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Post by The Gray Watcher on Dec 24, 2016 7:09:50 GMT
Mystmarch the Isles of Storms
NAME: Mystmarch the Isles of Storms
KINGDOM AT A GLANCE: Mystmarch is a series of large islands surrounded on all sides by an water constantly suffering from storms. These storms begin a few miles from the shores of the islands and continues on for an unknown distant. The islands themselves all contain mountains, forests, meadows, and marshlands on them. Many ruins of ages long past can be found in the deepest parts of the land that few aside from the spirits live.
SIZE AND LOCATION: Large. A series of three large islands with many smaller ones around it off the Northwest coast of the continent. A small province on the mainland is also a part of the land now.
WEALTH: Medium. Trade via the sea brings in much wealth to the land, but the storms surrounding the islands, pirates, and the collapse of the Empire have kept it from reaching its full potential.
STABILITY: High. The land has little to worry about in their lands and the High King has set laws in place to prevent exploitation of the common folk.
DANGER TO TRAVELERS: Medium. The storms surrounding the islands require sturdy ships and mages known as Stormcalmers to reliably pass through. There are spirits and mystical creatures out in the deepest parts of the land that can prove to be dangerous to the ignorant and unwary.
FORM OF GOVERNMENT: A system of lords/ladies that controls areas of the islands and the province on the main land. These rulers met to form a council at the start of every season, or during emergencies such as war, to dictate laws and matters of foreign policy. A High King is elected by the council and serves for life. The title of High King can be transferred via a duel or challenge.
FREEDOM AND OPPRESSION: Slavery, relics of dark magic, and practicing of dark magic are banned from the land. Murder, theft, assault, extortion, and slandering of a lord/lady name are all outlawed.
COMMON SPECIES:
Humans- majority
Elves- scattered settlements
Spirits(fairies, dryads, wisps, etc)- around but unknown population size
Beast folk- minority
MILITARY FOCUS: Each Lord/Lady has their own army that is composed to their needs or desires. The High King controls a standing army that serves as both military and police forces.
TECHNOLOGY: Medieval with magical crafts
PLAYER CONTROLLED: No. The land is open to all to influence.
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Post by The Gray Watcher on Dec 24, 2016 7:10:37 GMT
Stormhold
Stormhold is the capital city of Mystmarch. Located in a bay where the main river meets the ocean on the central island, Stormhold is safe place to dock and recover from the terrors of the sea. The city gained its name due to the rumor that the location held the storms at bay. Travel to and from Stormhold is relatively fast and easy thanks to its rather central location. A large meadow with patches of trees surrounds the city as the river runs through the heart of it. Mountains rise up in the distance, but do little more than outline the distant skyline. Stormhold is where the High King lives and where the council of Lords and Ladies meets up. All diplomatic officials from other lands and kingdoms will end up here to conduct their business. The city is also the heart of all trade with foreign nations as it contains the Hall of the Stormcalmers. It is said that you can find almost anything within the shops of this great city. A great college for learning is located here and teaches higher education to those wealthy or fortunate enough to be able to attend. The college is particularly adept at teaching trade techniques, navigation, and construction. A branch of the Runic Circle, the magic order of Mystmarch, is located within Stormhold. It is the second largest location for the order outside of their headquarters. There are several temples dedicated to various gods and great spirits within the city as well. This leads it to being the most religiously diverse location in the kingdom. Various cults and religious orders often arise and fall within the city because of this. The largest port in the Kingdom is located in Stormhold as well as the largest shipyards. It is able to house more ships than anywhere else due to the large bay. Large numbers of taverns and shops are found near the water front to go along with them as exotic and domestic goods constantly change hands.
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Post by The Gray Watcher on Dec 24, 2016 7:10:51 GMT
Ravenwood
Ravenwood is a small town located deep within the mountains of the central island. The town sits around the headwaters of the river that runs through Stormhold. The town is mostly comprised of farmers, miners, and lumberjacks. They send they goods down the river towards Stormhold to sell. The town is rather peaceful and gets its name from the large number of ravens that seem to roost in the woods surrounding the town year round.
Ravenwood has two things that separate it from the other small towns scattered across the island. It contains a temple to Noctyrra the Goddess of the Moon, Mist, and Shadows. The worship of Noctyrra is rare amongst the people of Mystmarch as she is believed to have tricked the god of storms into creating the storms that surround the island. She is also believed to be responsible for many other acts of tricking gods, spirits, and mortals. Those who worship her are believed to be tricksters as well and not to be trusted.
Ravenwood is also known for having larger numbers of spirits around it than any other town. Wisps, dryads, faires, and elemental spirits are not unusual to see, especially at night, in the woods and waters around the town. Because of this, the people of the town often have trinkets to ward off any malicious or prankster spirits. It is also easy for people to become lost because of these spirits if anyone should ever leave the well marked paths.
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Post by The Gray Watcher on Dec 24, 2016 7:11:11 GMT
Silverhearth Silverhearth is a city located along the southern mountain range of the central island. It gets its name from the large deposits of silver that litter the mountains around it. The city is rich in trade, mining, metal working, and jewelry because of this. It is the home of the Silverblood family that have a Lordship of the surrounding area. Silverhearth Hall rests on the top of a hill that Silverhearth was build around. It also contains several merchant guilds, houses several religious orders, and has a branch of the Runic Circle in it. The city has the largest number of bounties for adventurers to take up as the local rulers and people tend to throw their coins at problems to solve them.
Silverhearth is famous for its silver works. It is said that no finer jewelry can be found in all of Mystmarch than that which comes from Silverhearth. The plentiful mines, of all kinds, means there is never a shortage of materials to work with either. Be it a ring, bracelet, necklace, or inlay, the smiths of Silverhearth can make works of fine art out of the precious metal.
Silverhearth is also famous for another product, Burnt Silver. Burnt Silver is an alloy that is created from smelting iron and silver with magical essence together. Burnt Silver is harder and lighter than steel. It also has an unusual property of making those who hold or are very close to it to feel healthier and calmer. It also has a purification quality to it on anything that it touches. Because of this aspect, it is highly effective against unholy or malicious entities such as evil spirits, undead, and cursed beings. The metal is very hard to produce however even for skilled smiths. This means it remains a rare metal to find and is often treated as a luxury or prized treasure. Silverhearth is where the metal was first created and the main place to be able to find it.
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Post by The Gray Watcher on Dec 24, 2016 7:11:31 GMT
Marston Marston is the main city of the main land province of Mystmarch. It is a port city with several roads leading up to it. This makes the city rich in trade as both ships and wagons are constantly passing through it. The city was the first location of the main land taken by the Mystmarch army when they sought to expand past their watery borders when the Empire fell. This proved to be a boon for the city as the corrupt governor that previously ruled it in the name of the Emperor was executed by Lord Gareth Witford, who was given lordship of the entire main land province. The keep now acts as the home for the lord of the province, which makes the city the capital of the region.
Marston is rich in trade, but it is known for its entertainment. Theatres, both indoor and outdoor, are constantly running plays after the regular working hours. Musicians play in the numerous taverns and inns all over the city as well as in the many public parks. Brothels and gambling houses are not uncommon as well. Bathhouses have been build and maintained along with fields to play sports such as disc throwing and foot racing in. There are numerous workshops for works of art such as paintings and sculptors to be found along with all of the other forms of entertainment. A grand arena where brave souls can fight beasts and mystical creatures for a profit. Duels and tournaments are held during festivals in the arena as well.
Marston is the best, and almost only, place to find Stormcalmers to take ships past the storms surrounding Mystmarch as well. This means that foreign traders and diplomats must arrive at Marston to acquire this help before they can safely travel to the islands of Mystmarch. The city is also the best place to find goods coming out of Mystmarch as they head off to foreign markets via ship and wagon. Merchant guilds have become a common sight because of this, and many branches of foreign guilds can be located here.
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Post by The Gray Watcher on Dec 24, 2016 17:00:53 GMT
Runefull Vale Runefull vale is the home of the Runic Circle and their headquarters. A large tower sits in the middle of the valley with several clusters of building dedicated to different purposes scattered around the valley. The tower was built long ago by an unknown civilization more adept at crafting magic and magical devises than the modern inhabitants. There are many mysteries and secrets still left to be uncovered by the Runic Circle in their home. The architecture shows influence from humans, elves, and even the spirits which makes it nearly impossible to pin point who could have possibly built it.
A river winds down the middle of the valley with scattered groves around it and the creeks that feed into it. The land is particularly fertile around Runefull Vale which leads to the ability to grow nearly any kind of flora or fungi. There is many mystical creatures that call the valley home and generally live in peace with the Runic Circle members. A single road runs through the valley as it follows the river that leads to and away from the tower.
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Post by The Gray Watcher on Dec 30, 2016 3:49:46 GMT
Order of Companions
The Order of Companions is a group of highly trained people, being made up mostly of women. They are trained in the arts of entertainment and pleasure. They know how to play a wide variety of musical instruments as well as how to sing songs both ancient and contemporary. They learn how to dance both in a pairing as well as alone. They are taught how to paint, sculpt, and draw. They learn how to read proficiently and write elegantly. Poetry and plays being their main focus. They learn how to act on a large stage as well as in small rooms. They learn how to massage the body to relieve stress as well as induce a pleasurable sensation. They learn how to drink and to brew the most delicious of foods from as wide a variety of ingredients as possible. They learn whatever it takes to entertain and to please others.
The Order of Companions is often thought of as a group of harlots and prostitutes, but this is far from the truth. They avoid sexual activities during their work and often are more chaste than even priests or priestesses of gods of purity. The only time they will sleep with a client is if they are just that close to the client or are engaged to marry. Their job is to entertain their clients and relieve their stress. Because of this they are highly sought after for social events and by noble families. A companion can make a comfortable living off of the coin they earn from their work. Their standing in Mystmarch society is rather high and respectable. It is considered to be one of the most desired occupations and best ways to get out of poverty for commoners.
The history of the origins of the Order of Companions is rather a mystery even to them. It started up in Stormhold, where the home of the order still exists, and went on in obscurity for decades. The most talented member of the Order, Bella Windheart, began to do everything she could to entertain the Lords and Ladies of the Council and High King. There was some resistance at first from them, but eventually they fell in love with what she did. She worked to build the Order up after this and eventually it became what it currently is.
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Post by The Gray Watcher on Jan 2, 2017 4:57:01 GMT
March Fighting Styles
The people of Mystmarch have had a history beset by conflict. Between warring Lords, dark magic practitioners, and the Empire's attempts at invading, there has been a need for knowing how to defend one's self. This lead to advancements in fighting styles and techniques. After a time, an order of knights gathered all of the various styles being used across the islands. They organized them and then took the best from the different styles to form the fighting styles that are practiced across the Mystmarch to this day. The March Fighting Styles are split up into five styles all named after a different animal. The Bear, the Cat, the Wolf, the Mink, and the Fox. Each style has a central focus and favored weapons. They can be used with any form of weapon and work more as mentalities and tactics than as a strict form, such as stances and guards. This means it is hard to know exactly what style to expect from someone based only on their weapons and are not completely crippled without a specific weapon. Styles:
Bear- The Bear fighting style is unusual in that it is a more passive, opportunistic style of fighting. Those who practice this style tend to minimize their movement and number of attacks. They wait for their opponents to drop their own guard or come to them before making a single, powerful strike. Their focus is on overpowering their opponents with this single strike or as few strikes as possible. Cat- The Cat fighting style is similar to the bear in that it relies on overpowering your opponent with powerful strikes. It is an aggressive style that focuses on ambushing opponents with sudden strikes that they do not expect. This ambush tactic often comes in the form of feigning. They often lure opponents into moving to block or parry an aggressive strike before suddenly redirecting it in an area that is not as obvious. Wolf- The Wolf fighting style is the most unique of the fighting styles. It is a balanced stance that relies on prolonging fights and turning them into battles of endurance. It can be aggressive or passive with strikes rarely being aimed to kill right away. Strikes are aimed at limbs to hinder and weaken an opponents ability to both defend and attack. Countering is a common tactic for this style because of this. When an opponent is weakened enough, the killing blow will be delivered. This style is known to be the most dangerous style to fight against, but one of the more difficult to learn as it requires a different mentality than the other styles. Mink- The Mink fighting style is most similar to the cat in its style. It is an aggressive style that focuses on forcing the opponent to never have a chance to attack back. This is achieved by using series of rapid strikes rather than single, powerful ones. By chaining together attacks in quick succession, the goal is to break the opponents guard by not giving them time to think. Feigning is also a common tactic for the mink, but tends to be more straightforward than the cat. Fox- The Fox fighting style is an opportunistic style that is about waiting for opponents to drop their own guard. This means that the style tends to be more passive, yet when an opponent's guard is dropped or has an opening it becomes active. Quick strikes are used to exploit any opening and keep them open. The style is difficult with only the wolf being more so. Those who practice this style are often known as tricksters because they will commonly assume stances that trick opponents into dropping their guards.
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