Scions [Fantasy|OOC]

by **Danubian Peoples** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 1:47 am

Remnants of Exilvania wrote:
Danubian Peoples wrote:Remnants of Exilvania's made me laugh. Now I'm imagining the two warriors and the mage making good time... mostly because the latter either used his magics to lighten the load on their haul or because he told the other two to dump Belas in the swamps halfway through. Still not sure which one I'm going to decide on. As for what to do with the realm once known as Coldmist, well the integration bit is probably due to begin once the mountain of silver is processed by the Tuashrido. Once they handle that, then a whole menagerie of prophets and soldiers, donkeys and horses are probably due for what was once Lord Belas' realm.

Which they'll now ptobably end up having to siege bit by bit.

Also true. I'd like to see how the splinter realms within what was once Lord Belas' demense cope with war. I'm guessing the armies spend half their time getting together, and the other half is spent getting stuck in boggy marshes and poorly maintained roads. Although to be honest I'm not sure if the Gataash army should do any better.

by **Remnants of Exilvania** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 2:15 am

Danubian Peoples wrote:
Remnants of Exilvania wrote:Which they'll now ptobably end up having to siege bit by bit.

Also true. I'd like to see how the splinter realms within what was once Lord Belas' demense cope with war. I'm guessing the armies spend half their time getting together, and the other half is spent getting stuck in boggy marshes and poorly maintained roads. Although to be honest I'm not sure if the Gataash army should do any better.

They don't get together in the first place. It's splintered for a reason.

Probably worse though, given the hazards.

by **Danubian Peoples** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 2:33 am

Remnants of Exilvania wrote:
Danubian Peoples wrote:Also true. I'd like to see how the splinter realms within what was once Lord Belas' demense cope with war. I'm guessing the armies spend half their time getting together, and the other half is spent getting stuck in boggy marshes and poorly maintained roads. Although to be honest I'm not sure if the Gataash army should do any better.

They don't get together in the first place. It's splintered for a reason.

Probably worse though, given the hazards.

I wasn't talking about that kind of get together, I was talking about 'I've raised my levies, now to put them somewhere.' If you've played anx PDX GSGs, then what I am talking about is analogous to pulling all of your various armies onto one spot on the game map.

by **Remnants of Exilvania** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 5:11 am

Danubian Peoples wrote:
Remnants of Exilvania wrote:They don't get together in the first place. It's splintered for a reason.

Probably worse though, given the hazards.

I wasn't talking about that kind of get together, I was talking about 'I've raised my levies, now to put them somewhere.' If you've played anx PDX GSGs, then what I am talking about is analogous to pulling all of your various armies onto one spot on the game map.

I am aware.

What I am saying is, imagine each tile is an independent tile. And they don't put their raised levies "somewhere" but keep them right on that tile.

by **Danubian Peoples** » Sat Apr 18, 2020 1:28 pm

Remnants of Exilvania wrote:
Danubian Peoples wrote:I wasn't talking about that kind of get together, I was talking about 'I've raised my levies, now to put them somewhere.' If you've played anx PDX GSGs, then what I am talking about is analogous to pulling all of your various armies onto one spot on the game map.

I am aware.

What I am saying is, imagine each tile is an independent tile. And they don't put their raised levies "somewhere" but keep them right on that tile.

Ooh..

It's that bad. It's 'every province is an independent OPM' bad. Well good to know.

by **Krugmar** » Wed Apr 22, 2020 8:55 am

I have created a Discord server. I figure at this stage it can't hurt, and will help co-ordinate some of the plotlines, and keep me accountable for updates I need to do.

by **Lunas Legion** » Wed Apr 22, 2020 10:14 am

WIP app is WIP.

Essential Details

Name of Realm: Koinon Ekató Nisión (Confederation of the Hundred Islands, normally known as the Koinon)

Rulers: The Koinon is a confederation of many self-governing towns and cities, each with their own distinct form of government ranging from peasant democracies to merchant oligarchies to feudal aristocratic monarchy. Each member of the Koinon sends a single Praxos to the capital, Drakainapolis, where internal disputes within the Koinon are settled and matters of external defence when relevant are discussed before the Drakina Regenta, who has the final word in such meetings, but normally rules with the option supported by the majority of the Praxos present.

The Drakina Regenta is the head of the Ordia Drakina, a holy order that rules the city of Drakainapolis and, supposedly, is responsible for tending to the dragon Drakina, which the order claims to be a living god and an oracle and which lives deep in the island's interior. Drakina has not been seen for centuries, but she supposedly still issues instructions and gives prophecies through the Ordia Drakina.

Cultures and Races: The Koinon is a cosmopolitan state, spanning numerous different islands, cities and landmasses each with their own dialects, cultures and traditions. Therefore it would be absolutely wrong to say that there is a single 'culture' within the Koinon. The few unifying things culturally between the diverse cities and towns of the Koinon are a healthy respect and acceptance of new ideas, other peoples and different religions. The Koinon is a largely mercantile and trade oriented nation, with many thriving ports and shipyards, and it is said that there is nothing one cannot buy in the Koinon, if one is merely willing to look hard enough and spend enough.

Religion: The Koinon is a religiously cosmopolitan realm, including numerous foreign beliefs among the merchants that ply its waters. Among the native populace, however a syncretic faith, known as the Cult of Drakina Dea Helios, incorporating the old traditional mythology of the Koinon's poleis and the cult of Drakina, dominates. Under the Cult of Drakina Dia Helios, Drakina is a conduit between man and the divine realm through the sun, which is a portal to the divine realm to her divide form while her physical body resides on Minilar; her prophecies are wisdom from him granted to mankind through her, and the other oracles of the Koinon and the taking of omens are other ways of consulting with the divine, but less reliable. The old pantheon are Drakina Dea's Praxos, advising her and also acting as conduits between her and the mortal realm in mythology, but she is the supreme member of the pantheon.

History: The Koinon is one of the oldest civilisations in Minilar, but much of its history is lost to time, save for perhaps in Drakina's memory or the vast libraries of the Ordia's monastery complex in Drakinapolis. The people who would later become the Koinon are believed to have arrived around 1400 P.C, according to oral legend from 'out of the seas of the east. There are tales of mighty warriors, dragonslayers and hunters of monsters, men and women who challenged gods and kings and won and lost, heroes and legends around the founding of Koinonic cities and the colonisation of islands.

-WIP-

Assets

Notable Cities: (A map will appear here soon TM)

Economy: Although populous, the Koinon is scattered across numerous islands and thus its economy is heavily based around inter-island trade. Fishing is the primary means of sustenance on many smaller islands, while larger metropoli are home to guild-controlled trades that provide many goods for the merchants of the Koinon to sell elsewhere. The vast majority of the population farms or fishes for a living.

Population: The Koinon in total has around 26 million inhabitants scattered across its myriad islands and mainland possessions.

Military

Command:

Drakina, should she be alive and both able and willing take to the field once more.
Nestorus, Lochagos Ordia Drakina Hieros Lokhos, the most senior commander, leading the mora armed and armoured by the Ordia itself.
Other commanders are appointed ad hoc on the formation of an army or fleet, elected by the commanders of all contingents present in a vote.

Strength:

he army of the Koinon is a somewhat disparate affair; each individual city, town and fortress is, as part of the league, responsible for providing at least one mora in the event of the Koinon declaring war. Each mora is composed of 600 men, normally with a mixture of pavise-equipped crossbowmen, armoured, halberd and sword armed lighter troops and heavily armoured, pike-wielding heavy infantry, normally with 450 pikemen, and 75 lighter troops and 75 ranged troops. Mora are formed from a mix of professional soldiers and citizen-soldiers, and in peacetime function as a form of town or city watch, a guard for the ruler or rulers of the city and marines for that city's sea/ocean fleet on anti-piracy patrols. The smallest cities can raise at most a single professional mora, while larger and more militarised cities can raise up to ten mora alone.

Additional mora may be levied from the civilian populace in wartime, but this is rare and normally only done to boost a town or city's garrison. Some mora, most famously those from Kyrmeia, Eudeia and Pharnaea will substitute crossbowmen for slingers in the case of the former two or longbowmen for the latter, and mainland mora may bring lightly and heavily-armoured cavalry in place of the lighter troops that protect the flanks of the pikemen. Mercenaries are frequently hired during foreign wars to supplement the mora.

Diplomatic Relations

Interests: The Koinon's main interests are undermining it's ancient rival, Nekhur, and in preserving its sea control over the eastern trade lanes.

Rivals: The Koinon is Nekhur's oldest enemy; few other nations feature largely into the Koinon's strategic interests, its might at sea unparalleled.

Other Information

Location: On map.

by **Danubian Peoples** » Wed Apr 22, 2020 6:20 pm

Krugmar wrote:I have created a Discord server. I figure at this stage it can't hurt, and will help co-ordinate some of the plotlines, and keep me accountable for updates I need to do.

I don't have a discord... Apologies.

by **Liecthenbourg** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 7:03 pm

Danubian Peoples wrote:
Krugmar wrote:I have created a Discord server. I figure at this stage it can't hurt, and will help co-ordinate some of the plotlines, and keep me accountable for updates I need to do.

I don't have a discord... Apologies.

Its very easy to use and doesn't even require an app. It has a web-browser version as well.

by **Danubian Peoples** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 9:54 pm

Liecthenbourg wrote:
Danubian Peoples wrote:I don't have a discord... Apologies.

Its very easy to use and doesn't even require an app. It has a web-browser version as well.

Okay, I do know how to use discord, but I kinda don't want my email account attached to it for security reasons, so whenever I do join a Discord, I just abuse the guest account feature and use that for every session. That sounds a little clunky and more than a little spammy tho.

by **Fahran** » Thu Apr 23, 2020 11:27 pm

I'm going to work on cranking out a post soon. I've been preoccupied of late but I haven't forgotten my obligations and I haven't abandoned the idea I have for this plot line.

by **Lunas Legion** » Fri Apr 24, 2020 4:08 am

Danubian Peoples wrote:
Liecthenbourg wrote:Its very easy to use and doesn't even require an app. It has a web-browser version as well.

Okay, I do know how to use discord, but I kinda don't want my email account attached to it for security reasons, so whenever I do join a Discord, I just abuse the guest account feature and use that for every session. That sounds a little clunky and more than a little spammy tho.

Make a dump email, easy solution.

by **Danubian Peoples** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 1:30 am

Lunas Legion wrote:
Danubian Peoples wrote:Okay, I do know how to use discord, but I kinda don't want my email account attached to it for security reasons, so whenever I do join a Discord, I just abuse the guest account feature and use that for every session. That sounds a little clunky and more than a little spammy tho.

Make a dump email, easy solution.

Did that, searched 'dump email' used the first service I could find, got onto the server, then got kicked out since something went wrong or whatever. Did the exact same thing again, and got kicked out again. Honestly I have next to know idea what I am doing. Apologies if I am cluttering the Discord.

by **Lunas Legion** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 3:12 am

Danubian Peoples wrote:
Lunas Legion wrote:
Make a dump email, easy solution.

Did that, searched 'dump email' used the first service I could find, got onto the server, then got kicked out since something went wrong or whatever. Did the exact same thing again, and got kicked out again. Honestly I have next to know idea what I am doing. Apologies if I am cluttering the Discord.

Nah like make a normal email but it's completely disposable. It's a 'dump' since you use it to sign up to shit you don't want connected to your normal email.

by **Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States** » Sat Apr 25, 2020 12:06 pm

Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States wrote:'Tis but a process:

“The King is wise, or he would not be King”
Essential Details

Name of Realm: The Kingdom of The Valamir

Rulers: Rodar Chavaris, King of The Valamir, Mayor-Lord of the Cities

Cultures and Races:

Religion:

History:

Recent History
What we know as The Valamir, the Plains of the Lake Mir, has not always been seen as a singular political entity. Before the Cities’ Rebellion, The Valamir as an area was divided as a patchwork of small counties, duchies, baronies, city lands and temple holdings, nominally under the control of a single king. However, this king held no lands of his own, being completely dependent on taxes and levies from his vassals. These were not forthcoming, however, and had not been for two centuries. The Royal Court, therefore, had only ceremonial power, merely important for some religious functions. Executive power was held by either local nobility, the church, or city councils, and legislative power was in the hands of a hundred different authorities, from local sheriffs (now appointed by town elders rather than the crown), traveling judges, councils, priests, to some ambitious nobles and of course the parlements: councils of nobles that decided on what laws should be registered. Normally, laws would be made by the king and registered by the parlements, but lacking any actual power the kings did not make any legislation.

The line of kings was also a very weak one. Ever since the nobility and the cities stopped paying taxes into the royal coffers, no noble family wanted to marry their children to the House of Chavaris. The House, being too proud to marry commoners, began inter-marrying cousins, and later even siblings, for want of royal blood. The marriage between king Hrendon and his sister, queen-princess Jupola, sparked disgust, especially among the cities surrounding Mir lake. These cities, run by councils of merchants and guilds, saw rational problems against these unions. King Hrendon and queen-princess Jupola were visibly scarred by the long history of incest of their ancestors, to the point that king Hrendon could not keep his attention long enough to even perform the laughably easy tasks associated with his ceremonial kingship. During one ceremony on the celebration of the Spring Equinox, he began brabbling wildly and incoherently, and eventually fainted against an altar, which collapsed. This caused much dismay among those who saw it.

The next day, during a closed-carriage ride through the city of Avolondria, the carriage was set upon by a group of city-dwellers. Rumours about the identity of these individuals is abound. Many claim them to be simple citizens, filled with religious fervour. Others believe they were assassins and thugs, hired to do the bidding of a paymaster. Whatever the case, the royal couple was dragged out of the carriage, bound between the four horses that drew their carriage, and they were both quartered. Their heads were then cut off and paraded through the city. The Saltsea Guard, ancient protectors of the royal family, could not contain the violence, and they withdrew to the royal palace just outside the city. However, an angry mob had already assembled there, so they had to hack their way to the front gate, losing many men in the bloody process.

Waiting for them was Capul the Eunuch. The grey eminence behind the throne, Capul was a slave of the imperial family, a gift from a foreign royal family. The man was incredibly talented, knowing several languages and being extremely well-read. His interference had made that the Chavaris line had not died out ten years earlier, but now he had reached the end of his devises. Taking with him the infant son of Hrendon and Jupola, he fled the palace, accompanied by a handful of loyal Saltsea guardsmen. Not long after, the mob breached the gates of the palace, setting it ablaze and killing what was left of the Chavaris line.

In the absence of a king, or anyone who was willing to take the position, the city councils declared themselves independent from royal rule, and instituted a Citizen’s Commonwealth. The Commonwealth of The Valamir had an incredibly complex system of government, with a body of four council members governing the Commonwealth, each being elected to a two-year term and elections held every half year. The nobles in the countryside, sworn to protect the king, came to the conclusion that this was in their favour as well. The Commonwealth of The Valamir only stretched to the area directly around the lake, and the nobles were seen as nominally independent. So, the nobles allowed the cities to do their own thing, happy that they did not even have an unenforced duty to pay lip service to a brain-dead king.

This heralded a fifteen-year period known as the Academia. In the cities, the long-forgotten art of political philosophy was rediscovered. The discussions, which had long been confined to the theological, were now being held in secular circles. They referenced scripture, but also ancient works of writing and new natural sciences. The Commonwealth became factionalist, but these discussions did tremendous good for the overall understanding of classical writers. In many cities, council-funded academies were founded to educate the youth in matters of oratory, theology, literature and law.

It is here that we reconnect with Capul. He and the infant king had not sat idle during the Academia. They were, in fact, hiding in plain sight, both aided in the fact that no-one outside the royal court had known their face. Capul led a successful trading enterprise, and Rodar aided him in that. More importantly, Rodar attended the Academy of Avolondria, where he was very successfully educated. Using his trading company as a cover, Capul travelled to many cities and courts in search of allies for their struggle. He found these in two places: the nobility and the church. The church had lost a lot of power to the city councils, especially as New Rationality became the norm among the learned of the Commonwealth. No longer could good and evil be discerned from mere ancient books of stories. They had to be individually ratified. This spawned new rationalist churches, which in turn led to violence. The church was ready to see their position of power restored, and therefore supported the return of monarchy. The nobility had seen their own profits drop, since the newly empowered guilds were more successful in their bargaining position. Also, the cities failed to recognise their ancient privileges. Both the nobility and the church expected the king, a child of an incestuous union, to be feeble.

Capul had one final trick up his sleeve, however. In secret, he had accumulated vast amounts of wealth by misusing the new banking laws of the Commonwealth, as well as its new rules on share trading. In this manner, Capul controlled enormous amounts of funds, paid into by the church, the nobility, and his own bank, with which to gather support. Seventeen years after the dissolution of the kingdom, the plan slowly came into motion. With the help of assassins, the most prominent anti-monarchist politicians within the Commonwealth were murdered. Rumours were spread that the kings of old were about to make a return. The name Rodar was on everyone’s lips. Global panic made people see the young king in every shadow, and the city militias were busy chasing dead ends. The greater the panic became, the more the city councils clasped down on any rumour. Eventually, their militias were given cart blanche to hunt down the king, and to kill anyone who stood in their way. This lead to the Winter of Terror, during which hundreds of people were killed for suspicion of royal involvement. The Winter of Terror absolutely destroyed the legitimacy of the Commonwealth in the eyes of its citizens, and as it was unable to maintain order, some began to wonder whether a singular king was better at maintaining order.

Then, on the Spring Equinox, Rodar, King of The Valamir, appeared in public for the first time. In the simple clothing of a merchant, uncrowned, he performed the royal duties in front of a large gathered crowd. The Royal Spring Equinox celebration was held for the first time in 17 years, and it was truly a success. At the end, Rodar addressed the gathered crowd. He spoke with all the flair of someone trained in the art of oratory, his speech being like music. He pointed out the failings of the Commonwealth government, without once openly supporting the idea for monarchy. First, the church came forward, offering him the Royal Sceptre, which he declined. Then the nobility offered him the crown, which he too refused. Then the people offered him a mantle set with rubies, which he too declined. Then, the academy offered him a book with all the laws of The Valamir.

Upon being offered the book of laws, Rodar accepted. If the church, the nobility, the people and the academies supported him, then he could not turn it down. He was crowned and anointed on the spot, and carried to the royal palace, which now served as the headquarters of the Commonwealth government. Legend says the king was carried there on the shoulders of the people, and that his enemies fled before him. Of course, Capul had left nothing to change, and mercenaries carrying the royal insignia and black-robed assassins were already taking care of any opposition. Militia captains, politicians, influential opponents… Many found the sharp end of a sword or a dagger in their backs.

While the ascension of the king in Avolondria was successful, this did not mean that the Commonwealth rolled over to die. Survivors of the purge fled the city to regroup, with dark-cloaked assassins hot on their heels. Darchan, a religious city, expelled their city council and surrendered to the king at once, but Teru and Volaretta continued to resist.

In preparation of the coming war, Rodar accepted the Law on the Restoration of the Royal Powers, which was in actuality a contract between himself and his key supporters, the nobility and the church. They would help Rodar ascend to the throne of the whole of The Valamir, but he would in turn recognise their special status and exemption from many of the kingdom’s laws. Rodar accepted this new constitution, almost effortlessly manoeuvring within its legal complexities. With the establishment of the Conclave, a representative body for the church, and the Permanent Diet, which represented the nobility, Rodar felt secure to abolish the city councils, replacing them with mayors that he himself appointed, although with confirmation of the Diet and the Conclave. Having gained incredible concessions from the king, the nobility and church were all to happy to accept all the king’s appointments, feeling all-powerful. The next five years the king would spend on campaign, mostly engaged in siege warfare. He treated cities that surrendered with grace and magnanimity, and saved even those who defied him from looting. However, the leaders of defiant cities would be executed without hesitation. Volaretta surrendered when the royal army arrived at its doorstep, and Teru was subject to a short siege. After Teru fell, meaningful resistance to the king died down.

The king had learned much during this time, especially about military organisation. He found that mercenary companies continuously outperformed their levy counterparts. Conversations with the officers, as well as a reading of military histories, made clear that this was because levies could not build organisation cohesion, and their experience was lost after their armies were disbanded. Mercenaries, as standing forces, could maintain their operational experience, and heavily-trained professional troops would always be better than seasonal levies. The king’s experience in war time led to two things: the Law on Mercenary Companies and the Law on Military Organisation. The royal army would mostly be comprised on mercenaries, with levies filling supporting roles mostly. The Royal Engineers would be in charge both of building new castles and leading sieges, which led to a whole new science in the world of academics.

Everyone expected society to change rapidly after the civil war was over. Nobody expected that it would change so little. While the city councils were replaced, and the guild leaders were now appointed by royal decree, the rest of city life remained relatively similar. In fact, Capul’s bank was transformed into the Royal Bank of The Valamir, which operated as a private entity but was also responsible for the royal finances. It was a mint and a bank rolled into one, which gave the king access to incredible amounts of funds. This gave a huge boon to urban economies, which in turn increased tax revenue for the royal treasury, which was then pumped back into the bank. The new Cults of Rationality were not banned. Their leaders were banished or locked up, but new, royalist leaders rose to take their place, and these institutions would be the main drive behind royalist rationalist discourse, describing kingly authority in terms of reason. The city academies became royal academies, with a carefully curated curriculum, but for the most part they remained unchanged.

Under the surface, there were changes, though. Before the Commonwealth, political discourse had been relatively free. That could not be maintained. Too public and too popular opponents of the monarchy were silenced, either by thuggish threats or assassination by the Black Cloaks, under leadership of Capul. Even some church leaders and nobility disappeared, although the king swore that he was not responsible for their disappearances. More and more, the king began to use legal technicalities to evade informing the Conclave, and he increasingly passed over the Diet in order to put legislation straight before the parlements.

After both the Conclave and the Diet had officially complained, the king formally rescinded the Law that gave them their power. The bodies objected, but the king could count upon the basic legal principle of his kingdom: the king made the law, and could not be bound by it. The king could not bind himself. This lead to protest, even talk of insurrection, but by that time, the king had elevated himself to untold power. He had a strong treasury, an experienced and trained army, and the support of shadowy organisations behind him. Those who continued their protest found their titles removed and their lands confiscated and divided among lesser families, more loyal the the crown. The king made sure that families with large outstanding rivalries got more land, with a legal complexity that made sure the old feudalism was almost abolished. In its place came a complex, modern feudalism, based in law and a system of bureaucracy that was entirely dependent on the king.

Having gained total control of the legislative process, king Rodar set about implementing the ideas of modernisation he had formulated while attending the Citizen's Academy. The Law on the Royal Administration rationalised the way taxes were collected. The Law on Guilds made Guilds officially part of the Ministry of Labour. Most importantly, the Law on the Abolition of Archaic Bonds made it possible, after royal review, to end feudal bonds that were older than 50 years, which included most of them. The royal administration used this as a cudgel, threatening the liberation of serfs to any noble who would not fall in line. This centralisation made the royal institution nigh impregnable, to the point that not even the most powerful noble could even get the king to come to the negotiating table. The nobility and the church made requests, not demands.

This did not mean they did not try, however. Some ten years after Rodar had ascended to the throne, a coalition of nobles halted their supplies of grain to the lakeside cities. Their demands were brought not only to the king, but also to the citizens of the cities by way of hired towncriers. The demands were fairly simple: reinstate the privileges of the old nobility and the church, empower the ancient feudal contracts that had been lost, dissolve royal power in the cities, dissolve the mercenary companies, and abdicate the throne in favour of Huvter. Duke Huvter was a distant cousin of Rodar, connected via some arcane union that had been arranged 200 years prior. The king did not relent, and instead, raised his mercenary army to fight the noble rebels on their own turf.

The War of Wheat revealed that the weaknesses of the royal army that had existed before were still present. The royal army, comprised as it was of heavy infantry and big-shielded crossbowmen and lacking in cavalry, was not meant for an offensive war. The army of Huvter failed to deliver battle time after time, instead drawing the army further in. The war was about the person of Huvter, not about the lands he controlled, so it was almost useless to siege the castles of the local nobility. Here, Rodar showed the fatal flaw in his capability: he was a man of law and politics, versed in the ways of words. He was not a battlefield commander. He laid siege to Huvter's home castle, which had been long deserted by then. His flanks were constantly threatened, especially by the heavy cavalry of their noble enemy. The sons of fortune rode on heavily-armoured horses gifted by the Iron League, and they proved fatal to any lightly-defended position. They had Rodar running around in a panic, sending formations to and fro, with the castle still in their back. Rodar did not want to give up the siege, but he knew that as long as he kept it up the enemy would harass him without relent. It was the Mootland campaign all over again, and Rodar showed that he had learnt very little from his experience.

Rodar's royal engineers managed to break the castle walls with trebuchets and some tunneling, and the castle was taken the next day. As soon as it did, Rodar reformed to face his attacker, but Huvter's army knew far too well that there was nothing more to be gained, and they retreated northward towards the border with the Iron League. Rodar, instead of consolidating, commenced a rapid pursuit on a forced march, further and further extending his supply line. Having marched sixty miles in three days, the royal army was suddenly set upon by enemy cavalry again, striking from the rear and destroying much of the levy contingent, that made up about half the army. Huvter's Ambush, as it became known, was extremely effective, but there he made a fatal error. His heavy cavarly got too caught up chasing the levy, and the experienced contingents of mercenary pike and shot managed to surround them. They did not even engage in hand-to-hand combat, rather picking apart the formation with crossbows from behind large shields. Rodar lost control of his men pretty soon after, which each soldier trying to get himself a piece of the refined armour the nobel sons were wearing. Only Huvter survived, being brought up to Rodar, who wanted to accept his surrender. Huvter did not surrender, however. Knowing that, if Huvter was killed, his sons would continue the campaign, Rodar let Huvter live, and returned home with his army in tatters. The response of his people was publicly jubilant, but privately horrified. Tales of the massacre of 500 noble sons, their subsequent looting, and the survival of Huvter left a dark stain on the whole affair. Huvter remains alive to this day, as the only man Rodar would not kill.

It is ten years later still. Huvter is alive, in house arrest on royal grounds. The king's modernisation has borne fruit, and the economy has become more efficient, its laws less arcane. He is still a monolith of a political figure, and the centre of power for his country. There are cracks, however. He has only a daughter, who is as clever as her father but far more willing to take up the social struggle of the common people. She too has been taught in the royal academy, the first woman to receive such an education, and she has even taken to writing. Her style is far more revolutionary, though, which threatens both the guilds and the nobility. No-one has forgotten the bitter taste of the War of Wheat, either. And with increased wealth for the cities, there is a growing merchant class with their own radical ideas. They look back fondly at the works of the Commonwealth, but they have learnt from its errors, as well. Now, the new revolutionaries want a strong, centralised Commonwealth, with the powers of the king centralised in a deliberative body, and the nobles put on spikes. Some even call for the eradication of all land ownership. The nobles, on the other hand, look towards the North, where the Great Empire could perhaps become their ally to restore their old privileges.

Assets

Notable Cities: The Four Jewels of Mir Lake:
Avolondria: Home to the Royal Palace and all that accompanies it: the Grand Parlement (not to be confused with a parliament), the Temple to the Majesty of the Mother, and the Royal Academy.

Darchan: A centre of religion and religious learning, housing the Academy of Theology.

Teru: A city of great culture, known to house many great artists.

Volaretta: The Gate of Mir, situated at the place the broad Mir river leaves the Grand Lake. It is the final place suitable for ocean-going vessels, since the lake is quite shallow in many parts, so it is also where cargo is transported into river-going vessels. It is known for its deep stone harbour, surrounded by the Three Lighthouses of Volaretta. Each sports a flame in a colour, so anyone can calculate position and distance from any side of the city.

Economy: Mostly urban trade and manufacturing, with a large role for the wine production in the countryside.

Population: France in the 15th century, probably.

Military

Command: (e.g. commanders, hierarchy, structure)

Strength: (Remember that most medieval realms relied upon a small professional force, and a larger temporary semi-trained levy. There are of course exceptions, but the golden rule is on how and why your state can sustain such an exception)

Diplomatic Relations

Interests:

Rivals:

Other Information

Location:

I finished the history, now I need to translate that into the other parts of the app. But it has to come bit by bit, so I hope you all bear with me.

by **Danubian Peoples** » Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:26 pm

Okay so for a battery of reasons which I'd rather not illucidate on, I can't join your Discord and I am seriously doubting my place in the RP because of it. Apologies in advance.

by **Lunas Legion** » Sun Apr 26, 2020 12:31 pm

Danubian Peoples wrote:Okay so for a battery of reasons which I'd rather not illucidate on, I can't join your Discord and I am seriously doubting my place in the RP because of it. Apologies in advance.

Not much is happening there TBH, you're probably fine.

by **Danubian Peoples** » Wed Apr 29, 2020 10:14 am

Lunas Legion wrote:
Danubian Peoples wrote:Okay so for a battery of reasons which I'd rather not illucidate on, I can't join your Discord and I am seriously doubting my place in the RP because of it. Apologies in advance.

Not much is happening there TBH, you're probably fine.

Okay four days from there and I still can't join your offsite discussions. Is everything going to be okay?

by **Remnants of Exilvania** » Wed Apr 29, 2020 11:13 am

Danubian Peoples wrote:
Lunas Legion wrote:
Not much is happening there TBH, you're probably fine.

Okay four days from there and I still can't join your offsite discussions. Is everything going to be okay?

Please, don't get that worked up over it.

There's really not been of note there.

by **Danubian Peoples** » Wed Apr 29, 2020 12:18 pm

Remnants of Exilvania wrote:
Danubian Peoples wrote:Okay four days from there and I still can't join your offsite discussions. Is everything going to be okay?

Please, don't get that worked up over it.

There's really not been of note there.

Ah okay. Sorry, I'm just on the edge atm due to the quarantine.

EDIT: Made a post, hopefully it's ok.

by **Danubian Peoples** » Tue May 05, 2020 4:30 am

Apologies if this is gravedigging or some other rule-break, but may I ask about the status of the roleplay? There has been no activity on the IC or OOC threads for a while, besides the one IC post I made on the 1st of May.

Thanks in advance.

by **Remnants of Exilvania** » Thu May 07, 2020 8:01 am

Danubian Peoples wrote:Apologies if this is gravedigging or some other rule-break, but may I ask about the status of the roleplay? There has been no activity on the IC or OOC threads for a while, besides the one IC post I made on the 1st of May.

Thanks in advance.

It has been a slow moving RP. Very slow. This was started all the way back in February.

by **Danubian Peoples** » Fri May 08, 2020 8:54 am

Remnants of Exilvania wrote:
Danubian Peoples wrote:Apologies if this is gravedigging or some other rule-break, but may I ask about the status of the roleplay? There has been no activity on the IC or OOC threads for a while, besides the one IC post I made on the 1st of May.

Thanks in advance.

It has been a slow moving RP. Very slow. This was started all the way back in February.

Ah okay. I guess I'll just stand and wait for a while then.

Scions [Fantasy|OOC]

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