[OOC] ℳarches of ℳan: ℰxpedition of the ℬanner of St. ℱriedrich

[Dion]

⊱ ℳarches of ℳan ⊰

_{A Deo rex, a rege lex.}

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“ℭomes ℳan, looks for fame, looks for gold, looks for purpose and looks for glory. ℭomes ℳonarch, blesses ℳan with bounties simple but required, but ℳan squanders and spills, looking for that which is not there. We are all from the same iron cast, but the ℳonarch smiths us all differently ━━━ some for fame and some for death.”

━━━ King Iochlan, 0 P.B. 2nd of June, First king of Broacien, First Monarch on Earth.

Ⱦhe Ⱥrea

Ⱦhe setting of Marches of Man takes place in a medieval styled world, where kings and queens rule their lands as is their right given to them by the Gods, or God, depending on what faith you follow. We will be playing in the kingdom of Broacien, a harsh and unforgiving land, home to an equally tough people. The kingdom is surrounded by other kingdoms, empires and the odd tribal wasteland or southern sultanate. The kingdom's many allies and friends have brought it in a precarious situation as it lies amidst the big powers, causing Broacien to become a battlefield over the years. Many graveyards, some marked, some nothing more than a heap of bones, are spread across the kingdom.

Ƀroacien's sustainability comes from it's flourishing fisheries, and small agricultural prowess. The Broacienians have become adept at sustaining themselves, and through that, sustaining the kingdom. Besides that they have many many woodworks, as well as iron and coal mines. Broacien isn't particularily powerful, although it stands it own amidst the other kingdoms. Most others see them as a buffer between them and any others, although Broacien has been known to allow access to military parties to move through their lands if motivated enough for it.

Ⱥs per their own military, the kingdom of Broacien fields mostly militia's of spearmen, swordsmen and archers. The levy is quite large, given the fact that most people in Broacien are either farmers or fishers, labourers or work in the towns. However there is a small percentage of nobility, who are exactly what you expect nobility to be. Some are noble, brave, true warriors who protect those below them as per chivalrous code. The others are craven, barely deserve the title of nobleman, and cannot tell one end from the sword to the other. There is a broad range of nobility, each with their own small castle-keep, or with their own estates within townships. Ofcourse, there are varying ranges of nobility within the nobleman group too, based on lineage, prestige and ofcourse favor from the king.

Ɍeligion plays a big role in the area, and that is the same for Broacien, where religion depends mostly on what faith your father had or where you are from. As such, those who live in the north are mostly 'pagans' or 'heathens' following a wide pantheon of gods, of which some are cruel, war loving individuals who see worth in martial prowess, and others are gentle, nature adoring souls who tend to matters like marriage, love and pregnancies.

Ϻore to the south you will find a monotheistic religion, with accompanying branches of faiths. The faith as a whole names itself 'Monarchism', and all believe in a single entity called the Monarch. The Monarch created man, woman, animals and all other things in the world. His anti-entity is the Pretender. This pretender aims to only destroy what is built by the Monarch, to reclaim it as his and build his own 'version' of the Monarchs' domain, but would ultimately twist it. Both names are obvious in their origins, coming from the titles of a monarch, and those who have a claim to that title, the pretenders. There are numerous branches in this faith, all of which have similar, but differing visions on how the faith should be, and how it shouldn't be. The 'main group' of the religion simply believes in whatever the king believes, he is after all, Monarch on Earth. As expected, since the King's faith is Monarchism, this is the dominant faith in Broacien.

Ⱦhe religion can be both cherishing and brutal at the same time, shown in the Monarchistic cross well with it's circle adorned with spikes. The faith is loving in that it promotes a good life containing generousity, being just and fair and living a pious life where you believe in the Monarch with a grand conviction. But as loving as it can be, there are cruel aspects. The faith is unforgiving towards it's enemies, such as the desert lords of the south. But it's not just external enemies, since people who oppose the Monarch, or it's church, will find themselves either beheaded in a river, or on a pyre ready to burn for their sins. Furthermore, not neccesarily a religious conviction, the Monarchistic priests promote warriorhood by stating braveness, strength and a strong loyalty are all virtues, and cowardice, weakness and a lack of loyalty are sins - an accord smithed with the king, so that the king may have better soldiers.

“A Monarchistic Cross.”

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Geographically speaking, Broacien is home to a wide variety of biodomes. At the center are lush forests, covered in moss, grass and all sorts of plants. Naturally, this is where the king houses. To the north are more harsh lands, covered in snow completely three months out of twelve, and dealing with snowfall five months out of twelve. The lands are arid, but house a tough variant of people, who mostly tend to sheep, farm for sustainability and work in the wood industry. The lands here are covered in pine tree's, iced over rivers and large open fields. To the west of the center point of Broacien, there are flat grasslands, mixed with marshes and swamps every now and then. Not overly hostile or particularily friendly, the western fields provide a good neutral ground for anyone wishing to settle a farm.

Ⱦo the north-east is an ocean called the Crashing Gulfs. The sea here is particularily rough due to it being an inlet towards mainland, before the coastline retreats again to it's natural course. There is many kinds of fishes here, and even whales if the time is right, giving Broacien a wealthy source of food, and even wale hides. Sailing in the sea here is possible although there have been a great many ships swallowed by the water's hungry mouth.

Ⱦhen to the south of Broacien, the lands slowly turn into a red sand, with the occasional irrigated farm with grassy plains here and there. These southern areas of Broacien border a sultanate that follows a foreign fate, and who have engaged Broacien and the others in many holy wars over the years, never fully successful at claiming lands and converting infidels, but always doing a great job at murdering innocents in the name of their God.

Ғurthermore there are numerous kingdoms surrounding the kingdom of Broacien. Of course, to the south, is the ibn-Wahad Sultanate, but they are more commonly referred to as desert lords by any who doesn't live in the sultanate. They follow a different religion than any other kingdom currently known to the Broacienians. Their beliefs is that of the Sawarim. The Sawarim believes in God and his wife, who both have similar powers to the Monarch. It's said, in songs of the Sawarim, that God rides over the skies with his black desert horse, and his wife rides on the white desert horse. This symbolizes the good and bad, or the 'cruel' and the 'good.' The ibn-Wahad sultanate is led by sultan Kalim al-ibn-Wahad. The throne rules here focus on the sultans' many many children, of which the youngest receives the throne, and the others are expected to either be generals or bodyguards for him, in case of brothers, or become political assets or spymasters, in case of sisters.

Ⱦo the north is, well, the North. There is no real name for this place, since it's home to tribal federations who believe in a pantheon of multiple gods, much alike with the Northern believes in Broacien. These tribes are always feuding, for one reason or another, with the most common reason or casus belli being hunting lands. Food is scarce in the region, so it's a warlord's duty to preserve old grounds, and obtain new hunting grounds. There are tribes that were completely wiped out, not because of war, but because of starvation after they failed to amass enough grounds to hunt on. Because of this, a major offense is poaching. It's punishable with immediate execution on the spot if you're caught, without as much as a single word to be said. To many of those in the civilized world, this is very strange, since poaching is only a minor offense. But in the North, it means you take away a valuable animal for yourself without the right to do so. Especially important since killing a single animal might mean the death of a whole family of those who had rights to that animal.

Ⱦhere are numerous more kingdoms that are very alike Broacien, to both the east and west. Some are more sophisticated than others, while others are.. rudimentary at best, and a kingdom only in name. There is abundant trade, although only in low value commodities such as wicker baskets, foods, pots, weaponry and armor and ales. For high value commodities, you'd have to either directly order it, since no tradesman is wealthy enough to afford these, only to trade them away at a market.

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Ѻoc Ɍulings

So after reading that, welcome to my OOC. I hope that I kept you reading long enough to get interested, but not too long so that you lose interest. I guess this thread will tell me if I succeeded or failed. Regardless of that, I feel like I should at least give you all a list of things to expect and not to expect. It's only fair you know that, before you delve into this too deep only to find out it's not what you want.

What to expect?

• A GM who wants to create content for the roleplay as much as you do.
• A GM who is active on a day to day basis, and doesn't shy away from posting.
• A world that is still open for creative freedoms, but that is filled in enough so that you can work with anything you want.
• A (hopefully) friendly community.
• An RP that is open to additions, lore and criticism.

What not to expect?

• A GM who will constantly put up with 'I'll post later this week' if you've already said that 5x. I am not going to babysit you. If you abandon the RP, I'm not going to send you a message. I will also not RP with you ever again. Be nice, let me know you're quitting the moment you want to stop, not a week later.
• A GM who will see it as his sole purpose to create your entertainment whilst sacrificing his own.
• An RP where you can roleplay on your own, in your own corner, without anyone saying 'hey, stop.'
• Magic. Or atleast, not the fire-ball from my hand kind of magic.
• Assasins who will fly through the air, throwing knives at 4 targets, pulling three (yes three!) swords from nowhere and stabbing everyone to death right as the throwing knives kill people. I hate assasins like this. Especially if they have a name like 'Dark Wolf' and have a, how could it be anything else, black wolf as a companion.

Ground rules

• RPG rules apply. I don't really need to say it, but really, I kinda do.
• A GM will have the final say. That doesn't mean you can't argue with me, but if I say no, don't continue.
• Don't be an ass. If you're posting 'sarcastic' comments all the time, ripping into other people's characters, don't think you are slick and think we don't notice. I notice. Other's notice. Just don't.
• If there's a discussion, that is fine. That is good. If there's an argument it's different. Just don't do it.
• If you decide to break above rule and argue with people, have the decency to do it over PM, so I don't need to read your shit.
• If it escalates, please don't continue in the OOC, IC and whatever. If you want to meet up in real life to fight, that's not my issue or problem, just don't make it my problem by putting it in the thread.

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ℰxpedition for the ℬanner of St. ℱriedrich.

So, now that we have a new king, what is the first order of business? A grandiose ball? Well, that has already passed. He's not that new. He's got five years under the belt now. Five good years too. Either way, he is looking to finally begin some greater endeavors ━━ the kingdom is stabilized for now and the recent harvest was good. And due to his History in the Servants he has decided on an expedition to retrieve the long lost banner of St. Friedrich ━━ a revered saint who spread the word of the Monarch through the North of Broacien, long before Broacien existed.

Now the king has ordained all explorers, medicine men and women, camp followers, mercenaries, honorable knights, pious Servants and Robed Swords to step forward, and take the role of Expeditioners of St. Friedrich upon them. A prized bounty was promised, as well as honor and fame and a possible title.

Hiring begins in the Hoffburgt, and that is where our characters shall be. Is there interest, yay or nay?

[Dion]

Broacien

An Overview

In this small overview, you will be told about the history of Broacien in accordance to the records and books inside the king's library. However, if you're looking for glory, bloodshed and a small but defiant kingdom that stood alone, impoverished and without power, against a greater empire and won, you'd best look elsewhere. The kingdom of Broacien only knows those tales from long, long ago as their recent years have been spent more in servitude of other kingdoms and empires.

But one thing that has become clear through that; the lands of Broacien may be conquered, the hearts of men and women on these lands can never be taken. Over the years they have been conquered, but broken free time and time again. This is seen in the borders of the country too, which grew slightly every time they broke free, taking pieces of land in the rebellions. As such they have grown from a mediocre piece of land, merely contested by large countries for the sake of bloodshed and greed, into a force to be reckoned with.

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Barren Flats

Barren Flats

“A sheep farmer, with his small but comfortable house.”

The Barren Flats are the region in the most north of Broecien, named after it's flat, but desolate and barren lands. As a result of the lack of anything noteworthy here, the region only produces fleece, besides small sustainability farming. There are many sheep farms in the area, each with a small flock. Besides the flat lands that lie here, there are also many forests with pinetree's. As a result of that the wood industry is also quite big here, with most of the wood travelling to the Barren Hall to fortify it, atleast recently. With the area being so grand, but having little capability of sustaining a large populace, the population here is very spread out. It can sometimes take three days on horseback to deliver a message to your neighbour, although this differs greatly in the area.

The Barren Hall is the keep most prominently present in the Barren Flats, in the main passage way from the kingdom into the North. It is essentially the last stop before you enter a white wasteland of snow and ice, and therefore it doesn't see many people travelling by. This is not an issue, however. The keep features large, high walls, grande towers and many positions for archers. The castle was clearly made with the intent of stopping tribal attacks, as well as providing a toll point on one of the few passable mountain passes in the area. The Barren Hall acts as the main fortress in the area, and is under command of lord Jachsen of Hayhill, a young noble lord who wishes to prove his skill to the king with martial skills. As such he has made it his mission to greatly increase both the number, as well as the skill, of the local militia hailing from the area surrounding the Barren Hall.

Barren Hall

“Barren Hall, in the Cold Valley.”

As stated before, the Barren Hall is more or less the final frontier between the North and Broacien. There is barely any trade, save the wood and stone that are brought to the castle on orders of lord Jachsen of Hayhill, who is currently reinforcing the castle to ensure it stays in top condition. It holds a strategic position in the Cold Valley, in the mountains that are known as the Rivenrange after the man who first found passage through them. This allows it to effectively toll who ever does pass by, although this isn't many people.

The fortress features many rooms, which is to be expected given it's gigantic size. The towers alone are easily the size of a windmill and a half. Inside the towers there are numerous barracks in the lower floors, and arrow-staches in the higher floors. At the second highest floor, before the shooting platform, there are several braziers on each tower, ready to be hauled up the stairs quickly and to be lit, in case archers need to fire flaming arrows.

As for the main keep, which is equally as grand as the towers, there are several large rooms. For one, there's a large feasting hall, complete with a very large, single wooden table running down the center, and smaller tables on the side. Besides this feasting hall, there is many bed rooms, reserved mostly for noble courtiers, who work for lord Jachsen in different tasks, although guest rooms are also available. The armory is also located in the main keep, as well as a working room and a 'throne room' although it really is just a large wooden throne at the center of the keep, with a red carpet in front of it, so that lord Jachsen can hear of issues, complaints and suggestions.

Rochwin Village

“Rochwin village, with it's castle-keep atop the hill.”

Rochwin village is one of the very, very few villages in the Barren Flats. It's main feature is a tavern, which is a rare sight in the Barren Flats. “The Red Rat” is the last tavern stop before you reach the Barren Hall, after which you will essentially have no more access to a warm fire with some nice ale and a tavern wench to please you. The Red Rat seems to be the main reason people come to this village, with barely another handful of people living here. There are, likely, more visitors than inhabitants at any given time.

Besides the Red Rat there is also the local marketplace, which sets up every 3th of the month. Many Flatlanders come to Rochwin village simply for the marketplace, as it's a chance to meet others, to buy and sell goods and to simply have a good time. The local superior, an earl named Towin, is in service of lord Jachsen of the Barren Hall. He is the one that leads here in his place, and is tasked with making the village as profitable as he can.

Iochlan Ruins

“The Iochlan ruins, all that remains of a past many wish to forget.”

At the border between the Barren Flats and the western swamp and grasslands, the Iochlan ruins are remnants of history left by the Broacienians. The ruins remain used as a military outpost, albeit temporarily. A military encampment is generally always to be found in these ruins, to scout and protect the western border against invaders and intruders. The area is less barren than the rest of the Barren flats, however that doesn't mean people do live here. It's said there is a curse upon this ruin, and the area around it, although that is more than likely common folk superstitions. Never the less the area is empty, and nature flourishes. Poachers can frequently be seen in the forests surrounding the ruins, as the hunting here is good. As a soldier, being stationed at the Iochlan ruins is generally a punitive measure taken against you for whatever you have done, as long as it was only a small offense. Given the fact that the ruins are covered in mist more often than not, the area has a very eerie feeling to it and travellers will often go around the ruins rather than past them by boat, since it's considered bad luck to travel through mist in a boat.

The history of the ruins are rich, as they were used in the first rebellion against the kingdom that ruled over Broacien, at that time still a formidable castle rather than a heap of stones and moss. Never the less, it was used for multiple more rebellions until the first Broacienian king rose and proclaimed it his keep and it became the capital of Broacien. The glory was short lived, but grand. Shortly after Broacien came under attack by a stronger force, who catapulted the fort of Iochlan keep into the heap of stone it is now.

---

Grosswick

Grosswick

Grosswick is the name of the center region, where the forests are green and the grass is.. greener. There are many farms here, mostly tending to the production of grains and potatoes, and other such foods. There is also small scale horse breeding going on, but there's no entire industry dedicated to it. Instead, a horse just gets made 'naturally.' There are many forests, rivers and open fields in Grosswick. It's also the largest region of all in Broacien.

There are noticeably more keeps and castles here, although they are smaller than those in other regions. This is due to the fact that many of the nobility are centered around the town, paired with the castle-keep, of the king. The town and castle are, together, called Hoffburgt, which is located in the utmost north-east corner of Grosswick, on the cliffs near the Crashing Gulfs. The entire region of Grosswick, as well as Broacien, is ruled by king Gregar Barin Grochain.

Grosswick seems mostly the political center of Broacien, ofcourse due to the presence of the king and his sons and daughters. The court is always filled with nobleman, knights, merchants, wealthy people and peasants who have a complaint to make to the king. Grosswick seems to have the largest amount of population in the entirety of Broacien, although getting a census for this has proven pretty impossible, even with the help of the Monarchist church.

Hoffburgt - keep

“Hoffburgt, royal and noble. It's keep is inpenetrable, but can the same be said of the town?”

The Hoffburgt is the capital of Broacien and the staying place of the king, lord Gregar Barin Grochain.It features both a town, which is on the cliff itself, and a castle-keep, which stands on a hill in the water, the rocky approach making it virtually impossible to climb to the top. The only access point from the sea is the docks, which are at the back of the hill, and which is closely guarded. Besides that there is a gigantic drawing bridge that spans across the gap between the hill and the cliff.

The Hoffburgt, with it's political focus, needs gigantic rooms for accomodation for courtiers, noblemen, knights and ladies-in-waiting, as well as bedrooms for the royal family, for others that are staying there. As such, there are many many bedrooms available. Besides that there are atleast 3 feasting halls, each equal in size and interior. All have lots of tables, firepits and have direct access to their own kitchens. The throne hall is triple the size of the one in the Barren Hall, which was already a large hall. It has enougn space to fit 400 people at once, as well as 150 more knights to guard whatever ceremony demands that much people.

In the keeps courtyard, there is a large 'park' with flowers and trees, as well as bushes, where many nobles come to relax during the days when the sun shines. There are sandy paths here with benches lining alongside them. However, do not expect to see the peasantry spending their days here. Only the rich and noble come here, and even then it's mostly the women as men see it mainly as a waste of time.

In the keep itself, there's a square courtyard that features training dummies and the likes, as well as a room with an armory in it. This is where the castle guard trains and arms themselves, preparing themselves in the case of an uprising, or an attack. And giving the unstable and finnicky political environment, it's probably best that these men train as hard as they can.

Hoffburgt - town

“The town of Hoffburgt, seen from across lake Penried.”

The town of Hoffburgt is a stark contrast to the keep that stands near it. Where as the keep is mostly a signature of nobility and strength, the town resembles more something amongst the lines of poverty and criminality. Although not all is bad, the town simply has a bad atmosphere, which paired with it's dark alleyways and corners, combines into a dark town with ample opportunity to strike from a dark corner.

People in the town thrive mostly off of the nearby iron and coal mines, as well as hunting, farming and woodcutting industries. None the less there is still a large part of the town that doesn't have much money, being forced to pay everything to rent, food and, if they live in the wrong neighbourhood, protection from criminals, against criminals.

Motte Alcen

“Motte Alcen, a small keep near the Pentol river, where it heaves tolls.”

Motte Alcen is a military keep, with practically no civilians nearby. It's a permanent stationing location with a small garrison, which controls the Pentol river to ensure that all those that sail across it, travelling either west to east, or east to west, pay their due toll. Besides the toll, they are also stationed there to maintain control of the area, as it's located on the east border, which is a contested area by nearby kingdoms. A permanent stationing area is the only way Broacien can maintain it's influence in the area, whilst the small size is small enough to ensure that not too many men are lost.

In the keep there are very little things to do. Daily tasks of the local garrison include training, keeping watch on the wall, heaving tolls and ensuring the safety on the river. Inside the walls are a small barracks, a very small armory, and a small tavern for those visitors who wish to spend the night. Besides that there's also a house which has room for wives and children of stationed soldiers. In the larger keep atop the hill there is also a falconry set up, with both pigeons for delivering messages, as well as a set of falcons for hunting. The motte Alcen get's it's supplies by verdict of the king, who has ordered a nearby village to supply them with food and drink each week, as well as to deliver repaired weaponry and armor, and to take back broken or damaged items for repairing. This way, a tight connection has been established between this village and the motte, which means that ultimately the two are seen as one.

---

Murkran

Murkran

“Murkran, where the water holds bodies of centuries ago.”

Murkran is the name of the swampy, grassy area to the west. It is home to an exquisite diversity in interesting points of interest, and many explorers have travelled here to simply investigate the wildlife. The swamps are home to many interesting newts, salamanders, snakes and frogs and toads. Besides the travellers and explorers that come here, caravans also frequently pass through here on the Pentol river, which flows from west to east, from the great mountains in the far west, to the Raging Gulfs in the east.

The main stronghold of this area is the Witches' Crest which is commanded by lord Griven of Lanthford, an old and battle weary man. Old lord Griven has fought in many of the campaigns and even fought in the last Broacienian rebellion. As such, he is more than double worth his rank, and is well respected throughout the realm, although some now doubt his skills since he's growing old and senile. Never the less he commands the Witches' Crest and maintains it with remarkable skill, as the Crest has flourished over the last few years.

Witches' Crest

The Witches' Crest is a small keep, especially compared to the others, that stands on an island in the swamps. It's largest tower gives it a clear vision over the swamp, but since there are many trees there, it's hard to see anything. Never the less the area around the swamp has been clearcut to the extent where it can be possible to spot attackers somewhat sooner.

The Witches' Crest is not really anything noteworthy - it has no feasting halls, it has a small throne room, and it has a barracks. The armory is always understocked and the town outside of the Crest is half abandoned. Never the less, the keep has recently increased it's profits by building a toll post on the Pentol river. People who do not want to pass by this post now need to fare around, costing atleast another week.

People in the Witches' Crest are traditionally very, very religious and mostly belong to the strongest believing branch of the faith, who will burn you at the stake for something as simple as adultery. This is, consequently, where the name of the keep comes from. It was the place where the local populace rounded up the local populace, lit a pyre and burned the witches that inhabited the swamps. Ofcourse, not all witches were caught, as the witches were very smart. Never the less many witches died that day - some innocent, some of them questionable. Soon after a wall was built around the pyre, to prevent intruders from watching, or interfering. This wall slowly evolved into the castle it is today.

Carliffs Cliff

Carliffs Cliff is the location of, presumedly, sacrificial rituals held by either witches or people that follow the Nordic pantheon, or possibly both. Human remains litter the area, and there's a large round stone at the center of the cliff's top, as well as three large runestones facing towards this round stone. It's unclear to Monarchistic explorers what this location is, but luckily for whom ever uses this location, it has remained mostly hidden and not many people have found it's location. Even if they had, it might've been discarded as century old relics.

When looking down from the cliff you can see clearly all over the swamps, and perhaps even make out specs of people, whether they be hunters, travellers, explorers, or perhaps even a lone witch who is returning to her swamp shack with new plants.

---

Redsand

Redsand

Redsand is a very small frontier to the south, just before the borders of Broacien clash with the ibn-Wahad sultanate's borders. Being a small frontier, the region can hardly be called a region, but never the less it is so diverse and different from the others that the king has issued a decree stating that Redsand is to be seen as a place to do battle with the Sultan, Kamil al-ibn-Wahad, if the time comes. As such there is little to be found here except for Coedwin. The region is not under noble command, as there are no noblemen living in this area as of yet. As of that reason, the region is commanded by commander Reginald Griswich, a veteran from the kings castle guard, who has now been put in charge of Coedwin.

The area is arid, and there is almost no resources here. As such all the resources Coedwin needs are supplied by caravans that travel there every month. Main supplies delivered here are food, drink and weaponry and armor, as well as additional recruits to be stationed here. However, unlike in the North, Redsand is an open land, with many sandy plains. As such there is no natural chokehold and Coedwin is merely a station, rather than a defendable location. If the Sultan wanted, he could ride straight past Coedwin.

Coedwin

“Formerly Jawai al-Qasar castle, this keep was taken from the sultanate in the last holy war they launched against Broacien.”

Coedwin is a large castle that defends the realm of Broacien against the Sultans' attacks if they were to occur again, in the name of Sawarim. As such he Monarchistic priests greatly support the existence of Coedwin and pressure the king in investing in it's reinforcement. The king, unwillingly, follows their suggestion and he has sent several of his castle guard there, to help with both the training and the tactical reinforcements of the keep itself.

Besides the obvious tasks and features, Coedwin is also host to the barracks of the Servants. The Servants are the most zealous and pious men of the Monarchists, who ride to battle for both king and religion. This religious order was created in order to efficiently combat the Sultanate, which had far more troops, and as such these are some of the best trained troops Broacien has to offer. It should probably be mentioned, however, that the title of 'best trained' doesn't mean much when the majority of your army will always be peasant levies.

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Neighbours

Neighbours

Ibn-Wahad Sultanate

A Sawarim chant, to be sung before battle with infidels.

The ibn-Wahad sultanate is a collection of desert lords, desert tribes and loosely organised village federations, all coming together under the banner of Kamil al-ibn-Wahad. They follow the Sawarim religion, believing in God and his wife. Their religion heavily conflicts with the Monarchists in the north, and as such they have launched several invasion attempts that have often been thwarted, but have resulted in massive casualties on the Broacienian sides. Their invasions were usually followed up by invasions from neighbouring countries who saw a weakened Broacien and grabbed their chance. Because of the history a lot of prejudice and hatred exists for those from the desert lands. 'Desert lords' as they are called are often mistreated in Broacien and it's for that reason that there isn't many, if any at all, to be found in Broacien.

In the sultanate, there's a heavy fixation on following faith. Those who do not believe, or are not a hundred percent dedicated to faith, are outcasted and will have to live their life in shame on the outskirts of society. Besides that, horses play an important role in society as well as in their armies. If a man can ride a horse, he instantly rises on the social ladders. For that reason a lot of low born peasants attempt to learn how to ride a horse, by stealing them. For some strange reason, that Broacienians don't understand, if you steal a horse and get away with it, you can keep it because it shows you learned how to ride a horse while stealing it - you are worthy of that horse. A strange practice, though it rests in practicality.

Besides horses there is also a large fixture on family in the sultanate. Where the Broacienians focus solely on the nuclear family, meaning parents and child, the desert lords and their people focus on the entire extended family, grandfathers, uncles, great grandmothers. It's all important, and they live on a basis of 'honor your forefathers'. Burials are, for that reason, a very big thing. Even lowborn people have large and exciting burials, with grand tombs that are either placed on holy sites, or that are placed underneath the house of the family.

“A desert lord tracker lies in wait, spying on a caravan of Broacien traders. There will be slavery and rape tonight.”

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The North

The North, not as much a name as it is a direction. The North is home to many tribal federations who struggle with eachother for hunting grounds to obtain food, since the land there is even more barren and snowy than the Barren Flats in Broacien. The people living here all follow the Nordic pantheon, with many gods each with their own speciality.

At best the people living here are pagans and heathens, at worst they are savage. The differences in morals and norms are a complete opposite of the Monarchists, and it's more likely that a Monarchist would find something compareable in the Sawarim than in the Nordic pantheon. Never the less, the people here are somewhat friendly towards the south, not coming closer than the mountain pass ever since the Barren Hall was constructed. Now they only show up to the Barren Hall to trade fur and such for foods and drinks, and perhaps a weapon.

The societies in the North are constructed around a family, which is usually about 3-4 families with the same ancestors. These are a single group, which will then group up with others when needed, such as during hunting seasons. The women stay at camp, keeping a fire and the kids safe, while the men go hunt. The hunting groups can reach anywhere between 10 males to 30 males. Common hunting targets are white hares, stags and, when the time is ripe, seals from the frozen over Crashing Gulfs.

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The Eastern Horsemen

Where the Grosswick plains end, the land curves up in a mountain range that has never been crossed by man, and then rolls down into a grassy field full of horses, atleast if you believe those drunkards in the inns who claim to have explored it. Although this isn't completely true, there's a core of truth in it.

In the east, there is a mountain range that has indeed never been crossed once, and at the other side of this mountain range lies grassy steppes that go on for miles without end. The horsemen of the east roam here, a society constructed on owning horses and archery proweess. These people follow their own version of the Nordic pantheon, having given them more suitable names in their tongue, as well as changing their gods meanings and ideas.

Not much is known of these people, after all, these people have never crossed the mountains, and neither have the Broacienians. Perhaps one day, someone or some group will find a passage across the mountains and pass into these lands to make contact, and see what these horsemen will say? Perhaps they will answer with words, or perhaps with arrows. Time will tell.

The West Border

On the west border lie two countries, one lead by king, the other by queen. And the king and queen, they both bear the same surname, being brother and sister. These kingdoms are Cherwin and Ridran, who are lead by king Rechwan Tourlais, and queen Anne Tourlais. These two kingdoms are not at war, as one would expect, but have a strong binding alliance. The two kingdoms were, not long ago, part of a single kingdom which was Cherwin, whom controlled bith the areas of Cherwin and Ridran, as well as holding a small piece of Broacien. But with the death of the old king, the lands were split in two and handed to his two children, Anne and Rechwan.

Now, the most north country of the two, Ridran, lead by queen Anne, has gone to war with the tribal federations. Queen Anne wishes to take control of several parts of the north, to extend her influence and have more land for herself. Perhaps she wishes to overtake her brother, and to claim his lands as hers. It's only guesswork, and as long as she fails at her military endeavours, she will never show her brother how capable she is.

In the war that has been going on for two years now, the Ridranian soldiers march into the white lands of the North, only to be forced to fall back by heavy snowfall and skirmishing tribes. Never the less queen Anne seems certain that she wants to take these lands. Any sane queen or king would've given up long ago, but perhaps she isn't so sane.

Meanwhile Cherwin has it's eyes aimed at the east, carefully poking at the weaknesses in Broacien. It knows that it can take Broacien in a war, but is afraid that it's neighbour, Ridran, will attack once it's weakened. Because of that reason it seems they've abstained from war, but it's not a sure thing, as ultimately a king is not a rational being in all cases.

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[Dion]

Spirituality

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Religion

Monarchism

Monarchism bases it's teachings off of the holy book it has, otherwise known as the 'Monarch's Law'. This book has many, many deep, complex and often layered stories about the creation, history and values of the Monarchistic faith. All coated in nice wording, whilst hiding the shameful aspects of the religion. Some of the base religious laws in this book include generosity, justness, fairness and piety. Several laws that are not explicitly mentioned, but that are implied in stories are the fact that slavery is deemed 'acceptable, but cruel' and that rape within marriage is allowed. Rape outside of marriage is allowed only when the victim is not married. Since these 'laws' are never explicitly mentioned, these laws are often twisted to fit the whims and wishes of the king and the Monarchistic priests.

With the 'Kings Additions' to these laws, new virtues have been added. These include bravery, strength and loyalty, while being craven, weak and unloyal is seen as a very bad thing, with disloyalty even being punishable by death, if the king decides that you arenot worthy of mercy. This goes to show just how well the king can influence the Monarchists, but also how the Monarchists can influence him. Other additions are focussed around a support for having children, in order to create a bigger populace and thus a bigger army, or at the very least a bigger basis of believers for the faith.

The faith is very tightly organised with an internal hierarchy, rated based on the size of the 'colony' that a given priest hosts. As such the leading priest will always be in the Hoffburgt, since that's the largest town. Furthermore there are several priest ranks below the head priest, namely a prince-priest, or otherwise a priest that has noble blood in him. These are typically put in command of castles and fortresses, atleast in the religious department. They have considerable influence compared to others, given their influence in both religion and politics. Once you take to the robes of Monarchism, you forfeit your rights as a nobleman, but when was the last time anyone abided by these type of rules?

Chant of the Robed Swords

Below the prince-priests are the Robed Swords, an order of religious zealots who are both priest, and knight. They are not always of noble blood, although it is possible. They act as the arm of the religion, and are responsible for keeping order in churches, masses and other such trivial tasks, as well as rooting out witches, pagan and heathen believers and Ketters, people who take the true form of the faith and twist it to their imagination. The Robed Swords are not many in number, and prove little threat to any nobleman with an army, but serve their purpose well. If there are Robed Swords in your town, you know that there will be pyres burning before nightfall. Most of the Robed Swords are not very good fighters, akin to a militia, but the leaders and higher ups of the organisation mostly have a history in the military - knights, veterans and zealots are amongst them.

Then come the regulars, all referred to simply as priest, although influence and importance depend on the size of their colony. Although many of these are, thus, not very influential there are a few that have a large amount of influence, and some even have their own small keep in a region of Broacien. Even still, the nobles have little to no problems with these men unless they are accused of being sinners. In that case, it will be a battle of powers. And in a land where religion is so important, you better fight the battle well.

“The Monarchist cross, circled with a circle adorned with spikes.”

Sawarim

Salil al-Qa-qawlu
“Sawarim al-Qa-qawlu, a trademark chant for Sawarimic masses.”

Sawarim roughly translates to 'Swords' although there is no proper translation for the title as, according to Desert lords, the religion is named after the sword god handles. In their view, the sword of god, is all of the swords that are held by Sawarim believers. As if one, they shall strike down the foes that oppose Sawarim. Since there is no word for 'Swords of all Sawarim believers' the Broacienians have redubbed it 'Swords'.

The Sawarim teachings are taught in churches of their own that are similar to Monarchistic churches. Their priesthood doesn't know ranks, and every priest is of similar rank. After all, in the eyes of god, all are equal, although man has different duties and rights in life, explaining the difference in king and peasant. The teachings of Sawarim also plead dutifulness, providing the Sultan with a very loyal people beneath him, who will follow him everywhere.

The Sawarim has many, many followers, both in the Sultanate and in the other countries, although those who are in foreign lands often face discrimination, and worse, persecution by the Robed Swords and similar orders in other countries. This is often used as a reason to attack these countries, to protect the followers of Sawarim. The Sawarim is a warlike religion, if that couldn't be understood from their name, and will often toil in raids into Broacien and other nearby countries, giving reason for others to invest heavily into defensive fortifications near the border, even for small villages.

Although slavery is accepted in Monarchistic countries, the Sawarim actually promotes the taking of captives. For one, capturing an enemy means you have both defeated him, but were merciful enough to spare his live. This is, ofcourse, a good thing. But more so, enslaving your enemy provides you with a workforce, as well as people that you can convert. Converting is a duty of every Sawarimic believer, so converting slaves is a good way to fulfill your duty.

The Nordic Pantheon

The faith of both the North, and the Barren Flats of Broacien, the Nordic pantheon is a stark contrast to both Sawarim and Monarchism. It's belief system is based on a multitude of gods, going by different names in almost every tribe, but maintaing a degree of uniformity in the Barren Flats.

Due to the tribal organisation in the North, it would be a large task to identify and name all the Gods in the tribes themselves, and by the time you would be done, there would be countless more gods invented and destroyed as they seem to change every time a major event happens. For a society that thinks hunting is all there is to life, a major event seems to happen every hour, as even a branch falling from a dead tree can be an omen according to them.

As such it is easier to focus on the Barren Flats and their beliefs. In the Barren Flats there are a multitude of gods, which are headed by the all-father, Audrun. He is the one that holds power over life and death, creates life in plants, humans and animals, and takes life through the form of deaths and decomposing of bodies and nature. His wife, Gidja, is the one that holds power over birth, fertility and age. She seems to be related to time, although that is not neccesarily her main task. She decided to bless people with children, and decides when people are most fertile. She also seems to decide when it's a persons time to pass to the next world, and will advise Audrun to take this person away from the current world, and into the next. This explains why they are a pair - they go hand in hand.

They have a multitude of sons and daughters, who all have varying powers and tasks, and some are more noteworthy than others. For one, there is the son of war, called Rikke, blood and partially of death. He seems to also work closely with his father, as he picks who dies in a batte. If you fight well and valorous, you live on to prove your worth to Audrun. If you fight cowardly and badly, you will die. Atleast, this is the underlying belief. If you fight well or bravely, but not well enough to overpower your enemy, you will die and pass on to Sjeahalle, a green field with flowers and trees, where men do eternal battle and everyone is immortal. The only rest you get is during the hours where Rikke pauses the battle and calls all to feast on the meal that was prepared, and the mead that he himself made personally.

Rikke's sister, Syvinne, is the daughter of peace, justice, rationality and consolation. She is responsible for maintaining peace, something near impossible in the North, and as such she is more revered in the Broacienian Barren Flats. Besides peace, she also takes care of the justicial systems, which mostly seems to go by an eye for an eye basis, as befits the situation. Someone's motives and such are to be taken into consideration too - a murder in exchange for a rape will be considered 'just', but a murder in exchange for a minor theft will not be seen as just. For the reason that this seems to mostly resolve the conflicts internal to a group, the people that believe in the Pantheon regularily do not look for the lord or his lawspeaker to fix their issues and rather fix it themselves.

There are countless more daughters and sons of Audrun, but they are widespread and some are even not accepted and labelled imposters. The religion of the North is not particularily warlike, or atleast not inherently, but the want for men to go to Sjeahalle means that combat is revered mostly, and is considered an important skill.

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Magic

Magic

Magic is inherently a part of medieval culture, and leaves people wondering if something is truly magic, or a sick twist of fate and luck. Never the less there are those that claim to be magically gifted. Sadly for these people, there are many pyres prepared for them if they openly proclaim magical powers. As such, those who believe in themselves, and their 'gift' are usually pushed out to the outskirts of Broacien, taking up refuge in the swamps, the north and east mountains or the deserts.

In truth, magic seems to be mostly a matter of opinion. Sometimes it manifests in superstition - walk past a woman who is wearing blue without looking her in the eyes, and you will die a hundred deaths. Born with red hair that later turns darker, means you will later become a great leader of armies. It is superstitions like these that prove to be mostly harmless.

Ofcourse there are also the witches in their cottages, that claim magical powers, and usually this manifests itself in 'reading' of minds, cards or other strange rituals that can 'read' your future or other likewise important things for people to know. It's never quite sure if the person reading your hand, cards or mind is truthful, and they are usually vague. This type of 'magic' is seen as heretical by priests and is met by the sword or the pyre by the Robed Swords.

In truth, magic is nonexistant, and is used as a tool by those who are clever and have an extensive knowledge of either rudimentary psychology, a good understanding of herbs and such, or simply know how to trick people. Many market's will have travelling troupe's of entertainers, who will dabble in a grey area of magic like reading a persons hand. It's accepted by local churches because, logically, these people pay taxes to the town upon leaving the town. As such they are accepted as long as they are not a major bother and keep their bussiness hidden, or atleast attempt to hide it. If caught, they suffer the same punishment as witches.

This goes to show that 'magic' is truly for the smart, and cannot be used by just anyone who thinks they can trick an individual or two. Pair that with a high level of religious zealouts in the country and you are met with a large taboo on magic, where even speaking about it can be seen as a bad omen. As such many people choose to ignore it, even if there are many theories around Broacien about how it works.

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History

Currently the year in Broacien is counted as 127 P.B. (Post Broacien). This time has been counted ever since the first noted existance of a Broacienian state, referring to the Broacien villages, who wished to suppress the influence of other kingdoms nearby. In other countries, other time terms are used, like in the North where they use 'winters' to simply say a year.

Event list.

• 0 P.B. --- Creation of the Broacien kingdom under king Iochlan, who founded Iochlan castle as his capital.
• 1 P.B. --- Invasion of the Rochran kingdom, who assaulted castle Iochlan and killed king Iochlan and his sons, leaving the daughters to be taken as princesses back home, to avoid a conflict over Broacien at later dates.
• 14 P.B. --- After 13 years of repression and conflict within Rochran, the Broacienians rebelled and formed a peasant army. The king of Rochran underestimated the army, stating famously “Peasant's don't fight, they farm.” It took the Broacienians 2 years to fully regain control of their own lands, and an additional 4 months to take a arge piece of Rochran territory.
• 15 P.B. --- During the Broacien uprising, the Broacienian peasant army took the remains of Iochlain castle and, once there, took hostage 500 Rochran soldiers. They were executed on the spot, with a single survivor being allowed to go back to his king. He was to bring a message stating that peasants do indeed fight. It's seen as the greatest insult to a king to ever be made, and is referred to as the Broacienian insult, where you insult a person by saying you are hierarchically below them, and then beating them anyway.
• 16 P.B. --- At the end of the Broacien uprising, the princesses of king Iochlan were freed and married off to commanders of the peasant army. The eldest daughter of king Iochlan was crowned queen, and her new husband Halfrey, was crowned king. Rebuilding Iochlan keep proved to be impossible and so construction on a hillside fort near the Crashing Gulfs was started, calling it Hoffburgt.
• 17 P.B. --- 6 months after constructions started, the Hoffburgt was completed. It was nothing more than a drawbridge to an island, a small wall and a house for the queen and king, and a small town of labourers right on the other side of the drawbridge.
• 29 P.B. --- Another invasion against Broacien was launched by the Sultanate to the south, which had somehow rallied all the divided desert lords, tribes and villages under it's single banner, quickly converting them to the Sawarim.
• 35 P.B. --- 'The Battle of Hoffburgt' happened, where the Sawarimic army reached the Hoffburgt location. The invasion had spread far and the Hoffburgt as well as the Witches Crest were the only regions untouched. The battle started sourly, with all the townspeople retreating into the kings castle with their weaponry, food and valuables. When the Sawarimic army arrived they torched the town and killed those who hadn't been in time. The hillside fortress proved too steep to scale and so they waited the defenders out, who pelted them daily with spears and arrows. The Sawarimic army was so weakened by this, that when they finally decided to lay ladders across the gap to cross the gap between castle and town, they were promptly beaten back and chased all the way across Broacien.
• 38 P.B. --- The end of the Sawarimic holy war against Broacien, the Broacienian people escaped conquest barely, with many dead and lots of villages burned. Those that didn't die in the Sawarimic attacks were taken as slaves during the retreat. The Sultan refused to free the slaves.
• 57 P.B. --- The death of the former king, Halfrey, occured and his eldest son was coronated soon after. No large troubles were expected, long live king Rowain!
• 59 P.B. --- King Rowain was faced with a crises, as a pretender rose. His older nephew Tristan also had a claim to the throne and started a rebellion. The rebellion was not as strong as the Broacien army, but caused a lot of instability. Tristan was captured and imprisoned, sentenced to live his life in the jail.
• 69 P.B. --- A new neighbour appeared, who had centered themselves in a newfound kingdom in the Pentol valley, which wasn't far from the Witches Crest. The kingdom seemed to appear after a rebellion against Rochran in spirit of the Broacien rebellion 69 years earlier.
• 69 P.B. --- King Rowain quickly engaged in diplomacy with the new kingdom, that had called itself the Restwaerd kingdom, and convinced them to attack Rochran together and split the spoils. The war, dubbed the War of Vengeance, found enthousiasm in the people of Broacien. Many of them had a dislike for Rochran, and so there were many young man willing to lay down their lives for the glory of Broacien.
• 74 P.B. --- The War of Vengeance had now ended and king Rochran took control of a larger part of the Pentol valley, extending the Witches Crests' influence over the area.
• 76 P.B. --- It seemed the friendship of Restwaerd and Broacien was shortlived as a diplomatic misunderstanding led to two armies clashing near the Pentol river. A full scale war errupted, and Broacien was forced to defend the Pentol valley.
• 79 P.B. --- After 3 years of defending itself and being pushed back constantly, the Pentol valley was completely lost and abandoned. The Witches' Crest remained the last bastion, but attacks ceased. Soon after peace was signed, as the Restwaerd people simply wanted control of the valley.
• 85 P.B. --- King Rowain was assasinated by an unknown man. The same night a declaration of war from a tribe in the Northern wastes arrived.
• 85 P.B. --- King Rochains nephew, Tristan, was the only eligible heir and was freed from captivity, and coronated as king. He was quick to defend against the tribe, which counted barely 200 men. After the decimation of the tribe, and the captivity of the survivors, as well as their wives and children, the king ordered the construction of Barren Halls.
• 91 P.B. --- Besides problems in constructing the Barren Halls, construction was finally completed. King Tristan freed the captives of the tribe and allowed them to settle in the Barren Lands, as a sign of mercy. Thankful, they created a small settlement on the road to the Barren Halls.
• 95 P.B. --- A renewed holy war was started by the Sultan of that time, but this time the Broacien army was prepared due to spy reports of an upcoming war. The Broacienians met the Sawarimic army with equal strength and beat them back fast and strong, taking advantage of the newfound order of the Servants.
• 99 P.B. --- The Broacien army marched all the way to Jawai al-Qasar castle, and besieged it. The grand castle fell quickly, undermanned because of the Sawarimic initial large charges, and was redubbed Coedwin. A peace treaty was signed soon after the fall of the castle, since the Sultan didn't wish to lose more land.
• 104 P.B. --- Broacien faced another invasion, by the Restwaerd people again. This time they seemed intent on taking out the Witches Crest, since it was intefering in infuence over the Pentol valley. Initial attacks were few, but hit hard.
• 106 P.B. --- The war dragged on for two more years, when the siege of Witches' Crest finally came. Anticipating a quick defeat, the king sent 2000 more soldiers to the castle, reinforcing it before the attack. This proved to be a crucial moment in the war.
• 109 P.B. --- The war was ended when Broacien attacked the capital of Restwaerd and the king of Restwaerd was captured. Brought before king Tristan, he was sentenced to death.
• 110 P.B. --- Restwaerd brought to it's knees, a small nearby kingdom took advantage and attacked Restwaerd. It's lands were taken within days and the kingdom was annexed by Cherwin.
• 116 P.B. --- Growing restless already, the king of Cherwin decided to engage Broacien in combat and led his army to Witches Crest. Seemingly he didn't learn from the former attacker that attempted this, and he crashed into the walls without winning the siege. Not willing to admit defeat, he challenged king Tristan to a duel. The king of Cherwin won and slew king Tristan, but was then chased off by the kings' retainers who rescued his body and brought it back to the Hoffburgt.
• 117 P.B. --- Without heir and a year later, Broacien was still without a ruler. Since the populace grew restless and war loomed near, it was decided that Tristan's wife, lady Ella, were to be made queen. She was coronated and ruled with iron grip, not unlike Tristan.
• 119 P.B. --- Barely two years later a bastard son of king Tristan arrived to take the throne, backed by an army of mercenaries. The would be king called himself Gregar Barin. The queen submitted defeat, on the condition that Gregar married her daughter, Anne. He accepted, as Anne was still young and was beautiful, a perfect wife in essence.
• 121 P.B. --- The Sultanate waged war against Broacien again, wishing to retake Coedwin that was now inhabited by infidels. The king ordered the Servants to advise him, which lead to a brutal victory over the Sultan in the Gulley of Caprin, where the infantry distracted the sultans army long enough for the Servants to ride their cavalry right into the flanks of the army.
• 127 P.B. --- A recent skirmish with Cherwin, which had now broken up into Cherwin and Ridran, has caused the destruction and disbanding of two companies of soldiers, namely the White Oaks and the Old Hounds. King Gregar has called for a new company to be formed, existing of veterans of both the White Oaks and the Old Hounds, as well as calling on others who are interested in serving in this new company.

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The Royal Family

Grochain family

Gregar Balin Grochain

“the Bastard King, Monarch on Earth, the Strong Stag.”

Gregar Grochain is a man in his late thirties, and a face that shows experience, know how and charisma. His wooden crown, a leftover from Iochlan's times, is adorned with leaves and twigs, an insignia of the local Grosswick biome of naturally beautiful trees and plants. He looks very noble, in every possible meaning of the word, even though he is a bastard in essence.

Gregar is a man with a military background, serving amongst the Servants for several years. As such he has both tactical skills as well as personal combat skills. Not to say that he adores war, as he is rather fond of peace, but he's a smart man that knows that there is a time of war and a time of peace. Furthermore his history in the Servants has proven to many that he is a religious man, serving the Monarch with utmost compassion, which has granted him the support of the priesthood and the religious inhabitans of Broacien.

As king, he is just and strong-willed, and has the capability to pass judgement with no remorse if it's required of him. He is a very loyal man and thus values loyalty as the most important value there is, and does not tolerate unloyalty from any of his vassal lords and knights. He is, however, not a man that doesn't realize loyalty comes at a price, and as such he frequently grants lords and knights privileges, that are meaningless but offer symbolical value to the title of lord and knighthood.

Besides offering privileges, Gregar is fond of feasts and frequently hosts feasts in the large feasting halls in the Hoffburgt, which is no problem since there are three feasting halls. Even some of the less noble, but important and influential people, are allowed to show up. People such as wealthy and influential priests, merchants and foreign lords that are passing by.

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Anne Frederica Iochlan of Hoffburgt

“Bastard's Lover, the Monarch's Light”

Queen Anne is a gentle soul, unlike her husband. While they are opposites, Gregar a trained soldier with military insight, his wife is a more peaceloving soul than him, while she realizes like Gregar that war is a part of life, she'd prefer if it wasn't. Never the less she accepts it for what it is, which is something she had to do a lot ever since she married with Gregar. The man has made her realize that being noble of blood means giving up a lot of things.

Regardless of that she does truly love Gregar, he fathered her children after all and she decided that perhaps an arranged marriage wasn't so bad after all, since through work and time spent together the both of them got along perfectly well. As a result the royal family is a happy family, which it happily shows to the outside worlds. Not that happiness is a shield against bad events happening - the dangers of being royal still lie around every corner and that is one of the many fears Anne has. After all, what if something befalls her children?

Her biggest fear, is indeed that something happens to her children. Each one of them is a big part of her life, and she loves them dearly. Despite that, she knows that the males will be sent off to serve under the companies, and the females will be sent off to marry some lord or foreign king to secure alliances. While saddening, atleast she knows she'll get grandchildren that way.

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Erica Vaelentin Grochain

“Little Stag, Ketter's Demise”

Erica is one of the most pious ladies in Broacien, a woman who has devoted her life towards the Monarch and serves him with utmost servitude. Erica has barely reached her 20th year, looking quite young on her own, and has numerous suitors who are waiting for her hand. So far, king Gregar has abstained from promising her hand to anyone, either waiting for a proper suitor, or not wishing to send off his daughter.

Erica takes after her mother, being a kind soul and gentle to everyone, whether that is due to personality or due to being taught to behave this way by her tutors. She has numerous maidens which are all treated with respect that she deserves, and she is allround loved by everyone in the castle, and dare it be said, the entire kingdom of Broacien.

The only people she has little sympathies for are the Ketters, those who twist the word of the Monarch to fit themselves, who twist the truths of God for benefit. As such she's attempted to persuade her father to crack down on these people by offering more support to the Servants, of which he was one to begin with. The situation remained unchanged, but the Servants noted her support and are seemingly waiting for the right chance to offer lady Erica a suitable knight from the Servants to marry, which would greatly increase the influence of the Servants.

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Aren Grochain

“Aren Hedgehog, Riding Laugh, Winter Wife”

Aren is the oldest of the king's three daughters, and as such has already been married off to a lord. Aren has been married to the lord of Barren Halls, lord Jachsen of Hayhill. This was done in order to secure the loyalty of this lord, and thus strengthen the Northern keep of Barren Halls in order to make sure that there was no tribal wars like years ago. And succesfully so, as Aren seemed to be a perfect match for Jachsen - both were militant, although in different way. Aren understood perfectly well her task as princess, namely in ensuring that Jachsen remains loyal to the crown and not his own interests. Her beauty and seductive voice did well in assuring Jachsen that he was indeed the favorite lord of the king.

Aren enjoys living in the North, being a child of the winter very much so, and more so enjoys dealing with the Northerners. She seems to have some explorationlust, constantly asking her father and her husband if she can mount an expedition of sorts, atleast to go see what it's like in the tribal camps. Being a princess this is a hard task, but her father has promised her 'one day' and that was enough for her. Her father is honorable and just, so surely the promise will get acted on.

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Caterina Meitelde Grochain

“Mei, Mitsy, Cat”

Caterina is the youngest of the three daughters of Gregar, and as such enjoys a moderate amount of freedom to do as she desires - atleast until she comes of age. Currently she is 15, meaning she is on the verge of a childlike personality, with a new view of realism as she begins to learn about the world around her, about the world of politics, religion and war.

Her older sister, Erica, and her brother Bjorn, are pretty much the only people in her family that she sees daily, as father is too busy with ruling the kingdom, and mother needs to tend to the duties of a queen. As a result of only seeing these two people, she has quickly become adapted to both the life of a knight and that of a lady, although she is not sure if she fully believes everything that her sister tells her. Never the less she adores the stories, that are more like a childrens goodnight tale to her than a religious vision of how the world came to be.

She is like her mother, a gentle soul. Likely more so than her other sisters, as Caterina doesn't have any interest in war whatsoever. The only thing that interests her is love, friendship and peaceful times, lovely feasts and balls in the kings halls'. Ofcourse this is still part of her childhood dreams of marrying a prince, which might even happen, although she would likely find that the reality is not what it seems.

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Bjorn Hofman Grochain

“Lord Stag, the Antlered Knight”

Bjorn is the second born son of the king, and as such has taken up duties with the Servants as his father did. Unlike the other Servants, he spends his time in the Hoffburgt, acting as the local head of the Servants that arrive here to do investigations into religiously rooted problems. This has given him both time to hone his martial skill, and time to dilly-dally with the local noblewomen. He is well loved around court, although his brother is slightly more famous and loved than Bjorn. Not that Bjorn cares, he is happy to court women, fight in tournaments and on the off day that he feels like it, go to a tavern for a drink.

In reality, Bjorn is a ladies man, who enjoys talking to women and girls alike. It's not even that he wishes to bed them, he simply thinks they are more fun to talk to. Regardless of that he's quite manly, good with a sword and somewhat decent looking, but probably a handsome man compared to some of the other lords walking around.

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Dorran Grochain

“King Stag's Heir, Smith's Hands, Prince's Face”

Dorran is perhaps the most famous of the royal family, whose name extends far beyond the Broacien borders. He is known as a handsome, and stout man. He's brave and loyal to his father and family. Willing to risk it all to gain what his family needs, he is the one that will ride in the Vanguard in name of his father when needed, he is the one that leads the charge and he is the one who will sacrifice his life for those after him.

As Dorran is next in line to the throne he has been groomed into a capable ruler and king - trained in aspects of rulership like castle keeping, warfare, combat and economics, as well as diplomacy, foreign customs and religious know how. The heavy focus of his studies layed on justice, as this was what his father deemed important.

Besides the personal traits, he is incredibly handsome according to the ladies of the realm, and those outside. He looks good, and looks even better when wearing armor. Although he pays little mind so far, he makes women swoon as he walks past. Maybe an exageration of the tales, but he certainly turns heads if he walks by, from both men if they are that way inclined, and from women.

[Dion]

T.B.A. reservation for other random crap.

[Mixtape Ghost N]

Give me a little bit, I have to plan out a character, and I have a test tomorrow.

[Habibi359]

I love the lore of this RP. I already have small amount of dreams, hopes and wonders where a world like this would end up in few years.

I'll definitely apply. I do wonder what I'd play as, though ideas range from Northern lumber lord to former southern Sawarim practitioner.

[Dion]

@Mr Allen J Got mine thursday.

_{Damn civil war and conflict studies.}

@Habibi359 The first one would need a good reason to join the expedition (though really, 'earning money' or 'is very religious' is probably good enough) and the second would ...

well. He'd probably get killed for being a infidel.

[Dion]

I'm about halfway through with my own character, after which I'll upload it so you at least have an idea of what I'm looking for.

I'm actually gonna get started on a summary for my exam though.

[Dion]

With the addition of my own CS, I expect CS's will now begin being crafted, now that there's a guiding line or a concept of sorts to indicate what I want.

Oh and as a sidenote, is the black lettering still unreadable?

[Mixtape Ghost N]

I have to go out of town for awhile, so my sheet's gonna be delayed even more.

[Dion]

@Mr Allen J That's quite alright. The lack of interest means that I'm willing to take this RP as slow as we need to. I'm not gonna force interest so if this RP takes off, it takes off, and otherwise I might re-run it in casual. But I happen to realize you don't really do casual.

[Mixtape Ghost N]

@Mr Allen J That's quite alright. The lack of interest means that I'm willing to take this RP as slow as we need to. I'm not gonna force interest so if this RP takes off, it takes off, and otherwise I might re-run it in casual. But I happen to realize you don't really do casual.

@Buddha

Nah, I'm totally cool with casual RPs.

Because I'm like a classy celebrity, you may think I have standards and convictions.

But, I'm a real dirty whore deep down that lacks those two traits.

[Dion]

@Mr Allen J Well, I've seen so far like.. 2 of your RP's. They're all big with lotsa lore. I'm sure you can understand then, that I'm even more sceptical of running this very RP in casual, mostly because people will just opt to go 'fuck that i'm not reading everything' and either make a character that breaks 20 pages of lore, or just not join at all.

[Vor]

Well I've posted my CS and am looking forward to seeing more people join this thing. And just to throw in my 2 cents about Casual vs Advanced, I feel like this RP deserves to be played out as an advanced one. I don't believe a casual can do justice to the world and some of the finer nuances of the setting.

At the end of the day, I guess it depends on what interest is like.

[Dion]

@Vor Having run this RP in casual once before - yes. But if interest dictates, I will supply, because summer is coming up, and I want something to do.

[Dion]

@Vor I think sadly it is safe to say that this RP will not take off. I'm sorry, but thank you for taking the time to make a CS. Perhaps we can roleplay another time.

[Mixtape Ghost N]

Son of a bitch.

I was about to get started. lol

[Vor]

Well, that's a damn shame. I really liked the premise of the story, if you plan on running it as a different format in the future (1v1, 3 player-group or something) colour me intrigued.

[VoiD]

Damn, found this too late. If you ever decide to try this RP again, let me know! I'd love to RP it with you :)