Sorry, I had to gush over the interest - thank you guys!
Alright humon, you got a big post, and I got a lot of answers! I'll get to Pyx and Dhaeric first, and save the deets for the bottom so they don't have to go digging lol
@Pyx Fantasy Name Generators is the GOAT - highly, highly recommend to
everyone! I love that website, and I'd be in serious trouble if it went down. I should donate some time. Vulgarlang sounds like a fantastic tool I'll probably wind up sinking some cash into too, I'm trying to make my Inkarnate subscription stretch, but I'm addicted to map-making so I'll probably keep it indefinitely.
Artbreeder also sounds really neat, I'll have to check it out.
But past all that, I'd be delighted to have you! I'm more than happy to help on the adjustments if you'd like, I'm trying to get down as much relevant info as I can for the setting but I know there's gonna be a lot of nebulous stuff just bouncing around in my head that I've forgotten to put down.
@Dhaeric Hey, no sweat, I'm brand new myself! Admittedly, I may wind up presenting an RP in a form that's a bit foreign to the site - still learning how things are done around here - but I'd be delighted to have you too! I'm just tickled that you're enjoying it and are interested in playing.
Alright
@humon
humon said:
Looking at that map some more, and how the land is naturally divided by the eight rivers, do you have specific names for each of the octants? And the rivers themselves? I want to try to come up with a history of some of the battles my character was involved in over the past 15 years or so (he'll be starting this campaign at age 30, but he was drafted into service around age 15).
I do - as per both
this map and
this one! They may get updated here soon though, it's been a while since I worked on them. They're due for some TLC.
humon said:
The general moves I was considering:
- Skirmishing with the northmen around 15 years ago that shifted the border back and forth for a while but was inconclusive, and ended when a peace agreement was struck (or in truth both sides just ran out of young men to throw at each other).
Alright - I have
another map which may be of interest! It's also the first map we'll be working around, the one for CBTNW, the prologue for Endzeiten. Ruhigreich is where a lot of conflict with the Northmen begins and ends with the League, though no one is able to stop them ranging up and down the coasts of the Eastern Ocean. I like it so far though! Seems congruent with what I've had in mind for the region.
humon said:
- War with the Elisabethans around 12 years ago, where my character's northern regiment among others was sent across the river to invade the northernmost part of Lizland, alongside a veteran ratman regiment. They captured a couple of fortresses controlling the river crossing and held them for a couple years before having to abandon them for lack of men to defend them, because there were more intense conflicts going on further south that needed the troops more. During this period my character did a lot of raiding and scouting missions on horseback, expecting to prepare the way for a southward push that never came.
- Around 9 years ago my character was transferred south to help defend Ostland from Dhallii raids that were heating up and costing the League a lot of casualties, meaning experienced cavalrymen were in short supply. He was stationed at one of the southern forts in this area, riding regular patrols, but after less than a year in this position his squad was ambushed and he was wounded and taken prisoner.
Also dig it, still on target imo! As always, if you need names or background characters, I can whip some stuff up for you.
humon said:
- Do the Dhallii ever run fighting pits? I was thinking that around age 24 my character's master became displeased with him and decided to enter him into the fighting pits, so that his death would at least bring in some money. But after a year of increasingly more dangerous fights, my character refused to die, and his unexpected victories ultimately caught the attention of a merchant who made an offer to buy him.
I never really thought of it before, but they're certainly the sort of people who would enjoy bloodsport. I dig it! I'm a sucker for gladiator arcs as it is, so you already got some brownie points.
humon said:
- What are the most common trade routes in Ostland? Everything looks very compact, so I'm guessing most of it is by river between north and south, and then there must also be caravans into the mountains to trade with the dwarves and khallii? In any case, during this time my character impressed his boss with his skill and resourcefulness, and he was set free with an agreement to marry the merchant's daughter and take over part of the business. But about 3 years ago a plague swept through that put everybody out of commission for the better part of a year. The merchant's daughter did not survive, and the business collapsed into nothing. The old merchant hung himself in despair, penniless and alone. My character went into town to find some of the other mercenaries he knew, and see what they were planning to do now.
Definitely the rivers, and yes and no - I guess I really should put a key onto the maps but I try and keep them generally vague, so I always have somewhere new I can tuck in a story. I'd say the Ostland is roughly the size of Brazil, so it's got some depth. There's gobs of roads and byways crisscrossing the land, and most certainly - what routes there aren't to reach the dwarfs and elves by water, they have to go overland.
Also, RIP to merchant daughter. :'[
humon said:
- For the past 2 or 3 years my character has been operating in the north as part of Steitz' salvation (or whatever precursor there was, depending on how long you say that regiment has been around). Were they mostly defending a specific town? Were they traveling a lot?
I'd say it varied - perhaps some times they would wind up defending a specific town, or meeting encroachments, but others they would be on the move. Either chasing down bands of Northmen or simply providing a threat-in-being. Feel free to think up certain campaigns or stretches of time spent around specific places or geographic features, I can offer some thoughts myself, but feel free to reference the map from before.
humon said:
I was also considering a few possible related side characters that may or may not come up:
- A childhood girlfriend, the same age as my character, from his old village. They grew up next door and were very close before the military took him away, and he hasn't seen her since. The old village doesn't exist anymore, just some snowed-over ruins now, so my character doesn't know if she's even still alive, if she found someone and got married, or what. She could be living in some northern town or fort, working as a nurse or some other profession. Probably married with kids, but then her husband might have gone north to fight and was killed in battle last year, so she's had to make do by herself since then, doing what she can to support the war effort and put food on the table.
Oooh, I like it - definitely can be worked in.
humon said:
- A ratman he served in the army with during his teenage years. They had butted heads at first, but then came to be good friends, and this guy would have taught my character a lot about the nuances of war. After my character went south, they lost contact, but this guy could have found his way into mercenary work and ended up in Steitz' Salvation. A familiar face that my character is happy to have around. Although the ratman might have understandable reservations about my character taking part in a sketchy-sounding side job, maybe try to warn him that forty silver means going behind enemy lines, which means it's a shot in the dark with a low survival chance, not really worth it if you're playing the long game. My character hears that objection loud and clear, and overrules it.
I love him!
humon said:
- A female alptraum mercenary who had worked alongside my character as a caravan guard (specifically as a night watchwoman) before the plague hit. She went her own way when the caravans stopped running, but her way might have led her north just the same as many of my guy's other companions, resulting in them crossing paths once again at some point. Possibly she's working independently or with a separate mercenary band (or maybe she's now part of this infamous Black Banner you mentioned). They had something of a casual "it's complicated" relationship during their time on the caravan trails together, and my character isn't sure whether now she still feels the same way as she did before, considering he more or less had to dump her to betrothe himself to his boss' daughter.
Oooh, drama! I also really dig her character, and perhaps she did become a part of the Black Banner - there's lots of room there still for characters.
humon said:
- A troll hermit my character used to visit as a boy, who lived in the forest outside his village and used to tell him stories and pose him riddles in exchange for bringing him food and drink from the village. My character learned a great deal about the north and the old gods through this troll, and by now he must be rather elderly, but he could still be kicking around somewhere, minding his own business while the north soaks itself in blood like it's always done. But maybe something's different now, and the troll is more haunted and morose, fearful of the coming darkness that he can sense on the wind. Dark magic that he can smell like rotten food. If he were to get any chance to meet my character again before he dies, he would want to use the opportunity to warn him of what's coming.
Oh
Hell yes this guy is my jam. I really, really like this.
Sorry, I want to offer deeper thoughts, but the wife is pulling me away for social obligations - be well all, look forward to talking more tonight!