To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell - Satan, Paradise Lost
Centuries have passed since the Shadow was defeated, and little is it mentioned anymore, and then only in whispers. The Clerisy, those dutiful and punctilious protectors of piety and order, have ensured that only the most sanitized and pious accounts of the Great Battle circulate, in which Justinian, their incarnate god, met the Dark Lord Daigon on the ashen plains of Nagath and in single combat vanquished him. In the deserts far to the south, the arrogant wizard-lords scoff at such stories, and debate theories of their own about the fall of Daigon and the Empire of Nagath. Some question whether there ever was a Dark Lord, speculating that the Clerisy created an antagonist to justify its own pretenses to sanctity.
Whatever the truth, it is clear that Nagath was once the seat of a great dominion. The ruined fortresses of steel and black stone, the great earthworks channeling rivers of molten rock, the half-ruined machines still capable of great destruction, the shrines haunted still by demons and dark gods, these and more remain testimony to some former glory...or horror.
But now it is a wasteland, infested with warring tribes of beastkin and orcs and barbarous men, the haunt of trolls and ghouls and outcasts from every corner of the civilized world, acknowledged by the Imperium only when they send in expeditions to massacre its remaining inhabitants in an effort to prevent them from ever becoming too numerous.
It is here, in this gods-forsaken land of ash and fire, of ruins and warring tribes, it is here that you will forge a kingdom.
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Welcome!
In this RP, players will design and play as a characters and/or factions within the vast wasteland of Nagath, a Mordor-like analogue in the fantasy world of Geryon. There will be NPC nations around Nagath taking an interest in what goes on within it, most notably the theocratic Justinian Imperium and the Imperium's sworn vassal-princes known as the March Lords who hold the hill country between Nagath and the Imperium's eastern flank. These vassals, and the Imperium they answer to, will not tolerate a threat rising in the seat of the ancient Dark Lord Daigon.
Any takers? I tried this RP once before and it faltered a bit, but I think it's worth another shot.
-It is (grim)dark fantasy RP set in a harsh and unforgiving fantasy world. -I'd like this to be an exercise in collaborative world building. That means that we want characters & factions that feel like they inhabit a shared world. Players should collaborate heavily on designing their characters, factions and the setting. -It is mediumish fantasy: magic exists. It is powerful, dangerous, and rare. Rare.
A note on Magic:
I like the Tolkien/GRR Martin approach to magic and religion. Magic is real, mysterious, and powerful, but for the most part takes place 'off-screen', and is for aesthetic purposes somewhat subdued or indirect. I am not a big fan on fixed magic rules or magic systems. I do want to stress that this is low(ish) fantasy. That means no armies of reanimated dead or golems, no legions of fireball casters, balrogs, etc. We're going to err on the side of how the LotR handled magic rather than say, D&D.
Likewise, the RP will take the GRR Martin approach to religion & history: there are as many religions as we can come up with here, but we will leave it an open question as to whether any of them are true. Conflicting myths, versions of historical events, cosmologies and visions of god(s) are encouraged.
-It is vaguely 1600 AD tech. Gunpowder, muskets, cannon, etc all exist. -ancient, mysterious technology and powerful demons and god-like beings exist, but should adhere to the guidelines for magic laid out above -original fantasy races are encouraged -Inspired by Tolkien, Shadow of Mordor, Warhammer fantasy and 40K, Lovecraft, Morrowind, &...looking forward to seeing what others bring to the table. - Advanced writing standards.
(this list will be updated as the world is fleshed out, and more details about each race will also be added as appropriate)
Humans
Violent, cunning, innumerable, with many variations and sub-types, orcs inhabit Nagath just as they inhabit all shadowy corners of Geryon. Long ago they served the Dark Lord, and some scholars believe that orcs were originally designed by dark magic to serve as slaves and soldiers. They breed in foul nests, usually in caverns beneath the earth. Orcs and goblins are interchangeable names for the same breed of creature, but goblin is often used to refer to weaker sub-species.
Beastkin is a catch-all term used by the Marcher Lords for the half-breeds, rat-men, minotaurs, mutants and other demi-human monsters that infest Nagath. Opinions differ on weather the beastkin are a type of orc or a different race or set of races entirely, but they are as plentiful and as violent as the greenskins, though generally with less capability for organization and cunning. Orcs and beastkin fight side by side as frequently as they fight against one another and among their own kind.
The Nossfyrat WIP
(Nagath is a big place, with lots of geographical diversity, and we will fill in the map and add to the section below with details you add as you create your factions and as the world is fleshed out ICly)
Justinian Imperium: A feudal theocracy that lies to the west of Nagath, the Imperium is the single most powerful nation on Geryon. Its vast lands are administered by powerful noble houses who all swear allegiance to the god-emperor Justinian, who has ruled his people for at least four centuries from his temple-palace in his distant capital of Sacrosanctum. Justinian is a mysterious figure who is rarely seen and who leaves the day to day administration of his empire to the Clerisy, a clerical caste that oversees religious and legal matters in the Imperium, keeping the nobles in check and weeding out heretics and cultists from the ranks of imperial society. Justinianism is a warlike and political religion, with strict codes of honor, justice and duty to Humanity. Veneration of ancestors and of great figures from Humanity's past is commonplace and encouraged by the Clerisy. Magic is generally despised, as are orcs and other non-human races.
The Marches: The mountainous uplands that run along the border between Nagath and the Imperium, the Marches are ruled by a collection of petty warlords and kings who all swear allegiance to the God-King Justinian. It is their charge to keep watch over the desolate wastelands of Nagath, and to make sure that no orcish tribe or barbarian clan becomes powerful enough to pose a threat to the Imperium's borders. The Marcher Lords frequently foray into Nagath to hunt beasts and cull the orc population.
Azoth Zul & Daigon Zul: Daigon Zul is the ruined capital of the Dark Lord, for centuries an empty jumble of leaning spires, broken walls and shattered domes, inhabited only by corpses and demons. The dead city lies in the lonely shadow Mt. Azoth, in which the Dark Lord's old citadel of Azoth Zul is carved into the living rock. It lay empty and in ruins for centuries after the Dark Lord's defeat; not even rashest orcish warlord was so foolish as to claim Azoth for his own. There have recently been reports of something stirring in the ancient fastness, and the monsters that inhabit the poisonous fens and ashen wastes around the mountain and the ruined city have become more aggressive in recent years.
The Claws: WIP
The Broken Coast & the Blackwater: WIP
Sour Fen: WIP
The Bay of Teeth: WIP
A note on factions:if a player goes inactive, a faction may revert to NPC status, to be controlled by the GM and other players until the original player returns. Faction Name: Alias: Government Type: [Factions can range from a warband of mutants to a power-crazy sorcerer and his band of acolytes seeking hidden secrets to the self-proclaimed heir of Lord Daigon, but for the most part we're on the 'bad guy' spectrum here.] Faction Specie(s): [custom species/races allowed, but need GM approval] Species Descriptions: Territory Details: [The map is intentionally pretty blank right now- geographical landmarks, names, settlements, etc, all should be listed here and I will add them to the map] Faction Religion/Ideology: Faction Description: Faction History: [please feel free to flesh out the wider world as you design your faction, including adding details about NPC nations that you've created as well as the Justinian Imperium and the Marcher Lords] Important Characters: Relations to other Factions: [include any off-map NPC nations that are relevant to your factions history]
I'm interested... but rather then making a nation, I kind of want to just make a single character to do his own thing while traveling around. Maybe he aligns with others, maybe he doesn't.
