The Seven Cities...nature has so created men that they are able to desire everything but are not able to attain everything...- Machiavelli
Pride, Envy, and Avarice are
the three sparks that have set these hearts on fire.- Dante
Dost thou not know, my son, with how little wisdom the world is governed?- Count Oxienstern
For to the just all the evils imposed on them by unjust rulers are not the punishment of crime, but the test of virtue. Therefore the good man, although he is a slave, is free; but the bad man, even if he reigns, is a slave, and that not of one man, but- what is far more grievous- of as many masters as he has vices- Augustine of Hippo
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Welcome to Avara.At the center of the world lies the Dragon's Spine, a large isthmus so named for the ragged mountain range that runs down its length. The Spine joins the vast continents of Geryon to the East and Tityos to the West, and separates the great Cernarian Sea to the South from the Deeping Ocean to the North. The heart of the known world, the Spine has been conquered and colonized by a thousand peoples over many long millenia, and is a melting pot of cultures and a center of maritime and overland commerce. Since the Fall of the Pharazon Empire three centuries ago into a thousand feuding fiefdoms, the Spine has been dominated by the Seven Cities, powerful city-states, many of which are far more ancient than the old empire itself. In their centuries of freedom from the imperial yoke, some cities have vied with one another for dominance of the Spine, while others have founded or refounded their colonial empires. Others still have worked to dominate trade or finance, or have closed themselves off from the world. Now, new continental powers gather their strength and prepare to put the strength of the Seven Cities to the test.
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Welcome!
The basic objective here is simple: players will RP as a city state in Avara, a unique fantasy world, focused on a single, large, strategically crucial isthmus that is home to several powerful city-states. Players would create these city states and their territories, on the verge of a major empire (NPC or player character) preparing to invade and conquer the isthmus. The focus would be on character interaction, intrigue, war, and good story telling, and
collaborative world building- my hope is that all players will take part in designing the wider setting in which our cities exist. Remember, our cities (most of them anyway) have coexisted on the Spine for a long time and will have a great deal of history together, so building a shared past and a shared history of the Spine and the wider world is one of the goals here.
This RP take what I call the Tolkien/Martin approach to magic. Magic is real, mysterious, and powerful, but for the most part takes place 'off-screen', and is for aesthetic purposes somewhat subdued or indirect (eg- no undead armies, no races of angels or demons or fairies, no mages throwing fireballs around). Likewise, the RP will take the Martin approach to religion: there are as many religions as we can come up with here, but we will leave it an open question as to whether any of them are true. Conflicting mythos and cosmologies are encouraged.
Furthermore, while multiple sentient species will inhabit this world, I would like to stay away from the elf/dwarf/gnome/orc/goblin mainstays of D+D. Players would be encouraged to give the traditional fantasy races a unique twist, or better yet invent their own! Our tech level would be around that of the 30 Years War, but of course factoring in the existence of magic and fantasy beasts.
Finally, I would like people to complete their NSes and work out histories with other factions, and I will design the map (perhaps with a player's help) AFTER I have some faction-sheets completed. In other words, I want to design the map around how people design their factions, to the extent possible. Since this will take some coordination on my part, I ask everyone to be a bit flexible and be willing to make adjustments to their factions if reconciling all the NSes on the map demands it. The Spine will be
roughly 100 miles across (in most places) and 700 miles from end to end, with a mountain range bisected by plenty of passes running down its length.
Please see the following post for setting details and city and faction creation guides.
The Rules1: GM is the law.
2: Usual rules (No metagaming, powergaming or godmodding as well as captain obvious forum rules)
3: Be cool like the Fonz.
4: Be excellent to each other.
5: No arguing with the GM after I have made a final decision (Note Rule 1). I am open to suggestions, discussion and critique, but please respect when I make a decision.
6: Joining this RP and being accepted means that you accept and acknowledge these rules (Particularly rules 1, 3 and 4).
7: Please, please work with other people when designing your nations. Let's design a really cool world together. Worldbuilding is often the most fun part of these RPs, so let's really get into it.
Chatzy
