A Different World: The Noble Cities [IC|Closed]

by **The National Dominion of Hungary** » Fri Mar 26, 2021 9:29 am

The Land of Penithel

Excerpt from 'Social Bonds in Ancient Penithel'.

Only the most lost and forlorn person was truly alone in Penithel and to be alone was universally considered the ultimate calamity. People were fully expected to be a part of and fully participate in society, usually as a member of several different smaller communities within it all the way down to the family. In return, an individual can reasonably expect assistance from his community in times of personal misfortune. For help, people usually went to their family members first, usually because someone in the family would be the one closest to the person. This kind of help or advice in time of hardship was considered utterly informal and personal. It had no intrinsic meaning in terms of political or spiritual law. “A family has no secrets.” Whatever happens to one person happens to the entire household. Thus, it had must be brought to the attention of the household to be addressed. If it is not, the issue is considered to have been a secret and therefore dishonorable. The head couple of the household usually made some decision on the issues at hand and maybe the entire household agrees. Then the two probably sit around, discuss the issue between themselves a second and third time, and decide whether to go with their original ruling or not...

by **Olthenia** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 10:03 am

Warcyfle Funeral Boat

Title: Warcyfle Funeral Boat
Period: Antiquity
Dynasty: Fourth Dynasty
Reign: Reign of Gu-Mandur I
Date: Late 2nd. or early 3rd century Hegemonic Reckoning
Geography: From Isle Lo, Eastern Isles, the Southern Reefs, Shores of Tes'la, Tomb of Meketre (TT 280, MMA 1101), Forgefend Excavations
Medium: Wood, paint, gesso, linen twine and linen fabric
Dimensions: l. 128 cm (50 3/8 in), with rudder 175 cm (68 7/8 in) x w. with oars 30.5 cm (12 in) x h. 37 cm (14 9/16 in)
Credit Line: Rogarro Fund and Adouan S. Harkness Gift, 1698
Accession Number: 20.3.1

The elaborately painted wooden on display here is amongst the greatest treasures of the Forgefend Museum. Recovered with nearly two dozen others, each boat is over four thousand years old and in a state of near perfect preservation. All the paint is original, and it is particularly remarkable that the linen cloth that some of the figures aboard it are clothed in survives to this day. An expedition on behalf of the Museum uncovered these models, thought to represent the personal fleet of the royal chief steward Meketre, and were specifically created to ensure that both the pleasures and necessities to which he was accustomed would be with him after death, even in the embrace of mighty Tes’la.

Meketre himself is seated smelling a lotus blossom in the shade of a small cabin, which on an actual Warcyfle boat would have been made of a light wooden framework with linen or leather hangings. Here, the hangings are shown partly rolled up to let the breeze into the cabin. Wooden shields covered with child-bird skins are painted on each side of the cabin roof. A singer, with his hand to his lips, and a blind harpist entertain Meketre on his voyage. Standing in front of him is a man, probably the ship's captain, with his arms crossed over his chest. He may be depicted awaiting orders, but he may also be paying homage to the deceased Meketre. As the twelve oarsmen propel the boat, a lookout in the bow holds a weighted line used to determine the depth of local waters. At the stern, the helmsman controls the rudder.

A tall white post amidship supported a mast and sail (not found in the tomb), which would have been taken down when the boat was rowed along the shore—as it is here—against the prevailing north wind. Going southwards, with the wind behind it, the boat would have been sailed. The boat is similar to one Meketre might have used in his lifetime. Certain details, however, suggest that on this voyage Meketre is traveling toward the afterlife. For instance, the blossom he holds is the blue lotus, a flower both the Warcyfle and their mysterious neighbours the Aun’kal is said to have associated with rebirth.

All the accessible rooms in the tomb of Meketre had been robbed and plundered already during Antiquity; but early in eleventh century of Hegemonic Reckoning, the excavator of Forgefend Museum, Harbant Wontloq, wanted to obtain an accurate floor plan of the tomb's layout for his map of the island-necropolis at Lo and, therefore, had his workmen clean out the accumulated debris. It was during this cleaning operation that the small hidden chamber was discovered, filled with twenty-four almost perfectly preserved models. Eventually, half of these went to the Museum, while the other half came to the Metropolitan Museum of Kharbarinth in the partition of finds.

by **The Knights of Azorea** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 11:40 am

Velathri

In this year the folk of Velathri built for their children and youths quarters fit for them - places of comfort and good rearing, and a fine quarter of houses for vaunted midwives. Daughters of the goddess Kaliyat, the wise women of the land come together to assign omens, and swear babes into their birth-tribes.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 11:51 am

Year 260 of the Reckoning

Turn 30

Zhai Cheng: Carpentry is a clever thing, to shape the myriad forms of wood for a thousand utilities, and this the Huang have now perfected. Three hundred Freemen and three hundred Peasants are added to the numbers of the Huang.

Kharbarinth: Scholars in Kharbarinth, studying the power points there, have devised a method to create a sort of "solid air", which allows men to gaze across great leagues with sorcerous efforts as if they stood upon a hill higher than any mountain, and use it to communicate across the leagues to Stalheim. The lever, the wheel, the gear, the cog - with the wheel and the pulley and these Simple Machines the architects and builders of the Deepkin will raise high mighty edifices. Men and women flourish in new families; 900 Freemen in Kharbarinth, 800 Freemen in Stalheim, 600 Freemen in Forgefend, 400 Freemen in Kar Agala, 400 Freemen in Svalheim. 200 Peasants in Kar Agala are also promoted to Freemen.

Eleskar: 600 Freemen are added to the people of Eleskar.

Corvus: 200 Freemen and 600 Peasants are added to Corvus; 100 Freemen and 100 Peasants are added to Corvan.

Warclyfe: The Aun'kal will sell some of their packs of dogs for a bireme, for they are fascinated with these ships and appreciate their ability to pass over the sea with the greatest of ease. There is also dark news - raiders from the sea have struck outlying areas of the city, slipping past the patrols in the darkness to assault outlying housing districts. A hundred peasants have disappeared into the night and fog. One hundred Freemen and four hundred Peasants are added to the numbers of the people of Lo.

Avnelin: Mastery of men is the greatest form of control, and the scholars of the Pennenthelli have theorized long on hard on how their fellow citizens must be ruled via Governance. With garrisons and governors and social schemes these things shall be accomplished. 100 Freemen and 300 Peasants are added to the numbers of the Pennenthelli.

Sorrowfree: The attempts to recruit wandering nomads prove themselves futile off the backs of, well, not finding anybody interested in a new home. 300 Freemen and 300 Peasants are added to the Vale of Ustar.

Daru: 100 Freemen and 400 Peasants are added to the Nirari.

Varra: 100 Freemen and 100 Peasants are added to the Saladonians.

Machaka: Raiders out of the west have clashed with the defenders of the city, fended off but at loss - 2 God-Spiders and ten warriors were slain in battle. 300 Freemen and 400 Peasants are added to the Machaka.

Rivermouth: The expedition has returned at long last - out of the west, and the mountainous highlands even further north than the lands the Machaka call home. A people named the Manisaharu live here in idyllic isolation in the mountain vales, forgers and smiths, knowing but little of the world beyond their cave-cities. They greeted the explorers warily, having few deals with outlanders. It is too far to trade with them, over rough terrain, but perhaps some manner of organized road or path might make such commerce possible. The scholars have also made a breakthrough this year - by wargaming against their own defenses, they realize devises to breach gates and defend attackers against men with bows are of vital importance to any such assaults. These new Siege Tactics will likely aid them in overcoming the Hesukar. 300 Freemen and 400 Peasants are added to the Republic.

Velathri: The explorers have returned with news! After many months of journeying across hot jungles and up into eastern mountains, they have contacted men who call themselves the Aederfolk. These people live just close enough for trade to be feasible, to the east some distance, and forge impressive iron tools. They seem to be about as numerous as the Velathri, and greeted the emissaries cordially. 100 Freemen and 300 Peasants are added to the Velathrim.

by **Novas Arcanum** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 2:05 pm

Autumn and Spring Era

Flow of the Yu River

It was a strange and poetic time has the Shao Dynasty began to enter a period of great change. Though the people did not notice anything at all. Farmers tilled the land planting and harvesting crops. The Artisans forged and crafted their wares. The students would take the Civil Servant Exams and the next generation of bureaucrats would lead the Middle Kingdom to a brighter future.Change was slow and gradual like the ebb and flow of the Yu River. Still these small changes like the vibrations of the earth would lead to enormous and unforeseeable things happening in the future.

Zhai Cheng

Population: 3055(+400 Growth)

Urban District I [Granary , Spinning House,3 huts, Bloomery, Taixue, Monument, Nursery, Shrine (+3 Stability) ,Forge, Charcoal Pit],+I Flat Food Bonus |II Palisade | Aqueduct
Urban District II[Forbidden Palace(+2 Stability),Garrison, Smithy, Clinic, Hut] +I Food Bonus| Palisade
Rural District I [5 Huts, Timber Camp,7 Gardens , Galena Scrape Mine]|Watch Towers| +II Flat Food Bonus |Aqueduct
Rural District II[ Galena Scrape Mine, 4 Paddocks (Unicorn)]|Watch Towers,|+II Flat Food Bonus.
Rural District III [Farm,2 Paddocks (Unicorn)]|Watch Towers|+II Flat Food Bonus
Population Actions:
500 Scholars [Urban]| Researching [Papermaking]
300 Bureaucrats [Urban]| Enacting wise and sound government policy +III Wisdom, +III Wealth, +III Stability [XX/XX Plan of Multitudes (Wealth)].Complete.| Plan of the Fields [I/V]
100 Peasants [Rural District I]| Working hard--->[+I Labor, +XXI Food ,+I Timber(2 from Domestic Crops,5 from granary ,7 from Aqueduct). ]
400 Peasants [Rural District II] | Working long hours-->[ +III Labor [+II Forced Labor]]
100 Peasants [Riverlands]| Gathering food close to the settlement. +IV Food
100 Peasants [Rural District II]|Working long hours --->[+IV Food, +II Hides, +I Galena Ore ,+I Labor]
100 Peasants [Rural District III]| Working long hours --->[+V Food ,+I Labor(1 from domestic animal source,2 from paddocks,2 from farm), +IV Hides]
100 Peasants serving the state.
100 Freemen [Rural District I] | Learning how to move unseen and unheard +I Labor
100 Freemen [Urban District]| Are studying the philosophies of Lao and Zhao Jian in their free time +I Labor.
100 Artisans [Urban] | Crafting wares and tools at the Forge ---> -I Charcoal, -I Galena Ore +III Wealth
100 Artisans [Urban]|Crafting tools and wares at bloomery--->-I Charcoal,-I Galena Ore, +III Wealth
100 Artisans [Urban]|Crafting tools and wares->+I Wealth
100 Artisans [Urban]| Crafting tools and wares --> +I Wealth
100 Explorers | Scouting for enemy barbarians.
255 Soldiers patrolling in Zhai Cheng.
200 Straw Hats doing their thing.
100 Soldiers. Pursuing business in foreign lands.
100 Soldiers are being caparisoned for war [I/III Wealth|0/I Industry]

Miscellaneous
+II Stability from Splendid Isolation.
100 Peasants pass the Civil Servant Exams and become Bureaucrats.
100 Freemen study the Laoist Classics and become Scholars.
-6 Stability due to lack of housing
-2 from Forced Labor.
Treasury: 12-2 -10 (For projects) = 0
-III Wealth
[6/10]

Construction
Huts[III/III Labor| I/I Wealth]
Huts [III/III Labor| I/I Wealth]
Huts [III/III Labor| I/I Wealth]
Farm [0/IV Labor| I/I Wealth]
Cottages [I/V Labor| III/III Wealth|0/I Industry |II/II Timber]
Cottages[0/V Labor| III/III Wealth|0/I Industry| II/II Timber]
Cottages[0/V Labor| III/III Wealth|0/I Industry| I/II Timber]
Rural District[0/III Labor| I/I Wealth]

Economy
+II Wealth from Palace Economy.
-I Wealth from Splendid Isolation.

Stability
128

by **Pragia** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 4:22 pm

The 62nd Year of the Eleskar, the 22nd Year of Myral

Myral surveyed from atop the roof of the Grand Scriptorum complex all that she had wrought. Since she was young, she had dreamed that her people could live in lavish luxury, and now she saw her dream made manifest. Two generations of her people had risen up their edifices, working toward a future where the power of the Eleskar was reflecting the beauty of their stone homes. Accurate, square masonry constructions filled her landscape, smithy chimneys belched gentle smoke from the hearts of industry. Knowledge flowed like water readily from their neighbors, something the magi were now comfortable with adapting and learning from. Though their pre-occupation with the threat from the west was reasonable, it did limit the level of diplomatic integration the Eleskar could achieve. Their scouts had been unsuccessful in relying on guidance from their neighbors, so now it was up to the sponsorship of the magisters for the Kelskar to again venture forth.

The Grand Magister was the first in her line to engage more on the political and civil angles of their charge, as the Magisters before them led small enough groups to not need to worry about such concerns. Truly a more holistic burden was upon her than her predecessors, and her pride would be well known among the council. Though she was fast becoming a crone, she would be glad that her council was robust, innovative, and returning their focus to the works at hand. The idea of their magical power being amplified stood to be a prospect the magi would approach with pride.

by **Ingeja** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 5:16 pm

Hoinjed 11, Narjamo

The robin had been sighted by Naini's uncle last week. The deep snowdrifts of the winter had only just started to melt, and yet it was already time. Soon after the priest and the priestess had paid the ritual visit to her family's house. As soon as the clerics had crossed their threshold, she put aside her labours and received them herself. She was very excited about the whole situation. She and her husband-to-be had been selected last year at the rite of lots at midsummer. They had planned to be married after the harvest, like their friends, but they had been chosen by fate.

As required by custom, for the three days before the ritual she waited at home, and consumed only the prescribed foods. Her father collected amber from the villagers. She took great care to invoke the gods over each one, and clean it well. Her lodge was a bustling centre of industry during those days. Her younger sisters and older brother worked on the triple garland, weaving together branches of spruce, dogwood and holly into concentric wreaths.

The ritual clothing was prepared by her mother. Her mother and father had been selected for Hoinne in their youth, so she remade Naini's garment to her old pattern. Her husband-to-be's parents had also undergone the rite. She had overheard the other villagers saying how lucky they were! Naini and Komaka's marriage would be blessed she could hear them say. Indeed, it was exceedingly rare for all the parents of the celebrants to have also undergone Hoinne too.

On the Hoinneksa (eve of Hoinne), the rite began. Not long after the sun had set, Komaka, garland in hand, and his parents were outside. Komaka stepped forward, "now is time, holy wife." She replied, perfectly, "now is spring come, holy husband." And then they walked slowly and silently to Narjavod, the barrow in the sacred grove where the Narja and Vajad lay entombed. Naini and Komaka exchanged little smiles on the way, and even grazed their hands together, but little more could be said or done.

They arrived. Naini and Komaka turned to their parents, and their parents bowed to them, saying only "I await the dawn." Their parents then left them at the base of the mound. They climbed to the top silently, and that night, the priest and priestess officiated their marriage. Later, when they had been left alone, Naini looked to the stars. She could see a few constellations of spring: the she-bear, the bee, and the pike. And she could not help but feel a sense of wonder at their position. Their ancestors had travelled so long to come to this land, and now she and her husband sat on their graves. It seemed to her that they were all connected, the living and the dead, by the eternal cycle of renewal and destruction.

Tomorrow there would be a joyous celebration. And they would don their triple garlands and dance in great circles with their countrymen. They would give thanks to the gods that sustained them. And Naini and Komaka, acting as the gods themselves, would give out the gifts of amber to the people. She looked up at the moon, the goddess Muimo herself, and sent up a little prayer, for her family, for her people, for Komaka, and for their life together.

Excerpts from Cosmological Perspective of the Narjaks — Revised Third Edition

Edno, literally "old man," was the supreme god of the Narjaks. His most prominent aspect was the sky. Rain and rainbows were also associated with his godhead. Although his powers were not limited to these aspects exclusively. In myth, his will is often manifested through other natural phenomena, such as the wind, the shaking of the earth, or great beams of light. He was rarely observed, with the notable exception of the Song of Narja. In his role as father of the world, he was married to Hakvi, the earth.

The pantheon of otherworldly beings envisioned by the Narjaks, as has been demonstrated in the preceding chapter, underwent three distinct phases, which have been correlated with transitions in their society. This connection may be linked with the particular Narjak worldview...The Narjaks were like to understand their own experience as individuals and a community as intimately connected with the immanent, although unseen, beings and forces around them. In this way human and divine actions were bound together throughout the trajectory of myth-history. Nowhere is this more evident than in the story of Narja himself. Evidently a real ancestor figure, within several generations of the Narjak settlement of Narjamo he had taken on new roles: fire god, lawgiver, and community guardian. In later myths he is accompanied by his wife, Vajad, the goddess of springtime and the harvest. Which perhaps accounts for the reimagining of the Hoinne ritual.

Among ethnographers, the Hoinne ("spring-rite") is perhaps the most famous ritual of the Narjaks. It likely originated as a celebration of the marriage between Edno and Hakvi. To this identification, analagous rites have been recorded among the related peoples of the far north. With the settlement of Narjamo and the adoption of agriculture, the Hoinne took on new aspects...it came to celebrate the continuous rebirth of the earth and the community. The young couple selected to perform the rite donned tripe garlands, symbolizing their triune roles as heaven and earth, Narja and Vajad, and representatives of the community as a whole.

by **The GAmeTopians** » Mon Mar 29, 2021 8:25 am

The Republic of the Great River

Catch-up post for Turn 30, more later

by **The Knights of Azorea** » Mon Mar 29, 2021 9:26 am

Velathri, Year One After the Confusion

"This year the Velathrim celebrated many births, and many clans grew greatly in size and glory. In this year was the first sacrifice to Kaliyat, and the celebration of the first ochre-eye festival. The men of Velathri, in this year, built new dwellings upon the western hill, and planned for the settlement of a new land. The city was quiet, and the Legium resumed its session after many years of confusion. We, the daughters of Velathri, began our speaking."
Thus commence the Sayings of the City-Mothers, the first Chronicle at Velathri, recorded by the newly convening Legiatum

With the spread of the midwives art across the city, and the opening of the creche, the Velathrim blossomed and multiplied. To honour their benefactress, the temple hill of Suvae gained a new altar, and much work was undertaken to prepare the temples for a new guest. Out in the jungle, the strong young women and youths of Velathri worked for days at carving and shaping great wooden images. Dozens were carved in practice and preparation, besprinkled with the blood of the buffalo and water of the rivers. The daughter's camp where they then sat was full with the scent of roasting taro root, as woodswomen and worshippers fed their forms on buffalo crackling and marrow.

Two weeks after the election of the archons, once all the other yearly sacrifices had been undertaken, the finest image was to be brought out from the jungle edge. The goddess Kaliyat, lady of blood, birth and all the roaring of life, was well prepared in her new form. The wood was polished and smoothed. Three faces looked out from her heads, as hair of deep red heartwood wound in dozens of knots about her. One face roared with open mouth, its teeth bared like fangs. Its opposite stared stark and hard with eyes of polished black stone. The middle bore only one great eye, surrounded by three smiling mouths. Lifted on a palanquin and wrapped in a bloody buffalo hide, the lady Kaliyat was carried upon shoulders into the city. At her back went the daughters of Aqilona.

Many ash-painted widows scorned the new goddess - so wild and bellowing - but the youth of Velathri adored her, and the city had never been a stranger to new gods. The midwives had always held her in their heart - an echo, perhaps, from the endless depths of history, when the Velathrim's foremothers had first left the jungle. The old priests of the Legium had presumed this new goddess would be no different than so many other imports and adoptions - that she would arrive, settle, and be done. Once ensconced in her niche amongst the Suvae, though, the womenfolk and others did not depart and settle down. Instead, they met in the smoky little room of marble around the image of wood, and spoke.

They began to sing the history of their city, and to speak of their own matters. The Legium, college of priests, then, was joined by the Legiatum - the college of priestesses.

by **The GAmeTopians** » Mon Mar 29, 2021 11:45 am

The Republic of the Great River

Foreman's Office

"Boss, the Archon sent a missive."
The sturdy door groaned open, joints creaking with every inch. The youthful face of one of the workers peeked through the gap.
"They managed to requisition enough stone to cover the entire wall expansion from the Machaka - struck a loan in exchange for copper shipments, apparently."
He tossed a scroll over the cluttered desk to his grizzled superior, who caught it with ease, only to quietly begin scanning the contents. The young workman stood awkwardly, not having been dismissed but unsure of what to do. He spent a few moments glancing at the myriad parchments, blueprints, and miniature models that lay scattered all across the office - it was an impressive sight, given how expensive each one would be amongst the general public. He received a fair wage, to be sure, but nevertheless.
"Excellent. Good work, Cal. Back to work you go - oh, and tell the messenger to the timber sites to wait up, I'm heading over there for an inspection."
"Yessir."

Scholars' Quarter

Parchment, parchment everywhere! Schematics and plans, analyses and treatises. Enlightened neighbors to the south, the Corvidians, had come bearing knowledge - technical marvels of transportation. With their help, the reach of the River's Jewel would expand - and so too its opportunities.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Mon Mar 29, 2021 1:34 pm

Deepkin

Chambers of Satin, The Grand Souk, Stalheim
First of Sunsheight, Year Twohundred Sixtytwo of the Reckoning

The young man was in a good mood, his belt pouch not full, but very nearly so, and his time his own for the first day in nearly three months. He whistled a roguish air from the docks in the City of Bells as he strode along the neat cobbled streets of Stalheim, taking in the views of the sister city to his homeland. Men and women gave him room as he passed, though not too much - it was too crowded to do otherwise, even for an Initiate, and the press of humanity was only growing greater as he approached his destination.

Stalheim's old city wasn't, by the standards of cities, really that old. The other settlement had been established not long after Kharbarinth, but only really taken off after the art of smelting the endless supply of iron from the fallen stars that littered the region had been discovered by one of the founding fathers. The demand for that most vital of resources though, more available than bronze and simpler to obtain, and swiftly swollen the coffers of the lord of the city, and in many ways Stalheim was the more vibrant heart of the Deepkin these days. Though Kharbarinth boasted a greater sprawl and older families, the streets of Stalheim were straight, and her people lived well.

Of course that was the reason Tobias was here. His master, a mage of the Verdant Order, was seeing to the seed stocks of some of the outlying farms - strengthening the soil with runes of warding and power, and speaking words of sustaining over their next crops, to shield them against drought or disease. It was a necessary part of his training, and even more necessary for the hundreds who relied on those acres of barley, maize, and more for their bellies to be full. Tobias had been involved in the process, cutting the runes in burnished copper from dawn until he couldn't see his hands for dark, but finally his master had given him leave to see more of the city and recuperate.

Just as well. His eyes were still a bit blurry from concentrating for hours on the minutiae of force-lines and chiseling tools, each stroke carefully aligned to bend the pattern of the Father's world to the needs of his sons. It was time to take in the pleasures of the Grand Souk, the curtained pavilions and fabled riches, and put aside the work of rigor and spell for a time.

He displayed his hands openly as the entrance of the Souk came into view. Hard men with eagle-sharp eyes glanced at him, then his hands, then up again. No few of the people that were trying to edge into the Souk had their hands hidden, and others with brands carved into the web between thumb and forefinger squatted or stood with foul expressions in nearby cages. Part of the reason the Souk flourished here was that the Warden and his ancestors had had no time for crime or petty theft within the boundaries of their domain. Caught once, a brand and a month of labor in the mines. Caught twice, a second brand on the other hand and a year. Caught the third time stealing, and you probably wouldn't see the light of day again. It was possible to survive ten years in the mines - the overseers had no reason to intentionally butcher prisoners - but the hard labor used up a body even with the best intentions. Ten years, and you wouldn't be much of a thief after that, even if you did come back to the trade.

The initiate, being from a good family and having grown up without want, didn't have any such brands. His green-trimmed robe with cream insets marked him out as being from privilege more than any clean hands could have done, though strictly speaking his own fingernails were black with dirt - he hadn't taken the time to bathe after coming in from the fields, for the Souk closed not long before nightfall. Grinning, and fingering that not-quite-full beltpouch, Tobias disappeared into the perfumed satin corridors of the Grand Souk.

by **Ralnis** » Tue Mar 30, 2021 5:39 am

by **Olthenia** » Tue Mar 30, 2021 1:16 pm

The Vale of Ustar, Sorrowfree
Thirtieth day of the Arc of Good Words, 262nd year of the Star-Count.

The heat of the afternoon sun shimmered across Hammer Hill. One of the lesser hills that crowded the base of the Vale of Ustar – its sides were a warren of streets and byways, artisan-closures and maker’s yards. Here scents of wood and leather mingled with ash and glue from forges and modest workshops – for the people who called Hammer Hill their home were some of Sorrowfree’s most industrious lot – happy at their crafts, and righteously proud to boot. Their homes lay almost as high above the valley floor as the Moon-Speaker’s Hill too; which meant they were usually safe from the rucks of its Speaker’s Platform. Which, today of all days, was probably a blessing – even more so than usually – for the discord on that most hallowed of Sorrowfree’s hilly dells was tumultuous indeed.

“Nothing is happening anymore!” belted Zora mo Leyn, a tall priestess with a particularly hawkish nose – her dark eyes ringed with khol. “Ours is a city, and a people, bereft of meaning and direction!”

Was she right, though? The crowd gathered to hear Zora’s harangue was by no means a generous one. Which, to be fair, wasn’t entirely Zora’s fault. At this time of day, most of the Vale of Ustar’s children with idle time on their hands made their merry way down to the bottom of the Vale – not up to the Speaker’s Platform – to lounge in the shade of painted parasols and perhaps catch a camel-race. But the crowd was hardly negligent for all that – and to be sure? – there were even those that listened. “Hear, hear!” called a wrinkly old forge-mother, and nodded discreetly at her brood of children and attendants who had followed her to the field. Those of them not busy holding the poles of her painted palanquin dutifully joined their voices to hers. “Hear, hear!” And Zora, priestess and demagogue, smiled to herself and carried on.

For she had a point, it was felt. A point beyond the entertainment value of a speaker who spoke for a cause she believed in. Sorrowfree was stagnant. Not in the loins of her sons or the sizes of her families, perhaps – this was true – but in other, more important ways. Tales of new lands beyond the western mountains had seized the dreams of many in Sorrowfree. What dreams could Khortuun children pursue there? What riches could they find? What dangers could the encounter? To be sure, there were still many of those who remembered the furore and misery caused by the loss of that one expedition some years ago. Had giants truly taken them? Had rock-beasts tore them to shreds, or cursed winds disappeared them from the face of the Earth? In the end, none could say – and perhaps that was why the West so enticed Sorrowfree’s people.

If you didn’t know what was out there – anything was possible. After all, as a wise mother’s saying had it: “The camel you can’t see is always prettier than the one in front of you.” To be fair, perhaps this said more about the Khortuun’s view of their beloved camels – but still. The point was made.

Of course, there were also those in Sorrowfree who scarcely offered the Western lands a thought at all. They were more concerned with other, more mundane things. Like, for instance, the insufferable debacle of poor Sorrowfree’s love-affair with flax. The ‘vile weed’, as some mothers called it, had been touted in some circles as Sorrowfree’s next ‘big thing’ – a source of wealth, untapped and unharvested, by any other people. If only its fibers could be tamed – if only a safe and certain way of straining them into a weave of some sort could be found? Why, then all of Sorrowfree would be wealthier for it. Rich, some even said, as Corvidians!

“No, really! It’s true! We shall have more wealth than even the priestesses can spend! Mark my words!” Moras mo Tarkah, a mother who once owned half a flax-plantation, had all but boasted to her would-be investors. Of course, the fates had rewarded poor Moras with the scorn due to all braggarts. For although a cabal of Sorrowfree’s priestesses had spent great wealth and much labour on directing the clearing of plantation of the vile, blue flower in expectation of the wealth they’d receive – well. That was years ago now. And despite many years of trial and failure, sweat and much toil, not a clever artisan in all the city had quite developed a proper way of weaving flax-fibers into useable cloth. Poor Moras mo Tarkah, who had been a trusted merchant-mother and plantation owner, had so indebted herself that her standing completely crumbled. No priestess would lend from her now, it was said – and none but tanners and camel-drivers would ever stop by her humble hut on the Lane of Lenders. Her luck, it would seem, had surely wilted.

But so what? The world still turned, and as the Khortuun’s beloved priestesses still assured them – the Mother-Moon still watched over her children. One thing, however, was certain: Something had to give. “Either we find a way to weave these accursed plants!”, grey-haired Sibyl mo Hellac drawled – “or to heck with it! To heck with it all!” It was one thing to pursue a craft to perfection, and stick with a goal until you reached it – but on the other hand. If you discovered that what you’d tried to weave was, in fact, just moonlight? Well, goodness gracious. Sooner or later, the wisest move was to just give up. Right?

“Nothing is happening anymore!” Zora mo Leyn belted. “The fates of our sons and daughters have grown stagnant and pale! We NEED to head west, beyond the mountains! To found new homes for ourselves, and raise new halls for our children!”
Heh. New halls, Zora? Truly? Well, why not.

Surely, no matter the direction, the Mother-Moon still watched over her children. Surely?

by **Lazarian** » Tue Mar 30, 2021 4:34 pm

Corvus, Year 62 of Destiny's Awakening

The Outskirts of the Plains, Beyond Corvus
Seventh of Harvesttime

"Faster, faster!" shouted Cajen Stonefist gleefully over the din, as the wheels whirred and dust was torn up in their wake. The wind tousled his long hair behind him, tossing his braids this way and that. As they flew through the outskirts, his white-knuckled hands squeezed the reins tightly, gripping onto them with adrenaline and excitement. The camels brayed in reply as they ran in their strange swaying gait, and the cart bounced and rolled behind them, cutting a swathe through the vast fields of long grass that surrounded their blessed hill-city.

"Careful, Cajen!" snapped his older brother, Joran Stonefist, his bow shaking in his hands. "Don't push it!"

As they approached their enemy, Joran pulled back his mighty bow of horn and wood, and let loose - a deadly shot. It missed thoroughly, skittering off a rock and embedding itself in a patch of dirt. He cursed, clenching his fist as they blew past their adversary. All around them, the fourty-nine other chariots sped, leaving trails of dust in their wake as their archers launched a deadly cavalcade.

Who were these foes, one might ask?

Scattered throughout the field were makeshift targets, leather hides painted with white circles and stretched on cheap frames. Some even had names painted on them, a mocking joke by soldiers. "Beast" said one. "Yama" said another. "Mother In Law" said a third. After the volley of arrows, a few stood pierced - most, however, had missed. The captain blew his horn, and the chariots slowly were steered into a halt.

In the last year, the Council had purchased camels from Sorrowfree, learning the secrets of the kin-beasts of the Sisters of the White Wastes. However, despite several months of acclimation to the plains of the Four, they were clearly not kin-spirits with the Corvidians. Despite their best efforts, the bravest of the Wolvegard had only gained bruises and lumps from the attempts to ride them.

However, a clever Spirit-Guide from the Dreamweavers had a spark set off in his mind by the Aspect of the Youth. He had come to the Pacate Captains with a proposal: a cart, pulled by these creatures, would perhaps be more easily controlled. Some of the richest herders had begun to ride in wheeled sleds, pulled by teams of wolfhounds from the rural outskirts to the city. Though these were not suitable for long travel or military usage, the idea had great merit. The Council approved of the government decree, and sponsors and benefactors were sought out to fund the project.

There were many rich men in Corvus these days. The prolonged prosperity of the city had lofted many men into the cushion of plenty. Herd Patriarchs of hundreds of bleating goats and many-colored tents, Guildmaster Smiths adorned with heavy garments of woven leather and Soulstone beads, Tanner Lords with vast rural estates. And it turned out, once the souls of men had every physical satisfaction filled...they turned to other wants. The wants of the soul, rather than the wants of the flesh. Glory, acclaim, reputation - these were the new riches to be chased after.

Many of these wealthy men eagerly sponsored projects, seeking the recognition and triumph over their peers. Some hosted vast and lavish feasts for the masses, others erected homes for cripples, some inscribed their visages into large stones to be placed in the front of their homes. And many worked closely with the Council of the City's Soul - after all, funding a project decreed by the government was a quick way to raise ones status. For example, the Jaerron Aqueduct, which stretched from the mountains to the East to the city - a magnificent edifice which carried fresh water from the snowy peaks to the wells and pools of the city.

A collection of smiths and carpenters guildsmen had eagerly submitted their time and energy to the wheeled carts, quickly hammering the spokes and hubs and frames into shape. 'Swiftstriders', they called them - for they were swifter than the fastest wolves, faster even than a panicked gazelle. The soldiers had debated the best use of these for many months, but after hours and hours of practice, their murky confusion had begun to wash away.

"Let's give it another go, brothers! Spirits with us!" shouted the Pacate, and the wheels whirred to life once more.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:47 am

Machaka - Turn 31

by **The National Dominion of Hungary** » Wed Mar 31, 2021 12:53 pm

The Land of Penithel

Excerpt from 'Social Bonds in Ancient Penithel'.

The Pennethelli through most of ancient history viewed the genders as being different but also inseparable. Despite the external appearance of masculine dominance with men on most of the higher positions of power, women maintained strong social positions and personal equality. All adult women had the same right to speak and be heard as a man when petitioning the King or the local Lord. Gender roles are divided and relatively typical. Thus plowing, crafting, building, hunting, sailing and smithing were considered to be masculine tasks, while cooking, sewing, weaving, and household management were considered to be feminine tasks. Men performed most jobs requiring heavy physical work, save for the perennial need for all capable hands to help bring in the harvest. Women however cared for the crops as they grew, while men worked in other areas between sowing and harvesting. Women managed the domestic economy of the hearth and household, negotiated marriages, and reared the children which was a shared task of the household with women from the extended family under the same roof helping and freeing up others to work different tasks. All Pennethelli men were expected to protect women, especially the women of their extended Household.

In the writs of neighboring cultures, Pennethelli men tended to often be described as feisty, unpredictable, and passionate while Pennethelli women were seen as being cool, calculating, and self-possessed. Emotional expression, while not particularly frowned upon or particularly encouraged with either gender was seemingly more common among men, who "habitually" according to some ancient writers and chroniclers often burst into rage, grief, happiness, fervor, or gloom. The Pennethelli frowned upon individuals choosing the alternative gender role but there are recorded instances of people choosing to "live as the other". This was seemingly largely a religiously motivated occurrance, with men choosing to discover the world of feminine spirits and deities and vice-versa. If the person was unmarried, they would mostly do this at the temple of the deity whose mysteries and doctrines they wished to learn was worshipped, they would dress as the opposite gender and preform the roles of that gender in their daily lives in the Household while not at the temple.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Wed Mar 31, 2021 3:40 pm

Year 262 of the Reckoning

Turn 31

Zhai Cheng: With pounding and beating and pulping and bleaching the first sheets of fine thin books are produced, Papermaking now the province of the Shao. In this expanded literature is an opportunity for spreading knowledge only the bureaucrats had previously enjoyed, a golden time for the Dynasty. The scouts have finally found success - exploring far out into the gasping deserts of the south, southwest of southwest of mighty Zhai Cheng, they stumble upon a fortified encampment of savages. The enemy is mainly, and rides upon powerful beasts, no doubt the source of the raids which has plagued the Shao. There is more to be thankful for this year, however. The examinations have turned out a particularly brilliant crop of bureaucrats, whose knowledge of the natural world is unparalleled. They speak of the energy that imbues all living things, and means of harvesting this power. The School of Electromancy has been discovered.

Eleskar: Good news. Wild men out of the east have stopped by the city, and awed by displays of arcane might, given tribute to the magi of Eleskar. They present the warriors of the city with fifty fine chariots, cut of clever timbers and born on cunning wheels, impressive machines of war, as a troth of friendship with the magi.

Narjamo: The gods bless the people of the Hearth with knowledge - of the seeds of the mighty maize, how it grows, how it flourishes, and soon small stands of this nutritious crop are to be found near the homes of many of the people. Fields, sufficient to feed a prosperous city, must certainly not be far behind.

Rivermouth: Word has not returned from those emissaries dispatched southward - an ill omen, if ever there was one.

Kharbarinth: The theoretical art of sieging a city is now less theoretical than it was, the magisters and battle-lords of the Warrens and the City of Bells devising devices that could be used to lay low even the mighty fortifications which defend the homelands of the Deepkin. The world is wide, and as the fortunes of the sons of the Father reach from shore to shore, men must pay more attention to strength of arms that would be otherwise desired. The mighty beast, the bison, will bow its hooves to the scholars of the fair city as well, ancient food source now trammeled into mighty herds that may feed hundreds with ease.

Warclyfe: Through complicated secrets and the addition of much teslanite to the shrines of the Lightning Lord, or rather the re-alignment of the old, much of the arcane power utilized in the attunement rituals may be recaptured, and the Lightning Loop feed the power back into the shrine itself. Through this secret the creation of Teslanite, the God-Metal, will be much streamlined.

Sorrowfree: A secret, a mystery, a hope awaited but now achieved - those who scoffed at the lovers of flax are now humbled, the eponymous fibers of the blue flowers at last extracted and woven into fine, cool, beautiful linen, as white as the hair of the Mother Moon. This fabric will fetch princely sums, and now those who laughed at the entrepreneurs and their persistent spirit laugh from the other side of their mouths. The explorers sent far to the west return with news of a distant green country, as much tree as land it almost seems. Endless forests stretch into this distance, as far as the eye can see in all directions. Great wolves with dappled pelts of mud and green hunt amidst the trees there, each large enough for a man to almost ride, and native copper, gleaming and of great value, studs the soil. Moreover immense outcroppings of stone, as black as the ink of midnight, rise from the forest, sheer pillars where only the eagles or Mother Moon might tread.

The report from the women sent west and west and west then north is much the same - a sea of trees, as great as the Gasping Dust is a sea of sand. Where they walked these giant wolves were to be seen as well, alongside cool pools where orange fish teemed, and bright red gemstones peaked from beneath the roots of trees. On all sides the forest continued, as silent as old as the ages of the world.

Machaka: Foul news this year. A disease has been moving through the ranks of the God-Spiders, a wasting sickness which reduces their impressive animal intelligence to little more than that of a common beast. Four of the God-Spiders have deserted the defense force of the city, and God-Spiders will be 50% more expensive to recruit for the next four years.

Avnelin: There is ill news. Some of the peasants, a hundred souls, dispatched to the wide flatlands to harvest the bounty of the River's King, have failed to return. Scouts send to determine their fates find some slain in the wilds, and the tracks of others marching northwards with the footfalls of many other men...

by **Novas Arcanum** » Wed Mar 31, 2021 4:35 pm

Jade Tower

The men and women passing by on the bustling streets of Zhai Cheng would bow and make gestures of good fortune in the direction where the Jade Tower was being built. The multi storied wooden tower would rise like a sacred mountain to Heaven itself. The Jade Tower would house many sacred texts and relics of the ancient daoist philosophy and be a place of peaceful contemplation and serenity.

Ping would open the wooden sliding door and see his master Zheng kneeling in front of a pot of tea on top of the wooden wall was a iron sword on display. Ping would bow low has was Huang custom has the Shao did not shake hands when greeting others like in other cultures and would kneel in front of his master.

"Greetings Ping would you like a cup of tea? " Zheng would ask in a kind voice.

Ping would reach into the sleeve of his blue silk robe and hand a scroll of paper to Zheng. Has Zheng read the characters his eyes would widen has the implications of what he was reading became known to him.Zheng would get up and gesture Ping to follow him.

"Come we have business to attend to in Zhai Cheng" Zheng would say to the young man and the both of them would get on their unicorn steeds riding swiftly at speeds faster then wind itself to the ancient city.

Zhai Cheng

Population: 3055(+400 Growth)

Urban District I [Granary , Spinning House,3 huts, Bloomery, Taixue, Monument, Nursery, Shrine (+3 Stability) ,Forge, Charcoal Pit],+I Flat Food Bonus |II Palisade | Aqueduct
Urban District II[Forbidden Palace(+2 Stability),Garrison, Smithy, Clinic, 4 Huts] +I Food Bonus| Palisade
Rural District I [5 Huts, Timber Camp,7 Gardens , Galena Scrape Mine]|Watch Towers| +II Flat Food Bonus |Aqueduct
Rural District II[ Galena Scrape Mine, 4 Paddocks (Unicorn)]|Watch Towers,|+II Flat Food Bonus.
Rural District III [Farm,2 Paddocks (Unicorn)]|Watch Towers|+II Flat Food Bonus
Population Actions:
500 Scholars [Urban]| Researching how to ride the heavenly steeds from the Niari [Unicorn-Riding [5/5] ]
100 [Urban] |Scholars researching how to effectively ride the heavenly steeds [Saddle]
400 Bureaucrats [Urban]| Enacting wise and sound government policy +IV Wisdom, +IV Wealth, +IV Stability Plan of the Fields [V/V].Complete.
100 Peasants [Rural District I]| Working hard--->[+I Labor, +XXI Food ,+I Timber(2 from Domestic Crops,5 from granary ,7 from Aqueduct). ]
400 Peasants [Rural District II] | Working long hours-->[ +IV Labor ]
100 Peasants [Riverlands]| Gathering food close to the settlement. +IV Food, +I Labor.
100 Peasants [Rural District II]|Working long hours --->[+IV Food, +II Hides, +I Galena Ore ,+I Labor]
100 Peasants [Rural District III]| Working long hours --->[+IV Hides ,+V Food ,+I Labor(1 from domestic animal source,2 from paddocks,2 from farm)]
100 Peasants serving the state. +I Labor
100 Freemen [Rural District I] | Learning how to move unseen and unheard +I Labor
100 Artisans [Urban] | Crafting wares and tools at the Forge ---> -I Charcoal, -I Galena Ore +III Wealth
100 Artisans [Urban]|Crafting tools and wares at bloomery--->-I Charcoal,-I Galena Ore, +III Wealth
100 Artisans [Urban]|Crafting tools and wares at Smithy->+I Wealth,-I Wealth, +II Industry
100 Artisans [Urban]| Crafting tools and wares --> +I Wealth
100 Explorers |Gathering hematite
155 [Iron Armor, Iron Weapons ,Composite Bows] Soldiers are escorting the Explorers
200 Soldiers patrolling in Zhai Cheng.
100 Straw Hats doing their thing.
100 Soldiers. Pursuing business in foreign lands.
100 Soldiers are being caparisoned for war [I/III Wealth|0/I Industry]

Miscellaneous
+III Wealth from Plan of Multitudes (Wealth) [1/10]
+II Stability from Splendid Isolation.
100 Freemen study the Laoist Classics and become Scholars.
-III Wealth
[7/10]

Construction
Jade Tower[0/VII Labor| VII/VII Wealth|0/III Industry|0/III Timber]
Farm [0/IV Labor| I/I Wealth]
Cottages [V/V Labor| III/III Wealth| I/I Industry |II/II Timber].Complete.
Cottages[V/V Labor| III/III Wealth| I/I Industry| II/II Timber].Complete.
Cottages[I/V Labor| III/III Wealth|0/I Industry| I/II Timber]
Guozijian [Labor I/I |Wealth V/V| Industry 0/ III]
Rural District[0/III Labor| I/I Wealth]

Economy
+II Wealth from Palace Economy.
-I Wealth from Splendid Isolation.

Stability
138

by **Lazarian** » Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:16 pm

Corvus, Year 264 of Destiny's Awakening

GODFIST

ᴅᴇғɪʟᴇʀ ᴏғ ᴡᴀʟʟs

ʜᴜʀʟᴇʀ ᴏғ sᴛᴏɴᴇs

Vᴇɴɴᴏɴ's sʟɪɴɢ

ᴍɪɢʜᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀᴠᴇɴs.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Thu Apr 01, 2021 6:03 am

Machaka - Turn 32

by **Pragia** » Thu Apr 01, 2021 9:36 am

The 64th Year of the Eleskar, the 24th Year of Myral

The dirt paths of the Eleskar would be a haze of dust as the gifts of the Etlikar, the name given to the wild mens of the east, named so for the gifts that they left. The chariots, drawn by horses, were exceptional in craftsmenship and innovativeness. The idea of circles and their power had been posited by the earliest Eleskar explorations of Machakan mathematics, the notion of rotation was now one of increased scrutiny. The beasts that drew these mighty chariots were swift, their carts made with woodwork far beyond the abilities of the magi. It would be granted first to the Council, but they would eschew their use, as they were not particularly comfortable to ride around the now-growing city in. However, the growing soldiery saw massive potential and prestige in mastering these new devices. They were enamored by the extra mobility such things could provide, and their stability in motion lent them excellently to the established culture of bowmanship among the Eleskar's warriors. Though their mobility was limited in the forests around the city of magi, they now had a force which could travel great distances.

The Etlikar who provided these things would not be enticed to live among the Eleskar proper, something which disappointed the Grand Magister, but was understood. The notion of men to the east was one that made the Eleskar wish to seek them out, for their benevolence has engendered a great appreciation from the magi. There were truly many peoples in this world, and the expansion of the cadres of the Kelskar would be critical to discovering and learning from them. TheAnd rugged scouts would soon return from their second great expedition, hopefully with word of peoples unheard of before.

by **Ingeja** » Thu Apr 01, 2021 12:56 pm

Jumanjed 9:ske, Narjamo

Komaka could feel the redness in his face. Although they had only danced under the moon's waxing glow, the heat from the blaze had left what felt like a sunburn on his pale cheeks and nose. He would feel it tomorrow, but probably no longer than that. No matter, it had been a long winter, and a windy spring, and anything was better than being cold at this point. He had spent the past hour dancing around the bonfire to the choirs of his kinsfolk: to the sounds of voice, harp, flute, rattle and drum. He was joined by the other young men of Narjamo. From his family were his two brothers by blood and by marriage, and he even pulled his young son onto his shoulders for one of the sets. They all wore the furs of beasts, and were crowned by garlands of birch. A young priest lead the men in their dance, while a young priestess lead the people in their hymns.

The whole tribe surrounded the bonfire. Out in the crowd he could see Naini and their two young children: Komakala their son, and Vonisi, their daughter. The festival was being held in the rural lands just outside the village. The priest and priestess had carried the sacred flame from the hearth on Narjavod to the small field which the villagers had spent the past fall clearing for their new crop. The wisemen and women had been studying this wild plant, maisa (maize), for many years. Maisa was said to be the son of Vajad, goddess of the spring, and she had given him to the Narjakki to sustain them. They had spent the past year preparing for the planting of the maize, which was to take place soon.

The festival itself, Vajadene, was an old one, but the priests had modified it this year to include the new celebration of Maisane. Typically, Vajadene was celebrated at Narjavod. After consulting the necessary signs and determining it was permitted to modify the rite, they had raised an oaken pole on the field, and decorated it with gifts for the gods. The raising of the pole had been that morning, and at night they built a pyre around the pole and lit it ablaze. Tomorrow when the Narjakki awoke, the flame would be gone, but the ash would remain. They would sprinkle the soot lightly over the field, and the gods of spring would bless their crops, or so they hoped.

As the dancing and music finished, Komaka thought back to his marriage, which was a little over two years ago. Their Hoinne had been a success, and the gods truly smiled upon them. They had been blessed by a son soon after, a daughter a year later, and another one was on the way. He continued to work collecting amber and fish on the seashore. And Naini was one of the women who had spearheaded the cultivation of maize. She was eager to begin planting it. As was typical for the Narjakki, Komaka and Naini shared their parenting duties with their families. As was custom, they were housed near his parent's hall.

But when he was alone on the seashore, he often found himself wondering what lay beyond the vast and open sea, and what lay beyond their wooded homeland. His ancestors had been great wanderers. The Narjakki of old were a ragged band who had fled the now distant northern wastes. And he felt, and sometimes feared, that he retained some of that spirit within him. There were others like him in the community, but many of the Narjakki felt that the gods would bring whatever was necessary to Narjamo's peaceful bounds. He was unsure of where he stood on this, but he knew that sometimes his mind went beyond the seas to faraway peoples. They had heard tales of great villages set on lonely plains, and Komaka hungered to know more.

Jumanjed 10:ske, Narjamo

The next morning Komaka arose before his family. Their hut was small, so the children shared sleeping furs with him and Naini. He looked at Komakala, his name meaning given to Komaka, and wondered what sort of world he would inherit. Narjamo was a small place, and one that did not differ much from his own boyhood. But he felt that things would begin to change, quickly, and that this new crop, maize, would be the prime mover of Narjamo from now on. He thought to the future, past his own death and burial, and wondered what Narjamo would be like when Komakala was an old man, and if he would even recognize it.

Turning away from his sleeping family, he grabbed his hide bags and fastened them to his work garment. He would fill them with amber, molluscs, crustaceans and shells - the gifts of Nertosi, the goddess of the sea. He made his way down to the strand. The Narjakki loved to bathe in the warm waters of the morning. The old women said it kept the skin and hair healthy, and the bones and nerves strong. Hopefully it would help him with his face, it still felt hot from last night.

As the sun rose over the tranquil sea, he could see some of his countrymen bathing beside the half-done docks. He preferred to bathe a bit farther down the coast, at a rocky little beach. He was the first one there. His friends usually arrived just after him anyways. The water was cool, and as he waded out away from shore he sung out a little hymn, giving thanks to Nertosi for the bounty of her ocean.

by **The National Dominion of Hungary** » Thu Apr 01, 2021 1:20 pm

The Land of Penithel

Excerpt from 'History of Penithel - First Kingdom Era'.

The advent of the Pennethelli Glyph alphabet sparked great change in ancient pennethelli society in a short span of time, firmly transitioning from the Proto-Royal to the First Kingdom Period. It is known that soon after the development of the glyph alphabet, the priestly elites produced a great number of works on governance and theology, these works served to significantly develop the previous governance of the Kingdom, instead of what could simply be describe as a late tribal despotism, a new framework based on an officiallized hereditary monarchy arose. The traditional supremacy of the Blue Priesthood of the River-Father underwent a period of renewal and transition. While tolerated and openly practiced for decades. The religion of the Black Kings of the Hesukar which had spread to Penithel in the late Proto-Royal Period quickly gained a powerful following and thus was soon led by a powerful priesthood in it's own right. The marriage of King Minaan to the daughter of the highest Blood Priest of Penithel is recognized by most historians as the time when the Proto-Royal ended and the First Dynasty of the First Kingdom began it's reign. The priestly elite, both the Blue and Red priesthoods evolved into what can only be described as a philosopher-nobility. Instead of developing into a landowning warrior-elite, the Pennethelli nobility competed for prestige by creating the most moving pieces of music, writing the most contemplative poetry and writing works on governance, religion and philosophy.

Valuing the pen above the sword, the culture of Pennethelli nobility during Antiquity reflected it's evolution out of a previous clerical elite class. Their role was a combination of spiritual and political command, military glories were not highly regarded among the aristocratic class and they rarely took to the field in person. That being said, they did still develop a particular style of fencing during the First Kingdom Period which was widely practiced until sweeping changes in Pennethelli society centuries later in the Third Kingdom Period at the end of Antiquity. This martial art used iron swords and was recorded by contemporary observers who were of foreign origin, and thus unlike the Pennethelli nobles did not praise themselves overly, as being a method heads of Noble Houses typically used to settle disputes between their Houses either themselves or with chosen champions in highly stylized, most often bloodless duels that apparently looked much more like some form of coordinated co-meditation than combat. In the hands of a Pennethelli aristocrat, the iron blade was used in elegant sweeping movements.

by **G-Tech Corporation** » Fri Apr 02, 2021 7:17 am

Deepkin

Plains of Stone, Stalheim
Third of Neap Tide, Year Twohundred Sixtyfour of the Reckoning

The machine looks flimsy in the distance, though intrinsically the Artificer knew they had bound it with iron and chosen only the finest black pines from the White Hills for her construction. Perhaps it was the hollow nature of her fabrication, perhaps the new and untested synchrony of the arts used to devised her. But the figures checked out. The congruency was calculated. And so he merely nodded when his second asked if they were ready.

An arrow arced upwards in the clear blue sky, twinkling with incendiary character. A poor signal for the light of day under normal circumstances, but sufficient when men watch for her. In the distance figures moved about the machine, and then it shuddered - almost imperceptibly at this distance.

Near at hand, a dozen spans distant, a whizzing ball of forged iron crashed into the stone barricade with a loud boom. Some men flinched away from the impact, though they had been informed of what the results of the machine's use would be. A minute passed, during which the artificer allowed the dust to settle, and ensured the crew of the weapon were doing as they had been instructed - one shot, time to inspect, no more. It would not do to have notables of the Great Houses maimed by splinters of rock at the trial of his opus.

Then the party of military men, nobles, artisans, and enchanters trudged over to inspect the damage. In truth, it was light, less than the Artificer had hoped for. But he kept his misgivings quiet, and the rest of the party seemed content to shower him with praise. It was in many ways an acceptable outcome. The stone where the weapon had impacted had shattered through, an impact which would otherwise be quite difficult to contrive, and the damage had been inflicted at a range where an enemy would be hard-pressed to answer. This was the answer the Great Houses had been looking for.

A preventative measure. The world was vast. The conquest of Kar Agala had proceeded, upon introspection, mostly as it had because the people there had lacked static defenses to allow them to rally their forces to resist the armies of the Deepkin. If it had been otherwise, it would have been a bloody matter, to storm the city. The manuballistari, the siege engines the Artificer had devised, would resettle this calculus in favor of the Guard and her soldiers. If ever such a calculus needed recalculation, a fact which the Artificer, and the sons of the scions of Government Hill, did not doubt.

A wide world. Surely out there, somewhere, men would need to be subdued and introduced to the proper order of creation. And so the manuballistari were created, and their addition to the armies of the Deepkin approved.

by **Ralnis** » Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:19 am

Warcyfle,
Island of Lo

Grum had finally had a head full of salt-and-pepper hair. His body getting weaker but he had another successor to the throne. His time in this world was getting ahead of him but he needed to see the new Explorartor Caste. The newly minted forces even had came up with something the Sons haven't had in over their entire civilization, a true flag.

Most of the designs were that of colors. Indigo, green and purple were on their ships for identification. Now this new symbol was approved by the council. Grum himself was more than happy to see it painted on the galley they were using. This was supposed to be a long expedition, one to find a settlement that they can contact beyond the region. Some wanted trade, others wanted to conquer. All needed exploration.

The chieftain knew that his people were advanced enough for the sake of meeting any new threat outside of the Ithoi. With the rising of the tall ships and even larger than those. They were being able to be built faster than before and the large three-decked warship was a mighty beast in of itself. This also marked on the streamline process of forging new Teslanite. This boon was marked by the magic only needing half the time to craft the God-Metal. The power of such a thing was considered revolutionary to the Warcyfle and was the reason that Grum had decided to choose a successor from the scholars because of this.

However before he is sent to the Clouds with Tes'la, he needed to improve the situation of the government. The idea of the rich merchants, landowners and artisans helped bring the economy of the island beyond what they had before. The very idea that they were still underdeveloped had not gone unnoticed by the Chieftain and he sent his scholars to get to work on improving the idea of the council. He needed this since the Council would be holding more power than the Chieftain in the grand scheme of things. He could tell and was happy for it in some way for he did not want another Gu or a younger him rising anymore.

Should the Storm Father give them something beyond the island like Gu wished then so be it. However it will come from the use of a developed government that can handle the burdens of conquering and vassaling different peoples. Making sure that the glory of Tes'la is shown to be better than their heathen gods and they will see the error of their savage ways. One day they will see to the kneeling of the Ithoi and the vassalizing of the Aun'kal if possible. But Grum knows better than that.

However all begins with a solid government.

A Different World: The Noble Cities [IC|Closed]

Who is online