Edena: Here is my faction info, hopefully in the format you can use immediately, Sblocked in.
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E-Mail (with permission)
dunlandor@earthlink.net
PC: Ygravene Xagy (also known occasionally as Zagyg)
Other characters: Zagyg the Mad Archmage, Demigod of Humor, Eccentricity, Occult lore and Unpredictability. Murlynd, Hero-God of Magical Technology.
Artifacts: unknown yet
Powers:
- The Nation of Aestia - this represents a loose and chaotic nation holding vague control over an enormous amount of sparsely populated land, limited to the valley floors of the northernmost portions of the country but gradually becoming more and more subterranean in nature as the latitude progresses towards the south pole of Oerth. Sizeable cities are held apart by vast differences in local law, society, and government - a common religion and national government are the main defining characteristics of "Is it Aestian?"
POPULATIONS AND IC VALUES OF TERRITORIES:
Aestia: 6,300,000 (tentatively until approved) Max IC is either 189 or 378 (depending on which formula is correct in the posted rules (divide by 200k or divide by 100k) and I don't remember so I just did both)
TOTAL IC OF JAMES HEARDS' POWER SO FAR:
Color on map according to Guilt Puppy: LIGHT YELLOW-TANNISH
Territories on map: No territories on-map. Territories off map include the southern polar ice cap and territories beneath and underground, and a relatively large but sparsely populated spear of land in the middle of southern Solnor Ocean.
PL Notes:
The Aestian Nationalized Seaforce - Aestia has a proud and ancient tradition of seafaring. While the local provincial navies are mostly converted merchantmen with the occasional selkie marines, the Aestian navy has been proudly sailing on or beneath the waves for the last three quarters of a century with the most advanced naval magical technology in all of Oerth. Three tremendous Wetsail carriers are the flagships of the navy, capable of carrying smaller vessels and engaging in massive amounts of um, privateering. The flagships are: The Narwhal, Nautilus, and BunBun (BunBun is crewed only by Kobolds and Gnomes and is sized as such)
Local Armed Forces: Indistinct rabble of variously trained and equipped troops of widely different capabilities and design. One province might rely on a dominated troll marching band to serve as protection, another could consist of a single wise sage, and yet another could have a powerful company of constructs and siege crabs. Generally the overwhelmingly consistent element is the Aestian proclivity toward style and outlandish behavior.
Polarian Tax Corps: Trained to deal with a tremendously different resistance from various frigid provinces while collecting taxes, the Polarian Tax Corps tend to be multispecialists capable of dealing with many different situations. They travel underneath the Polarian ice caps in specially designed boats and in the occasional awakened whale's gullet. They are the elite fighting units of Aestian Tax Collectors.
The Pelican Riders of Sargynia: The Pelican riders are just that- they ride Giant Pelicans as a sort of air force. They're not particularly well trained or maintained, but they have fun and in Aestia that's a legitimate reason to set up a militia.
Vates of Askala: Askala is the magical university of Aestia, and the Vates are the elite seers that inhabit the Ganna monastery at the top of Mt. Aksala. They're not truly a military force, but most everyone on the island of Askala has something to do with magic. Only the Vates are truly significant though, being mostly diviners and illusionists of 13th or higher level.
Walrus Riders of Friesland: These guys ride Dire Walruses, which sounds really silly until you've
seen a dire walrus- after which you realize they're incredibly brave with a tremendous tolerance for gassy dire walruses for long stretches of time. They're mostly dwarves, except for a female barbarian Loxo named Esprelza that no one wanted to argue with.
The Srantovati: The Heroes of Srantovati are basically Aestia's answer to a knightly order, except the Aestian Srantovati sword-style fixates heavily upon light or no armor without a shield. Therefore most members are Monks using greatswords and bastard swords. It's invitation only, and Srantovati are accorded the ovations normally reserved for professional athletes. They are usually known by their distinctive dark face paint, bare chests (for both sexes) and red and green striped pants. That dress is so associated with them in fact, that it serves as a cover for their activities sans uniforms.
The Retainers of the Celestial Houses: These forces tend to either be for show only, or to be terribly elite affairs of single bodyguards. By national decree the Celestial Houses are forbidden to raise standing armies, so instead they tend to make up for quantity in quality.
Others: There are also a number of "monster race" citizens and what not that might be construed as forces in their own right. While the Alcian church, for instance, does indeed have a substantial number of priests with effective combat abilities though, they're not mustered or organized as such. So any use of them as combat units will probably require an expenditure of IR power.
PLAYER NOTES
Aestia
Proper Name: Aestia Akalassa
Ruler: Aestem Raudex Merlend (Murlynd) at the behest of Ygravene Xagy (Zagyg), Perguine MLXI of Polaria, Duke of Askala and Irminsul, Ruler of the Malachite Throne, Keeper of the Vates of the Uttercold, Master of the Winds and Stars, Admiral of the Southern Seas, Chief of the White Hide Tribes, Lord of Illusion and Truth, Overking of the New Kingdom, Raud of the Srantovati, and Wind Duke of Aquaa.
Government: Meritocratic Monarchy overseeing a bizarre variety of governmental systems
Capital: Masyus (26,000)
Major Towns: Friesland (4,000), Ganna (limited to 436 permanent residents), Askala (4,000), Moren (41,800), Jelling (11,600), Stetten (22,700), New Roland (36,000)
Provinces: Many semi-independent nations of which Aestia, Askala, Arrona, Curonia, Dacia, Epirus, Ezra, Suomi, Pelegica, Paetrica, Vod, Levts, Vils, Sargynia, Mori, Raethra, and Rhaetia are all some particulars of.
Resources: Ships and seafaring technology, fish and fish products, reindeer, ivory, Gems (I-III), rare lichens, novelty goods and products
Coinage: Narwhal (10pp), Pelican (pp), Crown (gp), Noble (ep), Penny (sp), Common (cp)
Population: 6,300,000 (tentatively)
Languages: Old Oeridian, Gnome, Draconic, Aquan, Common, Askalan (a secret tongue taught to the priests of the Askala), and many exprimental languages in this time of change - including at least one that involves flash cards and another that requires a trombone and pantomime.
Alignments: N, CN*, LG, LN, NG, CG
Religions: Alci* (The Twins, with both Gnomish and Aestian versions being popular), Alia, Bleredd, Boccob, Celestian, Daern, Delleb, Fharlanghn, Johydee, Lirr, Murlynd, Pholtus, The Zorya (The Fate Winds- Atro, Procan, Sotillon, Telchur, Velinius, & Wenta) Velnius, Xerbo, Zagyg, and Zilchus.
Allies: Various intelligent whales, ice elementals, lost seafarers, Akalan tradepriests
Enemies: The Man
History:
Aerdian domination of the Flanaess was an event that took place over hundreds of years, capped by the coronation of Overking Nasran in 1CY. By -213 CY though, the Aerdy had already began to show the fat complacency that would later lead to their downfall. A fleet of 437 ships full of stout adventurers and knights sailed south from the great ancient port of Roland, vowing to restore Aerdian honor and prestige to far away lands and to one day return with the secrets of making the Aerdy masters of their destinies eternally.
Unfortunately for those devout individuals, stalwart souls all, they had little comprehension of the task they had set for themselves. From the very start they encountered resistance to their cause. Sea monsters, hostile natives, and all manner of dire celestial portents all caused attrition amongst the crews and many ships were lost. Still they persisted, their fleet nearly halved and every person aboard (even the halflings) gaunt and starving, they finally found a land to claim for themselves - a paradise of rocks covered in lichens and desperate fur trees at the mouth of a tremendous river. Their leader Masyrus claimed land on the northern side across from that island and called it holy. So the first twin settlements of Masyrus and Ganna were founded and a new calendar was established in 1AR (-197CY).
Eventually those Aery explorers began to call themselves more properly the Aesti, or "Sea People." The harsh islands and coastlines of Aestia almost provided the final wave over into the bilge for the hapless settlers until they met with the indigenous tribes of the area - mostly gnomes, dwarves and kobolds - who they negotiated with and cajoled until those races joined them. Today, in some places at least, the societies are almost completely intertwined. In 102AR (-95CY) their alliances and agreements were settled into the forms that are recognizable today when they drove the last remnants of the hordes of the Ancient Green Dragon Mxaples from the Calnan Swamps and the leaders of all races involved were granted noble status in the great houses of Aestia. Also of noted presence was a great adventurer mage by the name of Ygravene Xagilvy, also promoted to nobility by the consensus of The House of Lords and Houses.
Over the years, Aerdian sensibilities ahve changed much in the Aesti with the Aestian culture now sharing many facets with their gnomish and other demihuman allies. The provinces of Aestia are known properly as Celestial Houses, the Overking of Aestia rules from a throne made of malachite and platinum, and the dream of finding the perfect political system is expressed at the county level with great latitude given to individuals and communities to persue different forms of government and expressions of provinence.
Recently the Aestians have came under the curious rule of a descendant of the mage Xagilvy and his appointed Aestem Raudex Merlend. The two are a curious sort, coming from the sea from nowhere, pronouncing and proving their establishment as progeny of a Celestial House thought lost long ago, and besting every foe in almost every task and challenge until they won the seat of rulership. Their companion Jaldamee dead on the journey, the mage Xagy seems to be still mourning - tirelessly searching the icy frostfell wastes of Polaria for something. Merlend, on the other hand as his agent, seems bent on squeezing every last secret from the scrolls of technology and knowledge that mysteriously appeared in the nation just after the Gods stopped communicating with their priests. Already he and the seers of Askala have vetted out many missteps and inaccurancies that seem to have been placed within the manuscript, and the people of Moren cheered last fall when Merlend demonstrated the first steps of what he calls "aeronology" with a flight in a contraption he called "Pelican III." Unfortunately further experiments by other "aeronauts" have been less than successful.
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