| Pile O' Articles; out of the old Development | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 12 2013, 10:27 PM (974 Views) | |
| Post #21 Mar 12 2013, 11:56 PM | Mokley |
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"New Player Guide" Welcome to Adylheim! This article is intended to answer any questions you may have about Adylheim and to help guide you through the character creation process. If you have any more questions that aren't answered here, feel free to register an account [link] and ask away in the Q&A forum [link]. We're glad to help! [b:160q8ruc]Common Terms[/b:160q8ruc] PBP: play-by-post (game) RP: Roleplay PC: Player Character - A main character controlled by a player. The "protagonists" of the game. NPC: Non-Player Character - Any other character in the game world, typically controlled by moderators. IC: In Character - Anything that happens in the game world, e.g. a conversation between two characters. OOC: Out of Character - Anything that takes place outside the game world, e.g. a conversation between two players. [b:160q8ruc]FAQ[/b:160q8ruc] 1. What is Adylheim? Adylheim is a fantasy play-by-post roleplaying game (pbpRPG). The game is set in Adylheim, a set of fiefdoms remaining after the fragmentation of an ancient empire. Society is predominantly medieval, and in most places, magic is the exception rather than the rule. The gods, however, are more than willing to dabble in the affairs of mortals. More information on the setting can be found in the Tome of Knowledge [link] and the World Library. [?][link] 2. How do you play? The core mechanics will be familiar to veterans of play-by-post and play-by-email games. The game takes place entirely on the forums, and everyone participates by describing the behavior of their characters, who are often nothing at all like themselves. At its most basic, Adylheim plays like a conversation: one player will write a post explaining their character's actions and, perhaps, their thoughts or experiences. Then another player will post their character's actions, etc. In general, players should take turns posting so that everyone has a chance to participate. 3. Wait, that's it? Where's the actual game? If your definition of "game" requires graphics, then there isn't one (unless you count our lovely smilies and icons). If so, Adylheim probably won't appeal to you. If you're willing to use your imagination, though, then we encourage you to give Adylheim a try. It's somewhere between a traditional RPG and collaborative fiction, though you don't need either writing or roleplaying experience to play and enjoy the game. 4. What's with threads, and what kinds are there? Because everything takes place on a message board, everything happens in a thread. A thread will always have a particular focus, typically either a location (e.g. a tavern) or an event (e.g. an adventure). This focus is usually declared or hinted at in the thread's title. Threads may be moderated or unmoderated, which affects how conflict and uncertainty are resolved (see below). Also, threads are often marked "open" or "closed" (or "private"). This is a matter of courtesy, and indicates whether the player who started the thread would like to welcome random players into the thread, or would like to play only with specific people they've invited into that particular thread. 5. How are conflict and uncertainty resolved? This depends on the type of thread. Some threads are moderated, which means that a special player (a staff member called a moderator) adjudicates the thread and the success or failure of the actions of the PCs in it, and typically takes responsibility for describing the environment and the actions of any NPCs present as well. Other threads are unmoderated, meaning players are free to decide the outcomes of their own characters' actions, or, if the participants agree to do it differently, they may decide the outcome of each other's characters' actions instead. Any threads with the potential for great risk or reward for a PC, or the potential for a significant impact on the game world, should be moderated unless permission is granted from a forum's moderator beforehand. Routine events (for instance, purchasing items for the listed price from a shop) generally do not have to be played out on the forums, though players are free to RP such activities if they wish. 6. So who are moderators and staff? Adylheim has a volunteer staff who carry out a number of functions on the board. There's two basic types of staff members - administrators and moderators - though there's a lot of room for overlap, with one person often filling both roles. Administrators see to the technical maintenance of the website and forums, as well as various other duties, including overall management of the game. Moderators oversee the IC events in that forum, moderate threads, enact plots and adventures, and in general try to keep things interesting for the players. 7. What's all this about IC and OOC? The difference between in-character (IC) and out-of-character (OOC) is arguably the most important part of roleplaying. Anything that takes place in the game world is IC, everything that doesn't take place in the game world (e.g. real life) is OOC. Therefore, the OOC forums are for discussions between players and other things that don't take place in the game itself, while the IC forums are where the actual roleplaying takes place. You'll be expected to be able to draw a firm distinction between the two. For instance, just because you know something (OOC), doesn't mean your character does (IC). Similarly, just because someone's PC says a certain thing or behaves a certain way, doesn't mean that his/her player believes or condones those things. A player can like another player, while their characters hate each other. Most importantly, don't bring OOC knowledge into the game, and don't take what happens in the game personally. 8. What in the world are Continuity Declarations? Flexible Continuity is the name we use for our time management system. If you could only participate in one thread at a time, things would move pretty slowly, so with Flexible Continuity, you can participate in multiple threads at once - provided that you can place them all coherently into your character's personal timeline in a way that makes sense. A Continuity Declaration (CD) is a note at the top of a thread or post that helps everyone place that thread or post in time, to make keeping track of things easier. A more in-depth explanation can be found here. [link] [b:160q8ruc]Rules[/b:160q8ruc] You'll need to go over the rules before you can play. They can be found here [link]. [b:160q8ruc]Character Creation[/b:160q8ruc] Once you've brushed up on the rules and the setting, you're ready to make your character. You can find a step-by-step guide to character creation here [link] and the character sheet (CS) template here [link]. Once you've made your character, you're ready to play! We'd like to meet you, so posting in the welcome forum is encouraged. Some people like to start by posting their houses as location threads, but it's by no means required. If you're having trouble figuring out what to do from here, the Q&A forum is there to help. If not, go out there and have fun! ************** Draft 2! Obviously, all the [link] tags need to be removed and actual links put in. Other than that, does anyone have more to add or suggest? Notable changes from last draft: Included Grim's suggested wording change in the first question, filled in the staff members question and a new one on flexible continuity, and weeded out the character creation section in favor of linking to Grim's more detailed one. |
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| Post #22 Mar 12 2013, 11:57 PM | Mokley |
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"Grey Lake" The city of Grey Lake was stuck right next to a large lake, the grey waters of which had given the city its name. With its 8 000 inhabitants it was the largest city in eastern Starkwater and the second capital of the fiefdom. The curative powers of the lake's water meant that its inhabitants led longer lives than just about anywhere else in the fiefdoms, outbreaks of disease were a rarity here. According to rumour the Archduke even had large barrels of the lake's water shipped to Spire City, to ensure him a long life. Distant as it was from the scheming of Spire City, Grey Lake remained relatively free of politics. It had neither the tall spires of Spire City, or the teeming abundance of Aram. It was a relatively large city, but it was not known for its architectural brilliance. The streets ran along strange lines, shifting back and forth so that it was all but impossible for anyone without local knowledge to find their way in the city. The houses were low with thatched roofs, occasionally with a goat grazing contentedly on the roof. When summer broke the ice on the lake, its citizens would send out their small white sailboats and start fishing, usually a cause for great celebration in the city. Had it not been for the large fortress which the city had slowly grown around, Grey Lake would likely have remained another insignificant city awash in a sea of other villages and towns. As it was, the administrative centre of eastern Starkwater was far from as impressive as Spire City. It had a large garrison, mainly to keep the Arameians from causing trouble during shipments to and from the Highlands. But also for making trouble when the Arameians tried to get shipments across to the Highlands. Every spring when the large shipments from the Arameian Highlands came rolling down through to Fort Resolve, Grey Lake would be a hive of activity. Soldiers getting ready to repel Arameian bandits and doing its utmost to seize the sizeable haul for themselves. |
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| Post #23 Mar 12 2013, 11:57 PM | Mokley |
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"The Valley of Oren" It was practically on the border between Nevros and Starkwater, with Nevros not having much interest in it and Starkwater preferring to protect more important holdings, it had been left on its own. As valleys went, it was a nice one, fertile land was sandwiched between two large mountains, with a small river running through it. Its inhabitants were happy enough, a few small farms and an equally small village was placed here. People tended their crops and livestock during the warmer seasons and spent their time telling stories around the fireplace during the winter. Rockslides, avalanches and the odd incursion by wild beasts were really all they had to worry about. In the northern reaches of Starkwater this was a small patch of paradise. The valley of Oren had not come by this status on its own though. At every pass into this valley rested large, stone guardians. They were made in the manner of giant lizards, strange runes written into their stone hides. Those passing in and out through the valley had no choice but to pass beneath their silent visage. Each one easily capable of crushing a man with a single blow. They were standing there, silently watching the entrances to the valley. No one passed here without the approval of Archwizard Oren. Raiding parties from the North had long since stopped coming, as had the tax collectors of Starkwater. The stone guardians alone were not enough of a defence though, powerful wards covered the valley, keeping hostile magics out. Archwizard Oren lived in a large, central tower. Around which the village of a few hundred souls lived. It was a huge structure, rising almost as high as the surrounding mountains, a large red spike. It twisted slightly as it travelled upwards, as if some great hand had grasped it and slowly turned it around on itself. How long the tower had stood there, no one knew. Archwizard Oren was certainly not its first occupant, just the last in a long line of caretakers. Out here in the wilderness though, the Archwizard had created his own fiefdom, miniscule though it was, where he ruled supreme. |
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| Post #24 Mar 12 2013, 11:59 PM | Mokley |
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"The Development Forum" [center:1eeo3qcc][img:1eeo3qcc]http://adylheim.com/images/development.gif[/img:1eeo3qcc][/center:1eeo3qcc][justify:1eeo3qcc]Welcome to the Development forum! This forum is intended for discussions surrounding Adylheim and proposals for articles which expand on the world of Adylheim. Articles which are intended for our Codex of Knowledge can go through here and will be added to the Codex once the staff of Adylheim are satisfied with its contents; this may be longer for articles which see a great deal of controversy or where we would like to see a great deal of change. We currently have no specific templates for articles intended for the Codex, since different articles would have different formats and layouts, however there are a few guidelines that should be followed before a final draft can be considered for inclusion. Firstly, the article must be spellchecked; however, they will be checked through again before being posted to the website, so don't worry about this too much. Secondly, the article must have a short introduction paragraph at the beginning, an 'abstract' if you will, stating the overview of the document. Lastly, we prefer articles to have subheadings to divide the content in to easily digestible chunks. However, depending on the article this is not always plausible and necessary. In Character texts, such as legends, songs and so on can also be drafted here and will be added to the Library of Salen, once the staff is satisfied with their quality will be added to the Library. Since this texts are written from an in character perspective, and can be physically found and read in the game world, their format will differ greatly from the norm, and the usual rules tend not to apply to these documents. Lastly, we usually wait for some dicussion to emerge before adding things to the Codex. However, if you feel your article is ready to be included, and has been languishing in the forum, feel free to prod an admin about it.[/justify:1eeo3qcc] |
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| Post #25 Mar 13 2013, 12:35 AM | Mokley |
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"Languages" Languages This article contains a list of the major languages used in Adylheim and some of the less important ones, with notes on their usage and area of influence. [b:2f9gh0qb][u:2f9gh0qb]Human Languages[/b:2f9gh0qb][/u:2f9gh0qb] [b:2f9gh0qb]Aramic[/b:2f9gh0qb] Aramic is without a doubt the most spoken language in Adylheim. This owes much to the now defunct Arameian Empire, which ensured the spread of Aramic as the primary spoken and written language of Adylheim, you would need to travel far to find a human in Adylheim without at least a basic understanding of Aramic. The language is generally split into two separate dialects, High and Low Aramic. High Aramic is generally reserved for scholars and nobility, with a complex system of clauses and genders, it remains a more subtle language than Low Aramic, but it is often considered to be archaic and out of touch with the realities of modern Adylheim, outside of the high courts, High Aramic is generally only used at extremely formal occasions, with many lesser courts often either combining High and Low Aramic or going entirely by Low Aramic. Low Aramic is by far the more common of the two dialects, in both meanings of the word. It has a simplified system of genders and clauses, which makes it easier to learn. Due to it being more consistently used, Low Aramic has a greater vocabulary than its upper class cousin, having integrated words from Maradin, Threakian and Soilien, though they remain for the most part mutually intelligible. Of course, using Low Aramic in certain settings can be considered a to be impolite, which is reflected in it sometimes being referred to as Vulgar Aramic, or just plain Vulgar. Low Aramic is often used as a trader's tongue, because it is easy to learn it has been the tongue which is most commonly taught to traders from other nations, from which it derives its other name, Tradespeak, or simply Trade. As a result, both humans and races that trade with humans generally have at least a passing knowledge of Low Aramic. In addition to being the primary human language, the Aramic alphabet, also known as the Symonic Alphabet (after the Arameian Emperor who instituted it as official) is used to transcribe both Threakian and Maradin tongues. [b:2f9gh0qb]Maradin[/b:2f9gh0qb] Maradin is considered to be the most lyrical of the human languages and poets who have studied languages say that Maradin is the best for writing poetry. This reputation has certainly not hurt the language and there are those who study the language for the sole purpose of being able to understand (and recite) the poems written in Maradin. For the Maradin who regularly use it as their mother tongue, however, it is above all else a tongue which comes to them from the sea. For them it is believed to be handed down by Erina herself, and when the Empire tried to ban the language to avoid what had happened with the Threakians from happening again with the Maradin, both the cultural elite of Aram and the priests of Erina protested so vigourously that the law died before it was ever put into effect. To this day many operas are written entirely in Maradin, even though the majority do not understand the lyrics. While Maradin originally had their own alphabet, they have since adapted the Symonic alphabet as it was easier to use than their original alphabet, known as the Sufahn, mainly because the Symonic alphabet proved easier to use. However those among the Maradin who act as priests of Erina often use Sufahn to transcribe Maradin rather than Symonic. [b:2f9gh0qb]Soilien[/b:2f9gh0qb] Soilien is spoken primarily in Andragoria and Nerin, with a few native speakers in southern Longmoor and Arameia. Unlike Threakian it has managed to regain its status as a formal tongue and is often used both in administration and trade in the southern fiefdoms, as well as every day conversation. Whereas the other human languages now use the Aramic alphabet for transcription. Soilien avoids this by being written so that every letter represents a word, rather than a phoneme. This has led to an intense interest in caligraphy in Soilien noble circles and often Soilien scholars go through rigourous training to ensure that they're capable of writing down words perfectly. Soiliens current status can be directly traced back to the lack of trouble the Soilien people gave the Empire, whereas the use of Threakian was stamped on with a hard foot and several Emperors spent most of their reigns ensuring that Threakian would not be spoken again, Soilien was let off relatively easy, with its use being tolerated as no one used it as a rallying point against the Empire. [b:2f9gh0qb]Threakian[/b:2f9gh0qb] Threakian is a hard language to find these days. Before the Arameian Empire it was spoken all over northern Adylheim and had its own runic alphabet, called the Thornbleak. The Threakian tribes proved hard for the Arameian Emperors to pacify however, and with revolts against the Empire becoming an every day occurrence, the Empire moved to forbid the speaking of Threakian. Rebels often used it as a code which Arameian soldiers could not easily break, allowing them to pass information right under Arameian noses. With increasingly draconic measures being used to stamp out the use and teaching of Threakian it became all but extinct within the Empire itself and even in the barbarian lands you will have a hard time finding people with more than a rudimentary understanding of it. The teaching and use of Threakian remained a crime to the very end of the Empire, although it became largely a forgotten and ignored law after the Frostcrown Rebellion ended in 1991, which largely marked the end of the large Threakian uprisings. Rumours have it that speaking Threakian is still a criminal offence in Arameia, although the Catellus have neither confirmed or denied this. For the most part, Threakian survives in fragments, words used for conditions and things relevant to the northern parts of Adylheim, these words have migrated into Low Aramic though and can no longer be considered a language in their own right. Some scholars have managed to reconstruct a working knowledge of Threakian and Thornbleak, but it remains a largely extinct tongue. [b:2f9gh0qb]Blackspeak[/b:2f9gh0qb] Named after Robin the Black, who was the one who managed to make it into a standard language used among wizards. It is for the most part invented from bits and pieces of dead languages, and is used as a standard shorthand for writing down spells. As the writing of Prime Words in their true form is somewhat hazardous, Blackspeak is used to record spells without turning every spellbook into a potent magical bomb. Blackspeak, as might be expected, is an entirely written language and sees little use outside wizardry circles. As might be expected with wizards, what seems to be a standard part of their repertoire rarely is. In order to keep other wizards from stealing their spells wizards often write it in their own version of Blackspeak with varying degrees of modification. Only a very few have abandoned it entirely though, as it remains a handy tool on those few occasions when wizards do share their secrets with each other. Of course, the Magic Academy in Salen also teaches it to all their practitioners, which allows them to read the books in the Library with Wings, the single best protected in Salen. If wizards want to leave warnings or messages for other wizards, they will also often use Blackspeak to keep outsiders from understanding it. [u:2f9gh0qb][b:2f9gh0qb]Languages of Other Races[/b:2f9gh0qb][/u:2f9gh0qb] [b:2f9gh0qb]Dae'vol[/b:2f9gh0qb] The language of the Dae'vol is entirely telepathic in origin, it relies on images, feelings and sensations to just as large a degree as sound. Translating it directly to the spoken word is near impossible and while it's hard for Dae'vol to lie to each other, they find the practise of lying to other races (whose communications are not as intimate) almost laughably easy. For this reason, the Dae'vol have earned something of a reputation as inveterate liars. "Trusting a Dae'vol" has become a phrase meaning to do something which is sure to fail. However, the Dae'vol have developed what they call the Slave Tongue, which is designed especially for their slaves and constructs. Its based primarily in sound and allows them to communicate with their lessers. When Dae'vol is spoken of it is this Slave Tongue which is generally what is being referred to, as no normal human being could hope to comprehend, nevermind use, the true Dae'vol language. [b:2f9gh0qb]Drakken[/b:2f9gh0qb] For untold centuries the Dragonkin have passed down Drakken to their children. While its origins is lost even to the annals of Dragonkin, it believed to be passed down as a gift from the Dragons, as a way to communicate both with the Dragons and between each other. As such, they are very hesitant to alter it, not to mention teach it to outsiders. Dragonkin traders will learn the tongues of whoever they are trading with rather than share of their language. It carries huge religious significance and though small alterations to the language has been made, it has gone through surprisingly few changes in the past few thousand years. As a language it contains many whistling sounds, as well as hissing and growls that make excellent use of the agile tongue of the Dragonkin. [b:2f9gh0qb]Elvish[/b:2f9gh0qb] Spoken by the elvish tribes roaming Adylheim, this tongue is rarely heard in polite company. As most elves have at least a passing knowledge of Low Aramic, it's generally considered to be an unimportant field of study and only those with undue interest in elves tend to learn it. It is considered to be a highly informal tongue, by those few who have studied it, with very few titles or honorifics being used. One of its features is also that it can easily pair up or combine several words to form new and more elaborate concepts, creating ad hoc words. It has also been noted for having an excellent vocabulary when it comes to words like "disguise", "steal" and "lie". [b:2f9gh0qb]Afore[/b:2f9gh0qb] Fore is a language which is only known to the most esoteric of scholars. It is the language of those known as Aforemen, a race which inhabited Adylheim before humans arrived on its shores. They are believed to have been slowly displaced till they disappeared from the surface and have not been seen in thousands of years. This is all speculation, however, as they disappeared long before written record and all historians have to base this theory on are various artefacts and ruins that are written in Afore, none of which are believed to have been correctly or entirely translated. Accordingly there is no one left who speaks Afore, since its last speakers died out thousands of years ago, and no one has any idea what it sounds like. [b:2f9gh0qb]Ghoul[/b:2f9gh0qb] Also referred to as Deadspeak, the Ghoul tongue is not often learned by humans, albeit necromancers sometimes learn it to allow them to communicate with the scavenging beasts. The sound of it being spoken is said to be akin to a singsong whisper. Ghoul has never been written down, so it has no alphabet of its own, though attempts have been made at transcribing it into the Symonic alphabet. [b:2f9gh0qb]Ogran[/b:2f9gh0qb] Ogran is considered to be very easy to pick up. Its sentence structure and use of tenses and clauses remain very basic. Ogran compensates for this by combining several short and non-specific words into a single, long and very specific word. Outside of those few daring souls who trade with the ogres, few have picked up the language. Even ogres often forego verbal communication in favour of more direct approaches, with the majority of the conversation being done by the tribe's shaman. [b:2f9gh0qb]Sidaen[/b:2f9gh0qb] While there are few religious connotations to the Sidaen tongue, it is by and large only known to Ursidaen. This is due, in part, to Ursidaen culture neither being very pervasive nor considered to be very interesting to human scholars and traders. Ursidaen are generally capable of conversing in Low Aramic and generally give traders little reason to learn it. Sidaen is, however, unique in that it is one of the few languages that can be spoken by the Ursidaen both in bear and human form.</td><td class="print">3ccb100d7128a001aa0ddbc1c7177f80</td><td class="print">0</td><td class="print">QQ==</td><td class="print">2f9gh0qb</td><td class="print">1</td><td class="print">0</td><td class="print"></td><td class="print">0</td><td class="print">0</td><td class="print">0</td></tr><tr class="print-category"><td class="print">13935</td><td class="print">1412</td><td class="print">8</td><td class="print">55</td><td class="print">0</td><td class="print">213.161.228.226</td><td class="print">1269780596</td><td class="print">1</td><td class="print">0</td><td class="print">1</td><td class="print">1</td><td class="print">1</td><td class="print">1</td><td class="print"></td><td class="print">Re: Edit: Languages v2.0</td><td class="print">Okay. So, I've generally just added bits and pieces here, mainly to the story behind these languages and their current status. |
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| Post #26 Mar 13 2013, 12:35 AM | Mokley |
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On a semi-related note: Dates: 786 - Emperor Alexandrios IX is crowned. Having spent much of his youth being educated in Nander, the young emperor decides to move the capital of the empire to this location, becoming the first of the Jade Emperors. 971 - As a result of many minor uprisings, Emperor Symon III decides that the capital should be moved back to Aram, while the city has fallen into disarray in the absence of its emperors, Symon III begins a range of city renewal projects, including the construction of a new city wall. With the Emperor back in its ideological seat, much of the unrest in the Empire dies down. 1982- The Frostcrown Rebellion starts, before winter hits, the Gamb Lords and their supporters have defeated two imperial legions and managed to remove the empire's control over a sizeable portion of its northern holdings. Though they have relied solely on ambushes and surprise tactics, the Threakian military success is formidable. 1983 - With the rebels having had all winter to dig in, the imperial legions face an uphill struggle in retaking the imperial lands. With another imperial legion decimated by the Threakian insurgents, Emperor Symon VII faces political mutiny in Aram as his poor leadership has lead to the untimely end of three imperial legions, this coupled with a famine has lead to a lack of belief in Symon VII's right to stay on the throne. 1984 - With the forces of Emperor Symon VII largely concentrated around Aram to keep his own politicians in line, the Frostcrown rebellion is able to expand its control over the northern holdings of the empire, managing to wrest the silver mines, as well as several other important holdings from the Empire. In Aram, the struggle between Symon VII and his opponents come to a head as the imperial legions are let loose into the city to end a popular uprising in the city, when the legions turn on Symon VII the palace steps are said to be coloured red that night by the blood of the emperor's personal guard. While legend states that Symon's wife escaped with her newborn son, Symon VII himself faced a rather more grisly end. The leaders of the rebellion and the legion drag him out into the street where he is burned alive. 1985 - After a lot of politicking in Aram, Emperor Arios I is crowned. However, the many favours he owes to the people who ensured that he got his crown ensures that he has very little political manoeuvring room and for the majority of the first two years of his reign his political role is very limited. 1987 - At the order of emperor Arios II a large part of the imperial council is assassinated, this mass assassination goes down in history as the Night of Daggers, now free to act as he pleases, the emperor turns his eyes on the Frostcrown rebels. 1988 - The imperial legions conduct a series of lightning raids into Frostcrown lands, weakening them for the final invasive push. The Frostcrown rebels, largely unprepared for the sudden ferocity of the imperial attacks and at the battle of Snowcap Pass, the rebel army is routed marking the first major victory against the Threakians in this conflict and the turning of the tide. 1991 - Frostcrown Rebellion comes to an end as Lars Hardken, the last of the Gamb Lords, and the other leaders of the rebellion are executed in Aram. The Frostcrown Rebellion marks the end of the major Threakian uprisings. |
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| Post #27 Mar 13 2013, 12:39 AM | Mokley |
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[b:13banf4q]Factions[/b:13banf4q] Within the Priesthood of Luxor there are several factions with competing ideologies. Many of these compete for power within Arameia. Although it should be noted that not all of the beliefs are mutually exclusive and some even become members of more than one faction or change their allegiance through their lives. [i:13banf4q]The Orthodox[/i:13banf4q] The Orthodox are the most important and the largest faction within the Church of Luxor, they hold that the ultimate purpose of the Church is to create leaders and lead by example. They hold the vast majority of bishoprics in Arameia and most Prelates come from this faction. Their mantra for the most part deal with manipulating masses of people, inciting them in simple ways such as making them angry, motivated, content or other similar effects. [i:13banf4q]The Faithful[/i:13banf4q] The Faithful are a faction not based on any particular belief, however they believe that the Golden Proclamation was an error on the part of the Church and that the power over Arameia should have remained in the hands of the Emperor. The Faithful come from many sects within the Church and remain one of the most potent adversaries for the Orthodox. As such the Faithful are more of a political movement within the Church than a religious one. The Faithful come from many sects within the Church and remain one of the most potent adversaries for the Orthodox but it has never managed to outnumber the Orthodox. For the most part the Faithful have the same mantra as the Orthodox, but it may depend on which beliefs they hold. [i:13banf4q]The Shining Light[/i:13banf4q] The Shining Light are a relatively small faction, holding that the purpose of priests of Luxor is not '''be''' leaders, but to '''create''' leaders. Needless to say this statement of purpose tends to lead them away from the upper levels of the church of Luxor and no Shiner has ever been Prelate. Regardless of this, the Shiners often make excellent teachers and often teach such skills as oratory, strategy and etiquette. Their mantra mainly deals with empowering an individual, though generally in such a way as to benefit others around him rather than that specific individual. [i:13banf4q]The Spear of Heaven[/i:13banf4q] The Spears hold that the only way for a leader to truly distinguish himself is through combat, although the aim is to lead the combat, not necessarily to fight. A large part of the Spears are part of the more militaristic parts of the church, with many choosing to be stationed in the Arameian Highlands, others often become part of the Legion at Fort Resolve. While they do sometimes reach high stations, their dislike of administration and peacetime rarely lends itself to retirement. For this reason, those Spears who feel they've finished their duty as leaders of combat often find that Silent Ones make excellent companions to their rule. Their mantra is often related to battle, creating effects which mask the marching of forces, or the advance or otherwise aid strategy in battle. [i:13banf4q]The Silent Ones[/i:13banf4q] The Silent hold that the true path of Luxor is to serve great leaders and help them achieve their goals, so they spend their time watching and trying to find leaders to serve. They often end up as advisors to others within their own order and while they have little official pull within the Church, they often take positions as Deacons. There is a split inside the Silent Ones themselves with some holding that the greatest pleasure is to subjugate oneself for the leader and worshipping that person as an avatar of Luxor, whereas the other camp has a more detached view of the whole affair and are not afraid to manipulate the leader they follow for their own end. It is all but unheard of for one of the Silent Ones to take a position where they actively run things, so for them to become Bishops or Prelates have never happened. The mantra of the Silent Ones is generally tied into seeking wisdom for the priests, so they may better offer advice to their proteges. [i:13banf4q]The Sun's Sons[/i:13banf4q] The Sons primarily worship Luxor in his aspect as the sun giver and the sun as the all seeing eye. They rarely deal with his aspect of leadership and rarely strive to achieve greatness within the ranks of the Church. Even so many of them work for the Prelate as information gatherers and spies. Their primary purpose is to find information that others have tried to hide or obfuscate, to bring the things which rest in shadow into the light. They have little interest in hoarding knowledge, merely in ensuring that the truth of the matter is brought out. Their mantra deals with achieving enlightenment and allow them to move unseen as long as they're in sunlight. [i:13banf4q]The Light of Purity[/i:13banf4q] The Purifiers are a very small faction and hold that one can come closer to Luxor through the purifying rays of the sun. As such they often leave their members staked out in the sun for days till they achieve enlightenment, or die. Those few who live through the initial rituals often spend the remainder of their days as something akin to living saints. While they are revered by others within the Church, they're generally fairly critical of the lack of piety within the Church. This critique rarely hinders their state of near worship by members of their own or other factions. Their mantra is said to be especially powerful and allows them to summon forth the sun and bring forth enlightenment in others. [i:13banf4q]The Path[/i:13banf4q] The Path hold that the only way to lead is through being entirely independent of others, as one needs to know oneself before being able to clearly see the direction he wishes to take. The Path strives to free itself from things that may influence their opinion one way or another. They often deliberately discard the learnings of their masters and leave their family and friends behind. While the Path does not often preach its message to others, they sometimes take offensive action against others, generally by burning books, schools and tools to free the minds of those who use these things from the conceptions built into them. As the followers of the Path follow a rather strict road their sect remains a relatively small one and it rarely has any large amount of impact on the Church in general. The Path rarely act as a group and while some of them have gone on to become great leaders in times of dire need, these are usually the exception and not the rule. When this does happen, their rabid abstinence from preconception often leads them to make mental leaps others would not expect and make them very unpredictable. The Path do not have any specific mantra as they believe that anything that is set in stone is ultimately a hindrance to their independence. They are, however, capable of communicating with Luxor and creating mantra within his sphere of influence that, while relatively weak, can produce pretty much whatever effect need at the time. Pathers rarely do so, however, as they believe that relying on Luxor to solve your problems is to deviate from the Path.</td><td class="print">15f0cefc532f6dc38fa4f1c5075d3737</td><td class="print">0</td><td class="print">YA==</td><td class="print">13banf4q</td><td class="print">1</td><td class="print">0</td><td class="print"></td><td class="print">0</td><td class="print">0</td><td class="print">0</td></tr><tr class="print-category"><td class="print">14349</td><td class="print">117</td><td class="print">8</td><td class="print">55</td><td class="print">0</td><td class="print">84.48.162.166</td><td class="print">1275442656</td><td class="print">1</td><td class="print">0</td><td class="print">1</td><td class="print">1</td><td class="print">1</td><td class="print">1</td><td class="print"></td><td class="print">Re: The Small Edits and Additions Thread</td><td class="print">Curses. Forgot about the Catellus: [i:1wcblkxx]The Chained[/i:1wcblkxx] The Chained hold that the greatest virtue of Luxor and rulers is giving rules to be followed. Needless to say, a great deal of the Chained can be found among the Catella. The Chained preach strict adherence to the rules of society and laws in particular. They believe that even the greatest rulers must follow the rule of law as it is a handed down version of what Luxor has given them as natural law. They do not believe that the code of law should be changed in any way, shape or form and that adherence to law is a virtue no matter how strange the law might seem. With the labyrinthine nature of Arameian law, the contradictions found within can often spark long and heated debates among the Chained as to which laws are more valid, though due to their beliefs they are unwilling to alter the legal documents in any way. The Chained may occasionally use mantra to divine who has broken the law, though they generally prefer not to. Because of the self-contradictory nature of Arameian law and the constant pressure on their faith this creates, the Chained are rarely able to make use of powerful mantra. [i:1wcblkxx]The Unchained[/i:1wcblkxx] The Unchained are a sect which split from the Chained several centuries back, despite what the name might allude to, in direct opposition to the Chained. They do however hold that while adherence to the rules is important, a leader must be able to stand above the law and alter it as necessary. As such the Unchained support the creation of manmade law and the mutability of the law code. While the Unchained often gain followers from the Catellus and those who have lost faith with the Chained, they are equally powerless to have the law of Arameia changed and though they often call for reform they have yet to be heard. The Unchained can perform mantra which divine the motives behind actions and are more likely to defend someone in an Arameian court than one of the Chained. [i:1wcblkxx]The Burning Book[/i:1wcblkxx] The Burning Book is an offshoot of the Unchained and the Chained which holds that the Arameian legal code is tainted by the inclusion of Elronite priests in its creation and should be revised and turned back to what it was before the Elronites got their hands on it. The Burning Book hold to the concept of natural law and believe that the only true law comes from Luxor, but that the current Arameian legal system is not it. Despite their often burning fervour, the disciples of the Burning Book do not rise up and choose to pursue their dreams of a legal system based on Luxor's principles through the current legal system. A pursuit which is largely quixotic. Disciples of the Burning Book are more a political than a religious faction and while their methods are often extreme, they take their mantra from either the Chained or the Unchained.</td> |
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| Post #28 Mar 13 2013, 12:40 AM | Mokley |
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The quick cheat sheet for race relations goes something like this: Elves are considered nuisances and thieves for the most part, akin to the status that gypsies had in real life. Ogres are considered big, dumb and brutish and are generally considered to be despicable creatures. Ursidaen are generally on par with humans, although perceived as somewhat odd and the more superstitious humans might avoid them due to their curse. Dragonkin are considered to be good luck. Dae'vol can't be trusted. At all. They're respected as trading partner, but they're not even remotely trusted by anyone. Mainly because they lie, near pathologically. Of course it's mainly from the human viewpoint of things. Given that the focus here is mainly on the human side of things. |
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| Post #29 Mar 13 2013, 12:46 AM | Mokley |
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Low magic is shorthand for ritualised magic, it shares a lot of attributes with alchemy, mantra and every day magic, but is a skill separate from these. This article will deal primarily with it as a skill and not delve too deeply into its cultural aspects and how to roleplay a low magic user. [b:307l5inu]Mundane vs. Magical[/b:307l5inu] Those who practise low magic tend to view the world as a sliding scale between the mundane and the magical. Low magic occupies both a position of strength and weakness towards itself. The further someone or something is from the mundane, the easier a time low magic will have in manipulating it. Therefore an archwizard will be easier to affect with a magic spell, than the common peasant. Most low magic users counteract this with layers of defensive spells, there are wizards who no longer dare to leave their towers for fear of the spells that may assail them the second they leave their place of power. Of course, this weakness extends to a number of things. It's much easier to create a spell that will effectively make someone feel pain or make them think that they cannot move in a certain direction, than it is to actually wound them or restrain them. The ethereal is always more magical than mundane, so manipulating the ethereal is always easier than the physical for low magic users. [b:307l5inu]Spellcasting[/b:307l5inu] The most important thing to note about about spellcasting is that it takes time. Even the smallest of spells will generally take over an hour to cast, the most powerful spells have been known to take months and even years to cast. There are some spells that can only be cast at certain times, or given certain circumstances. The importance of casting a spell properly cannot be understated, not filling the ritual requirements of a spell can be the difference between success and catastrophic failure. Spells can fail for many reasons, though the most common of all is sloppiness on the spell caster. Of course, a spell failing can have all manner of strange effects, from simply not doing anything to tearing holes in reality and all manner of intermediate effects. For this reason, apprentice wizards are generally considered to be the most dangerous and are rarely allowed near powerful spells. An important part of a spell caster's training is learning to recall by rote the intricate rituals required for spellcasting. [b:307l5inu]Spell Components[/b:307l5inu] A spell is made up of several components, the most important of which are the Power Source, the Sigil and the Interface. Their roles may overlap and something which is used for the interface may also be part of the power source. [i:307l5inu]Interface[/i:307l5inu] Every spell has an interface, it's what allows the caster to decide its application. The most commonly used interfaces are Numen and Prime Words. The former allows the caster to control the spells mentally, although at the cost of some effort on his behalf. It is generally used for spells which need to be adjusted on the fly. The latter is a textual interface, Prime Words function much like a programming language, allowing the caster to create a spell which works without the caster's input. An example of the former would be a wizard casting an illusion of himself, he would constantly need to alter it to mimic speech and movement to make it look realistic. By using his Numen the wizard could do this in such a way that the spell responded in real time. Whereas if the spell were merely a recording of something that had happened in the past, the illusion would not require input and the wizard could use Prime Words or some other interface to cast it, however the wizard would have little to no input in what the spell did beyond choosing before time what would trigger it to do certain things. [i:307l5inu]Power Source[/i:307l5inu] The power source is another integral part of a spell. It is what provides the energy necessary for the spell to have the desired effect. While wizards have a range of different power sources at their disposal, the most important lesson is that power can be drawn from just about anything. Some curses have been known to be powered simply by people believing that the curse exists. An important part of what powers the spell is the ritual itself. Certain materials are known to lend themselves to magic better than others, such materials are often found used in spells. The more mundane the materials used in a spell, the harder the spell is to cast. The kind of materials used will depend on the spellcaster though. A druid or shaman might use strange herbs and bones of animals, whereas a wizard would be more the kind of person who uses silver and athames. Of course some power sources are worthy of note, among the most potent are leylines, whose power can be harnessed for the most terrible spells. It should be noted that most power sources have their advantages as well as drawbacks though. While a leyline is easily among the most potent power sources out there, it can be shifted from its course leaving the spell suddenly bereft of power. Sacrifice is another power source, but it is often a fleeting one, the taking of life can only be done once and cannot sustain a spell indefinitely. While a small spell such as the Dark Mirror might be powered solely by the use of Prime Words, a more potent spell such as one to reanimate the dead would require more than merely Prime Words, but would require the energy which is released when someone dies. Leylines are rarely used, except to power the most powerful of spells, such as those powering stationary magical machinery. [i:307l5inu]Sigil[/i:307l5inu] A sigil is generally used in spells designed to effect a certain area or which is made to take a particular shape. Sigils are made to direct and constrain the flow of power within a spell. A ward might have a sigil as simple as a circle, to define its boundaries, whereas the holding spells of some summoning spells requires more elaborate sigils, often involving pentacles and similar designs. [i:307l5inu]Seeking[/i:307l5inu] Spells containing a seeking is targeted at something or someone specific and will generally include a True Name or some object connected to the thing which the spell is targeting. Curses often use a seeking, as well as Scrying spells intended to look for a specific person. [b:307l5inu]The Magic Arts[/b:307l5inu] There are several magic arts, each describing a different kind of spellcrafting. The line between them can often be shifting and most effects can be achieved in more than one way. Most spellcasters will have certain magic arts that they specialise in and are known for, but any sufficiently advanced spellcaster knows at least the basics of any of them. It should be noted that this list is not conclusive and that the arts are largely a cultural expression in character. [i:307l5inu]The Basic Arts[/i:307l5inu] These are the easiest magic arts and are generally considered to be the easiest to learn. This doesn't mean they're less inherently powerful than others. [u:307l5inu]Hexing[/u:307l5inu] Hexing is the casting of curses with potentially harmful effect towards others. It relies a lot on Resonance. While you do not see it very often among wizards, it is relatively common among shamen, village witches and similar. [u:307l5inu]Enclosing[/u:307l5inu] Enclosing is creation of wards and powerful magical barriers. It relies a lot on sigils and can contain everything from simple spells to make people get lost to powerful traps that imprison even the most powerful of entities. [u:307l5inu]Sortilege[/u:307l5inu] Sortilege is a grab bag term for spells that do not fit in any other category, it contains many strange spells. [u:307l5inu]Mantike[/u:307l5inu] Mantike is an art which deals with altering the properties of the body through body point and more permanent tattoos. It is one of the few arts of low magic practised by the dragonkin. [u:307l5inu]Necromancy[/u:307l5inu] Necromancy is an art of low magic which deals with raising the dead and controlling them through the use of a Fetish. While it carries a certain amount of stigma, necromancy also has a high standing in certain communities as querying one's ancestors is generally considered to be important. [u:307l5inu]Scrying[/u:307l5inu] Scrying is primarily an art that deals with the finding and spreading of information. Many apprentices start out learning some scrying and it is one of the most common art, but not one many choose to specialise in. [u:307l5inu]Summoning[/u:307l5inu] Summoning deals with calling, holding and ultimately banishing creatures from other Planes. Each Summoning spell only summons one individual and for game play purposes each summoning spell is a summoning, banishing and holding spell. Summoners rely on bargaining with their summoned creatures to get them to obey their will. [i:307l5inu]Advanced Arts[/i:307l5inu] Certain arts are considered to be more difficult to learn than others, these often require a great deal of insight into low magic to perform. A character should be at least level ten before starting to master these arts.  [u:307l5inu]Artificing[/u:307l5inu] Where Creation is all about creating a new kind of living being, artificing is about creating magical machinery. Spells capable of sustaining themselves indefinitely, strange sources of power. Everything from flying ships to murder machines have been made using artificing. Much like Creation, Artificing takes a lot of time to cast. [u:307l5inu]Creation[/u:307l5inu] Creation is an art wherein the wizard learns to create life forms independent of himself. Unlike summoning and necromancy, the life forms are both independent of the spell caster and (usually) devoted to their well being. Creating an intelligent creature from scratch is considered to be a highly difficult task even for a seasoned wizard, as a result most of those created by Creation are fairly dumb. Those just starting out with Creation will often use it to splice together already intelligent life forms and using them as their building blocks rather than make something entirely from scratch. [b:307l5inu]Techniques[/b:307l5inu] Techniques are different from spells and spell components in that they are more of a trick that a spell caster can learn, they are not a spell in their own right, but spells can sometimes be made to imitate their effects. [i:307l5inu]Auramancy[/i:307l5inu] Auramancy is the ability to be able to view a person's aura. The term is generally used to cover the senses a spell caster tends to develop over time, an ability to sense when magic is being used nearby, viewing a person's aura, and similar. While viewing someone's aura is by no means the same thing as reading someone's mind, a skilled auramancer may be able to pick up on the general mood a person is in. [i:307l5inu]Death Curse[/i:307l5inu] A Death Curse or a Great Work is the act of a spell caster fashioning their entire numen into one last, completely new spell. Unlike other spells this is often created immediately, but it is done so at the cost of their life. The differentiation between a Death Curse and a Great Work, is merely that the first is generally what spell casters cast on those who have tried to kill them, whereas a Great Work is a spell which is not intended to be a curse, but more of a productive effort. [i:307l5inu]Enchanting[/i:307l5inu] Enchanting is the creation of magic artefacts. When a spell caster knows this technique they can bind on of their spells into an item, creating a magical artefact. This process is time consuming, often taking months to complete and tends to leave the wizard weakened for some time after its completion. [i:307l5inu]Familiar Ritual[/i:307l5inu] Using his numen the spell caster may be able to semi-permanently bind themselves to a familiar, be it an animal, a demon or anything else living the spell caster chooses. The familiar acts as the eyes and ears of the wizard and may do all manner of mischief in their name. Of course, if the familiar proves more powerful than the spell caster, it is the spell caster who will be bound to the familiar and not the other way around. Shamans often use this deliberately allying themselves with spirit animals, potent genius loci and similar. [i:307l5inu]Geis[/i:307l5inu] A Geis is a magical contract, it holds the most power if entered into freely so most of those who enter into it are aware of doing so. It is not a spell in its own right, but most wizards will know how to make one. [i:307l5inu]Great Work[/i:307l5inu] A Death Curse or a Great Work is the act of a spell caster fashioning their entire numen into one last, completely new spell. Unlike other spells this is often created immediately, but it is done so at the cost of their life. The differentiation between a Death Curse and a Great Work, is merely that the first is generally what spell casters cast on those who have tried to kill them, whereas a Great Work is a spell which is not intended to be a curse, but more of a productive effort. [i:307l5inu]Resonance[/i:307l5inu] Resonance is the bond between one thing and a thing related to it. It is often used in Scrying and Cursing for establishing a bond between the spell and the person it is supposed to target. [b:307l5inu]Skill Tree[/b:307l5inu] Most practitioners of low magic will only learn a handful of spells from their mentor in the course of their apprenticeship. For the purpose of character creation, the number of spells your character knows is equal to 5 plus the number of experience points in low magic. The spells can be spread across most of the known branches of the magic arts. As practitioners of low magic advance in their knowledge of low magic, they will become more able to improvise with their spells, adapting them for different power sources and more spectacular effects. However, as a trade off, they are becoming increasingly vulnerable to hostile magic. For every experience point a low magic user accrues they may add one spell to their spell list, so even if you have reached the level cap, they may continue to gain spells. [u:307l5inu]0.[/u:307l5inu] Someone without any knowledge of low magic generally has very little insight into it, wizards guard their secrets carefully and most would only be able to tell that low magic is afoot, insight into the mechanics of spellcasting is jealously guarded. [u:307l5inu]1.[/u:307l5inu] The point at which a low magic practitioner enters training. [u:307l5inu]3.[/u:307l5inu] Rigourous training allows a low magic practitioner to manipulate their numen to allow for controlling spells with their minds. [u:307l5inu]5.[/u:307l5inu] By this time a spell caster has picked up the ability to see auras and their senses will have expanded somewhat to allow them to sense when powerful magic is being practiced nearby. [u:307l5inu]6.[/u:307l5inu] The spell caster may at this point have gained enough control over their numen to fuse it with a Familiar without the guidance of their teacher. [u:307l5inu]7.[/u:307l5inu] A spell caster generally starts becoming more aware of how spells are put together and may start their first clumsy steps in modifying spells for greater or smaller effects. [u:307l5inu]9.[/u:307l5inu] This is about when the spell caster becomes able to make a Geis. [u:307l5inu]10.[/u:307l5inu] For wizards, they will now be nearing the end of their apprenticeship. Outside of wizards and heavily specialised spell casters you rarely find anyone with low magic skills greater than this. [u:307l5inu]11.[/u:307l5inu] At this point a spell caster may learn how to make use of the more advanced arts of low magic. [u:307l5inu]13.[/u:307l5inu] As their skill with Prime Words and magic increases a spell caster may be able to hazard an educated guess as to what another spell will do merely by studying it. [u:307l5inu]15.[/u:307l5inu] Around this point the spell caster may learn the costly technique of enchanting items and infusing their spells into them. [u:307l5inu]17.[/u:307l5inu] Around this time a spell caster becomes so proficient with using their numen that they may fashion it into a Great Work or Death Curse at the cost of their lives. [u:307l5inu]25.[/u:307l5inu] The pinnacle of low magic skill, those who reach it are considered the very most potent of wizards and may be so ensorcelled that the very air around them feels unreal. [b:307l5inu]Role Playing a Spell Caster[/b:307l5inu] Role playing a low magic user will always be something of a challenge. They are not the best suited to combat, as their spells can take hours to cast and their will only be useful if prepared beforehand or used in ambushes and similar situations where the spell caster lures the enemy onto their turf. They also face something of a challenge as those they are most likely to run into are generally those who are the hardest to use magic against. Low magic is at its strongest when dealing with the magical, and at its weakest when dealing with the mundane. It is therefore generally advisable to avoid spells which are directly geared towards combat and focus on other uses for magic. The cultural aspect of a spell caster is also very important. What a user of low magic calls themselves will tell you a lot about them, a shaman will generally have spells that are very different from that of a high born wizard or sorcerer. Low magic seeps into every day life in Adylheim through folk or everyday magic, you can find someone in most villages who practices a little bit of low magic, witches, shamans, wise folk, etc. Even though they are not the same as a wizard they will generally command a greater degree of respect than the common man. At the same time, should they overstretch their powers, they may easily become a target for the witchfinders and other dangers. Every spell your character has should reflect themselves in the history or personality of your character. A shaman will cast a spell very differently from a wizard. Druids may have strange sacrificial rites where animals are slaughtered to power their spells, whereas wizards will draw elaborate pentagrams, use expensive candles and things like that. The spell should always reflect where your character is coming from, if he learned a few magic tricks on the streets, he might cast a scrying spell on a pool of water rather than the pool of ink a wizard might use. Part of the fun of playing a low magic user is knowing your limits and when to exceed them in the name of fun. There is a reason why the apprentice who learns the wrong spell out of his master's spellbook and sets loose terrible peril on the world is such a fantasy classic. Low magic users can always have spells which are more powerful than their current level, but casting such spells may end in terrible danger for all those involved. |
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| Post #30 Mar 13 2013, 12:51 AM | Mokley |
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[History] The Sunrise Rebellion</td><td class="print">[With much much help from Gamblor] Overview A war waged between the two nascent powers in Arameia, the feudal lords and the Prelate, over control of the vestige empire. With their defeat died any realistic ambitions of the lords beyond a regional level. Outbreak With the Great Fire of 3896, the emperor of Aram slipped away from public sight, and the administration of Aram fell on the shoulders of the Priesthood of Luxor. While the Prelate succeeded in rebuilding and asserting its control over the capital, vast swaths of the realm remained in the hands of feudal robber barons, of which the most powerful were Calvin Dagon of Dagonet and Daryl Valdred of Cape Verdet. With the feudal lords not sworn to the Priesthood, this dual-rule could only be temporary. The catalyst was the Golden Proclamation three years later. The then Prelate Adrian II announced that the emperor had agreed to cede imperial authority to Luxor, and his mortal representative. Disbelieving, the lords Dagon and Valdred demanded audience with the emperor which was promptly denied them. The two declared that the Prelate was holding the imperial line hostage, and with the coming of the new century, marched against Aram. Respective Strength Since the Snake Wars, the citizen armies of the Empire had been gradually dismantled and substituted with feudal knights and their levies. This meant that the only forces sworn directly to the Prelacy was the one remaining legion stationed on the border of ogre lands and the handful of knights who had sworn their services to the Prelate out of personal faith or hopes of securing ties between the rising Prelacy and their families. The most notable of them was Ector Brightblade, the man who would rise to be the first of the Prelate’s paladins. Because of the hesitance of some lords to march against their own sons in service at Aram, Dagon and Valdred weren’t able to marshal as many men as he expected, but their forces still outnumbered the legion tenfold. And unlike the ill-equipped legionaries, these men were the cream of Arameian chivalry, battle tested and well supplied. Famed knights included ser William Breakstorm, bastard son of Calvin, and Anton Viktor. Victory The legion was called back from the frontier, but by the time they arrived, the rebels had already crossed the Coldwater. The battle of Coldwater Rush devolved into a rout the moment Breakstorm’s vanguard crashed with the opposing side. The legion avoided decimation only because of Calvin’s insistence that they give up pursuit to besiege Aram. Despite a brave defense by a hastily formed city militia, Aram fell within a month and Adrian was forced to flee with his followers and seek asylum in Capport. The sack of the city is still told in the stories, and the fires are said to have lasted longer than that of the Winter Fire itself. Victory was theirs… provided they could find the emperor. Turning of the Tide A month of searching turned up naught but imposters. Meanwhile, the intensive looting brought the fierce resistance of the cityfolk. Morale within the rebel camp plummeted, and many knights took to taking their share of the loot and deserting. Daryl wanted to pursue the Prelate and force him to reveal the location of the emperor, while Calvin thought to establish himself as a monarch. Breakstorm was forced to slay his father to stop him in his madness, but by the time the army marched out of Aram heavy seasonal rain had flooded the Coldwater to the extent that it was impossible to ford. Adrian was not idle while the rebels diddled. By summer he had persuaded half the lords of the realm to take up his cause and taken Dagonet. When the rebels crossed the river, they found a fresh host before them and the legion behind. The ensuing Battle of Ashdown would be one of the bloodiest in the Prelacy’s history. The rebel Valdred was cut down by Ser Ector. Breakstorm rallied his knights for final charge that broke through enemy ranks, at the cost of thousands of lives on both sides. Conclusion and Consequences The Prelate wasted no time in putting Dagonet and Cape Verdet, effectively half of what was then Arameia, under the direct control of the Priesthood. Anton, who had remained in Aram with a strong garrison, sought to make a stand only to be betrayed by his subordinate Andre Gaudin, who fled the city with its navy and set himself up as a pirate in the Slivers. Breakstorm fled with his men to the borderlands, where he believedâ€â€rightfullyâ€â€that the Arameians would be unwilling to pursue with a large host and provoke Starkwater. They endure to this day as the Knights Alexian. The greatest consequence of the war is the establishment of the Prelacy as the undisputed power of Arameia. Though feudalism persists on a local level and knights remain the backbone of the army, the decimation of the noble leaders left the nobility with no choice but homage to the Prelate. While in exile, the Prelate blessed ser Ector and pledged him to a lifetime of service to Luxor, dubbing the first paladin.</td> |
bring me the muffins!
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8:50 AM Jul 11