Slamurai — Roleplayer Guild

God & Country

The continent of Antova: a collection of kingdoms, principalities and duchies loosely united through faith and beset by fire. The High Pontiff is dead, and the Prelates of the kingdoms convene to elect a new religious leader. In his absence, religious strife threatens to divide the bond between church and state. Every day, souls are lost to the pyre as the Ambrusian Order cleanses the "wicked" from the earth in its bid to maintain order. In the east, the drums of war beat and the muezzins rouse the devout to arms with prayer-song from their minarets. Sultans pray, bidding their prophet for blessings on their holy war against the unbelievers. It is a time of uncertainty, where war with the eastern world looms on the horizon, where even kings tread the thin line between salvation and excommunication, and where prayers for deliverance can be heard on the lips of every soul across the continent.

	Welcome to God and Country, an NRP set in the continent of Antova - a pseudo-Renaissance Europe at a chaotic time where the Ambrusian Church reigns nearly supreme, and the borders of the easternmost kingdoms are threatened by the looming armies of the Timluks. Antova's monarchies are connected through their belief in God and His ascended Saint Fiorentino. However, the Fiorentinan world is embroiled in disorder, following the untimely death of the High Pontiff Brutellus. The iron gauntlet of the Ambrusian Church can be felt across the continent as thousands burn on the pyres; a political statement, as much as a religious one. The Fiorentian kings are divided in their loyalty to their country and to the church; and with the Timluks on the verge of invasion, such schism could not come at a worse time.

	Players will control their own Fiorentian state and the characters within, vying against or cooperating with one another for leverage as the Ambrusians continue their purges. The loyalties of your monarchs and their subjects is up to you, although excommunication is a very real and present danger, which can be faced together, or alone. Meanwhile, the Timluk Sultanates stir to the east, and the call for war is a loud one. Although trade with the Timluks has enriched many aspects of the Antovan kingdoms, the two worlds have clashed time and time again in wars of religion. Untouched from the chaos of the east, virgin lands far across sea are rumored to await the blessings of Fiorentino, or perhaps to shelter those escaping the Ambrusian pyres.

	Technologically and culturally, the world is equivalent to the late 1500s. Pike and arquebus have dimmed the candle of knightly dominance, and feudalism is becoming a thing of the past. Printing has led to increased literacy rates, and society has enamored itself the arts and sciences. Yet, the masses' faith in God has never diminished, and the Church enjoys a seat outside the jurisdiction of secular powers. The setting is low-fantasy: there is magic, but it is hard to define and even harder to master. Practitioners are few and far in-between, but many have found employment in the courts of kings. However, wizards are also usually the first to bear the brunt of the Ambrusians' wrath when the purge swells. It is a discrete and indirect art - a wizard searching for a wind to manipulate a ship out of a lull looks no different than a devout man at prayer, to the average man. There are also no elves, no dwarves - humanity is supreme, much as in the real world, but there may be fantastical beasts and animals that dwell here.

Rules & Regulations

I am the Lord, and my Word is Law. Not quite, but I am still GM and I will have the final say in the arbitration of disputes or rulings.
You will respect and appreciate thy neighbor. There is no contest, no prize to be won. I have only provided a backdrop for a narrative, and I would like the story to come first. I hope players desire the same. I expect player nations will have long-standing history with each other, and encourage collaboration between them, if not declare it outright mandatory.
Do not abandon thy countrymen to death or despair. Where high turnover rates and abandoned NRPs are commonplace, I aim to welcome players who are also invested in a long-term narrative and who have the drive to see it through. If you will be away for a time, please let us know so we can plan accordingly.

The Map

This is the map of the geographic regions most significant to the narrative. The continent of Antova comprises roughly the western half of the map. The east half is made up of the realms of the Timluks and other foreign peoples. A good practice might be to stick to where it's green. There is also the possibility of sailing far westwards, across the ocean and landing on an uncharted continent. That will be dealt with when we cross that bridge. 

Nation Sheet

Nation Name

Flag or coat of arms here.

Nation Overview
Give us a concise summary of your nation: what is is known for? What is it all about? This should set the tone for other sections and how others will perceive your state. Also, tell us what form of government you have. Most will be kingdoms, but duchies, principalities, even small republics are fair game. Also name important characters and the current head of state.

Geography

Choose a color and draw your borders on the map. You are also at liberty to describe the geography, weather, flora and fauna of your nation here. Also to be mentioned are important cities or locations within your nation.

History
Self-explanatory. This doesn't need to be long; just informative. I encourage players to collaborate and create shared history. 

Society
What are the people in your nation like? How closely do they adhere to the Church? What is notable about their culture and how they do things? Feel free to elaborate, but keep it reasonable. History may play a large role in this section, and vice-versa.

Economy/Industry
What resources do you import and export? How is your industrial capacity? Are you more agricultural? Do you make anything especially coveted or unique? Geography will play a role here. No Fiorentian state is wholly self-sufficient.

Military
I do not require numbers or pinpoint-accurate troop demographics, but give us an overview of your military. What does your nation do well? Has it embraced gunpowder and tercio, or does it cling to the past and field vast ranks of mounted ment-at-arms? What kind of equipment do you use? Many Fiorentian militaries will be similar, in appearance and/or equipment, but you don't have to be identical. You are free to embellish this section with famous regiments or historical commanders. How is your army organized? Do you have a color scheme? Have fun, but be sensible.

Lore

The Fiorentian Faith and the Church:

Antova's monarchies are culturally linked by the Fiorentian faith: a religion that acknowledges a single God, and reveres the Saint Fiorentino as His prophet on Earth. The religion has many parallels to Christianity, in that God is the creator of all things, and the life, death and resurrection of His earthly messenger is proof of  his love for humanity. Through faith in Saint Fiorentino, one may be admitted salvation and eternal life. The teachings of the religion are much more similar to the New Testament in this regard, and God does not appear in Fiorentinan texts as the wrathful deity he does in the Old Testament. 

It is widely accepted that Saint Fiorentino was a real individual, and the founder of Antova's first true church. He is said to have been the first of all saints, and in time, will walk the earth once again to recover the favored of God. The Ambrusian Church derives its name from an ancient word meaning “reclamation.” His teachings promote doing well by one's fellow man, being a Samaritan and rejecting evil. By doing good deeds as proof of one's love for God, the faithful will be reclaimed upon death and live blissfully in Heaven. While Saint Fiorentino did not explicitly reject controversies such as homosexuality, certain sexual practices, magical arts, or any race of man, these have been, in one way or another, painted as targets for the Ambrusian Church. Present-day, it is much more tolerable of gays, women in public office, and once-undesirable professions, it still reels against the magical arts and those who practice them, citing them as “not of God” and wholly unnatural. While mages of courtly rank are usually beyond the grasp of the militant orders, commoner wizards, hedge witches, soothsayers, oracles and other plain folk are prime fodder for the pyre.

At the head of the church is the High Pontiff, akin to Catholicism's Pope. He is treated as God's representative on Earth, tasked with ensuring Saint Fiorentino's lessons are upheld by the Antovian world. The High Pontiff is elected by a council of lower Pontiffs, each a representative of an Antovian nation, plus the Presbyter General: a warrior-clergyman that oversees the functions of the church's military arm. The High Pontiff resides in Aldmeria, also called the Pontifical State(s). It is a small nation under direct, secular control of the High Pontiff, located in the heart of Antova.

Player/Kingdom Roster

@TheSovereignGrave - Kingdom on the Ardäin
@Drunken Conquistador - Kingdom of Beredia
@The Spectre - Choedal Kingdoms
@babbysama - Grand Duchy of Cordonova
@POOHEAD189 - Kingdom of Lancea
@Nerevarine - Voivodeship of Lukesaraj
@bloonewb - Kaiserdom of Muragenn
@Dagoth - County of Qaelun
@Gendarme - Kingdom of Reheba
@Hygswitch - The Bluest Republic of Turchina
@LloydTurquoise - Kingdom of Vohemia

Chatzy Link

@Aristo I have a few questions regarding the Ambrusian church and the Fiorentian faith in general. The nuances intrigue me, plus I think it'd be good to know a few basics of the faith.

Does the Fiorentian faith have a holy book? What of commandments? Would the average service look like a regular mass from the time? Are there any sacraments or rites that are clearly laid out?

Moreover I'd like to thank you for working with the map and overall devoting time to this. It's appreciated.@Gendarme

Sorry for replying late! Generally, a Fiorentian mass would look very similar to a Catholic one. There aren't any special ceremonies or rites laid out yet, but you're all free to establish some. I've left it rather open-ended, as I encourage you guys to help build up the setting and stay involved. 
There is a holy scripture, which I'll dub "The Libros." Aesthetically, the Ambrusians are similar to the Greek and Eastern Orthodoxies. Most high-ranking officials wear orange-red robes, and as a result are called "lobsters" as a derogatory name behind closed doors. 

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