Fern, dreamshell; thank you taking interest in Altaea and stopping by! I honestly didn't expect many others to show interest and I'm sure there will be many trials awaiting our characters, but I am grateful for the interest. I certainly am not opposed to multiple characters, but due to my experiences in over a dozen stories; I would like to encourage all writer-players to stick with one character for story's sake due to the strains splitting two characters might cause on one's free time. That being said, roleplaying from multiple points of view could certainly be interesting, story-wise! There are a many possibilities and outcomes and it is up to the writers to determine where the story will be directed! Deception is a very dangerous tool that can fell even the greatest of warriors so female characters are certainly welcome to pose as men to join the military. It is also plausible for a woman-in-disguise to obtain an officerial position so long as it is not the equivalent of a Field Marshall. Just remember that it would be very difficult to maintain the disguise without proper caution creativity and ingenuity those character types to hide their identities! I would like to mention that despite the widespread sexism there were female knights within Valania's former armies and even lady officers within several prominent Sacred Orders that were left alone by the Sarifens during their campaigns across Valania. One example is Lady Rosellia Vaan Lionheart, who is a Knight Captain of the Holy Order. There are actually dozens of nations covering the globe and ancient secrets awaiting unravelling, but their conflicts and struggles are largely irrelevant to Carcassonne's struggles. Aside from their warmongering Sarifen neighbors, the Valanians maintained better relations and pacts with the Southern Carcassonians prior to their annexation. The relative relations with their neighbors: Vectis, Vorst, and Ivalis were actually quite cordial before the Kingdom's collapse and I'll list their initial backgrounds here. [u][b]Vectis[/u][/b] Vectis and Vorst both maintain strong alliance and maintain proper relations within their respective regional realms. Vectis' military is one of world's most disciplined and organized fighting forces despite their numbers in comparison to the Sarifens or the Vorstians. The Vectian borders are dotted with fortresses and the occasional citadel, making their land borders nearly impregnable. The thought of Vectis Legions and King Winsgate II single-handedly storming across the borders and into any territory strikes fear into most other nations. Vectian fencers and blade masters are also second to none with Vorst trailing not far behind. The nation's Tribune Knights are very well trained, cultured, and embody an aura of leadership within the lower ranks. Culturally and traditions-wise, Vectis is a living, incarnation of the Western Roman Empire, though its economy is quite strong and robust. The Vectian Senate is primarily electoral and the Royal Family's ([i]the Winsgate line[/i]) position is somewhat ceremonial except in times of war. Justice is much more honest and forthright while civil rights (women's rights included) are also far ahead of most of other Carcassonian nations. The cities are all very well connected and lead towards the capital, Altair while the infrastructure is quite sophisticated, stretching all the way to their heartland. [u][b]Vorst[/b][/u] Militarily Vorst is not far behind Vectis and maintains strong relations with their Vectis neighbors. They are more known for their economy, which outpaces Vectis by several leagues. Culturally, they embody a strong influence with the Byzantine Empire. Their cultural and arts output has spread throughout Southern Carcassonne and although their society is very structured, it is much less oppressive. Ancient philosophies were known to have originated from Vorst's schools of thought and their medical and science disciplines are very sophisticated. Stemming back from the Age of Nobles; the government in Vorst's capital, Averna, is largely a league of principalities held together by a General Assembly and a wise king named, Sigurd Von Drago VI. King Drago VI maintains a national army that is only moderately larger than Vectis, however, the Lancer Corps are both expansive and highly unmatched. Vorstian Lancers can deploy on a moment's notice and can respond to any threat within a very short period of time. [u][b]Ivalis[/u][/b] Last and foremost is the largely peninsular-coastal nation of Ivalis, ruled by the stern and somewhat ruthless Queen Athirat Barca I. The Ivalians are unique in that even though their land armies do not compare to Vectis and Vorst; they control a massive and sophisticated navy that not only protects their sea lanes, but can project sea power across the globe in a terrifying fashion. Quite simply, they more known as a trading empire, which bears strong resemblance to the Carthaginians. Midia, Ivalis' capital has long been known a jewel of the known world and their sophisticated dockyards are second to none. Ivalian client colonies have also appeared along other coastlines, making for a formidable power should one draw the Queen's ire. Ivalian society is primarily matriarchal and ruled by a aristocratic, landowning body, known as the Council of Four Hundred and Four. Women dominate all sectors of life and very rarely do men retain land or authoritative positions. For centuries, they have remained the primary maritime power within Carcassonne and their financial output puts both Vectis and Vorst to shame ... [u][b]Sarifen Foreign Relations[/u][/b] Sarife's current land mass that is somewhat larger than Vectis, Vorst, and Ivalis combined, however, relations between its neighboring nations have been heavily soured following Valania's annexation. Rumors of another war are looming over the horizon as the armies of Vectis and Vorst mobilize around Valania's former borders. Ivalian war vessels have also been spotted performing naval drills along the coasts and several skirmishes have reported to have happened between Sarifen and Ivalian ships. To make matters worse, leaders concluded a session within the Vectisian capital of Altair to form a Southern Coalition. Kings Winsgate II, Drago VI, and Queen Barca I were there to attend and offered their unanimous support to a joint intelligence and military sharing pact. The coming months will forever alter Carcassonne's history and shake the continent for centuries to come .... [u][b]Notes:[/b][/u] dreamshell, it's such a coincidence that you mentioned that the whole bit about weekends. My weekends are pretty non-existent given the fact that I have work. Weekdays though? I can usually spare some moments! [b]Edit:[/b] I will wait for a couple days to see if anyone else wants to jump on the bandwagon. I'm thoroughly surprised about the attention Altaea's getting given what I've seen in the Interest Checks board. If there aren't any other peeps in the next few days, I'll start up Altaea with full fledged character sheet signups! I'm open to suggestions so if you think anything cool might fit in with this story, let me know! I won't bite 8)