Bloodlines: Unlimited

[VO]

New Players : Please read this thread (http://forums.cncden.com/showthread.php?t=15720) to get all the previous Bloodlines background information. Information in a 'Bloodlines: Unlimited' thread superceeds information in a 'Bloodlines' thread, although in the lack of an alternative, anything mentioned in the old Bloodlines rpg is still canon.

Current Houses in Bloodlines are:

House Aratin (http://forums.cncden.com/showpost.php?p=315641&postcount=83)

House Beldain (http://forums.cncden.com/showpost.php?p=315596&postcount=75)

The Knights of Conlar (http://forums.cncden.com/showpost.php?p=315693&postcount=88)

House Kraft (http://forums.cncden.com/showpost.php?p=315601&postcount=76)

House Serniac (http://forums.cncden.com/showthread.php?p=316139&posted=1#post316139)


***

I better start by saying this isn't an RPG. It's not an attempt to revitalise Bloodlines. This is more like Worldbuilding TO THE MAX!

People put alot of effort into Bloodlines. While a story-based RPG, didn't work, people seemed to have alot of fun planning and detailing the world, which it would be nice to be able to continue to do. Here's what I'm offering: Advance the timeline.

Advancing the Bloodlines timeline allows us to start making history for the world. Anyone who's interested could help plan the events of the war we saw begin to unfold in Bloodlines, and then what happens next. It will probably be a slow progess, but everyone can be involved. The way I invisage it working is taking it year by year (or a shorter time period), everyone suggesting what they think their nation should be doing in it, then us sorting out any inconsistancies to produce a unified timeline.

If you don't want people messing with your idea from the origianal bloodlines and don't want to take part, then SAY SO. If someone who wrote a profile for the RPG doesn't reply we'll just rename all your stuff. If you say you don't want to take part, and don't want your nation used, we'll replace it with something new.

So, is anyone interested?

(If you didn't take part in Bloodlines, but are interested in helping, reply anyway. We should be able to make room somehow.)

[SW Freak]

I'm definitly interested; however, I may get a bit pretentious in writing Kojiro's part in the war. But, yeah, I'm in.

[Statalyzer]

I like the idea, I'll finally get to do something with ye Knights.

[Nyerguds]

uuh, this seems like much fun :)

[Serenla]

This looks to be a good idea, I'm in.

I give this thread the AIES Seal of Approval. :)

[Nyerguds]

Tsk, only AIES can give that seal :p

[Serenla]

Clearly not, since I just gave it! :shifty:

[Nyerguds]

Well you just give AIES' seal because you're not worthy enough to have your own :p


*gives this thread the Nyerguds Whale of Approval*

...what? A seal is too small :p

[Statalyzer]

Anyone still want to try this after the Holidays?

[SW Freak]

Yaya. I'm up for it.

[Nyerguds]

after january, when my exams are done, I'm all up for it.

[SW Freak]

This begs the question, though; how are we going to do this? Will we coordinate over MSN or what?

[GunsnArmor]

This begs the question, though; how are we going to do this? Will we coordinate over MSN or what?

I would also like to know that.

And I'm not exactly sure what we are doing. Would someone be so kind as to dumb it down a little?

[VO]

Well, if I'm going to do anything for this, it will be after next weekend, as I have exams first.

Apart from that, I was thinking - maybe we need to expand the Bloodlines world so it's not just one continent, if we're thinking about all of it's history...

[Nyerguds]

true... after, all, with Dragon air travel it's unlikely that entire continents stay undiscovered like America did (to Europe) in our world's case

[AI]

true... after, all, with Dragon air travel it's unlikely that entire continents stay undiscovered like America did (to Europe) in our world's case

Yes it is. Dragons are still animals, and like horses I doubt they could cross entire stretches of ocean without stopping to eat and rest.

Stop making the bloody overgrown lizards out to be Gods, damnit! >.<

[Wesforce]

And even if they did, who says they'd want to lug along enough humans, livestock and colonisation materials to colonise the place?

Damn it. Roll on the technological age so we can wipe these halitosis-ridden fraggers from the sky...

[SW Freak]

I'll have you all know that my dragons all have a beautiful set of dentistry!

[Nyerguds]

And even if they did, who says they'd want to lug along enough humans, livestock and colonisation materials to colonise the place?
I only talked about discovery, not colonization. IMO they should know of other continents but currently just not have the means to actually go there and take a look :p

[AI]

Why should they know of other contienents? How did they discover them exactly? A dragon can't fly millions of miles across plain, salty ocean without anywhere to stop, rest, eat or drink... And even if he could, what about the rider on top? That leaves you with boats... Which really puts them in the same boat as our anncestors. So what the frag? :p

[SW Freak]

Kojiro are uber

There, problem solved ;P In reality, though, it may be that there is no huge oceans? Perhaps the parts we didn't see are relatively close together, and it's almost one landmass.

[AI]

True, but where's the fun in having the whole world at our finger tips? It gives us nowhere to expand to and nothing to discover and fight over later (until we get into space, that is! :color1: ).

[SW Freak]

Hehe...By the by, I expect copious amounts of fiction based on the world that we create.

Since we have a while before we start working out the nitty-gritty, I guess I should ask this; who do we, as a whole, think should ultimatly take the throne?

[VO]

Well I don't know about that (I full expect Beldain to go into exile at the end of the 'current' war to plot revenge)...


Regarding the current geography, what do people think about reshaping the land so that Kojiro is situated more realistically? From our current map, I reckon it should be far more separate from the other regions.

[SW Freak]

How so? If anything, they should be closer to the heart of the land, and house Cassone.

[VO]

Well their culture is fairly distinct, and they were only integrated recently into the rest of the Empire. If Kojiro occupy so much of the continent, why hasn't their culture suffused into the rest of The Land?

[SW Freak]

I think that many of the people who would care about Kojiro are jealous of these blow-ins, and thus somewhat disparaging of them. The rest wouldn't care, methinks.

But perhaps; I can't really think that many of the houses would accept their culture, really.

[AI]

Just because the nobility of the houses wouldn't accept their culture (or at least, the direct ruling familes on which the principles of the Houses are based) doesn't mean the lower downs wouldn't. The peasents, minor, more carefree nobility, etc.

[SW Freak]

Ah. Would that mean Kojiro would be chic? We'd have even more Japanophiles?

[VO]

Maybe in an 19th Century Egyptomania way among the more bohemian noble circles. :p

[SW Freak]

Hehe...I wanna see 'em get it all wrong; alright, I daresay it'd make sense.

'Course, we still have to agree on the out come, if we're going to be working towards one.

[AI]

House Tidemaster for the throne! :color1:

[GunsnArmor]

I must ask a question: When the game starts, and you make up your Manor/castle, what should it look like? I saw a couple in the other thread, but I want to be 100% sure I know what I am doing. (Unless your mean and don't let me join :grumpy:)

[VO]

I must ask a question: When the game starts, and you make up your Manor/castle, what should it look like? I saw a couple in the other thread, but I want to be 100% sure I know what I am doing. (Unless your mean and don't let me join :grumpy:)

Well we need to sort out what's changing so far, as all the land on the old map was taken.... I want to sort out the rest of the world as well, so there should be room.

[Nyerguds]

old map, for reference:

http://cnc2sw.planetcnc.gamespy.com/stuff/theland_thumb.jpg (http://cnc2sw.planetcnc.gamespy.com/stuff/theland_final.png)

(any seemingly unoccupied coasts are prolly Westfreiss-controlled)

[Serenla]

On that note though, the area controlled by the Tribal Cl'Onin should probably be freed up since nilloC is sadly no longer with us :(

[AI]

And unless somebody speaks to him about this, CKW doesn't check the DEN anymore.

[GunsnArmor]

Well we need to sort out what's changing so far, as all the land on the old map was taken.... I want to sort out the rest of the world as well, so there should be room.

Cool.

One more thing; What age does it take place?, and because it isn't the real world, what things have mankind descovered? (eg: Poverty, Mathematics, Chivalry, ect.)

[Nyerguds]

um... I think poverty was discovered a looooong time ago. Doesn't mean anyone cares though.

Just look at our world. People still barely care.

[Wesforce]

Well, some of our sides have chivalry, some don't. Mine for example are a ruthless bunch of racist slave-taking capitalist bastards, while Stat's were along the lines of idealistic Knights. I can't say much more than that except look at everyone else's profiles :p

Oh and we probably do have fairly decent Mathematics if we have steam-powered machines and giant flying Iron chickens.

[GunsnArmor]

Dayum. I need to get me some iron chickens.

Thanks for helping me and not yell at me for not taking the time to look at the other threads to learn how everything works in this rp.

[Nyerguds]

Heyy... I got dibs on the giant steam-powered flying iron chickens and y'all better know it :p

Basically, end of the middle ages kinda setting, with some steampunk and fantasy influences. Though tech level can differ quite a lot from people to people, with most of em (quite obviously) specializing in their own specific areas of expertise.

[AI]

Heyy... I got dibs on the giant steam-powered flying iron chickens and y'all better know it :p.

Actually, the iron chickens were mine, spider-boy. :p

[Nyerguds]

Actually, the iron chickens were mine, spider-boy. :p
Not FLYING ones :p

[AI]

Yes. Flying ones.

"The matter is settled. Nikkel!" The Kraft family's steward stroled up to the Lord's left, taking a short bow before straightening himself. "I want iron chickens sent out across the land, with this message: The Mountains of Kraft have claimed Independance of the Empire.

[Nyerguds]

It never implies they fly. Chickens can also run :p

It's not fair really.. my mad scientistism was nerfed down, and YOU got iron chickens :(
That's exactly the kind of mad science I wanted.

[VO]

Re: restarting Bloodlines - if we make a new map, with the possibility of new players/people changing nations, would people like some kind of limited non-human races?

There would be constraints on it, of course, such as nothing much more powerful than humans, nothing too silly, and not everyone would be allowed one. Human nations would naturally be disinclined to be friendly to ones operated by other races.

Also, AI has pointed out that on a new map, it might be good to have a discussion about placement of nations (i.e big, populous nations in the places where big, populous nations would be), rather than just plonking them down - agree?

[AI]

Not too sure about limited non-humes, I kind of like the all human thing we have going here. But certaintly agree on the second point.

[VO]

Well, I was thinking not orks, elves, gnomes etc, but if someone REALLY wanted to play a giant hive of social insects, or mermen, or half-men-half-caterpillars, then that would be ok. :p

[Serenla]

Not too sure about limited non-humes, I kind of like the all human thing we have going here.

I agree whole heartedly; it's sort of like George RR Martin. He kicks a whole mess of arse and he doesn't even have hott elves!

[Wesforce]

I'll add my voice to the Humanists here. I did have my Mermen, but they were plot-device NPCs more than anything else...

[SW Freak]

I had quasi sentient dragons, don't know if anyone remembered... ;p

I like the idea of fantasy creatures in general, but I'm not pushed either way. Whichever peeps decide on. Does this mean we are restarting Bloodlines or is this just still world building?

[Wesforce]

I had quasi sentient dragons, don't know if anyone remembered... ;p
Actually I was trying to forget :yuck:

All in favour of wiping out dragonkind... Say DIE :|

[VO]

I like the idea of fantasy creatures in general, but I'm not pushed either way. Whichever peeps decide on. Does this mean we are restarting Bloodlines or is this just still world building?


WB for now... once we start advancing the timeline, that allows people to write pieces if they wish without an 'rpg' running...

[SW Freak]

All in favour of wiping out dragonkind... Say DIE :|

Um, that's a good point; if anyone wants the dragons gotten rid of, say so. I don't mind. I just like 'em.

[Wesforce]

Bah, stick to your Guns SW! Everyone knows I just hate Dragons :dead:

[VO]

Okay, no other sentinents then...

re the dragons - did we ever decide what quasi-sentient actually meant? :p

[Wesforce]

Just intelligent enough to say 'Are you sure this is a good idea?' just before both rider and mount are shot dozens of times by AA Cannons? :color1:

[Statalyzer]

I'd say keep the dragons but let's all remember they aren't Deus Ex Machinas. There are a limited number of them, their scales are tough but not invulnerable, and they can only breathe so much fire at a time, their bodies couldn't produce an unlimited supply of it.

(any seemingly unoccupied coasts are prolly Westfreiss-controlled)

I'm pretty sure the empty space in the North near the Cl'onin and House Aratin was not controlled by anyone.

Well, some of our sides have chivalry, some don't. Mine for example are a ruthless bunch of racist slave-taking capitalist bastards, while Stat's were along the lines of idealistic Knights. I can't say much more than that except look at everyone else's profiles

I think it'd be good for each of us who are still in the game to post a paragraph summary of our side to help out the new guys who want to join. I'd still recommend they read the full read-outs eventually but that's a lot of stuff to remember so having the "quick reference" paragraphs would help.

As for putting cities in "unrealistic" places, we can always assume their are water sources (either springs, or rivers that aren't on the map because they aren't wide enough to take up a whole hex like the one Eastern river does) that played a big part in it.

BTW, how wide are these hexes supposed to be anyway?

[SW Freak]

Actually, Stat, my dragons were psychic. They didn't breath fire, they used telekinesis, and some of the ancients used pyrokinesis.

Voes, I figure they're able to communicate basic ideas, like enemies in bound or needs, to their riders, since they share a telepathic link. I'd link to what I said about them, but my browsers isn't working very well, so this'll have to do for now.

[AI]

As for putting cities in "unrealistic" places, we can always assume their are water sources (either springs, or rivers that aren't on the map because they aren't wide enough to take up a whole hex like the one Eastern river does) that played a big part in it.

BTW, how wide are these hexes supposed to be anyway?

It's not always about water supplies and the like, though. Take a look at Kojiro for example (sorry SW :p), why do they have so much land if they've only just arrived? And of course, voes examples above relating to them.

We're fleshing out the entire bloodlines world here, we may as well spread the houses out a bit while we're at it.

[SW Freak]

Well, first off, Voes said so, so there! Nyah!

Second, Kojiro got a whole heap of land because it was part of a peace treaty between The Land (We need to think up a better name) and Iasukey. Maybe they got too much, but you guys were okay with it at the time. Just sayin'

Third, speaking of lands, I still think Kojiro should be closer to House (tuna) Casserole.

[AI]

I'm not having a go at you for having so much land SW, I'm just saying that if you already have a whole contient in the world at large it might be a good idea to scale back and just have a foothold in The Land? I mean, considering we have a whole world to play with now, who wants to threat over one contient anyway?

[VO]

I think it'd be good for each of us who are still in the game to post a paragraph summary of our side to help out the new guys who want to join. I'd still recommend they read the full read-outs eventually but that's a lot of stuff to remember so having the "quick reference" paragraphs would help.


Good idea. But if people want to change their House that's fine too.

[Statalyzer]

Voes, I figure they're able to communicate basic ideas, like enemies in bound or needs, to their riders, since they share a telepathic link.

That's another weak link that would keep dragons from being uber powerful. If you can just take down the rider, then the other guys can't just fly the dragon back and put a new rider on it's back. They'd have to spend a lot of time with the new rider and dragon working on their psychic bonding or whatever, and in the meantime that dragon is "out of action".

[Serenla]

Or killing the rider could kill the dragon too, a la Eragon. That'd be a sure way to make a winning scenario :p

[SW Freak]

Actually, Stat, that's exactly what I had in mind. Riders and dragons form a very close bond, like in Anne McAffre's (?) Dragon Riders series

[VO]

You didn't ask for it, but I provided it!

A non-hex map of The Land!

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/4020/thelandnewrf4.png

This isn't an exact replication, but I've tried to make it look decent without losing most of the detail from the old map. North is in the correct direction this time. There will be some other continents as well on the final world map (Iasukey and Pegwos, as well as a 'New World').

Please don't start adding your factions on yet. If anyone has any grievances about this new outline for the map, please say so.Also:

We need a better name than The Land.

[GunsnArmor]

You didn't ask for it, but I provided it!

A non-hex map of The Land!

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/4020/thelandnewrf4.png

This isn't an exact replication, but I've tried to make it look decent without losing most of the detail from the old map. North is in the correct direction this time. There will be some other continents as well on the final world map (Iasukey and Pegwos, as well as a 'New World').

Please don't start adding your factions on yet. If anyone has any grievances about this new outline for the map, please say so.Also:

We need a better name than The Land.

How about "Quay"? or maybe "Voidenvard". These are a couple of names I made up a couple months back, when I was thinking of making a game similar to this. (But I ended up failing miserably, and this one is better anyway.:) )

[AI]

I dunno, I kinda like The Land. As in a, this is where we live - This is THE land, and all other land's can frag off! kind of thing

[VO]

Here's a (provisional) map of the world I made earlier. It's not finished yet, and of course I have a clean version without the names or annotations. The blue and red lines represent ocean currents (cold and warm respectively) - I'm trying to give some portrayal of the climate this time as well.

Warning - it's big.

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/3319/theworldmorelandwithequfg3.th.png (http://img77.imageshack.us/my.php?image=theworldmorelandwithequfg3.png)

[GunsnArmor]

Here's a (provisional) map of the world I made earlier. It's not finished yet, and of course I have a clean version without the names or annotations. The blue and red lines represent ocean currents (cold and warm respectively) - I'm trying to give some portrayal of the climate this time as well.

Warning - it's big.

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/3319/theworldmorelandwithequfg3.th.png (http://img77.imageshack.us/my.php?image=theworldmorelandwithequfg3.png)

Hmmmm.

We should give Always Winter a...more realistic name, if you know what I mean. Thats just kind of odd, having a continent be called Always Winter. Unless the people of The Land don't know what it's called, and only know it's cold over there. :lol:

[Statalyzer]

Always Winter is actually a cool name I think.

[Serenla]

OK, a few things I'm wondering about:

1) If there are 4 inhabited island-continents (The Land, Iasukey, Pegwos and Mun) then why would one of them be called The Land? I have no problem with the name in general, but it seems it would be better applied to the world as a whole. It feels odd to me to have one island called The Land, while the others have proper names.

2) Also dealing with 4 continents; it looks like navies and ships are going to play a much larger role this time around. Perhaps it's just me, but I kind of liked the feel of the old world, where with the exception of one or two Houses, navies were a minor factor. In this world, any major House has to have a powerful navy to retain their influence.

3) Is the continent called The Land about the same relative size as it was in the original? For example, could half a dozen major Houses easily fit into its lands?

4) Fourthly and lastly, I know you said not to put factions on the map yet, but I'd like to put in a pre-emptive bid for Mun :p

And having said all that, it looks like you've been putting a lot of work into this and I'd like to offer my thanks for that :D Couldn't do it without the great octopus!

[VO]

GunsnArmor

Always Winter was the name of the bit below House Kraft on the old map, and I've tried to keep names the same as before. Like The Land, I agree it needs another name, but as a colloquialism in the language of the inhabitants of The Land, I think it's a fine term for "that big, snowy continent down south which is too cold to do much with.

Serenla:

1) We don't have a better name for it yet. :p The Land is NOT the name by which it's known overseas, but I think for the inhabitants of the continent, it's fine.

2) Well, at the timeframe that BL started, everything IS constricted to the old world. There might be outside influences such as mercenaries from Iasukey, minor colonies in Pegwos, but nothing that should really necessitate leaving the continent. Navies might be more important later, but everyone has some kind of sea coast, so it won't be that difficult to send out explorers to start with. :)


3)Yeah, the Land is exactly the same size as it was originally - about 2500 miles top to bottom.

4) Well, I'm not sure what's going to be done about the rest of the world yet. Certainly, everyone needs a faction with easy access to The Land (basically, everyone needs a faction with easy access to the land), but I could open up other areas of the world one by one for development, for nations that could become important factions later on down the line. Each continent would probably have a theme (The Land is Medieval European, Iasukey East Asian, South Pegwos African, while Mun is cold), and no-one would HAVE to make a claim there as long as they had one in The Land.


Regarding the map itself, I'm quite happy to add more landmass (indeed, I got lazy, there should be more small islands in the two large oceans), if someone wants one somewhere and has a good idea for a theme. However, I don't want this to make it easier to reach the New World from the Land.

Quick Reference Paragraphs.

As Stat said, a quick reference paragraph for everyone's side might be good. Please try and keep this to about 150 words - we'll have another thread for huge essays about each house. :)

Also, try and be fairly geographically ambiguous - I'm going to try and keep everyone in about the same place in The Land, provided they want to stay there, but incase we have more Houses, it would be good if we have a bit more flexibility.

If you want to change your house, or want to start a new house, post a summary like everyone else. :)

House Beldain

Proud, callous and cunning, House Beldain claim descent from the legendary First Emperor, Aneos Dain. The rule of Greathouse Dain ended 200 years ago, but their offshoot, House Beldain, clung onto control of the fiscal, administrative, and religious heart of the continent through intrigue and betrayal. The Beldain lands are one of the smallest territories, although they are heavily developed and contain a large part of the Land’s population. The House is technically ruled by Lord Beldain, although it is his wife who holds the true reigns of power. Beldain have long harbored an ambition to return to the throne, and see now as the time to execute their plans. Their armies are large and relatively technology-heavy, given that the Dainese cities contain one of the main knowledge centers of the land, although there are rumors of darker machinations behind the Beldain war machine – forbidden blood magic and pacts with things from other planes.


Also - I've just realised the thing going over the top of the map is impossible. Geography doesn't work like that. There will be a small edit sometime soon.

[AI]

House Kraft

The oldest and most rooted of all the Houses, Kraft can trace their desendance back to the first dominant people of the Land. Gradually driven South into frozen waste and Mountains, House Kraft now live on the very edge of their ancestors ancient lands - Hearts as cold as their climate. They are a proud and practical house, holding a simple mantra of wasting nothing. Due to the number of ore seams running through their mountains, they are also boast the most skilled metal workers and miners, combining this with their mysterious soul-binding techniques has allowed them to raise the great legions of Iron Men for which they're reknown. Due to their rather neutral, often uncaring, attitude for world affairs and other houses, the Mountains of Kraft have also become something of an obvious hiding place for refugees and exiles from other parts of The Land. With the Lord of the Mountain tradionally welcoming all newcomers... Providing they stayed out of the way, and could earn their keep.

[SW Freak]

Hey, the map isn't working for me at all. Either of them. I've seen the first, I think, but not the second one your posted, Voes.

[VO]

Hm, I think that's a problem with imageshack - catch me on msn and I'll send it to you.

If anyone else needs me on msn, pm me and I'll give you my address.

Religion in The Land

The majority of the Land - indeed, the entire Cassone Empire save Kojiro - worships the same pantheon of gods, although they are known as many names. The official religion of the Land is known as The Faith, and honours a number of gods. Under most interpretations, including that preached by the Great Celestial Listener, each of the deities is merely an aspect of a greater whole, and cannot be considered on their own. Some sects do view the faith as a fully polytheistic religion, however.

The major gods of the Faith reflect common societal roles or aspects of the environment. Under Celestialism, the official and predominant religion in the empire, they are known by these names:
The All-Father (Patron of Nobility, Lord of The Human World)
The Wife (Patron of Married Women)
The Warrior-Smith (Patron of Men, in particular soldiers and blacksmiths)
The Virgin (Patron of Maids,Children and of the Arts)
The Sky-Lord (Lord of the Next World, King of Heaven)
The King of Crows(Lord of the Previous World, Lord of The Underword, Patron of Travellers)
The Harvest Mother (Patron of Farmers, Mothers, and Merchants)
The Sea-Lord (Patron of Sailors and the Seas)
The Harlot Queen (a somewhat heretical concept none the less popular in many more unsavory areas of the Land).

There are, of course, other religions in the land. Cults exist in worship of the Old Gods who came before the Faith, the Man Under The Mountain, the animal-headed deities of Pegwos, the Dragon God of Iasukey and many more. These are tolerated, although not sponsored in most parts of the land, but there are whispers of hungry beings somewhere between beasts and deities which would not be welcome anywhere.

[Nyerguds]

House Serniac curses by the Harlot Queen... though from the way that sounds I suspect they're not the only ones :p

[Statalyzer]

Also - I've just realised the thing going over the top of the map is impossible. Geography doesn't work like that. There will be a small edit sometime soon.

What do you mean?

[VO]

Well assuming it's a globe - you can't have something going off the top the map and coming back on the other side, without it covering the whole of the top of the map :p

[GunsnArmor]

House Voidenvard:
Small, subtle. House Voidenvard was founded by Iez Hisngad, who is still thier leader. Iez was first from an uncivilized, unfair village, the name is long forgoten. He had started a rebelion in the village, and got most to leave and follow him NorthWest of it, where they settled next to a small mountain.
They were once atheists, for they did not like the way of the village, and thought wrongly of religion because of it. But after 24 years of being in charge of Voidenvard, he learned of other religions, and saw a vision in his sleep one night. That was when they became believers in The Virgin. Voidenvard has been around for 87 years, and Iez still rules. Though he plans to give his son, Fan Hisngad, the seat of the throne. The people of Voidenvard usually live to be 150. Iez is currently 118.

Discoveries and Technology:
Voidenvard doesn't hold much resources, but the mountain provides much iron and rock. One of thier great soldiers is the Agsex, who is greatly skilled in Acrobatics, and skilled with axes.

(more comming soon)

[Serenla]

House Aratin

Exiled to Lordship over the barren northern deserts hundreds of years ago, House Aratin remains one of the pre-eminent Houses of the North, but has little influence or power with the Southern lands. The majority of Aratin's subjects and bannermen are men with little or no claim to civilization. Few people outside of the principal city Arashin or it's harbour, Northaven, have any experience with the courts or culture of the South. Most of Aratin's people Worship the Warrior-Smith, the Harvest Mother and the King of Crows but there is a large minority devoted to the heretic teachings of the Harlot Queen.

Aratin's legacy is a bitter one; none of the House's rulers have forgotten the Exile and bear no love for any Southern Houses, least of all the Dragonmasters of Kojiro who are viewed as abominations. Aratin's army is a comparable size with many other Houses', but less than a third of the soldiers have any sort of formal training.


I'd add more, but I think I've gone on a bit long already :p

[AI]

Gunsandarmour, just a few points - Not picking on you or anything, just some stuff you might want to consider. ;)

Your house is pretty young, in the grand scale of things, and really, really tiny to boot. A village's worth of people isn't even going to be considered in political terms, and just flattened when it comes to armed conflict. Most of the other houses also span generations in terms of history, and have the size, wealth and power to influence the others - So you might want to consider taking something a little bigger.

Most of the untaken land is also probably going to be in a warmer climate, so I hope you don't mind that. :)

And also, everyone in The Land is a normal human - So the unrealistic ages are pushing it a bit.

[Wesforce]

Well assuming it's a globe - you can't have something going off the top the map and coming back on the other side, without it covering the whole of the top of the map :p

Hm, actually... Why don't we make it a bizarre, Halo-ish ringworld? Or a flat one? :color1:

[VO]

Hm, actually... Why don't we make it a bizarre, Halo-ish ringworld? Or a flat one? :color1:

Hm, a ringworld might be fun :color3:

And now, a sneak preview of the new map of The Land.


http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/3338/thesouthsz0.png

[GunsnArmor]

Gunsandarmour, just a few points - Not picking on you or anything, just some stuff you might want to consider. ;)

Your house is pretty young, in the grand scale of things, and really, really tiny to boot. A village's worth of people isn't even going to be considered in political terms, and just flattened when it comes to armed conflict. Most of the other houses also span generations in terms of history, and have the size, wealth and power to influence the others - So you might want to consider taking something a little bigger.

Most of the untaken land is also probably going to be in a warmer climate, so I hope you don't mind that. :)

And also, everyone in The Land is a normal human - So the unrealistic ages are pushing it a bit.

Hmmmm, I see.

heres a more updated version:

House Voidenvard:
Small, subtle. House Voidenvard was founded by Iez Hisngad. Iez was first from an uncivilized, unfair village, the name is long forgotten. He had started a rebellion in the village, and got most to leave and follow him northwest of it, where they settled next to a small mountain. They were once atheists, for they did not like the way of the village, and thought wrongly of religion because of it. But after 24 years of being in charge of Voidenvard, he learned of other religions, and saw a vision in his sleep one night. That was when they became believers in The Virgin. 31 years later, Iez died from a heart attack. His son, Fan Hisngad, at the age of 19 took over Voidenvard. Though the people mourned Iez and his kind soul, Fan was more fit for a ruler, and advanced military to a great basis, and expanded the small province’s area. After being in the throne for 17 years, he was killed in a battle against a tribe of barbarians that were roaming around their territory, raiding small villages. Fan’s son, at the age of 16, Zax was crowned the new king. Zax was more into power, though, and increased the military basis more than culture and scientific research. He lived for 50 more years, till he also had a heart attack, as his grandfather. Zax’s son was only three, and the people were afraid that Voidenvard would go into civil disorder. Soldiers wandered around the city, trying to find any family members of Iez that were alive. They only found a woman that was an aunt of Zax, Sia Hisngad. She took the throne as a steward, and had Zax’s son, Ould, on her lap every morning, till Ould was 15.

Voidenvard has been around for 144 years, and Ould is currently 25 years old. There’s currently 21 villages, 9 towns, and 2 cities.

Voidenvard hates The Harlot Queen and it's worshipers. They despise everything about them. Though it leads to trouble alot to hate them.

Most of Voidenvard worship The Virgin, but a small portion are of The Warrior-Smith.

Voidenvard doesn't hold much resources, but the mountain provides much iron and rock. One of thier great soldiers is the Agsex, who is greatly skilled in Acrobatics, and skilled with axes.

(Sorry. It's kind of long.)

@VO: Can you put my house on there? Put me in the coldest place on The Land.

[Statalyzer]

Oh, gunsnarmor, you need to delete the "the found is still the leader" part. :)

Well assuming it's a globe - you can't have something going off the top the map and coming back on the other side, without it covering the whole of the top of the map

You almost can. Imagine two Greenlands, both of which were connected only by a very small strip of land across the North pole.

KNIGHTS OF CONLAR

The Knights are an ancient order which could be attained only by high merit, much like benevolent secret police. Corruption and nepotism eventually expanded the ranks and dilluted the elite qualities. The corruption sparked a Knight civil war and so the emperor Ramonte Cassone (Yeter's great-grandfather) disbanded the Knights. They refused to disband and retreated to the plains occupied by the weak Houses Corezin and Marn, which have since all but ceased to exist. The teritory is inhabited mostly by peasents in small cities and scattered farmers. The Knights now govern the territory and compose it's army, about 20,000 strong and composed of semi-autonomous Legions. Most ride horses but some ride camels. Their assets are mobility and surprise, so they also have a small fleet of ships on the Eastern Coast mainly for transport. The Knights are generally idealistic and chivalrous, although there are plenty of excpetions, and wish to see The Land reunited. They also wish to restore their own honor that was tarnished during the coup and the order to disband so they can again become recongnized as guardians of justice by the general populace.

[VO]

G&A - we're looking more for a flavour description of your House right now rather than any concrete details about it's history. What makes your organization different than the others? Also, the really cold places are likely taken, by existing players.

***

I was thinking about how Bl is going to be run, to allow it to move quickly but still have some room for 'story' like the original. This is what I came up with.

Bloodlines will be split into separate periods of time (probably one month long). The events of each unit will be sorted out before we move onto the next. Events will be written up in a timeline-like fashion, like this.

Hexuary 1245

Unday 1st - A strange comet is sighted by astrologers across the land. The ageing Emperor Yeter Cassone takes this as a sign to call a meeting of Cassones across the land.

Octday 18th - The Cassone Conclave meets at Newkeep to choose a new Emperor. The comet is huge and red in the sky.

Godsday 20th - A strange light is seen by all the houses of the land. For some in the central regions, this is followed by a massive shockwave as fields of corn are leveled and stained windows blown from chapels. Cheton Moondark immediately sends out messengers to all the Greathouses of the Land - something terrible has happened to Newkeep.

- As de facto leader of the closest house to Newkeep, Prima Beldain calls a meeting of her Small Council as soon as the message arrives to decide what is to be done. Beldain's years of planning to return to the throne have been torn asunder by this sudden development. In face of resistance from the Beldain spymistress, who warns against such moves, Yeter Beldain will be crowned emperor by the Beldains, and troops will be sent to seize and restore order to the Crownlands.

Threeday 23rd - Reports have begun to arrive of the total destruction of Newkeep. The Crownlands are in chaos, as news begins to spread amoungst the general populace of the land. Yeter Beldain is crowned as the First Emperor of the Restored Dainese Dynasty at Dainsmount by his mother. The Listener sends his blessings, but does not attend personally.

In addition, anyone who wants to write this up in story form, ala the origianal bloodlines, is welcome to do as much or as little as they want. To fit it into the main thread, but allow it to flow properly, I think that maybe we should hide all story parts behind spoiler tags, after the relevant timeline point - for example, my first post in the old thread would go after the Godsday 20th information.

Everyone would of course be responsible for their own house. If there is an event that requires another person to participate (e.g. Dainese and Westfreissan Diplomats meet. The Dainese message is simple: join us or die.), then either sort it out with them before you post any subsequent events, or end your timeline development at that point, and wait for their response before you write any more.


I'm also thinking about having some kind of statistical system - not something hard and fast with X always beating Y, nor something with a set number of points you're allowed to distrubute, but a way of easily comparing different faction's strengths and making sure that if one person things "so and so kicks arse", everyone knows it's supposed it. What do people think?

[GunsnArmor]

G&A - we're looking more for a flavour description of your House right now rather than any concrete details about it's history. What makes your organization different than the others? Also, the really cold places are likely taken, by existing players.

I noticed something was wrong. I'll change that as soon as possible.

And about the history...I don't know when to put my info in there, because I don't know what the current year is. If I did, then I could subtract the years with the current to figure out when I can put down information.

[SW Freak]

That's the thing, it's not any one year. This is a description of your house as it is in this year. It's not your history or anything; take Kraft. Aies just described their ideals and philosophies. That's the kinda thing we're looking for.

Stat system sounds good, Voes. Any ideas on particulars?

[GunsnArmor]

That's the thing, it's not any one year. This is a description of your house as it is in this year. It's not your history or anything; take Kraft. Aies just described their ideals and philosophies. That's the kinda thing we're looking for.

..ohhhhhhh, I get it now!

-Ould Hisngad announced to his people of the birth of his son, Iez the Second. The people of Vahnun celebrated this glorious day. News of this spread acrost the other towns of Voidenvard, and over the border.

[VO]

..ohhhhhhh, I get it now!

-Ould Hisngad announced to his people of the birth of his son, Iez the Second. The people of Vahnun celebrated this glorious day. News of this spread acrost the other towns of Voidenvard, and over the border.

Well, what I want is a short (150 words summary of the flavor of the house). Have a look at the last few posts. What makes Voidenvard special?

[AI]

The last few posts in question being...

http://forums.cncden.com/showpost.php?p=315601&postcount=76

http://forums.cncden.com/showpost.php?p=315641&postcount=83

http://forums.cncden.com/showpost.php?p=315693&postcount=88

As a lot has happened in this thread since. :)

[GunsnArmor]

Well, what I want is a short (150 words summary of the flavor of the house). Have a look at the last few posts. What makes Voidenvard special?

What I typed in that post you quoted was the event to add.

Here is the discription:

Ruled by Ould Hisngad, Voidenvard is a small and subtle province. Deep in the small mountains they find much iron, which gives them great advantages against thier enemy's. They build trebuchets made out of pure iron and rock, which is used by no other, same as thier Agsex.
The people of Voidenvard mostly believe in The Virgin, but some go with The Warrior-Smith. They never use boats for transportation or weapons, for they think it is more wise to build houses and carrages. They also hate The Harlot Queen and its worshipers. They dispise heresy.

Theres nine towns in Voidenvard, including the capitol. They are:
Void -The capitol, where the king is.
Hamerloc -Where the worshipers of the Warrior-Smith live.
Hisngad -Named after the leaders of Voidenvard
Gahn -A pillaged barbarian village, rebuilt.
Kahlose -Unwealthy people live in this small town.
Undra -The first town to be built after Void.
Yano -A peaceful town surrounded by a forest.
Ukanah -A small village built near Void a few years ago, and is still growing.

[Nyerguds]

gah, VO, could you write up a description of Serniac? You know, with the history we discussed on MSN about how they came to power and stuff?
I really can't find the time to write it all down :\

[VO]

Well, we can wait for you to finish your exams, you know...

[Statalyzer]

We might need to do like we did for the last Bloodlines and make a separate thread with just the paragraph-long house descriptions in it, and maybe edit the original post to have a continually-updated list of all the houses.

[VO]

We might need to do like we did for the last Bloodlines and make a separate thread with just the paragraph-long house descriptions in it, and maybe edit the original post to have a continually-updated list of all the houses.

I'm going to make some kind of quick reference thing eventually.

[Nyerguds]

and now, VOes presents to you, in my place (because I'm too busy with examstuff):

House Serniac!
http://cnc2sw.planetcnc.gamespy.com/stuff/Serniac_coatofarms_400.jpg
THADAAM!

[VO]

House Serniac

House Serniac trace their lineage to Maertin Serniac, an engineer from Cindertrin who was granted lands by Ramonte Cassone following his assistance in the time of troubles. Serniac usurped House Lenrick as the rulers of the food producing region of Selenia shortly before the annihilation of the Cassone dynasty. This was achieved with the help of an army of steam machines, although it was only the shocking death of the Emperor that prevented imperial troops from overrunning their newly won lands. Now the Serniacs, under the rule of Lord Makrain and his numerous children, struggle to rebuild and defend their lands with their wonderous new technologies. The agricultural capacities of Selenia give the Serniacs a powerful bargaining chip in a period even more dangerous than the Time of Troubles in which their house was forged.

[Nyerguds]

woo, thankies :D

[GunsnArmor]

I believe that we should get starting soon. Unless, were waiting for more people, or if my description is still full of flaws. :ashamed:

[Anonomuss]

i would like to help with this if i'm not too late. I have an Idea for a house or sub-house.

[VO]

Anonomuss - you're welcome - just put up a quick description, or catch me on msn. :)

Other people - if you haven't done your mini blurb, can we have it soon please?Gunsandarmor - if you look at the old Bloodlines thread, do you mind being where 'The Hex' was on the map? CKW isn't playing anymore, and there are mountains there.Everyone - In order to give Westfreiss some kind of competition, if you have a sea coast (which everyone does), I don't see why all houses shouldn't have at least a small navy, even if it is mainly merchant ships.

[Anonomuss]

Here's a quick descipion of my House.

House Aldranid
A House well known for its highly skilled and numerous mages. The house itself viewa the unavoidable insanity that comes with the job, as the most ultimate magical epiphiny. This means that the council that rules over the house is mosly made up of insane, aged, magi. This often results in acts of wild abandon, attacking neighbouring houses with little reason or strategical advantage. More recent mages have sought to blend magic with engineering and as such, the footsoldiers are often armed with hybrid blackpowder-magic weaponry, which are often highly unstable.
Despite the wild unpredictability of the high council, the ambassadors of Aldranid are held in high regard, as they are yound ambitious wizards, as aged wizards tend to get lost en reute, turning up weeks later, causing forest fires and the sudden, and unforseeable aerial migration of fish.

[Wesforce]

House Westfreiss

House Westfreiss are masters of exploration and trade, thanks to their ubiquitous fleets. There isn't a seaport in the land that doesn't regularly see these tanned, blue-haired seafairers. They are industrious, if somewhat arrogant thanks to their island mentality, and tend to look down on other races and houses, such as the inhabitants of Midwinter Isle, who live as slaves, and the entire race of Mermen on the Westfreissian colony of North Coralen. This rigid matriarchal society doesn't maintain a standing land army, but is ready to arm its slaves for defence in time of war, relying on the strength of the Navy to maintain their fortress islands.

[GunsnArmor]

Gunsandarmor - if you look at the old Bloodlines thread, do you mind being where 'The Hex' was on the map? CKW isn't playing anymore, and there are mountains there.

Sure! That would be swell.

And whats a blurb?

[Nyerguds]

just, you know, a short piece of text.

[Statalyzer]

In order to give Westfreiss some kind of competition, if you have a sea coast (which everyone does), I don't see why all houses shouldn't have at least a small navy, even if it is mainly merchant ships.

I think the army's transport fleet is all the Knights should have, they are definition land animals and hardly any of them would know much about seafaring.

[Anonomuss]

Would a Steam/Magic driven ship called 'Sleipnir' be okay, in keeping with the mad mage-scientist theme?(After all if there are steam powered flying iron chickens, I imagine it would be possible.)

[Wesforce]

IIRC, we were in the age of transition to steam power, so I don't see why not. How would a Magic-driven ship work though? The magic system (correct me please VO if my information is out of date) works on a reciprocal basis... So it gives and takes when you use it.

[Anonomuss]

It is powered by the descendants of the mage who created its concept and design. At all times while moving through water (or even the air), a mage powers the engine, their mind slowly reciting a mantra of the fabled control worlds. To prevent the mage from forgetting this mantra half-way through a voyage, a specially designed helm is worn covering the entire head, with an inscription in front of the eyes. Although this meant that the mage seldom, if ever forgot the mantra, their entire being could now become involved in the powering of the ship incapable of all else. Though this is generally the cost of any long voyage, Aldranidians feel that the cost is well worth it as it is viewed as a spiritual bonding between man and boat. No participants were able to protest.

I think this is correct in the gain something/take something system of the magic but feel free to correct me, I havn't got a definate grasp of the magic idea yet.

[VO]

I may not be around too much for the next few days as I think there's something wrong with my computer. Just a FYI.

[GunsnArmor]

Well, okay. Email me when this starts. :lol:

asbriere@insightbb.com

I'm serious.

[VO]

Right um, background-wise, I'll try and sort out the rest of the map this weekend.

Anonomuss - I'm trying to find somewhere to place you on the map. I can either remove one of the NPC houses (Tidesmaster or Forrester), put you on the north coast of the shallow sea, or possibly nick some land from someone else :p I don't really think you want to be in the middle of the desert, which is where nilloC was.

edit: actually, there may be some room next to Stat, depending on how I draw that area on the new map. His lands seem to have got stretched somehow :p

Speaking of the desert, there are probably some other cultures we need to know a tiny bit about, not as PC houses but just as other places which might play some kind of a role. I'm only going to worry about the ones directly next to/part of The Land right now, but if you have an interesting idea for the culture of one of these areas, feel free to suggest it. None of these should be strong enough to rival a Greathouse of The Land.

1) The people of Always Winter
2) Whoever lives in the desert in the north of The Land.
3) Possibly anything to do with the Pirate Coast.

[Serenla]

I have some stuff written on Aratin, and the culture of its inhabitants etc etc. Should I send that to you to see if it's ok with your ideas?

[VO]

If it's new stuff, definitely!

[Serenla]

OK I sent it to you via PM.

Like 5 hours ago.

Then you read it and talked to me about it.

Then I wanted to post here.

*post*

[VO]

What's VO been doing on friday night? Well, drawing individual mountains onto a map of a fictional continent, that's what!

Edit: There's a stupid line that got in there by accident. The next update will fix that

http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/3947/thelandbigterraindeepie9.th.png (http://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=thelandbigterraindeepie9.png)

[GunsnArmor]

What's VO been doing on friday night? Well, drawing individual mountains onto a map of a fictional continent, that's what!

Edit: There's a stupid line that got in there by accident. The next update will fix that

http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/3947/thelandbigterraindeepie9.th.png (http://img245.imageshack.us/my.php?image=thelandbigterraindeepie9.png)

Nice.

[GunsnArmor]

*notices nothing is happening*

Let's get this rock moving, shall we? ;)

[Statalyzer]

Any updates on anything here?

[Statalyzer]

Too bad this never got going. If I ever get into game design I'm probably going to create some sort of turn-based game inspired by these threads. I'd even try and create one & play it here but I doubt that would ever get off the ground.