To Lund ap Lunds, the Land of Lords, Lundland for short. Or as foreigners call it, the Doomed Kingdom.
The poor kingdoms of this desolate land were united through decades of bloody wars and deadly politics a century ago, under the house of Trisch and their banner; a red sword facing downward. The Kingdom's founder proclaimed himself Overlord, and each vassal a Lord to him. To solidify his rule, and help pacify the unruly and proud nobles, the first Overlord Aella built a mighty and luxurious court in their home of Bolgaz, the mighty fortress of Trischland. Though the fortress' luxury ill-compares to the magnificent castles of other lands, there had never been a place more resplendent in Lundland. The Overlord then invited all the nobles of his land to live at court, that they might be kept under a watchful eye, and sedated with luxury.
At first, the Overlord was a mighty and respected title, with absolute and unquestioned power. But the ages have not been kind to the position, with each successor weaker than the last, and each Lord of the realm a little greedier every generation. Over the last century, the Overlords had given away many concessions to the nobles, such as allowing someone to serve in their stead at court, and limiting their responsibilities to providing House Trisch with their full levies in times of war.
After a century, the position of Overlord has become ceremonial; a fancy title with some land attached to it.
Lundland a land mocked for its hard soil, thick men, ugly women, and cruel masters. The land faces enemies on all sides, for as poor and fractured as it is, many see it as a land unable to defend itself, and thus ripe for the taking.
In the southwest are the Bogans, the merchant princes of the Southwest Isles. Lundland is hardly considered worth trading with to any aspiring merchant, but its people are hardy, and thus make excellent galley slaves. Whenever it seems profitable, the Bogans will gather a great host of mercenaries and slavers, who think nothing of the lives they deal in, save for the gold they might bring.
In the East are the Giants, those nomads who wander the frozen deserts. They are massive men, known to grow up to seven feet tall, with the strength of two oxen. When the scant resources of the frozen plains they inhabit grow too small, or merely because they wish for riches and women, they rampage through the east, leaving a sea of smoke, and a trail of tears.
In the North lives a more organized threat; the people of the Volcanic Island. So long as the great volcano of their island never erupts, they are a peaceful people. But, when that mountain spills the rage of the gods through their lands, the warriors gather, out of both necessity and religious duty, to take what they need. A great warchief will lead them to pillage the land and steal people, to work as slaves in restoring their scorched land, and to act as sacrifices, so as to appease the hateful god of the mountain.
But the greatest threats to the land lie in the south: the Ordained Kingdom, and the Empire of Baccus.
The Ordained Kingdom is an empire in all but name. The power and religious authority of their One King is unquestionable, for their family had long since consolidated their power. The whole of their land is lush and fertile, their people numerous, their cities large and prosperous, their wealth uncountable. They are second only to the Baccus Empire, which matches the Ordained in not wealth, but sheer size, for it is a monster that has eaten more kingdoms than comprises Lundland. It has always been ruled by cruel, merciless, and ambition leaders.
Lundland rarely need deal with them, for the two great lands seemed locked in a constant war with each other. But every so often, if there is peace between them, one or both of the them will decide to plunder and conquer the southlands of Lundland. In these wars has the kingdom suffered her bloodiest battles, and faced her most dreaded defeats. Woe has been the king to deal with such wars.
The kingdom has not only enemies without, but enemies within. The Land of Lords is no mere title, for thanks to the incompetence of past Overlords, each Lord of the land might be considered a petty king in and of themselves, as even they have vassals owing fealty to them. Every Lord has had to deal with their vassals, who in peace will wage war on each other, and scheme to claim land and privileges held rightly by the Lord, and it is the same for the Overlord.
With so many enemies and so much infighting, Lundland rarely sees peace. And things have only gotten worse in recent times.
The great Overlord Balthazar, who had worked so dutifully to protect the land, and increase the pitiful authority of his title, died in a battle with a small group of mercenaries under a Bogan's pay. It was a most pathetic death, for the sellswords were in flight. One of them grew panicked, and shot an unaimed crossbow behind himself. The bolt hit Balthazar in the right arm as he was riding, and the Overlord succumbed to the wound not hours later. As word got around, many soldiers started to panic themselves.
The sellswords, seeing this confusion, decided to halt their flight and regroup. With new organization and confidence, the Bogan mercenaries pillaged the land without resistance, as the feckless vassals of the land refused to fight for a dead liege.
Though Balthazar's eldest son, Rone, was eventually crowned the new Overlord, it was far too late. The Bogan mercenaries had rampaged across all the land belonging directly to the Overlord, and beyond. The vassals of the realm had all gone back to their separate lands, none willing to do anything but save themselves. And as the confusion and desperation grew, so did the enemies of the kingdom, who sought to take advantage of the land's weakness. Rone saw all his father worked to achieve disappear before his eyes. With no men at call, he could do nothing but stay in the mighty fortress of Bolgaz. The servants saw him become more and more reclusive, as the young lord did nothing but lock himself away in his bedroom for hours, or even days at a time. Many believe Rone has lost his mind to despair.
With a weak ruler as he, all who have even the slightest claim to the throne are now crying of their divine right to rule on whoever will listen, but there are two in particular who have garnered significant support.
Balthazar's eldest daughter claims the throne is hers by right, for though it has been tradition for the eldest son to inherit, it is stated in the writs of the Overlord that the eldest child inherit the throne, with no mention of gender. Though many lords laugh at her claim, she has pressed them with such vehemence at court that the marshal of the realm, Uthred, tried to have her arrested. She escaped Bolgaz, and has not been heard of in some time.
There is also the next in line for the throne, Theodore Trisch, the first cousin of Rone. He also asserts his claim to the throne through the writs, for according to them, the next-in-line to the throne should serve as acting regent if the current Overlord is ever indisposed, until such a time when the Overlord either recovers their health, or dies. And while Rone is technically capable of rule, it is clear to many how mentally unstable he is, and numerous Lords support Theodore's claim to the throne.
All that said, however, enemies rampage across the land, and most Lords fear for their survival. The question of the throne is the furthest thing from most of their minds.
For now, most are well with an Overlord who will watch his kingdom burn.
Greetings,
For those who are familiar with this, welcome back. I thank you for ploughing through what was essentially the beta for this NRP. I don't make great claims to this incarnation being perfect, but I believe this version to be a vast improvement on the admitted clusterfuck it had started out as, and as a direct consequence, far more enjoyable and streamlined. Also to your interest, more buildings are coming, but none of them shall be available at the very start, so I decided to leave them out of the rules until I'm sure there will be no balance issues. Also, border concerns are out, save for March of Mishfarden. You're now in constant danger whether you like it or not.
For those just joining this, I welcome you even more warmly. I thank you in advance for your interest, and I do hope you enjoy your stay in our fine land. . .
Below are the latest incarnation of the rules, along with a few other useful things, but here are some key points for people who don't want to wade through the rules to find them:
* To express your interest, simple say so and create a lordship using the template found below. I have the final word on whether you are accepted or not, and reserve the right to say as little or as much as to why or why not.
* The game will work by PMing me whatever Actions you'd like to accomplish in a season. If you make an IC post, and it is highly recommended you make at least one each season, you can do so using any of your characters. All diplomacy between lords are instant, because of the Overlord's Court. The Overlord's Court is located in the fortress of Bolgaz, and by law of the land, each Lord is required to either be present there themselves, or have someone who speaks with their authority be there in their stead. If goods or people are being exchanged, or you are trying to relay a message to a Lord who doesn't have a representative at court, or to any travelling characters, travel times will come into play. For travel times, I'm afraid you will have to look at the rules.
* If people are not fed, they starve. Starving means a number of whoever is starving will die, subject to random result. This was too short and unrelated to put in the rules, but it should be common sense.
* Marriages are a way of cementing a formal alliance between two houses. How strong the alliance is depends on which two members are being married. For example, a marriage between a firstborn daughter of one lord and a second-born son of another will be a lot stronger than a marriage between an uncle of one lord and a niece of another. Marriage is not mentioned in the rules because its importance is entirely up to the players.
* Upon the completion and acceptance of your sheet, you will be given vassals. These vassals will have land technically separate from your own, but pledge loyalty to you by offering you all their levies in times of war. This is the limit of the responsibilities, and it is up to you to decide the specific dos and donts of your land.
* To conquer a fief, you must capture it's manor. It's as simple and complex as that.
With those things out of the way, here are other useful writs for your consideration:
Rules XVIII
[ Sign-Up Sheet Template. You're free add what you'd like this sheet. ]
Name of Lord or Lady: [First Name, Family Name]
Fiefs:
Fief Name: Fertility (Growth Bonus provided by Fertility), Population, Resources (Income Provided by Resources), Infrastructure (Crops, Income, and Growth Provided by Infrastructure), Manor and Castle Options, Crops Produced Per Person, Total Fief Tax per Annum
Towns:
Town Name: Population, Wealth Level, Fief it is Located In, Taxes per Person
Military:
List any weapons, armour, siege engines, and ships purchased. Troops are not raised at the game's very start, unless you wish them to be. Raised men will not provide crops if not returned to the fields before the end of the Working season.
Royal Court:
List all purchased family members and courtiers.
Optional Concerns:
List any taken optional concerns.
Original Receipts:
Total Population:
Population Living in Towns:
Crops Produced per Annum:
Total Growth Bonus:
Income per Annum:
Current Treasury:
House History
[ This is optional, but if you choose to fill it out, feel free to be creative. Yours is one of the great houses of Lundland, and are allowed to play an important role in its history. ]
House Coat of Arms
[ Design your family's coat of arms and motto. This too is optional, but it's adds flavour to your House. Below is a useful link for the less artistically-inclined, but using another online program, borrowing an image from the internet, or drawing your own are all acceptable. ]
http://inkwellideas.com/coat_of_arms/free-version/
List of Accepted Kingdoms
Original sign-up sheet - Lands of House Bloodsun [ Sadko ]
As she is a woman, and a widow, she has a lozenge crest instead of a traditional shield.
Name of Lord or Lady: Lady Olga Bloodsun
Fiefs:
Crymson Streams (15 Points)
Fertility: Fair
Population: 18,000
Resources: Some Resources
Infrastructure: Advanced Infrastructure.
Manor: Great Manor, Great Wall
Crops per Person: 4.6
Annual Tax: 8,500 Bullis.
Lady's Scythe (15 Points)
Fertility: Fair
Population: 18,000
Resources: Some Resources
Infrastructure: Advanced Infrastructure
Manor: Great Manor, Great Wall
Crops per Person: 4.6
Annual Tax: 8,500 Bullis
Sullen Falls (10 points)
Fertility: Infertile
Population: 8,000
Resources: Some Resources
Infrastructure: Improved Infrastructure
Manor: Stone Manor, Stone Wall
Crops per Person: 4.4
Annual Tax: 3,500
The Screeching Mistress (10 Points)
Fertility: Infertile
Population: 8,000
Resources: Some Resources
Infrastructure: Improved Infrastructure
Manor: Stone Manor, Stone Wall
Crops per Person: 4.4
Annual Tax: 3,500
Cape of the Crying Man (10 Points)
Fertility: Fair
Population: 18,000
Resources: Resourceless
Infrastructure: Advanced Infrastructure
Manor: Fortified Manor, Stone Wall
Crop per Person: 4.6
Annual Tax: 8,500
The Whispering Tides (2 points)
Fertility: Scrubland
Population: 3,000
Resources: Resourceless
Infrastructure: Basic Infrastructure
Manor: Wooden Manor, Wooden Palisade
Crop per Person: 4.2
Annual Tax: 12,600
Crag of the Wounded Angel (2 points)
Fertility: Scrubland
Population: 3,000
Resources: Resourceless
Infrastructure: Basic Infrastructure
Manor: Wooden Manor, Wooden Palisade
Crop per Person: 4.2
Annual Tax: 12,600
Towns:
Orgules (Capital) (25 Points)
Population: 9,000
Fief: Crymson Streams
Wealth: Fair
Taxes per Person: 4
Sourwoods (11 Points)
Population: 3,000
Fief: Lady's Scythe
Wealth: Poor
Taxes per Person: 2
Military:
Crymson Streams' Garrison
2000 Soldiers
Armor: Mail, Round Iron Shield
Weapon: Shortsword
500 Light Cavalry
Armor: Leather, Wooden Pavise
Weapon: Spear, Horse
10 Great Galleys with 900 Men
Upkeep: 2,400 Bullis, 1,700 Seasonally
10 Great Galleys with 900 Men
Upkeep: 2,400 Bullis, 1,700 Seasonally
2 War Galleys with 240 Men
Upkeep: 960 Bullis, 320 Seasonally
Lady's Scythe Garrison
12 Crowcapes (Lady Olga's Elite Guard.)
Armor: Plate, Round Steel Shield
Weapon: Longsword
500 Spearmen
Armor: Leather, Iron Buckler
Weapon: Spear
500 Bowman
Armor: No Armour
Weapon: Bow, Dagger
Cape of the Crying Man's Garrison
1000 Soldiers
Armor: Mail, Round Iron Shield
Weapon: Shortsword
Sullen Falls' Garrison
1000 Men of the Shore
Armor: Leather, Iron Buckler
Weapon: Axe
Royal Court:
Vladykar, Eldest Son, Aged 19. (5 points used)
Domund, Youngest Son, Aged 17. (5 Points used)
Ylena, Toddler Daughter, Aged 5. (2 Points used.)
Optional Concerns:
None.
Original Receipts:
Total Population: 88,000 ( 12,000 from Towns, 76,000 from Fiefs.)
Population Living in Towns: 12,000
Crops Produced per Annum:
Total 346200 (83400 from Crymson Streams, 83400 from Lady's Scythe, 35400 from Sullen Falls, 35400 from Screeching Mistress, 83400 from Cape of The Crying Man, 12600 from Whispering Tides, 12600 from Crag of The Wounded Angel)
Total Growth Bonus:
4.5 (0.9% from Crymson Streams, 0.9% from Lady's Scythe, 0.6% from Sullen Falls, 0.6% from Screeching Mistress, 0.9% from Cape of The Crying Man, 0.3% from The Whispering Tides, 0.3% from Crag of The Wounded Angel)
Income per Annum: 99700 Bullions
Current Treasury: 99700
House History
Bloodsun was an ever ruthless, powerful and rich house. Its' members were famous for their cold, calculating minds, calm demeanor, and mild manners. A powerful, ancient line that spanned centuries of its' rich and proud history, its' rulers never dropped their ambitions and pride. It was the most powerful vassal of a great house by the name of Tallboat, with whom they had constant feuds, the Tallboats constantly slighting their vassals when they could. Soon however, its' last Lord died along his children in a voyage along the Cape of the Crying Man. Instantaneously, Overlord had granted House Bloodsun all the lands, incomes, and titles of the previous House. Bloodsun was renowned as a House with powerful galleys manned by the most sturdy men possible, their wrath feared even more than the Tallboats. Its' current lady, Lady Olga, has proven to be an efficient administrator, skillful in court intrigues and delivering justice to criminals that roam her lands. She is the living embodiment of beauty and robustness. Her husband has died recently from falling off a horse, drunk, and snapping his neck.
- Vassals of House Bloodsun
Kingdom of Almare ( Lands of House Griffiths ) [ Ashgan ]
- Vassals of House Griffiths
The Ironstone Islands ( Lands of House Strongheart ) [ ulsterwarrior ]
- Vassals of House Strongheart
The Jarldom of Jorvik ( Lands of House Vasa ) [ So Boerd ]
- Vassals of House Vasa
The Lands of Attolia ( Lands of House Wolff ) [ heyitsjiwon ]
- Vassals of House Wolff
Kingdom of Kaldur ( Lands of House Harvestar ) [ Outcast ]
- Vassals of House Harvestar
Land of Diritania ( Lands of House Vearin ) [ Bikriki ]
- Vassals of House Vearin
Kingdom of Aaldoreanfeald ( Lands of House Osgar ) [ The Nexerus ]
- Vassals of House Osgar
List of all Towns
Palma: 10,000, Fair, Pelataria [ House Cole ]
Calisii: 4,000, Fair, Centreport [ House Cole ]
Aldranport: 10,000, Fair, Aldranland [ House Aldran ]
Bellmoral: 9,000, Fair, Terrandul [ House Behringer ]
Falkirh: 2,000, Fair, Keep Sanctum [ House Behringer ]
Fishmarket: 3,000, Wretched, Fisherbay [ House Fisher ]
Coalfell: 2,000, Fair, Blackwood [ House Griffiths ]
Blackburn: 1,000, Poor, Greypass [ House Griffiths ]
Coldport: 2,000, Fair, Cold Harbor [ House Strongheart ]
Iceport: 2,000, Fair, Icewaters [ House Strongheart ]
Soarheight: 2,000, Fair, Deepmount [ House Strongheart ]
Longspear: 2,000, Fair, Sharpsword [ House Strongheart ]
Attolia: 1,000 Wretched, Attolia [ House Wolff ]
Ridgewood: 1,000 Wretched, Dawn [ House Wolff ]
Avon: 1,000, Wretched, Aegis [ House Wolff ]
Giant's Bane: 10,000, Fair, Icemark [ House Harvestar ]
Veara: 5,000, Fair, Diritania [ House Vearin ]
Bellaudi: 7,000, Fair, Lower Norraine [ House Vearin ]
Orgules: 9,000, Fair, Crymson Streams [ House Bloodsun ]
Sourwoods: 3,000, Poor, Lady's Scythe [ House Bloodsun ]
Seasons Past. . .
AU 107, The Waiting Season
Inspiring Music