GojiBean
Your resident irradiated Kaiju King
Welcome
Rasmataz
,
Caffeinated Joy
,
Starwalker123
and
EmperorNorton1
to the Star-Crossed Revolution Lore page!
The following is information pertaining to the identity of Veilbrand as a nation before Eagon took power. And, hopefully, this'll give you everything you need to create detailed backstories for your characters!
So, let's begin!
A mere 10 years ago, Veilbrand was a thriving nation of plenty.
The King and Queen, Richard and Kahlan Veilbrand, ruled their nation with an even, though at times firm hand. Beloved by their people, the pair worked tirelessly to ensure that Veilbrand's core focus as a collective included four primary pillars of stability: safety, trust, respect, and hard work.
Safety - Veilbrand is a militant nation at its core. Always has been. Though it doesn't enforce a draft, all young men are encouraged to enlist in the military for at least two years to gain vital experience in self-defense, warfare tactics, and survival techniques. The enlistment rate of the nation's young male population was a rather staggering 64%, which speaks to the trust the populace held in their leaders and their way of life.
Trust - The King and Queen were, above all else, transparent with their decisions, rulings, and intended changes to any laws or policies. Public announcements were posted in every village, town, and city asking for feedback on what was to come. If the public did not approve of their intentions by majority, they would rethink and reorganize and try again. Similarly, the ruling family held very strict standards for its military forces who were stationed at every major city (acting as de facto "guards," if you will, and extra protection). Any lapses in behavior or judgement would be met with swift, though fair retribution for the offender to ensure the populace knew that at no time was the military intended to be allowed to run free and abuse their positions.
Respect - Respect has always been a core tenet of the Veilbrand way of life. And it starts at home. Parents treat their children, and each other, with respect. In turn, their children learn the value of respect so that they may share it with everyone else. A bit idealistic, perhaps. But it's been a focus of Veilbrand for centuries. Disrespect, be it public or private, is to be met with a calm, understanding approach to de-escalate and work to find a reasonable resolution. Does it always go smoothly? No. Nothing ever could. But the point is that trying to be respectful, even in times of conflict, has always been a focal point for the nation and its people.
Hard Work - All Veilbrand citizens are raised to value hard work as a central part of their life style. Even a humble letter carrier is, without complaint, up at the crack of dawn to collect the day's mail and deliver it as reliably and swiftly as possible. A good way to summarize how Veilbrand as a whole views hard work is in the shared belief of "I can become better than my teacher." Notice the word "can," instead of "will" or "must." Hard work is encouraged, not forced. Especially if/when an individual winds up in a career or situation they don't find any passion or drive in. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. If someone finds it difficult or impossible to find something worth working hard for, they typically resign themselves to the "least offensive" menial task to help them move forward. Life doesn't stop to wait for you, after all.
These four pillars of life have been in place for several centuries. And it was expected that they would continue with no obstacles for the foreseeable future...
However, with the ascension of Eagon T'housen to power, and the subsequent dissolution of the prior established government with Eagon as a new unchallenged dictator, life changed literally overnight for the entire nation.
The very first village to suffer his wrath was called Ortusk.
It was a lively village with some 300 people living in a close-nit community. Everyone knew each other. And there were hardly ever any major issues to worry about in the day to day, save the occasional mishap which is to be expected. Life can't be predicted, after all.
But the day Eagon took power was Ortusk's last on this world. In less than an hour everyone, save for a small handful of survivors who were out of the village for various reasons that day, were locked inside their homes as the entire village was burned to the ground. Not a soul trapped within survived. To this day Ortusk is but a series of charred remains. Narry a skeleton to be found as it's all been turned to ash, much of which has been blown away by the winds.
For the few who survived by happenstance due to being away, their homes and families are now but a distant memory.
Such was the fate for dozens of the villages and towns closest to the capital city of Valoc, which lies nestled against the mountains in the Northeastern sector of the nation. And over time Eagon's wrath would extend further and further to the West and South. But his methods would become more and more cruel. Rather than simply burning villages, towns, or cities to the ground he would instruct his men to raid them as if they were bandits. Orders like "Find the women, no matter their age, and do what you will," and "Round up as many as you can and tie them up in the central square. We'll parade them around like slaves on the chain for all to see," were common. And it became a fate worse than death to be caught by one of his soldiers.
Over time, a Revolution began to brew. It was slow at first. But rapidly gained popularity among those who still had the will to resist the horrors of the human refuse known as Eagon. Within two years the Revolution had grown to some 500 people. And every chance they had to pick off Eagon's soldiers they would do so. Knowing that he had some 500,000 men at his disposal, they knew it would a very long uphill battle. But if they could find a way to unite Veilbrand's citizenry against him and bolster their own numbers far enough they had a chance to prevail.
Of course, history is seldom kind to such thoughts and dreams.
Though it may appear a stalemate to outside viewers, the reality is that Eagon is toying with the Revolution by sending only just enough soldiers to force the Revolution into difficult situations and slowly chip away at their numbers. To those who see this, the goal is clear. He aims to slowly suffocate their morale and will to fight until nothing remains of them. And so far... it's working.
Morale within the Revolution is at an all-time low. Especially with nobody to tend to their sick and injured outside of bandages, removing damaged limbs, or offering moral support for those who've fallen ill.
The Revolution desperately needs help...
The Arts
Veilbrand has long been known for its stone and metalwork, and only in recent decades has discovered an abundance of precious metals and gems in the resource-rich mountains against which the nation rests. In addition, you'll not find more skilled blacksmiths or weapons and armor makers in any of the other four nations of the continent.
With the discovery of precious metals and gems jewelry is now a budding industry featuring the use of such materials.
Music in Veilbrand has long featured the fiddle, animal skin drums, and both song and dance. Traditional music in Veilbrand has long been referred to as Ka'ta. And even to this day with the nation at its lowest Ka'ta remains one of very few pillars of sanity for those struggling to survive from day to day. Though it may only be in mumbles and grumbling, traditional folks songs can still be heard softly echoing through many of the desolate and dilapidated villages, towns, and cities which dot the nation's landscape.
Painting was once a favorite to many an artist. But with few to no natural resources for paint-making in Veilbrand, and trade with the other four nations now funneled to the capital, there is nothing left to paint with. Such artists must live without their passion until such a time as the acquisition of such resources can be restored.
Religion
The central religion in Veilbrand was a polytheistic practice known as Sru'ta.
There are either five or seven Gods/Goddesses, depending on which sect you belong to (as there are two).
The first Sect was known as Fhalen ("fallen"), in which there are five Gods/Goddesses. They were: Nec, God of the Sun. Pan, God of the Earth. Sri, God of the Sky. Han, Goddess of the Water. And Liv, Goddess of the Moon.
As a practitioner of Fhalen, one is expected to pray to Nec upon waking and seeing the sun for the first time each day, and pray to Liv as the moon rises each night. The length of the prayer is different for every individual. Additionally, some will pray verbally while others pray silently. There is no hard rule that you must do either, but you must pray. Pan, Sri, and Han are to be prayed to when one first steps outside their home for the day. Again, the length of the prayer, as well as if it's verbalized or not, remain up to the individual. Some will simply clasp their hands together in front of their belly or chest for a few seconds and then move on with their day. Others will take up to a few minutes to verbalize their prayers.
Additionally, practitioners of Fhalen will not set foot inside a church until they have greeted at least one of the priests or nuns who occupy it first. To step inside a church without greeting one of its shepherds is tantamount to spitting at them.
The second Sect was known as Thilen ("thee-len"), in which there are seven Gods/Goddesses. They were: Sal, God of Wisdom. Fen, Goddess of the Heart and Love. Nul, God of Death. Cri ("sree"), Goddess of Life. Bol, God of Misery. Nef, Goddess of Prosperity. And Dii ("Dee"), God of Balance.
Practitioners of Thilen are more relaxed in their approach to prayer. While they do teach that one should pray every morning and evening, they each that one is praying to all the Gods/Goddesses at once each time they pray. It's never "pray to this God for this, pray to that Goddess for that." All at once, as they view each God to be equals to one another and therefore a prayer to one is a prayer to all.
Additionally, practitioners of Thilen do not have "churches." Instead, they have communal gathering places in the open fields and forests near their homes where they sit together and share a unified moment of silent prayer before engaging in casual conversation and/or seeking counsel from their religious leaders.
Both Sects, as well as the general practice of Sru'ta, were abolished and outlawed shortly after Eagon took power. Many of those who have retained their faith practice and pray in secret. But faith is rapidly waning. And if we were to offer a conservative estimate on how many still believe in either Sect's teachings or figures, it would be approximately 12%.
Lingual Quirks
Veilbrand has always been... relaxed, shall we say, when it comes to the use of foul language and avoiding political correctness or what George Carlin famously called "soft language."
The "physically handicapped"... Cripples.
The "mentally challenged"... Slow (the nice term) or stupid (the mean term).
Those with a "speech disability"... Mutes.
Those with a "hearing disability"... Deaf.
A belligerent woman... Bitch.
A belligerent man... Cocksucker or motherfucker.
Etc, etc.
So yeah. Very little political correctness.
(Note: Having said that, this is not an excuse to use real world racial/cultural slurs like the "n" word when talking to or about people in the RP. Keep it to insults like the examples above, please. If you're not sure whether or not something you think your character wants to say is crossing the line, ask me in a DM! Thanks!)
An additional note: If you aren't comfortable with the idea of your own character having little to no political correctness, you may always ensure they follow a sense of being politically correct. The majority of Veilbrand doesn't care about political correctness. So you will see/hear not politically correct terms thrown around in conversation from time to time as the RP progresses. If you're not comfortable with that then it's probably best to drop from the RP.
Home Life, Marriage
The process of marriage in Veilbrand has always been treated with reverence.
However, with the rise of Eagon he's taken it to new extremes by ordering that anyone caught in the act of fornication or adultery are to have a brand placed on the back of their left hand, and their ring finger removed so they can never wear a wedding band.
And yes... For those of you who thought about that for a moment and put two and two together, this does mean that Eagon's soldiers who come to a village, town, or city and rape a woman can then enact said punishment of the branding and subsequent removal of their ring finger (while suffering no consequences themselves since they're the "authority" in the situation). Does this happen often? It depends on how much the woman fights back. The feistier she is and the harder she tries to escape, the more likely they are to just let her go after they've had their way. If she gave up and didn't put up a fight, they're more than likely going to brand her and lop off her finger.
Nice guys, huh?
Home life itself was rather simple. The husband is the leader of the household providing he remains in a mentally stable state. For example, if the man becomes a drunk then his wife assumes authority in the household until such a time as he cleans up and regains a sense of stability. If he cannot lead his household safely, he loses his right to lead it at all.
Children were expected to treat their parents with respect, and to listen to any orders given to them such as doing their chores and homework. Complaints were often dealt with using a conversation. If the child became particularly combative, then harsher words and a stronger tone are used. If that didn't work then it was the right of the parents to issue a physical punishment such as a spanking or a slap in the face.
Anything beyond that was considered abuse and could be punished with fines or prison time if they were ever discovered or outed by their neighbors for the behavior.
Education
Education has always been important in Veilbrand, and was something which, no kidding, 99% of the population enjoyed.
Key word, "enjoyed." And that wasn't a euphemism.
Kids enjoyed school because it allowed them to choose what subjects they wanted to learn about, and thus were free to learn about things they actually wanted to learn about.
There was only one exception: History.
Without knowing the history of where you come from, it's difficult, if not impossible, to effectively move forward into your future. Some might disagree. But it's a philosophy which Veilbrand held onto for several centuries.
Sadly, that system came to an end with the rise of Eagon who completely demolished the education system in its entirety.
Sadly, my brain has stopped working and this is all I've got for now!
If you have questions related to anything here, or anything that is probably worth going into more detail about given your character's backstory, please ask away in the soon-to-be posted OOC Discussion page, or shoot me a DM!
Cheers!
Rasmataz
,
Caffeinated Joy
,
Starwalker123
and
EmperorNorton1
to the Star-Crossed Revolution Lore page!The following is information pertaining to the identity of Veilbrand as a nation before Eagon took power. And, hopefully, this'll give you everything you need to create detailed backstories for your characters!
So, let's begin!
A Brief History
A mere 10 years ago, Veilbrand was a thriving nation of plenty.
The King and Queen, Richard and Kahlan Veilbrand, ruled their nation with an even, though at times firm hand. Beloved by their people, the pair worked tirelessly to ensure that Veilbrand's core focus as a collective included four primary pillars of stability: safety, trust, respect, and hard work.
Safety - Veilbrand is a militant nation at its core. Always has been. Though it doesn't enforce a draft, all young men are encouraged to enlist in the military for at least two years to gain vital experience in self-defense, warfare tactics, and survival techniques. The enlistment rate of the nation's young male population was a rather staggering 64%, which speaks to the trust the populace held in their leaders and their way of life.
Trust - The King and Queen were, above all else, transparent with their decisions, rulings, and intended changes to any laws or policies. Public announcements were posted in every village, town, and city asking for feedback on what was to come. If the public did not approve of their intentions by majority, they would rethink and reorganize and try again. Similarly, the ruling family held very strict standards for its military forces who were stationed at every major city (acting as de facto "guards," if you will, and extra protection). Any lapses in behavior or judgement would be met with swift, though fair retribution for the offender to ensure the populace knew that at no time was the military intended to be allowed to run free and abuse their positions.
Respect - Respect has always been a core tenet of the Veilbrand way of life. And it starts at home. Parents treat their children, and each other, with respect. In turn, their children learn the value of respect so that they may share it with everyone else. A bit idealistic, perhaps. But it's been a focus of Veilbrand for centuries. Disrespect, be it public or private, is to be met with a calm, understanding approach to de-escalate and work to find a reasonable resolution. Does it always go smoothly? No. Nothing ever could. But the point is that trying to be respectful, even in times of conflict, has always been a focal point for the nation and its people.
Hard Work - All Veilbrand citizens are raised to value hard work as a central part of their life style. Even a humble letter carrier is, without complaint, up at the crack of dawn to collect the day's mail and deliver it as reliably and swiftly as possible. A good way to summarize how Veilbrand as a whole views hard work is in the shared belief of "I can become better than my teacher." Notice the word "can," instead of "will" or "must." Hard work is encouraged, not forced. Especially if/when an individual winds up in a career or situation they don't find any passion or drive in. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. If someone finds it difficult or impossible to find something worth working hard for, they typically resign themselves to the "least offensive" menial task to help them move forward. Life doesn't stop to wait for you, after all.
These four pillars of life have been in place for several centuries. And it was expected that they would continue with no obstacles for the foreseeable future...
However, with the ascension of Eagon T'housen to power, and the subsequent dissolution of the prior established government with Eagon as a new unchallenged dictator, life changed literally overnight for the entire nation.
The very first village to suffer his wrath was called Ortusk.
It was a lively village with some 300 people living in a close-nit community. Everyone knew each other. And there were hardly ever any major issues to worry about in the day to day, save the occasional mishap which is to be expected. Life can't be predicted, after all.
But the day Eagon took power was Ortusk's last on this world. In less than an hour everyone, save for a small handful of survivors who were out of the village for various reasons that day, were locked inside their homes as the entire village was burned to the ground. Not a soul trapped within survived. To this day Ortusk is but a series of charred remains. Narry a skeleton to be found as it's all been turned to ash, much of which has been blown away by the winds.
For the few who survived by happenstance due to being away, their homes and families are now but a distant memory.
Such was the fate for dozens of the villages and towns closest to the capital city of Valoc, which lies nestled against the mountains in the Northeastern sector of the nation. And over time Eagon's wrath would extend further and further to the West and South. But his methods would become more and more cruel. Rather than simply burning villages, towns, or cities to the ground he would instruct his men to raid them as if they were bandits. Orders like "Find the women, no matter their age, and do what you will," and "Round up as many as you can and tie them up in the central square. We'll parade them around like slaves on the chain for all to see," were common. And it became a fate worse than death to be caught by one of his soldiers.
Over time, a Revolution began to brew. It was slow at first. But rapidly gained popularity among those who still had the will to resist the horrors of the human refuse known as Eagon. Within two years the Revolution had grown to some 500 people. And every chance they had to pick off Eagon's soldiers they would do so. Knowing that he had some 500,000 men at his disposal, they knew it would a very long uphill battle. But if they could find a way to unite Veilbrand's citizenry against him and bolster their own numbers far enough they had a chance to prevail.
Of course, history is seldom kind to such thoughts and dreams.
Though it may appear a stalemate to outside viewers, the reality is that Eagon is toying with the Revolution by sending only just enough soldiers to force the Revolution into difficult situations and slowly chip away at their numbers. To those who see this, the goal is clear. He aims to slowly suffocate their morale and will to fight until nothing remains of them. And so far... it's working.
Morale within the Revolution is at an all-time low. Especially with nobody to tend to their sick and injured outside of bandages, removing damaged limbs, or offering moral support for those who've fallen ill.
The Revolution desperately needs help...
Some Cultural Pillars
The Arts
Veilbrand has long been known for its stone and metalwork, and only in recent decades has discovered an abundance of precious metals and gems in the resource-rich mountains against which the nation rests. In addition, you'll not find more skilled blacksmiths or weapons and armor makers in any of the other four nations of the continent.
With the discovery of precious metals and gems jewelry is now a budding industry featuring the use of such materials.
Music in Veilbrand has long featured the fiddle, animal skin drums, and both song and dance. Traditional music in Veilbrand has long been referred to as Ka'ta. And even to this day with the nation at its lowest Ka'ta remains one of very few pillars of sanity for those struggling to survive from day to day. Though it may only be in mumbles and grumbling, traditional folks songs can still be heard softly echoing through many of the desolate and dilapidated villages, towns, and cities which dot the nation's landscape.
Painting was once a favorite to many an artist. But with few to no natural resources for paint-making in Veilbrand, and trade with the other four nations now funneled to the capital, there is nothing left to paint with. Such artists must live without their passion until such a time as the acquisition of such resources can be restored.
Religion
The central religion in Veilbrand was a polytheistic practice known as Sru'ta.
There are either five or seven Gods/Goddesses, depending on which sect you belong to (as there are two).
The first Sect was known as Fhalen ("fallen"), in which there are five Gods/Goddesses. They were: Nec, God of the Sun. Pan, God of the Earth. Sri, God of the Sky. Han, Goddess of the Water. And Liv, Goddess of the Moon.
As a practitioner of Fhalen, one is expected to pray to Nec upon waking and seeing the sun for the first time each day, and pray to Liv as the moon rises each night. The length of the prayer is different for every individual. Additionally, some will pray verbally while others pray silently. There is no hard rule that you must do either, but you must pray. Pan, Sri, and Han are to be prayed to when one first steps outside their home for the day. Again, the length of the prayer, as well as if it's verbalized or not, remain up to the individual. Some will simply clasp their hands together in front of their belly or chest for a few seconds and then move on with their day. Others will take up to a few minutes to verbalize their prayers.
Additionally, practitioners of Fhalen will not set foot inside a church until they have greeted at least one of the priests or nuns who occupy it first. To step inside a church without greeting one of its shepherds is tantamount to spitting at them.
The second Sect was known as Thilen ("thee-len"), in which there are seven Gods/Goddesses. They were: Sal, God of Wisdom. Fen, Goddess of the Heart and Love. Nul, God of Death. Cri ("sree"), Goddess of Life. Bol, God of Misery. Nef, Goddess of Prosperity. And Dii ("Dee"), God of Balance.
Practitioners of Thilen are more relaxed in their approach to prayer. While they do teach that one should pray every morning and evening, they each that one is praying to all the Gods/Goddesses at once each time they pray. It's never "pray to this God for this, pray to that Goddess for that." All at once, as they view each God to be equals to one another and therefore a prayer to one is a prayer to all.
Additionally, practitioners of Thilen do not have "churches." Instead, they have communal gathering places in the open fields and forests near their homes where they sit together and share a unified moment of silent prayer before engaging in casual conversation and/or seeking counsel from their religious leaders.
Both Sects, as well as the general practice of Sru'ta, were abolished and outlawed shortly after Eagon took power. Many of those who have retained their faith practice and pray in secret. But faith is rapidly waning. And if we were to offer a conservative estimate on how many still believe in either Sect's teachings or figures, it would be approximately 12%.
Lingual Quirks
Veilbrand has always been... relaxed, shall we say, when it comes to the use of foul language and avoiding political correctness or what George Carlin famously called "soft language."
The "physically handicapped"... Cripples.
The "mentally challenged"... Slow (the nice term) or stupid (the mean term).
Those with a "speech disability"... Mutes.
Those with a "hearing disability"... Deaf.
A belligerent woman... Bitch.
A belligerent man... Cocksucker or motherfucker.
Etc, etc.
So yeah. Very little political correctness.
(Note: Having said that, this is not an excuse to use real world racial/cultural slurs like the "n" word when talking to or about people in the RP. Keep it to insults like the examples above, please. If you're not sure whether or not something you think your character wants to say is crossing the line, ask me in a DM! Thanks!)
An additional note: If you aren't comfortable with the idea of your own character having little to no political correctness, you may always ensure they follow a sense of being politically correct. The majority of Veilbrand doesn't care about political correctness. So you will see/hear not politically correct terms thrown around in conversation from time to time as the RP progresses. If you're not comfortable with that then it's probably best to drop from the RP.
Home Life, Marriage
The process of marriage in Veilbrand has always been treated with reverence.
However, with the rise of Eagon he's taken it to new extremes by ordering that anyone caught in the act of fornication or adultery are to have a brand placed on the back of their left hand, and their ring finger removed so they can never wear a wedding band.
And yes... For those of you who thought about that for a moment and put two and two together, this does mean that Eagon's soldiers who come to a village, town, or city and rape a woman can then enact said punishment of the branding and subsequent removal of their ring finger (while suffering no consequences themselves since they're the "authority" in the situation). Does this happen often? It depends on how much the woman fights back. The feistier she is and the harder she tries to escape, the more likely they are to just let her go after they've had their way. If she gave up and didn't put up a fight, they're more than likely going to brand her and lop off her finger.
Nice guys, huh?
Home life itself was rather simple. The husband is the leader of the household providing he remains in a mentally stable state. For example, if the man becomes a drunk then his wife assumes authority in the household until such a time as he cleans up and regains a sense of stability. If he cannot lead his household safely, he loses his right to lead it at all.
Children were expected to treat their parents with respect, and to listen to any orders given to them such as doing their chores and homework. Complaints were often dealt with using a conversation. If the child became particularly combative, then harsher words and a stronger tone are used. If that didn't work then it was the right of the parents to issue a physical punishment such as a spanking or a slap in the face.
Anything beyond that was considered abuse and could be punished with fines or prison time if they were ever discovered or outed by their neighbors for the behavior.
Education
Education has always been important in Veilbrand, and was something which, no kidding, 99% of the population enjoyed.
Key word, "enjoyed." And that wasn't a euphemism.
Kids enjoyed school because it allowed them to choose what subjects they wanted to learn about, and thus were free to learn about things they actually wanted to learn about.
There was only one exception: History.
Without knowing the history of where you come from, it's difficult, if not impossible, to effectively move forward into your future. Some might disagree. But it's a philosophy which Veilbrand held onto for several centuries.
Sadly, that system came to an end with the rise of Eagon who completely demolished the education system in its entirety.
Sadly, my brain has stopped working and this is all I've got for now!
If you have questions related to anything here, or anything that is probably worth going into more detail about given your character's backstory, please ask away in the soon-to-be posted OOC Discussion page, or shoot me a DM!
Cheers!
