suddenly a few hundred paces from Zoltur's walls. The sea begins soon to the south, and the waves and raging torrents, compounded by the all too frequent storms of the Rainlands, can often be heard even behind the thick walls of Zoltur's palace.

Faction Religion/Ideology:
[Same as the Salished Empire]

Faction Description / History:
The Reformation of the Salished Dynasty was entirely derived from the shared concerns of the Ahsor Vok family, three siblings whom lived in Nyssos as part of the Salished Empire until the Year of the Setting Sun 8,003. The three often observed and discussed emerging and burgeoning problems within the city and the very Empire, such as the diminishing authority of the ruling Priest-Smiths under the Sashul, of which the eldest Ahsor Vok sibling was a member - one with enough tenure to have noticed distinctly a worrying gradual decline in his power and a rise in civil unrest. Yet, his governing cohorts ignored or avoided him whenever he attempted to illuminate to them the potential crises that could arise from a weak ruling body and a state of lawlessness bearing resemblance to the chaos of Oskamoore.

The middle-aged sibling, a female Tyshaled Hamalvod - one of the militant orders under the Empire - was part of several expeditions to the Godsfang Mountains to the North, there finding ravenous groups of beastkin: wandering Shriekers and hordes of Gobblers included, appearing further and further south toward settled land. An aura of rejuvenation seemed to accompany the multiplying bands of dangerous enemies, and barbarians were just as present as ever, leaving the female Ahsor Vok sibling struggling through several difficult skirmishes with foes, even in areas where Ssalgad Tul still lay far to the north. An obvious threat was coming closer to becoming a disaster, but still the Priest-Smiths and the city-bound Tyshaled Hamalvod made no precautionary action.

It is important to note the pride of the Ahsor Vok family, both as prominent upholders of Salished honour and as descendants of a family integral to the settling of the Rainlands by the Saliszi forces centuries prior. The two older siblings possessing important roles in society, and the youngest sibling, just ten years old, already destined for a similar prominence after a blessed childhood and a devoted education in important subjects such as geography and crafting, outlined their obvious vast knowledge and respect for a functioning Empire. They were not without their devotees, either. The Priest-Smith in the family was at the head of a chain of command that covered the entirety of Nyssos, and while pursuing an administrative strategy disparate from the norm he had found competent figures of a like mind. The female in the family, though rarely acquiring a friend with similar social attributes, was widely respected as a knight and skilled fighter. Many whose lives she had saved or helped in the past lived within the same city walls and were constantly amiable to her cause of justice and prosperity.

As such, when the Ahsor Vok family left Nyssos - on relatively amicable terms with the ignorant Priest-Smiths and the Tyshaled Hamalvod - hushed whispers of an open nation flowed through social currents and roused some of the poor and ailing, some of the intellectuals and some of the warriors alike. The Priest-Smith of the family had been the catalyst to the exodus, after watching pirates enter the capital city unchallenged, and seeing families murdered after trying to steal food only to feed themselves, and discovering fellow Priest-Smiths broken under the weight of their own responsibility. Nyssos was a dying city. As far as he knew, the Salished Empire was similarly decaying.

A band of over three-hundred travellers could be found far south of Nyssos months later, erecting stone foundations and gathering resources from any viable land surrounding them. The Tyshaled Hamalvod female trained capable men and women to hold weapons and defend their peers from various enemies - her own soulsteel sword constantly slicing through the air or on her person as she patrolled the new city's perimeters. The men of the family worked in tandem, forming and assigning jobs to the willing ex-Salished. They made sure that word did not spread too radically of the new nation that boasted so many similarities to the Salished Dynasties in their prime, for much of the Salished people were becoming belligerent with the declining control of the Priest-Smiths. That is not to say that small groups did not often strike out from a number of Salished cities and holdings with the intention of reaching Zoltur, but their awareness of the Reformation was in most cases limited to the promises of a regulated, prosperous society and an escape from dangerous areas now abandoned by any judicial presence.

Progressively, Zoltur's land stake grew, as did its populace, until the present - whereby it acts as a self-controlling city state with a quiet existence until the day when it is prominent enough to proceed diplomatically with neighbouring nations - to open trade routes and form truces - all with the intention of making the Reformation a glorious return to what once was, what minstrels sing of: the mighty Salished Dynasty that settled the Rainlands. Walking within the confines of Zoltur today, one might hear of the Ministers' intentions to begin work on a new city further to the north, or perhaps rumours of an envoy being sent to the Sashul in Nyssos. While these whisperings are just that, it is not so far from possibility that the Ahsor Vok siblings would pursue these tactics after an unarguably prosperous two decades of existence.

Important Characters

Rhashul Ahsor Vok

At age forty-nine, Rhashul has experienced and learnt much in his life. Born into the respected Ahsor Vok family, the son of Priest-Smith Marr Ahsor Vok, who was also a writer and a scholar famous for his studies into self-sustenance and the various lands of Azoth, Rhashul was effectively guaranteed a position of influence in the city, and he wasn't expected - not even permitted, at times - to enter the slums bordering the canal-littered inner city, whereas most had scant little choice and were to spend most of their lives there. Rhashul's rigorous education, mainly made up of home-schooling and external tutors, and resulting appointment into the Priest-Smith doctrine was not a practise of nepotism, rather Marr Ahsor Vok was notoriously ardent in his religion and he saw his first son and daughter as beings of sanctity who deserved no less than blessed lives and unimpeded ambitions. Rhashul inherited much of Marr's mindset and spirituality, especially after his mother's death when he was twenty-one and his sister was sixteen. He was known to preach to his peers and to never lose sight of some internal goal of honour - the extent of which none aside from himself and his sister knew. He is moderately charitable and cares for his family above everything else, but past events have made him subconsciously dubious of others, and hesitant to delegate permissions outside of the family.

Rhashul has receding, straight black hair that is seldom matted or out of place. His eyebrows are thinning in the same way, as they are limited in width while his forehead is bereft of hair, often visibly gleaming on warm summer days. All three siblings share an incomprehensible dislike of sustained sunlight, for they burn easily and are somehow irritated by moderate light. Their skin is distinguishably pale, as a result, and has been known to become blotted with odd rashes on occasion. Rhashul is taller than the average man, slim, with legs dis-proportionally longer than his torso. He has thin arms, unpractised in most styles of combat, and long, slim fingers, moulded by decades of constant writing.

Habruth Ahsor Vok

The second child of Marr Ahsor Vok, and five years junior to Rhashul, Habruth is the epitome of a knight, valuing justice and honour higher than anything else. These traits came about in her childhood, for she had never shown an interest in Marr's various teachings of geography and society, and in fact she was often resistant to attend lessons along with her brother. Furthermore, she did not resort to her mother's company as an alternative, because Marr's wife was not the most caring of people. In fact, though their father had never explicitly informed them, they had heard the ever reoccurring rumours that she had been attached to Marr in their adolescence, her viewing him as little more than a sexual object. Before she could learn of the immense piety and traditional values that Marr upheld, they were married and she was pregnant - thus affirming that the spoken bond they had made would never be broken, for Marr would forever only practise monogamy and she at least was provided a comfortable life, instead of the alternative of a poor (though probably racier) existence in or about the slums.

Habruth, instead, sought refuge among the Tyshaled Hamalvod, whom accepted her as an apprentice from an early age. She was constantly quiet, watchful, and she didn't interfere when the soulsteel knights tended to serious matters. In return, they taught her techniques, many spoke to her of their own values, and before long she was one of their own. Marr was content enough to let his daughter spend a great deal of her free time among the Tyshaled Hamalvod, as performing the ancient rite that created a soulsteel sword for a worthy knight was one of his duties, and it was without question one of the highest honours that could be bestowed upon any warrior. Years passed, and Habruth of course became as skillful with ordinary weaponry as any of the Tyshaled Hamalvod. It was time for her to undertake the process of sacrificing her soul to her weapon for herself.

Habruth shares the jet black hair of every member of her immediate family, but unlike her elder brother she does not possess a lack of it. Rather, her long locks are her most prominent feature - a consequence of having unremarkable, average facial features and a rather mannish anatomy. These locks have been trimmed a precious few times, as after reaching a certain length Marr forbade any man or woman save Habruth herself to handle them, in one of his many religious devotions. They were thus recognised as something holy, and afterwards Habruth became proud of her hair, although it did not prove very practical in combat situations. If time permits before a battle, she will attach a brace to her neck that restrains the hair from flying about. The second feature that one would notice immediately upon meeting Habruth is her luminous blue eyes. A product of the creation of a Tyshaled Hamalvod, all members of the knighthood share the gleam that, though it is believed represents the person's soul themselves, has no functional ability. Rather, the functionality of the Tyshaled Hamalvod resides in the glowing aura of their soulsteel sword.

D'shad Ahsor Vok

Just over twenty years after the birth of Habruth Ahsor Vok, Marr and his wife were suddenly expecting another child. The woman was ageing and she, nor her husband, had predicted that she still retained her ability to birth children. Nevertheless, an unexpected situation turned into a catastrophe, as Marr's wife died unfortunately in childbirth, leaving a shocked family with a wailing babe and a corpse. Marr was affected most negatively. Despite the fact that the couple's relationship had come to be through a series of drunken whims and a clash of personalities, he had cared deeply for his wife. He retired from his occupation as a Priest-Smith, and for the few years that he remained alive afterwards, he spent a great deal of time alone, praying, and writing his final teachings and thoughts. He strayed irrevocably away from his children, yet they were fully-fledged adults by this time - being twenty-five and twenty respectively when D'shad was born. Rhashul had learned everything he possibly could from his father and Habruth had been self-providing for over a decade. However, in the same way that Marr retreated into himself and away from his children, he also neglected his own new child - for any number of reasons: an unavoidable resentment for the death of his wife, or simply an incapability of raising another child, the upbringing of D'shad was left to Rhashul and Habruth.

The siblings did not shirk this task. Rhashul bestowed upon his new brother the same lessons that had been delivered unto him, and similarly Habruth committed to the child. She acquiesced into the position of a mother, for she could not teach the child anywhere near as much as Rhashul could, unless D'shad was to suddenly grasp a stick and attack the nearest wall. He didn't, so the Tyshaled Hamalvod used her available resources as a female to nurture her brother, in lieu of an actual mother.

Then came the removal of the final attachment to Nyssos for the Ahsor Vok family: the death of Marr Ahsor Vok. He was sixty-four years of age, ailing from natural causes and the oppressive conditions of the Rainlands. All the while, Rhashul and Habruth had been noting and worrying over the diminishing power and glory of both the Salished Empire and Nyssos. The people were becoming more ravenous, and the authorities cared less than ever before. D'shad was still a child, only nine years old, and yet Habruth and the Tyshaled Hamalvod were combating beastkin and barbarians not five-hundred paces from the city walls. It was no place for a child, and the Empire was becoming increasingly unfit for the family itself. The siblings believed wholeheartedly that they had the knowledge and the right values to begin again the lost glory of the Salished Dynasties - those families that they knew everything about.

Throughout the next few years when the Reformation had been formed and Zoltur had been settled, D'shad adjusted to a new life, and his intelligence grew vastly with the practical demands of running a city and ensuring its survival. The boy did have to mature quickly at an early age - a sacrifice that was out of his control, and traits possessing his siblings were never able to take root within him - such as a religious disposition. D'shad became fairly uninterested in the Salished religion that everyone else was so fervent toward. He grew up with the land and the people that walked it, so they were his Gods and he theirs. Otherwise, Rhashul and Habruth passed on as many values and teachings as he could stomach, and acting as parents they cemented themselves as role models and beloved relations.

D'shad, having finally reached physical adulthood at the age of twenty-one, has a lighter shade of hair than that of his siblings - a rustic brown. His eyes are of the same earth-coloured hue, and they rise above a large nose and an ever-active mouth. D'shad has many chiselled features, in his chest and jawline, outlining him very much as a fighter, but in reality he does not practise combat nearly as much as his appearance suggests, and tends to follow his elder brother in more peaceful pursuits. In contrast, these pursuits are not those of the cool indoors and scrawls of parchment, but the great outdoors and practical skills. D'shad is an avid crafter and gatherer, often found in woodlands or accompanying the handymen living in Zoltur.

Important Holdings/Territory/Possessions:
Zoltur

Zoltur is a small city by modern standards, having but three sectors and only a couple of hundred buildings. The city lies on a gradual but unremarkable slant, being on the first incline of 'The Isolated Mountain', but that does not affect structural developments. The buildings are generally made out of wood and stone, but the Ministers are laissez-faire in regard to their people's living arrangements, so more ambitious citizens might acquire reinforced stone bricks or imported sandstone to award their home a unique nature. In this way, the living sector of the city is a mishmash of colour and culture, though the populace is still restricted to pure-blooded humans, so traditional buildings are the norm. The other two sectors of Zoltur are assigned to the government buildings and the palace, and the market and occupational centre.

Zoltur's walls rise tall and are comprehensive, surrounding the entire city without fault. A huge oak gate protrudes from the western wall, equidistant from the nearby corners, and is the only entrance into the city. Outside the walls, activity still occurs, mainly by the mines that delve into the foundations of 'The Isolated Mountain' and provide Zoltur with its stone and other natural resources.

Zoltur still retains the vigour and hubbub of a child city, having only existed for around a decade, and frequent expansions are being made by the ever growing populace of the city state.

Relation to other Factions:
Largely unknown, though members of a faction may have heard of a new, rapidly expanding city state by the south coast, and they may be aware of the prominent Ahsor Vok family, especially if they had ever lived within Nyssos.

[Lauder]

Well this has my interest. I'll start working on a sheet soon if you'll have me.

[Flagg]

Well this has my interest. I'll start working on a sheet soon if you'll have me.

@Lauder

go for it.

[Lucidnonsense]

Are we allowed to have spinxs in our empire? or are they more an NPC guardian race. Im thinking of making a civilization that involves them.

If not, I will play some kind of horrifying abhuman fish people who want to ground people up into fertilizer for some kind of flesh forest. Because they believe humanity doing so would make the world a happier place.

[Flagg]

Are we allowed to have spinxs in our empire? or are they more an NPC guardian race. Im thinking of making a civilization that involves them.

If not, I will play some kind of horrifying abhuman fish people who want to ground people up into fertilizer for some kind of flesh forest. Because they believe humanity doing so would make the world a happier place.

@Lucidnonsense

you are allowed to have sphinx, but with the understanding that they are relatively rare and relatively hard to maintain.

[Southern Sun]

My Character Sheet has now been updated with a regional map.

[TheRedViper]

This is still heavily WIP but I felt like I needed to put something up as an indication of what I'm working on.

Tuzok

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Tuzok

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Overview

Faction Name: The Holy Lands of Tuzok
Alias: The Shroud, the Redspawn, the Demonkin - very little is known of Tuzok, apart from their worship of the Red Gods. Some more ignorant kingdoms do not even know of Tuzok's existence.
Type of Government: Theocratic Autocracy; the Sorcerer-Priest Amarith acts as a vassal and prophet to the Red Gods, passing on their divine message to their somewhat less than divine followers.

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Species Information

Faction Species: Humans and Beastkin, living in near-harmony thanks to their unanimous reverence of the Red Pantheon.
Species Descriptions:

• Humans: Disgusting, greedy, self-serving creatures, with the capacity to do incredible things. Do humans really need explaining?
• Beastkin: Foul fusions of beast and man. Abhumans and mutants warped by prolonged exposure to unrefined Ichor, the Beastkin are everywhere the scourge of civilization and are almost universally despised. Violent tribes roam the vast, empty wastes, haunting especially the ruins of the Old Ones. They are frequently led by wizards, warlords, and the occasional red god. They come in an immense variety of shapes and sizes, most vaguely humanoid, and are occasionally used by other factions as slaves or mercenaries. Occasionally a warlord or sorcerer-priest will unite several tribes and pose a significant danger to more civilized peoples.

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Faction Information

Location: The Broken Coast and Northern Cinderlands (Labelled map is still WIP)
Faction Religion/Ideology: The Red Gods. The Tuzokites have answered directly to the Demon Lord Barexur no Volakh ever since Barzakh the Sacrifice gave himself to secure the demon's patronage. (I will develop the Pantheon and the Practices as need be if you'd like)
Faction Description: Tuzok is a small, dark territory shrouded in blood and mystery, centred around the ancient city of Tuzok and its surrounding territories. Situated in the mountains on the Broken Coast, the land of Tuzok is harsh and unforgiving, with the westernmost region embedded in the volcanic Cinderlands and the eastern region situated in rocky, dangerous and unforgiving mountain terrain.

Known worshippers of the Red Pantheon, the Tuzokite culture is one dependent on sacrifice and religious connection. For guidance, the people look to Amarith the Pure. The chosen successor of Fovokh Death-Hand, Amarith is the true Prophet of the Red Gods, communing often through visions and rituals to ensure the will of the Gods is enacted upon the pathetic plane of Azoth. In particular, Amarith often communes directly with the evil Demon Lord Barexur no Volakh, who guides his Holy followers on their crusades. Sacrifice is common in these dark lands; both the fiery mouth of the Bleeding Peak, all the way off in the Smouldering Mountains, and the Soulpit in the dark city of Tuzok itself, act as ritual sacrifice grounds. The appetite of the Tuzokites to appease their Gods is insatiable.

As the Salished Empire fades, the balance of power in Azoth begins to shift, and the War Gods send forth dark omen after dark omen. Barexur no Volakh stirs beneath the Holy City of Tuzok, whispering foul in the ear of Amarith the Pure, urging the dark Priest to rally his soldiers and march on the southern civilisations. The Tuzokites have united behind a single leader and a single goal. The Red Gods demand blood; the believers must be united, and the heretics must be destroyed.

Faction History: Tuzok cannot claim to boast the rich or colourful history of the other powers of Azoth. These holy lands have stood as one for little more than a few centuries after an underground cult of Red God worshippers fled the heretical authority of the Salished Empire. Making their way through the Godsfang Mountains, the group stumbled upon a culture of Beastmen inhabiting the ruins of the ancient city of Tuzok. The group were quick to claim dominion over the city, passing themselves off as messengers sent by the Red gods themselves to guide the city's inhabitants.

The human pilgrims intermingled with the Beastkin, teaching them all they knew of civilization, and quickly set about restoring Tuzok over almost a century and a half. In this time, the five cult members believed to be the most in-touch with the Red Gods established a council to oversee their new city. Ultimately, however, the dark nature of man reared its ugly head as it always does, and through treachery and deceit, a powerful sorcerer named Djago Direheart either killed off or disgraced his four fellow councillors and positioned himself as High Prophet of Tuzok.

Djago entirely reorganised the political structure of his city, acting as a dictator and appointing trusted friends and allies to powerful positions. Although Tuzok does, in theory, have a form of political council to debate decisions, the councillors are chosen by the High Prophet and he or she makes the overall decision regardless of what the council thinks. Perhaps the most important factor of Djago's system of government is that the High Prophet chooses his successor. This decision is never questioned; to do so would be heresy. While this can lead to the rise of weak leaders, the decision is always made in an honest fashion based on who is actually connected strongly to the Gods.

[WIP]

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Character Information (WIP)

Faction Leader: Amarith the Pure, the Red Prophet - Amarith resides as High Prophet over the Holy Lands of Tuzok, guiding his people to the will of the Red Gods. In particular, Amarith answers to the Demon Lord Barexur no Volakh, who has come to reside underneath the city, guiding the High Prophets of centuries past to enact his will.
Key Political Characters:

• Astaroth Ichorborn - Amarith's right-hand man and most trusted friend. Astaroth dabbles heavily in the consumption of Ichor, claiming that in the near-comatose state it induces he can commune directly with the Red Gods and learn their will. Astaroth is charged with overseeing the city of Naraka.
• Verdis the Pale - The Chief Warlord of Tuzok, Verdis holds dominion over the bulk of Tuzok's military forces from the fortress-town of Breakwater Watch by the Broken Coast. Verdis is a Beastman, something resembling a twisted and more humanlike Minotaur, with patches of pale flesh among the dark, matted black fur.
• Moazuhr the Plaguebringer - A madman in every sense of the word, Moazuhr is charged with overseeing Ichor harvesting operations in and outside of Tuzok. The lethal concoctions he derives from this blessed substance earned him his nickname.
• Daeron the Divine - Current leader of the Priesthood order that resides in the Temple of the Red Son. A shrewd and devout man, Daeron directs initiates and experienced priests alike in their rituals and worship as they prepare to fulfil important roles in Tuzok.
• Khrosh the Choker - Master of Sacrificial Ceremony. Khrosh is an enormous Trollkin man, loyal to Amarith. He is cruel and merciless, and utterly in love with his work. It is very rare to see Khrosh anywhere outside of the Soulpit.
• Fenexx Firesoul - Fenexx is the closest thing to an Agricultural Minister in Tuzok. His sole duty is to ensure ample food and water supply to both Tuzok and Naraka by any means necessary.

Other Key Characters:

• Caedes Swiftblade, the Red Champion - The proven champion of Tuzok, a frighteningly gifted young human warrior. One to be feared for sure.
• Ragmir Blackblood, the Man of Glass - Ragmir is Amarith's older brother and a powerful sorcerer. Ragmir leads regular expeditions to the Sea of Glass on the behalf of Moazuhr the Plaguebringer.
• Nero Darkheart - Head of the Warrior-Priest Order that leads the Tuzokite Hordes alongside their Warlords

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Other Information

Important Holdings:

• The Holy City of Tuzok
• Naraka, the City of Demons, discovered by Barzakh the Sacrifice
• The Shadowbane Tower, constructed by Thalefar Shadowbane
• The Temple of the Red Son, constructed in the honour of Barexur no Volakh after Barzakh the Sacrifice offered himself in exchange for adoption under the Demon Lord's dominion.
• Breakwater Watch, a fortress-town home to the bulk of Tuzok's military forces.
• Kas Mortuus, a medium sized town near Naraka.
• The Bloodpeak, a site of holy and often fatal pilgrimage in the Smouldering Mountains.
• Santhaurik, the Isle of Shrines, located just off the coastline, it is a small forested Island now home to dozens of shrines to various Red Gods

Notable Artefacts/Tech: Tuzok currently holds no archeo-tech, however does have magical strength through the will of the Demon Lord Barexur no Volakh. In particular, Tuzok's isolated position in the world means that they have not discovered gunpowder weaponry, but instead rely on well-forged arms and armour to do their killing.
Relations with Other Factions: (WIP)
Military: (WIP)
Wealth: (WIP)

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Gallery (WIP)

I like to provide visual aids, pretty pictures and the like. Eventually I'll put some here.

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[Pepperm1nts]

@cider Can we work something out regarding your location? I decided to relocate to that same area yesterday (though I only announced it in the chat).

[Boop_Im_A_Dragon]

Still a W.I.P., but I figured I should share what I have so far.

The Islands of Thio Thijan

Aliases
The Scholar’s Paradise or The Three Sisters

Government

Each Island within the Islands of Thio Thijan rule themselves semi-independently of eachother, united only under the rule of the Prophet and Circle of Magi. Though neither the Prophet or the Circle of Magi administer direct rule over the three Islands, they do set certain religious laws and practices, as well as if the time comes unite the three Islands together in name of holy war. This however is a rare circumstance.

The first and largest Island named Treyc Thijan is a semi-autonomous nation ruled under and administered by the city state Oculus. A direct democracy it hold votes that each citizen is required to partake in once every other week and can include topics such as trade, taxes, and laws. Due to its strict definition of citizenship, to be considered eligible to vote you must be born in the city of Oculus, have lived in the city until adulthood (considered to be 20 years), must not be in servitude or indebted to another man. If you are convicted of a crime or enough people deem you to be unpopular enough, you may even have your citizenship revoked.

The second largest Island Triyjan Thijan is ruled under a semi-autonomous city state called Espeya. Rule is often determined by the strongest warrior, often times leading to the current ruler being challenged to single handed combat if seen to have grown weak and incapable of rule. The current ruler Stasimus was recently crowned two years ago after overthrowing the previous king Dionysius “The Strong” after challenging him during the blood games. The battle lasting only thirty seconds rumors have spread questioning the legitimacy of the match. Though their rule is often cemented once they claim victory, it is common tradition for the ruler to elect a “battle brother” one whom he sees as a worthy ally in combat and advisor in topics foreign to himself. Though technically legal, the act of challenging the current ruler as a battle brother is seen as disgraceful by the people and has only happened twice in the history of the Island.

The smallest, yet fairly populous island of Vubral Thijan is a completely autonomous island city state ruled under a republic. Each landed citizen of the city state of Stoc Prines is eligible to vote for a representative of their district, the southern district, the port district, the trade district, the north district, west district, and center district. Then each representative votes on matters they believe represent the people of the district the best, alongside a governor whom is elected by each district representative.
Though each island is autonomous in its own right, they each have a what is called “the council of three”, a fairly large body of representatives and people built to discuss trade, laws, and various other actions involving the three islands. Though their strongest symbol of unity is through the Prophet himself, the counsel of three has taken great strides towards unifying the three once separate city states.

Faction Species

The Islands of Thio Thijan is home to a wide variety of humans and abhumans who are willing to dedicate themselves to the old ones, along with beastkin who are commonly used as slaves. Though rare even in Thio Thijan, seeing the occasional Sphinx is not entirely impossible. Many members of the circle of Magi even carry a few themselves.

Location

Faction Religion/Ideology

The religion of The Islands of Thio Thijan traces itself back several thousand years, to the first arrival of the old ones onto the continent of Azoth. The land was corrupt and bleeding, creatures of detestable beliefs and practices ran rampant throughout the lands and so it was conquered. It was not long before the Old Ones managed to take the entirety of the continent, though the exact date of which they reached the most northern of corners of the world is unknown to historians, what is known is that soon they settled. It was then that they began to civilize the native populations of the Nry’kiin and either introduced or created humanity. The exact details have yet to be revealed by the Prophet himself.

Soon began the time of gods. The land was beautiful, rich, man did not fear of the poison of Icor or the influence of the red gods. It was a time filled with peace and contentment. Historians place this time to have lasted almost two thousand years. However, as the peace and contentment grew, so did the sins of man. The “red gods” as many heathen refer to them, creatures of hate and suffering began to infect the world with icor, mutating and cursing the human populations.

The old ones, detested by man's addiction by such substances abandoned Azoth, returning to the land of gods, leaving behind those whom they believed have sinned. Scorning their terrible practices. However, in the year of the setting sun 7,600 the Prophet arrived and granted the Islands of Thio Thijan with the thirteen commandments of the old ones along with the promise of their eventual return.

The Commandments of the gods
Thou shalt spread the word of the gods whenever possible
Thou shalt not commit to the worship of other gods
Thou shalt not disrespect the image of the gods
Thou shalt not lie in front of the gods or their image
Thou shalt not covet another's possessions
Thou shalt not wrongfully kill another follower of the gods
Thou shalt not commit adultery
Thou shalt not steal
Thou shalt honors ones family and name
Thou shalt not commit to the consumption of the demon's blood (raw icor)
Thou shalt defend the word of the gods in its time of need
Thou shalt remain pure of blood
Thou shalt remain pure of soul

It was when he gave these thirteen commandments that he established the Circle of Magi, a group of powerful mages who are given the authority of enforcing the word of the old ones. Those who betray the words of the gods are tried to the fullest extent, often times facing punishment such as mutilation, execution, exile, or even death.

Faction Description

W.I.P.

Faction History

W.I.P.

Important Characters

W.I.P.

Important Holdings/Territory/Possessions

Oculus

The largest and most populous city in the Islands of Thio Thijan at around 60,000 inhabitants, it is located on the largest Island of the three, Treyc Thijan. Built upon the ruins of an Old One city, many of the buildings date back to times unknown and as a result gives the city a distinct beauty unseen in many parts of the world. Due to being arguably the largest and most powerful of the three factions and its religious significance, it finds itself in the rather strange position of holding the most power within the council of three. It also administers several different important locations on the Island including the Ruins of Naal Sconga and the growing port town of Eplye arguably making it the closest to a nation before the Prophet unified the three islands and established the council of three and circle of magi.

Stoc Prines

Stoc Prines is located on the smallest of the three Islands, Vubral Thijan, but boasts the second largest and most ethnically diverse populations at nearly 30,000 inhabitants. Due to its popularity as a trade city and its immense shipyard it is home to nearly 3/4ths of the entirety of Thio Thijans fleet. Due to its rather distinct culture and people, it has resisted many of the laws and pushes for unification by the counsel of three, arguing that it would diminish the great deal of wealth that they have grown over the many years as a trade hub.

Espeya

Located on the second largest Island named Triyjan Thijan is the city of Espeya. Though the city has only 20,000 inhabitants, its people are highly militarized and serve as the majority of the warriors within the Islands of Thio Thijan. The people follow what they believe to be is the honorable military tradition of the old ones. Ruled only by the strongest, becoming a warrior in their society is considered one of the greatest honors known to man, second only to becoming a general. Renown for the legendary Blood Games. A two month long tournament between the best warriors in the world to fight in the name of both honor and glory, whether they be beastkin, Nyr’kiin, abhumans, or human. One of the few traditions held on to before their enlightenment by the Prophet, it takes place in the “arena of bones”.

Agrar Fortress

A large fortress on the mainland coast of the Meridion it holds the honorable distinction of being the only locations being governed by the council of three, rather than one of the three Islands. Heavily defended by nearly 1500 Espeyan elite equipped with Archeo-tech and some 4 Varrod League cannons. It is often times considered an honor to serve within the walls of Agrar, it is certainly one of the most dangerous locations due to constantly having to defend itself against things such as hordes of Beastkin, red-gods, and other demonic activity.

Heald mostly due to it’s strategic purposes, it serves as a port for mainland expeditions to move through, as well as a location to import various native species of the Meridion, such as the Brouji, a large four legged lizard species roughly the size of a horse that feeds off small animals and birds, who are often used to carry people and goods across the wastes.

The Ruins of Naal Sconga

Naal Sconga was a large city built by the old ones, much like the city of Oculus, however it has degraded severely in comparison to its neighbor in the south. Now mostly used as a location to study by various scholars and priests who make up the majority population of the former city. It is also the location of the great library. An ancient Old One library relatively untouched by time, said to contain the text that predicts the return of the old ones.

The ruins hold the distinction of being held and controlled almost directly by The Prophet and the Circle of Magi. Though the city of Oculus officially administers it, the ruins are under the Prophet’s complete control.

The port town of Eplye

Though relatively small at only 2 thousand residents, it is a growing port city in the south of Oculus. Popular among many as being the home of Sylf, a rare spice that grows exclusively to the southern part of the island that acts as a hallucinogenic. Trade has been strictly limited in regard of selling it to outside nations. The city having been established only 20 years ago, it is believed that it was built by the City of Oculus purely to curb the desire to remain autonomous in the city state of Stoc Prines.

Relation to other Factions

W.I.P.

[Polybius]

Just dropping in to say I may not be able to finish my sheet until monday. Also wondering if the trend towards high fantasy in the last couple of ns's is the new norm for the rp? Armies and nations lead by wizards and sorcerers etc. Seem at direct odds with the gm's attitude on magic. And the setting as a whole-I was under the impression that this was a "broken world" where civilization was just barely scraping by in the twilight years of Azoth.
Edit: don't get me wrong-I'm not calling anyone out, I just want to be clear on the theme and tone of the story before I put three hours into a NS. Thanks!