Kneel Before Me (Medieval NRP)

[Red Wizard]

I'll set it up! What's the name of your kingdom?

[So Boerd]

Suthreyjar

[Asura]

This still open?

[Drunken Conquistador]

Asura said
This still open?

I guess so, Sadko said that we needed a minimum of eight players

[Asura]

Good! Nearly done me sheet, just gotta figure out some cultural fluff.

Lythos

Name of the Kingdom: Kingdom of Lythos
Current Ruler: King Varren Luthen
Dynasty: House Luthen (162 years in power)
Flag:

History: The country of Lythos came into being roughly 900 years ago at the neck of the Chalewiel Pennisula. Unlike some more violent realms, no grand conquest or devious political maneuver forged what would become the nations of shrewd merchants. Instead, the man who would become the first King of Lythos, Duke Halos Lyth set out on a campaign to win the support of the affluent merchant families who had ruled his and the other Duchys of the surrounding lands. Through a series of marriages, alliances and when all else failed, bribery from the Lyth family's significantly filled coffers forged the ground work for the kingdom that would come in the following years. Many rallied under the banner of the this diplomatic Duke and within a century of his grand ambition to form the Duchys into one, he was crowned the first king of a country named after his family.

Having been born of trade, Lythos never forgot its origins. Over the course of its existence, the Kingdom has used its position within Chalewiel to choke coin from those who would pass through their lands to carry goods to the north and used its navy to control the waters leading down towards the south. The shrewd negotiators spread their reputation as wealthy, powerful diplomats through the trade winds and stacked their coffers full of coin whilst living in extravagance. Over the 900 years it has existed, only three families have sat high on the throne. The first, House Lyth, eventually died out after a successful five hundred years of sitting upon the golden throne of Lythos. Taking its place, House Rhyse, a vassal of House Lyth through marriage took control of the realm and ruled it for nearly two hundred fifty years. Its rule came to an end when the king at the time, Yusef 'the Fool', crossed many of the powerful guilds and merchant families who held such strength amount the nobility of the realm. His abusive lust for more wealth and power led to his downfall by some 'spoiled' wine and saw House Rhyse all but annhilated through a series of 'unfortunate' events.

With none left of the lineage of House Rhyse, the second most powerful family in all of Lythos, House Luthen, was elevated to the golden throne under the rule of Lord Elas Luthen. For seven generations of kings, House Luthen has held Lythos under its grasp and brought the country into vast wealth, as one would expect of a country of their reputation.
Traits:
Kingdom; Developed infrastructure, A web of whispers
Military; Good equipment, Ships
Economy; Important trade routes, Filthy rich, Caravans, Ancient merchant families, Ports
Flaws; Sellswords, Overly powerful merchant guilds, Not so perfect family 2
Claim on the map:

Additional things to fill in:

[gorgenmast]

Name of the Kingdom: Rohango
Current Ruler: King Ogun, the Black Tyrant
Dynasty: The House of Inshe
Flag: Pending
History: The Ebon Folk of the Gulf of Thralls are newcomers to the region. Only three centuries prior, their ancestors inhabited Yarabo, a lush and verdant land to the west dominated by giant red stones and plentiful grazing. The expansion of the Great Desolation intensified at that time, and Yarabo was swallowed by the encroaching desert.The Ebon Folk wandered east and after a generation came to settle upon the scrubland on the coast. Primitive tribal states developed along the Gulf that vied for dominance, sowing the seeds of a distinguished warrior society as the small states did battle for greater dominance of the coast. Wanting for resources in this relatively depauperate land, the Ebon Folk offered captive warriors and women to slave traders from the East. A lucrative trade network established itself along the coast, with slaves being the commodity that powered commerce on the Gulf. Sprawling encampments coalesced around the the established maritime settlements, giving rise to the first things approaching a proper city. Although slaves were the most lucrative and important commodity, there was a great and diverse wealth of goods traded for in the bazaars of the coastal trade hubs of Kisone, Qoga, Lubumbe, and others. Spices, corals, gemstones, and ivory traded for steel, wheat, and gold. In addition to bartering their material wealth and captives, native warriors sold their talents here in exchange for foreign gold. Those sellswords that returned came home hardened veterans with a knowledge of the tactics of warfare in exotic lands.

Such was the case with Inshe, a young mercenary who lent his blade to various wars and conflicts during the implosion of the Koronai Empire. In his service, he bore witness to a much more organized and sophisticated means of battle. War in the East was a totally different phenomenon than the chaotic skirmishes that passed for battles in the Ebon Land. In the East, ranks and files and bowmen and flanking and cavalry added numerous layers of complexity. The fighters with the strongest warriors and the most men were not assured victory in this part of the world. Effective use of the resources at the warlord's disposal made a greater difference on the field of battle than a thousand blades. With this knowledge was impressed upon young Inshe, he returned years later to the Ebon Lands with a handsome stipend and purchased with it his own band of native fighters. His small troop trounced rival warriors, providing captives to be liquidated as slaves and used to purchase still more fighters. For twenty-four years, Inshe did this, subjugating tribes and introducing modern fighting techniques to already savage and ferocious warriors. Coalitions of rival clans formed to counter Inshe's might were met with a confederation of clans owing fealty to Inshe - the forebears of a network of vassals. At the time of his death, Inshe died the leader of a unified Ebon Folk and clanmaster of all Rohango - Yarabo Rebornk. His son, Harabe, assumed rule of the Ebon Lands at the age of 20.

Whereas Inshe worked primarily to initially establish Rohango, Harabe moved to expand the power and prestige of his realm. To this end, he dispatched his warbands to the northwest against the settlements on the periphery of the Ebon Lands with the intention of capturing not land, but slaves. The wealth for which these captives were sold enriched the realm greatly. With his newfound wealth and armies of foreign slaves, Harabe built proper cities populated with fortresses and palaces of stone. Unimaginable feats of architecture were chiseled out at a terrible price in the lives of slaves made to toil unto the point of death. The crack of the lash rang out all through the day and night across the vast slave empire of Rohango. The Black Host, Harabe's endless legion of savage brutes, elicited terror across the southern realms. The neighboring kingdoms offered the Black Tyrant tribute that his greed might be sated. Bribery proved to be an effective means of staying the Black Host's assault; a vanquished realm could be plundered but once, while a spared tributary realm could provide endless bounty. The Black Tyrant's appetite was mighty indeed: vast quantities of concubines, slaves, and wealth were required to quench his greed. Harabe lived a life of fabulous luxury, but it left him soft and decadent.

Ogun, the eldest son of Harabe, was a monster even by the standards of Rohango's royalty. On his sixth birthday, Ogun did not request a single gift, but instead lamented having to share his playthings with his younger brothers. He politely asked of his father that he dispose of his two younger brothers so that he might enjoy the undivided attention and wealth of his father. When Harabe refused his wish, Ogun threw a hammer from a balcony of the palace and struck his younger brother in the head, nearly killing him and rendering the child a lazy-eyed mute for the rest of his life. Ogun blamed a careless slave for the incident, fabricating a tale where a chiseling mason allowed the hammer to fall from his grip. In his later teens, Ogun came to despise his father for keeping him from a throne he desperately desired. Early one morning, before Harabe bathed in the palace pools, Ogun released a starved cobra in the bath chambers. When Harabe settled in to lounge in the warm pools, the hungry snake slithered into the water and bit him in the neck. Servants who came to attend to their king discovered the famished cobra feasting upon their slain ruler's cheek. And so at the age of 19, Ogun became the master of Rohango.

From the very beginning of his rule, Ogun was transfixed on conquest. He cared little for the decadent lifestyle of his father, and quickly spent the great fortunes he inherited from Harabe on building a vast and unstoppable army. The new tyrant sent his Black Host against the tributary nations to the northeast that his father had spared during his reign. The invasion was a long, costly endeavor - Rohango's neighbors to the east had long anticipated a betrayal and fortified their realms accordingly. Many warriors died in failed sieges of enemy citadels - the Rohango tactics of overwhelming enemies on even terrain with speed and ferocity utterly failed to answer the problem of assaulting entrenched defenders. The first wave of attack was repulsed, humiliating the Black Tyrant. Furious and determined to avenge his losses, Ogun sent his envoys across the seas to hire foreign warriors as advisers. They returned with a siege engineer from the realm of Arlais, who was paid fabulously in exchange for diagrams of onagers and catapults of every flavor. He taught the Rohango to wrap projectiles in tar-soaked rags and ignite them just prior to launch, and he taught the stonecutting slaves how to bore tunnels under enemy fortifications. With this knowledge, the Black Host returned to the northeastern realms and laid a proper siege to their strongholds. The Black Host left their enemies' cities ablaze and vanquished these realms readily. Throughout the lands, Ogun ordered a massacre of the male inhabitants. The women, children, and male survivors of that onslaught were marched back to Rohango in chains and dispersed throughout the kingdom so that the vanquished peoples would be too thinly spread to ever revolt.

The Black Tyrant fancies himself a juggernaut, the master of an unstoppable legion of ferocious warriors. In spite of his barbarism, King Ogun is in some respects rather cunning. He understands his mistakes and actively corrects them; he is proud, but not so much so that he fails to see his errors. Even so, Ogun is a poor diplomat and a lackluster strategist at best. His ruthless ambition has alarmed the southern realms, who know now the Black Host can no longer be stayed by tribute. Ogun will have what he feels is his. S'laaeth in particular has certainly taken notice, as it is certain that the proud King Ogun must consider that majestic empire the ultimate trophy.

For if the Straits of Astieth are his to command, the Black Host can march on all the world.
Location:


Traits:
Economy
-Black Market
-Ports
-Important Trade Routes

Kingdom
-Developed Infrastructure

Military
-Trained troops
-Big armies
-Light armor
-Foraging
-Sieging genius

Flaws
-Not a flawless family
-Hated by the people
-Terrible boats
-Even your horses look weak

[Durandal]

Such trade. Much money. Wow.

Anyways...

the kingdoms do seem very trading focused. I wonder how battles will turn out. Not to mention naval ones. I know there are others with the 'Ships' trait, but how many and how good are your ships exactly? I just want a reference for mine.

[So Boerd]

Everyone and their mother has "Important trading routes"

I was going to take it, but I won't just for variety.

[Durandal]

Sadko, I had a question. Without Ports and/or important trade routes, can you still use a fleet of ships for trading operations or does it require one of those two to fully operate?

[The Nexerus]

Since the Affadyqid Sultanate has already been accepted on the area S'laaeth was to occupy, and I'd have to rewrite Amenoi's founding of the kingdom to put S'laaeth anywhere else, I'm considering making a new sheet for Aaldorenfeald instead.

Ooh, or perhaps find a place for Lumenor somewhere in the north...

[Drunken Conquistador]

Durandal said
Such trade. Much money. Wow.Anyways...the kingdoms do seem very trading focused. I wonder how battles will turn out. Not to mention naval ones. I know there are others with the 'Ships' trait, but how many and how good are your ships exactly? I just want a reference for mine.

Yeah...and I was hoping for another player nearby to be the England to my France

[Red Wizard]

No trade in my case. Just a land rich in resources and military prowess that's stuck in a war against itself :P

Also, I've updated the map! (Suthreyjar isn't really written yet, but I thought I'd add them to the map anyway)

World Map

[The Nexerus]

I wonder if that spot between Oren, Arlais and Lythos should just be divided between the three?

[Durandal]

Partition of Poland anybody?

[Red Wizard]

The Nexerus said
I wonder if that spot between Oren, Arlais and Lythos should just be divided between the three?

That, or it could remain as some kind of puppet region, functioning like a no-mans land.

Also, a question for Conquistador: would it be possible to move the Affadyqid to the east or west of its current location? Just so that Nexerus can have his nation too. The S'laaeth needs that territory because of its elaborate history, and the Affadyqid does not (even though their history is quite detailed as well). I realize I'm not GM or in any power to make anyone do anything, but in my mind it'd be a nice compromise.

[The Nexerus]

I could rework the history to place the S'laa in the area between Affadyqid and Rohango. If I'm going to have to rework things, though, I'd just as gladly recycle Aaldorenfeald from To Lunds (the predecessor to this RP).

[gorgenmast]

I really enjoyed the S'laa history as well and I'd hate to have Nex rewrite his app when it would be no issue to scooch Affadyqid off to the west or east.

[Sadko]

@Durandal
No, your ships can still do trading operations without any of those traits. Those that did not choose the 'Ships' traits or any other ship related trait will still have a fleet: alas, not as numerous or powerful as those who took the naval traits. There will be, however, naval mercenary companies.

@Nexerus/Conquistador
I would loathe to see somebody scrap an entire nation concept because of a map issue. I say you and Conquistador manage the thing and divide the disputed land over a convo and add Golem to it, and add an additional piece of information about possible territorial conflicts about it.

@Spot near Arlais, Lythos, and Oren
I'll make up an ideal tiny principality for you guys to horribly humiliate and divide. <3

@Rohango and Lythos are accepted, welcome aboard!

@Golem I appreciate your map updating, but the next couple apps please don't add to the map before I accept them. I trust Boerd however with a good app because I've roleplayed with him a couple times before.

[Drunken Conquistador]

Golem said
That, or it could remain as some kind of puppet region, functioning like a no-mans land.Also, a question for Conquistador: would it be possible to move the Affadyqid to the east or west of its current location? Just so that Nexerus can have his nation too. The S'laaeth needs that territory because of its elaborate history, and the Affadyqid does not (even though their history is quite detailed as well). I realize I'm not GM or in any power to make anyone do anything, but in my mind it'd be a nice compromise.

The Nexerus said
I could rework the history to place the S'laa in the area between Affadyqid and Rohango. If I'm going to have to rework things, though, I'd just as gladly recycle Aaldorenfeald from To Lunds (the predecessor to this RP).

Oh well, if the public demands I will move. Hold on while I produce another map.

[Red Wizard]

@Sadko: Understood.