Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Ever Faithful
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Ever Faithful Will always be Ever Faithful

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Nation Name: Kitagawa Shogunate
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Type of Government: Absolute Monarchy
Head(s) of Government: Shogun Emperor Toshiko Kitagawa
Economy: Heavily industrialized with access to coal and iron ore deposits, Still exports agricultural products such as tea, incense, and rice.
Primary Species: Humans
Population: 88.7 million citizens
Culture: Split between three branches: Honor, Loyalty, and Duty. Easy to please and quick to anger, the inhabitants, called the Yamato, in civil life are raised on a code of conduct on justice and wisdom based on class. Inevitably, Yamato are very disdainful of the Yllendyr ever since they executed Emperor Toshiko's grandfather. Social classes, from highest to lowest, is split between the Shogun, Kazoku (comprised of the Daimyo), Samurai, Merchant and middle class, and farmers and lower class workers. Due to Kitagawa society heavily militarized, a Yamato male is expected to serve at least 2 years in the military when he reaches 18 years of adulthood. Yamato are very respectful of another race's culture since they expect the same level of treatment back. Only the Yllendyr are the only exceptions of this etiquette.
Religious and Other Beliefs: Traditional Yamato religion, Kami-no-michi, is the worship of ancestors and nature spirits and the belief in sacred power in both animate and inanimate things. Under Kami-no-michi, the Shogun Emperor is revered as a descendant of the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu-omikami. This is why Yamato was utterly shocked when the Dark Elves executed the Shogun Emperor after he surrendered. This is the official religion of the Shogunate.
Location/Territories:


Climate: Has all four seasons with mild, temperate weather. Lots of hills and mountains with plenty of plains, marshes, and natural harbors around the coastline. There are forests present but not very dominate of the region.
Military: Even though its still traditional where the Daimyo and the Samurai are officers and generals of the Shogunate Military, promotion through the ranks are becoming more based on merit rather than lineage but this is more apparent on a company and battalion level. Even though the Shogunate military is not as elite as the Yllendyr, it makes up for it through its sheer Fanaticism and undying loyalty to the Emperor and the Shogunate. This would lead to extremely dumb but exceedingly brave Kamikaze soldiers and sailors.
Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment: Seen primarily as a tool in civic society mainly used by exorcists to weed out demons. Occasionally, magic would be use in combat but only if deemed necessary.
History/Background Info: Prior to the Kitagawa Shogunate, the territory was ruled by warring factions of Daimyo and Samurai that fought petty feuds and civil wars over the centuries. Even though a Shogunate was proclaimed, it was quickly split apart after a Shogun's death. It wasn't until the Dark Elves arrive when the Yamato Warlords band together and formed a Shogunate to drive them out. Due to the Dark Elves's superior technology and tactics, the newly-formed Shogunate was defeated in every battle and the subjugation ended with the Shogun Emperor executed and his son taking his place as a puppet ruler to the Yllendyr. Despite the humiliating defeat and the outrageous treatment of previous Shogun, the Shogunate quickly adopted technology from the Dark Elf overlords at the cost of its pride and ethnic treatment. So vicious was the anger towards the Dark Elves that numerous uprisings occurred, especially the Samurai class, under the guise of restoring national pride. The revolts were crushed but the perpetrators were secretly pardoned and lightly punished due to the fact that everybody despised the Yllendyr for their treatment of the Yamato people.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by ShwiggityShwah
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ShwiggityShwah Good Diet, Sleep, Excercise, and Leeches

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I've never done a nation rp. I'm willing to try.

Either a society or erudite meritocracy that favors study and technological achievement or a culture completely designed to benefit a number of noble houses, with each house holding it's own economic and military power and goals.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by LordZell
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LordZell The Zellonian

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<Snipped quote by LordZell>

Story. You're free to use as much stats as you like, though.


That defeats the purpose.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Meiyuuhi
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Meiyuuhi Her Divine Grace

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I've never done a nation rp. I'm willing to try.

Either a society or erudite meritocracy that favors study and technological achievement or a culture completely designed to benefit a number of noble houses, with each house holding it's own economic and military power and goals.


Either sounds like a very interesting idea!

<Snipped quote by Mihndar>

That defeats the purpose.


Does it? I always used to use them in conjunction.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Quetzalcoatl
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Quetzalcoatl Mildly Interesting House Plant

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It also saves innocents like me from stat hell
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Slamurai
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Slamurai

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Does the world map wrap around itself, as if it were a globe, or is it just a snapshot of RP-relevant continents?
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by LordZell
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LordZell The Zellonian

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<Snipped quote by ShwiggityShwah>

Either sounds like a very interesting idea!

<Snipped quote by LordZell>

Does it? I always used to use them in conjunction.


What I mean is if my stats are better granted you add in some random stuff from GM and randomness of say a battle I should win over the smaller group. But if the story focuses on the small group they would win or get away or something.
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Meiyuuhi
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Meiyuuhi Her Divine Grace

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Does the world map wrap around itself, as if it were a globe, or is it just a snapshot of RP-relevant continents?


It wraps around like a globe.

<Snipped quote by Mihndar>

What I mean is if my stats are better granted you add in some random stuff from GM and randomness of say a battle I should win over the smaller group. But if the story focuses on the small group they would win or get away or something.


There should, generally speaking, be little to no preference for story purposes.

Two players should agree on how a battle will go, if not, I'll decide the outcome given the relevant information about the opposing forces.
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Ogelostrakur
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Ogelostrakur Gun Slinging Icelandic Redneck

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(Yes, this is taken completely from The Legend of Zelda)
Nation Name: Gerudo Cheifdom
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Type of Government: Absolute Monarchy (Cheifs are heriarchially chosen, by eldest daughter)
Head(s) of Government:

Economy: Mainly based on oil and mining
Primary Species:

Population: 30 Million
Culture: Matriarchal, but a male is born every 500 years, who becomes the leader. However, the RP will be in between such a time, so all females right now. Very warrior like.
Religious and Other Beliefs: Monotheists who worship the goddess Hylia, believe the Chiefs are chosen by Hylia
Location/Territories: This entire chunk of land
Climate: Arid, hot, dry desert. Rainfall is extremely rare, most cities are build around springs, oases, and the few rivers they have
Military: Have only recently started using guns, mostly rely on scimitars, swords, and powerful magical bows called varks
Magic Prevalence/Usage and Elemental Alignment: Due to the low prevalence of guns, they heavily rely on solid magic. Gerudo in the past have even constructed massive cities and statues from magic, like the Seven Heroines
History/Background Info: zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Gerudo#Theory
The Gerudo were originally nomads who roamed the desert in many separate tribes, eventually, the Gerudo started settling near bodies of water, where the little agriculture they could have flourished. Over many years, they mastered solid magic, since most of the environment around them was solid. Eventually, wars between the tribes broke out, with the Gerud tribe conquering all the others (that is where the name “Gerudo” comes from), and the chief’s family are all thought to be chosen by goddess Hylia. The Gerudo chief became the absolute ruler of the race.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Slamurai
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Slamurai

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Since the setting isn't Legend of Zelda, there ought to be more to their history than a carbon-copy of themselves in that universe, shouldn't it? How do they fit into the roleplay's setting and what have they been doing for the last century?
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Meiyuuhi
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Meiyuuhi Her Divine Grace

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Since the setting isn't Legend of Zelda, there ought to be more to their history than a carbon-copy of themselves in that universe, shouldn't it? How do they fit into the roleplay's setting and what have they been doing for the last century?


^This. Please give some more detailed history if you can before I accept your NS.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Ogelostrakur
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Ogelostrakur Gun Slinging Icelandic Redneck

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Alright, expanded on history a bit
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Meiyuuhi
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Meiyuuhi Her Divine Grace

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Alright, expanded on history a bit


Looks good, you're clear to post it in the Character tab and also to IC post.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Voltus_Ventus
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Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Spindle
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Spindle A Spindly Sort

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APPLICATION


Nation Name: The Hive-Collective of the Manymind (Ot-Skodat)

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Type of Government: The Hive-Collective is run as a representative democracy of sorts, with each hive offering between sixty and seven hundred and twenty Ot-Skodat representatives and six Selfgivers to the Chamber each month. The interaction between the various Selfgivers and the Chamber's own Outerself grants each representative a Truerank, which then allows them to interact properly amongst each other and the official residents of the Chamber. With this established, each individual will take up the role their Truerank grants them and govern or advise within their domain.

While the Chamber holds a fair degree of centralised power, there are still positions of not-inconsiderable power within each individual hive which - as with the representatives to the Chamber - are designated by the hive's Outerself. Even below this level, much the same pattern emerges - the Outerself of each hive bestows Trueranks upon the members of this hive, who then slot themselves into their role with a minimum of fuss. It is rare for the Outerself to be outright denied - more often, noticeable issues generally cause the Outerself to shift to correct - but when it is, the awareness such an act causes usually brings enough attention to it that the issue is solved on the conscious level.

This is a degree of harmony entirely absent from Leavers, who are unable and often unwilling to participate in the ebb and flow of social unconsciousness and revel in their social unorthodoxy. As such, those who remain within a hive often find themselves being treated with amusing awkwardness at best and with general suspicion at worst, depending on just how on-edge the hive is as a whole. Alongside those who are not themselves Ot-Skodat, Leavers are generally considered second-class citizens which are generally avoided if at all possible, and only dealt with when an issue pertaining to them arises.

The bizzare exception to this rule, out of all things, are the colonies of Pipemen which flourish in every hive of the Collective. In almost all cases, the Outerself and its constituents are utterly baffled by the strange creatures now residing within their hive, usually expending vast effort to keep the Pipemen entertained and, as such, relatively safe. A few attempts have been made at integrating them into the larger workforce, but the traditional Ot-Skodat methodology of slow, carefully planned work is often ruined within moments of the Pipemen arriving at the work scene. Instead, the Pipemen provide the impetus for the continual expansion of the hives, in the vain hope that the smaller beings stumble into a cave system and embark upon a vast exodus. It's been known to happen before.

Head of Government: While there is no Selfspeaker, the closest thing to an overall leader the Hive-Collective has is Nine-Eyes All-Sees, who is the official Governor of the Collective and is considered responsible for the province meeting its monthly tithes. Equally influential is Half-Arm Far-Wanders, who is a long-time resident of the Chamber and has a large degree of influence over its Outerself. The two represent the internal and external leaders of the Collective - insofar as it can be said to have leaders per se.

Economy: When considering their economy, it is important to note that the Ot-Skodat have rarely ever come up with technology themselves. Indeed, their current technological level was only really attained when Yllendyr subjugated them, but they have taken to this new technology level like ducks to water. Though they rarely prove able to produce new technology themselves, they have perfectly happily adapted it and refined it with the degree of methodical precision to be expected of the Ot-Skodat. Mechanisation of the workforce came as naturally to them as breathing and eating, and after a little internal rearrangement the hives became a wonderful nodal point in the production of materiel for the ongoing war efforts.

Internally, the hives operate entirely without currency. The Outerself is relied upon to provide the majority of individuals with their needs, and those who are not Ot-Skodat themselves more often barter than they do buy. Whether a failing or not this is unlikely to change anytime soon, given how heavily the presence of the Outerself looms over the Ot-Skodat civilisation. Still, as a people with little concept of value, their external dealings with currency are esoteric and bizarre and primarily revolve around the Hive-Collective offering what it has for what it needs.

And, as such, the Collective primarily trades for either technology or raw materials with which to continues its manufacturing operations. Any new technology is to be rapidly dissected and emulated, while the raw resources from other nations are often of a far higher quality than those mined locally. Weaver-silk from the Old Forest is a special favourite for the northern Hives, as their ability to rapidly turn thread into surprisingly high-quality fabrics and the relatively short transport distance allows the Ot-Skodat to churn out garments to sell to the Old World.

More enlightening than the merely industrial portion of the economy is the agricultural side, which sets the standard for integration and efficiency. Fields are rotated with crops and animals to keep them fertile and productive, heavily fertilised with both natural and enriched and filled with a diverse and hardy ecosystem meant to repel pests. What waste cannot be directly recycled back into the agricultural systems joins sewage to help cultivate fields of mushrooms below the hive.

Vital to both industry and agriculture are the integration of magical and mechanical processes and a heavily-ingrained system of experimentation in order to continuously fine-tune processes down to ever-smoother polishes. For example, the enforced ecosystem of most grain-fields is comprised of numerous Shaped meant to compete highly effectively, and numerous test-fields exist to optimise each organism without disrupting the careful equilibrium needed to provide the perfect growing conditions. Much the same exists in industry - the highest-quality forges are operated by the Collective's handful of Plasma mages operating alongside Solid mages, and often vary the compositions and heats used in the smelting process to find new and interesting materials.

In spite of this, it is perhaps telling that the leaps of intuition so common to other races simply do not take place within the minds of the Ot-Skodat. Where others would fill in the gaps and attempt something entirely radical, the Collective instead makes its slow, incremental changes until enough pieces are in place that a new idea can be confidently adopted. Without outside interference, it is unlikely that they would have industrialised for a few millennia more, and even now they play an eternal game of catch-up even as they polish now-obsolete technologies to a blinding standard.

Demographics: Of the known population of the Collective, the Ot-Skodat make up around ninety-two percent. Of the remaining eight percent, two percent is made up of Elves - primarily Dark Elves - and the last three percent is made up of the descendants of refugees who found themselves trapped in the Collective as it was overtaken. For the most part this last group of people tends to live further out in the wilderness, out of sight of the hives and where the Ot-Skodat rarely tread, while the Ot-Skodat themselves reside within their hives almost universally - those found wandering the wilds alone are either mad, or well on their way.

The Pipemen are not counted on any census. Not only would this present logistical issues which cannot easily be solved, the number fluctuates so rapidly that any census would become invalid long before it could be completed. The Ot-Skodat console themselves with simply knowing there are more Goblinoids than they know what to do with, and try to find newer and shinier lures with which to keep their charges distracted.

Population: The total Ot-Skodat population is between forty-five and forty-six million, with a further four-and-a-half million others and an unknown number of Pipemen on the periphery of every hive.

Culture: Ot-Skodat culture is, unsurprisingly, heavily conservative and highly meticulous. Values such as caution, foresight and emotional detachment are considered to hold the highest value, while impulsiveness, over-emotional behaviour and disobedience are heavily frowned upon, primarily owing to the influence of the Outerself. This probably helps to explain why Leavers are quite as insane as they are, and why they so gleefully start breaking things the moment they feel they can get away with it.

It can be noted that the Hives are, in general, painfully naive. This is primarily a result of their Outerself - should one Ot-Skodat attempt to harm another or lie to another, both parties will be fully aware of that fact. This engenders a form of blunt honesty from them, which they automatically assume of outsiders - an assumption which contributed heavily to their rapid subjugation by Yllendyr. This was also helped by the generally empathic nature of the Outerself - most fighting groups need very heavily-sanitised Outerselves with dedicated combat-Selfgivers in order to operate as a fighting force, and a hive can quite easily descend into a self-reinforcing terror.

Pressing beyond the purely practical, the Ot-Skodat is heavily rooted in the above- and below-ground structure of their hives. As such, outward-facing art is considered to represent danger and various methods of overcoming it, while inward-facing art (usually through forms of interior decoration, though kaleidoscopes and other such systems are popular) represent safety and are often prized far more than their counterparts.

As with their technology, Ot-Skodat art rarely improves itself but when intersecting with the art of others they often prove capable of assimilating the techniques and styles of others while still integrating them with the known baseline. Given the Yllendyr subjugation, the elves' own severe style of art has increasingly permeated the Ot-Skodat mindspace. Most importantly, the introduction of the fresco to the Ot-Skodat palette has enabled for traditionally inwards-facing and outwards-facing styles to be hybridised. The impact of this has been such that hundreds of new caverns have been excavated by storytellers and historians alike in order to portray their narrative on lime.

Beyond the actual methods of creating the art, however, the Ot-Skodat rarely care for the artistry of other races. For the most part, this is an issue of context - their attempts to express the Outerself dictates much of the Ot-Skodat artistic style, and they interpret it in that context. With that perspective, much of outsider art becomes seemingly pointless to all but the most esoteric of collectors, who stretch their minds to the limit in order to comprehend the strange perspectives of the outside world.

What little art the Collective produces from outside its Ot-Skodat population eschews or adopts the conventions of the Collective often within the same piece. The use of stylistic juxtaposition - such as the Ot-Skodat have discovered with frescoes - is a technique which has long since become commonplace amidst the refugee population, and often extends out into the conventions of other cultures. Bustle and solitude are the elements most commonly contrasted with each other, and common themes include alien landscapes or the mundane turned esoteric as the artists attempt to capture the experience of living within the Collective. Though small, this portion of the artistic community excels at pushing stylistic and societal boundaries, often aided by a small sub-sect of Leavers who have not yet become dangerous. Interestingly, the Pipemen of the collective contribute significantly to this community, and often help to hold it together when isolation and their alien nature of their homes threatens to send them flying apart.

Socially speaking the Ot-Skodat lack the concrete concept of a class as such, but certainly have an awareness of prestige. This is expressed as Truerank, or the ability of an individual to affect the Outerself and the individuals connected to it, and is the core of Ot-Skodat internal competition and their societal structure itself. The silent, subconscious decision-making systems which so characterise the Hive-Collective operate primarily by the constant feedback loop of modifications to Truerank and the subconscious changes to individuals which this causes.

Beliefs: Though they lack any official belief system, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Ot-Skodat have a very heavily-entrenched form of ancestor worship. This is traditionally closer to simple veneration than worship proper, but there have always been cults around particularly impactful figures - especially those who are still remembered by the Outerself. Despite this, each individual will choose their own pantheon to venerate based on their own experience and position in life.

For those beyond the Outerself, belief systems remain somewhat flexible. Most of the minorities living in the Hive-Collective are amalgams of various refugee cultures, and as such the dozens of pantheons and solo deities which swim through that sea are the result of myths and legends from numerous cultures being melted together and producing new and highly unusual products. If the Ot-Skodat cared, it would prove to be a fascinating course of study.

Since one Ot-Skodat is pretty much the same as another, the Pipemen of the Collective generally worship either their Bugbear leader or the hive they currently occupy, depending on just how megalomaniacal their leadership feels. On occasion the Gremlins will adopt, or bastardise, one of the minority religions and start labelling themselves as various mythological figures and deities, much to the amusement of onlookers.

Territories:


Climate: Primarily temperate, in part owing the warm-water current snaking its way around the southern coast and in part owing to the intense programme of weather control and forced climate change which the Ot-Skodat hives practice in order to sustain their vast populations. In general it becomes harsher as you head further inland, away from the warming effect of the currents, though there are still some temperate patches at the very tip of the Collective.

Military: In theory, the Collective has no standing military force of its own - both due to the Imperial occupation and the natural Ot-Skodat predisposition to having everyone possible actually at work. In practice, there are two primary - if unofficial - military factions at play outside the four Imperial Auxilia Legions - the Selfswords and the League.

The League is a coalition of refugee-descendants, Leavers, and Pipemen who aim to remove the Imperial occupation by any means necessary. For the most part they operate hit-and-run attacks, relying on the sheer brutal insanity of both Leavers and Pipemen to leave the enemy reeling and paralysed on first-contact before breaking and regrouping to begin again. These operations are usually screened by refugee-descended cavalry and light infantry, who usually also provide their allies with logistical support.

While often tactically successful, these operations currently operate without any real strategic framework, and the largest force which the League has been able to muster thus far has barely managed to scrape past fifty men. Some of the more influential cells have attempted to remedy this, but without access to major communication lanes this has been slow going at best. Still, the League's soldiers boast a chaotic competence which few can match, and those cells which boast alchemists can bring down watchtowers if need be. Maybe a small fort.

The Selfswords are considered to be "pest control" by the hives - though the Ot-Skodat group bandit raids, stray bears and wyvern packs under the umbrella term "pests", so the Selfswords are somewhat better-armed than most equivalent organisations. This state of affairs is most likely exaggerated by the constant desire of each hive to test out new and slightly different variations on each of its weapon styles, making the Selfswords one of the few pest control organisations to regularly bring canon into the field.

Doctrinally the Selfswords are weighted towards a more mobile style of warfare, and depending on the exact hive a unit hails from they might have a handful of Kol-Kurak per company or one for each squad. Either way, all Selfsword units have a large degree of airmobility which lets them intercept, ambush or simply pursue most enemies at their leisure. Of course, this - combined with the size of their operational envelope - means they don't need to be particularly numerous to do their job, and no hive has more than two thousand Selfswords. Most don't reach half that.

Finally - though not precisely a part of the Collective - it can be interesting to consider those Imperial Auxilia Legions which contain Ot-Skodat. Usually numbering approximately twenty thousand within these forces the Ot-Skodat here also keep Kol-Kurak, though these are usually reserved for specified airmobile companies and pure logistical extension. Kol-Kurut and Kol-Karat are also used by light and shock cavalry respectively, though their tactical airmobility is severely stunted compared to the Kol-Kurak.

Despite the unique forms of locomotion available to the Ot-Skodat forces, the most important part of their composition is the two thousand engineer-soldiers - replete with explosives - which is incorporated into their TO&E. While regular soldiers are perfectly capable of digging a few ditches or making a simple rampart, Ot-Skodat engineers can turn almost any natural choke into a deathtrap within an hour. Combined with airmobility and their distributed tactical awareness, Legions with Ot-Skodat elements can pull of a defence-in-depth like none other, should their commanding officers permit them to do so.

Between these two, Ot-Skodat forces tend to deploy somewhat lighter artillery than their counterparts, needing to be able to lift each piece with a Kol-Kurak and relying on good entrenchment or misdirection to keep enemy artillery at bay. Machine guns are a favourite with infantry teams, and some have even attempted to fire them while in mid-air - to the detriment of both sides - while engineers enjoy using semi-disposable rocket batteries against fortifications or dense enemy forces if at all possible. Attempts at using these from atop a Kol-Kurak have not yet materialised, but the engineers are still attempting to produce infantry-portable versions so all things are possible.

The four Imperial Auxilia Legions stationed within the Collective have around twenty thousand Ot-Skodat between them, but these forces are far less combat-capable than those in the wider world as they are too small to isolate themselves from the general Outerself of the hives and tend to lose resolve rapidly. Even still, the overall Legions have access to Kol-Kurak making them surprisingly mobile despite their size and somewhat deadlier than they would otherwise be.

Magic: Interestingly the Collective is Aligned primarily towards Liquid, with seventy-five percent of Ot-Skodat mages being Liquid mages with some degree of aptitude. Beyond this, fifteen percent are Solid mages, five percent are plasma mages, two-point-five percent are Gas mages and an equal number are Selfgivers. These statistics obviously go out of the window with the non Ot-Skodat community, but between their relatively small numbers and the Outerself's lack of involvement with the minorities it is rarely considered important for anyone.

Selfgivers are uniquely important to the Ot-Skodat, as they form the medium through which the Outerself permeates. While this might otherwise result in the Selfgivers becoming walking tyrants, the vast requirements on their minds renders them vegetative within days of being hatched. Still, they are cared for by the rest of the Hive and form a vital node within Ot-Skodat culture, and their few days of real life are the most comfortable any in the Collective know.

While the Outerself of a hive might stretch for dozens of miles around, voyages beyond this require dedicated Outerselves and, as such, dedicated Selfgivers. Vast numbers of Ot-Skodat are then added to create a healthy Outerself which can spread itself out over a few miles without too much issue. To facilitate the movement of the Selfgivers over these distances, Shapers long ago modified the traditional Kol-Korat into the Kot-Korat, which is equal parts mount and life-support system. Still derived from honeypot ants, the Kol-Korat was Shaped with an underslung pouch to hold the Selfgiver and a tube which steadily feeds them. While it is not quite the ceremony with which most Selfgiver meals are provided, it provides a degree of practicality otherwise impossible.

Other mages are treated with somewhat less reverence than the Selfgivers, though their Truerank is certainly boosted comparative to those around them. Even still, they are integrated practically directly into the machinery of the hive and often find themselves on the shortest end of the stick available in the hive. This ranges from the Liquid mages who distil water from excrement to the Gas mages who bring forth and trap deposits of natural gas, or the Plasma mages who often find themselves acting as literal forges. While there are plenty of opportunities for a competent mage to attain a Truerank of some note, it is a long and arduous road to reach those heights.

As with most things, the Ot-Skodat style of magic is heavily dependant on highly precise cooperation between individuals. This is most common between Liquid and Solid mages, and from this combination the most common usage is Shaping - the use of magic to physically and genetically change animals to suit the needs of the hives. These are used intensively, and permeate Ot-Skodat society - making them a good overall metaphor for magic within the Collective.

History: The founding myth of the Hive-Collective speaks of a living forest full of shadows, from which those who would eventually call themselves Ot-Skodat were forced to leave. In exodus, they fled south into new and darker forests, where fires would leap from tree to tree to sear at the skin of the refugees and strange figures would cleave through them with a single blow. Thousands died, but just as many managed to make it to the plains beyond where they took up a semi-nomadic lifestyle and began to settle down.

Unfortunately, other tribes wandered the plains and they turned upon the newcomers with blade and fury. The refugees found themselves wracked with strife and internal conflict and a small cabal of sorcerers - the reason the Forest initially rejected that people, according to the Leavers - offered to provide a ritual which would undo these strifes and allow the refugees to overcome those who assailed them. The refugees were split, but eventually those who did not accept the ritual were rounded up and sacrificed to help fuel it. All but one of the cabal died from the backlash of their efforts, but the one survivor found himself to hold the whims of those around him within his hands. With sudden, vicious unity, the refugees hunted down and slaughtered the tribes who had once threatened to do the same to them.

Within the decade, the refugees had become entrenched within the region and began to spread further outwards, still ruled over by their surviving cabal member. By the time of his death, the first hive had seen three generations and had hundreds of Selfspeakers to vie for the throne he had left behind. The war which broke out upon his death was intense, almost halving the total population before it finally ended, but in its wake was a rigid system of direct control where each Selfspeaker would answer to another in a chain ending in their absolute monarch.

With this system firmly in place, trusted Selfspeakers began to lead the first generation of new hive out into the world beyond. These would clash with new tribes all around, who would fall one after the other as the new hives strengthened their foothold in the world. Satellite hives were commonplace, each one the dominion of a would-be lord tied to the would-be lord above him, and skirmishes or full-on wars were waged at every border to push ever-outwards.

This ceased when the northernmost portion of the Collective was struck by plague sweeping in from the east. Refugees swept west, crowding hives and stressing their limited Outerselves, and birth rates skyrocketed as a result. Population density exploded, placing greater and greater strain on the Selfspeakers until they eventually succumbed and became catatonic. The first true Ot-Skodat were born out of these results as Outerself of each hive swelled with the increasing influence of regular citizens.

With a truly-distributed Outerself, the Ot-Skodat spent several decades regrouping before once more surging forth into the world. Clashing with various tribes which had moved into their hives in the interim, they began to make genuine advances for the first time in their history. Steel was mastered within a decade, the few Shaped creatures they had possessed before making way for the war more diverse plethora which the Ot-Skodat nowadays enjoy. Each hive discovered new and interesting forms of technology, and by periodically sharing their Outerselves they began to compound each other.

It still wasn't enough, and their first introduction to properly-modernised warfare was when the Yllendyr swept in from the still-weakened east and tore through the Hive-Collective like wildfire. Ot-Skodat forces managed to attain a few tactical victories, but between their manpower and technology advantage the Yllendyr conquest of the region was inevitable and barely even slowed down. Less than a year from the first shot fired the Chamber finished construction as the official capital of the Hive-Collective, from which elves would rule by proxy.

Even still, the Ot-Skodat have managed to adapt to the elven rule remarkably well, assimilating and polishing modern technology with frightful ease and even recovering their population faster than the Imperials can siphon it away for their Legions. Even so, they remain one of the smaller powers of the region in terms of population and size, with the northern half of the pre-plague Collective under direct Imperial rule, littered with hives and satellites and filled with Shaped creatures. Still, with the Collective being officially declared for Ecruir in the Imperial Civil War, perhaps an opportunity to change that will arise...
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Wernher
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Wernher

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The Realm of Wulfram


Type of Government: Absolute Monarchy under Regency

Head(s) of Government: Patriarch Wulfram, Favored Daughter Hildegund

Economy:
Work specialization has been for many humans a path to salvation and a form of capitalism where being replaceable was seen as being edible by one of the bloodthirsty overlords meant that artisans have always had an easier time than say, your most basic dirt farmer. At the same time however, Strigoi are smart and always eager to make as much people as possible replaceable and as such, despite the Strigoi poor technological level, they have been excellent at establishing basic mass production, simplify and divide work and manage human resources scientifically. Especially to clothe the cattle and provide tools to them, uniqueness has no purpose, it is better to standardize and provide numbers quickly.

The technology operated has thus until recently being almost medieval and the catching up that has began 200 years ago by the new regent hasn't finished yet, but still this makes for a very unequal society. The cities are the center of production for everything and the country side only care about exploiting raw materials as fast as possible, with maybe a single smith per small town to take the city made horse shoes and don them on the horses. This interdependence is by design as this prevents localized civil wars from constantly happening when both parties need each other. Overall however, despite the low technology environement, the Realm remains surprisingly productive.

Notably as the work of artisans become more and more redundant, people still try to make themselves desirable and recently this has begun to take the form of an artistic renaissance as all adults would wish to see their child climb out of the muck by becoming the next sensation in the arts.

Primary Species:
-Strigoi: The children of Wulfram and Adelheid, they consider themselves of the blood of demi-gods due to their incredible strength, speed and boundless stamina coupled with incredible magical abilities they use with triviality. Still, their nature is violent and selfish, most Strigoi despise vampires and the urban 'civilized' ways of life, instead living lives ranging from that of nobles with large estates living in remote castles and manors to that of savage beasts living in caves praying on anything mortal.
-Vampires: Half-Strigoi born from Strigoi wombs. While they are in many ways lesser to their pureblood relatives, they enjoy preferential treatment and amicable relations with them should they be respectful and humble of course. Put simply, they 'Smell right' to their bestial parents. Like mules, these are sterile.
-Daywalkers: Sons and daughters of male Strigoi with female mortals, their vigor and physical qualities overall are superhuman but considerably less so than their fathers and less so than their vampire cousins. Likewise they aren't in the most terrible pain when under the sun, it is merely extremely inconvenient. In Wulfram society however they tend to consider themselves closer to their mortal kins rather than their fathers because said fathers tend to despise their offsprings who 'don't smell right'. Still, many strigoi understand daywalkers are extremely useful intermediaries to use when dealing with mortals and breed them for this purpose, giving them enough fatherly affection to insure themselves loyalty. Like mules, these are sterile.
-Mortals: Humans, elves, Gerudo, Amreans... They are many and varied, but they all share in common mortality, making them apart from those who share the blood of Wulfram.

Population:
Total: 172,000,000
Strigoi: 1,000,000 (??? Impossible to calculate, in especially dangerous areas Strigoi will devour censors)
Vampires: 640,000
Daywalkers: 11,360,000
Mortals: 160,000,000 (??? Impossible to calculate, in especially dangerous areas Strigoi will devour censors)

Culture:
In the backwater areas of the realm, whatever culture the local mortals might have is always centered around the presence of a super predator that wishes for blood. If it wanted them all dead, dead they would be. Some offer sacrifices to be left in peace, others try to fight it and consider themselves even victorious since they aren't all dead but no matter their words, they fear, for the Stigoi tyrant still looms.

The first sign an area is 'Civilized' is that the local Strigoi will mingle in human affairs. This generally begins with the demand that a castle be built for it and progressively, the Strigoi will feel more comfortable making more public appearances and demands such as ordering every woman to always be pregnant, much like livestock. The mortals notice this of course, but woe to those who refuse to comply. This allows for 'normalcy' in the life cycle. The strigoi having the sense to demand blood to quench its thirst and eat the old women or redundant males to quench its savagery. The ruler of this territory may then further increase its involvement to make sure its flock prospers, sometimes investing in infrastructure for they are immortal and thus the benefit of such projects will always be visible within their lifetimes (If something terrible doesn't happen of course).

The next step to become a center of culture is of course, to tolerate the presence of others. Except for mating, Strigoi generally shun the presence of their kin but no matter how powerful, a single Strigoi is just one entity and eventually when their lordship grows, it will become more preferable to accept the presence of others than risk losing control over a massive human population. Back in the days Strigoi did the occasional culling but now its more preferable to sell mortal males to the big cities. The regional lords prefer to keep a maximum of females. This means the big cities of the realm are overwhelmingly filled with males. Prostitution is a big business encouraged by the local Strigoi for who cares who makes who pregnant as long as the herd grows and doesn't rebel? Males are also useful for labor and labor they do, thus gaining more wealth and fabricating more things to sell to the local strigoi lords who don't have this industrial capacity who will sell more males.

At some point, the city might become so big and humans so numerous that administering every aspects of their lives simply becomes impossible. At this point, Strigois need to learn to just... leave the thing going alone. Of course they get involved in the most critical areas of metropolitan life because the point is still to make profit out of everything, but the mortals are left with a lot of liberties at this point and can accumulate considerable wealth. The overlords meanwhile can afford to murder every night in the comfort of large mansions and castles prime pieces of meat bough from the country side, no reason to stir up a hornet's nest. Large cities would thus be theoretically safe for mortals the most and yes, their death isn't scheduled so one might die of old age, but cities also attract the landless newborns who have nothing in life and thus prey on the poor during the night, so death tends to just be random.

Religious and Other Beliefs:
The mythology the Strigoi have and of course, force on their mortal followers, is astrology based, with stories of how the Sun, king of creation, made all the races to glorify him, but made them moral and weak to make sure they could never rebel. The moon was his sister-wife but he never conceived children with her by fear such divine entities could overthrow him, until one day, the pull out method failed him and the moon became pregnant. She managed to hide the pregnancy until it was delivered to term. The sun however, as it looked down on all of creation, saw the twins she had birthed to, named Wulfram and his sister-wife Adelheid, and cursed them with all his might. Never could they prosper under his gaze!

Thus, it is the destiny of Strigoi kind to one day overthrow the sun and rule over all creation as they do during the night. For the mortals of course, parts were added that hey, the vampires are immortal and more intelligent as such, it is their duty to administer the mortals and that also, the whole blood drinking and killing bit is due to the curse of the sun and that once the sun is defeated they'll all be able to live in harmony.

Territories and Climate:
Civilization tends to be found south where the winter is the harshest. Some people have linked this to the presence of... pines. Indeed, Strigoi and their bastardized offspring are all at some degree fond of the scent and taste of pine resin, something mildly addictive to them that seems to sooth their killing urges. The Strigoi living in heavily forested pine areas are thus those who were the more disposed to collaborate with mortals and the rise of civilization in the realm is attributed by some to the mass production and sale of pine resin based candies and 'medical items for the humor'.

Still, not all have discovered the miracle benefit of pine resins and as such, travel within the realm remains difficult by land. This insured that navigable rivers have become the arteries of this nation as the wild Strigoi will rarely attack anyone in the middle of these large water currents that generally border their territories anyways. Slowly however, the infrastructure is becoming more developed.

Military:
-The Questers:
Composed of around 150,000 strigoi and 200,000 vampires, the Questers were founded by Wulfram himself in prevision of the fact that land is finite and as such, they would eventually need to face strong foes to take this land, their greatest success dating to the taking of Amrea where Wulfram led the Questers to a new land of plenty. Simply, newborn Strigoi without territories are expected to find their ways to the Questers and await the next great invasion Wulfram will lead to glory. Still, with Wulfram being in his current state, new members are rare, most prefer to go out in the world by themselves and try their luck alone.
-The Day Guards:
Daywalkers bred for the purpose of guarding their fathers while they sleep, they can be considered the 'professional' soldiers employed as enforcers from the various Strigoi around. They are equiped with the best equipment available but generally are terrible at fighting organized enemies. They tend to rely too much on their personal strength and centuries of weapon mastery rather than tactics and team work.
-The Destined:
Humans with religious endoctrinement, they serve their masters in exchange for special privileges (such as they and their families being spared from any culling or dinner lists) along with the promise that worthy heroes will have the privilege to make an immortal child with a Strigoi. These people are trained professional and their advantage relies in the fact that both they and their commanders are aware of their individual weaknesses. Destined are thus trained to use tactics and such as a force multiplier to make up for this.
-The Rabble:
It isn't rare Strigoi force their cattle to fight in desperate situation and in fact for territorial wars, it is preferable to send barely trained and barely armed cattle first to sap the enemy of their ammunition and energy, soften them up for the real fight where the Strigoi and its professional warriors will charge in. The quality of these troops vary, cities are expected to maintain a trained force to draft for example, but overall with the advent of firearms the idea of mass mobilization over the use of small elite forces has increased.

Magic Prevalence/Usage:
There probably isn't another place in the world where magic is as present as in Wulfram's Realm. Strigoi and their subspecies are all magical users and it is said that the Patriarch and Matriarch, Wulfram and Adelheid, were both capable of commanding every forces of nature to their will. Their offsprings saw their powers divided and from them, all Strigoi carry the power from their mother.

-Solid Magic: These are the more numerous and tend to be found in most civilized areas. The enormous towers and architectural nonsenses that make the metropolis of the realm... they are made and maintained by magic forces for the most part. This design makes that they will always be needed and mortals know that they can't just chase their overlords out of the cities for without them, the stones around them would fall appart!
-Mind Magic: Where most solid mages prefer urban lives, mind Strigoi are more often the savages, those who live in the most recoiled and savage lands. They monitor their territories through the eyes of insects and animals, the very plants hide their every step... Some live in the cities, but more often than not they were the very founders, the ancestral owners of the land it is built on and always know every happenings.
-Gas Magic: They all come from Nantechildian blood, the first priestess of the sky. They have a variety of tricks up their sleeves of course, but they are known for being the harbinger of Strigoi everywhere for they can blot out the sun!
-Liquid Magic: Some use this power to sail the seas and rivers, but overwhelmingly this power is seen as that of the warriors, as the holy power of blood!

History/ Background Info:
The begining of the race is mythological and more detailed in the religion section and if Wulfram or Adelheid know better, they are not telling. History would thus begin when other eyes contemplated it after the birth of their first son, Theodulf. It might seem hard to believe to contemporary people, but at first, relationship with mortals were good and long before Amrea was a thing, they build the first cities of mortals and immortals together, the first traces of civilization. The mortals were afraid and justly so of what lurked in the night and thus, Strigoi were natural protectors all they need was their pound of blood, but blood was cheap in front of life.

For generations the Realm of Wulfram and Adelheid prospered and grew, goblins and dragons all but disappeared from the continent as Wulfram's influence grew for he and his sister-wife were not just immortal warriors, but magical casters of the likes that were never seen. Eventually, the attention of the divine rulers turned to Amrea.

They met like old friends and vanquished the last of terrible enemies together and ultimately, the Emperor of Amrea and Wulfram had a talk. The role of a leader was to protect and guide its flock, the virtue of power was mainly that of strength and as there was the matter of if the realm should join the empire or vice versa, then surely it could be decided by choosing who was the most apt to protect the whole of mortals? A contest of strength. Wulfram won and although history record a great fight, many of his sons would say that they found it obvious that their father was gallant and wanted to give his opponent a fight rather than crush him.

With this, there seemed to be nothing else to unite. The Strigoi influence was at its height and reached everywhere but still... it lasted only about 10h a day. It was then that Wulfram had his 'Great Idea' and sent his people on the path to damnation. Strigoi... they could borrow the strength of mortals through blood! An amazing power and one Wulfram wanted to use to do something that was never seen before. The lesser moon hung in the sky, going back and forth and sometimes it blocked the sun. He wanted to make it so permanently, move a moon between the world and the sun! Accomplish the oldest of prophecy.

Tens of thousands of mages were regrouped to try and achieve this feat and it began. Wulfram honestly thought it would be easy but then, a person died. He felt so close, he only needed to push a little more! Then hundreds and then thousands, he couldn't stop, he had to make their sacrifices worth it! Then, when only he and Adelheid were left he still had hope but his sister-wife was then consumed by the spell, just as he felt himself hanging the moon in place. He stopped everything in vein hope to save her and she disappeared in the cosmos in front of him until moments later, forever to be seen above the sky of what the Imperium would call the 'New World', the moon shattered.

Many of his sons and daughters had accompanied him to Amrea and had tied in the ritual, the road home was long and painful but... he had done something, to his race, to the cosmos. When he came back home it was not to welcoming arm but to a scene of horrors. In magical terms, the plane of thought, that of the Mind, it had forever been altered. So many had told him to stop, begged him as their souls were thorn apart, this hate, this resentment, it forever marked the Strigoi. Callous, brutal, uncaring, evil... these adjectives had become part of all Strigoi, forever and in these few nights, the oldest civilization had fallen to nothingness, the mortals who trusted the Strigoi for protection had all been eaten or had fled into the wild.

Wulfram would weep for the next thousand years as slowly his children were left to try and pick up the pieces. In time, the Realm would begin to recover but it would never be the same. Strigoi would never again be guardians but only Tyrants, ruling through fear and might alone.

He left his eldest, Theodulf, to rule in his name, just as he did when he was gone to Amrea. Theodulf however wasn't a builder, he only ever kept 'things going' while Wulfram was left and so this misery perpetuated itself. The situation couldn't last and when he and his siblings decided he would resign, it was in the hope Wulfram would have no choice but to leave the shrine he had made to his sister wife. They were betrayed however when Wulfram, going down the name of his children one by one, named Hildegund, the childless and loveless, who accepted to take the mantle of regent.

This was 200 years ago and since then, there is no doubt Hildegund's rule brought the Realm back to quite a significant status! Even Amrea no doubt fears them once again. But still her rule is tedious as her siblings have little respect for her.
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Serpentine88
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Serpentine88 Writer of Overly Long Character Sheets

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Here is the WIP, most of this stuff you guys are already aware of from the chatroom.
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Imperial Dominion of Vaurgemyr
(Ultranationalist elements occasionally refer to themselves as the Empire of Vaurgemyr)


Head of State: Emperor Vermathysliz Und Lymwurm (age 14, under Regency)
Type of Government: Absolute Monarchy (Elements of Slaver-Aristocracy Oligarchy)

Summary: A european-esque land and slaver society dominated by a ruling minority of draconic elites, who were once landowning slavers and ruled purely through brute force (by virtue of being dragons) and now are industrialist-slavers who rule through various financial and economic forces and monopolies of resources - as well as force - and are using this to rapidly industrialise their empire and turn it into the world’s leading producer of cheap goods… using even cheaper slave labour. The majority of the country are either various minorities of human, harpy, goblins and other slaves, various groups of elves that are widespread on the continent (particularly high elves) and make up the Dominion’s fledging middle-class/lower-aristocracy, and the whole thing is watched by the tiny 1% draconic ruling elite, who struggle to take back sovereignty from their Elven compatriots.
Government
The change in technology in the world ended Dragon’s individual supremacy of warfare and their ability to singularly conquer or terrorise nations. While the ruling dragon minority remained highly powerful, no longer could a single dragon inspire the terror to maintain millions of slaves. Vaurgehm’s empire, Built two centuries ago, collapsed to the onslaught of massed advanced elven technology. With the fall of the empire, the rule of the old draconic and depotistic feudal-bandit style robber barons ended through the barrel of a gun. The remaining territory under control of Vaurgehm’s descendants, the Lymwurm Dynasty, eventually went through a period of adaptation in turn - The remaining Draconic Elites desperate to maintain hold of the lands, wealth and slaves they still held under their control.

Most importantly, the Dragons of Vaurgemyr maintained control of their mountain citadel-palaces and many of their deep mines and mineral wealth. As airpower had not yet been invented, the Yllendyr conquerors could not fully evict the Dragon elite from the lands, so permitted them to remain as unconquered vassals. Draconic aristocrats morphed and changed in their societal roles, transforming from landlords to mining barons, industrialists and, eventually even aristocratic-bankers - though they continued their role as slave-lords very well, using their wealth and economic monopoly to once again ensnare the lesser races (and keep the Petty Bourgeois down). The Bank of Wurms for example while not the world’s first bank, is considered one of the world’s first ‘modern corporations’, and the Banking elite would go on to propagate the concept of a ‘separate legal entity’, particularly in comparison to the archaic guild structure of Yllendyr. The Dragons surprising innovation would become a great success, and through their great wealth and influence, gradually began the process of retaking control of their nation and performing rapid industrialisation, even under the thumb of the Yllendtyr. The economic might of Vaurgemyr now grows rapidly with the massing of factories, foundries and smoking chimneys, the combination of corporations backed by a vast apparatus of cheap slave labour has led the Dominion to possibly hoisting the elves by their own technological petard.

Today, Vaurgehm’s descendants continue to rule, though they have branched out into numerous Cadet Dynasties ruling various banks, industrial manufacturing corporations and feudal lands, and even have financial interests in the larger Yllendyr Imperium. The actual ‘Emperor’ of Vaurgemyr is but a mere hatchling, a puppet whose strings are fought over between a Yllendyr Regent appointed by the Emperor in Yllendyr, The Draconic Slaver-Aristocracy, Ellemite Bourgeois and Low-Aristocracy, Dragoon Elite-Slave Interests and even Dragon Ultranationalists who seek independence.

Economy
Vaurgemyr’s economy is dominated by a tiny minority of extremely powerful Draconic Slaver-Aristocrats, who have transformed from petty landowning sitting-bandits to full-blown Industrialist Slavers. This elite while typically decadent and complacent, exploiting feudal slaves by virtue of their physical strength as dragons and not much else, was forced into change by their catastrophic defeat to the Yllendyr, and so have embraced alien concepts like corporations and industrial-scale manufacturing, replacing Yllendyr’s old guild-artisan system and their own tributary banditry.

The ascendancy of proto-corporations has also led to the formation of the concept of the public company, and there are even talks of establishing a marketplace for ownership rights, what they are considering calling ‘shares’. Manufacturing is growing rapidly in the nation due to the opening up of finance and investment, and the economy may eventually overpower the archaic theories of the Yllendyr, even if slaves make complicated manufacturing impossible - Vaurgemyr can drown competitors in cheap labour. On the other hand, the rapid rise of manufacturing has also seen the rise of Ellemite (High Elven) low-aristocracy and even some free bourgeoisie Ellemites, the native elven majority seeing the rise of something never before conceived in these lands; a middle class. This middle class while further expanding the economy is considered a possible threat to the social order of the Dominion. The Elite Slave-Dragoon armies have also grown in influence due to the modernisation of warfare and Yllendyr’s Limiting Treaties forcing Vaurgemyr to rely on these slave paramilitary forces.

Industry: Industry is growing due to the great surplus of investment and finance, however complicated manufacturing remains underfunded due to the massive supply of cheap labour in the form of slaves. As such, manufacturing is typically more simpler mass-produced (labour intensive) items such as canned goods, steel, clothing and other small consumer goods that is simply for uneducated slaves to repeatedly put together. The production of low-quality massed and repetitive goods is extremely cheap due to said slave labour, and as such there are few competitors capable of meeting Vaurgemyr’s low costs of production.

Literacy: The Literacy Rate is moderate to low (40-50%), as while the upper class is highly literate and there is a growing educated middle-class, slavery remain legal and extremely widespread, even a core component of the culture, and as such ‘lesser races’ are both enslaved and uneducated - though there are many specialist and even ‘elite’ slaves with very specific skills such as Slave Calligraphers. Interestingly, the Draconic upper-class despite stereotypes and belief in the impracticality of it are highly well read and can even (with difficulty) write (though typically they have said specialised calligrapher slaves write for them).

Exports:

Imports:


Dramatis Personae
Head of State: Emperor Vermathysliz Und Lymwurm

Cabinet of his Most Glorious and Terrible Majesty:
Regent (Nominal) and Lord Chamberlain, Nolrimi Yirva
Lord Chancellor, ??
Lord Treasurer of the Exchequer, ???
Lord Comptroller of the Household (Keeper of the Wardrobe), ???
Lord High Constable & Captain-General of the Imperial Household Dragoons, ???
Lord High Marshal & Chief of the Imperial Staff, ???

Others of the Lymwurm Court:
-Empress-Dowager, Ciziebetta ‘Cizi’ Und Lymwurm (De Facto Head-Of-State)
-Imperial Harem
-Ambassador ??? to the Yllendyr Imperium
-Ambassador ??? to the Kingdom of Avalia

Other Characters:
-Squad 6 Medic

Demographics
Population: 75 million
Racial Demographics: As a slaver empire, Vaurgemyr is quite ethnically diverse and in fact is a nation of minorities, with no single majority existing. Its ruling elite is also a tiny minority in comparison to the rest of the nation. Slaves make up the majority (over 58-60%) of the Dominion’s population, however the concept of ‘slave’ is broad, as certain specialist slaves have many different rights, roles and certain privileges that other slaves lack (E.g, the chattel slaves in the mines have far fewer rights than the Elite Slave-soldier Dragoons or Household Servants of the Dragon Aristocracy). Humanity is nearly universally a slave race, as are goblins, who actually enjoy their enslavement (due to their peculiar - and to Dragons very desirable - psychology). Harpies too are a slave race and descend from captured raiders and PoWs from wars with the Old Forest in the past. The Ellempyr are mostly middle-class and minor aristocracy, though a large minority of their race are also slaves - though generally ‘Elite Slaves’, being favoured Household Servants of the Draconic (or their own Elven) elite. Yllendyr are mostly settlers, merchants and aristocrats from the wider Yllendyr Imperium, and besides certain criminal elements are not a slave race. It is illegal to enslave a dragon in Vaurgemyr.



Wyrms (Ruling Minority Caste - Dragons)
Ellempyr (Large Minority, Aristocratic Minority Caste - high elves)
Yllendyr (Dark elves, Aristocratic Minority Caste)
Valkyrians (Tiny Minority, Half/Half-caste)
Humanity (Large Minority, Slave caste)
Goblinoids (Minority, Slave caste)
Harpies (Minority, Slave caste)


Culture
Slave Society: The Dominion of Vaurgemyr is built on the back of mass slavery. Every human, harpy and Goblinoid within its borders is a slave of some kind. Elves and Valkyrians are also slaves, however, there are also many free members of these races. Before the Dragons arrived, the old High Elven Kingdom of Ellem used slavery, and when Dragons usurped control of the region from them, they decided, likely due to their inherent nature, to adopt and then perfect this… grand institution. Today, a huge portion of the Dominion’s society is comprised of slaves. There are so many slaves that they are divided into subcategories and slave social hierarchies, with Chattel slaves and Breeding stock at the very bottom, working-craftsmen slaves and conscripts following them, and even what could be considered ‘middle-class’ including specialists such as Indentured, Household slaves, concubines and highly influential slaves such as Dragoons, Slave Calligraphers and other personal servants of Dragon aristocrats... Slavery is considered a core element of Draconian and Vaurgemyrean culture, and the Draconic elite will defend the Grand Institution to great extremes, seeing as Dragons essentially live off slavery in some form or another. Elements of Slave culture can be seen everywhere, from slave collars and chains being nearly universal (even elite slaves wear golden collars, chokers or decorative necklace-like collars), Slave Breeding Pens being common, Slave markets taking in most town and city centres and society having developed a highly rigid, caste-like reverence for hierarchy and authority… even between slaves, in fact, particularly among slaves.

Decadence, Part I (Inherent Biology): Dragons are, by their nature, callous and often tyrannical creatures. They are inherently seeking to dominate, control and exploit others - and in fact, do not feel fulfilled or content unless this is being demonstrably obvious. The legendary image of a greedy dragon hoarding gold, stealing princesses and lording themselves over feudal peasants with threats of fire, demands of taxation and coercion of tribute exists for a reason. This is not to say that Dragons are incapable of empathy or are universally psychopathic, but rather are psychologically oriented towards domination and exploitation. In the words of some radical psychologists, they are an entire race of narcissists, to varying degrees of severity. Draconic states that have existed in the past are typically unstable since they were once a singular dragon (sometimes with a small family unit or harem) establishing themselves as a one-person absolute dictatorship, these states usually sucked dry those enslaved until the dragon was eventually vanquished by knights or other heroic figures. It was only when Vaugemyr The Magnificent conquered the entirety of Ellem and established his empire did things change. Despite societal conditioning and changing norms and conditions, dragons still remain fundamentally the same beings biologically, and the modern society they have created (and partly hijacked) reflects that.

Decadence, Part II (Societal Conditions): WIP

Nobility Above All: Aristocracy is a dominant concept in Vauregmyr. Blood and hereditary are everything, and familial and blood ties define your class and status. Noble customs are widespread throughout the culture, and dragons have adopted many aristocratic customs of the elves or made their own. The nobility are considered a higher being inherently by their nature and there is stiff resistance to class mobility - a slave can become an elite slave, but they will never be a noble. Family history is highly regarded and descendants will often have their lives shaped by their ancestors - a son of a traitor will be barred from positions of authority for example. Aristocrats are also provided many privileges and protections not afforded to other castes.

Rule of the Disparate Peoples: The Dragon Aristocracy of Vaurgemyr are well-experienced users of divide and conquer, and use it well to control such an ethnically diverse slave empire. The Dragons pit different minorities and slaves against each other. One way this is done is through using current day issues, such as Harpy culture/religion advocating for widespread consumption of humans, another slave race, to alienate or deliberately spreading and reminding slaves of historical grievances, such as the fact that it was the elves responsible for the enslavement and destruction of human culture, not the dragons (also and similarly, the enslavement of Valkyrians by humans). The nation furthermore uses the complex hierarchy of slaves to cause slaves to view each other as superior or inferior to each other. Dragons have also cleverly devised further divide-and-conquer measures by fabricating ethnic subcategories out of thin-air, dividing, for example, human slaves into "Thoroughbreds", "Mutts" and other supposed bloodline-attributes, as well as even creating sub-ethnicities on things such as hair colour. Fairness of skin is also exploited, similarly to Yllendyr racial positions.

The Carrot and The Stick: The Slavery of Vaurgemyr besides exploiting ethnic tensions between different minority groups also use various other methods to maintain control over the vast slave populations. Tactics include fear (both warranted and unwarranted) of outside forces, in particular, the undead of Anhreich and their plague as well as the Old Forest, both of which are considered existential threats and deadly menaces to the common people and slaves of Vaurgemyr - particularly humans who are particularly threatened by both. Elite slaves are also given unique rewards, such as Harpy Dragoons being rewarded with human death-row criminals to eat, or human slaves being provided extra women as concubines (humans are typically monogamous otherwise, despite living in a polygamous society). There are also examples of attempts at provoking loyalty from victims of their enemies own excesses, such as in the past supporting Valkyrians against human slavers. More uncommonly, there are also softer or enlightened slave-holders, the concept of a 'liberal aristocrat' exists but is less common. Another common element of control of the quasi-religious concept of the "Protector-Uniter". Dragons have spread the concept that they, as a race, are necessary as a means to maintain order and peace among the many diverse peoples of the world - who without them would succumb to barbarism and chaos, such as the lands of the Old Forest and Anhreich demonstrate. The Dragons were created by the gods (or are gods themselves) that through them an orderly life of peace is possible.

Polygamy and the Harem: Dragons and the Ellempyr are both races that have cultures that are aligned with dominantly polygamous practices and mating practices. For the Draconic race, this has always been so and is a natural part of their biology and evolution, while for the Ellempyr it is due to cultural and societal influences, first started by the worship of the Goddess Ast (A historical predecessor of the current revivalist cult of Astayti) and then theorised to be reinforced following centuries of Draconic rule and culture. The frequency and presence of Polygamy have acted as a double-edged sword, as while dynastic extinctions are far less common, internal dynastic blood-feuds, fratricidal, patricidal and matricidal conflicts are more common during periods of succession. In terms of Draconic familial relations, the Yllendyr Imperium's War of the Twin Emperors is not particularly surprising or morally unusual. Ellempyr, being mostly equal in genders, even practice polyandry - though this practice is far less common among Dragons (A certain Dowager-Empress aside...) and is considered an aberration. Humans and other slave races are typically monogamous - though some Elite Slave humans are occasionally rewarded with multiple wives.

The Slave-Soldiery of the Dragoon Guards: Standing above most other slaves, Dragoons are slave-soldiers either taken as babes from their mothers or recruited in-house from the children of aristocrats household slaves, regardless, they are trained from a very young age and for some, indoctrinated through methods of drugs, brainwashing, conditioning and gradual use of mind magic. Their lives are harsh and Dragoon culture emphasizes discipline and austerity. Religion is also common, Draconic cults of personality are widespread among the Dragoon Guards, drilled into them to worship Dragons like living gods, an extension of the already existing 'Protector-Uniter' ideology that the state advocates. That said, Dragoons are given unique honours and rewards for their services - and senior Dragoons can often be found as leaders in their own right in the military hierarchy.

Reactionary-Modernism, Innovation by Necessity: Romanticism and Reactionary thought are in vogue in the Vaurgemyr, in stark contrast to the rest of the continent which is rapidly embracing rationalism and the enlightenment. Vaurgemyrean thinkers, artists and philosophers occupy an interesting position of both being unpopular among foreign academics for being philosophical heretics, while also having cult/niche followings as they fill the void of alternatives snuffed out elsewhere. Despite this reactionary intelligensia, the actual leaders of the nation and its growing industrialists remain, staunch users of technology and progress - rather using technology and industrialisation as a weapon against its original enlightened advocates, and as means to return society to a far older and 'purer' form. Religion, occultism and abstract and often irrational belief systems are also growing, particularly in the cult movements, further dividing Vaurgemyr from a continent rapidly embracing laicism and irreligion.

Air Culture:

Religion:
Religion in Vaurgemyr is highly syncretic and consists of various cults, often competing with each other and syncretically steal mythos between themselves and other religions - typically creating bizarre fused belief systems - many adopting bits and pieces of foreign religions into them while being bastardised enough to be considered a separate religion. This syncretic nature is likely due to the number of different cultures and ethnic groups inhabiting the country as uneducated but needy slaves, combined with the general irreligion of the Dragon ruling minority, who while a tiny part of the population have the vast monopoly of power and so have blocked a centralised church from forming - though Dragons do tend to build or encourage certain cults, particularly if those cults are built around themselves. Despite dragons supporting cults of personalities to themselves, the largest cults are the Ellempyr splinter-branch of the Disciples of Eluna, known here as the Cult of Eulune or Elune. Other popular cult-faiths includes the Ellempyr Goddess Astayti (A goddess of love and beauty), the Cult of Mie (An Ellempyr-Human god fusing numerous human and Ellempur gods together as a deity of Prosperity and wealth, gold is holy) the Cult of the Sky (often considered a derivative of Avalian Sky-King worship mixed with Dragon worship), The Cult of Vaurgemyr (National Epic Civil Religion / Caeseropapist combined with ancestor worship, Protector-Uniter and Cult of the Sky fusion). The philosophical and quasi-religious idea of the Draconic Protector-Uniter also is widespread, though is seen more of a political reality than a true religious belief. Scientific rationalism/irreligion is uncommon, however irreligious agnosticism is common among the upper classes.

Geography
Location/Territories: Old World, South-Eastern Continent. The Purplish-Burgundy on the far-east coast.

Climate: Primarily temperate, though with cold winters and somewhat colder than the northern temperate regions. Many mountains and hills, with the northern areas of Vaurgemyr being warmer and more fertile with grasslands and fields. The border with Old Forest is militarised and includes large sections of burned down areas and actively cut-down parts from aggressive logging operations.

Military
The military of the Dominion of Vaurgemyr is, due to Yllendyre’s control and the limiting treaties they have forced on the whole continent, much ‘smaller’ than it really is. On paper, Vaurgemyr supports an army of around 50,000 troops, divided into two Corps of 20,000 each, plus a Naval Force of 5,000 marines and an ‘Air Corp’ of 5,000 air-knights. The 2-corp army, the Imperial Army, mostly consists of middle-class Ellemites and Draconic aristocratic knights playing soldier. In truth, the real military force of Vaurgemyr are the various unofficial armies of the Dominion. These forces include the Dragoons, or slave-soldier elites bred and indoctrinated towards serving specific Draconic bloodlines. The Lymwyrm Dynasty’s own person Dragoon Guard numbers now around 80,000 troops. Officially it is dubbed as a security and intelligence agency, tasked with protecting VIPS and performing counterespionage - in reality, it is a private paramilitary and true army of the Dominion. These elite slave-troops include Aerial Harpy Corps, typically tasked with escort missions from Dragons as well as even including cavalry and hidden artillery units. The Dragoon Guards of other aristocratic families are also quite large, though are private armies rather than under the command of the Golden Hoard (Throne) of Vaurgemyr.

Besides Vuargemyr’s standing force, other military units include the 300,000 Yellendyr troops that watch over the country - while not under the control of The Dominion, they do serve to defend the nation from external threats (besides keeping The Dragons in line). There are also the multitudes of millions that can be raised as conscripts in time of war - particularly since a huge number of the populace are various kinds of slaves, and as such can be called to war quite easily.

Vaurgemyr’s navy is relatively small due to the Imperium’s limiting treaties. The ships they do possess are mostly standardised Yllendyr knock-offs, with the largest vessel being Heavy Cruisers... Beyond the official navy, Vaurgemyr does also possess a merchant fleet that could be retrofitted into military vessels, particularly Q-Ships.

Vaurgemyr is one of the few nations in the world to possess an already existing, and substantial air force - consisting of a combination of Draconic flyers (typically aristocratic air-knights) supported by Harpy Dragoon escorts or lesser dragon guards. Dragons do not typically allow passengers/riders on them (less they be humiliated and disgraced), and instead performing the attacking themselves, though they will include medics and other support staff in their Dragoon escorts, and they will often carry supplies on themselves. Dragons have soft underbellies that have made them highly vulnerable in the past to arrows and random heroes with swords, and their old trick of using encrusted gold and gems fails to stop bullets - luckily, Dragons nowadays armour themselves, particularly said underbelly, with heavy modern armour and other forms of protection, including complicated flying maneuvers and living shields in the form of Harpies acting as a kind of live reactive armour, intercepting shells and other projectiles in mid-air. Dragon Air-Knights with magic will often also use magic to protect themselves besides just attacking.

Magic Prevalence/Usage: Common but unpredictable and highly varied in terms of power among Dragons, who are already armed with powerful biological flame-breathing and flight, which is further supported by magic. Dragons have come up with quite a number of creative ways of making their breath even more deadly than it was normally. Plasma alignment (For Dragons). The Ellemites are, like their Yllendyr cousins, possessing near universal magic of the Liquid element. As a multiracial slave empire, Vaurgemyr has access to the magical abilities of many different races, however, slaves magic is highly regulated and is illegal unless given certain permits. Only draconic nobility is permitted unrestricted use of magic, though certain corporate and state entities possess widespread magical licenses as well.

History/Background Info
WIP:
-Elven ruled kingdoms, slavers
-Dragons occasionally took over petty-states as one-dragon conqueror-dictators, inevitably fall to some hero with a bow or sword.
-Chaos caused by Yllendyr’s rise/infighting allowed Vaurgemyr the Magnificient to conquer Elven Kingdoms and form empire. Begun quest of continental conquest, however was defeated by resurgent Yllendyr with guns that made Dragons highly vulnerable.
-Dragons fled to mountain citadel-palaces far beyond the reach of land-based mortals. Unable to attack them, Yllendyr accepted their vassalage.
-Dragons slowly regain their land and dominion over the country and slaves via using their vast mineral wealth. They convert themselves from martial-aristocrats to financial/slaver exploiter aristocrats.

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