Aleranicus

Vampires of Redhaven (and possibly other supernaturals)

<--- Interested in playing Redhaven's resident human bartender who is Too Old For This Magic Shi*(Tm) but is opening his establishment to the magic types in order to get more money, even if the Hunters aren't too keen on this...

Zameen (High Casual, political RP)

WIP

An Analysis of the So-Called "Free Land" of Ortorn for Our Most Esteemed Governess

As written by your humble servant, Lord Julian Bellana

Majesty, I have returned from my journey to the realm of Ortorn, and per your instructions, have spent much time in the company of its Princess Mera Ortorn and her court. While my return journey from the Portlands took more time than I anticipated due to unexpected winter snows in the hilltops, the Valley of Ortorn is as complicated as it is beautiful and hospitable. Per your instructions, I made the most of my journey and visited every official and unofficial institution as time allowed. While I intend to write a fuller, more detailed treatise on this client kingdom for the Imperial Histories, I shall begin with those subjects that most concern you and leave the traveler's tales for your own leisure.

On our shared history and the Conquest of the Valley of Ortorn

The Valley of Ortorn is written of by the Zameen peoples in no small part, as a land of hidden prosperity to the west of the central sea, where the springs of the river Aldea form in the mountains. Long secured by a stout mountain range and a thick forest to the south, theirs was a peaceful land for many generations. That is not to say that they are not a people capable of handling arms, but their own realm did not suffer from invasion or plague due to its difficult to reach environs. The histories of Zameen are positively filled with tales of the Ortorn being called to arms and marching out of their mountain fastnesses to join their allies in battle.

It was during our opening trials on Zameen that the Royal House of Ortorn was approached by emissaries of neighboring kingdoms to join a coalition against our slow encroachment. Then Prince Piala Ortorn was a more cautious and wise ruler than his neighbors and opted to withhold his support from this coalition's formation. Without the support of the Ortorn kingdom, the other conspirators, one by one, opted to abandon this foolish venture and cease planning for a bloody and ultimately futile conflict. That Piala was assassinated by these maddened conspirators after their venture fell apart is only further proof of their intractable ideology.

As our centers for commerce and control of Zameen grew, our merchants found that the people of Ortorn engaged them in grudging but fair terms. The city of Yasarin at the base of the Ortorn foothills became a shared capital for our merchant ventures in the region- the mountain tracks and dangerous forests have prevented our mass caravans from penetrating to the heart of their kingdom, but this city of ten-thousand souls has served our mercantile interests for the past decades- from here, our manufactured products are exchanged for raw timber, ores, and produce. The honorable General Gaelinar and his Dragoons effectively rule the city through their garrison, and while I observed rivalry between them and the City Watch, I did not see such rivalry arise to the level or bloodshed or murder.

The integration of Ortorn into our Imperial Mandate is an entirely economic one, as I'm sure you are aware. We now share a common currency and legal system, and a mutual defense against brigands and highwaymen is enforced by the Ortorn military and our own Men-of-the-Line. While there have been plans drawn up to conduct an expedition into the valley, such an endeavor would literally take years to bring to successful conclusion. The lack of a proper road network, the abundance of fortresses, and the difficulty of navigating the outer hills would surely bring unwanted attention from the Imperial Court when the reports of the costs reached the homeland. Still, the Imperial merchant guilds of Yasarin are undertaking a massive "public works" project to establish a proper road of commerce through the countryside. The project has been met with stonewalling at every level of local government, but if completed, it would be a dagger right to the heart of Ortorn.

While the maps may list a dozen other "cities" within the realm, these rise to the level of mere castle-towns. Imposing structures to medieval armies for certain, but they are no match for cannon and shot. Only the Royal City of Faenar could be truly called as such. Nestled against the mountains of the north valley, the city rises to overlook the forests down below, ringed by terrace farms where all manner of rice, teas, and spices are grown in abundance for the citizens.

Aside from Faenar and the smattering of fortresses, many folk live in farming and timber lodges throughout the lowland forests and hills. I took time to look over the records of the census that was commissioned by Yourself on behalf of the Empire and, after looking at the original receipts, it appears their estimate of one-hundred-thousand souls within the valley kingdom was near enough to be accurate.

On the Biography of Princess Mera Ortorn and the state of Her Loyalty to Our Imperial Crown

Much has been said of her Royal Highness, Princess Mera, in the circles of courts throughout Zameen. Some point to her as a loyal collaborator in our ventures, others as an aloof and absent-minded noble who leaves the administration of her nation to the sycophants about her palace. Others whisper that she is in league with rebel movements throughout Zameen and hopes to restore some kind of "honor" to her family name. I spent some weeks as a guest of her palace and shall here endeavor to speak to which of these be true, which be false, and which remain unproven.

Princess Mera Ortorn

Princess Mera Ortorn arose to the throne some eight years prior to the present day, barely more than a girl in her mother's palace. The firstborn daughter of the Ortorn line, she inherited the crown after a wave of sickness passed over the city of Faenar, likely brought by our own merchants when we established our garrison at Yasarin. In the time since she has risen to the throne, she has been unfailingly loyal to the mandates of the Empire. Her taxes are collected and paid regularly, only delayed by the storms of winter, and theft from the treasury is punished harshly. I had one of my traveling companions better versed in sums than I look over their receipts from last year, and after two days of inspecting she believes that we owe Lady Ortorn for overpayment on her part. This I kept a secret, for that is a matter for your grace to deal with.

Still, Princess Mera has continued in the tradition of her predecessors as Protector of the Valley. She engages Imperial merchants seeking to establish trade ventures outside the city of Yasarin, chief among their proposals being the establishment of silver mines in the high mountains. This is land personally held by Princess Mera and her family, rather than a lesser noble house, and she has proven unwilling to approve such proposals. She treats our people with hospitality due to them. I myself was feted to a royal dinner upon my arrival to her court in Faenar, an event usually reserved for other visiting royalty. Plates of porcelain from the Jade Kingdom across the great desert, piled high with lamb, rice, curries, and other dishes besides were presented. All the while, her majesty pressed me with questions about the Imperial Governor.

What sort of woman were you, she asked. Was it true that you go about your business masked, and if so, did you not find such a thing to be uncomfortable and stifling? Had she given some offense to prompt my visit? How should she make such a thing right to prevent another such incident?

I explained to her that my presence was one of fact-finding, ensuring that the Empire's client kingdom was healthy and hale, much like a physician attending his patient regularly even when they did not seem ill. I asked to have access to her palace and record rooms, and leave to travel through the kingdom, prepared to present my writ from you demanding such things. This she granted without my having to present the writ, with the exception of the royal sleeping quarters and the upper mountains being off limits, at least until springtime set in and the snows melted.

During my time at court and in the streets of Faenar, I came to find her to be a sharp and intriguing figure. She values the tradition of her family and people, yet she has adopted our style of dress- wearing an officer's coat and epaulets, wielding a saber not unlike our own cavalry officers when I asked to review her own military forces. Her value of our trappings and steel extends beyond her royal person and into her own armies as I will relate later, but for now suffice to say that she has moved her people beyond the days of pike and shot and is attempting to modernize her small army at speed.

While I observed her court proceedings, she seemed to have a good command of the nobility at court- if she was a coward and collaborator in the eyes of the common folk, none dared throw down that gauntlet in her presence. Much of that has to do with her newfound companion and right hand, Signora Alessandra Villanova, a mercenary captain from the Merchant Coast of the homeland. Hard-bitten, battle scarred, and rumored to have a temper to rival the hottest of the hells, Signora Villanova is a guest at court and the source of the much of the Princess' strength.

Signora Alessandra Villanova, Mercenary Captain of the Merchant Coast

Madame Villanova fought in the Wars of the Red Seas with our own Imperial Marines and was discharged from the Merchant Coast without pay when the war ended in defeat. She and her fellows have become indispensable to the Princess as a private army some three-hundreds strong, and all are in service to the Princess. The most damning rumors paint the Signora as using the Princess as a catspaw to make another strike at the Empire. The most salacious, that the two are secret lovers. I prefer the simplest explanation- that the Princess provides the Signora with a roof and hot meal, while the Signora provides her with security and political counsel.

After completing my review of Ortorn and being feted by the Princess before my departure, I could not help but look upon the raven-haired woman with eyes of steel as an enigma. She commands her people in accordance with the will of the Empire. If she is a secret traitor, I found no proof of it in the course of my month long stay within the palace. She is either the most guileless noble or the most skilled manipulator I have ever encountered in my time observing imperial politics.

On the daily habits of the People of the Ortorn Valley

On their Religious Peculiarities

On their Wealth and Economies

On their Warlike Practices

Zameen (High Casual, political RP)

Roger that! I'm going to begin working on a CS now. Hopefully you'll find it enjoyable :D

Zameen (High Casual, political RP)

Interested in playing a Lord/Lady surrounded by the Eileanan conquerors- independent but in a precarious political position. Can you go into a bit more depth as to what is and is not under the control of the Empire? Like do they own the whole land, do they own it on paper but in fact it's more loose?

A Jolly Good War! (A Fantasy WW1 Roleplay)

Edit: Unfortunately, I need to cancel this RP before it even starts due to IRL issues. My apologies to everyone who started working on a CS. If I'm able to restart it later, I will be sure to invite you back if interested.

Interest Check - A Jolly Good War! (A Fantasy Great War Army Roleplay)

Question: Is there interest for an Eastern/Western Front, or would ya'll rather keep things unified?

Interest Check - A Jolly Good War! (A Fantasy Great War Army Roleplay)

Nerd Hello Squirtle, I may be interested (if Takanis starts to go smoother)

@Monochromatic Rainbow

Would be glad to have you, Empress ;)

As for everyone else, I'll post the initial OOC later today once I get it streamlined and have the Front Lines map created.

Interest Check - A Jolly Good War! (A Fantasy Great War Army Roleplay)

@golani I'm more interested in creative storytelling than I am in the minutiae of what is and isn't on the horizon, so realistically if you wanted to mix and match to your heart's content, I'd say go for it. But for the sake of uniform writing... let's just say biplanes are a thing and tanks haven't been invented yet? We'll put a hard stop at 1914 as far as the technology is concerned.

Like, the stat numbers will determine how well you do things, but if you'd like to have a Wyvern based air force that throws bombs or biplanes with mages that chuck fireballs, go for it. Just know that the numbers for stats will determine how effective things are.

Interest Check - A Jolly Good War! (A Fantasy Great War Army Roleplay)

Citizens of the Great Alliance of nations! Your governments, your gods, and your good countrymen need YOU! The forces of chaos and destruction arise in the Easterlands, an unrelenting horde of gibbering shadows and demons has arisen in the snowy wastes, and everyone is called upon to do their part to resist the encroaching darkness! From the great city streets to the far green countrysides, every mage and rifleman is needed to protect our way of life. Will you stand with shoulder to shoulder with your fellows, or will you shirk your duty and leave yourself and your neighbors exposed to the horrid menace of the Shadowlanders?

ENLIST TODAY!

---------------------------------------------------------

Hello, and welcome to a project I had in mind called A Jolly Good War. This project is aimed to focus on military (rather than political) writing, though there will be space for politics if one so chooses to pursue that route.

The basis for this project is one part World War One, and one part Warhammer Fantasy/Warcraft Two. Essentially, a Generic Fantasy World (TM) is being confronted with a Sauron-like dark lord in the east, but rather than being a strictly medieval society, this universe has gone through the Steampunk phase and is firmly on the way to dieselpunk, but magic still abounds. As this unrelenting wave of destructive armies have washed over one of the larger nations of the world and forced them into servitude within the Dark Lord's armies, the remaining societies have banded together to create a unified front to resist the tide and hopefully take the fight to a rumored Dark Citadel in the east.

The war proper has been going on for about 3 months when the game will begin, and the battle will take place in a region along a wide front (I'm touching up on an INkarnate map regularly as this idea has been generating interest in my head, and I hope to post it if enough interest is shown).

Players will command the army of their home region, contributed to the Grand Alliance and I, as GM, will throw curveballs at you guys to see how things play out.

Part of the conflict will be military, but another conflict source will be supplies. If someone wants to exploit any openings, you'll be drawing on a shared pool of "Allied Supplies" to do so. Supplies will regenerate at a fixed rate (depending on interest shown in this scenario) so it won't be finite. This might encourage conflict among your top brass but would also present a great opening for interpersonal writing and clashing combat styles.

A stat system will be used to help determine conflict outcomes and your army's abilities.

Army Stats and their Purpose

The following will be rolled randomly. Players will receive two sets of rolls and may choose from them. Up to 7 points may be reassigned from one category to the next, while 5 points can be invested freely. These 5 may be added to your Supply Contribution as well.

Military Discipline: How well trained your soldiers are, their ability to coordinate assaults, follow orders under fire, time their movements, and so on.

Zeal: The fervor your forces fight with. Higher zeal means more willing to fix bayonets and jump into the enemy trenches.

Morale: Your army's morale, meaning their fighting spirit and ability to continue fighting with all their might in the face of casualties, bleak circumstances, and so forth

Logistics: Your ability to move supplies from the rear to the front in a timely manner, getting the right things to the right place at the right time.

Naval: Naval strength for any sea battles, bombardments, and shipping of goods.

Modernization: Your army's utilization of the most modern technology and adaptation to its changes. Do your commanders still consider the frontal cavalry charge to be a viable tactic, or are they fully on board with the creeping barrage and storm infantry tactics?

Supply Consumption and Contribution stats will be assigned based on overall combat strength. If you're playing a United States expy, expect a HUGE supply consumption requirement to run an operation. More modest units will see their Consumption numbers adjusted accordingly.

Supply Consumption: How many bombs, bullets, bandages and mana potions your detachment will require for a single offensive operation.
Supply Contribution: After wasteage, black market smuggling, and dragon attacks on the shipping lanes, how many supplies does your nation contribute to the war effort per offensive operation?

Nation Info

Who your people are, what life is like back home, and what they're fighting for.

Name of Nation:

Species:

Culture and Society:

History:

Territorial Claims:

Economy:

Army:

Navy:

Traits: (Defining traits of your nation, people, or armies. These will influence the GM Die Rolls for enemy activities. Players may have one Wholly positive trait and two "mixed" traits. Something like "Stalwart Defenders- slow to exploit openings, impossible to dislodge from defensive works without overwhelming force" would be considered a mixed trait)

Foreign Relations:
---
The following will be rolled randomly. Players will receive two sets of rolls and may choose from them. Up to 6 points may be reassigned from one category to the next, while 4 points can be added freely. These 5 may be added to your Supply Contribution as well.
---
Territory: A catch all to determine your land size and thus the raw natural resources available
Population: Population density/whatever, your "human" resources
Industry: Your ability to convert raw materials and human labor into products
Economy: Your nation's wealth and ability to finance its war and keep itself afloat

Commander Info

The Bread and Butter of who/what you'll be writing as. Your Patton/Montgomery/Grant/Yamamoto Stand-in, the majority of your perspective on operations.

So. Any thoughts, suggestion, or interest?

Takanis - A Historically Inspired Fantasy NRP

In progress...

Neferher Dynasty

Species: Human/Construct

Culture and Society:

History:

Territorial Claims: The Neferher claim dominion over the entirety of the Sikhala River delta, from the hundreds of small springs in the north Savana, all the way to the Great Delta where sit the many palaces and Necropoli of the noble Hierarchs. Once, long ago, they held the grasslands far to their east and west. After successive wars which drained the magical capabilities of the land, these grasslands were reduced to salt wastes over which none but the hardiest camel and caravan might cross. The Neferher nominally claim these lands as their own, but have not lifted a finger to claim or defend them in centuries.

Economy: The Economy of Neferher relies exclusively on the river of Sikhala. The Sikhala floods regularly and such floods are rarely a surprise- thus farmers can plan their crops by the cycle of the river in the lowlands. Famine is unheard of in Sikhala and most of the Delta's exports come in the form of grains, fruits, and beers. Smaller luxury exports of gold nuggets and ivory from beasts comes from the upriver territories. Despite this natural wealth, the average Neferher peasant lives in squalor serving the Priesthood and the Pharaoh. Many who cannot afford to pay taxes must pay their tithes in labor, working on construction and maintenance of public works.

Army: The Armies of the Pharaohs are a fearsome force on the battlefield when they are called upon. They are not the most numerous- it is forbidden for common folk to bear weapons. They are not the fastest, as calling upon the army is a lengthy process that involves many rituals and the cooperation of the Priest Castes.

But the Armies of the Neferher are terrifying, for they require no sleep and no sustenance. They feel no pride, no anxiety, no jealousy, no fear. They feel nothing- because they are not human.



The warriors of the Neferher Dynasty are preserved beneath the sands of the Kingdom in ancient tombs, great constructs of stone and gold imbued with the souls of the Pharaoh's house guards in lengthy entombing rituals. Every generation a new batch of champions compete for this honor in festivals to the Warrior Goddess Nesp, the greatest among them are granted the honor of slumbering forever beneath the sands until they may be awakened by a descendant of the Sun God Irasha in their hour of great need.

To awaken one of these warriors will see the enchantments eventually broken and their soul freed to travel across the Ghost River, into the afterlife. Thus they are not awakened unless the need is dire, and only in such numbers as the Pharaohs and Priests deem necessary.

Navy:

Traits:

The Loyal Dead: The Armies of the Dynasty lie in wait, buried in great tomb-garrisons along the banks of the Sikhala- the souls of the loyal House Guards bound in these stone sarcophagi. They do not tire in their marches, they do not mutiny against commanders. They need not eat, sleep, or drink. So long as their priest commanders live, they will continue on their mission- and when the Pharaoh declares their campaign ended, the constructs disintegrate into dust.

Priest and Prince, in Accord: The Pharaohs of the Dynasty claim an unbroken lineage back to the Sun God Irasha, but much of their power lies in the hands of the mortal priesthood. The Priest Caste are the ones that perform rituals of Entombing for the great army, they collect taxes and tithes, and they oversee the harvests. While the Pharaohs may be the face of the Dynasty to the outside world, the priests ensure the kingdom runs smoothly- and command the Construct Armies in battle with their mastery of magic. The Pharaoh may awaken and dismiss the armies of the Dynasty- for their entombed souls owe their loyalty to Irasha and his Holy Line- but the Priests maintain their function on the battlefields. If the Priests and the Pharaoh do not agree on a military course of action, the armies will not march.

The Far Kingdom: The Dynasty lies at the heart of a vast swath of salt wastes, an oasis overflowing with food, water and magic- if anyone could only live to reach it by land. Because of its isolation, the Dynasty is comparatively backwards when viewed against the other kingdoms of the world and their economy suffers all the more for it.

Foreign Relations:

Rolls:

Land Area: 4 (+3)
Land Fertility: 20 (+4)
Development: 10 (-3)
Land Power: 19
Naval Power: 4 (+3)
Economy: 9 (+1)
Magical Reserves: 16 (-2)
Magical Sophistication: 15 (-1)
Population (Determined by other rolls): 12

Other: