Dyelli Beybi

Smoke and Steel (A pike and shot era RP concept)

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Smoke and Steel

This RP will stay open to new players perpetually, so please feel free to join!

And if you aren't there already, feel free to join the Discord Community!

Smoke and Steel

Theme Music

What is Smoke and Steel?

Smoke and Steel is a character RP set in a low fantasy world, taking place in this world's equivalent on Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, a region known as the 'Circle Sea'.

You will play the part of someone from one of several royal courts vying for control of a crumbling Empire... or perhaps multiple characters – having unconnected characters in multiple courts is keenly encouraged! There will be Alliances, betrayals, and not everyone is coming out of this one alive...

This is a low fantasy RP. Magic does exist in the setting, though your characters are not magically gifted. The one exception I will make to this is if you want to make your character a healer, because magical healing is a great way to allow injured characters to participate in the next scene.

In terms of non-magical tech and societal development, the part of the world you are in will have tech approximately equivalent to the mid 17th century. So think, pikes, muskets, pirates and knights with guns.

If that piques your interest, take a look at the factions, see if you like a look of one of them and then take a look at the info for the cultures that make up that faction. There is a wee bit of lore here but you definitely aren’t expected to know all of it to get involved! If you’re interested, we’d love you to join! You can always read the lore later. If you want to.

And if you aren't too sure about why this is the best period of history to set anything in, watch this educational video:

The Most Underrated Era in History

How will the RP be structured?

There are five competing factions aligned to one of two Royal Houses in the RP. Your character may be a merchant, a soldier, a noble... or anyone else really that you think could form part of the inner circle of one of the five claimants. You can be a human of one of many ethnicities, or you could be an elf, one of the ruling class of the crumbling 'Haltian Empire'.

The RP will mostly focus on the character drama though there will be battles. Characters commanding in battle will be asked for orders and we'll run a quick simulation in the discord before RPing it out. Not every faction will be busy all the time so if you do want to write multiple characters in different factions, that's cool.

You will advise your liege, maybe switch sides and your actions will have an impact on who eventually wins this war. And hopefully we'll get some fantastic stories written against the backdrop of a massive war. Romance, intrigue, betrayal etc etc...

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The World of the Circle Sea

History

The Blight and the Haltian Empire

200 years ago, the world was a very different place. Human Kingdoms dominated the coast of the Circle Sea. Of those Kingdoms, none was finer than the Inburian Empire. Then the blight came. Out of the East, poured strange and brutal creatures, which came to be known as Goblins and Orcs. They appeared in vast hordes, destroying and devouring everything in their path. The Eastern Kingdoms fell, one by one, until the horde reached the great fortress of Grendell, strategically placed to control the narrow neck of land that connected Inbur and the Eastern Kingdoms. The horde laid siege to the citadel for two months, launching one futile assault after another, coming within a hair's breadth of breaching the fort before finally a relief force arrived. The relief force of the time consisted of the bulk of the Inburian army along with the allied contingents from all the other human Kingdoms and there, at the gates of Grendell, the horde was halted, though the Inburians paid a heavy price.

Off the back of the horde, another enemy arose in the West: the Haltians. The Haltians were nomadic Elven people, known for their fine Cavalry. Led by their fearless leader, Voron Corfina, they descended on the weakened human kingdoms, carving out their own Empire, completely swallowing the Inburian Empire in the process. The Emperor, Dakis III Hasikos, was killed, along with most of his close family, although some branches of the Hasikos family escaped the killings and live on as subjects of the new, Haltian Empire.

The Prophecy of the Dawnbringer

In the last days of the Blight, the Eastern Kings had forged a weapon of extraordinary power that sages had foretold would be wielded by the one to finally destroy the Blight. In the hands of a worthy wielder it would glow with blinding light. It had been sent to the Inburian Emperor as it became clear the Eastern Kingdoms were doomed and wielded in the siege of Grendell, where the armies of the Blight had finally been halted... but then the Haltians had struck.

The weapon had vanished from the pages of history at that point, sent into hiding away from the Elgafolk who were liable to misuse its power… only to reappear a couple of hundred years later in the hands of a young woman named Aonène Alzina La Noue de Bellièvre, who has it happened, was a close friend of Andronika Hasikos – the White Wyvern.

The Emperor’s Death, Contenders and Rebels

In the world as it is today, the Inburian Empire is consigned to the history books and the Haltian Empire holds the line against the Blight though Haltia has begun to look a little shaky.

Internally, many of the more traditional elves in the West, who continue to live a more nomadic lifestyle, have become mistrustful of the ‘decadent’ Eastern Empire.

Meanwhile, in the East, many have begun to agitate to slowly dismantle the systems of slavery that keeps the fields tended and factories running, seeing this as the only way to stave off a catastrophic revolt from the enslaved human peoples.

150 years ago one of the secondary powers, the Calarian Republic, successfully crossed the otherwise impassable Evig Ocean to an area now known as the 'Calarian Main', rich in spice and precious minerals. The Kingdom of Brendahl and Doel Union were quick to follow and a number of wars have been fought over control of the area aided on all sides by the local ‘Iktani’ tribes. All three have become wealthy off trade from the West – particularly the Calarians, although none is capable of remotely threatening a united Haltian Empire.

Everything changed two months ago though, with the assassination of Emperor Voron. Voron’s two sons, Voron II, a prominent leader in the Eastern ‘Reformist’ Faction blamed his younger brother, Orrian for the murder. Orrian, the leader of the Western ‘Traditionalist’ Faction, blamed Voron. With Imperial guards sent to arrest him, Orrian fled the capital and raised his banner in the West.

Orrian and Voron’s hastily assembled armies met at the Battle of Lysfelt where Orrian’s force of 7,400 troops drove Voron’s 9,700 troops from the field (with around 756 of Orrian’s troops killed to 1,476 of Voron’s with an additional 2,400 taken prisoner). The defeat had the knock-on effect of encouraging several other revolts to break out, including three led by humans with claims to the ancient Inburian throne. With the Empire in flames, the Calarians have taken the opportunity to invade from the South and the other human Kingdoms may, or may not, have similar aspirations. Voron is still in control of the largest army, on paper, but his forces are divided and fighting fires all over Empire.

And just to make matters worse for Voron, a massive force of 52,000 orcs assaulted Grendell. Voron's forces drove it off with only 696 soldiers lost (to over 7,000 orcs) but this is only the Vanguard of a much larger army and a large number of Voron’s best troops must be kept in place at the Grendell, holding the line of fortifications against the Blight.

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The Culture of a Divided Empire

The last two centuries have seen the Elgafolk who make up the Empire diverge quite considerably from one another.

In the West, the Elgafolk still largely live in nomadic clans with elected Chieftains who serve for a fixed term between elections (which goes some way to defusing intergenerational rivalry in the long-lived species). They mostly leave the Sahalky and Pobryn to their own devices, allowing the client Lords and cities to pass their own laws and administer their territory as they see fit in exchange for the payment of an Imperial tax and the provision of Imperial levies. It is not unknown for disputes between clans and settlements to come to blows but this is fairly rare – the groups tend to keep themselves to themselves.

Slavery is practiced in the West, mostly the enslavement of captives taken in border raids, though the actual numbers are fairly low. Most end up doing menial labour though senior Clan Chieftains will also keep concubines. Educated or magically gifted slaves can be worth a considerable amount of money and are generally treated relatively well.

In the more densely populated East, however, the Elgafolk have adopted human feudal customs, with Lords controlling vast estates which Voron I handed out to favourites following the conquest. Slavery is also heavily practiced and around 1/3 people in the Eastern Empire are enslaved. Slave status is hereditary and people can be judicially enslaved for even relatively minor crimes. Slaves tend the fields, construct buildings, work in factories and form the regiments of the elite ‘Owned Men’.

The number of Elgafolk in the Eastern Empire remains fairly low compared to the number of humans and a large underclass of wealthy but largely politically excluded humans has gown up, particularly in cities such as Inbur. Many of the wiser elga nobles in the East have realised that this combination of large numbers of slaves, combined with a growing amount of wealth amongst the human population is a recipe for largescale revolt and a reformist faction has grown up, calling for a gradual disassembly of the system of slavery (gradual, so as to avoid any unnecessary financial hardship) combined with limited citizenship rights for humans, seeing this as the only route to a secure the Empire’s future.

Voron I opposed reforms, being largely blind to the growing problems in the East and, unfortunately for the reformist faction who now control the Eastern Empire, the long-predicted revolts erupted so close after his death that there was no time for any legislation to be passed.

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Houses, Claimants and Factions

House Corfina – Emperors of the Elgafolk (Elves)

210 years ago, Voron Corfina led his horde around the North of the Morktree to conquer the Inburian Empire and form the Haltian Empire in the ashes. Now Voron is dead and his two sons both blame each other for the murder.

Voron II Corfina – The Eastern Haltian Empire

Portrait of the 'Emperor'

Voron II, son of Voron is 220 years old and, as a teenager was sent to live with and learn the ways of the newly conquered human subjects in the East. Like many of the younger elgafolk in the East, Voron learned to enjoy a settled, human lifestyle, as an adult taking on the trappings of a human Lord and becoming a leading figure in the party at court calling for reforms within the Empire to improve society for the Inburians, Mittelvolk and other enslaved and downtrodden human groups, seeing this as the only way for the Empire to safeguard against a largescale human revolt in the East. Unfortunately, for Voron, the succession Crisis brought on by his father’s assassination led to widescale revolts before he had the chance to announce, let alone begin implementing the reforms he believes in.

Voron, uniquely, among the many leaders, knows just how big the threat from the Blight actually is. Recently his forces held off an attack from 52,000 orcs, but from what his scouts indicate, this is only the vanguard of a much larger force and if they get past the fortifications at the Grendell there may be no containing them and all the petty rivalries between humans and elgafolk will mean nothing. Victory is necessary not just to maintain the integrity of the Empire, but to ensure the survival of all people on the Western continent.

Voron still commands the largest body of troops in the Empire, currently around 90,000, though they are divided, fighting numerous enemies and many armies are in disarray following a series of defeats, to the ‘White Wyvern’ at Trefgodwig, the Western Empire at Lysfelt, the D’Ambois Expedition at Sidskold, the Calarian Republic at Hjodfelt and the ‘Red Wyvern’ at Rodelkog.

The defeat at Lysfelt was particularly disastrous and Voron made the call to retreat with his forces, abandoning the capital of Alveby to regroup at Elvesland. Voron is a cautious and thoughtful leader who does actually care about his subjects and, more than most of the others is very aware of the danger presented by the increasingly active Blight in the East.

Voron's careful and thoughtful approach makes him generally popular with his inner circle, though he lacks the charisma of some of his rivals.

Orrian Corfina – The Western Haltian Empire

Portrait of the 'Emperor'

In comparison to the Eastern Empire, where most of the human population is enslaved or otherwise oppressed, the humans in the West in relative symbiosis with the elgafolk, paying tribute in exchange for safety and security. The Sahalky cities are prosperous trading hubs while the Pobryn hill folk are allowed to live in relative isolation on their rugged coastline.

Orrian Corfina, now aged 190, unlike his older brother was raised in the West on the vast open plains, amongst the nomadic elga tribes who were, even then, beginning to become suspicious of the Easterners abandonment of the ancient nomadic lifestyle in favour of ‘decadent’ styles of human Lordship.

While commanding, at most 40,000 troops, and enjoying almost no support East of the Morktree, Orrian’s victory at Lysfelt, which he personally commanded, has given momentum to his cause. While many of the Western Empire court believe in abandoning the lands East of the Morktree and some even favour abandoning Maceataby and Elvesland (Mittelvolk cities), Orrian is aware that if his brother is able to deal with the other threats to his rule and bring the full force of the Eastern Empire’s armies to bear, he will undoubtedly be defeated.

Commanding from the front, Orrian is a handsome, inspiring and brave figure as well as a competent tactician who has the trust of the men under his command.

House Hasikos – Human Pretenders

210 years ago all the lands between Grendell and the Morktree were the domain of the Inburian Empire with the Kings of Favis, Calaria and the Mittelvolk all paying homage to the Hasikos dynasty. It was Dakis III Hasikos who halted the Blight at the Grendell, though his forces were so weakened by the battle that he was unable to stop Voron Corfina when he invaded from the West, sweeping through the Mittelvolk Kingdom and Inburian heartland. The surviving descendants of the old dynasty have been allowed to live on, provided they don’t cause unrest. However, in the shattered Empire, two Hasikos Sisters have reemerged to claim the old throne of Inbur and drive the Elgafolk into the West, flying under the old Inburian Wyvern banner.

Andronika Hasikos – The White Wyvern

Portrait of the 'Empress'

Andronika Hasikos at 19 is the elder of the two Hasikos sisters and potentially the biggest threat to the Empire of all of the rebel groups.

Raised on a farm in central Inbur, Andronika developed the Gift of Healing which led to her arrest for a crime she didn’t commit, allowing the local Lord to sell her into slavery, at an enormous price, given her rare talent.

Andronika, however, is a manipulative little thing and convinced one of the guards to help free her and the other slaves in the caravan she was in. One of whom, Aonène de Bellièvre is now believed by many to be the prophesied ‘Dawnbringer’ to save all peoples from the Blight. Andronika escaped to the town of Tregodwig where, after two failed attempts on her life, she began raising a force with Aonène in opposition to the Empire.
Voron, the late Emperor, dispatched an army to lay siege to the town and bring Aonène back to the capital of Alveby, but the army was defeated outside the town by the small force fighting under the banner of the ‘White Wyvern’, the town garrison and a relieving force from the King of Carnelfenney.

Andronika is a charismatic, moderate figure who counts elgafolk and humans of many races amongst her inner circle. While known as brave, compassionate and undoubtedly cunning, Andronika also has reputation for ‘brazen’ behaviour which does not endear her to some of the more pious members of the population.

While Andronika currently commands just over 2,000 troops, a very low number, she is in the process of negotiating an Alliance with Carnelfenney, potentially bringing a further 10,000 under her banner, enjoys substantial support amongst the Inburians and Mittelvolk and, most importantly, is also supported by the ‘Dawnbringer’, who acts as something of a magnet for adventurers.

Ariana Hasikos – The Red Wyvern

Portrait of the 'Empress'

Ariana Hasikos, at 18, is the younger of the two Hasikos sisters and the supposed leader of a large revolt from a mixture of Inburian peasants and slaves, wealthier burghers and retired Imperial veterans.

This revolt has been particularly bloody and elgafolk captured by the rebels have inevitably been tortured and murdered regardless of gender or age. Ariana, herself, is retiring figure without the natural charisma of her older sister. In theory her rebels ought to swear allegiance to Andronika as the elder sibling, and the rebellion maintains lip service to the idea of doing so if she makes it to Inburian lands. Privately, however, many of the rebel leaders view Andronika’s known fraternisation with elgafolk with suspicion and have a preference for the more malleable Ariana (who tends to acquiesce to the views of her advisors without protest). By all accounts, the two sisters are quite close though Ariana is little more than a figurehead and the odds of the two forces eventually coming to blows is fairly high.

While the Empire expected Ariana’s revolt to be easily crushed, their outnumbered army was surprised by a charge at the battle of Rodelkog and routed in vicious hand-to-hand fighting, though not before inflicting serious casualties on the rebels. Unfortunately, the Imperial forces abandoned all 32 of their field guns in the retreat. Currently, the ‘Red Wyvern’ controls no major settlements, though these guns will now give them the capacity to breach the defences of walled towns. While only currently mustering a force of just over 13,000 soldiers, victory at Rodelkog has proven to the local population that Ariana’s army has the potential to drive the Haltians from their lands.

Coralie D’Ambois – the Black Wyvern

Portrait of the 'Empress'

Coralie D’Ambois has a connection to House Hasikos through her mother, though in reality her claim to the throne is laughably slender. A Vichian noble, Coralie D’Ambois was disowned by her family for eloping with a pirate captain and eventually turned to piracy and privateering herself. Despite the dubiousness of her claim to the throne, Coralie managed to convince a number of corsairs and other mercenaries to join an expedition to the Inburian Coast, more as an excuse to loot Haltian manor houses than actually establish Coralie as Empress.

The force was swelled by local peasants and slaves though Coralie expected them to inevitably be routed by the Empire and had plans in place to flee back to her ship in the event of military collapse. Coralie’s forces were surprised by an Imperial army outside of the village of Sidskold. While numerically inferior, the Imperial forces had advantages in training and cannon, though through a series of poor decisions, squandered both of these advantages (attacking ahead of the artillery arriving on the field and attempting the move the left wing of the cavalry through a swamp to surprise the Expedition… which it did not). The Battle of Sidskold was a slaughter, with nearly 900 imperial soldiers killed, and a further 2,700 captured along with 4 batteries of ordinance, out of an initial force of 6,500. Just over 350 rebels were killed or missing, and a further 670 wounded in the fighting. Coralie, by all accounts, personally took command of a unit of shot in the village itself.

With news of the victory spreading, Coralie’s army has swollen to close to 13,000, though her position remains precarious. There are, including the survivors of Sidskold, around 8,000 Imperial troops to the North and 12,000 Calarians to the West. Both forces are well equipped and trained while Coralie’s forces are lacking in armour, horses, arquebuses and training. The Calarians harbour a particular hatred for her (she captured a treasure galleon a few months ago) and would gladly see her hanged. Coralie will need to make her next moves very carefully.

Coralie is ambitious (some might say greedy), bold, unafraid of risk and (perhaps surprisingly) a competent and inspiring military commander to rival Orrian Corfina.

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Peoples of the Empire and Surrounding Nations

In order for you to create a character, and for some basic info on the peoples you will encounter, here are some of the more common peoples who will appear in the RP. Feel free to have a chat on the discord if you want to create someone from a different race.

So you don't need to go plodding through huge amounts of lore, I've split the races into Major (people who live where the action is and/or are very directly involved) and minor, who are a bit more peripheral to the story.

In respect to language, you can assume each of these peoples has its own language though, with the exception of the Iktani, most people will also have a reasonable grasp of 'Inburian', which has existed as a lingua franca in the circle sea since the time of the Inburian Empire. Incidentally if you do create an Iktani character, I’d suggest saying they speak ‘Inburian’ just so you can talk to everyone else!

Peoples of the Empire

Major Races

Elgafolk or 'Elves' - The ruling class of the Empire

The Elgafolk were never great city builders, preferring to live nomadic lives in the great plains North of the Circle Sea. That was until the Blight weakened the human Kingdoms. Then, the Elgafolk descended from the North, conquering and enslaving the many humans in their path. The Elgafolk are biologically immortal and highly resistant to poison and disease. While they do not conceive as often as humans, Elgafolk women remain fertile for centuries and infant mortality rates are low. It is not uncommon for one of the Elgafolk to have up to twenty siblings, though these may have been born a century or more apart from one another.

Elgafolk cannot reproduce with humans.

Elgafolk are usually slightly larger than humans, with the males averaging 6'2'' and females 5'8'' in height.

For centuries, Elgafolk have been known as the finest cavalry in the world and their units of cuirassiers will often form the backbone of a Haltian army to this day.

The Elgafolk live almost entirely within the Haltian Empire and are viewed with great suspicion amongst Human cities. Despite the fact that they are the only species to enjoy citizenship rights within the Empire, the Elgafolk only make up just under 15% of the total population, the remainder being resident and enslaved humans.

Around half of the Elgafolk still live in the Western part of the Empire, leading a fairly traditional nomadic lifestyle in the vast grasslands. The other half have settled in the East and, for the most part, adopted a more settled lifestyle, ruling over feudal style fiefs or trading out of the prosperous Eastern cities such as Inbur and Elvesland.

If you want to create an elga character, here is a name generator

Inburians - The original people of the Old Empire

The Inburians are the surviving remnant of a broken, though once-great Empire. Most live within the Haltian Empire. Around a third of their population is enslaved. Despite all of this, the Inburian Royal Line (the Hasikos dynasty) persists and there are a number of potential claimants to the Inburian Royal Throne scattered in Haltian territory. The Haltians tolerate the existence of these pretenders, provided they don't cause any trouble; attempting to move against them has been known to cause the Inburians to riot.

Unrest in the Empire, predictably, has seen a number of Hasikos pretenders appear.

Historically, the Iburians are descended from Calarian settlers who began to build cities around the circle sea around 2,200 years ago. Over time and with contact with other cultural groups, some of these cities began to evolve their own identity. Inbur, lying in a strategically important position controlling the route to the portage at the Grendell rose in prominence, dominating many of the local towns. Inbur’s power spread until, 817 years ago it had become powerful enough for ‘Cyprien the Great’ to declare himself Emperor of Inbur, controlling the much of the Eastern parts of the modern Haltian Empire and Calaria with client Kings in Favis and Quinia.

209 years ago, when the Blight emerged, the Inburians led by Emperor Dakis III, supported by their client Kings were able to halt the orcs at the Grendell, though their forces were so weakened by the battle that they were in no fit state to resist the Haltian army that invaded from the West, completely overrunning the Imperial heartland.

The Inburians form the core of the Red Wyvern faction, are heavily present amongst the Blacks and Whites and are also well represented in the Armies of the Eastern Empire though many of these units are of dubious loyalty

On Earth, the Inburians would be described as 'Mediterranean' in appearance.

If you want to create an Iburian character, here is a name generator.

Minor Races

the Jedgorsy - Rugged borderlanders between the Empire and Brendahland

The Jedgorsy are descended from Sahalky auxiliaries who accompanied the Haltians in their conquest of Inbur, settling in the, at that point, largely uninhabited foothills South of Brendahland.
Since then, the Jedgorsy have come to see themselves as a separate people with a strong martial tradition.

While the Jedgorsy farm large tracts of land, these farms are nearly always in support of a Jedgorsy 'Host', who will fight for anyone willing to pay them and find ample opportunities for service in the Empire and in Brendahland. The Jedgorsy are best known as cavalrymen though their infantry is of high quality as well.

Individual Jedgorsy have also risen high in Imperial circles and they are found in large numbers in both Imperial factions... though some have joined rebel factions as well.

On Earth, the Jedgorsy would be described as 'Eastern European' in appearance.

If you want to create an Jedgorsy character, here is a name generator.

the Mittelvolk - A former client kingdom of the Inburians

To the West of Inbur and North of Carnelfenney once lay a client Kingdom of the Inburians, the Kingdom of Mitteland centred around the twin cities of Elvesland and Maceataby. The Mittelvolk formed an important part of the Imperial force at the Battle of the Grendell and were the first Kingdom to fall to the Haltians.

Much like the Inburians the Mittelvolk are an oppressed, subject race, and have similarly high rates (approximately one in three) of their population enslaved.

The Mittelvolk are originally descended from the Folandet tribes and have kinship with the Brendahlanders and Doel.

The Mittelvolk have generally been more compliant subjects than the Inburians, though following on from the Battle of Trefgodwig, large numbers of young Mittelvolk men have crossed the border to join the ranks of the White Wyvern, hoping to liberate their homeland.

On earth, Mittelvolk would appear to be 'Central-Northern European'.

If you want to create an Mittelvolk character, here is a name generator

the Pobryn - Western Imperial Hill Tribes

The Pobryn tribes in the far East of the Empire share a common ancestry with the Quinians in the independent states on the South, although unlike their Quinian relatives, the Pobryn have been tributaries to the Haltians for millenia and have, largely, been left to their own devices, not tradtionally having been particularly wealthy though they have always supplemented Imperial field armies.

Local units in the East of the Empire are unusual in that they still occasionally mix longbows in with their units which can be effective against unarmoured units but tend to fair poorly against well equipped, modern troops.

While the Pobryn have traditionally been a poor and neglected fringe group, they have the enviable position of being the closest part of the Empire to the New World and a number of their trading ports, most notably the city of Dinaskov have become wealthy in recent years. The sparsely inhabited, rugged coastline of the Western Empire also lends itself well to smuggling and the Pobryn have aquired something of a reputation for attempting to dodge Imperial tariffs.

The vast majority of Pobryn support the Western Empire forming some of the auxiliary troops in Imperial service and occupying some background roles around the court.

On Earth, the Pobryn would be described as 'Northern European' in appearance.

If you want to create an Pobryn character, here is a name generator.

the Sahalky - Western Imperial City Builders

The Sahalky city builders have, for millenia had something of a symbiotic relationship with the Haltian tribes that roam the vast grasslands of the West of the Northern continent. While the Sahalky pay tribute to the Haltians, their cities have prospered under Haltian protection and become rich through providing essential goods and services to the nomadic Elgafolk.

For the most part the Sahalky are left to govern their cities as they see fit with very little interference from the empire.

The Sahalky provide auxiliary troops to the Haltian armies and have traditionally excelled at horse archery, something which they continue to practice, despite the bow having become somewhat antiquated.

The conquest of Inbur and opening up of new world trade routes have also served to further enrich the Sahalky and, while they are not full citizens of the Haltian Empire, many Sahalky families are extremely wealthy.

The majority of Sahalky support the Western Empire. Though they are not in senior advisor roles, the Sahalky will often be found in background positions and are the people honoured with forming the Imperial Guard. That being said, there is no shortage of Sahalky merchant families in the East, many of whom support the Eastern Empire and some of whom may harbour sympathies for the Inburian cause.

On Earth, the Sahalky would be described as 'Eastern European' in appearance.

If you want to create an Sahalky character, here is a name generator.

Peoples of the Nearby Countries

Major Races

Monchians - Island dwelling pirates

The people of the isolated on the isle of Favis have always been somewhat different from the ‘Mainlanders’ though 817 years ago, the island was brought under the sway of the Inburian Empire by Cyprien the Great, existing as a client Kingdom until the time of the Haltian conquest.

Positioned in the middle of the circle sea, it has remained untouched by the Blight and largely unmolested by the Haltians. In the decades following the collapse of the Inburian Empire, a dynastic crisis on Favis saw the two rival brothers, and claimants to the throne, retreat to the port cities of Vich and Emiddley. Neither was able to conquer the other and both cities still have a King who styles himself the ruler of all Favis. The Monchians are better known as sailors than soldiers and, strangely, usually know how to swim.

As well as being known as sailors, the Monchians are also infamous for piracy in the Circle Sea and there are numerous small pirate ports on the rugged West coast of their island. Monchian pirates are not above selling captives to Haltian slavers though they do not practice slavery on the island itself.

Coralie D’Ambois is a Monchian and most Monchians currently involved in the conflict have joined up with her expedition, though a number of Monchians are also prominent in the White camp, including Aonène de Bellièvre, the supposed ‘Dawnbringer’ – hero prophesied to bring an end to the Blight.

On Earth, the Monchians would appear to be 'Western Europeans'.

If you want to create a Monchian character, here is a name generator.

Quinians - People of the Feudal states South of the Empire

The Quinians are the majority culture on the coast, South of the Haltian Empire, centred around the Kingdoms of Estornen and Carnelfenney and have existed in this region since time immemorial slowly moving inland, absorbing and displacing the Folandet tribes in the pre-imperial era. During the time of the Inburian Empire the area was unified as a single client kingdom though it has devolved into a patchwork of independent and semi-independent Kingdoms, Dutchies and Counties over the intervening centuries.

Despite both Kingdom capitals being coastal, the Quinians are not naval powers, though they do derive significant income from the ports. Instead, this income is funnelled into training and equipping some of the best armies on the continent, frequently supplemented by mercenaries from elsewhere in the world. All of this is done so that the Quinians can hold back the Haltian Empire, which frequently skirmishes and raids into their lands.

Quinians tend to dress distinctly from other peoples. Poorer Quinians will often wear a traditional kilt, though breeches and stockings are more in favour amongst the aristocracy. Plaid patterns, rarely, if ever, seen amongst other cultures, are popular in Quinian clothing.

Quinian officers almost always carry a mortuary sword rather than a rapier and also often also carry a dirk and targe in their left hand.

Andronika Hasikos, the White Wyvern, despite being Inburian, often styles herself as a Quinian and in the Battle of Trefgodwig took the field with sword and targe. Andronika’s ‘Royal Regiment of Foot’, which is the closest thing the young pretender has to a Royal Guard is nearly entirely made up of Quinians.

On Earth, the Quinians would appear to be 'Northern Europeans', however, because of their tendency to employ mercenaries from abroad, the Kingdoms also have minority populations of every ethnicity under the sun.

If you want to create a Quinian character, here is a name generator.

Minor Races

Addonians – People of the South Coast City States

the Addonian culture flourishes on the arid South Coast of the circle sea. The Addonians exist as a number of autonomous city states, including the metropolises of Al-Waha and Mina-Sakh.

The Addonians culture is something of a melting pot born of early Calarian and Shariq cultures merged with those of the nomadic desert dwellers from further inland. Addonians tend to favour long robes and brightly-coloured tunics, often adorned, for both men and women with ostentatious gold jewellery.

Like the Monchians the Addonians are known for piracy, though their piratical activities tend to focus more on the acquisition of prisoners for sale to the Haltians as slave labour or, indeed, in their own domestic markets (the Addonians are the only human culture that routinely practices slavery).

In combat the Addonian pirates tend to use the ‘Nimcha’ sword rather than the cutlass preferred by most other seafarers.

On Earth, Addonians could appear as anything from ‘Mediterranean’ to ‘West African’ in appearance.

If you want to create an Addonian character, here is a name generator.

Brendahlanders – Humans from the frozen Kingdom of Brendahl

Many centuries ago, the Folandet tribes were a constant thorn in the side of the more settled people of the Circle Sea, the Quinians, Calarians and Inburians, though, over time, the Folandet gradually settled down into feudal societies.

For the past century and a half, the rugged Northerners have been unified in the Kingdom of Brendahland and the people who live there are now more usually referred to as Brendahlanders. Around the time of the formation of the Kingdom, the Calarians first successfully navigated the Evig Ocean (to the West of the Circle Sea), finding their way to the Gold Coast, now, more usually referred to as the Calarian Main.

Setting out from their capital of Hemmeling, the Brendahlanders joined the race for the Gold Coast some twenty years after the Doel and, while they have set up a scattering of colonies in the region, remain very much the weakest of the three colonial powers and in recent years have formed a steady alliance with the Doel Union in an attempt to snatch a larger share of the lucrative trade in sugar, spice and precious minerals from the Calarians.

This effort was mostly made to secure the Kingdom’s borders against the Haltians. While uninvolved in any war, officially, the Brendahlanders are watching the claimants closely and have the potential to join the fighting. The Kingdom retains cordial relations with most of the Jedgorsy hosts, whether it is currently employing them or fighting them and many in the Kingdom see the creation of a Jedgorsy buffer state to the South as a potentially useful check against the Haltians.

The Kingdom of Brendahl is ruled by King Hoskuld II.

On Earth the Brendahlanders would appear to be ‘Northern Europeans’.

If you want to create a Brendahlander, here is a name generator.

Calarians – Merchant Princes of the Circle Sea

The Calarian are one of the oldest human cultures of the Circle Sea and have, historically, established numerous settlements around its circumference. The Inburian and Addonian cultures are both originally descended from Calarian settlers in antiquity though they have since diverged significantly.

Calarian culture dominates on the long peninsular south of the Morktree that culminates in their fortified capital of Cibaia. Historically the Calarians were a vassal of the Inburian Empire though modern ‘Calaria’ is a Merchant Republic led by Doge Vico Bembo.

Because of their relative geographical isolation, the Calarians have managed to prosper with only the occasional raid by the Haltians into their Northern territory. Their main enemy in their home territory is, in fact, Monchian corsairs and the state has a small but efficient Navy, mostly made up of small frigates designed to seek out and destroy Monchian pirate ships. Their land army is more significant, a large body of citizen-soldiers drawn from the towns and villages in the fertile plains north of Cibaia.

Calaria also has the distinction of being the first culture to have sailed out of the circle sea and successfully crossed the Evig Ocean to an area rich in valuable spices and valuable natural minerals that the Calarians initially named the ‘Gold Coast’ (now usually called the ‘Calarian Main’), just over 150 years ago. In the intervening time, the Calarians have colonised this area extensively and the natural resources of the gold coast have allowed the Calarian state to become extremely wealthy and the greatest external threat to the Haltian Empire (though the Kingdom of Brendahland and Doel Union both have aspirations to claim the wealth of the Calarian Main).

The Calarians have aspirations to be the successors of the Inburian Empire and will occasionally call Cibaia the ‘Second Inbur’. The Calarian disdain for the Haltians (and indeed, most foreigners) is well known and following on from the outbreak of civil war, the Calarians have sent an army North, along the coast, towards Inbur. At the battle of Hjodfelt, the Calarians were able to force a heavily outnumbered Imperial army to retreat.

The Calarian army of 12,000 is close to the Black Army. Coralie D’Ambois is wanted for piracy, the Doge has put a considerable price on her head and they are unlikely to negotiate with her. To make matters complex there are still Imperial forces in the vicinity as well.

Ironically, given the Doge’s distaste for D’Ambois, Calarians are mostly found in the Black Wyvern faction – there is no shortage of Calarian pirates and privateers in the Main, some of whom have joined in with the expedition.

Calarian officers, both at sea and on land, tend to use the rapier as their sword of choice.

On Earth, the Calarians would appear to be Southern Europeans.

If you want to create a Calarian character, here is a name generator.

Doel - Swamp dwelling traders and explorers

The Doel people hail from the land to the West of the Quinians and, unlike their Eastern neighbours, have a long and proud maritime tradition to rival that of the Monchians. The Doel home territory in notoriously swampy and prone to flooding, though in recent years, modern engineering has allowed the Doel to somewhat control the problem.

The Doel have always had a strong navy, large fishing fleet and keen interest in commerce. While the Calarians were the first to chart the route across the Evig Ocean, the Doel were quick to follow and begin setting up their own trading ports. Quickly, a bitter rivalry sprung up between the two States. The disastrous Second Doel-Calarian war saw them cede many of their more important colonies to the Calarians some fifty years ago. In more recent years, the Doel have formed an alliance with the Kingdom of Brendahl with whom they have historic cultural links, also being descendants of Folandet tribes. Minor skirmishes have continued though the recent chaos in the Empire has seen the Doel turn their attention to home shores though so far they remain aloof from the conflict.

The Doel Union is made up of seven semi-independent states, with a nominal capital in the city of Seeberg – the most powerful of the Doel cities. This is also the residence of the hereditary ‘Steward of the Doel’ - Prince Clas Matthias of Seeberg.

The Doel are a fairly pale people who are notably taller than most of their neighbours, possibly in part, due to the large amount of fish in their diet.

On Earth the Doel would appear to be ‘Western Europeans’.

If you want to create a Doel, here is a name generator.

Iktani - Natives of the 'Calarian Main'

The Iktani are the original inhabitants of the Calarian Main and are still around 90% of the population, though are often underrepresented in the main trade ports. The Iktani, while sharing strong cultural ties with one another, do not see themselves as a single people. Prior to the arrival of the Calarians the area was a patchwork of different states, many of whom had a deep seated animosity for one another.

While the Calarians initially enjoyed significant technological advantages over the Iktani tribes, the Iktani have had plenty of time to adapt and have long-since learned to master Circle Sea weapons and tactics. The presence of the Brendahlander, Doel and Calarian outposts is guaranteed by alliances with local Iktani tribes. Tribes with a strong alliance with a Circle Sea power have grown wealthy and powerful off the back of their alliances, while those who historically were less welcoming of the Circle Sea Nations are often ruthlessly oppressed.

Iktani irregulars form the bulk of the militaries in the Calarian Main and are well respected as guerilla fighters. Governors of Colonial towns are often loathe to send expeditions into the dense jungle that makes up most of the Main, preferring to rely on friendly Iktani to do these jobs for them. There are plenty of incidences of expeditions vanishing without a trace while venturing into hostile Iktani territory.

There aren’t large numbers of Iktani in the circle sea though a few can be found around the port cities of the colonial powers. Coralie D’Ambois has additionally formed a bodyguard of Iktani musketeers.

On Earth, the Iktani would appear to be 'Amerindian' people.

If you want to create an Iktani character, here is a name generator.

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Technology and Magic

The technology of the world is broadly similar to that of mid 17th century Europe:

Firearms: Firearms come in a variety of sizes from pistols to arqebuses and the even larger 'muskets' (which require a rest). Pistols are nearly all flintlocks though a lot of long guns are still the cheaper matchlock variety (which is fine, provided it isn't raining). Arquebuses are lethal out to 400 yards, muskets to 600, though a well-trained soldier can’t reliably hit a target beyond 100. The best troops, operating under ideal circumstances can reload and fire in around 30 seconds.

Firearms have mostly replaced bows and crossbows, though these do get used in some backwaters, particularly in the Western Empire where horse archery is still practiced and the Pobryn hill tribes occasionally mix longbows into their foot formations.

Melee Weapons: In a standing army, the pike is king, though people will often carry a secondary close-ranged weapon like a sword, axe or club. There are a variety of different swords in use. Some people might carry a short 'hanger' for slashing at close quarters. Officers are more likely to carry a long, slender 'rapier' (which can cut and thrust). Cavalry will have something bigger and broader, which can cut or thrust like a 'mortuary sword' while nobles are likely to carry the Rapier's, smaller, lighter, thrusting only cousin, the 'small-sword'.

Body Armour: Most body armour in this period is cheaper mass produced 'Munitions Armour', though nobles do have access to heavier, better gear. Contrary to popular belief decent armour will stop shots from guns, particularly at longer ranges, though the larger muskets will punch through anything someone is wearing. Helmets like the morion, cabasset and lobster tailed pot helmet are all pretty common. Officers often wear a floppy hat... but that's usually hiding a 'secrete' or small iron or steel skull cap hidden under the hat.

Magic: Magic in this world is rare and usually subtle in its effect. Healing magic is particularly sought after in this day and age as, provided the practitioner has the right herbs, they can save lives and limbs that would otherwise have been claimed by musket balls.

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THE RULES

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In summary, 'don't be a dick'. But here they are if that comment is confusing:

RULES!

• Decisions
  My word and the word of all Co-OPs is binding. If you don’t like a decision, you can, of course, ask for us to reconsider it. Once. If we made a decision you don’t like, complaining for pages and pages is not going to endear you to anyone. Not me, not the Co-OPs and not your fellow writers.
  On that note, I intend to run this thread as an anarcho-communist cooperative. This is an unnecessarily complicated way of saying that my word DOES NOT overrule theirs. So don’t ask me to overrule one of the others. I won’t.
• Post Quality
  I don’t have a problem with short posts but please use proper spelling (I don’t care what regional variant), grammar etc.
  Ideally also try to include a 'hook' when you write a post, which is to say something that gives other people something to respond to. If your post is something along the lines of 'Bilbo Baggins stayed in his room and read a book while the world was ending', don't be surprised if nobody responds to you.
• Posting Commitment
  Nothing is worse than making an RP only for it to die. Please try to check in to see if there is room for a post every 24 hours or so. If you find yourself unable to post for extended periods of time, please let us know on the Discord or in the OOC thread. If it looks like you've abandoned a character in the middle of a fight scene I might decide to kill them off if I'm feeling particularly malicious.
• Posting Speed
  On the flip side, blitz posting can also be infuriating. So, especially during the important scenes, I recommend giving your fellow players a reasonable time to make a reply. We all have real lives. That being said, if someone leaves everyone waiting for over 48 hours, feel free to carry on the scene without them.
• OOC thread Manners
  Nothing annoys me more than bad manners on an OOC thread and in the Discord channel. Swearing, passive-aggressive sniping or any other rude behaviour are not welcome on the OOC. You will be warned once. If you can’t control yourself I will ask you to remove yourself from the thread.
• IC thread Manners
  Remember, we are writing a story together, not trying to win.
• Character Death
  Player death is possible in this RP, though will be quite rare and easily avoidable. Please don’t write that you have killed another character unless you have OOC permission from the character's owner to do it. Beat them into a pulp or take them prisoner, but don’t kill them. Having said that, if someone does something really stupid (such as attacking a ship of the line with a schooner, on your own), I reserve the right to announce your character has got themselves killed. Likewise, if someone goes inactive without explanation and cannot be raised, I may decide to kill their character off.
• Keep it tasteful
  Yes, this is an 18+ RP but please try to keep things tasteful. Generally speaking if there isn't a narrative reason for writing stuff other people will find offensive, don't write it. We'll ask you to correct, warn and/or ban depending upon how far outside the realms of common decency you are and whether we think you're taking the piss or not.
• Banning Players
  I really don’t want to be doing that but reserve the right to do so if you cannot follow the (hopefully, rather simple) rules above.

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APPLICATION FORMS

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The moment you have been waiting for!

Feel free to app anything you think your character might do. If you’re apping a soldier I’d recommend a Colonel as these people were the ones in charge of Regiments. Otherwise write a courtier, a guard, a spy, a merchant or, really, anyone else you can dream up!

Additionally, feel free to write up a number of characters but try to spread them out between the courts.

When filling in an application form, please delete everything in parentheses.

Character App

Character Description

Name:
Species/Race:
Sex:
Age:
Court Alignment: (East, West, White, Red or Black)
Role: (e.g. random courtier, merchant, Colonel, royal guard etc... feel free to be creative!)
Appearance:(Feel free to describe with text or put pictures in here. If you are using a picture, try to find something that looks 17th century, though I appreciate that might not necessarily work with fantasy races! )

Strengths and Weaknesses

Skills: (Is there anything you are significantly better at than most other people? If you include something, make sure it is backed up in the background)
Weaknesses: (Is there anything your character is really rubbish at? Not essential you put anything in, but can be fun)

Background:

Backstory:(How did you come to be here?)

Smoke and Steel (A pike and shot era RP concept)

While I'm not quite ready to put the OOC up I thought you might appreciate an advanced look at the 'Factions' section:

Houses, Claimants and Factions

House Corfina – Emperors of the Elgafolk (Elves)

210 years ago, Voron Corfina led his horde around the North of the Morktree to conquer the Inburian Empire and form the Haltian Empire in the ashes. Now Voron is dead and his two sons both blame each other for the murder.

Voron II Corfina – The Eastern Haltian Empire

Portrait

Voron II, son of Voron is 220 years old and, as a teenager was sent to live with and learn the ways of the newly conquered human subjects in the East. Like many of the younger elgafolk in the East, Voron learned to enjoy a settled, human lifestyle, as an adult taking on the trappings of a human Lord and becoming a leading figure in the party at court calling for reforms within the Empire to improve society for the Inburians, Mittelvolk and other enslaved and downtrodden human groups, seeing this as the only way for the Empire to safeguard against a largescale human revolt in the East. Unfortunately, for Voron, the succession Crisis brought on by his father’s assassination led to widescale revolts before he had the chance to announce, let alone begin implementing the reforms he believes in.

Voron, uniquely, among the many leaders, knows just how big the threat from the Blight actually is. Recently his forces held off an attack from 52,000 orcs, but from what his scouts indicate, this is only the vanguard of a much larger force and if they get past the fortifications at the Grendell there may be no containing them and all the petty rivalries between humans and elgafolk will mean nothing. Victory is necessary not just to maintain the integrity of the Empire, but to ensure the survival of all people on the Western continent.
Voron still commands the largest body of troops in the Empire, currently around 90,000, though they are divided, fighting numerous enemies and many armies are in disarray following a series of defeats, to the ‘White Wyvern’ at Trefgodwig, the Western Empire at Lysfelt, the D’Ambois Expedition at Sidskold, the Calarian Republic at Hjodfelt and the ‘Red Wyvern’ at Rodelkog.

The defeat at Lysfelt was particularly disastrous and Voron made the call to retreat with his forces, abandoning the capital of Alveby to regroup at Elvesland.Voron is a cautious and thoughtful leader who does actually care about his subjects and, more than most of the others is very aware of the danger presented by the increasingly active Blight in the East.

Voron is a careful and thoughtful leader who is generally popular with his inner circle, though he lacks the charisma of some of his rivals.

Orrian Corfina – The Western Haltian Empire

Portrait

In comparison to the Eastern Empire, where most of the human population is enslaved or otherwise oppressed, the humans in the West in relative symbiosis with the elgafolk, paying tribute in exchange for safety and security. The Sahalky cities are prosperous trading hubs while the Pobryn hill folk are allowed to live in relative isolation on their rugged coastline.

Orrian Corfina, now aged 190, unlike his older brother was raised in the West on the vast open plains, amongst the nomadic elga tribes who were, even then, beginning to become suspicious of the Easterners abandonment of the ancient nomadic lifestyle in favour of ‘decadent’ styles of human Lordship.

While commanding, at most 40,000 troops, and enjoying almost no support East of the Morktree, Orrian’s victory at Lysfelt, which he personally commanded, has given momentum to his cause. While many of the Western Empire court believe in abandoning the lands East of the Morktree and some even favour abandoning Maceataby and Elvesland (Mittelvolk cities), Orrian is aware that if his brother is able to deal with the other threats to his rule and bring the full force of the Eastern Empire’s armies to bear, he will undoubtedly be defeated.
Commanding from the front, Orrian is a handsome, inspiring and brave figure as well as a competent tactician who has the trust of the men under his command.

House Hasikos – Human Pretenders

210 years ago all the lands between Grendell and the Morktree were the domain of the Inburian Empire with the Kings of Favis, Calaria and the Mittelvolk all paying homage to the Hasikos dynasty. It was Dakis III Hasikos who halted the Blight at the Grendell, though his forces were so weakened by the battle that he was unable to stop Voron Corfina when he invaded from the West, sweeping through the Mittelvolk Kingdom and Inburian heartland. The surviving descendants of the old dynasty have been allowed to live on, provided they don’t cause unrest. However, in the shattered Empire, two Hasikos Sisters have reemerged to claim the old throne of Inbur and drive the Elgafolk into the West, flying under the old Inburian Wyvern banner.

Andronika Hasikos – The White Wyvern

Portrait

Andronika Hasikos at 19 is the elder of the two Hasikos sisters and potentially the biggest threat to the Empire of all of the rebel groups.

Raised on a farm in central Inbur, Andronika developed the Gift of Healing which led to her arrest for a crime she didn’t commit, allowing the local Lord to sell her into slavery, at an enormous price, given her rare talent.

Andronika, however, is a manipulative little thing and convinced one of the guards to help free her and the other slaves in the caravan she was in. One of whom, Aonène de Bellièvre is now believed by many to be the prophesied ‘Dawnbringer’ to save all peoples from the Blight. Andronika escaped to the town of Tregodwig where, after two failed attempts on her life, she began raising a force with Aonène in opposition to the Empire.

Voron, the late Emperor, dispatched an army to lay siege to the town and bring Aonène back to the capital of Alveby, but the army was defeated outside the town by the small force fighting under the banner of the ‘White Wyvern’, the town garrison and a relieving force from the King of Carnelfenney.

Andronika is a charismatic, moderate figure who counts elgafolk and humans of many races amongst her inner circle. While known as brave, compassionate and undoubtedly cunning, Andronika also has reputation for ‘brazen’ behaviour which does not endear her to some of the more pious members of the population.

While Andronika currently commands just over 2,000 troops, a very low number, she is in the process of negotiating an Alliance with Carnelfenney, potentially bringing a further 10,000 under her banner, enjoys substantial support amongst the Inburians and Mittelvolk and, most importantly, is also supported by the ‘Dawnbringer’, who acts as something of a magnet for adventurers.

Ariana Hasikos – The Red Wyvern

Portrait

Ariana Hasikos, at 18, is the younger of the two Hasikos sisters and the supposed leader of a large revolt from a mixture of Inburian peasants and slaves, wealthier burghers and retired Imperial veterans.

This revolt has been particularly bloody and elgafolk captured by the rebels have inevitably been tortured and murdered regardless of gender or age. Ariana, herself, is retiring figure without the natural charisma of her older sister. In theory her rebels ought to swear allegiance to Andronika as the elder sibling, and the rebellion maintains lip service to the idea of doing so if she makes it to Inburian lands. Privately, however, many of the rebel leaders view Andronika’s known fraternisation with elgafolk with suspicion and have a preference for the more malleable Ariana (who tends to acquiesce to the views of her advisors without protest). By all accounts, the two sisters are quite close though Ariana is little more than a figurehead and the odds of the two forces eventually coming to blows is fairly high.

While the Empire expected Ariana’s revolt to be easily crushed, their outnumbered army was surprised by a charge at the battle of Rodelkog and routed in vicious hand-to-hand fighting, though not before inflicting serious casualties on the rebels. Unfortunately, the Imperial forces abandoned all 32 of their field guns in the retreat. Currently, the ‘Red Wyvern’ controls no major settlements, though these guns will now give them the capacity to breach the defences of walled towns. While only currently mustering a force of just over 13,000 soldiers, victory at Rodelkog has proven to the local population that Ariana’s army has the potential to drive the Haltians from their lands.

Coralie D’Ambois – the Black Wyvern

Portrait

Coralie D’Ambois has a connection to House Hasikos through her mother, though in reality her claim to the throne is laughably slender. A Vichian noble, Coralie D’Ambois was disowned by her family for eloping with a pirate captain and eventually turned to piracy and privateering herself. Despite the dubiousness of her claim to the throne, Coralie managed to convince a number of corsairs and other mercenaries to join an expedition to the Inburian Coast, more as an excuse to loot Haltian manor houses than actually establish Coralie as Empress.

The force was swelled by local peasants and slaves though Coralie expected them to inevitably be routed by the Empire and had plans in place to flee back to her ship in the event of military collapse. Coralie’s forces were surprised by an Imperial army outside of the village of Sidskold. While numerically inferior, the Imperial forces had advantages in training and cannon, though through a series of poor decisions, squandered both of these advantages (attacking ahead of the artillery arriving on the field and attempting the move the left wing of the cavalry through a swamp to surprise the Expedition… which it did not). The Battle of Sidskold was a slaughter, with nearly 900 imperial soldiers killed, and a further 2,700 captured along with 4 batteries of ordinance, out of an initial force of 6,500. Just over 350 rebels were killed or missing, and a further 670 wounded in the fighting. Coralie, by all accounts, personally took command of a unit of shot in the village itself.

With news of the victory spreading, Coralie’s army has swollen to close to 13,000, though her position remains precarious. There are, including the survivors of Sidskold, around 8,000 Imperial troops to the North and 12,000 Calarians to the West. Both forces are well equipped and trained while Coralie’s forces are lacking in armour, horses, arquebuses and training. The Calarians harbour a particular hatred for her (she captured a treasure galleon a few months ago) and would gladly see her hanged. Coralie will need to make her next moves very carefully.

Coralie is ambitious (some might say greedy), bold, unafraid of risk and (perhaps surprisingly) a competent and inspiring military commander to rival Orrian Corfina.

Smoke and Steel (A pike and shot era RP concept)

Excellent! I think the reds make a good starting place for a character like that. It's going to be explained a lot better when I get the OOC up but their leader is a bit of an ineffectual figurehead unlike the Whites

Smoke and Steel (A pike and shot era RP concept)

@TokyoPewPew

I'll add to the OOC, when I get it up that I have no upper limit to people joining and I'm happy for people to join late i.e. the RP will never be full.

My experience on this site and elsewhere is that, even if we get quite a crowd at the start of an RP, a number will drop out through disinterest or RL issues and even if numbers seem a bit hard to manage off the bat, I know it will be fine given a week or two!

So that is all to say, no prior priority given, if you're interested, love to have you aboard!

As for factions. The Whites will start the RP sheltering in a foreign court.

The Reds were a conspiracy that's been brewing for a while made up of human burghers and military officers. When the civil war kicks off they've started rallying peasants, burning manors etc. and then defeated the Imperial field army sent to put them down (through weight of numbers). They are in the open at the moment to rally the peasants but they have the potential to go underground again or retreat into that impassable woodland area on the map.

Smoke and Steel (A pike and shot era RP concept)

Edit: White Wyverns, if I am not permitted to be Independent.

Edit 2: That said, I'll keep in mind whether I would have fun in this game or not before making a final decision to join.

@Dyelli Beybi

@Letter Bee

No we aren't doing independents. We aren't running a classic faction or nation RP, this is an exercise in storytelling set within a 17th century aesthetic.

There can be small scale romance and drama alongside the diplomacy, intrigue and (probably) betrayal of the larger conflict.

Smoke and Steel (A pike and shot era RP concept)

Thanks! We've been cooking this one for a while. Hopefully it forms a canvas for some awesome storytelling!

Smoke and Steel (A pike and shot era RP concept)

<Snipped quote by Dyelli Beybi>

👀 The English Civil War except instead of filthy royalists we're decapitating filthy knife ear apologists?

@TokyoPewPew

@ChronicleMan

Exactly!

Smoke and Steel (A pike and shot era RP concept)

Theme Music

Interested in this RP? Why Not join our Discord Community?

What is this Smoke and Steel?

Smoke and Steel is going to be a a low fantasy RP set in a low fantasy world, taking place in this world's equivalent on Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, a region known as the 'Circle Sea'. You will play the part of someone from one of several royal courts vying for control of a crumbling Empire... or perhaps multiple characters. There will be Alliances, betrayals, and not everyone is coming out of this one alive...

This is a low fantasy RP. Magic does exist in the setting, though your characters are not magically gifted. The one exception I will make to this is if you want to make your character a healer, because magical healing is a great way to allow injured characters to participate in the next scene.

In terms of non-magical tech and societal development, the part of the world you are in will have tech approximately equivalent to the mid 17th century. So think, pikes, muskets, pirates and knights with guns.

And if you aren't too sure about why this is the best period of history to set anything in, watch this educational video:

The Most Underrated Era in History

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How will the RP be structured?

There are five competing factions aligned to one of two Royal Houses in the RP. Your character may be a merchant, a soldier, a noble... or anyone else really that you think could form part of the inner circle of one of the five claimants. You can be a human of one of many ethnicities, or you could be an elf, one of the ruling class of the crumbling 'Haltian Empire'.

The RP will mostly focus on the character drama though there will be battles. Characters commanding in battle will be asked for orders and we'll run a quick simulation in the discord before RPing it out. Not every faction will be busy all the time so if you do want to write multiple characters in different factions, that's cool.

You will advise your liege, maybe switch sides and your actions will have an impact on who eventually wins this war. And hopefully we'll get some fantastic stories written against the backdrop of a massive war. Romance, intrigue, betrayal etc etc...

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What is the World of the Circle Sea?

200 years ago, the world was a very different place. Human Kingdoms dominated the coast of the Circle Sea. Of those Kingdoms, none was finer than the Inburian Empire. Then the blight came. Out of the East, poured strange and brutal creatures, which came to be known as Goblins and Orcs. They appeared in vast hordes, destroying and devouring everything in their path. The Eastern Kingdoms fell, one by one, until the horde reached the great fortress of Grendell, strategically placed to control the narrow neck of land that connected Inbur and the Eastern Kingdoms. The horde laid siege to the citadel for two months, launching one futile assault after another, coming within a hair's breadth of breaching the fort before finally a relief force arrived. The relief force of the time consisted of the bulk of the Inburian army along with the allied contingents from all the other human Kingdoms and there, at the gates of Grendell, the horde was halted, though the Inburians paid a heavy price.

Off the back of the horde, another enemy arose in the West: the Haltians. The Haltians were nomadic Elven people, known for their fine Cavalry. They descended on the weakened human kingdoms, carving out their own Empire, completely swallowing the Inburian Empire in the process.

While the Haltians have traditionally supplemented their armies with human soldiers from their core territories, those in the former Inburian Empire are, for the most part a downtrodden lot. Many are enslaved and have been for generations though a few have, over time, risen through the ranks, some have even become quite wealthy.

But now the winds of change sweep the world again. The Elven Emperor, who had sat upon the throne for the past two centuries has been assassinated. His sons, Voron and Orrian blame each other and swords have been drawn. Voron, the Emperor of the 'Eastern Empire' leads the Reformist faction. His brother, Orrian, heads the traditionalists in the 'Western Empire'.

Amidst the chaos, two sisters, Andronika, the heir to the old Empire and her younger sister Ariana, have also raised ancient Inburian Wyvern banners and many flock to them, tired of elven oppression. While the sisters are firm friends, they have quite different ideas about what a free human Kingdom might look like. Andronika, the 'White Wyvern' is in favour of cooperating with the elven populations in human majority lands while Ariana is in favour of complete displacement. The chances of their forces coming to blows is very real.

Meanwhile, a distant cousin of theirs, the notorious pirate Coralie D'Ambois, has also landed on the Imperial Coast with an army of pirates and mercenaries and is ostensibly trying to press her own claim to the throne under the 'Black Wyvern' banner.

And in the East, a massive force of orcs assembles, threatening all civilisation on the continent and tying up many Eastern Imperial troops...

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So if you're interested, let us know! Maybe even pop along to the Discord and we can chat about some ideas!