Name of Nation: The Stone Empire
Species: Stone Men - The Stone Men, so they’re referred to colloquially by their fleshy neighbors, are magical constructs built by a people long forgotten by the modern world. Compared to modern imitations of their finer designs, the stone men are incredibly independent, lifelike, and even emotional. Though still limited in thought and creativity in contrast to the so called “living” beings.
While Stone Men vary in size and purpose, they share many similar traits and overall weaknesses. All Stone Men are built out of a mix of iron, steel, earth, and wood. Due in large part a limitation in the creation of a finer and sturdier material that their ancient creators had originally crafted them out of. The mix of resources vary vastly depending on the purpose of the Stone Man’s creation. If it were built for war, steel and iron. For mining, wood and earth. Secondly, Stone Men do not eat organic material, obviously. Instead they are powered by the magical stones that fill the vast vaults and mines under their empire. Consuming them in the creation of new stone men and in sustaining already existing Stone Men. They do, to the surprise of most organic beings, sustain themselves off of fresh water. Due to flaws in their current design, they can no longer regulate heat expenditure. It has become necessary to utilize water as an almost “patchwork” fix to this issue. Giving them the appearance of “drinking” it to sustain themselves. Should they go to long without water, their bodies will overheat, limbs will be damaged, and the Stone Man may die outright.
They do not heal wounds or reproduce like living creatures either, instead the process of creating and healing is more mechanical and hand crafted. Unlike other creatures who reproduce freely and through pleasurable acts, should a Stone Man wish to construct another one, he must look for a craftsman capable of the construction of one of his people. These blacksmiths would then spend months constructing, finely tuning, and molding the body of the Stone Man, before eventually they would be put together, an enchantment placed near the core of their body roughly were a living creature’s heart would be, and a stone placed firmly in the center of the golem to power it magically.
In terms of healing a Stone Man, magical incantations in Geomancy can mend slight wounds but any damage greater than that would result in the damage part being completely replaced. The process would go as follows, is the damaged piece a repairable part of the golem? Most golem pieces are replaceable in theory, all except for the core of the body. Enchantments are unique and while a damaged crystal could be replaced, limbs interchanged, and even with enough work the most severe damage to a golem repaired, to break or damage a golems enchantment would, effectively “kill” it permanently (not that it is not the only method, just a method of killing them permanently). Should the Stone Man be lucky enough to not have his core or enchantment damaged, then the next hurdle a Stone Man must overcome is, is the limb compatible? Many newly created Stone Men suffer from a “disease” that results in severe panic at the attachment of a newly reconstructed limb. Sometimes it affects them immediately upon receiving a new limb, others several replacements down the line, one thing is for sure however, they will not accept the new limb and often destroy it out of irrational disgust.
The strongest advantage of a Stone Man are three factors, their longevity, durability, and strength. A Stone Man is technically speaking, immortal. Should they have enough crystals to feed themselves, are not killed in battle, do not overheat, or do not kill themselves during “the madness”. The madness is a process that affects all Stone Men, the great funnel to which their species can not overcome. There is no science to approximating when this flaw begins to take hold of a Stone Man, but generally most Stone Man live to about three hundred years. The eldest of their people having lived a thousand years before the madness took him and the youngest to have been taken only having lived one hundred years. The madness is as it is, pure insanity. The Stone Man loses all sense of self and well being. Sometimes wandering mindlessly for distances until they overheat or “starve” due to lack of magic. Sometimes they turn violent rampaging until they are eventually slain. Sometimes they turn suicidal, ripping off limbs, destroying their enchantment, jumping into lava pits. In the end, they don’t survive.
Their durability comes from many abilities. Unlike most organic life, they can completely replace a damaged or removed limb, though the previously mentioned issues significantly hamper that benefit. They do not feel pain in a similar manner to organics. A limb being damaged “hurts”, but it does not “hurt” more than it being removed or completely destroyed. This can give them a fearsome reputation for taking brutal bombardments and attacks, with the drawback of a significant sense of carelessness from the Stone Men towards their own safety. Though this carelessness is mitigated by the raw durability of stone and steel that comprises their bodies. In one on one combat, most combatants armed with standard weapons such as sword and shield, or bow and arrow, would find difficult scratching the body of a Stone Man let alone damaging it. As a result, they are heavy and slow. Most combatants could outrun or even outflank a Stone Man. Lastly, a Stone Man does not tire or need sleep...in theory. They do, if they overwork, begin to overheat at a faster rate and thus also consume more water. Should they have enough water to cool themselves, then they would not need to stop or “rest”. Most however, unless absolutely necessary, will use the opportunity to rest during night as, should they perform little heavy labor or movement, it provides an excellent secondary source of coolant due to the colder temperatures.
In terms of strength, few things can outmatch the raw strength of a Stone Man. They swing their blades harder than any man and lift heavier shields than any man. They are brutally strong combatants, but this has come with a trade off. Stone Men are creatures of poor aim and agility. Most could not aim or fire a bow, write fine words on paper, or handle situations that require a sense of finesse or grace.
Culture and Society:The Stone Empire divides itself into four main classes of Stone Men. These broad classes represent the intention behind the construction of each individual Stone Man and often indicates the design and material used in their construction. Though it is possible for a Stone Man to find purpose or duty outside of its designated “social class”, there is a rare and almost unthinkable sight to behold. Though no official class hierarchy exists, the Stone Empire has adopted an informal one.
The Elders
At the top of the informal hierarchy of the Stone Empire are the Elders. This class can not be born into and is instead earned by right of age and wisdom. Though no official rules or requirements exists in the selection of Elders, what is universal is that each class within each district, ranging from small outposts to entire cities, elect an elder to represent, organize, and lead them. Elders are given special authority, by right of their position, to define and create laws, tax and organize labor, and punish Stone Men of their class within the borders of their district.
Elders also vote on
the Voice, a special title granted to a single Elder among their class who would represent them and their people within the Assembly. Each Voice within the assembly, to which there are three representing each class, are given a single vote on matters revolving around the Empire. Whether it be in regards to war, tax, laws, or labor. They are the de facto leaders of the Stone Empire. Among them sits the title “Eldest Voice”, given to the Voice who has sat on his seat the longest. They are often expected to be the bridge between all three classes and guide the two younger Voices.
The Warriors
Comprising of the Stonemen that make up the defense of the Empire, these are Stonemen designed entirely around warfare. They are often comprised of the strongest and most durable material. Hierarchically they are considered the second highest class within the Stone Empire. Well respected and feared, often utilizing force to maintain its status and social order.
The average warrior class Stoneman can be born into four broad subclasses that denote the purpose the Stoneman serves on the battlefield. Sword, the frontline warriors, Shield, the tacticians and generals, Bow, archers and siege engineers, Fist, rare stonemen capable of expending energy within them to cast magic. Within the warrior class, all fields of expertise are equal except for the Shield Stonemen, who maintain a higher status within the warrior social hierarchy.
The Craftsmen
Foreigners would view the craftsmen as the “ordinary” citizens of the Stone Empire. Commonplace Stonemen who partake in trade, craftskills, and are arguably the most “human” in behavior. They greatly outnumber the warrior class, but are not so numerous as the miners of the Stone Empire. They occupy a great deal of occupations, such as construction, forging, trading, entertainment, research, and other various pursuits. They are the most egalitarian of the four classes and are arguably the most powerful due to one reason alone, they forge new Stonemen.
The craftsmen forgers are revered above all others, except for the most powerful elders themselves. They are given a special
voice separate from the craftsmen class whose role is to speak of the concerns of the forgers below. He doesn’t get a vote, unlike the other three voices, yet it carries significant weight in the minds of all three as should the forgers decide to not produce more stonemen, the Empire would not take long to collapse.
The Miners
At the bottom of the social hierarchy are the miners. Nearly mindless workers, they have the least amount of sapience between the three classes with the exception of the coordinators. Most miners are built of rough and bulky material capable of surviving deep in the underground mineshafts constructed ages ago by their former creators. The coordinators, given a special intelligence, often coordinate these miners. Designating regions to send them out to discover and explore, find new materials, and mine stones capable of powering the forges and stonemen above.
History:Territorial Claims:Economy:Army:Navy:Traits:Foreign Relations:Rolls:Land Area: 4 (8-4) (swapped)
Land Fertility: 5 (1+4)
Development: 20 (17+3)
Land Power: 20 (swapped)
Naval Power: 1 (7-6)
Economy: 15
Magical Reserves: 20 (16+4)
Magical Sophistication: 20 (16+4)
Other: 
