The Wordbuilding Thread of the Pretty Okay Company RP
An Ayreonia Roleplay
The Pretty Okay Company RP:
In-Character Thread | Out-of-Character Thread
*Note: POC is now semi-closed due to the flood of apps for certain positions that have been filled. If interested, inquire via telegram and I'll check what's open. If we get enough requests for different roles, we'll found a new squad. So don't be shy to ask!
Beset by war, the nations of Antediluvia and Precambria had been at each other's throats for as long as anybody could remember. What had started the conflict, nobody knew or really cared. It was almost like an annual sports event. The winters on the continent of Supercentennaria were brutally cold and long, which forced all military operations to halt. It was an unwritten rule that nobody fought in the winter. There were tales of a Precambrian general who had ordered his division to attack after the snows fell, and as a result he was murdered by his own men. True or not, it wasn't far-fetched. But as soon as the snows melted and you could take a piss outside without your dick freezing off, the Antediluvians hopped onto their IFVs and half-tracks, and the Precambrians rode out on theirs to meet them. The frontlines had not changed significantly for thirty years.
You are a soldier of the Antediluvian Armed Forces, Central Army Group, 2nd Army, 4th "the fucking Fourth" Armored Division, 1st Brigade, Mechanized Battalion, 2nd Mech. Infantry Company, callsign "Werebear". You were conscripted one to four years ago, some of your unit you know from wintertime (during which you have a regular civilian job. Or not. Depends on you), while others are new faces. You might have seen some combat, but the Fucking Fourth aren't yet considered to be a crack unit.
The 4th Armored in its current state has been deployed for seven months now, which is an unusually long time. Autumn is in full swing, which in the Great Forest means lots of rain, warm and humid days and freezing nights. There has been talk of thedibision spending the winter on the front or even advancing, since they have made an unusually successful push deep into Precambrian territory. This has resulted in mixed feelings from the troops: some are upset that they won't be pulled back and will freeze to death in the woods, while some are hopeful that their success means that Antediluvia is winning the war.
by Ayreonia
"Rialtum. Well, it's bigger than this place. It's not bad to look at - no smokestacks filling the air with smog, like in some areas of Oorburg. Lots of brick buildings, lots of metal. It's a port, and you can walk down the waterfront where these huge ships come in from all over the world, with things - ah, things you wouldn't believe. Bales of coconuts the size of my head, and mahogany logs stacked one atop the other, and tuna the size of a horse. There are these cranes, taller than the tallest building, that swing back and forth overhead, and unload the wares, and they cast vast moving shadows over the streets. And yet, if you wander into one of those waterfront warehouses late at night, you might come upon some secret rite - men and women robed, chanting, burning incense. They say that if you happen to join one of those rituals, the night can last for an age."
-- Evardin Drael
Rialtum, home to the influential House Rialto, is located at the northernmost point of Antediluvia. It is a thriving port city and duchy that sees vessels from all ports of the country, from Erathemon, even Reioni and the mysterious outer islands.
Rialtum is a place of historical significance: it is where conflict first broke out during the Technological Revolution between local whaling facility personnel and the city's Mages' Guild. Unrest continued all through this civil war, only ending when the government officially took the side of the Industrials. As a result, Rialtum has both a large industrial sector and a culture of borderline-heretical mysticism.
The defining feature and main tourist attraction of Rialtum are its massive docks and wharves with their huge cranes, silos and warehouses. Other than that, there's not much to see in the totally utilitarian city, although some enjoy its red brick-and-brass architectural style.
Rialtum's arms depict a sail emblazoned with three gears, and troops raised there bear either the full arms or simply a single brass-colored gear.by Pan Asian Amercian Coalition
Revaalsbandt is the southernmost habitable area on the main continent, and is even divided in half between Antediluvian and Precambrian troops, each vying for control of the massive rhenium and tungsten mines. The population hovers at about 3400, not including the occupying troops.
It is said to be the polar opposite of Altaflor, with temperatures rarely going above freezing, hurricane strength blizzards, two months of sun a year and endless tracks of enormous Ice Cedar trees. The main exports are Cedar Bear meat, winter-proof soldiers, general misery for the stationed troops, and neigh invincible Ice Cedar lumber.
The area used to be ruled by a elected chieftain, each voted for by the representatives of each of the twelve native tribes, each differentiated by a worshipped deity in their 12 god pantheon. They are extremely friendly between each tribe and are united against the invading troops, who used their armored support and superior numbers to grab the region 3 generations ago.
Recruits from this region wear a light purple-red scarf tied around their helmet so they can identify each other. There is an unwritten rule that they don't shoot each other people from Revaalsbandt, even in the face of court martial.by Agritum
Altaflor is a renowned summer vacation spot in Antediluvia. Located near the northwestern coasts of the country, it usually counts about 127.000 inhabitants, but the number usually increases on holiday season.
It is renowned for having a gentle sun, calm breezes and, most famously, the High Gardens, a series of public botanical gardens maintained on top of the highest rowers of the ancient castle of Cair Floral.
Along tourism, floristry is one of the main businesses in Altaflor. More than half an hundred florist business daily duel for the monopoly of the city's floral market. Altaflor bouquets are famous for their complexity and floral variety.
The town is ruled by the young Baroness Margareth de Floral from its ancestral seat of Cair Floral. Recruits raised from Altaflor often have the daisy symbol of the Barony emblazoned on their uniform or engraved in their helmets.The major city tucked away in the bowl shaped valley under the legend. I would like that to be the city. It's name is Oorburg, after house Oorburg which ruled over the territory for centuries. The city is a major mining and smelting city. Rich in coal and metals, the city is an important area both economically and militarily. A large munitions factory calls its home there, supplying the military a large chunk of its munitions.
It's position makes it difficult to capture from the East, even in modern warfare. The only navigable route to the East is a small mountain pass call Deadman's run. Sheer cliffs on both sides going up and down, and areas that are only wide for a person, the area is naturally defensive. It was made economically viable 200 years ago, when House Oorburg invested in building sturdy metal ledges to allow the building of roads on top of them. But to keep the defensiveness up, they also had the ledges rigged with explosives to collapse the metal ledges, making it impossible to navigate with anything bigger than a man. The ledges have been blown many times, which can be seen by black marks and collapsed cliffs. But they are only really blown when Precambrians invade through that corridor.
Oorburg is an ancient and largest city in the Duchy of Verstact, largest city in the Northern Ranges, and one of the largest cities in Antediluvia. The name means Ear-town in Thorn. This name comes from the loud, fast winds that blow throughout the town since ancient times, which makes it hard to hear. A more modern version is the smelteries make it difficult to hear anything, though not the origin still holds true. Locals joke that one needs good ears to hear anything in Oorburg.
Oorburg since ancient times was mostly a farming settlement. Situated in the fertile lower valley of Verstact, it became a center for agricultural goods. After the adoption of feudalism, rulers of Oorburg have been exceptionally wealthy because of the agricultural output of the lands surrounding the town. When the Ezerics finally conquered the region, it became the capital of the new duchy of Verstact. From then on, Oorburg became a trade capital, from where the goods of Verstact culminated to be bought by traders from outside the valley.
When the technological revolution came to Verstact, Oorburg exploded with growth. It shot up from its sizable population to one of the largest cities in the kingdom within fifty years. Oorburg experienced a golden age, where wealth, science, and culture grew exponentially. Dozens of mines opened up in the mountains, whose ore went down new roads to the new smelteries on Oorburg. People from inside and outside the valley moved to Oorburg to fill in jobs in the smelteries, turning Oorburg into a multicultural metropolis. A large munitions factory calls its home there, supplying the military a large chunk of its munitions.
To this day, Oorburg is still growing. While still heavily smelting based, there is also a number of universities, services, and manufacturing industries within the city that also supplements the economy. There is also a healthy tourism industry, where people come all over to see the cathedrals, buildings and museums.by The Carlisle
Encompasses the high mountains and the bowl shaped Verstact (Hidden) Valley. Capital and largest city is Oorburg, which is one of the largest cities in Antedeluvia and the largest city in the Northern Ranges. Ruled over by the Family Oorburg. For centuries the realm had been independent, Ruled over by the Hidden King. Back then, the realm could fight of Ezeric incursions by using its large population and defensive positions. It wasn't until when gunpowder was invented that they fell to Ezeric rule. Because of it's isolation and fiercely stubborn culture, the Thornorgisil language spoken there is still alive and well, although there is a lot of loanword from the modern Nahumic language. In saying this, most denizens speak modern nahumic fluently as a second language, though there are pockets in the fringes that speak solely Thornorgisil. The main trade in the duchy is the mining and smelting industry. The rivers are too shallow for boat travel, but this is made up by a well connected rail and road system. It's also a burgeoning cultural center, as many famous artists were born and/or raised there. Beauty is a secondary export, as many lesser and noblemen vacation in the beautiful mountain valleys of Verstact.
Rich in coal and metals
The duchy interior is only accessible through various mountain passes, the most dangerous of which is the eastern pass named Deadman's Gorge. Sheer cliffs on both sides going up and down, and areas that are only wide for a person, the area is naturally defensive. It was made economically viable 200 years ago, when House Oorburg invested in building sturdy metal ledges to allow the building of roads on top of them. But to keep the defensiveness up, they also had the ledges rigged with explosives to collapse the metal ledges, making it impossible to navigate with anything bigger than a man. The ledges have been blown before, which can be seen by black marks and collapsed cliffs. But it rare in this day for it to be blown after Precambrian invasions were mitigated by the establishment of the Revaalsbandti Military Base and the fact that it is a highly important supply line
Soldiers from this area would have the insignia of a farming valley with a large city in the distance tucked between two mountain peaks, with a mine on the left and a cabin on the right.by Mincaldenteans
Linvale is home to Alrick zu Heltzer and the rest of House zu Heltzer. House zu Heltzer established itself in Linvale after the success defense of the (then) village from destruction. Linvale has seen it's share of conflicts and prosperity that has left its citizens to look at life with a healthy sardonic and cynical view, a view still shared in current times. Growing steadily through the centuries from village to a burgeoning city, the House is known throughout the lands for its medical and pharmaceutical products.
House zu Heltzer is a pious one (at least on the surface): to them everything is a sign, a warning, a portent of things to come. In the old days it was not uncommon for members of zu Heltzer to confide in priests and 'oracles', so much so that the house built a grand cathedral in the city that has since become synonymous with the city itself. Today however, they look upon their religion as one to uphold spiritually... and politically. The cathedral is something of a misnomer itself as it stands as the seat of power of House zu Heltzer and main stage where most of its internal and external court politicking take place.by Mincaldenteans
Grün Himmel, the ancient home of House zu Heltzer. This dense forrest can be seen at the outskirts of Linvale, a vast and thick forrest of magnificent trees with leaves so thick that it blocks the sun, giving its meaning to "Green Sky". It was once the ancient home of the House; the zu Heltzers have since reclaimed their ancient Forrest through the centuries, restoring the delicate ecosystem from the ever expanding and callous disregard of House Oorburg whose mining industry has compromised many areas, not to mention the delicate peace zu Heltzer had negotiated long ago.
Grün Himmel has also seen a fair share of zu Heltzers repopulate the forrest. Along with the zu Heltzers, minor houses owing allegiance to House zu Heltzer have also made homes built into the trees, incorporating natural rocks and earth as foundation and support. The forrest is heavily patrolled, maintained, and guarded by the zu Heltzers and its minor house affiliates, all of whom are weary of House Oorburg's encroachment.by The Carlisle
A temperate climate dominated by rolling hills and plains. The area used to be moorish all over, but land clearance and new technology gave way to clearing of many of the marshes, turning it into a large agricultural area.
The place is unique because it has a high amount of names, surnames, and words related to the long dead Vyoroney culture. While the people are very Hengistic, there is a noticeable difference in accent, wording, and names between other Hengistic people. There are even different festivals and cultural interpretation between the people here and other Hengistics. The locals even call the county by a different name, Slatina, and go a different name called Slatina-lide. Because of this, archaeologists and anthropologists flock to this area to study the people and dig out older villages.
Despite the differences, the people are heavily mixed. In the north, its more Hengistic, in the center its more pure with the purity better as you go to the center, and more Ezeric in the south.
The people, despite there differences, are very united. A Hengistic speaking Slatina-lide and an Ezeric Slatina-lide feel more connected to each other than with the hengistic or Ezeric in the next county, even if the distance is so minimal.
by Agritum
There's hard, rock hard, Highlands rock hard, and Blakrocke hard.
Coal. The highlands were full of it. But Blakrocke? Blakrocke swims in coal. They mine it, they burn it, they make it into steel, cement or feckin' energy. Sitting atop of the central Highland Mountains, Blakrocke proudly claims the title of Highest place in all of the Highlands. While that may not be actually true, you better not dispute these claims, lest you want to have your face pummeled by the nearest Blakrocker and be called a Lowlander in front of everyone else.
Though, truth be told, every other person in Antidiluvia is a Lowlander for Blakrockers.
This pride was actually born as a way for Blakrocke to redeem its face and prestige after places of being considered a smog-filled cold hellhole inhabited only by blackened coal-lovers and strange small rodent-things called Haggows, which said coal-lovers consider a local delicatesse. That said, even if considered to be an agglomerate of boastful fuckers who can only find delight in eating haggow meat, Blakrocke remains one of the most competitive mining cities in Antediluvia, supplying a considerable number of coal, energy and levy troops to the country. Blakrockers are considered to be rowdy, vulgar and generally uncultured, probably having a mining/criminal background and sometimes possessing an horrific scar on their face called the "Blakrocke Smile". In most cases, this is only a stereotype, but as you know, some stereotypes may have some truth behind them.
Other than deploying them all accross the Royal Army, Antediluvia also incorporates Blakrocke levymen into the Blakwatch Royal Infantry Regiment, a Blackrocke-only unit commonly nicknamed "Haggowslayers" or "Coalfukkers" by the rest of the Army. There's still doubt about Blakwatch's function: some think that the "elite regiment" stuff is just a cover and that Blakwatch is really a penal battalion used to dispose of particularly rowdy Blakrockers.
Blakrocke troops can be identified by their characteristic coal-black bonnets, which they usually wear instead of helmets (there's a saying that Blakrockers are dumb enough to survive getting shot in the head by virtue of having an exceptionally small brain and an absurdly thick skull), the family woolen cloth called tyretaine, usually carried in the form of a scarf or other clothing apparel (skirts are quite popular among Blakrockers. Men included), and sometimes the stench of alcohol and haggow meat.
Blakrockers are likely to get into fights with Revaalsbandt personnel, due to reasons apparently connected to "Perkele".by Ayreonia
Alright, pilgrim. We all know you're no wizard. If you were, you'd either wouldn't be serving, or you'd be UNMETA... sorry, just repeating nasty, baseless rumors. Bottom line is, we don't like magic users here. The brass say the Precambrians don't have them, either, but sometimes you see things here in the Forest that make you wonder. If you encounter them, the higher-ups will dismiss it as PTSD, shellshock, or just plain old crazy talk. We've compiled a list of these things, just in case. Oh, and if anybody asks, Sergeant Helenski, Corporal Dupont and Private Arts know nothing of this pamphlet. Arts has tin foil.
"Madness"
Imagine you're on patrol, sentry duty or any such situation. Boring, right? Well, imagine your teammate getting silent all of a sudden, their movements jerky and awkward, then shooting you. Or the other way around. Or maybe your totally happy and well-adjusted squaddie goes into the woods to take a leak and is found an hour later with a smashed-in face and a bloody shovel in his hand. Weird, right? Some people can really spin a scary tale!
"Lag"
One recurring story among Great Forest deployees is about the so-called lag, proven to be a particular symptom of combat fatigue. The ones who experience it and survive always tell the same tale, with minor variations: they're in a firefight, when suddenly they experience a strange sense of tiredness, like they can't move their bodies. They look around, only to see their nearby squadmates moving at a crawl, while the rest of the world is completely normal. If they get a glimpse of enemy soldiers in this state, they seem to be moving much faster than what should be possible.
"Spontaneous combustion"
The Precambrians seem to have fielded some sort of incendiary weapon that can set people and objects on fire without any sort of contact. Troops with an unhealthy interest in old legends claim that Antediluvian mages of old could do that with their minds.
"Ghosts"
Enemies appearing from thin air. Is it just us, or is this the oldest excuse of a sentry who's fallen asleep, like, ever?
"Super armor"
This is probably a quality control problem with our mass-produced weapons, or a case of bad marksmanship. Enemy tanks have been reported to sustain hits from anti-tank weaponry without even a scratch. These kinds of stories are usually dismissed as crazy talk, but there was one case with several eyewitnesses. A Precambrian Triarius main battle tank had been flanked and fired upon with several confirmed hits... but no damage, no explosions and no sound from the impacts. It had taken a dozen hits from AT weapons of various calibers before the thing finally burned out. The best part? The four-man crew was taken alive and unharmed. During interrogation, the loader burst into flame and burned to death.
Notable Family HousesINSERT AYR FAMILY BIOINSERT MIN FAMILY BIOHouse Von Oorburg is a major noble house who rule over the Duchy of Verstact. An ancient and prestigious house, whose roots extend back to over a millenium. It has ruled over the Duchy of Verstact for over 700 years, when the Ezeric King finally conquered and thrown down the Verstact King. Instead of appointing an Ezeric, they appointed a local Thorn branch that was loyal. And that is how house Von Oorburg was promoted from being barons of a wealthy castle to duke of Verstact, which is equivalent to the old kingdom.
Von Oorburg's title is not only prestigious, but also extremely wealthy. They own several steel smelteries and the entire rail system in the duchy rail system. They even hold the oldest aluminum smeltery in the entire world, which still operates to this day. The wealth of Von Oorburg equates to about $25,000,000,000. Of course, they reinvest a good amount of their gains back into the public sector, making the Von Oorburg family well loved among the populous.
Von Oorburg rule has been a lot more independent than other dukes. This is mostly due to the fiercely stubborn culture of the Thorn people in the Verstact Valley. For one, language laws are different in Verstact than other duchies due to Von Oorburg influence. This helped preserve the Thorn language and culture in Verstact. Another is special zones, often villages and towns on the fringes, where pure Thorn is spoken only, preserving the local culture. Another is the different tax Von Oorburg pays to the king, which is less than other dukes. This is mainly due to Von Oorburg unbroken dedication to reinvesting their wealth back into their duchy.
Von Oorburg has married into several noble branches throughout the years, mostly in the Central Mountains. But they have married several times into the King's dynasty, the most recent on being a generation ago. They have claims throughout the entire mountain ranges, even in Precambrian territory. Some Thornophobes state that they can go independent with the entire mountains and no one can contest it, though this is just a propagandist story with no real feasibility.
Von Oorburg family, while still mostly Thorn, is also Ezericized a bit. For one, the first names of the children are always Ezeric. This is because of an ancient pact between the first duke of Verstact and the Ezeric king where the king allowed him to rule as long as he proved his loyalty by naming his children with the names of his kingdom. Von Oorburg dynasty members all speak High Nahumic and Modern Nahumic alongside their original tongue of Highland Thorn.
House Oorburg holds great influence throughout the realm. Their prestige, dynastic ties, and wealth allows them to influence many organizations. The most recent, but hidden, act of influence was the prevention of corporal Maximilian Von Oorburg's promotion to to the rank of sergeant and his moving to squad leader into the Fourth. This was headed by the Dynastic head and ruler of the duchy of Verstact, Julian Apollonian Von Oorburg.
The Von Oorburg Coat of Arms is a man with a horn sticking into his ear, listening to the wind which carries words and music from all across the valley.
