Loving all this interest. An important note, though: I'm looking for five, at most six players, and it's going to be on a first-come-first-serve basis.
I am always up for world building.
I am positive I joined your rp before I had my big vacation from rping time. Now that I am returned, I am curious to see if this thing will work out.
Well, I'm shamelessly nepotistic, so that's definitely the right tact to take! In all seriousness, your writing's fine, so you're in.
Alright, guys, let's organize for a proper RP. But as opposed to the usual mold, it'll be a relatively hands-off affair, where everyone contributes to the world, and ideally everyone is invested in it. We'll do it in the following three steps:
Step one
In this RP we'll do the worldbuilding. I'll set a theme for the world- I don't know which yet, one suggested and approved by you guys- and we'll work in the confines of it to weave a coherent world. I'm going to limit this in two main ways: Firstly, the world will not be a sprawling setting, but instead much smaller in scope so that the things we make are forced to interact. Secondly, all player countries, city-states, and so on will have to fit in with one another, in the same general theme (i.e. no Mayans next to the Egyptians).
Step two
I will make another RP, this time in the advanced section, and we'll play out a senario I've decided on depending on the world (with player input and approval of course) with single characters like in any normal RP. I'm probably going to forbid people form playing as their own faction, so that they get familiar with other people's stuff and to force them out of their comfort zones.
Step three
We RP!
Discussion time: What theme will we have for the world? Here are a couple of my ideas:
A: A Goth's Nightmare
In a world lit by a sun in a tower at it's center, which glows and dims but is never quite bright, three supernatural threats exist which plague humanity: Vampires, which subvert human civilization from within; Werewolves, whose feral packs roam the wilds devastating all in their wake to satisfy their primal urges; and the Undead, the corpse-walkers, all dead humans not cremated rising again after a day and a night to scour the world of the living. This setting would have a focus on city-states.
B: The Hundred and One Year's War
A setting which plagiarises history to the point of theft, it would center around a kingdom, Not-France, wracked by civil war and chaos as its island neighbor- Not-England- descends upon it like a vulture. Basically, gritty non-fantasy. This setting would have a focus on dynasties.
C: The Two Worlds
This would be both a high and low fantasy setting, simultaneously. It would be split into two continents: The Old World, where magic cackles in the air and fantastic beasts roam among the ruins of ancient civilizations, and the New, a magic-less and monster-less place akin to real-life Europe. Brave adventurers from the New World would set out in expeditions to recover wonderful artifacts from the Old World, or die trying (mostly the latter).
D: War; War never changes
Set in the far future, it'd surround a never ending war between two space empires, which has lasted for centuries and continues to rage without an end in sight. Technology has advanced to the point where the manpower pool can be replenished as needed, where whenever a warship is lost two more are built to take its place, where worlds are colonized, irradiated, terraformed and re-colonized. The two powers would circle around one another, blowing each other to bits and taking each others' planets, the loss of which never really affects anything since they're both so spread out, and they can make space cities anyway. We'd flesh out the two nations, and the factions within them (given the state of eternal total war, even the most banal trading corporation would posses a war fleet to scour the stars).
Feel free to voice opinions and suggest your own.
Now that we've got that out of the way, the official worldbuilder list is as follows:
Interested? Want to join? Post here saying as much, and accompany it (in a hider) with a sample of one of your previous RP posts, so that I can gauge if you're up to it. I'm not expecting full-time novelists (God knows I can't write myself!), just a minimum of coherence. Alternatively, if you can't find previous posts, not sure which to pick, or are new to the guild, send me a PM and we'll talk about it; I'm willing to be flexible with this.
If you're not sure whether you want to join, or have questions, feel free to ask away.
GOVERNMENT Xiang is an autocratic society, with all power being derived from the Prince. His line is said to extend all the way to Yamara, the Xiangese god of sun and earth, and so he is revered as something of a demigod; among the duties of the Prince is to interpret the meaning of the Qayu. The current occupant of the Glass Throne is Warra Gon Lesh. All those descended from him are also known as Princes and Princesses, but by ancient custom there may only be one Prince within Xiang, and so his children must extend their exiles until he dies, or he must commit suicide to relieve them of the burden.
Though the power of the Prince is supreme, he must rely on lesser men, the nobility, to administer his domain in his name. The nobles may own wealth and titles, but it is understood that the land they hold is held only at the discretion of the Prince, although occasions of outright revocation of land have been rare indeed.
Commoners have a poor lot indeed, not truly owning the land they work. They have no rights to land or wealth, although in practice most lords look the other way when it comes to ownership. One can only rise to nobility by attracting the attention of a Prince. In practice, this usually happens through meritorious service among the Xiang Brotherhood, where commoner captains are generally elevated to nobility.
FACTION SPECIES Only the human Xiangese are permitted within the walled principality: even human foreigners are not permitted.
LOCATION
Xiang is located in the Xia Mountains, within a hidden valley almost perpetually covered in fog. The only entrances into this hidden world are three narrow mountain passes, all other ways being barred by sheer cliffs and treacherous rockfalls.
RELIGION The Qayu Issai. It is the state religion of Xiang, and holds as tenants that all gods are dead, and that one must follow the Qayu, a holy text allegedly written by Yamara, god of Sun and Earth and emperor of the gods, himself. The Qayu is not only religious: it is also the legal code of Xiang, defining crimes and their penalties, as well as dictating how one can live a moral life (through humility, fasting, fidelity, and so on). The Princes of Xiang are said to be directly descended from Yamara, and as such are worshiped as sort of demigods, their word infallible.
ECONOMY Xiang is of course an agricultural society. Its case is special, however, as only one edible crop grows in the valley, most light being blocked off by the omnipresent fog in the mountaintops: The Gwara. A rough plant, its roots are not only edible but delectable, and almost the entire Xiangese palate revolves around it. It is only found in the valley: Gwara may be found in markets the world over, sold as an exotic ingredient from a foreign land.
The second pillar of Xiangese trade is ichor. Though the Xiangese personally hold sorcerers in contempt, they willingly engage in the trade of hardened ichor crystals, which are abundant in the Sea of Glass. Collecting, transporting, and selling these crystals is accomplished by the Xiang Brotherhood, and is one of the key sources of funding for that organization.
THE GREAT GATES
There are three, and only three, passes into Xiang, and they are guarded by the Great Gates, massive constructs of stone and steel built so tall and with such expertise as to be said to have been built by the gods themselves. Foreign scholars speculate that they were constructed by an ancient people, perhaps even the Old Ones themselves, but in truth there is no evidence one way or another. Any who gaze upon the walls must concede that it is at least possible they are divine in origin, such is their splendor.
CULTURE AND TRADITIONS The Xiangese are an extremely insular people, obsessed with tradition and living the same life as they always have. They loathe change, though this has also made them a patient and hardy people.
Key among their tradiitions is the rite of the Exile, wherein every Xiangese boy (and optionally girl) must leave the great gates and survive outside for ten years. Those who survive the ordeal are welcomed back as true Xiangese, who can appreciate the splendor of Xiang and her customs having now known the terrors of the outside world. To improve their chances of survival, a syndicate was formed hundreds of years ago, the Xiang Brotherhood, by which the Xiangese youth band together. This has evolved into a major mercenary company in the southern lands, though they also keep the trade routes to Xiang safe with the fortunes the accrue.
FACTION HISTORY Xiang has always been. So says the Qayu, and the annals of the Prince: it was created when Yamara-Amunsu created the world, the two gods then one. Amunsu created the beastkin and the abomination races, while Yamara crafted humanity, and chose Xiang as his favored people, giving them fertile lands, wisdom beyond other men, and massive impenetrable walls so that they might keep these boons. Amunsu envied Yamara’s creations, and Yamara was disgusted by Amunsu’s. From this discord, turmoil grew, until Yamara-Amunsu was torn in two, each god taking its distinct form. They fought, for centuries and millennia, and the world shook and ruptured, but Xiang was always spared, for Yamara loved it as he did no other land. In the end, the two deities slew each other, and the gods are no more. Xiang has simply been since then, living the same lifestyle, ruled by the same direct line of Princes, holding dear the same traditions and morals.
And yet, some question the validity of this past. They insist that the great walls were not built by the divine, but by mere mortals, citing the need to maintain them as proof of the fact. They also assert that the Xiangese came to their land centuries after the cataclysm of the gods, from the plains of desolate lands. These views are heresy within Xiang, of course, and those who profess them openly do not do so for long.
IMPORTANT HOLDINGS AND POSSESSIONS Xiang is the sole city of the principality, though several minor towns dot the valley which constitutes its realm. It holds no lands or dominion beyond the great walls which protect its borders, and given that these are barren and infertile lands, home only to beastkin and worse, it does not care to.
RELATION TO OTHER FACTIONS Xiang is extremely isolationist, refusing virtually all contact with the outside world. This, combined with the vast distances between it and other beacons of human civilization, have precluded any official diplomatic relations. Informal pacts exist, but these mostly concern the Xiang Brotherhood. As far as the Xiangese are concerned, foreigners who want to deal with the People must deal with the Brotherhood, and stay out of the homeland.
WARRA GON LESH
Age: 58
Occupation: Ruling Prince of Xiang
The aged Prince of Xiang is the picture of the ideal Prince; indeed, he strives for it. He is a renown swordsman, traditionalist to the point of fanaticism, and above all as unyielding as a mountain. His coldness is legendary, to the point of sociopathy: they say he took delight in rushing home as soon as his Exile was over, forcing his mother to kill herself so that he might rule instead, and raising his children with hardness excessive even by princely standards. He is, by all accounts, an unpleasant man.
THE BROTHERHOOD OF XIANG
AKA the Xiang Company, the Brotherhood, the Xiangese
GOVERNMENT The Brotherhood is lead overall by a single man, the Prince-Captain, who is a relative of the royal family of Xiang, generally the senior serving in the Brotherhood. Under him serve the Captains, each of whom lead a company, typically between 300-800 men. These are in turn responsible for a number of Lieutenant-Captains, who are responsible for Sargeants, who finally lead the common footmen into battle.
It is essentially democratic in nature; when a member of the hierarchy dies or leaves, their direct subordinates vote on which among them should take the vacancy. Should there be a deadlock, the deceased's superior can intervene and arbitrate the matter personally. The Brotherhood is not completely egalitarian, however; those of noble parentage are by tradition considered for promotion before commoner candidates, and those of princely blood are considered above both nobles and commoners alike. There has yet to be a Prince-Captain not of royal blood.
FACTION SPECIES Only pure-blooded humans are permitted within the Brotherhood. Even other non-Xiangese humans are rare within it, and they are almost never promoted above their peers.
LOCATION The Brotherhood are currently employed by the Empire, dealing with rebellious nobles within the Rainlands. They do not have a permanent home, however, aside from Xiang itself.
RELIGION The Qayu Issai. It is the state religion of Xiang, and holds as tennants that all gods are dead, and that one must follow the Qayu, a holy text allegedly written by Yamara, god of Sun and Earth and emperor of the gods, himself. The Qayu is not only religious: it is also the legal code of Xiang, defining crimes and their penalties, as well as dictating how one can live a moral life (through humility, fasting, fidelity, and so on). The Princes of Xiang are said to be directly descended from Yamara, and as such are worshiped as sort of demigods, their word infalliable.
FACTION DESCRIPTION Some may call it a mere mercenary company, just another vulture feasting on the dying Empire, but in reality the Brotherhood of Xiang is nowhere near that simple: after all, how many mercenary companies are non-profit? A better description for this curious beast would be a state owned corporation, a branch of the government of the Principality of Xiang.
Its main main mandate is the education and training of young Xiangese in the ways of the world, teaching them to survive in the harsh world outside their famous walls so that they might learn to appreciate the peaceful land within. In addition, it secures the trade routes with the civilized southern lands, as well as establishing ties with foreign powers. It is to pay for these duties that it hires out its warriors as mercenaries; though that role has become much more emblematic of the organization, the Brotherhood still stands at its core for the protection and prosperity of the Xiangese people.
FACTION HISTORY The roots of the Brotherhood go back to the ancient traditions of Xiang. According to its most holy laws, young Xiangese, with few exceptions, must embark on a journey to the outside world once they have reached the age of maturity, only to return once ten years have passed. By doing so, they may learn to respect the peace within the walled realm. All boys must do so, whereas girls are given the option.
Unsurprisingly, despite being prepared in advance for their exiles, all too many Xiangese were eaten, killed, or starved to death in the harsh world outside. It is thus that five hundred years ago the ruling Prince decreed the formation of the Brotherhood of Xiang, a syndicate of exiles which had as its goal banding together the young so that they might survive better in the outside world.
Over the centuries, the Brotherhood has lended its swords more and more for the funding necessary to maintain its operations, such that today it is known almost exclusively as a mercenary company to the common people. And yet it still continues to teach the Xiangese to survive. Not all serve by the naginata: indeed, many serve the Brotherhood as accountants, merchants, and diplomats, giving the company a scope not seen in mercenary companies.
For the last hundred years or so, it has been more or less consistently employed by the same entity, the Salished Empire. However, in recent years the insolvency of the Empire has found it unable to pay the Brotherhood its dues, and as such many within the leadership are seeking more solvent employers instead.
IMPORTANT HOLDINGS AND POSSESSIONS Though it does not directly control any castles or cities, between its members it owns a substantial amount of land within Xiang.
RELATION TO OTHER FACTIONS The Brotherhood is of course strongly tied to Xiang, taking all its recruits from the motherland, and in general acting as an arm of the Prince of Xiang.
It is currently employed with the decaying Salished Empire, though the latter's insolvency has made the relationship quite sour indeed, and the captains are looking for another employer who can actually pay their rates.
WARRA LESH LESH
Age: 30
Occupation: Prince-Captain
The soft-spoken leader of the Xiang Brotherhood is new to his post, his uncle dying only a year ago to a virulent disease while on campaign. He rose to the position partly due to his reputation for cunning and accomplishments as a Captain, and partly due to his parentage, his father being the ruling Prince, making him heir to that post as well. He has been gone from home for several years longer than required by the Qayu. Many say this is due to his lack of confidence in his ability to rule the Principality, as due to ancient law, there can only be one Prince in Xiang, and should he ever return tradition demands his father commit suicide to permit him the throne. For now, Prince Lesh is content managing the Brotherhood, which is in any case nearly as demanding as ruling Xiang itself.
He is known for being of a stoic and scholarly disposition, preferring the pen to the sword. Thus, as a warrior he has much to be desired, and in his duties as Prince-Captain he instead focuses on avoiding pitched battle, preferring to conserve his men by pillaging and making under the counter deals. But of course as a man who makes his living selling his sword he is capable of standing his own in a fight, he simply prefers to avoid them if at all possible. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ONA DU XIAOWEI
Age: 24
Occupation: Administrator
Sharp of mind and sharp of tongue, that is Xiaowei. In this way, she is both a curse and a blessing for the Brotherhood: on one hand, her accounting is key for the organization, her steady hand guiding it through uncertain fiscal times, and she has on many occasions spearheaded ambitious and successful enterprises to improve its organization. On the other, she is acidic to deal with, seemingly unable to take a breath without subtly or not-so-subtly insulting whichever victim was unfortunate enough to have to deal with her. As a result, her fellows mostly wield her like a flail, directing difficult employers and obstructive bureaucrats to her. It is rare that she is not able to cow them into submission. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ WARRA MEI AEA
Age: 22
Occupation: Lieutenant-Captain
Aea is a storm. Most ladies of royal blood do not exile themselves, administration and diplomacy being their typical purview. Not Aea; Once she reached sixteen years of age, she picked up a katana, and has yet to put it down. Because of this, she is somewhat estranged from her very conservative father, the ruling Prince, like all her siblings for that matter.
She is extremely... passionate. When things go her way, she is ecstatic and downright jolly. When things don't- and she is of a mind to interpret most things as not going her way- she is murderous. And when truly angered, woe betide the victim of her fury. She currently eyes a full Captain-ship, which would normally be easily attained by one of princely blood, her but her reckless behavior has made others reluctant to give her more authority than she already possesses. In the eyes of many, her best use is as a mad dog, to be loosed on the enemy when neither cunning no quarter is required. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ WARRA LESH ZAO
Age: 26
Occupation: Captain
Some Xiangese have difficulty adapting to the hardships of the outside world. Prince Zao is not one of them. Another child of the Prince of Xiang, he has taken a love for adventuring, exploring, and fighting. And philandering, of course; wherever he goes he leaves behind a trail of bastards and angry women. This has not endeared him with his brother, Lesh, who frowns upon such half-breeds, but Zao has proven capable enough to ignore these transgressions.
He leads the Brotherhood's outriders, riding far ahead of the main body of their forces to scout, for enemies, and for opportunity. Living off the land, he is happier than he ever was in the palaces of Xiang. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ESHANZU TAIZU ZEHZONG
Age: 23
Occupation: Lieutenant-Captain
Born the third son of an old noble line, Zehzong has had to make his own way in life, and he has done so, a smile on his face and a Naginata in his hand. He is the right-hand man of his captain, Prince Zao, and his closest friend and confident. Carefree in attitude, there is very little Zehzong does not find amusing. His ultimate ambition is to amass a fortune to buy his own estate in Xiang, and then to live like a prince until he dies of old age.
AKA the Xiang Company, the Brotherhood, the Xiangese
GOVERNMENT The Brotherhood is lead overall by a single man, the Prince-Captain, who is a relative of the royal family of Xiang, generally the senior serving in the Brotherhood. Under him serve the Captains, each of whom lead a company, typically between 300-800 men. These are in turn responsible for a number of Lieutenant-Captains, who are responsible for Sargeants, who finally lead the common footmen into battle.
It is essentially democratic in nature; when a member of the hierarchy dies or leaves, their direct subordinates vote on which among them should take the vacancy. Should there be a deadlock, the deceased's superior can intervene and arbitrate the matter personally. The Brotherhood is not completely egalitarian, however; those of noble parentage are by tradition considered for promotion before commoner candidates, and those of princely blood are considered above both nobles and commoners alike. There has yet to be a Prince-Captain not of royal blood.
FACTION SPECIES Only pure-blooded humans are permitted within the Brotherhood. Even other non-Xiangese humans are rare within it, and they are almost never promoted above their peers.
LOCATION The Brotherhood are currently employed by the Empire, dealing with rebellious nobles within the Rainlands. They do not have a permanent home, however, aside from Xiang itself.
RELIGION The Qayu Issai. It is the state religion of Xiang, and holds as tennants that all gods are dead, and that one must follow the Qayu, a holy text allegedly written by Yamara, god of Sun and Earth and emperor of the gods, himself. The Qayu is not only religious: it is also the legal code of Xiang, defining crimes and their penalties, as well as dictating how one can live a moral life (through humility, fasting, fidelity, and so on). The Princes of Xiang are said to be directly descended from Yamara, and as such are worshiped as sort of demigods, their word infalliable.
FACTION DESCRIPTION Some may call it a mere mercenary company, just another vulture feasting on the dying Empire, but in reality the Brotherhood of Xiang is nowhere near that simple: after all, how many mercenary companies are non-profit? A better description for this curious beast would be a state owned corporation, a branch of the government of the Principality of Xiang.
Its main main mandate is the education and training of young Xiangese in the ways of the world, teaching them to survive in the harsh world outside their famous walls so that they might learn to appreciate the peaceful land within. In addition, it secures the trade routes with the civilized southern lands, as well as establishing ties with foreign powers. It is to pay for these duties that it hires out its warriors as mercenaries; though that role has become much more emblematic of the organization, the Brotherhood still stands at its core for the protection and prosperity of the Xiangese people.
FACTION HISTORY The roots of the Brotherhood go back to the ancient traditions of Xiang. According to its most holy laws, young Xiangese, with few exceptions, must embark on a journey to the outside world once they have reached the age of maturity, only to return once ten years have passed. By doing so, they may learn to respect the peace within the walled realm. All boys must do so, whereas girls are given the option.
Unsurprisingly, despite being prepared in advance for their exiles, all too many Xiangese were eaten, killed, or starved to death in the harsh world outside. It is thus that five hundred years ago the ruling Prince decreed the formation of the Brotherhood of Xiang, a syndicate of exiles which had as its goal banding together the young so that they might survive better in the outside world.
Over the centuries, the Brotherhood has lended its swords more and more for the funding necessary to maintain its operations, such that today it is known almost exclusively as a mercenary company to the common people. And yet it still continues to teach the Xiangese to survive. Not all serve by the naginata: indeed, many serve the Brotherhood as accountants, merchants, and diplomats, giving the company a scope not seen in mercenary companies.
For the last hundred years or so, it has been more or less consistently employed by the same entity, the Salished Empire. However, in recent years the insolvency of the Empire has found it unable to pay the Brotherhood its dues, and as such many within the leadership are seeking more solvent employers instead.
IMPORTANT HOLDINGS AND POSSESSIONS Though it does not directly control any castles or cities, between its members it owns a substantial amount of land within Xiang.
RELATION TO OTHER FACTIONS The Brotherhood is of course strongly tied to Xiang, taking all its recruits from the motherland, and in general acting as an arm of the Prince of Xiang.
It is currently employed with the decaying Salished Empire, though the latter's insolvency has made the relationship quite sour indeed, and the captains are looking for another employer who can actually pay their rates.
WARRA LESH LESH
Age: 31
Occupation: Prince-Captain
Description: The soft-spoken leader of the Xiang Brotherhood is new to his post, his uncle dying only a year ago to a virulent disease while on campaign. He rose to the position partly due to his reputation for cunning and accomplishments as a Captain, and partly due to his parentage, his father being the ruling Prince, making him heir to that post as well. He has been gone from home for several years longer than required by the Qayu. Many say this is due to his lack of confidence in his ability to rule the Principality, as due to ancient law, there can only be one Prince in Xiang, and should he ever return tradition demands his father commit suicide to permit him the throne. For now, he is content managing the Brotherhood, which is in any case nearly as demanding as ruling Xiang itself.
He is known for being of a stoic and scholarly disposition, preferring the pen to the sword. Thus, as a warrior he has much to be desired, and in his duties as Prince-Captain he instead focuses on avoiding pitched battle, preferring to conserve his men by pillaging and making under the counter deals. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ONA DU XIAOWEI
Age: 24
Occupation: Administrator
Description: Sharp of mind and sharp of tongue, that is Xiaowei. In this way, she is both a curse and a blessing for the Brotherhood: on one hand, her accounting is key for the organization, her steady hand guiding it through uncertain fiscal times, and she has on many occasions spearheaded ambitious and successful enterprises to improve its organization. On the other, she is acidic to deal with, seemingly unable to take a breath without subtly or not-so-subtly insulting whichever victim was unfortunate enough to have to deal with her. As a result, her fellows mostly wield her like a flail, directing difficult employers and obstructive bureaucrats to her. It is rare that she is not able to cow them into submission.
XIANG
GOVERNMENT Xiang is an autocratic society, with all power being derived from the Prince. His line is said to extend all the way to Yamara, the Xiangese god of sun and earth, and so he is revered as something of a demigod; among the duties of the Prince is to interpret the meaning of the Qayu. The current occupant of the Glass Throne is Warra Gon Lesh. All those descended from him are also known as Princes and Princesses, but by ancient custom there may only be one Prince within Xiang, and so his children must extend their exiles until he dies, or he must commit suicide to relieve them of the burden.
Though the power of the Prince is supreme, he must rely on lesser men, the nobility, to administer his domain in his name. The nobles may own wealth and titles, but it is understood that the land they hold is held only at the discretion of the Prince, although occasions of outright revocation of land have been rare indeed.
Commoners have a poor lot indeed, not truly owning the land they work. They have no rights to land or wealth, although in practice most lords look the other way when it comes to ownership. One can only rise to nobility by attracting the attention of a Prince. In practice, this usually happens through meritorious service among the Xiang Brotherhood, where commoner captains are generally elevated to nobility.
FACTION SPECIES Only the human Xiangese are permitted within the walled principality: even human foreigners are not permitted.
LOCATION
Xiang is located in the Xia Mountains, within a hidden valley almost perpetually covered in fog. The only entrances into this hidden world are three narrow mountain passes, all other ways being barred by sheer cliffs and treacherous rockfalls.
RELIGION The Qayu Issai. It is the state religion of Xiang, and holds as tenants that all gods are dead, and that one must follow the Qayu, a holy text allegedly written by Yamara, god of Sun and Earth and emperor of the gods, himself. The Qayu is not only religious: it is also the legal code of Xiang, defining crimes and their penalties, as well as dictating how one can live a moral life (through humility, fasting, fidelity, and so on). The Princes of Xiang are said to be directly descended from Yamara, and as such are worshiped as sort of demigods, their word infallible.
THE GREAT GATES
There are three, and only three, passes into Xiang, and they are guarded by the Great Gates, massive constructs of stone and steel built so tall and with such expertise as to be said to have been built by the gods themselves. Foreign scholars speculate that they were constructed by an ancient people, perhaps even the Old Ones themselves, but in truth there is no evidence one way or another. Any who gaze upon the walls must concede that it is at least possible they are divine in origin, such is their splendor.
CULTURE AND TRADITIONS The Xiangese are an extremely insular people, obsessed with tradition and living the same life as they always have. They loathe change, though this has also made them a patient and hardy people.
Key among their tradiitions is the rite of the Exile, wherein every Xiangese boy (and optionally girl) must leave the great gates and survive outside for ten years. Those who survive the ordeal are welcomed back as true Xiangese, who can appreciate the splendor of Xiang and her customs having now known the terrors of the outside world. To improve their chances of survival, a syndicate was formed hundreds of years ago, the Xiang Brotherhood, by which the Xiangese youth band together. This has evolved into a major mercenary company in the southern lands, though they also keep the trade routes to Xiang safe with the fortunes the accrue.
FACTION HISTORY Xiang has always been. So says the Qayu, and the annals of the Prince: it was created when Yamara-Amunsu created the world, the two gods then one. Amunsu created the beastkin and the abomination races, while Yamara crafted humanity, and chose Xiang as his favored people, giving them fertile lands, wisdom beyond other men, and massive impenetrable walls so that they might keep these boons. Amunsu envied Yamara’s creations, and Yamara was disgusted by Amunsu’s. From this discord, turmoil grew, until Yamara-Amunsu was torn in two, each god taking its distinct form. They fought, for centuries and millennia, and the world shook and ruptured, but Xiang was always spared, for Yamara loved it as he did no other land. In the end, the two deities slew each other, and the gods are no more. Xiang has simply been since then, living the same lifestyle, ruled by the same direct line of Princes, holding dear the same traditions and morals.
And yet, some question the validity of this past. They insist that the great walls were not built by the divine, but by mere mortals, citing the need to maintain them as proof of the fact. They also assert that the Xiangese came to their land centuries after the cataclysm of the gods, from the plains of desolate lands. These views are heresy within Xiang, of course, and those who profess them openly do not do so for long.
IMPORTANT HOLDINGS AND POSSESSIONS Xiang is the sole city of the principality, though several minor towns dot the valley which constitutes its realm. It holds no lands or dominion beyond the great walls which protect its borders, and given that these are barren and infertile lands, home only to beastkin and worse, it does not care to.
RELATION TO OTHER FACTIONS Xiang is extremely isolationist, refusing virtually all contact with the outside world. This, combined with the vast distances between it and other beacons of human civilization, have precluded any official diplomatic relations. Informal pacts exist, but these mostly concern the Xiang Brotherhood. As far as the Xiangese are concerned, foreigners who want to deal with the People must deal with the Brotherhood, and stay out of the homeland.
WARRA GON LESH
Age: 61
Occupation: Ruling Prince of Xiang
Description: The aged Prince of Xiang is the picture of the ideal Prince; indeed, he strives for it. He is a renown swordsman, traditionalist to the point of fanaticism, and above all as unyielding as a mountain. His coldness is legendary, to the point of sociopathy: they say he took delight in rushing home as soon as his Exile was over, forcing his mother to kill herself so that he might rule instead, and raising his children with hardness excessive even by princely standards. He is, by all accounts, an unpleasant man.
Alright, here's my idea in summary: A walled principality in the northern mountains, with an east-asian flair.
The three passes into it are blocked off by massive, nigh unbreakable gates built by a previous, more advanced civilization, though reputed by the people to have been placed there by the god of earth and sky, ancestor to the princes. Withing the land is mostly untouched by the awfulness of the world. As a result, the people see their little island of civilization as the center of the world.
When its boys reach the age of maturity, tradition holds that they be exiled from the walls, so that they might appreciate the peace within once they know the horrors without. They are only allowed to return ten years, day to day, after their exile. Despite being groomed and prepared in advance for their journeys, too many died off to starvation, exposure, and the depredations of the crazed mutants.
As a result, the Brotherhood was formed, an association of those on their journeys that seeks to teach new exiles how to survive in the outside world. Over the years, it has morphed into a mercenary company, in the nominal employ of the Empire. Lead by a relative of the Prince, the Brotherhood has as its goals, in addition to gaining riches and experience by fighting for the highest bidder, the protection of trade caravans to the principality and the formation of ties with foreign powers, lesser as they might be.
I wouldn't be playing as the Principality itself (mostly), but rather as the Brotherhood. @Flagg Sounds good?
Probably the west part of The Rift. The Sea of Glass would attract a lot of nasty mutants looking for that sweet, sweet ichor. A city west of the lake, set up against those mountains would probably have to deal with lots of mutants in the wilds around it. Anyone heading south would have to venture through or around the Sea of Glass, which would be dangerous. On the other hand, crystallized ichor does have its uses and you'd have a large supply nearby. That said, you'd also be very isolated. Meaning, if an army of mutants and/or barbarians decides to form, you would be alone. Very alone.
EDIT: West of the Rift, I mean. Not east. Fixed now.
That sounds good, but puts me out of the bounds of the RP. I'll see when more RP info is released I guess.
Could you guys elaborate on the map? Because as is I have no godly idea what I'm looking at right now. A description of each area, and which areas are already encompassed by the Empire.
I was thinking of having a bubble kingdom in the mountains, isolationist and inward-looking, with the only passes into it blocked off by massive walls, which keep out the worst terrors of the outside. Preferably somewhere otherwise hostile, away from civilization, so that it's a little island of stability in the chaos. Does that fit in anywhere in the setting?
Nightwing95
