Yeah, a few. Since it's Pathfinder, what level will we start at? Would a race like skinwalker be allowed (I assume yes since you said anything goes)? What isn't allowed that's important enough that I would need to know?
Head(s) of Government: Mage-King Sola-Gore represents the Council. The Council's current membership consists of Tech-Priests Qin-Tetra (a rare female mage skilled in all things violent), Zo-Khan (in charge of internal policing), Per-Ahkin (head of industry), Lin-Quan (an adjudicator), Dek-Jay (who, along with his partner, lead the agricultural and housing corps), Nen-Koo (Dek-Jay's partner), Tarano-Shay (the chief educator), Ivi-Col (distributor of resources to the people), and Ben-Dane (Ivi-Col's partner). Formerly the head of government was Queen Cavo-Shin, but Sola-Gore lead a revolution during the ashen years, overthrowing her. While theoretically the Council has no set roles for its members (and thus no additional titles), each one has their own niche and specialty.
Economy: Their main imports are various metals (though they do have some of their own), various chemicals, and weapons such as rifles (though most of their more skilled soldiers rely on magic). Exports include various medicines, wood (mostly of the magically reinforced variety), various foodstuffs, and enchanted tools.
Unique Technologies- Simulacrums: Coreshan mages, specifically industry mages, tend to pass down the ancient art of artifice-crafting. Simulacrums vary wildly, from horse-equivalents to giant turtle-equivalents to human-equivalents. Their intelligence is rather basic; while they certainly tend to possess a cunning animal intellect, they aren't too hot at complex problems and don't have prominent personalities. Some simulacrums are laborers (as long as you make sure to give them specific orders they usually won't break things), though this is mostly obsolete when compared to Priest-Factories. There is a certain section of mid-powerful mages who animate wooden (with light metal reinforcement) horned horse-equivalents, which they use to hunt (on occasion), scout, and attack (considering simulacrums don't feel pain they make for effective cavalry).
The Coreshans
A naked Coreshan.
Coreshans are insectoids that usually come in dark colors and invariably black eyes. They stand about the size of an average human. They do not possess hair of any kind, nor any visible hearing organs (though they are capable of hearing). They use to live in aboveground 'hives', though in recent times the colonies are changing to fit a modern, 'urban' aesthetic. While they still magically grow colossal trees and create tunnels and rooms inside them, they've started a little clearing room for modern buildings (partially for outsiders) and incorporating metals into their hive-trees. Coreshans possess efficient dark light vision. Females tend to be taller and stronger, while males are more frail but usually considerably more proficient in magic (and are more often born with natural magic).
Population: Roughly 26 million at the moment.
Culture: Coreshans in general are very sensible or at least try to be; pragmatism, efficiency, and common sense are valued among them. They love any form of entertainment and learning about foreigners (even if they can be a bit racist sometimes). Magic is highly valued among them as a symbol of status, power, and skill. Most of them are very cooperative, friendly, and good-natured; however, the more intelligent ones, for whatever reason, tend to be a bit more morally grey, usually being of the coldly logical variety. This moral greyness and willingness to do wrong things for the greater good is also seen as a trait of a good leader. Most Coreshans are very obedient to their percieved superiors, tending to obey laws to the letter and spirit (unless they think it is absolutely necessary to break them). The Coreshans that are the percieved superiors are a bit prideful and consider them above other Coreshans. They recently have become enamored with technology and the idea of 'forward progress', seeking to gather any pieces of tech they consider useful, interesting, or cool. This trend is even extending to the magic-proficient leadership. Coreshans are also enamored with foreign cultures. Not necessarily mimicking them, but learning and adopting certain aspects.
Religion and Other Beliefs: Coreshans believe in a nature god, referred to simply as Kkrikak (loosely translating to permanent yet changing) or sometimes End. In a way he could be percieved more as a god of entropy. He embodies the uncaring nature of things, how things will always happen even once life is gone and how things move inevitably towards an irreversible state of unbeing. In other words, he doesn't represent life-nature, but universal-nature. The Tech-Priests simultaneously worship him and work to slow his blossoming grasp on this world.
Location/Territories:
Climate: A tropical climate, though their huge hive-trees of the past have made certain trees considerably larger and changed the local ecosystem a bit.
Military: Their military is very loosely organized. They've gotten this far via magical excellence, though technology makes it harder nowadays. Technically the Commander-in-Chief is Mage-King Sola-Gore, but in practice it is lead by Tech-Priest Qin-Tetra, who is what one might call absurdly violent. Officers tend to be mages or very skilled baselines (the nickname for Coreshans with no magic). While in modern times they have begun a basic navy and competent air force, they've always preferred land conquest. Navy and air forces are built almost completely to counter the enemies forces instead of actual offensive use, (i.e. lots of AA guns and stuff like that) forcing the enemy to engage them on ground, where the mages have an upper hand.
Magic Prevalence/Usage: Magic is heavily prevalent in Coreshaw. All the major leaders are proficient mages (and tend to be former soldiers), and magic-gifted Coreshans are usually well-respected and make for useful factory runners and military officers. The government does regulate magic to prevent another uprising or perhaps some experiment gone wrong, but only truly interferes when an individual is designated a High-Risk mage, whereupon they are conscripted into the Tech-Priest order. Coreshans, compared to other races, have plenty of magical power and an absurd amount of control over it.
The public history of Coreshaw is as follows:
Recorded history begins with Queen Velva-Gir, leader of the largest clan in the area, said to be the first Queen. It's said that she had many daughters, who went on to become rulers in their own right in other clans. Then, as she lay dying, she called her daughters to her bedside. When they arrived, the Queen made all others leave the room, and then, in what must have been an amazingly persuasive speech, convinced her daughters to consolidate the clans with the eldest daughter as the second Queen. This came about surprisingly well, though to be honest, the clans had already been very cordial with one another and mergers had happened in the past. This is around the time the Coreshan language formed more solidly from the different clans' dialects and an early form of paper scrolls were established, mostly used for record-keeping.
The second Queen, Sela-Gir, was slightly more aggressive. She instituted a controversial law demanding that all mages, who were formerly seen as 'medicine men', farmers, and hermits, be registered, some drafted, and others to continue crop-growing, tree-shaping, and medicine-making. Mages became a primarily military-inclined people, while the females, while more physically imposing, were inclined towards government.
The general history is rather peaceful and isolated due to their self-sustaining abilities. It's only in modern times, when the volcano erupted, that things really changed. The magi, sick of being constantly demeaned and used for labor, decided to use the ashen years as an opportunity. At this point the regular citizen off the street might've suggested more mage rights, considering they were almost singlehandedly responsible for the continued life of the crops. Queen Cavo-Shin didn't care for mages in the least, even if they were doing good. Thus the first unofficial Council meeting took place. Together some of the most powerful mages plotted to kill Queen Cavo-Shin. Tech-Priest Qin-Tetra helped lead the assault on the Palace-Tree, where Sola-Gore is said to have personally pierced the heart of Cavo-Shin.
Since then, while there has been controversy, the mage administration is considerably kinder than the matriarchy.
Nation Relations: Southern Verdasou - Cordial. It's rumored that the Magi Coup was partially financed by their Queen. There is a mutual respect between them, and they both have influence in each other's lands.
Hey, I'm interested, though I'd of course like to know a bit more about the setting before committing to anything. Also, would a gunslinger be fine with you?
I'm interested. I'll probably stick with a human knight with a fierce devotion to the crown and king, even moreso than the other knights, with a bit of a ruthless attitude.