Fantasy Noble Houses, Bloodshed, and Treachery.

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

When you play the game of thrones, you win, or you die.

Hello Ladies, Gentlemen, and everyone in between!

If you would allow me I would like to present you all with an ambitious undertaking. An RP that could either be truly great or absolutely terrible!

Ok, grandstanding out of the way I just got all caught up with GRRM’s work and the Game of Thrones Show and to celebrate and vent my enthusiasm I want to try and build a sort of epic RP, Nation Builder, dice game, abomination, thing.

In essence we will work together to build a continent, Fill it with noble houses with their own ambitions, rivalries, and quirks, and then create characters to fill the halls of those houses with their own personal stories to further complicate things. However the people and houses will not remain static, as the story shall be divided up into chapters which move the story forward through time, jumping from one major battle or political dealing to another, with the ultimate goal of covering 100 years of our kingdom’s history.

As a result of this, Character death rate will likely be quite a bit higher than usual. The addition of such a wide timeline alon meens no one at the campaign’s start will see its end, but this is further complicated by the fact that Battles, duels, and treachery will be a deal deadlier due to a simplified dice mechanic which will be put in place to resolve conflicts and decide who wins in a contest of skill. For this reason you’ll likely want to at least have a few extra characters in mind before a big battle.

If all this sounds like something you could get into, just tell me below, and I’m always open to Thoughts, compliments, and complaints if you feel the need.

 

[LadyOfStars]

Interested!

 

[A Little Cloud]

This is interesting!

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

I'm totally up for this!

 

[KameChan]

Hiya! Now *this* I want to try my hand at! I'm down for giving this a go. :3

 

[Dalamus Ulom]

This I like. Count me in.

 

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

Yarrow Dalamus Ulom KameChan Rusty of Shackleford LadyOfStars A Little Cloud

And here I went to bed last night thinking there was no way this would take off. Glad to have you all on board!

I still need to get all the sheets and everything set up but in the mean time I figure it wouldn't hurt to bounce some ideas off of each other, come up with some lore and such.

Since the 7 of us are the founding members of this RP we will each represent the 7 great houses at the start (unless of course someone would much rather begin as a banner house to someone else). To this end, we'll start spitballing a bit.

Some ideas to think about would be the name of your house, it's current head and possibly heir, histories and current affairs (such as whether or not they're in the good graces of the current King and Including alliances and rivalries), House sigils, their seat of power/main castle, the terrain of the land their rule over, and their elite guard (A special unit unique to your house, with a unique history and an idea of what they do such as supremely Skilled archers, superb cavalry, or seaborne raiders)

Obviously you don't have to dump all of this in a single post, but I figure talking about it ahead of time will make it easier to jump in with these details come the RP's start.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Where we start: The political situation at the beginning of the RP is that the land is united in peace, and has been fairly stable for around 200 years thanks to the current ruling dynasty (Though they themselves took power after a bloody civil war, and some ancient families have managed to nurse their bitterness through the ages). However The current king now lies on his death bed, and 40 years of bad luck and illness has left him with no obvious heirs. Each of our houses has at least some small claim to the throne, however tenuous, by way of distant blood, marriage, or just sheer popularity, and so even now tensions are rising as words like War and Crisis begin to spread quietly throughout the royal court and beyond.

Also, the setting as I imagine it is also a fairly low magic one, there are no wizards or warlocks, demons and angels don't walk among the populous (Though superstitious peasants sometimes claim otherwise) and I hadn't really planned on the inclusion of any fantasy races, though I'll let you guys vote on that and if you all would much rather we did then I'll allow it. Though be forewarned that even if they do exist they'll be far less fantastic than typical interpretations (I.e. No race lives to be several centuries years old, breaths fire, or lives under water, they'd be more like human ethnicities than anything else).
---------------------------------------------------------------

If it helps at all, I also took the liberty of gathering up some cool looking sigils and armor over on interest to help in building your houses if you care too look, but you're free to use whatever you can find.

Some Armor: https://www.pinterest.com/durandalzeta/fantasy-outfits-and-armor/

Some Sigils: https://www.pinterest.com/durandalzeta/house-sigils/
------------------------------------------------------------------

I'll post some of the details of my own house in a bit if anyone needs an example to get started.

 

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

Alright, here's the primer for my house, feel free to bounce off of it as you see fit, foster rivalries or try to get in their good graces. Only remember that war is on the horizon!

House Degrance


Masters of The Burning Gates​

House Degrance rose to prominence just over 100 years ago, when the then minor Lord Leon Degrance led an Expiditionary host on a mission of conquest into the Southern Desert lands of Hatikhon, known often in the north as the Burning Gates. After several wars against local warlords and acting as the primary bulwark between the greater Kingdom and the invasions of the Eastermen, House Degrance had established themselves as the dominant force in the region through Iron and Blood and had made them something of heroic figures to the impressionable back home, who came to view them as noble conquerers and guardians. However this campaign was no mere act of charity, as seizing the Burning Gates made them the sole wardens of a vast array of important trade routes to the east, a fact which did them no favors in the eyes of many of the other noble houses, who now had to pay extra tithes to them in order for their "Protection" of caravans leaving the Kingdom.

In the current day the Family is Headed by By Lionel Degrance, a Brash, Popular, Arrogant Man of 32 years who buys fully into his family's delusions of being guardians of the realm. He has spared no effort, nor expense in ingratiating himself to the dying King, publicly swearing grand oaths to the king, the realm, and anyone who will listen, while quietly funneling vast amounts of his family treasury to buy the loyalties of houses who aren't quite sure what they'll do when the king is gone.

​

The lands of Hatikhon are Barren and hostile, only made livable to a few through nomadic lifestyles or extensive irrigation. This fact alone makes the existence of Castle Leonhold all the more impressive. Beginning life as a small desert outpost, the vast, coronated keep has become a symbol of it's family's vast wealth. Designed in the style of the most impressive towers of the north it acts as a symbol of northern power to the subjugated locals. A slice of the Kingdom's culture, carved deep into the heart of Hatikhon. However in spite of all its austerity, many outsiders have noted that neither its design nor its location are all that practical for defense...

​

This isn't to say that the Degrances forgo more practical defenses however, and there is perhaps nothing in their arsenal more deadly than the House's elite defenders, The Lionguard. Originally formed from veterans of the Expeditionary Campaigns, the Lionguard are a semi-autonomous brotherhood of sublime duelists and swordsmen who train rigorously in the scorching mountain range that gives the southern lands its nickname. Though they wear armor indicative of their Northern heritage, they wield the Curved blades and rounded shields of their adopted homeland, and fight with impressive, flourishing styles, more common to the desert tribes they once brought to heel. In times of peace, their main role is to secure the main roads that keep their land alive, and they war constantly with bandit hosts and Desert raiders. While they are loyal to their homeland, they have also been loaned out as mercenaries to neighboring lands on occasion, which has earned them a reputation as sellswords, that when coupled with their foreign methods of fighting have made some of the more distinguished warrior brotherhoods in the north view them with suspicion or out right hostility.

​

 

[Dalamus Ulom]

Yarrow Dalamus Ulom KameChan Rusty of Shackleford LadyOfStars A Little Cloud

And here I went to bed last night thinking there was no way this would take off. Glad to have you all on board!

I still need to get all the sheets and everything set up but in the mean time I figure it wouldn't hurt to bounce some ideas off of each other, come up with some lore and such.

Since the 7 of us are the founding members of this RP we will each represent the 7 great houses at the start (unless of course someone would much rather begin as a banner house to someone else). To this end, we'll start spitballing a bit.

Some ideas to think about would be the name of your house, it's current head and possibly heir, histories and current affairs (such as whether or not they're in the good graces of the current King and Including alliances and rivalries), House sigils, their seat of power/main castle, the terrain of the land their rule over, and their elite guard (A special unit unique to your house, with a unique history and an idea of what they do such as supremely Skilled archers, superb cavalry, or seaborne raiders)

Obviously you don't have to dump all of this in a single post, but I figure talking about it ahead of time will make it easier to jump in with these details come the RP's start.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Where we start: The political situation at the beginning of the RP is that the land is united in peace, and has been fairly stable for around 200 years thanks to the current ruling dynasty (Though they themselves took power after a bloody civil war, and some ancient families have managed to nurse their bitterness through the ages). However The current king now lies on his death bed, and 40 years of bad luck and illness has left him with no obvious heirs. Each of our houses has at least some small claim to the throne, however tenuous, by way of distant blood, marriage, or just sheer popularity, and so even now tensions are rising as words like War and Crisis begin to spread quietly throughout the royal court and beyond.

Also, the setting as I imagine it is also a fairly low magic one, there are no wizards or warlocks, demons and angels don't walk among the populous (Though superstitious peasants sometimes claim otherwise) and I hadn't really planned on the inclusion of any fantasy races, though I'll let you guys vote on that and if you all would much rather we did then I'll allow it. Though be forewarned that even if they do exist they'll be far less fantastic than typical interpretations (I.e. No race lives to be several centuries years old, breaths fire, or lives under water, they'd be more like human ethnicities than anything else).
---------------------------------------------------------------

If it helps at all, I also took the liberty of gathering up some cool looking sigils and armor over on interest to help in building your houses if you care too look, but you're free to use whatever you can find.

Some Armor: https://www.pinterest.com/durandalzeta/fantasy-outfits-and-armor/

Some Sigils: https://www.pinterest.com/durandalzeta/house-sigils/
------------------------------------------------------------------

I'll post some of the details of my own house in a bit if anyone needs an example to get started.

So I take it you're going to make an OOC for us to work on the more intricate details and hash out alliances/enmities/familial connections between the Houses.

What House does the king belong to? Or is that something we're gonna come up with together? If possible, I'd like to to forward that the king be of House Fulgorim, whose Heraldry is a Yellow sun in splendor(a sun with a human face on it that has alternating straight and wavy rays) on a purple field.

(I'd put in the full image here, but it turns out the full size is a LOT bigger than I expected, so the thumbnail will have to do.)

Do we have a general layout/idea for how the continent and/or world looks, or are we gonna work on that in the OOC?

And finally, my House will be House Veritun, which is an ancient house of uncertain and remarkably cloudy alignment with ties to both the House that had been deposed during the civil war 200 years ago and the House of the current King. House Veritun is often considered a family of bastards, due to the odd circumstance of the bloodline having to be continued by a legitimized baseborn child no less than a dozen times. To symbolize this interesting note, the head of House Veritun some 120 years before current day events added a golden bend sinister, a heraldry used by the bastard children of nobles to denote their nature, while also symbolizing it as having save the family's bloodline on numerous occasions.

The heraldry of House Veritun is that of a grey bat on a teal field, with a gold bend sinister.

In case you guys were interested in where I made the two sigils above, I used this site: Heraldry, Device, Coat of Arms editor and creator

 

[KameChan]

Hey everyone! I have some map-making skills, actually. If we each supply enough geographical details about our own houses' domains, I can put something together for some feedback?

Let's see here... my house... my hooouuusseee...

(So, this is just an early draft. Things may probably change!)

House of Erio


The house of Erio was founded after one of the most bloodiest and savage conflicts of the golden age of the imperium. The ktlacqswa, a brutal seafaring people to the northeast on the island of Torquil, had long rained terror and violence all along the coastline of the luzi river and ermendine straight. Little more than savages, owing allegience only to their priests and demonic old world gods, they were the bane of the nearby capital, and finally, enough was enough. The king's cousin, (Not the current king. One of his descendents. When the war of unification was about to begin.) Luzi Erio, led the long and torturous campaign that would eventually subjugate the fierce and chaotic island inhabitants. If was the costly fruits of this first campaign, and the extreme tactical advantage of this island position, the would eventually give the house of the King the edge over its rivals, and ultimately usher in the golden age that the continent enjoys now, even if only precariously...

The People and Noble Line
The house of Erio eventually civilized and turned its subjects into citizens of the empire, but the word "proper citizens" probably doesn't apply. The people are still wild, hard and and unyielding, like the mountains of their island homeland. The house, unable to avoid interbreeding, has acquired their inflammatory character. It's something of a contradiction then, that the house is one of the oldest, and most intimately connected with the seat of royal power... a fitting reward for their long and unshakeable loyalty. The house is rich. Powerful. Steeped in illustrious tradition and and trappings of privilege. The island nation itself is home to the the 3rd largest city in the empire, itself quite literally an extension across the Luzi river from the capital itself. When it comes to being intimate with power, there *is* no house like the House of Erio...

Except... the house of Erio is going through its own mini-crisis of succession at the moment. The head of the household (Umm... Kurai Erio? Running out of names!!! 0w0; ) has passed away, and has left only his wife, his 6 year old son, and 15 year old daughter behind. His wife, Lauran Erio, is currently operating head of the household, but she is at a disadvantage. There is fraction and dispute within the house, which is crippling their ability to stand united themselves. The house of Erio has vast resources and a supreme tactical defensive position, as well as centralized axis to the entire emperium through the Luzi river and the eastern part of the country via the Ermendine straight. As an enemy, the house is not to be trifled with...

But as an ally... and with both a marriageable widow and a pretty young daughter of marriageable age... every other house in the land with some ambition is salivating at the chance for an alliance. Only... there's that wild and unyielding temperament to account for, as well. The house of Erio is a wild card, with strong ties to the royal family, and considerably weaker ties to the other noble houses. Through in cultural differences and independent nature, plus dynastic issues of their own? The house is in a very precarious position, indeed...

The Soldiery
The house doesn't not have a specialized guard like in other houses. Instead they use detachments from elite military forces, with no special honors or privileges awarded or recognized to those who serve the house family iteself. There are 3 corps of Elite forces (In addition to 5 normal corps), with each corp being composed of 4 regiments, employing 3 different types of unit:

Unit 1 (Urgh... all out of names):

These are large, heavily armored men that fight with war axes and maces, and are trained to move quickly, stealthily, and through harsh mountainous terrain as well as low-lying marshlands. They are primarily a reinforcing force, as they sweep through and into the midst of the enemies after the early conflict and clashes of infantry with their enemies. Indeed, enemies often tremble not at the advance of the regular armies at the gates, but at the wave of Unit 1s that are sure to follow... *brr*.

Unit 2:

These are lightly armored but heavily supplied forward archers and rangers. They act both as supporting bowman and also as forward scouts. (They scout, then fall back to other units and offer support in battle!) They also are excellent survivalists and foragers in times of need.

Unit 3:

Mounted hoursemen. Heavy armor. They fight with short-pikes, about half the length of a full medieval lance. The pikes themselves have serrated edges down the sides, and nearer to the guard the pike widens into more of a heavy mace type shape. This isn't actually for bludgeoning, tho'. :3 Having the heavy material near the guard and having a shorter pike improves balance tremendously, allowing the horseman to easily pound vast amounts of penetrating force through multiple armored opponents, and then easily remove the pike for repeated use. It's a terrifying weapon, which can crush through entire chest cavities even at full armor when applied at a full gallop!

 

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

So I take it you're going to make an OOC for us to work on the more intricate details and hash out alliances/enmities/familial connections between the Houses.

What House does the king belong to? Or is that something we're gonna come up with together? If possible, I'd like to to forward that the king be of House Fulgorim, whose Heraldry is a Yellow sun in splendor(a sun with a human face on it that has alternating straight and wavy rays) on a purple field.
View attachment 570062
(I'd put in the full image here, but it turns out the full size is a LOT bigger than I expected, so the thumbnail will have to do.)

Do we have a general layout/idea for how the continent and/or world looks, or are we gonna work on that in the OOC?

And finally, my House will be House Veritun, which is an ancient house of uncertain and remarkably cloudy alignment with ties to both the House that had been deposed during the civil war 200 years ago and the House of the current King. House Veritun is often considered a family of bastards, due to the odd circumstance of the bloodline having to be continued by a legitimized baseborn child no less than a dozen times. To symbolize this interesting note, the head of House Veritun some 120 years before current day events added a golden bend sinister, a heraldry used by the bastard children of nobles to denote their nature, while also symbolizing it as having save the family's bloodline on numerous occasions.
View attachment 570060
The heraldry of House Veritun is that of a grey bat on a teal field, with a gold bend sinister.

In case you guys were interested in where I made the two sigils above, I used this site: Heraldry, Device, Coat of Arms editor and creator

That coat of arms edition is super useful. I’ll have to include that with the next big post I make. Or just the house sheets, whichever comes first.

I’ll make an OOC soon, but at the moment this thread is serving its purpose well enough so I’m not in a huge rush, but yeah that'll probably be the place to hash the exact political landscape out. I’m more than open to ideas for the Royal line and it’s heraldry, and really any other lore stuff you guys want to put forward. I hadn’t really gotten around to naming anything yet. Same goes for the continent and it’s details. At the moment I know as much as you do, there’s a desert somewhere in the south and some islands and a river somewhere in the north. We haven’t even really formally decided whether the current regime is recognized as a kingdom or an empire, let alone named it. All that said, I would like to try have a full map made before the RP begins proper, so I'm taking any details you guys can give me.

Also your house heraldry and history are both pretty cool. I'm sure the Bastard Line isn't viewed quite fondly among the other houses but the fact that they've made it this far in spite of their dynastic struggles points to a potential for a strong willingness to survive and possible bend towards pragmatism that could be worth watching out for.

Hey everyone! I have some map-making skills, actually. If we each supply enough geographical details about our own houses' domains, I can put something together for some feedback?

Let's see here... my house... my hooouuusseee...

(So, this is just an early draft. Things may probably change!)

House of Erio
View attachment 570075

The house of Erio was founded after one of the most bloodiest and savage conflicts of the golden age of the imperium. The ktlacqswa, a brutal seafaring people to the northeast on the island of Torquil, had long rained terror and violence all along the coastline of the luzi river and ermendine straight. Little more than savages, owing allegience only to their priests and demonic old world gods, they were the bane of the nearby capital, and finally, enough was enough. The king's cousin, (Not the current king. One of his descendents. When the war of unification was about to begin.) Luzi Erio, led the long and torturous campaign that would eventually subjugate the fierce and chaotic island inhabitants. If was the costly fruits of this first campaign, and the extreme tactical advantage of this island position, the would eventually give the house of the King the edge over its rivals, and ultimately usher in the golden age that the continent enjoys now, even if only precariously...

The People and Noble Line
The house of Erio eventually civilized and turned its subjects into citizens of the empire, but the word "proper citizens" probably doesn't apply. The people are still wild, hard and and unyielding, like the mountains of their island homeland. The house, unable to avoid interbreeding, has acquired their inflammatory character. It's something of a contradiction then, that the house is one of the oldest, and most intimately connected with the seat of royal power... a fitting reward for their long and unshakeable loyalty. The house is rich. Powerful. Steeped in illustrious tradition and and trappings of privilege. The island nation itself is home to the the 3rd largest city in the empire, itself quite literally an extension across the Luzi river from the capital itself. When it comes to being intimate with power, there *is* no house like the House of Erio...

Except... the house of Erio is going through its own mini-crisis of succession at the moment. The head of the household (Umm... Kurai Erio? Running out of names!!! 0w0; ) has passed away, and has left only his wife, his 6 year old son, and 15 year old daughter behind. His wife, Lauran Erio, is currently operating head of the household, but she is at a disadvantage. There is fraction and dispute within the house, which is crippling their ability to stand united themselves. The house of Erio has vast resources and a supreme tactical defensive position, as well as centralized axis to the entire emperium through the Luzi river and the eastern part of the country via the Ermendine straight. As an enemy, the house is not to be trifled with...

But as an ally... and with both a marriageable widow and a pretty young daughter of marriageable age... every other house in the land with some ambition is salivating at the chance for an alliance. Only... there's that wild and unyielding temperament to account for, as well. The house of Erio is a wild card, with strong ties to the royal family, and considerably weaker ties to the other noble houses. Through in cultural differences and independent nature, plus dynastic issues of their own? The house is in a very precarious position, indeed...

The Soldiery
The house doesn't not have a specialized guard like in other houses. Instead they use detachments from elite military forces, with no special honors or privileges awarded or recognized to those who serve the house family iteself. There are 3 corps of Elite forces (In addition to 5 normal corps), with each corp being composed of 4 regiments, employing 3 different types of unit:

Unit 1 (Urgh... all out of names):

These are large, heavily armored men that fight with war axes and maces, and are trained to move quickly, stealthily, and through harsh mountainous terrain as well as low-lying marshlands. They are primarily a reinforcing force, as they sweep through and into the midst of the enemies after the early conflict and clashes of infantry with their enemies. Indeed, enemies often tremble not at the advance of the regular armies at the gates, but at the wave of Unit 1s that are sure to follow... *brr*.

Unit 2:

These are lightly armored but heavily supplied forward archers and rangers. They act both as supporting bowman and also as forward scouts. (They scout, then fall back to other units and offer support in battle!) They also are excellent survivalists and foragers in times of need.

Unit 3:

Mounted hoursemen. Heavy armor. They fight with short-pikes, about half the length of a full medieval lance. The pikes themselves have serrated edges down the sides, and nearer to the guard the pike widens into more of a heavy mace type shape. This isn't actually for bludgeoning, tho'. :3 Having the heavy material near the guard and having a shorter pike improves balance tremendously, allowing the horseman to easily pound vast amounts of penetrating force through multiple armored opponents, and then easily remove the pike for repeated use. It's a terrifying weapon, which can crush through entire chest cavities even at full armor when applied at a full gallop!

Map making skills will be super useful! That’s the main reason I was asking for terrain, I’d hoped we could get at least a simple map of the political landscape before we start but the more details the better. Your info here will help us start shaping the north a bit

Your house info is interesting, As warrior Islanders are you thinking of them more as like Celtic barbarians, vikings or Pacific islanders like the Maori culturally and appearance wise? Their starting position is going to be something to watch. The young heir has a long road ahead of him, and Lauren is going to have to fight tooth and nail to keep that boy breathing until he has a family of his own, especially given their strong holdings. Good luck with that!

As for the House guard, you'll probably still want to come up with a single specialized unit at some point due to how the dice mechanic is going to work. But no need to rush or burn yourself out, we got plenty of time.

 

[KameChan]

Map making skills will be super useful! That’s the main reason I was asking for terrain, I’d hoped we could get at least a simple map of the political landscape before we start but the more details the better. Your info here will help us start shaping the north a bit

Yaaay! I'll wait until everyone gets their house info up, and then I'll post a rough layout that gives my impression of where I think everything is relative to everything else, along with some possible scales, and then you guys can make any modifications you want before I start working on a first draft map.

Your house info is interesting, As warrior Islanders are you thinking of them more as like Celtic barbarians, vikings or Pacific islanders like the Maori culturally and appearance wise? Their starting position is going to be something to watch. The young heir has a long road ahead of him, and Lauren is going to have to fight tooth and nail to keep that boy breathing until he has a family of his own, especially given their strong holdings. Good luck with that!

Hehe! I know, right? Lauren and the daughter, who I haven't named yet(names are hard... T_T), will do their best! Oh, and as far as appearance wise, I'm kind of thinking of them as of sort of a mix between Celtic Barbarians of the Roman's times and the Swedish Soldiery about a century or two before the time of Peter the great. Say... 1400s-1500s?

As for the House guard, you'll probably still want to come up with a single specialized unit at some point due to how the dice mechanic is going to work. But no need to rush or burn yourself out, we got plenty of time.

Oh. Ok. :3

Okay, i'm going to put this here;
My family is political very strong, militaristic not that great but they have a special unit combination. An archer combined with a spearman for close and ranged combat. Also they have corps of these people working as spies (kinda) Ranger's Apprentice - Wikipedia

Their lands are greatly populated and many goldmines are in their lands so they are pretty rich. They are also on of the most ancient houses, well established before the war 200 years ago.

Ooh, Yarrow , your house looks really tricky and sneaky!

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

Wow, I missed a lot! But I'm workingon my House, House Ambercrown. They make their home in the North, in the fjords and tundras. The people there are a strong, stoic folk, not too concerned with religion or politics. The House follows suit, with their pale skin and pure black hair denoting their stoicism. It's basically the North, and House Stark from Game of Thrones.

The Ambercrowns, Guardians of the North


The Ambercrowns were once chieftains of the northern region, uniting the tribes to fight off invaders. Eventually, they bent the knee to the ruling dynasty, and made a blood oath to serve them forever. Their sigil is of an argent hawk on an azure field in flight, as the tribes associated wisdom and leadership with that of the hawk, always above the ground, protecting it's land and people.

The northern people are a martial folk, and have a strong military tradition. It is expected that the Lord of House Ambercrown be a warrior, regardless of their sex, and unlike the other regions, it has a standing army. The army itself is commanded by the Lord, who in turn commands four commanders, who command several captains, and so on and so forth. While they're not wealthy or powerful, they make up for it in discipline and experience, with all soldiers receiving training, and being required to train even when off duty. This arose during the early days of the House, when invaders constantly attacked the north due to its scattered settlements.

The House itself is known for it's wise, if stubborn leaders. As stated previously, even a woman can lead the House, though males take precident. They believe I'm loyalty above all else, both to the crown, and their family. Each member is expected to do their part to protect and serve the House, even if they don't want to. Members will often swear blood oaths, much like their ancestors. A blood oath is absolute to the Ambercrowns, so making one is something not to be taken lightly. Despite their reverence for loyalty and family, they are, however, known for their cunning. They often employ tactics that are seen as cowardly by the other Houses, and aren't ashamed of pulling dirty tricks on the battlefield to win. They do draw the line at assassination, kinslaying, regicide, and murder at feasts or weddings.

The Lord of the House is both the ruler of the realm, and commander of it's military, and so commands much power and respect in their lands. The Lord is often given a title upon being annointed, usually a trait they are known for, such as Rorik Ambercrown, the founder of the House, who was named "The Hawk" for both his wisdom, and his part in founding the House. His son, Liam, was known as "The Talon," as he was a monster on the battlefield, so much so that the family blade was named after his title.

The current House is relatively stable at the moment. The current heir, Bryce, is a man of seventeen, prepared to make his mark on the world. His mother has ruled in his stead since the late Lord died while hunting, though Bryce has taken the Lordship the previous year. His mother, a lady from the South, seeks to marry her son to a woman from a powerful House, as to gurantee an alliance in the coming chaos. Other children include Bryce's twin sister, and the youngest child, a son by the name of Hareth. While the family is tight knit, they each have serious flaws. The Lady is often seen as a harlot, and is known for doing anything for her children. Bryce, while wise, is still young, and is often overwhelmed by emotion. Hareth is only six, and thus is quite naive of the world. The young Lady is quite the handful, often sparring with her brother despite her mother's insistence that she be more of a Lady, prepare to be married soon.​

Sorry if that was super long and iffy. I'm still working on it! Also, something to note is that the sigil can often change, as the symbols below the hawk represent each of the children of the House, so the sigil is revised once a new child is born.

 

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

Wow, I missed a lot! But I'm workingon my House, House Ambercrown. They make their home in the North, in the fjords and tundras. The people there are a strong, stoic folk, not too concerned with religion or politics. The House follows suit, with their pale skin and pure black hair denoting their stoicism. It's basically the North, and House Stark from Game of Thrones.

The Ambercrowns, Guardians of the North
View attachment 570167

The Ambercrowns were once chieftains of the northern region, uniting the tribes to fight off invaders. Eventually, they bent the knee to the ruling dynasty, and made a blood oath to serve them forever. Their sigil is of an argent hawk on an azure field in flight, as the tribes associated wisdom and leadership with that of the hawk, always above the ground, protecting it's land and people.

The northern people are a martial folk, and have a strong military tradition. It is expected that the Lord of House Ambercrown be a warrior, regardless of their sex, and unlike the other regions, it has a standing army. The army itself is commanded by the Lord, who in turn commands four commanders, who command several captains, and so on and so forth. While they're not wealthy or powerful, they make up for it in discipline and experience, with all soldiers receiving training, and being required to train even when off duty. This arose during the early days of the House, when invaders constantly attacked the north due to its scattered settlements.

The House itself is known for it's wise, if stubborn leaders. As stated previously, even a woman can lead the House, though males take precident. They believe I'm loyalty above all else, both to the crown, and their family. Each member is expected to do their part to protect and serve the House, even if they don't want to. Members will often swear blood oaths, much like their ancestors. A blood oath is absolute to the Ambercrowns, so making one is something not to be taken lightly. Despite their reverence for loyalty and family, they are, however, known for their cunning. They often employ tactics that are seen as cowardly by the other Houses, and aren't ashamed of pulling dirty tricks on the battlefield to win. They do draw the line at assassination, kinslaying, regicide, and murder at feasts or weddings.

The Lord of the House is both the ruler of the realm, and commander of it's military, and so commands much power and respect in their lands. The Lord is often given a title upon being annointed, usually a trait they are known for, such as Rorik Ambercrown, the founder of the House, who was named "The Hawk" for both his wisdom, and his part in founding the House. His son, Liam, was known as "The Talon," as he was a monster on the battlefield, so much so that the family blade was named after his title.

The current House is relatively stable at the moment. The current heir, Bryce, is a man of seventeen, prepared to make his mark on the world. His mother has ruled in his stead since the late Lord died while hunting, though Bryce has taken the Lordship the previous year. His mother, a lady from the South, seeks to marry her son to a woman from a powerful House, as to gurantee an alliance in the coming chaos. Other children include Bryce's twin sister, and the youngest child, a son by the name of Hareth. While the family is tight knit, they each have serious flaws. The Lady is often seen as a harlot, and is known for doing anything for her children. Bryce, while wise, is still young, and is often overwhelmed by emotion. Hareth is only six, and thus is quite naive of the world. The young Lady is quite the handful, often sparring with her brother despite her mother's insistence that she be more of a Lady, prepare to be married soon.​

Sorry if that was super long and iffy. I'm still working on it! Also, something to note is that the sigil can often change, as the symbols below the hawk represent each of the children of the House, so the sigil is revised once a new child is born.

I like it. It is a little close to the Stark family but there are enough differences here that it can diverge easily in as we develop the setting more and get into the actual role play.
Conveniently for the young lord Bryce the nearby house of Erio ( KameChan ) is going through some dynastic issues of its own and could use the alliance.

Although that could put him in conflict with the young heir of that house, after all if he were out of the way who would be left to inherit the isles?...

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

I like it. It is a little close to the Stark family but there are enough differences here that it can diverge easily in as we develop the setting more and get into the actual role play.
Conveniently for the young lord Bryce the nearby house of Erio ( KameChan ) is going through some dynastic issues of its own and could use the alliance.

Although that could put him in conflict with the young heir of that house, after all if he were out of the way who would be left to inherit the isles?...

Thanks! I'm trying to differentiate it from the Stark's and the North, mainly by making them much less honorable. Yeah, they value loyalty, but that doesn't mean they won't use subterfuge to win. Plus, their culture is inspired a lot by Celtic and Scandinavian culture, so they don't take lightly to coward's and weaklings. And I was thinking of KameChan while making the current family, as the Ambercrown's are gonna need some wealthy allies to make up for their barren land (it's less like the North, and more like Russia and Finland in terms of climate and terrain."

 

[BeyondDandy]

I'm interested in this. Do I HAVE to create a House or can I join someone else's?

Thanks

 

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

I'm interested in this. Do I HAVE to create a House or can I join someone else's?

Thanks

You can join someone else’s, but you do have to ask them first.

 

[KameChan]

Thanks! I'm trying to differentiate it from the Stark's and the North, mainly by making them much less honorable. Yeah, they value loyalty, but that doesn't mean they won't use subterfuge to win. Plus, their culture is inspired a lot by Celtic and Scandinavian culture, so they don't take lightly to coward's and weaklings. And I was thinking of KameChan while making the current family, as the Ambercrown's are gonna need some wealthy allies to make up for their barren land (it's less like the North, and more like Russia and Finland in terms of climate and terrain."

Aha! I see... you know, it might not be easy to make an alliance, Rusty! In politics, neighbors tend not to have the best relations, haha. Take, for example, England and Ireland, or Germany and Austria, or Russia and Poland, or Denmark and Sweden! xD It makes sense, tho' that your people are also Celtic and Scandinavian Mix. It could actually be that the house of Erio is 20% Scandinavian but 80% Celtic due to the conquest, while your house is the other way around. In a way, we're both similar, but opposite too!

SAIGO-NO-HEATS , on the topic of empire vs kingdom, would it be a good idea to also let some outside nations exist, too? Like, in the case of empire, those nations would be small and weaker, and more easily manipulated. While in the case of a unified kingdom, their presence might make things much trickier for the fragile balance of the world?

 

[Rusty of Shackleford]

Aha! I see... you know, it might not be easy to make an alliance, Rusty! In politics, neighbors tend not to have the best relations, haha. Take, for example, England and Ireland, or Germany and Austria, or Russia and Poland, or Denmark and Sweden! xD It makes sense, tho' that your people are also Celtic and Scandinavian Mix. It could actually be that the house of Erio is 20% Scandinavian but 80% Celtic due to the conquest, while your house is the other way around. In a way, we're both similar, but opposite too!

SAIGO-NO-HEATS , on the topic of empire vs kingdom, would it be a good idea to also let some outside nations exist, too? Like, in the case of empire, those nations would be small and weaker, and more easily manipulated. While in the case of a unified kingdom, their presence might make things much trickier for the fragile balance of the world?

Ooo! Nice! I like drama! I also want to ask about religion in this world, as it had a huge impact in the Middle Ages. As stated before, House Ambercrown, and by extension their subjects, aren't very religious. Their reasoning is that if you need God's to help you succeed, you don't deserve to succeed in the first place. Their God's are more passive observers, rewarding humans for great deeds of valor and glory. I imagine that their afterlife is much like Valhalla or Soverngarde, though a bit more lenient. Great warriors and leaders are guaranteed a spot in the afterlife, while everyone else needs to prove themselves worthy of it after death, while coward's (those who flee from responsibility, those who abuse power, those who commit suicide, etc.) have to live the rest of their lives in a purgatory of sorts, forever cold, wandering in a frozen forest.

 

[Soviet Panda]

I'll bite. At work right now, but I'll tell you what I'm thinking. A minor noble who's holdings are more wilderness than anything else, but a knight order focusing on heavy cavalry will be present and paying rent to said noble. And another knight order that wears big armor, animal pelts, and wields big weapons. Or have them be giants amongst men who wear heavy armor, use blunt weapons, and carry their signature iron tower shield into battle.

Also, magic, to what extent of any.

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Interested, but no solid ideas at the moment.

Edit: Think I'll go with this sigil and work around it.



House: Lidall
Motto: We never miss our mark/Aim for the heart (I'm still deciding)
Location: The Crescent Hallows. A lush valley surrounded by hills and mountains with rivers running through. It is heavily forested except in areas where people reside. Supposedly unicorns and elves used to live there though none are seen anymore. It lies in the Northwestern part of the kingdom. It's a fertile land whose main export is lumber, fur, and silver. Lots of wildlife so people don't really go hungry. Lidall Castle is situated at the heart of the valley. The grandest and oldest structure in the Hallows, it is surrounded by large forests on all sides. Beyond that are small, mostly independent villages that often trade with each other and support one another (united by the Lidall family). It's really no surprise that everyone in the Hallows seems to know everyone. Every once in a while a peddler/merchant might travel the hills/mountains to bring wares and news from the capital, though the difficult travels turn many away. Mornings are often blanketed by dew due to the cool temperatures from the northern side mountains.

Notable sites:
Crescent Lake.
Silver Tunnel (An alternate path to going over the mountains. It is called thus because it is heavily guarded by the Silver Arrows. Those who take it best have a royal permit or risk getting a shot in the heart. It also connected to the Silver Mines, which are controlled by the Lidall Family and heavily restricted.)
Moonsil (The largest and oldest tree in the Hallows)


People: Mostly hunters and people familiar with forests. The people living in the lands boast superiority when it comes to marksmanship and archery compared to the rest of the kingdom. Otherwise they are a fairly simple folk. Build their own houses. Like to share stories about the great beasts they've seen/hunted with travelers. They know a lot about animals, trees, and the wilderness. They are a religious and superstitious lot. Worship the Moon Goddess of Hunt. Unicorns as well. Killing one (if you ever see it) is the greatest of all sins. In contrast, if you do see one, and it offers you its horn (like the first founder of the Lidall family), you are fit to rule. With the discovery of the Silver Mines, miners have also settled in Crescent Hallows though they are fewer in number compared to foresters, hunters, and lumberjacks.

Army: Lots of archer and ranger units comprised of volunteers from all the Hallows villages, generally stationed within the surrounding hills and mountains for defensive purposes. The most elite of these units are the Silver Arrows led by Elywin Lidall's second daughter. It is rumored that every member can shoot a rodent from 1000 feet away...while on horseback.
Lidall Family Members:

https://i.warosu.org/data/tg/img/0286/13/1385974682892.jpg

(daughter #1)

http://img09.deviantart.net/a16f/i/2016/182/7/8/yennefer_by_ragecndy-da8echu.png

(daughter #2)
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net...-_Noble.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20090628180718 (family head -- Elwyn Lidall)

Current Affairs: They are loyal to the crown and will send their archer units to support the kingdom whenever needed. Lord Elwyn Lidall served as the King's Ranger, and the commander of the royal archery units, for many years before returning home to take over as the head of the Lidall family after his father died. When his wife died as well, he took care of his two daughters on his own. Refused to remarry despite many offers. Hunting is something all members of the Lidall family train in and Elwyn taught both his daughters how to ride and wield a bow. Though his second daughter is much better than the first. Despite being a hunting expert, Elwyn is a traditional man and a naturalist. Don't cut down all the trees if you want them to grow back. Kill animals for necessity, not sport. With Elwyn as the family head, poaching and environmental laws to preserve the lands in Crescent Hallows are stronger than ever.

Elwyn doesn't particularly want the crown, but he will support the heir with the best claim. Especially if they are male and willing to wed one of his daughters.

History: The Lidall family heirloom is a unicorn horn. Supposedly the first Lidall to rule Crescent Hallows, Cameron Lidall, was a hunter who encountered a unicorn. He spared the unicorns life and was offered the horn in return (or at least, that's how the stories go). Since then his family has been considered the Lords and Ladies of the Hallows by the superstitious folk living there. The people of Crescent Hallows didn't serve the crown until the 3rd-generation Lidall to rule Crescent Hallows swore an oath to King Rihard. They've been sending their archers to serve in the king's army ever since. While not the richest of the noble houses, thiers is one steeped in history and tradition. Due to the general lithe and 'pretty' appearances of children born to the Lidall house, its believed that the family has had history of intermingling with the elves that used to live in the area, but there's no real proof of this. If the Lidalls have any Elven in them, it's 1% at best seeing as Elves aren't around anymore and haven't been around for 100s of years. Likely due to the growing human population and their expansive nature.

** ((Means I'm still deciding which route to take for political involvement))

**((During the civil war, the Lidall family faithfully sent their archers to support the royal family against the rebels. Their presence was one of the biggest reasons the war lasted as long as it did. Superior marksmanship that took down legions of horsemen. Traps that made the enemy wish they never stepped foot into a forest. The rangers of the Crescent Hallows fought bravely to keep oath. However, when the last of the royal line died, they also gracefully bent the knee to the new regime. There was no shame in loss. Only in the needless wasting of lives. In order to preserve the lives of his people and his family, Seigrun Lidall swore fealty to the new king, sending his son to serve in as the King's Ranger--a tradition that would continue for next 200 years))

**((The civil war saw brother against brother and sister against sister as Lidall archers stood on both sides of the war. Half of the family supported one King's claim to the throne. Half supported the other. When the war was over, Seigrun Lidall's faction emerged victorious. The next 200 years of peace would be spent reuniting the family and recuperating losses. Both his son and his grandson would serve as the King's Ranger))

 

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

SAIGO-NO-HEATS , on the topic of empire vs kingdom, would it be a good idea to also let some outside nations exist, too? Like, in the case of empire, those nations would be small and weaker, and more easily manipulated. While in the case of a unified kingdom, their presence might make things much trickier for the fragile balance of the world?

Possibly. In my own house's backstory I alluded to a war with the "Eastermen", who I imagined as a sort of mongolic horse people living beyond the realm's southern border. So we do have precedent for other nations nipping at its edges in one way or another, But we probably shouldn't invest to much effort into developing the world and political landscape beyond our primary setting just yet given we haven't even created the player realms yet and adding hostile outsiders to the mix could influence who sets up where.

I also want to ask about religion in this world, as it had a huge impact in the Middle Ages. As stated before, House Ambercrown, and by extension their subjects, aren't very religious. Their reasoning is that if you need God's to help you succeed, you don't deserve to succeed in the first place. Their God's are more passive observers, rewarding humans for great deeds of valor and glory. I imagine that their afterlife is much like Valhalla or Soverngarde, though a bit more lenient. Great warriors and leaders are guaranteed a spot in the afterlife, while everyone else needs to prove themselves worthy of it after death, while coward's (those who flee from responsibility, those who abuse power, those who commit suicide, etc.) have to live the rest of their lives in a purgatory of sorts, forever cold, wandering in a frozen forest.

Religion could be an interesting element to tackle, but I haven't put too much thought into it. For the north's old gods, you may want to also look at the celtic mythology of the british isles. They had a somewhat similar warrior culture to the later norse faith but also had some interesting ideas about otherworlds existing parallel to our own, and managed to syncretise with early British Christians to the extent that many of their old deities were retroactively recognized as saints and ancient kings in the eyes of the church.

For the mainland religion, I'm thinking something roughly similair to the old medieval Cathar heresy. A duelist belief system that claims that 2 gods, a good god of the soul and mind, and an evil god of the earth and body directly influence the lives of mortal men. The evil god trapping men in a cycle of reincarnation on the earth by tricking them into clinging to their mortal body through human vices like greed, wrath, lust, etc. Adherents of the faith ultimately aspire to attain enlightenment by shedding themselves of earthly desires and escaping the cycle of reincarnation. Naturally only church ordained priests called "Perfects" can decide whether or not you're appropriately shedding your earthly wants, and "donating" large sums of money to the priesthood counts as an immensely charitable act. Both men and Women can hold the title of Perfect however, and the church will not oppose the election of a female monarch, as they view all mortal bodies as equally flawed creations of the Earthen god.

I'll bite. At work right now, but I'll tell you what I'm thinking. A minor noble who's holdings are more wilderness than anything else, but a knight order focusing on heavy cavalry will be present and paying rent to said noble. And another knight order that wears big armor, animal pelts, and wields big weapons. Or have them be giants amongst men who wear heavy armor, use blunt weapons, and carry their signature iron tower shield into battle.

Also, magic, to what extent of any.

No magic, or at least none that mortals can play with. No fantasy races either, outside of local legends. If you had to say, Is the land so undeveloped because it's newly settled or is the land just poor?

Interested, but no solid ideas at the moment.

Edit: Think I'll go with this sigil and work around it.

View attachment 570370

House: Lidall
Motto: We never miss our mark/Aim for the heart (I'm still deciding)
Location: The Crescent Hallows. A lush valley surrounded by hills and mountains. It is heavily forested except in areas where people reside. Supposedly unicorns and elves used to live there though none are seen anymore.
People: Mostly hunters and people familiar with forests. The people living in the lands boast superiority when it comes to marksmanship and archery compared to the rest of the kingdom. Otherwise they are a fairly friendly folk. Like to share stories about the great beasts they've seen/hunted with travelers. They know a lot about animals, trees, and the wilderness. They are a religious and superstitious lot. Worship the Moon Goddess of Hunt. Unicorns as well. Killing one (if you ever see it) is the greatest of all sins. In contrast, if you do see one, and it offers you its horn (like the first founder of the Lidall family), you are fit to rule.
Army: Lots of archer and ranger units, generally stationed within the surrounding hills and mountains for defensive purposes.

Looks like a start to me. what direction would you say the Hollows exist in? Right now we have the Burning Gates of Hatikhon in the far south, and the Isles of Torquil and the Great Taiga in the north.

 

[QuirkyAngel]

Looks like a start to me. what direction would you say the Hollows exist in? Right now we have the Burning Gates of Hatikhon in the far south, and the Isles of Torquil and the Great Taiga in the north.

lol. Dunno. East, I guess?

 

[LadyOfStars]

Hey SAIGO-NO-HEATS is there still time and space for me to write up a noble house and join?

 

[SAIGO-NO-HEATS]

Hey SAIGO-NO-HEATS is there still time and space for me to write up a noble house and join?

Of course! Only about 3 or 4 of the ones we have here are anywhere near complete and we have like a maximum of 9, so there's still plenty of room.