A Strange World: The Ascent of Man [OOC|Open for Orgs]

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:23 am

The Ascent of Man

The sun rises on a new world- a world not like that you may know. Shattered by a catastrophic impact not long after the extinction of the dinosaurs, Earth is not as it should be. This impact, a star falling to earth, changed not only the shape of the world, but also her content; this star bore strange light and strange crystals, warping and altering the planet where humanity slowly arose. Continents were broken, minds shattered, even animals and plants twisted and changed. It is a strange world, one in many ways hostile to humanity- but in the end, it is your world.

You stand forward as one of the leaders of a great city of men. It has been many centuries now since the first tribes emerged in the impact of the Cataclysm, family groups formed from scattered wanderers and survivors, and now civilization in earnest is rising from those embers. Men ply trade upon the waves of the sea, either propelled by oars and scarred backs, or the might of sails. Caravans roam savage lands, making fortunes for their owners if they are not devoured by ferocious beasts. The first priests, and god-kings, and republics lay claim to the passages of the world beyond the sight of their doorways, and bronze-armed warriors march across the hinterland.

To be a man in such times is to be given glorious potential, but also great danger. Civilization is fragile, and dark things lurk both in the hearts of men and in the wilds of the world. Will you rise to greatness alongside your kinsmen, or will you falter and be forgotten? Come, and tell the tale of the Ascent of Man.

Soo super-chill casual RP. Some basic things you might want to know about how I'm going to be running the RP.

New tribes begin with a single settlement, and I am accepting a maximum of twelve city-states. You may (most likely will) want to erect more holdings across your lands, and claim new vistas for your people, for in growth is the security of one's lineage.

You should expect to make an IC post once every 48 hours or thereabouts IRL, but more will be encouraged. A nice simple straightforward expectation, no strings attached. These posts correspond to the passage of two year's time, in-character, and will resolved by yours truly to chart the course of your civilization.

All city-states will begin with four "resources", uncommon materials that will be tracked as vaguely important in the "region" where they live. You will be allowed to choose one of these resources, but the rest I will generate. These don't include generic materials like flint, stone, mud, trees, and so on, but keep your assumption of what is generic reasonable- copper, for instance, is a resource, not something you can just assume your city-state has.

Your civilization will need many things, foremost warm bodies to accomplish her aims and fill her homes. For ease of use, these citizens are grouped together in units of 100, who populate your city-state and her surroundings. They will need to be fed, sheltered, and defended, but they are the life-blood of your civilization. Every new city-state starts with eight hundred inhabitants. The full mechanics of this age will be explained in a following post.

So there we go! We are full up on new civilizations at present, but never fear. Still happy to have minor organizations, such as guilds and the like. Here be their application:

Code: Select all: [b]Organization Application[/b] [b]Name:[/b] [b]Leader:[/b] [b]Short History:[/b] [b]Starting Location:[/b] [b]Proposed Bonus / Role:[/b]

Current City-States

Hvasskyn - G-Tech Corporation
Lordaeron - Kelmet
Bryron - Holy Tedalonia
Xcotl - Ralnis
Zhou - The GAmetopians
Honori - Saxony-Brandenburg
Serys - The National Dominion of Hungary
Ita - Pasong Tirad
Fastaqui - Olthenia
Aslani Kingdom - Theyra

Organizations
Delisle and Sons - Elerian
The Order of Bright Flame - Revlona
The Magnus Opus - Novas Arcanum
The Chosen of Neferata - Nuxipal
The Chrysí Aspída - Toaslandia
The Shambling Legion - Tau

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:23 am

City-States

These are the fundamental political unit of civilization in the Ascent of Man. You rule one of them, including, perhaps, some other settlements. They will likely rise and fall beyond your borders as well, but that is neither here nor there. Ruled by a Government, defended by a Military, populated by Citizens, and composed of both Land and Buildings, these are what you will pay most of your attention to- rule them wisely.

Citizens
Your people who make your goods, work your land, fill the ranks of your armies, and riot when you don't feed them. Treat them well, or you will regret it. You gain one more Peasant every five turns for every five Citizens your city-state already has. The basic Citizen is a Peasant, good only for the most menial of tasks, like being conscripted into a militia or laboring at backbreaking tasks day in and day out. Most of your population will be these Peasants, with no particular specialization, but that's just fine; without the teeming masses, no civilization would have ever climbed out of the mud. There are, however, other types of Citizen you should be aware of.
Slaves: Only granted by specific government types. Slaves produce double the Labor or Resources of Laborers, but harm Cohesion and cannot be recruited into your military most of the time.
Freemen: Slowly accumulate, one-fifth of your population will be these landowners and businessmen. Very useful, because they can be turned into many types of specialized labor without any particular training. Otherwise, identical to Laborers. Every round of population, the first Citizen may become a Freeman instead of a Peasant, and every fifth thereafter (6, 11, and so on).
Scholars: The educated elite of your city, only slowly drawn apart from the regular populace, but absolutely vital to both administration and advancement. They may Innovate or Learn, either gaining Advancments via studying the knowledge of nearby civilizations, or pursuing cutting edge ideas and research.
Artisans: The skilled workers of your city-state, men and women of craft who convert resources into Wealth and Wealth into Industry for the whims of your government. These aspiring individuals will raise your walls, dredge your canals, and oversee your greatest projects.
Soldiers: Whether armed by conscription as a skirmishing militia, or bronze-clad lords of war trained from birth, Soldiers are necessary to prevent chaos and ensure what is yours remains within the confines of your city instead of in the loot-wagons of barbarians and maws of beasts. They consume double the Food of regular citizens.
Explorers: Very situationally useful individuals, sent out into the wilderness by their kinsmen to chart new horizons and, when the times call for it, settle those same horizons. They draw no support from your civilization (when exploring), but are also effectively useless outside of their assigned roles, individuals of wanderlust for which the plow and the book hold no love. Explorers may also be dispatched on Expeditions, which will discover the nearest undiscovered city-state's location. Expeditions require Wealth IV and six years to complete.

Note that if an individual settlement has over 2000 Citizens, it should combine its actions into units of 200 identical Citizens; these actions receive dramatically increased outcomes, but must not be subdivided, for ease of resolution.
One Freemen may be specialized into Explorers, Artisans, or Scholars every turn in your capital at no cost. Peasants may be turned into Soldiers at will, for a substantial cost in Wealth and a minor cost in Industry. Peasants converted to Soldiers without the requisite resources become Citizen-Soldiers, and will cost Wealth every turn until demobilized as well as fighting more poorly than professionals.
Any Specialist Citizen can be retrained back to being Freemen at any time for a small amount of Wealth.

Resources
As varied as the face of the planet which they are drawn from, Resources are broadly delineated into three categories: Food, Wealth, and Industry. Subtypes exist, such as Arcana, Advancements, and so on, but the big three are the ones most important to concern oneself with. Without Food, a civilization will starve and fall into anarchy. Without Wealth, the gears of government will grind to a halt, unable to pay workers or motivate laborers. Without Industry, cities will slowly crumble and be surpassed. All are necessary if a city-state seeks to triumph upon the field of civilization.

Food is gathered by Citizens from almost any type of Land, in various quantities. A Citizen without Food is very likely to become ill with plague or simply perish. Many buildings can improve the food production of a Citizen, and may be used in numbers equivalent to the amount of building sites they occupy.
Wealth is also produced by Artisans from Raw Resources when they are processed into various types of goods and services. Wealth is consumed by both the city-state itself and Artisans who may process it into Industry. A small amount (two Artisans) worth of Wealth may be gained without processing any specific resources, but beyond this point Artisans must process raw Resources in order to generate Wealth.
Industry is essentially the capacity of your city-state to produce material goods. That can be anything from a series of walls, to housing for her inhabitants, to weapons for her military. None of these benefits are strictly quantifiable, by and large, but you are definitely going to want them. Industry can also be made by Artisans from Raw Resources, but is categorically produced more slowly than Wealth without specialized production structures. Industry is the labor of skilled craftsmen, and so may not be transferred between settlements, unlike food and Wealth.

Advancements
Or, to put a more simple face on the idea, Technology. But also, sometimes things which are less technology and just useful, like domesticating animals for the use of your civilization. Scholars deal with Advancements, and as a rule of thumb you are better off with them than without them. Scholars develop Advancements "randomly" - that is, new Advancements. Your Scholars may at any time be devoted to studying an Advancement of a city-state you have contact with, which will take them about a generation to replicate (per 100 Scholars/Advancement), or to seek new knowledge, which gives them a chance every two years- based on how many others are also seeking new knowledge- to gain insight into a new area of your choice. On average, one-two innovations will be successful in a given turn. Advancements cannot be shared, only access barred to 'enemy' Scholars, which will cut their rate of learning in half.

Arcana
The command of the mystic arts that have been bestowed upon this world in the Cataclysm. Your people may know some mystic arts, or none at all. All draw upon some source of power which is usually not intrinsic to the practitioners, unless that power-source is their own health and life-energy. Magic can move boulders, sink ships, heal the dying, and even return to life those who passed onward. Commanding magicians and discovering Arcana can be a great boon to any city-state; Scholars may attempt to divine various types of Arcana, but even they only have a limited understanding of its working.

Governance
Any city-state, even the smallest, has passed the point where informal rule is capable of dealing with the needs of their populace. As such, some system of rule is in place, be it a humble tribal council, or even a mighty Emperor who wields absolute authority. These systems of governance can give bonuses to their civilizations, or even harm them in some ways. In order to adopt a certain type of Government one requires a certain amount of Civic points equivalent to the cost of that governmental form. Government directly effects Cohesion, which is a measure of how good your ruler is at administrating more dispersed territories, or, indeed, if the culture of your people is of sufficient strength to make people in the hinterland feel as if they are part of one whole nation instead of being interested in only their own affairs.
Government Policies:
Servitude: May designate up to one Citizen a turn as a Slave. Gain small amount of Wealth when doing so.
Agrarianism: Bonus to Food production. Malus to Industry.
Settlers: You may dispatch one Explorer for no cost in Wealth every five turns.
Traditional: Gain one free Peasant to add to your population every generation
Merchantile: Bonus to Wealth production.
Forward-Thinking: Gain one Civic every fifty years.
Militaristic: The might of your Soldiers is substantially increased
Frugal: You convert Wealth into Industry at a superior rate.
Bureaucratic: Gain extra Wealth from every Citizen.
Bloodright: Your Soldiers may raid nearby city-states to seize Wealth without engaging opposing militaries.
Naval History: Ships you construct cost less Industry.
Pastoral: Pasture-type Lands produce more food for you.

Land
Perhaps one of the most important concepts in terms of a city-state, is the land upon which she sits. Ranging from hot jungles to desolate tundra, parched deserts to snowy peaks, what a city can do will largely be determined by how she uses her land, and if she uses it wisely. Each "region" contains twenty "areas" of land, divided into the various types of land.
Types of Land:
Flatland: Good food production
Forest: Decent food production, timber
Hills: Decent food production, stone
Taiga: Poor food production, timber
Riverland: Excellent food production, fishing, water access
Mountainous: Poor food production, stone, may not be built upon
Urban: Poor food production, twenty sites for urban buildings | Constructed
Rural: Variable food production, twenty sites for rural buildings - can have a particular type | Constructed
Docks: Excellent food production, fishing, twenty sites for aquatic buildings | Constructed on Coast or Riverlands
Coast: Good food production
Sea: Decent food production
Desert: Poor food production, cannot be built upon

Colonization
A new minor settlement can be founded in any explored region within two regions of an existing settlement at any time, but requires at least two hundred Explorers to form the new village, a large amount of Wealth, and each added minor settlement will strain a civilization's social cohesion. Trying to establish a settlement without enough Wealth is possible, but it will carry a large risk of imminent failure and the loss of both the Wealth and the citizens.

In order for a region to be colonized, it must first be explored. While Explorers may gather resources from known lands like normal Peasants (even outside of populated regions) at no risk to themselves or cost, exploring wild unknown regions is not as easy. As such, Explorers sent out to explore the wilds should be supplied with a small amount of Wealth in order to pay the costs of their specialized equipment and provisions, or they stand a decent chance of never being heard from again.

Constructions
These are where most of the labor of your society will be spent, save that of gathering resources and food. They are of great use to your people, and should always be prioritized whenever possible in order to advance your civilization. Unless otherwise noted, all Constructions must be erected on relevant terrain. This list will be updated periodically, and may be added to by Advancements.

Domestic Crops
These are listed on a per-region basis, and may be transplanted. Having the same biome helps. It is expensive in terms of wealth to try to establish a crop type in a new region, but ultimately worthwhile if successful. The more types of Domestic Crops your people possess, the more potential sources of food and wealth they have access to- each Crop also provides flat food production to a region, perhaps most importantly.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:23 am

Schools of Arcana

Geolocus Magic
A relatively simple school, which makes use of structures, objects, and rites to harness the strength of the living Earth, expressed via ley-lines and power-points. It does not rely on humans, save for the activation of the rituals and the creation of the edifices that channel these forces. Oftentimes channeling this power causes the degradation of such channeling points, and wear on users, but theoretically the power that can be tapped from the land itself is inexhaustible.
Arcana
Ley Sight: A variant, shaping the arcane awareness of a practitioners to perceive ley-lines and power-points for their use in Geolocus rituals. Being aware of and mapping such points of importance is necessary in order to derive much value from other Geolocus magics.
Travel: Through the shaping of stone and material, the flows of power through the earth can form bridges over great distances, allowing practitioners to walk across the intervening space as if it was connected to where they presently stood. Erected structures of Travel can allow Citizens to move across Regions without any need for travel time, with damage to the integrity of the structure and variability in the destination arrived at increasing as larger amounts of persons make the transit, or the distance traveled increases.
Strengthening: Structures shaped for the purpose can contribute the integrity of their workings to other forms of Geolocus Magic, allowing the channeling to be spread across a region of greater strength and so preventing degradation that would normally occur. Useless outside of conjunction with other forms of Geolocus Magic, reduces upkeep and enhances potency of those Arcana.
Wellness: Geolocus Wellness provides a small, but noticeable, amount of health and energy to the average denizen of an area of wide range around it. Functionally of little worth, it proves its true value in times of crisis, stiffening the resistance of a populace to disease and starvation.
Healing: Using the strength of earth and soil, Healing can knit together wounds and turn back illness when necessary, though its workings are rather slow and functionally allow for improved recovery times for soldiers and the injured rather than preventing death in truth. Still, casualty rates for defenders of cities with such Geoloci are much lower than might be expected.
Strength: Subtly different than the enchantments wound around a Geolocus of Strengthening, a Geolocus of Strength does not channel the power of the earth into other structures, but rather into the men and women who work about it. Soldiers find their blows strengthened, laborers can carry greater weights, and other such matters. Geoloci of Strength can aid combat prowess, generate additional Labor from workers, and even improve resource production.
Sight: Bending the ways of light and distance with its energies, Geoloci of Sight allow the shaping of structures to view places far off, or communicate with others from a vast distance in a visual medium. They also improve the ability of rulers to oversee their dominions, and can act to help halt rebellions and dissent before it takes root.
Growth: Cut specifically to distribute the power of the earth into green and growing things, Geoloci of Growth may improve the growth of foodstuffs, the ability of a forest to recover from logging, and yield bountiful harvests of such crops as might be grown in Plantations.
Energy: A curious and mostly untested form of Geolocus, the Geolocus of Energy is theorized to be able to transfer the strength it taps from the beating heart of the earth into practitioners of magicks and other enchantments, strengthening their spells and runes. Men find incantations move through the air more easily around such structures, and commands upon the fundamental forces of nature are expedited when linked to these arcane monoliths.

Blood Magic
A straightforward but savage school, Blood Magic, or what is more commonly known as necromancy due to the specialization of its average practitioner, is concerned with using the life force of living beings to effect change upon the world. Animals are used by the more ethical of her practitioners, but human lives are by far the most potent source of this arcane power.
Arcana
Raise Dead: Using the life energy of the living, the dead may be returned to a semblance of existence, a parody of life which is commanded by the mages that effect this reanimation. Particularly useful because of the singleminded attention of these beasts and the difficulty of returning them to death against their will, undead laborers and warriors are potent indeed. Without regular infusions of reanimating energy, however, the dead will eventually return to their slumber.
Speak to Dead: Perhaps called back into existence by the desires of the living, perhaps created anew with a residual image of the memories of the caster, Blood Mages can talk to entities of dubious provenance and occasional supernatural insight. The knowledge derived from these entities is often cryptic, and the costs they require steep, but enlightenment of a most curious nature can result from such conversations.
Mystic Control: Where the energy of life controls the bodies of men and beasts, that very same energy externalized can subdue the wills of other living creatures. Though ineffective except in extreme circumstances against the minds of cognizant beings like men, Mystic Control can bend normally wild beasts to the demands of a Blood Mage, allowing the control of the living through the demise of other beings.
Sacrificial Rites: A subset of Blood Magic, not a ritual itself but more simple techniques designed to better the harvesting of arcane energy from sacrifices for use in necromancy and other procedures. Waste not, want not.

Advancements

Governance: Men have always been led. Through an understanding of how best to lead both societies and others around them, good rulers may prosper. +1 Civic. Hall of Records unlocked.
Code of Laws: Through the standardization of judicial procedures, and crime and punishment, even from great distances governments are able to further the reach of their social fabric, and thus aid cohesion in a civilization of many settlements. Two more settlements are added to the limit below which no public order penalties are assessed.

by **Danceria** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:27 am

I finall, finally, finally, finally got to be in one of your motherfucking RPs...

FINALLY

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:30 am

Danceria wrote:I finall, finally, finally, finally got to be in one of your motherfucking RPs...

FINALLY

Oi, welcome. I'll kick you over a TG application, if you want one.

by **Khasinkonia** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:40 am

Hi there, I’m tentatively considering joining as a city-state. If I might ask, is there any post length you’re looking for in particular? I’m just gauging to make sure I’ll be able to keep up before I make any commitments.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:43 am

Khasinkonia wrote:Hi there, I’m tentatively considering joining as a city-state. If I might ask, is there any post length you’re looking for in particular? I’m just gauging to make sure I’ll be able to keep up before I make any commitments.

A few paragraphs is about it- I'm not looking for pages, but I would like more characterization than a single line or two.

by **Novas Arcanum** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:46 am

Cadmus reporting.

by **Khasinkonia** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:57 am

G-Tech Corporation wrote:
Khasinkonia wrote:Hi there, I’m tentatively considering joining as a city-state. If I might ask, is there any post length you’re looking for in particular? I’m just gauging to make sure I’ll be able to keep up before I make any commitments.

A few paragraphs is about it- I'm not looking for pages, but I would like more characterization than a single line or two.

An, that’s what I was thinking. Certainly doable.
That said, could I see the city-state app?

by **Olthenia** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 11:52 am

by **Revlona** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 12:24 pm

City state me

PLEASE

by **Ralnis** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 1:11 pm

Xcotl reporting

by **Dernland** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 1:16 pm

Tagging for future use.

by **Dahyan** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 2:05 pm

Very fascinating RP concept. Count me in!

by **Novas Arcanum** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 2:58 pm

We can start the game now!

by **Olthenia** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 2:59 pm

Jiminy Cricket, those city-state slots are filling up fast!

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 3:19 pm

Olthenia wrote:Jiminy Cricket, those city-state slots are filling up fast!

Das gut, das gut.

by **Novas Arcanum** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 3:48 pm

Seems a bit unfair how I was struck with a tidal wave and immense storm

by **Novas Arcanum** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 3:56 pm

Just count me disinterested.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 3:56 pm

Novas Arcanum wrote:Seems a bit unfair how I was struck with a tidal wave and immense storm

That had nothing to do with you I'm afraid, and everything to do with the actions of... someone else.

Kinda like how you had the option to shunt off the malcontents on someone else. Another person in the RP chose the naughty part of the Prisoner's Dilemma.

by **Ralnis** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 4:20 pm

So what's the difference between militia, conscripts, and tribal warriors in the mechanics?

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 4:21 pm

Ralnis wrote:So what's the difference between militia, conscripts, and tribal warriors in the mechanics?

Conscripts are rubbish, militia are pretty trash, tribal warriors are super trash

by **Saxony-Brandenburg** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 4:29 pm

by **Ralnis** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 4:33 pm

G-Tech Corporation wrote:
Ralnis wrote:So what's the difference between militia, conscripts, and tribal warriors in the mechanics?

Conscripts are rubbish, militia are pretty trash, tribal warriors are super trash

Well, despite my wealth being poor, my public order and culture is strong enough to do administration and try to make good industry.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Tue Nov 27, 2018 4:35 pm

Ralnis wrote:
G-Tech Corporation wrote:
Conscripts are rubbish, militia are pretty trash, tribal warriors are super trash

Well, despite my wealth being poor, my public order and culture is strong enough to do administration and try to make good industry.

Yep. If memory serves, you've actually got the best military.

A Strange World: The Ascent of Man [OOC|Open for Orgs]

A Strange World: The Ascent of Man [OOC|Open for Orgs]

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