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[kdanger]

This thread is to be a resource for players in various forum roleplays. Campaign-specific notes may be posted, or they may be posted to a separate thread. The first post will remain a table of context; general info posts will be indexed before posts for individual RPs.

I'm creating this thread as a repository of information so that our RP posts will be better and more realistic. It works a bit like a wiki: if you know something about a subject (preferably firsthand) or have done research from credible sources, make a writeup. Other members with similar knowledge may catch errors. This is mainly to get down what things do and don't work. Also, if you don't know much about a relevant subject that has not been addressed but know of a good, short article that does, by all means link to it.

The other purpose is for world-building: getting down the facts about the world of the RPs. So, say, if you're the only one dealing with a certain aspect (wyverns for example) and you want to come up with part of the mythos for that, it would go here. These articles, however, must match up with canon as defined by the GM of the RP. No changing the entire history of the continent and contradicting backstory. If we start having problems with this, you'll have to get them approved before posting them here.

All articles should be understandable, with good grammar. Emoticons are not really good style here. Format's a bit more lenient; bullet-form or paragraph-form are acceptable. It might be advisable to have someone proofread a post before posting it, to avoid a bunch of useless commentary. Collaborating is fine and even a good idea, if all the collaborators know what they're talking about. For the first section, citations are welcome. Great amounts of depth aren't required; just have a minimum of "what to do/what not to do with/about (topic)" or "how thing does and does not work."

There will be two sections, one for general info and one for world-building. This post will serve as an index as articles come up. (I've got a couple under construction, will post soon.) I've also put down a number of things that I think would be very useful; these are the ones without someone listed next to them. If you plan on writing one, PM me and I'll put it up here. I'd prefer to have only articles in this thread; commentary can go to the feedback thread of the RP in question or via PM (if there is demand for a Useful Notes Feedback thread, I will make one).

General Info, facts and writing tips
Axes
First Aid
Horses: Riding (Kiryn)
Horses: Types, health, biology, care, tack (Kiryn)
Knife fighting
Lances
Outdoor survival: Dealing with the elements
Outdoor survival: Finding food/water
Outdoor survival: Notable Plants

Outside sources:
General RPing advice, good starter guide
Assorted First Aid
Archery
Swords
Common Military Ranks
Limyaael's Rants: General writing advice; good reads on how to avoid cliches that cause facepalming and make characters original and believable.
Coelasquid talks about what makes a Mary Sue
General Worldbuilding stuff
Historical swords and fighting
Mary Sue litmus test

Lord of Azure Flame canon
The countries (Snowy)*
The Crimson weapons
The heroes (Snowy)
Magic (Snowy)
The nomads (Kiryn)
Pegasi (Phoenix, Kiryn)
Septimian reform (Snowy)*
T.I.S.M.E. (Snowy)*
Wyverns (Phoenix)
Magic (Kiryn, with input from Phoenix)
Spirits, Dragons, Demons (Kiryn)

Return of the Emblem canon
The Fallen (Phoenix)
Magic (Phoenix)

Shattered Honor canon
Selarian culture
Selarian military

(In fact, I got the idea from a certain wiki's Useful Notes section.)

Stars indicate an item is outdated, needs elaboration, or otherwise could use an extra entry.

ALSO! I've been reading the Limyaael rants a lot lately, and remembering how useful they are. They're not always easy to apply to RPs though, so I have started to write some: http://moreopinionst...label/RP Rants/ Vote in the poll at the top if you think it's a terrible idea/want me to try it/don't even care anyway, just vote!

Edited by kdanger, 20 December 2012 - 09:58 AM.

[Snowy_One]

The Countries: Elyisima: Elyisima is the most powerful nation OVERALL. It is the weakest, through, in standing military might. It's power comes from T.I.S.M.E. being headquartered within it's borders, and thusly, the strongest of T.I.S.M.E. mages being, technically, Elyisian citizens and forced to defend 'their' country. Elyisima is a kingdom which shares roots with Septimus. Though Elyisima has a king, the two hero's who have taken up residence in the nation have seized enough power to act like princes. Elyisima can be a wild place at night in main cities, but calmer in towns. A RL equivalent would be: Vegas.

Septimus: Septimus is a weird, someone bizarre kingdom. It is easy to be caught up and confused by the ongoings in Septimus. It is a different place, and this has decreased it's value to all outsiders, whom tend to not want anything to do with the nation and even ignore it's existence at times. A RL equivalent would be I would say Korea, but I know full well you would equate it to Japan even though it's not meant to be like it beyond being foreign.

Halton: Possibly the strongest nation in military might, Halton is a calm, overall simple nation to live in. It is a simple nation overall, with little going on... except for a seeming thirst for more land. Currently subdued, it constantly craves smaller nations, though it doesn't always take them by force. It isn't evil, mean, or nasty about it; just desiring to constantly grow. RL equivalent: Rome

Other nations: Are scattered and in various states of disrepair or chaos. The LoAF has not been merciful, and many of them are tattered nations only surviving because they manage to fake sufficiency enough to not fall into mass disorder. Few are stable, few are even remotely strong enough to stand out, and none are well known.

Septimian reform: The current 'in' religion is Septimian Reform. It preaches more or less that the LoAF being a complete and total monster who desires to destroy the world/enslave humanity/whatnot. That aside, there are millions of dime-a-dozen sects and cults with their own beliefs that litter the land to the point of having a minor number advantage makes you the 'in' religion. Septimian reform is lacking in most of the actual religious beliefs beyond the most basics of religions in the world. It preaches that a benevolent goddess created the world for her children, and the Lord of Azure Flame grew hateful of them and rose up against her. The Goddess fought back on behalf of humanity, summoning elemental spirits to her side to fight against the Lord of Azure Flame's demons. He was quickly routed, but in a final gambit, destroyed most of the spirits before falling himself before rising up again to be defeated by the six heros.

Opposed to the reform is 'Lunaism' which believes that there is a benevolent goddess residing on the moon; watching over humanity. The priestess hero is the patron of this religion. However, it's wildly unpopular since it preaches some things like the goddess and Lord being husband and wife and both having humanities best interest at heart... just the Goddess being willing to coddle and send divine protectors while the Lord desires people to be strong and self-sustaining (Path of the open palm vs. path of the closed fist if you've played Jade Empire). Most people view it as whacked and don't even bother learning the facts about it, thusly any wild religious conjecture often gets tacked on as being part of this religion, even if it is not.

There are other religions, but these two are the most recognizable within the world.

T.I.S.M.E.

The Institute for the Study of Magical Elements is the largest mage school in the world, and widely considered the best. It focuses largely on raising up its students to become potent magical researchers to further the study of magical knowledge, often by directly immersing them in learning all they can about magic. It is rumored they may even be starting to master elements that were previously unusable, such as water, though this is only evident currently in their highest of the high end spells like Blizzard. TISME assigns rank based on a series of circles. The natural association is as follows. Circle 1-2: Trainee's. Often learning the basics of magic and lacking any over-riding direction. Circle 2 trainee's have started to specialize, but are also still perfecting the most basic bits of spellcasting. Circles 3 - 4: mages. Having started to specialize, the student now starts to focus on their chosen element, gaining affinity for it until he is confident in his skill. Higher-circles who lose rank are often demoted to these circles. Circles 5-6: sages. Mages whom have mastered their chosen elements and whom have turned their knowledge and experience outwards to mastering the other elements. Most teachers are at least circle 5's. Circle 7-8: Archsages. The true masters of magic, each boasting incredible power. A single archsage is more than enough to turn the tide of almost any battle. Circle 9: Legends. Magic users of extreme power, beyond that of mortals. No amount of training and talent can make you a circle 9. It is... something more. It is rare for there to be more than one circle 9 at any one time, and the headmaster of TISME is currently the only ninth circle in the world.

[kdanger]

Here we go. This will continue to update as I add more sections
Horses

Biology, terms, whatnot

Age: A baby horse is a foal. Notable: their legs are really long and clumsy when they're little. When they hit one year, they're yearlings; training to ride will start between 2-4, and they can be ridden seriously starting 4-6 (depending on the animal.) A young male is a colt; a young female is a filly. A horse is in its prime until 10-12; it's still quite rideable and strong in its teens, and will be getting properly old once it's in its 20s-30s. Lifespan also depends on breed.

Size: Horses are measured in hands, a unit equivalent to 4". Anything below fourteen and a half hands is technically a pony, though it really depends on body type. Average riding horse size is 15-17 hands (15 hands being 5'). More on that in the body type section.

Body type: There are several. Pony-types are short and stocky, with shorter legs; light horses are small-to-medium, with finer bones, medium is just sort of average, and heavy horses are big and brawny. Knights' chargers will be medium to heavy; if you need speed and agility (like a nomad, for example) go for a light to medium. Note that heavy does not imply slow.

Breed types: While we won't use specific breeds, here are a few breeds to illustrate body types/draw inspiration from:
-Pony: Connemara (a bigger pony)
-Light horse: Arabian
-Medium: Warmblood (about as nonspecific as a horse gets); Quarter horse is a bit chunkier and hardier
-Heavy horse: Percheron (for warhorses); Clydesdale (for farming etc)

A note about ponies: There's another difference between horses and ponies besides body type: Ponies are jerks. All right, all right, PEMN and all, so I'll admit that there are some wonderful, sweet ponies out there, but they're the minority. Every single pony I've ever met has been an evil little beast.

Sex: A male horse is a stallion, a female is a mare. A neutered male horse is a gelding. Stallions are the most unmanageable, though different breeds have different temperaments, and some stallions are quite trainable. Mares are pretty manageable, though they have their moments. Geldings are really easy to handle. (Of course, any horse can have training issues, but the causes will be separate.) Story-wise, characters are most likely to have mares or geldings, especially if they're buying the horse along the way.

Color: There are many, though in the medieval Europe-type setting Fire Emblem's in, you're unlikely to see spotted/paint coats. Go see the link for the range. There are also various markings. A couple of notes: True white is rare; most white horses are really grays (their skin is black.) Horses do lighten with age. Eyes are most commonly brown; blue, hazel, amber, and green are also possible (though blue is uncommon and others are rare). Hooves range from tan (if there's white fur above the hoof) to black.

Senses: Horses have much better hearing and sense of smell than humans. They also have the advantage of ears that can swivel towards sounds. Their eyes are on the sides of their head, which gives them almost 360 degrees of vision-- but it leaves blind spots directly behind and in front of them, and anything coming out of a blind spot may spook them. They're not entirely colorblind; science has not quite determined what colors they do see, but yellow seems to show up in high contrast for them. Green, not so much. They can see decently well in the dark.

Body language: Quick signals:
Ears back against head: Angry/afraid. Don't mess with this horse.
Teeth bared/kicking motions with back feet: Again, angry.
Tail switching: Either annoyed, or there are bugs. (Or both.)
Eyes wide, rolling: Angry/afraid again.
Ears pricked towards you: Paying attention to you.
Head down, leaving weight off one back foot: Resting. Content.

Vocalizations: Horses are actually pretty quiet, at least more than movies show. All the same, the sounds:
Nicker: Low, usually friendly.
Snort: Maybe annoyed, maybe just clearing its nose.
Neigh/whinny: Higher. Can be question, alarm, challenge, greeting, or "feed me."
Squeal: Angry. Probably fighting.

Care:
There's a lovely long article about this, but the basics: Horses need to be fed and watered daily (grazing, and grain when available.) Grooming should be done daily if possible; the saddle area at very least should be groomed to avoid problems. Hooves need cleaning, to remove dirt and rocks (picking up a bad rock may lame a horse for a while.) If you're putting a horse away after a lot of running, you'll need to walk it for a while first to cool it down.

Sleep: Horses do need it, though a lot less than humans. Horses can nap standing up, but need a couple of hours of lying-down sleep a day to stay healthy.

Special note: Shoes: Not all horses need them; it depends on the horse and what kind of work it does. Knights' horses, etc, probably will be shod; smaller breeds with harder feet may not need shoes. If a horse wears shoes, they need to be properly maintained; if a horse throws a shoe, it's useless until the shoe is replaced.

Tack: A couple of main ones: saddle and bridle. Armor may apply (go see a wiki.) Will also talk about halters here.

The saddle: Important for fighting on horseback. A saddle gives you a secure seat, and stirrups enable you to stand up in the saddle if necessary. The girth keeps the saddle on; if too tight, the horse will have trouble breathing or may just act up; too loose, and the saddle will slide around. The saddle should have a blanket underneath. Some saddles have attachments for packs behind them. Shouldn't be worn when the horse isn't being ridden.

The bridle: Provides control. The bridle fits over the horse's face and connects to reins. Control is provided either by a bit (piece of metal in the horse's mouth) or noseband, if the bridle's bitless. Keep in mind that bits are not inherently cruel, and a bitless bridle can actually be crueler if the rider is inexperienced. The bridle is not a handle to hold onto the horse, but a method of control. It isn't the only way either; one can steer with knees and weight if need be (as for horseback archery.) Bridles are generally made from leather, but can be improvised by someone who knows what they're doing. Shouldn't be worn when the horse isn't being ridden.

The halter: Generally for leading, not riding. A simple device for controlling the horse's head; no bit. Lead rope clips/ties to the bottom. Much safer for tying horses than a bridle, and allows horse to graze. May be worn when the horse isn't being ridden (probably shouldn't be on when the horse is, though. Of course, if it's an emergency, you'd rather ride with a halter than nothing.)

Story-wise note: You don't need to include all this care detail in RP posts, obviously. "$CHARACTER cared for his/her horse and put it away" is all, really. But you should be aware of how much of this your character actually knows: have they been in the saddle since they were able to sit up, or have they never handled a horse in their life? If it's the former, all this will be second nature; the latter, and they're bound to make some mistakes. The mistakes don't need to be big and frequent enough to trip up the plot, but no character's infallible.

Section on gaits and riding to follow.

Edited by Kiryn, 12 February 2011 - 10:40 PM.

[Phoenix]

(On Cynthia's suggestion, I'm just going to paste the entire article)

The Wyvern:
The Lord of Azure Flame guide to wyverns
By Phoenix

History:
Wyverns first appeared ages ago after mortal men began trying to tame the wild and powerful dragons of old. After many generations of “dragon riding”, what came to be known as the wyverns appeared, truly awesome creatures with the bodies of dragons, but the hearts of wolves, able to be domesticated as war mounts. Throughout the centuries wyverns have been on battlefronts across the continent. As their presence has grown, that of dragons has steadily decreased. Though historians believe the dragons have merely become reclusive, most believe that wyverns have replaced the dreaded beasts known as dragons. Unlike dragons, wyverns can be broken. Having them in the place of dragons seemed to be the best of both worlds.
Wyvern prejudice tends to be very common due to the incredibly high frequency of wyvern attacks.

Biology:
Wyverns are large flying beasts with distinct features, including but not limited to: large incisors, razor sharp claws, tough scaly hides, long serrated tails, and massive wings.
Not including their tails, they are on average around twelve to fifteen feet long. Their colors can range from black to white, and from blue to red, though dark orange, brown, light and dark green, gray, and unsaturated blue are the most common hide colors.
Wyverns need their thick hides because a vital organ or artery is underneath almost every inch of their torso. They have numerous muscles and fewer weak points on their limbs, but their torsos have always been a source of extreme vulnerability, especially to piercing objects such as arrows.
Like birds, wyverns have broadly hollow bones. Contrary to popular opinion, that does not make their bones any weaker than any other large animal. Their bones are in fact nearly twenty times stronger than horse bones. Though not directly related to bone density wyverns have a preposterously low rate of blood production after adolescence, and as a side effect, wyverns often becomes inactive after serious injuries for several weeks or even months. If they lose too much blood, they can slip into a coma and die of starvation.
Wyverns that lose scales due to injury do not grow those scales back when the weapon used to cause the injury go through the flesh and into the muscle tissue. Instead, the scar tissue hardens to near rock like strength to compensate. These areas of wyvern's bodies tend to be just as tough and resistant as the scaled regions.
Also similar to birds, wyverns have lungs especially suited for flight, complete with air sacks. These air sacks gather air that has entered the lungs. When the wyvern exhales, the lungs receive the surplus. In short, like birds, wyverns also gain oxygen from exhaling.
Like many flying predators, wyverns have what is known as binocular vision. They can spot and identify other creatures from as far as a mile away.

Diet:
Wyverns tend to favor livestock animals such as cows, and pigs. In the wild they prefer the hoofed animal of their home territory. For mountain wyverns that would mean rams, goats or pegasi. Ordinarily a pegasus is too fast to catch, but a sick or injured one is an easy target for a fast diving mountain wyvern. For wyverns living on the plains, horses, sheep, deer, and bulls.
Domesticated wyverns are commonly raised on surplus livestock, such as chickens.
Wyverns can eat nearly any kind of meat, including fish, but for a healthy upbringing, it is better to give them what they would naturally be eating in the wild.
Over time wyvern domestication has slightly weakened the wyvern population’s natural resilience. Wyverns brought up on chickens and the like don’t usually grow as large as those that don’t. The biggest differences in size are about a foot or two in length, and about sixty to a hundred and eighty pounds of weight. Rarely, a difference in as much as two feet in diameter occurs.
Wyverns that go for too long without eating become delusional, and sometimes highly aggressive and even cannibalistic. Domesticated wyverns are hardly an exception though they may sometimes remain sane longer. A starved wyvern will typically lose its sanity after about two weeks and will begin attacking anything and anyone around it in search of food, including their own riders. The crazed demensia usually wears off within a couple of days once the wyvern is being fed regularly again.

Wyvern breaking:
It is even more difficult to tame a wyvern than a horse or pegasus. The wyvern is a territorial animal, and a predator in nature, often hunting down nearly human sized prey. It generally takes about a month to break a wyvern of its habits. It can take even longer if the wyvern is older. Breaking a wyvern first starts by capturing the wyvern. Most failures take place during the capture attempt. The wyvern must be subdued with ropes or placed into a steel cage. It is easier to lure them into cages by disguising them and placing an animal inside.
Next, they must be exposed to humans constantly. A total of twenty four hours a week minimum. The wyvern must not be allowed to acquire food on its own. It must be fed directly by the rider who is going to eventually mount it. When wyverns feel that they are powerless to help themselves, they’re natural instincts take a backseat to reliance, and that gives the rider a chance to gain its trust. If the rider fails to instill that trust at this stage, any further attempt to tame the wyvern will fail, and the rider could be killed.
After two to three weeks of hand feeding a wyvern, the rider should expose himself to the wyvern. This stage is critical. If the wyvern hasn’t developed any trust in the rider, it will immediately assault the rider in an attempt to escape. In most cases, by the time a rider realizes his err, it is too late. The rider must now spend the next one to two weeks in direct contact with the wyvern: touching, petting, rubbing, feeding, and cleaning it. Wrestling games are common ways that riders will use to “trick” wyverns into allowing themselves to be mounted. That speeds up the mounting process.
On average, about four in every five attempts to tame a wild wyvern ends in failure. Three in five attempts end in the wyvern’s violent escape back to the wild, and two in five attempts end in the death of the tamer and or rider.
In modern times where wyvern riders are becoming more of a necessity in war, a more popular method is to capture wyverns and breed them. Their children are born in captivity and develop bonds with humans instead of other wyverns. Wyvern breaking is left strictly to the professionals nowadays, and is considered a dangerous and stupid sport suited only to the macho, or suicidal.
Mountain wyvern breaking is considered all but impossible.
Due to the difficulty of capturing wyverns alive, they are extremely valuable, especially to militaries. Breeding wyverns are the most valuable, females remain the most highly valued wyverns.

Wyvern breeding:
Wyverns are not romantic animals by nature. They do not come into heat, or mate during a specific season, because wyvern offspring can survive any season in their natural environment. Male wyverns that are raised in the wild will try to mate with as many females as possible when its mating instinct turns on. This generally happens if the presence of other wyverns becomes too low, or the wyvern’s own scent is lacking throughout the environment. Male goals are always to overpopulate the area with its own offspring and drive competitors out. The larger the male, the easier it is for them to have offspring. Female wyverns are generally passive aggressive, relying on males for protection, and only fighting themselves when their own offspring our nearby and in danger. When females fight, they are usually more dangerous than males, partly due to their claws and teeth. Male wyverns wear down their claws and teeth against rocks and other wyverns through their lives, while females’ remain razor sharp due to noncompetitive use.
In the wild, wyvern females lay from three to ten eggs at a time. On average only one or two will survive. Most of the eggs will be destroyed by rival males attempting to get rid of all the eggs and force the female to mate with them. If a wyvern male has been able to find only one or two females, he will defend them and their nests. If he has been more successful he will leave them to fend for themselves which usually means that an entire clutch of eggs will be lost from several successful matings. This leads to the dominate males having around three children for every two females he mates with. Ironically, a wyvern that defends his mate and nest will likely have a complete clutch of children. On the downside, these children will often exhaust the parents’ ability to feed them, and even turn on them for resources when they come of age.
In captivity, wyvern mating habits change only slightly. Breeding males are generally untamed and wildly aggressive. They are often kept on short leashes metaphorically speaking, but they are usually allowed to mate with which ever females they choose.
On average all wyverns born in captivity survive.

Wyvern upbringing:
Wyvern nestlings are brought up on meat and water, generally chicken, turkey, ham, and beef. Domesticated wyverns usually develop a taste for human food in response to being allowed left overs. It is seemingly harmless. They can also drink milk, though they have to be forced to drink it initially. They must also develop a tolerance for it and any other unnatural food they receive. After developing a love for their riders, wyverns will follow them everywhere. Between the ages of one and five are the optimal time for wyverns to become familiar with human speech. Wyverns will reach adulthood after nine to ten years. They never stop growing however. Their growth slows down dramatically, but they continue to get larger throughout their lives. Even the oldest wyverns are never longer than twenty feet or so, unless they are supplied with enough food to turn them into bull wyverns before they reach adulthood. This is highly discouraged however.

Wyvern habits:
Male wyverns and female wyverns have very different behaviors that are so distinct that they can be used to determine male from female by themselves. Domesticated wyverns show the most extreme cases of these habits.
Male wyverns display the following habits:
Gnawing on random objects, clawing wooden walls, snarling randomly, twitching their wings, swallowing large rocks, tugging on another wyvern’s tail to goad them into playing, head butting, snapping, eating anything edible that they come across including large animals, excessive scratching, and roaring with other wyverns.
Female wyverns display the following habits:
Beating their tails against the ground or objects, digging broad holes and sleeping in them, swallowing small rocks, attacking smaller animals(automatically with no intent to feed on them), rolling onto their backs, sleeping on their backs, spreading their wings out to appear larger when afraid, and flying away from sudden loud sounds.

Wyvern abilities:
Wyverns have astonishing mental capabilities, on par with four to five year old children. They can solve problems and use creative thinking to adapt to new situations, in some cases faster than humans could. Some wyverns can understand what their riders are saying by picking up on specific words in their speech that they associate with commands. In most cases, they appear to understand human speech in its entirety when in fact, they are simply listening for cues.
Wyverns also have frightening physical capabilities, able to tear most things apart in seconds. Their raw strength is enough to overpower any other creature or warrior.

Wyvern life span:
Mountain wyverns can live from ninety to a hundred years. Domesticated ones can live fifteen years longer.
Plain dweller wyverns can live from eighty to ninety years. Domesticated ones can live twenty-five years longer.
Sea wyverns can live from forty to sixty years. Domesticated ones can live fifty years longer.
Bull wyverns can live up to one hundred and forty years. Life span limit records for captive bull wyverns have never been successfully made.

Wyvern breeds:
There are different types of wyverns.

Mountain Wyvern:
These types lack forearms and are long and slender. Their tails are much longer than that of most wyverns. Exactly 130% the length of their head and torso. Their wing spans are anywhere from twenty-six to thirty-two feet. Mountain wyverns are notorious explorer killers, and are considered some of the toughest types to domesticate. They’re environment gives them a supreme advantage making capturing them so difficult that most would dare not try. These types of wyverns tend to have the highest populations. On moon lit nights, hundreds of them can be seen swarming around above the mountain tops.
They are usually dark and dull colored in their appearance, perfect to match the mountainous backdrop that serves as their home.
Unlike most wyverns, mountain wyverns are pack minded until domesticated. They attack in large numbers, another impeding obstacle to capture. The largest attempt to capture mountain wyverns ended with one hundred and thirty of the two hundred soldiers sent dying, along with fifteen mountain wyverns. Five were captured by the end of it for domestication and breeding. When they attack, they flap violently to push their prey to the ground, and then snap persistently. If attacked from behind, they whip their tails around to swat attackers.

Plain Wyvern:
The most common type of wyvern, and the most suitable for domestication. They share the same appearance as the dragons of old, possessing thick torsos, two arms, two legs, massive wings, and a long heavily armored serrated tail. Their wingspan is anywhere from twenty-four to twenty-eight feet. In the wild plain dwelling wyverns are commonly seen swooping down onto the livestock of farmers and flying away with cows in their grasp. They can also be seen soaring over the plains searching for any number of things. Plain dwellers tend to live alone or in very small groups of three to four once they come of age, and only seek out other wyverns for mating. Siblings will often stay together for a year or two after coming of age to increase their chances of survival. Once the urge to mate comes, siblings will split up and leave each other for good.
Plain dwellers are spread throughout kilometers of land. If two males encounter each other, that means that their individual territories have connected and a fight will always ensue, with the loser losing nearly ten square miles of his land if he survives.

Bull Wyvern:
Nearly all bull wyverns are male. The only time a female bull wyvern springs up is when a regular adolescent female plain dweller or mountain wyvern is nurtured by her mate to the point of doubling in size. A bull wyvern is classified as any wyvern that is twice as large or larger than normal wyverns. Even the domesticated ones tend to be extremely violent creatures. The ones found in the wild attack on sight(unless alone with eggs to guard), and are the most dangerous animals in the wild. They will doggedly pursue humans until they catch and slaughter them, or until they reach the edge of their territory. They’re strength is more than double that of normal wyverns and they can claw their way through heavy armor easily. Their jaws are strong enough to bite cattle in half, and their tails can swing with enough power to swat men away with bone crushing force.
Bull wyvern wingspans vary from forty to fifty feet. They are moderately resistant to normal magic attacks, and they are considered the most dangerous wild animals anywhere. They are also outlawed in many places due to consistent incidents they cause.

Sea Wyvern:
These types of wyverns are long and slender with tiny arms, tiny legs, long necks, thin wings, and spear tipped tails. They are generally blue colored or grey. Sea wyverns always nest on cliffs by the ocean, and dive down into the water to feast on fish. The only types to feed on sea creatures. They are defensive when outnumbered but aggressive otherwise. Surprisingly, they’re scale hides are quite resistant to magic, but weak against blades, spears, and arrows. They appear to be the drake equivalent of pegasi. Despite their weaknesses, they are radically aggressive when on the verge of capture, often impaling men on their tails and flinging them into the water.
Sea Wyverns eat whenever they can, often picking beaches clean if dead fish brought about by red tides show up. If a whale were to wash up onto a beach, a local sea wyvern population would leave behind nothing but bones by nightfall.

Edited by Phoenix, 25 June 2010 - 10:02 PM.

[kdanger]

Horses: Riding (Separate post due to article size)

Handling horses (a few general tips): Be calm. Don't stand directly in front of or behind a horse, as they have blind spots there. Do not shout or make sudden random movements. Lead from the left side (when possible). Left side is "near" side; right is "off" side.

Spooking: Horses do this a lot, so I should cover it. When a horse is afraid, it may rear up, kick, bite, bolt, or generally try to get the heck away from whatever spooked it.

Things that will spook a horse: (humorous version)

Spoiler -

Lions in trees, tigers anywhere, helicopters, large dogs with big teeth, small dogs " " ", dogs " " ", dogs that weren't there yesterday, rocks, thermonuclear devices, rogue nations, plastic bags that flap, bugs, everything else.

Things that will spook a horse: (legit version)

Spoiler -

-Sudden movements
-Things coming out of their blind spots (directly in front of their face and directly behind them)
-Loud noises (esp. shouting)
-Predatory animals (can include humans, depending on how they're behaving)
-Stuff blowing up (this includes magic for RP purposes)
-Things coming out of seeming nowhere (piece of paper blowing across the street, etc)
-Things that they don't know what they are
-Things that you don't even notice (I still don't know what was going on for half the falls I've had, there was nothing in that corner)
-Things acting in unusual ways (I've never seen my human do that bit with the kicking the guy and jumping around before... time to spook!)
-Flashes of light, thunder, etc
-Deer (wusses.)

It's possible to desensitize horses to many stimuli that would normally spook them, but an untrained horse near any of this stuff is a terrible idea.

Speaking of which: How to calm down a spooking horse: DO NOT SHOUT oh gosh do not shout. Speak in a low, calming tone. It doesn't matter what you say (so long as it's not your horse's known command word for "run like hell"), just keep talking. If you're riding, try to get the horse to halt. Don't panic. Pet them, scratch their neck, try to convince them that nothing's wrong. If you're on the ground and don't know if it's wild enough, don't act all sneaky. Keep talking (they're prey animals, and talking away proves that you know that they know you're there, which means you're not sneaking up to eat them.) Don't wave your arms or make big sudden movements.

Now, back to your scheduled programming: Leading and getting on the horse.

Leading: Hold reins or lead rope with one hand close below the horse's chin. Don't coil the rein or the lead around your other arm; that can get you dragged away. Most horses weigh at least 1,000 pounds, and are quite capable of doing so.

Mounting: Mount from the left when possible. Put one foot in stirrup, swing other over horse's back and sit in saddle. Try not to do so like a sack of potatoes. (Inexperienced riders usually do so like a sack of potatoes.) With no saddle or stirrups (or just if you've got trouble getting up) use a mounting block or, if you don't have one, tree-stump/fence/crate/whatever. Experienced riders who are good with stunts may pull off a jumping mount, or mount as the horse is moving.

Dismounting: Drop stirrups (take your feet out), swing one leg over and slide down the horse's side. Again, do this to the left when possible. Riders with some decent amount of experience should be able to dismount at any speed (there are various reasons why it may be necessary to do so, such as an out-of-control horse.)

Falling off: It happens. It's not usually as bad as the media makes it out to be (which is not to say that it's not dangerous!) The easiest thing to fall onto is your rear end. If you fall on something else (say your head), you were probably doing something ridiculous beforehand, or your horse was actively trying to get rid of you. Check yourself for broken bones, get your wind back, get back up.
Riding: Sit with your back straight, heels down, balanced. Don't stick your feet all the way into the stirrups, as they may get caught and drag you if you fall off; keep the stirrups by the balls of your feet. If you have to hold on to something, hold the saddle in front of you; if there isn't one, hold the horse's mane, but try not to yank it, they don't really like that. Reins are not safety handles, they are directional aids; do not hang on them to keep yourself on the horse.
Main issues: getting the horse to go (faster), getting the horse to slow or stop, turning.

Go (faster):
Squeeze with your knees, click your tongue. Shift your weight forward a bit. Spurs can be used; there are humane spurs and crueler spurs. Do not mindlessly kick the horse.

Slow/stop: Shift your weight back. Give vocal commands ("Whoa" is common for stop; there are a variety I've heard for "slow down.") After those, pull in on the reins, gently and gradually. Do not yank the reins (remember, that equates to yanking on the horse's mouth or face.)

Turn: Apply pressure from the opposite leg (if you're turning left, use your right leg, etc.) Shift your weight towards where you want to turn. Apply the rein on the side you're turning toward (again, gently, don't haul on it.)

Special mention: Voice commands. Some horses have been taught 'em. Some haven't. But in general, don't assume a horse knows anything besides "whoa."

Gaits: There are four of them:

Walk: Easy, comfortable. Four beats (each foot moving separately.) Speed goes from regular walk to maybe a human's slow jog. Can be sustained for a long time.

Trot: Mid-speed, like a human's run. Two beats (diagonal legs move.) Many horses are bumpy and uncomfortable at the trot; some are smoother, and a good saddle can reduce the bouncing. Can be sustained for a long time. Some horses pace instead of trot (legs on same side move) but this trait generally has to be bred for, and not good for riding.

Canter: Mid-fast. Three beats, a lot like a gallop. More controlled than a gallop. Usually pretty comfortable. Good speed for jumping. Can be sustained, but shouldn't be used for long journeys.

Gallop: Fast. Four beats. Can jump at a gallop. Speed and stamina depend on the breed: Thoroughbred racehorses have been clocked at up to 40 mph (over one mile), while Quarter Horses have hit a record of 55 mph (but only for 1/4 of a mile, hence the name.) Other breeds will obviously be slower, 20-30 mph at full tilt. Stamina will depend on the horse's condition.

Other gaits: They exist, but only in certain breeds. Not likely to be necessary for the RP. (There's this weird thing some horses do halfway between trot and canter, but that's laziness and unwillingness to go, not a real gait.)

Jumping: You do this at a canter or faster. Horses can jump from other starts, but not very high or well (usually if one does so, it's because they're spooking.) They can jump pretty high (maybe four, five feet or so on average; eight's the record) and decently far (20 feet or so; 27's the record). Untrained horses, though, may balk at some obstacles. You should also mind what's on the other side of whatever you're jumping; if the ground's uneven (or lower than you expected) the horse may be injured (even breaking a leg.)

Fighting: If you're going to be swinging around a piece of metal over a horse's head, it had better be trained to be used to that, lest it spook horribly. If it's a lance, mind where you put it, so you don't hit the horse in the head. Also, horses are weapons in their own right. You're looking at a creature with five sharp ends, four of which may be enhanced with metal. The main actions are: biting, kicking with hind legs, and rearing up and striking with front legs. That last is quite risky if the horse isn't trained for it, because of balance issues (for both horse and rider). Horses likely won't fight in human-controlled battle unless trained to do so (though they'll rough each other up plenty if they get into a disagreement.) They can also run over things if trained to do so. Keep in mind that training is necessary! If you point a horse that isn't trained to fight into the middle of combat, it will likely spook and throw you.

Another important point: Riding bareback. It's possible. Hell, it's possible to ride with no tack at all (even a wuss like me can do it for a little bit.) However, whether it's wise to do so is a matter of your skill and the horse's training. For one, it's harder to fight bareback, though there are some stunts that are probably easier to pull that way. Bareback can be done with a saddle blanket or no blanket, though the former's probably wiser (sweaty horses are slippery.) If your leg muscles and balance are good enough, bareback's not that bad (though remember: horses have spines. This can make things uncomfortable.)

Which brings us, I suppose, to trick riding. I'll define that as anything ridiculous you wouldn't usually do on a horse. Standing in the saddle, riding backwards, "riding" by clinging to the horse's side, jumping out of the saddle at unexpected times, mounting/dismounting by jumping... it's all doable if you and your horse have the right training. If you don't know how to do it, you're likely to fall and break things; if your horse isn't used to it, they may spook spectacularly. It's risky even if you are well trained.

Again, treat this as a list of things that your character can or can't do. Keep track of their skill level, and write accordingly. Mind that dumb luck may get you through one or two incidents, it's not match for practice, and it stops being believable after a while. And, of course, riding takes muscles; a character that isn't used to doing a lot of it will be pretty tired after a long ride. It's definitely not just sitting there. And mind that what they do is appropriate to the horse's training, or have the horse react realistically to their actions, as well.

[Snowy_One]

Magic: Magic is a hard and often difficult and potentially confusing field that is not easy to master. In fact, most mages show no true mastery of magic and, instead, are stuck casting lower-leveled spells. Allow me to begin from the very beginning though.

Magic is divided into two primary categories for starters. The magic of the supernatural (encompassing light magic and staves), and the magic of the natural (encompassing anima and dark magic). Though indistinguishable to the common person except by visual appearance and names, to a experienced mage, the two are worlds apart. Let us begin with natural magic.

All objects and beings, be they the lowest cow or the mightiest sage, possess a innate field of magic known as a 'mana network'. Conceptually, imagine it being like a wireframe of magical power that covers a being from the moment they come into existence. Though it is normally innate and passive and can not be manipulated, certain people born with innate talents are capable of altering their own mana network. This is very important and key in becoming a mage, for without the ability to manipulate their own mana network, a person can not become a mage. The reason why is simple. When casting a spell, a anima or dark magic user will manipulate their own mana field, using it and altering it to form the desired spell. If a wind mage desired to cast a wind blade type spell, before he could do anything, he would first need to be capable of manipulating his own mana network into the form of the desired blade before he could do anything.

This tenant remains true for the vast majority of anima magic. All anima spells involve forming and shaping the mana network of the mage into the form of the desired spell. Then, once the form is attained, a anima mage will utilize the air about him into the desired element. A wind mage will use his magic to accelerate it and must be capable of making his mana network so as to support the rapid air, a fire mage combusts the air and must make his mana network capable of containing the flame so it doesn't dissipate or burn out of control, and a thunder sage will ionize the air and must make his network so that it can retain the charge as well as containing and focusing it so it will not disperse. Higher level spells usually require more advanced forms of mana networking or a improved durability within the mana network.

As for dark magic, it forgoes manipulating the air about it and instead chooses to manifest magic into the physical world en-masse. This typically makes the spells more powerful, but requires a heavier tome (explained why below). Due to the nature of dark magic, it tends to be capable of altering reality in ways not meant to be altered even by the caster; though this typically requires a immense amount of magical energy to get even the slightest sort of alteration. However, it does make it the choice magic of monsters.

Additionally, a person is capable of using their own mana network to weaken the impact of a spell upon their body. This is known as resistance, and pegasus tend to have a lot of it. Innate objects, typically talismans, though purified waters can work as well, can also retain a strong innate mana network capable of warding spells upon the body.

All this manipulation of the mana network as well as the usage of either air or arcane power is not easy to control, and can be quite difficult for a person to maintain. To combat this problem, tomes were created. Tomes perform two very important tasks in spellcasting. The first is providing the words for a desired spell. In order to aid a mage in their spellcasting, certain formations or acts of manipulating the mana field are often linked to words and drilled into the pupils mind in order to teach them to subconsciously alter their own mana field into the desired form or to alter the material for the spell accordingly. Advanced students can perform all the required manipulations simply be citing a spells name, and VERY advanced students can even learn to bypass verbal requirements all together.

Secondly, tomes are typically laced with magical catalysts (usually spirit dust either ground into the ink, or into the pages) to ease the usage of mana fields. This catalyst is so important that almost no mage is capable of casting without it around to aid them as it makes the work just THAT much easier. Typically, it gets used up and wears down as the tome is used more often, but we are forgoing that here. Dark spells require heavier tomes due to longer incantations and requiring more of the magical catalyst to cast the spell.

Light magic and staff magic is what is known as 'supernatural' magic and flows directly from the goddess herself. Though still requiring the proper catalyst, the material is supernatural light, and thusly requires a strong element of faith and attunment to the supernatural world to even be feasible to cast. It tends to work well against dark magic because it can easily bypass a dark magic exterior to weaken the arcane within without trouble. Meanwhile, anima tends to simply replenish itself from the natural air while still draining light magic in its attempt. Since the goddess tends to not desire violence, light spells are usually weaker then anima or dark spells (though this does not reflect on the goddess herself at all) so as to try not to kill except in self defense.

Staffs work similarly to tomes, except they are focused upon healing and manipulations of the body. From simple things like healing cuts, to causing a persons vocal chords to malfunction and, thusly, render them technically silent (and likely unable to cast).

Enchanting a item is indeed possible, but as it involves directly altering their mana network, it is exhausting and often draining on either person, object, or both. A enchanted blade tends to be either physically weak so as to not burn itself out, or weak because the extensive amount of manipulation done to it causes it to be brittle and easy to shatter.

When a crimson weapon takes form, it usually uses the current weapon as a base, thusly making it easier on both caster and weapon (not to mention the caster can just revert if it becomes too draining). Though it can materialize without a base, it is harder and easier to lose control over for certain. Additionally, if the light magic on the tome should become too weak, gouts of blue hellfire can slip forth from the weapon. It's certainly more common when a mana network is extra taxed by needing to support the weapon as well.

[Snowy_One]

Elyisima: Harold The Swordsmaster: A promiscuous man who views women and battlefields as the same, sadly in more ways then one. Back in the day, he was a swift and agile warrior intent on killing his foes with massive and cruel blows... then Katie came along. Having a child caused Harold to falter in his ways just before the battle against the Lord of Azure Flame. He was wounded and forced to managerial duties after the war was finished. However, he never gave them up. With Katie drifting away and his focus being on his work, Harold set to making Elyisima the best he could. He wields the sword Whisper, a enchanted blade capable of silencing any foe with nary a noise; yet it has mutated a new power in the form of being able to shoot sonic blasts. CORRUPT!


Percy the Wyvern Lord: A proud warrior back in the day, since the fall of the Lord, he has grown highly vain and self-absorbed even to the point of letting his combat prowess slip way. He doesn't head the military, nor have any rank within it anymore and is content to rest upon the fear he once commanded as a proud and powerful warrior. CORRUPT!

Septimus: Kaileen the Mother: The healer of the group, Kaileen is one of two female hero's and the last to take up arms against the Lord. She has resigned herself to Lunarian worship after the Lord of Azure Flame, a religion preaching that the Lord and Goddess are not so dead-set against each other and both desire the best for humanity, just having different means of doing it. Her choice has neither helped the religion or her status and she is the most easily forgotten of the six. She is only affiliated with Septimus in that it is where she lives. It is rumored she was once in love with Berthold. Her son watches over her consistently. Uncorrupt.

Jace the Brute: The Warrior of the group and the one whom by far is the most intelligent. Jace relies mainly on daunting and outright outwitting his foes to compensate for the inaccuracy of his axe. With good reason though. One touch from the head of his axe is enough to send weaklings flying. After the war, he became a lawyer, and has won every case so far. Mostly because no one wants to stand up to a prosecutor who can smash their head in without a conscious thought. He has become greedy and desiring of wealth beyond all else and has even tried to sue the king out of his throne, only to have the case denied by 400 armed guards. CORRUPT!

Halton: Bethold the Smith: The blacksmith whom created the crimson weapons. He took up the lance to defend his wife from demons, and has since passed it on to his son (though he doesn't know it yet). While not insane, he spends a immense amount of time within his workshop, creating endless pieces of art in weapon form. Not corrupt.

Naelia the Swift: Former thief queen, rumored to have won battles by simply stealing every weapon owned by the demons, then killing them with them in their sleep, and a wild child to boot. Criminally insane, she has refused the life of civilization in favor of robbing everyone BLIND! She's stolen something from someone at some time if she was in the same town as them for more than three days. CORRUPT but adorable.

[kdanger]

Pegasi

Biology: Pegasi are a little more than just winged horses. Their bones are hollow, like birds. (This does not necessarily mean "weak"; a good thwack from a pegasus' wing can break bones, though they do have lower weight limits for riders.) They are invariably built along slender lines, standing around 14-16 hands high. They have larger chest and shoulder muscles than ordinary horses of their size, to support their wings. Their wings are shaped for endurance, though they can certainly attain high speeds, and span about twenty feet. Fully mature pegasi develop long horns from their foreheads; the horn is not just for decoration, but is sharp, strong, and useful in combat.

Color: Pegasi are more limited in coat color than horses. "White" (really gray) is most common; uncommon, though not unheard of, are medium grays, cremello, and very light roan. Black, brown, and palomino pegasi supposedly have existed, but may just be the stuff of legend. Interestingly, pegasi may have amber or green eyes in addition to the usual equine brown or blue.

Age: Pegasi live much longer than ordinary horses. They also take a bit more time to mature; a pegasus is generally fully mature at around seven or eight years of age.

Eyesight: Pegasi have sharper eyesight than horses, but slightly worse night vision.

Intelligence: It's been claimed that pegasi are smarter on average than horses. Their heightened ability to understand their riders' intentions would certainly suggest so, but little research has been done on the matter.

Care: Much similar to that of an ordinary horse, with the addition of making sure the wings are in good condition. Notably, pegasi are rarely shod, as their hooves don't receive the stress that makes shoeing necessary.

Taming: Most pegasi are a bit harder to tame than the average horse. Once tamed, they are usually one-human animals, reacting to other people with distrust or even hostility (though a well-trained pegasus will still behave around others, and may even like a few people besides their master.) It's best to socialize pegasi to humans as soon as they're born, like any other domesticated animal.

Tack: Pegasus tack is similar to regular horse tack. The main difference is the saddle; it often is smaller to account for the wings, and is more securely strapped on. Some saddles may contain straps to keep the rider's legs secure for riskier flight maneuvers. Armor is rarely used because of weight constraints.

Riding: Pegasi require light riders; consequently, pegasus knits are predominantly female. The main difference in controlling a pegasus versus controlling a horse is altitude control. The shifts in weight that tell a horse to go faster or slower will instead tell a pegasus to go higher or lower. Voice commands are also more common.

Flight: Pegasi can fly from a running or standing start. Some will reflexively "gallop" in midair; others will pick their legs up as though jumping. Because of their relative bulk and odd center of gravity, they can't perform the rolls or stunts that other winged species may do, but they are agile enough when they need to be. It is believed that there is a magical element to pegasus flight, as the laws of physics state that given their shape and weight, they should not be able to fly. The Septimian Reform believes and preaches that the Goddess through her divine will sustains all pegasi in flight. This is hardly disputed due to the pegasus' natural resistance to all forms of magic. It is suspected that their strong mana network not only assists them in magical resistance, but in flight as well.

Habits: Pegasi like normal horses are very spookable. Nearly all of the same triggers apply, though random flying objects are less alarming. The main difference is a pegasus' wings. They will commonly flap their wings violently when afraid, and if not quickly calmed, they can cause harm to bystanders and standing objects alike. Pegasi also tend to nibble on things from time to time; this is not a unique vice, but tends to show up more than it does in horses.

Magical origin: There are two dominate theories surrounding the origin of the pegasus.
The first and more popular tale is centered around the Mother Goddess.
Long ago, the goddess looked down upon the earth viewing the world in its entirety. The animals she saw being abused by her creations was the horse. All over the world they were used for work, and war. The goddess preferred to see the numerous creatures racing across the planes in beautiful groups. Mankind's abuse of one of her treasured creations caused her to cry. In her mind, she envisioned a true horse, a free horse, a beautiful white horse with the wings of eagles. As her tears fell to the earth they became pegasi, and they scattered throughout the lands.
The Septimian Reform slightly opposes pegasus capture for domestication because of this story, but they seem to turn a blind eye to breeding them in captivity for the same purpose.

The second and darker tale involves a monster known as the gorgon. The gorgon is a snake like creature with numerous and hideous appendages, and snake heads for hair. The creature is said to be able to turn any living creature to stone.
It is said that the blood of a slain gorgon was used to create the very first pegasi. This tale is very unpopular among the religious community. The Septimian Reform especially discourages this source. Lunaism is slightly friendlier to the tale, going so far as to investigate its validity.

History: When the pegasi first appeared, they seemed to have arrived out of the ether. That gave rise to the two dominate theories regarding their origin. Pegasi were to be dealt the same hand that horses were however, as they were quickly targeted for domestication by mankind. The first pegasi were ridden by men. Over the years they slowly became unpopular mounts due to their slow speed when mounted. Archers enjoyed the sight of flailing riders atop their barely trained pegasi. The pegasus riders reached the end of their time quickly, and fell from the spotlight only to be replaced by wyverns.
A woman known to history only as Cecily was the first known woman to mount a pegasus. She took to the skies and her flight marked the beginning of the pegasus knights. Women were never popular choices as warriors, but the pegasi seemed as if they were sent from the heavens for their sake. There was nothing faster than a woman atop her pegasus, and due to this, many military powers throughout the world began to train pegasus riders once again. Through numerous innovations, the art of the pegasus knight was perfected, and they became the most popular and beautiful flying warriors on earth.

[kdanger]

The nomads

Culture: General
Nomad culture is arranged into different tribes, located mainly in the south of the continent and the plains of the different countries, largely in Halton, though smaller tribes may go pretty much anywhere. Tribes are led by one main chief and sometimes a council of elders, though everyone has a say for major decisions, and each tribe has a religious leader as well. They consider them to be outside any noble or royal jurisdiction; some tribes get on better with local government than others. Their primary living comes from herding, though some are traders or mercenaries. They're also known for their skill in breeding horses. Most tribes will split the year between several camps, based on the availability of grazing land or trading partners. While they'll camp for weeks or months in one place, they'll always be ready to leave if necessary.

History:
Years ago, the nomads lived primarily in the deserts (hence the slur "sandrunner") and plains to the south of Halton, and landholding was an actual concern, with some tribes even settling in to farm. The Lord of Azure Flame changed that, rendering their lands uninhabitable and scattering them across the continent, forcing most tribes to become part of Halton or Septimus (at least on paper). Those that survived took up herding and trading to stay mobile, not wanting to settle anywhere only to be scattered again.

Culture: Gender
While women are usually expected to stay nearer to the family, they are not expected to be weak; if the camp is attacked, everyone of age is expected to defend it. It's unusual, though not unheard of, for women to be warleaders or chiefs; more commonly, women can be religious leaders, usually devotees of Tani or Sunyou.

Culture: Children
Because of the need for mobility, it's hard for families to get very large; three children is considered a lot. Children are thus valued. Valued does not imply pampered, though; as soon as they're old enough to help out, children are expected to do so. They usually end up helping with the sheep or with younger siblings. Children are taught horseback riding nearly before they can walk; they also learn fairly young to use a bow or a sling, to protect the flocks.

Clothing:
Nomads favor simple, usually undyed tunics and breeches, acceptable for both genders, though styles tend to be segregated. For women, the long dresses favored by women outside the tribes are frowned upon; more common are knee-length dresses over breeches, which still allow for mobility. Most clothing is designed to be durable and low-maintenance. Things like dye and ornamentation are costly and thus used sparingly except for for special occasions, usually weddings, though high-level warleaders, chiefs, or religious devotees may wear colored garments regularly.

Culture: Warfare
It's rare for a nomadic tribe to initiate a fight; they've got no interest in owning land, and camp spaces can usually be negotiated easily. Scouting often allows them to avoid attacks from bandits or other hostile forces ahead of time. When forced to fight, though, they favor speed and mobility. Most use bows or swords, though spears are not unheard of, and religious leaders may aid with offensive or defensive magic, depending on their patron. If possible, they'll take the fight to familiar territory, and use it to their advantage. What their horses lose in bulk and raw strength to those of knights or bandits, they make up for with speed and agility.

Role of horses:
Horses are incredibly important in nomad society. One's riding horse is their most valuable possession; to kill or steal another's horse means death. Without a horse, it's impossible to keep up with the tribe. A good horse can be life or death in a fight. Immense care is taken in the breeding and training of horses. Racing is a favorite pastime, as well as horseback archery competitions.

Nomads' horses are bred for speed and stamina (think real-life Arabian horses.) They are trained for combat and trick-riding, with or without tack. Harness-training is rare, but not unheard of; merchants may have wagons. Nomad horses are never shod; their hooves are strong enough to not need shoes.

Religion and views on magic:

The nomads believe in four deities, corresponding to the four classical elements: Zia the wind goddess, Tani the earth goddess, Orai the fire god, and Sunyou the water god. Each tribe has a religious leader devoted to one of the four; only the biggest tribes have more than one major devotee, though they may also have acolytes. Devotees of Tani and Sunyou are healers foremost (equivalent to troubadours/clerics/priests); occasionally they will gain light magic (equivalent to valkyries/bishops/etc), though it isn't termed such by the nomads. Zia and Orai's devotees (equivalent to wind and fire mages) use battle magic; only the most powerful of their number (equivalent to sages) possess the power to heal. Scholars from other nations generally believe that the nomadic gods are really just aspects of the Goddess or lesser spirits mistaken for gods.

Because of this, nomads have a varying set of opinions on magic. Non-devotees using fire or wind magic is frowned upon as minor sacrilege. Light magic is generally unknown, but not frowned upon; similarly, thunder magic is nearly entirely unknown. Dark or elder magic is deeply mistrusted as the work of the Dark Presence (aka the king of demons, the Lord of Azure Flame). Non-battle magic is a tricky matter. Healing is entirely trusted, but magical enhancement of the body is sometimes seen as cheating; warding spells are condoned (as a specialty of some healers), but most other applications of magic are seen as cheating. Scrying and mind-reading/mind control spells are held on par with dark magic, if not worse. Of course, it varies from person to person; some treat all magic used by non-devotees as evil, while others have no problem with any magic save elder and mind-invading magic. The distrust of elder and mind-invading magic is fairly universal, though.

Since their religion differs greatly from the Goddess-based religions of the different countries, there is an interesting relationship between religions. The Lady is usually held in reverence, and often assumed to be an aspect of Tani or Zia. A minority of nomads do believe the goddess to be a false deity, though.

Folklore:
Like most cultures, the nomads have a set of stories full of wonders and terrors, made for the most part to keep children in line. The demons of these stories, though, are generally based in reality; the Dark Presence is a major player, as are its minions. Stories tell of warriors made from the bones of the dead, demons that wear whatever human face they please, and other horrors...

Language:
While many nomads speak at least some Common, they have their own main language, as well as a set of hand signs used primarily for scouting. The nomad language originally didn't have a written form; later, the alphabet used for Common was borrowed for it. If I put the lexicon up, it will be a separate article.

Addendum: Geographic distribution and relations with townspeople

Relations between nomads and townspeople vary by region. Nomads are viewed fairly neutrally in most parts of Elyisima and Septimus, becoming something of a rarity further north. Their trade is valued, but they are occasionally looked upon as curiosities or barbarians, especially in areas where less-trusting people have moved in and brought their opinions with them. Negative opinion is stronger in Halton, most obviously in the south, where there is an undercurrent of opinion that the nomads are thieves or invaders. Intermarriage between the two groups is generally discouraged by both sides; to the north it may be tolerated, but probably not encouraged.

The nomads generally reciprocate whatever the local opinions are; further north relations are better, while to the south townspeople are held in distrust. Trade still occurs out of necessity, but it is often made fairly clear that neither party likes the other. At the best of times there are faltering attempts at frienship, on average there is cautious tolerance and a tendency to keep at a distance, and at the worst of times there are open clashes. Relations also differ between individual tribes, often influenced by how a particular tribe's religious interpretation views the Goddess.

The majority of nomads move primarily through Halton, staying somewhat close to the region they once called home. Population tapers off further to the east and especially the north, and few tribes stay north full-time. There are no particular population centers, but friendlier or richer cities within a region become more frequent stopping points.

There is one particular location of note, but it will be detailed at a later time.

Edit 12/18/2012: Dye being too expensive for EVERYONE EVER was a stupid idea, so it's been revised. Also added a note about style differentiation for tunics, since that started happening in designs.

Edited by kdanger, 18 December 2012 - 08:04 PM.

[-Cynthia-]

If you have issues with placements on the map you can PM me (or Chat). It's crappy quality I know.

[Psych]

The Shoon Islands are about a Jerdon's length away from Zaftra's coast.

It's not just one island though. It's like a chain of islands...

[Liquid Snake]

Let's use our imagination then because adding that would just make the map unnecessarily large.

[69']

Where is Elysima?

Meh
Tora

Tora is a barren nation that is cut off from civilization. It snows there year long and the only villages are the ones surrounding the castle. This way, Tora has evaded invasion from Halton for many years. Most of their troops either die of the cold or retreated.

Edited by Kai, 18 July 2010 - 10:31 AM.

[kdanger]

Lord of Azure Flame: Map nobody can agree on



No, I haven't updated it since scribble session/flamewars in chat/other flamewars in chat/whatever. I promise I will eventually. Please take any and all criticisms of the map to the LoAF Chat (the channel isn't really good for that, people just argue more.)

Edited by Kiryn, 23 February 2011 - 03:57 PM.

[kdanger]

Notice notice notice!

So I'm guessing that nobody's going to come have a look at this topic just because the title changed, so I'm repeating the announcement in this post:

The Useful Notes thread is now general to all RPs, because it contains articles and links that I think any RP could benefit from. Individual RPs are still allowed to submit canon content; content will be indexed by RP in the opening post.

In addition, after a binge of reading Limyaael's fantasy rants (linked in the first post) I am considering doing a series of RP writing articles. If I do them they will likely be hosted on a blog somewhere and linked to in this thread for people to read. Please vote in the poll at the top of the thread!

Comments on this change or the RP article idea should go to LoAF's chat thread for now; if the Useful Notes thread turns out to need a chat or feedback thread, I will create one, but I'm not making it until demand is demonstrated. No feedback in this thread please.

[Phoenix]

THE FALLEN

Spoiler - General Information

Fallen society is extremely archaic and barbaric by human standards, and their barter system somewhat exaggerates this appearance. Their ability to utilize their almost completely dead and depleted wasteland of a home is something other societies like Kigen don't ignore, however. Their cities dot the surface of their home region in tightly packed clusters that all ring outward from Tartarus, the capital city. An underground metropolis goes down a mile into the earth at its deepest in Tartarus city and forms roughly two thirds of the city's living space. Those living in the undercity make up the majority of the less fortunate, as well, however the undercity is also the place where Obelisk is said to dwell still. The imperial family lives in a very large tower that runs nearly the full length of Tartarus', underground all the way up hundreds of feet above the surface levels; the tallest known artificial structure ever created. It is known simply as "The Spire."

Their society is so closely packed together and restricted, that expansion isn't fueled by the powers that be so much as those living on the fringes of Fallen territory who constantly seek out newer more fertile lands to live in and pillage. To support the overwhelmingly large populace, other neighboring lands are constantly attacked and pillaged for resources by the outlying territories. The best and most useful things pilfered are brought back to Tartarus and the more important clans for use. Attempts at hoarding the best resources are prevented primarily by the Marshalls and their warriors that govern the borderlands. Marshalls are typically clan members or Fallen with close ties to clans living near or within Tartarus. Patriarchs and Matriarchs are by far the most dangerous kinds of Marshalls and typically rule their areas with an iron fist.

 

Spoiler - History

In ancient times the Avian race lived right alongside humanity. The peace was shattered and a one-sided war erupted between the two races. The avians were nearly wiped out in the violence but those that chose to fight back managed to save them. These Avians that broke their own laws fight the humans became known as Dark Avians. They proved to be so powerful that they were able to turn the tide of the war all on their own. However once dark magic was employed against them, they underwent a process that transformed them into what are known today as the Fallen. Though they are called 'Fallen', the actual name of their species is 'Kestrelii'. That term is almost only used by the Fallen in reference to themselves, however. By other races they are reduced to names such as hellbirds, crows, demons, and buzzards.

The Fallen began to multiply rapidly and spread throughout human territories conquering everything they could. Eventually the vasili rained down death on them. There were so few survivors that they were difficult to hunt into complete extinction, but the vasilus known as Obelisk was able to do so. Instead of wiping the rest of them out as he had been instructed to by the God of Wrath, he sheltered the survivors in what became known as Tartarus. In those times it was the ancient center of what is believed to be an meteor impact crater. From there, they rebuilt while Obelisk, their new god, launched his war on humanity and their caretakers.

After Obelisk's eventual defeat, the Fallen empire was established. Some notable incidents in Corvus' early history are the demon crisis, known to most fallen as the 'Convergence Era'; the Massacre of Night, an massive battle between the fallen and Nyx; and the 'False Sovereign Era'.

 

During the Convergence Era, the fallen architects were creating demons that greatly resembled ordinary fallen. This led to something of an identity crisis for commoners and the nobility alike. There were pros and cons to the converging peoples. One of the pros was that fallen families consisting of one fallen and one demon as spouses would not produce any offspring and each of these families aided the country in preventing population explosions, which at the time were only addressed during civil wars in which millions of fallen were killed. One of the cons was the effect this had on the military. Once demons started receiving ranks of their own, derision among true fallen began to set in. Demons are seen as little more than animals to most fallen, and so strife quickly set in as more powerful demons began to increase in rank, some even came close to becoming marshals. The issue was partially addressed with a change to the ranking system, but it wasn't until the emperor of the time passed down a law making fallen-esque demons illegal that the strife and protests from that side began to subside. It took decades to purge all of those demons and the response from convergence supporters was firm resistance. The Convergence Era finally ended in a long and bloody civil war that crippled the imperial family and their armies.

 

The Massacre of Night came later, during a time when the empire was strong again. For reasons unknown, the minor Goddess of Night, Nyx came to Corvus. She was seen several times in Tartarus before the battle began. There was no warning whatsoever when it finally happened. Nyx rose above the city and the day became night in mere moments. Much of the city was destroyed and those who rose to challenge her were all killed. The one sided battle between Nyx and the fallen armies ensued well into the following days and close to three hundred thousand fallen were killed before she finally left. Much of Tartarus was turned into rubble saturated in dark energy. Nyx became an adversarial deity to the fallen. Two pairs of feathered wings, like the ones she sported during the massacre, are considered an ill omen to them. Three sets of wings, however, is considered a step above this ill omen and a sign of great power, though only Architect Valor sports such wings.

 

Shortly after the Massacre of Night was the False Sovereign Era. This was a period when Corvus was ruled by an illegitimate emperor. This emperor's coup was the only truly successful one in all of Corvus' history, as all other emperors who attempted the same were defeated in their lifetimes. When Emperor Willious took the throne and killed the previous emperor, he was challenged many times, but proved to be the strongest living fallen of his time. His formidable guardsmen also managed to prevent him from being assassinated where others might have been. During Willious' rule, the Devlinos family led a massive opposing force that encompassed nearly a third of Corvus and was responsible for the longest string of interconnected civil wars ever. For approximately five hundred years, the Devlinos faction opposed to the False Sovereign, Willious, and his forces. It wasn't until Emperor Willious had grown old and perished that the Devlinos family finally made a decisive comeback. They rose to power again by killing all of Willious' potential heirs mere days before the Slaughter of Siblings was to take place. The strongest (legitimate) princess at the time, Princess Idunn was responsible for most of the slayings and established herself as a fearsome aristocratic assassin and herald of the resurgent Devlinos family.

 

For nearly five thousand years the Fallen Empire has stood and it has always been a major threat to the Kigenese Empire, but only considered a fringe threat by the other two large nations Ursium, and Neviskotia. Rex-Avaz remained largely undisturbed by the Empire overall, primarily due to their harsh and barely hospitable environment. Even the Fallen wastelands are more suitable than the desert and its horrible extremes.

 

Spoiler - Government

Corvus is ruled from the top down. The Emperor enacts new national laws while convening with all of Corvus' ruling matriarchs and patriarchs. These individuals are considered a 'high council' of sorts, and will offer whatever input they wish based on the state of the country, and their own individual objectives. The Emperor can listen or ignore these, but every Emperor throughout Corvus' history has had at least several members within his high council that he favors.

Below the high council are the Marshals they contribute to the government by overseeing the distribution of wealth. Marshals chosen by the imperial family lead the imperial army. Clans also choose family members as marshals to govern their private armies and secure goods for them from the borderlands.

(Further info pending ...)

 

Spoiler - Society

There are four aspects of Fallen society, the lives of the commoners in the major cities, the lives of the soldiers and others living in the borderlands, the lives of the noble blooded fallen who live throughout all of Corvus, and the lives of the reclusive architects.

Commoners:
Ordinary commoners are usually born into a poor household, and they are encouraged to grow physically and mentally strong and powerful in order to increase their family's standing in society. Very few grow up with such lofty goals as becoming a noble house, and others are too afraid to aim so high. A fallen commoner's daily life usually begins with nothing but self maintenance. A household may or may not have the luxury of breakfast depending on their current situation. The more employed family members there are, the more likely they have food surplus. There is little point in spending much time at home unless a fallen is employed by their own landlord, and so the next activity set in the morning is leaving for whatever work they must do.

Virtually all commoners live and work on another fallen's land. Whatever the landlord requires to operate and maintain their property and its assets is provided by his or her tenants, and the entire setup is similar to indentured servitude. Commoners may also seek out multiple occupations to acquire more food or goods. They never take jobs too far from their home areas, as they will often be worked to the bone by both jobs at times, and long travel times can only add to the burden.

A commoner's 'day' usually ends with a bit of rest and relaxation or some form of entertainment. Due to its cultural significance, dusk is a time period where fallen are permitted respites from their work. These can last for several hours into the night before they return to their duties. Many fallen head up to the roofs of their homes or work places to watch the sun sink below the horizon. This event evolved into cultural symbolism for the fallen, with the daylight hours representing mankind's rule over the majority of the land, and the night representing the fallen empire's eventual conquest of Sardius. Their powerful eyes played a significant role in this symbolism's birth. The daily reminder is often a great boon for soldiers in particular, and the transition from day to night can turn some of the weakest and most cowardly fallen into courageous fighters if reminded of the significance of this event. The hours following sunsets are also popular mating periods. Fallen work well into the night, as the darkness is barely a hindrance to them. When the hours approaching morning draw near, however, most work ends and fallen begin to settle down and prepare to rest, with the majority sleeping from around 3AM to 9AM.

Soldiers:
The life of a soldier is wrought with a bit more chaos and pain. Soldiers are similar to nomads and eat and sleep wherever they're told. Fallen battalions moving throughout Corvus will often stay in military strongholds when in cities. When in underdeveloped areas or those undergoing reconstruction, they will typically stay with local families as 'honored guests'. Soldiers serving under popular figures are usually preferred, but there is a deep stigma against turning down requests for shelter from military units.

Unfortunately several problems arise from house guests from the military. They are far more aggressive than normal fallen and conflicts break out regularly. There are also instances of theft and rape. While these are usually punished speedily, occurrences are still frustratingly high. Some leaders keep their soldiers in line with threats of endless torture or some other survivable form of punishment rather than death to keep them in line. A popular method of punishment among the higher class is known as 'stripping'. This is a form of torture virtually all fallen fear to the point of 'to the letter' obedience. Stripping begins by plucking out all of a fallen's wing and tail feathers, followed by all of their hair. Next, they are tied up to any sort of stake or tall object in the area and left on display. A fallen can be stripped and left up for all to see for days or even weeks if they are kept alive with rations. Perhaps the worst part of long term stripping is that fallen hair and feathers grow back at an accelerated rate before starvation begins to set in. In the first couple of weeks, a fallen will usually have newly growing feathers and hair plucked once again.

Fallen soldiers will undergo the Rite of Ascension whenever they wish to increase their rank. This is contrary to human promotion which typically only requires approval from the right people under the right circumstances. As such, an incredibly powerful fallen could be found mixed in with ordinary grunts from time to time. These types of soldiers are the sleeping giants battalion leaders are always on the lookout for, as they make excellent personal guards rather than being thrown in with the rest of the 'cannon fodder'.

A soldier's downtime is spent seeking entertainment, rest, or something useful they can do depending on where the group is stationed. Every battalion has at least a few social circles with some semblance of camaraderie, but they often act like street gangs and treat outsiders within the same battalion like rivals or even enemies. Because fallen armies have just as many females as males, there tends to be random mating from time to time as well.

Corvus has two military divisions, the Imperial Army, and the Private Sector. The former is the army that acts on behalf of Corvus as a whole, while the Private Sector consists of private armies governed by the Matriarchs and Patriarchs. There is also a private army belonging to the Imperial family which is the rough equivalent of another nation's royal guard, only massive by comparison. While most royal guard divisions consist of thousands or less, the Devlinos private army is roughly two hundred thousand strong, making the Devlinos the most defensible noble house in all of Sardius.

Nobles:
The life of a noble is not as 'carefree' as commoners and even soldiers choose to believe. Noble houses are murderously territorial and haven't an ounce of mercy for transgressors. Since a noble house typically owns a fair amount of land and resources, and often supports modest worker populations, their lives consist of managing their assets while pursuing their political goals.

Noble families are often enormous because the laws against multiple births per household are not forced on them. Because of this, noble families try to have as many children as are needed to help run and expand their territories instead of relying on their workers. They will also try to avoid having too many, lest the children end up fighting over the clan's territory. If a clan becomes too large, this becomes rampant and often destroys the clan from within. If a noble family becomes too small, rival clans will often try to acquire their assets through various means. Most often this happens during civil wars where most laws are impossible to properly enforce, but during stable times, they try to do this through duels with high stakes, deceitful contracting, and proxy wars using hired commoners as the soldiers to avoid being implicated. Despite relying on outsourcing for their secret wars, noble families usually have a private army of their own comprised of fallen who live and work on their lands. The largest private army in Corvus belongs to the Devlinos royal family and consists of two hundred thousand troops and demons. Clan Ixion has only sixty thousand troops by comparison, but is also the second largest in the country, followed by clans Ebonian(40,000), Kurita(25,000), Odessious(19,000), and Finnian(12,000).

Noble families are free to govern their territories as they see fit within the bounds of national law. They put security procedures and a territory's customs into 'regional law', which locals and visitors alike must adhere to. Nobles are encouraged to 'be good' to those living on their lands, as the strength of a noble house comes directly from their property and goods on that property; more importantly, the people who live off of and maintain all of these. A poorly ruled region usually suffers a violent end, as rival clans will encourage massive rebellions and move in to reap whatever they can during the ensuing violence.

Architects:
The architects enjoy the most respect and fear while also suffering the most mocking and suspicion. They are the backbone of Corvian society, repurposing living material into demons for use in labor and warfare. They have similar wealth to noble houses but smaller families and they usually hire hundreds of workers to assist them in the creation of their demons. Through centuries of modernization, the Architects have created a frightening 'flesh industry' which produces demons by recycling old demons and even dead fallen and other animals. "If someone says 'waste not', that someone probably works for an architect." is a popular saying among fallen youth.

Architects also modify their own bodies at times. The most notable self modified architects in Corvus are Architect Fury, Architect Valor, and Architect Fervor. Because this is taboo, they are no longer considered 'true kestrelii', but because the architects are so valuable to Corvus' continued survival and so many have modified their bodies throughout the ages-and for good reason at times-it is deemed acceptable on the whole. However, this also leads to superstitions and rumors about various architects. These modifications are not always superficial like in the case of Architect Fervor's modified tail and wings, but other improvements to fallen physiology have been made. One example of this is an urban legend that Architect Fervor is actually immortal, suspected because she has been around for three fallen generations. Others suspect she has been replaced twice already with the title 'Fervor' passing to her successors. The same is thought of 'Fury', which is the longest standing title for an Architect in Corvus' entire history and has been around for nearly two thousand years.

Architects also rule over territories within Corvus, but they generally work underground, beneath the surface dwellings. Because the flesh industry operates primarily underground, undercity commoners can usually work for a local architect as a secondary occupation. Due to less rivalry among the architects, and even less government oversight, however, they are known to be far more cruel and unusual than powerful noble houses. There are endlessly abounding rumors of fallen workers being used in experiments against their will or killed by their overseers for the slightest offense. This does almost nothing to deter new employees as they often need their second job.

Some revolutionary achievements have come from the architects, however, such as the flying carriage, a demon that somewhat resembles a dragon, which noble houses often use to travel from territory to territory. These creatures have luxurious carriages strapped to their backs just behind the beast master's seat(or sometimes the two will be combined for convenience). Another is the Dread, a large attack animal. It is a dragon-bird cross which serves two roles in armies, one as an aerial support unit meant to attack and overwhelm individual enemies, and the other is to quickly rescue injured VIPs. Dreads are large animals capable of carrying three to four passengers, and so those trained for search and rescue are often fitted with a harness with multiple loose loops for the injured to hook themselves on for quick escapes. Yet another is the mammoth, a war mount used to counter Kigen's war elephants and haul massive amounts of supplies back into the country.

 

Spoiler - Religion

The Fallen worship the shadow dragon known as Obelisk. Before his defeat during the Legendary Rebellion, he ruled over them in a simple autocracy,(as many vasilus rulers have). After the Legendary Rebellion came to a close, the Fallen started an empire of their own and crowned the strongest living warrior at the time as their Emperor, and his family as the 'royal bloodline'. From that point onward Obelisk kept to the shadows and deep depths of the then young city of Tartarus. Though still worshiped on the whole, the shadow dragon made seemingly little to no effort to guide the Fallen Empire down any defined path; he only demands that they continue to survive. The most important elements of Fallen religion start and end there. Their only other seemingly religious code is the Law of Conservation, which governs nearly everything they do. It is summed up in a simple phrase.

"Waste not."
It's a very common phrase among Fallen and is usually said when someone is about to do something that another considers wasteful or unnecessary. The phrase means more than it seems to convey. It makes up the bulk of everything they do or rather 'everything they are supposed to do', from their eating habits to their methods of warfare. Unfortunately this saying has vastly differing interpretations among Fallen. The phrase has devolved so much over the centuries, that it means little to nothing to many fallen, evidenced by the common practice of abusing new resources to the breaking point. As a result, commoners and the less fortunate receive little pity from the wealthy. Most feel any additional boon given them would be squandered instantly.

Fallen also seem to have a sense of warrior's honor that may have stemmed from Obelisk. Their 'Shadow God' was known as a powerful warrior during the days of the Legendary Rebellion, and despite his eventual defeat, he was a beast of unparalleled ability and cunning. Important fallen are expected to follow his example and aspire to great physical, mental, and magical power through training, hardship and strife. Ordinary fallen are left to do whatever they please with their lives, as encouraging this sort of ambition in the entire population would eventually destabilize the nation and leave it in a weakened state.

 

Spoiler - Warfare

Fallen primarily fight at night, when their human adversaries are weakest, and they are theoretically at their strongest. With their incredible eyesight, Fallen are never hindered in the darkness. When attacking, Fallen will sometimes come down from directly above in huge numbers to outmaneuver long range emplacements such as cannons, catapults, and ballistas. At other times they will simply come down from multiple directions spreading themselves out thinly but cutting off all possible means of escape and instilling the feeling of doom in unexperienced enemies.

A popular but sometimes considered 'inconvenient' saying amongst Fallen warriors is "Keep what you kill." It parallels the saying "Waste not." in that it implies to be conservative in all things. In practice it refers specifically to acquired resources. A Fallen is expected to make use of whatever he or she acquires. In warfare this refers specifically to kills made on the battlefield. When fallen soldiers slay enemies, they usually mark the corpse as their own(methods vary). When the battle is over and assuming they were victorious, the fallen will come back to their victims and gather them up to prepare for transport back to camp. The more enemies a fallen has killed, the more difficult this task can be, and in completely onesided battles, an individual fallen can find himself with up to a dozen bodies to move. Commanding officers have the authority to accept or confiscate these kills and redistribute them as necessary, but this has led to so much abuse and discarded tradition that the cultural norm is for soldiers to keep their own kills and guard them, ferociously if necessary. If a commander must beat his subordinates in combat in order to make use of their bounty, so be it. The flocks have often benefited from seeing their commanders tested by his own units constantly in attempts to reappropriate resources. "A strong commander commands a strong flock" is another saying. The commander is always expected to be the strongest, and so in a duel against any of their subordinates, they are expected to win every time.

One thing that is peculiar among Fallen is their reluctance to use fire in warfare. Fire is considered one of the most essential tools in the world and the Fallen make absolute minimal use of it, trading its molding capabilities for dark magic crafting instead. It is virtually unseen in their hands in battle. This is due to the religious saying "Waste not." Fire is seen as a great destroyer since it leaves almost nothing that is immediately useful in its wake. Fallen have grown to discourage its use in warfare entirely, though nobles and royals have mastered fire magic in order to mystify and terrify their people and maintain their superiority. Many have a benign fear of fire while some are absolutely terrified of it.

Unlike humans who use it to cook, fire is only used in cooking by Fallen who aim to keep healthy human slaves. While humans are not able to eat many things raw, Fallen can eat virtually anything raw. Fallen cities also go without light during the night making them easily defensible even if the enemy steps forth into their territory with torches lit. In an urban environment, fallen will strike from the shadows and drag their victims into the darkness, or even snipe out their torches with ranged weapons if need be.

Sometimes Fallen are forced to fight during the daylight hours. When this happens they adopt more psychologically centered tactics. One popular method of approaching a target is to swoop down from the air with claws and fangs bared. Another is to kill a human before fighting with a stronger one and to carry that human through the air with them. Sometimes this is done with live humans and other times their cargo is used as a projectile weapon being hurled at their opponent before their melee assault begins. Not all Fallen can fight like this due to how hindered flight becomes with even one average weighing hostage.

Fallen will also make use of many different types of weapons such as blades and magic. Fallen are born with innate dark magic abilities and thus don't require actual tomes, only mental conditioning and training. Fallen wield physical weapons with precision and surprising strength given their body mass, some even being capable of rending their opponents in two. Fallen do have one peculiar disadvantage in combat, however; their bodies are not particularly massive, as previously stated. On average, they weigh far less than humans. Consequently, heavyset humans can easily shrug off fallen attacks, even in a blitz. They can also quickly knock a standing fallen onto their back and kill them with one or two additional thrusts, which happens often during daylight hours. Conversely, fallen have a tendency not to throw what little weight they do have directly at the enemy. Instead, they will often target an opponent's legs and try to force them to the ground should they encounter too much armor. Once a fallen or small group of them have forced someone onto the ground, the 'fight' becomes a pitiful struggle against inevitable slaughter. Fallen can become blindly enraged during combat at times, especially right after receiving an injury, and in those instances, unarmored opponents can be torn limb from limb. Even with a battlefield littered with corpses and limbs, fallen flocks are careful not to leave anything useful behind, and within a day or two, war zones are picked clean. To prevent catastrophic counterattacks after successful battles, they will often bring in reinforcements to guard those gathering the remains of the dead and even station demon scouts for early warning.

 

Spoiler - Demons

Utilized extensively by the Fallen Empire are demons. They are creatures created through dark magic by the Architects. Architects are fallen who have devoted their lives to understanding organic arcana. They are so completely devoted to this science that often nothing else fills their days but self sustenance, and basic hygiene. Using these dark arts, and their deep understanding of living organisms, they create what are known to humans as demons. Demons created by these Architects are kept deep underground in sanctums designed to house them. Individual demons can be summoned to a battlefield from the sanctum by fallen summoners powerful enough to control them. The sanctums are ancient areas writhe with dark magic able to be remotely activated by a fallen summoner. Once active, demons can venture out into distant lands and back again through spatial gateways.

Demons are forged from living material, usually livestock(that being enslaved humans and animals). This living material is molded by the Architects into new creatures following incredibly precise biological designs. Demons have very similar and simplistic instincts, but have specific designs meant to fit needs beyond anything found in nature. As efficient at killing as they are, they are not perfect, and only the best Architects can produce a demon that can survive more than a year of life. When a larger demon is needed, or another demon is approaching the end of its expected lifespan, it will be 'recycled'. The fallen cannot create life, so they must use already living materials to create newer demons, and this holds true for large ones as well, as multiple retired demons will often be combined to make them. The principle of preserving anything they can to make new demons often leads to farming, a massive architect run industry that capitalizes off the growth characteristic of demons. Specifically, demons become proportionally larger after consuming a large amount of 'food'. This allows them to remove organic mass from still living demons and using the material in other demons without completely recycling the demon.

Demons not designed specifically for combat are generally pets for those that can afford to have them, but are more commonly used as weapons of war. They come in many shapes and sizes for whatever purpose they're meant to serve. Demons are typically expendable shocktroops sent in first during large battles or used as scouts. Large demons also serve as transports for acquired goods, and to combat the Kigenese war elephants that normal Fallen troops fear. As stated before, many Fallen like to bring along heavy eating demons to help consume any surplus the fallen can't handle or make good use of. Demons will even consume other demons killed in battle if given the opportunity, generally once the battle ends or the threat of interruption passes.

 

Spoiler - Gender

Beyond the Imperial family, there is no consensus on a ruling gender. That is to say that the head of a given household could be male or female, and that either are common throughout Corvus. Even in stronger clans, a male or female could become the official head of a clan. The fallen have evolved little use for gender based leadership, and the Imperial family is the last remnant of the early traditions.

Not all Fallen are strictly fighters, but all know how to fight in some way. Save for a few cultural codes, males and females are treated the same. Both males and females are expected to learn to fight and earn what is considered by many as 'their right to live.' Women are primarily differentiated from men in that they're the child bearers. This is vastly different from their closest neighbors and enemies, the Kigenese, who only send their males to battle with few exceptions. Both sides will agree that sending both men and women into battle gives the fallen a huge advantage in both numbers and versatility.

 

Spoiler - Children

A law was passed centuries ago that prohibited the birth of more than one child per pairing. This rule does not apply to the stronger clans and the royal family which are valued above and beyond the rest of society. The Emperor will usually have dozens of children until his eventual death. From there only one male child will survive the slaughter of siblings and be crowned the new Emperor. The surviving female siblings become little more than child bearers offered to honored clans as warrior brides. They also help more closely bind the Imperial family to other houses. The law has only done so much to keep the population under control, as the clans not effected by this law can sometimes number in the thousands, and commoners are still able to get around this rule and have a second child once the first has officially reached adulthood which only takes thirteen years. In the end, only Corvus' staggering mortality rate has kept its population under control.

Ordinary Fallen children are raised alone unless siblings are born, but by a certain age, all families have been accosted by the authorities and have had to choose one child to live while watching any others they've foolishly had die right in front of them. These lone children are taught everything from a very young age, the art of survival, fighting, the family craft, everything they'll need throughout their (likely short) lives.

Part of Fallen education includes a plethora of rites a youth must go through to appeal for what they want. A good example would be the Rite of Heresy, which must be undergone to allow an individual to study light or anima magic. There are rites for many aspects of their culture, like the Rite of Ascension which must be done every time a Fallen wishes to increase their rank within the military. All Fallen rites involve some form of violence and risk of death.

Children reach adulthood at the age of thirteen and from there are usually pushed into joining the military to give their family a chance at becoming a recognized bloodline and rising up to become a powerful clan with far easier though more heavily scrutinized lives. Even entry into the military requires surviving a Rite ceremony, though those aiming to undertake it usually do so together in large flocks. The Rite of Arms is one of the safer rites to undergo due to not fighting alone, but it is still one of the most important rites and many still die. The Rite of Arms pits new recruits together into a single flock which then tries to destroy either a horde of demons, or one massive archdemon given over to the army by an architect.

Fallen in important positions or from important families will sometimes undergo the Rite of Penance if they commit a crime they do not wish to be executed for. Very important individuals such as clan leaders, architects, and royals will more than likely be 'forced' into the Rite of Penance by those who value them too much to see them put to death, especially children and adolescents. That is not to say the Rite of Penance is an easy way out of execution. Like most rites in fallen society, the Rite of Penance is a violent trial with survival as the only goal. Many undergo the Rite of Penance, but the mortality rate is over seventy-five percent.

 

Spoiler - Economy

While the fallen make extensive use of precious metals and other materials, they do not use a standard currency, and instead rely on an outdated barter system with just enough government maintained guidelines and supervision to run 'smoothly'. The wealth of individual fallen and their families are determined by the amount of property, resources, and servants they have at their disposal. Because of this, responsible individuals and clans will keep records of their possessions and update them frequently. These deeds and other records are guarded almost as fiercely as the actual possessions themselves, as stolen property can be forcibly returned by the government with proof of ownership. Deeds without valid dates associated with them are void however, and the fallen have even taken steps to stomp out false deeds through special forging techniques. This only puts a dent in the success rates of theft crimes, but the fallen take whatever security they can get.

(Further info pending ...)

 

Spoiler - Food

Fallen are said to be able to eat almost anything, and are considered tough-stomached omnivorous demons by the Kigenese. This ability to consume even raw meat from a recently deceased human, animal, or even other fallen allows them to make use of every scrap of flesh they get their hands on.

Due to Corvus' bloated population, resources are usually scarce for much of the country, and daily meals become a sort of luxury for commoners, but times of extreme famine are chaotic, and these usually lead to brief civil wars that alter the face of Corvus' ruling houses. Some houses survive while others fall and are replaced by new houses and the distribution of Corvus' food stuffs shifts quickly and mightily.

Food preparation is a slew of variance governed by little more than regional norms or clan hierarchy preference. Despite popular belief among humans, the fallen don't prefer human meat over possible alternatives such as pork, beef, or fish. Horse and deer meat are true luxury foods, however, with any kind of pork being a close second. With humans being killed in mass, their bodies are often used to feed infantrymen and demons in the form of dehydrated rations. These rations can last for a long time, but many fallen soldiers would rather feed on the horses of enemy cavalry than go to their own rations. Letting them go to waste however is frowned upon, and so many platoons will feed rations to the demons and save just enough to feed themselves in the event reliance on cavalry meat or other goods fails them.

Though completely overshadowed by other stereotypes, fallen commonly consume 'human food' if they can find it, but on the battlefield, it's rare to find anything other than rations and they will typically not eat those, as they consider their own a step up from the human variety. A properly prepared meal is usually too much for a fallen to pass up, since the variety is far healthier for them and harder to come by.

Fruits and vegetables are consumed by the fallen as well, but only if they can acquire them. Fallen scouts and explorers frequently infiltrate Kigen to gather seeds for fruit and vegetable growing plants, as well as soil samples. These are usually worth a lot, and are in very high demand following the ravaging fallen civil wars, as many crops are lost in these uprisings. While food gardens and crops are common in Corvus, the latter are usually on the smaller side, being downsized to just a dozen meters, about the space it would take to occupy a section of a building's rooftop. Fallen structures tower over the ground, and so ground level crops are discouraged due to infrequent and poor sunlight, with most farming taking place on narrow rooftops where the sun can offer the most sunlight.

Garden and crop robberies are so horribly frequent in Corvus, that many more fortunate households employ demons to attack and kill any living thing that enters the area that isn't its master. Some use more intelligent guards and hired help instead, but all with the purpose of defending their gardens, and normally a guard(and their family) is paid with a share of the produce. The 'right to protect one's property' has more or less legalized the outright murder of trespassers in fallen society, but this has in no way shape or form detoured attempts at thievery. Often the starving and less fortunate fallen will look for a more poorly guarded target.

With fire being virtually the only taboo for those without livestock to care for, anima also sees extensive use in food cultivation, preparation, and storage. Ice magic is used to preserve foods for later use, making ice heretics some of the more common anima users. Earth magic is used to help prepare the soil for sowing, and speed up harvests. Earth users are still rare due to the difficulty of mastering earth magic, and the frustratingly high mortality rates of the Rite of Heresy that must be undergone. Water magic is used by fallen in much the same way it is by humans, though with the added use of removing moisture from corpses to preserve them longer while they're brought back to a storage facility. This is usually done in lieu of an ice mage, and the bodies always require extensive processing to make them 'desirable', again, even if they're fated to become dehydrated rations.

Though they're considered an 'acquired taste' by many, demons are also suitable for consumption by the fallen. Typically fallen won't get the chance to consume a demon in the field, as other demons are likely to pounce on their dead companions at the earliest opportunity. While fallen do command their demon war pets, they rarely get between them and their meals. Demon meat is actually an amalgam of organic material from other living beings. Pork and other naturally flavorful meat is rarely used in the creation of demons, and so they are usually not that pleasant overall.

 

Spoiler - Clothing

Fallen favor very light or flexible clothing for ease of flight and movement. This proves troublesome in ground battles where one bad injury could spell the end of a Fallen's life, but they compensate for this as best they can with extra layers of padding over vital areas when able. In general, good clothing is a luxury outside of the mega cities. Not to say some Fallen are naked, but many can be seen wearing as little as homemade tunics and nothing else. Those living in the cities near Tartarus and a small ways out are generally clad in far more expensive looking and well tailored goods.

Some Fallen prefer to wear skins. Tougher hides actually tend to make for slightly better protection as well. The use of armor in Fallen society is seen in only one of two ways. On a male the use of armor is considered cowardly and is so frowned upon that a male that would dare show up to the battlefield clad in it is often left to fight alone. Meanwhile a female may receive similar but less harsh treatment, it depends on how she acquired the armor. A female who acquires armor by her own hands is frowned upon, but a female that a wealthy Fallen wishes to court will often receive armor as a gift. When such exchanges are made public, a Fallen female is often treated with some level of respect, but is also expected to honor the one whose gift she's accepted by being given in marriage and joining their clan. Females may also wear armor to protect themselves during a pregnancy, as well, though the armor used in those scenarios is quite unique looking.

 

Spoiler - Entertainment

Fallen can find as much joy in things as humans do, but the overwhelming majority of the population is influenced by Corvus' violent culture, and so most socially accepted pastimes are also violent. Some of these include street fighting tournaments with little supervision, armed sky racing, demonic cock fights, gladiatorial sports and demon fighting(similar to bull fighting). Often times human slaves are included in these activities. Popular demand ensures it despite the inherent value of able bodied humans in more important tasks. Gambling is so rampant that it has proven impossible to standardize using the Corvian barter system.

Fallen also enjoy less virulent activities, such as reading and other forms of study. Despite their violent culture, fallen have a drive to learn and absorb information that rivals and sometimes even surpasses that of humans. Consequently there is no shortage of scholars in any field imaginable.

 

Spoiler - Language

The Fallen language is simplistic but stems from the Avian language which wasn't. The language is actually an over simplified Avian dialect with the only differences being some reapplied meanings, some added ones, and the exclusion of all redundant or unnecessary words. The language is never spoken in the presence of free humans or 'wild humans' as they're sometimes called, and the Fallen go to great length to keep their language from being deciphered fully. The language only has around 15,000 words. Any other meanings that need to be established or conveyed are made through sometimes complex combinations of existing words or phrases.

Edited by Phoenix, Yesterday, 11:36 AM.

[Phoenix]

THE AVIANS

General Information:

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History:

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Avian culture and history is incredibly well preserved, with the most accurate accounts of the Sardian history filling their libraries. The beginning of their own recorded history dates back almost ten thousand years, during the dawn of the Redemption Era. Because that era received such a title, the avians have always believed that their true origins have been lost and that the Redemption Era is actually the second phase of their history, coming just after a horrible cataclysm of some kind.

According to avian history, they were a race of ministers and spiritual guides, who served a dual purpose, to accrue wisdom for all mortals and to teach it. This is similar to the God of Truth, who accrues and teaches all wisdom as well, though he is believed to do this primarily with immortals as he has only been recorded twice in all known history.

During this time period, the avians lived among humans and dragons. It was thought that the avian doctrines of pacifism would prevent any wars. What was not well understood at the time by the vasili ruling over them, was that the human race could be provoked into violence, no matter how insane the reasons behind it might be. This provocation came in the form of ceaseless admonishment from the avians. Despite their intentions, their strong willed nature and adamantly conservative virtues clashed with human values repeatedly until steps were taken to separate human and avian society once and for all. The goal of the human governments at the time was to prevent the situation from becoming violent by distancing themselves from their winged brethren, but the vasili ruling over the lands stopped the attempts in their tracks, stressing the need for unity, not segregation.

Again humanity and avians tried to live together as a unified group, but as the human leaders feared, eventually, violence broke out. The dragons took steps to quell the violence, but it had escalated so quickly and spread so far throughout the realm, that the dragons were forced to kill humans in mass to truly put and end to the fighting. From then on, the dragons had the distrust of the humans, as innocents were inevitably killed in the violence.

Humanity's focus left the avians for a time, and numerous organized groups began to emerge with the intent of driving the dragons, not the avians, out of the land. This was met with harsh criticism from the avians and vasili. None were able to quell the outcries, however, and eventually a war between the humans and the dragons erupted. To this day, it is not clear which side struck first in that war, and the avians are not so quick to place the blame for this war on the humans, as the dragon race had several well known troublemakers and dissenters around at the time.

The human-dragon war was incredibly short, as the vasili quickly moved in to pacify both sides. The avians spent most of this time trying to restore peace through diplomacy, and neither they nor the vasili had any idea of what was going on behind the scenes. The humans had entered a true war for the first time in their history and the results were secrecy and an insatiable interest in weapons development. Even when 'peace' had returned, the organized groups hoping to remove the dragons from their home continued to produce weapons in secret. Their intentions were to be able to protect themselves, but the dragons eventually learned of these new weapons the humans had constructed and took aggressive action to destroy them. This 'attack' started yet another war, but this time, the dragons were unable to win so easily. The human losses were not nearly so great as the first time around, and when the vasili finally stepped in to quell the fighting, the dragons had suffered numerous casualties, something unprecedented.

They had crossed the point of no return, humanity was now strong enough to threaten the dragons, and with tensions with the avians still growing, the vasili were forced to give in to what had now become the original demand of the human leaders. Unfortunately, the humans had claimed the land all three races occupied as their own. Since the vasili had already decided to grant the lands to the avians, another conflict began to brew. The humans had constructed massive cities in these lands in the centuries preceding the conflict, and would have to start all over again if they were to leave, and so they refused. This led to the final aggressive step to the permanent separation of all three races. The dragons had left when prompted, dejectedly, but they had left just the same. When the humans tried to force the avians out in their place, the vasili decimated their armies and forced every last human out of the avian provinces.

For the first time in several centuries, the avians were at peace again. This peace came at a high price, however. Separation from the other races had left them unable to truly fulfill their purpose. There was no more wisdom to be gleaned from the centuries of isolation that followed. Their pleas to reunite the races didn't fall on deaf ears, but before it could be allowed, the gods took several steps to ensure the situation would not again escalate so quickly and easily. The gods gave magic to the world. The humans were denied this gift, supposedly for their lack of need for it. With these powers granted to them, the dragons could once again mediate without direct reliance on the vasili, and the avians could use their new abilities to protect all life.

It was feared this boon would fuel human hatred and aggression, but another attempt to unite the races was made. This decision came down from the gods, and even the vasili were divided on the issue, some fearing the consequences and others adamantly trusting in the divine mandate. The humans and dragons had lingering animosity that had reached into the succeeding generations, and so they would have to wait. For now, only the humans and avians would live side by side again. The times were worrisome, but with every precaution taken, the humans and avians were able to again live together in peace for a time. Just a short time before the dragons were to be reintroduced into the mix, tensions rose yet again.

What had helped sustain their peace was the magic the avians had been given. With it, the lives of the humans living alongside them had been made immeasurably better, but as time went on, humanity began to grow and expand. The avians were not able to keep up, and as humanity began to grossly outnumber them, the need for the avians to spread themselves more thinly throughout the realm inevitably led to debate and bickering. The humans in general were of the belief that the avians should spread themselves out and increase their numbers, while the avians believed that the humans needed to better control their own numbers and expansion. Humanity's fallback plan was to acquire magic as well. In the end, the inability to harness this power themselves and the hundreds upon thousands of failed attempts prompted even more scolding from the avians. As the 'avian superiority complex' accusations gained momentum, a confrontation grew imminent.

With the dragons unable to assist by any means, it fell to the vasili to resolve the issue, but they themselves were already divided on how to deal with it, and so no official action was taken until after the war began. These divided governing entities had numerous takes and solutions, but without a consensus they wouldn't act, and the war made far more progress than they would have otherwise allowed. Because the avians would not go to war or take life and were completely pacifistic, they were in danger of being wiped out. In the opening days of the war, human sympathizers once drowned out by those in the foreground began to emerge and to fight on the behalf of the avians, but they were too heavily outnumbered to do anything more than delay the deaths of the avians.

Conflicting opinions began to arise as thousands of humans sacrificed themselves on their behalf, and for the first time in avian history, a splinter group emerged who abandoned pacifism in the name of justice and the protection of the innocent. These avians had not only abandoned pacifism, but they had also lost something crucial to the spiritual welfare of all avians, their connection to the Goddess of Mercy. Without it, they were no longer true avians and became known as dark avians. They paid this price willingly so that they could protect the remaining avians and the humans who had taken their side. Using their light magic in tandem with the technology the humans had produced, they managed to protect the avians from most of the fighting and turned the war around. The dark avians were no different from 'broken' avians to the anti-avian faction, and so the entire race was quickly written off as a mortal enemy. Now it was too late for the vasili to completely contain the situation, and having failed to reach a consensus among themselves, they too splintered with some vasili removing themselves from the conflict to observe from a distance while others took a side.

The world government fell into complete disarray during this war, and numerous vasili now considered 'evil deities', began to emerge, including the feared shadow dragon, Obelisk. The fighting managed to spread so far and so quickly that humanity's technological prowess began to emerge once again in the form of powerful new machines. With vasili on both sides, decisive victory for any faction was impossible. In addition, with humans fighting not only the avians but other humans, and some vasili contributing their knowledge, the leaps in technology that should have occurred over several centuries took place in less than one.

The fighting reached its peak when the unthinkable happened. The anti-avian factions found a way to utilize dark magic against the dark avians. Their minds were completely shattered and they became almost feral, attacking all humans, even those on their side. Not all dark avians were corrupted, but the thousands that were began to destroy everything in their path. Some of these corrupted avians were unable to find more enemies to fight after their initial conquests, and eventually settled down in the ruins of abandoned cities. The succeeding generation of the corrupted avians came forth with tails, claws, fangs, fierce eyes, and a nature that craved conflict. As these second generation corrupted avians began to emerge in mass, the vasili began to call them 'The Fallen Ones'.

The war eventually shifted from fighting each other to fighting back against the fallen hordes that threatened to overwhelm them all. Only with the combined efforts of the vasili were they almost completely wiped out. To the satisfaction of Obelisk, they were not wiped out, and those that survived were his charges. He was given a mandate to destroy the rest of them before they could repopulate, but he did just the opposite and sheltered them from the chaos as the world began to focus in on the original conflict once again.

Finally a solution for the avians was found. A vasilus of Mercy known to most as Luminous began to carve out the land, and with the help of other vasili allied with him, he created ten incomprehensibly strong platforms that would serve as the avian sanctuary until the end of the conflict. The avians arrived on these platforms in mass and were taken away far to the northeast to seek shelter from the violence. By the time the war had come to an end, numerous countries had been established while others had been utterly destroyed. The avians, rather than returning, decided to remain in their own domain atop the mountains. Luminous with the Goddess of Mercy's blessing, accepted his role as their sacred guardian without hesitation.

It was over, never again would the avians be able to bring themselves to live alongside humanity. Knowing that these enormous platforms would serve as their home from then on, the avians began to focus on their long term living conditions, and they shut themselves off from the world almost completely.

What followed was the Legendary Rebellion. Obelisk returned to the world with a small army of humans and vasili and began to conquer nations, one by one at first, and then gradually spreading his accumulating forces over the continents. Eventually the entire world was dragged into the conflict in one way or another. Even the avians were not spared from the fighting, as Obelisk's forces came to completely destroy their home. Their sacred guardian and those closest to him fought with all of their might and nearly obliterated those Obelisk sent to destroy them, but the fighting almost led to Luminous' death, and three of the ten platforms eventually fell. The destruction was overwhelming and the death toll catastrophic.

The avians were still spared from annihilation, but their populace had been crippled by the invasion, and following the rebellion, the Goddess of Mercy took advantage of the wake of destruction left by the God of Wrath and established new doctrines that would protect the avians hence forth. With humanity now stripped of their powerful machines, the only threats to the avians were sky riders, the fallen, and vasili. The Goddess of Mercy founded the Cloud Legion, with the emperor ruling at the time as its supreme commander. This small army could deal with any threat not posed by the vasili, and with Luminous still acting as their sacred guardian and the number of vasili remaining on the earth now piddly compared to the rebellion era, the avians could now live in complete safety. Their safety came at a steep price, however. With the races now forever segregated, they had nothing else to offer to the world, and their altruistic nature and good intentions were confined to seven cities up in the clouds, seven cities fiercely guarded by the Cloud Legion and the Sacred Guardian.

Society:

Spoiler -

Pending ...

Government:

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Religion:

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Warfare:

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Sacred Guardian:

Spoiler -

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Gender:

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Children:

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Economy:

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Food:

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Clothing:

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Entertainment:

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Language:

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Edited by Phoenix, 12 October 2012 - 05:10 AM.

[kdanger]

What is this you guys

More officially: Well, I kept muttering about writing articles. Here is one. More will follow. Stay tuned, and vote in the poll re: whether I should keep doing this. Also, feel free to comment on the blog posts!

Edited by Kiryn, 30 March 2011 - 09:00 PM.

[Phoenix]

The following is a detailed article about militaries in RotE. Despite the specifics, some of this can be applied elsewhere.

RotE: The Armed Forces

Overview
Every country has its own military force that is used for both the defense of the homeland, and campaigns to expand. Though each country's forces are unique in appearance, training, mannerisms, and combat style, they all share similar command structures, and basic methods of thinking.

Below is a small ranking guide, and a brief section about some different theories and ideas about military characters, as well as how I feel that they should not be portrayed. Below that are specifics on each nation's military ranks, their four most common base unit types, primary methods of fighting, and unique traits or special units. Note that some of this differs to varying degrees from militaries in real life partly due to the time period and lore, partly due to convenience of rping, and also due to my personal whims and not knowing everything about everything ever. With that in mind, take this as a guide to RotE, and don't bother referencing it for anything other than this rp or something built similarly to it.

Military Personel

My personal recommendations for stat levels versus actual rank:
2/1: if lower than a Captain
2/3: if lower than a Lt Colonel
3/1: if lower than a Brig. Gen.

This is meant to apply to field commanders who fight alongside their soldiers. Conversely, a high ranking officer may be lower leveled than their troops, but these are assumed to be coordinator types; strategists who avoid combat in favor of directing their troops from safety. Obviously, they shouldn't be guarded by anything less than a platoon on the battlefield.

Notes
-This doesn't apply the other way around. That means a high level character doesn't necessarily have to be a high rank in the military, and they shouldn't be unless their character and accomplishments fit the rank.
-Rough equivalents for ranks across the army and navy shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

Moving on ... I've found that just about any personality can work for a military character. The problems start when quirks or flaws are blown out of realistic proportions. I'll run a few separate section examples here.

The Ultimate One Track Mind: A soldier who likes to _____(fill in the blank) and talks about it a lot is fine, but a soldier who can only focus on that one thing even during combat lacks any kind of focus and isn't very believable. An impending death threat should always be able to override whatever someone is commonly thinking about, unless what they're commonly thinking about is directly related to it. A soldier like this shouldn't be ranked any higher than a private and even that's stretching things a bit(since any soldier is trained to both focus on orders and following them). Awareness can erode, but it shouldn't be an excuse for having the ultimate one-track mind.

No Sense of Duty: This one's vague but what I'm trying to get across here is that it's not good for a soldier to be a slacker for no reason other than lazy writing or rper convenience. There's plenty of ways to bypass vigilant guards, and well placed absentminded, corrupt, lazy, or otherwise slacking guards are not the only way to go. Patrols may get bored, but that's why militaries and other organizations take shifts, to prevent the very types of lack luster performance that sometimes gets taken advantage of. Writers should never, EVER, be obligated to state that the guards they've placed are vigilant. They're guards, and vigilance should be a default trait with these kinds of characters. Frankly, lazy, corrupt, or slacker guards should be explicitly flagged, not the other way around. Still, I've found that needing to explain just how prepared guards are for a problem is standard procedure and guards are otherwise assumed to be minimally prepared. In my opinion this is horrible writing and shouldn't ever happen. Unless there's a particular reason for it, guards should not be written with no sense of duty. This is less troublesome when it's one guard among many, but when an entire group of guards starts acting this way, it gets a little ridiculous.

Complete Hardasses:
The other side of No Sense of Duty. These are guards that would throw a kitten in the slammer for purring at them. These kinds of guards always seem to show up when someone really wants someone else punished for something, and that can be just as bad as No Sense of Duty. They generally have plenty of threats, and either the strength to counter resistance or enough back up to do the same. They also seem to be looking for any excuse to cuff a particular person(s). People should always consider that a guard making an arrest that turns out to be bogus hurts their reputation and career, and that should always be factored into how a guard behaves unless there is some reason given why it shouldn't/wouldn't. Conveniently aggressive authorities are no less bad writing than conveniently lazy ones in my opinion.

The Dumbass: There are idiots in the military, and in some cases high ranking ones, however, they shouldn't be prevalent in any fashion or form. If you're rping a soldier or officer, I feel that it would be a good time investment to really decide what type of character you have, and I don't mean basic personality, I mean overall 'intelligence'. This is important because roleplaying a genius isn't as easy as surrounding that character with morons. A character is hardly that smart if they can only make good points toward below average thinkers. It's probably best to only try rping these kinds of characters if you know what you're doing, because trying to portray a genius can sometimes backfire and lead to a character that's universally considered a 'dumbass'. Even if your character isn't a genius, an average character can end up like this if their decisions warrant the title. We can't fully immerse ourselves in the rp's world and environment, so some elements of wise decision making will be lost on us and replaced by out of character knowledge instead. With that in mind, it's important to fill in as much context and in-character thinking as you can before actually posting to avoid making an unintended yet blatantly dumb decision. Your average soldier should not be a moron, or warrant that kind of title. Cultural ignorance like sexism is another matter.

Emotional: Soldiers can be emotional and still be believable, but there's a line here. A warrior or even an officer shouldn't be crying all the time, or even half the time. And not at all if nothing tragic has happened. Next, there's a difference between over emotional behavior(too passionate) and pent up stress(purely a combination of unhappiness and anger). Military personel can often have stressful tasks and responsibilities and this can catch up to them in various ways. For a low or high ranking officer it can come out as constant scowling, firm loudness, disciplinary threats, constant rank pulling, authority abuse, complaining, or all around anger management issues. These kinds of characters can be common, and aren't mold breakers so much as hardasses(though this can be overblown; see Complete Hardasses). Over emotional characters however tend to turn everything into their own personal soap opera, and in the military, that kind of thing would never be tolerated, in fact, depending on which military it was, it might be punished in some tough or even sadistic ways.

Stone Cold: On the other side of emotion, there is a lack thereof. It's fine for soldiers to not wear their heart on their sleeves, but unless it's entirely in character, I don't feel it's a good idea for every soldier to be a completely emotionless being with none other than the basic fondness for country or paycheck. Soldiers are people, and even a highly disciplined one should be able to have their hearts pricked by something other than defeat on the battlefield. Now we can't go making internal dialog for every soldier that's on screen, but for the ones that are reoccurring, a little delving into what makes them human doesn't hurt, and it's good practice for more important characters assuming this character isn't. Longer appearing characters should be unique and interesting despite the uniform IMO.

Rank: Partly covered at the beginning of the article, but not fully. Level is one thing, but the attached personality is actually more important than stats. Again, there's nothing wrong with quirks as long as they aren't abused and pushed past believability. An officer's rank should greatly influence how they behave. A very good example would be a lecherous high ranking officer. This is actually an okay character if they remain tame, but if the character starts doing things that a person in his position would be punished for with complete disregard for the consequences, then there's a problem. People don't get promoted for hitting on their coworkers at every available opportunity and wasting time time in other silly ways. Again, quirks in a personality are fine, but should be handled responsibly, especially by said characters.

Now onto actual data ....

Ursium

Army Ranks: (Note: These are only how ranks apply to Ursium)
Trainee: Recently enlisted. Carries absolutely no authority of any kind.
Private: Officially recognized as soldiers in the army. They carry no authority over trainees. There are a few ranks within this one that prelude full promotion. Private 1, 2, and 3.
Private First Class: Has recognized authority over all lower ranks of soldiers serving in the same unit.
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Sergeant: A position met with the opportunity to lead the training of new recruits. Carries authority over all ranks prior. There are a few ranks within this one that prelude full promotion. Sergeant 1, 2, and 3.
Sergeant First Class: Extended privileges.
Sergeant Major: Extended privileges including the authority to demote or promote lower ranking soldiers excluding the promotion of Sergeant FCs. This rank is also sometimes referred to as "Guard Captain" or "Captain of the Guard" in Ursium, as this rank is generally held by soldiers leading patrols.
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Warrant Officer: Soldiers of this rank are considered officers and have numerous privileges including the ability to launch military investigations, requisition supplies, and make minor adjustments to soldier positions within their respective units. As the name suggests, they are also allowed to take charge of domestic affairs and issue arrest warrants and bounties, as well as repeal them. This rank carries three levels, WO 1, 2, and 3. Students attending military academies that graduate can enlist into the military at this rank(WO 1).
Chief Warrant Officer: Extended privileges.
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2nd Lieutenant: A highly recognized rank with authority over all ranks prior to it. Students who graduate with top marks can enlist into the military at this rank(2nd Lt.). As a result this rank is highly scrutinized and students enlisting are watched carefully with high expectations.
1st Lieutenant: Carry many privileges including command assistant, meaning that if a commanding officer allows, Lieutenants may take up temporary command of their entire unit for whatever purpose that was intended. That is not possible before this rank. Lieutenants may also command platoons quite regularly.
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Captain: A command position. Captains will always be on the front lines leading at least one division in a battalion, and most battalions will have at least two Captains. They have almost unscrutinized authority over their units and can demote, and promote soldiers with less strain than lesser ranks.
Major: Heavily extended privileges but officers of this rank are not as commonly seen on the battlefield. In Ursium they are usually heading small military outposts, or heading some other managerial position.
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Lieutenant Colonel: A powerful rank that grants an officer charge of military resources, both human and material. They are often bogged down with requisition forms if they belong to a central command sector instead of a battalion. Lieutenant Colonels on the battlefield are generally personal aids to their respective Colonels in managing a battalion.
Colonel: The rank of Colonel is one of the most difficult to obtain, and also the most difficult to keep during wartime. Colonels are almost always placed at the head of battalions. Whether commanding from a makeshift headquarters tent on the battlefield, or in the thick of it with their soldiers, they are central to the success or failure of a unit. They carry absolute and unchallenged authority over all units and resources in their respective battalions, and can only be held accountable by higher ranking officers.
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Brigadier General: The first of the General ranks. Brigadier Generals are placed in command of anywhere from two to six individual battalions, with a corresponding number of Colonels under their direct command.
Lieutenant General: The ultimate managerial rank in Ursium. These officers are the final word on matters of military resources, battalion management, and campaign management. Units enlisting fresh are generally kept from reaching this rank at high cost, due to the favoritism of academy graduates. It should also be noted that the leaders of noble houses have a rank equal to this one, however it only applies within their own territories or to their forces when not in their own territory.
Major General: The third highest rank in the Ursian military hierarchy. With it carries authority over all ranks prior, as well as the ability to take up almost any desired combat position with some exceptions. They are generally bound to sectors of the nation rather than individual forces.
General: The highest obtainable rank in Ursium's military by anyone enlisting. This rank is safeguarded so heavily, that only graduates from military academies ever reach it. Generals are nearly at the top of the hierarchy. Their responsibilities usually have them too bogged down to do little more than oversee the army. There are never more than twelve generals appointed at any time, and no one in Ursium's history has ever obtained this rank before the age of thirty-five. As the leaders of the entire military, Generals are held to the highest standards and are often replaced when new generals are appointed. It is no rule of thumb, but whenever a new general is appointed, the standing ones are often investigated by various parties and at least one of them will always be found no longer worthy of the position for whatever reason. However, instead of being demoted, when a General faces the end of his time as a general, he or she will generally retire at that rank instead of giving it up. However, retirements are never allowed in the midst of a war unless a grievous injury that forces retirement takes place.
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Supreme Commander: The head of the entire Ursian military. This rank is actually reserved for wartime purposes and is only given to the acting King or Queen of Ursium.

Navy Ranks: (Note: These are only how ranks apply to Ursium)
Ensign: Freshly graduated cadet or enlistee, ready for active duty within the navy.
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2nd Petty Officer: These are similar to army sergeants, and have much of the same duties, including seeing to lesser crewmen and keeping their individual groups running smoothly.
1st Petty Officer: In addition to the tasks due a regular petty officer, a 1st may also be put in charge of an entire deck if the ship is too small to warrant having a chief petty officer around. 1sts also receive far more leeway than 2nds in general but are expected to mind their rank and do it justice.
Chief Petty Officer: Chiefs are normally the ones overseeing entire decks in and out of battle. Anyone on a chief petty officer's deck answers directly to them and must go through them in order to speak to higher ranking officers.
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2nd Lieutenant: Lieutenants manage all subordinate officers and coordinate specific actions aboard ursian ships, everything from sail movements to cannon loading and firing and even loading and unloading cargo at port. A given ship will have at least a dozens and each crew will be trained to respond only to the voice of their overseeing officer, which which makes ursian crews very efficient and responsive despite all of the noise that dominates their tasks.
1st Lieutenant: The 1st Lieutenant is always first in line to replace the Lieutenant Commander. A given ship will usually only have one 1st for this very purpose. That is the primary distinction between 1sts and 2nds aside from other miscellaneous privileges. They also serve as first mates aboard ships captained by Lieutenant commanders.
Lieutenant Commander: In ursian fleets, the term 'captain' has two meanings, both the military rank, and the head of a ship. Lieutenant commanders in ursian fleets are ranked high enough in the hierarchy to command ships of their own. These ships are always small scout ships; typically war sloops. If a lieutenant commander is not commanding his not in command of their own ship, they serve as assistants to commanders aboard larger warships and help relay orders, coordinate the crew in and out of battle, and manage day to day life aboard the ship.
Commander: Commanders are second in command aboard any ship with an actual captain, and serve as medium weight warship captains otherwise.
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Captain: At this rank, an officer may either be the captain of a very large warship, or be responsible for a patrol fleet of two to three ships. Patrol fleet captains will be the literal captains of their own ship, but have absolute authority over all the others in the patrol fleet, and these other patrol ships are usually captained by lieutenant commanders and commanders.
Rear Admiral: A Rear Admiral commands a fleet of four or more ships and generally takes one for themselves, using it as a flagship. Managerial duties tend to fall to Rear Admirals who are themselves serving under a higher ranking officer, and so they can be seen as something similar to the lieutenant generals of the army.
Admiral: Admirals command the largest fleets, anywhere from nine to twenty ships and fight in the largest battles. Barring intervention from the Fleet Admiral, regular admirals have the final say on everything they take an interest in.
Fleet Admiral: Only one Fleet Admiral serves at a given time. All matters of naval warfare go through them and they essentially command the entire ursian navy excluding the royal guard and their ships.

Most Common Army Units:
Pegasus Knights
Archers
Cavaliers
Clerics

Ursium uses pegasus knights as more of a signature than anything else, though they do serve well as aerial units, and since Ursium has the strongest presence of archers being rivaled only by Kigen, pegasus knights will generally have uncontested rule of the skies wherever Ursium archer divisions are present. Cavaliers are used for nearly everything else on the ground. They will often be used in very high numbers to overwhelm enemies and overrun enemy positions. Their speed ensures that unmounted combatants are quickly surrounded and neutralized. Clerics are extensively used throughout the Ursian military as healers and basic magic wielders to help balance their melee/ranged/magic power. While mages are used extensively, they only make up the sixth most common unit, behind armored knights. Average [Tier 1] soldiers are level 5, average [Tier 2]s are level 2, and average [Tier 3]s are level 1.

Special Units:
Recusant Battletanks: Very heavily armored rune powered vehicles mounting cannons and/or ballistas. They reinforce battalions and lead charges into the battlefield but serve other roles such as building clearers, mid to long range fire support, and mobile anti air platforms which is their most notably useful trait when dealing with Neviskotians. Recusants generally carry an extremely powerful variant of the long nine cannon that can sink shots accurately into distant targets while not exposing the tanks to any direct combat. Still, the tanks are covered in such thick and durable armor that nothing short of other cannons and things beyond that can damage to them.

Most Common Navy Units:
Pegasus Knights
Mages
Archers
Myrmidons

Ursian fleets are cautious on the water and will stay at range for as long as possible. Ursian archers and mages in the navy are taught to fight efficiently at all ranges for this reason, as boarding is often unavoidable one way or the other. As enemy ships approach, pegasus knights and mounted mages move in to pick off enemies and thin out their numbers while archers and siege mages take potshots from a distance. Once boarding occurs, Ursians will use pegasus knights to strike from above and hit enemies with as much power as they can muster. Swordsmen defend the crew from any flanking attempts. When ursians board enemy vessels, they thin out their numbers first and then send over mages and swordsmen in mass.

Neviskotia

Army Ranks: (Note: These ranks only apply to Neviskotia)
Private: The lowest rank, gained right after completing basic training. Its only value being recognition as a part of the Neviskotian military.
Corporal: Corporals can obtain the most basic of managerial responsibilities in a unit, but beyond that are little different from privates. Pulling rank is an option for them, however.
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Sergeant: Sergeants are considered officers of the Neviskotian military and are entitled to the most basic of officers' privileges, such as placing and repealing bounties and arrest warrants, making minor human resources adjustments, and requisitioning supplies.
Sergeant Major: They carry more privileges than Sergeants but the differences end there.
Command Sergeant Major: At this rank, officers have more extensive authority over human resource adjustments(promotion, demotion, and reassignment).
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3rd Lieutenant: The first of the three Lieutenant ranks in the Neviskotian military. 3rds can take command of small platoons, border security, or serve directly under a colonel in a battalion. They may also serve in less violent roles or as "paper pushers" as they're sometimes called.
2nd Lieutenant: 2nds are allowed more free movement and assignment within the military but are generally found commanding forces same as the 3rds in either security details or battalions. Dragons enlisting in the military always begin their service at this rank or higher(in rare cases).
1st Lieutenant: The top of the Lieutenant hierarchy. They have similar privileges to the Ursian Captain.
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Captain: Captains in Neviskotia lead one battalion of their own, and work through lieutenants to manage their alloted forces. Human and dragon resource adjustments within their own battalion are under their jurisdiction.
Major: High ranking officers with similar duties to Captains, but they will sometimes have more than one battalion at their beck and call. They will generally be heading security in certain territories of Neviskotia.
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Lieutenant Colonel: Lieutenant Colonels are the second highest authority on army resources management and are charged with aiding in individual armies(in Neviskotia that would be a force consisting of two or more battalions) or helping oversee numerous armies alongside Lieutenant Generals. They are the primary keepers of rank and file with dozens of assistants.
Colonel: In Neviskotia, Colonels are the backbone of the military holding command of entire armies, though some choose to only command individual battalions in their territories.
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Brigadier General: This rank allots thousands upon thousands of soldiers to command. Brigadier Generals will generally be in charge of anywhere from six to twelve battalions or one or two armies.
Major General: Major Generals are free roaming managerial enforcers. Similar to police, they report to Marshalls and help to keep the army strong by actively seeking out and exposing the weaker officers and having them demoted, courtmartialled, or in some cases when severe corruption is exposed, executed. Many guardians have been Major Generals within the Neviskotian army.
Lieutenant General: They are the final word on army resources, human, Dragon, and material. There generally aren't very many and so a single Lieutenant General may be overseeing nearly a sixth of the entire land military's provisions. They have other managerial officers at their side, but their responsibilities are still quite daunting.
General: Generals serve multiple purposes in the military, mainly military and domestic government. They will sometimes be more studious officers with a gift for governing and other times will be warriors with unparalleled combat prowess. Generals are usually uncontested for seats of domestic power and are most often found serving as governors of entire territories within the nation. All have leave to act as they please within the confines of military law but answer directly to the Marshalls. The leaders of noble houses share a rank equivalent to this one inside their own territories and with the troops belonging to them.
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Marshall: Marshalls lead the Neviskotian military. They have the final word on all matters that the Grand Marshall or Commanding Guardian take no part in. As an heir to the throne, Prince Deniska Loginov carries the authority of a Marshall.
Grand Marshall: Head of the Marshalls boasting authority over all lower ranking officers. The Grand Marshall is the second highest authority in Neviskotia, being bound only by military law, and the Commanding Guardian(Emperor). There is only ever one acting Grand Marshall at a time.
Guardian: Guardian is a special title given to those chosen by the Emperor. It is not truly a military rank but a mark of duty and authority. Guardians are not bound by domestic or military law, but by a code written out over a thousand years ago. Regardless of their military rank, Guardians have unlimited action, though their military rank somewhat reflects how much authority they have over others. Even without a high rank, directives from Guardians are almost always obeyed without little question for fear of unknown repercussions.
Commanding Guardian: This rank is reserved for the Emperor himself. It is above all other ranks, including Guardian. The Commanding Guardian is bound by the same code of the Guardians and is considered a type of Guardian himself.

Navy Ranks: (Note: These ranks only apply to Neviskotia)
Cadet: These are crewmen in training that the navy uses to prevent skeleton crews, as these have proven troublesome in protracted battles where injuries and casualties are high. They have no special privileges and are not considered a part of the navy officially. They merely work as extra hands aboard a given ship and many are noncombatants meant only to maintain the ship or handle rigging work.
Ensign: These are basic crewman acknowledged as a part of the navy. They have no special privileges and no authority among their peers beyond bossing around the cadets(when it's appropriate). They can also enforce a ship's rules independently if a civilian or equally ranked unit from a separate division(army private) is aboard, though disciplinary action is left to higher ranking petty officers and sub-lieutenants.
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3rd Petty Officer: The rank of petty officer is a very long line of ascension and the duties throughout change little. Similar to army sergeants in almost every way, petty officers handle resource management on a deck or group level which means most ships have at least a dozen of them overseeing the ensigns.
2nd Petty Officer: 2nds have more freedoms and privileges but there is little else to distinguish them other than the number.
1st Petty Officer: 1sts are in line to become Chief Petty Officers and are given the same tasks to groom them for the role.
Chief Petty Officer: Chief Petty Officers serve under lieutenants and manage much of a warship, most of the ship if it's a smaller one and captained by a mid-ranked officer. They can also handle disciplinary duties and coordinate individual gun decks when desired.
Master Chief Petty Officer: Very similar to a Chief Petty Officer, but with more authority. Their duties tend to vary depending on what an individual ship requires and what it's specialty is. For example, a fire ship(a ship armed with fire cannons and lots incendiary ordnance), a Master Chief Petty Officer will closely oversee the handling of the hazardous materials in place of higher ranking officers.
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Sub-Lieutenant: Dragons joining the navy will receive this rank after their formal training is complete. Sub-Lieutenants assist higher ranking officers such as the lieutenant commander or captain whenever and wherever they're needed. They sometimes act as first mates and quartermasters depending on the ship they serve on.
3rd Lieutenant: Like sub-lieutenants, 3rds assist lieutenant commanders and captains however they can. With the official recognition of being a lieutenant however, they can assume control of the entire ship when necessary and contest orders within reason. They also carry authority over all lower ranking officers aboard the ship they serve on.
2nd Lieutenant: One step up on the pecking order with more privileges. 2nds are more likely to take over for a commanding officer than a 3rd and 2nds also tend to serve on much larger vessels.
1st Lieutenant: 1sts outrank 2nds and usually serve on the largest ships or are the second in command of a smaller ship.
Lieutenant Commander: Like in Ursium, the rank of captain has two places in the navy. Lieutenant Commanders may captain the smaller ships in the neviskotian navy, or serve under commanders aboard frigates and galleons. Because lieutenant commanders are usually in charge of their own ships, only dragons stationed on carriers ever become lieutenant commanders.
Commander: Commanders act as second in command on the larger neviskotian vessels or command medium sized ships of their own.
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Captain: Captains can also lead patrol fleets, groups of several ships meant for maintaining neviskotian influence across trade routes. Captains also sail on much larger ships than other leading officers, such as ships of the line and carriers.
Fleet Captain: Fleet Captains command not only their own ships, but small battlegroups, fleets larger than patrol fleets, but not as large as admiral led armadas. Fleet Captains respond to regional crises by sailing in with their fleets of six to twelve vessels and addressing problems with intimidation, violence, or both.
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Rear Admiral: Like in the ursian navy, rear admirals may command fleets of their own and normally end up with managerial duties. They also assist vice admirals and full fledged admirals with the upkeep of their fleets by overseeing supply distribution. Their role in supply distribution allows crucial fleets to operate at sea in specific locations for up to a year at a time(after a year, humanitarian rules go into effect) and allows enormous blockades to persist for years at a time.
Vice Admiral: Vice admirals lead the second largest fleets in the navy and where rear admirals are lacking oversee homeland defense or anti-separatist operations. They have no immediate resource managing duties, but are still similar to rear admirals in authority and available ships to utilize.
Admiral: Admirals lead the largest fleets, officially dubbed 'armadas' by the conclave. These fleets can number anywhere from twenty to forty ships or more and can overpower coastal regions and pirate fleets easily. They can operate against general threats, the separatists, or the ursians. Admirals answer to the Grand Admiral but generally act on their own without standing orders and pursue the nation's interests in their own way.
Grand Admiral: The Grand Admiral leads the entire neviskotian navy and answers only to the Conclave and the Emperor. Only one Grand Admiral serves at a time and carry absolute authority over all naval forces during times of open conflict or all out war. This rank is currently and has been held by a dragon many times.

Most Common Army Units:
Wyvern Riders
Mercenaries
Fighters
Soldiers

Neviskotian soldiers are split into a combination that completes the weapon triangle and battalions are often organized to take full advantage of this. Soldiers are generally instructed to keep themselves alive instead of relying almost exclusively on healers. Every soldier carries his own healing salve and as a result, magic users are less prevalent on the battlefield. There are many healers serving, but not enough to be considered a primary means of healing like in other nations. This has led to a booming vulnerary and elixer producing industry. Wyvern riders are used as aerial specialists filling any kind of role needed, including shock troops, scouts, defenders, and dragon escorts. Average [Tier 1] soldier level is 5, average [Tier 2] is 1, and average [Tier 3] is 1.

Special Units:
Dragons: Large elemental reptilian sentients who fight alongside the Neviskotians in limited numbers. Many get a combat role depending on their element. Earth, Wind, and Fire dragons generally serve in the army more than any other kind, Earth Dragons being front line units, Wind dragons dealing with threats from the air(and sometimes the ground), and Fire Dragons acting as mobile artillery lobbing fireballs on enemies from great distances. Dragons are very imposing, but are also very easy to target with siege weapons and are relatively easy to injure. Concerted attacks can quickly bring almost any dragon down and so they are fiercely protected.

Vanguards: Vanguards are dragons placed in very heavy armor that only they can move around in. Vanguard casings are generally giant hollow iron wagons built to house a dragon fully harnessed inside. The dragon powers the wagon with his paws moving it forward and backward. The entire casing is armored, but has two ports on either side to allow the dragon's wings to come out for faster placement. Two crew members will be operating inside the Vanguard and will close the ports when the wings aren't extended to close the armor gap. Another port at the front of the casing allows the dragon to see some of what's going on in front of them, but for blind spots, the human crew is relied upon. The front port's secondary purpose is to allow fire dragons to use their fire magic directly. Fire Vanguards as a result are basically hulking flamethrower tanks. Vanguards lack the agility of normal flight but can still get airborne to relocate, or retreat. Wind Vanguards are never hindered by the weight that they carry and so they are the easiest vanguards to deploy, but they are less powerful on offense compared to Fire Vanguards. To literally top off the Vanguard, they will generally carry two human mounted weapon placements on the very top of the wagon; a two person man cannon, and a one man forward placed fire ballista. Ground dedicated Vanguards will usually have two cannons instead of only one, and anti air Vanguards will swap the cannons for two ballistas. The total crew not including the dragon will be from five to seven. Every Vanguard that isn't flying into a hot zone will have significant protection from flanking attacks as well. Vanguards are the most feared of all Neviskotian land based weapons due to their incredible survivability and effectiveness in close quarters combat. There are only around twenty Vanguards, and so in the military they are known by name and number, but more are planned for the future.

Most Common Navy Units:
Wyvern Riders
Mages
Mercenaries
Fighters

Neviskotia has extremely aggressive naval behavior, focusing on brute force and numbers during boarding operations. Wyvern riders are sent out and covered by either siege mages or onboard mages. They harass enemies until a boarding attempt occurs on either side. Once this happens, wyvern riders and mages begin to pick off any isolated or exposed enemies while sword and axe wielders attempt to overpower the enemy. This is the neviskotian tactic on offense or defense, though on defense, the wyvern riders will usually land a few of their own in the thick of the fighting to distract, crush, or overwhelm enemies. This usually blocks enemy advances long enough for fatigued crewmen to recover and kills the enemies' momentum. As wyvern cause enemy units to clump together after a broken charge, mages launch area attacks to wipe out enemies in mass.

Kigen

Army Ranks: (Note: Kigenese only)
Soldier: The rank of soldier extends to how many years one has been in service in the military. 1st Year, 2nd Year, 3rd Year, and so on.
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Army Lieutenant: This rank carries far more relevance in Kigen than in other nations. Army Lieutenants will be commanding entire battalions.
Local Lieutenant: Local Lieutenants handle domestic issues, issue and repeal bounties, and can recruit and train new soldiers either to serve under them or in the army.
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Samurai: Samurai are the rough equivalents of both Captains and Colonels acting as both powerful warriors who inspire the troops following them, and commanders to their individual forces. They are usually at or near the front of their troops leading them into the fray.
Army General: Generals lead individual armies and have almost total managerial control of their people and resources.
Local General: Local Generals oversee military strongholds that have evolved into castle towns. They oversee the defense of the castle towns and raise up new armies as needed.
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Shogun: Shoguns have lead multiple armies and govern vast territories within Kigen. They carry the highest honor in the military and with it the greatest scrutiny and envying. Only one shogun serves actively at a time, but multiple men may possess the literal rank at any given time. Those who are not the acting shogun are sometimes called 'Imperial Generals'. One of them becomes the acting shogun when the current one dies, retires, or is removed from office. As such, it is extremely difficult to gain the status of shogun through blood, and is considered impossible in most cases.

Navy Ranks: (Note: Kigenese only)
Seaman: The rank of seaman extends to how many years one has been in service in the military. 1st Year, 2nd Year, 3rd Year, and so on.
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Deck Officer: Deck officers are similar to the lieutenants of land armies and have most of the same responsibilities. In rare circumstances they can give orders for a captain but that is a job normally exclusive to higher ranks. Deck Officers are responsible for protecting their assigned area of the ship during boarding operations and coordinate attack and defense on a squad to squad basis.
Coast Officer: Also known as 'Port Officers', they are stationed at seaside forts or on coast guard ships. They organize units under their command and assist in running drills and maintaining order. In battle they often head cannon squads, relay orders, and coordinate strike teams during boarding operations.
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Lieutenant: Lieutenants are usually referred to as first mates or even quartermasters, and have the same jobs one expects to come with those. A kigenese warship usually has more than one depending on how many gun decks the ship has in order to maximize efficiency. Lieutenants can act in place of captains and even replace them on the spot if one is killed in battle which is another reason the kigenese tend to place more than one on a ship. The longest serving lieutenant aboard will replace a dead captain, and so enlistment dates are verified long in advance. In the event two lieutenants are tied for the position, one of the men must concede or risk a pointless quarrel that could cost the entire crew's lives.
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Captain: Captains are in charge of individual ships and have nearly absolute authority during a battle. Outside of battle, their orders can be contested by their lieutenants if the captain's directives conflict with standing fleet orders issued by the ship's respective admiral. Some captains operate independently of a fleet, but all technically belong to a fleet commanded by a specific admiral and so they will always have standing orders whether or not they are currently traveling in a fleet.
Admiral: Admirals command individual fleets and have absolute authority in and out of battle. Their orders can only be contested by a shogun or the emperor himself, but neither are ever around to do so, which leaves most admirals in a position to do whatever they wish as long as they can appease their betters. Because they answer directly to the Shoguns, there is no 'ultimate admiral' to lead the rest and each commands his fleet as he sees fit with minimal guidance from the powers that be. Admirals can capture, build, or purchase new ships for their fleets as they see fit, but adhere to a few related regulations.

Most Common Army Units:
Myrmidons
Knights
Mages/Magicians
Archers

Myrmidons are Kigen's blade specialists who often wield wingslayers or killing edges. Knights serve as the defensive units who defend various locations with a multitude of different weapon types. Mages are typically used both offensively and defensively and primarily against Fallen who are susceptible to anima magic. They also serve as healers when it's needed. Archers are essential to Kigenese war tactics, and fighting Fallen who can easily remain at range and attack from afar. A significant amount of Kigenese soldiers are archers. Average [Tier 1] soldier level is 5, average [Tier 2] level is 5, and average [Tier 3] level is 5.

Special Units:
War Elephants: Kigenese War Elephants serve as versatile war mounts, helping with supplies, and in combat with Fallen. They are particularly effective at delivering crushing blows to the flying warriors and are praised for their trunks especially. It is a source of comedy and a good morale boost for some soldiers to see their unit's elephant grab a Fallen right out of the air and repeatedly bash its head into the ground until it dies. War Elephants are very powerful but often need costly protection. Archers are the primary means, but sometimes knights are stationed at a war elephant's feet to keep Fallen from going after the legs to bring them down. Because Elephants are so intelligent, they can usually be trained to respond properly to a situation without any guidance. This proves useful when a camp is asleep, and the only chance of them waking to a Fallen attack in time is if the elephant immediately calls out to them.

Thunder Tower Operators:
Thunder Towers are one hundred foot tall obelisks which house an operator, and a powerful magic infused crystal. The very top of the Thunder Tower is very similar to a city guard tower, with four well open sides to view the world from. The operator stands below the crystal, which is exposed to the elements. The crystals are designed to function as omni-directional siege range weapons. Operators use their magical senses to detect and attack fallen instead of their eyes, and the crystals along with their rigorous training make them deadly combatants against the fallen.
Thunder Towers do not only carry crystals infused with thunder magic, but they kept the name over the years, as the first weapon of this type carried a thunder crystal. Another notable use for Thunder Towers beyond zapping fallen out of the air one by one, are their ability to spark death clouds. Doing this at just the right time can lead to the immediate deaths of hundreds upon hundreds of Fallen.
Thunder Towers usually stand in place of traditional guard towers in Kigenese fortresses, and they have proven to be just as effective against small raiding forces as the fallen, though they must be heavily guarded from the ground, otherwise a high enough yield explosive can topple the tower at its base. They are considered omni-directional, however there are a few very small blind spots from which a Thunder Tower cannot normally fire from. One example being that a Thunder Tower cannot fire through its own roof supports of which there are four(so four blind spots right there). Another would be directly downward or upward. Most Thunder Towers house thunder crystals specifically to get around this problem, as Thunder Operators are trained to arc thunder spells around the blind spots and reach targets no matter where they are.
The Kigenese also went the extra mile and developed the MTT(Mobile Thunder Tower). These Thunder Towers stand on very large wagons with huge struts holding the tower in place. They require numerous mount teams to pull along, but can be positioned on any flat terrain accessible through more flat terrain. Even a minor steep incline is enough to make traversing impossible due to weight or braking issues. They're built shorter to address this problem somewhat. Every large army will typically have at least one MTT in its arsenal. It's become increasingly common for individual platoon signatures to be etched into the surface of the lower tower sections. Flags are also sometimes placed on higher sections. No 'white flag's have ever been mounted on a Thunder Tower, however.

Death Cloud Teams:
These consist of numerous wind mages and at least one fire or thunder mage, as well as a few non-magical specialists who deal with the 'cloud' substance. Death Clouds are created by propelling a tremendous amount of fine powder into the sky. This powder is so incredibly harmful to inhale, that any human unfortunate enough to do so has almost no chance of surviving beyond a few minutes. Fallen are more resilient, but usually die as well, if not from the harmful powder, then from anything that follows during the battle as a result of their weakened state. When inhaled, a fallen cannot breathe normally, and as such, they can no longer fly normally and either slow down or descend into range of Kigenese forces.
Death Clouds are so dangerous that they must be contained at all cost, or else both sides can suffer massive casualties, and usually sometimes instantly. The wind mages come into play here; after the powder is sent into the air, the mages work in unison to contain it to a pre-planned area. Usually this area is somewhere they expect the fallen to try and approach from. Fallen flocks that come into contact with Death Clouds almost always falter immediately, and so they will avoid them at all cost, even if it forces them to fight during the day, where the red haze Death Clouds produce is easier to spot.
Death Clouds are not only used to force the enemy to fight where the Kigenese want them to, but is also designed to eradicate them in mass at a crucial moment. The powder that makes up Death Clouds is so flammable, that igniting it while still in its container is like setting off a primitive thermobaric bomb. A fire or thunder mage, or even a well placed torch throw is enough to ignite a Death Cloud, and doing so while in its suspended 'cloud' state is lethal to anything within or in close proximity to the cloud. Temperatures inside a death cloud reach almost twelve thousand degrees, enough to kill any mortal being, and flash melt metals. The shockwave from these ignitions are also enough to displace entire flocks of fallen all at once, making them one of Kigen's most powerful weapons.
The powder used in Death Clouds and how it's created is one of Kigen's most well guarded secrets. It is only manufactured in Kayoyama under close supervision of the Emperor's most trusted engineers. Despite being such a well guarded secret, studying the effects of Death Cloud explosions has led some researchers to believe that the powder is made through 'hyper infusion', a process that imbues physical matter so deeply with a given type of magic, that any kind of explosive reaction will violently release all of its potential energy at once, eradicate the material it was housed in, and send the temperatures in the local area soaring.
Some common Death Cloud shapes are the 'Ring', a Death Cloud that surrounds an entire army forcing the fallen to come in from directly above, or from a much lower altitude, the 'Canopy', a Death Cloud that hangs in the air above the entire army, forcing fallen to attack from altitudes archers and siege mages are rather fond of, or from the ground, in range of everyone else, and the 'Stone Wall', a Death Cloud that is used to completely block a fallen army's advance. Should a General feel they are not going to retreat, the clouds are usually ignited, creating a spectacular display of flames that kills fallen that are too close, and humbles all the rest.
Death Clouds powder is also used by Imperial assassins, and with frightening finesse.

Most Common Navy Units:
Mages
Archers
Soldiers
Myrmidons

Some kigenese ships lack sails and so can't be slowed down by conventional means. They tend to be slower than other ship types, though, and aren't reliable for advanced combat maneuvers or on the fly directional changes. When defending from a boarding party, kigenese crews will launch ranged assaults preemptively and then move lancers to the front to block access while their swordsmen defend the noncombatants and reinforce the lancers if any gaps in the line breaks or the formation falls apart. For offense, the lancers are kept back at first and the mages bombard the ship suppressing resistance and causing extensive damage while the swordsmen cross over. Archers get to the highest parts of the ship and try to pick off individual targets at range. Once the swordsmen have a foothold, the lancers cross and begin quickly running down any targets they find. The two teams then coordinate to save momentum and press the attack. Average [Tier 1] crewman level is 4, average [Tier 2] level is 4, and average [Tier 3] level is 4.

Special Units:
pending ...

Rex-Avaz

Army Ranks/Sancturan Army Ranks:(Note: Rexian only)
Infantryman: Ordinary soldiers serving in the Rexian army.
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Lieutenant: Officers who have authority over Infantrymen and can command small divisions of troops themselves.
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Captain: Captains command the individual battalions of the Rexian army and answer to the generals.
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General: Generals lead two or three battalions each and manage Sanctuary, functioning as a governing council.
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Commander: The head of the entire military, always and only chosen by the Goddess Aisha in the case of Sancturans. In other areas, Commanders are handpicked by leaders out of talented strategists and warriors.

Navy Ranks:(Note: Rexian only)
Recruit: crewmen in training. They have no special privileges and are not truly recognized as members of the military yet. They are used to fill out the crews of medium to large vessels when the need arises.
Crewman: These are officially recognized members of the Rexian Coalition Force.
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2nd Fleet Officer: Similar to lieutenants of the armies, Fleet officers are responsible for handling manpower and resources on a more localized level than higher ranking officers in the fleet or aboard the ship. They coordinate most combat actions and help to relay orders during battle. They can also stand in for a captain in an emergency or on orders.
1st Fleet Officer: A given ship will only have one 1st and this officer acts as a first mate to the captain. They also replace the captain in the event of their death. The 1st Officer rank is immediately assumed by the most fitting or most favored 2nd. Barring the captains themselves, 1st Fleet Officers carry the most authority on any given ship.
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Captain: Head of individual ships. Captains usually helm the ship during battle while one of their fleet officers relays their orders to the rest of the crew.
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Commander: Also known as 'admirals', 'navy commanders', 'sea kings' and even 'leviathans', the commander leads the entire fleet. Similar to other fleet admirals of other navies, they will have anywhere from two to a dozen vessels under their command and can issue 'standing orders' in the event of a long absence. The naval commanders answer only to the Rexian Coalition leaders themselves.

Most Common Army Units:
Horsemen
Myrmidons
Mages
Troubadours

Rexians will use horsemen as their primary method of combat, while Troubadours act as mobile healers. Myrmidons and mages are a simpler slower footed form of the Horsemen/Troubadour combination, but more suited to urban environments. Average [Tier 1] rexian soldiers are level 4. Average [Tier 2]s are level 4, and average [Tier 3]s are level 4.

Rex-Avaz is unique in that one of its armies is aided by a Goddess in battle. Any battle taking place on Rexian soil that the Sancturan army is involved in will see a terrible sandstorm that only the Sancturans seem able to fight to their fullest in the midst of. This allows them to take an overwhelming advantage in battle against their enemies.

Most Common Navy Units:
Archers
Mages
Fighters
Clerics

During boarding actions, rexian crews will use their archers, mages, and even swivel guns to annihilate everything on an enemy ship's main deck, and then send over scores of axe wielding brawlers to cut their way through the ship. Clerics accompany them in limited numbers to quickly heal wounds and allow the strike teams to press on. On defense, the brawlers defend the deck while the clerics treat the wounded and archers and mages target any enemies in range. Average [Tier 1] rexian crewmen are level 3. Average [Tier 2]s are level 4, and average [Tier 3]s are level 5.

Corvus

Military Ranks: (Note: Fallen ranks)

Ke-Nestling: The equivalent of a private in other militaries. Carries no authority of any kind. The name carries with it a bit of an insult to encourage growth.
Ke-Talon: Talon's act as instructors or platoon leaders.
Ke-Raven: This rank is like that of a Lieutenant and carries similar responsibilities and privileges.
Ke-Falcon: Those with the rank of Falcon are the leaders of Fallen flocks(battalions). Similar to the rank of Captain or Colonel.
Ke-Eagle: Equivalent to a General, Eagles head entire armies. Pronounced 'Key-gehl'.
Marshall: Marshalls govern territories within Corvus and will have several generals at their beck and call.
Patriarch/Matriarch: These Fallen boast incredible power and authority, but are little more entitled than Marshalls. Their names are far more respected however and they are the second highest honored of all Fallen.
Sovereign: The rank of the Emperor.

Fallen ranks usually have a 'Ke' prefix. It comes from the Corvian language and is a very shortened word for Kestrelli attached to most of the military ranks. It survived the centuries along with much of old fallen culture. It comes from a time during a fallen new age where demons were more commonly shaped like the Fallen themselves. This led to them having very high intelligence and even being given ranks in the military. It brought about many problems, including a fallen identity crisis as well as a full blown civil war(which ancient Kigenese experienced as a calm period free of fallen influence). The traditionalist side won out, and architects were forced to adhere to specific guidelines when making demons. The laws and other effects of that time period survive to present times. Despite this, the 'Ke' is not commonly added during casual speech, and only the main rank is spoken.

Units:
Warriors: Weapon reliant
Dark Magic Users: Magic reliant
Versatiles: Fallen equally dependent on both physical and magical weapons.

Corvus though savage at its core is surprisingly well balanced in warfare covering all of their weaknesses in some way or another. Average [Tier 2] Fallen are level 4, and average [Tier 3]s are level 5. Fallen are somewhat unique in that they are one of only two countries with non-dragon warriors that use both physical and magic together in battle. Fallen have natural magical ability and so can cast without tomes once properly learned. This in no way impedes their physical prowess, and so they remain highly versatile and dangerous.

Special Units:
Demons: Fallen forge demons out of dark magic and living matter. Demons serve every other kind of role that needs filling, from surplus consumers, to transports and shocktroops. In combat they serve depending on their design. Hell Hounds are generally used as shocktroops to keep soldiers busy, hunt down archers, or try to weaken or distract war elephants. Mammoths are forged as massive transports, can combat war elephants, and are noted for having a similar appearance to them. There is no limit to the number of demon types. They are forged to fill roles and so they can take any number of forms, however a demon itself only has one form and must be reconstructed into something else(recycled) if the need arises.

Aquila

Military Ranks: (Note: Avian ranks)
Avian ranks are largely unknown and there is little evidence of them even existing save for the obvious authority of the Emperor himself.

Units:
The only units seen in use by the Avians are those serving in Cloud Legion, most of which were wielders of both blades and light magic, save for the Emperor who has been recorded as a fire magic user. Average tier 2 Avians are [level 5], and average [Tier 3]s are level 5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Final notes:
-Promotions in rank vary a bit by nation but only posthumous promotions should ever increase more than one rank, and posthumous promotions have their own rules based on country which someone can come to me directly on.
-Demotions work the same way and should not be used in a >1 fashion.

Edited by Phoenix, 18 April 2013 - 06:50 AM.

[Phoenix]

This post covers three articles; the Naval Combat System add-on, the RotE Currency article, and The Guardian Corp article.

NAVAL WARFARE SYSTEM AND INFORMATION

OVERVIEW:
Engagements on the sea are sometimes necessary to clear a path to victory. When ships aren't forced into boarding battles, cannons and support units do the dirty work. Like regular stat combat, a RNG is used to determine accuracy and damage, but instead of three d6d, only two are used, the first being the hit die for accuracy, and the second being the might die for damage. Like always, the hit total is added to Hit and the might total is added to Mt. Unlike regular stat combat, there are no critical or lethal hits, but any matching numbers result in an autohit. When a ship's hp is reduced to 0, it sinks and all of its Ship Support Units are removed from play.

A naval battle consists of two or more fleets broken down into two to three ship formations exchanging fire and magic for supremacy. Every ship in a fleet and all of their Support Units may act on a given turn, but fleet formation rules prevent extreme converging attacks. When an individual ship attacks, each of it's shots is rolled for accuracy and damage.

SHIP TYPES:

Sloop:
Small agile ships. Often serving as scouts or utility ships on the front lines. Sloops can move to a new zone every turn.

Frigate:
Small but well armed ships. Commonly used in wolf pack flotillas or as escorts and even independent scouts. Frigates can move to a new zone every turn.

Fluyt:
Medium weight ships with varying armaments. often the mainstay of various fleets. Fluyts can move to a new zone every other turn.

Galleon:
Heavy weight ships with a lot of firepower. Highly independent and usually serve as flagships of small fleets. Galleons can move to a new zone every other turn.

Ship of the Line:
Massive ships bristling with cannons. Deployed to inflict massive damage across the battlefield and are unstoppable in numbers. Ships of the line can move to a new zone every two turns.

Carrier:
Ships equal to or greater in size than SotLs, but designed for deploying various support units. Carriers usually stick to support roles but sometimes have other duties, such as ramming, dedicated anti-air and/or anti-marine roles. Carriers can move to a new zone every two turns.

Corvette:
Fast ships with much higher offensive ability than sloops, but not as durable as Frigates. Corvettes can move to a new zone every turn.

Clipper:
Most nimble vessels on the water with unsurpassed mobility in a firefight. Clippers can move to a new zone every turn.

WindJammer:
The first all metal hulled ships, which as a result, possess unrivaled defensive capabilities in battle. WindJammers can move to a new zone every other turn.

DEFAULT SHIP STATS:

Sloop
HP 50 Evade: 9 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
---
Frigate
HP: 70 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
---
Fluyt
HP: 90 Evade: 7 Defense: 4 Shots: 8
---
Galleon
HP: 110 Evade: 6 Defense: 5 Shots: 10
---
Ship of the Line
HP: 130 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 12
---
Carrier
HP: 150 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 6

OTHER DEFAULTS(innovative classes):
Corvette
HP: 60 Evade: 9 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
---
Clipper
HP: 70 Evade: 10 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
---
Windjammer
HP: 100 Evade: 6 Defense: 7 Shots: 10
---
Battleship (Reference Only)
HP: 200 Evade: 4 Defense: 10 Shots: 16

WEAPONS:
Every warship has weapons of some kind, and the minimum and maximum number that can be mounted on a single vessel is determined by its class. All ship mounted weapons including custom shots, ballistae, thunder pikes, and naval rams do not count against a ship's support limit. In addition, Ballistae, thunder pikes, and naval rams do not take up shot slots and act as ship 'add-ons'.

Light Cannon
Cannons meant for longer range engagements, but they deal less damage.
MT: 4 Hit: 10

Medium Cannon
Cannons of general purpose with par damage and accuracy.
MT: 7 Hit: 7

Heavy Cannon
Cannons with poor accuracy but with high damage capability.
MT: 10 Hit: 4

OTHER WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT:

FireShot (Custom Shot)
Cannons with incediary ammunition. Able to inflict the Fire status with every hit but are lacking in both power and accuracy making them less reliable than fire based Support Units.
MT: 4 Hit: 4

Chainshot (Custom Shot)
Cannons using chainshots. Able to inflict 1 Sail Damage with every hit but are lacking in overall power.
MT: 2 Hit: 6

Grapeshot (Custom Shot)(Also targets Ship Support Unit)
Cannons armed with grapeshot ammunition. Disables a Ship Support Unit, preventing it from acting or using its ability. If it disables the same unit twice, the unit is destroyed.
Mt: 4 Hit: 6

Ballista (Targets Air Support Units Only)
Disables an active Enemy Air Support Unit in the zone. Can destroy disabled or weakened Air Support Units instantly.

Thunder Pike (Targets Marine Support Units Only)
Disables an active Enemy Marine Support Unit in the zone. Can destroy disabled or weakened Marine Support Units instantly.

Chaser Guns: (Ship add-on)
Allows a ship to attack up to four ships at a time instead of two.

Naval Ram: (Ship add-on; is treated as a Ship Support Unit)
Negates all damage taken from the Ram maneuver and inflicts 3 instances of Flood status on the targeted enemy ship. It cannot be repaired during battle once it is destroyed.

Fire Rune Rigging: (Ship add-on)
Ship is immune to the Fire status.

Dark Rune Rigging: (Ship add-on)
Ship is immune to the Sail Damage Status.

SUPPORT UNITS:
Sometimes fleets or even individual ships come with some kind of support unit that can aid in combat. Each Support Unit comes at the cost of two points from the 'owner vessel's' stats while Dragon supports come at the cost of three. Support units begin each turn as either active or inactive. If they remain active during their turn, they can do the following:
-Use their Support ability
-Change zones(Marine and Air Supports only)
While active, however, they are susceptible to direct attacks from other Support Units or special weapons. Inactive Support Units may only change zones during their turns, but cannot be targeted by other Support Units or special weapons. Careful activation and deactivation of Support Units can potentially turn the tide of a battle.

Dragon Support Units are the most versatile and most powerful Support Units. Each is able to perform one of the following as their action on their turn:
-Attack a ship; deals 10 damage by default
-Attack a Support Unit; the target must be of the same category, or also be a 'dragon' type and the victim is weakened. Dragons must have MTA to weaken other dragons, otherwise pvp or GM verdict decides the outcome.
-Use its ability; each ability is dependent on the type dragon type
Dragon Notes:
-Elemental Advantages:
Thunder->Water->Fire->Ice->Wind->Earth->Thunder
Light->Dark->Anima->Light

Fire Mages: (Ship)
Inflicts 1 Fire status on an enemy ship per turn. That ship must be within a targetable formation of ships.

Thunder Mages: (Ship)
Disables a single enemy Marine, Ship, or Air Support Unit each turn.

Wind Mages: (Ship)
Increases an allied ship's evasion by 4 points once per turn.

Water Mages: (Ship)
Removes the Fire and Flood statuses simultaneously.

Earth Mages: (Ship)
May instantly free an allied ship(target or user) from the Ram status, or increase the Ram damage calc from 50% to 75% when a Ram occurs. Allied ship must be in the same zone as the owner ship. May also heal a ship for 10 hp per turn. This ship must be in the same zone as the owner ship.

Ice Mages: (Ship)
May add a degradable +4 defense bonus to an allied ship once per turn. The armor may not be applied to the same ship again until the previous armor wears off completely. The armor loses 1 point every 4 shots. Allied ship must be in the same formation as the owner ship.

Light Mages: (Ship)
Restores 1 destroyed Marine, Ship, or Air Support Unit per turn. Allied Support Unit must be in the same zone as the owner ship.

Dark Mages: (Ship)
While active, its owner ship becomes immune to status ailments and Support Unit attacks, but the owner ship's shot accuracy is reduced by 50% after rolls.

Engineer Team: (Ship)
Repairs damage from battle and restores its ship's hp by 20 per turn, or removes a single status ailment once per turn.

Firing Team: (Ship)
Destroys 1 enemy Air Support Unit that has targeted allied Ship Supports in the formation during the last turn. May only disable a Dragon Support Unit the first time, but may destroy it the second.

Aerial Squadron: (Air)
Can inflict either the Weaken or Disable status on an enemy Ship or Air Support Unit. Can also destroy already weakened Ship or Air Support Units.

Dragoon Squadron: (Marine)
Can inflict either the Weaken or Disable status on an enemy Ship or Marine Support Unit. Can also destroy already weakened Ship or Air Support Units.

Fire Dragon: (Air)
Simultaneously inflicts 1 Fire and 2 Sail Damage on 1 target per turn.

Thunder Dragon: (Air)
May target and disable any Marine, Ship, or Air Support Unit every other turn.

Wind Dragon: (Air)
Can increase the evasion of an allied ship by 6 points once per turn. Moving to a new zone counts as a free action for Wind Dragons.

Water Dragon: (Marine)
Can convert a single a zone into a maelstrom. Ships within that zone cannot use any maneuvers or exit the zone. Only one maelstrom can be created at a time. May inflict or remove the Flood Status on 1 enemy or allied ship per turn.

Earth Dragon: (Air)
Can instantly free an allied ship(target or user) from the Ram status, or increase the Ram damage calc from 50% to 100%. May also heal a ship for 10 hp per turn.

Ice Dragon: (Air)
May add a degradable +8 defense bonus to an allied ship once per turn. The armor may not be applied to the same ship again until the previous armor wears off completely. The armor loses 1 point every 4 shots.

Light Dragon: (Air)
Restores 1 destroyed Marine, Ship, or Air Support Unit per turn. Cannot be disabled.

Shadow Dragon: (Air)
Can conceal 1 allied ship, protecting it and its onboard Support Units from shots and Enemy Support Units each turn. The ship must be within the same zone as the dragon. Shadow dragons may move to any zone at the start of their turn by warping there.

Custom Support Units List:
Fira-Vega: (Air)
Can weaken enemy Ship, or Air Support Units. If a Ship Support Unit is attacked, its ship receives the Fire status automatically. If she attacks a ship, it receives 2 Fires instead of one.

Giant Seal: (Ship)
Negates all magic based weaponry and Support Unit abilities within its owner ship's zone. Cannot be disabled or destroyed until its owner ship is removed from the field.

Sea Wyrms: (Marine)
Decreases a target ships def over time with a maximum decrease of 3 def per turn (this number resets to 1 def subtraction every time they disengage.) Must remain in the same zone as their coordinator's ship (they follow if their ship leaves.) Can attack other marine units to disable.

BATTLE STATUS:
Statuses or 'status ailments' are conditions affecting a ship or support unit during combat. They can be inflicted and removed in various ways. Status ailments that occur every turn take effect at the end of the affected unit's turn.

Fire(Ship): Unit loses 10 hp per turn until it is removed. Burns can stack up to three times.
Flood(Ship): Unit loses 5 hp and 1 evade per turn until it is removed. Floods can stack up to six times.
Sail Damage(Ships): Ship's evade is reduced by 1 point. Sail Damage can stack until evasion is 0.
Rammed(Ships): Ships' evasion are set to zero(both target and ram ship).
Disabled(Support Unit): Unit is actively engaged or incapacitated. They cannot use their abilities or enter inactivity. Disable lasts one turn.
Weakened(Support Unit): Weakened units are extremely vulnerable and are instantly destroyed if a unit capable of inflicting weaken attacks them. Weaken can only be cured by remaining inactive for two turns.

CUSTOMIZATIONS:
Unique ships can be customized but the customizations are restricted by ship type and may not preceed or exceed the following amounts(based on default stats):
HP: +20/-30
Evade: +3/-4
Defense: +3/-4
Shots: +/-4
Support: +2 Sloop/Corvette/Clipper/Frigate, +3 Fluyt/WindJammer/Galleon/SotL, +4 Carrier/Battleship
Custom Shot: +4 Sloop/Corvette/Clipper/Frigate, +6 Fluyt/WindJammer/Galleon/SotL, +6 Carrier/Battleship
Add-ons: +2

Sacrificing points in one area grants points for others, and so ships can be modified to increase performance in desired areas, or mount special equipment and supports units.
HP: For every 5 points of hp lost, 1 point in other areas is gained, and vice versa. HP can only be increased and decreased in 5s.
Custom Shot: One CS can be added for 1 point, but CSs cannot exceed a ship's 'normal shot' cap(eg: may not have 5 regular shots + 4 custom shots on a Sloop as the total exceeds 8, the Sloop shot cap).
Add-on: One can be added for every 5 hp, 1 evade, 1 defense, or 1 shot. Duplicate add-ons are not possible.
Support Unit: One Support Unit can be added for 2 points from any stat. Dragon Support Units cost 3 points from any stat.

ZONES AND MANEUVERS:
Zones are labeled sections of the battlefield that ships and Support Units can occupy. A ship may attack an enemy in another zone, but the accuracy of shots aimed at an adjacent zone is reduced by 50% after rolls. Mobile Support Units on the other hand can only attack enemies in the same zone as them. Only six ships per faction may occupy a zone at one time while only six Support Units(Marine and Air) can occupy the same zone. Allied ships sharing the same zone can execute several actions not available when a ship is all on its own.
-Defend: One allied ship defends another, preventing any other ship in that zone from using shots against it. A ship that is defending another may not be defended as well, and its evasion is reduced by 50% for the duration of the defend. A defended ship may only use 50% of its shots. If defended by more than one ship, a defended ship may not use any shots at all. Defended ships also benefit by becoming immune to the Surround maneuver.
-Surround: Up to four allied ships surround an enemy ship. A ship that is surrounded cannot evade any shots fired by the surrounding ships or exit the zone. The surrounding ships however cannot engage any other ships within the zone or exit either. There must be at least two allied ships to use Surround.

A ship can move to a different zone at the cost of its turn, but may only move to an adjacent zone. Smaller ships can move to new zones more quickly than others making them ideal for fast responses to changing situations. Larger ships move more slowly through the battlefield and should be placed with great care. A ship that reaches a border zone(the edge of the battlefield), may also choose to retreat and exit the battle, and reinforcements may also emerge from these areas. Careful placement and strategy can be the difference between victory and defeat.

Maneuvers are individual ship actions that any ship can perform in place of using their shots during their turn. Maneuvers include the following:
-Evasion: The ship takes 50% less damage from all sources and may not be surrounded, but may not use any shots. The evasive maneuver may be used every turn and is a vital option for lone vessels.
-Ram a targeted ship to inflict massive damage; The targeted ship suffers 50% of the attacker's maximum hp in damage after defenses while the attacker suffers only 25% of their targets hp in direct damage. Both ships' evasion are reduced to zero until either one is destroyed or the attacking ship uses the evasive maneuver. Neither ship can target the other with shots while rammed. The ramming maneuver may only be used again the turn following an evasive maneuver. Ram only works on ships within the same zone.

Maneuvers can be performed by any ship.

(The following is fleet intel ONLY, but consists of multiple categories and very useful information)
Ships for any faction can be made, but will all be listed in their respective faction's list(this includes GM and non-GM ships). Ship lists will be updated on request. Known ships are listed from lightest to heaviest.

NOTICE: Fleet specifications are all still pending and so there are no actual edits made from defaults. The ship stats are in doubles for default reference and will eventually be removed.

PRIVATEER VESSELS:
Privateers can be found all over Sardius, and they have many different kinds of vessels. Many of them use unorthodox tactics to stay alive.

Privateer List:
WanderHome
Type: Clipper
HP: 60 Evade: 12 Defense: 0 Shots: 2
Loadout: Unknown
Supports: Wind Dragon
Add-ons: Dark Rune Rigging

Yokai's Legacy
Type: Fluyt
HP: 90 Evade: 7 Defense: 4 Shots: 8
Loadout: Unknown
Supports: Giant Seal (Custom support unit)

Argus
Type: Fluyt
HP: 100 Evade: 9 Defense: 1 Shots: 6
Loadout: Unknown
Add-ons: Dark Rune Rigging

Al-Lyrae
Type: Galleon
HP: 95 Evade: 9 Defense: 4 Shots: 8
Loadout: Light x2, Medium x4, Heavy x2
Supports: Fira-Vega
Add-ons: Fire Rune Rigging

Leverager
Type: Galleon
HP: 100 Evade: 2 Defense: 3 Shots: 14
Loadout: Light x2, Medium x5, Heavy x6, Ballista
Supports: Aerial Squadron, Dark Mages

Dark Utka
Type: Galleon
HP: 100 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 8
Loadout: Light x2, Medium x4 Heavy x2
Supports: Engineer Team x2

URSIAN FLEET:
The Ursian fleet has a highly versatile makeup and makes excessive use of specialized units and weaponry, as well as magic and special tactics. They have an extremely high number of utility ships and frigates which often sees them outmaneuvering and hammering enemies with vicious magic/cannonfire combinations. They also make extensive use of pegasus knight squadrons which are typically kept aboard their carriers. Ursium has a noticeable lack of carriers compared to its rival nation, and so deploys them cautiously. Ursian durability is low, but their special tactics often leave enemy ships crippled so early in the fight that surrender is the only viable option.

Generic Ships:

Spoiler -

Sloop
HP 50 Evade: 9 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
HP 50 Evade: 9 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
---
Corvette
HP: 60 Evade: 9 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
HP: 60 Evade: 9 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
---
Clipper
HP: 70 Evade: 10 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
HP: 70 Evade: 10 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
---
Frigate
HP: 70 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
HP: 70 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
---
Fluyt
HP: 90 Evade: 7 Defense: 4 Shots: 8
HP: 90 Evade: 7 Defense: 4 Shots: 8
---
Galleon
HP: 110 Evade: 6 Defense: 5 Shots: 10
HP: 110 Evade: 6 Defense: 5 Shots: 10
---
Ship of the Line
HP: 130 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 12
HP: 130 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 12
---
Carrier
HP: 150 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 6
HP: 150 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 6

Known Ships:
Pending ...

NEVISKOTIAN FLEET:
The Imperial Fleet is the largest and most advanced naval force in Sardius, and the only military force that actively uses dragons on the battlefield. They tend to name ships of the line after historical figures, but use their given names instead of family names. All other vessels in the fleet follow different naming conventions or none at all. What the Imperial Fleet lacks in mobility, they make up for with sheer firepower and make extensive use of the 'line of battle'. Neviskotia has also produced the world's first and only battleship; created by the dragons to serve as the Imperial Navy's flagship, and named the Basilisk, it is the undisputed most powerful ship in all of Sardius.

Generic Ships:

Spoiler -

Frigate
HP: 70 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
HP: 70 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
---
Fluyt
HP: 90 Evade: 7 Defense: 4 Shots: 8
HP: 90 Evade: 7 Defense: 4 Shots: 8
---
Windjammer
HP: 100 Evade: 6 Defense: 7 Shots: 10
HP: 100 Evade: 6 Defense: 7 Shots: 10
---
Galleon
HP: 110 Evade: 6 Defense: 5 Shots: 10
HP: 110 Evade: 6 Defense: 5 Shots: 10
---
Ship of the Line
HP: 130 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 12
HP: 130 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 12
---
Carrier
HP: 150 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 6
HP: 150 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 6
---
Battleship (Unmodified Basilisk Hull)
HP: 200 Evade: 4 Defense: 10 Shots: 16

Known Ships:
Pending ...

TASHTAGOLAN FLEET:
The Tashtagol Faction, or 'Rebel Fleet' is noticeably different from the Imperial Fleet in that it places emphasis on durability and armor rather than weapons which gives their ships unsurpassed longevity in battle. Built up through asymetrical warfare favoring the Imperial Fleet, the Tashtagol Faction has had to compensate for it's low numbers with very rugged ships and strong battle formations. They also employ dragons, but more sparingly than the Imperial Fleet.

Generic Ships:

Spoiler -

Corvette
HP: 60 Evade: 9 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
HP: 60 Evade: 9 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
---
Frigate
HP: 70 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
HP: 70 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
---
Fluyt
HP: 90 Evade: 7 Defense: 4 Shots: 8
HP: 90 Evade: 7 Defense: 4 Shots: 8
---
Windjammer
HP: 100 Evade: 6 Defense: 7 Shots: 10
HP: 100 Evade: 6 Defense: 7 Shots: 10
---
Galleon
HP: 110 Evade: 6 Defense: 5 Shots: 10
HP: 110 Evade: 6 Defense: 5 Shots: 10
---
Ship of the Line
HP: 130 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 12
HP: 130 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 12
---
Carrier
HP: 150 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 6
HP: 150 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 6

Known Ships:
Pending ...

KIGENESE FLEET:
The Kigenese have strikingly different ship designs, and what they lack in durability, they make up for in other areas. The Kigenese fleet over emphasizes a given ship type's role, and so their lighter vessels tend to be faster and lightly armored, while their larger ships tend to be either durable or bristling with cannons. The Kigenese fleet also adds to their ship's abilities by giving nearly all of them specialized equipment to fullfill their roles more easily, and so one should always expect their line of battle ships to have enough fireshots to sink almost anything in one volley, and one can also expect their sloops to be rigged to outrun any other vessel in Sardius with relative ease. Kigen is the only officially recognized fleet lacking carriers.

Generic Ships:

Spoiler -

Sloop
HP 50 Evade: 9 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
HP 50 Evade: 9 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
---
Corvette
HP: 60 Evade: 9 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
HP: 60 Evade: 9 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
---
Clipper
HP: 70 Evade: 10 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
HP: 70 Evade: 10 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
---
Frigate
HP: 70 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
HP: 70 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
---
Fluyt
HP: 90 Evade: 7 Defense: 4 Shots: 8
HP: 90 Evade: 7 Defense: 4 Shots: 8
---
Galleon
HP: 110 Evade: 6 Defense: 5 Shots: 10
HP: 110 Evade: 6 Defense: 5 Shots: 10
---
Ship of the Line
HP: 130 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 12
HP: 130 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 12

Known Ships:
Pending ...

REXIAN FLEET:
The Rexian fleet is actually a conglomerate of rexian based authorities known as the Rexian Coalition Force. Pooling their resources into a single but relatively small fleet of military grade vessels spread across rexian waters, the RCF aims to protect their various ports, other interests, and keep piracy to a minimum. The fleet focuses all of it's ingenuity on raw firepower and tries to intimidate or eliminate their enemies with the sheer number of cannons they are willing to mount on their ships. As a result, Rexian ships can unleash a frightening amount of cannonfire in battle, but are always lacking in other areas depending on ship class. They are also lacking in larger vessel types, having ships like carriers and sotls numbering in the single digits.

Generic Ships:

Spoiler -

Sloop
HP 50 Evade: 9 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
HP 50 Evade: 9 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
---
Clipper
HP: 70 Evade: 10 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
HP: 70 Evade: 10 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
---
Frigate
HP: 70 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
HP: 70 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
---
Ship of the Line
HP: 130 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 12
HP: 130 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 12
---
Carrier
HP: 150 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 6
HP: 150 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 6

Known Ships:
Pending ...

FAR RIM FLEET:
Dubbed the 'Water Nation' by the Kigenese, the Far Rim is a very large fleet of nomadic ships that travels the seas surrounding Sardius. The fleet has both military grade and civilian vessels, and because of this, takes a defensive posture in virtually all battles. As Sardius' largest group of nomadic peoples, they have armed themselves purely for self defense and independence, and many of their ships reflect this. The fleet is tightly packed during travel, and if ever ambushed, will rely on their advanced defensive formations and their high numbers to chase off, destroy, or capture enemy ships. Because the fleet's most valuable resources are the ships they sail on, 'capture' is usually their preferred option, and they go to great pains to maintain each of their ships, mainly by salvaging battle wreckage.

Spoiler -

Sloop
HP 50 Evade: 9 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
HP 50 Evade: 9 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
---
Corvette
HP: 60 Evade: 9 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
HP: 60 Evade: 9 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
---
Frigate
HP: 70 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
HP: 70 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
---
Clipper
HP: 70 Evade: 10 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
HP: 70 Evade: 10 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
---
Fluyt
HP: 90 Evade: 7 Defense: 4 Shots: 8
HP: 90 Evade: 7 Defense: 4 Shots: 8
---
Windjammer
HP: 100 Evade: 6 Defense: 7 Shots: 10
HP: 100 Evade: 6 Defense: 7 Shots: 10
---
Galleon
HP: 110 Evade: 6 Defense: 5 Shots: 10
HP: 110 Evade: 6 Defense: 5 Shots: 10
---
Ship of the Line
HP: 130 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 12
HP: 130 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 12
---
Carrier
HP: 150 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 6
HP: 150 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 6

NOTES:

-Ship Defaults for reference(listed from smallest to largest):
Sloop
HP 50 Evade: 9 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
Corvette
HP: 60 Evade: 9 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
Frigate
HP: 70 Evade: 8 Defense: 3 Shots: 6
Clipper
HP: 70 Evade: 10 Defense: 2 Shots: 4
Fluyt
HP: 90 Evade: 7 Defense: 4 Shots: 8
Windjammer
HP: 100 Evade: 6 Defense: 7 Shots: 10
Galleon
HP: 110 Evade: 6 Defense: 5 Shots: 10
Ship of the Line
HP: 130 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 12
Carrier
HP: 150 Evade: 5 Defense: 6 Shots: 6

RotE: Currency

This is a pretty short article to help establish more world canon. (and there's another one coming up soon after this to help fill in some more)

The first thing to note is that 'gold' as it's referred to is a pretty much universal value. That value is 1. The other coin types are just divisions that can add up to that 1 in a few combinations. As of right now, the conversation from plot gold to points is 1 --> 1. For simplicity's sake mostly, and it's not hard to justify Vulneraries costing amounts in gold rather than in silver in-world.

Ursian Currency:

Lowest Valued Coin: Copper Coin
Highest Valued Coin: Golden Coin

Value Tree:

Copper Coin = 1/100
The copper coin has the least value and is used for very simple, or small transactions.

Silver Coin = 1/10
The silver coin is used for more medium like purchases, such as inn lodgings, cab fees, or other travel expenses.

Gold Coin = 1
Used for expensive transactions such as high priced equipment or weapons. Military grade equipment is generally too high priced to make copper or silver exchange anything short of inconvenient.

Neviskotian Currency:

Lowest Valued Coin: Copper Coin
Highest Valued Coin: Golden Coin

Value Tree:
Copper Coin = 1/30
The copper coin has the least value and is used for very simple, or small transactions.

Palladium Coin = 1/3
The Palladium coin is one of the most common coins. They are simply referred to as 'Pal'. They're often used in combination with Hybrid coins as well.

Hybrid Coin = 2/3
The Hybrid coin is part gold, and part Palladium. The coins were produced specifically to hinder the counterfeiting schemes of the Tashtagol Rebels and replaced the old platinum coins which were of the same value but very large, bulky, and inconvenient. The coins themselves are somewhat fragile compared to other coins, but are extremely difficult to counterfeit, and somewhat painless to test for fakes as a counterfeit will usually snap into two halves under conditions that a real one wouldn't.

Golden Coin = 1
Used for expensive transactions such as high priced equipment or weapons. Since the value gap between Gold, Hybrid, and Pal coins isn't very much, golden coins are often used specifically within the military or as a symbol of status by nobles.

Kigenese Currency:

Lowest Valued Coin: Copper Coin
Highest Valued Coin: Golden Coin

Value Tree:

Copper Coin = 1/60
Lowest valued coin.

Silver Coin = 1/6
Medium value coin.

Golden Coin = 1
Highest valued coin.

Rexian Currency:

Sanctuary Currency:
Lowest Valued Coin: Golden Coin
Highest Valued Coin: Sun Coin

Value Tree:

Golden Coin = 1
The most common coin used in the city of Sanctuary.

Sun Coin = 10
Sun coins are actually gold coins, but with a different engraving on their faces and a supposed blessing from the Goddess Aisha. The coins are ten times as valuable as gold coins for that reason, and they look the part as they have a very feint but noticeable glow to them at times.

Rexian Currency:
Lowest Valued Coin: Silver Coin
Highest Valued Coin: Sun Coin

Value Tree:

Silver Coin = 1/4
The common currency throughout most of Rex-Avaz.

Golden Coin = 1
The highest valued coin in the regions beyond Sanctuary.

Sun Coin = 10
Another version of the sun coin used in Sanctuary, but they are not blessed by the goddess and do not have her image on the back.

And that's it ... moving on ...

THE GUARDIAN CORP.

The Guardian Code:
Below is the written code the Neviskotian Guardian Corp follows and is governed by. They adhere to this first and foremost, and answer only to others within the corp.

(Recited alone during a knighting ceremony with the Emperor.)
I the individual; shall become one with this nation
Destroy its enemies
Overcome its hardships
Secure its borders
Enforce its laws
Protect its children
Fight for its glory
Live by its ways
and die by them.
By the transcending will of my emperor, I raise shield or sword
Guard or kill
Stay my hand or reach forth
Walk or run
Surrender or perish.
With my life, I will be faithful to this code
Be courageous, even in the face of overwhelming adversity
Be vigilant, even as my senses fade from me
Be strong, even as I lay dying
Be a symbol, even though I may never be seen
With my death, I will pave the way for those to follow
Leave behind arms for others to take up
Relinquish my post to another worthy to take my place
Uphold the Guardians' code of honor
and achieve my final victory.

(Recited alongside other appointed guardians following the ceremony.)
We the people; are one with this nation
We destroy its enemies
Overcome its hardships
Secure its borders
Enforce its laws
Protect its children
Fight for its glory
Live by its ways
and die by them.
By the transcending will of our emperor, we raise shield or sword
Guard or kill
Stay our hands or reach forth
Walk or run
Surrender or perish.
With our lives, we are faithful to this code
Are courageous, even in the face of overwhelming adversity
Are vigilant, even as our senses fade from us
Are strong, even as we lay dying
Are a symbol, even though we may never be seen
With our deaths, we will pave the way for those to follow
Leave behind arms for others to take up
Relinquish our posts to others worthy to take our place
Uphold the Guardians' code of honor
And achieve our final victory.
On the blood of our Fathers; on the blood of our sons.

In case you're wondering, yes the Guardian Corp has a very serious stance about this code and what it entails, so this should reflect in Guardian characters to a noticeable degree. These laws are everything to them.

Explanations:
In the I ceremony, the first section is talking about specific duties a Guardian normally carries when not on some kind of demanding mission. The second section with the several sets of "or"s refers to a Guardian's unlimited action and places them almost solely under the rule of the Emperor(head of the Guardian Corp). It means what it says and the Emperor's will is final. Specifically, the phrase "By the transcending will of my emperor" amounts to saying that an order given from him goes over any law that otherwise restricts it. This isn't to say that a Guardian can go around breaking the law on a whim, but only that once they receive a directive, they are to carry it out by any means necessary, which supercedes the law. However, a guardian who doesn't follow an order from the emperor the minute it's given will be taken out by another Guardian before too long.

The We ceremony is an almost identical saying, but it's plural and present form meaning that instead of pledging to do or be something, one is considered to already be doing or being something along with the other current Guardians present. It's mostly an assimilation and unification speech, as Guardians are meant to be a unified fighting force.

The emperor has his own code to follow as well as the code of the Guardians, but the gist of it is that his position being the most important, also carries the most responsibility. The guardians follow the will of the emperor without question, because he follows a code more precise and important than theirs but does it with the same level of devotion they do. In the extremely rare event that an emperor is no longer able to rule for whatever reason, or has obviously become corrupted/incapacitated/insane, a Guardian can submit a plea to the Imperial Royal Family and the Guardian Corp to remove them from power and replace them with an immediate or close relative fit to rule, but whether or not this succeeds, the Guardian's life is forfeit after this, and they are expected to submit to execution. When a Guardian attempts to remove an Emperor from power, it's considered both an act of betrayal, and also fulfilling one's duty depending on why they attempt to do this. Because of the betrayal of undermining their Emperor(or trying to), the Guardian breaks the code in essence, and forfeits their life in the process, even if their reasons are just or logical. It's not generally seen as a dishonorable death, only a necessary one to honor the code, and a Guardian that successfully removes an unfit Emperor is usually satisfied with this.

That hasn't happened many times but it has happened in the past.

Edited by Phoenix, 15 January 2013 - 02:35 AM.