[center][h2][color=ffd435]ZAMEEN[/color][/h2][img]https://i.imgur.com/xZfKDTx.jpg[/img][/center][hr][hr]
[center][h2][color=ffd435]THE RP[/color][/h2][/center]

Zameen is designed to be a character-driven political roleplay. I and my Co-GMs will run NPCs, world events, and the larger empires exerting influence over the land. Your characters’ goals, both long and short, are what will really shape the narrative, while adapting to changes in the setting brought about by broader world events. The goal is [i]not[/i] to unite Zameen against the Eileanan (though that is certainly a narrative that can evolve), but for characters to struggle for more personal goals and power both with and against each other. 

As such, with Zameen being such a diverse continent, there is plenty of room for players to carve out and design their own little slice of it, and such is encouraged. That isn’t to say that [i]any[/i] region design will be accepted as-is (It needs to make some sense within the context of the setting after all), but world building is encouraged. If there is a lack of interest from the player base towards this aspect of the RP, there’s little worry. The Co-GMs and I will be more than happy to flesh out the world one region at a time.

While this RP [i]is[/i] based around the real-world situation of British India, realism will not be too strictly enforced when it comes to characters and regions. Magic exists, but is so rare and powerful that it’s more whispered of in legends than a part of everyday life. It can be used in world building, but we shouldn’t be seeing any necromancers ravaging the countryside or a region run by shapeshifting dragons. Overall, you can be fun and creative, and I will try to work with your original ideas, but I may need to ground them in order to function within the setting.

[center][h2][color=ffd435]THE SETTING[/color][/h2]
(Expect this section to be expanded over time)[/center]
[hider=Zameen and Eileanan]Zameen, perhaps the most diverse land in the world. Peoples of all different cultures and religions inhabit the continent, and have for as long as history can remember. Insulated by its three guardians The Mountain, Desert, and Sea, it has enjoyed an existence that has mostly been isolated from the world at large. Empires rose and fell over time, never uniting the continent, but leaving their mark on its peoples and history all the same. United by a common language and little else, this pocket of humanity made its first significant contact with the world at large when Eileanan arrived on its northern shores nearly two hundred years ago. Thus, a long and contentious history between the two began. 

At first merchants simply sought trade, to bring Zameen’s goods to the outside world (For great profit, of course). Still, while Zameen was an accepting land, values are never universal. Over time, reactionaries grew restless at the growing number of soldiers embarking on its shores. They began attacking the merchants, which prompted armed reprisals from Eileanan, and soldiers arriving on the shores. They were skirmishes of course, not massive battles, but their objective to secure a safe port for trade eventually tuned to securing a safe city for its people to visit and settle in. Eventually, these small piecemeal conflicts and conquests resulted in Eileanan controlling a third of the entire land. The two have become so intertwined over the centuries that it is hard to imagine Zameen without its once-foreign “protector”. Their relationship isn’t perfect, but it is stable, for now.

[hider=Governor-General]The head of government for the territories under Eileanan control. The Governor-General ostensibly acts as the will of the Emperor, although in reality they more or less govern Zameen by their own means. Upon being appointed (An appointment that is supposed to be open to all, but has effectively become hereditary) they don a mask and are never seen in public without it. This is meant to represent their place as a mere extension of the Emperor, but in truth it was a practice adopted from the Pratikrivaadee, former rulers of what has become the heartland of Eileanan control in Zameen. The last three holders of this position, all being decorated veterans, have used a modified military helmet for this purpose, and it is likely this tradition will continue afterwards.[/hider] [/hider]

[center][h2][color=ffd435]TECHNOLOGY[/color][/h2][/center]

While I won’t expect you to have extensive knowledge of it, the tech level of the RP will be something resembling 19th century British India. For weaponry, multi-shot pistols exist, as do rifles, artillery (Cannons, mortars, howitzers), and all of these can be found alongside more traditional weaponry such as swords and spears. The technology level is not consistent across the entire continent, and most modern inventions exist almost exclusively inside the territory directly controlled by Eileanan and its allies. “Railroad diplomacy” has slowly begun to unite the continent, and the offer to build one onto a ruler’s land has become a strong bargaining chip for the Empire. 

Still, that isn’t to say that the countryside, or areas more hostile to Eileanan, are backwaters. Two centuries of interaction with the Empire mean that there are plenty of older firearms and other technology circulating. You won’t find factories or steam engines, but the world does not transform into a medieval one either. 

[center][h2][color=ffd435]THE RULES[/color][/h2][/center]

I really expect this to be at a level where basic rules shouldn’t need to be stated, but there are a couple that need emphasized:

1. You guys can do whatever convoluted political incest marriage backstab plots that you want. Just keep all the intimate stuff PG13, you can do whatever you want in PMs.

2. No godmodding. I don’t mean in relation to combat (Use common sense there) but in regards to character knowledge. Try to keep your OOC and IC as separate as possible, and I really don’t want to see posts where one character tries to lie and the other immediately knows it’s a deception, or other things of that sort. No mind reading (except where mutually agreed upon for a scene, the characters know each other well enough that they’d be able to pick up on it, etc.


[center][h2][color=ffd435]YOUR CHARACTERS[/color][/h2][/center]

There is no character sheet. Instead, I would like you to submit public information and private information. The public one should consist of information that can be gathered about your character from the streets. This can be information about their appearance, personality, reputation, anything you’d like. If they’re a significant enough figure that it makes sense to play them in a political RP, then there should be public information available. Still, don’t go crazy with this. A couple reasonable-length paragraphs will do. This can be a bit flexible if they’re particularly important (I’d prefer four paragraphs to no information, given the choice). In addition, please have an image with your character. No photographs, all characters should use artwork for their image. 

If additional context is needed for your character (Such as information about their religion if they’re head of a sect, or other important nuances of their position/role in the world) I will gladly add it to the setting category for the region that character inhabits.

Now, for you private character sheet: That’s the real deal and similar to what you would submit for most RPs. I’m not going to enforce categories, but if there’s information lacking I might ask you for more. While I’m not going to enforce total realism for the RP or anything like that, I might ask you to make changes if your character doesn’t fit with the tone or realities of the setting. Please try not to be offended if that is the case, it’s not meant to imply anything about your abilities as an RPer if changes are requested. 

Please PM a copy of your public and private sheets to me, so the GM team can look over it before approval. It's probably best to send the public copy first, so you don't lose a lot of work if your first concept is rejected for whatever reason.

[center][h2][color=ffd435]MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION[/color][/h2][/center]

While this is a historical RP, there’s no inherent racism and sexism built into the setting. You can build such into any region as you please, but it’s not the default.

To stress again: While magic exists, it’s rare and powerful to the point of being awe-inspiring and world-affecting when it’s used. There are no people that can use it in the manner of spells, and enchanted items are almost nonexistent, even amongst the most powerful of individuals in the world.

The amount of characters (Outside of NPCs used by the GM team) who can be Eileanan will be very limited. Likely two, though if this generates enough interest more slots may open up.

I’ll allow two characters per player, but only one can be a “Ruler” style character. I’d like to see a healthy mix of leaders and followers, ideally, each trying to acquire their own goals and power (However they define it).

The RP will always be accepting, and will function better the larger the player base is. I will add more Co-GMs as needed.
This OOC will probably be updated frequently, although I’ll usually give an indication of when a major change has occurred.