Beautiful hour glass figure with modest, firm breasts and ever-pert nipples; as are the women of the Noble and Royal Classes, her body is free of hair below her neck, carefully and frequently shaved from her by a trusted slave girl.
Stunning, green-hazel eyes.
Brunette hair, nearly always worn as in the image (except private and/or intimate moments).
Tattoos:
Face: the pattern designates the Tribe from which she came.
Body: a Snake-Dragon tattoo, the Holy Symbol of the Faithful of Tella-Un; it begins as a thrice-forked tail just above her right ankle, encircled that leg twice as it climbed upwards, then cut across her belly to wrap around her torso and finally cease as a magnificently detailed and somewhat frightening, fang-bearing head just below her sternum.
Various scars (to be described later).
Personality:
Strong, confident, driven.
Intelligent and well educated.
Sexually? Not yet stated.
Compassionate but also willing to kill, punish, enslave, etc., when she finds it necessary.
This is the second of two role plays based upon the same "Universe" that I and my writing partners, Princess Peril and Sir Hugh, are creating.
These two role plays begin with the same introductory post from me, with a bit of editing near the end as appropriate for the differing genders of my writing partners' characters.
The role plays will quickly diverge, however, due first to that gender differences spoken of above and the difference in how my character deals with partners' characters.
Just in case you already read the first post of the other role play, I'll save you some reading in this one: drop down and begin your reading at the Hider, "The Differences begin here"
She'd been called Melody for as long as she could remember, most of her 20 winters of life. It wasn't her true name; she didn't know her true name and those who did had been sworn to keep it from her less they lose their heads.
They wouldn't have been the first to lose their heads in her presence, of course; as she looked down upon the now burning village from where her horse stood still as a statue on a nearby hillock, Melody was sure heads had rolled this very day. She hadn't meant things to go this way, of course. She'd sent an envoy down to the small community shortly after sunrise to peacefully request food and shelter, only to watch as the man and his four escorts were taken down by arrows loosed from multiple directions.
Melody couldn't know what had led to the attack: misunderstanding, language barrier, fear on the villagers' part that their visitors were not as peaceful as they seemed. Whatever the reason, the attack had to be answered. It was, of course, by fire arrows, cavalry, and foot warriors. In the end, as their homes burned behind them, the two dozen survivors of the attack found themselves herded away from the inferno, forced to squat in the mud of a recent rain, and surrounded by their captors.
The ankles of the males were shackled with chains, the women by rope; the children were left unsecured. Once the survivors were trussed up, most of Melody's force set about collecting the stock animals, harvested crops, and other valuable resources.
It wasn't only men serving Melody; her Clan was not simply an invading horde of blood thirty adult male warriors but was in fact an ever-traveling community that included men, women, and children of all ages, much like the village they'd just destroyed.
By now, those on the hillock had descended and dismounted near the collected captives. Melody found there was an almost equal number of men, women, and children. The men were mostly elderly, infirmed, or injured; as expected, the majority of the fighting aged men had engaged with the attackers and been killed.
Many of the women were of childbearing age; many of those had children clinging to them for safety and reassurance; and, Melody was happy to see, many of the rest could easily be considered young and beautiful. These women would fetch a pretty price at the slave market in Yalla.
"Kapiten!"
One of the nearby men who was directing other men's actions heard Melody's call. He sent his subordinates off to continue with their pillaging and hurried to her, pressing his fisted hand to his chest in salute before responding, "Yes, m'lady."
"We will make camp here for the day to give the men rest," she told him. She looked to the hostages, then directed, "Kill a bullock and put two of these men to preparing it for the fire pit. Select six women to slaughter the chickens, ducks, geese."
"All of them, m'lady?" he asked.
"All of them," she instructed. "Easier to transport dead, cooked birds than live ones, wouldn't you agree, Kapiten?"
"Yes, m'lady," he answered, nodding his head respectfully.
"Look for rabbit hutches," she continued, again looking into the crowd of survivors. "If the cages can be transported..."
Her voice trailed off as her gaze fell upon a man who was only just now rousing from unconsciousness and sitting up near the center of the crowd of survivors. He was an incredible looking man: ruggedly handsome, physically fit; he was intriguing in a way Melody couldn't explain, which caused her just enough excitement in a certain part of her physique to lead to her chastising herself over her spontaneous and sometimes uncontrollable urges.
The Captain completed his Lady's unfinished command, "We will load the hutches onto the carts, m'lady. If they can't be transported, well, we'll be eating rabbit tonight as well."
"Tell me about that man," Melody inquired with a soft voice, still looking at the villager.
The Captain followed Melody's gaze, then explained, "I don't know what I can tell you, m'lady, sorry. He was found unconscious and bleeding from the back of his scalp. I presume one of our warriors struck him, knocking him unconscious. The other villagers must have carried him away from the fire ... or perhaps a couple of your warriors."
When Melody only continued to stare at the man in silence, the Captain asked, "Shall I have him executed, m'lady. A man who looks like that ... it is likely that he is a trained warrior and could be a problem--"
"No," Melody cut the man off. Still feeling a bit entranced, she ordered, "Ensure he is shackled properly--"
By properly, she meant with metal chains and shackles, of course. His feet would have enough movement relative to one another to allow him to walk but not run, and his hands would be just far enough apart for him to lift and carry things. A third chain would run between the middles of the other two chains, preventing the man from raising his hands any higher than his belly unless he was crouching down to take a shit or splash water over himself at a creek or lake to cleanse his body for example.
Melody continued her order "--and put him to work emptying my carts. I want my tent erected immediately and my bath filled with steaming water. You can put him to work gathering wood, Kapiten."
"Of course, m'lady," the Captain responded with a nod. He was about to turn but looked at the man once again. Concerned for his petite superior, he asked, "Shall I leave a guard or two to watch over this slave?"
Melody's lips spread in a slight smirk at the use of the word slave. It was so natural to automatically consider those caught in battle as such. The men captured here today who were physically up to it would be sold as slave labor or sent to the Fighting Pits to entertain their Masters and possibly earn them coin; the men who weren't up to such endeavors would instead likely be executed or simply left behind to fend for themselves in the ashes of their village.
There were, of course, two other options for men who looked like this one, with both of these opportunities employing the tool they carried around with them down below their belt line. Women from the Royal, Noble, and even Merchant classes often paid good money to be serviced by such men, particularly if their Masters -- or in Melody's case, Mistress -- portrayed them as mindless, heathenistic, groin thrusting barbarians. There was something about a man who was barely more than an animal -- whether actually so or simply made to seem that way -- that caused women of means to quickly and eagerly drop their coins and their undergarments to be serviced by such.
Breeders, of course, didn't require any specialized equipment down yonder to pass on their strength, endurance, size, and more. As for that other service ... well, Melody couldn't yet know whether or not this particular man had would fill her purse with coins. But she'd find out soon enough.
Melody looked to the man again, studied him a moment, then ordered the Captain, "Ensure that he knows that if he becomes any sort of a problem that I will have all of the children disemboweled before the rest of the slaves."
The Captain reacted with a bit of surprise; Melody was known for sometimes being ruthless, but this was a new one for the Captain. He gave her a respectful head nod and fist to the chest again and said, "Yes, m'lady."
And with that done, Melody headed off into the midst of the conflagration to see if the damage for total or there might be something worth saving from the flames.
I have created 2 roleplays based upon this same "Universe". Although they each begin with this same historical background, they diverge quickly due to the actions and personal backgrounds of the main characters.
I did not create this map. I "borrowed" it from the internet.
Originally, the black triangles represented mountain peaks. In our story, they represent towns.
The yellow terrain surrounding these towns (black triangles) originally designated highlands. In our story, they simply represent areas of higher human development (ranches, farms, and mines).
Stars: capitals of the 4 similarly colored sovereign nations (white, blue, red, green).
Dots: other cities of the similarly colored nation.
Triangles: towns (unnamed on the map) which are generally but not always ruled by the nearest capital city.
Grey circle (Un, on the Island of Tella-Un): a religious site holy to all nations; the world's only active volcano.
The Sovereign Nations:
Southernmost of the sovereign lands.
It was once the greatest and most powerful nation. Now, however:
It has the smallest population: ~25,000.
It has the least wealth in resources.
It has the smallest treasury.
It has the smallest armed forces, with only 200 cavalry, 1,000 skilled warriors, 2,000 potential conscripts, and 200 sailors/marines on 5 warships.
It is ruled by a Prime Minister, who is selected by a Council of Nobles. He also serves as Lord Mayor of the capital city, Yalla.
Each of the Nobles rules his (or rarely her) city or town as a Feudal Lord.
Historically, the Prime Minister had great power, including the right to insist that the Nobles support his war declarations with armed forces, resources, and coin. This is no longer true; the Nobles now do essentially what they like.
Capital: Yalla (pop. 5,000)
Marcan (pop. 4,000) on the Island of Tella-Un.
Sutla (pop. 3,000) on the Island of Sufi in the inland Sea of Yalla.
Savat (pop. 2,000) on the island of Sevu in the inland Sea of Vint.
Rlawell and Abad (pops. 1,000 each) in the southern reaches of the Fenwater.
4 towns (black triangles; pops. 200-600) to the southwest of the Capital City.
Dozens of small-to-medium sized villages (pops. 50-200).
Note: Yalla does not have control over the waters surrounding its island cities. The inner seas are almost exclusively controlled by the usually friendly Vint.
See next hider for list of towns lost by Yalla to other nations.
Tiala (pop. 3,000): given over to the Kingdom of Vint in lieu of debts owed 20 years BRP (before role play).
Tut (pop. 3,000): seized by force by the Frenkish Empire 10 years BRP.
5 of the 9 towns (black triangles) it formerly controlled.
1 town north of Tut, captured by the Frenkish Empire 10 BRP.
2 towns in the Salfar Mountains, lost to Barbarians. (They still exist but are shadows of their former selves.)
1 town on far side of the Kokalla River, which joined the Meretheni Federation 2 years BRP.
The coastal villages and coastal waters from the mouth of the Kokalla River to the Eastern Blight.
The navies of the Republic of Yalla and the Frenkish Empire battled in the Eastern Blight during the war over Tut.
Yalla's navy was utterly destroyed.
The Eastern Blight became Frenkish Empire Territory.
The Dead Coast (named such because no long term communities have ever survived there) is now patrolled by the Kingdom of Vint's navy (to keep the Frenkish navy in the north).
It is the westernmost and largest of the sovereign lands, stretching from Frost Bay in the north to the mouth of the Kokalla River in the south.
It has the greatest population, currently at over 100,000 and growing 10% year after year.
It is simultaneously rich and poor:
It has the greatest per capita wealth, the lowest level of poverty, and -- at nearly 25% -- the highest literacy rate of all the sovereign nations.
However, it has a modest treasury due to the generosity of its Ruling Class to its Middle and Under Classes.
Its arable lands make it the most agriculturally productive of the sovereign nations; it exports half of what it grows each year.
It lacks ores and minerals, however, importing them primarily from the Frenkish Empire.
Its standing army is the second largest after that of the Frenkish Empire.
It's available conscription army (2 years compulsory service, age 16-18) is the largest, however, with more fully trained warriors than the other sovereign nations combined.
It has the second largest navy after that of Vint.
During times of peace, the standing army is engaged in civil works projects while the navy supplements the merchant and fishing fleets in their work.
It is the most democratic of the sovereign states with a Bicameral Council of Elected Ministers:
Each population center (cities, towns, villages) elects 1 Minister for each of its 500 residents (free men, women, and children).
Villages and towns with less than 500 residents must combine their populations for the purpose of elections.
The House of the People meets 2 times a year (just prior to the planting season and just after the main harvest) to discuss and vote on issues brought before it by its Ministers.
Motions passed by the supermajority of 60% are forwarded to the House of the Lords.
While all free men, women, and children are included in the census population, only free males who are property owners or registered with the Army/Navy as active personnel, veterans of war, or willing and trained conscripts can vote.
Each Nobleman or Noblewoman is also a Minister to the House of Lords.
The House of the Lords meets one fortnight after the House of the People concludes its own work.
It discusses and votes on Motions sent to it from that lower House.
Motions that are passed take effect as determined within the motion's text.
Motions that fail are returned to a Resolution Committee of Ministers of the House of the People.
These Committee Ministers are chosen by their House's membership to stay behind while the majority of the men return to their individual communities to return to their work.
If 80% of the Committee Ministers vote to override the Motion declined by the House of Lords, the Motion becomes law.
Becoming a Noble is a matter of inheriting the role or being elevated from the masses by the House of Lords itself, a process which doesn't happen often; it happens even less often for Ladies.
Nation's population: 100,000 and growing 10% annually.
Eight towns (black triangles; pops. 400-1000), including the town northwest of the mouth of the Kokalla River, which defected from the Republic of Yalla.
And more than 150 small villages (fishing villages on the coast, farming villages on The Great Steppe, and logging villages in the forests) ranging from (pops. 50-400); these are not indicated on the map.
Coastline and coastal waters: from the mouth of the Kokalla River in the south to the Frost Bay in the north.
It is the central most of the 4 nations and extends from the extreme north to the extreme south, including control over:
The northern mainland territories between the Meretheni Federation and the Frenkish Empire.
Nearly the entirety of the inner seas; reasons discussed further below.
The Sacred Island of Tella-Un (with the exception of the Yallan City of Marcan).
The City of Tiala (formerly a possession of the Republic of Yalla) on the shore of the Long Sea.
The Land Corridor of the Kokalla River, between the inner and outer seas.
As well as various ports on the southern and northern shores of the outer seas.
It should be noted that Vint enforces a Policy of Cooperation regarding the Kokalla River:
The Meretheni Federation and the Republic of Yalla -- both considered friends of Vint -- have relatively free (but taxed) merchant vessel access to the river, to the ports at its ends, and to the villages along the route.
No military vessels from these two nations are allowed on the river without a Vint escort. Weapons are typically collected from these vessels prior to entering the river and returned once the vessels have completed their transit, though, this demand is sometimes waved.
Merchant vessels from the Frenkish Empire -- not a friend of Vint -- must have both an Vint warship escort and Vint marines aboard each vessel.
Frenkish warships are not permitted passage through the Kokalla River.
It has the second greatest population of the four sovereign nations, currently at over XX,XXX.
It is a nation of the very rich and very poor:
Its Royal Family is by far the wealthiest family in the history of the world.
It has a great number of very rich Nobles who are loyal to the King.
It also has a large and poor peasantry, as well as the largest slave class of the four sovereign nations.
Literacy is considered a right and privilege of the rich and powerful. Lower class people who demonstrate literacy often simply disappear, never to be seen again.
Its arable lands are very fertile, but there aren't enough acres to feed the population, therefore Vint imports from the Meretheni Federations.
It once produced enough ore to satisfy its needs, but:
The Frenkish Empire seized control of most of its mining territories in the the northeast.
To fulfill their need, Vint seized control of the Holy Island of Tella-Un, on which there are many ore mines.
This wasn't popular with the other sovereign nations, but there really wasn't anyone to stop them.
Its standing and standby (conscription) military are modest but suitable to protect their border with the Frenkish Empire, it's only current enemy.
Its true military power lies in its navy:
Decades ago, Vint ship builders designed warships, transports, and merchant vessels that were faster, more solidly built, and more heavily armed than anything ever built.
They used their navy (supported by their army) to seize control of ports all about the inner seas, making it nearly impossible for the other nations to conduct business over the seas without paying for the privilege.
They seized the Land Corridor of the Kokally River for some time before coming to an agreement with the Meretheni Federation and the Republic of Yalla for it to be a cooperatively shared Corridor.
Their navy now patrols the southeastern Dead Coast to keep the Frenkish Empire's navy away from it.
It is a dictatorial monarchy, headed by a King.
The King designates trusted and loyal Nobles to rule over Regions, Cities, Towns, mines, ports, etc.
He keeps them in line with the carrot (wealth and power) and the stick (threats of beheading should they betray him).
Population over XX,XXX.
Capital: Vint (pop. 25,000)
Virta (pop. 18,000)
Suva (pop. 9,000) and Ketch (pop. 8,000) on the Island of Tella-Un.
Tiala (pop. 7,000) in Republic of Yalla territory, taken in lieu of a massive debt.
4 towns (black triangles; pops. 400-1000) in the north, two of them in constant fear of being invaded by Frenkish forces.
As many as 150 small villages throughout its territories (pops. 50-400) that are not indicated on the map.
Found in the northeast of the world, it is the 3rd largest by size and population both.
Its extends from the city of Sipriot in its northwest (which it seized from Virt 8 years BRP) to the city of Tut in its south (which it seized from Yalla 10 years BRP) and includes all the land and islands to the east and north of those two cities.
Although it has shoreline on the inner seas (the Small Sea and the Long Sea), it has no settlements on those shores; the Kingdom of Vint prevents this, as well as preventing the construction and/or deployment of vessels here.
Emperor Frenk the Hearty is an absolute monarch and harsh dictator.
The Noble Class is made up almost entirely of the Emperor's Consorts -- who are many -- and his 100+ children, some of whom are land-controlling Nobles despite barely being into double digit ages -- the descendants, not the Consorts.
These Nobles rule over Regions, Cities, Towns, mines, ports, etc., but no single Noble controls enough population or wealth to have the ability to become a rebellious threat to the Emperor.
The Emperor tours the Empire almost constantly, spending a few days in each location to review its current situations, collect the harsh taxes, and roll about in the ruling Consort's bed before moving on to the next location and bed.
He replaces Consorts often, either for failing to rule as he sees fit or for failing to please him in bed as he demands.
During the Emperor's absence, Consorts are escorted by bodyguards at all hours of the day to ensure they do not invite other men into their beds; these bodyguards are generally large, ugly, eunuchs who -- despite having given up their balls -- who are very well paid to do the Emperor's bidding.
Consorts are, however, permitted to have female lovers. These lovers must also make themselves available to the Emperor on his visits. Often, if he appreciates the services of a Consort's lover, the Emperor replaces the former with the latter. Because of this, Consorts tend to keep their female lovers' identities secret. However, the Bodyguards rarely miss this, and Consorts who hide such information are often quickly replaced, sometimes by their lovers.
Rule over the Nobles and general population alike is typically via the stick and seldom the carrot.
Nobles, whether Consort or otherwise:
Are permitted limited governance over their cities and towns. The Emperor has final say over any and all issues.
Are heavily taxed, specifically to prevent them currying favor with others via coin, particularly military forces which might attempt to overthrow the Emperor.
Are monitored closely by spies and guards who report directly to the Emperor.
Are, if not a Consort, chosen spouses by the Emperor himself, often from his own line of Consorts. This is done to prevent the formation of potentially threatening alliances between Noble families.
Its standing army is the largest of the sovereign nations.
Its standby (conscription) military is large but undertrained.
Its navy is the 2nd largest by number of ships and available sailors and marines, but the vessels are old and poor in quality.
To prevent Nobles from easily raising rebellious forces, conscripts and volunteers alike are not allowed to serve directly under the Nobles from their homelands; they are relocated to distant locations where they are trained and commanded by Officers not of their own homelands, Officers who are loyal directly to the Emperor
Its arable lands are very fertile, but with the majority of the harvests diverted to the army (as taxes paid by Nobles to the Emperor), the peasantry is often on the verge of starvation or already deep into famine.
The Emperor will, however, sometimes purchase vast quantities of food from the Meretheni Federation to prevent famine.
It's fisheries and seal and whale hunting industries are very valuable.
Population over ~80,000.
Capital: Ras Rufna (pop. 22,000), which was a Kingdom of Vint city until Emperor Frenk seized it 25 years BRP.
LentFrenk (pop. 15,000), the empire's birth place.
Nurva (pop. 8,000)
Bind (pop. 6,000)
Sipriot (pop. 5,000), formerly a Kingdom of Vint city.
Tut (pop. 4,000), formerly a Republic of Yalla city.
12 towns (black triangles; pops. 400-1000).
As many as 200 small villages (many of them little more than military outposts) throughout its territories (pops. 50-300) that are not indicated on the map.
I did not create this map but instead "borrowed" it from the internet.
Originally, the black triangles signified mountain peaks, but in our story they represent towns.
Additionally, the yellow terrain surrounding the black triangles originally indicated highlands, whereas in our story they represent areas of higher rural population density (farms, ranches, etc.)
Stars: capitals (large walled cities) of the sovereign nations of the same color (white, blue, red, green).
Dots: other walled cities (ruled by the capitals of the same color).
Triangles: towns (most also walled) which are generally but not always ruled by the nearest capital city.
Grey circle (Un, on the Island of Tella-Un): a religious site holy to all nations. It is the only active volcano known to exist; a 10 mile wide, 3,000 foot deep crater filled with roiling lava.
It is the southernmost of the sovereign lands.
It was once the greatest and most powerful nation. Now, however:
It has the smallest population of the 4 sovereign nations at just over 25,000.
It has the least wealth in resources and smallest treasury.
And it has the smallest armed forces: 200 cavalry, 1,000 skilled warriors, 2,000 potential conscripts, and 200 sailors/marines on 5 warships.
Government:
It is ruled by a Prime Minister, who is selected by a Council of Lords.
Each of the Lords rules his city or town.
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Yalla also serves as Lord Mayor of the capital city, Yalla.
While the Prime Minister has the historical right to call upon his Lords to provide armed forces in the time of conflict, recent history has shown that the Lords do essentially what they like.
The Republic of Yalla currently includes:
The Capital City of Yalla (pop. 5,000)
The City of Marcan (pop. 4,000) on the Island of Tella-Un.
The City of Sutla (pop. 3,000) on the Island of Sufi in the inland Sea of Yalla.
The City of Savat (pop. 2,000) on the island of Sevu in the inland Sea of Vint.
And the Cities of Rlawell and Abad (pops. 1,000 each) in the southern reaches of the Fenwater, which itself is northwest of the inland seas.
Four towns (black triangles; pops. 200-600) to the southwest of the Capital City.
Dozens of small-to-medium sized villages (pops. 50-200) that are not indicated on the map.
As well as most of the lands surrounding these cities. (Yalla does not have solitary control over the inland seas surrounding its island cities, however. That control is in the hands of usually friendly Vint.)
The Republic of Yalla historically included far greater land and water territories, including but not limited to:
The City of Tiala (pop. 3,000), over which Vint took control 20 years BRP (before role play) to ease Yalla's debt problems.
The City of Tut (pop. 3,000), conquered by the Frenkish Empire 5 years BRP.
5 of the 9 towns (black triangles) it formerly controlled.
The town just to the north of Tut was captured by the Frenkish Empire 5 years ago during its Tut campaign.
The two eastern towns nearest Tiala defected to Vint shortly after Tut fell to the Frenkish Empire, fearing that Yalla could not defend them if they, too, were attacked. (Yalla did not put up a fight to keep these towns as the forces simply weren't available.)
And the westernmost town on the far side of the Kokalla River elected to join the Meretheni Federation 2 years ago and is now occupied and protected by troops from that nation. (Again, Yalla did not put up a fight to keep these towns.)
While the Republic of Yalla considers the Frenkish Empire an enemy, it considers Vint and the Meretheni Federation friends.
The coastline and coastal waters from the mouth of the Kokalla River to the Eastern Blight, nearly all of which is now controlled by other nations.
The Republic of Yalla sent its navy to the Eastern Blight during the war over Tut, where it was soundly defeated.
Yalla lost control of The Dead Coast (named such because no long term communities ever survived there).
Vint -- a naval super power that uses the Kokalla river to access the outer seas -- protects the southern coasts from further Frenkish expansion.
It is the westernmost and largest of the sovereign lands, stretching from Frost Bay in the north to the mouth of the Kokalla River in the south.
It has the greatest population, currently at over 100,000 and growing 10% year after year.
It is simultaneously rich and poor:
It has the greatest per capita wealth, the lowest level of poverty, and -- at nearly 25% -- the highest literacy rate of all the sovereign nations.
However, it has a modest treasury due to the generosity of its Ruling Class to its Middle and Under Classes.
Its arable lands make it the most agriculturally productive of the sovereign nations; it exports half of what it grows each year.
It lacks ores and minerals, however, importing them primarily from the Frenkish Empire.
Its standing and standby military is relatively large:
While its standing army is the second largest -- the Frenkish Empire's standing army is the largest -- it had the largest available conscription army by far, with more registered and trained military members than the other sovereign nations combined.
It has the second largest navy after that of Vint.
During time of peace, the standing army is engaged in civil works projects while the navy supplements the merchant and fishing fleets in their work.
Government:
It is the most democratic of the sovereign states.
It is ruled over by a Bicameral Council of Elected Ministers:
Each population center (cities, towns, villages) elects 1 Minister for each of its 500 residents (free men, women, and children).
Villages and towns with less than 500 residents must combine their populations for the purpose of elections.
The House of the People meets 2 times a year (just prior to the planting season and just after the main harvest) to discuss and vote on issues brought before it by its Ministers.
Motions passed by the supermajority of 60% are forwarded to the House of the Lords.
While all free men, women, and children are included in the census population, only free males who are property owners or registered with the Army/Navy as active personnel, veterans of war, or willing and trained conscripts can vote.
Each Nobleman or Noblewoman is also a Minister to the House of Lords.
The House of the Lords meets one fortnight after the House of the People concludes its own work.
It discusses and votes on Motions sent to it from that lower House.
Motions that are passed take effect as determined within the motion's text.
Motions that fail are returned to a Resolution Committee of Ministers of the House of the People.
These Committee Ministers are chosen by their House's membership to stay behind while the majority of the men return to their individual communities to return to their work.
If 80% of the Committee Ministers vote to override the Motion declined by the House of Lords, the Motion becomes law.
Becoming a Noble is a matter of inheriting the role or being elevated from the masses by the House of Lords itself, a process which doesn't happen often; it happens even less often for Ladies.
Population over 100,000 and growing 10% annually.
The Capital City of Forthala (pop. 20,000)
The City of Lotha (pop. 12,000), Kinth (pop. 11,000), Morbeth (pop. 9,000), Tothan (pop. 7,000), and Lux (pop. 6,000).
Eight towns (black triangles; pops. 400-1000), including the town northwest of the mouth of the Kokalla River which used to belong to the Republic of Yalla.
And more than 150 small villages (fishing villages on the coast, farming villages on The Great Steppe, and logging villages in the forests) ranging from (pops. 50-400) that are not indicated on the map.
The coastline and coastal waters from the mouth of the Kokalla River in the south to the Frost Bay in the north are Meretheni territorial waters.
She'd been called Melody for as long as she could remember, most of her 20 winters of life. It wasn't her true name; she didn't know her true name and those who did had been sworn to keep it from her less they lose their heads.
They wouldn't have been the first to lose their heads in her presence, of course; as she looked down upon the now burning village from where her horse stood still as a statue on a nearby hillock, Melody was sure heads had rolled this very day. She hadn't meant things to go this way, of course. She'd sent an envoy down to the small community shortly after sunrise to peacefully request food and shelter, only to watch as the man and his four escorts were taken down by arrows loosed from multiple directions.
Melody couldn't know what had led to the attack: misunderstanding, language barrier, fear on the villagers' part that their visitors were not as peaceful as they seemed. Whatever the reason, the attack had to be answered. It was, of course, by fire arrows, cavalry, and foot warriors. In the end, as their homes burned behind them, the two dozen survivors of the attack found themselves herded away from the inferno, forced to squat in the mud of a recent rain, and surrounded by their captors.
The ankles of the males were shackled with chains, the women by rope; the children were left unsecured. Once the survivors were trussed up, most of Melody's force set about collecting the stock animals, harvested crops, and other valuable resources.
It wasn't only men serving Melody; her Clan was not simply an invading horde of blood thirty adult male warriors but was in fact an ever-traveling community that included men, women, and children of all ages, much like the village they'd just destroyed.
By now, those on the hillock had descended and dismounted near the collected captives. Melody found there was an almost equal number of men, women, and children. The men were mostly elderly, infirmed, or injured; as expected, the majority of the fighting aged men had engaged with the attackers and been killed.
Many of the women were of childbearing age; many of those had children clinging to them for safety and reassurance; and, Melody was happy to see, many of the rest could easily be considered young and beautiful. These women would fetch a pretty price at the slave market in Yalla.
"Kapiten!"
One of the nearby men who was directing other men's actions heard Melody's call. He sent his subordinates off to continue with their pillaging and hurried to her, pressing his fisted hand to his chest in salute before responding, "Yes, m'lady."
"We will make camp here for the day to give the men rest," she told him. She looked to the hostages, then directed, "Kill a bullock and put two of these men to preparing it for the fire pit. Select six women to slaughter the chickens, ducks, geese."
"All of them, m'lady?" he asked.
"All of them," she instructed. "Easier to transport dead, cooked birds than live one, wouldn't you agree, Kapiten?"
"Yes, m'lady," he answered, nodding his head respectfully.
"Look for rabbit hutches," she continued, again looking into the crowd of survivors. "If the cages can be transported..."
Her voice trailed off as her gaze met the gaze of a most incredible looking young woman sitting near the middle of the group. The Captain, thinking he was intended to complete his Lady's request filled in, "We will load them on the carts, m'lady. If they aren't, we'll add them to the fire."
When Melody only continued to stare at the other woman in silence, the Captain asked politely, "Will that be all, m'lady?"
"No," she said softly. After another moment of simply staring at the woman with a slightly awed expression, Melody ordered, "Ensure my tent is erected first."
"Of course, m'lady--"
"And heat some water for my bath."
"Yes, m'lady, of course," he continued his acknowledgments. He looked toward the hillock over which the road to the village passed to see the procession of women, children, and carts nearing now that the fighting was over. "Your Ladies are nearly here to--"
"Bring her to my tent," Melody cut in. The Captain followed his Lady's gaze to the young beauty sitting in the mud. Melody turned to leave, as if no further orders were needed, adding only, "Remove her bindings and put her to work hauling water and building the fire."
"M'lady...?" the Captain said, looking for clarification; the woman in question had just seen her village destroyed and more than half of its inhabitants -- including most of the men and possibly her husband, father, and/or brothers -- killed in the process, and yet Melody wanted her unbound to enable service? "Are you sure about this?"
Melody stopped, looked to the Captain, then to the young woman, and -- ensuring that the latter could hear her -- said, "Ensure she knows that if she becomes any sort of a fuss ... I will kill all the children."
The Captain was a tad bit surprised by this as well, yet he gave her a respectful head nod and fist to the chest again and said, "Yes, m'lady."
And with that done, Melody headed off into the midst of the conflagration as if she had no fear of its flames causing her any harm at all.
Looking for either a male or female writer who will post at least 10 times a week. A couple of modest paragraphs are fine, even less if that is all that is needed. Looking for a conscientious writer who proofreads and puts some thought and care into giving me what I need, just as I will for you. I have a specific direction for the story, but I am open to some twists and turns so long as we stay on that path.
In an ancient (fictional) land, a raid on your village ends with you and several others from your tribe enslaved. The end.
Kidding; there's more.
My tribe is traveling across the country, and while our path may seem aimless, we do have a destination in mind. Of course, you won't know what it is at first because, after all, you're just a slave, more often than not shackled and guarded.
But you are a fairly magnificent example of manliness (or womanhood if you are a female), and my character -- the leader of the tribe -- begins to take a shine to you. She has you trained as a warrior, something you will do voluntarily if you want the others from your tribe to be treated kindly.
Ultimately, you will learn the whole truth of the story, but for now let's hold back some of the secrets, shall we?
There will be sex, but it won't be graphic, and it will mostly occur fade-to-black. (If you are 18+ and want to write that part of the story in PM, I would be open to that. But I'm not the type to write long, nasty, drawn-out sex scenes; I write erotica, not pornography.)
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