[center][h1]Takanis - A Dark 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] [center][i]“Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future, too.”[/i][/center] [center][b]Marcus Aurelius[/b][/center] From the cold Ice Wastes of the polar north, beneath the blistering heat of the Great Inland Desert, and the monster haunted jungles and ice-capped mountains of the far south, the world of Takanis is covered with the bleached bones of dead empires. Some perish through civil war, others through decadence and infighting, and some still through the exploitation of magic, their own hubris and the horrors of the Outer Realms. Some indeed linger still, disunited fragments of once great empires holding on still to their tattered glory, broken but not forgotten… [center]Thus it has ever been. Thus it ever will.[/center] The wheel of time spins ever onward, and within its hub the spokes of rising empires form, shatter and are replaced by newer and stranger civilisations. Technology and sophistication is clung to with desperate hands, the secrets of ancient nations unearthed, lost, and rediscovered in the cyclical ages of Takanis. Magic is tamed, studied and deprived of its secrets, providing innovation to peerless cultures and its shimmering ores raising monuments of artistry and might, but always with it the eldritch terrors of hubris and pride for those who deem themselves its masters. The world continues on as it ever has, the rise and fall of empires colouring it in many hues as knowledge of the long dead give voice to its new epochs, enriching a stilted planet with the fragmented lore of great technology and science. Societies regress and advance in tides as endless as the ocean, some achievements more lasting than others, but all too often swept aside by their decline as the years mount. [center]But now the winds of change blow across land, beneath the twin-mooned skies of Takanis…[/center] The once great Empire of Humanity of the east and the Vehndathayan Empire of the south have been shattered for two millennia, and the dominion of the Serpent Folk of Ashammai has been gone for thrice that. Now their inheritors squabble over their crumbling carcasses, each seeking to restore the glories once lost and avoid breaking themselves upon the cliff-face of their own ambitions. Other races rise from barbarity as the degraded legacies of extinct nations, or the creators of new ones, their drive and will to conquer anew making citizens of savages, and heroes of blood-drenched warlords. Other realms pull back from the brink of decadence, excesses curbed, the source put to sword with fire and blood as their restorers seek to reclaim the glory of their lost golden ages. Others reign in their unsullied prime, unsurpassed by latter ages and wise enough to fight the wheel of time and the decline of civilisations… The world stirs. A new age beckons. To endure you must carve out your empire through innovation, discovery, warfare, diplomacy and conquest. You must fight to rise above a world antithetical to civilisation, fight to rise above the follies of dead nations, fight to endure where vanity and decadence have destroyed the mightiest empires. [center]You must fight to survive.[/center] [center]Can you halt the wheel of time, Or will you be crushed beneath it?[/center] [center]Takanis awaits.[/center] [center][url=https://i.imgur.com/HnCJCd0.png]Political Map of the World[/url][/center] [center][url=https://i.imgur.com/V7rhItM.jpg]Tentative Map of the World (Subject to Change)[/url][/center] 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 Colosseum. 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/vVHU9gx]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 rule?) [*] 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 - 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/381248465751113729/594959940171464734/Takanis_Magical_Cataclysms.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, tech trees, 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. Some rolls have tech trees that govern the specific capabilities of a nation within that stat. Those tech trees are linked below, under the roll descriptions and other information. Rolls can be increased in game. A ‘turn’ in Takanis is three weeks real time, corresponding to four months in-game. Players wishing to increase their stats must make a post describing the events and efforts of their nation to begin this process - be it gathering the wisest heads in the land or plundering lost forgotten cities of old lore, posts need not be in excruciating detail. The GMs will then roll a d20 to determine the success of these efforts. Increasing a stat has four tiers, to advance in tier the roll must equal or exceed the current value of that stat. Once finishing tier 4, the stat is increased by one. 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 a ball of flame upon their foes, or 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 miscellaneous additions outside the base rolls and tech tree system. A nation can have up to five different traits. Miscellaneous traits must carry a trade off past the first one, or be countered by another trait with negative effects. Traits can confer a number of effects, such as: -The creation of a unique extra leaf on a tech tree. -The filling of a specific leaf on a tech tree ahead of your progression. This leaf cannot be built off until you have reached it normally. -Bonuses or other effects upon your militaries, populations, climates, or other elements of your nation not touched on by other mechanics. -A single trait can be used to confer an extra 4 points to a specific tech tree. Your traits can carry some flexibility with your rolls, but nonetheless they are still constrained - for instance, a nation with a fertility score of one may not have a trait that describes their land as being a bountiful nation of plenty. An example 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. Battles will be decided in two ways. Battles between player nations, where the two players have agreed upon the story they wish to tell require no GM involvement, and can be written in whatever style chosen. Battles between a player and an NPC nation, or between players who disagree on the outcome of the battle, will be decided by rolling. Players will describe the actions they wish to take, and dice will be rolled to see if that action succeeds or fails. The exact details of the battle will then be written according to the players’ desires, in line with the results of the rolling. This is for multiple reasons - to ensure a way to break stalemates while remaining fair and impartial, to prevent immediate steamrolling of NPCs, and because the element of uncertainty and randomness adds some excitement! [/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. If desired, you may claim land held by an NPC nation, but you must secure the approval of the creator of that NPC nation. [/hider] [hider=Tech Trees:] Your rolls give you a certain number of points to fill spaces on the tech trees. The distribution is as follows: 1-10: 1 point per 11-15: 2 points per 16-19: 3 points per 20: 4 points Thus: 1: 1 Point 2: 2 Points 3: 3 Points 4: 4 Points 5: 5 Points 6: 6 Points 7: 7 Points 8: 8 Points 9: 9 Points 10: 10 Points 11: 12 Points 12: 14 Points 13: 16 Points 14: 18 Points 15: 20 Points 16: 23 Points 17: 26 Points 18: 29 Points 19: 32 Points 20: 36 Points Development [img]https://i.imgur.com/vGTeqjv.png[/img] Economy [img]https://i.imgur.com/FhR1CQE.png[/img] Land Power [img]https://i.imgur.com/V7GSuBN.png[/img] Naval Power [img]https://i.imgur.com/amXzjhs.png[/img] Magical Sophistication [img]https://i.imgur.com/WK5B8Id.png[/img] [/hider] [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SYlYYu3UO_g8UyW9lAhUVKA_P5kVoEkAmbYY1Q7gFXA/edit]Roll descriptions for use in creating your sheet.[/url] 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!