Kegyeleem: Magic and Realms [Medieval-Fantasy,OOC/mechanics]

[Suryak]

He got teleported to this dimension

[South Raznakova]

What do you guys think? Would it be a good idea?

Sounds okay would be a good way of using the massive amounts of troops you have and would be a good way of keeping you economy from failing.

Ok, thanks

[South Acren]

~snip~

I may be completely wrong, but I don't think there is an America in this world.

I must have.

[Andsed]

Hey guys I have a small announcement. On December 6th I will be having surgery. It's nothing to major but I will be in recovery for a few weeks after it. I should still be active over that time period but I will be much less active.

[South Raznakova]

Ok

[Oppermenia]

Hey guys I have a small announcement. On December 6th I will be having surgery. It's nothing to major but I will be in recovery for a few weeks after it. I should still be active over that time period but I will be much less active.

That’s completely fine. Take all the time you need after your surgery, and I hope it goes well when you have it

[Tasuirin]

Hey guys I have a small announcement. On December 6th I will be having surgery. It's nothing to major but I will be in recovery for a few weeks after it. I should still be active over that time period but I will be much less active.

Yikes. Get better please.

[Persia-Kebabistan]

Hey guys I have a small announcement. On December 6th I will be having surgery. It's nothing to major but I will be in recovery for a few weeks after it. I should still be active over that time period but I will be much less active.

I hope you'll be okay!

[South Acren]

Hey guys I have a small announcement. On December 6th I will be having surgery. It's nothing to major but I will be in recovery for a few weeks after it. I should still be active over that time period but I will be much less active.

Good luck!

[Andsed]

Hey guys I have a small announcement. On December 6th I will be having surgery. It's nothing to major but I will be in recovery for a few weeks after it. I should still be active over that time period but I will be much less active.

Yikes. Get better please.

Hey guys I have a small announcement. On December 6th I will be having surgery. It's nothing to major but I will be in recovery for a few weeks after it. I should still be active over that time period but I will be much less active.

I hope you'll be okay!

Hey guys I have a small announcement. On December 6th I will be having surgery. It's nothing to major but I will be in recovery for a few weeks after it. I should still be active over that time period but I will be much less active.

Good luck!

Hey guys I have a small announcement. On December 6th I will be having surgery. It's nothing to major but I will be in recovery for a few weeks after it. I should still be active over that time period but I will be much less active.

That’s completely fine. Take all the time you need after your surgery, and I hope it goes well when you have it

Thank you guys! Seriously I honestly do really appreciate your support.

[Mersdon]

I was thinking that for my realm, seeing as it was founded by an army of mercenaries, the military would also serve as mercenaries. The leader of the empire, the Tsar, would lend out his troops for a price to other empires like nosewagania, oppermenia etc . Troops would serve as mercenaries and carry out regular combat duties for other empires, and the okhrana could be also used as assassin's and be hired through the Tsar to carry out covert operations like assassination, espionage etc.

What do you guys think? Would it be a good idea?

I think it would be a good idea.

[Mersdon]

Hey guys I have a small announcement. On December 6th I will be having surgery. It's nothing too major but I will be in recovery for a few weeks after it. I should still be active over that time period but I will be much less active.

Get well soon!
On a side note for the mods, I've just edited my territorial claims. Are we still accepting characters?

[Tasuirin]

Realm Name:

• Short Name: The Magocracy
• Long Name: The Magocratic State of Draoct

Location/Territory claimed(check map): 153
Population: 1 million
Leader: Grand-Archmage Naoman Ruaidach
Ruling House: The Council of Archmages acts as effectively the ruling house. It is made up of Archmages both from within Draoct itself, and also within the wider world of Kegyeleem.
System of government: Magocratic Technocracy:

A Magocracy is a state run by those with magic. As such, it acts as a form of meritocratic state, where the leader of the state is elected from the Archmages, who assemble in a council within the Spire of Calvanis, the central tower of the Magocracy.

Significant Sub-realms: Basically none - the Magocracy is not large enough to have sub-states.
Culture(s): Cosmopolitan, though Draoct has its own culture also, known as Draocti. The current Grand-Archmage is Draocti culture.
Religion(s): Officially secular, though to some, magic is its own religion.
Magic Tradition(s): A combination of all of them, as practitioners from all walks of magic meet here.
Foreign policies/agendas: The Magocracy has long held a tradition of neutrality, though not an idle neutrality. They have trade relations with basically every country which practices magic, and those which don't are kept from any influence from the Magocracy. Though they do not control all magical use, per se, they do regulate much of it, and have representatives from every state in Kegyeleem. Their agenda is basically to have every state look up to them and see them as the authority for magic in the world.
Trade (Imports/exports/policies): The Magocracy basically imports everything that cannot be produced by magic or in the meagre territory of Draoct, so lots of food, non-magic clothing, building materials, everything like that. They export magical artifacts, mages themselves and favour, which is simply the state giving the okay to practice magic.
History: For many years, magic on Kegyeleem was disorganised, disunited, and constantly at odds with itself. Mages fought each other ruthlessly, and states going to war found themselves constantly having to one-up their opponent's spells on their own. However, the great Archmage Lucos the Scholar moved to what has now become Draoct, a city which was very much in touch with magic in its very culture and fabric, and made great effort to protect all magical learning there for future generations if mages killed themselves. However, very soon, innovations arose from the sheer number of mages stationed in Draoct, and Draocti mages began to be in demand more than most others. Effectively, the production of new spells, abilities and forms of magic in Draoct far surpassed the rest of the world. As such, the people within Draoct organised into a body now known as the Magocracy, whereby all magic was regulated, and non-regulated mages had to either act in secret or be punished. Though regulations have loosened now, somewhat, the Magocracy still curries great power within Kegyeleem.
Additional Information: I don't expect there to be some kind of Draocti inquisition. Though then again...
"Nobody expects the Draocti inquisition!"

Character Name: Grand-Archmage Naoman Ruaidach
Race/Ethnic Group: Draocti
Gender: Male
Age: 63
Appearance: An older gentleman, dressed in the purple robe of the Grand-Archmage of the Magocracy. He has a long beard, sharp eyes and grey hairs.
Personality: A wise old man, Naoman Ruaidach has seen much, knows many secrets, is powerful and absolutely knows it. He has trained in many kinds of magical arts, and is otherwise a decent diplomat, talking very calmly at all times rather than causing stress.
Strengths and skills: Extremely powerful mage. Decent diplomat. Wise and often makes proverbs which ring true.
Magic Abilities: His main magical abilities are as follows:

• The Sight: Naoman has the ability, often assisted by magical technology, to see many places in the world at once. He can thus oversee much of the magic being carried out in the world from the comfort of the Spire of Calvanis. It can also be used to discern basic emotions, though is not tantamount to mind-reading.
• Air Magic: Naoman specialised in air magic from a very young age. He can travel places as fast as the wind, can use gusts of wind to attack people. He has a tendency to be vulnerable when he travels that fast, though it allows him to go from place to place easily.
• Transmutation: Naoman has mastered some forms of transmutation, though generally keeps this secret. It is sometimes said that his ability to buy people off, as well as his silver tongue (not literal, though it probably could be) have allowed him to stay in power in Draoct.

Flaws and weaknesses: Has a tendency to be overly ambitious, arrogant, and dismissive of those who fail him.
Wealth and special possessions: He is very rich, though most of these riches end up being passed back to the Magocracy. His most treasured possession is a silver stone which he carries around his neck - the first item he ever transmuted. He also has a form of crystal ball, one which is not the source of his sight power, but helps to focus it.
Biography: Born in Draoct as the son of two low-level mages, Naoman showed an early proficiency for magic. He began with his control over the wind, using that to assist with getting things off of high places. His parents knew that he would be an impressive wind mage if he put his mind to it, so they enrolled him in the Draocti Academy, where he became a fully fledged wind mage. However, he wanted to diversify, and so asked his tutors how to see into the world at will. There was only one mage who could teach him, but he required an offering - 1,000lb of silver. Naoman was a poor man, and had not such money, but travelled around and learnt how to transmute items into silver. He tried with a rock, and that worked for him, and so he came up with the rest of the silver as requested, using his air powers to transport it. However, the man refused to teach him the sight, so Naoman transmuted it back to stone, saying that he would give 1lb per lesson until he learnt the sight in entirety. The mage agreed to the terms, and within two years, he had learnt the sight.

However, Naoman then discovered the mage's plans with the silver. He wanted to create a golem, and only silver would suffice for his particular needs. He was going to use it to destroy the lands around and take them by force. Naoman, now adept at transmutation, transmuted the mage himself into silver, and thus, he died. Naoman returned to Draoct, and became Archmage of the Draocti Academy. Then, through fair means or foul, he became Grand-Archmage, with a lot of his fellow Archmages becoming suspiciously rich in the process. He has ruled fairly since he was 46, and is still consulted on matters pertaining to magic and its uses.
Closest family and friends: Single child, son of low-level mages. His father was a teacher of magic, though not incredibly skilled at what he taught, teaching mostly theory. His mother was a potion maker, who worked under a number of other mages. He has no children of his own.
Realm: The Magocracy, very small, 1 million people
Affiliations: Leader of the Council of Archmages.
Additional Information: No.

[Dyllonia]

Hey guys I have a small announcement. On December 6th I will be having surgery. It's nothing to major but I will be in recovery for a few weeks after it. I should still be active over that time period but I will be much less active.

Oh sorry to hear man, hope it all goes well my friend

[Tertuath Hath]

Realm Name: The Eternal Land of the Black Stone and Font of Wisdom or Vehlesod
Location/Territory claimed(check map): 363-366
Population: 800,000
Leader: Itaha the Giant (de jure), Hattami the Bold (de facto)
Ruling House (dynasty): N/A, the Brotherhood of the Black Stone runs the islands.
System of government: Kratocratic Oligarchy.
Significant Sub-realms: The Four Strongholds and their corresponding holdings.
Culture(s): Before the Sublime Brotherhood of the Black Stone occupied the islands, the natives of Vehlesod (who outwardly resembled toads, but bipedal) had developed their own unique culture which featured butterfly worship, ritual flagellation, divinely inspired dancing, and bird racing. Aside from these meager fact, not much else is known about the culture native Vehlesodi, who went extinct following the "taming" of the islands by the Brotherhood. In fact, not much of anything is known about them, since the Brotherhood strived to preserve only that which it found useful (like fortifications and magical/philosophical texts). The current day high culture of Vehlesod is deeply centered around magic and philosophy, to the point that most rulers turn to the island of Vehlesod whenever they need a court mage or court tutor.y Aside from magical and philosophical endeavors, the mages that make up the aristocracy When it comes to the common people, things are much more mundane.

The people are deeply connected to the glorious past that their people used posses, worshipping long dead heroes and singing of their many heroic deeds. In fact, many of the villages hold in high esteem those who either are direct descendants of said heroes or can reasonably claim to be partially descended from them. Many of the villages will also claim to have been founded by a legendary hero, weaving elaborate tales of how they chose the site of the future village after they retired from a log life of adventuring. Aside from hero worship, the commoners also hold biannual festivals honoring their deceased relatives, festivals which are marked by much drinking and colorful parades, where images and bones of the deceased are marched through the villages from the cemeteries.
Religion(s): A plethora of religions flourish on the islands, most of them imported from abroad from those who migrated to Vehlesod following its "taming." However, the most dominant (though not numerous) religion is Harrism, which is favored by a majority of the magical practitioners on Vehlesod. Founded by the last of the Guardians of the White Stone, Harrism emphasizes that those who posses an innate connection to "the heart beat of the cosmos" (magic) were chosen by The One to rule the mortal plane on his behalf. As such, all non-magical governments and states are seen as invalid, an usurpation of a Harrist's divine right to rule. Highly philosophical and abstract in nature (to the point of madness), most followers of Harrism are only have a vague grasp of it tenets and mainly rely on commentaries in order to understand its sacred texts. The Brotherhood, for the most part, tolerates its existence, as many of its members are mages. There have been rumblings, however, from some Harrists who despise the non-mage oligarchy.
Magic Tradition(s): Though many forms of magic are practiced within Vehlesod, the most famed and potent of its magics is Spellsinging. Expert spellsingers can bring about great calamities and marvelous blessings through song alone, using a secret language taught to them by their masters and kept within books bound in unicorn hide. Once, many centuries ago, a group of spellsingers erased from existence an army which threatened to invade Vehlesod after the Brotherhood was implicated in the murder of kingdoms heir. A combined fleet of 600 ships and 100,000 warriors was assembled and sent to remove all life from the islands, and though they believed that their god was on their side, they were woefully mistaken.
Foreign policies/agendas: Ever since the failed Blueberry Coup and the subsequent attempt to eliminate the Brotherhood, the rulers of Vehlesod have strived to remain on at least neutral terms with every major and minor state in the known world. As such, the Brotherhood rarely intervenes in foreign affairs and will only do so in order to avoid persecution. However, there are many in Vehlesod who talk of restoring "balance" to the world and seek to restore the glory of the Old Empire.
Trade (Imports/exports/policies): Vehlesod mainly exports silver goods, lumber, amber, furs, books, and silk. It mainly imports spices, tea, glassware, ivory, iron, and books. In regards to books, the Brotherhood has deemed it illegal for any books to be exported without a permit, which has to be renewed yearly. Though it was initially implemented as a means to prevent the Brotherhood's most important intellectual works from being given away to those they deemed unworthy, the policy was later expanded to cover all books, since the revenue received from the permits and fines greatly enriched the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood also meticulously collects any and all rare books coming into the Vehlesod, and will happily confiscate a boat's books (and cargo) if they deem it an important find.
History:

Not many records remain from the days before the Brotherhood occupied the islands of Vehlesod, many have either been lost to the flow of time or outright destroyed in the calamities which saw the Brotherhood migrate to those distant lands. However, using what sources do remain, a vague history can be gleaned.

Centuries before the Brotherhood was formed, the Old Empire of Tarvan once dominated the eastern coast of the great continent, as well as great portions of the inland areas. Rich and powerful beyond measure (at least in their own minds), the Tarvani were no different than history's other empire builders, for they foolishly believed that their empire would stand till the end of time, a testament to the genius and resilience of their people. And is the fate of other "immortal" empires, theirs also fell. The once indominable armies that had dominated the east soon became weak and understaffed. The navy, which had once held more ships than the navies of the rest of the world combined, was scuttled. And the great administrators who oversaw and maintained the economy of the empire died and were replaced by mewling children. The empire stagnated for centuries before its death, centuries in which its enemies grew stronger and more numerous. Neighboring kings who had at one timed prayed to their gods in fear now poured out libations for every foot of ground they snatched away from the ailing empire. Vassals who had given oaths of eternal loyalty now broke away, no longer confident in their emperor's assurances of aid against foreign aggression. But such are the typical symptoms of a dying empire, what came next, no one could have expected.

Though there are few scattered, contradictory accounts of the history of the empire that have survived, all of them describe in painful detail what has now become known as The Folly. In the final days of the empire, as the worldly calamities around it reached their peaks, Emperor Mirwa XIV devised a plan to restore the empire to its former glory. Hoping to use the sacred White Stone in a ritual that would wipe out his enemies, Mirwa, along with the last guardian of the White Stone, tampered with the stone using forbidden spells, incantations, and hammers. As the final hammer blow connected, the story goes, the stone shattered into a mist of infinite ash, while the temple was shaken to its very foundation by the wails of what could only have been the gods themselves. Consumed with fear and guilt, the guardian (whose name has been erased from history by later generations) is said to have died on the spot, coughing up maggots as he collapsed to the ground. Though the screaming was in and of itself terrifying, the true results of The Folly emerged only days later. When the winter rains did not come for a few days, few were the people who panicked. But when days turned to months, and months turned to years, little doubt remained as to why the rain had failed to come. As the people starved, Mirwa grew fatter, gorging himself into a pit of misery as he attempted to soothe his shattering soul. And while rats, dogs, cats, and frogs became harder to find, black news emerged from the north. What initially seemed to be the return of the rains was in fact a grumbling lightning storm, whose bolts cracked through the air toward the ground, setting the countryside ablaze. Many ancient and noble cities were lost to the flames, including the capital Bermun, the most ancient and noble of them all. Mirwa escaped the flames, which eventually died on their own, but he was not to survive the next calamity.

Starting out as merely a sore throat, the Great Plague violently ripped through whoever remained after the first two disasters. By the end of its campaign of destruction, the once mighty Tarvani were nearly extinct as a people, reduced to a population well below a million souls. Mirwa was not among them, in fact, none of the royal family survived. In the twilight of this catastrophic saga of suffering, the Brotherhood began to act. Formed in the decades before the ascension of Mirwa, the Guardians of Wisdom (as the Brotherhood was once known) was initially a philosophical school of scholars dedicated to the collection and preservation of all forms of knowledge, no matter how mundane. Preoccupied with their books, the Guardians rarely involved themselves in the affairs of the realm or the people, opting instead to bunker down in their libraries. One of their members, an Elven woman named Taima, would change this when she dreamed of a land engulfed by ash and fire, with a black stone falling from the sky over a land of trees and toads. Taking the dream as omen, she relayed its contents to the other Guardians, who combed through their books, searching for answers. Some wrote back to her, claiming that she had had too much too drink the nigh before, while others claimed that it had merely been a nightmare. Others never bothered to write back. Still though, there were those who were more than a little concerned by the dream and together, they posited that the islands that she saw must have been the isles of Vehlesod. Packing their belongings, they fled to the smaller of the two islands. When the disasters began to fall upon the empire, Taima was the first to see the Black Stone, seeing with her own eyes as it crashed down upon a hill. She knew then that the end had come.

When the plague subsided, the newly rebranded Sublime Brotherhood of the Black Stone returned to the mainland. They sought out the survivors of the apocalypse, preaching to them of the vision of Taima (who had died shortly four years after building a sanctuary where the Black Stone had landed) and promising them an escape from the horrors that they survived and a return to prosperity if they came with them to Vehlesod. Many left with them, though around ~23,000 refused to leave their homeland. Settling on the smaller island of Klujou, it quickly became apparent that all would not be well. The native Vehlesodi were initially apathetic when the first few members of the Brotherhood settled on the island, they were still apathetic when the first few boats filled with refugees started to dock at the small port town of Lunma. But tensions grew with the ever swelling numbers of arrivals, since the already limited resources of the island were fast disappearing. An agreement was first signed seven years after the last of the Tarvani arrived on Klujou which outlined which lands were to be reserved for the settlers, how resources were to be divided among the two "nations" (as the Tarvani put it), and described future plans for a Panklujouan council. It is unclear who violated the agreement, but the result was painfully clear: war. Though the Tarvani only intended to force the Vehlesodi to agree to new terms, the war grew increasingly bitter and the Tarvani would eventually only accept a peace which involved the total expulsion of the Vehlesodi. When it became clear to the Vehlesodi that there would be no quarter given, they called upon their relatives on the larger island of Yunjou to assist them in eradicating the Tarvani.

The Tarvani nowadays sing glorious tales about Hirung, the Tarvani general who saved his people from certain annihilation. He gloriously expelled the Vehlesodi from Klujou, slaying ten of their champions in single combat. He gloriously pursued them to Yunjou, where he soundly uprooted them wherever he met them, taking leave of their wealth and giving it to his people, as well as exhuming their fallen kings and setting fire to their false gods. When it was all said and done, the majority of the Vehlesodi had been eradicated, with those who remained being turned into slaves, their cities and settlements either destroyed and occupied by the Tarvani. At long last, the Tarvani knew peace.

Additional Information: The White Stone was the said to have been a star that had fallen from heaven after the gods had instructed the ancient Tarvani that they would find a worldly paradise wherever it landed. For the ordinary mortal, the stone was pretty, though inert. For those gifted in the ways of magic, however, the stone amplified their powers and was claimed to have been the key to godhood. The Black Stone, on the other hand, has the opposite effects. For the common man, the Black stone, though ugly, has a rejuvenating effect, restoring one's health after a bout of illness. For mages, it represents a much more malignant force, for any mages that comes within twenty feet of the stone begins to feel uneasy and will eventually notice that they have trouble using their powers. It is rumored that if a mage were to touch the stone, they would die.

[Oppermenia]

Hey guys I have a small announcement. On December 6th I will be having surgery. It's nothing too major but I will be in recovery for a few weeks after it. I should still be active over that time period but I will be much less active.

Get well soon!
On a side note for the mods, I've just edited my territorial claims. Are we still accepting characters?

Yep, still accepting characters. I would suggest we discuss territorial claims by telegram

[Oppermenia]

Hello, everyone! The countdown has begun! Approximately 40 minutes until the IC Thread goes up!

[South Raznakova]

[South Raznakova]

31 days until Christmas

[Suryak]

Yas

[Andsed]

Hello, everyone! The countdown has begun! Approximately 40 minutes until the IC Thread goes up!

noice.

[Oppermenia]

Finally, what you all've been waiting for! The IC Thread is finally up now! https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=454472&p=34958863#p34958812

[South Raznakova]

[Persia-Kebabistan]

Finally, what you all've been waiting for! The IC Thread is finally up now! https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=454472&p=34958863#p34958812

Thanks!

[Oppermenia]

Since the ic is up, I would ask the participants to please make a first post to introduce your characters and Realm