Liotrent

BLOOD & IRON: IMPERIAL AMBITION

Witch Clans of Choyla

Witch Clans of Choyla

Type of Government

Demographics & Population: 600,000

There are an estimated 60,000 Witches within Choyla, supported roughly ten times that number of slaves and servants. The Witches themselves look human while their servant base is made of virtually all other races.

Governance & Politics

Choyla is loosely ruled the High Coven, three Witches who hail from each of the lands main three Clans; The Red Claws, Black Talons, and Silver Fangs. These Witches are the most cunning and strongest among all their kin; they are succeeded by a chosen heir who is rarely one of their own line. While the High Coven exists it is not unusual for the various Clans to engage in limited warfare, skirmishes, raid, slave snatchings, Witchling kidnappings, etc. So deep are their suspicions of each other, no one can remember a time when all three clans fought side by side.

Culture & Society

The Choyla are all exclusively female. They are unable to bear male offspring, though males are required for breeding purposes; only human mates are capable of impregnating a Witch. Other races, Elves, Orks, and even some other humanoid species are known to be used for pleasure purposes. Witchlings are rare and highly valued by all Choyla. A Witchlings father is killed instantly to prevent any foolish paternal urges or actions.

The Clans occupy different portions of their Island home, a ragged yet beautiful land of towering spires and deep valleys that are ideally suited to their flying mounts. The Choyla ride Wyverns which are raised from a young age after being taken from nests found throughout the islands. These mounts are integral to a Choylas life and are bonded to their rider; if a Witch dies, so does her mount.

The Choyla keep significant numbers of "enthralled servants" who serve to keep the Witches fed, and harvest required resources for basic survival. This population serves to act as a food source if needed as the Choyla will consume the flesh of pretty much any other living creature when they're hungry enough using their retractable iron teeth and claws.

Magic & Technology

Technology

The Choyla have zero modern technology.

Magic

The Choyla are magically powerful, the only thing that has prevented them from being utterly overwhelmed by their enemies. Each Clan boast its own unique magical ability from being able to control the beasts of their home and the surrounding ocean, to shape shifting into various different animal forms, and even offense magics that serve to counter modern weapons. Each Witch has the single powerful ability to commit themselves to a "warding", an act that kills the Witch outright but creates a tremendous magical surge capable of killing almost anything within a radius of the warding.

Military Overview

The Choyla are a highly militant species that have preyed on their neighbor for centuries. Their ability to move quickly and larger undetected has made them a terrifying force to be reckoned with. The arrival of modern armies, however, and much of the resulting technology has levelled the playing field, if not tilted it the other way. Once powerful "Wings" of Choyla flyers have been burned from the sky by gunpowder weapons and recent loses in the last decade have halved the population leaving the survivors much more cautious.

@Pagemaster

Interesting... I'm into it. It gives me Star Wars Night Sister vibes.

BLOOD & IRON: IMPERIAL AMBITION

The Most Serene Republic of Fenice

Serenìsima Repùblega Fenèze

Name: The Most Serene Republic of Fenice, Fenice, Serenissima
Capital: Fenice
Government Type: Maritime Republic
Leader: Doxe Andrea Alberghetti
Dominant Species: Elf (27%)
Notable Species: Human (38%), Dwarven (8%), Other (27%)

Fenice is an old maritime republic with thousands of years of history. The city was once part of an elvish empire which dominated the world. Even before their collapse various city states grew into power across the Diorno Peninsula. They adopted the idea of republic in an era dominated by monarchic rulers. Thanks to their strategic position and maritime power these republics soon became rich. Their freedom and wealth thus made the Diorno Peninsula a popular nexus for the arts and culture. Eventually the peninsula came under the influence of a single city, Fenice. Using their newfound power they began establishing a colonial empire of their own. Fenice is well-known for their maritime prowess and unique technology they guard jealously. Their influence is widespread and they are well-renown in most parts of the world. Yet this is all on the surface. In truth the once progressive and enlightened Fenice is stuck with ancient traditions, stubborn leadership and a "democratic" system that serves the rich. Yet the once great republic of Fenice has yet to stumble hard enough to realize their hubris.

Demographics & Territories:

Fenice territorially has 4 different categories. First being the metropolis of Fenice, a system of port cities with the total population of over 2 million people. This is the most affluent and overall important region of the Serenissima. The city's population is predominantly elvish, albeit more than half the population are from other races. While technically there is no discrimination for being from other race in practice there is a strong system supporting already rich families and basically the government is compromised almost entirely of elves.

Next territorial unit is the Terrafirma, which covers the Diorno Peninsula. These regions are culturally very similar with rich mercantile cities, budding industrial regions albeit a more mixed population. Migration into Fenice is much more regulated than to the rest of Diorno, afterall. There's also the Zwölfberg mountain chain which is predominantly inhabited by dwarves. This region used to have a larger degree of autonomy yet by the 19th century they are just part of the Terrafirma.

Following territorial unit are the various seaside holdings. With one exception these are strictly for lands in Fenizian possession before the era of colonizations. They can have very diverse populations, albeit some of them could be very similar to mainland Diorno. The exception is the Halagiz Principalty, originally a protectorate of Fenice. When their autonomy ended they became acknowledged as part of the maritime holdings rather than a lowly colonial status.

Colonies, as expected, are mostly the natives. They are not viewed as part of Fenice's population (barring citizens from the mainland settling there). The regions tend to be undeveloped and mostly held for exploitation purposes. Albeit for Fenice such possessions also have importance as ports for their busy trade empire.

Governance & Culture:

Fenice is an old republic built on values older than most civilizations. They believe in liberty, equality and justice. Yet thrse values only strictly apply to those living in the city-complex of Fenice. In broad strokes the system can be considered an Elective Constitutional Monarchy rather than a proper republic. The Doxe (spelled "Doke") is the head of the state who rules for life or at least until they abdicate. The govetnment is a bicameral system where the Couincil of Forty is thr upper house and the Council of Representatives is the lower house. Except that the lower house has very limited power so it's mostly down to the decision of the upper house. Said forty councilors are chosen from wealthy citizens of Fenice, and only from the city of Fenice. The selection itself is random from a relatively narrow list of eligible choices. Said people are being recorded in the Golden Book. This is a plutocracy in all but name. And they aren't even hiding it that much anymore. That being said the power of the central government is relatively weak and there is significant autonomy for the individual states under Fenizian rule.Said autonomous local governments can vary wildly and it's usually down to ancient traditions more than decisions from higher up.

Fenice may be irreparrably corrupt yet their core values are noble. Their governance system is based upon the pillars of democracy and to prevent the rule of tyrants. They consider voting systems easy to manipulate hence they prefer random choice from the candidates over something which can be influenced. They abhor personal cults and they prohibit posters with the image of governors or the Doxe. Same for coins, postage stamps or anything in public circulation. These are gross violations against Fenizian beliefs. Their government is also under supervision and once an official quit/ended their service they are thoroughly investigated. If they are found guilty of corruption they can even make posthumous fines towards the family. Of course one has to question the efficiency of internal investigations within a flawed and corrupt system but in theory they have all the tools they need.

The Fenizians separated the religion and state for many millennia. This does not mean they are generally atheist, though. Dionism is by far the most popular within the Diorno Peninsula. They revere the Phoenix God who rules over the Sun and all that is light. It teaches enlightenment through personal improvement and generally has an optimist message. That being said Fenice accepts nearly all religions and often accomodates to allow the citizens to freely practice their faith.

Magic & Technology:

Fenizian culture is dominated by sorcerously gifted elves. The practice of magic is natural as breathing to them. Fenice embraced Manarite and its derivatives from the early times. What once was perceived as a dangerous rock viewed with caution gradually transformed into something part of a Fenizian's everyday life. Manarite is refined and mixed with various agents to make it safer to handle. Thr material forms the core of many Fenizian technologies. Separating magic from their technology is almost impossible. Elemental-powered steam engines, golems mechanics, magical arclamps, etc.

The Republic of Fenice may not be the most industrially developed country but they have the world's most impressive shipbuilding complex, the Fenizian Arsenal. Filled with assembly lines that predate the shipbuilding industry of most countries the Arsenal mixes modern with the traditional, technology with magic, to produce some of the most beautiful vessels ever known. It has more artisans and experts of the field than multiple countries combined. Yet thr existence of the Arsenal highlights the prevailing issues of their civilization. In spite of all these advantages Fenice is still outmatched by the younger pioneers of this field. The Arsenal is grand, yet outdated and frivolous practices undermine its supposed greatness. If you'd give the same resources (human, infrastructural and material) to for example Mooliand they would produce 2-3 times as many ships than the Arsenal.

Military Overview:

The State Army of thr Serenissima is thr main standing force of the republc. Unlike other standing armies it doesn't use conscription, not in the strict sense. Yet those who acquire debt and unable to repay it may be forced to enlist in the army, term dependent on the amount owed. This can even result in generations serving in the military to pay back the debt of their ancestors'. Yet even like this Fenice has a hard time to recruit a large enough force. The State Army usually fulfills a defensive role and may be mobilized to protect state interests. For other purposes they rely on dedicated elites and mercenaries. Fenice spares no gold to pay their fluctuating force of mercenaries. In return they tend to be loyal yet very greedy. There are countless tales about Fenizian mercenaries breaking ranks or act out of line when they attempted to grab more loot. While formal code on warfare made these occurences less common the mercenaries find other ways to be scummy and fill their money purses.

On the sea the Fenizian Armada is well-known and not many nations dare to face them in a naval conflict. Fenizian seamen are reputed to be one of the best in the world and their beautiful warships can be awe-inspiring. Fenice is the sole producer of the so-called "steam galleys" these mechanized vessels are driven by trilobite-like mechanical legs and possesses a strong golem spirit. Galley warfare never died for Fenice, only transformed. The Armada of Fenice is quite impressive yet in practice they are significantly less powerful than given credit for. Steam galleys are more maneuverable but the legs are occupying a lot of space and can be targeted by enemy guns. Armoring them is unwise and generally the presence of legs makes side armor weaker on the ships. Yet since the Fenizians have yet to experience a major defeat they maintain an inflated reputation which they often capitalize on. The Republic of Fenice is a middling nation in size so they wouldn't have the means to outproduce the rest of the world. Yet with their reputation they can maintain relatively unstrained logistics and naval presence around their territories.

@Willy Vereb

Approved.

BLOOD & IRON: IMPERIAL AMBITION

The People of the Darkling Womb

Name of your Nation: The Drow Confederacy/self-named People of the Darkling Womb



Type of Government: Tribal Confederacy

Demographics & Population: Approximately 5 million.

Governance & Politics: The People of the Darkling Womb, though a technical Confederacy, can barely be called a unified people. Individual tribes and clans are governed in various ways - some by force, some by gerontocracy, some of the most ‘modern’ by classical monarchy, and others by vote. The confederacy is merely a loosely formal way for these tribes and communities to cooperate, meeting in a central, neutral location; a sanctuary nestled into the Earthen Womb, the large, towering mountain range near the western edge of their homeland. Deep within this sanctuary is an enormous pillar of a highly concentrated form of what the Darklings call the 'blood of the gods' (known elsewhere as manarite), running far deeper within the ground than even the Darklings have gone, holding enormous religious significance to most tribes. It is, however, incredibly dangerous to be around to all but the most powerful mages or the most physically resilient people.

Culture & Society: Contrary to popular belief in the human nation-states, the Dark Elves (or the People of the Darkling Womb, as they commonly refer to themselves), adamantly believe that elvenkind is the 'race' which others descend from, including themselves. Their race, they argue, descends from the pale-skinned stock adapted to the underground with darkened skin to better camouflage themselves in poorly-lit places, a wild difference from the ways in which some elves adopt other drastic changes to adapt to their environments - often in ways that humans cannot.

This is not to say that they believe elves to be inherently superior, however, but rather stands as an example of how their culture, absent human influence, has developed along fundamental lines that are not generally compatible with assimilation into human society.

Another is the relatively different nature of gender roles in Darkling society. The Darkling Kin, perhaps due to the unusual environment in which their civilization emerged, developed to be highly sexually flexible due to extremely high death rates (that often were just as high at the home as they were away from it), resulting in the unusually high prevalence of offspring-viable intersex people, and the cultural expectation that anyone, regardless of their biological sex, was expected to be highly fit and capable of fighting.

Darkling mastery over magic has since reduced many of these pressures, as has the introduction of foreign agricultural techniques, but the cultural expectation of violence and flexible gender roles has not abated, remaining strong even in the presence of influence considered highly unusual to the Darkling people.

Magic, likewise, has enormous cultural influence in the Darkling people, and ability to use it, while not the sole determinant of one's status, is a major contributor. Magic has both an enormous spiritual significance to the Darkling people (due to its necessity for contacting the extraplanar beings the Darkling communicate with and occasionally work alongside, particularly daemons and the divinities they serve) and necessary practical utility. It is, after all, incredibly difficult to survive beneath the earth without access to magic, and, in many ways, the Darklings' access to magic without the use of manarite technology is what allows them to survive being fully colonized. The foreigners may be communicated with, but they are nonetheless viewed with careful caution, as a general rule.

Magic & Technology: Unlike societies that rely on the industrial exploitation of manarite for their magic, the Darklings rely on it in another way entirely - exposure. Highly resilient to manarite mutation as a result of millennia of proximity to it, the Darkling are a generally highly magically adept people, though their unwillingness to cannibalize a substance they view with such immense reverence, and their until-recently lack of access to easily proliferating agricultural crops (not to mention the simple fact that they mostly live underground) has resulted in very low levels of industrial development compared to the countries colonizing their home archipelago. Many types of livestock of beasts of burden that allowed these civilizations to proliferate mass agriculture, also, simply didn’t exist until they were introduced, and many of those that have been introduced (such as horses) are utterly unsuitable for life in massive underground caverns.

What the Darklings have, though, are several sources of potent magic, both that from within and without; that is to say, through spiritual means. This magic, in fact, has been a prime factor in keeping their lands safe from encroachment, causing casualties in conflicts with colonial powers that make their home even less desirable, though it nonetheless posesses enormous resources of lumber and valuable minerals, not to mention an extensive network of underground tunnels to expedite transport.

Military Overview: Although a warrior culture in many respects, until skirmishes and battles with the Viceroyalty of Veliký Zelená (which have since ceased), the Darkling tribes, for the most part, had nothing resembling a formal military, instead relying on loose bands of warriors to resolve conflicts when words could not. Since contact with colonizers, however, a handful of bands have seen fit to adopt relatively modern military arrangements, complete with regiments and formal officer training. Most, however, still rely on nomadic bands, forced to constantly move through the places beneath the earth to avoid threats and follow sources of food, lacking the ability to establish permanent places for training.

Additional Info: Rumours abound of a daughter of a noble sub-clan in the central mount of unusual magical potency - and as tensions run hot in the Vasiran holdings stolen from the clan of her thrice-distant cousins a scant few decades ago, rumour in the Confederacy is that she may push to remove the foreign devils from their land, whether by word or by force.

@Jeddaven

Approved.

I might have to redesign my civ (City of Lancet) a bit because i wasnt expecting a dieselpunk setting. But when i do they'll probably resemble valkyria chronicles a bit... if i have time...

@Steel Legion

Valkyria Chronicles was one of my inspirations for this so I see no problem. Though keep in mind, it's not entirely dieselpunk. Tanks, Mechs, big Sky ships all of these technologies are at this moment incredibly rudimentary for the entire world.

BLOOD & IRON: IMPERIAL AMBITION

<Snipped quote by Dusty>

Hey, I had that land claimed in the interest check - is there any way I could convince you to part with it?

Specifically this sheet.

The People of the Darkling Womb

Name of your Nation: The Drow Confederacy/self-named People of the Darkling Womb



Type of Government: Tribal Confederacy

Demographics & Population: Approximately 5 million.

Governance & Politics: The People of the Darkling Womb, though a technical Confederacy, can barely be called a unified people. Individual tribes and clans are governed in various ways - some by force, some by gerontocracy, some of the most ‘modern’ by classical monarchy, and others by vote. The confederacy is merely a loosely formal way for these tribes and communities to cooperate, meeting in a central, neutral location; a sanctuary nestled into the Earthen Womb, the large, towering mountain range near the western edge of their homeland. Deep within this sanctuary is an enormous pillar of a highly concentrated form of what the Darklings call the 'blood of the gods' (known elsewhere as manarite), running far deeper within the ground than even the Darklings have gone, holding enormous religious significance to most tribes. It is, however, incredibly dangerous to be around to all but the most powerful mages or the most physically resilient people.

Culture & Society: Contrary to popular belief in the human nation-states, the Dark Elves (or the People of the Darkling Womb, as they commonly refer to themselves), adamantly believe that elvenkind is the 'race' which others descend from, including themselves. Their race, they argue, descends from the pale-skinned stock adapted to the underground with darkened skin to better camouflage themselves in poorly-lit places, a wild difference from the ways in which some elves adopt other drastic changes to adapt to their environments - often in ways that humans cannot.

This is not to say that they believe elves to be inherently superior, however, but rather stands as an example of how their culture, absent human influence, has developed along fundamental lines that are not generally compatible with assimilation into human society.

Another is the relatively different nature of gender roles in Darkling society. The Darkling Kin, perhaps due to the unusual environment in which their civilization emerged, developed to be highly sexually flexible due to extremely high death rates (that often were just as high at the home as they were away from it), resulting in the unusually high prevalence of offspring-viable intersex people, and the cultural expectation that anyone, regardless of their biological sex, was expected to be highly fit and capable of fighting.

Darkling mastery over magic has since reduced many of these pressures, as has the introduction of foreign agricultural techniques, but the cultural expectation of violence and flexible gender roles has not abated, remaining strong even in the presence of influence considered highly unusual to the Darkling people.

Magic, likewise, has enormous cultural influence in the Darkling people, and ability to use it, while not the sole determinant of one's status, is a major contributor. Magic has both an enormous spiritual significance to the Darkling people (due to its necessity for contacting the extraplanar beings the Darkling communicate with and occasionally work alongside, particularly daemons and the divinities they serve) and necessary practical utility. It is, after all, incredibly difficult to survive beneath the earth without access to magic, and, in many ways, the Darklings' access to magic without the use of manarite technology is what allows them to survive being fully colonized. The foreigners may be communicated with, but they are nonetheless viewed with careful caution, as a general rule.

Magic & Technology: Unlike societies that rely on the industrial exploitation of manarite for their magic, the Darklings rely on it in another way entirely - exposure. Highly resilient to manarite mutation as a result of millennia of proximity to it, the Darkling are a generally highly magically adept people, though their unwillingness to cannibalize a substance they view with such immense reverence, and their until-recently lack of access to easily proliferating agricultural crops (not to mention the simple fact that they mostly live underground) has resulted in very low levels of industrial development compared to the countries colonizing their home archipelago. Many types of livestock of beasts of burden that allowed these civilizations to proliferate mass agriculture, also, simply didn’t exist until they were introduced, and many of those that have been introduced (such as horses) are utterly unsuitable for life in massive underground caverns.

What the Darklings have, though, are several sources of potent magic, both that from within and without; that is to say, through spiritual means. This magic, in fact, has been a prime factor in keeping their lands safe from encroachment, causing casualties in conflicts with colonial powers that make their home even less desirable, though it nonetheless posesses enormous resources of lumber and valuable minerals, not to mention an extensive network of underground tunnels to expedite transport.

Military Overview: Although a warrior culture in many respects, until skirmishes and battles with the Viceroyalty of Veliký Zelená (which have since ceased), the Darkling tribes, for the most part, had nothing resembling a formal military, instead relying on loose bands of warriors to resolve conflicts when words could not. Since contact with colonizers, however, a handful of bands have seen fit to adopt relatively modern military arrangements, complete with regiments and formal officer training. Most, however, still rely on nomadic bands, forced to constantly move through the places beneath the earth to avoid threats and follow sources of food, lacking the ability to establish permanent places for training.

Additional Info: (Miscellaneous information that don't really fit in any category.)

@Jeddaven

This was one of the reasons why I was hesitant to approve anything in that region. Y'all have to talk it out. I'll mediate but for the most part I need you all to come to some sort of middle ground about that piece of clay.

BLOOD & IRON: IMPERIAL AMBITION

Routhenrask Ruthelbora

Routhenrask Ruthelbora

Routhenrask Ruthelbora - Ro to his friends- is a smuggler, thief, and merchant. Born the only son of a fishmonger, he always had dreams and aspirations of moving beyond his anticipated station in life. As a young lad he signed onto a merchant ship. His journeys took him far and wide and he soon learned something of the world beyond the limits of his small town imagination.

He is a man who has worked hard for his station. From lowly cabin boy to first mate, he fought to move beyond the life that his parents predicted for him. The time came when he had saved enough money for his own boat. It had become obvious to him, during his time as a legal merchant that, while profitable, it could not compare to the money made smuggling.

Now nearly 37 years old he is considered one of the finest blockade runners of the age. His vessel, the StarSkimmer, is a marine ship modified for air travel and, though it runs lightly armed, it has no challenger for speed.

His crew is made up of freed slaves, free folk seeking adventure, and more than one young noble run away from home to test their mettle in the world.

Gregarious, generous to his crew, and ruthless to any who might betray him, Ro has earned the reputation as a daring and roguish figure who is impossible to dislike. Even the sternest Naval Captain can grudgingly admit that Ro is a gentleman first, a ragamuffin second.

He toes a fine line with his flaunting of any laws and will dump a cargo before engaging with any warship. This action, though not always popular with his clientele, has ensured no boarding party has ever been able to firmly pin him down as a criminal.

Whatever nefarious dealings he might be up to are always mixed with legal trade and tender. Ro is clever enough to ensure that some cargoes and their ownership are so convoluted that even he isn’t entirely sure what is going on.

Even so, if you’re desperate for manarite and need it sooner rather than later, Ro is your man. Or Elf? Maybe an Orc? No one really knows what race he is and he keeps that secret close to his chest.

Ro long ago made his fortune but something about the open sea and sky, the thrill of the chase, the pleasure of the deal, all of it perhaps, keeps him on the move.

@Pagemaster

approved.

BLOOD & IRON: IMPERIAL AMBITION

Still here for it!

Vecrya

Vecrya

The red line is Alos Vidi's origin, eventually, his people migrated West picking up other lines of refugees which are represented by the different colors. It is not a specific illustration as it is more to simply show the movement across geography and how others joined. These caravans are currently about 3/4 of the way to where the red territory is on the water. This territory will show where Vecrya settles in 2-3 posts.

Type of Government

Demographics & Population: 1 million

1. Humans (50%) 500,000

Noteable cultures/influences

Ignasi,
Zelenese,
Sarenian,
Eleim,
and Kyarusch.

2. Dark elves (20%) 200,000

Noteable cultures/influences

Darkling Womb

3. Wood Elves (15%) 150,000
4. High elves (4%) 40,000
5. Halflings (3%) 30,000
6. Dwarves (1%) 10,000
7. Gnomes (1%) 10,000
8. Centaurs (1%) 10,000

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Governance & Politics

Vecrya, the unofficial title of a people loosely led by Alos Vidi, govern themselves through a democratic process of open dialogue between decision-makers and followers. There are no set structures that must be rigidly adhered too. Everyone has freedom to lead, follow, challenge decisions, and leave. When disputes do emerge, it can be settled in a vote or in a duel. A fight to the death is not permitted, and engaging in a duel must be sanctioned as to maintain morale and order. If a duel occurs without being sanctioned by the people, the parties disputing will be left behind.

Culture & Society

Vecrya is a loosely organized group of refugees with varying backgrounds. Many intersecting cultures converge within Vecrya, and Vecrya itself has no standard set of traditions. The only unifying notion that bonds these people together as a culture is their pain and suffering, this can be immediately recognized in the unofficial name that members refer to their group “Vecrya”, translated to, “The Path of Tears”. The existential feeling each member shares, longing for a home that can provide peace and security, a reality their birth homes never realized.

Many Vecryans have lost family, close friends, lovers, and soulmates. Their shared experiences and diverse backgrounds shape next generation Vecryans as eclectic artisans, swordsman, and merchants. As a whole, there is no place for theoretical exercises or time to pursue academic ventures, everything a Vecryan learns can immediately translate into pragmatic and useful returns that either assist in the security of Vecryan society or help build it up physically. These directions may change as the society itself settles and realizes a new overarching identity.

Magic & Technology

Technology

Vecryans are resourceful inventors who are extremely skilled at repairing, modifying, and deconstructing existing technology. However, they have no technology that is going to be on the edge of research or what is possible. In fact, much of their gear will look as if it came out of an artist’s backyard.

Magic

Vecryans come from all walks of life and so does their magic. There is no consistency to the Vecryan’s pool of magic, yet, slowly as the next generation buds, there is a form of magic that has become the focus, Abjuration.

Abjuration is the practice of giving up one’s magical abilities for offense and solely converting their energy and spells into defensive techniques. This phenomenon began to emerge in the minds of Vecryan as they shared stories of their history. In all instances, magic was introduced and used for destruction. The Vecryans do not wish to repeat their origin stories and collectively began reorienting their magical affinities or those whom have some to mastering the art of dispelling and protecting against magic using magic.

Military Overview

The might of the Vecryan are dispersed across a roving caravan as guards. There is no real offensive military strategy other than whatever shapes up after an offensive force throws their will at the will of the Vecryans. Most of what the Vecryans have faced together could be boiled down to bandits and organized gangs festering in abandoned ruins, cities, and towns. Individually however there are extremely skilled veteran warriors who have seen all types of warfare and even some who have experienced moments of life in the prisons of their enemies. The next generation of Vecryans are taught in all sorts of combat, strategy, and weapon wielding. The most focused art of combat for a Vecryan however is the use of a horse. The caravan extends miles long and defending it using only foot soldiers was never going to sustain the life expectancy of the group enough to reach their “promised land”. Horses make up for this challenge in distance and at a young age the children of Vecryan are all taught how to ride, fight, train, and care for their horse.

@RezonanceV

This is approved!

BLOOD & IRON: IMPERIAL AMBITION

Take your time everyone. I'm also setting up the discord and I'll add it to the OOC in a bit.

BLOOD & IRON: IMPERIAL AMBITION

roleplayerguild.com/topics/188434-blo…

The IC & OOC is up.

BLOOD & IRON: IMPERIAL AMBITION

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The world has been in constant turmoil over the scarce but renewable resource known as manarite. The manarite refinement process allowed for different forms of manarite to be used for different applications. Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous manarite allows for different applications. The world became dependent on this miraculous resource and all its benefits towards magic and technology. However, this would put different empires against each other for prestige, for honor, for supremacy, for freedom, for security, and whatever other reason people fought for.

Empires would rise and fall. Constant war would stunt the growth of technology for a time and only at times of peace would economies grow, cultures spread, and technology develop. If one were to compare our world to theirs, they'd have access to electricity and fuel and yet they would be less efficient in their consumption. Mechanical progress was slow, streamlining processes took decades, and such is the case when looking at this world's military. They did not have tanks, they did not have planes, but they had massive warships and airships; they have no magazine fed rifles, no body armor, but they have gatlings and manarite weapons. In the end technology for each country may have developed in similar ways but diverged in others.

Empires continue to fight for territory, for resources, and for colonies to feed their imperial ambitions.

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Setting:

The roleplay setting is in a steampunk/dieselpunk setting with magic still being a major source of power for some nations. As mentioned, constant war has caused technology to vary and stall, while there are a lot of things that have progressed, there are many things that are somewhat stuck in the early to middle victorian era. Perhaps there are people here that still use muzzle loaders, perhaps there are people who have yet to develop electricity because of a manarite shortage - whatever the case, this gives people the chance to diversify their nations.

The map on top is a few islands within the world. Not a continent, rather think of it as like Japan, Philippines, or Malaysia. Obviously the map isn't the size of any of these places and I'd rather not get into size and rather keep it vague. The focus of this is not a super accurate representation of land mass and geography but rather the stories borne out of the nations eeking out their colonial ambitions here. There are natives of this land and perhaps they may have been left to their own devices and become independent from the colonists.

Resources:

Manarite itself is a miracle resource that can intensify magic but it also has adverse effects such as causing weird mutations or even sickness in large enough quantity. It's used as an energy source for industrial purposes and can be downscaled for the personal consumption of the individual.

Manarite is considered rare in many places but there are still underpopulated/underdeveloped places where manarite growth thrives. Seeing as manarite has become this world's oil, it's only natural that growing empires would want to keep these places to themselves.

It is usually found in two forms. Crystaline and liquid pools. However, a third way is when it forms into a gaseous state over liquid manarite lakes. In its liquid and gaseous forms, it's extremely unstable and combustible.

Races:

It is said that the existence of manarite pushed humanity to change in various ways. Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and other weird and interesting people live on this world and may have all come to be because of manarite exposure. This also means that all the races are connected to humanity in one way or another.

That being said, this allows the players to have a lot of freedom in making the races for their nations.

Magic & Technology:

Magic systems and such are complicated. However, I think it goes without saying that magic in this world can be powerful, however there should be limitations. For now I'll allow people to do what they want, as long as it doesn't rub people the wrong way. I guess, what I'm saying here is...

Don't be an Asshole.

Magitech weapons and technology is all fine and dandy, just don't use magic as a replacement for energy shields or supermassive gearhulks. I too like my automaton armies and skyships, but if you're going to have massive fuckoff weapons, technology, or magic, there has to be a very good reason for you to have them. I think that's fair for everyone. At the end of the day, this is a roleplay, a game - we're here to have fun so don't get too serious about things.

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If you've gotten this far that means you're thinking about it. Well I've got the general layout of the Nation sheet ready if you'd like to make the plunge. I don't really care too much if you're overly detailed or if you'd like to keep things short and to the point. But do understand that as a GM I'd have to read through several of these (Not saying I don't want to, but it's more like it'll be slower if there are many that are like more than 10 pages long). That being said, I don't mind either way, I'm always interested in what people come up with.

I'd also like to thank you for taking the time to check out this interest check. If you have anything you want to talk about or ask about the setting feel free to hit me up. I'm pretty friendly, sure I get shy at times, but I'm trying to break out of the mold. Without further ado, here's the NS.

Nation Sheet

Name of your Nation: (this should be obvious)

(Space reserved for an image that represents your nation, maybe a flag or something)

Type of Government: (Are you a dictatorship, an Autocracy, a Monarchy, etc?)

Demographics & Population: (What races are here? What's your overall population? I'm not a hard numbers guy, so to make it easy, 1 mil is small, 3-5 mil is large, 6-10 mil is massive)

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Governance & Politics: (This is where you put how your people govern themselves in more detail. Do they have a houses of parliament? Do they settle things with duels? Do they have unique people leading different branches of government?)

Culture & Society: (What kind of people are you, what are your unique traditions and such?)

Magic & Technology: (This is where you put what your people have achieved. Are they golem masters that create automatons? Do they have some weird invention that makes them different from the rest?)

Military Overview: (Explain your military power. What are your orders of battle? What's your doctrine?)

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Additional Info: (Miscellaneous information that don't really fit in any category.)

DISCORD: discord.gg/gDA4uV8Uam

BLOOD & IRON: IMPERIAL AMBITION

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A banner flutters ominously in the distance. The wind brings whispers of the Dragon of the west's expansion into these new regions. Their imperial ambition brings them far from their homeland. The invaders led by a man of great renown in the western world. A legion of the Empire's best - Ikagai's finest men. On their backs are the expectations of their homeland and on their shoulders the weight of honor and tradition. They look out from their gains in the south western reaches of these isles, the salt in the air and the spray of water crust their beards, rust their armor, but they are diligent and hard working enough to clean their equipment.

Five years this expedition has taken from them. First the Empire tasked them with establishing a colony, Sasaku. They faced many challenges, some of which from other imperialists, some from the native populace. The Empire is eager, the dragon is hungry. Though they achieved their first goal and were able to live peaceable lives for a short time, these times of peace were not to last.

The Great Empire of Ikagai has tasked them to take the entire isle even if it takes them years to do so. The colony from five years past has begun to flourish. The natives of this land are wild and resisting, the rivals from other empires have come far and wide to challenge their expansion into these rich territories. The dominion of the dragon shall sink its claws deep into these remote territories. The next expedition will begin within a few months from now. Their bodies are hardened, their uniforms crisp, their swords and bayonets are sharpened, and their rifles clean and ready.

War on the mainlands may draw the men of Ikagai to fight against their rivals on the islands once more. They will face terrible hardships. Battles of immense proportions are inevitable and will threaten to plunge the isles into fire. The beats of drums will match with the rhythmic stomp of marching men across mountains, hills, and plains. The crackle of gunfire and clashing of steel will once again fill the air. The ground will be soaked and with the blood of the dead.

Who will be the victor? Who will take these isles? Who will achieve their imperial ambition?