Marches of Man
“Man walks it's steps in the world, unknowing of all that is before him, behind him, and above him. All man knows is greed, for money, for land, for pleasure. And so, Man walks on, never realizing all he looks for was where he stood to begin with.”
The Setting
The setting of Marches of Man takes place in a medieval styled world, where kings and queens rule their lands as is their right given to them by the Gods, or God, depending on what faith you follow. We will be playing in the kingdom of Broacien, a harsh and unforgiving land, home to an equally tough people. The kingdom is surrounded by other kingdoms, empires and the odd tribal wasteland or southern sultanate. The kingdom's many allies and friends have brought it in a precarious situation as it lies amidst the big powers, causing Broacien to become a battlefield over the years. Many graveyards, some marked, some nothing more than a heap of bones, are spread across the kingdom.
Broacien's sustainability comes from it's flourishing fisheries, and small agricultural prowess. The Broacienians have become adept at sustaining themselves, and through that, sustaining the kingdom. Besides that they have many many woodworks, as well as iron and coal mines. Broacien isn't particularily powerful, although it stands it own amidst the other kingdoms. Most others see them as a buffer between them and any others, although Broacien has been known to allow access to military parties to move through their lands if motivated enough for it.
As per their own military, the kingdom of Broacien fields mostly militia's of spearmen, swordsmen and archers. The levy is quite large, given the fact that most people in Broacien are either farmers or fishers, labourers or work in the towns. However there is a small percentage of nobility, who are exactly what you expect nobility to be. Some are noble, brave, true warriors who protect those below them as per chivalrous code. The others are craven, barely deserve the title of nobleman, and cannot tell one end from the sword to the other. There is a broad range of nobility, each with their own small castle-keep, or with their own estates within townships. Ofcourse, there are varying ranges of nobility within the nobleman group too, based on lineage, prestige and ofcourse favor from the king.
Religion plays a big role in the area, and that is the same for Broacien, where religion depends mostly on what faith your father had or where you are from. As such, those who live in the north are mostly 'pagans' or 'heathens' following a wide pantheon of gods, of which some are cruel, war loving individuals who see worth in martial prowess, and others are gentle, nature adoring souls who tend to matters like marriage, love and pregnancies.
More to the south you will find a monotheistic religion, with accompanying branches of faiths. The faith as a whole names itself 'Monarchism', and all believe in a single entity called the Monarch. The Monarch created man, woman, animals and all other things in the world. His anti-entity is the Pretender. This pretender aims to only destroy what is built by the Monarch, to reclaim it as his and build his own 'version' of the Monarchs' domain, but would ultimately twist it. Both names are obvious in their origins, coming from the titles of a monarch, and those who have a claim to that title, the pretenders. There are numerous branches in this faith, all of which have similar, but differing visions on how the faith should be, and how it shouldn't be. The 'main group' of the religion simply believes in whatever the king believes, he is after all, Monarch on Earth.
The religion can be both cherishing and brutal at the same time, shown in the Monarchistic cross well with it's circe adorned with spikes. The faith is loving in that it promotes a good life containing generousity, being just and fair and living a pious life where you believe in the Monarch with a grand conviction. But as loving as it can be, there are cruel aspects. The faith is unforgiving towards it's enemies, such as the desert lords of the south. But it's not just external enemies, since people who oppose the Monarch, or it's church, will find themselves either beheaded in a river, or on a pyre ready to burn for their sins. Furthermore, not neccesarily a religious conviction, the Monarchistic priests promote warriorhood by stating braveness, strength and a strong loyalty are all virtues, and cowardice, weakness and a lack of loyalty are sins - an accord smithed with the king, so that the king may have better soldiers.
“A Monarchistic Cross.”
Geographically speaking, Broacien is home to a wide variety of biodomes. At the center are lush forests, covered in moss, grass and all sorts of plants. Naturally, this is where the king houses. To the north are more harsh lands, covered in snow completely three months out of twelve, and dealing with snowfall five months out of twelve. The lands are arid, but house a tough variant of people, who mostly tend to sheep, farm for sustainability and work in the wood industry. The lands here are covered in pine tree's, iced over rivers and large open fields. To the west of the center point of Broacien, there are flat grasslands, mixed with marshes and swamps every now and then. Not overly hostile or particularily friendly, the western fields provide a good neutral ground for anyone wishing to settle a farm.
To the north-east is an ocean called the Crashing Gulfs. The sea here is particularily rough due to it being an inlet towards mainland, before the coastline retreats again to it's natural course. There is many kinds of fishes here, and even whales if the time is right, giving Broacien a wealthy source of food, and even walehides. Sailing in the sea here is possible although there have been a great many ships swallowed by the water's hungry mouth.
Then to the south of Broacien, the lands slowly turn into a red sand, with the occasional irrigated farm with grassy plains here and there. These southern areas of Broacien border a sultanate that follows a foreign fate, and who have engaged Broacien and the others in many holy wars over the years, never fully succesful at claiming lands and converting infidels, but always doing a great job at murdering innocents in the name of their God.
Furthermore there are numerous kingdoms surrounding the kingdom of Broacien. Ofcourse, to the south, is the ibn-Wahad Sultanate, but they are more commonly refered to as desert lords by any who doesn't live in the sultanate. They follow a different religion than any other kingdom currently known to the Broacienians. Their beliefs is that of the Sawarim. The Sawarim believes in God and his wife, who both have similar powers to the Monarch. It's said, in songs of the Sawarim, that God rides over the skies with his black desert horse, and his wife rides on the white desert horse. This symbolises the good and bad, or the 'cruel' and the 'good.' The ibn-Wahad sultanate is led by sultan Kalim al-ibn-Wahad. The throne rules here focus on the sultans' many many children, of which the youngest receives the throne, and the others are expected to either be generals or bodyguards for him, in case of brothers, or become political assets or spymasters, in case of sisters.
To the north is, well, the North. There is no real name for this place, since it's home to tribal federations who believe in a pantheon of multiple gods, much alike with the Northern believes in Broacien. These tribes are always feuding, for one reason or another, with the most common reason or casus belli being hunting lands. Food is scarce in the region, so it's a warlord's duty to preserve old grounds, and obtain new hunting grounds. There are tribes that were completely wiped out, not because of war, but because of starvation after they failed to amass enough grounds to hunt on. Because of this, a major offense is poaching. It's punishable with immediate execution on the spot if you're caught, without as much as a single word to be said. To many of those in the civilised world, this is very strange, since poaching is only a minor offense. But in the North, it means you take away a valuable animal for yourself without the right to do so. Especially important since killing a single animal might mean the death of a whole family of those who had rights to that animal.
There are numerous more kingdoms that are very alike Broacien, to both the east and west. Some are more sophisticated than others, while others are.. rudimentary at best, and a kingdom only in name. There is abundant trade, although only in low value commodities such as wicker baskets, foods, pots, weaponry and armor and ales. For high value commodities, you'd have to either directly order it, since no tradesman is wealthy enouhg to afford these, only to trade them away at a market.
Ooc Stuff
So after reading that, welcome to my interest check. I hope that I kept you reading long enough to get interested, but not too long so that you lose interest. I guess this thread will tell me if I succeeded or failed. Regardless of that, I feel like I should atleast give you all a list of things to expect and not to expect. It's only fair you know that, before you delve into this too deep only to find out it's not what you want.
- A GM who wants to create content for the roleplay as much as you do.
- A GM who is active on a day to day basis, and doesn't shy away from posting.
- An RP focussed on interaction, which is in the GM's opinion, the lifeblood of an RP.
- A world that is still open for creative freedoms, but that is filled in enough so that you can work with anything you want.
- A (hopefully) friendly community.
- An RP that is open to additions, lore and criticism.
What to expect?
- A GM who will constantly put up with 'I'll post later this week' if you've already said that 5x.
- A GM who will see it as his sole purpose to create your entertainment whilst sacrificing his own.
- An RP where you can roleplay on your own, in your own corner, without anyone saying 'hey, stop.'
- Magic. Or atleast, not the fire-ball from my hand kind of magic.
- Dragons. Dragons are no fun.
- Assasins who will fly through the air, throwing knives at 4 targets, pulling three (yes three!) swords from nowhere and stabbing everyone to death right as the throwing knives kill people. I hate assasins like this. Especially if they have a name like 'Dark Wolf' and have a, how could it be anything else, black wolf as a companion.
What not to expect?
- RPG rules apply. I don't really need to say it, but really, I kinda do.
- A GM will have the final say. That doesn't mean you can't argue with me, but if I say no, don't continue.
- Don't be an ass. If you're posting 'sarcastic' comments all the time, ripping into other people's characters, don't think you are slick and think we don't notice. I notice. Other's notice. Just don't.
- If there's a discussion, that is fine. That is good. If there's an argument it's different. Just don't do it.
- If you decide to break above rule and argue with people, have the decency to do it over PM, so I don't need to read the storm of.. whatever.
- If it escalates, please don't continue in the OOC, IC and whatever. If you want to meet up in real life to fight, that's not my issue or problem, just don't make it my problem by putting it in the thread.
- Dark content is allowed. I mean, rape, murder, slavery. It was all legal in these times and it definetely is in this RP. But I don't need to really say that you can't overdo it. Mention of these things is fine, and murder is fine to describe as well. But I don't need to read details about a rape your character commited. Nobody wants to read that. Just mention it and that's it.
Ground rules
I advice to wait with a character sheet until I have completed the OOC, which will feature more info such as locations in other kingdoms, some of the other kingdoms names and a more detailed religious section.
Broacien
An Overview
In this small overview, you will be told about the history of Broacien in accordance to the records and books inside the king's library. However, if you're looking for glory, bloodshed and a small but defiant kingdom that stood alone, impoverished and without power, against a greater empire and won, you'd best look elsewhere. The kingdom of Broacien only knows those tales from long, long ago as their recent years have been spent more in servitude of other kingdoms and empires.
But one thing that has become clear through that; the lands of Broacien may be conquered, the hearts of men and women on these lands can never be taken. Over the years they have been conquered, but broken free time and time again. This is seen in the borders of the country too, which grew slightly every time they broke free, taking pieces of land in the rebellions. As such they have grown from a mediocre piece of land, merely contested by large countries for the sake of bloodshed and greed, into a force to be reckoned with.
Barren Flats
“A sheep farmer, with his small but comfortable house.”
The Barren Flats are the region in the most north of Broecien, named after it's flat, but desolate and barren lands. As a result of the lack of anything noteworthy here, the region only produces fleece, besides small sustainability farming. There are many sheep farms in the area, each with a small flock. Besides the flat lands that lie here, there are also many forests with pinetree's. As a result of that the wood industry is also quite big here, with most of the wood travelling to the Barren Hall to fortify it, atleast recently. With the area being so grand, but having little capability of sustaining a large populace, the population here is very spread out. It can sometimes take three days on horseback to deliver a message to your neighbour, although this differs greatly in the area.
The Barren Hall is the keep most prominently present in the Barren Flats, in the main passage way from the kingdom into the North. It is essentially the last stop before you enter a white wasteland of snow and ice, and therefore it doesn't see many people travelling by. This is not an issue, however. The keep features large, high walls, grande towers and many positions for archers. The castle was clearly made with the intent of stopping tribal attacks, as well as providing a toll point on one of the few passable mountain passes in the area. The Barren Hall acts as the main fortress in the area, and is under command of lord Jachsen of Hayhill, a young noble lord who wishes to prove his skill to the king with martial skills. As such he has made it his mission to greatly increase both the number, as well as the skill, of the local militia hailing from the area surrounding the Barren Hall.
Grosswick
Grosswick is the name of the center region, where the forests are green and the grass is.. greener. There are many farms here, mostly tending to the production of grains and potatoes, and other such foods. There is also small scale horse breeding going on, but there's no entire industry dedicated to it. Instead, a horse just gets made 'naturally.' There are many forests, rivers and open fields in Grosswick. It's also the largest region of all in Broacien.
There are noticeably more keeps and castles here, although they are smaller than those in other regions. This is due to the fact that many of the nobility are centered around the town, paired with the castle-keep, of the king. The town and castle are, together, called Hoffburgt, which is located in the utmost north-east corner of Grosswick, on the cliffs near the Crashing Gulfs. The entire region of Grosswick, as well as Broacien, is ruled by king Gregar Barin Grochain.
Grosswick seems mostly the political center of Broacien, ofcourse due to the presence of the king and his sons and daughters. The court is always filled with nobleman, knights, merchants, wealthy people and peasants who have a complaint to make to the king. Grosswick seems to have the largest amount of population in the entirety of Broacien, although getting a census for this has proven pretty impossible, even with the help of the Monarchist church.
Murkran
“Murkran, where the water holds bodies of centuries ago.”
Murkran is the name of the swampy, grassy area to the west. It is home to an exquisite diversity in interesting points of interest, and many explorers have travelled here to simply investigate the wildlife. The swamps are home to many interesting newts, salamanders, snakes and frogs and toads. Besides the travellers and explorers that come here, caravans also frequently pass through here on the Pentol river, which flows from west to east, from the great mountains in the far west, to the Raging Gulfs in the east.
The main stronghold of this area is the Witches' Crest which is commanded by lord Griven of Lanthford, an old and battle weary man. Old lord Griven has fought in many of the campaigns and even fought in the last Broacienian rebellion. As such, he is more than double worth his rank, and is well respected throughout the realm, although some now doubt his skills since he's growing old and senile. Never the less he commands the Witches' Crest and maintains it with remarkable skill, as the Crest has flourished over the last few years.
Redsand
Redsand is a very small frontier to the south, just before the borders of Broacien clash with the ibn-Wahad sultanate's borders. Being a small frontier, the region can hardly be called a region, but never the less it is so diverse and different from the others that the king has issued a decree stating that Redsand is to be seen as a place to do battle with the Sultan, Kamil al-ibn-Wahad, if the time comes. As such there is little to be found here except for Coedwin. The region is not under noble command, as there are no noblemen living in this area as of yet. As of that reason, the region is commanded by commander Reginald Griswich, a veteran from the kings castle guard, who has now been put in charge of Coedwin.
The area is arid, and there is almost no resources here. As such all the resources Coedwin needs are supplied by caravans that travel there every month. Main supplies delivered here are food, drink and weaponry and armor, as well as additional recruits to be stationed here. However, unlike in the North, Redsand is an open land, with many sandy plains. As such there is no natural chokehold and Coedwin is merely a station, rather than a defendable location. If the Sultan wanted, he could ride straight past Coedwin.
Neighbours
Ibn-Wahad Sultanate
The ibn-Wahad sultanate is a collection of desert lords, desert tribes and loosely organised village federations, all coming together under the banner of Kamil al-ibn-Wahad. They follow the Sawarim religion, believing in God and his wife. Their religion heavily conflicts with the Monarchists in the north, and as such they have launched several invasion attempts that have often been thwarted, but have resulted in massive casualties on the Broacienian sides. Their invasions were usually followed up by invasions from neighbouring countries who saw a weakened Broacien and grabbed their chance. Because of the history a lot of prejudice and hatred exists for those from the desert lands. 'Desert lords' as they are called are often mistreated in Broacien and it's for that reason that there isn't many, if any at all, to be found in Broacien.
In the sultanate, there's a heavy fixation on following faith. Those who do not believe, or are not a hundred percent dedicated to faith, are outcasted and will have to live their life in shame on the outskirts of society. Besides that, horses play an important role in society as well as in their armies. If a man can ride a horse, he instantly rises on the social ladders. For that reason a lot of low born peasants attempt to learn how to ride a horse, by stealing them. For some strange reason, that Broacienians don't understand, if you steal a horse and get away with it, you can keep it because it shows you learned how to ride a horse while stealing it - you are worthy of that horse. A strange practice, though it rests in practicality.
Besides horses there is also a large fixture on family in the sultanate. Where the Broacienians focus solely on the nuclear family, meaning parents and child, the desert lords and their people focus on the entire extended family, grandfathers, uncles, great grandmothers. It's all important, and they live on a basis of 'honor your forefathers'. Burials are, for that reason, a very big thing. Even lowborn people have large and exciting burials, with grand tombs that are either placed on holy sites, or that are placed underneath the house of the family.
The North
The North, not as much a name as it is a direction. The North is home to many tribal federations who struggle with eachother for hunting grounds to obtain food, since the land there is even more barren and snowy than the Barren Flats in Broacien. The people living here all follow the Nordic pantheon, with many gods each with their own speciality.
At best the people living here are pagans and heathens, at worst they are savage. The differences in morals and norms are a complete opposite of the Monarchists, and it's more likely that a Monarchist would find something compareable in the Sawarim than in the Nordic pantheon. Never the less, the people here are somewhat friendly towards the south, not coming closer than the mountain pass ever since the Barren Hall was constructed. Now they only show up to the Barren Hall to trade fur and such for foods and drinks, and perhaps a weapon.
The societies in the North are constructed around a family, which is usually about 3-4 families with the same ancestors. These are a single group, which will then group up with others when needed, such as during hunting seasons. The women stay at camp, keeping a fire and the kids safe, while the men go hunt. The hunting groups can reach anywhere between 10 males to 30 males. Common hunting targets are white hares, stags and, when the time is ripe, seals from the frozen over Crashing Gulfs.
The Eastern Horsemen
Where the Grosswick plains end, the land curves up in a mountain range that has never been crossed by man, and then rolls down into a grassy field full of horses, atleast if you believe those drunkards in the inns who claim to have explored it. Although this isn't completely true, there's a core of truth in it.
In the east, there is a mountain range that has indeed never been crossed once, and at the other side of this mountain range lies grassy steppes that go on for miles without end. The horsemen of the east roam here, a society constructed on owning horses and archery proweess. These people follow their own version of the Nordic pantheon, having given them more suitable names in their tongue, as well as changing their gods meanings and ideas.
Not much is known of these people, after all, these people have never crossed the mountains, and neither have the Broacienians. Perhaps one day, someone or some group will find a passage across the mountains and pass into these lands to make contact, and see what these horsemen will say? Perhaps they will answer with words, or perhaps with arrows. Time will tell.
The West Border
On the west border lie two countries, one lead by king, the other by queen. And the king and queen, they both bear the same surname, being brother and sister. These kingdoms are Cherwin and Ridran, who are lead by king Rechwan Tourlais, and queen Anne Tourlais. These two kingdoms are not at war, as one would expect, but have a strong binding alliance. The two kingdoms were, not long ago, part of a single kingdom which was Cherwin, whom controlled bith the areas of Cherwin and Ridran, as well as holding a small piece of Broacien. But with the death of the old king, the lands were split in two and handed to his two children, Anne and Rechwan.
Now, the most north country of the two, Ridran, lead by queen Anne, has gone to war with the tribal federations. Queen Anne wishes to take control of several parts of the north, to extend her influence and have more land for herself. Perhaps she wishes to overtake her brother, and to claim his lands as hers. It's only guesswork, and as long as she fails at her military endeavours, she will never show her brother how capable she is.
In the war that has been going on for two years now, the Ridranian soldiers march into the white lands of the North, only to be forced to fall back by heavy snowfall and skirmishing tribes. Never the less queen Anne seems certain that she wants to take these lands. Any sane queen or king would've given up long ago, but perhaps she isn't so sane.
Meanwhile Cherwin has it's eyes aimed at the east, carefully poking at the weaknesses in Broacien. It knows that it can take Broacien in a war, but is afraid that it's neighbour, Ridran, will attack once it's weakened. Because of that reason it seems they've abstained from war, but it's not a sure thing, as ultimately a king is not a rational being in all cases.
4x Laugh
