The Jade sat in his office, reading the daily newspaper. It was hard to believe that it was actually 1900, it was like a date out of some book, not reality. In fact, it was somewhat disappointing. He had always expected the 1900's to be different somehow, but so little had changed since his childhood. The same predictions kept being made, just with pushed-back dates and more outrageous illustrations. Even as Jade, he hadn't managed to get anything of worldwide importance done.
We'll make it someday, I'm sure! He thought, looking out the window at the sun just now making its way over the horizon. The first sunrise of the new year, the new millennium. Though it was not everything he and everyone else had hoped for or predicted, he knew it would become such a time. There wasn't anything he couldn't do, and by extension of that, the same was true for Vanjana.
A man walked into the room without asking, something Kalle was perfectly fine with. The fact he had not identified himself told the Jade who he was.
"Shikoba." Said the Jade, standing up to face the man. "What brings you here?"
The man made a series of odd noises, most somewhat reminiscent of clicks, then held up a card. It read "Telegram from Albia". The Jade was glad to see that his aide had remembered his request to speak his own language while holding the cards, hoping to learn it. He had gone to classes before, but every few weeks he would drop out of them, saying that he didn't need them to learn the language. In the end everyone had decided that it would be better to just keep him out of them, and Shikoba had volunteered to help him learn through immersion.
"Really? What about?"
Another series of noises came out of Shikoba's mouth, with the Jade staring at his lips the whole time. The expression on his face clearly conveyed that he still couldn't quite believe that a human was capable of making them. Nevertheless, he copied the movements in an effort to place the sounds, then moved on to read the card. Being pre-prepared, it wasn't exactly an answer, but it sufficed.
"I don't think you'll like it, Jade."
Shikoba handed the Jade the telegram, and he quickly frowned. It threw Shikoba somewhat off-balance, seeing the Jade frown. Sure, he did it plenty, but his actions followed patterns, and a frown right now wasn't anywhere near the pattern.
"I knew there were tensions, but I never imagined that they went this far! Wait for a moment, I'll write a telegram right now!"
Lacking a pen to write a response, Shikoba simply followed the Jade's orders. When he was done, Shikoba tucked the paper underneath his left arm. Noticing a map on the wall, he motioned to Numburg, hoping the Jade would get the message.
"Oh! The trip! I have to set up a suitable committee to deal with emergencies during my absence!"
The Jade rushed out of the room, knowing Shikoba wouldn't be able to say anything he could understand anyways. Undignified? Most certainly. Then again, the Jade never had been one to waste his dignity among those he considered friends. At least, as close to friends as one could get with the man.
I can't tell is he's a good leader because of his oddities or a bad one. Thought Shikoba, looking at the desk to see a knocked over ink basin spilling out onto the table. With a sigh, he walked into the hallway, searching for the cleaning crew.
Nations Name: Heliga Kejsardöme av Farligmark (Often referred to simply as Vanjana or Farligmark
Flag:
Form of Government: Constitutional Theocracy
Describe the System: Vanjana's government is led by a Jade, who acts as the King/Queen of the Empire as well as the leader of the Kyrkan av Stjärnaljus (The Empire's official church, normally referred to simply as the Kyrkan). Their power is checked by elected representatives from all Imperial territories, including the colonies. These representatives do, however, have to be members of the Kyrkan. As a result, the Jade's orders are generally accepted unless they are absolutely ridiculous. This can't stop the Jade from making bad decisions, but it usually keeps nutcases in check. The colonies are governed by their representative, whose orders can be overturned by the other representatives.
Location on Map Desired:
Capital: Heligastaden: The capital of Vanjana, this city is both a bustling port city and a beautiful tourist destination. The classes are highly visible here, with the rich living right on the coast and the housing getting progressively worse as one journey's further inland. The city is designed so that any visitors will likely never see the poor areas, with the Jade's palace itself being front and center in the port, held up by stone supports.
Important Settlements: -Stadavsöder: The capital of the Varmland territory, shown as a black dot on the map. It is surrounded by farmland, and functions as a trade port to ship food between the Imperial territories. -Högmark: The capital of NordstedF, shown on the map by a red dot. It is also a major industrial center, using up the raw resources from Nordsted and shipping the finished products to Heligastaden. This city is populated almost entirely by poor workers, and the sky is constantly filled with thick smog. -Nyheligastaden: The capital of the Kashtaken colonies, shown as a blue dot. Since the Kashtaken colonies are quite old parts of the Empire, they are heavily industrialized, and Nyheligastaden is no exception. It is populated by both natives and colonists, whom both know the other's language. Due to a staggering difference in pronunciation, grammar, and basic linguistic philosophy, nobody can truly speak the other language with any accuracy. Instead, the two languages are used in the same conversation, with everyone knowing what the other person is saying and responding in their native language. -Stadavkryddor: The capital of the Modensa colonies, represented by a purple dot. It has a large population of Kashtaken natives, since they had already had limited contact with Modensa natives, it was deemed useful to send them. It has very little industry, and instead ships out tea and spices farmed in the colonies.
Description: The people of Vanjana proper come in two types: The extremely rich and the extremely poor. Almost everyone lives in a city, and all cities have clear class separations. The rich live in the middle of the city, and as you go further out, the buildings get more rundown and covered is soot from the factories. Sadly, there is no sign of this changing, as even the poor workers are content with it. They have a "There's no point in trying" attitude towards change, and settle for their meager wages and constant bombardment of smoke. While these poor men, women, and children slowly kill themselves in the smog-filled hellhole of the outer city, the rich throw extravagant parties in the inner city, not caring at all whether their workers live or die so long as they get their profits. Even in the hell in which they live, the poor can find the time for fun, and it is not uncommon to see people of all ages playing various sports during off-hours.
In Nordsted, the same society as Vanjana proper continues until a point at which the hills end and the mountains begin. Past that point, there are no rich or poor, only people. They may be employed by the rich of Vanjana and the King himself, but the rich rarely come to the mines, and thus they live a much better life than the poor of Vanjana proper. The only steam-powered machines in the mountains are mining lifts, which don't cause nearly enough pollution to create the hellish conditions seen in the cities. Those in the mining towns are famous for their "Festival av Frihet", which is an annual festival celebrating the day Nordsted was conquered by Vanjana. They see that day as their day of liberation, as the mines were formerly harassed by bandits until the Vanjanan military wiped them out. Even the rich in the cities allow their workers to travel to the festival, as doing so gets them in well with the King, who obviously likes the fact that the festival exists.
In Varmland, there are few cities, and most of the land is dotted with farms. It holds the vast majority of Vanjanan food production, as Vanjana proper and Nordsted have little arable land. Even more so than Nordsted, its people are free from the tyranny of the rich, with each farm being independent of any larger organization. Despite their relative freedom, they are the most rebellious, still holding on to their nationality. However, very few will publicly display their ideas, as the freedom only extends to those who do not oppose the King. The Vanjanan military puts down any revolts, and the people of Varmland live not in fear of the rich, but in fear of the King.
The dominant religion in the Holy Vanjanan Empire is "Aätt av Atjärnan Ljus", and its followers are known as "Soldater av Stjärnan Ljus". They believe that all the universe is in a constant struggle between good and evil, and that there are an infinite number of gods and goddesses constantly battling on each side in order to secure victory. They believe that the stars are worlds just like Adara, some of which are populated by mortals, and others which are wastelands created from the endless war. It is believed that all mortals were created by goddesses (and only goddesses) on both sides to do battle for them. As such, it is an incredibly violent religion, known for seeing anyone who refuses to convert as a mortal created by an evil goddess.
The Soldater av Stjärnan Ljus worship one goddess in particular, who they simply call "The Goddess". She is believed to be the goddess that created the good humans, and is said to grant her power to only the best of people. King Kalle XII claims to be one of these people, going so far as to say that he is the avatar of The Goddess' will. There are many Monks and Nuns who have spent their entire lives devoted to worshipping the Goddess, hoping to be chosen to gain her power in their next life.
There are multiple languages in the Holy Vanjanan Empire, but the most used is Vanjanani (Similar to Swedish). Ancient Vanjanani is used in the anthem, however, and most know at least those words. The currency is the Fyrapoängstjärnamynt (Often shortened to Frya). There are quarter Frya coins, half Frya coins, one Frya coins, two Frya coins, four Frya coins, eight Frya coins, and sixteen Frya coins. The coins below one Frya are made from silver, their thickness determining their value. Above one Frya, the coins are made from gold, with their width determining their value. All are stamped with the face of Kalle XII.
Important Characters:
Now in his mid 30's, Kalle XII has reigned ever since he was fifteen. At that young age, he turned a defensive war into an offensive war and conquered two nations in the Great Nordsjön War. He is beloved by his followers, who believe him to be the voice of the Goddess' will. His arrogance is famous as is his cruelty to his enemies. If you follow him, he will love you. If you oppose him, he will hate you. There are very few, if any, things and people he is neutral towards.
During the Great Nordsjön War, he took command of the Vanjanan armies and crushed the nations of Nordsted and Varmjord in a series of miraculous Vanjanan victories. This earned him the respect of the church and the love of his people, but he wasn't done yet. He cemented his rule in Nordsted through political maneuvering, making the people see him as a liberator instead of a conqueror. In Varmjord, he decimated any rebels that would dare rise up, keeping his rule safe simply out of fear that he was invincible.
(Others will be roleplayed, as they haven't actually done anything important yet)
Traits: Professional Army: Your nations prides itself on an extensive training programme and fine equipment for its armed forces. -3 Large Army: Your nation maintains an army that is huge in size, it dwarfs your average rival’s. -2 Scared of Water: Your nation has never been one for their sea legs. Many naval loses and ship disasters have left your people un-supporting of any venture in which they need to leave the sight of land. +3 Strong Industry: Factories reach into the sky and spew forth smoke 24/7. Your goods are produced quickly and effectively. -2 Rusted Hulls: Your nation sees a navy upkeep as unneeded and so most of your ships are in partial, or total, disrepair and will require a large amount of money to be battle worthy or very seaworthy. +2 Landlubbers: Your sailors don't exactly train on a boat, boarding and marine forces perform slightly worse due to the moving deck. +1 Major Colonial Empire: Your nation epitomises ‘Colonial Power’ with large swathes of land under your control on different continents. -3 State Controlled Economy: Your market is controlled by your ruler, every business is state owned and all works are employed by the state, you are less vulnerable to crashes in the market however with the lack of competition your country advances more slowly and the economy rises more slowly. +1
Army: (I will roll this, population, navy, GDP and stability.)
It was raining the night of October First, 1857. A man runs down the street, the paper in his hand. The London Times. Across the headline it said; MURDER! THE 11TH IN A STRING OF MURDERS! The man knew that he shouldn't be out this late. He stopped to check the time on his silver line pocket watch. 11:26. "Where had the time gone?" the man thought to himself. "I should be in bed with my wife." He rushed down the lane, only a few blocks away from his house, 21st Pudding Lane. As he saw his house, he slowed his pace. Suddenly, a Laugh was heard though the air. The man stopped "W-who's There??" he shouted. The Laugher only got more intense. And then... The man was killed.
The next morning, The man was found, sitting down. his head had been cut off, replaced with a pumpkin with a smile carved into it. In the man's hand was a note addressed to Scotland Yard. It read...
Let The Game Begin
I am looking for four detectives and one murderer.
The Best Detective around. He/She has been following this murderer for weeks now. Rules for The Famous Detective; Read the Murder scene. The Murderer (and me) will write this together, in mass detail, so you can pick and pull at everything you need. Take anything you think that might be of value. Try to tell the group what do, sense you are the best at what you do. It's up to them to listen or not. Witnesses. Try to ask questions to any or all of them, what ever you seem fit. Some may not talk.
2. The Fighter;
A Grand Fighter. You have a bone to pick with the murderer, and nothing will get in your way. Rules for The Fighter: Witnesses. Anyone could be the murderer. If the wont talk, offer to beat the snot out of them for the answer. Some witnesses might come clean to things they have done. In a Fight/ Chase situation, you can take charge. This is what your best at after all. You do what you want. You may listen to the Famous Detective, but you don't have to. Trust no one. Anyone may be working for the murderer.
3. The Spiritual Medium;
The best witness is the one who was killed him/herself. Rules for The Spiritual Medium: If you would like to talk to the dead, make a post that establishes that. The Dead will appear only to you, so you might want to tell the others. or keep the info to your self. Listen and work with the Famous Detective, as he knows what he's doing. Understand the Fighter, as you may have lost your own family member to the Murderer too. (if you want.)
4. The Researcher;
The one who takes the info and processes it into workable data. You are obliviously the smartest. Rules for the Researcher: Analyze what The Famous Detective found. It might be important, it may not. (I'll give the result) Listen to The Spiritual Medium, the Evidence might be important. The Fighter has almost no use to you.
And Now... The Murderer.
Rules for The Murder: You (and me) will create murder scene. Try to create as much detail as possible. Leave a few (or more) clues. You are playing a game with them, so remember that. You may make your self seen at any time you choose, but the objective is to not be caught. I am allowing ONE super-natural ability. It may not be over-powered.
So, who's ready to play A Murderer's Game?
also The L-Net sounds awesome
Added!
I've also put in the names of the creators, so people looking to use the ideas don't need to go through the entire thread to give credit. Or worse, just don't give credit. If for whatever reason you want to submit anonymously, just PM me and I'll put it in the OP as "By Anonymous".
I'm a weeaboo communist. Are you surprised?
EDIT: You probably are now, but I'm not going to tell you why you wouldn't have been like two years ago. You get to agonize over that yourself.
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">I'm a weeaboo communist. Are you surprised?<br><br>EDIT: You probably are now, but I'm not going to tell you why you wouldn't have been like two years ago. You get to agonize over that yourself.</div>
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Alisdragon911
TokyoPewPew
