Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by pugbutter
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(NOTE: The OOC can now be found here!)
From the fore-tablets to
𐏃𒍪𒌅𐏃𒁺𒀝𒆠𒋗
On Thraxia,

a Modern Historie,
as written by Nimak-šurrupāl, royal chronicler
The historian is the most ironic of scholars; for in wishing that his works be enriched with the best elements of theatre, that is to say the gripping story helmed by compassionable heroes, ripe with strife and drama, necessarily he first wishes death and misery upon others, no matter the measure of his own soul's gentleness. For historie is foremost the chronicling of war. Indeed, many men of my breed must study philosophy, philanthropy, and religion the whole world over, ultimately so that we may understand the intricacies of weapons: who swings them against whom, and wherefore they swing; in what direction flies the blade and to what end. These higher elements supercede the crude irons and bronzes and stones wherefrom these tools of ambition are fashioned.

My histories are no exception. Only whereas I was once commissioned by the fifth Mneššebnar (peace unto His rest) to document the Thraxian tribes, that he may understand them——ultimately, of course, in the aims of conquering them——these "barbarians" have proved themselves a race of cunning warriors and an eerie instrument in the unknowable engine of fate. My Nhirian readers will think it odd to hear one of their own extolling the virtues of a people living in houses of sticks and mud, but I tell you that only a great and terrible people could have effected that which was effected scarcely a decade ago, in the lifetime of a humble and immeasurably privileged scholar——privileged, I say, because I watched this historie blossom before me, vibrant and alive; not exhumed it from words on a page!

Yes, I have met many rare fortunes in the aweful Thraxian mountains: I have met Hridvir, daughter of Wulmod now avenged, wolf-mother to the wailing Gisilbards; Swutgerþ, who was sitting atop his golden mare of legend when he made contact with the "Great Invader" (as they know Him) on a western cape, and sponsored His journey through the passes; Hlundul, bold and terrible, tales of whose coppered axe still terrorize our heartlands today. All of these figures and others of the Thraxian people's vibrant histories were present at the great-council at Skeldefjarn, at which I too was able to sit. Lest I succumb into bragging I will cease here, although the sight of that naked and howling horde will never leave me, I am assured; and I must pen this chronicle to keep my own memory well-kindled in as much as to share it with posterity.

One honor I was not afforded is to have met our Emperor in person during these years, while he was still cloaked with the fires of youth, still navigating the valleys and causeways of His greatness. I should have liked, liked very much indeed, to have looked into the eyes of the Blood of Ārtammat and witnessed therein the same glint of glorious madness which inspired the very machination of which we prosper today; which ended a generations-long enmity between two venerable and bittered kingdoms. Alas, none the sources informing these early chapters are my own, rather collections I have accrued while visiting the Eshkhep races, and while retreading the routes of the mythic march.

None but among the Thraxians themselves claim to have known our good and righteous Dāmaxāriš before His rise to power; they know him as
Torukulô, just as he is Amtir-aqqabeth in certain far-cities and Tsemekon in the Eshkhep provinces, where His person goes unremembered except as their wise and awesome liege. And these Thraxian accounts differ too wildly to be of use. Some claim they knew His Highest Divinity as a boy, reedy and cunning; others that He was already a man when He lived among their people. More insist He received the grievous wound of His hand while fighting in their ranks against Mneššebnar V's forces, and more still that he is an aspect of Frifn, or Voliþuz, a one-handed god. Dāmaxāriš's father, the previous ruler of a petty Eshkhep empire, is most certainly deposed, exiled across the Mesphoth; but no mothers have come forward, no brothers, no distant kin, despite all the nations' knowing that the son treats mercily and kindly with the families of sinners. The supreme of these truths, of course, is that we will never know, without that He deign to tell us; and until the day of that telling I would that the reader decide which truth he best favors.

What we do know is that His life began in a time of strife, a time when the land was broken and burning and many empires-minor squabbled over the cinders. Chief among them were we, the sons of Hezeret, embroiled with the tribes, meeting them on half a hundred battlefields; ...




Welcome to the Interest Check for DEVOURER, a game of strife: between armies, their generals, the passions and ambitions which spurn them.

You have been born into an infant world, a world still soft and ripe and tantalizing; a world where a dozen kingdoms have crowned a hundred kings, promising each of them a dynasty to reign ten thousand years, a country as big as the land itself, immortality, greatness ... if he can build them, or win them for himself.

Many have tried before you. The Sarsinids to the south, fielding massive hosts of yowling horse-archers, have slaughtered son and brother in the name of becoming Chief of Chiefs. Warlords of the Atalmo terrorize trade-routes, loosing poisoned arrows from rainbow ships. Chariots and spearmen stain red the Screaming Sands, until the eternal winds have blown over them again, burying what remains so that even the jackals cannot eat.

You are not one of these legendary men—not yet—not while pretenders plague your country, and your most terrible foe stirs to the south ... that foe who calls you mudman, savage, brute. You call yourself Angaturiz, "son of the clay," and thee alone the clay has chosen.

The Thraxian Mountains have preserved your way of life for as long as you can remember. Their maws of ice and rock have chewed up and spat out many foreign armies come to make slaves of your people, as if the land itself knows that only you are its heirs, that you alone continue its will. But something has changed. The tyrant of the Ûzurenids conquers your valley brothers; he puts them to work spying on your families, relaying your activities and whereabouts to lords with bruised knees, burning your roundhalls, softening you for an inevitable, hideous war.

You are a clan chieftain, or retainer to one. (More on this in a bit.) You have followed the call to attend a great council deep in the mountains you call home, with the aims of staying the doom of your people at the hands of an overwhelming external threat. But only ruin will reward you if you cannot bring yourself to forgive the right allies ... or if you pardon an enemy in disguise. See, you haven't always had the best relationship with your fellow clans, either. You have stolen from each other in times of hunger; you have killed their brothers in blood-feuds. Then again, you have also married into good families and forged unbreakable blood-bonds on the battlefield. In a word, your characters have history. Everyone knows everyone else other at this council, where grudges and favors will be remembered, allegiances will be tested, and where mercy may prove just as much a savior as strength and courage will. You will choose at least two players with whom to collaborate on your characters' relationships after the base applications have been accepted: are you avenging a loved one who they murdered? Is it time to repay a life-debt you have owed them? Or something in between?

If you are not playing a chieftain then you shall play the sort of person who a chieftain would bring along as a favored companion. This could be a sibling, spouse, or offspring; an important member of the clan, like its seer or its finest warrior; a childhood friend; a foreign mercenary; someone who the chieftain knows (or thinks he knows) and who he trusts with his life. Under perfect conditions there will be 3-4 factions of players; but you can join a player clan, join an NPC clan, or create your own new faction, at your leisure, with as many characters as you can handle. I will adjust accordingly the NPC chieftains' importance to the war effort if creating their own factions does not interest the sufficient number of players.

Either way, be ready for shit to get uncomfortable. Besides the obvious ugliness arising from early Iron-Age hygiene and medicine, the entirety of war, paranoia, and the brutality of ancient life will be on full display in this game—excepting, of course, that the things which will get people banned from this website will be mentioned as happening off-screen rather than depicted in gruesome detail. Mostly sexual stuff. Human nature and the consequent acts of horrible violence are fair game.

Knowing these two things, you should have discerned by now that other characters within the game—that includes both PC's and NPC's—will be able to betray you from the moment it seems auspicious. They won't necessarily (that's the fun of the game), but if that sort of thing makes you ragequit then you won't have fun here.

Conversely, you might like this game if:
  • You love history
  • You love ancient history in particular
  • You're kinda sick of all the ancient history RPs being Greco-Roman-centric (or some silly anime shit)
  • You've ever griefed people in some multiplayer game or other
  • You watch TV shows and movies where more talking happens than shooting/stabbing/exploding (but the violence which does happen is fuckin' righteous 🤘)
  • You remember characters easier than plot points
  • You like Low and/or Dark Fantasy; you like when magic is expensive, rare, and deadly, practiced only by small sects of cultists and madmen
  • You like worldbuilding and will take any opportunity to fill in blank parts of a map or timeline with your own whimsical bullshit
  • Drama and gossip are your bread and butter


I'm actually not sure yet whether I will put this game in Casual or Advanced, but know that it will be held mostly to an Advanced standard, pertaining to grammar and style.

I think that's about all anyone needs to know this far into the project, so I'm now taking comments, questions, and suggestions.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Letter Bee
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Letter Bee Filipino RPer

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I can't join right now, but I wish you luck - This is a very interesting and novel premise.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Letter Bee
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Double-post: But just in case I want to have the time, I want to be Iranian/Jewish/Arab/Armenian!
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by pugbutter
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Double-post: But just in case I want to have the time, I want to be Iranian/Jewish/Arab/Armenian!


The Anatolian culture you seek would best match the Ûzurenids/Nhirians, the largest empire on the map (which will be delivered in full for the OOC, although I can send it to anyone's PMs who wants to see the current progress). If you do choose to join I'll be very interested in seeing whether you are loyal to your homeland to the last, or a turncoat in the making ... best of luck to you.
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Letter Bee
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<Snipped quote by Letter Bee>

The Anatolian culture you seek would best match the Ûzurenids/Nhirians, the largest empire on the map (which will be delivered in full for the OOC, although I can send it to anyone's PMs who wants to see the current progress). If you do choose to join I'll be very interested in seeing whether you are loyal to your homeland to the last, or a turncoat in the making ... best of luck to you.


The Nhirians are the invaders, right? If so, what are they like? Are they closer to Cyrus the Great or are they closer to Xerxes (yes, I know he wasn't as demonic as he is portrayed in popular media, but even so)?

Edit: Oh, Xerxes.
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by pugbutter
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Yes, Nhir is the most important city culturally to this empire, although it is no longer the capital. "Nhirians" references their homeland and point of expansion/influence whereas "Ûzurenids" references the patriarch of their ruling dynasty, King Hezeret. The two are interchangeable depending on your character's values.

Most the names and linguistics are very Sumerian, with the geography and culture more on the early Achaemenid side. But I for one envisioned Mneššebnar more like one of the crueler Assyrian kings (Sennacherib, Ashurbanipal) than Cyrus, who made far greater advances in diplomacy, administration, art, and civil rights. Not to say he's evil—no more so than anyone else in this world—but Mneššebnar makes a piss-poor philanthropist.

I'm not too concerned with being accurate to a certain region or era as long as the "feeling" of the world is preserved. I won't be surprised to see people pouring Viking inspiration into their Angaturiz, for example. So although I don't have a hard proxy for all the Semitic peoples yet, you could easily play out your favorite archetype from a wide swath of the world map.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Letter Bee
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Yes, Nhir is the most important city culturally to this empire, although it is no longer the capital. "Nhirians" references their homeland and point of expansion/influence whereas "Ûzurenids" references the patriarch of their ruling dynasty, King Hezered. The two are interchangeable depending on your character's values.

Most the names and linguistics are very Sumerian, with the geography and culture more on the early Achaemenid side. But I for one envisioned Mneššebnar more like one of the crueler Assyrian kings (Sennacherib, Ashurbanipal) than Cyrus, who made far greater advances in diplomacy, administration, art, and civil rights. Not to say he's evil—no more so than anyone else in this world—but he makes a piss-poor philanthropist.

I'm not too concerned with being accurate to a certain region or era as long as the "feeling" of the world is preserved. I won't be surprised to see people pouring Viking inspiration into their Angaturiz, for example. So although I don't have a hard proxy for all the Semitic peoples yet, you could easily play out your favorite archetype from a wide swath of the world map.


Thanks! Also, I don't have the time to join your RP (and might not do so for the foreseeable future), but you seem like an interesting guy.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by pugbutter
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Here's to hoping you come around soon! Other GMs are dorks.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Letter Bee
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@pugbutter, I run two of my four games, actually.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by pugbutter
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Dooooorks.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Lady Selune
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Lady Selune Lamia Queen, Young and Sweet.

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I was brought here with the mention of celts.

The druids await the knowledge you bequeath.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Mr Irony II
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Mr Irony II Mr. Beard

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Interested good sir.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by Heyitsjiwon
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Heyitsjiwon

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Interested as well!

Edit: How flexible are we allowed to be with out interpretations of the Angaturiz?
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Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by pugbutter
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Edit: How flexible are we allowed to be with out interpretations of the Angaturiz?


As long as it isn't wildly, garishly anachronistic? Very. In these planning stages the parallels to the Gauls are obvious enough, but there are Pictish, Frisian, even Etruscan elements as well. So you're not signing up for a purist experience by any stretch.

You'll soon see too that even the geography will encourage a wide array of cultures among the tribes: one or another people runs over mountains, coasts, plains, and forests; they are behind the natural barriers and in the fore; some relatively safe, some still fighting, and some already broken and bonded. So get creative!
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Heyitsjiwon
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Understood, I just wanted to how eurocentric the culture is. I had some ideas for an Andes/native american mountain cultures or even east asian mountain cultures, but if we're sticking with generally European then understood!
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by pugbutter
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The tribes specifically have the closest thing to a Eurocentric culture, yes; though they trade all across the Silken Sea when possible, and dwell on the same contiguous land form as both the Nhirians (more Iranian/Mesopotamian) and the Atalmo (an Afro slaver-society) as well. So depending on the proximity of your tribe to these cultures, and their relationships to you, you have opportunities for quite a bit of ethnic blending, whether through trade, interbreeding, or hegemony. You're making me imagine something like Haiti happening in the east and that's very cool, as I have drawn almost entirely from Old World sources.

If it helps,remember that the Angaturiz are one of two ethnic groups who the "civilized," imperial nations believe make the best slaves. So if you want your tribe to have the most possible ethnic diversity then you should probably represent one of the eastern tribes who the Nhirians have already suppressed; or a coastal tribe, one regularly raided for fresh bodies.

Edit: You can play people from other nations as well, although they won't be chieftains, for obvious reasons, and you'll need a strong backstory explaining why they're in tribal lands.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Ciaran
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I'm interested, but I don't know the historical period that well. Will this be problem?
Hidden 5 yrs ago 5 yrs ago Post by pugbutter
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Not really. It's still Fantasy at the end of the day, so the OOC will catch you up on any fundamental lore.

That said, you should do some research just to get a feel for the world! Who knows what outlandish stories from real life might inspire your next great character? Truth is stranger than fiction, as they say.

Thanks for taking a look, @Ciaran, and I'll see you at the OOC.
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Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Danelaw
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Danelaw My Cup Runneth Over

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I'd love the world so far if you'd be as kind to PM me!
In other words, tentatively interested.
Hidden 5 yrs ago Post by Fyre Unholy
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Interested, mate.
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