The state of the world to the east of Cressia....
Very Long.
My preference would be for portals to the plane of law rather than a fortress. I also think that this time, we should state the outcome first. Not the exact details, but what we want the general flow of the round to be - do we want Greater Cressia to expand, does the Khanate break up into satellite states, etc.
With regard to Stempan cosmology….
The city-states have now developed beyond their former allegiances to one god, but the pantheon still has its conflicts. Most are now dealt with as debate – within the great Basilica at Lesthen, where all of the ten lesser gods are honoured, under the guiding hand of fate itself. Stempans believe that humans are formed of tiny pieces of the divine – a substance called pneuma.
Most Clerics follow one god – dispensing advice and teaching the advantages that the god offers through their portfolio, and are referred to as priests, as opposed to oracles. They also respect the fates, and the other lesser gods. They serve as judges for matters that fall within their god’s purview. For example, a Cleric of Beros (often called a Pursier) will witness contracts, adjudicate trade disputes, collect coin offerings, offer blessings on mercantile ventures, and show how offerings and praise of Beros can lead to a rich and successful life. On the other hand, a Priestess of Crossus might teach athletes, show others how to develop their bodies, adjudicate over races and competitions, and show the rewards of offerings to Crossus (strength, glory, sporting ability.)
The most influential Clerics are the oracles. Twelve years after the first Cressian-Khanate War, the former dogma of the church (originally called the Mycelien Orthodoxy, now more commonly called the Mycelien Heresy), which was that each city was one god’s pneuma, was discarded upon the epiphany of the Three Sisters. The revelation of the three Sisters of Fate, a higher order of goddess, lead to the centralisation of the Stempan religion with the belief that all Stempans were of the Three Sister’s pneuma, and provided a valuable assist to the Concord.
(Note – the Cressians’ knowledge of roads spread to the Stempa. This also helped the city-states join together.)
The Oracles are now considered to worship all gods, and are believed to have influence / insight to the fate of each person. An oracle being present at the birth of a child is often asked to read the signs of the child’s fate. Most full oracles are found at the Lesthen Basilica, but acolytes of the Three Sisters work throughout Stempa, mainly as civil servants.
Offerings are made to the lesser gods whose favour a Stempan wishes to receive. The gods are not particularly jealous of each other, save for Arcsos. Beros, Ephros and Mastos are the most popular gods for offerings. Neglect may bring ruin, or is blamed for such the majority of the time. The Fates are considered to be above influence in human affairs, so no one sacrifices to them.
Arcsos – Lost all of his worshippers in the sacking of Thelia. Formerly, Arcsos was the god of revenge, warfare and law. Now a very minor god – only a small fanatical cult of Thelian descendants follow him. Followers still seek revenge against the Ta’Jinn, and the Ausel. Form a small subversive cell within the general Concord of Stempa.
Beros – One of the most popular gods, Beros is the Lord of Coin and Trade. Watches over all contracts, transactions, and sales. False measurement is never conducted in front of a statue of Beros (Stempans believe this will cause bankruptcy); so canny Ta’Jinn merchants from the Heaven River Consortiums always carry a small idol of Beros.
Crossus – The most athletic of the Stempan pantheon. The god of both strength and athleticism. The Stempan delegation to the Olympics dedicates their performance at the games every year to him. The ogres who live in Stempa mostly worship Crossus, in his aspect as a god of might.
Cumidne – A minor goddess, she is the Lady of Secret Knowledge, and the sky. Also considered to be the mage’s god in Stempa. She is also the patron of learning, so schools often have an icon of her over the doorway.
Epardne – Goddess of healing. Worshipped by many when a relative falls sick, though few remain devoted to her all their lives – considering it almost to be an invitation of sickness. Her clerics, despite this superstition, are rarely sick, and heal others. Are often expert surgeons, despite their magical abilities.
Ephros – Lord of the harvest, seasons, and change. Considered to be a somewhat fickle god. Many offerings are made to him at Temples, praying for a good harvest. His clerics are known as harbingers of some great alterations – for good or for ill.
Iradne – has assumed the warfare portion of Arcsos’ portfolio completely. Is a just and righteous warrior, and all Stempan soldiers call upon her in battle. A particularly righteous and fearsome warrior is “favoured of Iradne,” a title conferred by her church.
Mastos – god of the forge, the earth, and craft. The last of the ‘big three’ of the Stempan gods. Prayed to by Stempan crafts folk.
Pisenes – Sailors pray to Pisenes when they fear the ocean, Sirene when they give thanks for its’ bounty. Pisenes is the lord of storms and the ocean, formerly called Piscenes. Also a minor figure in some Cressian cults in southern Cressia. Some of the more northern Cressian cults’ worship of ‘the Fishlord’ is also an aspect of Pisenes.
Sirene – The goddess of ocean bounty, tides, and the moon. Fishermen pray to her, all giving thanks when the ocean gives a good harvest. Considered kinder than Ephros.
With regard to the Rise and (future) Fall of the Ta’Jinn empire….
The Ta’Jinn Centaurs are like Alexander the Great, really good at conquering an Empire, but not so effective at administrating it. Heaven River has become the centre of the Empire, with lots of wealth and trade coming into the largest city in the region – probably the capital of the empire. In these modern times, trade is vastly more important. Centaurs aren’t really that interested, but the humans of the Heaven River Valley sure are.
They are going to become more powerful, and perhaps a bit more elitist. The centaurs still form the majority of the armies, and have many in positions of power, but the Heaven River humans now provide the bulk of the bureaucrats, administrators and civil servants. This is a subtle, but still important, shift in power. Also, trade routes have become very well established, and a city has developed upon the least hostile part of the Empty Quarter, on the trade route. The cult of Arcsos, Jinn mercenaries, Ausel arms-dealers, and Cressian expatriates all live here, in the city of Aroch.
I feel that we should use all 6th level spells for the next round (in the main traditions of each culture), and 2nd level spells for each of the other magical traditions as each culture becomes more diversified. Each culture should have begun to develop some 7th level spells. Why so low? It’s only been one hundred years. For example….
Ta’Jinn Godsbloods now know all 6th level spells (or rather, are familiar with. Not every Godsblood sorcerer knows all spells, of course). They have 2nd level cleric, druid, and bard spells (meaning a limit of 4th level for most ‘foreign’ magic-users). Sorcerers of high level have also researched some 7th-level information, scrying, divination, and utility spells. (Including but not limited to; Banishment [hatred of outsiders], Sequester, Greater Scrying, Vision, Vanish, Ethereal Jaunt, Plane Shift [developed as spin-off from research for banishment, rarely used]).
One last point, native classes….
Cressia – Bard, Druid, Ranger (Deltanes).
Ausel – Rogue, Monk, Sorcerer.
Stempa – Cleric, Fighter.
Ta’Jinn – Sorcerer, Fighter, Barbarian.
Does that look right? Any comments on anything in this post?
Very Long.
My preference would be for portals to the plane of law rather than a fortress. I also think that this time, we should state the outcome first. Not the exact details, but what we want the general flow of the round to be - do we want Greater Cressia to expand, does the Khanate break up into satellite states, etc.
With regard to Stempan cosmology….
The city-states have now developed beyond their former allegiances to one god, but the pantheon still has its conflicts. Most are now dealt with as debate – within the great Basilica at Lesthen, where all of the ten lesser gods are honoured, under the guiding hand of fate itself. Stempans believe that humans are formed of tiny pieces of the divine – a substance called pneuma.
Most Clerics follow one god – dispensing advice and teaching the advantages that the god offers through their portfolio, and are referred to as priests, as opposed to oracles. They also respect the fates, and the other lesser gods. They serve as judges for matters that fall within their god’s purview. For example, a Cleric of Beros (often called a Pursier) will witness contracts, adjudicate trade disputes, collect coin offerings, offer blessings on mercantile ventures, and show how offerings and praise of Beros can lead to a rich and successful life. On the other hand, a Priestess of Crossus might teach athletes, show others how to develop their bodies, adjudicate over races and competitions, and show the rewards of offerings to Crossus (strength, glory, sporting ability.)
The most influential Clerics are the oracles. Twelve years after the first Cressian-Khanate War, the former dogma of the church (originally called the Mycelien Orthodoxy, now more commonly called the Mycelien Heresy), which was that each city was one god’s pneuma, was discarded upon the epiphany of the Three Sisters. The revelation of the three Sisters of Fate, a higher order of goddess, lead to the centralisation of the Stempan religion with the belief that all Stempans were of the Three Sister’s pneuma, and provided a valuable assist to the Concord.
(Note – the Cressians’ knowledge of roads spread to the Stempa. This also helped the city-states join together.)
The Oracles are now considered to worship all gods, and are believed to have influence / insight to the fate of each person. An oracle being present at the birth of a child is often asked to read the signs of the child’s fate. Most full oracles are found at the Lesthen Basilica, but acolytes of the Three Sisters work throughout Stempa, mainly as civil servants.
Offerings are made to the lesser gods whose favour a Stempan wishes to receive. The gods are not particularly jealous of each other, save for Arcsos. Beros, Ephros and Mastos are the most popular gods for offerings. Neglect may bring ruin, or is blamed for such the majority of the time. The Fates are considered to be above influence in human affairs, so no one sacrifices to them.
Arcsos – Lost all of his worshippers in the sacking of Thelia. Formerly, Arcsos was the god of revenge, warfare and law. Now a very minor god – only a small fanatical cult of Thelian descendants follow him. Followers still seek revenge against the Ta’Jinn, and the Ausel. Form a small subversive cell within the general Concord of Stempa.
Beros – One of the most popular gods, Beros is the Lord of Coin and Trade. Watches over all contracts, transactions, and sales. False measurement is never conducted in front of a statue of Beros (Stempans believe this will cause bankruptcy); so canny Ta’Jinn merchants from the Heaven River Consortiums always carry a small idol of Beros.
Crossus – The most athletic of the Stempan pantheon. The god of both strength and athleticism. The Stempan delegation to the Olympics dedicates their performance at the games every year to him. The ogres who live in Stempa mostly worship Crossus, in his aspect as a god of might.
Cumidne – A minor goddess, she is the Lady of Secret Knowledge, and the sky. Also considered to be the mage’s god in Stempa. She is also the patron of learning, so schools often have an icon of her over the doorway.
Epardne – Goddess of healing. Worshipped by many when a relative falls sick, though few remain devoted to her all their lives – considering it almost to be an invitation of sickness. Her clerics, despite this superstition, are rarely sick, and heal others. Are often expert surgeons, despite their magical abilities.
Ephros – Lord of the harvest, seasons, and change. Considered to be a somewhat fickle god. Many offerings are made to him at Temples, praying for a good harvest. His clerics are known as harbingers of some great alterations – for good or for ill.
Iradne – has assumed the warfare portion of Arcsos’ portfolio completely. Is a just and righteous warrior, and all Stempan soldiers call upon her in battle. A particularly righteous and fearsome warrior is “favoured of Iradne,” a title conferred by her church.
Mastos – god of the forge, the earth, and craft. The last of the ‘big three’ of the Stempan gods. Prayed to by Stempan crafts folk.
Pisenes – Sailors pray to Pisenes when they fear the ocean, Sirene when they give thanks for its’ bounty. Pisenes is the lord of storms and the ocean, formerly called Piscenes. Also a minor figure in some Cressian cults in southern Cressia. Some of the more northern Cressian cults’ worship of ‘the Fishlord’ is also an aspect of Pisenes.
Sirene – The goddess of ocean bounty, tides, and the moon. Fishermen pray to her, all giving thanks when the ocean gives a good harvest. Considered kinder than Ephros.
With regard to the Rise and (future) Fall of the Ta’Jinn empire….
The Ta’Jinn Centaurs are like Alexander the Great, really good at conquering an Empire, but not so effective at administrating it. Heaven River has become the centre of the Empire, with lots of wealth and trade coming into the largest city in the region – probably the capital of the empire. In these modern times, trade is vastly more important. Centaurs aren’t really that interested, but the humans of the Heaven River Valley sure are.
They are going to become more powerful, and perhaps a bit more elitist. The centaurs still form the majority of the armies, and have many in positions of power, but the Heaven River humans now provide the bulk of the bureaucrats, administrators and civil servants. This is a subtle, but still important, shift in power. Also, trade routes have become very well established, and a city has developed upon the least hostile part of the Empty Quarter, on the trade route. The cult of Arcsos, Jinn mercenaries, Ausel arms-dealers, and Cressian expatriates all live here, in the city of Aroch.
I feel that we should use all 6th level spells for the next round (in the main traditions of each culture), and 2nd level spells for each of the other magical traditions as each culture becomes more diversified. Each culture should have begun to develop some 7th level spells. Why so low? It’s only been one hundred years. For example….
Ta’Jinn Godsbloods now know all 6th level spells (or rather, are familiar with. Not every Godsblood sorcerer knows all spells, of course). They have 2nd level cleric, druid, and bard spells (meaning a limit of 4th level for most ‘foreign’ magic-users). Sorcerers of high level have also researched some 7th-level information, scrying, divination, and utility spells. (Including but not limited to; Banishment [hatred of outsiders], Sequester, Greater Scrying, Vision, Vanish, Ethereal Jaunt, Plane Shift [developed as spin-off from research for banishment, rarely used]).
One last point, native classes….
Cressia – Bard, Druid, Ranger (Deltanes).
Ausel – Rogue, Monk, Sorcerer.
Stempa – Cleric, Fighter.
Ta’Jinn – Sorcerer, Fighter, Barbarian.
Does that look right? Any comments on anything in this post?
, but I digress...
