(IR) Preparations for the IR - Thread 3

Uvenelei's claim to the Wind Dukes is uncontested.
His claim to Lyrn is also uncontested, I think.

Williams, are you relinquishing Ishtarland to him?

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In replies to other messages:

Creamstreak is invited to join. Creamstreak, come and join the party!

Williams wrote

I hope Valkys will return, as well.

((So do I. I wasn't trying to intimidate anyone with rules. I was trying to make things more fun. Rectify the mistakes of the past. And with so many players, and so many nations, and so many possibilities, I did my best. I am not a Game Designer. I just want you'all to have fun.))

I do have a nation to give a new player and several others do as well. Alyx can offer them the Wind Dukes of Aaqa, a LN/LG power.

((Does this mean you are giving Ishtarland to Uvenelei, Williams?))

Thanks for the clarification on Vecna. I think this will give bonedagger a lot more playability. Also, did you end the alignment rule for the territory claims.

((I agree. Now, everyone doesn't have to kill Vecna on Turn One.
For the sake of simplicity - pick any country you want. It doesn't have to make sense. But try to restrain yourself - picking orcs and elves, or Acererak and the Iron League, simultaneously doesn't make much sense.))

The changes in the arms races will also extend the life of the thread and make it easier for new people to join once we start.

((Yes. Now, PLs won't skyrocket out of the atmosphere by Turn 3.))

I was a bit worried about Zelda. She is now fully powered and ready for the game play.

((I am still worried about Zelda.
Look at the new map (see my URL on the other post.) The northern continent of Telchura is only shown in the far northwest.
Because of the way maps work, it is also to the north of the ENTIRE map, for it is a partially polar continent.))

((Lynux has dropped the Lortmils from his claims, due to negotiations with Gnomeworks. He may want to rethink some of his claims.

Lynux is over 100 points. He has at least two contested nations: Erypt, and the Hold of the Sea Princes.))

Also, Turrosh Mak accepted a deal which Lynux offered.

((What deal?))

I still have no word from Frigid_Spleen or John Brown. Does anyone on this board have their e-mails.

((We cannot, I repeat CANNOT properly have this IR without someone representing the Empire of Iuz.
It is too important a power.
That would be like trying to represent Toril without the elves - any elves at all.))

((ANYONE CAN RENAME ANY COUNTRY THEY POSSESS. It will cause confusion, but feel free to go ahead and rename as you please.))

((I am trying to simplify the rules. I shrunk the rules, and tried to clarify them. Did I succeed?))

Everyone, take a look at this URL.
It shows the big picture of Oerth.

If Maudlin can work with the map shown, and modify it, we can finally place the Celestial Empire, Lyrn, Erypt, Ishtarland, the Wind Dukes, Esmerin, Varnaith, the Storm Riders of Telchuria, and even the Yuan-Ti Empire.

Here is the URL:

http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/5878/gridgeo.gif

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ!

I have found another URL.
It delivers the goods!

Check out THIS map!

http://members.aol.com/cathbhadhx/tsroerth.gif

Hyperborea is another name for Telchuria.

I would place the Wind Dukes of Aaqa as being north of Orcreich.
Basically, the nation of Aaqa has conquered the northern third of Orcreich, and the Wind Dukes rule Aaqa.
The hold everything west of the mountains, and the mountains themselves, right up to the wind swept and cold northern coast.

In addition, the Wind Dukes of Aaqa have conquered and hold all the land east of the mountains (east clear to that bay that dips deep down into the continent) down to a point in latitude equal to their holdings west of the mountains.

Esmerin lies entirely in the high mountains east and east-northeast of the Celestial Imperium, far to the south of Aaqa, west and west-southwest of the Baklunish Empire (which, as you know in our IR is broken into many nations, of which Garnak is the strongest), and west of the Suel Imperium.
If the Wind Dukes of Aaqa hold the northern part of the mountain range that adjuts Orcreich on the east, the halflings and titans of Esmerin hold the same range much further south (with a very long unclaimed area of mountains between the two nations.)
Esmerin holds the whole mountain region where the mountains break up into many chains, one heading for Zingia, one for the Suel Empire, one for the Baklunish Empire, etc.

The Storm Riders of Telchuria live in the mountains and coastlands of what is marked Hyperborea on the map, north and northeast of the Sea of Hyperborea.
They are a very warlike, very hard people, reflecting the climate of their land and their adaptation to it.
They are very powerful magically, and their lords and knights travel around, not on horses, but on minature tornadoes that whisk them in comfort from one place to another.
(Please remember that Telchuria is a polar continent. Therefore, seeing it as being in the extreme northwest is a mistake. Basically, it looks south in all directions, as do it's people.)

The Celestial Empire is well marked (but in our IR it doesn't stretch quite so far west, because in the far west Ishtarland has conquered the area.)

There is Erypt, south of the Celestial Empire and separated from it by the Celestial Sea.

There is Ishtarland, way over on the southwestern coast of Oerik.

There is Lyrn (they call it Lynn, but it is Lyrn in this IR.)
Lyrn is huge!

Varnaith is in the land and ocean south of the Suel Imperium.
Except it isn't ocean - think of an area with 3 mountain ranges running east to west, with tropical valleys between them, from Zindia in the west, to the Pearl Sea on the east.
That would be Varnaith.

In this IR, Zindia is smaller, and separated from Varnaith by Varna Bay, which is not on the map - it is a narrow bay that stretches north clear to the mountains that are the southern edge of the Suel Imperium.

The Empire of the Yuan-Ti occupies the whole central part of the continent of Hempmonaland (not named - that piece of land in the southeast part of the map.)
It extends to both coasts, east and west.
It faces off against Varnaith's east coast across the Pearl Sea.

The Isle of Nippon is further south in our IR (it has to be, to make room for Varnaith.)

There is the Domain of Nippon, and Zindia.
Both unclaimed, and undefined.

Edena_of_Neith said:

((I am trying to simplify the rules. I shrunk the rules, and tried to clarify them. Did I succeed?))

Click to expand...

The rules are fine as they are. More than fine, they are excellent! Now, don't go changing them again or I will be forced to rebuild all my plans one more time.

Don't beat yourself up because one player leaves. You have done a wonderful job in this (and the aborted) IR, nobody else could have done better.

Edena_of_Neith said:

Also, Turrosh Mak accepted a deal which Lynux offered.

((What deal?))

Click to expand...

Lynux offered to release a power of up to 15 PL to a player who would ally with him. I asked for the Robots and the vale of the Mage, to which he reluctantly agreed.

Of course I made the offer before you ruled that there was little to be gained by controlling the robots, but a deals a deal...

~Turrosh~

Edena, artifacts don't make a difference anymore?

No. I can't handle artifacts.

And it would ruin things. Artifacts are like a Deck of Many Things, with about the same effect.

Or, as another comparison, they are the Wild Cards in the deck, capable of causing the whole game to head off in a new direction.

They take the choice out of the hands of the players.
They put random chance over the choices of the players.

I don't want that. I want the players to control things.

And I can't handle the artifacts anyways. They are too much for me.

Edena_of_Neith said:

I would place Ishtarland along the coast between the Celestial Imperium and Erypt.
Indeed, I'd give Ishtarland that whole coast, and a part of the western Celestial Empire as well (The Celestial Empire has shrunk ... it is not so long east to west in this IR.)

Click to expand...

So Ishtarland is along the coast of the Celestial Sea, rather than over by the Red Kingdoms and the Gulf of Ishtar, as potrayed on the map? Not that that's bad; just making sure.

My mistake!

I somehow missed Ishtarland, but now I see it.

Ok, Ishtarland is over where it is shown on the map.
Where it should be.

A comment. Do to the extreme distance between Ishtarland and Lyrn, and Aaqa, I am guessing the Wind Dukes magically contacted these peoples because they were worried about troubles further east (such as certain personages coming forward in time, and the doings of the Church of Shade Oerthian wide, or perhaps they have had magical visions of the future.)
The Wind Dukes, who are extremely lawful, probably want a council of some sort between the nations of the west to deal with the (to them) dangerous and chaotic situation further east.

Most certainly the western peoples and Wind Dukes will react to the Sending of the Wanderer!!

Esmerin is close enough to Garnak to actually hear about the trouble firsthand, since the Seers of Garnak have foreseen disaster in their future, and that chaos and war would engulf their land.
This would be of concern to the people of Esmerin.

Erypt I cannot speak for. Again, it is possible the Wind Dukes contacted them, trying to organize a Oerik-wide council to deal with the impending trouble.
It is also possible the Oracles and Seers of Erypt have already foreseen the coming trouble in their scrying mirrors and deep places, and are acting on their own.

Once these nations achieve the ability to employ 10th level magic, they will be able to move their armies from their distant locations to the Flanaess and back during a Turn.
Right now, they are too far away from the Flanaess to send an army there in a single month.

When will they get 10th level magic? Turn 4.
Unless someone helps them ... in which case they'll have it on Turn 1.

Ruling:

The Wind Dukes can employ 10th level magic on Turn 1.

Erypt, Ishtarland, Lyrn, and Esmerin must wait until Turn 4, unless someone helps them.

Alyx said:

Uvenelei

The Wind Dukes of Aaqa our yours! And there goes a load off of my chest... I was getting way to many points there.

Enjoy, and use for the benefit of us all...

Or those of us that fight for good, anyway.

Click to expand...

Done and done. Now that my claims are uncontested (at least I think they are), I hearby announce the formation of the United Alliance of the Northwestern Crescent, under the enlightened rule of the dragon Aurican (my PC, he'll be posted later).
The Crescent is also entering the Planar arms race, contacting Metallic and Gem Planar Dragons and Djinn, and inviting them to join our cause.