uring the Great Manifest period of the Old Republic, a starcruiser, the Starward Destiny, was lost in space due to a malfunctioning hyperdrive which propelled them far beyond their intended destination in the Expansion Region and into what is now known as Wild Space. There, with a crippled ship and little way to repair it, the crew of the Starward Destiny were forced to crash land on an unknown planet. They named the planet, temperate and with a wide range of climates, Gylif, or “peace” in the Old Corellian tongue, and began the struggle to start a new life. Unable to contact the Republic or any outside forces, the crew and passengers of the Starward Destiny began, over the next 17,000 years, to build a society and populate Gylif. Civilizations rose and fell, nations were built and torn apart, wars were fought and won and lost, and Gylifans forged a new society in isolation from the Republic. The societies of these nations were mostly based around aristocratic or monarchical governments, the richest and most powerful families ruling each nation.
In approximately 3000 BBY, the Lyseli family, rulers of the largest nation on Gylif, began a centuries-long war, waged diplomatically, economically, and militarily, to take control over the entire planet. After nearly a millennium of warfare, they finally succeeded. Many of their victories, however, came with the concessions that the ruling families be allowed to maintain local control over their respective nations, and so a quasi-feudalistic government evolved on Gylif, with the Lyseli family as the worldwide rulers and other powerful families ruling the former nations as provinces of the Lyselis.
Technology-wise, after several thousands of years of rebuilding their society from almost nothing, the Gylifans were able to build starships, although during that time, their forced isolation became an isolation of choice. Reluctant, and indeed unwilling to travel far from their own star system, the Gylifans maintained their isolation for thousands of years until 7 ABY, when scout ships from the fledgling New Republic stumbled upon Gylif. Engaged by the Gylifan ships out of fear, the New Republic ships were caught in a brief skirmish with the Gylifans before the misunderstanding was worked out and hostilities ended. The New Republic scouts were startled to discover, however, that although technologically inferior to their own ships, the Gylifan ships possessed such strong armor that after their shields went down, little damage had been done. The armor was made using an alloy of metals never before seen in the galaxy, and found only in Gylif’s crust. This intrigued the Republic, as such armor would improve the survivability of any ships the Republic could make with it, and so an envoy was sent to Gylif.
Such a discovery could not remain secret, however, and through various spies and informants, the Empire was also made aware of Gylif and its precious alloy. As eager as the New Republic to get their hands on the metal and the potential armor to be made from it, the Empire also sent an envoy to the system to deal with the Gylifans and attempt to bring them into the Imperial fold.
And so, diplomatic and military officials from both the New Republic and the Empire are arriving at Gylif, eager to convince the Gylifans to join their respective governments and gain access to the metals within Gylif’s crust. Complicating matters, however, is the murky political landscape of Gylif. The feudal nature of its society means that the Lyselis do not have true absolute control over the planet, and with the arrival of two opposing forces, the stage is set for either the Lyselis to cement their power over Gylif, or for the other families to attempt to climb to the top and gain control of the planet themselves, with the help of the Republic or Empire.
This roleplay will combine two of my favorite things: Star Wars, and Game of Thrones. There will be plot twists, backstabbings, and maneuverings, and though I will be running the Lyselis, their main purpose is to be the centerpoint for the actions of the other Houses, played by you. House Lyseli will be the GM's tool to help drive the story, in whatever directions you desire. This will be on the higher end of casual, so please only commit if you will put time and effort into your houses and characters.
Here is the House Sheet:
House Name:
Location:
Region name:
Population:
Motto:
Colors:
History:
And the character sheet:
Name:
Description:
Gender:
Age:
Title(s):
Relation within the House:
Personality and skills:
History:
Here is the planet of Gylif:
Here is my house, House Lyseli.
House Name: Lyseli
Location: Left side of the left continent
Region name: Lyselum
Population: 500 million beings
Motto: “Ancient is our Power”
Colors: Blue and Silver
History: The Lyseli family claim their heritage to date back to the captain of the Starward Destiny when it crashed on Gylif thousands of years ago. Due to the many conflicts and the rise and fall of different civilizations and governments on Gylif, this claim is difficult, if not impossible, to authenticate. Nevertheless, the Lyseli claim as much, and from this derive their motto: “Ancient is our Power.” Their colors are blue and silver, which they also claim are the colors worn by the crew of the Starward Destiny thousands of years prior. The Lyseli built up their kingdom, Lyselum, over a period of 2000 years from 5000 BBY to 3000 BBY, before launching a thousand-year-long war which resulted in the subjugation of the entire planet of Gylif. This was not all achieved through military means, and their methods included diplomacy, marriage, and some less-than-savory actions. For the past two millennia, the Lyselis have ruled Gylif, enduring the ups and downs of ruling a planet and dealing with the oft-times treacherous Court, formed by the former kings of the various provinces of Gylif. They have kept the provinces mostly in check, aside from some rebellions, through deft diplomacy, arranged marriages, a good deal of self-rule in the provinces, and swift reprisals against those who challenge their authority. Because of the necessities of rule, the Lyselis value intelligence, tact, and willpower as some of the most important traits, and value loyalty above almost all else.
Major Players of House Lyseli
Name: Laurent Lyseli
Description:
Gender: Male
Age: 52
Title(s): King of Gylif, the Lord Lyseli, Lord of Lyselum, Ruler of the Planet
Relation within the House: Lord
Personality and skills: Laurent Lysli is a calm, gentle man, a ruler who is as soft-spoken as he is deliberate in thought. Those who would view this as a weakness, however, have found their assumptions to be terribly wrong. While Laurent himself is not a violent or cruel man, he understands that there are certain things that need to be done in order to keep the peace and stability throughout the planet, and so leaves the punishments of those who cross him to his trusted advisors, who are far less concerned with the welfare of whomever is being condemned. Because of this, Laurent has created an image of himself across Gylif as a kind and wise ruler, ever concerned with the well-being of his citizens and the prospering of the realm. He is a skilled negotiator, full of natural charisma and charm, and a smile that can disarm even the most volatile situation. His greatest joy is his children, whom he has a large place in his heart for and to whom he can never deny anything.
History: Laurent was born as the eldest son of Rilen Lyseli and thus from an early age was groomed as the heir-apparent to the throne of Gylif. His lessons began almost as soon as he had learned to walk, beginning with basic customs and courtesies in Court life, and progressing to more academic subjects; the Lords of Gylif were required to be well-educated, of course. While some other children abhorred their studies, Laurent embraced them whole-heartedly, going beyond what was required of him each day and reading at a voracious pace, moving ahead so rapidly in his studies that the Court instructors struggled to keep up with adequate lessons. He finished his advanced-level studies at the age of only 18, several years before his peers, and continued his education on his own, studying anything and everything he could get his hands on. Part of this study included studies in astronomy, astrography, and the histories of the Starward Destiny and the myths of the past, before the ancients had come to Gylif. To many, any civilization beyond the stars was a legend at best, and most had no desire to leave their system’s edges, out of superstition and fear. Laurent, however, saw the stars as holding a wealth of knowledge, and knew that if the tales of the beginnings of Gylif were true, that their ancestors had come from across the stars, where great civilizations lay.
In his twenties and thirties, Laurent became his father’s chief advisor, serving on his Council and dealing with issues ranging from economic to social to political. Rilen knew his son’s skills in these areas and gave him more and more responsibility as time went on, ensuring to groom him adequately for taking the throne. One trait that Rilen began to notice, however, was Laurent’s empathy for his people. While Rilen knew this was an important thing to have for a king, too much in the volatile political climate that was Gylif could lead to his son being taken advantage of in later life. It was not difficult to shield him from such opportunities while he was younger, but Rilen was sure to speak often with his son about the necessities of rule, the darker side of being a member of the royal family, and ensured that Laurent was surrounded by people who would aid him in that side of things when the time came.
When Laurent was 43, Rilen died peacefully in his sleep, and Laurent was crowned the next king of Gylif within the week. He immediately began his rule by declaring things such as minimum wages across the planet and continued over the years with various welfare reforms. While this was well-received by the general populace of the planet, it grew to irk many of the other high lords of the planet, who saw the reforms as infringement upon their long-standing right to self-rule within their own provinces and life without much interference from the crown. In truth, Laurent was in fact beginning his plan on increasing royal power, hoping to eventually strengthen the central government of Gylif in an attempt to launch exploration ships deep into space to explore. As it stood, the royal coffers did not have enough funds to build and finance a voyage deep into space on their own, and Laurent hoped that by strengthening the crown’s power, he could finally realize his dream of reaching beyond their own system and back into deep space.
Nine years later, he has still not yet realized his dream of consolidating power within himself, and while he has passed laws and reforms to attempt to do so, this has resulted more in animosity amongst the high lords than any true changes in power. His Council, including his pragmatic son Tilyr, have warned him against continuing his advances, but the appearance of the ambassadors from the New Republic and the Empire have proven his dreams about the galaxy correct, and only furthered his desire to unite Gylif and do away with the old feudal system that has ruled the planet for so long. He has not yet decided which government to throw his lot in with yet, but knows that in order to throw in with anyone, Gylif must be united in its choice.
Name: Tilyr Lyseli
Description:
Gender: Male
Age: 28
Title(s): Prince of Gylif, Heir Apparent to the Throne of Gylif, Heir Apparent to Lyselum, Lord of the Army
Relation within the House: Firstborn of Laurent Lyseli
Personality and skills: Tilyr Lyseli is a polar opposite of his father, Laurent. Whereas Laurent is quiet, reserved, and slow in judgment, Tilyr is brash, loud, outspoken, and violent. He shares his father’s natural charisma, but it is far more evident in his military status. He is a natural military leader, and has a skill for everything associated with it, from marksmanship to hand-to-hand combat to tactics and strategy. He feels as if he was born in the wrong millennium, longing for the wars of his forefathers rather than the dreary court plays of the current day. He serves on his father’s Council as the Lord of the Army, overseeing all matters to do with the training and employment of the Lyseli forces. He is also a womanizer, loathe to settle down and have a family and instead content to try to conquer as many women as possible.
History: Tilyr Lyseli was born as the first child to Laurent Lysli, and like his father was put through a ringer of courses to prepare him for being the next king of Gylif. Unlike his father, however, he eschewed his traditional academic courses in favor of physical pursuits such as athletics, hunting, and shooting. When he did choose to open a book and study, it was the study of history, particular wars, and books on tactics and strategy. At first, Laurent tried to steer his son away from these subjects into a more rounded educational schedule, but as Rilen began to instruct Laurent on the darker sides of being a king, Laurent knew that the royal family needed people like Tilyr, who in turn would need people like Laurent. Thus, Laurent began to not only allow Tilyr’s obsession with military knowledge, but encouraged it, hiring the best military minds from across Gylif to come to the capital and instruct Tilyr.
At the age of 18, Tilyr began to shadow junior officers within the Lyseli forces to learn small-unit tactics, and as he grew older and showed aptitude at each level of command, he began to shadow officers at increasingly higher levels of command until at age 25 he joined his father’s Council as the Lord of the Army. He has grown very close with his father over the past three years, and privy to his father’s secret desires to consolidate control over the entire planet. For his own part, Tilyr sees his father’s ambitions to truly unite the planet as a way to further his own desires for a true test of combat, perhaps harkening back to the wars of older days. Over the past three years, he has planned and carried out many training exercises against various provinces militaries’, obstinately to promote military unity and sharing of tactics and procedures, but truly to demonstrate the Lyseli’s military prowess and test his own ability against the best that Gylif has to offer. For his part, Tilyr did not disappoint, winning his engagements with other commanders and proving he is a tactical and strategic force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.
Name: Keira Lyseli
Description:
Gender: Female
Age: 23
Title(s): Princess of Gylif
Relation within the House: Second born of Laurent Lyseli, sister to Tilyr Lyseli
Personality and skills: Keria Lyseli, the second child of King Laurent Lyseli, is truly a princess’s princess. She shares many traits with both her father and brother, who themselves are nearly polar opposites of each other. She is kind, gentle, caring, and empathetic like her royal father. Like her brother, however, she is outgoing, outspoken, and unafraid to do what is necessary when things come down to it. She is exceedingly beautiful, and intelligent to boot. She has little trouble playing a traditional Court girl, and to most she appears to be little more than that, a carefully-constructed façade she has cultivated over her teenage and brief adult life. She uses this to her advantage, however, allowing people to underestimate her. While she has not yet had to put this advantage into practice, there may yet come a time when she is required to.
History: Keira was born five years after her older brother, but did not have long to get to know their mother; she died when Keira was only two years old from complications of an illness. Growing up without a mother could have affected Keira negatively, but she latched on to both her brother and her father. Her father adored and doted on her as a child, and continued to much into her teenage years. Her brother and she grew fiercely close in the absence of a mother, and despite their five year age difference often played and spent time together. During her formative years, Keira’s instruction was focused not only on academic subjects, but also how to be a lady of the Court, including all the proper things to say, things to do, and the role she would play as a princess. She absorbed this information well, but did not let it define her, instead beginning to craft two personalities for herself: a Court personality, which was outwardly cheery with a bit of coyness, vulnerability, and innocence, and her true personality which was decisive, firm, strong, and unabashed by the darker sides of royal life.
As she reached her teenage years and became a fully-fledged Court lady in her late teens and early twenties, she quickly became the darling of the Court. Whenever people came to the capital and Keira was in Court, she was often the center of attention second to the King. People loved to love her, and she reveled in the attention, though she was careful not to let it go to her head and affect her true personality. Outwardly, she appeared to be flattered and bashful under all the attention, but inwardly she knew it was building appearances and relationships which she could use and call upon if she ever needed them in the future.
And here are the Republic and Imperial Ambassadors:
Name: Kane Dunharow
Description:
Gender: Male
Age: 35
Title(s): Lieutenant Colonel, Imperial Intelligence Corps
Personality and skills: Lieutenant Colonel Kane Dunharow is a veteran Imperial Intelligence officer, and has the appropriate skill set to go along with it. A veteran of fifteen years of Imperial service, Lieutenant Colonel Dunharow specialized in infiltration and assassination missions; not carrying them out, as he was an officer, but rather the planning and overseeing of those missions. His time spent as an Intelligence advisor on Coruscant also gave him excellent insight into the political processes of an absolutist state. He is a sly, cunning, calculating man with an excellent eye for opportunity and exploitation.
History: Dunharow was originally born on Kuat to an Imperial-loyal family. He attended the Imperial Academy on Carida, where he was slotted to be an Intelligence officer despite his desire to be a Stormtrooper. However, getting over his initial disappointment, he turned out to excel in the Intelligence field, his natural cunning and eye for opportunity serving him well. One of his most infamous projects to which he was assigned was Operation Vibrowire, a top-secret plan to assassinate the members of Alliance High Command all at once in simultaneous strikes. The Operation, several years in the making, was foiled in 4ABY by the Operation leader defecting, but Dunharow’s work on the project was still noticed and he was commended, being given a position as an Intelligence advisor on Coruscant. During this time he advised many top politicians and bureaucrats. His performance there, as well as his relationships developed with the politicians, aided him in being assigned as the lead ambassador to Gylif. He arrives on the planet eager and ambitious, ready to use his political skills to bring the Empire its newest resource, and use his intelligence skills to ensure his opponents the Republic do not.
Name: Zalmay Holbein
Description:
Gender: Male
Age: 42
Title(s): Ambassador
Personality and skills: Zalmay Holbein is a politician and a bureaucrat, adept at working his way through red tape or creating it if need be. He is an excellent negotiator and is no stranger to the sometimes darker side of politics. Although he is familiar with some of the things done, he is nevertheless an idealist and always believes that there is a defined right and wrong which people should base their actions on.
History: Ambassador Holbein was once a Senator in the Imperial Senate, representing the world of Tyan. When Chancellor Palpatine ascended to power and declared himself Emperor, Holbein’s father was a member of the Delegation of 2000 who dissented and voiced their concerns. Zalmay would later earn his father’s former post as Tyan’s Senator. He used his position in the waning years of the Senate, however, to clandestinely aid the Rebel Alliance and try to curb Palpatine’s power. When Palpatine dissolved the Senate in 0 BBY, Holbein disappeared and went into hiding with the Alliance for protection, and served Mon Mothma and the other Alliance leaders. When Gylif was discovered, Holbein’s experience in the Senate and serving the Alliance, as well as his idealism, were the main reasons he was sent to Gylif to try to bring them into the New Republic.
