bloonewb

Magic RP (Open to new players)

"Art and architecture. You certainly know the quickest way to a girl's heart," Ardasa said. She walked up to the door and felt along the engravings with an outstretched claw. It was as if she could feel the presence of the god shown within, his unbridled power and anger pouring from where the chisel carved into the metal. "Wow . . . it must have taken forever to do all this," she said, her eyes passing from god to god. "There must be thousands of them."

She eventually managed to will herself away from the gates and into the domain proper of the temple. On the inside was a beautiful harmony of nature and artifice. Vines grew on metal poles, clinging so tight that they nearly became one. Hedges grew so thick and so tall that they formed mazes of the entire square, with vibrant flowers jutting out at every point. Priests bustled this way and that, some in hushed conversation and others in complete silence. Somehow, she knew it was best not to bother any of them, and instead set her sights on the temple itself.

Magic RP (Open to new players)

Ardasa could feel her excitement growing. "We've never had paladins. Not in the north at least. I'd never seen metal abundant enough to be made into armor until I was married, funny enough." She laughed. "Worgs, too, only some of the invincible tribes kept a pack of. Not my father, though. It really is wondrous how far we've come."

The great temple seemed to be less a place of worship and more a place of war. A stone wall surrounded it, thick as any around a castle and at least twice as high, and yet its towers still managed to soar above it like giants. If Ardasa squinted, she could just make out the tiny forms of armored guards, standing at the ready at the very tops of every structure. They leered down at every moving thing below them, but as the entourage came forward, all their eyes were glued on Ternoc. "Lead on, Your Majesty," Ardasa said, feeling minuscule before the massive gate plated in copper.

Dulce et Decorum Est - A WWI Inspired NRP (dead for now)

Borealis House, outside the capital city of Zanateyin
1910 January 17

The hall was too loud and too hot. The debates, as they were apparently still regarded as, had gone on for much of the entire day, as satraps from all across the shahdom glare at each other in either grim silence or eruptions of shouting. Who was on the side of who was a question perhaps nobody in the room knew the answer to. The faint stench of corruption hung over the room, the smell of sweat and musk and evil. Shah Tivaz had an arm propped on his knee, with his face resting upon his palm. The throne, while magnificent, hurt to sit on, especially after twelve solid hours of impure feeling.

"Perhaps you had misunderstood me. I am making perfect sense, yet the camel's nose you call your brain seems to have mixed up my words," growled Satrap Oramush. His hand had not left the hilt of his sword in the last hour. "It is the unholy peoples in Etresna that seek the destruction of our harmony with the gods and their world. They offend the very essence of the universe with their great buildings of metal, and invite corruption into their hearts by partaking in their intoxicants. I will not tolerate it! This is our universe we are talking about! We will join arms with Kratoria, and smash their decadence to the ground, else we all pay for it when the reckoning comes."

"Your old donkey eyes may not see more than three years behind you, but we the people of merit have within our lives picked up a book and read about the past," responded Satrap Kazosh. His hand clutched his own beard so tightly that hairs were beginning to peel off of his face. "Kratoria is the enemy, you will find. Hundreds of years past, they have stormed our shores and killed our ancestors. Estresna has given us nothing but good will, and you expect us to return honor with hate? How can you all yourself a man from gods if you treat neighbors the way you treat fiends?"

"Were you to pull your head from your own anus, you would finally see the world around you," shouted Satrap Bahar, her eyes boring into Satrap Kazosh's face. "It would take any of our ships many days to reach either of those nations, and thus would be true for theirs to reach us. To seek a fight on far shores makes us no better than the warmongering Qaroitn heretics, and unless you have taken leave of good sense, you would turn your armies towards them. Furthermore, you son of a rabbit, the-"

"Enough!" shouted Shah Tivaz, speaking for the first time since the sun passed over noon. "I've heard enough! You all have been saying the exact same thing since the early morning, and nobody's mind has changed!" The entire room went silent. Nobody dared to interrupt when the shah spoke, even a young one such as he. He pointed an accusing finger at each satrap as he continued. "It is you who are bringing impurity into this world, not the foreigners! You and your anger and your hate! Begone! Get out of my palace!" Quietly, each satrap bowed before the king and exited with nary a word. When the room was empty and silent once more, Shah Tivaz stood up, rubbing his aching buttocks.

"The stupid rat," grumbled Satrap Bahar, as she strode out of the throne room. With the wave of a hand, two guards detached themselves from the walls and followed her, spears in hand. She continued to rant about the shah, as she descended the many flights of stairs that separated the meeting room with the front gates. All the while, the guards kept perfect step with the pace of her own feet. " . . . hardly a Kehmeyid. That is my throne by the rights of the gods. I bear the same name. I am as much Kehmeyid as . . . what?" She stopped, realizing for the first time that her guards were gone. She tried to turn, reaching for the sword at her hip, but it was too late. A blade plunged into the back of her neck, cutting off her ability to scream.

"Satrap Oramush has heard enough of your treason," whispered a voice in her ear. Satrap Bahar tried to reply, but all that came out was a low gurgle. She collapsed in the halls, and bled to death upon the red carpeting. Her killer removed the sword, and began hacking her corpse into small pieces, filling a shoulder bag with the recognizable features. He opened a window, and threw the rest out. The stray cats will have them be rid of by the end of the day. He turned, and quickly descended the remainder of the stairs. It is time to report back to his master, and make ready for war across the seas.

TL;DR Edition

The council of satraps argue, but get nothing done, and a satrap is assassinated.

Magic RP (Open to new players)

"How are they so different?" Ardasa asked. The priest's words were so hard to ignore. She had to do something, anything to put her mind off it.
_______________________________________________
"Yes you will," said the corpse. His razor claw stretched a line across his neck, letting blood and unspeakable fleshy parts spill out. "The empire is cut, from neck to temple. If even the rebellion against the dracon is housed by dracon, then we the kobolds are already lost.

"I know not of what you speak," Kutur said, clutching his sheets around himself. "Rughoi is our emperor, and he has already won."

"This is our continent. We did not tunnel for so many generations to find at the end a slavemaster with a whip," said Arjun. He crossed the room, letting the blood trail behind him as he went. "It is they who invaded us. So long as even one remains, we are oppressed. You feel the fire in you, it wants to come out and see justic-"

Kutur awoke, feeling too warm in his sheets. The dream comes to him every night, tormenting him. He rubbed his eyes and got out of bed, pulling a book from the shelf. He felt so alone, trapped inside his own head with a beast he only vaguely understands. Something long and dreary might help dispel the horrors that night keeps. Yet, as he flipped through the book, he could not even find solace in the workings of magic. Something was wrong, very wrong. He put on a robe and bustled out of his door. He needed to see priestess Kali about this.

Dulce et Decorum Est - A WWI Inspired NRP (dead for now)

Shahdom of Kera-Bijan

Name of Nation: Shahdom of Kera-Bijan

Government: Constitutional Monarchy - While the shah is a hereditary title, the satraps under him are elected by the common people, as part of a series of liberalization reforms placed by previous shahs. Succession is a difficult matter, with sister assassinating brother for a place in line for the crown and civil wars brewing mere hours after death.

Species: While the overwhelming majority of the Kera-Bijani are regular humans, there do exist a large majority of oddities within the outlying regions of the shahdom. There are places where magic is strong, and the climate harsh, so much so that the settlers there have begun to change form to adapt. Those living in the plateaus have become short and thin, so much so that an adult of the mountain people is about the size of a child in the cities. On the other end of the spectrum, those that settled in the steppes have grown into giants, easily reaching three meters, and have gained the ability to subsist on the grass itself. All three races identify strongly as human.

Population: The population tends to hover around 50 million people, held steady by the unforgiving environment and the constant border disputes between satraps. While the colonization of the region did cause a population boom, the occupying forces have by and large returned to their homes.

Culture and History

Culture: The Kera-Bijani faith revolves around five gods, they being Wise Fire, Wise Water, Wise Air, Wise Wood, and Wise Metal. Originally, the five kept supreme control over the universe, and the humans lived in paradise. The gods created a human, who was in all ways virtuous, and they, proud of their work, created a second. The second, however, was envious of the love the first shared with the gods, and sought to disturb their sacred relationship. That second human worked day and night, creating a weapon to destroy the universe, which upon creation he named dishonesty. The moment he spoke the first lie, from his mouth sprang five deities of evil, Corrupt Fire, Corrupt Water, Corrupt Wood, Corrupt Air, and Corrupt Metal.

The good gods found themselves outnumbered. There are five deities protecting nature, but six, five plus the evil human, trying to destroy it. So from their minds cam a prophecy, telling of a shah who will one day deify himself by leading a life of maximum purity. When that day comes, each good god will slay his evil counterpart, and take supreme control over the universe again, with a sixth and most supreme member within their ranks.

It is under this faith that the three peoples of Kera-Bijan stand behind, it bringing each other together and unifying them against enemy forces. The lives of every subject, barring the least pious ones, revolve around adhering to the texts written by the gods themselves, the first human, and the many philosopher-shahs from eons past. The texts speak highly of a purity of the self, as well as a harmonious relationship with nature and the five pure forms, and to manipulate nature in any way is considered an affront to the purity of the relevant form. People are encouraged to live simply, to honor others, and to be forever honest.

Magic, too, is considered sacred, and is viewed as the will of the gods upon earth. Temples prominently feature magic crystals in their sacrifice, feeding it to fire, sprinkling it in lakes and on the earth, and scattering its fine powder into the very air. Some consider the use of magic the only pure way to manipulate the environment, while others claim that to use it is sacrilege in itself. The most recent shahs, however, tend to lean towards the former side, and thus the latter side has chosen to be silent as of late.

History: There was once a time when the city people were also many infighting tribes, distrustful of both the mountain people and the steppe people. That was nearly two thousand years ago, and a time no Kera-Bijani looks upon with much respect. From this soup of diffusion and war came a legendary figure, Demes Kehmeyid, who the priests said from birth was destined. He expanded both his dynasty and his land through genius military tactic and even more genius diplomacy. When he conquered the land held by an enemy tribe, he declared its chief his own brother, and forced their family to take on the Kehmeyid name. Through this, he fostered brotherhood within all of the chiefdoms, and declared himself the first shah of the Kera-Bijan Peninsula. He was assassinated but five months into his rule, and replaced with one of the conquered chiefs, but the dynasty survived.

It was the second shah's third son, Vedad Kehmeyid, who expanded his territory to include the steppe and mountain people. It was through his strong faith and charisma that many clans joined his cause, following proselytization and integration of their cultures. Those who didn't join the shahdom were violently subject to genocide, the remaining ones loyal to both faith and shah.

Five hundred years of relative stability followed, and assassinations within the satrapies and royal family reached record minimums, although never quite reaching non-existence. However, when a magnificent fleet sailed over the horizon, carrying an army from a far-off land, that peace was over. War tore apart the peninsula, with the invading army cutting swaths of territory out of the shahdom for themselves, even driving the royal family out of the capital and killing the reigning shahbanu, three of her brothers, and nine of her sisters.

The people, however, rallied again, under the hero Bandaves Kehmeyid, and pushed the now-depleted foreign army back into the sea. In the process, they captured documents, maps, and jewelry, all speaking of a land far west, rich in all goods and developing in all sciences. The foreigners came from a land called Kratoria, and their neighbors were many. The newly-crowned Shah Bandaves immediately set to work building a grand and mighty fleet, that he may trade and conquer in this new world. He died before he would realize his dream, assassinated by his cousin, and the project was cut before it was completely realized.

It was following the rebellion against the Kratorians that the northern peoples, led by the race-purist separatist Satrap Qaro, defied Shah Bandaves' successor and rebelled. Qaro launched brutal genocides against the steppe and mountain people living in his and his allies' satrapies, claiming to want to restore the pure human race. Those few who survived escaped southwards and eastwards into Kera-Bijani land, as armies serving under the shah advanced northward to reintegrate the revolting satrapies. He and the next four shahs would die over the course of thirty years in combat against the new realm of Qaroitn.

Eventually, the dust settled, and while skirmishes and raids still exist along the borderlands of the two rival nations, a relative peace has established itself, in no small part due to war exhaustion on both ends. The shahbanu finally completed the task of creating a trade fleet and navy, and sent them westward on a voyage of exploration and trading. Twenty long years passed, and within that time the shahbanu that sent the voyage was assassinated and replaced, before the fleet returned. It was laden with goods and stories, nearly all wondrous and in admiration of the western world. With the exotic trade goods they brought back, the shahdom entered another five centuries of relative peace and isolation.

This peace was broken by the arrival of the island foreigners on two fronts. Those who landed in the cities demanded to be brought before the shah himself, offering gifts of glasswork and bitter herbs in exchange for food. The shah and the present satraps agreed, creating a flourishing trade relationship with their homeland, the islands of Faenaria. Those who landed on the steppes, however, saw less fortune. The steppe peoples, fearful of the alien races that have come to their shores, launched an attack upon the new settlement, hoping to plunder them of their riches and drive them back to sea. The shah had to personally lead an army against his own people, just to preserve the valuable products coming in from the islands. The battle was considered a black day on the honor of both the faith and the royal family, and led to nearly a century of distrust between the steppe tribes and the city people before the new shahbanu could repair it.

Regardless, the islands brought in products from the western world that revolutionized life in Kera-Bijan, not least of which was the firearm. To use it was a controversial practice, with the traditionalists calling it an unforgivable affront and the radicals hailing it as a step forward for the nation. Further controversies were sparked with the arrival of magical weapons, ironside ships, and factories. However, they passed into public use anyways, headed by the progress-oriented shahs and satraps of the last century.

It was from this period of rapid modernization that riots broke out in all the major cities, calling for an end to the appointment of satraps. They demanded a voice in the government, the way Kratorians would appoint their senates by the majority of people agreeing upon it. The shahbanu, fearing for her nation's stability, approved of this concept and set to negotiating a term length and limit. However, she was found dead before anything was agreed upon, and her successor set the term to life, with the promise that it would be sorted out. He was assassinated soon after.

It is his second daughter's first son, Tivaz Kehmeyid, that rules now as the current shah. Two elder sisters came before him, but they were killed. Now he, but fourteen, has been thrust upon the throne, and the country holds their breath, awaiting his response to the impending crisis.

Economy and Technology

Economy: Kera-Bijan is hardly an industrial nation. Its religion discourages the building of factories and encourages the open lifestyle of the farm, making large businesses incompatible with the Kera-Bijani way of living. Despite that, modernization is an inevitable process, and textile manufacturing has in large part moved from the homes to the workplaces. Cloths of all kinds are worked in large quantities in the trading cities, from cotton to silk, linen, and flax. Robes and carpets and stockings and even Kratorian-style togas are plentiful within the empire and exported in large quantities to its neighbors.

There is little to no oil in Kera-Bijani grounds, and even if there were, to make use of it is sacrilege. Perhaps the gods themselves knew this, for they filled the land with two elements; gold, and magic. It was once said that a man could walk along the surface and collect enough magical stones to fill a basket. Even today, it takes a minimal amount of mining to come out of any Kera-Bijani mountain, arms laden with gold nuggets and magic crystals. It helps, then, to have a valuable neighbor in their neighbor, Faenaria, who buys products from both ends of the world and trades it to much-needed hands on the other side, allowing Kera-Bijan to on some level keep up with their western contemporaries.

Technology: As far as technology goes, Kera-Bijan is not going to be leading the world any time soon. Much of the technology active within the shahdom are nearly half a century out of date, and their design is often borrowed from their neighbors. Most importantly, factions led by traditionalist satraps actively attempt to block state support for advances in technology, on the grounds that tampering with the ways of nature is an unforgivable affront to the five gods. Modern forms of weaponry, such as the explosive shell and the machine gun, are beyond the minds of the Kera-Bijani scientists, and what technology does is often substituted with magic, considered by all to be more harmonious.

Military

Army: Working metal to produce swords and guns, while technically an affront to the purity of metal, is by sheer necessity tolerated within the shahdom. The world progresses forth in technology, some aspects of the life of purity will inevitably be left behind, and the army understands this better than any. The Storm Guard is the backbone of the Kera-Bijani army, comprised of riflemen fighting in a lockstep formation. Accompanying them is the Wildfire Corps, skirmishers and snipers tasked with harrying the opponent before they meet with the Storm Guard. However, the pride of the Kera-Bijani army is in its cavalry, the Iron Cataphracts, a swift force capable of shooting from horseback.

Armies are led traditionally by the shah and his satraps, and this practice is still in effect today. The royal family is fortunately populous, for the loss of a shah in open combat is all too common a tragedy. The satraps, though in service for life upon election, tend not to survive longer than a single decade, and elections are common.

The cavalry is equipped with early forms of shotguns, breech loaded and single shot, very often short-barreled. The gun is intended to be fired from horseback, where the soldier could beat a hasty retreat out of an enemy's accurate range. It is, within the bounds of the shahdom, state of the art, and devastating when used against the ranked formations commonly seen in the eastern continent. Infantry is given a modified form of early Kratorian rifles, out of date in the modern age, equipped with a revolver's ammo reserve so that it may fire six times in quick succession. Skirmishers have the worst of it. While their rifles are the longest ranged weapons of the three army branches, they are even more out of date than the infantry guns, and tend to misfire in dusty or wet conditions.

Navy: The Kera-Bijani have a sizable navy, though a little old fashioned. The primary material used to build them are wood, made from trees specially grown along the coast. The trees have been twisted by magic, in a manner which encourages them to grow into the shape of a ship. When they are considered large enough to hold a crew, the tree is uprooted in a way that allows them to fall in the water, ready for sailing. Although a significant affront to the purity of metal, the navy has done extensive research regarding ironclad ships, and all but the most tradition-minded of admirals keep ironclad fleets propelled by magical means.

The guns on a Kera-Bijani ship, however, are wildly out of date. Most, if not all, ships were broadsides, and the cannons used on them are most often fireball cannons and 36-pound shells, with the intention of softening up an enemy's metal before pounding them in. The Kera-Bijani do not keep explosive shells, as that is an affront to both fire and metal too great to be tolerated.

Air Force: The idea of humans flying is repulsive to the Kera-Bijani, as it is an affront to the purity of air. They keep no air force, and regard poorly those who do.

Rolls

Territory: 3+6 (9) Your nation is decently sized, with room for cities and lots of farmland to support your population.
Tech: (9) Your nation is still antiquated, but modernization is about to begin or in its beginning stages.
Army Size: 9+4 (13) Your army is well-sized, and maintained on a year-round basis.
Economy: 16+1 (17) Your economy is well-off, and a majority of what needs to be funded is.
Production: 7-1 (6) Your nation is somewhat agrarian, with okay natural resource exploitation.
Navy Size: (14) You have a decently sized navy, with a fairly militarized portion.
Airforce Size: 5-4 (1) You have no air force.
Magic: (18) Your nation is a leader in magical development and use, almost second to none. Your prowess with magic allows you to neglect the technological side of things, compensating for an absence of modern artillery with fireball launchers, scant telecommunications with short distance scrying and telepathy.
Mobilization: (16) It takes a month to mobilize.

Traits
Society of Purity: The Kera-Bijani people find that the purity of the body is the highest state of being one may strive to be. They shun intoxicants, such as alcohol and drugs, so as not to corrupt their own bodies and invite evil to fester within. The society strongly looks down upon both excessive gluttony or excessive temperance, and the food is never inflicted with preservatives. Purity of the body is only as strong as purity of the mind, and thus the Kera-Bijani reinforce their purity of mind through good works. They dare not speak dishonesty for fear of weakening the integrity of the universe, and treat their neighbors with respect and good spirit. Most importantly, they keep their environment clean, minimizing waste within the things they use and caring for the living things, for it is they who hold up the five gods.

Might and Magic: Although the technology sector of the Kera-Bijani world flounders, its magical world flourishes. Ley lines stretch across the nation, allowing instant contact between the shah and his satraps as far away as the steppes and as high up as the tallest plateaus. Water, scarce on the surface, is willed up from deep reserves where other peoples would have to drill for it, seeping through the ground upwards to where crops may access it. Magic pushes the pistons that make Kera-Bijani ships go, and enables the deadly fire cannons that keep the navy strong. It is because of this power that the shahdom is still has voice in the world, and its neighbors would do well to listen.

Brotherhood Among Humanity: In many respects, the life of the city people and that of the steppe and mountain peoples are vastly different. The city people are content to build, develop, and trade with foreign species and races. They are proud of their communities, and live social lives. The other two are anything but. The steppe peoples have a long history of conflict with their neighbors in Faenaria, often raiding over the borders with the intent of killing the non-humans. They do not tend to build anything larger than a yurt, and live nomadic clan-oriented lifestyles. The mountain people are even more hostile to outsiders, living either alone or in small family units. They, unlike the herbivorous steppe people, are strictly carnivorous, and raise great herds of mountain goats to eat and trade with the city people. The city people view the mountain people and the steppe people as brothers, and the feeling is mutual, but the mountain people and the steppe people each regard the other as something alien, and thus tend towards animosity regarding one another.

Foreign Relations
Faenaria: Excellent. They are Kera-Bijan's primary trade partner.
Etresna: Good enough. They have a working trade relation.
Kratoria: Fair. Since the conquest, there has been some diffusion between the two.
Qaroitn: Very hostile. Kera-Bijani are honor-bound to kill Qaroitn on sight.

Dulce et Decorum Est - A WWI Inspired NRP (dead for now)

Shahdom of Kera-Bijan

Name of Nation: Shahdom of Kera-Bijan

Government: Constitutional Monarchy - While the shah is a hereditary title, the satraps under him are elected by the common people, as part of a series of liberalization reforms placed by previous shahs. Succession is a difficult matter, with sister assassinating brother for a place in line for the crown and civil wars brewing mere hours after death.

Species: While the overwhelming majority of the Kera-Bijani are regular humans, there do exist a large majority of oddities within the outlying regions of the shahdom. There are places where magic is strong, and the climate harsh, so much so that the settlers there have begun to change form to adapt. Those living in the plateaus have become short and thin, so much so that an adult of the mountain people is about the size of a child in the cities. On the other end of the spectrum, those that settled in the steppes have grown into giants, easily reaching three meters, and have gained the ability to subsist on the grass itself. All three races identify strongly as human. The city people view the mountain people and the steppe people as brothers, and the feeling is mutual, but the mountain people and the steppe people tend towards animosity regarding one another.

Population: The population tends to hover around 50 million people, held steady by the unforgiving environment and the constant border disputes between satraps. While the colonization of the region did cause a population boom, the occupying forces have by and large returned to their homes.

Culture and History

Culture: The Kera-Bijani faith revolves around five gods, they being Wise Fire, Wise Water, Wise Air, Wise Wood, and Wise Metal. Originally, the five kept supreme control over the universe, and the humans lived in paradise. The gods created a human, who was in all ways virtuous, and they, proud of their work, created a second. The second, however, was envious of the love the first shared with the gods, and sought to disturb their sacred relationship. That second human worked day and night, creating a weapon to destroy the universe, which upon creation he named dishonesty. The moment he spoke the first lie, from his mouth sprang five deities of evil, Corrupt Fire, Corrupt Water, Corrupt Wood, Corrupt Air, and Corrupt Metal.

The good gods found themselves outnumbered. There are five deities protecting nature, but six, five plus the evil human, trying to destroy it. So from their minds cam a prophecy, telling of a shah who will one day deify himself by leading a life of maximum purity. When that day comes, each good god will slay his evil counterpart, and take supreme control over the universe again, with a sixth and most supreme member within their ranks.

It is under this faith that the three peoples of Kera-Bijan stand behind, it bringing each other together and unifying them against enemy forces. The lives of every subject, barring the least pious ones, revolve around adhering to the texts written by the gods themselves, the first human, and the many philosopher-shahs from eons past. The texts speak highly of a purity of the self, as well as a harmonious relationship with nature and the five pure forms, and to manipulate nature in any way is considered an affront to the purity of the relevant form. People are encouraged to live simply, to honor others, and to be forever honest.

Magic, too, is considered sacred, and is viewed as the will of the gods upon earth. Temples prominently feature magic crystals in their sacrifice, feeding it to fire, sprinkling it in lakes and on the earth, and scattering its fine powder into the very air. Some consider the use of magic the only pure way to manipulate the environment, while others claim that to use it is sacrilege in itself. The most recent shahs, however, tend to lean towards the former side, and thus the latter side has chosen to be silent as of late.

In many respects, the life of the city people and that of the steppe and mountain peoples are vastly different. The city people are content to build, develop, and trade with foreign species and races. They are proud of their communities, and live social lives. The other two are anything but. The steppe peoples have a long history of conflict with their neighbors in Faenaria, often raiding over the borders with the intent of killing the non-humans. They do not tend to build anything larger than a yurt, and live nomadic clan-oriented lifestyles. The mountain people are even more hostile to outsiders, living either alone or in small family units. They, unlike the herbivorous steppe people, are strictly carnivorous, and raise great herds of mountain goats to eat and trade with the city people. Both of them consider themselves human, and the other as something alien, and thus never come into contact amicably.

History: There was once a time when the city people were also many infighting tribes, distrustful of both the mountain people and the steppe people. That was nearly two thousand years ago, and a time no Kera-Bijani looks upon with much respect. From this soup of diffusion and war came a legendary figure, Demes Kehmeyid, who the priests said from birth was destined. He expanded both his dynasty and his land through genius military tactic and even more genius diplomacy. When he conquered the land held by an enemy tribe, he declared its chief his own brother, and forced their family to take on the Kehmeyid name. Through this, he fostered brotherhood within all of the chiefdoms, and declared himself the first shah of the Kera-Bijan Peninsula. He was assassinated but five months into his rule, and replaced with one of the conquered chiefs, but the dynasty survived.

It was the second shah's third son, Vedad Kehmeyid, who expanded his territory to include the steppe and mountain people. It was through his strong faith and charisma that many clans joined his cause, following proselytization and integration of their cultures. Those who didn't join the shahdom were violently subject to genocide, the remaining ones loyal to both faith and shah.

Five hundred years of relative stability followed, and assassinations within the satrapies and royal family reached record minimums, although never quite reaching non-existence. However, when a magnificent fleet sailed over the horizon, carrying an army from a far-off land, that peace was over. War tore apart the peninsula, with the invading army cutting swaths of territory out of the shahdom for themselves, even driving the royal family out of the capital and killing the reigning shahbanu, three of her brothers, and nine of her sisters.

The people, however, rallied again, under the hero Bandaves Kehmeyid, and pushed the now-depleted foreign army back into the sea. In the process, they captured documents, maps, and jewelry, all speaking of a land far west, rich in all goods and developing in all sciences. The foreigners came from a land called Kratoria, and their neighbors were many. The newly-crowned Shah Bandaves immediately set to work building a grand and mighty fleet, that he may trade and conquer in this new world. He died before he would realize his dream, assassinated by his cousin, and the project was cut before it was completely realized.

It was following the rebellion against the Kratorians that the northern peoples, led by the race-purist separatist Satrap Qaro, defied Shah Bandaves' successor and rebelled. Qaro launched brutal genocides against the steppe and mountain people living in his and his allies' satrapies, claiming to want to restore the pure human race. Those few who survived escaped southwards and eastwards into Kera-Bijani land, as armies serving under the shah advanced northward to reintegrate the revolting satrapies. He and the next four shahs would die over the course of thirty years in combat against the new realm of Qaroitn.

Eventually, the dust settled, and while skirmishes and raids still exist along the borderlands of the two rival nations, a relative peace has established itself, in no small part due to war exhaustion on both ends. The shahbanu finally completed the task of creating a trade fleet and navy, and sent them westward on a voyage of exploration and trading. Twenty long years passed, and within that time the shahbanu that sent the voyage was assassinated and replaced, before the fleet returned. It was laden with goods and stories, nearly all wondrous and in admiration of the western world. With the exotic trade goods they brought back, the shahdom entered another five centuries of relative peace and isolation.

This peace was broken by the arrival of the island foreigners on two fronts. Those who landed in the cities demanded to be brought before the shah himself, offering gifts of glasswork and bitter herbs in exchange for food. The shah and the present satraps agreed, creating a flourishing trade relationship with their homeland, the islands of Faenaria. Those who landed on the steppes, however, saw less fortune. The steppe peoples, fearful of the alien races that have come to their shores, launched an attack upon the new settlement, hoping to plunder them of their riches and drive them back to sea. The shah had to personally lead an army against his own people, just to preserve the valuable products coming in from the islands. The battle was considered a black day on the honor of both the faith and the royal family, and led to nearly a century of distrust between the steppe tribes and the city people before the new shahbanu could repair it.

Regardless, the islands brought in products from the western world that revolutionized life in Kera-Bijan, not least of which was the firearm. To use it was a controversial practice, with the traditionalists calling it an unforgivable affront and the radicals hailing it as a step forward for the nation. Further controversies were sparked with the arrival of magical weapons, ironside ships, and factories. However, they passed into public use anyways, headed by the progress-oriented shahs and satraps of the last century.

It was from this period of rapid modernization that riots broke out in all the major cities, calling for an end to the appointment of satraps. They demanded a voice in the government, the way Kratorians would appoint their senates by the majority of people agreeing upon it. The shahbanu, fearing for her nation's stability, approved of this concept and set to negotiating a term length and limit. However, she was found dead before anything was agreed upon, and her successor set the term to life, with the promise that it would be sorted out. He was assassinated soon after.

It is his second daughter's first son, Tivaz Kehmeyid, that rules now as the current shah. Two elder sisters came before him, but they were killed. Now he, but fourteen, has been thrust upon the throne, and the country holds their breath, awaiting his response to the impending crisis.

Economy and Technology

Economy: Kera-Bijan is hardly an industrial nation. Its religion discourages the building of factories and encourages the open lifestyle of the farm, making large businesses incompatible with the Kera-Bijani way of living. Despite that, modernization is an inevitable process, and textile manufacturing has in large part moved from the homes to the workplaces. Cloths of all kinds are worked in large quantities in the trading cities, from cotton to silk, linen, and flax. Robes and carpets and stockings and even Kratorian-style togas are plentiful within the empire and exported in large quantities to its neighbors.

There is little to no oil in Kera-Bijani grounds, and even if there were, to make use of it is sacrilege. Perhaps the gods themselves knew this, for they filled the land with two elements; gold, and magic. It was once said that a man could walk along the surface and collect enough magical stones to fill a basket. Even today, it takes a minimal amount of mining to come out of any Kera-Bijani mountain, arms laden with gold nuggets and magic crystals. It helps, then, to have a valuable neighbor in their neighbor, Faenaria, who buys products from both ends of the world and trades it to much-needed hands on the other side, allowing Kera-Bijan to on some level keep up with their western contemporaries.

Technology: As far as technology goes, Kera-Bijan is not going to be leading the world any time soon. Much of the technology active within the shahdom are nearly half a century out of date, and their design is often borrowed from their neighbors. Most importantly, factions led by traditionalist satraps actively attempt to block state support for advances in technology, on the grounds that tampering with the ways of nature is an unforgivable affront to the five gods. Modern forms of weaponry, such as the explosive shell and the machine gun, are beyond the minds of the Kera-Bijani scientists, and what technology does is often substituted with magic, considered by all to be more harmonious.

Although the technology sector of the Kera-Bijani world flounders, its magical world flourishes. Ley lines stretch across the nation, allowing instant contact between the shah and his satraps as far away as the steppes and as high up as the tallest plateaus. Water, scarce on the surface, is willed up from deep reserves where other peoples would have to drill for it, seeping through the ground upwards to where crops may access it. Magic pushes the pistons that make Kera-Bijani ships go, and enables the deadly fire cannons that keep the navy strong. It is because of this power that the shah is still has voice in the world, and others would do well to listen.

Military

Army: Working metal to produce swords and guns, while technically an affront to the purity of metal, is by sheer necessity tolerated within the shahdom. The world progresses forth in technology, some aspects of the life of purity will inevitably be left behind, and the army understands this better than any. The Storm Guard is the backbone of the Kera-Bijani army, comprised of riflemen fighting in a lockstep formation. Accompanying them is the Wildfire Corps, skirmishers and snipers tasked with harrying the opponent before they meet with the Storm Guard. However, the pride of the Kera-Bijani army is in its cavalry, the Iron Cataphracts, a swift force capable of shooting from horseback.

Armies are led traditionally by the shah and his satraps, and this practice is still in effect today. The royal family is fortunately populous, for the loss of a shah in open combat is all too common a tragedy. The satraps, though in service for life upon election, tend not to survive longer than a single decade, and elections are common.

The cavalry is equipped with early forms of shotguns, breech loaded and single shot, very often short-barreled. The gun is intended to be fired from horseback, where the soldier could beat a hasty retreat out of an enemy's accurate range. It is, within the bounds of the shahdom, state of the art, and devastating when used against the ranked formations commonly seen in the eastern continent. Infantry is given a modified form of early Kratorian rifles, out of date in the modern age, equipped with a revolver's ammo reserve so that it may fire six times in quick succession. Skirmishers have the worst of it. While their rifles are the longest ranged weapons of the three army branches, they are even more out of date than the infantry guns, and tend to misfire in dusty or wet conditions.

Navy: The Kera-Bijani have a sizable navy, though a little old fashioned. The primary material used to build them are wood, made from trees specially grown along the coast. The trees have been twisted by magic, in a manner which encourages them to grow into the shape of a ship. When they are considered large enough to hold a crew, the tree is uprooted in a way that allows them to fall in the water, ready for sailing. Although a significant affront to the purity of metal, the navy has done extensive research regarding ironclad ships, and all but the most tradition-minded of admirals keep ironclad fleets propelled by magical means.

The guns on a Kera-Bijani ship, however, are wildly out of date. Most, if not all, ships were broadsides, and the cannons used on them are most often fireball cannons and 36-pound shells, with the intention of softening up an enemy's metal before pounding them in. The Kera-Bijani do not keep explosive shells, as that is an affront to both fire and metal too great to be tolerated.

Air Force: The idea of humans flying is repulsive to the Kera-Bijani, as it is an affront to the purity of air. They keep no air force, and regard poorly those who do.

Rolls

Territory: 3+6 (9) Your nation is decently sized, with room for cities and lots of farmland to support your population.
Tech: (9) Your nation is still antiquated, but modernization is about to begin or in its beginning stages.
Army Size: 9+4 (13) Your army is well-sized, and maintained on a year-round basis.
Economy: 16+1 (17) Your economy is well-off, and a majority of what needs to be funded is.
Production: 7-1 (6) Your nation is somewhat agrarian, with okay natural resource exploitation.
Navy Size: (14) You have a decently sized navy, with a fairly militarized portion.
Airforce Size: 5-4 (1) You have no air force.
Magic: (18) Your nation is a leader in magical development and use, almost second to none. Your prowess with magic allows you to neglect the technological side of things, compensating for an absence of modern artillery with fireball launchers, scant telecommunications with short distance scrying and telepathy.
Mobilization: (16) It takes a month to mobilize.

Traits

Foreign Relations
Faenaria: Excellent. They are Kera-Bijan's primary trade partner.
Etresna: Good enough. They have a working trade relation.
Kratoria: Fair. Since the conquest, there has been some diffusion between the two.
Qaroitn: Very hostile. Kera-Bijani are honor-bound to kill Qaroitn on sight.

Dulce et Decorum Est - A WWI Inspired NRP (dead for now)

Hi, is there still room in this RP for one more?

Magic RP (Open to new players)

"Just continue on with the scheduled tour," she said, defeated. Every new thing she finds in this city is either magnificent or horrific. Hekaga truly is the thorniest and most magnificent rose south of the mountains. This entire temple, she wanted to put behind her. How could she call herself worthy of speaking to gods, when she lives an empress of a nascent city while the kobolds here die in squalor and oppression? The next thing she sees will either bring her great joy, or greater sorrow.

Maybe she just wanted home again, where things were familiar. She wanted to wake up in the mornings and find big lunk of a mate pacing about the room arguing with himself, then freeze in place when he discovers he's woken her. She wanted to head downstairs and say hello to the councillors, then step out into the street and have a pleasant chat with the common working folk. "The city has been so generous to me," she said. Anything to dispel the creeping existentialism. "Perhaps, in the near future, we shall play host to you."

Magic RP (Open to new players)

Ardasa looked over to the kobold priests, their head bowed in reverence. Seeing them now, something in their behavior told her that they were . . . scared, of all things. They trembled, their voices wavered, and she could swear that they hardly knew any of Hetuis' hymns at all. The two kobolds were old, older than Ternoc by far. They must have been in service to this temple long before he was in office. "We pray for time, time and mercy," they chanted, again and again, their voices on the verge of breaking down.

"I believe the hymn goes 'time and just-'," Ardasa said, but was cut off by a glare from an older kobold.

"I suggest you leave this temple," she whispered, fire in her eyes. "There is no justice, not in this city in the least. The king has eyes everywhere, watching and waiting, just waiting for little kobolds like you to step out of line."

"Surely not the Prince Ternoc, at least," Ardasa said, but this just made the old kobold snort.

"One cannot trust the son of evils," the old kobold said, falling silent as Ternoc's eyes drifted back to them for a second. She continued when she saw the eyes move away. "Do not expect fruits to fall far from their trees." She picked up her chanting again, as fearful as it always was. Ardasa stood up, her stomach sinking. She no longer felt clean enough for the gods.

🎀 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓻 . 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓰 . 𝓚𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓰 . 𝓜𝓪𝓬𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓼 . (a steampunk RP of petticoats, poison, and propriety)

(Huge collab with @ayzrules . Thank you!)

R O W E N A & E L O D I E

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Rowena smiled warmly at the other woman. “I am glad to hear it. And my uncle? Oh, he’s doing splendidly, my dear. Simply splendid.” Rowena could only imagine that Elodie and her father were not too keen on, well, the Merchant Guild-especially one led by a man such as her uncle. But alas, it would be impolite to speak of such things at such an event, and horribly improper, too.

At the concern Elodie raised on the “good company”, Rowena gave her a serene smile. “I would not worry overmuch, my dear. Captain Kingsford would not have invited these individuals if she did not have faith in them.” And I would not have allowed her to invite them if there was something...off. Though I must say, I do not understand why she decided on Lord Oaks. He is quite the opposite of ‘good company’.

Rowena lifted an eyebrow, slightly, at Elodie’s next question. “Well,” she began, carefully, “the garden will be rather large, I imagine. Though I do not think too many people will be needed to tend to it; having a select group of individuals should be more than adequate. As for soil quality, well, I believe we shall be encountering a rather enigmatic kind of soil.” Rowena leaned in and lowered her voice, a hint of mischief in her smile (which was not to say that she did not think this matter was of the utmost importance, no; it was merely for the sake of maintaining appearances). “Some would say that it is a soil unconducive to plant growth. Perhaps. Others may label it as...dangerous. Perhaps. But you see, Lady LaVerre, we are not interested in testing its properties, per se, but simply investigating it. As others have been doing, recently.”

“Hmmm . . . I understand completely,” Elodie said. The countryside was a little behind on current events, yes, but it didn’t take a genius to deduce the plans of the ambitious Triarchy. No doubt they have eyes on the greatest prize in the continent, Hourglass City itself, and worse yet, its surrounding territories. “Let us cut short with the formalities. No doubt were anyone to be listening, they would already have figured exactly what we are talking about. We know what the problem is, what is your plan to be rid of it?”

Elodie didn’t like this, not one bit. The Triarchy is never and has never been friends with the City of Desire, as Hourglass City has come to be known, and the slightest hint of aggression on either side would spark a war that may span the entire continent. When this comes, Hourglass City will find itself, as it has always found itself, a little short on allies. For her to enter the den of beasts . . . this plan had better be good.

Rowena could sense that Elodie was speaking of the Minefield Triarchy when she mentioned “the problem”. How...inconvenient. I should hope that we do not have to deal with the Triarchy in the course of this investigation. Indeed, not only was anything to do with foreign lands a huge hassle, but people were always overly sensitive when it came to the matter of the Imperia-Airwrights and the Triarchy. Yes, it was true that her uncle had ties-he’d married the daughter of one of the Triarchy Barons, after all-but Rowena knew that he had no real love for the powerful Barons and Baronesses; it was simply that allying with them was, well, profitable. Or it had been, in the past.

Rowena gave Elodie a mischievous look. “The plan, Lady LaVerre?” She paused delicately, as if she were contemplating said plan. “Well. The only reason that you and I and everyone else in this room are here today is because the honorable Supreme Commander has, mm, how to say this? He has no plan.”

She smiled sweetly. “I would not worry about it too much, though. Captain Kingsford is competent enough to formulate the basis of one, and that she has done. As for the rest, my dear…” Rowena trailed off and shrugged, nonchalantly. “We will see, when the time comes. Of course, if you have any suggestions, the good captain is always willing to hear them.”

No plan!? This was hardly ideal. Elodie’s eyes shot to the captain, hoping with all her heart that she was not as nervous as she looked. The rest of the guests chatted as casual as you please, either not aware that the fate of the city rested upon them or not caring. The city was doomed, wasn’t it? No, those thoughts wouldn’t do. “Surely, something must be done about that then. Ought we speak to Captain Kingsford about this? Perhaps the other guests?” Perhaps the nervousness was contagious, for Elodie could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

Rowena patted Elodie’s hand reassuringly. “Oh, it’s not no plan, per se. But the venerable Supreme Commander didn’t have a very...mm, forgive me for being forward, Lady LaVerre, but he didn’t have a very good plan. Which is where we come in.” Rowena winked playfully.

She was well-aware of the fact that gossiping about the Supreme Commander in this way was not very polite, especially at a ball in his home, but, well, Supreme Commander Osborne was, quite frankly, a pain in the neck. So Rowena held no qualms about doing such a thing.

She wondered, briefly, how Adrianna had gotten him to agree to this. It was well-known among select circles that Supreme Commander Phillip Osborne was not particularly found of the Polytechnique Institute, and by extension, Madame Geraldine’s. His estranged brother taught at the Institute, and he did not trust Lady Kat from finishing school (she was the daughter of a Triarchy Baron, after all. And somehow related to Rowena’s aunt). That was how Rowena knew the Supreme Commander had no plan (or, at least, not a very good one)-there was simply no other way he would have entrusted such a task to graduates of either academy.

Rowena smiled winsomely at Elodie. “Trust me, my dear Lady LaVerre, there is no need to worry. The honorable captain has been making the necessary arrangements and preparations in anticipation for these circumstances. Though I’m sure she will have some questions for you in the near future, but for now, try to enjoy the night, do.”

Elodie nodded, slowly. If the Lady Rowena says it to be true, then it is. People continued to mill about, always entering the library but never leaving. Too many people, too many variables. She didn’t like this. Didn’t like this being kept in the dark, or the too-attentive ears, or the copious danger. She inhaled deeply, and let the air sift through her lips. Perhaps she ought socialize, get to know her cooperators a bit. “Very well, then. Shall we?”

She was about to approach the crowd when who else chose to burst in, dragging her pile of muck along with her. “Oh, joy . . .” Elodie muttered. If the honourable captain had a plan, it was gone now, clogged in its most precious places by a monkey wrench going by the name of Bird. Simple concepts like “mannerly conduct” and “divine privilege” were concepts the wretch never seemed to internalize. “Not her, please, anybody but her . . .”

Rowena arched an eyebrow at Elodie’s surprising change of...attitude. She followed Elodie’s gaze to Mr. and Mrs. Lockheart. Oh? Rowena cast a discreet glance at Lady LaVerre, gently opening her own mind a little bit.

Hmm. Not too fond of the commonborn, is she?

“Is there something amiss, Lady LaVerre?” Rowena asked, pleasantly enough. She tilted her head to the side, feigning confusion. “Pardon me for being forward, my dear, but you seem to be more distraught than usual.”

“It’s a small matter of only personal importance,” Elodie said, glaring at the couple. “You needn’t concern yourself with it. Now, if you’ll excuse me . . .” She turned her nose up and left Rowena to her own devices. This was her matter to settle.