The Chronicled World - Fantasy Nation Building

Lazzamore

WAAAAAAAAAA-
These are dark days. It has been 300 years since the Earthrage, an eruption of three volcanoes in northdawn and surrounding islands, and only 6 years since the sun once again was visible in the lands of Hersh and Denzen. When the Earthrage occurred the empires of Gnomora, Oth and most of El Quochez were destroyed in fire and choking smog. As the ashes spread, the Elven dynasties to the south, including the once god-like Blood Isle, were next to be throttled out of existence. And at that, those lands wouldn't see the sun again for centuries...

Those who study history know there have never been a time where the world didn't bend knee to the power in Hersh. It is the realm of kings, the center of world of Adma's power and ruling. Nothing of those old kingdoms remain. The Blood Elves live in loose gang-like tribes and the Orcs have forgotten their oath that once tied them all together. But you, chosen heroes of your land, your families and your people, have been given great gifts: A platform on which to be heard, and legions of willing swords to make you heard.

You are a Leader of your people. You, for whatever reason, are on a quest to give rise to an empire. Maybe you seek money, or safety, perhaps respect... or maybe the blood of those who dare to challenge your people's reign. But today, you are a ruler... take it.


Hello all! I'm excited for this idea, so lets hop to it!

The Gist
It is pretty standard fantasy nation building. We will be using a setting I know quite personally and have been developing with friends for some time now. We play as upstart nations after a calamity shook this region, and generally our two continents have lost contact with the outside world (it's out there, just not known very well anymore). Also, there are many more races in this world then listed, so talk to me if you don't like any of these about what you might want to see as well, I might be able to do that. You can even make your own, but I will have to approve it/work with you on that.

The Races:
Blood Elves
Blood Elves once came from the empire of Blood Isle. They were once the mightiest people in Adma, both capable and willing to demand obediance from the rest of the world through the tip of the sword. They still remain a legend of physical strength and battle stamina, hulking giants of power, both of brawn and magic. But their political power ended after spending all their resources on a mad genocide of all humans. Still, humans remain rare, though extant, but the Empire of Blood Isle would never recovered there costs.

They are known for their bodies uniquely large amount of blood stored in their bodies, making them hard to defeat in ordinary warfare. But much of there power came from the dread tied to the glorious Blood Isle Empire, once ruled by the family Blood.

The Blood family were the ruling class and descendants of Blood Titan, a legend and hero of his people. The tales of his exploits are often too fantastic to be believed, but it has been verified that he was magically resurrected atleast once, to rule his people once again.

Now, Blood Elves are bitter and violent. Never cross one, for they keep grudges and form feuds easily.
Gnomes
Gnomes are smart, curious and tinkering beings. The first race to incorperate clock-work into the body for medical purposes, it is said that the Kingdom of Gnomora used clocks as a currency.

So important is clockwork to Gnomish society that almost all unearthed Gnomish ruins contain atleast one clock tower, and some even still function. In old times, Gnomes even formed their clockwork into weapons of wonderous power, swords with spinning teeth and crossbows that armed themselves.

Then the earthrage: Their libraries burned, and their towers fell to the magma. Much of what made them great has now been forgotten.

Today Gnomes are short, hairy dwarf-cousins, who often suffer from poor eyesight, and are blessed with remarkable foresight.
Orcs
Orcs lives, their history, and their culture is marked by one theme over all others: the waging of war. It is so ingrained in Orc culture that a leader is rarely measured in any other attribute then his or her ability to lead in war. They are stubborn people who never surrender, and even rarer do they compromise.

Orcs believe the first war of their People was between the hero Bergarg, his orc warband, and the evil king Hurdigrah and his army of trolls and goblins (two creatures later expelled from Hersh, by the orcs following violent uprising). Bergarg, slaying Hurdigrah, instituted the Orcs first religion: the Law of Hib, a moral code kept by the Angel Hib.

Not all orcs follow this code, a religion that Hersh has mostly forgotten about now. But all remember Bergarg for using it to usher the Orcs out of the darkness of Hurdigrah.

Orcs are pale and slightly green, with protruding tusks, piggish faces and strong bodies. They are mostly found in Northdawn, a land they won after three thousand years of war with the Wood Elves (who were also expelled by Orcs), and ironically the land that exploded with lava killing off much of their number.
Fire Nymphs
Fire Nymphs are hated by and hate the Dawn Elves, with whom they share the land of Denzen. For longer then even the Orcs fought the Wood Elves, the Fire Nymph's fought their adversary. But unlike with orcs, it never came to a tidy end, and most likely never will.

Fire Nymphs have an affinity for fire, and a fear of cold. They are imperialistic and thrive on conflict. Despite their name and heritage, they look very human and are not more attractive then any other person.
Wood Nymphs
Naturally at peace with the wild, Wood Nymphs and charismatic and attractive and are rarely industrialists. They have shared the southern have of the Silverglade with the High Elves for millennia in peace.

Unfortunately, there peaceful, kindly culture did them no favors in preparing for and weathering the disasters that struck them in recent years. Their numbers have, as such, greatly been depleted.
High Elves
High Elves are sharp-eyed cousins to Blood Elves and Dawn Elves, born with fantastic vision. It is said that a High Elf can strike a target with an arrow from twice the range of most other creatures after only half the training.

High Elves have a history of wealth. During the reign of Tyrrar, a mighty and oppressive world power before Blood Isle that came roughly 800 years before, The High Elves were aristocrats. Before and after Tyrrar, the High elves resided in resource-rich Silverglade, living in ancient cities and defending themselves with masterfully armed ships and soldiers.

High Elves are fair-skinned, shorter lived and smaller in general among elves, but are considered charismatic and attractive.
Marjari
Savages who migrated to Hersh and Denzen only during the most recent calming of the Kraken sea, a time when the (usually uncrossable) afforementioned sea became more calm and less stormy, Marjari are humanoid fish-men of relatively low intelligence and spiteful dispositions. They have never formed any true, long-lived empires, aside from the infamous cult that followed a sentient dragon known as the Plaguebringer.

Of all races, of course, the Aquatic Marjari took the Earthrage the best, by quite a bit. It would not be surprising to see a member of there large numbers grow to greater stations yet.
Quochezi
An ancient, forgotten race. The Quochezi lived indigenously on the Islands of Quochez before the Sirens migrated up 400 years ago and conquered them.

Always a minor creature in history, Quochezi tend to shy away from the greed and moral-trading that other races become powerful by. But nothing is unheard of, even in their meek history.

Quochezi are Quadrupeds normally, but can stand on their hinds if nescessary. They resemble a slender, beaked and feathered reptile, not unlike a raptor or some dragons.
Slimeling
Little to nothing is remembered about Slimeling origin. It is either believed to be a genetic parasite or a magical blessing that gives them their remarkable powers, but it is generally agreed that they are not a natural race.

They appear strongly Human; but can, with practice, learn to turn to a gelatinous liquid.

Largely mistrusted and always a minority, Slimelings have few historical heroes and never formed a nation for themselves.
Rageborn
Unlike the Slimelings, Rageborn have a clear legend for their unnatural origin: They were the failed experiment of a race of Angels to create the perfect warrior.

While their strength, stamina, regenerative powers and second heart do prove useful on any battlefield, their uncontrollable anger and tendancy to lose themselves in panic attacks during high stress situations make them distrusted as soldiers.

They owe much of their appearance to their Human ancestors, except for their pale skin, unnatural musculature and sharp features.
Dwarves
When Darkness, god of Undeath, first waged war on Adma for Blood Titan running away with and marrying his daughter, the Dwarves were the first in his warpath to be slaughtered, and turned to his undead slaves. Dwarves have never recovered the sprawling empire they have before that incident, nor their once impressive numbers. Still, they grow daily in numbers and cling tightly to their remaining culture, much of which is carved into the underground city ruins and highway tunnels under the Death Mountains.
Halflings
Halflings are commercially minded, wise folk. Short as a dwarf but not so hairy, Halflings greatest hero is known as Amos, the one who would found the city of Amos, and wield the mysterious "Chronicler's Sword" to slay the king of Tyrrar and free Hersh from his tyranical reign.

But no one ever comes back from holding the Chroniclers sword. For although it fulfills your destiny, it's burdon is more then a mortal was ever meant to bare. Amos was never quite the same after his success... he was never truly 'there', they say.
Sirens
A Siren is beautiful, silver-tongued and generally not to be trusted. Sirens in Hersh descend from the Gold-clan, who migrated from the island archipeligo of Myradon to Hersh some 400 years ago and formed El Quochez.

Always female, sirens appears mostly human and require other humanoids to reproduce. This limits their number, coupling with their anarchic and chaotic disposition that makes it hard to get along with one, or integrate her into any society. For this reason the few true Siren countries that rose up in history, such as El Quochez, were short lived and treacherous to deal with.

Their voices are their most potent quality. They can charm or beguile men who here them use their 'true voice', a secondary set of vocal cords that are used mainly when singing, though this effect changes for some creatures (such as with Orcs or Goblins - who simply become enraged hearing it).
Dawn Elves
Long lived and tactical, the Dawn Elves are subject to their intense hatred and warring with the Fire Nymphs.

Warriors as well as poets in culture, Dawn elves are known for their pyrokenitic powers - Control over fire. It is to counter this that led to many old kingdoms producing our fire-proof wood, sealants for wood or new matierials altogether.

Dawn Elves are tall, strong in appearance, and generally have reddish hair and features.
Kobolds
Kobolds are small, weak savages who primarily and bandits and barbarians out of civilised society. Their history is marked by middling and oppression.

Ugly and pale blue humanoids, they stand nearing three feet in height on average. They possess little infrastrucure to add their own design to gthe world, relying mostly on what they can forage and scavenge for.

Kobolds do possess a rich spiritual identity: Even many Orcs recognise the war-god Kajh the Kobolds have been worshipping for centuries, and even have adopted traditions, holidays, and political systems from them to suit the religion.
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Regions:
Northdawn
A land covered in ashes, only new growth is found here. It was once fertile farmland and lush forests; But also the site of the Earthrage, which expanded it's shores quite a bit. It is mostly home to the Orcs and scattered Gnomes.

Death Mountains
Legend says the Death Mountains were once green and fertile, but were cursed by evil renegade Wood Elves bent of the anhialation of those who opposed their nature-centric worldview. Today no plantlife grows on it's surface.

Riddled with ruins, both dwarven and blood elf, these are some of the tallest of all of Adma's mountains.

Hills land
Perhaps hit the softest and bounced back the most since the calamity of the Earthrage, the Hills Lands were the last bastion of Humans before their near extinction at the hands of Blood Isle, as well as the site of the ruins of Amos, a once mighty halfling trade city.

Old Blood Isle
Mostly badlands since the Earthrage, this region is mostly home the remaining Blood Elves, and many of the old cities of Blood Isle.

Silverglade
A lush land of silvery evergreens. When the Earthrage volcanoes erupted, the shockwave formed a tsunami that would scatter the carcasses of Krakens from the nearby Kraken sea over the woodlands.

After the kraken bodies spread their disease, their magical hearts (mysterious constructs made of dark forces) caused the land around them to morph and mutate. Today the Silverglade is still lush, but only just now recovering from the fiendish beasts and monsters that roamed it.

Dragon Bog
The Dragon Bog is home to one of the Eternals, or Ageless Ones, it is said. Few survive encountering her, though not a true Dragon as they have in Hersh, her god-like powers of destruction of fearsome enough for her to be left alone. That is, if you believe those stories.

Silent Mountains
Legend has it that during the peak of all the Dawn Elf and Fire Nymph warfare, there was a huge battle atop the Silent mountains, coating them in the blood of fallen warriors. To honor this tragic battle, neither side will set foot on these mountains, but rumor has it there are strange powers at work there.

And Finally, the Character Sheet, if by now you are sold:

Character Sheet
Nation
Name:
Demonym:
(Word for those that live there)
Government: (What sort of structure does this nation use to govern)
Demographics: (Included a rough total Population and races that mostly live there. about 5,000,000 is the most common.)
National Symbol: (Flag, Icon, animal, etc. that is used to represent this people group)
Primary Natural Resources: (What you have the most and might export)
Primary Industry: (What industry(s) runs your nations economy mostly)
Primary Resource Needs: (What resource(s) might your nation be lacking? What might you need to import)
Military: (generally takes up 5-10% of your population. Also, include a bit on how your people would wage war.)
Culture: (Short description of your culture. Holidays and traditions also go here)
Geography: (Description of terrain, and land claim. Each player starts with about 250 square miles, and that may be highlighted yourself in picture form or simply described. (If you highlight too much I will trim it down to size))
Leader
Name/Title:
Race:
Gender:
Bio:
Personality:
Appearance:
Political affiliation:
(Among your people, what would your leader and followers be considered as?)
Opinion on...: (Answer your leader's opinion on the following topics)
Intervening in foreign affairs:
Religion and the state:
The current government model:
Foreign people:

Thank you for reading! Super pumped now.
 
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I'm interested, but I'm confused regarding what we do after we make our nations. Can someone explain to me how we rp with nations lol
 
@Emory : We will start running the nations as the leaders. If it helps, your character isn't so much your nation itself as much as your leaders and heroes that define that nation. The GM's (currently me) will challenge everyone with various disasters and conflicts as the game progresses, and we will try our best to prepare and handle the curves and difficulties.

Actually, this brings me to a question I'd like to pose to you guys: How do you all prefer things handled? I was thinking every so often, I'll randomly generate a crisis with the site dice feature (to decide which one I do) but if you guys prefer we can do it a little different, I could choose the disasters when they happen by hand, or they don't have to happen often at all. Just wanted your opinions!
 
@Emory : Actually, this brings me to a question I'd like to pose to you guys: How do you all prefer things handled? I was thinking every so often, I'll randomly generate a crisis with the site dice feature (to decide which one I do) but if you guys prefer we can do it a little different, I could choose the disasters when they happen by hand, or they don't have to happen often at all. Just wanted your opinions!

I suggest this: make them happen in a karmic, butterfly effect fashion: have actions have unintended consequences and to an epic scale they'd never imagine.
 
That’s true. I’m in 3 different rps with Beebasaur and we didn’t plan it at all. I’ve been meaning to make my character sheet for this one but I’ve been sidetracked on some other rps and didn’t want people waiting for me.
 
Just wanted to let anyone potentially interested know: We could still use a few more players, so don't hesitate to join if interested. While I think we will likely have enough to start at this point, the more the merrier!
 
Raises his hand
I'm advertising it, it'd be hypocritical not to join.

Are Golems a thing i can make? You know the kind.
 
Hm.. Bit tricky, that question. ...I actually think so, as traditional RPG Golems are a part of this universe and they are sentient too. Some things you should know though: 1) They would have only just gained sentience and then recognition as there own race, until recently they were automatons, 2) their are four kinds. The types, in order of power, least to greatest: Sand, Ice, Earth, Magma. and 3), they come from a land fairly far away to the west, called 'Laitha'. Laitha is a dry and mountainous place where a type of magic called 'Elementalism' was invented, and was inaccessible to Hersh until recently since the krakens in the 'kraken sea' have calmed down.

I know this as I had them as a race in this universe for a LARP set in the future (which was later retcon'd away, but the idea is still apart of it). All in all it's not unreasonable for you to have a country of golems, but bare the above in mind as well as the fact that they are not found naturally in Hersh or Denzen, so you'll have to be foreign settlers.
 
Hm.. Bit tricky, that question. ...I actually think so, as traditional RPG Golems are a part of this universe and they are sentient too. Some things you should know though: 1) They would have only just gained sentience and then recognition as there own race, until recently they were automatons, 2) their are four kinds. The types, in order of power, least to greatest: Sand, Ice, Earth, Magma. and 3), they come from a land fairly far away to the west, called 'Laitha'. Laitha is a dry and mountainous place where a type of magic called 'Elementalism' was invented, and was inaccessible to Hersh until recently since the krakens in the 'kraken sea' have calmed down.

I know this as I had them as a race in this universe for a LARP set in the future (which was later retcon'd away, but the idea is still apart of it). All in all it's not unreasonable for you to have a country of golems, but bare the above in mind as well as the fact that they are not found naturally in Hersh or Denzen, so you'll have to be foreign settlers.

Right, thanks.

Just got an idea though, what do you think of a different, underground breed of Kobold? With shaggy hair, hunched backs, snouts and a knack for cobbling together all sorts of resources? I'm interested in playing a sort of 'hidden' race that hardly ever shows its face and is rumour at best.
 
I wouldn't have a problem with that, but are you sure you want to play a race that gets less interaction than others? Besides that main concern, I'd need a good overview of the subrace before I can give you a definitive answer - Don't worry, I'll at most give you a list of things to change about them. But nothing in your preliminary overview was too problematic.
 
Yeah man, i'm fine with playing it kind of passive. There a sheet you want me to fill out or should I make my own?
 
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