Red Wizard — Roleplayer Guild

UR

The insignia of the Kummitus, the creature that granted empress Karm I knowledge of the dark art of necromancy.

Location/Geography

Note: Even though the uri claim the entire marked region for themselves, the only settlements of the realm are located in the mountains and along the river. Due to the cold winds blowing in from the north most of the land here is frozen, covered by snow and ice all year long. The entire region is basically one big lowland tundra stretching from the mountains to the sea, split in half by the slithering river river Siug, or the Serpent as it is called in the common tounge. Life usually has a way of enduring even in conditions such as these, but that is not the case with the land of the uri. There is no life here, animal or plant. Even birds avoid the region, taking hundred-mile detours rather than even flying over it. The reason for this is the Curse, which will be explained in greater detail below.

General Introduction

Ur is, simply put, the land of the dead. It is a truly ancient nation which has witnessed the birth and fall of many civilizations. In a world of progress it is a bastion of the old, and has lately seen itself become outrun by younger powers. The nation as a whole has one simple goal: to endure.

History

Ancient History

Ur was formed many thousands of years ago when civilization as a whole was still young. It then consisted of the united tribes of northeners today known as uri, and later became a great empire and worldwide power.  As with all empires, however, it reached a point where control of the accumulated land could not be maintained, and started to crumble. The empress at the time, Karm the first, had forseen this and turned to the dark arts in order to preserve her reign and nation indefinetly. A deal was struck with an eldritch creature, and so the Curse (or blessing, depending on your perspective) was cast upon the land. No living thing would ever again settle within its borders, but the emperess and her subjects were granted eternal life through undeath. 

Recent History
(Open to suggestions! I'd love to have some pre-determined relations with other players and nations!)

Government & Society

Ur is a totalitarian dictatorship, goverened solely by the eternal empress Karm I (or the Lich Queen as she is known as in some parts of the world). It is almost a theocracy in the sense that the empress is thought of as divine and is worshiped by the people. The nation is frozen in time and has not changed since the Curse was cast; the language, rituals and traditions of today are the same as the ones used nearly ten thousand years ago. Everything in Ur is about preservation and endurance. 

The uri are very organized. Everything has its proper place and time. There is therefore a close distinction between high and low status in Ur. The higher your status was when the Curse was cast, the more magic was spent on your preservation. As a result of this, the aristocrats of the nation are indistinguishable from other peoples, with the exception being that they're clinically dead. Low status people such as peasants and laborers are no more than seemingly mindless zombies. One thing both high and low have in common, however, is the complete obediance they all show to their empress. In Ur, her word is law regardless of your station.

The uri are not a warlike people. They might have been once, when they were set on imperial conquest, but the stakes have changed. Today they do their best to stay out of everyones way, taking no sides while trying to be friends with everybody. To this day they have only fought a handful of wars, and only ever in defense.

When it comes to outsiders, the uri are pleasant but reserved. No other people are allowed to settle on their land, but they are welcoming towards emissaries and traders from other nations. You can visit Ur, but you can never stay. The uri are also very businesslike when interacting with outsiders. They will show the proper respect and give the proper hospitality, but nothing more.

The Uri are the undead population of Ur. They consist mostly of humans, but a few members of other peoples can be found in their ranks. The undeath means, first and foremost, that the individual is clinically dead. It has no heartbeat, does not breathe and needs no sustenance in terms of food or drink. The undead cannot feel pain or emotions as the living know them; they are not happy or sad but rather intruiged or frustrated. Depending on the amount of magic poured into each individual undead, the afterlife is more or less advanced. Much magic means a close resemblance to the living version of the subject. Almost no physical preservation is needed. Lower amounts of magic means more decay and a greater need for enbalming and other such procedures.

It takes a lot to destroy an undead. Slashes and stabs will not slow it down. A ruined head will render it incapacitated for some time, but the surest way of killing it is to burn it. When an undead is physically destroyed, it still endures in the form of a weak spirit that will, very slowly, regenerate over time. It is very hard to completely destroy any undead, but it also scales with the amount of invested magic.

Economy & Industry

Ur is not big on conventional trading. The nation imports a few resources like wood and iron, but not in quantities of any significance. It deals in services instead. Storage is one of these services. For the right price, you can store anything in the vaults of Ur, for any amount of time, no questions asked. There it will be guarded by people that, requiring no sleep or food, spends every moment of their eternal unlife watching and waiting. Another service offered by the uri is necromancy, or to be blunt, eternal unlife. Only the richest or the very best of allies are ever offered this service, but several people throughout history have been made immortal by the urish necromancers. The final service is similar to the first, but concerns the individual seeking it rather than its property. Ur offers refuge for anyone and everyone that can pay the price, again no questions asked. As long as you keep paying, the uri will shelter you and keep you safe.

(What are your primary exports and imports? How much you trade? How are your craftsmen organized?  How developed is your technology? What kind of unique creations you have? etc. If you haven't described your involvement with magic in the society/government section, you can do it here.)

Military Overview
(Yeah, of course you also need to tell us some about your military. Try to avoid number games and unhealthy arms races. We play this game for fun and that needs balance and sensible approach. One of the main guidelines is that your nation's military shouldn't be much better than a historical 15th century medieval army. Don't worry, I don't ask you historical accuracy. So-called "super units" can be okay if they are rare enough for their worth and don't make your army unbeatable. The point is to let you do cool things and explore your creativity but at the same time don't do it at the expense of others. Also if you have magic or magicians involved in your military then perhaps you can describe that, too.)
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