@TheRedWatcher I like the idea but I would rather the Frozen Tears be firmly in one place. As much as this is based on feudal politics, I still have PTSD back when I was trying to wrap my head around the weirdness that was the King of England holding land inside France but as a vassal of the French King despite also being completely independent.
I do have another proposal though, what if instead of being geographically split between Frostmark and Mistland, you're politically split? Like what if you're married to a Mistland princess and thus are bound by alliance to the Mistland but BC's House still rules over you as liege lords meaning you owe loyalty to two different people who might one day want two different things sort of like Brandenburg-Prussia.
Originally I had them sitting between because I was confused, you list the Mistland as a tundra, which is what I described in my sheet, and the hills with ores, but said the mountains were not as plentiful as the hills. So I was like, where do I even put them. Because my sheet mentions mountains and tundra. Since I have a city carved into the side of a natural cliff face which would fit the Mistlands, which the map mentioned the stone.
Could they sit at the edges of the Frostmark and Mistland border then?
So I do have Autism, give me a second to process the princess proposal.
@TheRedWatcher I also mentioned that some sheets might need to be altered a little now that there was an actual map.
Alright, big news, there is now a map! Told you it's be of questionable quality There's no easy way around it, but this might require some of you to change or alter your domains as well as adding where exactly your domain is on the map. I'll try to come up with a map that properly details the boundries of each domain. Quick Guide: White = Natural Terrain, Blue = Body of Water, Green = Region
Regions aren't the same as Archduchies. There can be multiple Great House and Archduchies in one region but only one can hold the title of ownership of the entire region. The house who controls the whole region is given the title of "High Lord of X" (IE: High Lords of the Arbormark), the only place this is different is in Westmarch whose rulers have the title of "Wardens of the West".
Mistlands - The northern most region of Adanion, it is a hilly tundra where few animals venture and only the heartiest of roots and oats can grow in the poor cold soil. What little farm land there is can be found in pockets of ground where the frost can melt or on the lower levels of the Misty Cliffs. The Cliffs however are much more bountiful than the eastern Mountains, providing ore, minerals and stone allowing for the construction of much tougher castles than their poor economics would otherwise allow. There are more castle along the border of Westmarch, officially there to protect the lands from the occasional nomad warband that wanders northwards. Frostmark - The coldest land bordered by the Great Bastion Mountains and sharing the vital Cradlespring Lake that feeds the most important river in Adanion with the Mistlands. It is a boreal tundra with interspersed boreal bogs, sharing in the poverty with the Mistlands, its economy relying on the trade of furs, hides, pelts and ice to other noble families who are willing to pay great sums for it during the summer months. Its people survive on fish and snowberries they plant around their fields of tough roots and oats to ward off herbivores who find its strong scent overwhelming. Crownmark - The most centrally located region and the seat of power in Adanion, sitting between the Splitstream and the Farwater rivers. It is a trade hub of the kingdom and where much of its wealth is funneled into. It has fertile land for vegetables, grain and fruits that are turned in famous wines and vintages while its ability to access all the raw resources of the kingdom grants it the largest population of tradesmen and craftsmen in the realm, even if most of its production is split between military equipment for Westmarch and jewelry for the Great Houses. Uniquely its roads and bridges are paved and well kept, an obvious sign of the capital's wealth. Westmarch - The largest of all the regions and important in the defense of the realm. Houses of Westmarch are typically called "Marcher Lords" or "Marquis" instead of simply "Lords" as they are charged with defending against the many nomadic tribes who raid and assail the kingdom. Every settlement has fortifications and defense for this reason, from the largest of towns to the smallest of hamlets, its martially minded people can live great distances from each other. While okay for farming, its vast empty spaces are more commonly used for herding animals, while it manages trade with some of the more hospitable nomads or even the rare and exotic merchants from the distant rajas, kingdoms and empires beyond the Timeless Steppes. Arbormark - Despite its name, the majority of its forest are actually the overflow of the forests and jungles of the Wildwood. Instead, Arbormark is known its farmlands that are even more bountiful than Crownmark and the banks of the Farwater River which they use to grow sweetreeds and collect clay for bricks and pottery. Arbormark nobles have long standing feuds with nobles of the Wildwood, some stretching back before Adandum's conquest, usually over control and ownership (and taxation rights) of the Archgates. Stormlands - Named for the seaborn storms that routinely wash over the land or even flood it, the Stormlands can flip between a beautifully sunny coast to a terrifying thunderous storm in minutes. It is the second wealthiest region (and also thus the most heavily taxed) in Adanion due to a combination of good soil with plentiful rain (or too much rain), the minerals and ores of the Dragon's Graveyard and the ports that connect the kingdom to the world beyond the Starry Sea. Unique among the kingdom, its said that almost everyone from beggar to noble in the Stormland knows how to swim and they field specialized "Marine-at-Arms" to protect the ships and trade ports. Wildwood - The region that held out against House Loyce the longest due to its easily defendable terrain; the Archgates are a defender's dream and the waters around it are treacherous at the best of times. Due to the pocket of mountain it exists in, its radically different than the rest of the kingdom. Hotter and wetter due to trapped moisture, the entire region is covered in dense forests and jungle. Some of the villages are built on stilts or even in treetops to get off the wet, marshy and often dangerous ground. Many believe the Wildwood to be too different than the rest of the kingdom for its people and nobles to be considered Adanion, a claim the Wildwoods disputes through loyalty to House Loyce time and time again. Trade with the outside world however is much more limited than in the Stormlands, largely because the same dangerous waters that defend its coast makes trading difficult especially with the much calmer (and richer) Stormlands close by.
Misty Cliffs - Sheet rocky cliffs with natural terraces and plateaus going up like giant stairs. Popular legend states that once they were stairs leading up to the palace of ancient giants. Its slightly warmer than the Bastion Mountains with waterfalls and rivers commonly rushing over ledges to make a beautiful sight. Its currently unknown how many "levels" there are, the most populated levels are the first three with the highest inhabited level being the 5th while explorers have found ways up to the 22nd level but the cliffs stretch above the clouds. Timeless Steppes - A seemingly endless grassland steppe dominated by nomadic tribes and their herds who have changed little since the time of Adandum's Conquest. Named so as its said a non-nomad who ventures into it will quickly loose any sense of time or direction as they get lost in the seemingly infinite flat steppes. Dragon's Graveyard - A smaller yet even more brutal range of mountains than the Great Bastions. According to myth, once dragons lived in the mountains, hoarding vast riches until they offended an old god of stone who in revenge raised the mountains into sharp points to tear the dragon's wings and gore them midflight while dragging their treasure hoards into the earth. A fanciful tale for sure but it has been used to explain the mineral wealth in them as well as the giant, mysterious "magical" bones that are routinely dug up. (Actually just dinosaur bones.) The Starry Sea - A vast blue sea, named so as during the clearest nights one can see the entire heaven of stars reflected upon its surface. Sometimes, stars will even fall from the sky into the sea and its said that those who find the fallen stars will be granted their greatest wish. Bastion Mountains - Vast, impassible mountain ranges that completely cut off Adanion from the other side. Few Adanions even realize there are other kingdoms beyond the mountains but even those who do can't agree on which Adandum was exiled from. The Lesser Bastion Mountain is also called the "Mountain Arm" as it splits off dramatically from the rest of the range. The Archgates - A trio of huge natural rock formations that leave massive openings in the mountains that are easily defended and heavily fortified. Some of the most defensible castles are built into the Archgate and are fought over fiercely by both Arbormark and the Wildwood as they are the only reliable routes out of the Wildwood. They are also the reason why the Wildwood was the last region added to the kingdom, unable to be bested in combat, House Loyce would eventually bring it into the kingdom through marriage instead. Cradlespring Lake - Perhaps the most important waterway in Adanion, its entirely encapsulated by the impassable mountains. Fed through underground springs and mountain streams, it feeds the Farwater and Twinsplit Rivers. Nearby hotsprings have made for excellent winter lodgings and even saunas. Just like with the Archgates and Arbormark and the Wildwood, both Frostmark and the Mistlands contest the few bridges over the Farwater River that divides their territory.
@TheRedWatcher I also mentioned that some sheets might need to be altered a little now that there was an actual map.
<Snipped quote by ClocktowerEchos>
Yes, and that's what I am still working on. Is making adjustments. I just don't know where to place them on the map because both areas fit the idea I had.
@ClocktowerEchos This gives me an idea, if @TheRedWatcher is okay with it. It could have been a Mistlands House that tried to invade the Frozen Tears originally, but for concern about persistence amongst other things, they went to House Vyapult for essentially protection. Would that work out?
@TheRedWatcher Actually, I have an idea. What if the Frozen Tears is actually in the Bastion Mountains and wholly within Frostmark. It happens that the place they found could be the only place with silver in that mountain by chance. Could have it that legend says the original settlers found a face in the rock that wept quicksilver (mercury) and took it as a sign, deciding to make a home there and sure enough they found silver veins below and nearby, "confirming" the sign of quick silver. The reason that its widely believed that the great bastion mountains are empty and just stone is because most of the mountains you can easily get to are just that and of limited value but the mountains deeper in (like where the FT are) sometimes have stuff, its just that by their nature is next to impossible to get there and even more impossible to actually set up a mine, unless you're basically natives to the area like the FT.
@divinedisease Welcome aboard! Any initial ideas? We're still looking for Great Houses to rule the Western Marches, the Arbormark and I think Stormlands.
@TheRedWatcher Actually, I have an idea. What if the Frozen Tears is actually in the Bastion Mountains and wholly within Frostmark. It happens that the place they found could be the only place with silver in that mountain by chance. Could have it that legend says the original settlers found a face in the rock that wept quicksilver (mercury) and took it as a sign, deciding to make a home there and sure enough they found silver veins below and nearby, "confirming" the sign of quick silver. The reason that its widely believed that the great bastion mountains are empty and just stone is because most of the mountains you can easily get to are just that and of limited value but the mountains deeper in (like where the FT are) sometimes have stuff, its just that by their nature is next to impossible to get there and even more impossible to actually set up a mine, unless you're basically natives to the area like the FT.
Page has suddenly changed their mind on having their character associated with another, which is fine since I havent yet made my sheet. But now I wonder if I shouldnt just make a princeling style char, or find another patron...
@POOHEAD189 A Duke or Archduke within the Frostmark under House Vyapult wouldn't be remiss, if you're so inclined toward it. I can certainly modify Varangyrian's sibling to match whatever you're interested in running with.
@POOHEAD189@BCTheEntity If you don't mind some GM interference, I would prefer that we first at least fill out the remaining Archduchies unless you have a character who you really want to play who isn't or can't be one.
@BCTheEntity I appreciate the offer my old friend! But I think at Clock's siggestion I'll attempt an Archduke. I do look forward to playing this RP with you, however. Our politik will be legendary.
Work on an OOC is coming along nicely, I'm gathering the lore and rewriting whats necessary from the OP. I come asking if you guys think there should be a discord for this RP? I'm on the fence since I know how it can kill an RP while but how it also lets easier connection to just talk and plan.
