Marking my interest. Going to work on a concept today and submit it later for review. My only question is to what extent do we have freedom to create lore/history?

@Flagg

Awesome. I'll probably have my idea fully fleshed by the end of the day, with room left to add collaborated history.

I'm planning on making a trader-merchant oriented nation south-west of the Spine. If possible, it would house quite some Old Gods holy sites, though there is no official state religion. AKA, every religion is permitted so there would be quite some internal fighting going on.

I'll try to draw a little map of the region to clarify what I mean.

The Dominion [+]

The Dominion of Tarixis-Narikuli

National [+]

Capital: Shevaxisi-Torand Sil The land where light cannot reach, and darkness can never leave

Capital Population: 3,726

Type of Government: Theocratic Monarchy, where the royal family's rule is enforced by a rigid caste system and the religion of the Dominion.

Currency: There is no currency beyond the merit of one's actions within the Dominion, and that merit being based upon what an individual provides for their fellow Tarix-Na.

Population: 550,793

Racial demographics: 90% Tarix-Na, 10% Lorghesi

-Unique Trait #1:
-Unique Trait #2:
-Unique Flaw #1
-Unique Flaw #2

Geographical [+]

Other Major Settlements: Keranis-Shul Keltaric That which dwells in the twilight of death

Less a city, and more an always moving place of pilgrimage. The place known as Keranis-Shul Keltaric is always in constant flux with the ebb and flow of Tarix-Na civilization, and any place that could be considered a place of the dead would be such. These places are highly revered by the people of the land, and as such are barred from any travelers that are capable of braving the lands of the Tarix-Na.

Landscape/Wildlife:

The lands of the Dominion vary between heavily forested areas and blasted wasteland, with the former abundant on the coasts and southern peninsula, while the latter is sporadic among the central regions. While similar in some aspects to the plant life beyond the straits, the plant life of the Dominion is very different. Primarily a fibrous life form made of sulfur compounds, the plants of the land operate on a similar cycle to the native fauna. Photosynthesis largely depends upon UV light to fuel the internal processes of the plant, and enable it to break down cyanide gases into ammonia and complex hydrocarbons, both of which are released into the air in a similar manner to the more common plant beyond the Dominion. Native herbivores take in the sulfur rich fibers of the plants and break them down into compounds their own bodies synthesize to construct their tissue and bones, tissues which are then consumed by carnivorous animals and processed in the same way. In large part, the Dominion acts as a separate ecosystem, vastly different from the surrounding lands, yet eerily similar. One of the most important plants to the Dominion is the Harkti bush, a shrub that produces foliage that is capable of trapping oxygen within it's fibers and filtering through gases which the Tarix-Na can breathe. Drying the leaves allows longer use of the plant, as well as enables the Dominion to store supplies of the plant for long journeys. Using this plant, the people of the Dominion are able to leave their lands and travel the world for so long as they have a supply of the Harkti bush's leaves.

Racial [+]

Name: Tarix-Na

Classification: Sentient

Species Description:

The Tarix-Na are a species of humanoids native to the deadly forests of Tarixis-Narikuli, one that is possibly related to the Lorghesi species who also inhabit the lands. They are an upright vertebrate hexapod, distinguished by their primary set of legs upon which they typically stand and move about, their primary set of arms which they use to manipulate and project force, and their vestigial arms located along the sides of their torso. In regards to the legs of the Tarix-Na, they are reverse-jointed with hooved feet, the hooves themselves made of a highly dense material in similar makeup to stone, though has been unconfirmed if that is the actual material. The legs of the Tarix-Na are their primary source of strength, with the average member of the species capable of delivering blows with their hooves of up to 300lbs of force per square inch, as well as enabling the average member to lift five times its own body weight. Upper-body wise, only the upper pair of arms are capable of lifting significant weight, or exerting force in a way similar to other humanoids due to their disadvantage in having only three fingers and a thumb per hand. On the other hand, their vestigial arms are not quite useless. Normally kept folded across their chest, the vestigial arms are commonly used to assist the upper pair in tasks that need a steadying hand, or in some cases they are used for tasks which do not require immediate attention. It is a common sight to see a Tarix-Na engaged in carving with his vestigial arms, while he is also utilizing his primary arms for more labor intensive tasks. The Tarix-Na are also curiously lacking in vocal cords, instead possessing a series of thin bony plates within the throat which are vibrated to project an audible hum, or clicked together through the muscles of the throat. This results in a highly complex language, and a high-degree in difficulty for the average member to speak other languages.

Another distinguishing factor for the species is both their deep-red skin tone, and the varying degree of horns the typical male grows from their skull. These horns vary depending upon region, and familial line, though for the most part the horns are very similar to the antlers of common deer and can branch out to up to thirteen points. Lesser Tarix-Na grow horns more similar to the common ram, or mountain sheep, with the curvature of the horns denoting their status among the commoners. A steeper curve lends the male a role as a sort of consul, while shallower curves tend to leave the male as more or less, a commoner. Skin tone also denotes status among their fellow Tarix-Na, as deeper shades of red are found more appealing, while lighter shades tend to result in the individual being outcast from society. Rarer tones shift over into the burgundy and violet hues, with very few ever being born of a blueish tint. These individuals are typically taken up by the religious caste and taught the ways of their forests, though it is not unheard of for such an individual to be adopted into the royal family.

Biologically speaking, the Tarix-Na are quite different from their humanoid counterparts of elves, dwarves, and humans. The chief factor which separates them from other humanoids is their inability to breathe oxygen in the same quantities as other the creatures of the world outside their lands. They breathe a mixture of ammonia and methane-based gases which are secreted by the plant life of the forests they inhabit, a mixture which is processed into needed hydrogen by a large singular lung which forms a semicircle within their torso cradling the tri-valve heart which pumps a mercury-based solution throughout their bodies. Part of their respiratory system is also the conversion of naturally created carbon and the discarded nitrogen into cyanide gas, which is then exhaled from the same air ways which take in ammonia and methane. The diet of the Tarix-Na usually consists in sulfur rich animal tissue or plant tissue, both of which are in abundance in the forests of their lands. This sulfur, once digested into the body, forms the building blocks of their bone-structure, as well as fuels the metabolism and gives the body the ability to breakdown other chemicals. Oxygen is one element which the body is incapable of bonding with other molecules or elements, and so is often processed through an organ very similar to the human liver, though in this case the oxygen is pressurized until it is a liquid, and then forced from the body. Despite being able to excrete this chemical, the liver of the Tarix-Na is not fully able to rid itself of the element, and the oxygen which is left will often crystallize inside the organ over time

Most Tarix-Na will live to anywhere between 50-175 years in age, though this is primarily due to a host of diseases and parasites which begin attack the body of the Tarix-Na once they reach this age range. The reason that they suddenly become susceptible to existing disease and parasites, is because at that age most Tarix-Na will find their livers failing from the build-up of oxygen through the years, and be at the point where oxygen is starting to deposit in other areas of the body. One of the most common disease which strikes the Tarix-Na is that of the dreaded Shelvorak, a disease which gradually necrotizes the vital organs of the infected until they finally die of brain-death or drowning in the liquefied tissue that has built up within their lungs. Those who are afflicted with the disease are highly feared by the community due to the communicability of the disease to those who are not as advanced in age, and it is not unknown for entire regions of the forest to go suddenly silent after a single Tarix-Na became infected. In terms of lifespan unaffected by disease or parasite, it is completely unknown exactly how long a member of the species can live, with some records telling of individuals living for hundreds of years, and one remarkable case even living to a ripe six-thousand.

Lanuages:

The language of the Tarix-Na is a unique one, in that while they do have something similar to such a thing, it varies into a host of different forms that makes it nigh-impossible to learn from outside the species. The closest thing that could be called a "Common-Tongue" for the species is that of Kelto a bipolar mixing of both submissives and dominant commands and acknowledgments to commands. This leads the Tarix-Na to be rather blunt when dealing with each-other and those rare outsiders they are able to communicate with. Other forms of language within the species commonly used is the form Shekto which has been very loosely translated to mean emotion or intent. This form is most often used to convey feelings or intentions which are not expressible through Kelto, or which may be improper to express through Kelto. It is a common use of Shekto to express a desire for someone to do something, but in a way which is not leveled as a command, a trait of the languages of Tarix-Na which seems to fail to find its way into Human-Tongue. Rarely among the species will one find themselves keen to learn a language that goes beyond the bounds of the species, though these individuals have found themselves highly useful in the dealings with outside nations. While the average Tarix-Na is highly intuitive with communicative languages, they are well known to struggle with grammatical structure and due to the nature of their primary means of communication, they are highly prone to run-on sentences and lack punctuation in their speech. This is primarily because they only emulate the speech of other sentients by vibrating the plates in their throat to certain pitches that mimic spoken words.

In terms of written language, the Tarix-Na's main form of writing is a highly complex runic system which to date has been found to consist of nearly seven-hundred thousand characters. To what degree the language actually extends to is completely unknown, as is the depth of knowledge the average Tarix-Na understands. In most cases, the religious and royal castes are the members who are the most knowledgeable, with many capable of independently identifying up to forty-seven thousand characters, while the commoner castes are rarely able to identify six-thousand. Curiously, nearly all of the characters that the commoners are able to identify are characters which the royals are incapable of identifying, while the religious caste is capable of identifying all of the characters that both royal and commoner castes are capable of identifying.

Religion [+]

Religious beliefs:

The religious ways of the Tarix-Na are equally as strange as their language and biology, with differing regions playing host to separate deities of the pantheon under a belief that both life and death is to be highly revered. Life is perhaps the most understood of their beliefs, in that the Tarix-Na believe in the preservation of the natural world under any but the most stringent of circumstances. This is thought to be because of the bizarre rituals of death the species partakes in, where they will lay the dead upon freshly turned soil and plant saplings within the cavities of their torso, only moving on from the grave once the sapling has fully taken root. With this ritual, it is believed that the reverence of life and death comes full-circle, and paints a grim picture of the lands of Tarixis-Narikuli, for the species has lived within that poisoned forest for quite some time, and has seen rises and falls of its population just as the other sentients of the world. Beyond this, they species commonly worships gods depicting aspects such as the seasons, weather, cycles of the moon and sun, as well as varied other aspects.

Military [+]

Military

For all intents and purposes, the Dominion has no military, and has never had a military. The people of the Dominion have never found need or want to engage hostilities with another species or nation, and as such are not versed in the ways of war. The closest thing the Tarix-Na have come to a fighting force is the hunters which roam the forests to hunt wild game in order to provide meat for the populace.

NATIONAL DRAMATIS PERSONAE [+]

-Head of State/Monarch:
-Ruling Dynasty (If applicable):
-Military Chief (If applicable):
-Religious Head (If Applicable):
Important People: The only individual who has weight outside of the Dominion is the Tarix-Na known as "Hel", a member of the royal family who has come to learn the common-tongue of the outside world.

Cultural [+]

-History: (I will add key historical episodes to the history timeline above.)
Relations with other races:

Never moving far from their lands, the people of the Tarix-Na are wary of outsiders, though are quite amicable once they have come to know an individual. As a species, they are well known for their passive behavior towards known people, and commonly gift their works to those they have become close to, many times without any reason for such a gift. War and hostility has never been known to be associated with the people, the species preferring to retreat within their forests until hostilities have passed, and known to bear a great sadness that their biology is toxic to other humanoids.

Influence and relations: The Dominion is largely isolationist, and therefore holds few ties to other nations, and has little influence on world events.

Social dynamics:

The Dominion operates on a caste system, determinate on factors such as skin-tone and the horns which males grow atop their heads. At the top of the caste system is the Royalty, a family of supposed pure-blooded Tarix-Na who have run the multitude of settlements for thousands of years. Just below them is the religious caste, a society of priests and monks who practice a nomadic lifestyle that enables them to reach all of the people of the Dominion. Finally, at the lowest level of the caste system is the commoner caste, those who practice the ways of the land and a hunter-gatherer lifestyle. It is the commoners who are responsible for a majority of the food production of the Dominion, as well as taking part in various other economic activities.

Art:

More so a hobby than an actual trade, the Tarix-Na are adept at carpentry, and carving in general. Even the least skilled of the people are capable of working the wood of the native trees without the use of nails or other binding agents, and master-craftsmen are known for their ability to make the most out of a single felled tree. This skill carries over into carving, where the people are able to carve figures without the aid of tools beyond a carving knife, and are able to intuitively know where and how to cut in order to produce the desired shape. A well carved item can range anywhere from intricate scripting upon a talisman, all the way to a perfect recreation of another being in wood.

Law:

In their society, the Dominion carries little in terms of written laws, choosing to rule according to the law of the people. This leads to a greatly minimized presence of law within the Dominion, as the only things which merit punishment are actions which will bring harm to another individual or the community in any way. Theft is one such crime, and is often dealt with by way of forcing the individual to work for the offended party until the debt is paid. This is a common theme among the Dominion, in that they only punish an individual in accordance to the damage they have done, and the only exceptions are the crimes of murder and dishonouring the dead. Despite the weight of these individual crimes, it is against the ways of the Dominion to revoke the rights of another being to live, and so such crimes are nearly always repaid by a life of service to the family of the offended party. In the case of an offended party either having no family, or the family being unknown, or even the offended party being unknown, the accused is serviced to the religious caste until they have been found redeemed by the gods.

Also, at Flagggggggggg's request, this is totally one of the Seven Cities. I look forward to bringing gifts of fun to all of my neighbors :D

My idea, will post cs asap.

Yuwan nation that has been conquered for maybe two years by a Justinian crusade.

Karachi Covenant [+]

-City/Realm name:
-Flag/Banner:

NATIONAL [+]

-Capital:
-Government Type:
-Currency:
-Population: 670,000.

Note: 350,000 are crusader armies and are gradually withdrawing to their homes in other Justinian nations.

-Unique Trait #1: Huge elite military presence. High end warriors from sacrosanct and other justinian nations. These soldiers are well trained, well equipped and have strong leadership.
-Unique Trait #2:
-Unique Flaw #1: Military withdrawl. Even though the massive and powerful army occupies the conquered nation, many are returning to their homes. If no reason to stay arises, the bulk of the crusaders will gone within a year, leaving a mere 9,000 crusaders to occupy the nation
-Unique Flaw #2

GEOGRAPHICAL [+]

-Major Towns/Colonies: Please describe any smaller cities, towns, villages, or colonies under your city's control.
-Major Castles/Fortresses:
-Buildings of Interest:
-Geographic Features of Interest:
-Territory Description:

RACIAL
-Majority Race:
-Majority Race Appearance:
-Majority Race Characteristics:
-Minority Races: (If any)
-Minority Race Characteristics:

RELIGION & MAGIC
-State Religion: (If applicable. Either create your own religion or take on a major religion. If you design your own religion, I will add it to the religion tab above so other players might choose it. More than one religion in a state is ofc very possible)
-Religious Information:
-Religion Demographics:
-Holy Relics In Possession:
-Holy Sites Under Control:
-Magical Schools and Curriculum: (What forms of magic are common?)

MILITARY
-Military Details (Focus on unit types, ect. You can keep numbers vague)

NATIONAL DRAMATIS PERSONAE
-Head of State/Monarch:
-Ruling Dynasty (If applicable):
-Military Chief (If applicable):
-Religious Head (If Applicable):
-Persons of interest:

CULTURAL [+]

-History: (I will add key historical episodes to the history timeline above.)
-Historical Relations and Greivances
-Cultural Notes

<Snipped quote by Monkeypants>

Yuwan had it coming.

This is Iso's alt.

You have my interest, if there is space I'm up for it.

This is Iso's alt.

You have my interest, if there is space I'm up for it.