The Restoration of Erihal [GAME START]

The Restoration of Erihal

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A wise man once said, “A fair peace treaty leaves both sides unhappy.” This was true for the treaty that ended the sixty-year war between the Empire and the League. Both sides were spent and broken; the imperial coffers empty, the League on the verge of collapse. But peace was signed, and both sides walked away feeling like they had lost.

The Sublime Throne was deep in debt to its courtiers and satraps, and asked a heavy price from the League in exchange for peace – cash reparations, to be paid to the Imperial treasury. This would ensure that the satraps stayed in line, for if they made too many moves against the Imperial Line they would not see the money they lent returned. But in exchange, the Empire retreated, abandoned all disputed lands, and withdrew into internal politics.

The League of course was also nearly bankrupted, and they could ill-afford to pay reparations for long. One thing stood in their favor:

The land of Erihal was the first to fall to the advancing Imperial army. Its people resisted bravely, but in the attacks and counter-attacks of the war they were trampled in the struggle. And then, calamity. Nobody is sure what happened or who is to blame, but the greatest city of Erihal, the beautiful Arisha, was wiped off the map in an instant. Thousands dead, and its splendor reduced to rubble. Soon after, the other cities fell one by one, some to mundane means, others to the same terrible fire that consumed Arisha. Each side blamed the other – the Empire claimed it was a weapon that the League deployed in order to scorch the earth, while the League blamed the Imperial workshops for the destruction. Regardless, Erihal was ravaged, its cities destroyed and its people scattered to the wind. No part of the land was left untouched, and when the warring states finally retreated behind their borders, Erihal was left to the wilds.

In the peace, the League secured the exclusive right to resettle Erihal, and they were desperate to turn this in their favor. Each nation hopes that the riches and land of Erihal will help them pay the reparations and make a profit at the same time. A general amnesty has been declared for settlers, as well as generous land grants and settlement rights. Those who resettle the ruined land have their work cut out for them, but also new freedoms and opportunities to make new lives for themselves.

Cultures:

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Imperial – the Empire is a vast and bureaucratic entity ruled by the Imperial Line from the City of Glass, so-called for its beautiful stained-glass windows and glass-studded streets. It has expanded and conquered many cultures, and is generally tolerant of them so long as they pay taxes and homage to the Great Empire. The core Imperial culture itself is one of extreme filial piety and ancestor-worship. The family line is all, and a good head-of-family hopes one day to join the ranks of their exalted ancestors. The most noble, wise, and powerful of ancestors are deified as Heroes and worshipped throughout the realm, their cults having notable influence over imperial politics. The Imperial Line derives legitimacy through the Sacred Flame of the First Emperor, a holy site for the entire nation. It is said that the strength of the Sacred Flame reflects the First Emperor’s opinion of the current line. In the few times the Flame has been extinguished, the Empire entered a state of turmoil and civil war, with a new dynasty arising to relight the flame and claim the throne. It is rumored that the flame burns low for the current Line, a bad sign. Some Imperial veterans, rather than return to their homelands, have decided to stay behind in the League and join the resettlement rather than face the coming chaos at home.

Fenic – The people of Fen have always been raiders and traders, living off of the land routes between the Empire and the League, defending and plundering the caravans in turn. They are nominally a vassal of the Empire, but have always shown a great deal of independence. However, since the fall of Erihal, Fen has become impoverished and many suspect that they will soon request a greater deal of Imperial guidance and be integrated as a regular province. The Fenic people hope for a restoration of Erihal and a return to the way things were, and will aid the resettlement as best they can in order to further that goal.

Erihalese Refugee - Though much of Erihal was destroyed, some people managed to flee the conflict into the lands of the League before the great catastrophe that annihilated its major cities. The descendants of these refugees barely remember their homeland, but are the poster-children of the resettlement. Erihal was a polytheistic society that flourished due to their rich farmlands. They exported many cash crops and were a powerhouse of both land and sea trade. They were cosmopolitans and loved music, art, and culture. The world is poorer for their loss.

Signup:
Name: Who are you?
Description: How old are you? What do you look like? What is your personality?
Skills: What do you bring to the Resettlement?
Culture/Homeland: Where do you hail from, and what is your culture? See the example cultures above for guidance
History: Who were you before this?
Reason for joining the Resettlement: Why did you sign on?


Q&A:

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What is the format of the game?

This game is a mixed settlement management and character-roleplaying game. Most activity will take place in the thread, with secret info or solo activities going on in private messages.

What is the technology level?

Age of Gunpowder. Think muskets and large ships, urbanization increasing, early standardization of industry, etc. The Empire used to be the leader in technology, but its stagnation in the past hundred or so years led to the League advancing and this is what enabled them to repel the invasion.

Is there magic?

The setting is low-magic, with some occult goings-on. The Imperial Flame and other such phenomena are definitely supernatural entities, but in general the study of the arcane and the occult has yielded meager results. Erihal was one center of arcane study, but if they found anything groundbreaking it's most likely been lost. Still, you might encounter the strange and supernatural, so it's perfectly possible for you to be interested in magic! Just talk with me about your character first so I can OK things.

How large is Erihal?

The size is mutable. I've purposefully left the map sort-of unclear. I based it off of north-east india, but that won't necessarily be the scale. I'll expand the map based on player contributions for League nations.

Are there non-humans?

The Empire is an overwhelmingly human nation, as is Fen. The League may have non-humans, and if so, Erihal is somewhere in-between the two.

How much world-building did you do? What's open to world-build?

I have pre-written secrets and worldbuilding for the Empire, Fen, and Erihal. I've intentionally left the League vague to give all of you a chance to write your own personal homelands :)

Nations of the League:

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SpoilerThe Republic of Mynstera (President Paul Bruxes):
Hypatia hails from Mynstera, a moderately sized state not extremely far away from the former border between Erihal and the League. Mynstera is filled with farmland, and serves to provide a good portion of produce to the League as a whole. During the war, Mynstera found itself stretched thin. With Erihalese refugees from one side and the wartime demands from the League from the other, Mynstera was forced into a precarious position. Its produce and manpower was moved out, while more and more people ravaged by the war came in. It was then that Mynstera's culture shifted, adapting to the sudden influx of people. Erihalese refugees mingled with Mynsteran citizens, and their culture swirled together, being neither Erihalese nor League based. The culture found its focus on farming, as it was common ground, and bloomed out from there. For now, as a whole, Mynstera is still finding itself, but it's main cultural focuses lay with hard work and flexible, flowing support webs for the towns of people who no longer know where they belong.

The University-City of Kelthurios (Rector Sodda Humic & the University Board):
Duril comes from Kelthurios, a smaller state of the League. It consists of a single large city placed amidst some mountains supported by verdant agrarian valleys and small townships. Kelthurios is hardly an economic or military heavy-hitter within the League. However, it is famed for its mountaintop observatories, as well as the scholarly libraries and educational institutions that grew around them. About a hundred years ago, this amalgamated into the Kelthurios University, an organization dedicated to expanding, spreading and preserving the knowledge base of all mankind. The city has a hardworking communal culture, though the long years of the war and the duty that was placed on its shoulders to copy imperial technology and send soldiers to the battlefield has worn away some of the kinder and more tolerant parts of the city's cultural fabric. The University tried to resist having its character changed by the war, but as the years of the conflict dragged on, it took on an aggressive air, trying to seize and compile the most useful knowledge from the world over to aid the League.

Thrannite Trade League (League Representative Luc Mallon):
Mistcrest, a tiny port town in the league which exists under the banner of the Thrannite Trade League, a union of cities which govern much of the sea-trade of the region. Mistcrest itself is known mostly as a stopping spot for ships to restock, and a place to pick up unprocessed wool. The Trade League’s government is very loose, with merchant houses dominating their respective cities and often squabbling with each other. They see Mer-Dazur and Klorty as their main rivals, and compete with both bitterly for Refic Ocean trade.

Dogedom of Klorty (Doge Elanic the Sorrowful):
From the southern shores the league, in the dogedom of Klorty. Klorty is mainly known for being a breadbasket of fish, and pasta that stays technically edible for a long time. Their exports also include precious teal marble, and strange bones which might be the renmants of sea dragons. The national instrument is the Mournful Flute, known for its deep sound, but the Sailor's Bagpipe is also popular nowadays, as it is said that it wards of sea monsters. Costumed festivals are also very popular, to announce the coming of winter. Everyone wears grey, black and white costumes. The Sea Doge rules the country, elected from the most prominent sea captains, and rules for ten years, before retiring. There is magic in the sea, and there are research ships anchoring above big magical hot spots, trying to somehow extract magic from the seabed.

March of Turai (Margrave Adric Kim): Taking up most of the border with Erihal, Turai is a militarized and vigilant state. Their land is dotted with fortifications and entrenchments, and their people have a strong martial tradition. They fought the Empire the hardest, making the Imperials bleed for every inch of Turai land. Each soldier of Turai is valuable, trained to perfection. They are proud of this, but also eager to join the Resettlement because the war has bled them too.

Mer-Dazur, city of Fortune (The City Council): The city of Mer-Dazur is known as the “lucky city” due to its miraculous survival during the war. Most of the Mau fled there from Mau-Aaru, and the human inhabitants of the city see them as a lucky charm. They venerate cats, which the Mau find a little weird though they enjoy the respect they’ve gotten. Mer-Dazur survived attack after attack, with sudden storms, last-minute supply ships, and more miracles protecting them. They make their living on trade and handicraft. The city is dominated by the Grand Pyramid at the center, serving as its base of government, and is also known for their giant granite lighthouse.

The Kingdom of Lyssea (Queen Fiona Merella): The largest surviving state of the League, the Kingdom of Lyssea is rich and powerful. With a large population and plenty of natural resources, they provided the materiel for the war with the Empire. Their wealth of wood and iron led to a boom of industry and foundries. Most armor, rifles, and pikes in the League are Lyssean-made, and they pioneered the art of mass combat and standardized equipment.

The Chiefdom of Ar-Kalin (Head-Chief Bryn): On the rocky and cold northern shore of the Badin Sea, Ar-Kalin is a reclusive and mysterious nation. Their people are short and stocky, leading to the legend that the original settlers intermarried with dwarves from the mountains. Although there is no evidence that such dwarves exist, the people of Ar-Kalin are tight-lipped about their history. Their longships, however, helped keep the Badin Sea safe from Imperial incursion.
The Principality of Marial (Princess Anastasia): Beautiful Marial, jewel of the North, is a land poor in population but rich in silver. With little arable land, they make their fortunes on the fur and whaling trade. They dominate the Northern Sea, occasionally clashing with the people of Ar-Kalin. Their ships also make it to the Eastern Ocean, and they jealously guard their routes through the ice. There are rumors that they know of lands even beyond the Eastern Ocean Kingdoms, but if they do then they don’t tell of them.

The Bont Republic (Tarkhan Li-wen): The people of Bont are born riders, free and wild. They are the undisputed rulers of the steppes between the East and the League, and they are proud of it. In contrast with the raiders of Fen, the Bont are at least rich enough to live off of their herds. They are also expert horse archers and brought the mysterious food of yogurt to the League. They fiddle with their horsehair bows and love music and laughter.

The Kingdoms of Punia and Rynia (King Humboldt and Queen Alea): United by the marriage of their monarchs, Punia and Rynia are otherwise unremarkable members of the League. They do some mining, though not as much as the Omothi. They have a little industry, but nowhere near as much as the Lysseans. They ride, but not as well as the Bont, and they trade with the East, though not as much as the Marialese. In short, Punia and Rynia are the jack-of-all-trades, master of none.

The Duchy of Sel-Saens (Duke Francois Pierre Damout): Sel-Saens is a fiercely independent state nestled in the heart of the League. The Dukes of Sel-Saens are proud of their heritage as diplomats and negotiators. Their crowning achievement is the League itself, founded in the mountain retreat of Duke Lysandre Damout, the current duke’s great-grandfather. Sel-Saens exports wine and olive oil to the rest of the League.

The Omoth Hierarchy (Director Finnegan Blunt): Omoth is a mining powerhouse, ruled by the mining guilds and conglomerates. The most important thing to an Omothi is who owns the mineral rights. They sell many rare ores and metals, and they supply coal for the League’s nascent industry. Omothi are ruthless capitalists who want to export their ideology to the rest of the League. Nobody really likes the Omothi, but they are tolerated because they’re useful.

Bialland (No clear leader): Bialland is a state in chaos. Ostensibly a kingdom, their throne has remained empty since the death of the King in a disastrous battle near Lake Ka. Even worse, their coastal cities broke off when it became clear that the central government no longer existed. Their lands are being eyed by their neighbors in Omoth, Kelthurios, and Hesh, each weighing the consequences of breaking League rules in order to expand their territory. Many people left Bialland to fight in the war, and it doesn’t look like they’re coming back

Atar, Emec, and Tyr (The Lords Mayors):  United in their freedom from Bialland, the Triple Cities are being courted by the two dominant trade powers of the South – The Thrannite League and Klorty. The three cities are the birthplaces of many adventurers and freedom-fighters, known throughout the League for their heroism and bravery. Atar is known for its unique dances, Emec has many fine jewelers, and Tyr trades in spices and has the finest chefs of the League.

The Sheikhdom of Hesh (Sheikh Uman III): Hesh is surprisingly dry land, especially considering that their neighbors have fine rainfall. Some claim that the lands of Hesh were cursed long ago, others that there are strange meteorological disturbances that direct the rains away from there. Whatever the case is, Hesh is an empty land. If there was a civilization there, it was gone long before the Sheikhs took residence. They arrived from somewhere across the Refic ocean, and settled there a few centuries ago. Unlike their dark-skinned neighbors of the Southeastern Coast, the people of Hesh are unnaturally pale, invariably with green eyes and strikingly dark hair. Rumors swirl around Sheikh Uman, who looks remarkably like his grandfather. He took power after the mysterious disappearance of his uncle Amir near the start of the war, and despite being over eighty years old, he looks much younger than his age.