bloonewb

Game of Thrones : The Pact of Ice and Fire (Always Open)

Thought I saw something about plotting. Getting really excited for the next pan-player collab.

Magic RP (Open to new players)

"Press them back!" shouted various captains, mixed in the chaos of their own collapsing units. The lines slowly changed in favor of the kobolds, as they drove the advancing horde away from the city, step by bloodstained step. Then, the lines just stopped moving. Horrified, Rughoi saw limbs retract themselves into the folds of scales and flesh that is the core of the monstrous form, and as the limbs absorbed themselves, their scales thickened and adopted a mineral sheen. Spearheads broke on scales, and it was the Meratid force's turn to advance.

"Back to the hill!" shouted Rughoi, tugging on the hairs of his mount. The worg roared, and bounded back to a more defensible position. Slowly, the ranks followed, and the Rughids retreated to the hilly terrain behind them. Such a position would be more favorable when the Meratids charge. That is, if they did, and didn't do as they were doing now, which is themselves retreating. They too ran back to their captains on the other side of the field. This eclectic tactical movement confounded Rughoi. What was Merat planning?

Kutur saw the chance such a respite presented. He, feeling Arda's hand guide his own, began muttering a new set of incantations. From the ground rose vaguely humanoid shapes, motes of fire given form. With a high pitched shriek, they leapt at the dracon ranks, jumping on their shoulders and smashing away with their stubby little hands. They set cloth alight and steel under them glowed red hot. Rughoi saw what Kutur was looking at, and took charge.

"Loose!" he shouted, and the archer units, hidden safely behind the front spears, loosed their deadly volleys, pelting dracon and Meratid alike with arrows. A whistle and a puff of smoke answered such aggression, and Kutur could barely get his arcane shields up in time for the fireballs to splash off. Dracon mages. Kutur and the dracons exchanged blasts of fire, but he knew that the shield won't last, and they will soon break. Then, a dull groaning reverberated throughout the battlefield. Kutur threw his hand forth as he had, but only managed to throw air. He clenched his eyes shut waiting for the return volley, but none came. He looked over and the dracon mages had the same quizzical expression he knew he wore. Then, further out, he found the source of the interruption. The Meratids were stomping on the ground and roaring in a strange unison. Looking at them made his head hurt. He moved his hands to cast a spell, but found he could not. Then, in the distance, there was movement. In every Meratid's hand was now a rock. Together, they hurled it, the brunt of it being received by the imperial guard. Boulders smashed into the shield wall, breaking holes into the once-vigilant formation. Would the dracons attack them, or the Meratids?

Magic RP (Open to new players)

"We have a problem," said a captain to Rughoi's left. "Outer scouts have come back with harrowing reports. They claim they've encountered dracon forces, closing in from our sides." Rughoi cursed.

"There goes our flank," he said. "Have skirmishers ready to pare down their numbers. I want the guard to change position, to accommodate for this difficulty. Change positions into box formation. They may try to surround us." The captain nodded. This threw a huge wrench into Rughoi's plan. Merat supporters were few, and Rughoi knew he had the numbers. By having the guard in the center, he had hoped to occupy the monsters, while the cavalry go around to envelop. Now such a task is impossible. "Can you perform the spell again?" Rughoi asked.

"I'll do one better," Kutur responded. More words, followed by another strike of the staff, and a pale red steam began emitting from his free hand. It quickly rose up and became a red cloud, hovering over the battlefield. Then, fireballs and lightning came crashing down on the Meratids. Bolts of light struck Meratid captains again and again, bringing them to their knees.

"Good. The Bythesea archmage taught you well. Have those skirmishers find cover. Those dracons will come over the hills any second now. The more I think about it, the surer I am that the dracons signed a deal with Merat to overthrow me. We have the moral ground, and Arda follows the good."

Magic RP (Open to new players)

It doesn't rain in Traeton, but fog and cloud hung low in the sky, as if the water god Scen himself knew of the evils on the far end. Rughoi shuddered at the thought. His army was great, perhaps the greatest in all kobold history. He could imagine himself now, standing in the shoes of his predecessors. Arjun the Brave, as he did battle against the coalition of all races. Sutam the Conquerer, as he laid siege to a continent. Now Rughoi the Unbound, peering into the darkness, waiting for it to peer back. He looked behind him to marvel at his legion. Holding the center were his own Imperial Arm, consisting of only those who fought and killed dracons in open combat in the assault on Traeton. At the flanks were his newest addition to the army, kobold lancers perched on the backs of frightful worgs. Whatever foe Merat was, he would not prevail today. There, at the end of the mist, shadows danced about the fog, and soon gave way to Merat's irregular form. "The battle is underway," Rughoi said, tapping Kutur's shoulder. "We must make the first strike."

"My Red Disciplines are a little shaky," said Kutur. "But I will not fail you now." He dismounted and raised the gnarled staff in his hand. He began whispering, in words incomprehensible to mortals, yet tapped into the heart of arcane powers. With a shout, he brought down the staff with a THUNK! A low rumble echoed throughout the sandy field, then the sky was rent as if torn by an angry spirit. This was one of Kutur's finest creations, a large mouth from which realms of fire and earth may enter. Lava began raining down on Merat and his forces from the sky. Stones quickly followed, smashing their rank. Fire erupted in columns, all coming from the portal above their heads. Merat's horde was disoriented, flailing with madness at each other or the dirt.

"Form up!" shouted Rughoi. "Advance!"

Game of Thrones : The Pact of Ice and Fire (Always Open)

I used to hate that book prude who keeps shouting me down when I talk about the show. But now I realize with growing horror . . . that I am become book prude, destroyer of fun.

I'm so ashamed of myself.

Magic RP (Open to new players)

"Burn," came Merat's growl. At his command, his arms, too many to count, lobbed stones at the little village. They were covered in oil and set alight, but in his palm it did nothing. His loyalists quickly followed suit, and every building began to burn. Kobold and dracon alike escaped their burning homes, only to stop in their tracks at the vision of these terrible beings. "Come," he whispered, and those fool enough to gaze upon him felt their feet lurch under them, right in their direction. Once they were close enough, they, without any of their own say, brought themselves to their knees. Merat grabbed the nearest one and crammed him into his gaping maw. Blood dripped down his chin, and yet the villagers didn't move. They could not. Together, the Meratids began to feast, one small innocent after another, until not one survived. "Onwards, to Traeton," he ordered. "We are close."

___________________________________

"Your Might! News from Magister Kutur!" shouted a messenger, interrupting Rughoi's response. "He's gone into a fit of hysterics, but before that, he had something to say to you!" Rughoi abandoned the intruders, running to Kutur's study. He burst open the door, to find Kutur rolling around on the floor, foaming at the mouth. Rughoi grabbed him and shook him, and this seemed to return the little kobold to his self.

"What was it?" he asked, the fear showing in his voice.

"Merat . . . Your Might," he gasped. "He's marching on the city, with dark forces at his back."

"Assemble the legion!" Rughoi shouted, and the messenger hastened to comply. "Bring us battle worgs! Kutur, I want you at my side for this." Kutur nodded, and Rughoi helped him to his feet. He ran back to his mother, and quickly embraced her. "Stay within the city walls," he said. "Don't leave them. This could be dangerous." Then he ran to address the army.

Dragon's Mask

And there was much rejoicing.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚛𝚍𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚜

How do I get my sigil from the site to here?

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚛𝚍𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚜

@DeadbeatWalking I have the latest java (v 8.131), but the sigil tool won't run.

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚛𝚍𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚜

Unfinished as yet. Saving here so it doesn't get lost from a blackout or something.

(flag goes here, once I figure it out)
"Red gold"

The Guild of Traders, Raiders, and Pirates, Rulers of Freehaven

Nation Name
The Pirate Republic of Freehaven

Ethnic Peoples
Pirates of various cultural backgrounds, but mostly of Willic descent

Culture

Geography

The land is simply ideal for sailing. The winds tend to blow southwards, and most of the borders are marked by sandy coastline. Perfect for a shipmaking and raiding culture. The sun does not seem to favor the land, however, and clouds hang low over the peninsula on a regular day. Thick fog would often cover the ground in the mornings, leading to the common saying "don't cast out

History
The city known today as Freehaven has since the First age been used as a center of illicit dealings since the early Second Age. At the end of Ardall's Conquest, a governor of the empire was sent to manage the small peninsula in the west upon which the village of Willicik sat. Of course, this did not sit well with the Willic natives, and they quickly revolted and killed the governor and his small retinue. When the time came for the governor to report back to the emperor, the Willic chose from between themselves a local representative to speak at Rhaetia, under the claim of the governor catching a local sickness. Years passed, and this eventually became accepted among the lords at the capital. Willicik, after all, was a small and uncontrollable peninsula that had little in the way of tax or city development. Therefore, the Willic people enjoyed quite a bit of local autonomy, so long as the tax coins went back to the capital safely. On the few occasions when the emperors saw fit to attempt a takeover of the village, the Willic sent a small army to hold them at the pass, while everyone else simply hopped into their boats, made in a superior design to other boats of the First Age, and cast off to sea, untraceable by the Arda army. When they burned the village down and left, the Willic would simply return and rebuild.

Eventually, the Arda culture diffused with the local Willic. The village grew into a trade town, and more and more of the locals began calling it Freehaven. During the Ardall Empire's years, Freehaven grew notorious for its free trade, which allowed for many objects to be bought and sold within its limits normally forbidden closer to the center. When the armies came to prevent such trading, they employed the classic block-and-ship strategy, and the empire could do nothing about it. A larger problem would always show up, and the town always sent its obligatory tribute, making it a rather small priority.

It was in the Great Uprising that Freehaven showed its true affinity for the sea. In the beginning, Freehaven was theoretically on the side of the empire, but they made a token effort at best. However, where the loyalists saw a dirty uncivilized horde that clung too much to its First Age roots, the rebellion found a potential key factor in the war. They paid off the chief-elect to change sides, and soon the famous Freehaven ships created a huge blockade on major trade cities within the empire, sieging them at sea while the other powers did so from land. They sunk ships, burned docks, and eventually the cities were forced to surrender. When the chief heard of this, he saw an opportunity for wealth, and organized some of the most skilled of his raiders into a guild. Soon after the rebellion, the guild grew in power until they overthrew the chief, establishing the pirate republic.

Still, after the fall of the Ardall Empire, Freehaven is a popular stop for its lax contraband laws, so long as the incoming ships wave the right series of flags to indicate trade. Otherwise, most tend to steer clear of the western seas, for fear of their ship's hulls becoming suddenly lighter.

Guild Name
The Guild of Traders, Raiders, and Pirates

Guild Members
Prinz-Elect Terry "Bloody" Akka
Captain Eddie "Axegrind" Tiller
Captain Charles "No-Scalp" Wheelwright

Guild Words
Red Gold - Simple and to the point, like the people of Freehaven, "Red Gold" simply means that if there is wealth, there will be blood.

City Sigil

Guild Centre

Guild Heirloom

City Themes

Capital City

Banner Ships
The Guild has no vassals, per say, but registered captains all must pay a tribute to the Guild, and in turn, they may also fight in the cities name as well as their own. This mock vassalage of ship captains gives them rights within city limits that crew members or residents don't have, so arguably they are a pirate nobility of sorts. There are too many to count and label.