[center][h1]Takanis - A Historically Inspired Fantasy NRP[/h1][/center] [center][img]https://i1.wp.com/cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/006/772/494/large/eric-persson-sassanid.jpg[/img][/center] [url=https://i.imgur.com/MVWkS26.png]Political Map of the World[/url] [url=https://i.imgur.com/3BIJXQM.jpg]Tentative Map of the World (Subject to Change)[/url] In this NRP, you play as a nation of your own creation. This is a setting with heavy historical inspiration, but no direct parallels. The best term for the setting is schizotech - this is a world wherein a mail armored cataphract charge coexists with nitrating crop rotation, the sextant, potatoes and tomatoes available without the need for any great dyings. We have technologies and ideas that would not exist until the 18th century coexisting with the 6th century. The setting is based on the concept of highly developed, intricate societies with a deep, complex web of trade, alliances, and diplomacy, societies that can build monuments to humble the Pyramids of Egypt or dwarf the Roman Colloseum. Vast empires with vast populations, deep history, and so on. That said, this is not a map painting simulator, and if you want to conquer the world, I fully understand, but this is not a Total War or EU4 game and such should not be your driving goal. Individual nations are player created, with randomly rolled stats serving as a guideline upon which you should build your nation. This is a world with by now some well established lore, and I encourage you to speak to me and the other players about how your own nation fits into it! I invite those interested to join our [url=https://discord.gg/axvcQHc]Discord server[/url] and get to know the players already in. Slots are somewhat limited, unfortunately, so we do not have indefinite room for new players. [h2]Rules[/h2] [list] [*] Use common sense. [*] Don't game the rolls. [*] No godmodding, powergaming, etc. You get the point. [*] What the GM and Co-GM says, goes. Please don’t push things this far. [*] No meme nations (why do I have to make this a thing?) [*] Don’t be an arse. [/list] [h2]Application[/h2] [hider=App] [b]Name of Nation:[/b] [b]Species:[/b] [b]Culture and Society:[/b] [b]History:[/b] [b]Territorial Claims:[/b] [b]Economy:[/b] [b]Army:[/b] [b]Navy:[/b] [b]Traits:[/b] [b]Foreign Relations:[/b] [b]Rolls:[/b] (Rolled by GM in the Discord Server. Just ping me, and I’ll roll as soon as I’m able.) [b]Other:[/b] [/hider] [h2]Other Information[/h2] [hider=Magic] Magic, in this world, is significantly different from that of most fantasy settings. In most settings, a mage conjures a fireball in his hand from the ether and propels it at the enemy - that is not how it works here. Imagine the magic of the world as a shallow puddle with the breadth of an ocean, covering the entire world, but not ‘deep’ enough to allow much more than low level cantrips, or a telepath to communicate with others. But within this puddle there are spots that could be considered ‘low lying’ - where the magic of the world collects and concentrates, manifesting physically as a crystalline material that can be mined and processed, brimming with the magical energy of the world. These magical crystals can be used as power supplies for the magical contraptions of those nations advanced in the arcane, a machine to cast bolts of lightning or launch balls of fire for those of great sophistication, or a contraption to draw water from the earth or a stone circle to communicate at great distances for the middling. A nation’s magic roll is related to the prevalence and size of these ‘hotspots’ - determined by the magical reserves roll. Just as with material resources for a nation dependent on tech, the supplies of this crystal are crucial for the war effort of a nation dependent on magic. Those learned in the ways of magic’s use are known as mages - almost anybody can become a mage, as the use of magic is for the most part a matter of learning and applied technique, rather than any inborn attributes. There are those who do not need a ritual circle to cast magic, whose bodies are focal points of magical crystal themselves, inexplicably linked to their bodies. These individuals, while capable of small feats at most under their own power, can harness the energy of crystals to become a force to be reckoned with. Sorcerors, as they are often known, are exceedingly rare - with birthrates as low as one in ten million in many populations, and never exceeding one in a million among even the most magical of peoples. There are other means of supplying magic in the field, but these are costly. The sacrifice of living beings, for instance, - dozens or hundreds, or even thousands - can create enough energy with the turmoil of death to supply magical devices for a limited time. Magic’s use, however, comes with a darker side - one that can and has spelled doom for myriad civilizations and empires before. Excessive extraction of magical crystal can lead to depletion of the magical field in the area - ‘dry’ spots can occur, and should action not be taken to dramatically lessen or outright halt crystal extraction, calamity can occur. There is always ample forewarning - magically sensitive individuals will experience splitting headaches and full body pain, for instance. A basic (and somewhat silly) visual guide can be seen [url=https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/505562512704667670/508147377840848897/unknown.png]here[/url]. Should such a calamity occur, it will become immediately obvious. At the point wherein the depletion reaches a critical point, the very landscape will begin to change. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, vast lightning storms, and all manner of natural disaster are likely to occur, greater than any recorded on earth in living memory. The land itself will turn fallow, life becomes twisted, corrupted, a shadow of its former nature as universal forces unknown to the living crash into the mundane world. Such land is tainted, and for the first centuries at least the land will be unlike anything of the natural world. Warped abominations will prowl through toxic streams, plants and animals molded into new, perverted mockeries of life, unable to live outside of the hostile, abnormal conditions that gave rise to them. The only mercy is that those who created such conditions rarely live to see the worst of them. To survive, let alone remain sane and uncorrupted within such land is all but impossible, and it can take a millenium or more for the area to truly heal. Magic is a flexible system - but it is far from omnipotent. [/hider] [hider=Explanations on Rolls and other aspects of the RP] And now, a brief explanation of the rolls and other aspects of the sheets. Your rolls are a guideline for your nation, and they serve as an upper limit. If your roll is large, but you wish to go smaller, you are welcome to. With your rolls, you have five free points to place wherever you want, in addition you can subtract a total of ten points from wherever you wish and redistribute them elsewhere. Fifteen points in total to play with. Finally, you can choose any two stats within a roll to swap - changing fertility with land area, for instance. Your Land Area: This roll determines the amount of land you have under your sway. It covers how much of the map under your control. Your Land Fertility: This roll dictates the habitability of your land, and its suitability for agriculture. A low roll may be host to a harsh climate (natural or artificial) difficult to inhabit, it may have soils that yield small crops. Conversely, a high roll will have rich, fertile soil and a climate that lends itself to a habitation. Your Army Size: This roll dictates the size of your nation’s army, and the level of training and sophistication of your land forces. A nation with a large army roll is capable of raising powerful forces, numerous, well trained, and well equipped. Your Economy: Your Economy is a representation of the wealth of your nation. It stands for the money your people hold, the amount you import and export, and to some extent how connected with others your nation is. A nation with a high economy is able to fund and finance more expensive works, and can maintain a war for considerably longer periods of time. Your Development: Development represents the sophistication and development of your nation’s culture, civilization, and governmental structure. It is essentially the difference between a country with bustling cities and intricate systems of trade and taxation, and a collection of thatch roof villages loosely controlled by a reigning warlord. A higher development means bigger cities, bigger monuments, more artisans not working in the fields. Your Navy Size: This roll dictates the size of your naval forces. In addition, it represents the sophistication, extent, and other facets of your marine infrastructure - dockyards, drydocks, ports, and so on. This roll does not solely determine the quality of your warships or ability to field advanced designs. Your Magical Reserves: In Takanis, Magic is not powered by an unseen ethereal force - but by a physical, tangible object. An iridescent crystal that goes by many names is the physical manifestation of magical energy that permeates the universe. Its scarcity varies greatly throughout the world and the universe at large, and this roll dictates the reserves of crystal you have available. Your Magical Sophistication: In this world, magic is a potent force - but a tricky one that requires intensive study to understand, and requires expert training and meticulous technique to harness. Capable of impressive feats when properly used, a magically potent nation can create massive contraptions to unleash bolts of lightning upon their foes, a ball of flame, or other more mundane uses - a trained individual can communicate remotely with a similarly trained individual in a manner akin to a radio (range dependent on the power of the system) or water can be drawn from deep underground aquifers. Traits - The Traits of a nation are essentially flavor text, chosen by the player, that gives the nation they belong to extra details, strengths and weaknesses not able to be truly represented by rolls alone. The effects of these traits can be varied, both in their breadth of effect and the magnitude of their impact. National traits must be balanced, with the exception of one wholly positive trait. All other traits must carry some tradeoff or be countered by a negative trait. For instance, a nation is capable of fielding amazingly large armies, but a negative trait is the size of their military takes away funding for civil projects. Your traits can carry some flexibility with your rolls, but nonetheless they are still constrained - for instance, a nation with a naval roll of 1 may not have a trait that describes their ancient seafaring culture enabling them to build the best warships in the world. A positive only trait, for instance, may reference an age old warrior culture and boost the morale of their armies, ensuring that flight is only a possibility in truly dire circumstances. [/hider] [hider=NPC Nations] NPC nations are nations controlled either by the GM or players that create them, intended to serve as flavor, flesh out the region, and provide a rich playground for our greater powers to frolick in. NPC nations have stats much the same as our own nations do, rolled by me, the GM. [/hider] And with that, I welcome you to this land - troubled though it may be, and await your own entry into the great games of war and politics that will play out!