EDIT 2: Done.
Races of the Nation:
Coastborn Dwarves
Men
Gnolls
Desert Ogres
Kender
Satyr
Nation Summary
Babel is a nation where fortunes are won and lost in the blink of an eye, where yesterday's kings are today's beggars. It is an old land with no history, no ancient ruins, no forgotten secrets. It is a timeless place, with no past or future.
Port Babel is the nation's capitol. Even from miles away, sailors can see the city's, and perhaps the nation's most famous landmark: the Tower of Babel. It has stood there since before the time of the city's founding five hundred years ago. Despite old records of warnings not to disturb relics of the old world, its use as a lighthouse and town hall were too convenient for the merchants who settled the city. Old legends tell the tale that, when the civilizations of old died off, the infant peoples of the new world attempted to rebuild the glory of the old, and set to construct a mighty tower that would touch the skies. But angered by their attempts to steal their old glory, the gods created a devious scheme: the made it so the young races could no longer understand each other. Such is where the tower gets its name: Babel, in the language of the land, means "the unknown." Today, it is where Baron Black and his administration live and work. So tall is the tower, that the lighthouse it was meant to be occupies its middle floor. The decadence of the tower is rumoured to be beyond imagining.
The city itself is sin's port of call. Its workshops and lights hum day and night. The city never sleeps, especially when the sun sets, as all manner of dirty business is conducted under the cover of darkness. It is a vast and populous city, with alleys deeper than it secrets, and with visitors of every race and creed. Street gangs and syndicates duke it out on the streets for control of meagre resources, and what little territory they can secure for their own people. Mercenaries, privateers, assassins and spies are all ready for hire, willing to sell their blades and souls for coin. Pirates call Port Babel a haven, for all gold is accepted here, no questions asked.
Much like Port Babel, Sagev Sal is a crucial point of trade. That said, it is a city that shouldn't exist. Though it lies at an excellent point of trade to neighbouring nations, there isn't a nearby freshwater source able to sustain of its size. Yet there the city stands, a torch of coloured flames. The city is a place whose business is pleasure. Massive stone inns stretch up to five stories tall. They are houses of vice, and all sins can be found under their roofs, everything from wine, to women, but especially to wagering. Though gambling may be illegal, frowned upon, or just not a business in other lands, it is the lifeblood of the city's economy. Everything from the ornate woven rugs, to the coloured fires, to the air conditioning and fresh pumped water have been purchased by a lost bet. Hordes of tourists have been known to come to the city just to make a wager. Cards, dice, wheels, caged Hydra fights; place your bets, and enjoy your stay.
Alhambara is the last stand of Babel. It is a star fort situated on a high desert hill, with three layers of walls that curve inward and slope up before finally reaching a heavily fortified keep. And along the way, a thousand traps and arrow slits can be used to slow and slaughter invaders. Though the nation relies heavily on mercenaries, Alhambara is considered the home of all Babel's soldiers. It is where enough food stores, weapons, bolts and ballistae are kept to supply an army. And in times of peace, it used as a store for the nearby mines, who are worked to death for but a handful of coins each day.
Feyzarad is the home of the Beybarids, located in the southernmost portion of Babel. The architecture is such that one always feels as if they are in a true city, rather than a plot of houses slapped together and given a name. The houses and streets are built of sandstone, and connected with each other seamlessly. The gardens and fountains make life spring among the dust. It is a beautiful city, and only as corrupt as one is willing discover. Outside the city walls, the plantations of the Prince grow all manner of crops. The most profitable of these crops are the large fields of poppy, which are harvested and refined into opium for use in tonics or narcotics.
Tulumid is perched above the Tulumid Delta, which consists of flood plains. If the water ever rises too high, the people of the delta can travel up to the city. It is the agricultural centre of the nation, home to farmers and skilled craftsmen. Merchants and desert people come by land, or along the delta to trade for its food stores. It is the nation's smallest city, and despite its importance, it is a relatively quiet, peaceful, and comparably less-visited locale.
Al Aswad is an old fortress that acts as castle of the ruling dynasty of hereditary rulers among the Satyr peoples. It is an imposing square fortress, overlooking a steep cliff, with four towers on each corner. The towers are filled with arrow slits on every floor, with the top floors housing huge ballistae. The only way to the gates of the fortress is a relatively narrow, uphill path along a rocky cliff. If it is not traversed by the road linking it to the villages below, it is a treacherous, rocky climb.
The deserts are mostly home to Desert Ogres, Gnolls and Men. The Gnolls and Men have always hated each other, as resources in the deserts are scarce. They pause in fighting each other only to fight amongst themselves. The Desert Ogres are the voice of reason, a naturally peaceful people, concerned more with trade and crafting than conflict, though they are not ones to shy away from a just fight.
The Men are divided into tribes, with the largest being the Beybarid. The Beybarid are led by the legendary Prince Alarence, who united all the tribes under his banner. They now hold the fealty of all Babel's desert men, though the lesser tribes still hold autonomy in their lands. They are a nomadic people, who travel from well to well based on the seasons. They make their profits by raiding, and growing opium. Both industries keep their hands full with the law, as Baron Black does not take kindly to men ruining trade connections, or causing drug smuggling incidents with other nations.
The Gnolls were also deeply divided, until Atal, Chief of the Bloodmane tribe, crushed all the other tribes, and assimilated them under one identity. He has turned his people into mercenaries of renown, up for hire to the highest bidder. Their ruthlessness and penchant for pillaging are the stuff of peasant's nightmares. And when they aren't under contract, they turn their attention to raiding wealthy caravans, or the stores of the Beybarids.
Ormus is the current elected leader of the Desert Ogres. Though they have no official home, those who choose to settle down usually do so in Tulumid. Most Desert Ogres, however, are nomadic traders, who travel from city to city, nation to nation, in search of profit. The laws of Ormus and his advisors reflect the needs of his people, and all traders who need it may seek his wisdom and aid.
Almost all Coastborn dwarves live in Port Babel. They make up the majority of Babel's standing army, but even they are for hire. They are also perhaps the most prolific pirates and privateers of the southern seas, a stereotype that causes many peaceful coastborn dwarves trouble.
The Kender are tied with the Desert Ogres in their percentage of the population. The Kender are mainly immigrants, living in Sagev Sal, Port Babel, or Tulumid. Almost all of them are sneak-thieves, mobsters of the Kender ethnic syndicate, privateers, pirates, mercenaries, spies, or assassins.
The Satyrs mostly inhabit Al Aswad, a region of small mountains and rolling hills, and are lead by Prince Faisal, their ruthless, and unusually spartan (for a Satyr), hereditary ruler. The Satyrs survive off of hunting the mountain goats, and farming along the rivers and flood plains. Unlike the Gnolls or Men, they are not very territorial, and have lately been venturing out into the cities in greater numbers, seeking profit and pleasure.
Recent Nation History:
To tell the entire tale of the nation known de jure as Babel is an exercise in futility. It's history contains an ocean of legends and myths for every drop of truth. It's arguable if there ever was a united nation named Babel. In terms of history, one can only say so much with confidence. That said, this is what is definitely known.
Port Babel was founded by merchants long ago, who set up camps along a canal to better sell their wares, and charge tolls for protection. Babel has long since been a city of commerce, so called not only for being situated on the Babel canal, but also for having so many different peoples visit, that some say it is possible to hear every language of the world spoken in a single tavern. The city is a gateway between two seas, and merchants must pass through it if they wish to make an expedient journey, so this talk perhaps has a grain of truth.
To see the city from a distance, especially at night, is to see a fabulous jewel, a diamond in the rough, a beacon of hope, light, and opportunity. But like many vast cities, its superficial beauty hides its dark underbelly. The black market in the city is huge, catering mostly to the cavorting sailors, wealthy merchants, and hedonistic pirates. Any conceivable vice can be found in the vast city, and the vice market is fed by the numerous tribal leaders, who make their homes in the deserts, far from the law's arm, and use street gangs as their merchants. The gangs rule neighbourhoods like miniature fiefs, shaking down "taxes" from businesses and homes, fighting wars for control of territory and illegal markets.
Privateers, mercenaries, cut-throats, assassins, and spies of all stripes and skills flock to the city, willing to sell their swords and souls for profit. The most famous of them are the Babel Bolts, an elite unit of disciplined men armed with deadly heavy crossbows, renowned for their accuracy and firing speed, getting up to two shots every minute.
Though many have tried, no-one until recently had ever truly ruled Babel. The merchants, mercenaries, pirates, crime lords, tribal leaders, companies, and competing world powers have all tried to grab a piece of the cosmopolitan pie that has been known as sin's port of call, but the day one faction becomes too powerful, the others unite to topple them, only to return to the status quo of constant struggle.
This state of quasi-anarchy was barely enforced by whoever happened to be mayor at the time, making the city a haven for not only pirates, but criminal scum from all corners of the world.
The status quo persisted since the city's founding.
Until now.
Baron Black was a notorious dwarven pirate. Merchants from every ocean and sea cursed his name. He was born on a ship, to a first mate's whore, and ever since he left his mother womb he lived the pirate's life. By the time he was eighteen years old, it is speculated he had raided over fifty ships. By age twenty-two, he lead a successful mutiny against his captain, and commanded his own small fleet, which included a galleon.
But a pirate's life was not for Black. Every time he would visit a port city, or raid a merchant vessel, he couldn't help but notice the vast wealth of merchants. He imagined how wealthy a man had to be to afford a ship, stuff it with gold, hire other ships to guard it, and still have enough money to do that ten times over every year. But what did he, a pirate, get for all his troubles? Scraps. Money that would dry up in just a month at port.
Black began to grow ambitious. His thoughts turned to the business of trade and power. And after a very profitable raid, an opportunity presented itself.
A wealthy merchant from The Most Serene Republic was about to stage a coup against the current mayor. Though his power, wealth, and connections were substantial, he lacked allies in the city itself. For every friend, he had three foes. The plan was to rig the elections, then secretly confront the mayor in his office, where the incumbent would "die of heart troubles." Afterwards, the current council would be "replaced" by the merchant's friends. The trouble was, the merchant could obviously not be there to see the mayor or his council die, and he did not trust the easily swayed mercenaries and assassins on hire to carry out such a delicate task.
The merchant met Baron Black in a tavern, where Black's crew were drinking up their pay. The merchant instantly recognized the famed pirate, but pretended not to. He began talking to the dwarf, and after a few drinks, Black could not help but vent his misgivings on a life of what amounted to robbery on the high seas. The merchant saw his chance to manipulate the dwarf, and so told Black that he was an agent for a nation, and if Black would help him with an assignment, there could a political and mercantile position in it for him.
Black, however, was not gullible. He had staged a mutiny, and fought off eight. He could smell a double-cross over five miles of salt water and fish shit, and this deal reeked. But the opportunity for power, prestige, and true wealth could not be denied. Black agreed to the deal, but began hiring local sneakthieves to dig up dirt on the agent.
It did not take long. Every spy he hired gave him the same answer: the man was not at all employed with any government, but was a self-serving merchant, who had long done business in Babel. The merchant had plans to take the title of mayor and destroy any last vestige of democracy the city still maintained, securing himself and dynasty as the permanent merchant princes of Babel. Those who knew of his ambitions wished to stop him at all costs.
Black thought to just kill the merchant and claim whatever bounty was likely on his head, but Black convinced himself that if he wanted real power and wealth, he had to stop thinking like a pirate. Instead, he hatched a scheme.
What happened the day of the coup remains unrecorded, and those who participated in it have refused all inquires into the event. There are many versions of the story, from dime-novel retellings of a daring raid, where city buildings were treated like ships, to complex tales of a vast political deception, but the most popular story is that Black convinced the Merchant's retainers to turn traitor during a crucial moment of the coup, and with aid secured through promises to the merchant's enemies, carried out the coup for his own gain.
Regardless of what really happened, Black and his most trusted crewmen were voted into offices they never ran for.
Everyone in the city, even the most politically apathetic, were horrified. Past coups had all ended up the same way: a period of bloodletting lasting months, or even years, as the powers-that-be duked it out for control of a contested throne. And with the notorious Black as Mayor, the people expected the blood to run like water.
But Black had mutinied before. He knew rebellion was the easy part. The difficulty lied in holding onto power, and wielding it with skill.
Instead of breaking promises to relinquish certain powers, as everyone suspected, he surprised everyone by delegating responsibilities. All the factions that had helped him to his position were given a position of importance in a reformed bureaucracy. Elections were done away with, and local political positions were replaced by series of vertically organized bureaucrats. No longer was power tied by territory, bribery, or even the ruled people. Now, power could only be acquired by assignment. And the best way to be assigned a good position was to kiss Black's ass.
This was the start of Black's plan: to create a clockwork administration, where power correlated directly with loyalty, much like it had been on his ships. Reforming the administration was one thing, but he knew it would take a lot more than some fancy titles to keep the rowdy, riot-prone populace under control. As he'd learned on his ships, the best way to unite a divided crew was a common enemy.
Black announced his plans for a "war on crime." He preached safety and security, borrowing money from lenders to replace and beef up the comically corrupt city guard. The naturally and rightfully paranoid people had heard these lines before, and expected police raids on innocent homes. The people were cheerfully surprised to find the guard actually doing their job. The street gangs were cracked down on en masse. Warehouses full of drugs, legal only in Babel, were destroyed for being destined to shores where they were illegal.
Black did not truly care about crime, of course. Violence and the Black Market were Babel's lifeblood. His true aims were to lessen the influence of the criminal gangs on the people, and eliminate their sources of income. And with the possibility of facing life in prison, hard labor, or death, many petty street gangers were cooperative with the authorities, giving them all the secrets they knew of their former bosses in exchange for a reduced sentence.
After a year of mass guard action, Black was about take the war from the streets to the deserts, a letter arrived, with the signatures of very powerful men; Scurvyskin, King of the Pirates, terror of the trade lanes, and inheritor of all the fear Black commanded on the high seas; Prince Alarence of the Beybarid peoples, the men of the desert, a proud a noble people of age-old traditions, and the oldest inhabitants of the desert; Atal, "the Merchant of Death," famous for conquering all the gnoll tribes, and forming them into a mercenary band of renown; Bugsy Seagull, crime kingpin, and founder of the trade crossroads of Sagev Sal; and Ormus, the elected leader of the mighty Desert Ogre people.
Each of these men, each representing many more men, presented Black with their offer; step down as Mayor of Babel or face their wrath.
Black laughed, and threw the letter in the fire. He then penned his own letter; submit to him absolutely, or he'd stick his bolts so far up their asses, they'd shit steel. They violently declined.
And the rest is history.
Important Characters:
Baron Black, Despot of Babel
Atal, the “Merchant of Death”
Servant Wornpaws, Mystic of the Bloodmanes
Mayor Bugsy Seagull of Sagev Sal
Advisor Ormus, Advisor and Steward of the Land
Alarence, Prince of the Beybarids
Ali Din, Sorcerer of the Beybarids
General Sheila “the Harpy” Badbrew
Admiral “Bat” Saltybeard
Scurvyskin, the Pirate King
Corvo, Taskmaster of Alhambara
Prince Faisal of Al Aswad
Horus, Privateer Captain
Garlo Diamondeyes, Coastborn Merchant
Saul, Desert Ogre Bodyguard
Velvetpaws, Gnoll Merchant
Traits:
National Traits: 5
Manipulative
Spies, Spies Everywhere
Agents Everywhere
Delatores
Silent Assassins
Population Traits: 4
Jackrabbits
Aqueducts
The People's Entertainment
Winged Messengers
Academic Traits: 5
Medicine
Magpie's Eye
Tradesmen Academy
Institute of Commerce
Information Brokers
Military Basic Traits: 4
Ambush Predators
Sellswords
Youngbloods
Live Off the Land
Archery Traits: 2
Crossbows
Bushes Are Your Friend
Infantry Traits: 0
Cavalry Traits: 3
Self-sufficient
Elephant Cavalry
Elephant-powered Siege Engines
Navy Traits: 13
Shipwrights
Master Shipwrights
Shipwrights of Legend
By the Winds
Windriders
Lords of the Ocean
Heavy Ships
Master of All That Floats
Warriors of the Sea
By Neptune's Cock!
Haul Them In Lads!
Eye of Protection
Favour of the Gods
Airborne Traits: 1
Flying Carpets
Tradesman Traits: 5
Trackers
Fish the Seas
Bang For Your Buck
Master Carpenters
Master Shipbuilders
Merchant Traits: 18
Moneylenders
Silk Roads
The Black Market
Gold Worshippers
Guild Houses
Exotic Trade Goods (Spices, Ivory, Perfume, Rare Fabrics)
Underground Markets
Grease a Couple of Palms
Crossbow Haggling
A little money here and there. . .
Deep Pockets and Long Arms
Super Caravans
Got Friends in High Places
Fast Travel
Trade Tongues
We Got What You Need!
Business Espionage
Angarak Gold
Magecraft Traits: 2
Elemental Waters
Elemental Airs
Monster Traits: 0
Mechanist Traits: 2
Telescopes
Environmental Protection
Flaws: 6
Sellswords
Mercenary Muscle
Bloody City Guard
Disloyal
Unstrustworthy
Plagued by Bandits
Territory:
Name, Type, Province Points Regiment Points
Port Babel, Coastal Capital City 4 30
Sagev Sal, Large Desert City 11 30
Alhambara, Desert Citadel 11 40
Feyzarad, Large Desert City 11 30
Al Aswad, Mountain Fortress 11 30
Tulumid, Small Desert City 5 10
Tamalam, Desert Province 1 2
Dead Valley, Desert Province 1 2
Sand Sea, Desert Province 1 2
The Corpse Mines, Desert Province 1 2
Glitter River, River Province 2 6
Jambul, Desert Province 1 2
Aja Dor, Desert Province 1 2
Redsands, Desert Province 1 2
Blood River, River Province 2 6
Palmpond, River Province 2 6
Tambrook, River Province 2 6
The Wells, Desert Province 1 2
Rabbit Hole, Desert Province 1 2
White Sands, Coastal Province 4 6
Maurice, Coastal Province 4 6
The Stabbings, Desert Province 1 2
Tulumid's Delta, River Province 2 6
The Anvil of the Sun, Desert Province 1 2
Bloodhills, Desert Province 1 2
The Gold River, River Province 2 6
Goldenstalks, Plains Province 2 6
Ivoria, Plains Province 2 6
Samarkand, Desert Province 1 2
Bashi Bajouk, Desert Province 1 2
Shamshamel, Desert Province 1 2
Al Aswad, Mountain Province 5 4
Aswad Valley, Plains Province 2 6
Gunga Din, Desert Province 1 2
Total:
1 Coastal Capitol City
2 Large Desert Cities
1 Desert Citadel
1 Mountain Fortress
1 Small Desert City
16 Desert Provinces
2 Coastal Provinces
6 River Provinces
3 Plains Provinces
1 Mountain Province
100 Province Points, 272 Regiment Points, 68 points for Command, Air, and Beast forces
Military
Army:
Baron Black's Crew
Note: The only part of the army not for hire.
1 Unit of Heavy Cavalry (Coastborn), Royal Guard Training, 8pts, 100 troops
1 Unit of Crossbowmen (Gnolls), Royal Guard Training, 6 pts, 100 troops
The Beybarids
3 Units of Light Cavalry (Men), Royal Guard Training, 21 pts, 300 troops
5 Units of Light Cavalry Horse Archers (Men), Experienced Training, 20 pts, 500 troops
12 Units of Infantry (Men), Basic Training, 24 pts, 1,200 troops
3 Units of Elephant Cavalry (Men), Experienced Training, 15 pts, 300 troops
2 Units of Elephant Siege Cavalry (Men), Experienced Training, 12 pts, 200 troops
Garrison of Alhambara
10 Units of Infantry (Coastborn), Basic Training, 20 pts, 1,000 troops
5 Units of Bowmen (Coastborn), Basic Training, 10 pts, 500 troops
The Babel Bolts
10 Units of Crossbow Infantry (Coastborn), Elite Training, 40 pts, 1,000 troops
Atal's Host
10 Units of Crossbow Infantry (Gnoll), Experienced Training, 30 pts, 1,000 troops
10 Units of Infantry (Gnoll), Basic Training, 20 pts, 1,000 troops
The Scouts
1 Unit of Light Cavalry, armed with bows and javelins (Kender), Experienced Training, 4 pts, 200 troops
5 Units of Bowmen (Kender), Experienced Training, 10 pts, 1000 troops
Wise-Ogre's Retinue
1 Units of Infantry (Desert Ogre), Royal Guard Training, 7 pts, 100 troops
The Satyrs of Al Aswad
1 Unit of Light Cavalry (Satyr), Royal Guard Training, 7 pts, 100 troops
5 Units of Infantry (Satyr), Basic Training, 10 pts, 500 troops
4 Units of Bowmen (Satyr), Basic Training, 8 pts, 400 troops
Total: 89 units, 272 pts, 9,500 troops
Command:
Baron Black, Despot of Babel (6); Coastborn Dwarf, Hero of the Realm
Prince Alarence (6); Man, Hero of the Realm
Scurvyskin, the Pirate King (6); Coastborn Dwarf, Hero of the Realm
Atal, the Merchant of Death (6); Gnoll, Hero of the Realm
Admiral “Bat” Saltybeard (5); Coastborn Dwarf, Great General
General Sheila “the Harpy” Badbrew (4); Coastborn Dwarf, General
Prince Faisal (4); Satyr, General
Balvic “Longshot” Rheumyeyes, Commander of the Babel Bolts (3); Coastborn Dwarf, Commander
Corvo, Taskmaster of Alhambara (4); Desert Ogre, Commander
Dripmaw the Cynic, Master of Delatores (3); Gnoll, Commander
Trevil Sandglider, Scoutmaster (2); Kender, Commander
Horus, Privateer Captain (2) Kender, Commander
Ali Din, Sorcerer of the Beybarids (7); Man, Mage
Servant Wornpaws, Mystic of the Bloodmanes (7); Gnoll, Mage
Monsters:
None.
Air Force:
2 Flying Carpets (Piloted by Mages Ali Din and Servant Wornpaws)
Navy:
4 Galleons;
Dreamboat
Sheik
Hopeful
Pig
5 Frigates;
Jabal-Shamar
Ogo's Fist
Isabella
Little Prince
Maurice
5 Windjammers
Bastard
The Haunt
Baluga
Anchor
Reaver
9 Caravels;
Ave Maria
Disatro
Sand Surfer
Salmon
Perduta
Lola
La Flota
Rhonda
Brilliante
