( The OOC is up, but it's still a good idea to read this intro, to get a feel for the world. We're currently open to new players while the map is being made. )
To Lund ap Lunds, the Land of Lords, Lundland for short. Or as it is now being called, the Doomed Kingdom.
The poor kingdoms of this desolate land were united through decades of bloody wars and deadly politics under the house of Tristch and their
banner; a red sword facing downward. The Kingdom's founder proclaimed himself Overlord, and each vassal a Lord to him. At first, the Overlord was a mighty and respected title, with absolute and unquestioned power. But the ages have not been kind to the position, with each succeeding Overlord weaker than the last, and each Lord of the realm a little greedier with each new son. Over the last century, the Overlord has become ceremonial; a fancy title with some land attached to it.
Lundland a land mocked for its hard soil, thick men, ugly women, and cruel masters. The land faces enemies on all sides, for as poor and fractured as it is, many see it as a land unable to defend itself, and thus ripe for the taking.
In the southwest are the Bogans, the merchant princes of the Southwest Isles. Lundland is hardly considered worth trading with to any aspiring merchant, but its people are hardy, and thus make excellent galley slaves. Whenever it seems profitable, the Bogans will gather a great host of mercenaries and slavers, who think nothing of the lives they deal in, save for the gold they might bring.
In the East are the Giants, those nomads who wander the frozen deserts. They are massive men, known to grow up to seven feet tall, with the strength of two oxen. When the scant resources of the frozen plains they inhabit grow too small, or merely because they wish for riches and women, they rampage through the east, leaving a sea of smoke, and a trail of tears.
In the North lives a more organized threat; the people of the Volcanic Island. So long as the great volcano of their island never erupts, they are a peaceful people. But, when that mountain spills the rage of the gods through their lands, the warriors gather, out of both necessity and religious duty, to take what they need. A great warchief will lead them to pillage the land and steal people, to work as slaves in restoring their scorched land, and to act as sacrifices, so as to appease the hateful god of the mountain.
But the greatest threats to the land lie in the south: the Ordained Kingdom, and the Empire of Baccus.
The Ordained Kingdom is an empire in all but name. The power and religious authority of their One King is unquestionable, for their family had long since consolidated their power. The whole of their land is lush and fertile, their people numerous, their cities large and prosperous, their wealth uncountable. They are second only to the Baccus Empire, which matches the Ordained in not wealth, but sheer size, for it is a monster that has eaten more kingdoms than comprises Lundland. It has always been ruled by cruel, merciless, and ambition leaders.
Lundland rarely need deal with them, for the two great lands seemed locked in a constant war with each other. But every so often, if there is peace between them, one or both of the them will decide to plunder and conquer the southlands of Lundland. In these wars has the kingdom suffered her bloodiest battles, and faced her most dreaded defeats. Woe has been the king to deal with such wars.
The kingdom has not only enemies without, but enemies within. The Land of Lords is no mere title, for each Lord of the land might be considered a petty king in and of themselves, as even they have vassals owing fealty to them. Every Lord has had to deal with their vassals, who in peace will wage war on each other, and scheme to claim land and privileges held rightly by the Lord, and it is the same for the Overlord.
With so many enemies and so much infighting, Lundland rarely sees peace. And things have only gotten worse in recent times.
The great Overlord Balthazar, who had worked so dutifully to protect the land, and increase the pitiful authority of his title, died in a battle with a small group of mercenaries under a Bogan's pay. It was a most pathetic death, for the sellswords were in flight. One of them grew panicked, and shot an unaimed crossbow behind himself. The bolt hit Balthazar in the right arm as he was riding, and the Overlord succumbed to the wound not hours later. As word got around, many soldiers started to panic themselves.
The sellswords, seeing this confusion, decided to halt their flight and regroup. With new organization and confidence, the Bogan mercenaries pillaged the land without resistance, as the feckless vassals of the land refused to fight for a dead liege.
Though Balthazar's eldest son, Rone, was eventually crowned the new Overlord, it was far too late. The Bogan mercenaries had rampaged across all the land belonging directly to the Overlord, and beyond. The vassals of the realm had all gone back to their seperate lands, none willing to do anything but save themselves. And as the confusion and desperation grew, so did the enemies of the kingdom, who sought to take advantage of the land's weakness. Rone saw all his father worked to achieve disappear before his eyes. With no men at call, he could do nothing but stay in the mighty fortress of Bolgaz. The servants saw him become more and more reclusive, as the young lord did nothing but lock himself away in his bedroom for hours, or even days at a time. Many believe Rone has lost his mind to despair.
With a weak ruler as he, all who have even the slightest claim to the throne are now crying of their divine right to rule on whoever will listen. But with enemies rampaging across the land, the question of the throne is the furthest thing from most Lord's minds.
For now, most are well with an Overlord who will watch his kingdom burn.
~ * ~
Greetings,
If the above description was too long, or perhaps not to-the-point, here's the short version: Lundland is a poor land ruled by an Overlord. In recent times, the Overlord has become ceremonial; a fancy title with a bit of land and theoretical privileges attached to it. You, the players, will be given a set amount of points with which you might shape the soil and people that will become your own petty kingdom. However, you too will have vassals to deal with, and these lesser lords can be difficult, jealous creatures.
The goal of the game will be, at first, to survive the onslaught of enemies that are plaguing the land. Accomplishing that, your goals are your own, but there will be many problems to deal with afterwards. Overlord Rone is clearly lost in despair, but is there hope for him yet? If you doubt his sanity, will you scheme to take the throne yourself, or search for one of the more worthy claimants? Perhaps you don't care for the throne, but your own personal wealth. If that is the case, will you look to peaceful means of accoutrement, such as trade and development, or will you seek to get rich from plunder and ransom? You won't, of course, control every acre of land in your own kingdom, so how will you deal with your vassals? Is it enough to placate them, and be happy with their swords in times of war, or do you wish to rule alone?
I've created what I believe to be a decent system of rules for this NRP, but it needs polish, and polish takes effort. If no one is interested in a game such as this, then the effort is not worth it. Thus, this interest check.
I've created my own world and rules because I find many NRPs fall short when it comes to necessary rulings, while others tend to get bogged down with numerous, or unclear rules. This, quite simply, is an NRP meant to address the common problems found in NRPs: the handling of diplomacy, the pace of time, effective combat, and decisive GM rulings in situations where conflict arises. Players will know each-other in game to a familiar degree, and will likely have an ambassador present at each player's court, so diplomacy and dealings prior to the game's start will be possible, and welcomed.
I'm looking for at least 4 to 6 players to express interest before polishing off the last bits of the rules, transcribing off paper, and posting a sign-up sheet. After your sheets are done, I'll try and be quick as possible about getting a map up.
If you have any questions, PM me. If you're interested, simply express it here. There won't be any limit on who can express interest for now, since there will obviously be many people whose schedules or inclinations will change.
To Lund ap Lunds, the Land of Lords, Lundland for short. Or as it is now being called, the Doomed Kingdom.
The poor kingdoms of this desolate land were united through decades of bloody wars and deadly politics under the house of Tristch and their
banner; a red sword facing downward. The Kingdom's founder proclaimed himself Overlord, and each vassal a Lord to him. At first, the Overlord was a mighty and respected title, with absolute and unquestioned power. But the ages have not been kind to the position, with each succeeding Overlord weaker than the last, and each Lord of the realm a little greedier with each new son. Over the last century, the Overlord has become ceremonial; a fancy title with some land attached to it.
Lundland a land mocked for its hard soil, thick men, ugly women, and cruel masters. The land faces enemies on all sides, for as poor and fractured as it is, many see it as a land unable to defend itself, and thus ripe for the taking.
In the southwest are the Bogans, the merchant princes of the Southwest Isles. Lundland is hardly considered worth trading with to any aspiring merchant, but its people are hardy, and thus make excellent galley slaves. Whenever it seems profitable, the Bogans will gather a great host of mercenaries and slavers, who think nothing of the lives they deal in, save for the gold they might bring.
In the East are the Giants, those nomads who wander the frozen deserts. They are massive men, known to grow up to seven feet tall, with the strength of two oxen. When the scant resources of the frozen plains they inhabit grow too small, or merely because they wish for riches and women, they rampage through the east, leaving a sea of smoke, and a trail of tears.
In the North lives a more organized threat; the people of the Volcanic Island. So long as the great volcano of their island never erupts, they are a peaceful people. But, when that mountain spills the rage of the gods through their lands, the warriors gather, out of both necessity and religious duty, to take what they need. A great warchief will lead them to pillage the land and steal people, to work as slaves in restoring their scorched land, and to act as sacrifices, so as to appease the hateful god of the mountain.
But the greatest threats to the land lie in the south: the Ordained Kingdom, and the Empire of Baccus.
The Ordained Kingdom is an empire in all but name. The power and religious authority of their One King is unquestionable, for their family had long since consolidated their power. The whole of their land is lush and fertile, their people numerous, their cities large and prosperous, their wealth uncountable. They are second only to the Baccus Empire, which matches the Ordained in not wealth, but sheer size, for it is a monster that has eaten more kingdoms than comprises Lundland. It has always been ruled by cruel, merciless, and ambition leaders.
Lundland rarely need deal with them, for the two great lands seemed locked in a constant war with each other. But every so often, if there is peace between them, one or both of the them will decide to plunder and conquer the southlands of Lundland. In these wars has the kingdom suffered her bloodiest battles, and faced her most dreaded defeats. Woe has been the king to deal with such wars.
The kingdom has not only enemies without, but enemies within. The Land of Lords is no mere title, for each Lord of the land might be considered a petty king in and of themselves, as even they have vassals owing fealty to them. Every Lord has had to deal with their vassals, who in peace will wage war on each other, and scheme to claim land and privileges held rightly by the Lord, and it is the same for the Overlord.
With so many enemies and so much infighting, Lundland rarely sees peace. And things have only gotten worse in recent times.
The great Overlord Balthazar, who had worked so dutifully to protect the land, and increase the pitiful authority of his title, died in a battle with a small group of mercenaries under a Bogan's pay. It was a most pathetic death, for the sellswords were in flight. One of them grew panicked, and shot an unaimed crossbow behind himself. The bolt hit Balthazar in the right arm as he was riding, and the Overlord succumbed to the wound not hours later. As word got around, many soldiers started to panic themselves.
The sellswords, seeing this confusion, decided to halt their flight and regroup. With new organization and confidence, the Bogan mercenaries pillaged the land without resistance, as the feckless vassals of the land refused to fight for a dead liege.
Though Balthazar's eldest son, Rone, was eventually crowned the new Overlord, it was far too late. The Bogan mercenaries had rampaged across all the land belonging directly to the Overlord, and beyond. The vassals of the realm had all gone back to their seperate lands, none willing to do anything but save themselves. And as the confusion and desperation grew, so did the enemies of the kingdom, who sought to take advantage of the land's weakness. Rone saw all his father worked to achieve disappear before his eyes. With no men at call, he could do nothing but stay in the mighty fortress of Bolgaz. The servants saw him become more and more reclusive, as the young lord did nothing but lock himself away in his bedroom for hours, or even days at a time. Many believe Rone has lost his mind to despair.
With a weak ruler as he, all who have even the slightest claim to the throne are now crying of their divine right to rule on whoever will listen. But with enemies rampaging across the land, the question of the throne is the furthest thing from most Lord's minds.
For now, most are well with an Overlord who will watch his kingdom burn.
~ * ~
Greetings,
If the above description was too long, or perhaps not to-the-point, here's the short version: Lundland is a poor land ruled by an Overlord. In recent times, the Overlord has become ceremonial; a fancy title with a bit of land and theoretical privileges attached to it. You, the players, will be given a set amount of points with which you might shape the soil and people that will become your own petty kingdom. However, you too will have vassals to deal with, and these lesser lords can be difficult, jealous creatures.
The goal of the game will be, at first, to survive the onslaught of enemies that are plaguing the land. Accomplishing that, your goals are your own, but there will be many problems to deal with afterwards. Overlord Rone is clearly lost in despair, but is there hope for him yet? If you doubt his sanity, will you scheme to take the throne yourself, or search for one of the more worthy claimants? Perhaps you don't care for the throne, but your own personal wealth. If that is the case, will you look to peaceful means of accoutrement, such as trade and development, or will you seek to get rich from plunder and ransom? You won't, of course, control every acre of land in your own kingdom, so how will you deal with your vassals? Is it enough to placate them, and be happy with their swords in times of war, or do you wish to rule alone?
I've created what I believe to be a decent system of rules for this NRP, but it needs polish, and polish takes effort. If no one is interested in a game such as this, then the effort is not worth it. Thus, this interest check.
I've created my own world and rules because I find many NRPs fall short when it comes to necessary rulings, while others tend to get bogged down with numerous, or unclear rules. This, quite simply, is an NRP meant to address the common problems found in NRPs: the handling of diplomacy, the pace of time, effective combat, and decisive GM rulings in situations where conflict arises. Players will know each-other in game to a familiar degree, and will likely have an ambassador present at each player's court, so diplomacy and dealings prior to the game's start will be possible, and welcomed.
I'm looking for at least 4 to 6 players to express interest before polishing off the last bits of the rules, transcribing off paper, and posting a sign-up sheet. After your sheets are done, I'll try and be quick as possible about getting a map up.
If you have any questions, PM me. If you're interested, simply express it here. There won't be any limit on who can express interest for now, since there will obviously be many people whose schedules or inclinations will change.
