Fantasy Noble Age - OOC

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

Dalamus Ulom KameChan Rusty of Shackleford LadyOfStars RayPurchase Weason Lenny2000

And So it begins in earnest.​

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

I have arrived!

 

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

I'll be attaching the various pages to this thread as they're created

We'll have separate sheets for the Houses, Characters, and Lore forthcoming, but those will only be for finished products. Feel free to develop any ideas you have in this thread and bounce ideas off of each other.

 

[Lenny2000]

I can't wait! I'm super eager to play with everyone

 

[RayPurchase]

Well I'm going to be knee deep in my Google docs drawing up stuff haha

 

[Soviet Panda]

I'm here.

 

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

Stop laughing.

This is a (really) rough pass at the political situation we've hammered out so far. Hopefully at least helping to judge who's closest to who. We'll make it prettier and more detailed down the line but for now the important bits are that everyone is happy with where they are.

Geographically the entire kingdom runs roughly 2500 Kilometers North to south with a wet, boggy north and a dry, arid south with a heavily forested interior. The entire land mass has a fair share of mountainous, hilly terrain, which are featured most prominently in the neck of the Korkari highlands dominated by house Estley and the Hatikhon Mountains nominally occupied by House Degrance.

 

[KameChan]

Whoops! Didn't see this here! Sorry!

I'm going to post what I just posted in the other thread:

RayPurchase , LadyOfStars Would you guys be interested in having a trading agreement and some cultural relationships be formed? Basically, the Erio homelands are rich in fine sulfurs, toxins, pewters, salts, and other types of goods that are used in the production of tar, sealant, ship waxes, poisons, droughts, venoms, potions(non-magical, though they could have definite effects. Like a sleeping potion, for example! ), and stuff like that. I... think the Estley's are more central to the continent, and probably have access to either the straight or the mainland river?

Either way, would the Estley's like to purchase my goods, and in exchange, the Erios have great need of the Iron deposits from Estley lands? Also, the Estley's could be responsible for producing the goods I mentioned above, and then selling them to the House Corvus? LadyOfStars, sorry, I guess I'm kind of setting you guys up, haha. But nobody said that the tools of espionage were easy to make! And you guys would be so busy espionaging and stuff that it'd make lots of sense to outsource your production costs, right? :3

Hehe! I'm a troublemaker.

Oh! Also, about the Estleys, Ray. So, the way I figure it, house Erio's navy played an instrumental role in the original conquest of Estley's lands, a fact that the Estleys would remember bitterly, and probably would have caused them to rush to catch up with their own navy in a sort of Rivalry to the Erios. I was thinking that our close trading ties would make the cultural relationship between us in the present day very complicated, and not just a simple one of "grr, I hate you!" type stuff.

Also, Rusty of Shackleford , so, I've been thinking about the Ambercrowns. I think both are houses were more connected to the royals than the others, but that that also means that we're both kind of separated from the other houses and so we both need alliances because neither of us can afford to be associated with the royals when the dynasty falls alone. Any other ambitious house is going to want to take us out first thing in he morning after the king is dead...

But I think that culturally, the people of Torquil would have seen the mainland North tribes as cowards because they probably submitted to royal rule first, while the island would have been the last to fall. And then, after the house of Erio had come to ally itself with the royals, the Erio navy would have caused the royals to rely on them more to flank and keep the other houses in line. This can't have sat well with the Ambercrowns. In fact, the Northern Ambercrowns I imagine see the house Erio as a little bratty sibling, wild and unruly, that managed to become daddy's favorite. My house, the Erios, on the other hand, probably sees the Ambercrowns as the boring older brother that somehow makes less money and doesn't know how to party. So basically we need each other, but there are some dificulties in getting to the point where we can like each other, you know?

I'm wondering if you think that's an ok development and current relationship status for us to have at the beginning of the roleplay? Also, I want your armies to be more disciplined than mine, and I want you to buy mai iron weaponsss!!! Pwetty pwease? I gotseded some iron from the house of Estley, and now I need to sell swords to make monies. Hmm? :3

SAIGO-NO-HEATS , so, your house Degrance is kind of in a weird spot for me. I'm putting together a diagram of all the houses and where they are in relation to each other, and your description of your house as an artery of trade is kind of hard to figure out. In my mind, where everything is, the other houses to the North and East of yours all have access and trading to each other without needing to go through your house! If I place your house to the south and east, or to the south and west, I can't really figure out how to make your house a powerful trading route unless we have some far off oriental empire that the whole kingdom and the houses need to do business with. Kind of like another China. If the only way to get to China 2.0 was to go through your lands, then your house would be rich. Super, duper, DUPER SUPER RICH. Like, Richer than all the houses except maybe the combined houses of Erio, the Royals, the Ambercrown, and the Estleys. Which would... kind of be ironic, actually. P_P

Do we want a far off of china 2.0, just for logistics and background purposes? No one actually needs to play as China, imho. :3

 

[Lenny2000]

Why am I not noticed QWQ KameChan

 

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

Whoops! Didn't see this here! Sorry!

I'm going to post what I just posted in the other thread:

RayPurchase , LadyOfStars Would you guys be interested in having a trading agreement and some cultural relationships be formed? Basically, the Erio homelands are rich in fine sulfurs, toxins, pewters, salts, and other types of goods that are used in the production of tar, sealant, ship waxes, poisons, droughts, venoms, potions(non-magical, though they could have definite effects. Like a sleeping potion, for example! ), and stuff like that. I... think the Estley's are more central to the continent, and probably have access to either the straight or the mainland river?

Either way, would the Estley's like to purchase my goods, and in exchange, the Erios have great need of the Iron deposits from Estley lands? Also, the Estley's could be responsible for producing the goods I mentioned above, and then selling them to the House Corvus? LadyOfStars, sorry, I guess I'm kind of setting you guys up, haha. But nobody said that the tools of espionage were easy to make! And you guys would be so busy espionaging and stuff that it'd make lots of sense to outsource your production costs, right? :3

Hehe! I'm a troublemaker.

Oh! Also, about the Estleys, Ray. So, the way I figure it, house Erio's navy played an instrumental role in the original conquest of Estley's lands, a fact that the Estleys would remember bitterly, and probably would have caused them to rush to catch up with their own navy in a sort of Rivalry to the Erios. I was thinking that our close trading ties would make the cultural relationship between us in the present day very complicated, and not just a simple one of "grr, I hate you!" type stuff.

Also, Rusty of Shackleford , so, I've been thinking about the Ambercrowns. I think both are houses were more connected to the royals than the others, but that that also means that we're both kind of separated from the other houses and so we both need alliances because neither of us can afford to be associated with the royals when the dynasty falls alone. Any other ambitious house is going to want to take us out first thing in he morning after the king is dead...

But I think that culturally, the people of Torquil would have seen the mainland North tribes as cowards because they probably submitted to royal rule first, while the island would have been the last to fall. And then, after the house of Erio had come to ally itself with the royals, the Erio navy would have caused the royals to rely on them more to flank and keep the other houses in line. This can't have sat well with the Ambercrowns. In fact, the Northern Ambercrowns I imagine see the house Erio as a little bratty sibling, wild and unruly, that managed to become daddy's favorite. My house, the Erios, on the other hand, probably sees the Ambercrowns as the boring older brother that somehow makes less money and doesn't know how to party. So basically we need each other, but there are some dificulties in getting to the point where we can like each other, you know?

I'm wondering if you think that's an ok development and current relationship status for us to have at the beginning of the roleplay? Also, I want your armies to be more disciplined than mine, and I want you to buy mai iron weaponsss!!! Pwetty pwease? I gotseded some iron from the house of Estley, and now I need to sell swords to make monies. Hmm? :3

SAIGO-NO-HEATS , so, your house Degrance is kind of in a weird spot for me. I'm putting together a diagram of all the houses and where they are in relation to each other, and your description of your house as an artery of trade is kind of hard to figure out. In my mind, where everything is, the other houses to the North and East of yours all have access and trading to each other without needing to go through your house! If I place your house to the south and east, or to the south and west, I can't really figure out how to make your house a powerful trading route unless we have some far off oriental empire that the whole kingdom and the houses need to do business with. Kind of like another China. If the only way to get to China 2.0 was to go through your lands, then your house would be rich. Super, duper, DUPER SUPER RICH. Like, Richer than all the houses except maybe the combined houses of Erio, the Royals, the Ambercrown, and the Estleys. Which would... kind of be ironic, actually. P_P

Do we want a far off of china 2.0, just for logistics and background purposes? No one actually needs to play as China, imho. :3

Wow that's a lot.


Degrance is based on the Crusader States, Mainly the Kingdom of Jerusalem but also the Latin Empire to an extent. And yeah, with the help of the Lionguard (Who like the Knights Templar do double duty as mercenary bankers) they are stupidly rich, but have also had to dedicate a good chunk of those resources to just securing their southern border and trying and trying to keep Dervish Tribes in check. So they haven't been able to just dump all of it on everyone else.

I imagine the strong sea-faring culture a number of the houses have also allows them to just go around the Degrances' Embargos to some extent although it isn't always worth the effort.

As for external powers, there is some form of Mongol/Timurid like entity beyond the border they've dealt with in the past, so assumedly they would have a similar trade infrastructure.

 

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

KameChan

Although, given their crusader like backstory, Maybe synchronize their backstory with that of the trading power of Erio and Estley is to have them actually seprated from the main land. Like as an Exclave that imports eastern trade goods over land but has to rely on the trading ports back home to actually sell them.

Thus further giving reason for the folks back home to view them as halfway foreigners.

 

[RayPurchase]

KameChan

Trading definitely sounds good, the Korkari Highlands aren't exactly resource rich outside of fish and iron, so would definitely rely on imports and most likely export of Iron through Korhaven to keep the economy going. I don't think there would be much in the way of production of said goods though, given the mostly small town and village set up of the Estley Lands. The economic relationship with house Erio would definitely make things quite interesting, I see their rivalry coming up to some extent that the Estleys would see them as another example of outside influence given the fact that house Erio conquered the islands from the original inhabitants. I don't see the Estley's having much of a fleet outside of having enough to defend the bay which is essentially their main trade artery, so they would definitely view a naval power like the Erio's to be a considerable threat, especially if they don't consider the Erio's to be of the same cultural group as them.

 

[RayPurchase]

SAIGO-NO-HEATS

I reckon the Estley's/Korkari view anyone outside of themselves and the Ambercrowns to be foreign interlopers of some sort

 

[KameChan]

Why am I not noticed QWQ KameChan

Because your house is super scarry and I don't know what to do with it yettttt!!! I am thinking, tho'. :3 Let me get my map out of the way and up for you guys to look at. Also, BeyondDandy , I'm sorry I told you not to come to my house because I thought it would be easier to keep track of things but now there's 20 gajillion houses and I'm losing track and the lady of Erio needs your HAAAALLLPP!!!

*ahem* So a *tutoring position* has just opened up in the House of Erio. Someone who can teach my 6 year old boy how to live in this world. Might you be interested?

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

Whoops! Didn't see this here! Sorry!

I'm going to post what I just posted in the other thread:

RayPurchase , LadyOfStars Would you guys be interested in having a trading agreement and some cultural relationships be formed? Basically, the Erio homelands are rich in fine sulfurs, toxins, pewters, salts, and other types of goods that are used in the production of tar, sealant, ship waxes, poisons, droughts, venoms, potions(non-magical, though they could have definite effects. Like a sleeping potion, for example! ), and stuff like that. I... think the Estley's are more central to the continent, and probably have access to either the straight or the mainland river?

Either way, would the Estley's like to purchase my goods, and in exchange, the Erios have great need of the Iron deposits from Estley lands? Also, the Estley's could be responsible for producing the goods I mentioned above, and then selling them to the House Corvus? LadyOfStars, sorry, I guess I'm kind of setting you guys up, haha. But nobody said that the tools of espionage were easy to make! And you guys would be so busy espionaging and stuff that it'd make lots of sense to outsource your production costs, right? :3

Hehe! I'm a troublemaker.

Oh! Also, about the Estleys, Ray. So, the way I figure it, house Erio's navy played an instrumental role in the original conquest of Estley's lands, a fact that the Estleys would remember bitterly, and probably would have caused them to rush to catch up with their own navy in a sort of Rivalry to the Erios. I was thinking that our close trading ties would make the cultural relationship between us in the present day very complicated, and not just a simple one of "grr, I hate you!" type stuff.

Also, Rusty of Shackleford , so, I've been thinking about the Ambercrowns. I think both are houses were more connected to the royals than the others, but that that also means that we're both kind of separated from the other houses and so we both need alliances because neither of us can afford to be associated with the royals when the dynasty falls alone. Any other ambitious house is going to want to take us out first thing in he morning after the king is dead...

But I think that culturally, the people of Torquil would have seen the mainland North tribes as cowards because they probably submitted to royal rule first, while the island would have been the last to fall. And then, after the house of Erio had come to ally itself with the royals, the Erio navy would have caused the royals to rely on them more to flank and keep the other houses in line. This can't have sat well with the Ambercrowns. In fact, the Northern Ambercrowns I imagine see the house Erio as a little bratty sibling, wild and unruly, that managed to become daddy's favorite. My house, the Erios, on the other hand, probably sees the Ambercrowns as the boring older brother that somehow makes less money and doesn't know how to party. So basically we need each other, but there are some dificulties in getting to the point where we can like each other, you know?

I'm wondering if you think that's an ok development and current relationship status for us to have at the beginning of the roleplay? Also, I want your armies to be more disciplined than mine, and I want you to buy mai iron weaponsss!!! Pwetty pwease? I gotseded some iron from the house of Estley, and now I need to sell swords to make monies. Hmm? :3

SAIGO-NO-HEATS , so, your house Degrance is kind of in a weird spot for me. I'm putting together a diagram of all the houses and where they are in relation to each other, and your description of your house as an artery of trade is kind of hard to figure out. In my mind, where everything is, the other houses to the North and East of yours all have access and trading to each other without needing to go through your house! If I place your house to the south and east, or to the south and west, I can't really figure out how to make your house a powerful trading route unless we have some far off oriental empire that the whole kingdom and the houses need to do business with. Kind of like another China. If the only way to get to China 2.0 was to go through your lands, then your house would be rich. Super, duper, DUPER SUPER RICH. Like, Richer than all the houses except maybe the combined houses of Erio, the Royals, the Ambercrown, and the Estleys. Which would... kind of be ironic, actually. P_P

Do we want a far off of china 2.0, just for logistics and background purposes? No one actually needs to play as China, imho. :3

An alliance would be very nice! Us northern Houses need to stick together, ya feel me?

 

[Lenny2000]

Because your house is super scarry and I don't know what to do with it yettttt!!! I am thinking, tho'. :3 Let me get my map out of the way and up for you guys to look at. Also, BeyondDandy , I'm sorry I told you not to come to my house because I thought it would be easier to keep track of things but now there's 20 gajillion houses and I'm losing track and the lady of Erio needs your HAAAALLLPP!!!

*ahem* So a *tutoring position* has just opened up in the House of Erio. Someone who can teach my 6 year old boy how to live in this world. Might you be interested?

Welllllllllll just because a couple centuries ago they destroyed the old world into rubble doesent mean nowadays they are still bad people :3

Ironically if someone needs tutoring the house of chaos is welcome to teach the 6 year old the way of life and the world :3 it is made of the best quality and hardiest people

 

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

Welllllllllll just because a couple centuries ago they destroyed the old world into rubble doesent mean nowadays they are still bad people :3

Ironically if someone needs tutoring the house of chaos is welcome to teach the 6 year old the way of life and the world :3 it is made of the best quality and hardiest people

Wait, hold up. I thought you said Their world was brought to ruin, not the world

 

[Lenny2000]

Wait, hold up. I thought you said Their world was brought to ruin, not the world

Well they claim the world was theirs since they raided, sacked and pillaged the map many centuries ago sooooo I'd say maybe 500 to a thousand years ago ?

 

[Soviet Panda]

Warriors of Chaos
Read that and you'll be all caught up.

 

[RayPurchase]

So it's more of a legend thing than a actual thing that happened?

Lenny2000 think you've just got to be careful to sort of draw influence but not copy them word for word, think it would make them a bit of a difficult fit at the times otherwise.

 

[Lenny2000]

I was trying to have as part of the formation of the civilizations that are formed in the rp now are the descendants or the outcome of the chaos attacks many centuries ago. Kinda wanting to but not really saying that but the chaos was in a way the forefathers of the houses built and like evolution the chaos is in a weakening state due to outdated tech

So it's more of a legend thing than a actual thing that happened?

Lenny2000 think you've just got to be careful to sort of draw influence but not copy them word for word, think it would make them a bit of a difficult fit at the times otherwise.

 

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

Well they claim the world was theirs since they raided, sacked and pillaged the map many centuries ago sooooo I'd say maybe 500 to a thousand years ago ?

Right, ok. So I guess just to get everyone on the same page.

Historically speaking the idea is that the setting is roughly analogous to the 13th century (1200 AD), High middle ages, European expansion, all that jazz.

The Invasion 200 years ago is mostly analogous to the Norman Conquest, just scaled up to encompass the landmass of western Europe.

7 to 8 hundred years prior to that would be The fall of the Roman Empire and the invasion of the migratory tribes, this would be the most likely point where the Hardbloods enter the scene, arriving from whichever direction they sailed from. However the fact that they've apparently refused to build up any infrastructure in all this time would be a major divergence from what happened in our timeline and leave them harangued and weak.

I'm familiar with Warhammer lore, Chaos, Norsca, Etc. But the Hardbloods can't really function as a 1 to 1 translation in this setting due to the lack of chaos' gifts. so you'll need to make some changes for them to work. First think would probably changing the name as "Chaos" is kind of a meaningless moniker without any dieties to back it up and it doesn't work with the naming conventions we've established everywhere else.

For a similar reason they aren't going to be fielding actual warriors of chaos as giant mutants with a 20 to 1 kill ratio. We'll need to think about how they've lasted this long without adapting to the all encompasing cultures around them or having any real means of doing so, as their raiding lifestyle would be much more difficult without modern technology and everyone else having castles and advanced defences.

Basically we've got to get your lore all sorted out before we can go forward with where the hardbloods stand. Put some though into how they would have had to adapt in all this time, and what they're doing now to stay alive.

 

[Lenny2000]

Right, ok. So I guess just to get everyone on the same page.

Historically speaking the idea is that the setting is roughly analogous to the 13th century (1200 AD), High middle ages, European expansion, all that jazz.

The Invasion 200 years ago is mostly analogous to the Norman Conquest, just scaled up to encompass the landmass of western Europe.

7 to 8 hundred years prior to that would be The fall of the Roman Empire and the invasion of the migratory tribes, this would be the most likely point where the Hardbloods enter the scene, arriving from whichever direction they sailed from. However the fact that they've apparently refused to build up any infrastructure in all this time would be a major divergence from what happened in our timeline and leave them harangued and weak.

I'm familiar with Warhammer lore, Chaos, Norsca, Etc. But the Hardbloods can't really function as a 1 to 1 translation in this setting due to the lack of chaos' gifts. so you'll need to make some changes for them to work. First think would probably changing the name as "Chaos" is kind of a meaningless moniker without any dieties to back it up and it doesn't work with the naming conventions we've established everywhere else.

For a similar reason they aren't going to be fielding actual warriors of chaos as giant mutants with a 20 to 1 kill ratio. We'll need to think about how they've lasted this long without adapting to the all encompasing cultures around them or having any real means of doing so, as their raiding lifestyle would be much more difficult without modern technology and everyone else having castles and advanced defences.

Basically we've got to get your lore all sorted out before we can go forward with where the hardbloods stand. Put some though into how they would have had to adapt in all this time, and what they're doing now to stay alive.

Ok to explain the house of chaos I put the warriors of chaos pictures because why not? They look badass and that's how they are. In reality they are more like norsca which are the more realistic version of chaos that are just toughened up brutes without any godly gifts of such but are bigger and more powerful than the average softblood man. Add that with the armor I have in pictures and hat explains the killing ratio

 

[KameChan]

@SovietPanda ! I totally just found the Order of the Maple! Eeeek!!! Yours is my favorite house!!!

@HEATS, The way I'm making the map, I want to have house Degrance have trading ports on the coastline, but also still have your house be the keepers of a primarily land based trading route. Basically, the Great Khans or whomever Oriental based trading parter will only trade with your house by sea, and all other partners have to use the land route inward or get goods through your ports. Do you think that would work for you?

 

[Soviet Panda]

Spoiler: Connor McKinley

Name:Lord Connor James McKinley of House McKinley
Heraldry:


House Information: House McKinley is perhaps the newest of all the Houses. Having earned the title of Lord rather than having been born into it, he does not have the connections and allies of most other Houses. However, this also means he has no enemies.
Backstory: Born a farmer, Connor was sent to the front lines as soon as he could hold a weapon and obey orders. He gained notoriety when he took command of a small section of the line when the officer died, having been struck in the neck by an arrow. His constant hollering to hold (the last order of the late officer) steadied the men and kept the line from buckling. This set him on the path to Lordship.

Upon obtaining the rank of Lord, Connor was gifted a neglected mansion in the middle of the woods. There is little in the way of civilization, save for the Order of the Maple, a knight order that has taken Connor in, in a way. They are the ones responsible for teaching him to read, write, ride a horse comfortably, and how to use a sword, the basics a proper Lord should know. This has put them in Connor's good graces, his farmer mind going off of deeds done than words said.
​

​

Spoiler: Order of the Maple

The Order's beginnings are shrouded in mystery. All that is known is that it was founded some time shortly after the beginning of the Black Plague. And that the first members were formerly followers of a god. Order records state that they found their salvation in a clearing with a lone maple tree standing proudly in the center. There the Goddess revealed herself. She had red hair that blazed like fire, skin as fair as snow, and beasts flocked to her as if she were their mother. This was truly a divine being, but the heart and mind of man is a skittish one. Like a rabbit sensing danger and ready to bolt for it's hole, so to were the men who had found the clearing. But the Goddess calmed them, assuring them that she did not want to harm them. She saw how they thirsted, for the last of their water had run out days before, and she cupped her hands and water come as if from a spring before telling them to drink. As they drank from the water that sprung from her hand as if from a spring, they felt as if they had been reborn. The water had given them energy they had not had since they were youths. She saw how they starved, for their hunting and gathering had found nothing in the barren landscape. And from her hair she pulled berries of the most fiery red and commanded them to eat. With each berry they felt as strong as an ox, as if they could uproot the lone maple tree in the clearing with their bare hands. And she saw how they feared the coming dawn. This time she asked why. And once she was told of their hardships, after all fifty laid their hearts bare, she said with the voice of divinity "You do not have to fear anymore. For I will protect you. In return, you shall do as I ask. You will protect this tree, the symbol of what I am, from all those who seek to harm it. And you shall protect the lands from all that dare taints it."

From there the record goes on to tell about how they then built up the great chapter house that stands today around the Maple and the official founding of the Order. How the first knight came about is unclear, the first name given the title of knighthood was mentioned not several paragraphs after the founding of the Order. But it can be easily explained why their order became one more orientated towards violence. The original promise made by the first fifty had to be upheld. And the command of the Goddess was not always in the name of peace. Sometimes violence in her name was even rewarded, something unheard of in the previously peaceful Order. Tales of gaining divine blessings given by this Goddess soon spread across the land. And current members took up the way of the sword in hopes of gaining Her blessings as well. Soon the iconic green and red armor of the Knights of the Order of the Maple became a common sight around the immediate area of the chapter house. This fascination with Divine battle has bred the utmost best of warriors. Of course, Chivalry and honor still holds in the Order, if just barely. Their reputation for their calculating ferocity suddenly being halted in it's tracks in the name of honor and chivalry is legendary. Particularly the tale of Sir Albreic, who broke his own sword after shattering his opponents to make the fight fair.

The Order of the Maple holds it's allegiance to the Goddess above all else. If their chapterhouse is threatened or attacked, honor and chivalry will be forgotten to uphold their promise to the Goddess, if it is necessary.

The Order of the Maple has, in theory, only one position, that of Chapter Master. However, in practice there are several ranks to be made aware of when interacting with the Order. The lowest rank of the Order is Initiate. Whether squires to Knights of the Order or newly joined members of the clergy, they hold little power in the Order. They are often found either in the Chapter House running errands for Monks or by their master's side (if they choose to become Knights). It is left up to the rest of the Order to determine how long individuals are Initiates. Often times those that wish to join the clergy of the Order take years longer then those wanting to become Knights of the Order, most likely because of their need to become literate and to write neatly so as to be able to read books deemed holy and to copy them so others can read them.

Monks make up the next level above Initiates. Though lower then Knights for their lack of fighting prowess, they hold greater power when speaking of what the Goddess wants and what needs to be purged to cleanse the land. They manage the great library in the Eastern wing of the Chapter, making sure the records are accurate and in good condition. They wage a war all their own in an attempt to keep the records whole, a war fought against nature with quill and ink. They also are in charge of keeping the Chapter as clean as possible, though they leave the Barracks and Southern wing to the Knights to handle.

Knights are the bulk of the Order's numbers. With lance in hand they purge the land of blights in the name of the Goddess. They protect the Chapter, with their lives if necessary. Because of their physical prowess, they are placed above simple Monks. Knights have a ranking system all their own based off of traditional military ranking. Lowest ranked Knights are denoted by two green plumes atop their helmet and flat green armor. Sergeants have two plumes as well, but these are green and yellow respectively, their armor is also more ornately decorated with yellow scroll work along the edges. Captains wear three plumes, one green and two red, and instead of yellow scroll work like Sergeants it is red. They often have a crest on their helmet, as this is when they are allowed to have a crest.

Warrior Priests. Often those that are to old to fight, Warrior Priests are tasked with the honor of guarding the Tree itself. Rumored to have been granted a vision by the Goddess of their own death, they have taken oaths of silence and celibacy so as to focus more on their duty. To communicate among themselves, Warrior Priests have come up with a complex system of hand gestures. They are often more lightly armored then Knights, their heads often uncovered. The reason for this is not completely known and is a closely guarded secret by the Warrior Priests, meaning that not even other Order members know why they do it. Their weapons vary greatly from Warrior Priest to Warrior Priest.

The one who holds the title Chapter Master holds the highest rank in the Order. When seen in battle, the Chapter Master wears red armor with green scroll work, five plumes on his helm (three red two green), and has a crest of a maple tree on his helmet. And each Chapter Master wields the lance and two handed sword passed on from Chapter Master to Chapter Master since near the beginning of the Order itself. The sword is named Blight's Bane and has been baptized in water blessed by the Goddess and now burns with a holy fire when it tastes blood. The lance has been named Wyrm, after having supposedly slain a creature by the same name that plagued the land causing crops to fail and all manner of creatures to fall ill and die, tainting their meat so as to make it unsuitable for consumption. The blood of Wyrm stained the lance, strengthening it and making it poisonous to the touch.

There is one rank held above even Chapter Master, the rank of Primarch. The rank of Primarch is extremely hard to obtain, there being only one Primarch in the history of the Order. In order to become a Primarch, the current Chapter Master must call upon the Warrior Priests, those closes to the Goddess, for a vote. If the Warrior Priests choose to answer this call, which it isn't garunteed they will, they must unanimously agree upon a chosen member of the Order outside of the rank Warrior Priest. If there is even one vote for someone else among the Warrior Priests, no Primarch will be chosen. It is unclear how the secretive Warrior Priests go about voting, but if they do decide on someone they will approach their chosen candidate and challenge him, one by one, to a duel. After that the candidate, if they won the numerous duels, must recite the Blessings of the Goddess as Monks listen in to make sure he does not miss one word. And after all that is done, the final hurdle to jump is to lay for one night in the garden the Tree stands in. If the Goddess approaches you, then you are to become Primarch. If she does not, then you are simply to be honored for making it that far. The few times someone has made it that far, they became the next Chapter Master.

The only Primarch to have existed was Buras the Undefeated, a man told to be as tall as the heavens and as strong as the mountains. Upon dying in battle, after having been unhorsed and with an assortment of weapons embedded in him and his armor, a crypt was carefully built under the Tree, so as not to harm it. He was buried with all of his now legendary equipment. His armor that blazed the color of the leaves in Autumn with golden scroll work, masterfully crafted by beings said to have crafted weapons for gods. It is told that after the battle the armor sealed itself, repairing any rents in it caused by man or beast. His winged helm allowing him to speak with creatures of the air thwarted many an ambush. His flamberg, made and embued with fey magics and never needing to be sharpened or mended, crackled with each swing and sung of his foes death as it drank their blood. His lance roared like a lion as it approached its prey, and drank greedily of their life, giving it to its wielder. Even his mighty steed, Balius, had its remains preserved and draped in it's armor, the same color and made by the same craftsman as its rider

Saints are people, not always of the Order, that have managed to gain the Goddess' blessing. The records are filled with the deeds of these saints, and alcoves all over the Chapter house are filled with statues in their likeness. If a member is blessed with Sainthood, he is no longer a part of the Order, technically. These saints then go out on self imposed exile to spread the word of the Goddess with a small library, which the Monks have hastily copied from the library, on the back of their chosen mount, some choosing to ride out on oxen and mules instead of horses to carry more books. These saints can not be bought, are tireless when on the hunt. Their faith guides them, and the Goddess protects. But they are still mortals and can be killed.

The most well known of the saints is Saint Anna. She set out on her journey on a gazelle, who was granted to her by the Goddess, with but only the core books of her faith and a sword to protect her. She has been attributed with several holy actions such as curing a whole village from the plague with a mere touch, sending away the pests that ate away the crops with only a whisper, and the slaughtering of man and beast that threatened many villages. Her kindness is legendary, and her faith was unshakeable. Her death came about when she was captured in a desert far away and was executed for heresy, the Goddess being rejected in those lands. Once beheaded, blood did not flow but instead the purest water came forth. And where the water land, new and extraordinary plants leapt forth and grew in seconds.


The Order of the Maple, also being a religious one, believes that something happens to them after death. There are mentions of a grand forest in their holy texts where one can hunt beasts of legends, drink from springs of nectar, and plants laden with food that never seems to end. A grand tournament goes on forever, where the Goddess herself congratulates the victor and consoles the loser. Here the Goddesses purity and essence isn't muffled by the filth of mortality, and those that are allowed into the Grand Forest (her followers and particularly the Saints) can bask in her presence.
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Current Chapter Master Masema