Old Glory (GoT-styled RP in a post apoc medieval USA)

[ClocktowerEchos]

Big post since a few things need to be put down for the record.

RP Starting Event: A House Divided

So this is based on whats been going on in the Discord and what the opening events of the RP will be. So far its been decided that Franklin is going to die and his two sons will start a civil war over the throne and players will pick who between: George and Alexander.

George is the older and thus claims the crown by right of inheritance and age. He is loud, brash, brutish, narcissistic, arrogant and quiet likely some degree of insane but he's also a fearsome fighter. He is focused on the military and defense of the realm. He does not believe that any peace treaty signed by outsiders will last so it is better to bring war to them first before they bring war to the kingdom. He also wishes to expand the realm by conquest believing in a "manifest destiny" prophecy he was told and say how he will establish a link to far off California.

Alexander is the younger and claims the throne as he believes George is unfit to be king due to his madness and abrasiveness (which is entirely plausible). He would prefer the peace that his father created and would rather focus on trying to develop the realm internally; he's likely the one who would start a renaissance of learning and culture by the building of Congresses and schools. He believes that trying to establish permeant ties with California would be an expensive fool's errand and instead looks to the south, hoping to "obtain" a Caribbean island or two for the crown. However, his birth is highly disputed and some believe that he is in fact a bastard with no actual claim to the throne and thus supporting him would be going against House Ironwit.

Map

There's two version of a map that I'm currently debating about using and give a better idea of the territory of each crown.

Map v1

Map v2

Ties to House Ironwit

This was mentioned in my previous post but because its at the end of the page, I want to repost it here.

So as of right now, none of the house are really connected to one another. In an effort to remedy that (and to make writing the opening events of the RP more interesting and easier), I'd like to point out that right now President-King Franklin Ironwit is married to an unnamed woman of an unnamed house and has had two kids. He also has two sisters who have been married off that could form alliances and have become mothers.

[ClocktowerEchos]

Court Council

The President-King while powerful, does not rule alone and so has a council of individuals to advise and delegate tasks for him. Being appointed to the Court Council is usually seen as a great honor and recognition for either skill, trust or power within the realm. Being on the Court Council however demands that the individual live within Wasentown, sometimes even within the White Palace or the Grand Courthouse, forcing those on the Council to hand control of their holdings over to someone else who can manage it while they are away.

Vice Prince

The Vice Prince/Princess is the most powerful position behind the President King and is directly appointed by them. They speak and act with the authority of the President themselves in their place. Such an office is incredibly prestigious and grants a person great power with Houses boasting about ancestors with the assignment. If the President is strong, the VP is an agent of their will who can let them execute multiple plans at once without being present everywhere. If the President is weak, it is often the VP who is the true power in the Five Kingdoms. Beyond their duties as right hand of the king, the VP is also the chief diplomat who speaks on behalf of the President with other lords of the realm or with outsiders.

Master at Arms

Also known as the Chief Commander, they are responsible for organizing and training the militay forces of Atlantics. They organize muster rolls, manage levies, keep track of all the mercenaries, free companies, men at arms and knights in the kingdom. Workshop and smithies that produce the weapons of war are also under their preview as armories and the strongholds of the River Guard must be kept at fighting condition. They also are responsible for the Honor Guard, sworn bodyguards of the President King. While many Masters at Arms have been exceptional fighters in their own right, it is not required for the office; there have been Masters at Arms who could barely hold a sword but proved incredibly adept at their job regardless.

Master of Law

The chief minster of laws and regulations. They are usually well studied individuals who give advice on legal matters, managing the dungeon, organizing feudal contracts, keeping track of bloodlines and claims and giving the king reminders on local customs when they visit the different crowns of the realm. Although at a first glance it seems like a simple job, claims to the throne can very quickly become very messy and local lords are sometimes known to implement laws that are wildly different than their surroundings. Sometimes the best skill for a Master of Law to have isn't reading or even knowledge of law, but patience and willpower to get through all of the bullshit their job inevitably runs into.

Master of Coin

Although rich in its own right, the kingdom still requires an individual skilled with money to manage its finances. Anything related to the economy and resources is the domain of the Master of Coin who manages the king's household finances, internal and external trading, public works projects, maintaining resource stockpiles and managing harvest quotas. Becoming the Master of Coin is notoriously difficult and usually a sign of great trust as there is a common (if not well founded) fear of the Master of Coin syphoning off the king's coffers to enrich themselves.

Director of Information

The Spymaster who lurks in the shadows like a spider. They inform the king on matters of sensitive information and espionage, both foreign and domestic, and are always on the look out for plots and schemes as well as more nefarious secrets which can be used for blackmail. The Director of Information is the King's ears although sometimes they go just a little bit deaf. They command the Secret Service although they're also called the "Black Orchestra". The Director can be the single most powerful individual on the council, even more so than the VP or king themselves, so great trust is invested into the position and more than once it has been filled by the President's spouse or secret lover.

Court Representative

The religious advisor of the Faith for the king who represents the Congress of Founders in court. They serve equal parts spiritual advisor and scholarly record keeper and unlike the other positions, it is not directly filled by the king. Instead, the Speaker of the Faith presents a list of candidates that he believes are pious and suitable for a life at court advising the king. While most of the time the candidates are Representatives, sometimes an especially devout noble or lord can also become a candidate.

[ClocktowerEchos]

We are still looking for a Warden of the North! The Crown of the Northern Marches seeks a worthy lord to lead New England!

[Vatonage]

@ClocktowerEchos I'm going to keep an eye on this, but I do have something to ask.

In the OP, you mention that you want to keep the RP centered in the five kingdoms, which is fine with me. However, I was wondering if a Canadian-born house would be acceptable? The idea I had was for a Quebecois adventurer (that or a small group) who adventured into the Lakelands long, long ago for rumors of something. I was personally thinking of the location of St. Louis, in particular the Gateway Arch, as they're considered the "Gateway to/Rome of the West" and therefore might have some legendary status to them. Even more so given the Louis IX connection and that several locations and other places are named after him in Canada.

Along the way, they'd probably achieve some sort of fame among the Lakelands that found one or more of them knighted (maybe in the wars or whatever else @Infinite Cosmos mentioned in House Brewer's history), which would later lead to a house with distinctly Canadian traditions settled in former East St. Louis and the surrounding Illinoisan communities, with the ruins (or still standing structure, depending on your answer) of the Gateway Arch looking upon them as they protect one of the important "gateways" (get it?) to the West/Mississippi River.

Course, this all depends on if you get all the major roles first, too.

EDIT: PSST, your link to the discord is dead.

[ClocktowerEchos]

@Vatonage Ahh feck, here's a new link that shouldn't expire: https://discord.gg/bERMp9ZnuD

As for your idea, yeah a Quebecker adventurer settling in St. Louis and sworn to the Crown of the Lakeland works fine. We actually already have something like that. House Marshado of the Sunbelt were actually descendants of claimants to the Empire of Brazil. In a sort of Golden Company-like move, they fled the country when their war failed and became mercenaries in the Five Kingdoms. They got so good at it that they never bothered going back (but still keep the claim mostly for bragging rights) and at one point when the king of the Sunbelt couldn't pay them, they decided to take his crown instead. The other kings protested but the Deveram kings said that if they could conqure New Orleans, they could keep the title. Lo and behold, they did exactly that and now have a foothold on the other side of the river.

Your story could be something similar. Mercenary/adventuring group, took over St. Louis but realized you weren't like to hold on to it alone so you swore fealty to the kings across the river. And now you're the Wardens of the West. I am curious about what kind of traditions you'll keep. Also, how familiar are you with After the End lore?

[CaptainBritton]

House Stag of Appalachia

House Name: House Stag
House Words: “Stout as a stag at bay, Vicious as a fox on the hunt.”
Coat of Arms:

House Ensign

The Ensign of House Stag consists of a field with two equally sized bands of white and blue. The white and blue both represent the sky which the Great Mountains reach for. The white is a color symbolizing loyalty foremost, while the blue is for calm and steadfastness. The charge is a stag surrounded by a curling branch of a tulip poplar tree, both in gold. The stag is a symbol much like the phoenix, representing rebirth due to its antlers which shed and regrow every year, as well as representing being in connection with nature. The tulip poplar is a symbol of victory and endurance. The gold represents the glow of the mountains under the rising and setting sun.

Star of the Stag

The star is a common symbol among the Appalachian clans, and is often stylized in the local clan or house colors. Represented is a more ornate version of the Appalachian Star, though in reality representations range from extremely basic to very ornate. The symbol is seen painted on shields, breastplates, and bannerols.

Seat: Castle Franclyn, located atop and within Mount Viking, overlooking the northern reaches of Appalachian territory.
Titles:

• Hewer (Harcwis in local tongue) of the Bald Mountains - A hereditary title bestowed by the Foremost-Man of Appalachia to the sitting head of House Stag after the conflict with House Stiller. It is roughly equivalent to a Margrave or Count.
• Subhewer (Icwis) - A non-hereditary noble title which often fulfills specialized roles of importance within the administrative structure: ex. Subhewer of Justice, Subhewer of Engineering. The title is often awarded atop other hereditary titles and simply is to confer authority to someone fulfilling an administrative role. Roughly equivalent to a Viscount.
• Barrowman (Crugdyn) - A hereditary noble title which is reserved for the heads of various lineages of House Stag. They are granted familial lands for their lineage and are allowed to form cadet-branch Clans. Roughly equivalent to a Baron or Baronet.
• Hurrier (Ryter) - A non-hereditary title reserved for minor nobility within the Clans, conferring them the ability to raise and lead levy troops in battle, as well as carry their Clan colors into battle. This rank is roughly equivalent to a Knight.
• Brakesman (Brecdyn) - A non-hereditary title which is in a superposition of being nobility and non-nobility, as it can be bestowed on non-notable Clan members and even persons who are not a member of a Clan. This title is given to skilled craftsmen and persons of importance serving under a noble, and can be awarded by any rank Barrowman or higher.

History: House Stag’s founding was never recorded, however it is known that Clan Stag originated from the region known as Campe Creek in what is now County Greene. Due to proximity, they’ve been staunch allies of their southern neighbors, the House Delver, for centuries. The modern history of House Stag began during the Great Mountain Feud. Located between House Delver and their enemy House Stiller, the then Clan Stag’s patriarch Rhys Madoc swore fealty to Anastasia Delver and took part in overthrowing House Stiller and helping in part to enforce the now Clan Stiller’s exile beyond the Cumberland Mountains. Rhys, for his loyalty, was given the title Hewer and his Clan’s status elevated to House, giving them a realm stretching from the mountains to the River Holston. Rhys was henceforth known as Rhys an Dileas, meaning ‘the Loyal’. Albeit, the relationship between the two Houses was strained by a disagreement of doctrine. Stag, laying more lowland than Delver and known for its elite Stiller-era offensive spear-equipped light infantry and less mobile but longer ranged longbow-wielding archers, was less suited than the other Houses to the Bear in Cave doctrine. Reluctantly, the core of House Stag’s levies took up the shortbow and javelin shortspear. They continue to serve in this capacity to this day.

Head: Hewer Gareth Vaughn
Heirloom: Crockett the King’s Cap - A coonskin hat believed to have once belonged to a great Appalachian king which united the Great Mountains against the Ozarks. Worn by the sitting Hewer of House Stag.
Green Mountain Glass Rings - A set of luminescent fragile stones (in reality Uranium Glass) set in aluminum bands. Used as rings of marriage between the sitting Hewer and their spouse.
Mesyngir - An ornate longbow crafted from White Ash timbers and strung with hemp string. Prized and used by the sitting Hewer of House Stag.
Traits: Those of House Stag are much like the Mountain gentry of the rest of Appalachia, being broad-shouldered and dark of both hair and eyes, with skin often freckled. Those born from the bloodline directly are on average multiple fingers shorter than other Appalachians, and more often than not bear a curse of 'Mountain Blindness', which is simple genetic red-green color blindness. Occasional genetic bouts of 'madness' have been known to affect certain male members of the Stag bloodline every other generation.

The non-blood related Mountain gentry of House Stag rarely differ from the baseline defined. The lowland peasantry have a much larger breadth and variance, more often being lighter-eyed and lighter-haired, with heights varying wildly. These lowlanders make up nearly three quarters of the population in the lands of House Stag.

Mannerisms among the populace do not differ wildly from the Appalachian standard. They are not masters of statecraft, however they are renowned across the Five Kingdoms for their hospitality and friendliness. They are however also a very suspicious people, bordering on prejudiced against those who do not hail from the Great Mountains. Oaths are never made lightly and a curse on a person or family is cause for combat.

Misc:
- House Stag swore fealty to the reigning House Delver four centuries ago, and continues to be a pillar of loyalty and an enforcer-type force in the Appalachian sphere.
- Lowlanders are not permitted into the Great Mountains unless for official business and must carry a writ of safe conduct issued by a Highlander of note.
- Exact locations of fortresses, mines, and traversable mountain passes are privileged information, and divulging it is grounds for execution.
- Lowlanders are not permitted to possess a pickaxe.
Quote:
“When the oak is felled, the whole forest echoes with its fall, but a hundred acorns are sown in silence by an unnoticed breeze.” -Appalachian proverb, unknown author

[ClocktowerEchos]

OOC UP!!

[Ordsmed]

As I’m looking for a challenge, I hereby lay claim to the Northen Marches!
I’ll get started on the write-up asap. 🤟🏼

[ClocktowerEchos]

@Ordsmed Yo welcome! Hope on the discord if you want to. Any initial ideas?

[Ordsmed]

@ClocktowerEchos Ideas on the Northern Marshes? Sure.

The name implies something about the landscape. Do you have some set ideas on that?
Looking at the region I like the fact that the lands have the longest border to defend to the North, and the longest shore to defend. Seems natural to go for a rather martial society. The region is relatively small to be responsible for such a big defensive task for the 5 Crowns. So, besides the standing army and navy, military training and service for all who come of age seems necessary. I read somewhere that New England was and is a progressive region. In keeping with this tradition women will also undergo military training. This will have an effect on the equality of women and men in society as a whole.
Initial keywords: Frost corroders (Northern border garrisons), incorporate Red sox, Navy seals? Berserk units (shock troops, guerrilla fighters, male fighters, female officers?). All female units?

I’m thinking with ‘cool outside, warm inside’ in mind, that the society is heavily (over)regulated. Bureaucrasy will be all around. Discipline, practicality, an aversion to idleness and luxury are further values in Marches’ society. Rules are also there to handle the ‘warm inside’; it takes a while to break a northerner’s cool and collected exterior, but when it cracks...it bursts! Wild bursts of berserk rage are, sadly, not uncommon. Crime passionelle account for over 85% of all crimes in these lands.

There is a military academy somewhere in Maine, near the capital, where strategy is taught.

Vermont: renowned for BREWERIES! 😋
Maine: blueberry liquor, nickname inhabitants related? ‘purple lips’?
Many drunks in society? Contrast between tight discipline and wild drunkards?

Okay, these are my initial ideas anyways. 😅

[ClocktowerEchos]

@Ordsmed Some replies to what you have:

I should tell you first that its Northern Marches and not Northern Marshes. Also we're keeping this very much medieval in terms of like politics and military which means the closest thing to a standing army you'd see is like a personal retinue bodyguard or payrolled mercenaries; most military forces are levies or summoned knights. Gender equality is already something common in the Five Kingdoms because that's how I want it. New England is definately more English/Anglo as opposed to Nordic which is what the Lakelands take more after.

New England also takes after HP Lovecraft to a degree with superstitions and weird shit but also stylistically. Antlers are found on helments and whale bones are sometimes incorporated into armor and skrimshaw is a very popular form of art as is bonecarving in general
Because of the Feudal society, you can't really have a very centralized state. There are already vassal who disobey or even opposed their lieges, House Delver actually rebelled against their lieges House Stiller to become Lords of Appalachia. Bureaucracy is also a bit more limited in that regard as you don't have a dedicated caste of bureaucrats outside of maybe learned men or the clergy of the faith.

I don't know much about drinks but the NE bring up two images to mind and that is whaling/fishing and forests and syrup
As Code said, your direct neighbors are the Qubecker princes and the Ursuline Church which have a history of either trading and cooexisting or invading and crusading. Its possible you have some Canadian blood in your family. You'd also get some Canuck Wintermen who decided to go north.

---

If you don't mind me asking, where are you from? Are you from the local area?

[Ordsmed]

Cool.
I’ll write op something today.

As for standing armies:
In the late 13th century Edward I expanded the familia regis to become a small standing army, forming the core of much larger armies up to 28,700 strong, largely comprising foot soldiers, for campaigns in Scotland and France.

Still, it’s your world, so I’ll make my house fit in. 👍🏼

[ClocktowerEchos]

@Ordsmed Yee, also this is just the interest check, not the actual RP thread. Scroll up a bit and hit the link to the OOC.

[Ordsmed]

Thanks. I’m a bit rusty at this. 🥸