Fantasy Hands of Gold

[Vudukudu]

This Quest RP will take place in a setting largely inspired by a book series by the name of Red Rising - if you haven't read it, that's fine. The RP is, in large part, action and survival oriented, though there's also a lot of political machinations to navigate through. If you fancy yourself a wee Machiavellian, this is just the place for you. Anywho, comment if interested and Ill get working on a thread.
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We rule because we were made to. It is not just our right, but our duty, to shepherd the lesser Colors. You have inherited this legacy, but take care, my child. It is not free.

The Society has reigned proudly over its island territory for nine hundred years. Forged from the fires of the War of the Tyrant, the Society is led by the 200 noble families which compose the Senate, and the Sovereign that they elect. Hundreds of lesser houses vie for a seat in the Senate, their worth judged by their honors and wealth. For the Society, honor and glory are earned in battle, and the various noble families lead seemingly endless military expeditions against their barbaric neighbors across the Channel.

After the fall of the Tyrant, the Society instituted the Compact, the laws by which they would be governed. The Compact established the caste structure which is maintained to this day. Golds, or Aureate, reign on high, composing the entirety of the aristocracy. Beneath them are Whites, a caste of priests, and Coppers, a caste of administrators and lawyers. Blues are sailors and shipbuilders, Yellows are Doctors and philosophers, Violets are actors and artists. Finally, there are the menial classes. Greys are reserved for military use or as police, Browns are servants, Pinks are pleasure servants, and Reds are for manual, unskilled labor of all sorts. Each of the lower Colors is raised to obey their Golden masters without question. In return, they are treated as disposable inferiors, something resembling a human but not quite one.

The most distinguished members of the noble Aureate, called this for the golden bracers nobility wear, are the Scarred. The most promising members of Aureate youth, upon reaching their 18th birthday, are eligible to spend a year at The Institute. It is expressly forbidden to speak about what occurs at The Institute, but it is known to produce the heroes and legends of the Society. Soft, inexperienced children enter. Scarred leave, prepared to mount a campaign as a Praetor, serve as a Lancer to a more powerful Gold, or strive for greatness in other ways.

You are Gold, whether you be from a landless family in service of their betters, a Senator's princely progeny, or something between. It is four weeks after your 18th birthday when a sealed letter arrives, bearing the Pyramid symbol of the Society. A squat Brown presents it to you, then leaves to give you privacy with which to read the letter. It is short and written in flowing script, signed by the Sovereign herself. "Congratulations on your acceptance to the Institute."

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Spoiler: The Society and Golds

The Society is essentially a feudal state with an elected king or queen. The Sovereign rules as long as they have the support to do so - at any time, 60% of the Senate may call for a new election and depose a Sovereign in favor of a new one. This doesn’t happen often - few factions in power have the numbers to secure an election, and many are loath to make enemies by participating in what may be a failing vote. Political manipulation is essentially the national pastime for the Aureate class, when they aren’t at war with themselves or outsiders.
Golds are raised to be ruthless power-seekers, ambitious and cunning to the core. They are also given an extensive education in fields like law, history, philosophy, horsemanship, sword fighting, tactics, strategy, oration, and so forth. Family is considered the highest source of loyalty for most Golds, and they regularly settle insults to their honor by duels to the death. Despite this, Gold society is painfully polite - everything is cloaked in manners and pleasantries, and status is everything. Ambition, courage, and cunning are Gold society’s highest values, inculcated in their children as soon as they can walk and talk. Despite their willingness to do just about anything to advance, they do respect oath-keeping, and especially their laws.
The Aureate class harkens back to the Age of the Tyrant, the last time magic was at all understood. To give themselves an advantage in the war, the first Aureates were magically enhanced with greater lifespans, strength, endurance, agility, intelligence - simply put, superior to the average man in every way. This enhanced nature is passed down by blood, and once the Aureate had finished their ritual, they slaughtered every mage in the Society and burned every scroll related to magical practice. Magic is essentially a completely lost art now, protecting the Aureate’s dominance for all of history. To order their new Society, the Aureate imposed the Color System, ranking castes by colors - everyone is branded on the back of their hands with their Color’s insignia.

1. Aureate/Gold: The ruling noble class.
2. White: Clergy and Judges.
3. Copper: Administrators, lawyers, bureaucrats.
4. Blues: Sailors and shipbuilders.
5. Yellow: Doctors and philosophers.
6. Orange: High-skill labor, like detailed forging and tailoring.
7. Violet: Artists, actors, creative class.
8. Gray: Law enforcement and military.
9. Brown: Servants
10. Pink: Pleasure slaves
11. Red: Unskilled and some skilled menial labor

Spoiler: Terminology

1. Razor: A razor is one of the few existing magical artifacts still in existence - none have been made since the War of the Tyrant, but there were plenty to go around so there’s no shortage today. Most families pass them down, and only Aureate are allowed to wield them. A Razor can, with the press of a switch, be turned from a sword into a whip, allowing for brutal, unpredictable combat styles. Younger Golds tend to wear them wrapped around the forearm like a bracelet, though older Golds typically wear it at their hip. Prominent Razor forms include the Willow Way, the Reaping Dance (considered the most difficult to master), and Rising Viper.
   Willow Way: This form is predominantly for dueling and is largely defensive, focusing on ripostes and quick strikes.
   Rising Viper: The main combat form used by military Golds, focusing on sweeping attacks. Best used against enemy troops, where wide arcs can drop multiple foes at once.
   Reaping Dance: Taught only by unparalleled masters of the Form, and only to those with the talent to use it, the Reaping Dance requires extensive training and unusual agility. It is dangerous to the user, and many of its practitioners are covered with accidental scars, but few can handle a master of the form in single combat.
2. Peerless Scarred/Iron Gold: Anyone who survives the Institute. Comes with a whole batch of benefits upon graduation, marking the Scar’s owner as someone with great skill.
3. Pixies: Golds who spend their lives wallowing in hedonistic pleasure, rather than the honorable pursuits of combat or power.
4. Bronzes: Poorer, less successful Golds. Still treated as Golds by their inferiors, but often mocked by more successful Golds.
5. Domina / Dominus: An honorific title used by low Colors to refer to Golds when they speak to them, similar to “milord” or “milady”.
6. Olympic Knights: The Twelve Knights are the Sovereign’s personal guard. The titles, as follows, are Morning Knight, Rage Knight, Protean Knight, Storm Knight, Wind Knight, Hearth Knight, Truth Knight, Joy Knight, Death Knight, Cloud Knight, Fear Knight, and Love Knight.
7. Houses: At the Institute, everyone is put into a House based on an aptitude and personality test, as well as some accounting for the student’s family. The Houses are named after the Olympic Knight titles (House Rage, House Cloud, etc.) and are seen as post-graduation professional associations - being a member of House Rage may earn perks with other House Rage members of society, for example.
8. Military Ranks:
   1. Centurion: The “rank and file” Aureate soldiers.
   2. Decanus: Commands ten centurions.
   3. Legate: Commander of a force, typically no more than 1,000 men of either Aureate or Gray.
   4. Praetor: Commands 5000+ troops.
   5. Imperator: 25000+ troops
   6. Arch-Imperator: Highest ranking military official in the Society
9. Political Factions:
   1. Optimates: Supporters of the Sovereign.
   2. Vox Victor/Dissenters: The largest faction opposing the Sovereign.
   3. Venari: Largely focused on expanding the empire via conquest, rather than politics.
   4. Alatori: Reformers, seeking to modify the system, either by changing the Common Law or ending the caste system, depending on how reformist they are. Membership in the Alatori is considered a black mark by most Golds, and thus is usually kept secret.
10. Common Law: Laws all Golds typically hold sacred.
    1. Right of Challenge: All Golds have the right to challenge another Gold to a duel, either to death or submission, provided there is an adequate reason, such as insulted honor or the murder of a family member or friend.
    2. Right of Hospitality: Any Gold welcomed into your home is a protected guest. Killing someone or allowing them to die under your roof, and thus your protection, is a high crime. That said, you are not obligated to take anyone into your home.
    3. Right to Trial: All Golds have a right to a trial by their peers for any criminal charge.
    4. Right of Security: A Gold cannot be deprived of their right to carry a Razor under any circumstances, except when present in the Senate.
11. The Dust: The Gold “afterlife.” When one dies, they “return to the Dust” and are either buried or cremated according to family custom.
12. Blooded: Blooded are highly decorated Greys. The selection process is extreme, usually requiring that a Grey survive multiple campaigns, then have their status voted on by their brothers-in-arms. Blooded are the cream of the crop, and are the only low Colors that could pose a real threat to a Gold.
13. The Red Rising: A rebel terrorist movement seeking to tear down the Society and install a demokracy. Something like thirty years old, though various versions of it have arisen and been destroyed for hundreds of years. Its current form is run by a man going by the name of Kerseis, the pre-Society god of justice. He wields a Razor, suggesting he may be a Gold, but his apparent access to important information suggests he may also be a high-ranking Grey, Copper, or simply a household servant of an important family.

Spoiler: Geography

The isle itself is named Rodiira.

The Capitol is simply referred to as The Capitol. Other prominent cities include Lux, Lykos, Arx, Penbrosh, Thebos, Remola, and Karthaga. There's plenty of other towns and such of varying importance.


Geographic Info: The isle itself is named Rodiira.

The Capitol is simply referred to as The Capitol. Other prominent cities include Lux, Lykos, Arx, Penbrosh, Thebos, Remola, and Karthaga. There's plenty of other towns and such of varying importance.

The Augustus Family Holdings: Continuous borders, to avoid being split up easily. Family relatives and friendly loyalists inhabit and manage some of their lands.

1. The Sovereign’s Palace: A massive, imperial palace situated in the heart of the Capitol. It is passed down Sovereign to Sovereign. It is the only Augustus holding not connected to the rest.
2. The Summerhall: A rich manor surrounded by vineyards and fields, the Summerhall is the home of the Augustus line, though its distance from the Capitol means it is largely maintained by cousins of the Sovereign.

Natural Features:

1. The Institute Valley and its Mountain Ring
2. The Spine: A centrally located north-south mountain range of moderate size. Has a handful of passes, but still slows some travel.
3. The Ostian Marshes: East coast line, around a large natural harbor.
4. Lake Kaiber: Surrounds the Capitol on three sides, with only a narrow strip of land connecting the city to the outside.
5. Lake Septim: A northern lake that spawns the three rivers.
6. Rivers:
   1. The Pina River: Runs east to the sea.
   2. The Lancea River: Runs west, then curves north before feeding into dozens of tributaries.
   3. The Daleen River: Runs south, curves considerably, Amazon-like in scale.
7. The Tyrant’s Fall: A valley in the southwest which the Daleen runs through and feeds a small lake in.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Dergy be interested :3

 

[Vudukudu]

Bump.

 

[adrian_]

Dude. This is so cool.

 

[Vudukudu]

Dude. This is so cool.

Thanks for the interest! If you'd like to read the series I'm largely poaching from, its called Red Rising. 10/10, would recommend.

 

[HotshotXXV]

Very interested in this. Love these novels.