Intrigue - Low Fantasy - Mature - Advanced
For as long as men have lived in the world, there have been two moons -- Eirtu and Elonar. Eirtu has always been known as "The Great Moon" and the physical embodiment of the god of the world's dominant religion, whereas "The Lesser Moon" Elonar has faithfully orbited Eirtu as a physical manifestation of their goddess. That all changed recently when Elonar crashed into Eirtu, leaving nothing to prove it had ever existed but a sizable crater.
Predictably, the realm hasn't responded too well.
In the capital, tensions have been minimized to church leaders being busy handling the influx of converts and pleas of the frightened devout, whereas in the more rural regions of the world, low lords are being slain in the streets by hordes of peasants who believe that their goddess has died and that the end is very much nigh. With the royal army being a shadow of what it once was and practically abandoned because of the centuries of peace with other nations, chaos will definitely be one of the themes in play here.
Is this a post-apocalyptic medieval RP? No. By and large, I think most people will have calmed down about the moon exploding a few months into the RP when they've seen that the world isn't going to be swallowed into hellfire, but the point of this cataclysmic event is to spark off a power struggle that we'll deal with for the rest of the RP. Some will rise to power on the backs of those initially fearful about an apocalypse, others will use the tension to destroy old alliances and create new ones, and so on. This moon hoopajoop is designed to create the interregnum for our story that replaces Robert Baratheon's rebellion and death.
The roleplay itself will have its fair share of combat and war, but for the most part, I'd like to focus on intrigue more. "Petyr is an honorless liar" is one thing, but implying Petyr is guilty for something by saying "Surely, I hope you don't take into account Petyr's past as you cast judgement" is even better. I've seen too many Nation RP's where characters just blatantly say shit that would be taken as a declaration of war every other post, so try to not do that, unless your intention is to play a character destined to die because of their ignorance of politicking.
OOC Information
Can my house ______?
Here's where it gets tricky. Magic is largely gone from the world, but great houses are so ancient that logically, some of them would have some magic properties. As for ancestral magic, keep it small enough that it could be denied altogether or dismissed as an excuse for something nonmagical -- Familial telepathy, Not burning, maybe even a secret were-animal house. Anyway, if you want your house to have some special magical component and you're worried that the one you've written for your house doesn't fit in, PM me and I'll take a look.
Expand on the Advanced tag?
This is the Nation RP section so to avoid any disputes, I will say right off the bat that this is an Advanced RP. By Advanced I don't mean Advanced Section, I mean Advaaaanced Section, brother. Full Hulk Hogan voice and all. I want us to all write something we're collectively proud of instead of just trying to win the most duels and claim the most land.
Expand on that Low Fantasy tag?
This is more of a personal preference I can flex GM status to enforce, but it also makes the world a more believable backdrop for human problems in human stories which is the goal. Magic is rare, shunned, and often more trouble than it's worth, while creatures that roamed the land in abundance thousands of years ago are now only found in the thickest, deepest woods where men rarely roam. There are dragons, but probably only a dozen in the world, and definitely not in our neck of the woods. On the other hand, the RP will have dire beasts, enchanted weapons, plants and animals that totally don't exist, and so on.
Expand on the Mature tag?
Roleplayerguild's rules won't allow me to straight-up say that you have to be 18 to be a part of this roleplay, so let me just give a foreword that the roleplay will deal with a lot of the same mature themes brought up in the book -- Torture, rape, murder, humilation, violence, the whole shebang. This is a story with a largely gray morality, so the lines between hero and villain will sometimes be blurred. Keeping in mind the subjects allowed, I expect every topic to be handled maturely. Having a character who rapes every barmaid they see and eviscerates every guy who says something shitty to them doesn't make them a good villain, it makes them a forced one. Anyway, lotsa dark themes inbound, though the heroes of the story will hopefully make up for it.
Here's where it gets tricky. Magic is largely gone from the world, but great houses are so ancient that logically, some of them would have some magic properties. As for ancestral magic, keep it small enough that it could be denied altogether or dismissed as an excuse for something nonmagical -- Familial telepathy, Not burning, maybe even a secret were-animal house. Anyway, if you want your house to have some special magical component and you're worried that the one you've written for your house doesn't fit in, PM me and I'll take a look.
Expand on the Advanced tag?
This is the Nation RP section so to avoid any disputes, I will say right off the bat that this is an Advanced RP. By Advanced I don't mean Advanced Section, I mean Advaaaanced Section, brother. Full Hulk Hogan voice and all. I want us to all write something we're collectively proud of instead of just trying to win the most duels and claim the most land.
Expand on that Low Fantasy tag?
This is more of a personal preference I can flex GM status to enforce, but it also makes the world a more believable backdrop for human problems in human stories which is the goal. Magic is rare, shunned, and often more trouble than it's worth, while creatures that roamed the land in abundance thousands of years ago are now only found in the thickest, deepest woods where men rarely roam. There are dragons, but probably only a dozen in the world, and definitely not in our neck of the woods. On the other hand, the RP will have dire beasts, enchanted weapons, plants and animals that totally don't exist, and so on.
Expand on the Mature tag?
Roleplayerguild's rules won't allow me to straight-up say that you have to be 18 to be a part of this roleplay, so let me just give a foreword that the roleplay will deal with a lot of the same mature themes brought up in the book -- Torture, rape, murder, humilation, violence, the whole shebang. This is a story with a largely gray morality, so the lines between hero and villain will sometimes be blurred. Keeping in mind the subjects allowed, I expect every topic to be handled maturely. Having a character who rapes every barmaid they see and eviscerates every guy who says something shitty to them doesn't make them a good villain, it makes them a forced one. Anyway, lotsa dark themes inbound, though the heroes of the story will hopefully make up for it.
Your sigil should go here
House Surname of Capital, Rulers of Nation
Your great house and nation. The sigil should be designed with this. If you can't use the program or it's giving you a hard time, PM me and I'll be glad to take a stab at it myself.
Nation Name
The name of of your nation. If your people speak a second language in conjunction with commontongue, like how not all Irish people speak Gaelic, but all Irish people speak English, give both versions of the name if it changes in translation.
Ethnic Peoples
The name your nation's people are referred to. If they have any pseudonyms or mild slurs they are commonly referred to by, add them as indents.
Ethnic Description
The physical traits and genetic similarities of your people. This can be anything from a shared skin tone, hair color, eye color, nose shape, or height. As tempting as it is, try not to design a race of beautiful, battle-hardy Ubermensch that never see a boy grow under 6'5. In fact, this is a medieval roleplay, so anyone over six feet is probably an anomaly. As for "genetic similarities", think of traits they have that are less apparent. Native Americans can't digest milk, some Tibetans can breathe easily in high altitudes, and so on.
Culture
This should be your biggest section. The cultural customs, imports, exports, styles of dress, favored foods, art, music, and other facets of your nation. Include everything from the customs (Raising hands instead of shaking them) to the reasons behind them (Originally to prevent disease, now simply customary.) If any districts of your culture are particularly different from the others, include that in indents, as well as any particular stereotypes or common views of your people. The more detail, the better.
History
The history of your nation -- Roots, involvement in The Great Uprising, the great house's founding, and so on. The seven kingdoms were originally divided up by Ardall's seven generals, though since then many have been usurped by a lesser house, so go with either backstory.
The name of of your nation. If your people speak a second language in conjunction with commontongue, like how not all Irish people speak Gaelic, but all Irish people speak English, give both versions of the name if it changes in translation.
Ethnic Peoples
The name your nation's people are referred to. If they have any pseudonyms or mild slurs they are commonly referred to by, add them as indents.
Ethnic Description
The physical traits and genetic similarities of your people. This can be anything from a shared skin tone, hair color, eye color, nose shape, or height. As tempting as it is, try not to design a race of beautiful, battle-hardy Ubermensch that never see a boy grow under 6'5. In fact, this is a medieval roleplay, so anyone over six feet is probably an anomaly. As for "genetic similarities", think of traits they have that are less apparent. Native Americans can't digest milk, some Tibetans can breathe easily in high altitudes, and so on.
Culture
This should be your biggest section. The cultural customs, imports, exports, styles of dress, favored foods, art, music, and other facets of your nation. Include everything from the customs (Raising hands instead of shaking them) to the reasons behind them (Originally to prevent disease, now simply customary.) If any districts of your culture are particularly different from the others, include that in indents, as well as any particular stereotypes or common views of your people. The more detail, the better.
History
The history of your nation -- Roots, involvement in The Great Uprising, the great house's founding, and so on. The seven kingdoms were originally divided up by Ardall's seven generals, though since then many have been usurped by a lesser house, so go with either backstory.
House Name
The surname of your ruling house. Over time and through the initial enforcement of the commontongue, all ruling houses have generally Anglican-sounding names, even if their country's native language is a borrowed European Language, Gaelic, or Welsh. If your house name is a compound word, go with something that sounds right besides in the heat of battle, so don't go with "Steelsword" or "Bloodfire" or things like that. You can sound plenty tough without being edgy: Blackpool, Thorne, and Graves are all names straight out of Medieval England. Hell, I'm kicking myself for wasting Blackpool on this example, but there it goes.
House Lancaster, House Tyrell, House Tooke
House Members
The house members we’ll see. Don’t worry about listing any quadruple-removed half-cousins.
House Words
The motto of your house, which encompasses their values or general theme somehow. Try to keep it short -- In ASOIAF, the longest house words were "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" and "Though All Men do Despise Us", the latter of which is pushing it in my opinion. Include the meaning of the words and any historical importance they have. The more metaphorical they can be, the better! Also, bonus brownie points if it's not just a threat.
House Sigil
The description of your house's crest as you'd describe it to an armorer or historian. I'm not gonna make you use actual medieval terminology like "Salient Vert Ermine on a Chequey Field" because I'm not a complete nerd, and also because I don't want to call my house's bat sigil a "Flintermouse".
House Seat
The name of your castle/fort/holding. Include a brief description of its appearance and any components like escape tunnels, moats, special doors, or things like that which might bear mentioning so that it isn't godmoding if you use them in the future. Feel free to include a description of the surrounding city, though keep in mind "Capital" will be a seperate section entirely on the future sheet for those accepted.
House Heirloom
The item passed down from father to son, or mother to daughter or whatever, in your house. This is usually a weapon like a sword or axe, though houses with more scholarly or magical origins pass down books, dowsing rods, harps, scythes, and other various items. Though small houses and great houses alike have heirlooms, the heirlooms of great houses are typically much older, and usually enchanted somehow. Such enchantments should be included in an indentation and not present an advantage so great it can be relied on to win every battle.
House Themes
Imagery, symbolism, and themes you’d like to use. This will essentially act as a guide for people writing dream-posts aimed at one of your characters, or symbolism to foreshadow arcs and events you have in mind. This can be as simple as a list or as complicated as mine, or even more. Go nuts, you crazy kids.
Capital City
A brief description of the city surrounding your House Seat.
Banner Houses
The low lords sworn to your house. Whether or not you include brief descriptions is optional, just include things most would know: Their name, and perhaps their sigil, with occasional information on especially important banner houses.
The surname of your ruling house. Over time and through the initial enforcement of the commontongue, all ruling houses have generally Anglican-sounding names, even if their country's native language is a borrowed European Language, Gaelic, or Welsh. If your house name is a compound word, go with something that sounds right besides in the heat of battle, so don't go with "Steelsword" or "Bloodfire" or things like that. You can sound plenty tough without being edgy: Blackpool, Thorne, and Graves are all names straight out of Medieval England. Hell, I'm kicking myself for wasting Blackpool on this example, but there it goes.
House Lancaster, House Tyrell, House Tooke
House Members
The house members we’ll see. Don’t worry about listing any quadruple-removed half-cousins.
House Words
The motto of your house, which encompasses their values or general theme somehow. Try to keep it short -- In ASOIAF, the longest house words were "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" and "Though All Men do Despise Us", the latter of which is pushing it in my opinion. Include the meaning of the words and any historical importance they have. The more metaphorical they can be, the better! Also, bonus brownie points if it's not just a threat.
House Sigil
The description of your house's crest as you'd describe it to an armorer or historian. I'm not gonna make you use actual medieval terminology like "Salient Vert Ermine on a Chequey Field" because I'm not a complete nerd, and also because I don't want to call my house's bat sigil a "Flintermouse".
House Seat
The name of your castle/fort/holding. Include a brief description of its appearance and any components like escape tunnels, moats, special doors, or things like that which might bear mentioning so that it isn't godmoding if you use them in the future. Feel free to include a description of the surrounding city, though keep in mind "Capital" will be a seperate section entirely on the future sheet for those accepted.
House Heirloom
The item passed down from father to son, or mother to daughter or whatever, in your house. This is usually a weapon like a sword or axe, though houses with more scholarly or magical origins pass down books, dowsing rods, harps, scythes, and other various items. Though small houses and great houses alike have heirlooms, the heirlooms of great houses are typically much older, and usually enchanted somehow. Such enchantments should be included in an indentation and not present an advantage so great it can be relied on to win every battle.
House Themes
Imagery, symbolism, and themes you’d like to use. This will essentially act as a guide for people writing dream-posts aimed at one of your characters, or symbolism to foreshadow arcs and events you have in mind. This can be as simple as a list or as complicated as mine, or even more. Go nuts, you crazy kids.
Capital City
A brief description of the city surrounding your House Seat.
Banner Houses
The low lords sworn to your house. Whether or not you include brief descriptions is optional, just include things most would know: Their name, and perhaps their sigil, with occasional information on especially important banner houses.
Picture goes here. If you're using one, use a real picture (Google "Medieval faceclaim" or "Period faceclaim" or something like that. Some characters will have weird facial details not transferrable to readily-available pictures, so think of these as castings of Ardacia if it were a book; Similar and about what you’d expect from the written description, but kind of shinier, and trimmed of a few details.
“If you choose to give them a quote to reflect their personality, make sure to use it at some point in a solo post or collab.” – Deadbeatwalking
“If you choose to give them a quote to reflect their personality, make sure to use it at some point in a solo post or collab.” – Deadbeatwalking
Name
Include titles. Heads of house are kings or queens, their children are princes and princesses, their siblings/cousins/distant relatives are lords and ladies. If you absolutely have to have a character with a famous nickname, try to have only one or two at most.
Age
It's basically the medieval times, so let's say the old age death limit is 70, and anything after that is pushing it.
Loyalty
Their house should be the first thing on this list, unless they've been disowned or something like that. After that would either be a woman's maiden house or any order that character is a member of, such as priesthood or knighthood.
Appearance
A description of their look, style of dress, and anything you'd notice being face-to-face with them. Gait, smell, hyperbolic comparisons, and so on.
Personality
Your character's mannerisms, traits, strengths, weaknesses, and so on. Include private details, and remember, the more realistic this person is, the better. Every member of your house should be a full-fledged person and not a two-dimensional caricature. Keeping in mind the setting, remember that there are few people who are completely good or completely bad.
History
As brief or as long as you'd like, describe your character's life. If you're using this sheet you're already accepted, so don't worry about giving me an epic ballad of life events for your ten-and-two princeling. If they've all had uneventful lives (boo) just give a bulleted list of tidbits of their history that reinforce their personality.
Power
Our story takes place during an interregnum, or a period of time where leadership is either changing, unclear, or missing. This is based on ASOIAF's power struggle after the death of Robert Baratheon, which is modeled after history's Great Interregnum. Much like ASOIAF and the Great Interregnum, the roleplay will have strategic weddings, betrayals, and be severely impacted by religious groups; history had The Holy Roman Church, Westeros had The Faith of The Seven, Ardacia has Yevism.
Tradition
In precarious times, people tend to either reaffirm their faith in moral codes, or abandon them completely. Such is the case in Ardacia, where the south sees waves of growth in panicking converts to The Church of Eirtu, and the north deals with mobs of rioting peasants who believe their world will soon end. The systems of order preserving humanity are being broken and rebuilt left and right.
Adapting
To put it bluntly, characters who survive are ones who adapt to the changes in society. In terms of imagery, many of Ardacia's wild animals are cited as being "fouler than they were ages ago", the implication being that only the strong survive in Ardacia.
Passion
Within all the scheming, plans, and politicking of the world, the one variable that can quickly turn the tides is passion. Love causes men to do irrational things, though this is not always romantic love -- The love of a new leader commoners share, The love of a land that is not one's home, The love of someone that a character can't be with, all of these things can undo plans laid by others seemingly out of nowhere, or beget new courses of action. Think Lysa Arryn and Petyr Baelish, Robb Stark and The Freys, Jaime and Cersei, and The High Sparrow and, well, peasants.
Light and Darkness
Duality's a cool theme, alright? I've been told Ice & Fire is already taken, so Night and Day will be the opposites invoked in Ardacia. Right off the bat, Ardacians worship the light in the darkness (The moon), there's a house whose schtick is riding nocturnal bats, and an ancient religion of sun-worshippers being revived, and brought from the darkness. See? Themes. Additionally, they're situated at the north pole, so whereas Westeros's geography was not-Britain, ours seems to be more like not-Greenland. As a result, the shifting seasons have much longer days in the summer and much longer nights in the winter, as well as occasional dancing lights in the dark skies in northern winters.
Our story takes place during an interregnum, or a period of time where leadership is either changing, unclear, or missing. This is based on ASOIAF's power struggle after the death of Robert Baratheon, which is modeled after history's Great Interregnum. Much like ASOIAF and the Great Interregnum, the roleplay will have strategic weddings, betrayals, and be severely impacted by religious groups; history had The Holy Roman Church, Westeros had The Faith of The Seven, Ardacia has Yevism.
Tradition
In precarious times, people tend to either reaffirm their faith in moral codes, or abandon them completely. Such is the case in Ardacia, where the south sees waves of growth in panicking converts to The Church of Eirtu, and the north deals with mobs of rioting peasants who believe their world will soon end. The systems of order preserving humanity are being broken and rebuilt left and right.
Adapting
To put it bluntly, characters who survive are ones who adapt to the changes in society. In terms of imagery, many of Ardacia's wild animals are cited as being "fouler than they were ages ago", the implication being that only the strong survive in Ardacia.
Passion
Within all the scheming, plans, and politicking of the world, the one variable that can quickly turn the tides is passion. Love causes men to do irrational things, though this is not always romantic love -- The love of a new leader commoners share, The love of a land that is not one's home, The love of someone that a character can't be with, all of these things can undo plans laid by others seemingly out of nowhere, or beget new courses of action. Think Lysa Arryn and Petyr Baelish, Robb Stark and The Freys, Jaime and Cersei, and The High Sparrow and, well, peasants.
Light and Darkness
Duality's a cool theme, alright? I've been told Ice & Fire is already taken, so Night and Day will be the opposites invoked in Ardacia. Right off the bat, Ardacians worship the light in the darkness (The moon), there's a house whose schtick is riding nocturnal bats, and an ancient religion of sun-worshippers being revived, and brought from the darkness. See? Themes. Additionally, they're situated at the north pole, so whereas Westeros's geography was not-Britain, ours seems to be more like not-Greenland. As a result, the shifting seasons have much longer days in the summer and much longer nights in the winter, as well as occasional dancing lights in the dark skies in northern winters.
IC Information
The First Age
Also called "The Age of Beasts", this time in history refers to the centuries and centuries of history before the arrival of Ardall the Great. Though most of it is lost to time, scratchings in stone tablets, ruins of structures, and runes etched into the walls of shallow caves still give historians a glimpse into their life. The original peoples of Ardacia are known only as "Earthmen", who lived in huts made of packed earth and straw, rowed long boats made of hollowed trees, and hunted using spears and clubs. Though it is unknown where they originated from, given that Ardacia is fairly isolated, most believe that the Earthmen are the true natives of Ardacia who simply sprung from the ground after being created by Eirtu.
The Earthmen called Ardacia "Nokulikulk", which roughly translated to "Land that is not nothing". They had two dominant religions, one worshiping the sun as a god named Kameth, and another worshiping the moons as Eirtu and Elonar. Eventually, through a war known to the Earthmen as "The Great Eclipse", the sun worshipers were eradicated completely. This war was also the first fought completely with iron weapons rather than those of stone or wood.
The Earthmen were culturally very similar from the north to the south, with minor discrepancies based on what was more comfortable for the location -- Earthmen burned dung and fat for warmth, and mostly ate roots, wild vegetables, and whatever was slow enough to hunt. Aside from Northerners additionally eating Ice Hogs and Southerners additionally eating fruit, there were remarkably few differences in Earthmen from region to region. Unlearned in the commontongue, Earthmen spoke a lost language simply called "Oldtongue", which is only known as it was described in Ardall the Great's logs; 'A harsh language of consonants and throat-clearing tones that launch phlegm from their lips.' The natives of The Sylvain Forest are believed to speak Oldtongue, though whether or not this is true is unknown.
The Age of Beasts was brought to an end by the arrival of Ardall the Great, also called Ardall the Conqueror. Though outnumbered by natives, Ardall's use of horses, steel, and a unified military quickly allowed him to conquer the entirety of the continent in just under a decade. He named his land Ardacia, crowned himself Emperor, and appointed several of his generals as lords to rule the land in his stead.
The Second Age
Also referred to as "The Age of The Empire" this time frame is the smallest of the three ages, spanning only from Ardall the Great's landing in Ardacia, to the death of his great-grandson and subsequent fall of the empire three generations later. Though the shortest age, it is the most consequential in terms of innovations and inventions. The Ardacian Empire created Ardacia's first code of laws, erected mighty cities, and brought horses and an array of different vegetation to the sparse continent. Sewer systems, irrigation, glass windows, churches, knighthood, taxation, and other features of a civilized society were brought by Ardall as well, though glass making was technically brought by Hasin al Jakosh'ei, one of Ardall's generals. Whether it is said Ardall was kind or cruel is hotly contested, though few argue that the man was not a genius.
Ardall was not the only great innovator in the ranks of Ardacia's imperial family. His son, Gideon Arda, created The Mage's Guild and perfected the Ardacian Calendar, and his son, Terrance Arda, made it his life's work to create wells in each of Ardacia's inland towns, from the largest cities to smallest villages. It was not until the fourth Emperor, Brandon Arda, also known as The Crow King, that Ardall's legacy would come to an end. Whereas his forefathers built aqueducts and charted the movement of celestial bodies, Brandon's only contribution to the Arda legacy was the Ashen Arena, a massive coliseum built of huge slabs of black stone in the imperial city.
Famous for his comically mismatched gladitorial combat, Brandon frequently pitted clergymen, politicians, and members of his small council against one another, or wild beasts. Few dared speak out against his bloodlust for fear they would be sentenced to his vicious games next, though this was put to an end after Brandon famously had his aunt, the imperial treasurer and a widely loved philanthropist, face a dire crocodile in the Ashen Arena. Gertrude Arda's death is considered the catalyst for The Great Uprising, as each of the seven royal families were either connected or indebted to her at some time.
One by one, great houses began to form alliances and rally their banner houses, creating a unified army three times the size of the Imperial Army, which had already suffered a lack of support and funding to pay for Brandon's arena. After three years of siege, The Crow King earned the moniker he would have in death, and was forced to walk off of Crow's Cliff by his usurpers. With the Imperial seat empty, it was decided by the great house leaders that none would sit on it -- Ardacia had already known one leader who grew mad with power, and there was no reason to try with a new line. From this point on, the lords of Ardacia styled themselves king, and The Age of The Empire was brought to an end.
The Third Age
Also called "The Age of Kings", this was Ardacia's longest age, spanning from the end of The Great Uprising to very recently -- The Godfall. This age has had few technological advancements, though it has seen the most change in great houses and low houses alike, from lines being ended in conflicts to lands and titles being given for deeds. With the removal of the empire, the vast churches and temples created for Ardall's foreign god were refurbished for the worship of Eirtu and Elonar, while Imperial laws were simply altered to give the Yevist church the power once held by an emperor. During its time it was known as "The Age of Ashes", named for the frequent bookburning of Imperial texts and decrees, as well as the destruction of the few outposts that had been loyal to the empire during The Great Uprising.
Aside from the revival of Yevism and the abolishment of many Imperial laws and customs, The Third Age is known for its distaste and denial of magic, and seemingly every branch of spirituality that is not Yevistic. Many Imperial records, texts, and scientific discoveries have been lost to bonfires set immediately after the end of The Great Uprising. Despite the passionately anti-Imperial mindset of the era, some traces of Imperial culture still shine through today -- The eggs of black hens are considered unfit to eat by many for no reason other than "wholesomeness", for example, though the source of this superstition lies in the Church of Staloth, Ardall the Conquerer's faith.
The Age of Kings was brought to an end with the destruction of Elonar's Moon, a month prior to the IC starting. Some argue that they live in The Fourth Age, The Age of Eirtu, though others argue that it is not worth considering due to the imminence of the world ending. Regardless, The Age of Kings was not ended by the folly of a king or war with another nation as many predicted it might, but the actions of celestial bodies and man's superstitions surrounding them.
The Isle of Gideon
The location of the Imperial Capital and the original seat of House Arda, named for Ardall's son born on his ship during the voyage. Geographically, it is the small island in between The Island of Bread and Ardacia itself. Its western port is guarded by Red Brothers, who are responsible for the upkeep of the Island of Bread and the transport of its prisoners.
The Sylvain Forest
The Sylvain Forest is the unconquerable thicket of forests between Kedoren and Edontas. Populated by its own ethnic group around the edges -- Edontians and Kedoriens which call themselves 'Sylvaini' -- and dark-skinned Earthmen known as the Hiawaca. Due to the forest's native vines known as Woodrope, a fibrous sponge-like type of vine that is difficult to cut or burn, attempts at razing or clearing it have been met with little to no success. Its native tribes are extremely aggressive to invaders, and though they use stone weapons and tools, their ease in navigating through the thick forests and use of poisons and traps have kept out each king foolish enough to try and take it for themselves. Trading ships do not sail close to its border, for fear of the fabled "Hiawacan Fleet" made up of savage Hiawacans who row boats of hollowed logs and ride the backs of dire turtles.
The Windwall
Also known as the Windwall Mountains, the Windwall is a mountain range that spans from Kedoren's western shores all the way to the Vaincur territories in the east. The most important feature of the Windwall is its ability to transform the violent northern winds into arid, warmer gusts of air called Eirtu's Breath (foehn winds). This makes the regions south of the Windwall signficantly warmer, while the northern side is frequently pelted by snow and rain. Also of note are the rich deposits of ore and stone quarries that can be found throughout the mountains.
The Island of Bread
The Island of Bread was cleared of trees by Ardall after his landing and turned into a massive farm that became the breadbasket of the imperial capital and a major food source for all of Ardacia. After The Great Uprising, it was essentially abandoned and used as a colony for criminals, political exiles, and the diseased. As it was cleared of trees by House Arda for farming, the only vegetation left is the overgrown remnants of Ardall's farms and a few sparse trees grown from seeds carried by bird droppings. Despite its name, most sentenced to live in it starve, giving it the nickname "The Island of Dread". During The Godfall, a fragment of Elonar landed on the Island of Bread, causing a small tsunami on the Isle of Gideon.
The Mottem Expanse
The Expanse is a massive network of subterranean caverns and tunnels that run throughout the mainland underground. These caverns and tunnels are (for the most part) filled with Saltwater rivers and streams originating from the Sunrise Sea, and in addition to potentially connecting several different regions is connected to the Western Ocean by means of Lake Tunis and several canals in Caerulmoste. The Expanse is populated by a number of brigands and piratical thieves uniformly identified as 'Mottem Madmen.' Infamous for piloting oreboats in pitch darkness in order to get the jump on unwary subterranean ships, they occasionally plague mainland settlements by visiting the surface via undiscovered cavern entrances.
The Singing Sea
The northern sea of Ardacia, named for the creaking whines of ice floes pressing up against the coast. According to cave writing from The First Age, Earthmen believed the whining noise was caused by the souls of sailors trapped under the ice -- This tells us Earthmen believed in souls and were able to craft sails. Beyond The Singing Sea lies a massive ice mass simply known as "The Frozen Sea". In the spring, summer, and fall, northern sailors are sought after for their skilled abilities to maneuver around the thousands of ice floes in the singing sea. In the winter, the singing sea has too many ice floes to dock ships, and either freezes over and connects to the frozen sea or becomes an unsailable slurry of ice and brine.
The Frozen Sea
The frozen sea, as most refer to it, is the planet's northern cap. Contrary to popular belief, it is not an icy landmass, but a single glacier that has remained frozen since the beginning of the first age. It is devoid of all life -- there are no animals, plants, or minerals to be found, simply miles and miles of unending flat ice. All Ardacians who have studied The Frozen Sea return snowblind and and missing more extremities than they have kept.
The Conquerer's Sea
The southern sea of Ardacia, named for Ardall the Conquerer's first arrival in Ardacia's southwest region. It is considerably less choppy than The Singing Sea and The Green Sea, but not as pleasant as The Sunrise Sea. Rhaetia's considerable over-fishing has extincted sharks in The Conquerer's Sea.
The Green Sea
The western sea of Ardacia, which lies on the border of Kedoren, The Sylvain Forest, and Rhaetia. It is somewhat choppy and has many points of shallow water, making it difficult for inexperienced sailors. It is saltier than the other seas, and as a result, ships that wreck in the green sea do not wash ashore.
The Sunrise Sea
Named for its views of the eastern sunrise, this is Ardacia's calmest sea, known for its fishing and many trade routes.
The Hall of Earthmen
The "Hall" as it is called, is a short canyon on the eastern edge of Kedoren and western edge of Vaincur, modified by Earthmen to provide shelter from the harsh northern winds. Fifty-six room sized pockets have been dug out of the canyon and walled with mud bricks, the least deteriorated of which have small vents near the top for smoke. It has been used historically to host armies, plague victims, and prisoners.
The Great Rhaetian Wall
To the north of Rhaetia, along the very border of the kingdom, is a wall that stretches from coast to coast. Three times the height of a man and studded every two hundred meters with small towers, a fort every kilometer, it is a feat of engineering that separates Rhaetia from the rest of the continent. Built by the imperial army during the early conquests of Ardall, it is now falling into ruin in some places. The existence of the Rhaetian Wall and the difficulty in manning its whole length has created significant problems for travel and trade in peacetime, and the wall is such an annoyance in that regard that its mere existence is what drove for trade via the Mottem Expanse to become commonplace, as its subterranean rivers are the only straightforward means of circumventing the wall along most of its length.
The location of the Imperial Capital and the original seat of House Arda, named for Ardall's son born on his ship during the voyage. Geographically, it is the small island in between The Island of Bread and Ardacia itself. Its western port is guarded by Red Brothers, who are responsible for the upkeep of the Island of Bread and the transport of its prisoners.
The Sylvain Forest
The Sylvain Forest is the unconquerable thicket of forests between Kedoren and Edontas. Populated by its own ethnic group around the edges -- Edontians and Kedoriens which call themselves 'Sylvaini' -- and dark-skinned Earthmen known as the Hiawaca. Due to the forest's native vines known as Woodrope, a fibrous sponge-like type of vine that is difficult to cut or burn, attempts at razing or clearing it have been met with little to no success. Its native tribes are extremely aggressive to invaders, and though they use stone weapons and tools, their ease in navigating through the thick forests and use of poisons and traps have kept out each king foolish enough to try and take it for themselves. Trading ships do not sail close to its border, for fear of the fabled "Hiawacan Fleet" made up of savage Hiawacans who row boats of hollowed logs and ride the backs of dire turtles.
The Windwall
Also known as the Windwall Mountains, the Windwall is a mountain range that spans from Kedoren's western shores all the way to the Vaincur territories in the east. The most important feature of the Windwall is its ability to transform the violent northern winds into arid, warmer gusts of air called Eirtu's Breath (foehn winds). This makes the regions south of the Windwall signficantly warmer, while the northern side is frequently pelted by snow and rain. Also of note are the rich deposits of ore and stone quarries that can be found throughout the mountains.
The Island of Bread
The Island of Bread was cleared of trees by Ardall after his landing and turned into a massive farm that became the breadbasket of the imperial capital and a major food source for all of Ardacia. After The Great Uprising, it was essentially abandoned and used as a colony for criminals, political exiles, and the diseased. As it was cleared of trees by House Arda for farming, the only vegetation left is the overgrown remnants of Ardall's farms and a few sparse trees grown from seeds carried by bird droppings. Despite its name, most sentenced to live in it starve, giving it the nickname "The Island of Dread". During The Godfall, a fragment of Elonar landed on the Island of Bread, causing a small tsunami on the Isle of Gideon.
The Mottem Expanse
The Expanse is a massive network of subterranean caverns and tunnels that run throughout the mainland underground. These caverns and tunnels are (for the most part) filled with Saltwater rivers and streams originating from the Sunrise Sea, and in addition to potentially connecting several different regions is connected to the Western Ocean by means of Lake Tunis and several canals in Caerulmoste. The Expanse is populated by a number of brigands and piratical thieves uniformly identified as 'Mottem Madmen.' Infamous for piloting oreboats in pitch darkness in order to get the jump on unwary subterranean ships, they occasionally plague mainland settlements by visiting the surface via undiscovered cavern entrances.
The Singing Sea
The northern sea of Ardacia, named for the creaking whines of ice floes pressing up against the coast. According to cave writing from The First Age, Earthmen believed the whining noise was caused by the souls of sailors trapped under the ice -- This tells us Earthmen believed in souls and were able to craft sails. Beyond The Singing Sea lies a massive ice mass simply known as "The Frozen Sea". In the spring, summer, and fall, northern sailors are sought after for their skilled abilities to maneuver around the thousands of ice floes in the singing sea. In the winter, the singing sea has too many ice floes to dock ships, and either freezes over and connects to the frozen sea or becomes an unsailable slurry of ice and brine.
The Frozen Sea
The frozen sea, as most refer to it, is the planet's northern cap. Contrary to popular belief, it is not an icy landmass, but a single glacier that has remained frozen since the beginning of the first age. It is devoid of all life -- there are no animals, plants, or minerals to be found, simply miles and miles of unending flat ice. All Ardacians who have studied The Frozen Sea return snowblind and and missing more extremities than they have kept.
The Conquerer's Sea
The southern sea of Ardacia, named for Ardall the Conquerer's first arrival in Ardacia's southwest region. It is considerably less choppy than The Singing Sea and The Green Sea, but not as pleasant as The Sunrise Sea. Rhaetia's considerable over-fishing has extincted sharks in The Conquerer's Sea.
The Green Sea
The western sea of Ardacia, which lies on the border of Kedoren, The Sylvain Forest, and Rhaetia. It is somewhat choppy and has many points of shallow water, making it difficult for inexperienced sailors. It is saltier than the other seas, and as a result, ships that wreck in the green sea do not wash ashore.
The Sunrise Sea
Named for its views of the eastern sunrise, this is Ardacia's calmest sea, known for its fishing and many trade routes.
The Hall of Earthmen
The "Hall" as it is called, is a short canyon on the eastern edge of Kedoren and western edge of Vaincur, modified by Earthmen to provide shelter from the harsh northern winds. Fifty-six room sized pockets have been dug out of the canyon and walled with mud bricks, the least deteriorated of which have small vents near the top for smoke. It has been used historically to host armies, plague victims, and prisoners.
The Great Rhaetian Wall
To the north of Rhaetia, along the very border of the kingdom, is a wall that stretches from coast to coast. Three times the height of a man and studded every two hundred meters with small towers, a fort every kilometer, it is a feat of engineering that separates Rhaetia from the rest of the continent. Built by the imperial army during the early conquests of Ardall, it is now falling into ruin in some places. The existence of the Rhaetian Wall and the difficulty in manning its whole length has created significant problems for travel and trade in peacetime, and the wall is such an annoyance in that regard that its mere existence is what drove for trade via the Mottem Expanse to become commonplace, as its subterranean rivers are the only straightforward means of circumventing the wall along most of its length.
Yevism
The official and less common name for The Church of Eirtu, named for Eirtu's supposed prophet during The Age of Beasts, Yev Yan. The faith's essential beliefs are that Eirtu is the divine creator of the world, who watches the world from the moon with his wife Elonar, the second moon and goddess of Yevism. Whereas Eirtu is prayed for generally everything, Elonar is specifically prayed to for women giving birth, children who are ill, and the survival of crops -- the prayers which are most important. Yevist clergymen are known as "Black Brothers" for the colors of their robes, which are grey when they are given to them and gradually blackened with dirt and rain as the brother becomes more experienced. The leader of the Yevist faith is known as the High Brother.
The Mage's Guild
Ardacia's order of alchemists, which serve high houses and low houses loyally. A mage usually only specializes in one field, such as medicine or architecture, and so great houses usually have several mages, while low houses usually only have one or two. Despite their name, chemistry and astronomy are the closest the mages get to performing magic.
Church of Staloth
The religion brought by Ardall the Conqueror, which was Ardacia's official religion during the second age. It has a complex hierarchy of mercurial, vengeful, and frequently incestuous gods, who are said to live on the plane of Stalotheim. Due to the widespread bookburning and propaganda against all things imperial during the third age, few know what details of the religion are truth or lies.
The Questor Order Secular
An order of unarmored warriors who roam the lands, seeking out evil and dangerous in order to vanquish. Traveling in trios, they are famed for their unique, cast-iron weapons - the geyser sword, the flensing spear, and the carving axe. They are trained in a martial form known as An'Casra, The Way of Scales, emphasizing deflection, evasion, and the exploitation of an opponent's mass and leverage. Although based in Caerulmoste, many of them are sent to other lands in order to pursue their virtuous ideals elsewhere. A small number are known to go rogue, and an impressive bounty is maintained on these individuals by House Soneillon.
Children of Kammeth
The Children of Kameth are a cult in the north preaching about the certainty of an apocalypse following the Godfall. Although originally little more than a group of Yevists going through a particularly self-destructive crisis of faith, the group has evolved into a recreation of the ancient sun-worshipping faith of the cannibalistic Earthmen driven to extinction during The Great Eclipse.
Grey Sisters
A militant branch of Yevism, the Grey Sisters are zealous warriors, charged with carrying out tasks that require a rougher touch. They mostly operate north and around the Windwall, rarely venturing in the Freeholds to the south. Armed with a simple sword and their siganture grey robes, the Sisters do not look like much, but locals hold them in extremely high regard. When not investigating rumours involving magic items or use of magic, they maintain remote shrines and keep the paths leading to them safe. It isn't clear who leads them - maybe it's someone within the Order or maybe one of the elder Black Sisters. Whatever the case, their disinterest in politics and small numbers mean that few care about them in the south, where they are considered little more than tall tales.
Red Brothers
The militant branch of the Church of Eirtu, in charge of enforcing the Church's law and punishing sinners and ne'er do wells. Descending from a violent sect within Yevism that embraced executions and became infamous for conducting blood rituals (in which their robes would become stained red), the Red Brothers were peacefully incorporated into the mainstream church under the Levon Arrangement, some fifty years ago. Under High Brother Levon's terms, the Red Brothers were forbidden from practicing executions or engaging in their blood rites, and a strict sepration was placed between Red Brothers and Black Brothers, intended to apply equally across Ardacia; the Black Brothers would be in charge of ministering the faith, and the Red Brothers in charge of enforcing it. Elements of the Red Brothers have continued to defy the High Brother's authority to this day, however, refusing to allow Black Brothers to administer in their lands and engaging in traditional Red Yevist blood rites in secret.
Mottem Madmen
A group of piratical brigands inhabiting the Motem Expanse. Experts at traversing the pitch-dark of the expanse without light, they have been known to ambush trade and passenger vessels alike, as well as to occasionally mount mainland raids via undiscovered cavern entrances to the Expanse. The dark of the Expanse has driven many of them into a dire state, and so they can prove erratic - most cannot be reasoned or negotiated with. Those who can still tend to come off as strange in the head. Although the Madmen have no official hierarchy or structure, it is common knowledge that they have a secret stronghold somewhere in the Expanse where large numbers of them gather - and where an alleged ruler known as the Breathless Queen holds sway.
Black Sisters
Kedorians practice a branch of Yevism that pays greater homage to Elonar rather than Eirtu. Their clergy is made up exclusively of women, known as Black Sisters. They are well-respected in all of Kedoren, especially in the north. Black Sisters are present in every village and town – assisting with childbirth, curing ailments and presiding over weddings are just some of the things they do. In rural areas their role is very important as they lead the yearly prayers for fertility and protect livestock and crops from diseases. Oaths are always taken in the presence of a Black Sister, who acts as a witness on Elonar’s behalf.
The Knight's Order
Also known as The Knights of Eirtu, Ardacia's knights are the protectors of its land, people, and laws. Considered a goal for peasantry and acceptable path for a second or third-born son, knights typically come in three forms; Sworn Swords, who typically guard one person such as a king or queen, Landed Knights, who have proved themselves and now own portions of land in the same manner as a low lord, and Hedge Knights, who wander Ardacia in search of lands where they are needed most. Many knights don a personal sigil, which frequently references a deed they are famous for, good or bad.
The official and less common name for The Church of Eirtu, named for Eirtu's supposed prophet during The Age of Beasts, Yev Yan. The faith's essential beliefs are that Eirtu is the divine creator of the world, who watches the world from the moon with his wife Elonar, the second moon and goddess of Yevism. Whereas Eirtu is prayed for generally everything, Elonar is specifically prayed to for women giving birth, children who are ill, and the survival of crops -- the prayers which are most important. Yevist clergymen are known as "Black Brothers" for the colors of their robes, which are grey when they are given to them and gradually blackened with dirt and rain as the brother becomes more experienced. The leader of the Yevist faith is known as the High Brother.
The Mage's Guild
Ardacia's order of alchemists, which serve high houses and low houses loyally. A mage usually only specializes in one field, such as medicine or architecture, and so great houses usually have several mages, while low houses usually only have one or two. Despite their name, chemistry and astronomy are the closest the mages get to performing magic.
Church of Staloth
The religion brought by Ardall the Conqueror, which was Ardacia's official religion during the second age. It has a complex hierarchy of mercurial, vengeful, and frequently incestuous gods, who are said to live on the plane of Stalotheim. Due to the widespread bookburning and propaganda against all things imperial during the third age, few know what details of the religion are truth or lies.
The Questor Order Secular
An order of unarmored warriors who roam the lands, seeking out evil and dangerous in order to vanquish. Traveling in trios, they are famed for their unique, cast-iron weapons - the geyser sword, the flensing spear, and the carving axe. They are trained in a martial form known as An'Casra, The Way of Scales, emphasizing deflection, evasion, and the exploitation of an opponent's mass and leverage. Although based in Caerulmoste, many of them are sent to other lands in order to pursue their virtuous ideals elsewhere. A small number are known to go rogue, and an impressive bounty is maintained on these individuals by House Soneillon.
Children of Kammeth
The Children of Kameth are a cult in the north preaching about the certainty of an apocalypse following the Godfall. Although originally little more than a group of Yevists going through a particularly self-destructive crisis of faith, the group has evolved into a recreation of the ancient sun-worshipping faith of the cannibalistic Earthmen driven to extinction during The Great Eclipse.
Grey Sisters
A militant branch of Yevism, the Grey Sisters are zealous warriors, charged with carrying out tasks that require a rougher touch. They mostly operate north and around the Windwall, rarely venturing in the Freeholds to the south. Armed with a simple sword and their siganture grey robes, the Sisters do not look like much, but locals hold them in extremely high regard. When not investigating rumours involving magic items or use of magic, they maintain remote shrines and keep the paths leading to them safe. It isn't clear who leads them - maybe it's someone within the Order or maybe one of the elder Black Sisters. Whatever the case, their disinterest in politics and small numbers mean that few care about them in the south, where they are considered little more than tall tales.
Red Brothers
The militant branch of the Church of Eirtu, in charge of enforcing the Church's law and punishing sinners and ne'er do wells. Descending from a violent sect within Yevism that embraced executions and became infamous for conducting blood rituals (in which their robes would become stained red), the Red Brothers were peacefully incorporated into the mainstream church under the Levon Arrangement, some fifty years ago. Under High Brother Levon's terms, the Red Brothers were forbidden from practicing executions or engaging in their blood rites, and a strict sepration was placed between Red Brothers and Black Brothers, intended to apply equally across Ardacia; the Black Brothers would be in charge of ministering the faith, and the Red Brothers in charge of enforcing it. Elements of the Red Brothers have continued to defy the High Brother's authority to this day, however, refusing to allow Black Brothers to administer in their lands and engaging in traditional Red Yevist blood rites in secret.
Mottem Madmen
A group of piratical brigands inhabiting the Motem Expanse. Experts at traversing the pitch-dark of the expanse without light, they have been known to ambush trade and passenger vessels alike, as well as to occasionally mount mainland raids via undiscovered cavern entrances to the Expanse. The dark of the Expanse has driven many of them into a dire state, and so they can prove erratic - most cannot be reasoned or negotiated with. Those who can still tend to come off as strange in the head. Although the Madmen have no official hierarchy or structure, it is common knowledge that they have a secret stronghold somewhere in the Expanse where large numbers of them gather - and where an alleged ruler known as the Breathless Queen holds sway.
Black Sisters
Kedorians practice a branch of Yevism that pays greater homage to Elonar rather than Eirtu. Their clergy is made up exclusively of women, known as Black Sisters. They are well-respected in all of Kedoren, especially in the north. Black Sisters are present in every village and town – assisting with childbirth, curing ailments and presiding over weddings are just some of the things they do. In rural areas their role is very important as they lead the yearly prayers for fertility and protect livestock and crops from diseases. Oaths are always taken in the presence of a Black Sister, who acts as a witness on Elonar’s behalf.
The Knight's Order
Also known as The Knights of Eirtu, Ardacia's knights are the protectors of its land, people, and laws. Considered a goal for peasantry and acceptable path for a second or third-born son, knights typically come in three forms; Sworn Swords, who typically guard one person such as a king or queen, Landed Knights, who have proved themselves and now own portions of land in the same manner as a low lord, and Hedge Knights, who wander Ardacia in search of lands where they are needed most. Many knights don a personal sigil, which frequently references a deed they are famous for, good or bad.
