[OOC] The Maimed God - (Dark Age Casual-Advanced Character RP)

[neogreggory]

My pardon if my post is too short or if there is any error in it. That said I should let everyone know that on the 24th I shall be heading to see my family for my birthday and won't be back until the 30th. I don't imagine having access to internet during this time, or at the least certainly not being in a position to write long well thought out posts. My pardon for any inconvenience this may cause.

[Guinemerz]

Friendly reminder that this is thematically canon. The clanging in Badastan's part is a result of his fat rolls smashing together as he ran down the stairs to protest this truth.

[Grijs]

@Guinemerz It's weird seeing my sketchy concept art appear in a clip. lol

[Grijs]

UPDATE: Thanks to @Narcotic Dollie we've got a dank Character Index at the first post of the CS to structure all faction characters.

(She made it a while ago and I forgot to put it in xd )

[Narcotic Dollie]

Its udders are filled to the brim.

I CAN'T STOP LAUGHING AT THIS LINE! XD

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Lowering its horned head, the beast takes a voracious gulp of its own udders… before spewing out a bolt of transparent milk at the King.

My reaction when reading this for the first time.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

That should not be a lethal attack, nevertheless Cauroman felt he should steer clear regardless.

Good assumption, King Cauromam, I too would avoid being sprayed by demonic goat milk! This whole post was a journey and I 100% approve of these shenanigans.

[Grijs]

@Narcotic Dollie Well you see, emphasizing the full udders is all part of my artistic process.

[Grijs]

The battle for Tautom has begun in a treacherous surprise attack!
@neogreggory@Wernher@Serpentine88@Archetype Zero

Tautom Map

To clarify, Tautom is divided in districts, as yet unnamed but marked on this map. Marked as 'poverty region A, B, the Commons, the Rich District and the Viigoc Quarters A and B'. Each of these are walled in due to the segregation of classes and unsafe nature of Tautan urban-life. This will wear the attackers down from swarming the whole of the city.
However these walls weren't designed to keep armies out, but to keep dirty plebs out of the wealthier areas. If a concentrated effort to break the district walls was made, they wouldn't take long to fall, but doing so would stall the attackers and give the defenders ample time to prepare on the other side.
At present the defenders are holding the attackers off at a choke-point at the northernmost gatehouse ontop of the wall, the Tautovigoc Gate leading to a Tautovigoc Quarter, where much of the King's household troops and their families live. It is as such a pretty well-secured place.

Just PM if you need additional details on something & wish to brainstorm an effective relief effort.

[neogreggory]

I will be going to the dentist in a few hours, and I imagine I'll be at the dentist for a bit. I try to devote some time after the dentist to coming up with a post but I don't imagine I'll be able to come up with it today.

[Archetype Zero]

I am still waiting for Wernher and @Serpentine's collab. After that me and Serp will do collabs together, depending on how things go.

[Kalmar]

You know your city is screwed when you've started creating designated "Poverty Regions." :P

[neogreggory]

Sigh
I'd like to apologize. I simply don't feel inspired to continue partaking in this. I wish I had a better excuse, or some thing to say, but the simple truth of the matter is that I can't find the will or desire to continue with this.
I think I'm going to pull out of this RP. The idea that I might in some way hold back the RP due to my laziness and lost interest is terrifying and my pardon for any problems I have caused, or will cause as a result of my leaving.
I wish you all the best of fortune and the with the rich minds required to do this RP justice, I am sure you will all have fun.

[Grijs]

@neogreggorySorry to see you go. I appreciate you gave this story a shot nevertheless.
Can I convince you to make a final post where Ardoiwn meets an honorable death in battle? I prefer that over just retconning his whole existence.

[neogreggory]

For the sake of Ardoiwn, the sake of the story, and the sake of this beautiful world you've woven I can force myself to do a little more writing.

[Kalmar]

Darius Arenar

Name: Lord Darius Arenar

Appearance: In his mid-twenties, Darius is five foot eleven in height, with medium length blond hair, dark green eyes, a light skin tone, and unbelievably handsome features. He is of a decent build, and marches into battle (well behind his bodyguards, of course) clad in a set of well-polished scaled armour. His weapon of choice is a well-made arming sword, accompanied by a round wooden shield.
Kingdom Allegiance: Chlotar

Tribe: Chlotar

Background: Darius was born as the second son of House Arenar, a wealthy Chlotar family that had risen to power through several wise investments and shrewd trade endeavors, despite their lack of actual material holdings. That said, they were still vassals to King Cauroman, and expected to follow him into battle should he call upon them.

Growing up, Darius had always been exceptionally well-read and well-mannered, and turned out to be quite the charmer, with a sharp head for tactics and business. Unfortunately, he was something of a mediocre swordsman. He could hold his own, but he would not be pulling off any impressive feats of gallantry.

As the second son, Darius knew he would not inherit his family's fortunes, which left him bitter and resentful. However, he soon noted that his elder brother, Gareth, had fallen out of favour with their father. And that Gareth's anti-social tendencies left him with few friends. And so, he conspired to see his brother replaced.

It was a simple enough matter. His father was in elder years, and it was not long before the old man 'mysteriously' fell ill. Darius came to his father's bedside, and with honeyed words convinced him that Gareth had grown impatient, and wished to inherit the family fortune early. He presented false evidence to back up the claim.

Outraged, their father declared then and there that Gareth was to be disowned, and the evidence was presented to King Cauroman. A call was immediately made for Gareth's arrest. However, Gareth had managed to steal a horse and flee before they could matter. No matter; the inheritance was assured. His father died a few days later, and it was Darius who soon took up the lordship.

Darius soon moved to Cauroman's court, and over the next few years he wasted no time in slowly expanding his influence, finding friends and connections wherever he could. It was here that his intelligence and charisma truly shone through, and even caught the attention of King Cauroman himself.

Now, Darius has been called upon to follow his King into war. Though he is not fond of battle, he is aware that this adequate service will be granted an appropriate reward, and so he was able to use his connections to secure a decent command.

[Grijs]

@Not Fishing I like the concept. You've clearly not designed him as a uniform Chlotar but rather a more morally ambiguous and shrewd politician, not so much a warring banner-man. Only thing really bothering me is the names lacking any... 'Germanic flare'. Darius and Gareth don't strike me as sounding particularly Chlotar. It could be explained away by them being from a different part of Chlotaringen, perhaps territory that had once been Celesean, making Darius' family a blend of barbarian and Celesean cultures.
After all, the Chlotars aren't a single race but rather a confederacy of various different tribes and barbarian ethnicities, and even a few Celesean ones deeper south.

Oh, a chronological technicality, but I still ought to bring it up:
Cauroman has only been King for a year. I imagine most of the stuff described in Darius' sheet would have taken place under the reign of King Carlovech instead.

If you are fine with making him a 'southern-Chlotar', Darius is fine. Though if you want him to be more traditional Chlotar, consider a name change.

Otherwise approved!

[Kalmar]

Ah, I appear to have gotten the cultural names mixed up.

[Grijs]

Since I like world building I added more trivia to the lore.

Mirror Towers

Ancient technology left behind by the Heavenly Kingdom of antiquity. The Towers were built with the aid and permission of God, hence that they can never again be reconstructed in the absence of God. The towers absorb sunlight in its great mirrors, from which it can fire light beams. The Mirror Towers and ruins of Mirror Towers are scattered on the various islands throughout the Sea of Tears and serve as a barrier against Ostropathia, meant to keep the Divine Locust at bay -- should they make an attempt to cross the ocean to attack humanity on Visandza. Many of the towers are still functional. However they have largely fallen into disrepair from centuries of negligence.

Animal Heraldry

It has not been explicitly mentioned yet, but naturally the different factions each have their own heraldry to distinguish them by. Probably semi-important to know.

Chlotaringen, after the Faramundian Dynasty, is represented by the Lion
Lampertei, after the Alboinid Dynasty, is represented by the Black Bear
The Eodaen Tribes are represented by the Wyvern
The Viigoc Tribes (though they are divided and without a nation) is represented by the Mammoth, which was native to their lands of ancestry in the hyperborean domain of north Ostropathia
Baltia is represented by the Eagle
Syrome is represented by the Cobra
Amalia is represented by the Evening Star, the only nation that does not use an animal for heraldry

Human Population

The setting is, as you all know, set in the dark ages. Hence the population of Visandza is sparse. This is owed to the destruction of the Heavenly Kingdom and the Divine Locust that nearly wiped out humankind some 4 centuries ago. The humans alive today are descendants of the survivors, both indigenous to Visandza and refugees from Ostropathia like the Viigocs and many Celeseans.
Humanity today consists of some 6 (conservative) to 7 (at most) million people.
This affects the scale on which wars are fought. At one point a kingdom simply does not have the manpower to sustain prolonged all-out war. Most of Visandza consists of wildlands untouched by humans. Particularly for Chlotaringen; for as much land as they have laid claim to, most of it is virtually unpopulated to this day.
For this period of time an army of 10.000 (like the one of King Cauroman) is considered enormous, as ordinary field armies, even royal ones, tend to comprise 2000 to 3000 men.

Chlotaringen – the bulk of continental Visandza - has approx 3 million in population.

The Amalian peninsula is a denser part of the world, divided by Lamperts in the north and Amalians in the south. There's some 1 to 1,5 million Lamperts and 500k Amalians. So up to 2 million people total in the peninsula.

Eodaland has the lowest population of the established Kingdoms, with only some 300k of those squirrel lovers in existence.

The Viigocs are the smallest tribe. Their population had been decimated during the migration from Ostropathia. There’s a total of some 100k Viigocs in existence, of which 20k are Tautovigocs (urban city dwellers of Tautom), 20k are Syrovigocs (integrated Celesean-Viigoc Islanders) and 60k are Baltavigocs, who have lived predominately in pocket communities at the eastern fringe territories of Baltia, and are a very rural group thereby. Due to their segregation, the Baltavigocs have retained most of their original tribal and barbarian characteristics lost unto the other Viigocs.

Tautom City houses a tremendous population unlike seen anywhere in the world. It is Visandza’s sole sprawling megalopolis to remain in the style of antiquity, with a staggering population from 100k up to 200k people. Contrast this to Chlotaringen's capital of Aaixen, which has only roughly 10.000 inhabitants, and even that is considered a major city.
The vast majority of people in the Barbarian Kingdoms live a rural lifestyle away from cities.

The Syromean archipelago has an estimated 60k in population. For all their wealth and resources, the islander population supports not nearly enough manpower to draw an army from, therefore much of their military consists of foreign sellswords.

---
Of note:
The Chlotars aren't the same tribe but emerged as a confederacy of many different tribes and therefore comprise varying different cultures and Barbarian ethnic groups with their own dialects and sometimes distinct languages. Similarly goes for the Lamperts, Eodaens and Viigocs.
In the case of the Chlotars, they are united only in piety and servitude to Godas. The original tribe of Chlotachar is only small and as a distinct identity from the other Chlotars largely died out (by the mandibles of the Divine Locust centuries ago). Einhard is one of the few who can boast descent from their lineage.

With a population this sparse and the various difficulties deriving therefrom, why don’t rulers just press their population for a baby boom? Well, they do. But these are dark times, and infant mortality rates have always been rather high. Of any 10 given children only 3 or 4 or them grow up to adulthood. And once they are adult, the world is still pretty violent and unforgiving. Many of them do not get the chance to leave offspring of their own. Often entire family branches just go extinct.
For the past centuries the growth of the population has increased only very slowly, and in parts remained more-or-less the same.

Non-humans creations, Here Be Monsters

On Visandza humans are not the sole inhabitants. Monsters truly exist, but are even more sparse than humans are. The Barbarian kingdoms refer to them as ‘the Darklings’. They are beings of the night, who lurk in the dark corners of the world where humans dare not tread.. Only at night do these monsters come out of their corners. It is for this reason that the humans of Visandza are wary of darkness, and wisely resort to travel only by day.

The Darklings come in many forms, and often possess forms of supernatural powers not unlike the Human Godsplinters. Their powers are not understood, but some speculate that they too are splinters of God, perhaps in God’s attempt to rid himself of vice and evil. That evil was reborn in the mortal coil in the form of the Darklings.
The only known monsters (as seen in IC) so far is the Shapeshifter demon from Nevelholt and the Nightbird from Crow Valley. Both of these attacks occurred when it was dark outside.
You too are free to introduce a monster should it add substance to your IC.
Dragons also exist, but they are not majestic creatures, but rather large, wingless and malevolent.

--A bit more trivial--

Ancient History: Chlotachar embracing God

In ancient times before memory, a Celesean cleric unwittingly trespassed on Chlotachar’s hunting grounds. Chlotachar’s men captured the interloper and brought him before their chieftain, who demanded to know the reason for the cleric's interference with his hunting. The cleric answered that he wasn't aware that he was trespassing. At this point, Chlotachar noticed that the cleric was Celesean, and he said that "a dog was worth more than a Celesean." The cleric responded, "Yes, if we had not faith in Godas, we should indeed be worse than dogs." Puzzled, Chlotachar ordered the cleric to explain "Godas". Up unto this point the hyperborean tribes were unaware of the concept of gods, their closest form of worship being the reverence of totem animals, woodland and ancestral spirits. On that day Pharamond obtained the first seed of knowledge of God, however still angry at the trespasser, he went on to mock the cleric. ‘’Your Godas does not ride the horse, wield the sword, or ride to protect our people as our ancestral spirits do.’’ Declaring he had no need for a passive ‘God’.
‘’All the being and all deeds of your ancestors have their utmost origin in Godas.’’
As Chlotachar perceived this remark as an attack on his ancestors, added to the cleric’s trespassing, severe punishment was upon him. Chlotachar would have the man killed. However a seed of doubt was planted, and instead he opted to make him his thrall – a slave. An appropriate punishment while also an excuse to keep the cleric and his esoteric knowledge close by. Chlotachar understood him to be a sage.

That night – it was said -- Chlotachar’s deceased mother appeared to him in a dream. She told him that she was not his mother, but one of the faces of God.
While the mother begets the children of the world, God is the Mastery, and verily The Creation Process itself.

At this point Chlotachar began to reconsider the words of the enthralled sage. He understood that he serves the Originator of divinity directly, instead of through ancestral placeholders as the hyperboreans do. An unspecified time thereafter, Chlotachar was said to have embraced God and introduced God-worship to the tribes, whom his tribe dubbed Godas. The Celesean Cleric was released from thralldom, yet given freedom, he opted to remain as Chlotachar’s willing thrall.

[Grijs]

I forgot to add, since it's relevant to Tautom where like.. 50% of the IC currently takes place:

Tautom City houses a tremendous population unlike seen anywhere in the world. It is Visandza’s sole sprawling megalopolis to remain in the style of antiquity, with a staggering population from 100k up to 200k people. Each Tautan district is a city inside a city. Contrast this to Chlotaringen's capital of Aaixen, which has only roughly 10.000 inhabitants, and even that is considered a major city for the time.

Vast majority of people in the Barbarian Kingdoms live a rural lifestyle away from cities, as tribes do. What constitutes a city in this time, particularly a royal capital, is a castle or longhouse surrounded by housing districts for servants and their families. Aaixen is in a sense nothing more than a glorified fortress surrounded by houses where families of the royal staff live.

[Archetype Zero]

I'm not off of this roleplay, I am just having a hard time irl. Reading up on the IC now.

[Grijs]

I updated my character sheet to add Abadactus and Raditschs, in relation to the last 2 posts.