Fantasy Seiunita's Planning Thread

[Historical Storyteller]

Aaalright sorry for not getting back to you for a while, had some stuff to do, anyways.

Thank the gods, I thought you were going to leave me hanging.

These names are perfectly fine, thank you.

We must go to King and talk to him about this.

I would ask your opinion of this considering that the kingdom itself is supposed to be quite small, my idea right now would be for these castles to essentially surround the golden city of Alisette (Which is a whole thing in and of itself, I'm still trying to decide weather or not the city should be exclusive to summer fae considering how fae generally tend to act with an air of superiority over other races. My idea so far would be that it is mostly fae with a few select humans who have gained access by various acts that have impressed the fae.). what do you think?

The kingdom is small? I thought it was an empire with many nations that were assimilated into it.

We need to talk about how big it really is. Will it be roughly the size of Germany, Italy, Britain, Japan? You can state how many square miles Elysium takes. We have to know the size of it to avoid confusion.

So the castles will surround Alisetta? You give me the impression that city of Alisetta was made to be the castle of castles, designed thousands of years ago in the minds of the ancient Elysians to become an impenetrable network of fortresses. The project was so expensive and ambitious that the Elysians are still making minor improvements on these designs today, but mostly they are just trying to maintain the castles.

Yes, I agree. From now on, the castles shall surround Alisetta, my only suggestion is that they be close enough together to mutually support each other and far enough to defend the outskirts of the Capital. I hope they won't be too clamped together or spread too thin. There must be a balance somehow... how many miles will each castle be far from each other?

As for churches and cathedrals and the idea of luminosity as a whole...
Luminosity was a religion founded by the "first fae", a figure shrouded in mystery for the most part due to just how long ago this happened, legend has it the first few was granted with great power by the sun for unknown reasons which created an imbalance in the faerie courts, creating the Summer Court. Members of the Summer Court became known as Summer Fae and over time developed into an entirely different species due to their constant usage and exposure to light magic which they believe was originally a gift from the god of the sun. With their power they created a golden city to worship their god the sun and this is how Elysium came to be.

So the Summer Court was the government of ancient Elysium. At first, they were quite small and they only controlled a bit of territory, but as time passed by they gradually became more powerful. I am curious how they attained power in the first place. They could have attracted bands of followers to the Light, forcibly converted people to their religion, bought territory or gained territory by marrying into the nobility of other kingdoms.

This might explain why there are so many Duchies and Estates in Elysium. Each Duchy might have been a former small kingdom or state that joined Elysium and each Estate must have been a tribe of the local people that also joined the Elysians.

My primary focus isn't in the city of Alisetta, I am interested in the outlying villages and towns. These are not the original Elysians, they have a culture of their own and they may carry pagan customs to this day even after thousands of years.

Because of this Luminosity has very deep roots in Elysian society which is why it's still around today, as for why me and the other two original creators came up with the religion, there wasn't exactly a direct reason to be completely honest, if you want the full truth it just sounded cool though it does have it's uses.

In regards to religion, I know much more about Christianity than other religions because I focus my studies on it. I must ask how close Luminosity is to Christianity in a way. Just a little general information is enough to get me working.

Though I must ask two questions.

Do Elysians believe they are sinners that are going to burn in hell?

Do Elysians believe the Light will bring them to salvation?

Onto the subject of Churches, because of Luminosity preaching a great deal about self betterment and becoming closer to a perfect being like the sun the churches of luminosity are a little different from what you'd expect. Most of their churches contain libraries of vast knowledge, also most schooling is done within the church itself alongside your normal prayer and praise.

Few questions on this.

How can one attain self-betterment according to the Elysians?

And what are the titles of a few of these books?

Hmm, one more, what is the relationship between the Church and State in Elysium?

Cathedrals are BIG buildings, I'd compare them to shopping malls, and they act as the center of the community in most areas. They're essentially bigger churches with much more built into them including equipment and space for training oneself in a variety of different trades from combat to mercantilism. For most places the cathedral is where most people like to hang around simply because there's so much to do, which makes the cementing of their faith that much easier. :3

In regards to architecture, I prefer that these cathedrals be built in Gothic style... but you get to decide what style they use in building these cathedrals.

Cathedrals are also expensive and it may take generations to build one. There are several incentives I can see in building these structures.

Firstly, they could have been built by rich citizens or commoners who are interested in creating a house of worship for their own spiritual benefit. In Roman Catholicism, clerics sold indulgences to raise the building of cathedrals... so you basically pay money for less time spent in purgatory and for the forgiveness of your sins. Spiritualism can be monetized, you know? This works in places that already have a strong belief in Luminosity. Maybe this could work in the Capital or in the South since some regions there have been incorporated into the kingdom.

Second, it could have been built by orders of priests or monks that wish to convert the locals of this area. They could have been missionaries trying to destroy the pagan cultures and replace it with the teachings of the Church. Several fights between the pagans and the clerics may have ensued and the king might have had to send soldiers to defend them. This is most effective in regions that have not been... converted yet. This could work in the North and the South as there are regions there that have not submitted to the Elysians.

Also did you read my plan in Delta Green? Because I'd like feedback on that if you've got it.

I do not know. I have no comment. I can share no thoughts with your plan since I have no thoughts on the plan at all.

All I can say is that Russell is way over his head in this and thinks he's got this. How wrong he is.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

I have a simple question that will decide everything.

How big is the Royal Army?

 

[Historical Storyteller]

Ah, it seems like I have neglected one point that I must address. The relationship between the Summer Fae and the humans. The Summer Fae strike me as magical beings that occupy positions within the royal house, the nobility, and almost all of the senior clerical positions. In short, they are the elite of Elysium while the humans are their powerful, ruthless and ambitious subjects.

On the bad side, many Fae would look down on humans for being rude, manipulative and violent while the humans would look at the Fae as arrogant control freaks. On the good side, many Fae and humans would look at each other as old allies and partners that have their own special role in the spread of Luminosity. The Fae would take care of things above, doing soul-crushing bureaucratic tasks while the humans would handle things below, doing soul-crushing manual labor.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

I wish to share videos with you regarding castles. They are long videos that will take up much of your time and attention so you may skip these if you wish. Though these videos shall be helpful in giving you the necessary information about castles, you may delegate castle-building to me if you find it too tedious.

Castle videos:

Spoiler

 

[Nogoodname]

The kingdom is small? I thought it was an empire with many nations that were assimilated into it.

We need to talk about how big it really is. Will it be roughly the size of Germany, Italy, Britain, Japan? You can state how many square miles Elysium takes. We have to know the size of it to avoid confusion.

So the castles will surround Alisetta? You give me the impression that city of Alisetta was made to be the castle of castles, designed thousands of years ago in the minds of the ancient Elysians to become an impenetrable network of fortresses. The project was so expensive and ambitious that the Elysians are still making minor improvements on these designs today, but mostly they are just trying to maintain the castles.

Yes, I agree. From now on, the castles shall surround Alisetta, my only suggestion is that they be close enough together to mutually support each other and far enough to defend the outskirts of the Capital. I hope they won't be too clamped together or spread too thin. There must be a balance somehow... how many miles will each castle be far from each other?

It was always my impression that the kingdom was rather small, in fact in the extra pages it even states that the kingdom only has one city and while it is a HUGE city it's still just the one. Look at extras > Elysium > of Elysium > and the spoiler under Alisette to get a good impression of it.

So the Summer Court was the government of ancient Elysium. At first, they were quite small and they only controlled a bit of territory, but as time passed by they gradually became more powerful. I am curious how they attained power in the first place. They could have attracted bands of followers to the Light, forcibly converted people to their religion, bought territory or gained territory by marrying into the nobility of other kingdoms.

This might explain why there are so many Duchies and Estates in Elysium. Each Duchy might have been a former small kingdom or state that joined Elysium and each Estate must have been a tribe of the local people that also joined the Elysians.

My primary focus isn't in the city of Alisetta, I am interested in the outlying villages and towns. These are not the original Elysians, they have a culture of their own and they may carry pagan customs to this day even after thousands of years..

They attained this power through the discovery of light magic which brought more people to the religion as these newcomers were led to believe that this power was a blessing of the sun god and that through worship they could obtain such gross incandescence.

In regards to religion, I know much more about Christianity than other religions because I focus my studies on it. I must ask how close Luminosity is to Christianity in a way. Just a little general information is enough to get me working.

Though I must ask two questions.

Do Elysians believe they are sinners that are going to burn in hell?

Do Elysians believe the Light will bring them to salvation?

I would say it shares a lot of similarities to Christianity, they believe in one god, the sun god who is testing his people by putting them through the hardships of the world in order to overcome them and better themselves.

Elysians idea of the afterlife is that when one dies, they appear before Sol himself who judges them on their actions in the world, it's important to note that they are not judged as good or bad, but worthy or not. Those that have flourished in life relative to their circumstances are turned into a being a pure light which Elysians consider the perfect form, a star. Those who were lazy, content and leeches to the community are turned to dust. It's also important to note that those who have a rather poor lot in life are believed that Sol sees greater potential in them and thus throws more difficult challenges into their path because they can take it.

They believe light magic was a gift from the god to his chosen people, a tool for their betterment.

Few questions on this.

How can one attain self-betterment according to the Elysians?

And what are the titles of a few of these books?

Hmm, one more, what is the relationship between the Church and State in Elysium?

Wealth, political power, physical strength, these are just a few examples, the term "betterment" is rather loosely interpreted though it is largely believed to be connected to personal growth and gain.

The book of light is their holy book and it also contains their guiding principals which you can find in the extras page under Elysium > religion - Luminosity.

The church and state work essentially in tandem, high ranking politicians are often also high ranking members of the church.

In regards to architecture, I prefer that these cathedrals be built in Gothic style... but you get to decide what style they use in building these cathedrals.

Cathedrals are also expensive and it may take generations to build one. There are several incentives I can see in building these structures.

Firstly, they could have been built by rich citizens or commoners who are interested in creating a house of worship for their own spiritual benefit. In Roman Catholicism, clerics sold indulgences to raise the building of cathedrals... so you basically pay money for less time spent in purgatory and for the forgiveness of your sins. Spiritualism can be monetized, you know? This works in places that already have a strong belief in Luminosity. Maybe this could work in the Capital or in the South since some regions there have been incorporated into the kingdom.

Second, it could have been built by orders of priests or monks that wish to convert the locals of this area. They could have been missionaries trying to destroy the pagan cultures and replace it with the teachings of the Church. Several fights between the pagans and the clerics may have ensued and the king might have had to send soldiers to defend them. This is most effective in regions that have not been... converted yet. This could work in the North and the South as there are regions there that have not submitted to the Elysians.

I believe the architecture that would make the most sense would be a more "elven" design, you know the kind, big, flashy,smooth and elegant designs generally with a white and gold color pattern, here are some good examples:

I do not know. I have no comment. I can share no thoughts with your plan since I have no thoughts on the plan at all.

All I can say is that Russell is way over his head in this and thinks he's got this. How wrong he is.

That's a really long winded way to just say you don't really know, but I get what you mean.

Ah, it seems like I have neglected one point that I must address. The relationship between the Summer Fae and the humans. The Summer Fae strike me as magical beings that occupy positions within the royal house, the nobility, and almost all of the senior clerical positions. In short, they are the elite of Elysium while the humans are their powerful, ruthless and ambitious subjects.

On the bad side, many Fae would look down on humans for being rude, manipulative and violent while the humans would look at the Fae as arrogant control freaks. On the good side, many Fae and humans would look at each other as old allies and partners that have their own special role in the spread of Luminosity. The Fae would take care of things above, doing soul-crushing bureaucratic tasks while the humans would handle things below, doing soul-crushing manual labor.

The summer Fae see themselves very highly, they believe that on this mortal realm they are the closest that one can get to the image of the sun god, though they do hold a special respect for the practitioners of luminosity so if you're of the faith they won't look down their nose at you as much, otherwise you have a good grasp of the two and their relationship.

I have a simple question that will decide everything.

How big is the Royal Army?

If I had to explain it it would probably be "big for Elysium, but a medium sized army anywhere else", because of their requirement of service they often have a very large number of active soldiers to citizens in the kingdom but compared to other kingdoms they don't have as large of a population so they generally focus on small, specialized and highly trained troops.

 

[Nogoodname]

I wish to share videos with you regarding castles. They are long videos that will take up much of your time and attention so you may skip these if you wish. Though these videos shall be helpful in giving you the necessary information about castles, you may delegate castle-building to me if you find it too tedious.

Castle videos:

Spoiler

Man you're sending posts faster than I can respond, I won't be able to watch these tonight, sorry, I still need to get my Jace post up.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

Man you're sending posts faster than I can respond, I won't be able to watch these tonight, sorry, I still need to get my Jace post up.

Well, I'm glad that you just didn't leave me here. This will be it for now.

 

[Nogoodname]

Well, I'm glad that you just didn't leave me here. This will be it for now.

You're fine to keep talking, just know I'll be slow to respond.

 

[Wandering Grim Hollow]

Well, I'm glad that you just didn't leave me here. This will be it for now.

Heis.



Good work.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

You're fine to keep talking, just know I'll be slow to respond.

I will respond tomorrow. Right now I will focus on reading and research. If I am going to talk here I will bring it to Eleph and you can view it. You have to attend to your own business and I understand that. Go on with Jace while I go work on the lore.

Heis.



Good work.

Thanks.

 

[Nogoodname]

I will respond tomorrow. Right now I will focus on reading and research. If I am going to talk here I will bring it to Eleph and you can view it. You have to attend to your own business and I understand that. Go on with Jace while I go work on the lore.



Thanks.

Alright, thanks for asking all of these questions, it felt good to actually be involved in the lore of the kingdom for once, if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

Alright, thanks for asking all of these questions, it felt good to actually be involved in the lore of the kingdom for once, if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

Rest for now. I am really tempted to go on and ask more questions, but if I ask more I fear I would burden you too much.

 

[Nogoodname]

Rest for now. I am really tempted to go on and ask more questions, but if I ask more I fear I would burden you too much.

Please, burden me more I have all night, I'll be leaving tomorrow anyways and won't be back for like 5 days so ask away.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

Please, burden me more I have all night, I'll be leaving tomorrow anyways and won't be back for like 5 days so ask away.

As you wish, I will type up a chain of replies. Be ready.

 

[Nogoodname]

As you wish, I will type up a chain of replies. Be ready.

kk

 

[Historical Storyteller]

It was always my impression that the kingdom was rather small, in fact in the extra pages it even states that the kingdom only has one city and while it is a HUGE city it's still just the one. Look at extras > Elysium > of Elysium > and the spoiler under Alisette to get a good impression of it.

If Elysium is "small" like as small as half of Italy then I have severely overestimated the size of this kingdom. The medieval world is small, Nogood, and that is because during those times we have not developed government, society and technology sufficiently to maintain a massive human population and a civilization to house it.

Let's say if France in 1600 had 20 million inhabitants and it was considered to be overpopulated... and Elysium was half the size of Italy then it can barely hold 2 million people...

We have to discuss the level of technology in this world, Linhael, and how much magic can compensate for our technological deficiencies. Large concentrations of populations can be sustained by a constant flow of food, a healthcare system that checks diseases and other problems concerning health and sanitation. If it does not have a supply of food from the fields, towns and villages then the city is extremely vulnerable to starvation and if it does not have doctors, mages or workers that do not clean up the mess in the city then the city can be overrun with plague quite easily.

I'd say... the city of Alisetta would hold a total of 50,000 people no more no less. In circumstances like these, I have come to believe that less is more. I don't want people waltzing into a city just so they could die together. Surely, the government in Elysium could have seen this too and must limit some access to the city somehow... let us think more on this subject... I must confess that I don't know much.

We have to talk about the total population of the world, the total population of Elysium and the total number of inhabitants per kilometer.

If I had to explain it it would probably be "big for Elysium, but a medium sized army anywhere else", because of their requirement of service they often have a very large number of active soldiers to citizens in the kingdom but compared to other kingdoms they don't have as large of a population so they generally focus on small, specialized and highly trained troops.

Ideally, an army should be 10,000 men strong. Any more and it would be a logistical nightmare and most commanders wouldn't be able to supply and discipline an army that big. If you hear of 100,000 men gathering together in an army, you should know that this is beyond the ability of most men and even if they know what to do... they must be extremely fortunate to be able to pull a stunt like this because things can easily go wrong.

Maybe, the Royal Army could be made up of 10,000 men with 100,000 reservists. You have said that every Elysian must be trained in combat and be ready to serve for the realm. This is an unrealistic requirement, not everybody must fight when they can farm and develop their land... and when that happens they will be able to pay higher taxes. You must require people who do not fight in battle to pay a war tax. This tax may be abused and may be used an excuse not to fight... but you need an army of professional soldiers that volunteer for battle... not wussies.

Though, I think you should take a look at the map and see that Elysium is as big as any other kingdom.

They attained this power through the discovery of light magic which brought more people to the religion as these newcomers were led to believe that this power was a blessing of the sun god and that through worship they could obtain such gross incandescence.

I suggest that there should be a core group of true believers, composed of the elite Summer Fae, orders of holy knights, orders of faithful laymen, orders of senior churchmen, loyal noblemen, and the royal house. These shall be the first to respond to any disaster in the kingdom, they shall be the leaders, the ones to guide everyone to the Light. They control 1/3 of the population.

They are contrast by two types of people, the indifferent and the heretics.

Throughout time, there have always been people who didn't give a damn about religion and just complied with whatever was given to them. We call them the indifferents. They don't believe everything you tell them, they just... comply. They're passive resisters of the faith. They're 1/3 of the population.

The others are the pagans and the heretics, those who actively resist Luminosity. Heretics are people who believe in Luminosity but they distort a few fundamental principles of the faith. They are viewed as dangerous because they can spread the taint of heresy everywhere. They are the spiritual equivalent of rabid dogs that can infect people with their disease. They are prominent in the South where I plan to have several dukes start a religious war there. Pagans are simply outsiders who worship different gods and have different beliefs not connected in any way to Luminosity. They are prominent in the North who have not been fully assimilated into Elysium yet since they carry some of their old traditions.

What's an interesting dynamic is that the flow between these classes is damn fluid. One's faith changes as he grows older and travels to different places. There can be many different types of people. A believer that was sheltered all his life may easily become a heretic once he is exposed to their doctrines. A heretic may just as easily be converted to become a true believer. And an indifferent may suddenly find the "spark" or "inspiration" or "miracle" that gets him into Luminosity. Or a heretic or believer may become disillusioned with religion altogether and become indifferent.

I would say it shares a lot of similarities to Christianity, they believe in one god, the sun god who is testing his people by putting them through the hardships of the world in order to overcome them and better themselves.

Elysians idea of the afterlife is that when one dies, they appear before Sol himself who judges them on their actions in the world, it's important to note that they are not judged as good or bad, but worthy or not. Those that have flourished in life relative to their circumstances are turned into a being a pure light which Elysians consider the perfect form, a star. Those who were lazy, content and leeches to the community are turned to dust. It's also important to note that those who have a rather poor lot in life are believed that Sol sees greater potential in them and thus throws more difficult challenges into their path because they can take it.

They believe light magic was a gift from the god to his chosen people, a tool for their betterment.

This is what I needed.

Every man has his own place in society, regardless of class, whether he is poor, rich, strong or weak he must do his duty to the sun god. Those are inferior in ability or rank must provide service to their superiors who in turn will provide them protection, leadership, and inspiration. They have their functions.

I have to ask, just what is the Sun God?

He has to have a name, for we must call him something. He has to have a motive, so we can know why he wishes to interfere in the affairs of mortals. We may or may not know his origins, he can be shrouded in mystery or he can be well-known throughout Elysium.

Is there salvation outside the Church?

Just like medieval Christianity, they believed that outside the church you're basically fucked by evil. This will influence their view of other religions, if there is no salvation outside of the church then the Elysians will believe that outsiders are just screwing themselves to damnation and must be converted at all costs.

Just what are the major heretic movements in the Church?

Some believe that the Church is not important and it depends on the individual believer to find his own salvation. Some believe it is the King or Duke who is superior and gets to dictate spiritual affairs. Some believe it is the Radiant One who has the right be some super Pope that must rule the world. Some believe we must kill everybody who doesn't believe in Luminosity for their own good. Some just don't care. What are your thoughts on this?

Wealth, political power, physical strength, these are just a few examples, the term "betterment" is rather loosely interpreted though it is largely believed to be connected to personal growth and gain.

The book of light is their holy book and it also contains their guiding principals which you can find in the extras page under Elysium > religion - Luminosity.

The church and state work essentially in tandem, high ranking politicians are often also high ranking members of the church.

A loose interpretation of betterment. Its like the Sun God is handing them candy for free or something. The catch is that the Elysians have to actually work for it. This is... ideal in a way.

Ah, church and state work together, eh? Some believe the church is superior while others believe the state is superior while others still think the church and state should be separate.

Man, I'm going to have to think more on this.

I believe the architecture that would make the most sense would be a more "elven" design, you know the kind, big, flashy,smooth and elegant designs generally with a white and gold color pattern, here are some good examples:
View attachment 317465

View attachment 317466

View attachment 317467

I believe this should work on the Capital and some parts of the South. While on the North, there should be the Gothic style.

The summer Fae see themselves very highly, they believe that on this mortal realm they are the closest that one can get to the image of the sun god, though they do hold a special respect for the practitioners of luminosity so if you're of the faith they won't look down their nose at you as much, otherwise you have a good grasp of the two and their relationship.

Are there other races in Elysium that I should be aware about?

 

[Nogoodname]

If Elysium is "small" like as small as half of Italy then I have severely overestimated the size of this kingdom. The medieval world is small, Nogood, and that is because during those times we have not developed government, society and technology sufficiently to maintain a massive human population and a civilization to house it.

Let's say if France in 1600 had 20 million inhabitants and it was considered to be overpopulated... and Elysium was half the size of Italy then it can barely hold 2 million people...

We have to discuss the level of technology in this world, Linhael, and how much magic can compensate for our technological deficiencies. Large concentrations of populations can be sustained by a constant flow of food, a healthcare system that checks diseases and other problems concerning health and sanitation. If it does not have a supply of food from the fields, towns and villages then the city is extremely vulnerable to starvation and if it does not have doctors, mages or workers that do not clean up the mess in the city then the city can be overrun with plague quite easily.

I'd say... the city of Alisetta would hold a total of 50,000 people no more no less. In circumstances like these, I have come to believe that less is more. I don't want people waltzing into a city just so they could die together. Surely, the government in Elysium could have seen this too and must limit some access to the city somehow... let us think more on this subject... I must confess that I don't know much.

We have to talk about the total population of the world, the total population of Elysium and the total number of inhabitants per kilometer.



Ideally, an army should be 10,000 men strong. Any more and it would be a logistical nightmare and most commanders wouldn't be able to supply and discipline an army that big. If you hear of 100,000 men gathering together in an army, you should know that this is beyond the ability of most men and even if they know what to do... they must be extremely fortunate to be able to pull a stunt like this because things can easily go wrong.

Maybe, the Royal Army could be made up of 10,000 men with 100,000 reservists. You have said that every Elysian must be trained in combat and be ready to serve for the realm. This is an unrealistic requirement, not everybody must fight when they can farm and develop their land... and when that happens they will be able to pay higher taxes. You must require people who do not fight in battle to pay a war tax. This tax may be abused and may be used an excuse not to fight... but you need an army of professional soldiers that volunteer for battle... not wussies.

Though, I think you should take a look at the map and see that Elysium is as big as any other kingdom.

In terms of population I'm afraid I really have no idea, you're right, we'll need to talk to shadowz and get an idea of the worlds population in order to accurate describe Elysiums.

I can agree with 10,000 men strong, that sounds like a fair number, as for time serving the military yes it is true that not everyone will be a soldier and forced to fight, but service to the military can be done in more ways than just that be it working to farm food for the troops, crafting them weapons and armor, serving as a healer ect... Combat training though is a necessity pert of the curriculum of Elysium, yes it's true that not EVERYONE can learn to fight properly I think the best way for the government to enforce a kingdom where most of it's citizens know how to fight would be to have it become a requirement in schools.

Also in my defense Elysian's portion of the map was made by you and elph with zero contact with me, otherwise I would have brought up the matter of the kingdoms size.

I suggest that there should be a core group of true believers, composed of the elite Summer Fae, orders of holy knights, orders of faithful laymen, orders of senior churchmen, loyal noblemen, and the royal house. These shall be the first to respond to any disaster in the kingdom, they shall be the leaders, the ones to guide everyone to the Light. They control 1/3 of the population.

They are contrast by two types of people, the indifferent and the heretics.

Throughout time, there have always been people who didn't give a damn about religion and just complied with whatever was given to them. We call them the indifferents. They don't believe everything you tell them, they just... comply. They're passive resisters of the faith. They're 1/3 of the population.

The others are the pagans and the heretics, those who actively resist Luminosity. Heretics are people who believe in Luminosity but they distort a few fundamental principles of the faith. They are viewed as dangerous because they can spread the taint of heresy everywhere. They are the spiritual equivalent of rabid dogs that can infect people with their disease. They are prominent in the South where I plan to have several dukes start a religious war there. Pagans are simply outsiders who worship different gods and have different beliefs not connected in any way to Luminosity. They are prominent in the North who have not been fully assimilated into Elysium yet since they carry some of their old traditions.

What's an interesting dynamic is that the flow between these classes is damn fluid. One's faith changes as he grows older and travels to different places. There can be many different types of people. A believer that was sheltered all his life may easily become a heretic once he is exposed to their doctrines. A heretic may just as easily be converted to become a true believer. And an indifferent may suddenly find the "spark" or "inspiration" or "miracle" that gets him into Luminosity. Or a heretic or believer may become disillusioned with religion altogether and become indifferent.

This sounds fair enough.

This is what I needed.

Every man has his own place in society, regardless of class, whether he is poor, rich, strong or weak he must do his duty to the sun god. Those are inferior in ability or rank must provide service to their superiors who in turn will provide them protection, leadership, and inspiration. They have their functions.

I have to ask, just what is the Sun God?

He has to have a name, for we must call him something. He has to have a motive, so we can know why he wishes to interfere in the affairs of mortals. We may or may not know his origins, he can be shrouded in mystery or he can be well-known throughout Elysium.

Is there salvation outside the Church?

Just like medieval Christianity, they believed that outside the church you're basically fucked by evil. This will influence their view of other religions, if there is no salvation outside of the church then the Elysians will believe that outsiders are just screwing themselves to damnation and must be converted at all costs.

Just what are the major heretic movements in the Church?

Some believe that the Church is not important and it depends on the individual believer to find his own salvation. Some believe it is the King or Duke who is superior and gets to dictate spiritual affairs. Some believe it is the Radiant One who has the right be some super Pope that must rule the world. Some believe we must kill everybody who doesn't believe in Luminosity for their own good. Some just don't care. What are your thoughts on this?

He has a name, I've just been calling him "the sun god" because it's just slipped my mind at the moment, it should be in the extra pages I just have to dig for it...
..
Lumin! That's his true name IIRC, though he has other names such as lux, sol, his radiance, ect..

No there is no salvation outside of the church.

For heretic movements I haven't put too much thought into it, the ones you've listed work well though the ideologically that non believers must be killed probably wouldn't work, one of the main points of Luminosity is the importance and preservation of life to the point where most followers take up a vegetarian diet and the army often tries to ward off opponents and coax them to surrender before any bloodshed actually starts, and even then if a solder has the ability to disarm and make an enemy surrender he is instructed to do so as long as it doesn't put him or any of his team in danger.

A loose interpretation of betterment. Its like the Sun God is handing them candy for free or something. The catch is that the Elysians have to actually work for it. This is... ideal in a way.

Ah, church and state work together, eh? Some believe the church is superior while others believe the state is superior while others still think the church and state should be separate.

Man, I'm going to have to think more on this.

That's the idea, in order to become worthy of Lumin's grace you need to show him that you're worth your salt in one way or another, imagine you're put on a pedestal before some mysterious judge and all he says is "impress me", how you impress the judge is up to you as long as it's impressive.

Mhm! The two work very closely together considering the religion was what founded the kingdom itself.

I believe this should work on the Capital and some parts of the South. While on the North, there should be the Gothic style.

That's just fine with me.

Are there other races in Elysium that I should be aware about?

The two "Major" races are humans and summer fae, though because of the structure of the kingdom it is the perfect home for other elf like races, that's all I have on races for now.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

In terms of population I'm afraid I really have no idea, you're right, we'll need to talk to shadowz and get an idea of the worlds population in order to accurate describe Elysiums.

shadowz1995 Hey, dude, how many people are in Linhael?

I can agree with 10,000 men strong, that sounds like a fair number, as for time serving the military yes it is true that not everyone will be a soldier and forced to fight, but service to the military can be done in more ways than just that be it working to farm food for the troops, crafting them weapons and armor, serving as a healer ect... Combat training though is a necessity pert of the curriculum of Elysium, yes it's true that not EVERYONE can learn to fight properly I think the best way for the government to enforce a kingdom where most of it's citizens know how to fight would be to have it become a requirement in schools.

The military training of the commoners reminds me of two things. The Yeomen, those small tenant owners who have sons who are required to practice with the longbow for years. And the Fyrd, which is basically a semi-professional force of soldiers who are raised by the local communities or the 'shires' as they call them for the royal army.

I believe we should create a system in which taxes can be paid. I propose a community tax, taxes are paid by village or town communities as a whole instead of being paid individually. This way you don't have to deal with each and every person and just have to deal with the village official to get your tax. It simplifies things a lot since there isn't much of a bureaucracy in this world. Also, there must be ways to pay taxes. I see three ways.

A monetary tax, the commoner gives money to the village official who in turn will give it to the Lord who in turn will give it to the Duke who in turn will give it to the King. This requires that people have a record of the village communities, a census on their population and a good understanding of the economy just to know how much tax is paid. Those who do not pay their taxes have to provide a service to their community or they are punished for endangering the kingdom for their selfishness if they refuse to pay up.

During wars, this money is spent to given to the soldiers so they can get a small fortune of their own, which will motivate the poor among them to stay. The money given to them is just enough for them to buy food along the way and soldiers are expected to provide for themselves, living off the land by foraging, pillaging, or buying stuff. To my knowledge, that is how armies work. Armies are a hell of a lot of armed men, eating lots of food while producing nothing, and destroying the landscape while people are busy developing the land. They are the persons of mass destruction, don't forget that.

A service tax, you provide a service for your village official, lord, duke, or king. You will be given food to eat, you will be given some training, and then you will be sent off to work as a farmer, a tiailor, blacksmith or whatever they deem fit for you. Sometimes, you will join the army and become a camp follower, providing services to the Royal Army. You can be a doctor, healing wounds and providing medical expertise. You can be an unskilled worker, merely using your strength to held carry stuff and build fortifications. You can be a merchant, selling goods to the soldiers. There are lots of jobs to be found there, so as long as there is a need for something you'll find plenty of work.

A battle tax, don't have money and you're a waste of skin? The kingdom still has use for you... you can become a meatbag. All you need to do is stand in front of the enemy, point this sharp stick at them and try not to die in the ensuing aftermath.

You say that the government can enforce a kingdom who know how to fight, I say that this can become a recipe for disaster. Since everybody knows how to fight, organize into an army, that also means that people can easily become bandits that prey on the weak or rebels that are fighting against the government. Training everybody in the kingdom can not only be expensive, it can also be counter-productive and can backfire on you.

Also in my defense Elysian's portion of the map was made by you and elph with zero contact with me, otherwise I would have brought up the matter of the kingdoms size.

Oh damn, I forgot this. My bad.

I think its an empire. You think its a small kingdom. Hmm... well here's a map of it.

Spoiler

This sounds fair enough.

Hmm, I'll come up with names for these people in the future...

Here are the most prominent ones:

The Believers, yes, the traditional Elysians.

The Secessionists, those who rally behind the Dukes in the South against the Believers.

The Nationalists, those who rally behind the Dukes in the North against the Believers.

He has a name, I've just been calling him "the sun god" because it's just slipped my mind at the moment, it should be in the extra pages I just have to dig for it...
..
Lumin! That's his true name IIRC, though he has other names such as lux, sol, his radiance, ect..

No there is no salvation outside of the church.

For heretic movements I haven't put too much thought into it, the ones you've listed work well though the ideologically that non believers must be killed probably wouldn't work, one of the main points of Luminosity is the importance and preservation of life to the point where most followers take up a vegetarian diet and the army often tries to ward off opponents and coax them to surrender before any bloodshed actually starts, and even then if a solder has the ability to disarm and make an enemy surrender he is instructed to do so as long as it doesn't put him or any of his team in danger.

Vegetarianism wouldn't work in armies, vegetables spoil too easily unless you find spices, preservatives or magical ways to circumvent this. Food is usually eaten immediately, I think.

The locals would probably call Lumin "sunshine".

This pacifism is too dangerous to believers. They'll get themselves killed in battle! As it is said, war is not about who is right, war is about who is left. By the gods, they'll be putting themselves in a position of great military disadvantage, no wonder they have trouble subduing the heretics and the pagans even up to now.

That's the idea, in order to become worthy of Lumin's grace you need to show him that you're worth your salt in one way or another, imagine you're put on a pedestal before some mysterious judge and all he says is "impress me", how you impress the judge is up to you as long as it's impressive.

Mhm! The two work very closely together considering the religion was what founded the kingdom itself.

Hmm, so this is a system that encourages hard work and integrity. Elysium would probably be a progressive society.

Heh, did you know that the kings once had power to appoint people to clerical positions in the medieval ages? It was not until the Pope stood up to the Holy Roman Emperor did the clerics started appointing other clerics to higher positions. So back then, there was a war between powerful secular noblemen and the clerics who demanded independence in regards to spiritual affairs.

I ask, in Elysium, who gets to appoint clerics to positions?

That's just fine with me.

Eleph works in the South, we'll ask him about his plans for the designs for the cathedrals and buildings there.

The two "Major" races are humans and summer fae, though because of the structure of the kingdom it is the perfect home for other elf like races, that's all I have on races for now.

For the North, there would be a collection of giants and nature spirits.

Eleph gets to say what's in the South.

So, in the Capital there's Fae and Elves.

Humans get to be everywhere 'cause we rock.

 

[Elephantom]

shadowz1995 Hey, dude, how many people are in Linhael?



The military training of the commoners reminds me of two things. The Yeomen, those small tenant owners who have sons who are required to practice with the longbow for years. And the Fyrd, which is basically a semi-professional force of soldiers who are raised by the local communities or the 'shires' as they call them for the royal army.

I believe we should create a system in which taxes can be paid. I propose a community tax, taxes are paid by village or town communities as a whole instead of being paid individually. This way you don't have to deal with each and every person and just have to deal with the village official to get your tax. It simplifies things a lot since there isn't much of a bureaucracy in this world. Also, there must be ways to pay taxes. I see three ways.

A monetary tax, the commoner gives money to the village official who in turn will give it to the Lord who in turn will give it to the Duke who in turn will give it to the King. This requires that people have a record of the village communities, a census on their population and a good understanding of the economy just to know how much tax is paid. Those who do not pay their taxes have to provide a service to their community or they are punished for endangering the kingdom for their selfishness if they refuse to pay up.

During wars, this money is spent to given to the soldiers so they can get a small fortune of their own, which will motivate the poor among them to stay. The money given to them is just enough for them to buy food along the way and soldiers are expected to provide for themselves, living off the land by foraging, pillaging, or buying stuff. To my knowledge, that is how armies work. Armies are a hell of a lot of armed men, eating lots of food while producing nothing, and destroying the landscape while people are busy developing the land. They are the persons of mass destruction, don't forget that.

A service tax, you provide a service for your village official, lord, duke, or king. You will be given food to eat, you will be given some training, and then you will be sent off to work as a farmer, a tiailor, blacksmith or whatever they deem fit for you. Sometimes, you will join the army and become a camp follower, providing services to the Royal Army. You can be a doctor, healing wounds and providing medical expertise. You can be an unskilled worker, merely using your strength to held carry stuff and build fortifications. You can be a merchant, selling goods to the soldiers. There are lots of jobs to be found there, so as long as there is a need for something you'll find plenty of work.

A battle tax, don't have money and you're a waste of skin? The kingdom still has use for you... you can become a meatbag. All you need to do is stand in front of the enemy, point this sharp stick at them and try not to die in the ensuing aftermath.

You say that the government can enforce a kingdom who know how to fight, I say that this can become a recipe for disaster. Since everybody knows how to fight, organize into an army, that also means that people can easily become bandits that prey on the weak or rebels that are fighting against the government. Training everybody in the kingdom can not only be expensive, it can also be counter-productive and can backfire on you.



Oh damn, I forgot this. My bad.

I think its an empire. You think its a small kingdom. Hmm... well here's a map of it.

Spoiler

Hmm, I'll come up with names for these people in the future...

Here are the most prominent ones:

The Believers, yes, the traditional Elysians.

The Secessionists, those who rally behind the Dukes in the South against the Believers.

The Nationalists, those who rally behind the Dukes in the North against the Believers.



Vegetarianism wouldn't work in armies, vegetables spoil too easily unless you find spices, preservatives or magical ways to circumvent this. Food is usually eaten immediately, I think.

The locals would probably call Lumin "sunshine".

This pacifism is too dangerous to believers. They'll get themselves killed in battle! As it is said, war is not about who is right, war is about who is left. By the gods, they'll be putting themselves in a position of great military disadvantage, no wonder they have trouble subduing the heretics and the pagans even up to now.



Hmm, so this is a system that encourages hard work and integrity. Elysium would probably be a progressive society.

Heh, did you know that the kings once had power to appoint people to clerical positions in the medieval ages? It was not until the Pope stood up to the Holy Roman Emperor did the clerics started appointing other clerics to higher positions. So back then, there was a war between powerful secular noblemen and the clerics who demanded independence in regards to spiritual affairs.

I ask, in Elysium, who gets to appoint clerics to positions?



Eleph works in the South, we'll ask him about his plans for the designs for the cathedrals and buildings there.



For the North, there would be a collection of giants and nature spirits.

Eleph gets to say what's in the South.

So, in the Capital there's Fae and Elves.

Humans get to be everywhere 'cause we rock.

You need... Feedback? Goddamn, y'all talk too much.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

You need... Feedback? Goddamn, y'all talk too much.

Yes, I must ask what are the races in the South and the architectural structure there.

Hmm, I'll come up with names for these people in the future...

Here are the most prominent ones:

The Believers, yes, the traditional Elysians.

The Secessionists, those who rally behind the Dukes in the South against the Believers.

The Nationalists, those who rally behind the Dukes in the North against the Believers.

To be fair, the Believers have 50% of the population behind their backs while the Nationalists have 10% while the Secessionists have 20%. And within the Believers, Nationalists and Secessionists there are multiple factions inside them, so there will be some disunity in the groups. Nobody is exactly united here. The rest of the 20% of the population is not involved here, they're probably farming some shit or something.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

Laptop needs to rest. Goodnight people.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

I will type up a summary of what we have learned thus far. It will help wrap things up.

1.) We have finished naming ALL the Duchies and Estates of Elysium so we must approach King so he can incorporate all of this into the map.

2.) We have talked about castle network surrounding Alisetta, the Capital city. We still have to determine how far each castle is from each other. If the castles are spread too thin they cannot form a good defensive network but if they are too clumped together a large swathe of Capital territory is vulnerable to enemy attack. I have also sent two videos pertaining to castles and fortifications.

3.) Cathedrals and churches are not only centers of worship in Elysium but they are also the center of the community. And I have learned that people are surprisingly more laid-back than I thought here. We have also talked about the motivations behind cathedral-building. There are also different styles of architecture, the North has Gothic-style while the Capital is more on Elven-style. The Southern style is yet to be determined by Eleph.

4.) We have talked about the relationship between the elite Summer Fae and their human vassals. It isn't perfect but they work along just fine most of the time.

5.) We have talked about Luminosity religion, how it attracted followers who truly believed in it and people who just wanted to exploit its power. There are some similarities between Luminosity and Christianity since that is the religion I can relate to. Though there are some notable differences between the two religions... I will not say it here.

6.) We must determine the size of Elysium, its population, and the number of people there are per square kilometer. We need this to determine how many people can live there, how much fertile land they require to be properly provided for, and what specific problems they face. I also suggest that we think about natural resources, such as arable land, water sources, mining, and more to determine what we can get from these lands.

7.) We have talked about the size of the Royal Army (10,000 strong) and the number of reservist personnel.

8.) We have talked about the religious disunity within Elysium, there are true believers, there are the indifferent, and there are the heretics.

9.) We have talked about the different races in Elysium. The Capital has elves and summer fae. The North has giants and nature spirits. And the South has yet to be determined.

10.) We have talked about the different types of taxes and how people can pay it.

Well, that's pretty much it.

 

[Elephantom]

Yes, I must ask what are the races in the South and the architectural structure there.

SOUTHERN ARCHITECTURE

Architecture within the entire colony mimics the baroque/rococo period, derivative of the cultural style of the French and the Italians — more deeply so as one goes inland. The farther ones, the shores and the many searines, have a romanesque tinge to them, influenced by foreign merchants and habitants and such. Many of the castles are simply relics of the past, of the former dwellers, and as a result, tend to vary significantly from the rest of the renaissance pieces.

Due to the astoundingly rich element of the inlands, and the swaths of gold and ore veins (not to mention, the intensity of the pepper mines that border near the outlands), the buildings tend to be very systematically built and very glossy in nature; contrasting harshly are the austere buildings of the church, and of the miners, and the many traveling merchants and the few villagers here and there.

The shores and riverines follow a similar style, though the amount put on vanity is far more greater — overwhelmingly sized gambling halls, gilded merchant guilds, and the swaths of property privately held by the elite. The architecture tends to diverge heavily, though most if not all follow a similar motif.


SOUTHERN RACES

Censuses in the south happen to be very awkward, due to the shocking abundance of foreigners from the other kingdoms, as the southern kingdom prides itself as a hugely mercantile sub-nation. About 40% are from other nations, excluding the highly hated darkeners, while a good 50% belonging to humans, and a mere 5% to summer fae, who're less welcome here. The rest of the 5% belong to, of course, more genteel beings — illegal, but who cares?

 

[Historical Storyteller]

SOUTHERN ARCHITECTURE

Architecture within the entire colony mimics the baroque/rococo period, derivative of the cultural style of the French and the Italians — more deeply so as one goes inland. The farther ones, the shores and the many searines, have a romanesque tinge to them, influenced by foreign merchants and habitants and such. Many of the castles are simply relics of the past, of the former dwellers, and as a result, tend to vary significantly from the rest of the renaissance pieces.

Due to the astoundingly rich element of the inlands, and the swaths of gold and ore veins (not to mention, the intensity of the pepper mines that border near the outlands), the buildings tend to be very systematically built and very glossy in nature; contrasting harshly are the austere buildings of the church, and of the miners, and the many traveling merchants and the few villagers here and there.

The shores and riverines follow a similar style, though the amount put on vanity is far more greater — overwhelmingly sized gambling halls, gilded merchant guilds, and the swaths of property privately held by the elite. The architecture tends to diverge heavily, though most if not all follow a similar motif.


SOUTHERN RACES

Censuses in the south happen to be very awkward, due to the shocking abundance of foreigners from the other kingdoms, as the southern kingdom prides itself as a hugely mercantile sub-nation. About 40% are from other nations, excluding the highly hated darkeners, while a good 50% belonging to humans, and a mere 10% to summer fae, who're less welcome here.

So in the North we have Gothic, in the South we have Baroque/Rococo, while in the Capital we have Elven.

The majority of the population is human. Giants and nature spirits tend to be around the North, the Capital has a large number of elves and summer fae, and the South has a mixture of different races which are hard to determine.

Eleph, pick 1 of the topics I listed in the summary and tell me what you want to talk about.

 

[Elephantom]

4.) We have talked about the relationship between the elite Summer Fae and their human vassals. It isn't perfect but they work along just fine most of the time.

This, definitely this.

We have to consider the fact that humans significantly outweigh the fae in terms of number, are physically stronger, slightly more strategic. Even their origins were made on equal straits, a mutual understanding.

So, why are they just simple vassals?