The Balance of Powers OOC

[Harpy Queen]

This is the OOC thread for The Balance of Powers, a civilization RP.

Main thread: http://roleplayerguild.com/showthrea...15#post8407715

[Aries kzar]

I be chillin'

[CorinTraven]

Yo.

[Harpy Queen]

Your face.

[Embluss]

Yo. Everyone should bring there bios here from the interest check thread, so they're all in one place for the future. Made some edits to my government and military sections.

Nation Name: Croaslend

States: In order of significance: Eprilla, Thesia, Daem, Gorva, and the Sofeil Tribe
Leaders: King-Consort Lady Haliath (Nominal: King Oricus of Eprilla), King Balevios of Thesia, Queen Riona of Daem, Chief Deollus of Gorva, Chief-Prince Terrial of the Sofeil

Population: 1.1m in total. 262.5k in Thesia (132.5k ethnic Thesians elsewhere, mostly in Eprilla and smaller states in the northern bloc), 345k in Eprilla (Several ethnicities. Native Eprillans number only 120k. Large numbers of ethnic Gorvans and Thesians), 185k in Daem, 71.5k in Gorva, 9k in the Sofeil tribe (Unclear ethnic roots. Outwardly similar to Thesians and Eprillans), 227k in various small states (Primarily ethnic Gorvans and Thesians. Gorvan or Daemi in the south, Thesian in the northeast. A small cluster in the northwest is Eprillan by blood)

Capitol(s): Sronveim (Eprilla), Thesiapol (Thesia), Daemipol (Daem), Gorva (Gorva). The Sofeil Tribe is migratory and thus without a capitol.

Main Race: Croaslendars
Main Race Description: The Croaslendars, particularly the Thesians, Sofeil, and Eprillans, are similar to Caucasian humans. Some mixing with darker-skinned human groups to the south has led to the predominance of bronzed complexions and dark pigmentation of the eyes and hair among the Daemi and Gorvan ethnic groups, as well as the smaller tribes on the southern peninsula. Dark pigmentation of the eyes and hair has largely passed into the northern groups as well, although the tan skin color has not. Despite this, red or blonde hair remains common, as do blue, green, and even purple eyes. The nobility of all the states (besides Daem), as well as the Sofeil tribe, has less influence from the south, generally possessing fairer skin and alternate eye or hair colors.

Minority Race: Myiesian Slave Folk (4%, + 2% of mixed blood)
Minority Descriptions: See CorinTraven's bio. Concentrated mainly in the northern peninsula, where they work as house servants to the upper classes of Gorva, Eprilla, and several smaller states. A handful of slave-worked farms operate in the Arne River watershed of southwestern Eprilla, but such plantations are rare throughout the nation (The soil and geography making it difficult to support large farms, on which slave labor would be necessary). Mixed blood individuals are generally freed, but generally work as unskilled labor in the cities, government projects, and in the military (and, often enough, sell themselves back into slavery). “Mixed Blood” is not calculated racially, but by slave status; an individual with as little as 1/16 Myiesian Slave blood can be counted the same as a pure-blooded slave, so long as they are both enslaved. Therefore, children who are fully Croaslendar in appearance, but with a “Slave Blood” percentage of 50% may still be kept as slaves. Some descendants of slaves still become successes, but such individuals are rare.

Minority Race 2: Jangwa (2%)
Minority Description: See SovereignGrave's bio. Mostly settled/roving in the outer portions of Daem. They are generally free citizens. Offspring of mixed Croaslend-Jangwan blood are treated as normalized citizens. Known to carry out a brisk trade in the cities.

Minority Race 3: Ahkrur (<1%)
Minority Description: See Harpy Queen's bio. The Ahkrur had begun to settle the region prior to the Croaslendar migration to the region, and though most were killed or driven out during the invasion, some remained. Most Ahkrur-traited individuals are not full-blooded, or even recent descendants, but instead express the traits atavistically. A few pure-blooded tribes occupy the southeastern portions of Daem in permanent settlements, although they are not organized into a true kingdom. Several additional tribes live as nomads, primarily within the disputed claims of Daem and Gorva. Both groups remain faithful to their motherland's faith, although there has been some bastardization with other religions in the region.

Geography: The Croaslend is a fairly diverse landscape, with the northern peninsula differing significantly from the southern. The northern peninsula is dominated by a mountain chain running along the inner shore, with a fairly large strip of hilland between it and the sea. Thesia rests on the northeastern edge of this chain, nestled against the coast. Eprilla straddles it, also reaching across into the Arne River basin, a large, fertile area in the southwest. Gorva is the southernmost of the northern states, and reaches across the straits. Its northern peninsula holdings, the core of the state, are a mosaic of mountains, hills, valleys, and flatlands. This pattern extends into the smaller states lining the southern coast. To the west and north are plains. On the southern peninsula, the land is mostly flat, although dotted with hills, canyons, and river valleys. The climate is also notably different; the seasonally rainy mediterranean climate of the north quickly fades into dusty chaparral (The land does support a fairly sizeable barley crop, however). Beyond this desert begins, broken only by the occasional oasis.

Government(s) (in-depth): Eprilla, Thesia, and Daem are kingdoms with fairly similar systems. Each of their monarchs is limited to some degree by local rulers. In Thesia and Daem, these leaders are usually nobles, although the leading families of major towns are beginning to exert power. The ethnically Eprillan regions of the Eprillan domain also follow this pattern, as do the ethnically Thesian regions. The Gorvans, Sofeil, and smaller minorities instead use elders or chiefs, chosen by wisdom or strength in battle, rather than blood. While the power wielded by native rulers is feudal in the Thesian Kingdom, both Eprilla and Daem have council constructs. The former is defined by sectionalist divisions (which hampers the body from actually getting anything done, to the immense benefit of the monarchy), while the later is defined by its consensus in one key area; namely, inhibiting the central authority from actually doing anything. This allows the major Daem localities to do most of the actually governing. The Gorvans and Sofeil follow fully tribal systems, although with vastly different mechanics. In the Sofeil system, the Chief is an autocrat, able to command the tribe at will. In the Gorvan system, the official power is the Council, which is responsible for the selection of chieftains (It is somewhat odd, really, that Deollus has remained in power so long). Most small states in the south follow this model, while most in the north emulate the feudal styles of the Eprillans and Thesians.

Technological Level: The Croaslendar nation is fairly developed in most areas. The primary metal in use is iron, however quality steel is produced in most major cities and extensively imported. There are few road systems, excepting along the northeastern coast (through Thesia and eastern Eprilla) and the Arne River basin. Most transport is instead accomplished by ship, or through the northern plains. There are no true centers of learning; the closest thing to a is university Sronveim’s central squares, where intellectuals are known to gather and teach. Gorvan shipbuilders along the straits are fairly adept at their craft, having mastered the concepts of keels, rowing decks, and the U-to-V curve.

Military Notes (Include % pop.): Coraslendar is a fairly militant society, owing to the looming risk of strife between the various states. As a result, the total military has soared to 3.5% of population (38,500). Nearly the entirety of the fighting-age male population is considered militia, and trains at least once a month. No state possesses a proper navy, although the Gorvans employ privateers and the Eprillans field a river squadron.

Religion(s): The Croaslend religion has a complex origin. Owing to their suspected origins in the eastern portions of the continent, there is some influence from the Hessnyan tribes (however, as they left the region long before the Hessnyan Conquest, it is secondhand). This manifests mostly in the use of river baptisms, as well as the use of water in many other religious ceremonies. The development of a priestly class was also initiated while in the homeland. As the Croaslendar crossed the continent, they received some minor influence from the monotheistic inhabitants of Baron. Although this did not prompt any conversion to monotheism, the Croaslendar did begin to revere a powerful Creator-God above all others. Upon their arrival in the northern peninsula, the migratory tribes encountered the Ahkrur, whom they drove out of the north within 30 years (By the close of the century, the southern peninsula as well). In those brief decades, many of the Ahkrur religious tenets were adopted. Among those that have endured are the insolubility of marriage covenants, the idea of an all-encompassing Divine Spirit, belief in other planes (Previous sentiment had held that various spirits wandered the mortal world), the four mortal sins (rape, adultery, theft, and dishonorable killing, although the precept of greed being their root was not adopted as widely), as well as the tradition of building grand temples (In Croaslendar parlance, a Chantry, terminology taken from the Baronians. Some of these Chantries predate the Croaslendar invasion, having initially served as Ahkrur temples. The modern religion, which has no true name (rather, it is referred to by generic terms, such as "The Faith" or such), is thus rooted in the history of the Croaslendar. It has no strong governing authority, leading to wide differences in doctrine across the land. However, all the Chantries adhere to the belief in an omniscient, nigh-omnipotent Creator-Spirit, known by the unimaginative names of "God", "Creator", or "The Divine Spirit". The faith is far from monotheistic, however, believing in hundreds of gods (some taken from the Jangwa!). In addition, they administer sacramentals in nearly identical ways, whether it is the submersion of baptism, the annointing of the sick, war-borne, and downtrodden with holy water, the cleansing and cremation of the dead, or appointment of clergy. In recent years, Gorvan traders have begun to import the Myiesian faith, often identifying the moon with the Creator and advocating political alignment with the birthplace of the faith (this movement, however, is in its infancy, and has not spread far from the port cities).

History: The Croaslendar are believed to have originated as nomads in the eastern corner of the northern continent, a conclusion based on religious, ethnic, and linguistics. Eventually, their wanderings brought them to the Croaslend. After quickly driving out the southern-continent settlers (Primarily Ahkrur) over the course of about a century, they adopted their customs and formed settled states. The region slowly balkanized in the thereafter, with various splinter groups moving further and further south, until the current Croaslend territory was formed. Bloodshed has been a fairly regular occurrence in their history, mostly around the straits and in the northwest. The last hundred years have been fairly calm, with Eprillan superiority ensuring that no other state dared wage wars of conquest. At the same time, Gorvan traders opened the Croaslend to the rest of the world, and the Daem halted their advance into the southern continent. In recent years, the Eprillan state has been racked by indecisicion, the council maintaining a constant deadlock. Without a strong monarch on the throne, sectional loyalties prevent any governance. The Thesians and Gorvans in particular oppose the central government, hoping to break away from Eprilla in favor of their homelands (The Thesian state, but not the Gorvans, is believed to be backing nationalist movements inside Eprilla). The instability to the north has prompted Daem to develop its military and fortifications in the north, even as it eases up in the south.

Foreign Policy: The Croaslendar are generally uninterested in foreign policy. Daem’s interest extends only to the various tribes of the southern continent that circle it’s borders and occupy some outer claims (generally unsettled, unexplored regions). The northern states are turned even further inward, focusing entirely on squabbles between themselves. The wanderings of the Sofeil occasionally bring them near foreign civilizations, but they are at the current moment fairly settled in the fertile pastures just northwest of the Eprillans. Only the Gorvans, with their expansive trading links, truly care for the affairs of the world. However, without national backing, the Gorvan state lacks the capability to project power.

Misc.: Farm yield is fairly low at the moment, as the Croaslendar aren’t all that talented at farming on slopes (which comprise a large portion of their land). vegetables, legumes, and potatoes are common in the eastern portion of the northern peninsula, with wheat dominant in the west. Rye is grown further north, and barley is the key crop of the southern interior. Goats, sheep, and other fairly small livestock are common in most areas. A handful of swine farmers are found in the northwest. Larger livestock, such as bovines, are nearly unheard of.

[SovereignGrave]

Oh yeah! Embluss, I've been meaning to ask you something. Can I edit my military section, and replacing the cavalry with war elephants, since I'm planning on not having any horses in Tajiri. At least, not yet.

[CorinTraven]

Nation Name: Myiesia
Regions: Silver Coast.( 0 feet asl (above sea level), and any surrounding islands under Myiesian control) Esainia (1-300 feet asl) Mostly cliff-faced villages, or those built along hazardous paths up the plateau. Lower Flat Lands.( 300-400 feet asl) The first top of the plateau, home to the Rieguam, and most of the population. Highlands (400+ feet asl) Mountainous terrain, very small population of mostly farmers.
Leader(s): Crown-Princess Sapharin
Population: Free Men: 40,000 Slaves: 120,000
Capitol(s): Rieguam


Main Race: Slave Human
Main Race Description: We’re usually tanned, having come from a foreign land long ago, with darker hair, along with skin.
Minority Races: Free Human
Minority Descriptions: We’re white, yo. With fair hair, and eyes. Also we control all aspects of government and stuff.


Geography: The majority of Myiesia is raised upon a sheer plateau, a rocky and rigged cliff-face protecting the mountainous nation from invasion for over three hundred years. It’s known for the dark stone that juts from the ground, and lays in natural ridges around its harbor. Yet, the beaches that separate the cliff from the sea are silvery, fabled to have been gifted by Mother Moon. Along the inner bay, the beaches are less narrow, and a natural inlet conjoins with their man-made lock system, to carry boats and supplies up into the capitol city. Carved into the cliff-face are many paths up onto the plateau, which levels out for a thirty miles, before a smaller plateau juts from the ground, and atop that, there is a great region of mountains.

Though there are only a few villages situated on the beach, mostly within the protective ring of the harbor, Myiesia also has an interesting amount of villages clinging to the cliff face, suspended hundreds of feet in the air, in homes carved out of the stone, or build of wood, connected by rope bridges and narrow ledges. They’re a curious sight to foreigners, to see the people climbing and moving haphazardly from one dangerously placed building to the next. But it was a way of life in Myiesia, and they’ve grown quite used to it.

Government(s): Monarchical figurehead, born to their position through divine right. Lords and Ladies govern over the land, but the are servants to the reigning monarch. In exchange for their fealty, they are left untaxed, and with many benefits. About 10% of the free population are nobility (4,000) and they range from princes to sirs. Though the nobility holds much power in their local land, they are expected to bend knee to their ruler. Most are wise enough to, and those who don’t find that the cut throat way of Myiesian politics will leave them out of land, and home.

The monarch, in theory, holds all the power, though as of recent, their influence had declined to more of a puppet to the different needs of their noblemen. So, no one has really noticed the decrease in effectiveness as their government is decentralize and with no standing army to enforce the King’s law, the nobility is tasked with keeping the peace. The government is dominated by men, and the few governesses find themselves at an immediate disadvantage. Being as their reigning monarch is an unmarried Princess, she holds very little influence, the different noblemen refusing to coronate her until she is married.

Technological Level: Despite being fairly secluded, Myiesia is quite advanced in their advancement. They pride themselves with having perhaps the most advanced system of locks and aqueduct within the entire world, and many of their major cities have functioning sewers, that drain away into the sea. They’re a very prosperous nation, mostly built on the fact they have not meddled around in a real war in over two hundred years, and the small revolts in their own country are usually quenched with little use of violence. With their physical wealth, they have created many institutes of learning, and an education is one of the most important accomplishment in Myiesian society. Free children are almost always schooled by tutors, and even some slave children enjoy an education. They have a highly organized and deeply rooted road, mail, and bridge system.. Though, reading is still reclusive to the very wealthy, as book making is a tedious and time consuming process.

Military Notes: There is no standing army in Myiesia, as they’ve grown quite used to an era of peace. Perhaps it’s foolish to abolish your army, but many local lords keep their own resource of men to keep the peace within their land. They have never suffered from an invasion, so it is the least of many Myiesian’s worries, who believe their country and cities to literally be impregnable. Some are right to assume so, with a beautiful tactical advantage from atop their plateau, and only five men can walk side by side on their widest stone path, in some narrower ones, a man must slide parallel to the cliff face, or risk tumbling to his death. Their lock system is a well kept secret, and can only be controlled from within. Though it would be difficult to invade, it is still not impossible.

Religion(s): Most native Myiesia’s believe themselves to be the children of the moon, pale skinned and fair haired in her image. Many festivals are held in honor of the beautiful moon, and when she is full in the sky, every crime is punished twice as severely. When it is a new moon, it’s considered dangerous to leave ones home at night, for that is when the demons and vicious spirits are unhindered by her holy light. Even the slaves worship the moon, and their captivity is justified as the moons children are obviously above them. Along with that, they are not cruelly kept in most cases, and as Myiesia had stopped any sort of conquest and slaving two hundred years ago, this is just as much their home as it is their masters. Some even believe it to be a holy land.

History: The history of Myiesia is very warped and has been forgotten over time, the nation itself, has no ‘date’ of creation, most believe it to always have been. It’s most notable leader was King Thileon the Conqueror, who brought a majority of their slave population to the island two hundred and fifty-seven years ago. Briefly he held strips of the mainland, but by the time his son’s son had taken the throne, once more the island nation returned to it’s natural boundaries. King Thileon III was the last King to wage a war, and it was long, and it was bloody. After him, his children, and their children, would keep the nation at peace for an era of two hundred years. So long, perhaps, that the people of Myiesia hold not even the faintest belief that they will ever go to war, having grown rich and prosperous without the pursuit of empire-building. They did well enough trading, and as the time dwindled, the people found no need for an army, and now they lay defenseless.

The royal family had been built on years of gentle breeding and alliance with their own nobility, rarely did this very secluded nation ever wed one of their children to a foreigner, usually keeping their blood pure, and their heritage even purer. This had given them a sort of aloofness and superiority over many other nations they deem ‘backwards’, and ‘barbaric’. Though, Princess Sapharin holds the heart of a conqueror, with no army, and with the refusal of her noblemen to crown her without a husband, the young-woman is not opposed to defying an unspoken, but long-held tradition of marrying a Prince of her own country. No, if the nobles will not crown her, then she will not marry their sons. She’ll find another, in a foreign nation, to make her not only a queen, but an Empress.

Foreign Policy: Myiesia holds a beneficial trade union with most countries. Their tariff’s are low, and in turn, they are often met with the same courtesy. Most foreigners would know them best for their fabled wealth, prosperity, and peace. And for the most part, they are not wrong to assume such. They hold no real hostilities, though they are jealous of their homelands, and it is a bother for foreign ministers and diplomats to get through their gates.

Misc:

-Though there are a lot of slaves within Myiesia, they are treated well, and it is illegal to brutalize your slaves beyond reason. They hold rights as to take their master to court if they deem him unfair, but they are rare to be given equality before the law. Married men and woman can not be sold separate from each other, nor can young children. If freed, the man gains all of his rights, and is considered a full citizen of Myiesia. Over the years, several have been freed, and even a few hold lower offices in government.

-Myiesian soil is rich with ore deposits, along with precious gemstones. In the lower flat lands, agriculture thrives, and a series of terraces allow the more mountainous regions to make use of their land as well.

- Myiesian merchants have many ships, but their navy is fairly undermanned considering they are an island nation.

- The Princess is only fourteen!

[ActRaiser]

Nation Name: Baron
State(s): Baron - North, South, West, East, Central, Outer
Leader(s): The Witanegemot : A council of Wisemen who are warrior noblemen, appointed to their position by the Elders of the country. Currently, the oldest Witanegemot is Geoffrey Moerlin, an eighty year old man who everyone respects.
Population (If applicable, break down by state):
North: 300,000
West: 300,000
East: 300,000
South: 300,000
Central: 1,200,000
Outer: Tlantia 100,000
Capitol(s): Baron City (In the Central province)


Main Race: Human
Main Race Description: Caucasian, as seen in West Europe.
Minority Races:
Minority Descriptions: (May be light on detail. With permission, may borrow races from other players.)


Geography: A huge forest, reminiscent of Germany's "Black Forest" dots the landscape. The rest is mountains, hills, or flowing fertile grasslands.
Government(s) (in-depth):
The Witanegemot or "Council" are a large Council of wisemen who have been tested by the Elders in different ways. Many of them have combat experience, fighting bandits and tribesmen, etcetera. All of them have been tested either intellectually or some how in ways that would benefit the state. Overall there are 150 Wisemen in the Witanegamot, and most make up a very elite fighting force.
Technological Level: They have just discovered Steel, but they are masters of hydraulics, medicine and hygiene. They have extremely powerful bows and arrows, crossbows utilizing springs and levers as well. Technology wise, their weapons are comparable to Han era technology of the Chinese.
Military Notes (Include % pop.): They have a standing army of 25,000 Men. . . (1% of the population) and may call on reserves as need be. Although they can raise veterans and reserves at times of war.
Religion(s) (feel free to borrow!): Creationism: (The Church of the Maker) They believe in one God, although there is local paganism, only 11 percent of the population believe in it. Basically the people allow others to practice their faith, but it is the duty of all those within Creationism to share the knowledge of their God with others, and they practice an identical iteration to the Ten Commandments, and forbid the mixing of their religion with others.
History: Long ago, when Baron still dealt only in marble, wood, and stone, they were are war with Tlantia. They fought against Tlantia and won against their neighbors. Soon after they developed a Monotheism known as Creationism, and adopted religious laws. This was 1,800 years ago. 400 years later the Tlantia would rebel, but the Baronians fought and defeated the rebellion.

Gradually the Baronian population grew very large, and they needed a better form of government than clan chieftains, and they desired to keep peace through the land. So finally they found a way to coexist with eachother through the appointment of wismen over the tribes, who would be set upon not by the chief, but through collective voting. People within the tribe would decide among various candidates whom they would set forth as Witans, or wisemen, and the Elders would test these choices for the Council of the Witanegamot, or the Council.

Eventually, 700 years ago, the Baronians discovered Bronze. With their Bronze weapons, the Baronians kept themselves in an isolationist state for centuries. They established Academies that taught medicine, art, opera, music, dancing, the martial arts and warfare, as well as stories that were passed from generation to generation.

The Baronians then had to fight a scrawny race of monsterous humanoids they called "Darklings", a race that was extremely numerous and known for their poisons and evil intentions towards non"Darklings". They were called the Sprakh. This was a terrifying war that lasted on and off for one hundred years. No one knows what has become of the Sprakh once the war was over. No one has seen a Sprakh in 300 years.

Foreign Policy: They are isolationist for now and deal with local problems, but recent prosperity means they could start trading with other powers.


Misc.:
They have public baths, plumbing, steel making, advanced hygiene and composite bows comparable to Welsh Longbow and arrows. Their culture is based on honoring the elderly, family members, and they also have a chivalric outlook on females.

[Aries kzar]

Nation Name:The Assembly
State(s): Rhan holds (city states) + human assembly
Leader(s):
->Council/senate
->5 assembly leaders
->One Rhan assembly representative
Population: aprox 950.000 Human, Kor race(Growing rapidly) + aprox 190 000 Rhan + Small number (~25 000) of Aihwan, mostly slaves or servants.
30~40 000 humans live in the northern artic regions along with nearly 75 000 Rhan
550 000 humans live in the center regions along with the remaining 115 000 populace of the rhan
400 000 humans thrive in the southern "colonial" lands along with token populations of Rhan and the occaptional Aiwhan slave or servant families which have been "civilised" to assembly standards.
Capitol(s): Valentir (Human capital city), No'dar (Largest Rhan Hold in the assembly, they gather here to elect their representative in the assembly itself)

Main Race:
Human, they call themselves "the Kor"
Main Race Description: The humans of the assembly have adapted to their cold homeland in spirit and skill, thriving in the those regions even if they can't survive without the food from the southern provinces.
Many grow up in harsh winters with little more than the stories of the legions gathering wealth and glory far away to keep them warm, others spend their lives working for the assembly, building roads and cities to fit the grand design of the senate. Life in the cities is gifted for some of the most influential members of society or those who earned their "citizenship" through service to the assembly. They are charactarised by a reasonably white tone of skin that does not tan as much as most other human races do whilst under the influence of the sun. On average do most tone a lighter color of hair, thicker and longer, although that is more cultural than physical.

Minority Races:

Rhan
Minority Descriptions:
The Rhan are considered by many to be a subspecies of the human race or by some more hatefull, to be halflings.
They are much shorter then their human cousins, mostly peaking at 1.5 meters in height. They are broadly build, with strong arms and legs, build for endurance and strength rather than speed and agility.
The men especially are known for their beards and hair growth, not as much fur, but enough facial and body hair to help them along in artic colds. The woman are void of much of this extra hair growth, growing the hair on their head out long to braid it in extravagant manners to appease to the men. The Rhan themselves are much more gender equal then the humans were and still are, but the assembly, over time, took over some of these rights and equalities. This makes it that even woman are known to serve in the armies, be that they are on average, still weaker than their male counterparts, but still stronger then most human men.
They are believed to be the original inhabitants of the artic regions and either displaced or sucked into the assembly as time passed. They are strong, proud but loyal. They hardly face public hatred or scorn in the assembly lands themselves as their holds and armies are a great asset to the nation.

Many independant Rhan kingdoms or settlements dot around the assembly lands, making it so that the senate make sure few if anyone troubles the holds within the assembly, making sure their only allies stay as they are.
Because it would not be impossible for them to break away from the senate and the assembly to join their brothers in solitude, leaving their human cousins to fend for themselves.

They build their homes on the edge of mountains, many are build at or even inside stone quarries, delving the same stone they are using to build their settlements.
The Rhan do this to build their settlements partially into the ground or into mountainsides, using the earth itself to protect them from the freezing weather all around them.
This enables them to survive harsh winters and the cold regions of the north, making them ample mineworkers aswell as good hunters and stout fighters.

Aiwhaians
See Aihwa

Geography:
The assembly is composed of roughly three regions, one being the artic north. A place so cold few can survive for long, the only men who even try to brave those lands do so for undiscovered riches or legends. The Rhan however are known to have the knowledge and skill to survive in these lands, their towns and holds(cities) build into the mountainside, huddled together to preserve their warmth. Allways build in places to avoid the cutting winds and storms as much as they can.
Otherwise both races use the large, thick and unrellenting pine forests to their best advantage.

The middle regions, further south has the famed lorn mountains, who stretch along more then half of the country, nearly seperating the phamed ephiruis arm from the rest of the landmass. Most of the Rhan holds thrive here aswell as many of the older human settlements, around those you have the vast forests that dominate most of the country, meaning that these regions build most of their holds from wood and stone that the Rhan delve with great skill.

The south, slowly colonised in the past century or two has been a large boon for the assembly. The weather turns more temperate, allowing the clans to cultivate food in quantities they did not thought possible,
creating a rise in population that boosted the confidence of the assembly as a whole. Hills and some mountains break up the otherwise uninstresting terrain, in many cases taken up by sprawling farms and grain fields or otherwise great woodlands. This is also considered as a frontier, atleast one of the assembly legions is allways attempting to claim more land for the senate, attempting to appease to the unending hunger for lands that the assembly currently has.

Government:
The assembly is a governing body which runs on an elected body of 5 men and one Rhan, the latter which has nearly full veto power when his own people are concerned.
Elections for the assembly are hold by a senate of chosen officials, ranging from around a hundred men and Rhan, even the occational woman, holding a large amount of power within the assembly.
They control most of the overarching civil planning and financial duties within the assembly, giving those final six men the ability to prepare war and diplomacy.
In accordance with their hightened confidence and illusions of grandeur does this seem the age of grand projects and planning, stone roads stretching to the far artic north, connecting mines and newly build settlements and the senate and the assembly believe that their golden age is just beginning.

The law and consititution of the assembly is a budding artifact that is ever improved upon. Initial grandeur and egoism was seen as a part of the fault that nearly caused the of the assembly in the war and the constitution of the assembly has been rewritten atleast twice in two centuries either by the force of failure or new insights.

Most of the advantages of the assembly as a nationb, especially those given by law are gifted to those with citizenship, even if some are considered universal.
This citizenship gives you a large amount of precieved civil rights and entitlements, options you would otherwise never have.
It is mostly earned by years of service to the senate and the assembly, either by contracted labor, military service or service on the frontier settlements.

Technological Level:
The assembly prides itself on its infrastructure, roads connecting many of the nations major cities, holds and even some of the larger mines and farms.
Metalurgy wise did the Assembly pride themselves on steelcrafting in tools and weaponry, a thing that is percieved to be a reason why their armies won the war against their southern neighbours.
Orders of the assembly and important information are stored on parchment scrolls, something that is neccesary as the intricacies of the assembly sometimes causes confusion and annoyance in outer settlements as orders sometimes go wrongas keeping track of the budding bureacracy. Other intrests in technology are not that impressive. The intrest in sea travel to go with the legends of the Kor makes that they have a fleet of semi advanced galley's which they used to trace the coasts especially in their expantions to the south. Further expedition allowed some ships to brave further into sea even bringing the existance of a large island to the south-west to the ears of the assembly.

Military Notes:
The current assembly uses 2 forms of soldiers, the first and foremost being a standing, salaried legion-type army, using tradition and their honor bound civilisation to prod their people into military duty in return for citizenship, which would give them grandeur in society along with many benifits, especially in the cities and with the more advanced societies and cities within the assembly. Many of these legions are currently stationed at the border, in semi-permanent forts, waiting for when the assembly ammasses enough funds to expand their budding nation once again. The current size does not inspire massive awe as the assembly currently lacks a major enemy.
The free Rhan holds to the east are trading partners and the legions would not survive long in those conditions and a legion build upon Rhan alone seems beyond the will of the assembly holds.
Surrounding free human tribes are for the rest not a true threat for the current size of the Assembly legions. Their is a portion in the assembly constitution that would allow emergency levies, but it has not been used in decades.

The second form is a levied or volunteer "guard" force that acts as a military force in cities and is used to police problems within the nation itself. It is much smaller then the combined force of the legions and they are spread across the largest cities and some frontier settlements.

The majority of the assembly legions fights on foot, using large shields, spears and blades in budding military formations.
Legions are formed in highly standarised formations that change through the centuries for flexibility and ease of managing and deployment.


Horse breeding has never broken through in the assembly with neither the skill, knowledge or experience to do it so cavalry within the legion is somewhat rare even if they are attempting to fix that with breeding programs that never had impressive succes. The added problem is that most of the horse species within the assembly are strong, broad but not quick and nimble. Thick strong legs, fur and big muscles to help them survive the winters, this is usefull with some war horses, but not for skirmishers or for quick flanking cavalry.

Archers are trained in groups, mostly to fire in roughly accurate volleys to provide fear and awe as much as they are designed to thin the enemy.
Legionary 'archers' are seen as a secondary resource in the legionary armies, soldiers

The Rhan are somewhat of a semi-permanent addition to the legions. They serve in seperate groups within each legion, mostly acting as a solid wall while the rest of the legion hacks away at the flanks.
Even if they are shorter than most, does their strong body and endurance allow them to wear thick leather and partial metal armor and weapons, mostly outlasting their advesary in pure combat.
The problem with the Rhan is that their size is also a weak point, they can sprint a fair bit but they are in practicly all cases, slower in a straight run. This makes it that putting them together with human soldiers makes for a workable dynamic within the assembly legions.

Religion:
The religion of the assembly does not truly have an impressive or important structure as the Rhan had an impressive influence on it.
The Rhan themselves don't believe, in most cases, to waste their time in worshipping an all powerfull creature as they believe in practicality and in the strength in their arms.
Religion is a rather foreign concept to them and considered to be something 'human'.

The Kor on the other hand were set to have a rather large pantheon in the old days, but the influence of the Rhan swindled it down to but a handfull of gods that are worshipped.
And even these "gods" were scoured down to rough concepts of belief by long term influence of their short statured allies.
Such as Njor, the god of battle and war. Those who worship him are expected to fight for all they own and want.
Working hard to earn their keep and dreams moreso than begging him to give it to them. Or the godess Jau, which is their deity of compassion and love. Those who worship her are expected to understand, to listen, to seek compassion and friendship with those around them.
The seven gods that remain on the kor panteon somewhat depict a way of life that the follower is expected to follow instead of expecting their ritual prayer and obediance.

History:
The origin of the Assembly nations or atleast their predecessors is said to be from ships that came from the east, shipwrecking on the cliffs that make out a portion of their coastline.
This did spark legends and grand expectations, sending more than one hapless shipcrew to an unknown death at sea. The assembly itself is said to be around 200 to 300 years old, depending on which sources you look at, but the "current" assembly was created after what it seen as the greatest failure since it's original inception. When war was budding at the northern border, with human tribes, with different coloured skin and manneristics, did the assembly attempt war. They ammassed an army, calling it their legion and prepared for a campaign to drive them further south, taking their more lands in return.

This campaign eventually took nearly fifty years as the assembly lost their entire army almost three times, either by problems with communication, underestimation or sheer stupidity.
The entire assembly and senate was nearly broken apart from public oproar, but was reformed to appease both the public and themselves.

Following military campaigns done with a level head and with experience learned through failure had a more favorable solution, taking advantage of their Rhan shock troops and their apparant unseen before organisation and size of arms. With those lands, especially those further south, did their population rise immensly, especially with local methods of farming being adopted and improved upon allowing the assembly to rise in influence and power that dwarfed the surrounding tribes, giving their armies even more lands to conquer. Their apparent self absorbed sense of superiority makes them feel they are a bringer of order in the world around them.
They believe that they are improving the lives of those they conquer whilst creating a nation that will last through the ages.
This build a form of stature, a form of entitlement that had to be earned as it was taken, by blood and sweat. Sparking the first inception of citizenship.
They coupled this with a sense of honor and duty, feeling that if they believed themselves superiour, they should act and do the part to perform and be better than the barbarians around them.


Foreign Policy:
The assembly has a rather childish perception of the world, seeing themselves as superiour and wanting to teach their neighbouring tribes.
They do trade with some human tribes but mostly with northern Rhan holds and even then only with regions that are out of their prospected path of conquest.
Their knowledge of the world goes little further then the coastline of their immediate regions and to the south, where they found but traces of abandoned settlements.
This is a age of exploration tough and the assembly sees fit to send fleets and expiditions out to quench their thirst for knowledge and expansion.
The assembly has been in contact with but a few powerfull tribes and had allways been able to defeat them utterly, practicly destroying their entire culture in the progress, leaving little trace of their heritage.
It can only be speculated upon how they will act when they meet a more capable advesary able to put the legions at unease....



Misc:

Political and military ideals & info:
-The assembly has grand ideals in nearly every respect, grand social projects and cities are in construction wherever they can and where the treasury allows it to be build.
-The assembly fleet is mostly based on scouring the coasts for transport, fishing aswell as exploration, experimentation and development allways ongoing to send ships further into the blue horizon to chase legends and myths.
Their only fixed military fleet is based on sailing the coastline, to raid settlements on the coast aswell as delivering soldiers on the coast, it is left aside as they have never encounted a foreign fleet that would battle their dominance on the sea.


Social and economic ideals & info:
-Education is a thing most cities push for and a thing the assembly wants to spread through their borders. It is a tedious and difficult thing, but progress is being made to improve the education around the nation.
Most cities have an organised center of learning, be it schools or more advanced universities.
-The assembly women enjoy some gender equality, slowly taken from the Rhan culture. Men are still put ahead in many stations and roles, but compared to the barbarians around them, do their women enjoy near total freedom and rights equal to their men.
-Slavery is a growing thing, especially with the southern tribes being conquered and the remaining people being put to work in the mines or quarries to build new cities their. The rhan, look down on it and have been presurring the assembly to abolish it or atleast grant them rights and protect them from being treated as cattle. This has continued to the point that slaves have the possibility to buy their freedom and are protected from major abuse within the assembly, but the Rhan still continue their campaign to get rid of the horrible practice.
-Much of the north thrives on the metals the Rhan delve and the furs that the humans gather along with meats and other northern valuables.
The south however has been dominated by farmsteads as the assembly pressures to build cities and have the food to feed the people in them it is dominated by grain and animal herding, but many other grops dot the landscape.
-The economy, especially in the outer stretches work in barter systems, where the more modern regions have adopted the coin system of bronze, silver and gold.
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Changed a few small things to the bio, nothin' really important

[Embluss]

@SG: Seems fine to me. However, I think it would be best that they be closer in size & tractability to Indian elephants. (I did a bit of quick research; it seems my suspicions were correct. The larger African elephants were never successfully tamed in large numbers. The ones used by Hannibal were "North African Forest Elephants", now extinct (And even smaller than Indian ones!). There were some blurbs about ancient Syrian, Mesopotamian, and Chinese ones, but as far as I can tell we A) Don't know anything about them and B) Assume they're more like the Indian and North African Elephants off of simple geography.)