[OOC] Dungeon Keepers

[The 42nd Gecko]

Yes, but I'm going on the assumption that we take Trapezoid's rather reasonable suggestion of having them post their compendium entry.

[BBeast]

Yeah, we can go with a compendium entry. This means we can steer people in the right direction before it's too late if we need to.

In other news, I recently built a new computer (yay!). I am not posting on it yet, though, because the second hand monitor I was using for it died, so I need to acquire a new one.

[DR_TRAPEZOID]

Nice. There's nothing more satisfying than building a computer and booting it up for the first time.
Well, there probably are, but that's not important.
Also, before I get too far into my keeper, I thought I'd ask for your opinion.
Long story short, a magical maestro who bolsters his orchestra of minions with magical symphonies. It'll be more fleshed out later.

[The 42nd Gecko]

Hahahaa... That's awesome, I'm running the art faction, where my main character spreads his mind control through pretty pictures, making his followers spread more art. :P

Artists vs Musicians, who will win?

[Lugubrious]

Both of those sound awesome. I was thinking of trying the Samurai Warlord Uekaru again. I've done bugs twice and ghosts once now, so I figure something else is in order.

[KabenSaal]

Why not ghost bugs?

[The 42nd Gecko]

Mmm... Samurai eh? The few straight up combat units my faction will have will be samurai/wuxai style or animated samurai armor suits, so I'm gonna have two awesome juxtapositions. :P

[Cyclone]

The defining idea of my Keeper is also strange. No spoilers though. :P

Anyways, it's about time I finished that nation sheet. I'm also copying and pasting the section from before here, both because I plan to tweak a few things and so that the sheet isn't split in two.

The Ashmarch is hell on earth, a black scar that cuts through the land. To so much as attempt traversing that vast wasteland is death, a grim actuality that nature herself seems to understand. A deep, incessant, and rhythmic rumbling permeates the air, staving off what would otherwise be deathly silence. This din reverberates from the some half dozen active volcanos to the north, each ceaselessly belching out smoke, ash, and the fiery blood of the earth. Leagues upon leagues of land lay trapped in the shadows of those burning mountains, the clouds of black soot rising to shroud the lands below in shadow.

Fire, brimstone, and layer upon layer of ash fall down upon the bleak and dead landscape, choking out life. Clean water is all but nonexistent; what little rain comes is made toxic by volcanic ash and gases before it can so much as touch the ground. Once it does fall, it has been known to moisten loose ash fields, creating something similar to quicksand, although more like liquid cement. What runoff water doesn't seep into the ground leeches even more poisons from the heavier ash on the ground, forming stagnant, putrid cesspools of acid. Where there are not gray plains or rolling hills of ash, there are rivers of lava, rocky crags of basalt and obsidian, and the occasional cooled lavaflow with dagger-like protrusions coming out of the ground, easily sharp and lengthy enough to perforate a careless foot.

One might be inclined to think that nothing would call this wasteland home. In a sense, that is right. No beasts that you will have heard of would dare venture there; even the flies and carrion birds avoid the Ashmarch. There are other, viler monsters that make the entire Ashmarch their lair. Warlocks. They came from across the sea in centuries past, banished from their faraway homeland for their disgusting practices of necromancy, demonology, blood sacrifice, and other forms of black magic. They were spurned by the people here just as they were in their homeland, and so with none willing to so much as tolerate their presence, they ran off into the Ashmarch and claimed that waste for their own. There they and those followers that went with them began to carve out a civilization, swearing vengeance on the rest of the world that had denied them everything and forced them to endure living in such a ghastly land. Whether it comes from the soot that stains everything in their land or as a curse from the gods that they defile, the warlocks and their serfs have skin as black as coal.

Entire settlements near the edge of the Ashmarch have been known to vanish. Armies emerge from the wastes to leave buildings burned, valuables looted, and the denizens taken back to the warlock masters for some nefarious ends. For this reason, most travelers keep a wide berth from the Ashlands in their travels, but a few have entered those wastes and returned to tell the tale. They spoke of the descendants of those that followed the warlocks into the wastes being reduced to serfs, brutally oppressed by their masters. The occasional outpost exists hugging onto a rocky bluff or some other sort of high ground, often no more than a few squat stone buildings coated in ash and soot, blending in to the stark surroundings almost perfectly. These settlements vary in size based mainly on their function, though they usually have a few hundred of serfs with perhaps a dozen warlocks serving as overseers and administrators.

Deep into the wastes and away from prying eyes, the majority of the warlocks make their home. Their towers come up from the land like plague boils, in the form of massive, black spires of rock. They are like estates, with the most powerful warlocks having palatial towers that claw at the sky, with hundreds of other warlock subordinates cohabiting the tower and entire cities of serfs clustered nearby. When their towers can no longer reach up, the warlocks go down; some have sprawling subterranean slave pits, grand chambers to cultivate fungi for food and other purposes, and elaborate underground tunnels to allow safe travel across the wastes. Great wells tap into natural springs and aquifers deep beneath the earth, providing fresh, untainted water to those within the warlocks' towers or cities. In this way, the warlock masters ensure utter loyalty from their slaves and serfs. To escape bondage would mean having no water and dying of thirst, or worse, being hunted down and captured again. Even if they did miraculously survive the Ashmarch and evade their masters' minions, no fugitives would find refuge in the lands beyond the waste, with people who despise and live in fear of the warlocks.

The Ashlanders, as the warlocks and all their subjects are called, function under a loose, almost anarchy of a feudalism. Only strength and cleverness are respected, so those that manage to become powerful leaders and successfully cling onto their power are inevitably the most treacherous, terrifying, and ruthless warlock masters or serf warlords. Each of these leaders have their own lands, laws, and followers, though they all inevitably become vassals of one overlord who seizes power. A complicated web of alliances and grudges exist between these vassals and the overlord can at times fail to suppress infighting; however, the political stability of the Ashlands is barely surpassed even by the kingdom of the Cypriots.

This strange state is owed mainly to the fact that through heinous rituals and blood sacrifices, the rulers and more elite warlocks are able to achieve eternal youth. With lives that can last for centuries, the warlocks are unfathomably patient, with their plotting long and complicated. Their lives are slow paced, and every warlock master of any importance knows the rest like the back of his hand. Succession disputes are almost nonexistent due to immortal rulers, and what inevitable betrayals and power-grabs happen are usually so deviously planned and cleverly acted out that there is simply a smooth, nearly bloodless change of leadership.

Any feedback on this possibly final version of the nation sheet for the Ashlanders? I considered adding a paragraph on the current rulers, but refrained since this description was becoming too long and that information could be revealed IC once we start.

[The 42nd Gecko]

Add a current rulers section, but put it in a spoiler or some such, as it's information people who intend to act there will need to refer to frequently.

[BBeast]

I've borrowed a screen, temporarily, and I've got a music playlist running on Youtube, and for the first time ever it is running smoothly, making fast transitions and with the new speakers I got the sound is so much richer. It almost brings tears to my eyes, it is so beautiful.

But the relevant stuff. If you want to add the current state of affairs of the Ashlanders then you may, but it is good either way. I'll get my description of the world done as soon as I am reasonably able, although my week ahead is somewhat busy, and at present I can only use my new computer if the family desktop is not in use (so I can borrow its screen).

[Cyclone]

How was building a computer, anyways? When I had to get a new computer a couple weeks back I considered building one, but didn't because I had no idea how to do that and my (usually computer literate) brother didn't have experience with it either. I ended up using a website shere you can pick the parts and have it assembled for you. It was definitely more expensive to go that route, but with the thing professionally built I feel a lot more confident in it.

[KabenSaal]

I can fit ram and graphics cards, but I don't really have the confidence to build a whole computer.

[The 42nd Gecko]

Whether it's a good idea for you to build your own computer depends on a few things.

1. You know the things that are inside a computer.
2. You are good at bargain hunting.
3. You have the patience to read a good variety of reviews for every part that is important.

If these conditions are met, you can build yourself a $400 dollar computer in 2006, that still plays all modern games at smooth medium graphics level. But the process will take you many hours of surfing to find the parts you want, and many weeks of waiting for the right sales.

[Lugubrious]

Did we ever decide if this RP is going in Nations or Casual.

[KabenSaal]

Casual Nations.

But, really, not sure. Is it Dynasty Warriors - got your super guy and then all the little peons - or Supreme Commander - got your main guy and then all your cool shit?

[BBeast]

Super guy and all the little peons, definitely.

EDIT: Here's the description of the World. It feels a bit brief to me, though. Does it need any more, or have I managed to say all that needs to be said? A map will come eventually, but that may be after we start.

---

This time we have emerged in a land called Cyprus. Cyprus is a small, coastal country, an oasis of lush green surrounded by inhospitable desert and vast ocean. It is very roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) across and 60 kilometers (40 miles) long, which puts it at 2-3 day's march across, assuming human speeds, need for rest, and no resistance. For an Earthly comparison, it is about the size of a small European nation. The climate is temperate, bordering on tropical.

Cyprus is bordered on the North and West by a mountain range. At the North-Eastern corner there is heavy vulcanism, with numerous active volcanos constantly spewing out ash, forming the wastes known as the Ashlands. In the centre of the Northern border is a frozen wasteland, making that stretch of the mountain range even more treacherous. Beyond the mountains is desert, which stretched many, many days into the distance and is home to little more than the wildlife and a few nomadic barbarian tribes. The South and East of Cyprus is coastline, and while that is quite hospitable there is little of interest within reach beyond that horizon. Around the South of Cyprus sprawls a thick jungle, the fauna of which makes it quite a perilous location for the unwary. Within those borders lies lush green plains, interspersed with woodlands and lined with a few pristine rivers and a small lake.

Within those borders live the inhabitants of Cyprus, which are mainly human, some of which have magical capabilities, and number approximately 120,000. They have made their mark on this land. Half their arable land has been converted to farmland, and hundreds of little villages dot the countryside, spaced only a few kilometers apart on the myriad roads. While these villages are undefended and plentiful, they are also small, averaging a population of around 100 people each. A much more tempting target would be the towns, or even the cities, each with populations numbering in the thousands or more, but those are far fewer and also much better defended. There are also a few castles, fortresses intended for border defense, which may make useful footholds within their territory. That is just for the majority of the land. The races living in the borders are generally populated much more sparsely.

[The 42nd Gecko]

If we're using those terms, I'd say we have more of an upgraded commander (Cybran4life, bro) optimized for combat in a match that has other than those upgrades been restricted to T2.

Your commanders are strong units who can shift the course of the battlefield, but sending him alone is still stupid, because the units are not negligible as in Destiny Warriors.

[BBeast]

The 42nd Gecko said
If we're using those terms, I'd say we have more of an upgraded commander (Cybran4life, bro) optimized for combat in a match that has other than those upgrades been restricted to T2.Your commanders are strong units who can shift the course of the battlefield, but sending him alone is still stupid, because the units are not negligible as in Destiny Warriors.

To be honest I'm not at all familiar with either of those games.

Cyclone said
How was building a computer, anyways? When I had to get a new computer a couple weeks back I considered building one, but didn't because I had no idea how to do that and my (usually computer literate) brother didn't have experience with it either. I ended up using a website shere you can pick the parts and have it assembled for you. It was definitely more expensive to go that route, but with the thing professionally built I feel a lot more confident in it.

It was quite rewarding. I had a friend that did have experience building a computer, so I sent him my prospective parts list and he was able to weed out the bad brands and give me some tips. Once I had decided on my parts, I bought them. I had chosen a single retailer (recommended by said friend), and I picked up the parts in person. Then came building it. Building it is relatively straightforward, you've just got to put all the things where they fit and plug in the plugs where they need to be plugged in, and the manual can help this. If you get into trouble, a laptop or tablet nearby is useful for Googling solutions, and figuring out which order to put all your disks in once it is done (OS goes first, btw). There is always a touch of uncertainty until it powers on successfully for the first time, as you worry whether you've accidentally fried it with an electrostatic discharge or something like that. In fact, it didn't successfully power on at first (it got power, but nothing showed up). It turned out that removing the graphics card until after everything else settled down fixed that.

But yes, once I got it running it was so satisfying. And the performance is so silky smooth, too.

Back on topic, is the section for 'The World' satisfactory? If so, I can go ahead and show you all the full OP.

[Cyclone]

I just realized that I entirely neglected to add a section about the fire cultists and their volcano temple to the Ashlander description. I'll get around to doing that and maybe even giving a little information about the rulers when I have the time.

Back on topic, is the section for 'The World' satisfactory? If so, I can go ahead and show you all the full OP.

While technically correct, I wouldn't refer to Cyprus as a country. Better to call it a land or a region, because 'country' carries the connotation of a unified nation when we actually have five major civilizations and presumably several other smaller political entities.

Unless you were talking about just the Cypriots' kingdom, rather than the continent (for lack of a better term, despite its tiny size) as a whole? Come to think of it, it's really confusing to have Cyprus be both the name of the region as a whole as well as the main nation. Perhaps the land itself should be changed to Cyp or Cy, with the kingdom remaining as Cyprus?

In any case the paragraph should probably be better clarified in light of this. It's unclear as to whether it is a three day march across the Kingdom of the Cypriots, or a three day march across the entire map. It's also unclear if 120,000 is the combined population of all five nations or just that one.

A map will come eventually, but that may be after we start.

I really think we should have at least a rough outline before we begin. A crude picture drawn in five minutes on Microsoft Paint would suffice, at least until somebody found the time to make a prettier map. It's important because it helps to better visualize geography and scale better than paragraphs of text could do, and it also allows us to determine good spots for dungeons. I would even go so far as to say it promotes player interaction, as you are more likely to interact with somebody if you see that they are right next to you.

[KabenSaal]

Can't believe you have never played Sup Com. Dynasty Warriors is an acquired taste I guess, but Sup Com is amazing. But yea, thinking about it, it does seem more Sup Com. Dynasty Warriors doesn't let you control your troops, and you have pretty useless allies. Sup Com you can control everything, and your allies are actually worth a dam.