The Horned Crown (OOC/Worldbuilding)

[Kaziimar]

It had been a month since Emperor Cyris Darillan, ruler of the vast Demovorn Empire was found slumped over in his throne with an arrow in his chest...three of his Imperial Eagle Guard also slain and absolutely nobody else to be found in the horrific, bloody crime scene that the magnificent Grand Hall had become. Not only was the empire thrown into shambles and political turmoil with the murder of their leader, but also the fragile peace that the six main nations had come to with the signing of the Century Treaty a decade prior, the peace that so many have tried so hard to keep together is slowly starting to crumble apart. An investigation is underway, but as of now everybody is a suspect...the leaders of the other nations are all eyeing each other warily and are being suspected of having sent their agents to do the deed, and in the Emperor's court, everybody has been pointing fingers at each other....allies becoming enemies and enemies becoming allies. The nobles, the advisors, even the emperor's own family members are being looked at strangely.

The High Council has kept the circumstances of His Majesty's death under wraps until the investigation could be completed, as to try to keep everything as orderly as possible but the people are not stupid nor are they blind...whispers have already started flying through the capital, the unrest igniting old racial and familial tensions as people can no longer trust their own neighbors. The entire continent is becoming a powder keg ready to explode, and the heir taken to a secret location for her own safety until the murderer could be caught and apprehended. As the throne of the empire sits empty and the crown left vulnerable, vultures are starting to fly in to try to pick at the carrion left. There are those trying to place themselves in position to make a grab for the throne, there are those trying to prevent a war from breaking out, and of course there are those trying to solve the emperor's murder...the investigation team being led by the emperor's younger brother Grand Duke Lune.

Also of note, the Horned Crown has gone missing from the imperial vault. Made by Emperor Charles from the horns of the beast he slew to defend his people, the Crown is a potent symbol of power, legacy and rightful rule in the empire...legend says that it was imbued with magical powers from the dragon. It had been used to crown every emperor and empress since the founding, and to have it go missing is a double blow...it must be found. With the land threatening to consume itself in chaos, this investigation is the only thing standing in between the six kingdoms and total war. Will you help find the Emperor’s murderer? Use this opportunity to spread seeds of discord and take the throne over yourself? Are you a leader of one of the other kingdoms, and will you ally behind the empire or swoop like a vulture over the weakened prey? The choice is yours.

Races:
Humans: Possibly the most diverse, versatile, adaptable and numerous of all the races. They can be found everywhere, from the pale-skinned Keom who tend to frequent the northern regions to the dark-skinned Jeorne native to the swirling Jeorneland desert sands and the Midlanders who live in the lush heart of the continent. On average, Keom men stand between 5’7 and 6’1 and the women from 5’5 to 5’9. Tough and hardy with white-blonde to red to brown hair, they make for excellent warriors. Jeorne men stand from 5’11 to 6’7 on average while the women stand from 5’7 to 5’11, they vary in skin tone from light sandy brown to ebony dark, and they often wear their dark hair in elaborate styles decorated with gold and silver trinkets. They are often merchants and craftsmen, producing some of the finest crafted artworks and weapons on Demovorn. Now the Midlanders are the most diverse in their appearance, their skin and hair can vary from fair to dark and their heights vary just as much...but their eyes are usually any shade from pale green to medium brown. They’re often farmers, their region making up the breadbasket of the continent.

Elves: Elves look a lot like humans, except that they tend to be taller, more lithe and more agile. They tend to have angular features and extraordinary beauty, with pointed ears...although they do vary as widely in skin tone and build as humans. The drow, or dark elves are secretive and tend to keep to themselves. They gav

Cambion: The offspring of demons that have mated with any other non-demon humanoid creature, cambion are often either killed immediately after birth or abandoned by the human parent. Cambion are highly discriminated against and many of them travel wearing a glamor because their unusual appearance make them stand out. Cambion are born with prominent horns of all shapes, long tails with arrow-like tips, long claws, glowing eyes, sharp teeth and bright odd-colored skin most commonly in shades of red. They’re feared and despised by many due to their parentage and strange powers, but some of them have managed to carve a place out in society for themselves.

Giants: Much taller and stronger than most humanoids, their appearances vary widely and they range from 8 to 15 feet tall (half giants are usually around seven to nine feet in height). From the fire giants, that make their homes in volcanic peaks, to the cloud giants that live on the tallest of mountains

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Kingdom App:
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Okay, so I’ll be doing some worldbuilding along with the players on this thread, I’ll be working on a bit of history for the Six Kingdoms and some players can chime in with ideas as well as races if they want.

[Tomia]

Looks great! Will app soon

[Utceforp]

Definitely interested in this. How much freedom do we have in regards to worldbuilding?

[The Orson Empire]

Wow, this looks amazing. I'm definitely interested!

[Kaziimar]

Definitely interested in this. How much freedom do we have in regards to worldbuilding?

Well, I’ll let players give opinions on the other four kingdoms and shape them (although I’ll keep one because I wish to make the leader of one of them) as well as some minor kingdoms. I've just made a kingdom app, actually...so that players could make whatever kingdoms they wanted and as well as pitch ideas. The three that best fit will be the primary four of the five kingdoms (I'll have the fifth)

[Utceforp]

I have an idea for a kingdom of undead humans as one of the Five Kingdoms, would that be acceptable or would it be too "out there".

[Kaziimar]

I have an idea for a kingdom of undead humans as one of the Five Kingdoms, would that be acceptable or would it be too "out there".

Undead may be a bit much.

[Utceforp]

I have an idea for a kingdom of undead humans as one of the Five Kingdoms, would that be acceptable or would it be too "out there".

Undead may be a bit much.

Ah, okay, I'll go with my second idea - a Giant kingdom.

[Kaziimar]

Undead may be a bit much.

Ah, okay, I'll go with my second idea - a Giant kingdom.

Sweet

[Cappuccina]

Taggity!!! This looks interesting.

[Utceforp]

Do mages exist in this world?

[The Twelve Isles]

Looks good, count me in

[The Twelve Isles]

Do mages exist in this world?

Actually thats a good question, as that determines which of my many characters I will use.

[Kaziimar]

They certainly do exist, I'll be playing the emperor's Wizard Imperial. I didn't really work out a magic system, unfortunately.

[Ormata]

I reserve a kingdom. Will be quite interesting (My deepest apologies if my app is long).

[Utceforp]

Okay, so, I have two ideas:

Mage republic (As in, only humans with sufficient magical power can vote or hold office.) established via a revolution with a vaguely "medieval Mediterranean merchant republic" aesthetic


Theocratic kingdom of Giants with a caste system that puts Stone Giants (Warriors and aristocracy) and Cloud Giants (Priesthood) over all other giants, with an even more vague Incan aesthetic.

I overall find the second idea more interesting, but I was thinking of RPing as a spy placed by a foreign power within the Demovorn Empire, and for obvious reasons that would be easier to do with the first idea.

[Guuj Xaat Kil]

I have a race idea...
So... Instead of bee people (overused due to their “civilisation”-like mannerisms), we get wasp people, or anything related to bees and wasps as long as it isn’t bees.

[Kaziimar]

I have a race idea...
So... Instead of bee people (overused due to their “civilisation”-like mannerisms), we get wasp people, or anything related to bees and wasps as long as it isn’t bees.

It’s a very interesting concept...but I’m having trouble seeing where they’d really fit in this setting. I’m so used to seeing insect people as more of a sci-fi thing

[The Felan Federation]

I have a race idea...
So... Instead of bee people (overused due to their “civilisation”-like mannerisms), we get wasp people, or anything related to bees and wasps as long as it isn’t bees.

It’s a very interesting concept...but I’m having trouble seeing where they’d really fit in this setting. I’m so used to seeing insect people as more of a sci-fi thing

Are half-humans accepted?

[Sraelyn]

Can we make an idependent realm outside the empire?

[Kaziimar]

Can we make an idependent realm outside the empire?

Yes, theres actually two main kingdoms left. I have one (and the Empire), and two are reserved by other players. Maybe I shouldn’t limit the number to five, widen it a bit so that players can have a bit more action.

Also yes, half-humans are more than welcome.

[Utceforp]

Some names I came up with for the Stone Giants - I wanted to create a language that sounded like stone cracking:

Githzhank Jra (Name of my kingdom, translates as "Kingdom of the Giants")

Nqagathunki (Potential Player Character name.)

Nqungithotku (Father of Nqagathunku.)

Jralhikskasqu (King of Githzhank Jra.)

Jrelguthahksi (Deceased father of Jralhikskasqu.)

Jralku (Culture hero, founder of kingdom, prophet of major religion, progenitor of ruling dynasty.)

Pomonomi (Cloud Giant priest who raised Jralku and assisted in his rise to power, his name is of Cloud Giant origin rather than Stone Giant origin.)

I was also thinking that the Stone Giant alphabet might just lack consonants entirely, (for example, Nqagathunki's real name would be NQGTHNK.) with the consonants being added by humans when they use Stone Giant words for the sake of easier pronunciation.

[Ormata]

Some names I came up with for the Stone Giants - I wanted to create a language that sounded like stone cracking:

*Vomit

Joking aside, I really do like this sort of naming convention. It's nice, adds a bit of flair and flavor, and will make announcing your guys at any sort of gathering to be hell on the servants. Thee announcer himself would probably get replaced three times over due to his throat going hoarse / sadness.

[Kaziimar]

I like this, this all seems very interesting. I especially love the Stone Giant idea. But I think the giants also have one common language they use if they need to communicate with each other as well as their own languages.

[Kaziimar]

I think I may make my Wizard Imperial a cambion, that’s the direction I’m leaning in. Because the mistrust around them is real and everybody warned he emperor not to trust her but she’s one of the most loyal members of his court.