Of Iron and Fire (Ancient/City-State/Fantasy, OOC, OPEN)

[Reverend Norv]

OF IRON AND FIRE APPLICATION

NS NAME: The Imperial Reach
CITY NAME: Tahkt-i-Soh

On the one hand, we've generally kept a hard rule against allowing wholly non-Telenian city-states. We want to see at least some Telenian influence or heritage. On the other, this is an uncommonly creative and well-written concept. I'm going to defer judgment to the OP.

[Tasuirin]

Exactly what I was thinking, a lot of revenge stories possibly.

Hope you don't mind that I made a possible map for the trade routes. Yellow being sea routes, and orange being land, obviously.

I like that trade map. It's very good. And, of course, conforms to the ideas I was having of Thassalos being in a very good position in terms of trade routes.

Erethios, in theory, has the best position since it gets to monopolize an entire inland sea, but since its so isolated, it will probably be considered the boonies of the RP. Im betting that its the first one to get wiped by dragons

Small "ding ding ding". You are right. Erethios is definitely Dragon Attack Central.

OF IRON AND FIRE APPLICATION

NS NAME: The Imperial Reach
CITY NAME: Tahkt-i-Soh

Oof. I'm with Norv on this one. It's a very good app. I am going to say ACCEPTED to this one, but I may put in a section in the guidelines saying that we've had a lot of non-Telenian or Telenian-minimal cities, so maybe less of those. All the same, I see a lot of potential for this one, so definitely glad to have you aboard.

---

Other news: as some of you may have seen, I've made the section about the pantheon on the lore post, but I had significantly less time today than I thought I would. As such, I'll try to get the IC out tonight, but if not, I may have to wait until tomorrow afternoon sometime to do it. It's coming soon, either way, so be excited.

[Robo-Nixon]

OF IRON AND FIRE APPLICATION

NS NAME: St. George Territory
CITY NAME: Xenos

ACCEPTED. The idea of an exile city has a lot of possibility to add to political intrigue and general plottiness.

Very much so.

My initial plan with Salenippos is the preparation of a large-scale war to challenge the trade dominance of Thassalos, and aiming to enlist brutish navy mercenaries like those of Xenos is definitely something I will try.

Overall Tasuirin, are you also willing to engage our two City States in this type of conflict?

Loving the gods btw.

[Tasuirin]

ACCEPTED. The idea of an exile city has a lot of possibility to add to political intrigue and general plottiness.

Very much so.

My initial plan with Salenippos is the preparation of a large-scale war to challenge the trade dominance of Thassalos, and aiming to enlist brutish navy mercenaries like those of Xenos is definitely something I will try.

Overall Tasuirin, are you also willing to engage our two City States in this type of conflict?

Loving the gods btw.

Quite honestly, not expecting my second City State to be around for all that long. But yeah, Thassalos would be great to involve in such a conflict.

[Robo-Nixon]

Very much so.

My initial plan with Salenippos is the preparation of a large-scale war to challenge the trade dominance of Thassalos, and aiming to enlist brutish navy mercenaries like those of Xenos is definitely something I will try.

Overall Tasuirin, are you also willing to engage our two City States in this type of conflict?

Loving the gods btw.

Quite honestly, not expecting my second City State to be around for all that long. But yeah, Thassalos would be great to involve in such a conflict.

Heh, I don't expect Erethios to be on my map or anywhere near my sphere of interest. Maybe it'll be a good "Dragons have returned, your city is next!" example.

[Tasuirin]

Quite honestly, not expecting my second City State to be around for all that long. But yeah, Thassalos would be great to involve in such a conflict.

Heh, I don't expect Erethios to be on my map or anywhere near my sphere of interest. Maybe it'll be a good "Dragons have returned, your city is next!" example.

I think I misread "our two city states" as "your two city states", lol. Extra spoilers for you there! Either way, yes, it's going to have a short life in this RP I expect.

[Robo-Nixon]

Heh, I don't expect Erethios to be on my map or anywhere near my sphere of interest. Maybe it'll be a good "Dragons have returned, your city is next!" example.

I think I misread "our two city states" as "your two city states", lol. Extra spoilers for you there! Either way, yes, it's going to have a short life in this RP I expect.

It seems the likely result, but unfortunate nonetheless. I like the "edge of the world city concept", but if subject to destruction, I would hope some of those elite spearmen manage to set out on an odyssey that lands them in the port of a state that could employ them. That's just my hope though.

[Tasuirin]

I think I misread "our two city states" as "your two city states", lol. Extra spoilers for you there! Either way, yes, it's going to have a short life in this RP I expect.

It seems the likely result, but unfortunate nonetheless. I like the "edge of the world city concept", but if subject to destruction, I would hope some of those elite spearmen manage to set out on an odyssey that lands them in the port of a state that could employ them. That's just my hope though.

A state like yours?
Don't worry, I plan for some (not too too many) to escape. And bring their god with them, no doubt.

In any case, I can begin writing the IC in about 2hrs. After that, it shouldn't be too long before the RP begins properly.

[Former Citizens of the Nimbus System]

Oooh… This looks interesting! Tagging.

[Nea Byzantia]

OF IRON AND FIRE APPLICATION

NS NAME: St. George Territory
CITY NAME: Xenos
POPULATION: 180,000 in the walls, 203,000 outside the walls.
SYMBOL OF CITY:

(Image)

LOCATION OF CITY:

(Image)

MAJOR COLOURS OF CITY: Black and white
GOVERNMENT TYPE: The head of the City-state of Xenos is the grand admiral of the Xenos navy, under that, a council of one hundred citizens is chosen at random to represent the citizenry, where they may put forward suggestions to the Admiral. The council holds terms of a single year, but may be extended in times of war; during those times the Admiral selects a member of the council to represent him while he is off fighting in the conflict, where the council will remain in power until the admiral is killed or returns home.
CULTURE OF CITY: Xenos- the bastard city of Telenia- comprised of the worst of the societies, banished and exiled, be they Telenian or Barbarian, they find their home in Xenos, as every man and woman is a foreigner to the land, even if they have lived in the city and can trace their roots back several generations. With that in mind, the only requirement for citizenship is that the person speaks the language and pays their taxes as is owed for being in the land of refuge.

CIVIC SPECIALISATIONS: The shipyards of Xenos are quite famed for its talent in the construction of ships.
MILITARY SPECIALISATIONS: Xenos prefers naval combat in all cases, even offering their services as mercenaries during times when fishing and whaling is slow.
COMPOSITION OF ARMY: 10,000 levies, 30,000 Sidonian tribal warriors, 50,000 sailors/oarsmen, 18,000 marines
NUMBER OF SHIPS: (how many merchant and/or military ships does your city possess? It's difficult to give accurate estimates of how many a city would have, but sea-based cities would likely have more ships than ones which rely on land trade, so keep that in mind.) 70 merchant galleys, 110 warships, 40 fishing vessels

HISTORY OF CITY: Founded nearly one hundred years ago by an exile/philosopher from Rheas by the name of Irenaeus the Small, who took his family and several of his followers and their families southward. Upon reaching the bay that would eventually be the Bay of Irenaeus he spotted a snake and followed it to where Xenos would be founded. It was decided by Irenaeus and his followers that the land would be one for people of no nation, where they could find a home while in exile. Over the hundred years more and more exiles from both the Sidonian lands, Rheas and Pelegia came to call Xenos home, enjoying the freedom and the bountiful waters that surrounded them, while this freedom was greatly enjoyed, it was also greatly abused as pirates would as well call the land their home, raiding trade routes and returning with their ill-gotten goods. Beyond that, Xenos has routinely offered its navy to the highest bidder in fighting in foreign wars with men who have little else to lose but their lives.

#OIAF app - DO NOT DELETE

Interesting name..."Xenos" means stranger in Greek. Btw, your name being St George, you wouldn't happen to be Greek, would you?

[Nea Byzantia]

OF IRON AND FIRE APPLICATION

NS NAME: Jade Confederacy
CITY NAME: Almaria
POPULATION: 400,000
SYMBOL OF CITY:

(Image)

LOCATION OF CITY: https://imgur.com/a/C9nS9uh

MAJOR COLOURS OF CITY: Black and Silver
GOVERNMENT TYPE: Theocracy; the government is run by a priestly caste headed by the Speaker of Life (High Priest of Almeria)
CULTURE OF CITY: Almerians do not believe that death is final and that all that die will be reborn in time to a new body to live again. The Great Wheel of Almeria symbolizes the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. While in death or during "the Darkness in Between", the dead may have their wishes conveyed to the living and offer guidance/protection through the priests. The Almerians are a caste society where everyone is raised in communal creches until the age of twelve. Afterward, the children will be tested and be separated into their lifelong castes based on abilities and the needs of the city. However, the location and background of the child's parents will strongly determine the children's caste position. The son of a farmer raised in a rural creche is unlikely to become educated and rise in the caste system unless he posses great talent or there is a great need.

CIVIC SPECIALISATIONS: Almerians are great engineers and traders. The double walls of Almeria are thick and tall while the fortress-temple at the heart of the city is carved straight into the hills and has never been taken in battle. The city is split among old and new city, connected by a walled corridor. The cold city is centered around the Fortress Temple near the coast while the new city is more exposed and overlooks the Bay of Almeria which hosts the inland harbour. The city's geography also makes it a prime location for sea-trade which it depends upon heavily.
MILITARY SPECIALISATIONS: The Almerians are a primarily seafaring people as they depend on trade and the ocean for their sustenance. Their navy is vast and comprises primarily of double and triple masted galleys. On land, the Almarians favor their armored chariots to deliver quick and decisive charges followed by massed spear infantry.

COMPOSITION OF ARMY: Since the Almerians are a caste-based society, it is impossible for the city to raise levies. Instead, the army is comprised nearly entirely of the warrior caste which replenishes at a steady rate. Due to this, the Almerians are weary of decisive battles and prefer to hide behind their walls if outmatched.
- The Spears of Almeria (2000): dedicated warrior priests that form the elite core of the infantry
- Life Guards (24,000): comprised of the majority of the warrior caste. Professional force dedicated to the defense of the city and her daughter settlements.
- Death Guards(3200): cavalry contingent of the city, comprised of the veterans of the warrior caste. Mostly light cavalry but contain 400 heavily armored chariots.

NUMBER OF SHIPS:
Almeria possesses one of the worlds largest inland harbors and is a nexus of trade for trade in the region. It has one of the worlds largest professional navies which it uses to patrol the coast for pirates (always a problem) and to exact tribute/tax from nearby settlements. Almerian naval tactics are to use the superior speed of their ships to catch and outmaneuver their queries and ram their opponents. The larger three-masted galleys can also fit small artillery to bring down ships from range.
- 140 Two Masted Galleys
- 40 Three Masted Galleys


HISTORY OF CITY:
Almeria is an old settlement with a long history that predates the current written language. The city was formed as much by outside factors as it was by the people who lived within it. Centuries of pirate raids forced the original inhabitants to dig into the hillsides for safety. From the caverns in the hills grew what is to become the massive Fortress-Temple that forms the core of the old city. The endless tide of barbarians from the north required the Almerians to raise stronger and higher walls. Soon the formidable defenses of the city and the safety it provided attracted merchants from all over. Combined with its favorable location on at the mouth of the Salmeron river and the Bay of Almeria which serves as a large, natural harbor, the city becomes a regional nexus for trade.

The wealth of the city attracted many who coveted the city’s riches. After the second time the old city was sacked by a fleet of pirates, the priests made a deal with a barbarian nomadic tribe to overthrow the King of the city. In exchange for protection and a professional standing army, the priests would ensure the barbarians would never want for food or shelter. As the barbarian’s religious and cultural customs soon melded with that of the locals, the compact between the groups eventually evolved and expanded into the caste system of today.

#OIAF app - DO NOT DELETE

If Phylesia was the political capital of the Old Rhean Empire, perhaps Almeria was the religious center, and both cities identify as "Rhean" or Old Telenian?

[Nea Byzantia]

Finally got my app done. I'll repost it here as well.

OF IRON AND FIRE APPLICATION

NS NAME: The Hoosier Alliance
CITY NAME: Thalmos
POPULATION: 515,000
SYMBOL OF CITY:

(Image)

LOCATION OF CITY:

(Image)

MAJOR COLOURS OF CITY: Dark red and black
GOVERNMENT TYPE: The Thalmos government is a military autocracy. The Marshal is the head of the government and military, and enjoys absolute power over all aspects of the city state, except religion. Marshals are succeeded by their highest ranking general, and generals are selected based on merit and achievement. Thalmos has an effective bureaucracy that enables the city state the run smoothly day to day.
CULTURE OF CITY: Thalmos is highly militarized and religious. Thalmosians see democracies as weak and consider them as squabbling states populated with fools. Most aspects of society are there to support the military and/or religious foundations of the city state. It is a very traditional city, with a patriarchal government, military, and religion. Many traditions are also focused around the family. Extended families live together, either in the same house, or in the same neighborhood. The eldest male of any family is considered the patriarch. Slavery exists and is mainly limited to servitude and mining, though there is nothing limiting their use in any aspect. There are a number of castes dominating Thalmos, with the warrior caste being the dominate one. Headed by the Marshal, the warrior caste is made of officers, soldiers, and their families. Sons born into the warrior caste are expected to join the military, while daughters are expected to bear and raise sons for the army. The second highest caste would be the priests, who exist almost independently from the Thalmos government and military. Those born into the caste are expected to become priests or priestesses. They monitor blasphemy within the city, plan religious events and ceremonies, advise the Marshal, and see to the religious aspects of the citizens of Thalmos. The third caste is made of the wealthy, such as business owners, slave traders, mine owners, merchants, and the like. They more rights and privileges than commoners, most of which have been bought with the gold they've made. The fourth caste is made up of commoners, such as farmers, miners, merchant sailors, bureaucrats, etc. They have few rights and make up the majority of the city state. The lowest ranking caste would be the slaves, for obvious reasons, as well as foreigners and immigrants.

CIVIC SPECIALISATIONS: Thalmos has an iron working industry that is second to none, considered by many to be one of, if not the, best in the known world. They work hard to produce some of the finest weapons, tools, and other iron products that are sold around the known world.
MILITARY SPECIALISATIONS: The Thalmos military is focused almost completely on it's land army, specifically it's infantry. Thalmos spearmen and swordsmen are some of the best in the world, with their cavalry being capable, and their archers having little training or equipment, as bows are considered cowards weapons. The navy is very small, mostly made up marine filled boarding ships. Merchant ships outnumber military ships by a decent margin. Slaves are used as oarsmen.
COMPOSITION OF ARMY: Total: 45,000
10,000 heavy spearmen
8,000 light spearmen
10,000 swordsmen
2,500 heavy cavalry
1,000 light cavalry
5,000 spear levies
3,500 archers
5,000 marines
NUMBER OF SHIPS: 35 military ships (mostly filled with melee wielding marines), 65 merchant ships

HISTORY OF CITY: Thalmosians worship the God King Thal. As their religion dictates, Thal was once a man and the greatest warrior the world has ever seen. Nearly two centuries ago, Thal lead a small army for a fledgling Rheas city state against a powerful coalition. In a series of pitched battles, Thal won the war with superior infantry and tactics, besieging and burning all four of the cities states to the ground and salting the earth when he was done. He expected to return as a hero to his city state, but he was betrayed. The king of the city state feared he would use his newfound popularity and army to take control, so the king had an army of loyal citizens and mercenaries attack Thal and his army. Thal, being warned beforehand by sympathetic people in the city state, set up defenses between the Var and Netoic rivers. Nearly a week long series of battles followed, with Thal coming out victoriously. He returned to the citystate, and army at his back, and beheaded the traitorous king and sacked the city. He took the families of his loyal soldiers, as well as those who had supported him, and created a new militaristic city state on top of his fortifications. Legend has it, he ascended to Godhood after the Gods of Rheas, impressed with his work, offered him immortality and the title of God King of Man after he laid the final brick of his new city. Following his ascension, his new worshippers named the city in his honor, Thalmos, and continued his tradition of a strong, loyal military and citizenry.

More recently, the city state has fought and won a number of wars, with goals of acquiring slaves, gold, or land. They have been known to launch raids into neighboring territories, mostly on land, though a few on the sea. They have made few military alliances in their history, but their newest Marshal has been looking for better relations with those with power on the sea.

#OIAF app - DO NOT DELETE

Maybe Thal destroyed the Rhean Empire?

Just trying to get the lore worked out. It affects relations between the Rhean city-states, so I'm trying to work this out.

[Tasuirin]

And the IC is up, people!

[Andsed]

And the IC is up, people!

Oh hell yeah! I will try and get a post up soon.

[Nea Byzantia]

And the IC is up, people!

Same.

[St George Territory]

Interesting name..."Xenos" means stranger in Greek. Btw, your name being St George, you wouldn't happen to be Greek, would you?

Yep, I was thinking in a land of exiles everyone would be a stranger, that and I spent a couple hours and that was the best I got lol. And I don't think I have any Greek in me, I'm more Anglo Canadian, but I've always wanted to visit Rhodes and Crete

[The Hoosier Alliance]

Maybe Thal destroyed the Rhean Empire?

Just trying to get the lore worked out. It affects relations between the Rhean city-states, so I'm trying to work this out.

That would work for me, if it does for everyone else. It'd only take a minor change in my history to do so, so no big deal when it comes to rewriting a bit.

[Nea Byzantia]

Maybe Thal destroyed the Rhean Empire?

Just trying to get the lore worked out. It affects relations between the Rhean city-states, so I'm trying to work this out.

That would work for me, if it does for everyone else. It'd only take a minor change in my history to do so, so no big deal when it comes to rewriting a bit.

I was thinking that perhaps Phylesia, Almeria and Thalmas were the Three Pillars of the Empire, and every time the Emperor died, his heir would have to be confirmed by an Imperial Council comprised of nobles from the Three Cities...This could've been set up to combat the Dragons last time; and what started off as a coalition between "the Three Pearls of Telenos" became the Rhean Empire. But internal political machinations (and rivalries between the Cities), barbarian invasions and anarchy in the colonies, brought down the Empire. Thal could've been in league with the powerful Kantakounid bankers in Phylesia, who perhaps invited him to depose the last Emperor, and "take what he wanted from the City" (ie. pillage it). Keep in mind the Fall of the Rhean Empire officially occurred 150 years ago (though it was losing control of the colonies long before that), and that recorded history began 500 years ago (from what I can remember, I could be totally wrong on that). Perhaps the beginning of the History could be the Rhean Empire which held together for 350 years, and officially collapsed 150 years ago?

[Reverend Norv]

That would work for me, if it does for everyone else. It'd only take a minor change in my history to do so, so no big deal when it comes to rewriting a bit.

I was thinking that perhaps Phylesia, Almeria and Thalmas were the Three Pillars of the Empire, and every time the Emperor died, his heir would have to be confirmed by an Imperial Council comprised of nobles from the Three Cities...This could've been set up to combat the Dragons last time; and what started off as a coalition between "the Three Pearls of Telenos" became the Rhean Empire. But internal political machinations (and rivalries between the Cities), barbarian invasions and anarchy in the colonies, brought down the Empire. Thal could've been in league with the powerful Kantakounid bankers in Phylesia, who perhaps invited him to depose the last Emperor, and "take what he wanted from the City" (ie. pillage it). Keep in mind the Fall of the Rhean Empire officially occurred 150 years ago (though it was losing control of the colonies long before that), and that recorded history began 500 years ago (from what I can remember, I could be totally wrong on that). Perhaps the beginning of the History could be the Rhean Empire which held together for 350 years, and officially collapsed 150 years ago?

Where are you drawing those numbers from? They all seem considerably too recent. After the collapse of a dominant state, there's usually a dark age. We're clearly not living in that now, because this is the Golden Age of Telen. It's more likely to me that recorded history began 800 years ago or so, that the Rhean Empire fell 500 years ago, and that 100 years ago Telen began to recover with its new center of cultural and political gravity in Pelagia.

[Nea Byzantia]

I was thinking that perhaps Phylesia, Almeria and Thalmas were the Three Pillars of the Empire, and every time the Emperor died, his heir would have to be confirmed by an Imperial Council comprised of nobles from the Three Cities...This could've been set up to combat the Dragons last time; and what started off as a coalition between "the Three Pearls of Telenos" became the Rhean Empire. But internal political machinations (and rivalries between the Cities), barbarian invasions and anarchy in the colonies, brought down the Empire. Thal could've been in league with the powerful Kantakounid bankers in Phylesia, who perhaps invited him to depose the last Emperor, and "take what he wanted from the City" (ie. pillage it). Keep in mind the Fall of the Rhean Empire officially occurred 150 years ago (though it was losing control of the colonies long before that), and that recorded history began 500 years ago (from what I can remember, I could be totally wrong on that). Perhaps the beginning of the History could be the Rhean Empire which held together for 350 years, and officially collapsed 150 years ago?

Where are you drawing those numbers from? They all seem considerably too recent. After the collapse of a dominant state, there's usually a dark age. We're clearly not living in that now, because this is the Golden Age of Telen. It's more likely to me that recorded history began 800 years ago or so, that the Rhean Empire fell 500 years ago, and that 100 years ago Telen began to recover with its new center of cultural and political gravity in Pelagia.

Yeah...those numbers do seem a little odd...but time aside, the events make sense, no?

[Reverend Norv]

Where are you drawing those numbers from? They all seem considerably too recent. After the collapse of a dominant state, there's usually a dark age. We're clearly not living in that now, because this is the Golden Age of Telen. It's more likely to me that recorded history began 800 years ago or so, that the Rhean Empire fell 500 years ago, and that 100 years ago Telen began to recover with its new center of cultural and political gravity in Pelagia.

Yeah...those numbers do seem a little odd...but time aside, the events make sense, no?

Sure, but let's be clear that they are only myth. This all happened a long time ago, and we may need to allow for ancient secrets of various kinds in the course of the RP.

[Nea Byzantia]

Yeah...those numbers do seem a little odd...but time aside, the events make sense, no?

Sure, but let's be clear that they are only myth. This all happened a long time ago, and we may need to allow for ancient secrets of various kinds in the course of the RP.

Of course. But this would technically bind Phylesia, Alemar and Thalmas together, at least culturally. They all seem to be based in some way on the Old Telenian High Culture, from what I understand.

[Reverend Norv]

Sure, but let's be clear that they are only myth. This all happened a long time ago, and we may need to allow for ancient secrets of various kinds in the course of the RP.

Of course. But this would technically bind Phylesia, Alemar and Thalmas together, at least culturally. They all seem to be based in some way on the Old Telenian High Culture, from what I understand.

I'm less sure about Almaria. The pantheon of gods is Old Telenian, and Almaria has a very different set of religious beliefs.

[Nea Byzantia]

Of course. But this would technically bind Phylesia, Alemar and Thalmas together, at least culturally. They all seem to be based in some way on the Old Telenian High Culture, from what I understand.

I'm less sure about Almaria. The pantheon of gods is Old Telenian, and Almaria has a very different set of religious beliefs.

Perhaps caused by a religious revolution?

[Reverend Norv]

I'm less sure about Almaria. The pantheon of gods is Old Telenian, and Almaria has a very different set of religious beliefs.

Perhaps caused by a religious revolution?

Or later incursion by western "barbarians," per his app. The point is just to remember that the Rhean Empire was a long time ago, and that whatever cultural ties once existed have had many centuries to become attenuated.