The Age of Glass

[Cyclotron]

Originally posted by foolish_icarus
How much are you guys looking for me to "interfere"? For example, I threw in social problem/events descriptions as well as external stuff (which I am happy to do ) but I know that in some games I have a direction I want to take my society and random events can really throw off my plans, and I want to make sure I'm not stepping on any toes (all 20 of them, at the moment).

It's not that I don't have a plan/standard of interference, but because there are only two of you I can basically tailor this game any way you find appropriate.

Well, this is essentially all new for me; I've never actually played an NES before, so I'm still getting used to being the guy not calling the shots.

I think social events and such are great; I want there to be randomness within and without. The assassination of the Council Elder, for instance, was something I hadn't planned for, but I have no problem with adapting to that. There is a direction I feel my society is headed, but I'm not committed to that, and I like internal events that I can react to.

What I'm not sure about is the level of "prediction" that is acceptable from us. For instance, in my NES you don't say "the peasants have been flocking to Holstein because of low taxes," but you can say "I lower taxes in Holstein to get peasants to move there." In this NES, I wrote that the Unclassed are moving to Chessalia, because it seemed logical that they would given the situation - this would be overly predictive in my NES, but it seemed appropriate here (as here we're playing a society, not a single ruler). If I step over the line of what I'm entitled to describe in my orders, please go ahead and overrule or correct me.

[Cyclotron]

By the way, I would appreciate the following information at some point, either in updates or other posts, just to help me get a taste of the area I'm in:

- What passes for language here? Is it just dialects of English, or are peoples so far apart linguistically that they even use different writing systems and all that?
- What is the religious situation in the neighborhood? Doveria's history involved a lot of violent cults, is belief in the area very diverse or are there still vestiges of some overarching Christianity / other thing?
- How populated are the areas around me? You said population was fairly sparse in Chessalia, what about Far Doveria, Filodelia, or the lands east of appleciders?

[foolish_icarus]

In this NES, I wrote that the Unclassed are moving to Chessalia, because it seemed logical that they would given the situation - this would be overly predictive in my NES, but it seemed appropriate here (as here we're playing a society, not a single ruler).

I heartily approve of this kind of thing--if you want it to happen, go for it!

What passes for language here? Is it just dialects of English, or are peoples so far apart linguistically that they even use different writing systems and all that?

I've got to answer this question in a way that won't give anything away
Some of your neighbors speak the same language as you or an understandable dialect. Others speak languages that are not intelligable without translation, but share some similarities to your language. Some few even speak languages that seem to have no similarities to your own. Writing is rather less divergent--the majority of languages (that even have writing) use a common or very similar alphabet, but some use a "bastardized" alphabet or a different alphabet altogether, and some (few) even use non-alphabetical writing systems.

Which reminds me--I'm going to thrown in some discoveries of "ancient texts" soon maybe next update

What is the religious situation in the neighborhood? Doveria's history involved a lot of violent cults, is belief in the area very diverse or are there still vestiges of some overarching Christianity / other thing?

Ah yes. You will indeed run into religion soon. In yours and ciders' immediate vicinity there are a variety of small faiths as well as a few practicioners of local branches of powerful, widespread "churches". I have the large religions planned out, but feel free to define as many of the smaller cults as you wish. For the time being assume none of the large foreign churches have very much sway in your country, but once I introduce them I will allow you to retroactively add their adherents in your country, if you want to.

How populated are the areas around me? You said population was fairly sparse in Chessalia, what about Far Doveria, Filodelia, or the lands east of appleciders?

*Squints and mumbles at map*
let's see...
The places shown as states have the highest populations. Filodelia has some actual cities and some towns. Far Doveria, despite lacking any large cities, is fairly populated (with towns and villages and communities).
East of appleciders is...Chessalia?
West of him is less populated.

Generally there are going to be some people just about everywhere, but there are only going to be a 'lot' of people where you have states (not necessarily in cities--a few states have coalesced that are basically just a bunch of towns), and there are some places where cities are the only real population center around.
Not very informative, I know, but the best I can do for the time being.
If you were to look at a population map, it would appear pretty 'splotchy'. Lots of small areas of concentration, but no real predictable trends except that coasts and riverways are more populated than inland.

[General Ludd]

The Society of Holy Diviners


It may be hard to define the society as a nation, as it is only a small collection of decentralized and mercantile communities. There is no enforced hierarchy within the society, but still, nothing is done without first consulting a diviner. The people believe that the diviners are capable of seeing everything that every has been, is, and will be, and are thus given the greatest amount of respect. The diviners have a hierarchy amongst themselves however, starting with neophytes all the way up the the high council, which is made up of representives of each community.

The diviners are something between a soothesayer and an inventer. They believe that glass, when understood and used properly, can reveal the hidden truth beind everything. It is believed that the different properties of a piece of glass (colour, shape, ect...) will reveal different aspects of the truth, and so refined glass from "before" (anything from a broken drinking glass to a telescope) are collected as precious artifacts. Indeed, the council has in it's collection a working kaleidoscope which is revered as the most sacred of artifacts.

Diviners can be immediately reconized by their long robes, adorned with bits of glass and jewlery. Aswell, they will often be wearing glasses made up of variously warped and coloured fragments of glass. The higher the rank of the diviner, the more extravogent their wardrobe - many of the high council members are covered from head to toe in fragments of mirrors.

The high council meets on a glass field every full moon, where they relate important news, have discussions ad present demonstrations, experiements, or lectures to the other members.


EDIT: and you can place me on the map anywhere you like, as long as it is relatively flat.

[Cyclotron]

Psst... he may want you to post one of these things, like we did.

Nation Name
Player Name
Civil Modernity: between 0 and 1000
Military Modernity: between 0 and 1000
Technological Capacity: between 800 and 1500
Espionage: 1 (1)
Army: 1 (1)
Navy: 0 to 1 (0 to 1)
Population: .1 to .5 [million]
Economic Vigor: 0 to 3
Median Living Standards: 0 to 4
Contentedness: 0 to 7
Notes—
{a few IC sentences on your country concept}

[appleciders]

Continue with programs to improve roads and centers of education within the Confederation. Instead of further expansion, place emphasis on mining iron in likely locations, especially in mountains.

At the Congress, make special efforts to deal only with legislation that is of national importance. Local matters will, as usual, be left to local governments, hopefully reducing friction at the Congress and allowing more fluidity at the national level.

Use the military to help enforce law and order and to remove bandits, raiders, and other malcontents from my borders.

Send an emissary northward and across the bay to the Doverian area. Try to make contact with the government and introduce ourselves.

[General Ludd]

Society of Holy Diviners
General Ludd
Civil Modernity: 600
Military Modernity: 400
Technological Capacity: 1300
Espionage: 1
Army: 0 (city militias are relied apon)
Navy: 0
Population: .3
Economic Vigor: 3
Median Living Standards: 3
Contentedness: 6

[foolish_icarus]

Ludd, you're going to start in Florida.

Update Friday.

[foolish_icarus]

I have a very loose definition of "Friday". That comes from (against all expectations!) having work, and also despicable, despicable RPGing
so,...you know...soon-ish

[bipolarbear]

If this is still going by the third of September, I'd love to join. Hell, I'd love to join now, but I don't have the time.

[foolish_icarus]

Update 2: 276-300 ACC Part 1



Doveria

Representatives of the tribes of Far Doveria (see below under 'Mastay') have come to Doveria to beg for intercession before they are all wiped out by the Mastayvians.

[I'm still debating whether to put up accurate NPC statistics. I probably won't. Either way, before you decide what to do, keep in mind Mastay's political strengths and weaknesses, and the fact that they have quite a powerful military, both army and navy.]

Doverian Chessalia continues to increasingly prosper under the Orderines and the Unclassed and the natives.

The army's careful and well planned yet swift and ferocious efforts have utterly destroyed the organized Chessalian resistance to the west by wiping out their command structures and soundly defeating the fragments after their armies disintegrated. Partisans still skulk in the lands, posing a potential danger, but for the most part the disgruntled former soldiers have simply gone home to try to live their lives without actively fighting against the Doverians...yet.
Despite this success, the pro-Doverian native alliance has failed to materialize, since none of the locals wanted to step up to that position. This surprised the Doverian generals, who initially expected the Chessalians to meet Orderine efforts with “dancing in the streets” and to generally welcome them “with open arms”.

Civilizing efforts within Doveria itself continue at a sluggish yet steady pace.

-----

Shenandoah

Macry has approached Shenandoah with offers of friendship. They note that both states must be vigilant against threats both from the western tribes and the insidiousness of Mastay.

Roads continue to improve, as does education, with a few potential hurdles to overcome. Administrators struggle how to extend education systems into the rural areas as well as the dilemma of how to set the curricula and who will oversee its adoption.

With a little more experience under their belt working with the complications of a somewhat multi-cultural state, the Congressional administrators have gotten better at handling divisive issues and generally keeping wide ranging communities more satisfied. This has, however, lead to the potential problem (or it could be a good thing, depending on how you look at it) of a rather entrenched political class who have the resources and experience to succeed at government and generally only pass those on to their handpicked proteges, basically making it extremely difficult for newcomers without an established sponsor to get into the higher levels of government which is creating a little bit of resentment of its own sort. This, however, is limited to those who actually have an interest in that level of politics, rather than the whole populace, so it is generally seen as a good trade off, except by the angry excluded people themselves.

Western tribes have been moving in waves around Shenandoah's borders. Something out in the waybeyond may be going on.

This state's iron mining attempts are basically a failure. Finding the ore in usable quantities, much less extracting and processing it, has proved to be far beyond Shenandoah's technological know-how and infrastructure capabilities. They have, however, found a partial solution by approaching their needs from a different angle. They are able to find scrap metal in reasonable quantities in ruins and by digging up and sorting through huge sites which seem to hold, in no particular arrangement, all degree of items, some nasty and unpleasant and some useful. In addition to scraps of metal, they've found a few other goodies...

[I will let you choose two ordinary everyday items that might be found in a landfill for your scavenging teams to discover. These items will be completely intact and potentially usable (that is, you can find a computer, but you won't be able to use it until you have electricity, or you could find something else more immediately useful). You can also collect basically as much 'trash' as you want, broken stuff, old stuff that no longer works, if you can find some kind of use for it.]

-----

Glass Diviners

What new wonders have our Diviners granted us? The public doesn't yet know, but there are whispers of the discovery of a new and exceptionally holy artifact, that the council spends their time poring over in seclusion.

Behind closed doors, the wisemen do indeed have a wondrous new artifact in their possession. It is a small device, perhaps a foot high, recovered remarkably intact (by all appearances) from a recently unearthed ruin. It is constructed of several materials, including numerous small glass pieces, which, when looked through up close in much the same way one glances into the holy kaleidoscope, reveals in fine detail the smallest features of an object placed upon the artifact's pedestal. The mechanism of its operation (if indeed it is anything other than magic) is not apparent, and of course the sages have been incredibly reluctant to dismantle such a holy device. There is almost unanimous agreement among the sages that this device, if used with wisdom and courage, will bring good things to whole world.

-----

Macry

Only one large city exists in the land of Macry: The barricaded city of Macry itself. Looking at it, one wonders how it earned its reputation as an impregnable fortress. It is a sprawling, unplanned mass of streets, houses, warehouses, and shops planted on a mostly flat piece of land. The only remotely defensible natural aspect of the terrain is the river which forms the boundary of one small corner of the city. This settlement does not even possess a keep or a castle, only administrative buildings built out of the same materials as most of the city's other architecture; wood, brick, and scrap. Macry's walls, its feature that comes closest to conventional fortification, aren't even all that good. They wrap around the city in pieces, not even entirely containing (or protecting) the sprawl.

What, then, allows this city's continued existence in its dangerous location? The fierce efforts of its inhabitants. For too far to the west for their details to be known but not so far west that Macry lands are free of their influence lie the Horse Lords, who are said to control (or be) strange and terrible beasts and thus impose total dominion on the surrounding lands, raiding and taking slaves from the surrounding two-footed tribes. Many of these slaves make their way to the markets of Mastay. The Horse Lords themselves do not transport the slaves; they leave that business to their hard and cruel vassals, who would love to pick up further chattel as they travel east through the region of Macry.

In addition, tribes fleeing from or attempting to gather the strength to oppose the Horse Lords frequently trespass upon Macry lands with violent intentions. Macry has successfully repulsed all of them on the field of battle with their skilled, organized, and numerous army, in large part because they have accepted so many refugees into their city as residents. Civilian and military life in Macry thus has a wider diversity of ideas and culture to draw upon than just about any other in the greater eastern region.

The Macry themselves abhor slavery and servitude, and the fortitude and dedication of its residents under the direction of its traditional council has allowed it to survive (though not without its share of squalor and the risk of instability) in its dangerous and threatening location.

-----

Nadan

This ancient coastal community, located south of Shenandoah, has long since passed its zenith in terms of power as an organized state. Its once grand palace, said to have been built long, long before the names of today's countries were ever spoken, has a few years ago simply been at last completely abandoned by the Emperor of Nadan as he left his throne for civilian life. This seemed unremarkable to the other Nadanites, as it has been so many generations since the Emperor has actually had any power.

The power and glory this state once enjoyed is hinted at by the remarkable friezes adorning old crumbling buildings that depict the heyday of this people's influence. Despite their 'decline' as a state, these people enjoy predominantly good living conditions, and their lifestyle, though static, is in many ways quite advanced. They are an isolated people, seldom interacting with outsiders, and seldom interacting even with each other except for ritualistic allowances.

They have retained their love of advanced architecture, building standardized, sturdy, and exquisite yet practical little hut groups for each family unit. In this society the family is the polity, and their social interactions are all an expression of this truth. The family is not a political power; relatives are not subject to the rule of an authoritative father or mother figure, but that is how people interact with each other, as members of different families, traveling as units or individuals from hut complex to hut complex.

A text fragment recently discovered in Shenandoah is believed by some Shenandoan scholars to describe what may have been one of the legendary first Emperors of the predecessor state to the current Nadan people. The translation reads thus:

There was three kings into the east,
Three kings both great and high,
And they hae sworn a solemn oath
John Barleycorn should die.
They took a plough and plough'd him down,
Put clods upon his head,
And they hae sworn a solemn oath
John Barleycorn was dead.
But the cheerful Spring came kindly on,
And show'rs began to fall;
John Barleycorn got up again,
And sore surpris'd them all.
The sultry suns of Summer came,
And he grew thick and strong,
His head weel arm'd wi' pointed spears,
That no one should him wrong.
The sober Autumn enter'd mild,
When he grew wan and pale;
His bending joints and drooping head
Show'd he began to fail.
His coulour sicken'd more and more,
He faded into age;
And then his enemies began
To show their deadly rage.
They've taen a weapon, long and sharp,
And cut him by the knee;
Then ty'd him fast upon a cart,
Like a rogue for forgerie.
They laid him down upon his back,
And cudgell'd him full sore;
They hung him up before the storm,
And turn'd him o'er and o'er.
They filled up a darksome pit
With water to the brim,
They heaved in John Barleycorn,
There let him sink or swim.
They laid him out upon the floor,
To work him farther woe,
And still, as signs of life appear'd,
They toss'd him to and fro.
They wasted, o'er a scorching flame,
The marrow of his bones;
But a Miller us'd him worst of all,
For he crush'd him between two stones.
And they hae taen his very heart's blood,
And drank it round and round;
And still the more and more they drank,
Their joy did more abound.
John Barleycorn was a hero bold,
Of noble enterprise,
For if you do but taste his blood,
'Twill make your courage rise.
'Twill make a man forget his woe;
'Twill heighten all his joy:
'Twill make the widow's heart to sing,
Tho' the tear were in her eye.
Then let us toast John Barleycorn,
Each man a glass in hand;
And may his great posterity
Ne'er fail in old Scotland!

[foolish_icarus]

Update 2: 276-300 ACC Part 2


Mastay

Mastay of the North is ruled at an given time by one or more of its aristocratic families. The ruler, backed by his family and usually the alliance of other families that allowed him or her to succeed to the throne in the first place, exercises near-absolute power as a monarch for the duration of his reign, but usually is succeeded not by his or her own heir but by a member of another aristocratic family. The families certainly come into conflict, but it is typically of a very political or secretive nature, seldom spilling over into actual violence or a breaking of the unofficial and ill-understood 'rules' of the aristocratic family that have allowed them to maintain absolute control over the city by fostering this degree of cooperation betwixt them.

This city and its towns are known for the frequently harsh rule of it's kings and its heavy use of slavery and servitude which ranges from indentured servitude to forced criminal labor to hereditary imported slaves. This city is a potent regional power, and an unrelenting adversary of Macry (though the hostility is more on the side of Macry, Mastay recognizes that their differences means these states will never be friends and Mastay is certainly opportunistic enough to attempt to weaken Macry if it ever gets the opportunity.

Mastay doesn't make many friends among foreigners. Filodelia is probably the closest they have to an 'ally', and even that is greatly overestimating the trust and friendship they share, which so far has not been broken but is clearly fragile and temporary in nature.

What with Macry making the slave routes from the west unreliable, Mastay has turned in other directions to satisfy their hunger for forced labor. They have been sending their own slavers in the surrounding lands, particularly Far Doveria, to collect new human stock. While Mastay is quite use to handling slaves, they are green in the whole business of acquiring them by hand. The result of their inexperience is an episode of terror in the surrounding countryside so brutal, even for slave capturing, it defies description. When locals resist their efforts, they destroy or enslave the entire town. They burn crops, poison water, kill livestock, and commit atrocities on persons for the sake of intimidation. This has turned Far Doveria into hell. Still, the Mastayvian slave merchants are committed to meeting their quotas...this is a dark episode that has long since lost the capacity to end even remotely well.

-----

Filodelia

Filodelia has for some time now been ruled by tyrants—in the political sense of the word. The ruling tyrant is generally benevolent and competent enough to rule this little state without getting usurped and exiled. There is some form of plutocracy in this nation, but nowhere near as powerful or organized as in Mastay. Mostly they are just a bunch of rich merchants and landowners looking out for their own interests that the tyrant can't afford to anger too much, and the ranks of the rich are occasionally infused with new blood as newcomers become wealthy and old established families sometimes lose their fortunes. This is a very patriarchal society—in the home and in politics women are typically subservient to men.

The Filodelians also practice slavery, but on a smaller scale and of a much 'gentler' nature than the Mastayvians. Filodelians only enslave foreigners, and slavery isn't hereditary, and typically slaves are treated better than they are in Mastay.

This state has for some time been on relatively benign terms with its neighbors, as the tyrant is typically concerned only with maintaining internal power. This state certainly has the strength and the latent political/civil will, however, for potent acts of territorial expansion.

-----

Duchies of Ilk

East and West Ilk are states closely aligned with the Dominion of Risen. Survivalist-Pacifism holds strong sway as the religion in these lands, and the three states are close allies. For generations, half-brothers from the Sherman clans have ruled East and West Ilk. The brothers each have one or more children with the same sanctified priestess, the eldest males of which will become the next Dukes of Ilk.

Surrounded on all sides by heathens, the three Survivalist-Pacifist states have guarded relationships with all of their neighbors, but get along well enough so far for the most part with the peoples to their north and south. To the west and southwest, however, lie the lands of Mission, Silverdy, and Throe, which the triple states have a very antagonistic relationship with. War has occurred before, and could easily erupt again.

-----

Dominion of the Southern Risen Survivalist Pacifist Church

Usually referred to just as the Dominion of Risen. These are the temporal domains directly ruled and administered by the clergy of the Survivalist-Pacifist faith. Long ago a schism occurred in the ranks of Survivalism-Pacifism. Oddly enough, folklore has it that the Northern Church was the victor, and the Southern Church the loser, yet today the Southern Church stands, and no one knows if adherents to Northern Survivalism-Pacifism even exist any more.

Survivalism-Pacifism (Survpacism) is not actually a pacifist religion, yet it is a strangely gentle faith in many ways. Their religiously derived legal code is hardly more demanding or rigid than legal codes in most other states, and a good deal more liberal than some. They tolerate practitioners of most other belief systems, and people are even allowed to speak out publicly against the tenants of Survpacism (though clergy members and laiety will vigorously argue against such criticisms until they are satisfied they have 'won the debate').

Survpacism teaches that the world is governed by two fundamental forces, Striving and Acceptance. Both are fundamentally good, and evil is only the result of an inappropriate balance of the two forces in a given situation. Living things are the physical embodiment of Striving, and Glass is the physical embodiment of Acceptance. Believers are thus reluctant to tear down forests or break apart Glass, and and such efforts on a large scale must be carefully considered and sanctified lest the forces are thrown out of balance. The laity has more leeway with such things than the clergy.

-----

Throe (Labyrinth Cultures)

These little known peoples live to the far south of the Diviners and have settlements on the peninsula of the Diviners as well as to the west of the Diviners, near Mission lands. Mission and the Diviners have had some small contact with these people, but they are still a mystery.

-----

The Wide Manor Country of Mission

In the lands around Silverdy lie the Wide Manor Country of Mission (of which Silverdy is actually considered to be a part). Mission is not a political entity, but a region of similar culture and way of government. Numerous lords rule this land in little chunks, engaging in temporary and loose alliances against their adversaries. “War” between lords typically consists of displays of strength, at most a short skirmish after which some livestock or a few acres of forest or some ceremonial prize changes hands. Frequently disputes are settled by single combat, and the smallfolk levies go home without ever doing more than shouting good heartily at their 'opponents' across a meadow.

The Lords do know how to fight, and will come together just long enough to wage a vicious campaign against outsiders who violate the 'Proper rules of War' that the Lords are used to adhering to amongst themselves.

Missioners practice either a variety of different obscure religions or one obscure religion with many strange and disparate facets; outsiders have a hard time figuring out which is true. Some of these practices have been shown to share strong similarities to religions found in the area of Mastay.

Mission represents the edge of the known world (to the eastern seaboard cultures) in both the western and southern directions. Mission fiefs are the only ones who have any sort of limited contact with the polities of Throe (on the coast to the south), and they've so far made use of this with a casual exchange of trinkets. Throe seems comfortable with this and these two cultures pretty much stay out of each other's business.

-----

Silverdy, Kingdom of Lord Apalshiya

Silverdy was initially just another Mission Fief, but has recently developed largely due to tact, diplomacy, skillful administration, and some lucky breaks into the largest, most influential, and best organized of the Mission 'fiefs'. Silverdy is in fact not an adversary to most of the smaller fiefs; rather, it is looked upon as a leader and protector of Mission because it respects the sovereignty of the other fiefs and had played a large role in countering the power of the triple Survpacist states.

[foolish_icarus]

Update 2: 276-300 ACC Part 3

map updated (first page)

As of 300 ACC (update 2)


Doverian Harmonium
Cyclotron
Civil Modernity: 840
Military Modernity: 640
Technological Capacity: 1010
Espionage: 1 (2)
Army: 1 (1)
Navy: 1 (1)
Population: .6 [million]
Economic Vigor: 3
Median Living Standards: 4
Contentedness: 5
Notes—
{The Harmonium is a strictly ordered community, structured into various caste “societies” (one for each principal trade or occupation) that, theoretically, know their place and exceed in that one area. Formed as a response only a generation ago to brutal strife between tribes and bands of violent cultists, the Harmonium is ruled by the Harmonious Council, which (despite the grandiose name) is no more than a simple group of elders representing all the castes. The Council rules its people with oversight and careful planning, ever fearful of strife and change that once made the Land of Dover a place of chaos, though the council frequently does not see with one single vision, and the less prestigious castes are often sidelined in the council.}


Shenandoah Confederation
Appleciders
Civil Modernity: 665
Military Modernity: 665
Technological Capacity: 1220
Espionage: 1 (1)
Army: 1 (1)
Navy: 0 (1)
Population: .6 [million]
Economic Vigor: 3
Median Living Standards: 4
Contentedness: 5
Notes—
{Located in what remains of the Shenandoah Valley, the Shenandoah Confederation remains a largely agrarian society. A tight-knit union of communities does cause some political infighting, but such infighting is a small price for the close contact between communities, which has saved the Confederation several times, both from outside assault and famine. The central government is small and wields little actual power; it serves mainly as a forum for the leaders of individual communties to exchange information and coordinate large projects.}


Society of Holy Diviners
General Ludd
Civil Modernity: 600
Military Modernity: 400
Technological Capacity: 1300
Espionage: 1 (1)
Army: 1 (1) [city militias]
Navy: 0 (1)
Population: .3 [million]
Economic Vigor: 3
Median Living Standards: 3
Contentedness: 6
Notes—
{It may be hard to define the society as a nation, as it is only a small collection of decentralized and mercantile communities. There is no enforced hierarchy within the society, but still, nothing is done without first consulting a diviner. The people believe that the diviners are capable of seeing everything that every has been, is, and will be, and are thus given the greatest amount of respect. The diviners have a hierarchy amongst themselves however, starting with neophytes all the way up the the high council, which is made up of representives of each community.}


NPCs...estimates only!

Macry
Civil Modernity: 600
Military Modernity: 850
Technological Capacity: 900
Army: 2
Navy: 0
Population: .9 [million]
Economic Vigor: 5
Median Living Standards: 5
Contentedness: 6
Notes—
{}


Mastay
Civil Modernity: 930
Military Modernity: 900
Technological Capacity: 1000
Army: 2
Navy: 2
Population: 1.1 [million]
Economic Vigor: 6
Median Living Standards: 3
Contentedness: 3
Notes—
{}


Filodelia
Civil Modernity: 710
Military Modernity: 760
Technological Capacity: 830
Army: 1
Navy: 1
Population: .3 [million]
Economic Vigor: 4
Median Living Standards: 4
Contentedness: 5
Notes—
{}


East Ilk
Civil Modernity: 770
Military Modernity: 650
Technological Capacity: 900
Army: 1
Navy: 1
Population: .7 [million]
Economic Vigor: 3
Median Living Standards: 4
Contentedness: 6
Notes—
{}


West Ilk
Civil Modernity: 740
Military Modernity: 680
Technological Capacity: 880
Army: 1
Navy: 1
Population: .5 [million]
Economic Vigor: 3
Median Living Standards: 3
Contentedness: 6
Notes—
{}


Risen
Civil Modernity: 790
Military Modernity: 650
Technological Capacity: 840
Army: 1
Navy: 0
Population: .6 [million]
Economic Vigor: 3
Median Living Standards: 4
Contentedness: 5
Notes—
{}


Silverdy
Civil Modernity: 550
Military Modernity: 730
Technological Capacity: 780
Army: 2
Navy: 0
Population: .9 [million]
Economic Vigor: 4
Median Living Standards: 5
Contentedness: 5
Notes—
{}

[foolish_icarus]

I am accepting requests for how long you would like a given update period to be. The default is 25 years, but if any of you want to examine a period in more detail, or write some stories about characters without half their life disappearing with one update, I will happily run updates at 20 or 10 or even 5 years apiece.

[appleciders]

I don't plan to make any major character stories, but it makes little difference to me how long a period an update covers, so I'll go along with the crowd.

Orders to come later today, if I can manage that on a Friday night

[foolish_icarus]

No hurry.
Though I am intrigued what 'landfill treasures' you will decide you have discovered.

**Basic NPC stats added.
I think that makes the update done!

[Cyclotron]

I am a fan of shorter periods; I would lean towards 10 year updates, or failing that, 20 year ones.

[foolish_icarus]

10 year updates it is (special circumstances, such as war, may merit even shorter periods). I will make more frequent and shorter updates, and every couple 10-year periods I will write a longer, more EXPLOSIVE!* update.


*Note that explosivity may or may not come at any given time, regardless of the length of the update, or how long or short a time it has been since the most recent period of general explosiveness. Be on your guard (or not, if you like surprises).


Next update will come Wednesday!

[appleciders]

Orders for Shenandoah Confederation:

-Continue scavenging for useful scrap metal and any further utilities in the area, especially areas already revealed to contain scrap metal deposits. Pay particularly close attention to old texts, and send them to local universities for translation and study. Begin carefully and slowing reverse engineering my two special finds to learn how to recreate them and use them to the greatest effect.

-Use found scrap metal and new technologies to begin forging more and better weapons. I'd like to be able to expand my army next turn.

-Keep expanding universities, though this is no longer a large priority. Also keep expanding roads, paying particular attention to bridges, though this is also not a priority.

-Contact tribes moving in from the west, and encourage them to settle in the Appalachian Mountains to the west. Offer them membership in the Confederation, if they are willing to settle, participate in Congress, and enourage some of their young men to join the military.

-My two found objects:
1. Either a model Gutenberg press or similar small, moveable-type printing press. If this is not "everyday" enough, a functioning standard (non-electric) typewriter will suffice.

2. A small blast furnace, similar to what a farrier, small metalworking shop, or SCA hobbyist might use. I realize this may not be perfectly useable, but the concept involved is quite ready to be applied.

[foolish_icarus]

Interesting choices!

You get a manual typewriter (it doesn't have any ink tape or paper, but you'll be able to scrounge some up)

and a small charcoal powered blast furnace. It was broken, but you were able to fix it and it is now usuable if you have the proper materials to make it worthwhile. This is not a tremendous leap into new technology, but it does have some features that are more sophisticated than what was in wide use in your country, and studying it should in general prove instructive..

[appleciders]

I didn't expect much out of this typewriter in and of itself, but I hope to be able to derive a printing press from it. What materials would be nessecary to use the charcoal blast furnace, besides the obvious charcoal?

[foolish_icarus]

Raw metals of a certain purity. Now I've probably just necessitated for myself doing some heavy duty research on modern metallurgy
Much like the typewriter, you won't get a lot of direct use out of the furnace, as it's small and old, but the features you discover from it will improve your ability to work metals in general, because in your attempts to learn how to use it (it doesn't come with an instruction manual, after all) you've learned some things about the effects of various conditions on metals.
Unless I've misunderstood your intended use for it (please correct me if so) it has simply added to your repertoire of available knowledge about metallurgy, something that is particularly useful when many of the types of metal available to you (that is, steel, copper, brass, aluminum and all the other types in common modern usage) cannot be readily reforged without losing some of the properties that make them desirable.

Oh yeah, are you going to conduct any diplo with Macry? They've basically offered you a proto-alliance, and the language of the offer indicates a willingness to continue to improve diplomatic relations as time goes on and they become more certain of your trustworthiness.

[appleciders]

Shenandoah Confederation to the City of Macry
Greetings, brothers! We note your tenative offer of friendship with great interest, and would gladly enter into a non-agression pact with you, and would consider beginning the negotiations for an alliance.

[Cyclotron]

The Doverian Harmonium

The success of the Chessalian offensive has only multiplied the problems facing the Council. Faced with economic and social collapse from the exodus of unskilled labor to Doverian Chessalia and the undermining of the Societies through the activities of the Unclassed merchants, the Council has done little but argue over power and administrative duties. Frustrated and afraid of Orderine influence, the Council has passed the “Reclamation,” an act that reduces the status of the Unclassed to virtual serfs, and has ordered Jens Caster to be placed under arrest for “Subversion of Order,” a capital crime.

This was the final straw. The Orderines left the Council, enraged, refusing even to vote on the Reclamation. Jens Caster, backed by the full might of the Orderines and Sailors and with the financial backing of the Unclassed merchants of Chessalia, has crossed the Chessa Bay and crushed the Lantern-Bearers, the honor guard of the Council Chambers. With the Chambers surrounded by Orderine guards, the Council members have been forced to acknowledge Jens as “Harmonarch,” Protector of Order throughout the Harmonium. Harmonarch Jens has ordered the leaders of the two Expansionist factions (Julan Weaver and Tamas Potter) arrested and expelled from the Council, to be executed for Subversion of Order, the crime they attempted to charge him with. He has made a declaration for all Doverians and Chessalians.

My people,

Long did our ancestors fight against the forces of chaos and destruction. Through their sacrifice and heroism, they defeated the mad cults and vicious warbands that held the free people of Doveria in thrall to their slavering violence. They were true champions of order – but we, their successors, have failed them.

The once glorious council has faltered and fallen; the Councilors have long since abandoned Order for power, bickering amongst themselves and imperiling the Harmonium for their personal gain. My people, we have worked too hard to see our sweat and blood wasted by greed and foolishness. On this day, with the Orderines that have guarded our land and people for generations, I have humbled these traitors to Order and demonstrated what the righteous can do against the wicked and corrupt.

We live in a world filled with Chaos, ready to ensnare the unwary. We will never be free from the need to be watchful, to be ready for aggression. But I know that we must also have hope – for we are an Enlightened people, gifted with the knowledge of the one righteous way, the one way that will lead humanity from slavery to dignity. From this day forward, let us never again fight each other, and let us not level accusations and lies against our brethren. Together, united, we shall restore Harmony to Doveria, Chessalia, and beyond – the Council restored to Order, with my hands guiding our nation to glory. Set aside your factionalism and hatreds, and join the new Societies – the Societies that, under my care, shall blossom into beacons of Order for all humanity. Join me and thrive, my people.

Harmonarch Jens has announced the cancellation of the Reclamation, and has promised the Unclassed new rights and legal standing. He has announced the formation of a new Fourth-Class Society, the Merchants, to which all merchants and moneychangers shall belong. He has declared that henceforth Chessalia shall be brought under the Society system, and has dispatched Teachers to Chessalia to organize the population under Society law.

The Harmonarch has announced the aggressive expansion of the Orderines to deal with new threats. This is to be accompanied by comprehensive training and manufacture of new weapons, to expand the Society to twice its previous size (over time) while keeping its standards of training and equipment as high as they ever were.

In secret, the Harmonarch has responded to the request from Far Doveria with limited assistance. He has announced publicly that refugees from Far Doveria shall be welcome in the Harmonium, and has privately contracted the Merchants and Sailors to smuggle supplies and large amounts of armaments (especially Chessalian crossbows) to the Far Doverians. The developing Doverian intelligence service, a division of the Keepers, has been relocated from Chessalia to Far Doveria, to assist the locals with intelligence and commence covert operations against the Mastayvians (including sabotage, assassination, and other shenanigans). Some Orderines have been sent to Far Doveria to act as advisors and trainers to the Far Doverians, though the vast majority of Doverian soldiers remain in either Doveria or Chessalia (dealing with whatever remnants of resistance remain).

The office of Harmonarch has been given control over the Orderines and Sailors, as well as veto power over the Council. The Harmonarch is to be succeeded not by his children, but by a Scion, an unrelated person from another Society that has been chosen by the Harmonarch at an early age to be trained in the administration of the Harmonium and educated in all fields deemed necessary for a leader.

Jens has chosen as his Scion a young woman named Shea Carpenter. Within a few years, she is to be assigned as the administrator of the capital city of Chessa until her succession as Harmonarch. This is a relatively strange occurrence in Doveria; though the sexes are treated equally in most Society law (Orderines, for instance, are a Society with males and females and families like any other; the women tend to fill more support roles, but are sometimes in combat), there have never been female Councillors or other leaders before.


Harmonarch Jens of the Doverian Harmonium to the Tyrant of Filodelia
It has not escaped my notice that the Society of Merchants within the Harmonium has been doing a great deal of business with your citizens. In the name of promoting Order and good relations, I propose that we adopt some form of common weights and measures to facilitate business between our peoples. I am also obliged by the Council to remind you and your citizens that all goods passing through Doveria are subject to standards and regulations of quality and origin pursuant to Society law.

Harmonarch Jens of the Doverian Harmonium to the King of Mastay
It causes us much grief to see the plight of the people of Far Doveria. We ask, in the name of Order and harmonious peace, that you withdraw your citizens from Far Doveria. I am sure a more equitable arrangement between you and all Doverians can be reached.

[foolish_icarus]

Ah! Ze Update!
Update 3: 301-310 ACC Part 1 of 2

The Text is here in its entirety, map is uploaded (no major changes). I'd like to do the next update on Sunday, but I'm flexible.

-----------------
The leadership of Shenandoah and Macry have become friendly, signing treaties of cooperation, a particularly useful and promising endeavor considering the threats these two states face as well as the fact that they now share a border.

Tribes from the west are scrambling eastwards! The communications tell of turmoil and tyranny that is pushing them away from their homelands...and right up to the borders of Shenandoah and Macry.
Some few have been co opted into these two states, others have signed formal treaties as mini nations declaring their peaceful intent to settle or otherwise move through the lands outside the borders. Most swarm back and forth, searching for respite from the elements and their enemies, many of whom, also displaced, have migrated with them. Some have settled and prepare to wage their feuds from fortresses and squalid encampments.
Some of the bolder, more warlike newcomer tribes have attempted to break across the borders of Macry and Shenandoah, seeking the more orderly, prosperous lands they hear lie just beyond the hills...

Thus the western hinterlands of these two states are threatened, and their militaries are hard pressed to hold out against the numerous western arrivals, who have little in the way of material possessions who do have varied military capabilities. Still, most of the western tribes have not attacked the two states...yet. But if they sense weakness and strike, nothing could hold back the sheer numbers of these peoples from pouring across the entirety of the realms of Shenandoah and Macry....and even beyond.

----------
The peoples of Far Doveria are no more. Scattered remnants took refuge in Doveria, and some fled to even farther lands, but the majority are dead or enslaved, and none live free in Far Doveria. Doveria's diplomacy was ignored, and their covert operations were apparently inadequate. Mastay has finished the collection they set out to do, thinking it would be an easy and lucrative task, at great expense to themselves, their captives, and their neighbors.

For a storm of circumstances has come together to blight the Northeast. It started with food and water shortages. Far Doveria devastated; Mastay (a traditionally large food producer based largely upon their slave labor) exhausted by its war and unable to recuperate due to the cutting off of their western slave trade by the horde sitting around Macry's borders; Shenandoah and Macry's outlying farmlands threatened by the hordlings and their own efforts devoted to fighting, the sheer number of refugees moving around occupying land and taking up organizational resources; all quickly led to a dangerous crisis.
Poverty and filth spread disease, which due to quick thinking and harsh measures where prevented from getting much into the populated areas, but the threat of illness has stifled trade and travel.

The triple Survpacist states have prevented the crisis from becoming a full blown nation-shattering disaster by exporting (at irritatingly-high-but-still-lower-than-they-probably-could-get-away-with-charging prices) their meager food surpluses to the north.

All of the north, including Doveria and its recent 'reorganization' (some spiteful and unenlightened critics might call it a coup) have felt the destabilization from these effects. The significant slowdown in trade, at least, has made it easier for Filodelia and Doveria to standardize their measures and enforce the adoption of the standardization. Little else in the last 10 years can be said to have been good on a national or regional scale.

On an individual level life continues with its high points and low points, of course. The surreal, emotional artwork of Shenandoah, and the dark, pessimistic literature of Filodelia, for example, has gotten much more interesting of late, and like as not will some day be hailed as a great representation of the period's culture.

Some men and women have managed to make exciting adventuresome lives out of these troublesome circumstances, and a great many continue to live more or less as people have always lived, grinding through the days and the years with elbows askew and brows furled in disapproving resignation. Even now the entirety of the north hesitates on thin, creaking ice, unsure of whether to gently tiptoe off the thawing spiderwebs of clear white danger or sprint away in the hope of making it to shore.

[foolish_icarus]

Stats for Uuuuupdate

As of 310 ACC (update 3)


Doverian Harmonium
Cyclotron
Civil Modernity: 845
Military Modernity: 650
Technological Capacity: 1015
Espionage: 1 (2)
Army: 1 (2)
Navy: 1 (1)
Population: .7 [million]
Economic Vigor: 2
Median Living Standards: 3
Contentedness: 4
Notes—
{The Harmonium is a strictly ordered community, structured into various caste “societies” (one for each principal trade or occupation) that, theoretically, know their place and exceed in that one area. Formed as a response only a generation ago to brutal strife between tribes and bands of violent cultists, the Harmonium has recently come under the rule of the Harmonarch, the military-political head of the state, who has implemented changes that may end up going very deep. The Harmonarch's policies have seen the increased equalization (that is, moreso than before but still a long way off) yet also improvements in organization and efficiency of the caste Societies. Is it a worthy trade off that these things have come at the expense of increased political tensions?...}


Shenandoah Confederation
Appleciders
Civil Modernity: 665
Military Modernity: 675
Technological Capacity: 1235
Espionage: 1 (1)
Army: 1 (2)
Navy: 0 (1)
Population: .8 [million]
Economic Vigor: 3
Median Living Standards: 3
Contentedness: 4
Notes—
{Located in what remains of the Shenandoah Valley, the Shenandoah Confederation remains a largely agrarian society. A tight-knit union of communities does cause some political infighting, but such infighting is a small price for the close contact between communities, which has saved the Confederation several times, both from outside assault and famine. The central government is small and wields little actual power; it serves mainly as a forum for the leaders of individual communties to exchange information and coordinate large projects. Shenandoah has for generations been expanding its borders and populations by taking outsider tribes into its Confederation, for the most part successfully.}


Society of Holy Diviners
General Ludd
Civil Modernity: 600
Military Modernity: 400
Technological Capacity: 1305
Espionage: 1 (1)
Army: 1 (1) [city militias]
Navy: 0 (1)
Population: .4 [million]
Economic Vigor: 4
Median Living Standards: 3
Contentedness: 6
Notes—
{It may be hard to define the society as a nation, as it is only a small collection of decentralized and mercantile communities. There is no enforced hierarchy within the society, but still, nothing is done without first consulting a diviner. The people believe that the diviners are capable of seeing everything that every has been, is, and will be, and are thus given the greatest amount of respect. The diviners have a hierarchy amongst themselves however, starting with neophytes all the way up the the high council, which is made up of representives of each community.}


NPCs...estimates only!

Macry
Civil Modernity: 600
Military Modernity: 860
Technological Capacity: 905
Army: 2
Navy: 0
Population: .9 [million]
Economic Vigor: 4
Median Living Standards: 4
Contentedness: 5
Notes—
{}


Mastay
Civil Modernity: 925
Military Modernity: 890
Technological Capacity: 1005
Army: 2
Navy: 2
Population: 1.3 [million]
Economic Vigor: 4
Median Living Standards: 3
Contentedness: 2
Notes—
{}


Filodelia
Civil Modernity: 715
Military Modernity: 770
Technological Capacity: 835
Army: 1
Navy: 1
Population: .4 [million]
Economic Vigor: 3
Median Living Standards: 3
Contentedness: 5
Notes—
{}


East Ilk
Civil Modernity: 785
Military Modernity: 655
Technological Capacity: 905
Army: 1
Navy: 2
Population: .8 [million]
Economic Vigor: 5
Median Living Standards: 4
Contentedness: 7
Notes—
{}


West Ilk
Civil Modernity: 755
Military Modernity: 690
Technological Capacity: 890
Army: 1
Navy: 2
Population: .6 [million]
Economic Vigor: 4
Median Living Standards: 4
Contentedness: 6
Notes—
{}


Risen
Civil Modernity: 795
Military Modernity: 650
Technological Capacity: 840
Army: 1
Navy: 1
Population: .6 [million]
Economic Vigor: 5
Median Living Standards: 4
Contentedness: 6
Notes—
{}


Silverdy
Civil Modernity: 555
Military Modernity: 740
Technological Capacity: 780
Army: 2
Navy: 0
Population: .9 [million]
Economic Vigor: 4
Median Living Standards: 5
Contentedness: 5
Notes—
{}


post away, merry gentlemen.

If I didn't comment on portions of your orders it's because things went more or less according to plan with regard to that specific subject.

[Cyclotron]

The Doverian Harmonium

Though not all are pleased with the new regime, the Harmonarch’s monopoly on armed force, firm hold on the Council, and broad support from the Unclassed have kept rebellious elements from surfacing. Though the Society elites call it “the dictatorship of the beggars” (referring to the Unclassed) in private company, few wish to question the Harmonarch’s authority in public.

Harmonarch Jens, seeing evidence of dissent at home and rampant destruction abroad, became increasingly paranoid during the last year of his reign. After reconstituting the Lantern-Bearers as a kind of Harmonarchial “secret police,” Jens initiated a wide crackdown on suspected dissenters within the state. He became obsessed with the idea that his enemies were trying to murder him, and had several well known Society members executed for suspected crimes against Order. Just as this campaign began to incur the wrath of the people, however, Jens died suddenly for no apparent reason. Some suspect poison, but who can be sure…

At less than 30 years of age, his Scion quickly took over the reigns of power and was pronounced Harmonarch Shea by the Harmonious Council. In an attempt to manage public resentment of her office and the previous repression, she has dissolved the Lantern-Bearers and announced the end of such policies of fear, styling herself as the liberator of the people from Jens’s would-be reign of terror (though most are still keenly aware of the negative consequences of being too disrespectful). The Harmonarch has announced a series of new measures, designed to safeguard Doveria’s prosperity in these harsh times.

• The Council has passed the Human Property Edict, which bans slavery in all territories controlled by the Harmonium. Any slave entering Harmonium territory automatically becomes free.
• The Harmonarch has begun a comprehensive navy construction project, providing prizes to those who design faster, lighter ships. She has declared that the navy is to go forth to the north and south, to chart new lands and open new markets for Doverian goods. The navy will take colonists with them from various Societies, to found colonies along the coast of far Doveria.
• To discourage trade rivals, the Harmonium has instituted a tax on all merchant shipping within its borders. Merchants may purchase documentation with either a blue or red seal; foreigners are given red seals, while ships of Doveria or Filodelia are given blue seals (a much lower tax rate). Merchants found without seals will be forced to buy them; merchants who do business without the proper paperwork will have their cargo seized by the state.
• The Society of Casters will undergo expansion to better use the resources of the Chessa Bay (fish, oysters, eel, crab, and so forth), and perhaps make more available to export to struggling countries that will pay a premium for food supplies.
• Having a historical interest herself, the Harmonarch has commanded the land of Doveria to be searched – and dug up, if necessary – to find any trace of the mythical lost city of Dover, fabled to be the center all human culture and achievement.
• The Orderines shall, in conjunction with Doveria's spies and scouts, resume steady expansion westward deeper into Chessalia. This will be done by diplomacy and assimilation if possible, and force of arms if needed.

[foolish_icarus]

find any trace of the mythical lost city of Dover, fabled to be the center all human culture and achievement.

I suppose I'll update the maps and stats now.

THE STATS! THEY ARE UPDATED!

[foolish_icarus]

You can also, if you wish, list what your divisions of soldiers/ navy fleets are composed of. Typically a fleet or a division will have a single focus, like a spear cavalry division or a musket infantry division or a longship fleet and all the attendant support and logistics personal and scouts and command structure et al. are assumed to be along with them. Because you have only a few small ragtag divisions at this point, however, you can mix complements, e.g. First Division is composed of 2/6 crossbowmen, 1/6 heavy spear and shield infantry, 1/6 light shortspear infantry, and 2/6 light assorted melee infantry.

Now I guess I'll mosey on over to HRE thread to give orders sometime today...

[Cyclotron]

Harmonium Navy
- Chessa Fleet: Mostly large, shallow-water attack and transport ships, suitable for coastal defense and river combat.
- Scouting Fleet: Under construction, smaller, deep-keeled ships for sea exploration, maintaining armament but not as much as the Chessa fleet.

Harmonium Army
All units are Orderine Units, composed in the following manner:
1/6 Scouts, young men and women carrying javelins, crossbows, other skirmish weapons and little armor
2/6 Order Brethren, soldiers in their "prime" with shields, light armor, and hand weapons (swords, maces, and so on)
3/6 Order Foot, armored heavy spearmen (veterans and experienced soldiers) with large shields