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by Nuridia » Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:21 pm
by Nuridia » Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:35 pm
Of the Quendi wrote:Kingdom App:
Name: The Kingdom of Marseille (known by the indigenous population as Marselha and in the formal imperial parlance as Massalia)
History: The Kingdom of Marseille grew from the once powerful Empire of Paralia, the first superpower in human history. In its heyday Imperial Paralia was an empire unmatched in power and might. It controlled the whole of the continent for so long that even today the name "Paralia" lives on after the demise of the empire as the name of the continent it once dominated. The Paralian emperors claimed divine descent a fact seemingly proven in the early years of their empire when their rulers were very long lived and for the first several centuries of their empire their power was absolute and the principle of primogeniture was taken by all Paralians as divinely ordained and unquestionable. As times passed however the Paralian emperor's grew shorter lived and as cadet branches of the Paralian imperial family rose succession to the imperial throne became increasingly questioned. The imperial family responded by limiting marriages of their daughters outside the family and resorting to increasingly incestuous endogamy. It proved effective at monopolizing control of the imperial crown for the Paralian family, but ambitious subordinates simply began to marginalize the emperors from political power. Civil wars became increasingly common, rebellions broke out. After a millennia of Pax Paralian the empire eventually collapsed into various warring states.
In a once consequential, but by then obscure, provincial capital of the Paralian Empire, the port city of Marseille, the Paralian family established itself after the fall of their empire. For a century they ruled as princes (or sometimes grand princes) of Marseille while the continent that bore their name burned in the aftermath of the fall of their empire. The ancient walls of Marseille, built by the empire at its height, kept the imperial blood line safe from barbarian hordes and savage warlords.
A little over a century after the fall of the Paralian empire the continent was slowly emerging from the turmoil of the collapse of the empire, poor and largely depopulated from the war and hardships. In Marseille a young Grand Prince, Cordulian I "the Golden" Paralia. By martial prowess, but mostly by diplomatic and economical tact, he brought a number of independent territories under his rule and transformed large parts of western Paralia into a rich and prosperous region. He rebuilt the old imperial highways and made treaties with foreign powers that transformed Marseille into the political and commercial center of the western parts of the continent. He became the first king of Marseille.
While his successors where less capable, the administration and wealth they inherited from their, mighty predecessor allowed the Kingdom of Marseille to continue to grow its power and prestige. Under the late co-ruling kings Nerian I Paralian and Aemilian V Paralian the kingdom entered a second golden age as it reformed and strenghened itself considerably. The death of the two kings has however lead to a series of young and short ruling kings. The latest in this line is Flavinian II Paralian, greatgrandson of Aemilian. He took the throne at the tender age of two and is thus the longest ruling king since Nerian Paralian's death. Thus far his reign has however been a shambolic mess in which his mother Aemilia, his father Uodalrich the Northman, his half-sister Aemililla and her husband Audawakar struggle for power.
Current leader: Flavinian II Paralian, King of Marseille
Government Type: Absolute monarchy
Religion: Polyteism, secularism, mystery cults and humanist philosophy all thrive in Marseille under the auspices of an inclusive syncretic imperial cult.
Population: 35,000,000
Imports: A variety of products
Exports: A variety of products
Stance on magic: For it.
Geography: The Kingdom of Marseille dominates the western parts of Paralia which is either part of the empire or held by the vassal kingdoms and fiefdoms of Marseille. A large it has a diverse geography but is mostly dominated by river valleys and flatlands suitable for agriculture.
Culture: The population of Marseille is quite diverse. A number of different indigenous groups inhabits the various provinces of the kingdom and in addition to these large diasporas of both human and non-human foreign born populations exists within the major population centers. The dominant culture is however that of the Paralhina, to whose members citizenship in Marseille is restricted. The Paralhina, founders of the Paralian Empire, is a human population claiming divine descent. The mark of this divinity is an extended lifespan, above average height, unusually fair features and (at least historically) extraordinary magical abilities.
Though citizenship is exclusive to the Paralhina Marseille society is inclusive and meritocratic in most other respects. A prosperous state Marseille, beyond ancient Paralhina noble dynasties, has a materialist and practical culture where wealth and the successful pursuit of wealth is the principal value.
Marseille depends largely on immigrant from outside the empire for a number of key functions of the state in particular its military. Mercenaries and auxiliaries from abroad make up most of the troops fighting for the empire and a large and prominent minority of the royal legionaries.
Monarch app
Name: Flavinian II Paralian
Age: 14
Gender: Male
Race/Species: Paralhina human.
Personality: Flavinian is a kindhearted and generous child, well-mannered and educated yet already burdened by the daunting task of ruling his state. In both demeanor and physical development he is younger than his years.
Sexual/Romantic preference: Heterosexual
Appearance: Flavinian II Paralian is blessed with the classical Paralhina looks of his dynasty. He is tall and handsome yet appear younger than his years (a good omen according to Paralian lore). His eyes are grey and his hair is fair and shoulder length. He has shown no signs of growing a beard yet.
Bio: Flavinian II Paralian was born the son of the foreign born (but Paralhina descended) general and statesman Uodalrich and his wife Princess Aemilia the Younger, granddaughter of Aemilian V Paralian. Aemilia the Younger from a previous marriage to a descendant of King Nerian Paralia, had a daughter Aemililla. Despite this fact when it came time for Queen Lartha Aemilia to name a successor she chose her infant grandnephew Flavinian, not her niece Aemilia the Younger nor her more nobleborn grandniece Aemililla. This was no doubt done to placate Lartha Aemilia's powerful first minister and favorite Uodalrich. But if Uodalrich had hoped to establish himself as ruler during his son's minority he was mistaken. The Council of the Sceptre refused to allow Uodalrich to rule alone and insisted on making Aemilia the Younger regent for her son, with Uodalrich serving as vicegerent. Their rule was difficult however. Early on Uodalrich had to give his stepdaughter Aemililla's hand in marriage to the general Audawakar. With Aemililla having arguably a stronger claim than Flavinian II to the Sceptre of Paralia, Audawakar immediately began scheming to replace his brother-in-law for his wife, or at the very least make them joint rulers.
It was in this unstable situation that King Flavinian II Paralian would grow up. Effectively isolated from his kingdom behind the walls of his splendid palace none of his relations has had much interest in allowing him to ever assume effective control of the kingdom. He has however received an education fit for a Paralian emperor of yore and is not entirely unprepared for the role of his kingship.
Goals: Reaching, albeit slowly, adulthood the martial prospects of king Flavinian is increasingly preoccupying the royal court and he is himself quite looking forward to getting engaged.
Likes: Birds, books, music, theatre
Dislikes: Court intrigue, the bathhouses, most forms of physical exertions, magic, uncouth manners, war
Theme Song:
Powers/Abilities:
Reserving Marseille please.
by Nuridia » Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:37 pm
Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States wrote:Kingdom App
Name: The Blue Kingdom
History: WiP
Current leader: Azule VIII
Government Type:
The Blue Kingdom is an absolute monarchy in the purest sense of the world. The will of the Blue King is literally law. His being embodies the state. His blue blood represents a divine connection with the magical, divine world beyond the veil, and as such, he is granted with incredible wisdom to rule and govern. He is law-giver, judge, and executioner, and also heads the Four Pillars, representing the Harmony. While not a god himself, the king is the representative of the god Osat.
The various provinces of Jorik, inhabited by the Joriki, are each governed by four governors, directly appointed by the Blue King and answerable only to him. Each governor governs one aspect of a province, corresponding to the colour they represent. To become a governor one must first climb the ranks of the royal bureaucracy, which is deeply intertwined with religious teachings. One requires schooling from a very early age to even be considered for any post of meaning, an education that is run mostly by priests.
Religion:
Harmony Harmonic. The Joriki follow the Order of the Colours, but with their own twist. They do not adhere to the strict division of eras. They follow the calendar, but do not believe their own government should reflect the calendar. Instead, they consider Osat to be the chief deity. This reverence of Osat above the others is what causes a lot of cultural clashes with the other kingdoms, since that belief is heretical in most other lands. Yet, for the Joriki, it is only logical.
The Harmony Harmonic is headed by the Blue King, and the Four Priestly Pillars below him. There are four Pontiffs, forming the Council Pontifical, which debate religious dogma and appoint priests. In the end, though, the king is the fifth member of the order, and he can overrule any decision made by the council.
The Holy Book of the Harmony Harmonic is known as the Script of the Rainbow. It consists of seven books, each representing a colour. These are both philosophical treatises and stories. The theologians care most about the former, while the populace at large cares more about the latter. The stories are meant to illustrate important points, but they are taken as history by some. Of the seven books, the three first are seen as outdated and their colours are unrepresented in the pantheon.
Population:
1.000.000
Imports: Gold, silver, iron
Exports: Grain, glasswork, gemstones, spices, cotton, stone
Stance on magic:
Magic is seen as incredibly important and a central part of the governance of the blue kingdom. The king retains his power through ensuring bountiful harvest and sufficient rains, which is done through the use of very powerful magic. This magic is highly regulated, though, and its practice without a royal license is punishable by death. Like priests and administrators, mages are supposed to be schooled from a very young age in the morals of their craft. To be a mage is to be the personal property of the king, which comes with enormous rewards but great peril as well. Nowhere is the internal intrigue of the court as strong as among mages, whose favour comes and goes with the tides.
Geography:
Jorik is a land of deserts and oases. Its population concentrates in large cities either around water sources or next to the Blue River, a large and often-flooding river leading to the south. The capital city of Azrhak is situated in the delta of this river, surrounded by bountiful wetlands which provide most of the food. The flooding of this river is vital in the food supply, and the prime task for the royal mages is to make sure it floods every year.
Beyond the cities, Jorik is a desert. Incredible sand dunes stretch as far as the eye can see. The great merchant caravans travel these lands north, beyond the Yellow Sea (the name for the desert) to the northern kingdoms. The leaders of these merchants are celebrities for their travels, and their books sell well in the Joriki markets. Desert raiders are a frequent sight along the royal roads, so it befalls the Red Riders, the royal keepers of the peace, to safeguard these roads. Failure is paid dearly.
Culture:
Joriki society is both heavily class based, but also somewhat meritocratic. You are born classless, but enter a social class at the age of seven. This is when you either enter the Royal Academy or enter the working class or the merchant class. From your academic education, which lasts until your twentieth year, you can either become a priest, an administrator, or a mage, depending on your own aptitude. You make this choice at the age of fourteen, which gives you six years of specialist training. Then you enter an apprenticeship, which finalizes your education.
The interplay between the classes is extremely strict and managed by a complex code of laws meant to achieve some sort of division of labour. For example, farmers have difficulty buying property inside a city, but merchants have a harder time buying farmland. Mages get the most extreme versions of this: they are personal property of the king, and therefore have no legal personality. They have no standing in court. In return, however, they are freed from regular criminal responsibility and are cared for entirely by the royal treasury.
Marriage only happens within these classes. The position of women in society is rather different in each class as well. In farming communities, women are seen as needing to care for the house, and the law reflects this view. Divorce is only possible if invoked by a man, because they need to be able to rely on their spouse, and in the case of the divorce the woman gets nothing. Much different is the merchant class, where women are seen as somewhat equal. Men do the haggling, but women are responsible for the administration. Therefore, marriage and divorce are much more equalized here. Total equality is achieved in the administration and the priestly classes. Since mages have no legal personality, marriage is impossible for them, but love is allowed.
The Blue King, as absolute monarch, exists above and beyond the law. He therefore cannot marry in the legal sense, since he embodies the state and the state cannot marry. However, he can choose a queen to be his partner. This can be from any of the classes, even from the mage class, although it is expected that a king picks a spouse from the academic classes. The powers of the Royal Consort change depending on who is king. During some reigns, the queen was an extension of the king, while during others, the queen was nothing but a bed partner.
Monarch app
Name: Azule VIII
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Race/Species: Human, Joriki
Personality: Wrought with insecurity, Azule is entirely unprepared for the position of absolute power he holds. He is in constant fear of making the wrong decisions, and has locked himself in the palace from where he tries to govern his vast lands. He knows his advisors are doing their best to get the young king on their side, and as such has not chosen any side to be on. He is afraid to issue laws and verdicts, and if that was not enough, the king is set to depart on a foreign expedition within some time, so he needs to make arrangements for his country for when he is gone, which includes picking a royal vizier to rule in his stead.
Sexual/Romantic preference: Hopelessly bisexual
Appearance:(Image)
Bio: Azule was born seventeen years ago to the Great King Azule VII, who was known as a wise and strong ruler. Under his guidance, the prosperity of his kingdom increased, and caravans to foreign lands increased tenfold. He carefully managed the competing interests of his court, and struck hard against the secretive order known as the Bees, or the Order of Black Yellow. These assassins had held a grip over the kingdoms politics, but due to the diligence of Azule VII had been forced back to their mountain strongholds. Azule VII had begun preparation for a great Embassy to be sent north, a large caravan laden with riches with which he would open up his kingdom to foreigners, welcoming them to his lands. However, Azule VII fell off his horse while inspecting the caravan and his wound infected. Within a month, he was dead, raising his eldest son to the throne.
Azule VII became king at a time when he was not prepared. As son of the king, he was taught in the Academy like other administrators. However, he never managed to finish those studies, being whisked off to the Grand Palace in the deep of night to assume the throne. He feels entirely unprepared for the task at hand, since so much responsibility rests on his shoulders. He was supposed to apprentice under his father for many more years after even graduating, but now, he needs to govern straight from school. His divine position is what keeps him in power. No-one would dare lay a hand on the Blue King, which gives him some respite. But he knows that that Bees are always out to get him, and as such as locked himself in his palace. Still, the Great Embassy needs to depart, with him in it, and there is no postponing that for too much longer.
Goals: Bringing the Great Embassy to a successful conclusion, learning as much as he can, and governing his country successfully.
Likes: Music and arts, horses, good food, his mother and sisters.
Dislikes: His own power, the Bees, his councilors, the Pontiffs
Theme Song: Do not hurry
by Zjaum » Mon Dec 02, 2019 10:07 pm
by Benuty » Mon Dec 02, 2019 11:01 pm
by Of the Quendi » Tue Dec 03, 2019 1:59 am
Nuridia wrote:I like the app, accepted. Y'all come up with the most amazing backstories, I'm telling you. But Quendi...35 million may be a little much, I was thinking we keep it somewhere between the 5 and 20 million range for the bigger countries.
by Nuridia » Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:18 am
Of the Quendi wrote:Nuridia wrote:I like the app, accepted. Y'all come up with the most amazing backstories, I'm telling you. But Quendi...35 million may be a little much, I was thinking we keep it somewhere between the 5 and 20 million range for the bigger countries.
Thank you, glad you like it. Myself I have a bit of mixed feelings about my country backstory so I might revise it a bit late on, hopes that's okay.
About population I originally considered ten million, but for a continental great power it seemed to compare unfavorable to medieval France and the HRE so I increased it, but at 20 million it can also compare favorably to France and the HRE so that works.
by Of the Quendi » Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:30 am
Nuridia wrote:I think 20 million is a decent cap, for the biggest kingdoms. Empires tend to be huge after all, my character rules an empire. But 30 million may be a little much compared to everyone else is all I'm saying.
by Nuridia » Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:49 am
Of the Quendi wrote:Nuridia wrote:I think 20 million is a decent cap, for the biggest kingdoms. Empires tend to be huge after all, my character rules an empire. But 30 million may be a little much compared to everyone else is all I'm saying.
Is your country a great power? I thought there was only the four ones mentioned in the OP?
by The National Dominion of Hungary » Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:53 am
by Of the Quendi » Tue Dec 03, 2019 3:00 am
Nuridia wrote:They're a moderate power. They're the four most powerful countries on the continent but other powerful countries exist too, just not as influential but it doesn't mean they're weak.
by Zjaum » Tue Dec 03, 2019 6:36 am
Of the Quendi wrote:Nuridia wrote:They're a moderate power. They're the four most powerful countries on the continent but other powerful countries exist too, just not as influential but it doesn't mean they're weak.
Ah I see. May I suggest making adding a guideline to the OP about population sizes for the great power and for "ordinary" countries, people seem to have very different ideas about population sizes.
by Utceforp » Tue Dec 03, 2019 11:37 am
by Zjaum » Tue Dec 03, 2019 1:35 pm
Utceforp wrote:Finally finished my app. I will be creating apps for Vithak Nozirak Paralzan, and one other character I haven't decided on yet. (I'm thinking either the Emperor, an advisor of Vithak, or a Sturian vassal of Vithak.)
Edit: Also, is anyone working on a map?
by Nuridia » Tue Dec 03, 2019 1:37 pm
Zjaum wrote:Utceforp wrote:Finally finished my app. I will be creating apps for Vithak Nozirak Paralzan, and one other character I haven't decided on yet. (I'm thinking either the Emperor, an advisor of Vithak, or a Sturian vassal of Vithak.)
Edit: Also, is anyone working on a map?
I'm not. I don't think anyone is. I can try something.
by Of the Quendi » Tue Dec 03, 2019 1:48 pm
Nuridia wrote:I was talking with Petrovsky about making maps and I personally don't know how to make them...all expertise is welcome.
by Zjaum » Tue Dec 03, 2019 1:52 pm
Of the Quendi wrote:Nuridia wrote:I was talking with Petrovsky about making maps and I personally don't know how to make them...all expertise is welcome.
Do we need a map though? In my opinion you can get far with geographical descriptions and most maps used on NS aren't great, that's just my two cents.
by Nuridia » Tue Dec 03, 2019 1:59 pm
by Zjaum » Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:00 pm
Nuridia wrote:I'm fine with working without maps, since I hardly ever looked at them but I think it may help some players if enough people ask for one and I want to make this RP as non confusing to play as possible.
Quendi, I took your guidelines suggestion and it's at the bottom of the OP...I'll post it again here:
POPULATION GUIDELINES: Since we have radically different populations cropping up all over the place, a wise player suggested to me that I put up a guideline about what populations would be good depending on size and power, so here we go:
Minor Kingdoms: 500,000- 1 million
Major Kingdoms: 1 million-5 million
Great Powers: 5 million- 20 million
Empires: 20 million to 25 million
by Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States » Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:26 pm
Nuridia wrote:I'm fine with working without maps, since I hardly ever looked at them but I think it may help some players if enough people ask for one and I want to make this RP as non confusing to play as possible.
Quendi, I took your guidelines suggestion and it's at the bottom of the OP...I'll post it again here:
POPULATION GUIDELINES: Since we have radically different populations cropping up all over the place, a wise player suggested to me that I put up a guideline about what populations would be good depending on size and power, so here we go:
Minor Kingdoms: 500,000- 1 million
Major Kingdoms: 1 million-5 million
Great Powers: 5 million- 20 million
Empires: 20 million to 25 million
by Nuridia » Tue Dec 03, 2019 2:42 pm
Utceforp wrote:Is my kingdom accepted?
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