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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Clay_More" data-source="post: 4389542" data-attributes="member: 9813">Facts about BalmortisGods: Deities exist and few, if any, doubt their existence. The gods don't intervene on behalf of their subjects and it is extremely rare to see a deity walk the earth. Deities also seem to be extremely flexible about who they give divine magic to. Some faiths have a myriad of monkly orders, cults and other fringe movements with very differing and radical beliefs, and appearantly these orders are granted access to divine magic just as easily as the main order of the faith. The only way in which a god directly interferes in the affairs of the mortals is by occasionally promoting especially diligent servants to the rank of Chosen One. Chosen Ones are immortal, empowered by their deity to do his will for eternity. They can be killed in combat, but they don't suffer from disease, aging or other common causes of death. Each faith usually has a special title for those that become Chosen Ones, they are known, for example, as Saints in the Thakulion faith and Enlightened in the Emanuel faith. War: War is a constant factor in the development of Balmortis. For numerous reasons, virtually all nations are engaged in one type of conflict or another. War isn't a necessarily an all-consuming event as it is sometimes depicted in fantasy settings. Many of the wars in Balmortis are fought on a relatively small scale for political, economic or religious reasons. For example, the war between some of the tribes of the Barbarian Plains and the country of Laumakis is not a war on a grand scale. Usually, the barbarians prefer to engage in military campaigns during fall and winter, raiding isolated villages and hamlets, so that the warriors can return home in time for the harvest. Laumakis is incapable of committing its entire army to the conflict, due to their skirmishes with the goblins in the north, and has therefore adapted an attitude towards the conflict that is more sustainable in the long run. The country relies on allies amongst the barbarian tribes that border Laumakis to provide them with light infantry in the campaigns against the barbarians, forming armies that mix the heavy, disciplined infantry of Laumakis with the more mobile skirmishers of the barbarian tribes. Tribes that collaborate with Laumakis are given favorable trade agreements along with technological and medical assistance. Military: The many conflicts in Balmortis are not fought by fantastic armies. While there have been grand engagements in the past, many of the current wars are not much more than occasional skirmishes and raids. The normal armies of Balmortis have grown accustomed to operating without heavy support from spellcasters and without aerial support. The majority of battles are fought by massed infantry aided by cavalry and small numbers of spellcasters. Divine spellcasters are a much more common sight on the battlefield than arcane spellcasters, and many faiths send their clergy to escort the resident army when it goes to the field. The clergy provide a number of benefits to the army, ranging from healing and moral support to direct combat assistance.  Examples of armed forcesLaumakis: Laumakis is considered the most potent military factor of northern Balmortis. The army of the country has been formed and trained by some of the best military experts in Balmortis with a small number of very specific opponents in mind. The core of the army is the very well-trained and disciplined heavy infantry, foot-soldiers clad in chain mail and armed with big shields and warhammers. Since the Laumakian army is a permanent army and not a conscript army of peasants that only serve when there is no harvest to attend to, it is rather small compared to other armies hailing from a country of a similar size. The  military leadership of Laumakis make up for the relatively small size of their army by rigorous training and improved equipment. Soldiers in the army are volunteers who serve for twenty years, after which they are given a small tract of land to settle down on. The bulk of the army is, as mentioned, the heavy infantry which is aided in the field by a small contingent of cavalry as well as archers. When the army is sent on a campaign, it is commonly escorted by a number of war-heralds from the Thakulion church as well as barbarian auxiliaries that act as skirmishers, forming a skirmisher screen in front of the heavy infantry. When battle is joined, the barbarian skirmishers withdraw, reforming behind the lines of heavy infantry. From this position the skirmishers will either wait for an opening in the enemy lines through which they can attack, or they will attempt to outflank the enemy on either side of the battle lines.Barbarian Plains: The barbarian plains are not a single, unified country. The area consists of a number of barbarian tribes with different customs and faiths. Some of the tribes are primarily farmers or herders, while others are foragers or hunters. Tribes that sustain themselves primarily by farming have the advantage that they can grow to a greater size compared to the land they inhabit compared to tribes that make a living from foraging and hunting. The farming tribes have a tendency to prefer military engagements during the period of the year where their fields are idle, returning home once it is time to sow. The hunting tribes, while smaller, usually have a more efficient fighting force than the farmer tribes. Sustaining themselves through hunting and foraging, these barbarians are used to being on the move and they use hunting weapons like bows and spears in their every day lives. Many of the hunting tribes rely heavily on horses or other mounts to move across great distances. While the farming and herding tribes have a numerical advantage, the hunting tribes often prevail in military conflicts due to their greater familiarity with their weapons as well as their greater mobility. When the barbarians are fighting foes from beyond the barbarian plains, they often experience problems in joined battle. The barbarians of the plains have never really been able to stand up to an army like the Laumakian army in head-on battle, and they have therefore adopted a tactic of harassment and mobility when facing such a disciplined fighting force. When the Laumakian army invades the barbarian plains, the barbarians usually try to avoid direct confrontation and focus on harassing the logistical support of the army along with isolated pockets of the main fighting force. Zel Nagash and Zel Pehehteb: The two, great elven nations of Zel Nagash and Zel Pehehteb are formidable foes capable of fielding extremely large armies compared to the other nations of Balmortis. The elves rely on huge numbers of slave infantry to form the bulk of their army, aided by very small elite units of silver archers, red hand orcs or elven spellcasters. The large regiments of slave infantry are usually equipped with cheap equipment, clad in leather armor and armed with pikes or clubs. While these large regiments have a numerical advantage over their foes, they suffer from bad training and morale. The elves try to make up for the very low quality of their slave army by fielding very heavy, elite units of silver archers and red hand orcs behind the main battle lines. The silver archers are constructs created by the elven wizards to accompany the elven army and they are usually considered the most efficient ranged infantry fielded in large numbers. The red hand orcs are a sub-species of orcs bred by the elven nobility to act as heavy infantry. The red hand orcs are usually deployed on chariots that they use to move across the battlefield on, disembarking before they engage the enemy. The elven generals have actually adopted a simple tactic that takes into account the low standard of their slave infantry, a tactic that involves keeping the red hand orcs as a reserve behind the lines until a slave regiment eventually falters at which point the red hand orcs are employed to the weakened regiment as backup. When the elves are fighting against an opponent that is trying to invade their lands, they will rely heavily on the mesh of magic wards that clutter the borderlands of both elven nations, using the elven army to lure opponents into the more deadly wards. Montelival: Montelival is one of the oldest human nations and a significant factor in the politics of Balmortis. The island-nation of Montelival is not accustomed to fighting land battles, and when it does it relies on very heavy, nobleman cavalry. It is at sea that Montelival prefers to fight its enemies as the country has the most capable navy of any nation in Balmortis, a navy only rivaled by the sea people with whom Montelival has a peace treaty. Since the Montelival navy is widely considered to be unbeatable, the country has begun utilizing a new class of ship, the monitor. The monitor is a relatively small class of ship, lightly armored and quite slow compared to its size. The monitor is equipped with a great number amount of artillery pieces for its size, artillery used primarily to bombard unarmed ships or shore targets. If Montelival is engaged in a conflict with another nation, it will use its fleet of monitors to bombard coastal cities and forts in an attempt to subdue the opposition. Since the country is largely unopposed at sea, no country is able to construct a fleet that could battle the rather vulnerable monitors, as they usually travel under the protection of the Montelival fleet. While a formidable seafaring nation, Montelival lacks a potent land army, making most conflicts in which the country is engaged a rather odd affair. Montelival is incapable of invading any country that opposes them, but the opposing country also remains incapable of transporting their army to the island of Montelival.Cimakath: Cimakath is a rather small country compared to most other nations in Balmortis. While the country resides on an island just as Montelival does, it has never built a large fleet. The dwarves of Cimakath disdain fighting at sea and prefer to use the vast system of tunnels found beneath Balmortis for transportation. The dwarves have a problem similar to that of the elves. They have a rather low rate of reproduction and are therefore at a disadvantage when fighting a prolonged conflict. The elves have solved this problem by using slaves to fight their battles. The dwarves have taken another approach to warfare than the elves, relying instead on technology and craftsmanship to make up for their smaller numbers. Being the only nation in Balmortis to effectively utilize gunpowder and steam engines, the dwarven army is infamous for its efficiency, especially when the size of the army is taken into consideration. The Cimakath army consists of very heavily armored dwarven infantry spearheaded by the juggernauts, an elite cadre of fighters clad in steam-powered armor. The army is always accompanied by a great number of siege engines. When the dwarves engage in battle, they usually fight very defensively, relying on the greater range and power of their siege engines to obliterate their enemy while the infantry keeps the enemy at bay. These were a few examples of some of the armies of Balmortis. While some nations duplicate the tactics of the armies mentioned above, you will always find variations and differences between the various countries. War is a constant factor in the evolution and history of Balmortis and it has shaped not only the nations of the land, but also the mentality of its people. Levels: There is a general tendency in Balmortis for people to be of slightly higher level than in most fantasy settings. While the vast majority of commoners are 1st level, soldiers and guards tend to be a little higher. A common soldier, guard or tribesman will typically by 2nd level, while heavy infantry such as that fielded by Cimakath or Laumakis will be 3rd level. Elite infantry, such as the red hand orcs or dwarven juggernauts will typically be 5th level or higher. The setting is grim and rugged compared to most other settings and the players can't expect to easily subdue others just because they have gained a few levels. Even high-level players will face problems if they try to always fight their way out of conflicts.Magic: As mentioned, divine magic is far more common than arcane magic. While wizards exist, they try to keep their powers a secrecy. In some countries, such as Laumakis, arcane spellcasters are hunted and killed by the Thakulion church while in others, such as Montelival and Cay Adair, they are forced to serve in the army or navy. As a result, pursuing a career of arcane magic is far less tempting than it is in other settings and arcane spellcasters who choose to learn magic will often migrate to small, secret enclaves of wizards found in the less civilized regions of Balmortis. The only nations capable of fielding efficient numbers of wizards are the elven nations and the Black Kingdoms. Politics: Politics in Balmortis are often convoluted and tainted by religion. Many nations have a great number of factions existing within them, factions that have agendas and goals of their own. Even the religions of the setting are not unified as they are in most other worlds, they often consist of a main faith constantly battling for control against a great number of splinter cults and orders. The common people, especially the middle class, of Balmortis have a tendency to organize themselves in guilds, to ensure that their interests are not being overlooked in the Machiavellian schemes being played between the nobility, the royalty and the religions. If one faction in a country gains the upper hand, there is a tendency for stagnation and decadence to incur. A prime example of this tendency is Cay Adair where the nobility have seized almost complete control over the country after the coronation of King Marchivald, the son of the former King Clement, a man so impaired by his idiocy that he is incapable of running the country and fighting the nobles. The inbreeding in the royal family has always been a problem in Cay Adair, but never has it been so problematic since the birth of the deformed and mentally unstable King Marchivald. Without the king to keep the nobles in check, the country has plummeted into a state of being a virtual aristocracy in which the nobles have unlimited power. Instead of using this power for the betterment of the nation, the nobles have grown decadent, arrogant and hedonistic, indulging in grand parties, heavy drug abuse and sexually deviant behavior, behavior so abhorrent that it is only rivaled by the elven nobility. In the meanwhile, the peasantry of the country are suffering from the high taxes, only kept in check by the military of Cay Adair that is forced to spend more time controlling its own population than patrolling the borders of the country.</blockquote>

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