"I was but a boy when the Diadem of Calydon was placed atop my head. My father left unto me a realm threatening to buckle and collapse populated by unmotivated idiots. My subjects were petty dukes who would sooner destroy my realm and carve it amongst themselves in greed than bask in joined glory under their King. A usurparious and avaricious lot though they were, I found use for them. I directed their greed from within to the enemies of our realm: fastidious Astelesia across the Rift. As a boy who had seen but seventeen winters, I herded the squabbling dukes and what hosts they could muster across the valley and into the the Astelesian Dominion. There, in the burning ruins of Melida, I whetted Calydon's thirst for riches on the plunder of vanquished Astelesia. Wealth looted from foreign coffers flowed into my cities. And like newborn hogs suckling at the sow's teet, my cried out for more.
So I gave them more.
On my eighteenth winter, I ordered the great Hycadian Forest cut to the last sapling. Those Hycadian timbers formed the backbone of a fleet that would carry my legions across the sea. My fleet three hundred barques strong rowed across the Straits of Calydon and set recalcitrant Ivas and Ibara ablaze. The bloated merchant ports beyond the two isles were no better suited against Calydon's hunger. The ports burned behind massive walls and we plucked the gold and silver from the ash and bone.
And still they were not satisfied. So I pressed Calydon's hosts forward beyond the extent of our maps - south to the brink of the habitable world where naked savages with ebony skin defied the Calydonian host. Nor was I repulsed by the spire-cities of Sjarram - the fell magics of their sorcerers did naught against Calydonian stength-at-arms.
Transepruxia, Colcaro, the Qarima Empire, the Gorgorrans and so many more - all fell at my command. My legions were invincible, my advance inexorable. All the world was to be Calydonian - the world was to be all mine."
Syros is dead and the world is up for grabs. The Calydonians have conquered the known world under the banner of Syros the Unparalleled, and in the wake of his death without an heir that same world is being clawed over by the remaining families. You will take the place of one of these royal families as they fight for power, or even just to stay alive, in a world where men still fight with bronze and the remnants of newly conquered peoples dream of a day when the old powers will return. This RP will include...
-1: A Pre-Designed Jumping Off Point. There are a few requirements for every app. We will start the RP off with a battle. So long as you join before or while this battle is taking place, you will be required to attend. Your family must be from Calydon, and they must currently govern some piece of land in the Calydonian homeland. This applies even if you govern a Satrapy. This is so the storyline doesn't end up breaking apart to become a bunch of people jacking off in their own corners while ignoring each other.
-2: Dynasty based RPing. You do no RP a nation per se, nor do you RP an individual or a ragged band of unconnected people. You will be given control of one of the Calydonian families. This will include their retainers, advisers, and subjects as you wish to introduce them. You can play a small dynasty with very little land, or you can play a larger one with possession of up to one satrapy (kingdom subject to imperial rule).
-3: A fantasy world based on Classical Antiquity. This does not mean you will be limited to what was historically true, of course. We are not merely mimicking the real world. Magic will be limited to a level that could be construed as merely mysticism or ignorance insomuch as it will be made to look plausible. You will be allowed to invent your own plants and animals so long as they make sense within this world's eco-system (IE: No dragons or T-rexes. Nothing that would not possibly be able to eat enough to sustain itself, basically).
-4: Late Bronze-age, Early Iron-age technology. Steel will be a mystery from far beyond the borders of the Calydonian world. It will be a rarity. Most metal-working will be done with bronze, copper, or crude iron.
-5: Character Centered, Third-person Perspective (ideally limited). We aren't looking for chessboard RPing where you simply say where things are and what they are doing (IE: "The Broian Army is moving south with five hundred spears and six hundred cat-tossers. The city is producing lots of copper wiring due to an industrial level of homeless crackheads living in the area"). We also don't want to see first person, as first person tends to get confusing in an RP setting. Everybody is I and suddenly you forget who's I's are who's. Limited perspective is what you should strive for, but understandably that isn't always easy so it isn't necessarily a requirement.
-6: Long posts will be common. Don't get too intimidated. So long as you mean reasonable level of literacy, you should be good. A paragraph or two is acceptable. Don't be surprised if some of us are pumping out 2k+ word posts, however. It sorta happens like that.
You'll notice i'm not into big apps. Don't worry too much about what happens in them. It's mostly to make sure you are capable of stringing together sentences and coming up with an idea that is both coherent and fits in this world.
To understand how this works, here are explanations for each section.
Family name: We are using an informal classical Greek/Roman naming convention. Yeh, i'm aware they are very different on a technical level. Just get something that sounds sort of like it fits in one of them and we will be good.
Banner: Describe the banner or flag that your family uses to distinguish themselves and their retainers from others.
Home City: This is where your people originate in native Calydon. It is, in essence, your homeland. This will be a city state that has belonged to your people for generations, and where many of your characters where probably born. If you want to play a smaller family, it can be a village or homestead. Again, Graeco-Roman naming convention.
Satrapy (if applicable): If your family is big enough, your can claim governorship of a Satrapy. This means your family has been handed control of a province in the new Calydonian Empire. Refer to This Map for a layout.
History: Self-explanatory. Most families should trace their histories back to a legendary family member who may have even given them their name. Aside from that detail, tie together what you can. We don't expect, or even really want, a history book.
App
Family Name:
Banner:
Home-City:
Satrapy (if applicable):
History:
Families of Calydon (Player List)
Milatids
-Played by: Vilageidiotx
-Banner: A snake skeleton against a green field. Colloquially known as the "Bone Snake".
-Home-City: Milatus
-Satrapy: Copsis (consisting of the land hugging the river on the northern continent.)
Magesanitus
-Played by: Jeddaven
-Banner: A large, brown-furred wolf, baring fangs, set on a background of pine-green, navy blue, and a third band of pine green, in that order.
-Home-City: Magesanitarus, named for the man believed to have created the family of Magesanitus. The city is sandwiched between the two bays in southern Calydon.
-Satrapy: The majority of Sepruxia
Mithrids
-Played by: Pepperm1nts
-Banner:
-Words: We Tend The Flame
-Home-City: Mithreum
-Satrapy: Transepruxia
Solonids
-Played by: gorgenmast
-Banner: Pending
-Home City: Heliocarsus
-Satrapy: Not applicable
Comatids
-Played by: Dinh AaronMk
-Banner: A yellow, flared star shooting down over a black field.
-Home City: Comadua
-Satrapy: Lower Qarima