[quote=@The Nexerus]
Here is my completed NS, for GM review.

[hider=The Order]
[centre][h1][b]THE ORDER OF ANVILL[/b][/h1][img]http://i.imgur.com/Zl9pYg5.jpg?1[/img][/centre]



[b][h2]Location/Geography[/h2][/b]
[hider=Map Claim][img]http://i.imgur.com/oUXd87y.jpg[/img][/hider]
The Order of Anvill is based out of the large island for which the Order was named: Anvill. It is a bleak place, the sort of environment that could break a weak man of his will to live. Anvill has long, excruciatingly cold winters, and the island's constant overcast, fogginess, and northerly latitude combine to make it dark and dreary; Anvill's skies are greyish even at midday in summer. Her coastlines consist mostly of rough, uneven cliffs, the entire north coast in particular nothing but a long expanse of crags, deathly to all ships. The western and eastern coasts are hospitable enough to accommodate small fishing boats, but only a single gulf, in the south, contains a harbour fit for large, ocean going vessels. Naturally, this harbour became home to Anvill's main port-city, and the Order's capital: Storstad.

An ancient city, constructed almost entirely of stone, Storstad far pre-dates the Order. Its founding marked the beginning of the first unified polity in Anvill, the Kingdom of Anvill. The city grew haphazardly, sprawling out to more or less its current boundaries during the kingdom era, and became home to almost a third of Anvill's entire population. After the Black War and the rise of the Order, the city was heavily redesigned. Most of the dwellings were torn down, their inhabitants relocated either to elsewhere in Anvill or, later, to the Order's newly acquired colonies and vassal-states. The city's new lay-out revolved around the newly constructed Hall of Masters, in the city's centre, located equidistant from the inner-most points of the newly constructed star fort surrounding the city, serving as its exterior wall. Storstads main roads are also built around this idea, with each of the seven inner edges of the star fortification—serving as the city's gates—corresponding to a road leading directly to the Hall of Masters.

Outside of Storstad, most of Anvill's rural population live in small, unwalled towns and villages in the countryside, patrolled by knights of the Order. Most of the island's towns correspond to nearby mines, collecting the plentiful mineral wealth of Anvill. The islands' villages, in contrast, are largely agricultural, their farms owned (like the mines) by the Order itself, providing that portion of the island's sustenance that isn't imported. And what the island can't produce for itself, it trades for: with its own colonies.

Although the Hall of Masters is the Order's headquarters, the organization's relentless, militaristic expansionism has led to Storstad, and Anvill as a whole, becoming only one of many territories owned and operated by the Order. These regions, beyond the island of Anvill, operate as somewhere between the range of colony and vassal-state, with varying levels of self-goverance according to their strategic importance and the level of trust that the Hall of Masters is willing to place in them. Some still operate as largely independent kingdoms, garrisoned by the Order only to prevent the expansion of foreign entities into their borders. Other regions, especially those formerly home to large non-human populations, are seen as mere extentions of the Order's homeland, rendered so demographically identical to Anvill through waves of migration that their local systems of governance have been abolished—not to oppress the inhabitants, but to better represent them as people indistinct from the citizens of Storstad. Then, there are the provinces whose pasts, and present state, reveal the most about the Order's brutality and strength of will.

The oldest of these conquered lands is the island chain of Merkelig, the Stor name for the fallen, ancient land of Ikkor. A kingdom of giants, some as large as twenty feet tall, Ikkor was the oldest standing of the many established kingdoms that fell to the might of the Order in its early years. Nowadays is it almost entirely uninhabited, every single one of its former giant settlements torn down and burnt to ash, along with their inhabitants, in a campaign of genocide waged long ago. There is only a single civilized place left in Merkelig: the village of Renhet, the Stor word for 'purity', a small port built on the largest of the islands' south coast, constructed by the successful knights of the Order to celebrate the death of Ikkor. Renhet is home to a small number of lumberers and their families, making a living harvesting the legendary massive trees of Merkelig, whose roots first grew into the Earth in an age when giants walked the land.

Another species wiped out by the Order, the Drisk, once lived in the province now called Stigendsol. They were a bipedal species resembling bears, whom had always been violently hostile to human travellers in their lands. Like the Ikkor, they were religiously devoted to nature, and would often sacrifice those portions of the men that they killed, but did not eat, by decorating the forests with their entrails. Needless to say, when the Order came to extinguish the Drisk, they were unimpressed by the Drisk's savagery and left no survivors in their wake. The forest which the Drisk had so passionately defended throughout their entire existence was completely cleared and burnt, its ashes fertilizing the soil for the Stor settlers that arrived soon after. These settlers gave the province its current name, Stigendsol, and founded its most populous settlement: the trading post of Stigend.

One of the more recent conquests of the Order is the Kingdom of Iorica, a vassal-state that retains its own king, but which is garrisoned by a large accompaniment of the Order's knights. Iorica is largely left to its own devices as far as internal governance goes, with the sole exception that the King of Iorica must always agree never to tolerate non-humans in his kingdom. Despite the Order's permissiveness as far as the kingdom's law is concerned, Iorica is nonetheless one of the most strategically important of the Order's possessions. The kingdom is the southern-most and most inland area of the Order's dominion, and serves as an allied buffer-state to prevent the expansion of the Crown of Virith, to Iorica's south. Iorica was won by the Order in a war against Virith, started by the Order to prevent Virith's northern expansion after a succession dispute had almost resulted in the Crown's successful incorporation of the kingdom. The Iorican War ended with the Battle of Dalion, when the Order's Black Knights triumphantly routed the pro-Virith forces of Duke Roul after they attempted to break the siege on the kingdom's capital. The Order then negotiated peace with the King of Virith, and established a new, pro-Order King of Iorica, establishing the kingdom as a vassal-state.

In the far east is the large, volcanically active island of Rokeland, a former possession of the Kingdom of Anvill lost during the Black War, but regained during the Order's subsequent expansion. Rokeland was originally a fishing colony, settled by servants of the King of Anvill to expand the kingdom's agricultural capacity. The island's sole city, "Stadavsonskog", located on a small island just south of Rokeland proper, translates as "City of the Son of the Man of the Woods", a reference to its founder being the son of a lumberjack. The island's count announced Rokeland's independence from Anvill after the First High Master took Storstad, and it was not until the Third High Master reigned that Rokeland was retaken, surrendering without a fight after a fleet of ships was spotted approaching on the horizon. It is rumoured that after the Third High Master arrived in Stadavsonskog, he punished the Count of Rokeland for his father's crime of treason by hacking off the count's hands and feet and abandoning him in the forests of the island to die. The fishermen of Stadavsonskog say that the Count's soul came to inhabit the Rokeland volcano, and that, whenever the main island of Rokeland is disturbed, the count will become furious, and lash out in anger by causing the volcano to erupt. For this reason, the superstitious fishermen of Stadavsonskog never dwell too close to the main island.

Another tale of successful Order conquest is on the mainland, in an area known to the Stor simply as 'Middel'. The Middel is the largest of the Order's provinces, besides Anvill itslf, and is home to a great number of settlers from Anvill proper. It houses three main cities: Hammerbyen, Reinhold and Northport. Of these, Hammerbyen is the largest, an industrious city of iron workers built as the nexus for the large number of iron mines dotting Middel. Reinhold, though, is the best fortified, and acts as the capital, housing the Duke of Middel and a large contingent of the Order. Northport is the province's main coastal town, and an important centre of trade along the mainland's north coast, situated in a natural harbour and attracting trade from all across the far flung corners of the world. Back before the First Crusade, when Anvill was still a kingdom and the Order had yet to be created, Middel consisted of a number of disparate dukes and counts, endlessly bickering and fighting amongst each other. The strongest of these polities was the Duchy of Reinhold, and it was the Reinhold's traditional rivals, the House of Morrin, that were the first victims of the Order's conquest. Although Middel had always been a mostly human land, there existed a small minority of beastial, hairy people, something of a cross-breed between the giants of Ikkor and men, who dwelled along the northern coasts and occasionally raided smaller villages. There was also a slightly larger minority of Elven people, who primarily resided in Morrin lands, where they were most tolerated. The head of House Morrin, controversially and against his advisors wishes, bewed a daughter of one of the richer families of these northern Elves. The Duke of Reinhold,  taking advantage of the beastial races' reputation for brutality, incited a popular revolt throughout the Middel against the beast-men, the Elves, and House Morrin, their supposed protectors. The knights of the Order arrived in the Middel shortly after the revolt had begun, and took the cause as their own, pledging to defeat House Morrin and clean the land of all rivals to men. The Sixth High Master laid siege to the seat of House Morrin, and, after their own men rebelled against them and opened the gates to the Order, allowed the unruly peasants to storm the keep and murder both the Head of House Morrin, his elven wife, and every other Morrin that lived. He then commandered the forces of House Reinhold, marching them against those counts and dukes in the Middel who refused to bend to the Order, whilst the Order's knights themselves slew the half-Ikkor raiders in the north. By the end of the conflict, the Order had successfully purged the Middel of all non-humans and their sympathizers, and the Duke of Reinhold was permitted goverance of the entire region, now unified as a single province, as reward for his loyalty.

Most westerly of the Order of Anvill's provinces are the two provinces of West Gullrike and East Gullrike, which occupy the far western tip of the continent and are relatively recent acquisitions. Gullrike was its own kingdom before the arrival of the Order, but was not permitted to retain its self-government, as the Kingdom of Iorica had. Instead, the Kingdom of Gullrike was abolished, and the region divided in two. East Gullrike continues on as a relatively autonomous region, 'The County of East Gullrike', ruled by a bastard line of the kingdom's former ruling family that sided with the Order during the conquest. East Gullrike's seat of power is Everk, which contains most of East Gullrike's population. West Gullrike, in contrast, is governed directly by the Order, and its main port and Gullrike's former capital, Bailemew, was renamed 'Ornfort' and converted into a mostly military site, preserving only a portion of the city's docks for civilian use (to prevent losing Bailemew's trade connections with the west). Ornfort's former inhabitants were all either settled in East Gullrike or given a dwelling in Dieden, West Gullrike's formerly second largest, and now largest, settlement. Both West and East Gullrike are known for their excellence in metallurgy, a talent they share with the Stor, which has assisted in their ongoing cultural conversion.

One of the more minor colonies of the Order is Koberoy, an island conquered and completely demographically reconstructed by the Order. Koberoy was settled by the Stor after its conquest, and is now largely indistinguishable from Anvill, but its original peoples—though human—were a far cry from the island's current settlers. The Order's history teacges that the original inhabitants of Koberoy were an extremely primitive people, far divorced from the traditional ways of Anvill, living in huts made of whalebone and wearing only ragged animal furs. They used fire for warmth, but did not cook their only forms of sustenance, fish and meat, which they ate raw. The Third High Master, after defeating those inhabitants of Koberoy who could fight, is said to have ordered the execution of the rest largely out of pity. After Koberoy was depopulated, it was then resettled by new arrivals from Anvill, and is today seen as just another of Anvill's surrounding islands, an integral part of the homeland of the Stor.

Bondeland is the most fertile province within the Order's sphere of control. A rural country, filled with farmers and livestock, Bondeland is unique in that it had been colonized by the Stor even before the fall of the Kingdom of Anvill and the rise of the Order. It remained under Order control, unlike Rokeland, over the course of the Black War, and became one of the first and most popular destinations for settlers from Stor after the Order's restructuring of Storstad. Today, Bondeland is the Order's most important agricultural zone, feeding much of the rest of the Order's lands, including Anvill itself, with its surplus produce. Bondeland's most important settlement is Mattvin, a port-city that is the destination point for Bondeland's agricultural goods before they are sent abroad by sea.

[b][h2]General Introduction[/h2][/b]
The people of Anvill are the Stor, whose society is incredibly stark and conservative. An individual's role within Stor society is rigid, and even something as simple as a son taking on a different profession than his father is rare enough to be noteworthy. The traditional values of the Stor—ascetism, dedication to family, valour in the face of danger and perseverance in the face of hardship—are something bred into the Order's sons and daughters. Compliance to these virtues is not only encouraged, but strictly and regimentally enforced, by both the state and the people themselves. Upon reaching his or her sixteenth birthday, each Stor child is given a choice: to remain in the household and comply with the teachings of the Stor, and swear to obey the culture's laws and practices, or, to leave. Those who have left the Stor are lowered in the Order's hierarchy to the same level as any other non-Stor humans, regardless of their purity of blood. They are disowned by their families, and, if they reside in Anvill, exiled; non-Stor are not permitted on the island.

The role of men and women in Stor society is as clearly delineated as would be expected. Men are responsible foremost for defending their homeland and spreading the ideology and dominion of the Order. They are also masters of their household, in charge of all family affairs. Women, though relegated to minor duties, are not necessarily disrespected—especially mothers. The ideal Stor woman is matronly, producing many sons and daughters and imbuing them in the Stor way of thinking, but also productive. The militarism of Stor society allows for women to have a great deal more freedom to pursue work in trades than they might in non-Stor societies, including those within the rest of the Order's imperium. Female metal workers, the largest trade in the Order, are relatively common, and women predominate in the fields of medicine and even worship.

The religious teachings of the Order are quite simple. There is one God, the Allfather, creator of all that has ever existed. He is benevolent, and the evils of the world exist to foster strength in his chosen people, the Stor, and their cousins, the rest of mankind. Worship of the Allfather is conducted primarily by a female clergy, the Valstre. Sisters of the Valstre live an ascetic life, even more so than other Stor, residing in modest monasteries, always located separate from major settlements. These monasteries are self-sufficient, either farming their own food or producing crafted goods to sell for produce. Valstre monasteries are marked with the symbol of the Allfather: three circles, horizontally intertwined, representing the cyclicality of life and the separations and similarities between the Allfather's different children.



[b][h2]History[/h2][/b]
The Order teaches that Anvill is the birthplace of humanity, the ultimate place of origin of all humans who have ever lived. In the days before the founding of Storstad, mankind consisted of bickering tribes, spread all throughout Anvill's rocky coasts, subsisting on fishing and hunting and gathering. Storstad was founded when one tribe, the Stor, Anvill's most powerful, who were famous for their abilities as smiths, conquered all of their competitors on the island. Those of the weaker tribes who refused to join the Stor were exiled from Anvill, and spread out all across the world, to become the descendants of the human societies now dispersed throughout the land. Storstad was founded as a monument to this great victory, and it was in its streets that the Order was fought for and created.

After the founding of Storstad and the emergence of the Stor as the sole occupants of Anvill, the island gradually developed into a unified, centralized state: the Kingdom of Anvill. The ruling dynasty, whose surname was simply 'Stor', held absolute authority, ruling over all facets of society and owning every patch of land and every bag of flesh on Anvill. Their harshness in the dispensation of justice, and the necessity of hard work to survive in the harsh climate of Anvill, birthed an extreme diligence in the island's people. Obedience to authority became the core of Anvill's culture, and among those who served in the direct employ of the king, the taking of life became a trivial matter. Executions, which were carried out for even moderate wrongdoings, were shared among soldiers and guardsmen, so that each of the king's men could be responsible for the end of at least one life. This bred a strong starkness and sense of militarism in the Stor soldiers, and set the stage for the 'Black War', some three hundred years ago.

The Black War was a civil war/coup in Anvill, fought between the Kingdom of Anvill on one side and the newly created Order of Anvill on the other. The Order was forged by a group of ten officers in the Kingdom of Anvill's Royal Guard, who referred to themselves as the 'Council of Masters'. They approached the man that would become known as the last fully recognized King of Anvill, Harold XVI, and demanded that he surrender to a constitution, signed by each of the Ten Masters. Harold refused, angrily, and ordered his guard to have the Masters apprehended for their insolence. Rather than obey their king, however, the palace guards obeyed the Masters, their military superiors, and instead apprehended Harold. Known proponents of the monarchy were captured and publicly executed, and the Masters employed propaganda advocating personal freedom and other republican ideals, which appealed to the long impoverished masses, and won the Masters widespread support in the streets of Storstad.

However, the King's imprisonment, and the Order's execution of many high-ranking monarchist officers, outraged many Stor loyalists, especially those from the settlements outside of Storstad. The loyalist Royal Guard assembled from throughout the many small towns and villages of Anvill and laid siege to Storstad, demanding the release of the King and for justice to be inflicted upon the Ten Masters. Over time, as the situation in the city grew more and more dire, the Ten Masters were gradually beset upon by turncoats who had been among their supporters in the original coup. Nine of the ten were assassinated, but the tenth, the greatest personal warrior of the Masters, defeated his assailants in personal combat on the same night that his last two remaining contemporaries were murdered. The Tenth Master led a bloody campaign of vengeance against the Stor loyalists within Storstad, proclaiming himself Anvill's ultimate authority as High Master, and slaughtering any who would oppose him.

As famine and disease began to grip the still besieged Storstad, the High Master became determined to ride out to meet the royalist armies and break the siege. He sent word to the engineers and architects of Storstad, including those descendants of the original Stor families who had long ago mastered smithing and siege-craft, and led to the Stor peoples' pre-eminence. Before long, weapons were built, and a plan was devised. The High Master sent word to the royalists that he would surrender, and return King Harold to the throne, but on the condition that he himself be spared from retribution and permitted to return to his post. The Royalists, conspiring to enact a surrender and then betray and kill the High Master, accepted the terms, and greeted the High Master and King Harold at the wall atop the city's main gate. After the terms were agreed to, however, and the gate opened, the High Master was not behind it. Instead, the propped up corpse of King Harold XVI dropped from the city walls, and the royalist armies gazed upon an array of cannons.

The High Master won the battle. The royalists were routed, with heavy casualties, and the Order's soldiers inside Storstad suffered almost zero losses, having needed to leave the gates only to bayonet the wounded. With the Siege of Storstad finally broken, the High Master mustered his forces and led a campaign of vengeance against the royalist countryside. Towns were pillaged, villages wiped off the face of the Earth, and all of the food and wealth of Anvill stolen and brought back to Storstad. All those who resisted were apprehended and executed, and in a grand display of force, order was brought to Anvill.

After the Black War was won, the High Master, who would then be known as the First High Master, ruled for a short time. His reign would not be as long as it was hard to win, however, and he died of illness only two short years after his ascension, accomplising little except for disposing of the previous regime and earning the ire of the countryside. It was in the vacuum of his death, when the Second High Master was ordained, that the Order would come to adopt its current, supremacist character. The Second High Master, eager to unite the country behind a common cause and find an enemy to turn the destitute peasants of the countryside against, looked south, past Anvill. Assembling an army—mostly from among the countryside, to ensure the loyal soldiers of Storstad would remain to keep the island secure—the Second High Master led Anvill's First Crusade, against what would become its first conquered vassal-state: Stigendsol.

Stigendsol, not yet known by that name, was a savage land, populated by bear-like non-humans, the Drisk. Famous for their hostility to human traders and travellers, Drisk culture and faith was centred around the forests that constituted their homeland, and involved caring for and revering the trees and earth. It is said by the Order's chroniclers that the Drisk ate the flesh of those men that they killed, and use what remained of their corpses (after they had consumed what they deemed edible) to decorate the woods in which they dwelled. When the might of the First Crusade arrived in Drisk lands, they were greeted by monuments made of the bones of fallen men, protected from the elements by cloths of human skin, strung from the trees by the deceased's entrails. By the time that the Drisk had been soundly defeated, after a long series of bloody battles, less than a tenth of the original fighting force of the First Crusade remained. To free the souls of those men massacred by the Drisk, and forever erase their impact on the world's history, the Second High Master ordered, after the defeat of the Drisk tribes, that the entire woodland in which they dwelled be burnt and cleared. By the time of the First Crusade's end, and the return of the Second High Master and his remaining men to Anvill, the Drisk had ceased to exist, and their forested homeland had been reverted to a flat expanse of ash.

Similar crusades would follow. Successive High Masters, looking to build national unity and foster assurance in the strength of the realm's armies, launched conquest after conquest against the surrounding territories of Anvill. Kingdoms were submitted or destroyed and entire societies erased from existence by the end of an Order blade, as preexisting polities were either reforged or discarded by the crusaders. In the wake of these reavings, the ever fecund Stor would arrive to rebuild the land in the image of Anvill, of humanity's homeland.  The rebirth of the supremacy of mankind, in its purest form, had begun in earnest.


[h2][b]Government[/b][/h2]
The Order of Anvill is governed by the Hall of Masters, a conclave consisting of some retired and some active military officials, who reside in their eponymous seat in the centre of Storstad. In charge of the Hall of Masters is the High Master, who is elected from within the Hall. The High Master can only be chosen from among those of the Masters still young enough to be in active military service, but only those Masters who are no longer old enough to serve are given voting power. This ensures that the High Master is always an experienced and capable military figure, relatively young, and has the support of the elders of the Hall. Once a High Master retires from active duty (upon reaching a certain age), he becomes one of those individuals who decide upon his replacement. Importantly, only those raised as Stor, and who pursue military careers, can become Masters. All non-Stor humans, and all Stor who are not experienced on the battlefield, are ineligible. Only the strong may rule the Order.


[h2][b]Economy & Industry[/b][/h2]

Most residents of the Order's territories work to produce food, either farming hardy crops in the empire's dry, cold soil, fishing in the northern seas, or hunting game in the dense woods. The northerly location of the Order means that even with a large population dedicated to providing food from multiple sources, the country is still only just barely agriculturally self-sufficient—in good years. In bad years, when crops fail and fish and game are sparse, the Order of Anvill must import foodstuffs from outside of its dominion, mostly from the human kingdoms of the west and the Crown of Virith. In especially grave times, when production and imports aren't enough, the Order's knights conduct rationing, limiting the transportation of food into the major cities of the Order's colonies, and redirecting surplus agricultural production in all provinces to first and foremost feed Anvill.

Almost all of those inhabitants of the Order's lands not involved in producing food are employed as craftsmen in various trades. Chief among these are the metal workers, a term that in Anvill includes everyone from those who mine the ores to those who smith (or apply) the final, finished goods. Metal workers are a highly respected lot in Anvill, revered below only the Order's warriors. Most prestigious of all metalworkers are smiths, those who turn the smelted ingots from the Order's mines into armour and weaponry. The Stor have a long and proud history of producing incredibly talented blacksmiths, and the name of the island of the Stor, Anvill, is a reference to its place as the anvil of humanity, the location where the hammer of war forged both the Stor and the other races of men.

[b][h2]Military Overview[/h2][/b]

The Order's military forces are numerous and diverse, possessing a great many soldiers of all types, from standard swordsmen to expert marksmen armed with crossbows, and all the way to the world infamous Black Knights. The intense militarism and patriotic and religious dedication of the Order's citizens ensures there are always a large body of men to draw ranks from, and all able-bodied men of the Order are expected to be able to defend themselves and their families from basic threats. The Order's continuous military expeditions ensure that their armies are both experienced and wisely proportioned; the Order's armies show no predisposition towards favouring any particular form of combat, employing whatever must be employed to defeat the enemy and purify the world for the greatness of mankind. The exception to this rule is Anvill's most well known military force: the Black Knights.

The Black Knights are the elite of the Order of Anvill. Named for their black armour and black horses, and legendary for their lethality, the Black Knights are heavy cavalry, the shock troops of the Order's armies. Their ranks draw exclusively from pure-blooded Stor, and those selected for training are the most physically fit young boys that Anvill has to offer. From their induction (usually around age 14) until their death, the Black Knights never leave military service, fighting for humanity until they die on the battlefield. Living unglamorous lives, like all Stor, the Black Knights are forcibly separated from their families once inducted and forbidden from making any new personal connections, except among their fellow brothers. They are also forbidden almost all of life's pleasures; they cannot consume alcohol and most importantly cannot become intimate with women. The penalty for a Black Knight who consorts with a woman is castration, and the penalty for consumption of alcohol or other illicit substances is even more severe: death by burning. The only joys permitted to Black Knights are the thrill of combat and the respect of the Allfather.

[/hider]
[/quote]I thought my "like" makes it obvious enough but just for the sake of it I read over your NS again and see nothing wrong with it.
You are in.
[@ClocktowerEchos]Any spots open in that "party" of yours? :lol
I can choose anything from a rouge Orc to a dwarven merc to even some snobbish elf adventurer.

[quote=@RisenDead]
GM approval?

[hider=Electorate of Ordensburg]

[center][h1][b]The Electorate of Ordensburg[/b][/h1]

[img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ba/0c/8c/ba0c8c6313de24d676542251a740bb05.jpg[/img][/center]

[center][b][h2]General Introduction[/h2][/b][/center]

[justify]The Electorate of Ordensburg is a by-product of the Adronian Empire, though never truly a part of it, it was an Adronian Ally during it’s conquest of the great continent. A highly disciplined and organized nation of Humans, Ordensburg is a trading powerhouse to rival the Republic of Vuts. 

The Elecorate maintains a massive Naval and Trade fleet with only a small standing, and completely volunteer, army. It’s people are industrious and adventurous, traits that have taken the people of Ordensburg to the far reaches of the world. 

[center][b][h2]Location/Geography[/h2][/b][/center]

[center][img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e0/d8/09/e0d8099306a40e6665b3de37ccf0a0f9.jpg[/img]
[sub]Port City of Człuchów[/sub][/center]
[hider=Claims]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/vBsdtmZ.png[/img]
[/hider] Zone: 12

The Electorate of Ordensburg is a collection of mid-size islands that sit at the meeting place of the Kentratus, Rorsa, and Angustus Oceans. The climate here is mild much of the time, with winter dipping down to just below freezing and the summers being moderately hot. It rains most of the winter, often referred to as the Grey Months, and flooding can be an issue in low lying areas. There are no major mountains to be found, though some high jagged limestone hills can be found in the interior of the main island, a city has even been built in the midst of the great river that flows from there.

Where there are no cities or settlements is a thick, temperate rainforest that takes very little time to rebound when it is cut back and the Electorate is in constant danger of losing its highways and even some buildings to the onslaught of nature.

There are numerous fantastic creatures in the woods, some hostile, others not so much, and the Electorate has issued a ban on logging or hunting without permits in order to preserve the landscape of their homeland. 

Due to the extreme amount of rainfall there is no city that does not have an extensive number of waterways and canals to traverse it. Most shipping and transport of goods is done by water since the roads are prone to being washed out in more rural areas. 


[center][b][h2]History[/h2][/b][/center]

Trade has always been a way of life for the people of Ordensburg. For generations they have gone to sea, as fisherman, merchants, and in the service of the Electorate. For much of their history they went no further than their nearby neighbours, petty raids, trade deals and the like, but then came the Adronian Empire.

The size of scope of the Adronian Empire suddenly opened up massive opportunities for Electorate Merchants. The Adronians invited the Ordensburg Merchants to open up Trade Houses in conquered cities, provided the Electorate provided Naval support to their cause. The Electorate jumped at the opportunity and soon the flag of Ordensburg was well known the world over on either trade ships or warships. 

The Electorate benefitted greatly from their relationship with the Adronians. Wealth, knowledge, people, and technology flooded back from the lands overseas. During this time the Electorate entered into a Golden Age of exploration, discovery and prosperity. 

Then came the collapse of the Adronian Empire. No one is still entirely sure how the Electorate managed to disentangle itself from the wreck of its biggest client without vanishing as well. Much of that genius lay in the Electors, men who worked tirelessly to ensure that trade remained steady with newly emerging nationstates.

The Electorate is not without competition of course.  The Republic of Vuts maintains its own massive trade fleet the two have come to blows several times over the years over trade rights. It seems, for the moment, that all is calm.


[center][h2][b]Government & Capital[/b][/h2]

[img]http://s32.postimg.org/qnwrd6c79/Landscape_Naboo_star_wars_24868166_2400_1350.jpg[/img]
[sub]Ordensburg - Capital [/sub][/center]

The Electorate shares the name of its principal city, Ordensburg. This mighty city should be considered one of the great wonders of the world for it is made almost entirely of marble and the canals that criss-cross it are a wonder to behold. Resting tight against the sea, Ordensburg provides shelter to the majority of the Electorates Naval power and handles nearly 50% of the trade ships that visit every year. 

Six Electors, men elected by the local populace every two years to advise the ultimate power in the land, the Grand Elector, rule Ordensburg. The Electors are always merchants or military men who have the task of managing the interests of the Electorate on everything from religion, to trade and taxes, right down to the protection of forests. The Great Merchant Houses and Guilds often attempt to stack the council in their favour and corruption has been an increasing issue in the Electorate. 


[center][h2][b]Races[/b][/h2][/center]

[center][img]http://s32.postimg.org/s9qyz5imd/Shay_Templar_front.jpg[/img]
[sub]Ordensburg Merchant[/sub][/center]

Humans are the primary race in Ordensburg. Like the rest of their race they come in all shapes, sizes, hair colours and the like. Being a major trade hub, the Electorate is surprisingly tolerant of races, even amongst their own kind. In the streets of the great cities you will find representatives from virtually all races free to come and go as they please, providing they follow local laws.  


[center][h2][b]Social Culture[/b][/h2][/center]

[center][img]http://s32.postimg.org/yzd4pw3ut/1329590980046carnevale_di_venezia2_1.jpg[/img]
[sub]Ordensburg Party Mask[/sub][/center]

The people of Ordensburg are like any race in their pursuit of health and happiness. They boast excellent health care, high education, high standard of living, and, stunning artwork and architecture. As Humans have a rather short lifespan compared to some other races they are well known for the debauchery and entertainment one can enjoy at any time. While there are strict social conventions around the laws that govern the Electorate, personal life is largely left alone by the government.

Couples, married or no, are expected to look after any children they produce until the age of sixteen when the boys and girls alike are expected to serve two years in the Navy. They can escape the Navy by voluntarily joining the Army. 

Children who are orphaned are taken into the care of the Electorate and more often than not end up on Trade or Navy ships. Their parents, considered deadbeats by society, are often shunned or exiled. 


[h2][center] [b]Magic/Technology[/b][/center][/h2]

[center] [img]http://s32.postimg.org/ijc2foq6d/cc495f91c2cb3716c59f8790f6d99774.jpg[/img]
[sub]An Electorate Alchemist[/sub][/center]

Magic is a four letter word in Ordensburg and their grasp on it is weak a best, more for party tricks than anything. They have learned to counter it with technology borrowed from the days of the Adronian Empire and further developed by their own Alchemists. 

They may not be magically inclined but they have made some interesting leaps and bounds in the realm of gunpowder and the like. Their ships carry cannons and their infantry have blunderbuss style weapons that are devastating at close range. 


[center][h2][b]Economy & Industry[/b][/h2]
[img]http://s32.postimg.org/p3clkp405/872283_artwork_assassins_creed_assassins_creed_r.jpg[/img]
[sub]The Great Shipyards of Rēzekne[/sub][/center]

Ordensburg on its own could barely support the people it has within its own borders s far as foodstuffs and the basics of life. Because of this, virtually everything they need for construction of buildings, clothing, weapons and even ships must come from overseas. 

Few precious stones or materials can be found on the islands that make up the Electorate and so luxury goods must also be brought in. Withou the great trade network that the Electorate maintains, it could not afford to do more than eat, and probably not even that.


[center][b][h2]Army Overview[/h2][/b][/center]

[center][img]http://s32.postimg.org/hnunajyf9/waterfall_city_by_sedeptra.jpg[/img]
[sub]Electorate Military Headquarters[/sub][/center]

As previously mentioned, the Electorate maintains a small, completely volunteer army. It is a highly professional army and spends a good deal of time in the field, being rotated home on a regular basis for rest and refit and to provide security for the home islands. 

The army favours a partial-plate type of armour and is supported by both archers and hand cannons. Artillery is modest at best and is rarely used expect for sieges. 

[hider=Infantry]
[center]
[img]http://s32.postimg.org/hjaty2phh/Guard_leader_AC2.png[/img]
[sub]Standard Foot Soldier[/sub][/center]

The Standard Electorate foot soldier is armoured in partial plate and has a choice of hand weapons, swords, axes, glaives, pikes, etc. The fighting style of these particular units is to be highly mobile as they are simply not enough of them to get into a toe-to-toe slugging match with much larger armies.

[center][img]http://s32.postimg.org/qvqaaz62t/the_greatswords_by_rahll.jpg[/img] 
[sub]Famous Greatswordsman Erik Oblast[/sub][/center]

The Greatswords are an elite unit of the Odensburg military. They are the biggest, most fearless and the strongest of all the Electorates foot troops. The swords they carry are nearly their own height and can shatter bone even if they fail to cut through the enemy armour.  [/hider]

[hider=Ranged Troops]
[center][img]http://s32.postimg.org/bks0e9cp1/image.png[/img]
[sub]Crossbowman[/sub][/center]

What the hand cannons lack in range the Crossbow more than makes up for. The crossbow, while slow to load, out ranges any straight and it an excellent pairing for the hand cannons.

[center]
[img]http://s32.postimg.org/9429df1c5/Guard_arquebusier_ACB.png[/img]
[sub]A Hand Cannoneer[/sub][/center]

The lack of magic is made up for by men with hand cannons. Much smaller than your standard cannon of course, they are devastating as armour piercing weapons and scare most creatures. They’re terribly inaccurate at range. [/hider]

[hider=cavalry]
[center][img]http://s32.postimg.org/5e5fgavlx/9b1f2d515692d9f843124a1bc552b5ad.jpg[/img]
[sub]An Ordensburg Cavalry Charge[/sub][/center]

No army is complete without Cavalry and the Electorate deploys its own version fo the traditional heavy horse. While they could never withstand a direct charge from heavy knights, the Electoral cavalry is quick moving, well armed, and all carry small hand held crossbows. [/hider]


[center][b][h2]Ship Overview[/h2][/b][/center]

[center][img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/3c/de/43/3cde431bc3de3881ce529cf26a738346.jpg[/img]
[sub]Electorate Ships Battle a Giant Kraken[/sub][/center]

Being a nation of sea going trade, the Electorate has built a mighty fleet of Caravels and Grand Caravels, ships that can carry trade as well as defend themselves if needed, in the case of the Grand Caravels, serve as Naval warships. These ships carry cannons and swivel guns for close in work. Each warship carries a detachment of Marines. 

[hider= Trade Caravel]
[center][img]http://s32.postimg.org/x3wjoa9ol/HISTORIA_DE_LA_NAVEGACI_N0003.jpg[/img]
[sub]Trade Caravel[/sub][/center]

Trade Caravels are small ships, relying more on speed than any serious armament to avoid being attacked. If the area they are being sent to it considered dangerous than a larger Grand Caravel will accompany them in convoy to provide protection. [/hider]

[hider= Grand Caravel]
[center][img]http://fantasy-pictures.com/images/gallery/fantasy-pictures-by-unknown-1105.jpg[/img]
[sub]Grand Caravels Depart Ordensburg’s Main Harbour.[/sub][/center]

The Grand Caravels are the largest and most powerful ships afloat. Carrying up to fifty guns, these huge ships of war allow the Electorate to project its presence across the world and protect its vital shipping lanes. These ships, given their great size, are ideal for moving troops as well as battle the monstrous creatures that can be found beneath the seas.[/hider]

[/justify]

[/hider]


[/quote]Sounds fine to me. DC long expressed his intention to leave this NRP so you are fine with taking his territory.
Your descriptions are a bit light at certain fields but whatever. Roleplaying matters far more.

[quote=@Aristo]
Several sections are subject to additional work, like government, or culture, and the military needs to be added. But I'm posting what I have for y'all to browse over so you aren't in the dark until it gets done. The change from "Virith" to "Vyddru" might inconvenience you, [@The Nexerus]; apologies for that. Our history remains the same, though.

[hider=Kingdom of Vyddru]
[center][h1][b]Kingdom of Vyddru[/b][/h1]
[img]http://orig07.deviantart.net/2fcd/f/2011/268/e/2/hungarian_fiefdom_flag_by_zalezsky-d4axave.png[/img][/center]


[b][h2]Location/Geography[/h2][/b]
[hider=Map Claim]Claim #6.

[img]http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae218/AbsolutCharlie/Fabula%20Elysia/NumberedClaims_zpssuny23td.png[/img][/hider]

The Kingdom of Vyddru encompasses territory that features mostly grassy, rolling hills and mountains. Once thick with forest, centuries of logging for wood and agriculture development has left Vyddru's south bare. In the north, the grasslands give way to wooded highlands and low, mountainous plateaus. Its coastline is laden with strips of sandy dune pastures and rocky outcrops. 
The climate of most of the Kingdom's possessions is mild and wet. Its north-most territories are prone to heavy rainfall, with frequent but lighter showers closer to the shore. Rain is most frequent during the winter months. Snow in winter is not common at sea level, but occurs frequently at higher elevations. 

[u]Important Territories[/u] WIP
[list]
[*]Ynys Dantom
[*]
[*]
[*]
[*]
[/list]


[b][h2]General Introduction[/h2][/b]
Vyddru is an old kingdom, situated within an ancient realm dominated by the Gwyllion. Long thought by humans abroad to be spirits, or fae, the Gwyllion are a formerly-reclusive race of lithe, bright-eyed humanoids. Over the past thousand years, Vyddru has gradually broken into the international community and expanded its sphere of influence in the east. Once a land divided into client states of the Ardonian Empire and tribal lands, Vyddru is now a sovereign nation in its own right. In recent years, the realm's conflict with the xenophobic, pro-human Order has come to a standstill and has continued to establish trade relations abroad.   


[b][h2]History[/h2][/b]
In antiquity, Vyddru was a vast, wild home to many tribes of the Gwyllion. Divided into clans and tribal identities, these factions coexisted through trade, though frequently warred over territory and possessions. They worshiped many gods, and followed the rituals and traditions as decreed by the druids. 

Their way of life took a dramatic change when the Ardonian Empire sent ships across the sea, and began to settle in traditional Gwyllion land. They first landed at Ynys Dantom, establishing imperial settlements and forming client states out of conquered lands. Initial contact did not bode well for either side, and soon the Ardonians began to mount incursions into the ancient mainland. 

Centuries of warfare saw the balance of power shift between the Empire's legions and their tribal warrior adversaries; though better equipped and orderly, the legionaries succumbed to the Gwyllion warriors in ambushes and raids, where they had the advantage of familiarity with the land. Some tribes fell under Imperial occupation, and there were indeed Gwyllion that served the foreigners in military capacity. The Ardonians brought Revelationism to Vyddru, resulting in the conversion of subjugated Gwyllion tribes.

In time, the Ardonian Empire was beginning to strain itself under the burden of war. With the fighting against Zhodul, Alexan's purge of the dragons, and his subsequent overthrowing by Gullo, the Empire gradually abandoned Vyddru, leaving behind their former subjects. As hostilities came to an end, with both cultures having had their share of defectors to either side, great cultural exchanges were the hallmark of this new peace. Gradually, Gwyllion society evolved to take on Ardonian influences, with a feudal system rooted in its old legacy of tribal communes. Imperial technological developments and academics were adopted by the Vyddreig, and the kingdoms that arose from antiquity engaged in trade. There remains an Ardonian-Gwyllion culture, and influences from Imperial rule are evident in society and government. 

Fast-forward several centuries of unification and infrastructural development, and Vyddru has reached its hand into the international sphere. It has established itself as a fast-growing nation with a strong maritime presence in the east. Its borders have expanded northward, resulting in warring upon contact with the southward-bound Order. The Kingdom's northward expanse was halted forty years ago, when the Order moved to invade the Kingdom of Iorica, a territory that was to be inherited by Duke Bryn of Helonshire, cousin to King Maldwyn IV. War broke out between the two powers, with the Kingdom's armies gaining an edge after a strong initial push. However, decades of fighting had left the northern countryside in ruin and taken its toll on Vyddru's treasury. Popular opinion in favor of the war was diminishing. A solid Order counteroffensive eventually pried Iorica from Vyddru's aspirations with the Battle of Dalion. 

The Order had laid siege to the city of Dalion, constructing an artillery park that outranged the Iorican guns. The fortification was built from wooden palisades, surrounded by a deep trench and dirt walls. The position of the guns allowed the inhabitants of the park to enfilade attackers, and was bedecked with several dozens of cannons. In a rash bid to relieve the siege and secure his fief, Duke Bryn attacked the park with his contingent of men. Seeing this, his allied battles advanced behind, but came under fire from the Order's guns. Fierce fighting broke out once the Vyddreig army reached the palisades, but the cannon had taken a heavy toll on the men, killing many at a time. As the men stumbled over the defenses and tried to breach the walls, the Order's famous Black Knights emerged from a thick wood on the left flank, previously hidden from view. The knights charged into the Vyddreig flank, routing the army from the field. Duke Bryn was killed during the battle, and his claim to Iorica was shattered with him. Over the course of the Vyddru's wars with the Order, both sides were becoming exhausted from fighting; eventually neither resumed their expanse. Both sides have agreed to peace, and they engage in trade.

In recent years... TBD


[h2][b]Government[/b][/h2]
Vyddru's society is grouped into three parts: the monarchy, the nobility and the peasantry. These three groups are represented respectively by the King, the House of Peers and the House of Regulars. The monarchy, consisting of the king and his direct family, is theoretically dependent on the nobility for funding and military service. In practice, however, Vyddru's monarchy is wealthy enough to support itself, thus negating much leverage the House of Peers has over it. The country's parliament has also been made benign through the creation of a vast private bureaucracy of civil servants, loyal solely to the king. As a result, the nobility is largely a symbolic institution, harking back to Vyddru's roots as a clan-centric web of tribes. 

A large percentage of the monarchy's wealth was sourced from disbanded Revelationist monasteries and venues, a result of the the administrative orders called the Dissolution of the Revelationists. The wealth of these monasteries was appropriated by the monarchy, and their personnel dismissed or reassigned, and assets disposed. The Dissolution came at a time when public favor in support of Revelationism was dying, being replaced by widespread neo-pagan movements that sought to resurrect the faith of old Vyddru. King Rhodri III took advantage of this, securing the wealth of the Revelationist church in Vyddru for himself, to fund his military and economic endeavors. 


[h2][b]Race, Culture & Society[/b][/h2]
The Gwyllion used to be the stuff of legend, long ago in the bronze age. Vyddru was still a wild, unexplored region then, and the Gwyllion were through by local human communities to be spirits of nature. Such mysticism is far from the truth, however, as they are flesh and blood, the same as any creature on two legs. They are not so different from humans in appearance, but the average of them are lithe, lean of build and gaunt-faced. While it would be easy to mistake them for humans at a distance, up close, their features are more hawkish, alien. They have fair skin and bright-colored eyes, usually blue or green. 

[hider=A depiction of ancient Gwyllion][img]http://i973.photobucket.com/albums/ae218/AbsolutCharlie/Blood%20Rage/BR-ConceptArtDark-Elf_zpsqxfnrgkl.png[/img][/hider]


[h2][b]Economy & Industry[/b][/h2]
Vyddru's soil is sub-optimal for crops, yet swathes of forest have been cut over time to allow for agricultural development. Simple crops like barley, wheat, maize, cereals, oilseed rape and potatoes are grown in the south. It imports a substantial amount of exotic crop, some of which finds its way along Vyddru's trade routes to the Order. Vyddru is a country with plenty of wind and rain: windmills are common sights to see as farmers take advantage of air currents. The kingdom's real agricultural focus lies in the raising of livestock. Its vast fields of grass are perfect grazing grounds. While cattle has been a strong staple of wealth in the country's past, sheep and goats are more commonly herded today. Some foodstuff is also sourced from the sea. 

The land is rich in metal ore, namely iron, lead, zinc and silver. Gold is sometimes found in its northern mountains. As a result, it boasts a strong industrial infrastructure of smelting and metalworking. Though it does not have as pronounced a reverence as the Order, smithing is a lucrative art, and many quality metal goods come out of Vyddru. A large percentage of metals are exported overseas. Stone is often quarried in the north, where the terrain is mountainous and uneven. As most forests were logged long ago, most structures are built from stone, earth and thatch. 


[b][h2]Military Overview[/h2][/b]
WIP
[/hider]
[/quote]Looks fine to me.
Are Gwyllion like the elves or shall I list them under the "other humanoids" category in the index?
As usual if you fill in all categories (in this case only the military remained) you can post this up in the characters tab.