I am trying to get help on various fronts for this question and here is what I posted elsewhere. For anyone reading this please post your thoughts on this. Here is what I posted on another board.
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Okay then. I will toss it out. Umm...I do need a bit of time to gather my notes together so I don't sound all scatterbrained. What I will do though is do a quick dump of knowledge off the top of my head.
I am going to start with humans. Basically the dominate humans of the Principality of Tuetonia came over from another country in this case a place called Hykoria like the English did in America. They were lead by a person called the "Prince of Tuetonia". He was a 6th son of a minor Hykorian noble that died in his first battle. He was entombed with his ancestors and was resurrected by the "Empyrean"...a non-bodied force of good.
He came back, was shunned as some kind of undead, but later proved to a few people who would listen he was good with feats such as fighting against a trolls for a town, slaying a dragon and so on. He eventually was told to build 6 ships and take all that would listen with him to the promised land. He had so many he built a seventh. That one called the Vassmore's Hope was lost during a storm. Anyhow Prince Rhendar lead his people to a new land and like the English they met natives....the Amagan Barbarians. At first the Tuetonians befriended the "barbarians". They had several tribes and three even blended with the people with in two generations. By that time they created a new culture that was neither Hykorian or Amagan and they dubbed it Tuetonian.
Later a few generations later they encounter tribes that did not want to be absorbed. The Tuetonians then took up the stance of "go back to where you came from" and fought and conquered them and placed them on reservations. Also during that time they met the usual factious humanoids such as orcs, goblins and bugbears (oh my) but killed them. Their religion a monotheistic belief system that is similar to early Catholicism or the religion found in the Fading Suns RPG. Their religion says that if it isn't human or animal it is a soul-less creature that imitates humanity and is a mockery that can be killed with out a reason, remorse or guilt.
When the Tuetonian encountered non-barbaric, non goblinoid type races such as the halflings, gnomes and dwarves that proved different. They all had things they wanted but couldn't just massacre them like goblins.
Dwarves while lawful are factious and do not get along with others. Tuetonians dealt with them as hired mercs and skilled artisans. The Tuetonians knew that if they had to conquer them...they would have to go into those deep ass caves. Something they could do and win but the loss of life would be too great. They basically nodded to them as the nodded back and stayed away except as business and recognized each dwarven city-state as a sovereign nation and let them war each other. Dwarves were content to trade for things they don't have from the Tuetonians and sell them stuff.
Halflings culture varied. There are four types, most common being like a shire hobbit. Those type when the Tuetonian moved in said "we can farm for you if you keep us around. Unlike those stinky goblins we are civilized. Besides we look just like you but smaller...and our religion isn't that different. We like the sun like you do too...just call it different names". The other halfling subraces live among dwarves, elves or are wandering gypsy types.
Gnomes basically surrendered as soon as the Tuetonians came in. They were besieged by goblinoids for generations and seemingly overnight they disappeared...under the sword of the expansionist Tuetonians. That scare the bejesus out of their king. Now the Tuetonians seeing how they live somewhat like dwarves didn't want to fight them. They also had skills that they like with gems, alchemy and technology. The gnomes were grateful that their goblin problem was gone but was scared at how fast it went away. Long story short (no pun), the gnome king swore fealty to the humans in exchange for them to basically go around them, somewhat like the dwarves. The gnome royal house is the unofficial 7th Great House of nobles.
Anyways things were great until they met the wild elves. They didn't take things lying down and fought against the round ears. They just won independence from the high elves, who at this point the Tuetonians have no knowledge of. The war was 5 years in when the wild elves went to the high elves for help. 3 years later, the Tuetonians and Elven Host are in a bitter war when the territories in the northern part of Tuetonia and the northern parts of the high elf empire had issues with a united race of orcs. Their chieftain united the orcs ala Ghengis Khan and other races that were slaughtered by the Tuetonians like goblin kind and they were going to take back the land stolen by the humans and elves. So they put their differences aside and with the help of the other humanoids as well as the barbarians that were put on reservations they formed the Alliance of Light. The Great War lasted 10 years and finally the orcs capitulated and were no more. All that remains is factious tribes like before. Also the enigmatic sea folk called the Vassa who offered to use their skills of piracy instead to against anyone that sailed the high seas to only attack the Orcish Imperial Navy, which was actually more then a match for anyone...except the Vassa who live their entire lives on a ship.
Shortly after the war the Prince was missing. No nothing. Just one day Prince Rhendar...who by the way is immortal and a demigod of sorts just went MIA. The Principality is around a 100 years old at this time and after the 20 year Rhendar stopped running the day to day operations of the nobles and the Church. He had the "Overlord" run the nobles and the "High Patriarch" run the Church. With the Overlord title it passed from the eldest house to the second and so forth until the youngest house gets it then it starts again every 5 years. When he was missing several nobles tried to get the throne in a coup and when they did, they burst into "empyrean flames" and was burned into ash. The eldest house declared themselves Overlord "until the emergency of the missing Prince has ended". It's been 12 years and no Prince.
Thats where things begin. What do you all think? Would you like this setting so far? I divided the humans into I have 8 regions. Six are Tuetonian regions, 1 is the Amagan barbarians and the last is the Vassa. Let me know if you all want to hear more and maybe we can work on the regions.
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