Game Of Crowns - A Feudal RP - OOC/Landgrab

[Harkback Union]

Welcome to:
A Game of Crowns

A roleplay/game of intrigue and feudal feuding.

IC

The story so far...

It is the year 900 Anno Domini. 900 years have passed since the death of our lord and savior, 900 years of pain and suffering, civil wars, barbarian invasions, plagues and failed harvests... Long gone are the great empires of the occident, the days of progress and prosperity. The ruins of their cities, aqueducts, bridges and roads dotted across the land...

But there is hope.

The faith of the cross have united the people of the realm, and since the great flooding in the east barbarian incursions have come to an end. Trade is flourishing once more, with merchants using the millenia old imperial coins as currency. To fill the power vacuum, feudal lords have risen to power, their families ruling over their own slice of territory. They provide safety for the locals, in exchange for a share of their labors. Yet still, much of the land remains uninhabited, cities unbuilt, kingdoms unfounded...

It is in the year 900 AD, when the story of the crowns begin.

A story of rebuilding what was lost, of forging a new destiny. A story of kings and queens, lords and ladies, a story of soldiers, craftsman and peasants, a story of faith and heresy, of friendship and treachery, of alliances and wars, of rise and fall...

It is a story that will decide the future of an entire continent.

May the lord have mercy on us all.

Summary:

Game of crowns is a mix of turn-based strategy and roleplay. You play the role of a medieval lord, or lady, along with your noble family and your loyal subjects, who's stories are for you to write. Upon the death of your main character, you may assume the role of anyone else in your family, with any possessions and titles automatically inherited.

However, there is more.

Legend has it, that 1000 years ago, 3 golden crowns were forged for the 3 emperors of the occident by a master goldsmith. These crowns were lost in the anarchy, and noone has seen them since, but their powers are more then symbolic.

He who wields these crowns may crown themselves as king, which allows them to have other lords as their vassals and have their hand limit increased by 5.

A king can write laws and depending on his laws, he should be able to take away holdings and armies from vassal lieges as well as he could set taxes on his lieges to fund the royal coffers. Of course, the lieges could refuse the king's demands and could even rebel against their king. Rebellions would call for battles. In battles, all the lieges in the kingdom would have to pick sides (although they could also remain neutral), but once they did pick a side on a turn, they cannot change sides until next turn. Now, this is important because wars have length. The more castles there are on each side, the longer wars can get while siege engines can shorten wars. Once everyone announced who they are with and the war "expires", a battle takes place where the combined armies clash to see who wins. The winning side can then enforce demands on the losers, including taking away their holdings and can even throw in jail, exile or execute their opponents, or even elect a new king if need be. Lieges could also wage war on other lieges with similar rules if the king doesn't get involved. The winners side must always have consent on how they divide the loot and what they do with the losers. If they can't agree, then they must fight against each other to see who wins or forfeit enforcing any of their demands.

The Goal of the game is to become as powerful and influential as possible... and to survive. Over time, new challenges may face the kingdom(s) we speak of, such as foreign invasions, plagues and religious unrest. Technological and cultural development will be simulated in the game and new options for buildings will open up over time...

1st Edition rules:
viewtopic.php?f=31&t=348258

[Harkback Union]

- The Game -

USE RULES ON IC, THESE ARE NO LONGER VALID, WILL BE REMOVED SOON




Time

...is divided into turns. Each RL day is turn, which also stands for a year in IC time.

Character Actions

...can spend their time each turn in useful ways. Choose one each year:
- Hard labor: Reduces hand limit by 2 for the duration, +1 Coins.
- Train with soldiers: +0.5 Military skill (gain 1 military skill every 2 years).
- Marry: Marry a noblewoman from another family, with the permission of their lord, requires a province with a church, costs 1 food, 1 wine. Required to have kids.
- Resettle/Colonize: Move 1 population from where they are now to another province. If it is an empty province, it costs 2 coins and you gain control of it.
- Alms for the poor, tithe to the church: costs 5 food, 5 coins, gain 1 population in a province of your choice next year.
- Bureaucracy: +2 Hand limit for the duration.
- Have (legitimate) kids: +1 Offspring born in the following year, small chance of losing your wife in the process (+ 5% per kid after the first).
- Travel: Visit another lord, king, old friends, or just have an adventure in distant lands. Costs 1 coins by default +?
- Plot/Conspire: +1 deceit towards progress of a conspiracy, lost if the conspiracy is cancelled. May be disguised as another action.
- Anything else you have in mind, the OP will decide on costs/benefits. (useful for disguise)
- Trait Actions (available from your trait).

The World

...is divided into provinces. Each province counts as a single holding and takes up 1 hand limit. Provinces come with some resources on top of which buildings can be built, or exploited with raw labor. Trade can go freely between towns and Armies can always get to the battlefields regardless of geography. Any liege can buy and sell stuff with any other liege (or the king) or even sell to the market. This may change in the future if there is demand for more strategic gameplay. The roleplay takes place in a fictional world akin to medieval europe, with perhaps a light touch of fantasy.

Starting stuff

By default, all lieges have:
- A province of your choice.
- 2 population.
- 5 Coins (basic money, counted in the thousands, so its basically 5000 gold coins)

While a king has:
- A province with 3 population, up to 3 Farms, 1 Barracks, a Castle and a royal palace, acts as capitol.
- 2 provinces, unsettled.
- A Spearman Battalion.
- A Cavalry Battalion.
- 15 Coins.

Hand limits

Each player by default can have up to 5 active provinces / holdings and armies at the same time. Holdings can be active or passive. Passive holdings don't count towards the hand limit but don't generate income or expenses. You still own them regardless and you can switch holdings on and off every turn.

Armies however always count as active and the only way to get rid of them is to disband them, sell them to another liege or to lose them in battle.

Some buildings and development of culture and technology can increase hand limits.

Buildings do not contribute towards hand limit, you can still raze 1 of your own buildings every turn if you see the need for it.

Money and Resources:

Gold coins is the currency of the game while Iron, horses,stone, clay, food, wood, wine and other resources are things of importance to be had. Resources are always gained at the start of turns and can be spent in the same turn you got them. They can be sold to the market if there is demand or stored for later. You can also buy resources and goods from the market if they are available.

Conspiracy:

...cloak and dagger, treachery and treason. When conspiring against lords/kings outside your kingdom, the chances of success are halved! Multiple players may pool together resources for conspiracies.

Conspiracies: Use conspire action to make progress, money should only be spent when plotting is complete!

- Spark hostilities: Costs 5 deceit. A faked assassination or robbery attempt (nobody is hurt, no money is stolen!), for which you frame someone else. Results: 50% chance another lord or lords of your choice are framed, 20% Chance It fails with no effect, 10% Chance: Revealed to be a failed assassination attempt by unknown conspirator(s), 10% Chance revealed to be a failed frame job, but consiprators are not revealed, 10% chance it fails and the conspirators are revealed.

- Assassinate: costs 1 Coins and 5 deceit = 20% chance of success, (2x cost for player character, 3x cost for king), The more money/influence you use, the better the odds. The target player character is killed, they are prevented for taking any action for 1 year, after which they may inherit their possessions to a new character. If failed, 50% chance for the conspirators to be revealed.

- Robbery: Costs 5 deceit. Steal up to 5 coins from another lord, or up to 10 coins from a king. 50% chance of success, if failed, 50% chance for the conspirators to be revealed

Army Training/disbanding

All battalions have a training and an upkeep cost, along with a building prerequisite and training time. Most units are trained in just one turn, and are available for a defensive battle the same turn they were trained. Disbanding units returns the weapons used to train them, but not the gold.

War length and battles

To start a war, you must specify what it is you wish to take from your opponent. It can be a province, a life or a crown. The defender can do the same, but in each war, there may only be 1 goal for each side for each year of fighting. So if there is a 5 year long war, there can be 5 provinces set as war goals.

The Default length of a war is 1 turns. This means that the battle will take place at the end of the turn the war was declared in. If castle owners take part in a war, they can choose to make it last more turns. If War length is 2 turn, then the battle will take place at the end of the turn after the turn war was declared in, hence allowing time for everyone to prepare. Siege engines can reduce war length, but war length cannot be lower then 1.

Battles are played on drawn up battlefields (a la total war). Each side has a general (or multiple generals leading parts of the army) and a battle plan as for how each unit will move during battle. Each unit has morale rating and strength. When a unit encounters another unit, they both deal damage to each other's morale with their strength. If they stay near each other, they will continue to exchange blows at intervals until one unit runs out of morale and retreats. All units except cavalry have the same movement speed. Cavalry moves twice as fast.

The side with the higher skilled general gets to choose the battlefield, but the attacker has to deploy their forces first. Once both sides deployed their forces, both sides in secret design a battle plan, secretly TG them to the OP and then the battle commences. Both sides may order their units to change course during battle, but the orders will not reach the troops immediately!

If at the end of a battle both sides still have units, or the winning side has less then 1/10th of their units remaining, the war ends with a draw. A new war however can start immediately after if either side wishes so.

Buildings

Building types - what they cost to build - what they are good for

AGRICULTURE/RESOURCES

Farm - 3 wood, 3 labor, Requires Fertile Land!
Employs 1 pop, produces 2 food or 1 flax.

Stables - 3 wood, 3 labor, Requires Fertile Land!
Employs 1 pop, produces 1 horses.

Vineyard - 3 wood, 2 stone 5 labor, Requires Fertile Land and sunshine!
Employs 1 pop, produces 1 wine.

INDUSTRY

Smithy - 2 wood, 2 stone, 1 iron, 5 labor.
Employs 1 population to produce one of the following:
Swords: 1 Charcoal + 1 Iron
Armor: 1 Charcoal + 1 Iron
Bow and arrow: 1 Wood + 1 Flax
Spears: 2 Wood

Pottery - 2 wood, 1 stone, 3 labor, Requires a source of clay!
Employs 1 pop, 1 wood to produce 1 ceramics.

Charcoal burner - 2 wood, 1 stone, 3 labor, Requires a source of wood.
Employs 1 pop, produces 2 charcoal.

CASTLES
Castle II upgrades from Castle I, Castle III upgrades from castle II and so on...

Castle I. - 1 stone, 2 Wood, 3 Labor - Max 1 per province, Your highest level castle increases hand limit by 1 for each level (does not stack with other castles) and your highest level castle allows its owner to increase war length by one turn for each level (does not stack with other castles, only the highest player castle counts in a war). - Comes with 1 Building slot that is protected from looting per level.

Castle II. - 2 stone, 3 Wood, 5 Labor - Max 1 per province, Your highest level castle increases hand limit by 1 for each level (does not stack with other castles) and your highest level castle allows its owner to increase war length by one turn for each level (does not stack with other castles, only the highest player castle counts in a war). - Comes with 1 Building slot that is protected from looting per level.

Castle III, IV and V. - 5 stone, 5 Wood, 10 Labor, UNAVAILABLE UNTIL RESEARCHED - Max 1 per province, Your highest level castle increases hand limit by 1 for each level (does not stack with other castles) and your highest level castle allows its owner to increase war length by one turn for each level (does not stack with other castles, only the highest player castle counts in a war). - Comes with 1 Building slot that is protected from looting per level.

MILITARY

Army Camp - 2 wood, 2 labor.
May train 1 basic unit basic per turn.

Barracks - 3 stone, 3 labor, upgrades from Army Camp
May train 1 basic or advanced unit basic per turn.
Makes one unit maintenance free while at peace.

Siege Workshop - 2 wood, 1 stone 3 labor.
May train 1 siege engine per turn.
Makes one siege unit maintenance free while at peace.

CIVILIAN/INFRASTRUCTURE
All of these are max 1 per province!

Market - 3 wood, 3 labor - Provides a place for the local riff-raff to exchange their trinkets. Max 1 Market per province. + Trade route attraction.

Chapel - 2 wood, 1 stone, 3 labor, max 1 per province - +2 Faith.

Church - 1 Ceramics, 1 stone, 2 labor, upgrades from chapel, max 1 per province - +3 Faith.
Yes, you can have both a chapel and a church.

Monastery - 3 wood, 1 stone, 1 ceramics, 5 labor, requires chapel!, Max 1 per province. Employs 1 population, produces +1 Food, +1 Coins, +1 Faith, +1 Culture and +1 Science.

Library - 3 wood, 2 stone, 5 labor, Max 1 per province. Uses 1 coins per turn, +2 Science per turn, +1 Culture per turn.

Tavern - 3 wood, 1 stone, 1 Ceramics, 5 labor - Costs 1 food to operate, earns 1 coins + 1 coin for each trade route going through. Allows hiring bandits. +1 Coins if there is a market in town. Max 1 per province.

Paved roads - 5 stone, 5 labor, max 1 per province. +1 Coins if there is a market in town. + Trade route attraction.

Royal Palace - 5 Wood, 5 Stone - Allows a kingdom to be founded. Consumes 1 food per turn to maintain by default. Increases hand limit by 1. Also allows for one of the following many types of policies to be practiced:
- Patronize Artists: Costs 1 Coins maintain. +1 Culture in capital.
- Patronize the Church: Costs 2 Coins to maintain. +1 Faith. New temples may be built by the church across your kingdom.
- Patronize Scholars: Costs 2 Coins to maintain. +1 Science in capital.
- Patronize explorers: Costs 2 Coins to maintain, slowly reveals what's around the kingdom.
- Hire bureaucrats: Costs 1 Coins to maintain. Increases hand limit by 1.
- Buy rare jewels: Costs 5 Coins. Makes your crown way more impressive.
- Throw extravagant feasts: Costs 2 Coins, 1 food, 1 wine. +1 epic feast, invite your friends.
- Royal Marriage: Costs 5 Coins, 1 food, 1 wine, 1 unmarried daughter, at least 1 temple in your kingdom. +1 Married daughter.
- Spend money like there is no tomorrow: Costs 15 coins per turn. +1 random trinket per turn. Quickest way to deplete the treasury.

Coastal province only buildings:

Docks - 4 wood, 1 stone, 5 Labor - Allows construction of ships (1 at a time). +1 Coins per turn if there is a market in town. + Trade route attraction.

Troops

Army/Battalion type - What it costs - Its strengths and abilities, training facilities needed, and maintenance costs.

Militia - 2 Coins, 1 Turns - 1 Strength, 2 Morale. Needs no training facility (can be raised at any time in any quantity without weapons!). Costs 1 Coins per turn to maintain (which they use to buy food).

BASIC UNITS:

Bandits - 2 Coins, 1 Turns - 1 Strength, 1 Morale - Costs 2 Coins per turn to maintain, hired at the tavern instead of trained in a camp. Can pillage 1 building outside of castles belonging to a liege of the opposing side after the battle if not defeated during battle.

Spearman - 1x spear, 1 Turns - 2 Strength, 5 Morale. -1 morale damage when struck by cavalry, +1 Strength against cavalry. 1 Coin per turn to maintain.

Swordsman - 1x swords, 2 turns - 3 Strength, 5 Morale. 1 Coin per turn to maintain.

Archers - 1x bow and arrow - 2 Strength, 3 morale. The archers attack strikes first during battle and does not engage the target.

ADVANCED UNITS

Armored swordsman - 1x swords, 1x armor - 3 Strength, 7 Morale. Needs a barracks to train in. Costs 1 Coins to maintain.

Light Cavalry - 1x sword, 1x horses - 3 strength, 6 morale, 2 Coins per turn maintenance. Double movement speed which allows it to Engage enemies first, Deals morale damage first when encountering other units (except against heavy cavalry and spearman).

Heavy Cavalry - 1x spear, 1x armor, 1x horses - 3 strength, 8 morale, 2 Coins per turn maintenance. Double movement speed which allows it to Engage enemies first, Deals morale damage first when encountering other units.

SIEGE UNITS

Catapult - 1x machinery, 2 turns to assemble - 1 Strength, 2 morale. Counts as a siege engine, may reduce war length by 1. The damage to morale strikes 3 units instead of just 1, 2 coins to maintain.


Note: Units regain all morale between battles, but this rule is subject to change.

LAW & Demands

Law and demands are an important part of the Roleplay. Any kind of law can be written by anyone and demands can also be issued by anyone, but no one is obliged by the rules to follow them. You are free to refuse demands and break laws and the only way to enforce laws and demands is by defeating your opponents in battle.

Sharing facilities

Lieges can allow other lieges to use their training facilities.

Culture

The more culture is produced in a province, the further culture progresses there. There are 8 tiers of culture, each discovery will unlock new units and buildings and will spread to neighbors over time. Culture also makes your people content.

Tier 1: ???

Tier 2: ???

Tier 3: ???

Tier 4: ???

Tier 5: ???

Tier 6: ???

Tier 7: ???

Tier 8: ???

Science

The more science is produced in a province, the further science progresses there. There are 10 tiers of science, each discovery will unlock new units and buildings and will spread to neighbors over time.

Tier 1: ???

Tier 2: ???

Tier 3: ???

Tier 4: ???

Tier 5: ???

Tier 6: ???

Tier 7: ???

Tier 8: ???

Tier 9: ???

Tier 10: ???

Faith

Opium of the masses. Faith will not advance in tiers but will keep your people happy. If faith + culture in a province exceeds its population, there is no risk of revolt. Populations without access to faith or culture will be discontent. Discontentment may build up and cause revolts later. Note: Pops without food (AKA Starving) will require 2x as much faith and culture to be content, and will rebel much faster.

Traits

Every liege and king can have a trait from the following list:
If you die, you may pick a new trait for your heir.

- Military planner: +2 starting military skill, x2 times skill gained from training.
- Merchant: +1 Coins per turn per market you own.
- Architect: You may spend time to supervise the construction of a building (takes 1 year). That building has its labor and wood costs reduced by 1 (max once per building!). Once the building is complete, you may supervise another construction.
- Scholar: Slowly improves science for his kingdom. May spend time to gain +1 Science per turn (where you are) , +1 Science from all sources of Science in your provinces.
- Artist: Slowly improves culture for his kingdom. May spend time to gain +1 Culture per turn (where you are), Culture-generating buildings in your provinces gain +1 Culture per turn.
- Priest: Improves his kingdom's faith. May spend time to gain +1 Faith where you are, you may spend this faith to add labor to church or chapel instead, +1 Faith in all provinces.
- Explorer: May set out on expeditions to explore old ruins and recover lost treasures. Expeditions cost 3 coins each and take 1 year.
- Paranoid: Assassination and robbery attempts against you have their chance of success halved. Costs +1 coins to travel.
- Conspirator: +1 Deceit per year towards conspiracies.
- Watchful: Allows you to keep an eye on another character as yearly action, gives you a 10% chance each year to reveal conspiracies aimed against them, or conspiracies they themselves are part of, possibly some of the conspirators, there is some chance that you gain evidence of their wrongdoing as well. However, you may also forge evidence or lie about what you learn from your investigations!

[Harkback Union]

The Application Process:

Code: Select all

[b]Name[/b]:
[b]Appearance[/b]:
[b]Gender[/b]:
[b]Age[/b]:
[b]House[/b]:
[b]Colors[/b]:
[b]Faith[/b]:
[b]Province[/b]:
[b]Family[/b]:
[b]Royal[/b]:
[b]Trait[/b]:
[b]Biography[/b]:


HELP:

Name: Your name. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Appearance: The way you look, either an image or a description in words.
Gender: Whether you can spawn kiddos or not.
Age: How close you are to death.
House: The name of your noble house, ideally is also your last name, but I'm gonna ask anyway just in case.
Colors: The 2 or 3 colors that best reflect your house, these will be used on the map!
Faith: The people of the cross are the most numerous, and by default you are one of them. As such you will gain extra benefits from progress of the faith tree and if you have enough faith, you can request assistance from the pope in times of need. However, you can choose to be a pagan lord, in which case you can cook up your own religion for you and your people, or join someone else's pagan faith. Pagans generate faith towards their own religion and have a separate faith tree. Pagans ruling over religions of different faith or vice versa will cause extra unrest. There is also a 3rd option. A dark path. TG me if interested.
Province: Where your noble house is, pick a number from the map, then give it a name and describe it in short.
History: Legends about how your house came to be, stories about the province you rule, or anything else you want to add.
Family: Name your current wifey (if any), kiddos, any bro, sis or leftover parents/grandparents still alive, and maybe a little info about them.
Royal: Any Royal Blood from the old empire? Yes/No question. If Yes, you have a chance to start the game as a KING!!!
or queen, in case you have long hair.
Trait: Pick one from the list above, or suggest your own.
Biography: A little more about yourself, in case you want to talk about that.

CLAIMED COLOR COMBINATIONS:
Red & Gold
Purple & Black
Red & Sky Blue
Red & White & Black
Orange & Blue

EXISTING PAGAN FAITHS AND HERETICS:
The Serpent (heretics of the cross)

CLAIMED PROVINCES:
IV, X, XII, XVII, XIX, XX, XXI, VII, XXIV

Claims Map:

[Olthenia]

A man sees. A man tags.

[Novas Arcanum]

Name:Prince Marcus Scipio
Appearance:

Age:44
House:House Scipio
Province: Princedom of Xanthos- Land of the far north, gorgeous forests, fertile land, plentiful stone, and sunshine. Xanthos was one of the last provinces to be added to Empire. This is because the Xanthians were a fierce and proud people who refused to bend the knee to the Emperor. Never truly defeated in the battle the wars of conquest would last two centuries. This is because the Xanthians were masters of guerrilla warfare and struck from the thick forests of their native homeland when attacking the legionnaires. In the end, the Emperor would annex Xanthos by having his daughter married to the ruler of the land. Thus all Xanthian lieges earned the title of Prince as symbol of their voluntary status within the realm.
Family:Lady Mara age|Wife (43), Lord Revan|Son (20), Lady Emilia| Daugther (18), Lady Drusillia| Daughter (18),Lady Camillia| Daughter (12),Lord Marcus the II| Son (8)
Royal:No
Trait:Architect
Biography: Marcus Scipio was once a knight who served under Prince Galinus. Galinus was a cruel and vindictive man, who oppressed the peasants, often called the "Mad Prince" by other lords in the realm. After claiming a peasants bride to fornicate with the peasants had had enough and soon revolted. In the town of Xanthos, the uprising was born, and Marcus Scipio was sent to lead his soldiers to quell the rebellion. He arrived but he soon felt the plight of the peasants their misery, at the hands of a maniacal nobleman for he himself was a simple farmer. Marcus Scipio lead his retinue to the manor where Galinus resided and killed Prince Galnius for his crimes. A moot was soon called, and the nobles soon arrived to vote for a new Prince to lead the province. After seven days and nights the lords voted for Marcus to lead the province for his heroics.Marcus was shocked but he accepted the role with a sense of pride and duty to his people. Marcus would be the first lord of none royal blood to rule Xanthos in centuries.

[Ralnis]

Name:Abram Horton
Appearance:

Age:28
House: House Horton
Province:Mur Quhalden, XX
Family: Abram Horton(28): Leader of the House
Diane Horton(25): Wife of the House
Dante Horton(16): Eldest Son of the House, training to be a knight
Su Marva Horton(8): Adoptive Daughter

Royal: King of the Country of Quhalden
Trait:Explorer
Biography: House Horton was a noble house that came from the old empire. It was centered on trying to explore new lands and help expand the knowledge of the Imperial academies. They were a lowborn nobles, those that were hardy enough to gamble on expeditions and have came with both highs and lows. When the empire itself felled into disarray, Horton just bought the lands of other leaders around him and promise better deals allowing autonomy to flourish and also to continue exploring. Now the current ruler is trying to centralize in some manner as those deals have sort of backfired while also trying to explore new lands.

[Sarderistan]

tag

[Seno Zhou Varada]

Tagging

[The Great Swedish Empire]

Glad I voted for this.

[The Empire of Tau]

Well, time to make this hard on myself by having no form of royal family or blood but a really good skilled normal peasant person that raise to power.

[Harkback Union]

Sorry guys, lost my internet halfway through making the OP.

There is quite a lot of things missing, including the map, will have it fixed soon.

[The Grim Reaper]

Name: Siczhmund Zaphoroz
Appearance:

Age: 18
House: House Zaphoroz
Colors: Red & sky blue
Faith: The Cross
Province: X; Druzhina
Family:
Father - Mikhail (Deceased); (father Emilian, mother Daria)
Mother - Ruthina, 39; (father Stepan, mother Alexandria)
Sister - Karenina, 21; unmarried
Royal: No
Trait: Military Planner
Biography: House Zaphoroz are unique amongst the houses of the Kingdom for proudly tracing their lineage back to an election. For much of their history, House Zaphoroz claimed legitimacy over their province as the elected 'monarchs' of a tribe with oral histories reaching back to before the genesis of the Old Empire. The House is effectively a registry of those peasants and petty nobles who claim descent from that original tribe, with geneologies recorded in its esoteric oral histories. However, following the old traditions of the Druzhine, the House is known to outsiders as simply the single branch that has been elected to 'head' the tribe, and which shall do so until it is extinguished. It is no coincidence that the heads of House Zaphoroz are, without exception, expected to lead their troops in person. When a lord of the Druzhine becomes too infirm to do so, they abdicate to their heir. Mikhail was a far better warrior than a leader, and was killed in a bandit raid by a cowardly attack from behind. Called upon to lead the Druzhine from a young age, Siczhmund was dispatched to learn what he could across the kingdom, currying favour with outsiders who in the past would have merely dismissed the Druzhine as curious barbarians without legitimate nobility. In doing so, he quickly proved himself to be a veritable prodigy when it came to every aspect of war - including, he hopes, staving it off. Today, he comes to power expecting to be regarded as, if nothing else, a cunning commander as familiar with the smell of blood and steel as he is with ink and turned soil.

[Harkback Union]

I have slightly altered the OP, the rules and the app, but worry not, you can keep your application as it is.

All the apps are (as usual) Accepted and will be gathered into a ledger on the IC OP.

[Harkback Union]

Also, I just got an idea on how to do battles.

I could use medieval 2 total war to have the units duke it out based on battleplans each side decided on.

I could then upload the replay to youtube...

[Olthenia]

Name: Bernam Gelbovic
Appearance: Lean of limb and with a wide, scholarly forehead - Bernam is as brown of hair and blue of eye as his forefathers before him. His is the shaven temples and slicked-back mane of a man of rank, as befits the heir of blessed House Gelbovic.
Age: 33
House: House Gelbovic
Faith: The Cross
Colors: Green and grey
Province: XII - The Mercywood.
Family:
Brother - Oleg, 22; (father Wyleck, mother Marna)
Wife - Iryna, 31; (Deceased); (father Poram, mother Yasmila)
Son - Ander, 0; (Deceased; (father Bernam, mother Iryna)
Royal: No
Trait: Merchant
Biography: It is difficult to tell the tale of House Gelbovic without mentioning also its primary charge: the ward and censure of the Mercywood - whose leafy glades so dominate its ancestral lands. Since before even the oldest surviving records, the Mercywood has been a place of sanctuary. A great, tangled mess of moss and briar where deviants and derelicts have been sent. Some for redemption. Some for seclusion. All for exile; and marked according to the nature of their crimes. Dissenter, rapers and madmen. Fools and corpses. It is on the Mercywood's outskirts that House Gelbovic's lands are laid - a barrier of cleared land, bright and sunny against the gloom of the woodland thickets - where watchmen keep their vigil. For this, then is House Gelbovic's task: to act as Gaolers, by and by - of the wood and that dwell within it. By the strength of House Gelbovic's armsmen and the yoke of imperial law, outsiders are at once forbidden from entry, and the wood's inhabitants are forbidden to leave - at least in theory. As it stands, a symbiotic relationship of sorts exists between those that call the wood home and those beyond its borders. Food is exchanged, on certain days, for lumber felled by exiled hands. So it has been since the first emperors, and so, God willing, shall it always be.

[Ralnis]

Claim province XX.

[Mersdon]

Name: Ricardo
Appearance:

Age: 19
House: Milos
Province: XIX (City of Dreams)
Family: None. He is one with God himself. He is God himself. All hail His Hotness!
Royal: Yes, vaguely. (My house is a cadet branch of the last Emperor's son's house)
Trait: Scholar (or Master Seducer for you CKII fans)
Biography: Do I really need to explain the backstory of this absolute unit? Of course I don't.

Alternate application (take your pick, OP):
Name: Otto
Appearance:

Age: 19
House: Salian
Province: XIX (Inner Swadia). This particular province has a time-honored tradition of horsemanship and competitive swordfighting. In addition, its position by the side of a major river, and as a node for many of the resources that are needed for civilization to survive have made its main town, Praven, a center for trade and learning. Predominantly inhabited by a Germanic people, its verdant forests, red, loamy earth, and its clean waters have made it a great place for a would-be King to start his empire- if he can tame those around him, via the quill or the spear.
Family:
Father: Karl III von Salian (deceased at age 42, five years before the start of this RP).
Mother: Mathilde von Sunderberg (still alive, aged 45).
Siblings: One brother (Peter "the Posthumous", aged 17), and three sisters (Mathilde, 17, Elisabeth, 15, and Margot, 13).
Royal: Yes.
Trait: Military Planner/Cavalry Leader (the last one if applicable)
Biography: Otto Salian, the current duke of Inner Swadia, was born as the first of five children to Karl III von Salian, the previous duke, and his wife Mathilde, the heiress to a nearby county. Raised inside the walls of Praven, Otto soon developed a penchant for strategy and horsemanship, often competing in tournaments in and around his father's demesne by the time he became a teenager. He also developed a love for the literary and philosophical arts, often using his allowance to build up a large personal library of his. By the time his father had died, Otto was well prepared to lead his people in peace and war; after four years of complete peace across the lands of the Old Empire, will Otto decide to call his levies to arms? Will he decide to prosper in peace? Or is he doomed to fall prey to neighbors more ravenous than him?

[Harkback Union]

Name: Ricardo
Appearance:

(Image)

Age: 19
House: Milos
Province: XIX (City of Dreams)
Family: None. He is one with God himself. He is God himself. All hail His Hotness!
Royal: Yes, vaguely. (My house is a cadet branch of the last Emperor's son's house)
Trait: Scholar (or Master Seducer for you CKII fans)
Biography: Do I really need to explain the backstory of this absolute unit? Of course I don't.

Alternate application (take your pick, OP):
Name: Otto
Appearance:

(Image)

Age: 19
House: Salian
Province: XIX (Inner Swadia)
Family:
Father: Karl III von Salian (deceased at age 42, five years before the start of this RP).
Mother: Mathilde von Sunderberg (still alive, aged 45).
Siblings: One brother (Peter "the Posthumous", aged 17), and three sisters (Mathilde, 17, Elisabeth, 15, and Margot, 13).
Royal: Yes.
Trait: Military Planner/Cavalry Leader (the last one if applicable)
Biography: To be written shortly.

I am really bad at making choices, I'll leave this one for the others to decide!

[Harkback Union]

Name: Bernam Gelbovic
Appearance: Lean of limb and with a wide, scholarly forehead - Bernam is as brown of hair and blue of eye as his forefathers before him. His is the shaven temples and slicked-back mane of a man of rank; as befits the heir of blessed House Gelbovic.
Age: 33
House: House Gelbovic
Province: XII, Hadrech.
Family:
Brother - Oleg, 22; (father Wyleck, mother Marna)
Wife - Iryna (Deceased); (father Poram, mother Yasmila)
Royal: No
Trait: Architect
Biography: TBA.

Claim province XX.

Claims added.

[Olthenia]

Also, I just got an idea on how to do battles.

I could use medieval 2 total war to have the units duke it out based on battleplans each side decided on.

I could then upload the replay to youtube...

How about a multiplayer match?

[Harkback Union]

-

[Harkback Union]

Also, I just got an idea on how to do battles.

I could use medieval 2 total war to have the units duke it out based on battleplans each side decided on.

I could then upload the replay to youtube...

How about a multiplayer match?

Works with me.

[Novas Arcanum]

I'll claim province IV please

[The Empire of Tau]

gonna claim XVII.

[Harkback Union]

UPDATE ON CLAIMS!
Already Taken:
IV, X, XII, XVII, XIX, XX,