[M] The Song of Excalibur - OOC

[Rha'az]

So I've been on a semi-hiatus, college stuff has been taking a large part of my time away. Don't worry, this ain't dying. Just taking a slow advance to the next part of the story.

In the meantime, here's an unfinished lore post I intended to post weeks ago.

Spoiler: Stuff 

Alright, so here's the quick rundown of stuff I have planned for expanding the lore. Hope you'd enjoy reading ANOTHER wall of text . This time, I'll be putting in some of the stuff regarding the southern kingdoms of Arno'or and a few interesting tidbits from the nations across the Thretian Sea.

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The Kingdom of the Sun

"May Qhar guides you the way you wield your sword,"
~ A wife to her husband before going to war

Brief history
The Kingdom of the Sun whose people were known as Sunlings, holds supreme authority over the lands that was once held by the Kingdom-by-the-Shore after its inevitable downfall. They came to Arno'or as a part of their "Long Journey" and began a series of wars with the Shore before shortly conquering what was left of it and brought their culture, establishing numerous other settlements and thrived for the next part of the ages. This was known as the Setting of the Sun where they landed with a fleet of over ten thousand ships on the Shore.

The Shore was crushed and quickly subdued to the sheer might of the Sunlings before its generals turned their attention eastward to Xanthos. The Kingdom of the Sun declared war against Xanthos and the two mighty empires would clash, with the former emerging victorious after five years of endless battles. The expansion of the Sunlings stopped there and soon formed a defensive with the northern kingdoms which are known as the Kingdom of Camelot and the Great Kingdom of Ghath at the time of their founding.

Many Scholars regarded the founding of the Kingdom of the Sun as a part of a unification war lead by Themryn. But in truth, it was Themryn's father that initiated the conquest and ended after he ascended the throne, effectively ending the war.

Spoiler: Armies of the Sun 

NOTE: I based off the Sun from Japanese culture and mixed in a bit of Korean influence into them. Was that confusing? Well, just think of them as a mix between Japan and Korea. Mostly Japanese as you can see later on.

The warriors of the Sun are bound by honor and they adhere to their code just like the knights of Camelot and Grecca. Male children are expected to master the arts of war by the age of twenty and to respect their elders, superiors and comrades. To treat them as equals.

The Sun's armies have a good selection of cavalry units such as mounted archers or lancers while having an exceptional infantry that excels at the usage of the sword, bow and even blunted weapons to an extent. Due to their conquest of subjugating the previous occupants of the Shore, they also have access to good materials used in crafting their weapons and armor.

They'd fight in a rather standard arrangements on the field, with spearmen in the frontlines and the bowmen making up the second and third lines. The more elite infantry units are placed on the flanks, supported by their exceptional and diverse cavalry units. Auxiliary units are placed behind the elite footmen and the rest acted as reserves.

Due to the rarity of gunpowder weapons, they resorted to the usage of explosives and alchemy as a way to bolster the capabilities of their armies. At times, they'd contract an alchemist or two to greatly enhance the abilities of their soldiers either by equipping them with explosive weaponry or have them drink potions that grants them temporary effects.

Despite this, the Sunlings do not despise magic and instead revered them.

Spoiler: Hierarchy 

An Emperor or an Empress leads the kingdom and holds absolute power over the government. This is essentially an absolute monarchy with the throne shall be passed onto the eldest child whether if it's male or female, similar to how the Greccans run their own kingdoms. Traditionally, the Emperor/Empress holds total control over the lands and the military as he is considered the supreme ruler of the Sun.

Despite this, the Emperor/Empress is expected to go to war whenever he is needed. He is assisted by the Council of Four which consists of the four most prominent nobles of the entire kingdom and held their responsibility to advice their monarch in governing the Sun and its people. The Emperor is considered as the representative of the gods and the people revered him for possessing such religious status within the community, further cementing his foothold within the nation as its leader.

Beneath the Emperor/Empress, there is the Shogun who commands the army of the Sun and carries out tasks concerning the safety of their kingdom by quelling rebellions and defending their borders against any potential threats. A Shogun is typically chosen by the Emperor and to have such title can be considered as a blessing from the gods themselves. By the time the Northern War begins, the people have considered the Shogun to be as equal to the Emperor himself as there are drastic changes taken to reform the military structure of the Sun in recent years. 5 years into the war, the Sun slowly becomes a militaristic nation due to the current shogun's reforms and heavily fortified their borders. The current shogun is Kusunoki Masashige, a fiercely devoted and highly skilled tactician.

The Daimyo or warlords are noblemen who are essentially the Sun's equivalent of the typical lords found in Camelot and Grecca. Each Daimyo controls a certain province granted to them by the Emperor in exchange for their loyalty and service. These noblemen are expected to raise armies, protect the lands and the citizens that lived within these provinces and to answer the call tpowar whenever needed. Some Daimyo are wealthier than others, with a few have claimed that they possessed riches that would rival the Emperor's own. Nevertheless, because of their wealth and influence, these Daimyo are able to raise massive armies in service to their monarch.

Samurai or in other words, the Swordbearers held the lowest rank in the noble class of the hierarchy. They were warriors and some considered that they are the equivalent of knights just like in their Camelot and Greccan counterparts. Much of their similarities lies in the idea that these Swordbearers adhere to a strict code of honor and are exceptionally loyal to their employers (or in this case, the daimyos). The number of a samurai often dictates how powerful a warlord is. For example, if a Daimyo musters a force of ten thousand Samurai, they are considered one of the most powerful nobles in the kingdom.

Peasants, farmers, artisans, merchants and slaves make up the rest of the hierarchy as they make up the backbone of the entire kingdom, forming the commoners class. They handle the usual day to day activities, from acquiring fishes, forging and crafting items, trading with other merchants from across the continents and others. There are also other types of commoners such as the executioners, criminals, prostitutes and others though these are rather uncommon.

Spoiler: Quotes about the Kingdom of the Sun 

"They were powerful once. I always wondered why they stopped conquering after crushing the old empire of Xanthos and the Shore,"
~ a legionnaire of the 50th Legion of Camelot

"Have you seen the way they fight? It's like they keep coming and there's nothing else we could do to stop their rage from getting us killed,"
~ a legionnaire of the 39th Legion of Camelot

"Good warriors, they are. Just glad that those moon crested warriors were on our side instead of the Mad Dragon's,"
~ a spearman of the Silver Shield

The White Province

"Fear not, for the Transcendent God protects us all,"
~ A priest of the White Province

Brief history
Formed a few decades after the end of the Age of Defiance and the rise of the Sunlings in the west, the White Province is considered to be the successor of the Ascendancy of Tyrene and holds much of the eastern regions of Xanthos as well as a part of the Zahar desert. It is a monarchy with the High King of the Province sits at the Marble Throne, acting as its protector and the religious head of their religion.

The White Province is held in high regard because of its wealth of knowledge due to their access to the Grand Library which houses much of the continent's recorded history as well as the Cognitaros, a famed university that teaches its students the usual skills such as craftmanship, swordfighting while providing courses for alchemy and even for learning the lost art of magic itself. Because of this, some considered the sorcerers of the White Province are equal in power to those that hailed from Moiairon or Essarch.

Spoiler: The Military Orders 

There are a lot of military organizations established since the founding of the nation itself. Much of their duty mainly revolves around the protection of their borders and to provide aid to their surrounding nations whenever possible. However, these orders are bound to serve the High King.

Their armies provide a good selection of cavalry units with heavy focus on utilizing heavily armored horses to break through enemy lines with ease. They make up about 10-20% of the armies raised by the various orders established within the nation and most of them are knights. Commoners have the chance to be a part in the military by voluntarily joining one of the twenty already existing Orders in the nation. They shall be trained in various ways of combat to better suit them for any future engagements.

The lack of gunpowder weaponry is made up for the use of explosive and alchemical weapons utilized to extreme efficiency.

Spoiler: Quotes about the Province 

"They are one terrifying force, I had to say. Probably the most fearsome of them all is the Terradin Order."
~ Captain Morachius of the 26th Army of Grecca

"Seven times I fought beside one of them, seven times I find myself staring in awe at their sheer magical prowess,"
~ Captain Yukimura of the Sunlings

Qin

"To the west lies Qin, where the shattered remains of Xanthos stand strong in its people and its Emperor,"
~ Scholar Arcturus, the Kingdoms of Arno'or

Brief history
After the fall of the Empire of Xanthos, the last remaining noble families fled to the western regions of the continent, untouched by the Sunlings and began establishing small settlements around the coast. The unclaimed lands of the Shore allowed them to easily build or repair the destroyed cities left behind during the conquest.

There existed several city states that are independent from another and constantly waged war against one another before a legendary figure commonly referred as the Heir to the Tiger raised his own banners and united the warring states. The Heir began a series of wars that lead to the Unification and ultimately, the founding of the great nation of Qin.

Qin is regarded as a rich nation, utilizing much of the knowledge passed onto them by their Xanthosi predecessors. Thus, they are able to use large swathes of land to farm and others. They actively participate in trading with other nations for resources and due to their massive wealth, they are able to raise large armies unmatched by any other kingdoms and maintain them for an extended period of time.

Spoiler: The Remnants of Xanthos 

The nation of Qin's armed forces have excellent cavalry by the end of the Unification, with heavy emphasis on horse archery. Thus, archer warriors are held in high regard or just as equal to the standard infantry units. However, Qin footmen are not to be underestimated as they are taught to master at least three types of weaponry. Proficient warriors can even learn to master even more, greatly enhancing their knowledge of combat.

Their archers are normally equipped with a strong bow made out of the same materials as their Sunling counterparts - bows made out of dragonsbone, a less durable version of the rare dragonswood but are exceptionally sturdier than normal wood. Some missile units would wield crossbow that can penetrate armor with ease. The use of firearms are fairly limited due to the lack of gunpowder but Qin would utilize dangerous weaponry such as explosives or mines or even the dreaded Scorching Tooth that would maim or kill several men at once which is essentially a throwing spear with an explosive attached to the tip that are ignited on will, before exploding after a certain amount of time.

Their infantry are typically equipped with a heavy armor to withstand cavalry charges in addition to the usage of bladed weapons such as the sword or the spear. The heavy armor made them almost immovable and extremely durable upon the field but are less effective than the plate armor utilized by their Camelot and Greccan counterparts. In addition to swords, the infantry would also use shields to form an almost impenetrable shield wall that are effective against cavalry. This tactic is pretty much similar to the Greccan shield wall.

Cavalry are regarded as the most important unit in Qin armies, especially horse archers that are able to deliver massive amounts of damage while staying at a distance to maximise casualties on the enemy side and minimize the death toll on their own. There are also the usual "charger" type of cavalry which are heavily armored and would charge into the enemy lines to break their ranks.

Spoiler: Hierarchy 

At the top is the Emperor where he holds supreme authority over the people that are under his rule. Much of the same characteristics are quite the same as their Sunlings counterpart, with the religious figure being the Emperor as a representative of the gods and his role. However, whenever an Emperor dies, the throne shall be passed on to the eldest child whether or not if its the prince or the princess being the oldest. If the Emperor has no heirs then it would be to his younger brother. If the Emperor has no siblings, the throne shall be left without a ruler until the Zodiacs (the council that advises the Emperor which comprises of twelve individuals) have decided upon a new monarch, usually chosen from the ranks of the military or the most influential and beloved of the nobles.

Beneath the Emperor is the Zodiacs, a council of twelve individuals who are considered as the smartest and wisest of all the citizens of Qin. Their duty is to advise the Emperor on managing the kingdom's internal and international affairs. The council is often comprised of the three most loyal and trustworthy individuals to carry out their duties in reinforcing the law, three of the most briliant and smartest tacticians to command the armies and advise their Emperor during wartime, three chancellors to act as mediators between the royal class and the commoners and these chancellors are typically chosen from the lower ranked society of Qin as well as three of the richest noblemen who are also wise in finance to act as the financial advisors.

Under the Zodiacs are the nobles of Qin who held a specific province given to them by their Emperor. There are similarities with Qin's nobles and the Daimyo of the Sunlings such as their duties in protecting the lands and its inhabitants. The more powerful nobles typically held large provinces while the lesser ones tend to swore their allegiances to these more powerful figures for protection while maintaining a stable relationship between the families. This system had its flaws as some of the more powerful nobles (which are labeled as the Golden Nobles) have more influence, power and wealth than even the Emperor himself which would potentially lead to disastrous civil wars like 90 years after the founding of Qin (the Wars for the Jade Crown) where the Emperor's power wanes after a prominent noble family seized the throne and kickstarted a 5 years long war.

The farmers, artisans, merchants and slaves make up the commoners class of the entire nation. Farmers and artisans are often held in a higher regard than the merchants as they are the backbone of Qin's survival, requiring the people to work hard in order to gain something such as crops and the crafting of pots. Merchants are seen as "liars" as they benefitted from gaining profit from the work of others. While merchants are hated by a significant portion of the nation, it's a rather profittable job.

Spoiler: Commentary on the Qin 

"The only good thing from Qin is its spice and silk, the rest are arrogant bastards who'd bitch about their superiority."
~General Musarou

"Ah, the children of the old empire of Xanthos. It's a shame that they are now a fragment of their own greatness, robbed by its greedy nobles for its endless riches."
~Captain Veraxis of the 2nd Legion

"Let the the sun's grace shine upon the Sunlings! The dragon of the east shall show those insolent curs that the might of Xanthos lived within us!"
~General Xiao Chang

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Since we have characters moving over to Moiairon, I'll share a few stuff related to it.

"Moiairon, the birthplace of humanity itself,"
~Senior Scholar Garrus

Moiairon is often considered as the "birthplace" of humanity itself since a lot of the early archaeological evidence were found on this continent, some predates the events transpired during the Great War and it is possible that Moiairon isn't involved in the war itself although there are a few historians disagreed. However, the continent itself is split into several major factions that are in a constant state of readiness and preparing themselves for war all the time. Many travellers claimed that it is a dangerous place, even worse than Arno'or's current state.

Sparatus is the continent's powerful military nation that are often at war with neighboring countries such as the Carthian Principality and Darcia. Due to its location on the map, Sparatus faces constant threats from the other three factions and because of this, its military prowess is unmatched by any other. One could even argue that the northern kingdoms of Arno'or are the ones that may rival Sparatus in sheer might alone. Its adaptability and organized structure made them a formidable foe. Those who lived here often believes in the religion of the Mother Moiairia or a different version of the Great Pantheon of the Twelve. Sparatus thrived as a military superpower in Moiairon, with some of the Arno'orian countries even hired a few Sparati to train their forces (most notably being the now destroyed 9th Legion of the Dragon/IX Legio Draco). Their warriors relied heavily upon unit cohesion and utilizing the terrain to its greatest advantage. They however, lacked any outstanding cavalry units other than the famed Sparati Knights and notable elite guards of their commanders. Despite this, they hired mercenaries to accomodate this. Sparatii were also known to dislike the use of magic and favored the traditional approach in combat.

The Carthian Principality is located to the north of Sparatus and allies with Darcia. The Principality thrived on its economic resource through establishingntrade relations with the aforementioned Darcia and countries that are located across the Long Sea. They don't usually trade with those from Arno'or due to the long distance and the potential threats that sailed in the Thretian Sea. Due to their wealth, Carthians are able to build large cities and muster large number of soldiers in a short amount of time with little effort. However, this made their army cohesion filled with soldiers that are quick to rout because of the lack of time spent in training their mental resilience and most importantly, skill because of the constant conscription of able bodied men. One of their most renowned units is the Immortals who are elite soldiers that have gained an almost legendary status due to their deeds on the battlefield against the Sparatii.

Darcia is once a part of the Principality before the rise of Sparatus that subsequently took a large portion of Carthia, cutting off the southern regions of the once large empire.

[Breggo13]

Hello!!! Saw this and wanted to know - are you accepting new players??

[Q]

I think our fair gamemaster is, Breggo! We're a bit slow on the post since the closing of the last chapter, but me, Bumblingbee and Rha'az are still kicking, though I dare not speak for anyone but myself.

Your fresh input might spark something!

[Breggo13]

Sweet! I think I have a few ideas for a character or two Just wanted to check that it's still going to happen

Now.....Off to read all the IC and lore more carefully

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@Q and/or @Rha'az (or anyone in the known), are there barbaric Northern tribes or is the Norse the closest to it?

Also, what is the rules/lore/etc surrounding blessed skinchangers and blightbeasts?

[Q]

I conjured up some norse shieldmaidens to defend my free city of Argentos; they're from the north-eastern continent Essarch. I estimate - though only speculate - that near the center of Essarch, the tribes would grow wilder.

I don't know about the magical properties. Not with any certainty, anyhow. I'm sure Rha'az will reply soon!

[Rha'az]

Hey @Breggo13; ! Glad you stumbled on this RP. As Q has said, we're a bit slow considering we have finished one chapter for the story and as usual, real life stuff has kept me away from my phone to be able to continue Excalibur. Worry not, I am writing a post since the last few days.

To address your question, yes. There is a northern barbaric tribes kind of faction that resided within the regions that bordered between Grecca and Latia itself. I based them off of the Bretons during the late Republic of Rome (if I'm not mistaken) and add a few tweaks that would make them fit to the more medieval oriented setting we have.

The Norse-ish faction is basically the people who hailed from the Norsenic Union, far from Arno'or and on the continent of Essarch itself. One of the "subfactions" is @Q;'s own Shieldmaidens.

Regarding skin-changers, I'll assume that they are werewolves and such. They do exist but extremely rare as they are individuals who are deemed as "cursed" beings. Blessed skinchangers however are almost unheard of, the people might have heard about it spoken in legends or in songs across the world but to actually encounter one is practically impossible. Though there is a very, very small chance that they exist.

Blightbeast are one of the few races that existed hefore the rise of humanity during the end of the Age of Gods and the beginning of the Great War. They were known as a Second Race due to their rise to prominence after the end of the aforementioned war but not as dominant as the humans. Most of which lived in the Isle of Trees alongside many of the Eldu'un (basically horned elves) while there a few tribes lived in dense forests around mountains and remote areas. More info on the Blightbeasts can be found in the main post.