Military - Political - Intrigue - Worldbuilding
"If once the armies from Under the Mountain, Across the Plains and Among the Trees united and stood side by side, they would not yet be able to withstand the finality of a single, united horde. Only by chance that the barbarians prefer to kill themselves rather than us do we rise and fall under the molten sun. The Priests of Nathai give prayer to Salazar for supplanting their love of conquest with a love of bloodlust. Not only would man and crop burn, but so too would our future and past, as both would be undeniably swallowed in the fire and destruction of the ambitions of an Orc Chieftain."
-- Kennard Matthis, Historian of the Kingdom of Tennaria, 599 A.C.
The year is 841 A.C. (After Creation). The world, buoyed by magic and nature alike, has known no significant peace. Men and elves and dwarves fight petty wars over land and gold. Season after season, the harvest is sowed, then reaped. And in the South, across a quiet border of simple grass, the Lowlands exist. A backwater of muck and bogs and thick trees as ancient as the World itself, the Lowlands have long since been forgotten by the Northern Kingdoms. There, the Orcs live, feud, raid, hunt and kill. Their numbers dwarf that of the kingdoms doubled over. Their prowess in single combat, unmatched. Their war making ability, never seen before. Their magic, tenuous and Earthen and forgotten. Only by virtue of the fact that it is easier for an orc clan to raid his neighbor than to travel the 750 mile journey to the North and kill humans, dwarves and elves does it stay the hand of an innumerable orc host from crossing the Great Border.
There are thousands of clans, rising and falling, but not since 109 A.C. has the host ever been even remotely unified, and even then--under Warchief Garug of the Clawtooth Clan--the horde only unified to devour the surrounding tribes. Now, as a chieftain of a clan of a Lowland Orc Clan, the time has come to unify the Horde, or die trying.
From The South, They Come is a nation/faction RP where you represent the political, military and character interests of a single Orc clan in a sprawling territory called The Lowlands. You will be responsible for feeding your clan, recruiting and training warriors, taking part in the nuanced politics of the Orcs and--if possible--form a Horde to take on the kingdoms in the North. Your warriors are fierce. Your currency is not gold, but Fear, for other chieftains do not respect anything less.
You may choose a large tribe at the expense of stability. Or a clan of dedicated martial warriors by sacrificing your leader's Fear. Still yet, you may choose a clan whose leadership is feared out of all. If you do not adhere to the desires of your clan, they may turn on you.
This is an interest check. Too Long; Didn't Read:
- Each player represents a single Orc Clan and Orc Chieftain.
- Politics: Orc events; festivals, hunts, gatherings occur that players will shape and decide with their decisions.
- War: Wage war on neighboring clans, backstab allies, annex other tribes, recruit non-Orcish allies.
- Characters: Your Chieftain's stats determine decision making. Your Champions take part in single combat against others to help decide battles.
- Northern Kingdoms: NPC kingdoms of Dwarves, Elves, Humans that may interact with the Lowlands but are largely the antagonists.
Clan Application
[b]Clan Name[/b]: (Orc Clans in this world are remotely reminiscent of Warcraft lore; with crude names often representing a generalized characteristic of the clan: Longsnouts, Blackmaws, etc. Name accordingly).
[b]Clan Chieftain[/b]: (This will be the name of your Chieftain)
[b]Clan Background[/b]: (Please select one)
- [b]Bloodied[/b]: Bloodied orcs are those who have earned the fear of their respective clan in battle--mostly by raiding and pillaging other clans. By proving one's prowess in battle, they achieve unity of their clan as well as fear of neighboring clans. This is the most common status of any chieftain.
* [CHIEFTAIN starts with 5 FEAR. CLAN starts with 7 UNITY. BONUS STATS: +3 SINGLE COMBAT. +1 BATTLE. +1 RALLY. +3 DECADENCE. -1 SPIRIT. 1 MAJOR CLAN PENALTY. 1 MINUS CLAN PENALTY.]
- [b]New Blood[/b]: When a power vacuum occurs, if the existing chieftain is killed or dies, a new challenger will rise to fill the ranks. They have very little unity within the clan and pose little in the way of fear, but benefit from none of the negativity that a bloodied chieftain might carry with them.
* [CHIEFTAIN starts with 1 FEAR. CLAN starts with 2 UNITY. BONUS STATS: +2 SINGLE COMBAT. +1 BATTLE. +1 RALLY. -1 SPIRIT.]
- [b]Shaman[/b]: On rare occasion a clan's interests will be managed by a shaman, a spirit talker who is the equivalent to a human wizard or eleven mage. Their implementation of fear usually comes in different methods than physical oppression.
* [CHIEFTAIN starts with 3 FEAR. CLAN starts with 5 UNITY. BONUS STATS: +1 SINGLE COMBAT. +1 BATTLE. +1 RALLY. +1 DECADENCE. +5 SPIRIT. 1 MAJOR CLAN PENALTY. 1 MINUS CLAN PENALTY.]
- [b]Winner of the Huggamaw[/b]: The Huggamaw is an annual contest of strength. Even the worst leader may become chieftain by slaying a challenger in his respective clan. A Huggamaw Chieftain often rules from the front, as they are often deadly warriors.
* [CHIEFTAIN starts with 7 FEAR. CLAN starts with 2 UNITY. BONUS STATS: +5 SINGLE COMBAT. +3 BATTLE. +1 DECADENCE. -1 SPIRIT. 1 MAJOR CLAN PENALTY. 1 MINUS CLAN PENALTY.]
- [b]New Clan[/b]: New clans often spring up, sometimes over night, when a particular village or area has created it's own culture. These new clans however have little respect among the Orc community and their very existence is threatened directly from the start.
* [CHIEFTAIN starts with 0 FEAR. CLAN starts with 8 UNITY. BONUS STATS: +1 SINGLE COMBAT. +1 BATTLE. +3 RALLY. +3 DECADENCE. -1 SPIRIT. 1 MINUS CLAN PENALTY.]
[b]Chieftain Stats[/b]: You start with the following stats as granted from your Clan Background above. You have 3 points to spend and distribute to the stats below:
- FEAR: How much the other Chieftains fear you. Greater fear reaps benefits in battle, and gives you political leeway, but will make you a target as others seek to tear you down.
- UNITY: How cohesive your clan is. An unruly clan begin to destroy itself from the inside. A unified clan can call more warriors into it's war band.
- SINGLE COMBAT: Single combat is how effective your Chieftain is in a duel.
- BATTLE: Battle is how effective your Chieftain is while fighting a pitched battle.
- RALLY: Rally indicates how effective your Chieftain is at calling warriors to his side, as well as convincing allies to join your cause.
- SPIRIT: Spirit indicates your Chieftain's ability to Spirit Talk and Animate the Earth. This is largely reserved for Shamans.Do not post your Clan Sheet. PM it to me.
Mechanics
I. Basic Mechanics.
1. Every Turn represents 1 Month in game.
II. Actions
1. Every Champion gets 1 Action per turn.
2. Your Chieftain is considered a Champion.
3. Actions are submitted via PM in the following form:
- [Champion Name] - [Champion Location] - [Champion Action]
4. The actions are: Rally. Raid. Spellcast. Defend. Assault. Challenge. Rule..
5. Rally: In the current city your Champion resides in, they will recruit 20% of the available Manpower pool to their cause.
6. Raid: Pick a city adjacent to the city your Champion is in and conduct a minor attack. If successful, +2 Fear or +1 Unity.
7. Spellcast: Shaman's only. May select one spell to cast on current city, current troops or an adjacent city.
8. Defend: Will entrench in current city. Gives a +25% bonus to defense if raided or assaulted.
9. Assault: Pick a city adjacent to the city your Champion is in and conduct a major attack. Will end in defeat or taking the city. If successful gain +1 Fear and +1 Unity or +2 Unity/Fear.
10. Challenge: Pick a city adjacent to your city. Another Clan's champion must be present in that battle. Will conduct a duel. Gain +2 Fear. Opponent loses -1 Fear.
11. Rule: Remain in the current city. Gain +2 Unity or 1 Level 1 Champion and -1 Fear.
III. Spells
1. Each Shaman starts with X amount of Spirit. They may use Spellcast to cast those spells. Each turn they do not use that ability, they gain 1 Spirit back.
2. The available spells are Bloodlust, Rage, Meditate, Spirits of the Dead and Greenlife.
- Bloodlust: +15% Success during a Raid. +2 Fear during the Attack. -1 Unity afterward. -2 Spirit.
- Rage: +30% Success during a Raid or Assault. -2 Unity after. -4 Spirit.
- Meditate: Gain 5 Spirit.
- Spirits of the Dead: Gain 10% of casualties as "Fallen Orcs." +5 Fear. -2 Fear per turn for 3 turns. -7 Spirit.
- Greenlife: Gain 5% of casualties back after battle. -2 Fear. +1 Unity. -6 Spirit.
- Divination: Can immediately reveal stats of any chosen Champion. -1 Fear. -5 Spirit.
