I tried to start an RP about Dark Souls several years ago set in Gwyn's Age of Fire, never really took off though. What were you thinking in terms of story ideas?
There finished my initial version of my "Fairy-Seeker" character, though I am still wondering on how specifically to edit my Winter Knight to make his situation more in-line.
@TemplarKnight07 Have to say, I'm loving the attention to detail and time period. As a point of interest, the Black Death generally referred is usually the pandemic in the mid 1300s. Your character would have been born around 1550, give or take, and while there were still outbreaks, none was quite so bad as the 1346-1353 (roughly) one. It could be anywhere from a couple years to a couple decades between outbreaks, and there are a couple that fit the time frame you're looking at, one in the mid-60s, one late 80s, and one near the turn of the century. However since many people or their parents had already survived one or more outbreaks, the death toll was far less -- one or two in ten died, on average, instead of only two or three out of every ten surviving. The thought of the end of days was long past -- in fact, this was considered a golden age by many among the wealthier members of the population. Peasants had it (comparatively) better as well. Plague had come and gone multiple times, and was merely a fact of life, along with many other types of illness. It's pretty unlikely that decimated villages were so common. It's not necessary to change anything -- it's a pretty minor detail, and likely won't come up. With the details of his past life forgotten, Dagon only needs a reason that he wanted to forget, and you have that done solidly. But since you clearly put in time researching, I kinda wanna discuss it. Granted, it's been a while and I had to look some stuff up. I just *flailing* someone who wanted that sort of historical accuracy! *tackle*
Lol, I appreciate it. I actually spent quite a bit of time in a class researching The Black Death (my university actually was the one to be able to obtain and trace its entire genetic history and identify its origins), among a bunch of other plagues and their relation to people. I do know that I'm fudging the times a bit in terms of authenticity, though northern Europe did lag behind the rest of Europe a bit in terms of how they were hit by the plague, and therefore I'm translating that a bit into its effects, and the fact that it was still incredibly random in how it effected places even on a local scale. I'm arguably already doing so with the Knight-Errant idea to begin with (though I haven't actually done much research on the subject, I know they were far more common in the high middle ages than the Renaissance). Plus, even between bouts of increasingly less severe plague, this was still a time period of near the end of a major European war (not that it has too many effects on Dagon's story), Robber Barons were infamous, and its a little bit after Robin Hood became famous as a folk legend as a good bandit among the mess of bad bandits preying on people.
I also could technically bump roughly 50 years to Dagon's birth date and still put his age at around the time when Arys became Winter Queen, ultimately resolving this issue while not having to change too much, and also having a reasonable explanation of why the Winter Queen herself would be looking for a Knight.
Mostly I needed more believable reasons for why Dagon's human life was shit and why he'd want to forget and be a natural candidate to appeal to Winter over the other Courts. The fact that plague and banditry were still the major issues in England in roughly this time period were the first things that popped into my head.
@TemplarKnight07Perhaps an unsuccessful Vermintide, a strike back by my race, and then another Vermintide that was more or less a Draw, but left the Low-ways ruined for recent use? @RisenDead@LauderI've not fully read y'alls sheets yet but I'm sure my guys would have fought/aided in your war as well at some point.
Sorry it took me so long to start this.
The High Kingdom of Thundrim Kadrin
Overview
The High Kingdom is a nation comprised of the hardy, skilled, and venerable Dwarven race. Comprised of various Thanes beholden to a High King within the mountains of their sea-locked nation. They're master artisans, soldiers, miners, and brewmasters.
Geography
History
Self explanatory, what are some major events/figures in your history? Any historical rivalries or encounters between you and other nations/races? What about alliances and stuff?
Government
All Dwarves are governed by High King Branack Grimbeard, who has 12 lesser Thanes that rule great Dwarf holds, and Stewards that rule lesser regions and outposts. While Thundrim Kadrin has a strong central government, there is a checks and balances system provided with the High Council, comprised of the nations Thanes, War heroes, Honored Longbeards, and the High Priest. Every Thane has a small number of retainers, included but not limited to an Honored Scribe (who records grudges in the Book of Reckoning), a Rune Priest, and a Master of Economics.
Race Description
A Dwarf stands 4 to 4 1/2 feet tall. Males are typically 180-200 pounds, while females weigh between 140 and 160. The males have well groomed and long facial hair. Contrary to popular belief, females do not have beards. Though they pride themselves on their long braids of hair as the males do with facial hair. A Dwarf has a life expectancy close to 400 years. While some Elves might use magic to increase their lifespan, some Dwarves do so out of sheer willpower. They are organized, brilliant tacticians, ingenuitive, strong willed, strong of arm, enduring, and resistant to magic and poison (though not immune). They can smell freshly cut stone, can spot imperfections of metal and stone as 2nd nature, and have a 6th sense of knowing where they are at all times underground, within a mountain, or great structure of stone.
Culture
Economy/Industry
The Dwarven economy is based upon crafting, mining, gunpowder, engineering, brewing of ale, and exploration. Great deposits of stone and precious metals and gems are located within the Great Mountains of Thundrim Kadrin even to this day.
Magic
What kind of magics does your race use if at all? If they don't use magic, do they have some other method of using something close? You can just copy the "lores" of magic from any generic fantasy universe (ie Lore of Flames, Lore of Night, etc); if you an other player both use the same lores or one of the same lores, then please do talk to them about this. I'd prefer that everyone using Lore of Flames knows exactly what a fireball does rather than having to deal with 4 different types of them.
[b]Name:[/b] What is the spell called? [b]Lore:[/b] What Lore (type) of magic is it? Fire, Storm, Beast, etc. Feel free to make up your own lore if you feel inclined. [b]Type:[/b] (Offensive, Support, AOE, Single Target, Debuff, Buff, etc) [b]Short Description:[/b] Tell us a little about your spell, enough to wrap our heads around it.
Military
Tell us about your army, namely the units. Feel free to add as much other fluff as you wish so long so first do your roster.
[b]Name:[/b] Whats the Unit called? [b]Type:[/b] What kind of unit are they? [b]Short Description:[/b] One or a few lines about what they are, what weapons they carry, Total War style if that makes any sense
[b]Name:[/b] Whats is their name/titles? [b]Position:[/b] What spot do they occupy in your faction? [b]Powers:[/b] Do they have anything of note about them or use any spells or carry any unique weapons? [b]Short Bio/Personality:[/b] A few short lines on why/how they came to power and how are they generally perceived.
Yeah, perhaps. Throw in some on and off raids, but the Vermintides are the main course in terms of actual wars.
A draw for the Rodents in a Vermintide would mean they successfully prosecuted the source of their vendetta, but lost a lot of Rodents doing it. They're never tried to actually conquer the Dwarves or anyone yet, they've just wanted to take tons of material and slaves (which they usually try and get through clan raids) and get pay back for various perceived slights or injustices against their kind either historical or modern (which is usually what Vermintides are called for).
@TemplarKnight07I suspect we shall be mortal enemies. Would you like to add a war or two between our races? (Dwarves btw)
Oh, most probably. We could for sure. Maybe they were the subject of a couple Vermintides, or perhaps counter conflicts your own people launched?
Also, this is just in general, the image upload problems for me trying to get the map up with my faction's claim hasn't had much luck yet. It could be a week or more before I get to a place where I can upload it without issue. If we intend to get moving prior to that, I'd say it'd be a huge favour for someone to add my claim on their end. It would basically just be the territory north of the High Elves along the western side of the map (as that's where I'm assuming the World's End mountains are).
Name: Gideon Morgan Armstrong Alias: Gideon Race: Human Court: Not aligned Position/Occupation: Student, Avid Fantasy reader and gamer, and a seeker of occult/supernatural knowledge (Actual) Age: 16 Personality: Shy and introverted, Gideon grew up with not having many friends in school and bullied for his "unusual" hobbies for his age, and has ended up lacking in terms of social skills and with few friends outside of a close circle of fellow hobbyists. He likes to over-analyze situations, especially when nervous, falling back on his substantial intellect (for his age) and exceptional memory to recall what others would see as useless or irrelevant information, yet completely forget important dates or events simply because he finds most human social interaction boring. He possesses a curious mind in spite of his social anxieties though, and always loves to learn something new or forgotten by most others. Appearance: Weighing only at 120 lbs, Gideon is a scrawny but not necessarily weak individual, with muscles that lacked definition and a thin frame. His skin slightly more pale than normal due to prolonged periods inside, and having a full head of slightly messy unbrushed brown hair, but always washed and never below his shoulders in length. He has some freckles on his face and a few scars on his face from previous acne, though unlike many other nerds, he was fortunate enough to have been born with naturally straight teeth and no need for glasses. He normally wears jeans, running shoes, and related t-shirt of one of the various fantasy series he was an avid fan of. In short, he's an almost entirely average teenage nerd. Family: Christopher and Mary Armstrong (Parents) Ambition: (Goal) To become a Magician, or at the very least prove for himself that magic and the supernatural were real. Background: Gideon has grown up feeling not in place with his own world, or at the very least that his world was perhaps the most boring one he could have been born in. Obsessed with fantasy books and stories of all kinds since he was young, his love of fantasy turned into a love of the supernatural as he grew up. A believer in magic, but lacking the ability or even the proper knowledge to even test if he has any ability, he hunted through his local libraries and browsed the web for any accounts of magic or the supernatural, and how exactly magic was believed to have come from.
Though the majority of the fictitious and scary stories dealt with people making deals with malevolent demons and ultimately losing their souls in exchange for their powers, he did find accounts of slightly more benevolent beings, Faeries, or The Fae or Sidhe as he came to know them as he dug through more "true" accounts.
Though many of the stories and accounts were fragmented, had crappy translations, or were in some cases just complete bullshit, he did manage to discern several important aspects about the Fae. One, that they were incredibly varied in personality within their seasonal courts (though his knowledge only extended to the Summer and Winter dichotomy, as humans in their simplistic interpretations mostly just lumped Spring with Summer and Fall with Winter) leading to Fae that were potentially both benevolent and malevolent in their own abstract ways. Two, most of them feared iron, especially cold iron as it apparently was more deadly to them than magic, with even small amounts causing them great pain and had been used in the past to ward off Fae Folk (Gideon reflected that this explained why iron probably gained more prevalence in antiquity as a human tool and why the Fae hadn't just conquered their world forcibly). Three, some Fae loved word games and riddles as tests of intellect could be just as serious duels as ones with swords, and that words held great power among the Fae, that promises and wishes had to be abided at the peril of the one making them. And lastly, four, that there were ways for the Fae to enter the human world, and for humans to enter the Fae World, even though most encounters involved child snatchers with both benevolent and malevolent Fae stealing away Children to make them into Changelings or other "monstrosities", there were others of Faeries of different kinds falling in love with humans to various effects, and of ancient sages communicating with the Fae or entering their world to do so through ritual.
Such knowledge was accumulated over a couple years of increasingly interested study in between homework and scheduled events. Eventually Gideon decided that he should try actually looking around for Fae, when what he saw as a major problem dawned on him: he lived in Canada! Almost all of the recorded accounts of Fae he could get his hands on dated back to Europe, where the ancient Celts and Druid cults among others had worshipped the Fae as deities and stones and forests older than most human civilizations resided. Though he didn't see any reason why Fae would be limited to Europe in this modern age or even back then, he still had zero frames of reference to go on in terms of where to look, given that local mythologies were all Native American in origins, attributing misgivings to their own supernatural entities. So, barring a chance encounter with a Fae, Gideon decided he would try to figure out how to perform a ritual to open a way into their world, and so set out to find what he thought was a suitable place, get the right materials and information (or as right as he could find), and setup for the appropriate time.
Gideon eventually got to the point where he stopped telling anyone about his pursuits, as he would usually get one of three reactions: chiding comments about how foolish and childish he was to believe in Faeries and Magic, odd looks based on those same sentiments, or being teased and bullied as a "Faerie-boy" or "Faerie-Seeker". To save himself the bother, he merely kept his secrets and worked to gather materials and knowledge as he could in his spare time.
Eventually, he reached a point just after his sixteenth birthday where he felt he was ready to try and attempt the ritual. He had learned and memorized some basic Gaelic incantations, managed to scrap together some arcane symbols and designs that replicated the far older arcane geometry of the standing stones, and he had spent several months meticulously setting up an ad hoc ring of standing stones within an old growth forest fairly close to his home and quite secluded. He had spent a huge amount of time ensuring the mathematics and measures were precise, he was smart enough to know how potentially dangerous this ritual was even if everything went right, he was terrified of what would happen if he did it wrong.
For the timing, he settled on May 1st, the day of the ancient celtic holiday of Beltane, which traditionally marked the first days of summer, hoping that the official transition may increase his chances of actually ending up somewhere in the Faerie world that wouldn't eat him right away or freeze him to death. He packed some provisions, a couple water bottles, some fruit and non-perishable snacks, his diary, a compass, plenty of implements to draw or write, and an old pocket watch. Out of caution, he also brought along a pack of iron nails, as nowadays its almost impossible to actually buy an iron sword, let alone be able to have such a weapon as a 16 year old, but knew it would be foolish to not bring something along to protect himself.
At mid-day, leaving his parents on the premise of going on a hike that would take him into lunch and be back before dinner, he performed the ritual he had been preparing for some time, intoning the ancient words thought to have been spoken by sages and druids long-dead, and putting his will and belief behind his actions. For a few moments, nothing happened, until ever so gently as if a curtain were peeling back, a door-way sized portal opened up between the two stones he had marked for just such a purpose. Unwilling to believe even his own eyes, but even more worried that the portal wouldn't stay long, he hurried through, hoping that his preparations had actually had an effect and he was not just going to leap into a monster's maw.
I have no clue if this concept will even work as a character or where it would go in comparison to the Winter Knight, but I figure it could be interesting. Still have a background to write up, but any feedback for the idea is welcome.
@TemplarKnight07 Season born cannot for they are still of fae that can't There is a type that can but I don't think they are a playable race
Hmmmm. Then is there any precedent for Humans being Knights serving the courts as bound servants, or is just simpler to keep him a Winter-born and screw the idea of him wielding Iron? Actually, the human element could play into his current predicament, but then that could still be used whether he's still human or a Winter-born.
A Republic of mutated, evolved, and escaped Rodents that dwells underground beneath the World's End Mountains and its surrounding territory. They share a hatred for most species above the world, as their ancestors and kin were and continue to be oppressed and reviled by many of them, and they possess a cunning and ingenius mind to match their impressive numbers.
Geography:
Marked in Grey
The Under-Republic is found beneath the World's End Mountains and surrounding environs. Numerous caves and tunnel entrances exist all throughout the range that act as gateways into the labyrinth of carved out tunnels to the Underworld of the rodents, and while the biggest entrances are well known by other races (and heavily barricaded off by the Under-Republic and its regular Vermin army), dozens if not potentially hundreds of entrances have never been located by other races, or have simply been dug out in the intervening time.
The underworld itself is lit by a mix of fires, natural lava flows in some places, mirrored beams of sunlight from holes carved out far above, and luminous crystals depending on where exactly one is located, as the more Under-Republic proper regions, the core of whose foundations were laid centuries ago, is outfitted with "modern" conveniences, whereas the more fringe and frontier corners of the Rodents' underworld have to make do with natural light sources or fire. The caverns and tunnels are a mix of naturally occurring that the rodents simply appropriated for themselves, and of hand-dug tunnels and caverns for strategic purposes. The great Rat-Way dominates maps of the Under-Republic as a massive high way linking up all of the various corners of the thirteen regions of the Under-Republic, and is the main underground road from the Under-Republic's capital, Verminia (Commonly mythologized by outsiders as The City of Rats), to the biggest gateway out of the Under-Republic, Petrus' Maw.
In terms of the geography of the underground, though it is very dull in terms of scenery, there are some choice locales and sights that break up the endless tunnels. With underground rivers, hollowed out Cinotes and other types of caverns carved out by water flow, magma rivers and chambers, mega-crystal-filled halls, chasms that not even the rodents know how far down they go, and underground grottos add some flavour to the otherwise rocky depths. They are also filled with all manner of creatures and monsters besides the rodents that also hide from the world above, and the rodents routinely have to go on rounds of tunnel-checking to ensure that some paths remain safe, though its a constant task.
History:
Nobody is really sure exactly how the first Rattus Faber came into being, not even the Rodents themselves are entirely clear on their origins with several different myths floating around both above and below the world as to how and why they became as they are. Some say they're the practical joke or curse of a twisted God upon the world, others say they're the result of escaped magical experiments by rogue Mages, while others say that they're spawned from the Underworld itself and that the Dwarves freed them from their stone prisons. All that is known for certain is that the Rattus Faber are not natural to the world, they were not born from it necessarily, they were made into being.
Their organization into the Under-Republic of Rodents however can be traced back with a fairly high degree of certainty by the Rodents themselves, as it was from the legendary Rattus Faber Petrus Verminius called "The Liberator" by future Rattus Faber, who first organized his kin both intelligent and bestial among himself into an organized capacity resembling the civilized nations of old. Though his first experiments at government were crude and unorganized, and hostile neighbours above ground were a constant issue, he eventually settled on a situation that worked, was adaptable to various situations, and seemed fair, that of the Republic, and with the great exodus underground into the plethora of caves and tunnels left abandoned beneath the World's End mountains with plenty of room to expand, Petrus turned the Republic into an Under-Republic of Rodents.
For several centuries the Rodents of their various Familia and Clans grew and multiplied in the darkness which they conquered through lights of crystal and fire and with increasingly sophisticated tools mimicking those of the world above to carve out the underground for themselves. They carved out massive cities out of winding tunnels and alcoves, filled with all the refuse they gathered from the elder races into massive ramshackle constructions that had method to their madness. Huge rat-ways were cut through the mountains to link the growing regions together with the help of their larger but dumber kin and by the massive number of slaves from other races. For the Under-Republic became known for their almost annual raids on the surface, where dozens of swarms would set out in search of loot, slaves, fellow rodents, and stories of the world above to bring back to their underworld.
For several centuries this has been the case, with only a few times in history that the entire Vermintide has been called forth to all-out war, a sea of evolved and intelligent rodents ready to sweep away all who lay in their path as they carry out their vengeful scourge upon the world. Few living have gazed upon such a terrifying sight, its been so long. Though now the Vermintide is being called once again, and this time it'll be the greatest one the world has yet seen, and led by the best and brightest rodents of their brood to spread plague, fear, and terror upon the surface for having oppressed them and their kind for so long.
Government:
The ruling bodies of the Under-Republic are in consecutive series of Committees and and Councils each going up in rank as follows from lowest to highest:
Pack Committees (All Vermin and Rodent-kin are eligible and obligated to attend, as all are members. They called to assembly to decide on local grievances or punishments that the magistrates do not possess the power to do alone (such as exile), and mostly when mass votes are called to serve as easy means to organize Rodents. These bodies also vote who represents their packs on Clan Councils. These committees vary widely in size and can be as many as several hundred to several tens of thousands of members)
Clan Councils (Smaller Councils unique to each Clan, with each of its packs having a representative. They meet for deciding on coordinated approaches for their clan, and what proposals to bring forth to the Conclave, either on their own problems or updates. This is largely an intermediary body that compiles data and tries to make sense of it all, as well as resolving major internal clan conflicts. They also vote to select a member among them to represent their clan at a Conclave of Clans. Usually the membership of these councils is several hundred, but it varies from clan to clan, as some may only have 50 or less.)
Regional Councils or Conclaves of Clans (A gathering of the representatives of all clans in a region of the Under-Republic. Normally they're a couple dozen in members, though a couple of the larger provinces can boast nearly 100 members. These Conclaves convene to deal with matters of regional importance: major internal strife, large-scale stagnation in economics or supplies, decisions on mustering swarms for raids, and the general overseeing of a region's well-being. These Conclaves vote for a member among themselves to become a member of The Ring of Rodents)
The Pack of 13, or The Ring of Rodents (The highest Council of all of the Under-Republic, with a member from each of the 13 provinces. These 13 rodents decide on matters of Underworld-wide importance: total war against a rival nation, diplomacy, and Under-Republican wide laws. They are usually the leaders of The Vermintide, the assembled host of the entire army of Rodents, each leading a different legion from a different region. These 13 Rodents have executive power over all of the other Councils and Conclaves in the Under-Republic, and their word is final in all things, though they often call mass votes in order to gauge their kin's feelings on a particular subject, they are never obligated to follow through with what the masses want, not that the Pack Committees on the lowest levels necessarily know that anyway. From among their number, the Rattus Regius is chosen for life. They are distinguished by their rings of bright green jade on each claw and ceremonial robes denoting the colour of their province with elaborate bone headpieces)
Rattus Regius (The leader of The Ring of Rodents, and effectively the face of the Under-Republic. Despite the regal title, the Rattus Regius does not hold much effective power in times of peace, as they represent the spiritual health of the Republic and often are merely the figure who deals with foreign emissaries or goes on diplomatic missions (to those who'll even accept the Rodent-kin). In times of war, the Rattus Regius becomes the Commander-in-Chief of all of the Under-Republic, with the Ring of Rodents as their council of generals and advisors, basically. They do not become full autocrats, but they essentially then lead the Ring of Rodents in war whereas before they directed the Rattus Regius in peace. It is a highly prestigious office, and much is expected of the Rattus Regius in terms of their behaviour that they do not strictly act selfish, but often can be extremely boring when a conflict is not ongoing, leaving past Rattuses often to amuse themselves with other things.)
Complex voting and lot systems as well as strict voting rules meticulously recorded in scrolls abound in the earlier three conclaves and councils to try and avoid corruption of the system or favouritism, so as to ensure that the same clans do not constantly dominate the Ring of Rodents, or that the Rattus Regius is never constantly of a particular clan, but also so that it is basically impossible for one clan to rig an election or decision.
Race Description:
The Rodents of the Under-Republic come in all shapes and sizes, though its most iconic and second most numerous individuals are the Rattus Faber, the evolved humanoid-Rodents that can be perpetually bipedal, stand roughly as high as Dwarves, possess the ability to speak, and have fully developed brains capable of extremely complex thought. They are also the ones among their kind to commonly dress and adorn themselves, and possess green-flecked irises with pupils. Most Rattus Faber are short-lived compared to most races, but they develop quickly into adulthood and bred huge broods, with single mothers being able to produce usually up to 12 offspring at least in a single birthing. The downside to this is that Rattus Faber over 30 are a rarity, and venerable is the rodent indeed who manages to reach or surpass the fabled, if decrepit age of 40.
All of them also possess the ability to speak in "Rodent-tongue", enabling them to actually communicate with even their fellow Rodents who are not capable of normal speech, as well as an immunity to almost all disease.
Other variants of their kind can be even larger or far smaller, and be quadrupeds or bipeds, but none of them possess the same intellectual capacities as the Rattus Faber, with those of their other kin either possessing child-like intellectual capacities, or merely bestial ones.
Rattus Gigantus are their larger and stronger cousins, with them standing as tall as humans if not even taller, but their mental capacities are child-like and their breeding patterns far slower than their Faber cousins making them fewer. Their eyes are nearly completely bright green with extremely small pupils, if any. They are accompanied by Rattus Faber handlers who guide and direct them in most cases.
While their smaller cousins, Rattus Commenus, are basically identical to common rats above ground, and although are many, possess no real intelligence at all besides that of beasts. They are often shepherded and guided by Rattus Faber who train in commanding large swarms of these cousins of theirs.
Slaves of all races can also be found within the Under-Republic, though they are often malnourished and beaten. Most that manage to survive the conditions are remarkably hardy for physical labour and resilient to disease, though thousands usually die before that happens.
Culture:
The culture of the Under-Republic is chaotic, often confusing, and at some times contradictory, but the effort is made to make a most egalitarian culture with meritocratic and technocratic strains. The loyalty of a Rattus Faber is to their fellow Rodents and their pack and clan especially, and are encouraged to work together to solve problems. Those that strive to prove their worth via skill, wit, and ambition are those that rise through the ranks of the Under-Republic, and there are no restrictions on who among the Rattus Faber can cast their name to claim a position within or for their clan or region in terms of material status (though there are restrictions on getting the same Committee and Council positions consecutively). Rivalries are common, and inter-clan or clan-to-clan blood feuds can effectively cause civil wars within the Republic if the parties involved have a wide support base, and if the situation is not resolved amicably. Though if faced with an external enemy, most grudges are put aside for the betterment of all Rodents in the Under-Republic (even though there have been cases of internal conflicts spilling over into such situation).
Economy/Industry:
The Under-Republic Economy is very much a barter economy for the most part, though they do have standardized systems of weights and measures for coinage, they do not actually use any coins of their own, they merely recycle and use the coins and currencies of other races and use weighs and purity tests to keep consistent values, and they are therefore the most highly valued form of good to trade with next to pure ore or gems because are actual can be easily applied to them, though other goods can be traded as well. Therefore it is mostly an exchange in material goods that takes place for a transaction. Such as giving 2 pounds of silver for a freshly forged iron cleaver.
As for industries, the Under-Republic has a booming industry in mining and they go through tons of ore and stone and minerals every year. Though their skills do not match those of the Dwarves or other races, they make up for in sheer mass production of war material and reappropriation. Tens of thousands of weapons and pieces of armour can be made in two weeks out of either fresh ore or repurposed material taken from raids if they're operating at full capacity, and many weapons stolen or looted are repurposed here.
Underground farming takes place in the form of mushroom harvesting, from which alcohol is distilled, though the Rodents will often steal tons of food and alcohol in the raids as well, even the scraps, as they can consume far more spoiled food than other races. Bats and other cave beasts are hunted as the Rodents periodically clear out tunnels.
Every rodent is entitled to what they take from the surface above to use to barter or craft down below.
Magic:
Not strictly magic, the Under-Republic does have a cadre of Rodents that practice Alchemy, Chemistry, Natural Sciences, and the especially study of Plagues which they have assembled into a Lore in mockery of spell-casters, their own handcrafted Lore of Plagues. Its practitioners are known as The Bubonic Philosophers, and their primary purpose is developing new and intriguing ways to spread death among the ranks of the enemies of the Under-Republic, whether it is in trying to harness black powder, crafting stimulants for the Packs, or a new plague to have their kin spread upon the world above, they're always up to something new.
Name: Festering Bombs Lore: Plague Type: AOE Short Description: Not really explosive bombs, these are large shells filled with a particularly virulent decoction that when burst releases an orange mist. All who come into contact with the drifting mist experience extreme rashes on any exposed flesh within a minute, with painful sores beginning within 4, before bursting into bloody and painful messes upon the person. Not designed to kill immediate so much as incapacitate a force when utilized. Requires Plague Engines to use properly.
Name: The Red Plague Lore: Plague Type: Offensive Short Description: Borne from manipulating and changing the classic Black Plague and amplifying some of its particular effects, making the effects even more terrifying and painful as not only will its victims experience painful Buboes, be able to spread the disease by their breath, blood, and touch, but it will also cause excessive and profound bleeding within less than two hours of contraction. Normally it is given to fleas which are then spread amongst the immune Rattus Commenus, or onto Slave who can serve a deadly purpose for the Under-Republic.
Name: Virulent Coating Lore: Plague Type: Buff Short Description: A coating of filthy and pestilent substances onto the blades and arrows of a unit can make them extremely effective implements of murder even after its wielder only succeeds in wounding its target.
Name: Fevered Blood Lore: Plague Type: Single Target Buff Short Description: A distilled concoction from the blood of incredibly diseased subjects, this potion puts its user into a euphoric state where they can feel no pain and become even more enraged as their blood literally becomes even hotter in their veins and their system pulses even faster.
Military:
The name of the entire assembled host of the Under-Republic, in all of its great and terrible glory.
These sets of Units are used by the Vermintide as the first wave, or are the heralds of the coming of the Under-Republic's forces if they're sent far ahead. They're often used to try and soften enemy forces ahead of the main army's arrival or to take the arrows and swords striking at them at first in place of the Rattus Faber.
Rattus Commenus Swarms Tier 1 - Light Swarm Unit Description: Large swarms of common rats and rodents, shepherded by Rattus Faber into doing their bidding. They serve many purposes as swarm based attack units, but also plague-bearers and therefore the heralds of the Vermintide, being able to sneak into places where their much larger kin cannot.
Under-Republic Slaves Tier 1- Light Infantry Description: Press-ganged units of various races with shoddy equipment and barely any armour, these are the "meat-shield" of the Vermintide. They are usually placed at the front of the armies with the Rodent right behind them, waiting to kill them if they try and turn on their masters. They often stand out from the enemies due to their distinct lack of much equipment, the various plague scars or simply scars and brands on their bodies, or the fact that they are visibly plague-stricken. They could also serve as plague-bearers along the Rattus Commenus, and often sent towards enemy territory, "released" in handfuls as heralds of the coming army.
Every time a Clan goes to war or simply on raids, they call up fresh levies from amongst all able-bodied rodents who haven't served in combat above ground and in enemy territory before. These units are the greenhorns of the Vermintide, and usually make up the second wave of the assault following hard on the heels of the first. Untried and untested, but with numbers and the foolish courage brought along with it to back them up, their tactic is the same as the first wave: swarm and kill until nobody fighting who isn't a rodent is left standing. Such units serve directly under Clan leaders, whom in turn answer to their regional commanders.
Rattus Faber Clan Irregulars Tier 1 - Light Infantry Description: Fresh Rattus Faber Infantry with free looted gear provided to them by the Under-Republic's armouries, or Rattus Faber separated from their clan packs. Usually they have next to no combat experience, but they're put into large units to make up for their lack of experience. Wielding crude shields, swords, cleavers, spears, axes, daggers, clubs, anything they can get their hands on, they're a rag-tag mess of a unit whose tactic is to swarm in and try and overwhelm the enemy with their numbers.
Rattus Faber Clan Milita Tier 2 - Light Infantry Description: The heart of the Vermintide. These are Rattus Faber Infantry that have been able to buy their own gear, and have trained and organized as a Clan Unit. With hundreds of Clans both great and small making up the Under-Republic, a great many of these packs can be assembled. They all have at least basic training by their Clan Pack leaders so that they might be able to last a few seconds longer so that their superior numbers can overwhelm and kill enemy forces. Their gear is better made since its not just the discount bin stuff given to Irregulars, though they still wield a wide variety of melee weapons.
Rattus Faber Clan Ironclaws Tier 2 - Medium Infantry Description: The "Heavier" Infantry of the Rattus Faber Clans. These are Rodents who have managed to get higher quality gear and better quality armour, but simply lack the extent of experience that Vermin Guard have. They are called Ironclaws for their signature fresh and heavy iron-forged weapons, and for the higher amount of iron armour they usually have on their bodies compared to their fellows. These medium infantry are often spread out in bunches amongst the Militia in order to bolster the swarm in a charge.
Rattus Faber Clan Hunters Tier 2 - Light Archer-shooter Mix Description: The fresh recruits to the ranged division of the Vermintide, these Rattus Faber specialize in making thing die from a distance rather than at close range. They wield appropriated bows, crossbows, crude firearms, slings, bolas, throwing knives, whatever they can use to try and kill an enemy at range. They wear next to no effective armour in order to maintain their mobility on a battlefield, and usually stick in their packs in order to fire off a near constant stream of mixed projectiles at targets.
The standing army of the Under-Republic, these soldiers are the third wave of the Vermintide. Veterans of at least one prolonged raid, they proved themselves capable of surviving against the onslaught and proving their worth in the pack, they earned the right to better, more standardized equipment and better training. All Rattus Faber within the Vermin are organized into standard units under the command of their regional Conclave member who answers to their member of the Ring of Rodents, their clan ties mostly put aside for the sake of a more professional army.
Rattus Faber Vermin Guard Tier 2 - Medium Veteran Infantry Description: All veterans of at least one long raiding campaign earn the right to call themselves Vermin within the Vermintide. These are the backbone behind the shaky exterior the Vermintide shows, the experienced veterans of conflicts, charges, and the loot that came with has afforded them gear of near top-quality (as much as top-quality is in the Under-Republic). They are also the standing army of the Under-Republic, as the survivors of raids all become inducted into it, and become Rodents-in-arms regardless of clan distinctions. They have a standardized uniform bearing the colours of their assigned regional division, and have a standardized kit of of a long spear of solid iron, a shield of wood and iron reinforcements bearing the Under-Republic's crest, and an freshly forged iron cleaver. They're well disciplined units, and can even form phalanxes to fend off against cavalry.
Rattus Faber Vermin Marksmen Tier 2 - Medium Veteran Archer-Shooter Mix Description: Like their Guard fellows, these are the veterans who survive a campaign and become inducted into the standing army of the Under-Republic. With much more stringent regulations on gear, they are restricted to carrying a firearm, bow, or crossbow, though the mix of ranged units is still maintained. Their accuracy is usually much better than their inexperienced fellows that comes with both experience and better maintained gear, and they are capable of coordinated volleys.
Rattus Faber Vermin Steel-Fanged Tier 3 - Heavy Bodyguards and Shock Troops Description: The Vermin Steel-Fanged are the hand-selected Vermin Guard units of the members of the Ring of Rodents, usually the most capable of their Vermin packs, they become the personal guard of their charges, and are funded by them to wear some of the heaviest and top quality gear and weapons that the Under-Republic can make. Modelled off of the infamous Knights of the human races, they were made to stand out from the normal Vermin. Their purposes are usually either to protect their charge, who is often a commander of the Vermintide, at all costs, or cut a path for them through an enemy line. Their heavier gear makes them less mobile and therefore places them usually at the back of the lines, but with their armour and swords forged of steel rather than iron, and being the veterans of several conflicts, these units do not need to move especially fast to make their presence known.
Rattus Gigantus Packs Tier 3 - Large Monstrous Unit Description: The tallest and strongest of the Rattus species, these creatures stand slightly taller than your average human and possess great strength, if lesser intelligence than their smaller Kin. They do most of the heavy-lifting for the armies with moving Plague engines and wagon trains and carving throung tunnels, but some of them in fitted in massive (by Rodent standards) suits of of armour and carry enormous morningstars of solid metal and tower shields of iron. They are easy to enrage when wounded and can take an immense amount of damage.
Plague Engines Tier 4 - Large Seige Equipment Description: The generic name for the siege equipment that the Rodents build, with catapults, ballistas, and even some stolen cannons capable of throwing all kind of plague-focused ammunition to rain upon a settlement or army depending on the situation. These are usually operated by the Rattus Gigantus under the close supervision and direction of Bubonic Philosophers.
The Bubonic Philosophers Tier 4 Light Specialists Description: The most technically and scientifically adept minds among the Rodents, the Bubonic Philosophers are professional Alchemists, Natural Scientists, and Engineers all in one. They serve in a support capacity, crafting the Plague Engines, potions, and diseases that that be utilized by their kin on the war path.
The Ring of Rodents Tier 4 Medium-Heavy Commanders and Generals Description: Not counting the Rattus Regius himself whom is the 13th member of the Ring of Rodents, these are the 12 Generals and Commanders of the Vermintide, each commanding a section of the massive army beneath the authority of the Rattus Regius, they have ascended to their positions by being the most cunning, brutal, and capable of their kin. Their positions earn them the right to access to some of the more exotic armour and weapons in the Under-Republic's armouries, though its up to them whether or not they actually fight or not, as some are more well-suited to command rather than fighting in their older age. Either way, these are veterans of dozens of campaigns and raids with the cunning and brains to position themselves at the top of the Under-Republic, and therefore the top of the army.
Name: Rattus Regius Ignatius Fell-Eye Position: He is the official leader of the Under-Republic of Rodents, highest member of the Ring of Rodents, and the Commander in Chief of the Vermintide in its totality. Powers: He wields the legendary cutlass "Retribution", a weapon said to have been made for the first raid upon above ground lands that Petrus Verminius ever led. Forged by a captured Dwarven blacksmith out of the powerful and rare metal Adamanthine, it is a symbol of the Rattus Faber's resilience and unbreakable will to fight against those who once oppressed them as much as it is a powerful weapon. Short Bio/Personality: A ruthless commander and vehement hater of most species who dwell on the surface, Ignatius rose through the ranks of the Under-Republic through his ambition and will to make him and his people powerful and feared throughout the world. He is a pragmatic person, not caring so much how something is done, so long as it is accomplished, making him an unpredictable and dangerous foe to cross, and now with full command of the entire Rodent army, he's only all the more dangerous.
Pros and Cons:
+ Massive numbers of Infantry + Plague special abilities + Fairly mobile and easily divisible
- No cavalry or aerial units - No real magic users - No effective navy - Extremely dependent upon its strong leaders - Mostly weak individual units
There, updated my Winter Knight based on comments, will work on another one soon.
BTW can Season-born wield iron or no? I'm curious, given one of the swords I think an Executioner or Knight of Winter may have is a cold iron sword of some sort.
Just so you know as it might not be clear in the OC, the Name category is for the true name while the Alias Category is for any names he is commonly addressed by. Since you said the Fae gave him the name Felspar then it is not his true name.
Also it says he is in the Dungeon for some failure but that is not elaborated on?
Out of curiousity, in Family it says he is certain he had a wife and children but in the Bio it says he was driven out at age 14. I know at the time youth marriages were often done but usually it was the girls that were around that age while the boys were in there twenties and up. Was wondering if you could elaborate.
On an unrelated note @Belle When did Feoras and Arys start dating and when did they break up. Was there some sort of war that followed?
Ah crap, I started with the idea as one thing, then switched it as I was writing the Background, I'll fix em up tonight. I'll also fix the ages or try and come up with something else to have it make sense. Maybe also get on the human one as well.
