campaign setting idea

[kirksmithicus]

Thought I would see if there was any interest in this idea.

I wanted to create a campaign setting that centers around the emergence of city states (Bronze Age) in several different cultural areas. There would be a standard format of information. Each area would have its own common language, agricultural practices etc., but each city state would have its own God, laws, temples, military, currency, weights and measure, trade practices etc. Once all the basic background for each city state has been created (which might take a long while) it could be further developed by jumping ahead 500 years or so and give background on how the city states were united into one kingdom and the current political situation. If this weren't enough I would also eventually like to do version of these kingdoms being merged into an Empire by force of arms.

While ancient Greek, Sumerian, Egyptian (and other) sources could and would serve as an invaluable source of information on ancient city states what I would really like is to produce, or I should say, help produce something original. All this material would also not be tied to one game system as to make it easier for everyone to adapt it to whatever system they would like.




an outline might look something like this


Area 1
-Climate and Geography
-General history
- Agricultural practices
--Crops grown
--Domesticed animals

the city state of Hobo-opolis
-Political structure
-Religion
-- Major god
--- Creation myth of hobo the almighty
---Map of the temple of hobo the almighty
--Minor gods
---Beerthena and origins of Brewski's

Anyway I don't have the format all worked out or anything, but if anyone is interested let me know. As for hosting this information I was thinking of creating a wiki or something. But if you are interested and have a better idea, then let me know.

So, whatcha think?

[Natasha]

Way cool.

You could look into almanacs and the CIA World Factbook for some ideas.

[kirksmithicus]

Those would be great sources of inspiration. But what I guess I'm really trying to say is, who wants to throw in there two shekels worth and help me create a new setting.

[Natasha]

Once I know what information you're looking for, I'd be glad to offer up stuff.

[kirksmithicus]

Well, I'll get to work on a general outline and try to get that up soon and create a web page / wiki when there are enough people interested.

[Jerell]

You know, I'd be interested in contributing, at least a city or something. I've seen a fair amount of places outside the U.S. and interacted with other cultures a fair amount also. History (US, World, and military) is my hobby. So if I can be of any use, I'd love to help out. I've created a world from scratch for my palladium campaign, however, I used a lot of inspiration from Terran cultures. One of my favorite things to do with made up cultures, is flesh out things like national heroes/epics. That stuff is fun to me.

If this unworthy one may be so bold, I believe a good place to start would be with geography and climate. I believe that heavily infuences cultures, especially when they're first starting. It effects everything, dress, food, how much they need/can work, raw materials. Even what the people should look like. Who's on what trade route (like silk and such), are there trade routes established, ect and all that...

- This should be interesting.

[kirksmithicus]

Dude, that's what i'm talking about!, it's like we're "nerds of a feather" or is that "birds of a feather"? Bad joke, I know?

The geography and climate are primarily medeteranian (sp?) though there is a little variation. The southern most region could be equivelent to Nubia or Punt.

Anyway this is what I have so far:

Updated Map!
http://www.geocities.com/kirksmithicus/ ... asemap.PNG
or as jpg if your prefer
http://www.geocities.com/kirksmithicus/ ... semap2.JPG

Notes on customizing a region

http://www.geocities.com/kirksmithicus/ ... egions.doc
http://www.geocities.com/kirksmithicus/ ... egions.txt

I was going to add some spice to this, three of your choice to be exact.

Notes on creating a city state

http://www.geocities.com/kirksmithicus/ ... yState.doc
http://www.geocities.com/kirksmithicus/ ... states.txt

As you might be able to deduce from the URL's, I am tentatively titling the setting the Heoric Age. If you come up with something a little catchier please throw it out there.

[Natasha]

Can you conver those docs to plain text or html, please?

[kirksmithicus]

No problem, hope this helps.

http://www.geocities.com/kirksmithicus/ ... states.txt
http://www.geocities.com/kirksmithicus/ ... egions.txt

[Jerell]

Ausgezeichnet! Excellent, this humble soldier, would like to call 'dibs' on and develope city state #9 There is only one city-state per region correct?) and the surrounding region if that is satisfactory to our enterprise. I shall start on this shortly unless I hear other wise sir. I've wanted to work cooperatively on something like this for some time now. I am most pleased you have put forth this idea. I may be out of contact for a week or so at some point, because shortly I will be de-mobilizing from the sands of Iraq. When I get home, I shall return and complete or add to what I do not finish.

However I also have a few questions. First of all do all these regions speak different languages (Don't get me wrong, I don't want to work on developing a language, I just want to know is all ) . Second, am I deciding what the people look like (genetic traits such as skin, eye and hair colour, ect)? Thrid, should I keep things basically to what one would find on Terra or should I try to be really exotic and involve magic and such...

I shall start with the layout you have given, and procede with further fluff and ideas from there. I like the caste idea you have put forth, I was just thinking about Indian and Japanese culture before I logged on and was thinking I would surprise some people and use a rigid caste system. Turns out you were thinking along the same lines. So much for the 'surprise'

[Natasha]

No problem, hope this helps.

http://www.geocities.com/kirksmithicus/ ... states.txt
http://www.geocities.com/kirksmithicus/ ... egions.txt

Awesome, thanks.
I'm looking at the map now, getting some thoughts together.

[Jerell]

Okay , I've worked on region/city-state #9 quite a bit today. One question has come up for me. I'm assuming magic is fairly rare in this world. Should I stay vague, not mention magic, or what? Just wondering how magic works and all that in our little world here.

Also sir, would you prefer I post parts as I get done so you can track the progress or should I wait and post it all at once when I'm done. I only ask because this could take a while... I've just about got the religion and social system down.

I await your reply. This is comming along quite well thus far for me.

[kirksmithicus]

I'll try to answer all of your questions as best I can.

Each region will have a number of city states. How many I have not worked out just yet. I need to put a scale on the map and work that out sometime soon. The city states of each region will share a similar basic culture, genetic traits and language. So each city state of region 9 will be
the same in those aspect but will differ in politic, religion, etc. (although they may borrow some things from each other). The language needs only a name. The name should probably be the same as the region or derived from the name of the region. For example if I named region 22 Fromor, preople from this region would speak Fromorian. Since you are the first to start working on region 9 you have to lay out much of the ground work for the region (sorry about the extra work) . I wouldn't go into how magic works or anything, but if there is an important group who uses magic in the city state then their structure and activities should be detailed.

The first step would be to pick a region. (which you've done)
Second would be to give it a name (and we can get the name of the language from that)
Third start working on the region
Fouth start working on a city state (and you can do as much or as little as you want)

Now with that said you don't have to do everything if you want you can leave things blank and let others fill things in if you want. As for posting, however you would like to do it, it's up to you. I'll collect everything and put it all together and try to make a web page for it.

Going to work on some things, check back soon.

region------# of city states
1---------------9
2-------------->15
3---------------5
4---------------8
5---------------4
6---------------3
7---------------4
8--------------12
9---------------5

[Jerell]

You mean... I have to do 4 more city-states to fill out this region... Sweet mother of liberty! I wouldn't mind doing another one or two fro this region later, I'll have to see how and feel and what kind of time I have after I get back home.

Okay, here's what I have so far. A lot of it is complete, however, some sections still need some fine tuning think. I've put all my free time into it for the last two days. I've not had anyone else proof read it yet either, so here it is in all it's raw and unpollished glory:

Jhera Region

Location: Bordered on the north by the Deshret Mountains, the main river that runs south through the region is called the Lioness River. Their region is bordered on the west by the Taraz River. The northern part of the region has some sparse grassland. Everything else not immediately near a river is desert, or scrub land, called by the inhabitant the Great Sea of Sand. Great Sea of Sand is considered by most to be the southern extreme of the known world, although the Jheramen claim to have crossed the Great Sea of Sand on their way to the Jhera region. Foreigners consider Jhera to be sunny, hot, and dusty.

People and Culture: The Jhera people, called the Jheramen, are not native to the current region in which they have settled. They actually were nomads from a land far away, and have only settled in what is now called the Jhera region, in the last few hundred years, after leaving their homeland and travelling through the desert. The Jhera people take their name from one of their deities, specifically their desert god, as they travelled extensively in the desert as they travelled to the current Jhera region. The male populace tends to be around 5’ 9” in height, and the females around 5’ 6” on average. Their skin colour is light brown, and hair sandy brown or more often black. Eye colour is blue, hazel or green. Facial features include epicanthic folds, high cheekbones, and aquiline noses.

They use a stringed instrument, called the Dombra for most of their music. Travelling musicians and bards who sing historical accounts of the Jheramen journey are common in the culture, as well as festivals with folk dancing. Other cultural values include respect to elders and hospitality to strangers.

Language: Jherakh

Regional Crops: Dates, chickpeas, cotton, figs, lentil, ensete.

Other domesticated animal: Camel

Naming conventions:

Male names often end in: ol, agu, an, laos, irk and gis

Female names often end in: Ulu, ai, ert, ala, and ana



City State of Jherakeen

-Location
Located near the base of the Deshret Mountains along the West bank of the Lioness River.

-Social Structure / Caste


The city-state of Jherakeen has four castes. At the bottom of the system and most numerous are the common serfs. Mainly farmers and herdsmen, they are usually tied to the land of a citizen. Each family of the serf class is charged with maintaining one large farm for the state. They are treated fairly well by the other caste, as long as they work sufficiently. Luckily for the serf class, the Jheramen typically try to prove their superiority to others by displaying proper ‘civilized’ manners. Life as a serf involves a lot of farming, taking care of animals or fish mongering as well as serving as work the force for civil projects. However they also have little to fear as long as they provide food to themselves and to the state, they are treated well, protected by the Soldier caste, and have some leisure time. Serf farms are typically run by the head of the serf family and overseen by the Administratoi. Sanitation in the city is also provided by groups of serfs, also overseen by the Administratoi.
The second caste is the tradesman and merchant caste, considered second class or semi-citizens. The land allotment for the merchant and tradesmen caste is given directly from the soldier caste. The most prestigious of the tradesmen class are the engineers. It is fairly common for the daughters of famous civil engineering families to marry into full citizen families.
The third caste is the full citizen or soldier caste. They are the true land owners in Jherakeen. One family in the soldier class typically has control over one family of the tradesmen/merchant caste. The soldier caste families have many responsibilities, with some of this class acting as city guard/police and the rest as a standing army. All male members of the military caste are trained from age 7 to their 18th birthday to be professional soldiers. They then serve in the standing army at least until age 38, after which time they may retire if they wish. Their main purpose is the defence of Jherakeen and its interest abroad. Honour and courtesy to all are drilled into this class as they grow up. Both physical and mental fitness is also stressed for both sexes. The full citizen caste females main job is to produce more citizens, marriage is typical at age 18 although not always. However females are encouraged to be strong fighters and sometimes all female army units are formed from the best female fighters, but rarely do they leave the Jherakeen city area. Travellers to Jherakeen often are surprised to find the soldiers in the city acting as highly civilized as they do. Priests, Priestesses and Doctors are also citizens being equals of the soldier caste. At the age of 18 all members of this caste are considered as equals. It is also possible to fail at these professions or volunteer and be demoted to the merchant and tradesmen class, although this is fairly rare. After 20 years of service in the army, soldiers usually retire and take up a job in the administratoi.
Travellers from out of the region are often surprised at the natural beauty of the Jheramen soldier caste women, as they are usually very physically active, in shape and attractive even without makeup and other such devices. They are also strong and experienced enough to often defeat males from other cultures, this has proven a nasty shock to more than one foreigner. The women also life a fairly free life compared to some other cultures.

The noble class are few in Jherakeen. The King, or locally known as the Khan, is the head of the nobility, his wife is second only to him. There are only 7 other members of the nobility in Jherakeen. These 7 other members are known as the Justicars.
Duty to the city-state is generally believed to be the most important duty of every member of society.

Approximate population by caste
Serf- 3000
Trade/Merchant – 1100
Citizen- 1500

-Political System

The Khan rules the city of Jherakeen. He has the power to create laws, as well as ensure they are carried out. He also has the power to pardon criminals, however not himself. He is also the head of the army. And therefore in charge of the soldier class, and through them the rest of the populace. The Khan also has the ability to grant land to families and to thereby raise families to the soldier caste. He also has the ability to raise serf families to the tradesmen caste.
The council of Justicars is the balance to the Khan. They can advise the Khan, as well as propose laws. They can also overturn the Khan’s laws by 6 out of 7 votes of the council, though this has never been done. Justicars can issue pardons for petty crimes.
Justicars are appointed by popular vote and are selected from among the soldier caste. Each of the five leaders of the temples in Jherakeen appoint one Justicar, the appointment of all Justicars are for life. One Justicar is voted on, and chosen by popular vote of all family leaders of the trade and merchant caste, and one is also elected by popular vote by the family leaders of the serf class. The Justicars oversee the Administratoi in the city and act as generals in the army.
When the Khan dies, a new king is selected from among the current Justicars by a vote amongst themselves. It is customary for the council to debate amongst themselves before voting.
Many of the civil service jobs of Jherakeen are performed by soldiers who have performed 20 years in the army. The government body that all the civil servants belong to is known as the Administratoi.
Priest/Priestesshood: Every temple in Jherakeen has 9 priests and/or priestesses, and one high priest or priestess.

-Taxation system.
The serfs are taxed only in food and physical labour, and the tithe is set by the Administratoi, based on the size of the serf family and the growing season as well as the needs of the city.
The merchant and tradesmen caste are taxed with 50% of their profits (meaning 50% of the money they make after subtracting operating cost) collected by the Administratoi and given to the State, which is distributed amongst the nobility and full citizen families fairly equally, with the king getting a much larger percentage used for things like civil projects and community programs.
Citizens are not taxed.

-Health care
Doctors and health care are state run and subsidized. While citizens get the best treatment, doctors are available to the serf and trade caste as well. Well behaved foreigners are also accepted into the halls of healing most of the time.

-Religion

The chief deity of Jherakeen is the goddess Alliana. According to legend Alliana is the mother of the Jheramen people as well as the most beautiful goddess in the Jherakeen pantheon, with skin of bronze, hair of gold and eyes of glowing sapphire. She is commonly depicted as a warrior wearing lamellar armour and carrying a sword. Besides giving birth to the Jheramen she is also the goddess of truth, and the moon as well as the creator of the Al Nuhr River. It is said none can lie to her, and her words speak only truth. She is also said to be fearless and deadly in combat, and her sword spits lightning. Her holy symbol is that of a down turned sword with a full moon behind it. The Jheramen use the lunar calendar, and the days are kept track of by the temple of Alliana. Each full moon, every 30 days, marks the end of each month. Seasons are recorded also, with each season officially lasting about 91 days. 4 Seasons make one year, the year starts in spring. The first new moon after spring has come is considered the first month of that year. It is possible then to have one month count as being in two separate years.

Jherall is the god of the desert, also called the Wanderer of the Desert, or the Swordmaster. He is the god of knowledge and survival, the fighting scholar who seeks understanding. He is seen as a friend of those in seek of knowledge and the traveller. He is commonly depicted as a slender man with pale skin, pointed ears, eyes of emerald, dressed in desert attire and carrying a large Jhera style sword, of which he is credited with designing the first of, with help from Arrinala. In myths he is always portrayed as calm, and does not show anger physically. Instead of showing anger he channels it into the mortal world in the form of sandstorms. He is said to be the ally of the wise, and foe of the rash. Jherall’s holy day falls on winter solstice, and commemorates the journey of the Jheramen across the desert to Jherakeen. It is celebrated by mass at the temple of Jherall and after that, the day is traditionally spent in public places, pubs or parks listening to bards recount tales of the past.

Gharagu is the god of death and destruction. He is depicted as a giant man about 12 feet tall and very muscular, always wields a large axe and carries a highly reflective golden shield made to look like the sun. Gharagu represents the destructive power of the desert sun, and the uncouth of barbarians. He was a foe to the early Jheramen as well as all he remains the killer of unwary travellers in the desert.

Arrinala is the goddess of builders. She noted for her patience and attention to detail. Worshiped mainly by smiths and engineers, Arrinala is depicted carrying the hammer and level. Arrinala’s greatest creation was said to be the building of the world.

Daldirk is the jolly god of drink, and fishing. He is always depicted smiling, carrying a fishing pole, an alcoholic beverage and has a full black beard and a fishing hat. He is a favourite of the serf class. Every year, during the vernal equinox, the festival of Daldirk is held. It always includes a fishing tournament, a fish fry, and drunken revelry.

There is one holy book which collects multiple stories of each of the gods. The book is called Saga of the Sea of Sand.

-Military

The army’s main manoeuvre unit is called the Platoon. One platoon consists of 50 soldiers in 5 ranks, or squads. Each squad in turn has 10 men. Each squad has one leader called the protarch. The protarch is signified by a single chevron on his helmet. Each platoon is led an officer called the Dahboltarch. The Dahboltarch is signified by maroon crest on his helmet that runs from left to right.
Jherakeen Guard- The soldier caste forms the standing army of Jherakeen. They are both highly disciplined and effective at what they do. Starting at the age of 18 the soldiers begin life in the standing army as a heavy archer, equipped with bronze scale lamellar armour on a linen or leather foundation. They carry a composite bow and a wood and bronze plated buckler as well as the Jhera style bronze sword for melee, which is good for slashing and thrusting.
After 10 years of service, a soldier is moved to the chariot corp. The chariots are constructed light and manoeuvrable and crewed by two, a driver and an archer. The archer also is armed with a long spear for melee when arrows are expended. Seriously wounded soldiers who survive are often transferred to the Administratoi.
Sororitoi Guard, One Platoon of female soldiers is always maintained in the standing army called the Sororitoi Guard. They are armoured in the standard Jhera style lamellar, bronze helmet, buckler, and carry a bronze voulge. They typically serve as the palace guards of the king.
All Auxilios units are expected to meet three days per month, every month for platoon level exercises and training.
Sororitoi Auxilios- Additionally most females of the soldier class are trained in the art of war, not as much or as long as their male counter parts, however they still are semi-professional soldiers organized into their own Platoons. The Sororitoi Auxilios serve as reserve troops that are called up mainly in defence of the city of Jherakeen, although occasionally a platoon is sent in the field for war. The Sororitoi Auxilios are armed in the same way was the standard male Jherakeen Guard units and are usually more than a match for most foreign troops.
Each suit of scale lamellar armour is made to the highest standards in Jherakeen. Even the belt buckles of the soldier caste are finely detailed and have written, “Alliana’s with us,” over the emblem of Jherakeen. The typical bronze helmet of Jherakeen troops is well constructed
Civilitoi Auxilios and Conscriptoi Auxilios – When additional troops are needed the militia Auxilios is called up which consist of volunteers from the merchant class, led by an officer of the soldier caste. Some tradesmen and merchants can afford better or maintain decent armour and weapons. They typically fight in linen and bronze brigandine armour when they don’t have lamellar and carry wooden shields and spears. Mainly used for defence of the city, occasionally one Civilitoi Auxilios platoon is organized for war by young and ambitious merchants seeking to prove their worth in battle and be raised to the status of full citizen. Two platoons of Civilitoi Auxilios specialize in combat engineering. Those two Platoons see the most deployment of any Auxilios unit, and one platoon commonly accompanies the Jherakeen field army when on. Conscriptoi Auxilios are the serf militia who are in theory called up as a last resort in defence of Jherakeen or used in small numbers to support military campaigns abroad. Serving in the Conscriptoi Auxilios on campaign usually means relegation to serve as a sort of squire and attendant to the soldier caste between battles, or to augment the work force of the Engineering platoon. However the lure of the chance to get some loot and riches, and maybe even earn a chance to join the merchant class an engineer, or romantic (however wrong) notions of battle sometimes draws young serfs to volunteer for field duty in the Auxilios.
When campaigning, tents consisting of felt are often employed for protection from the elements.

Trade
The city market is a large circle, open at sunrise and does most of its business before lunch time. Trade caravans in and out of the city usually arrive by camel caravan. However horse drawn carts are also used in the city a great deal. Some trade also comes from the south by boat on the Lioness River.
Jherakeen has a monopoly on jade and the spice cinnamon.
The local currency is called the Dinar.

Clothing
Because of the hot climate, light colour (White, off-white, and tan), and loose fitting linen clothing is normally worn. The serfs generally wear cloth pants that are tied at the waist and ankle, and plain looking shirts that are put on over the head.
The merchant caste wear similar clothing, however, their shirts are usually better constructed and more ornate. And their pants are commonly brown in colour.
The citizens are the only persons authorized to wear maroon coloured clothing. Males commonly wear maroon coloured short sleeve shirts that open in the front and fasten down the left breast with black ties. Black pants are also part of the standard citizen dress. The pants tend to be baggy down to about the knee, where they taper down to a cuff that can be tied. Tan coloured clothes in the same fashion are also worn in the summer. For the females typical dress consist of the same style shirt, most often in maroon with black ties and a black skirt that goes down to the knees. Again tan is sometimes worn during the summer.
Females of all caste, sometimes wear a long textile gown, known as a deel. However these tend to be much more ornate than your average dress, and used for festivals and other such occasions.
The poncho is a popular garment. All people of every caste wear ponchos as needed. Even the serf class can have a decent poncho. Thin, tan or white ponchos are worn in hot weather. For other more inclement and cool weather, including on campaign, thicker felt ponchos are very popular.
When outside wide brimmed straw hats, usually shallow and conical are also popular due to how sunny and hot the Jhera region tends to be on average.


Hair Styles
The hair of the Jheramen tends to be black and straight. Men tend to wear their hair short to shoulder length. Shoulder length is more popular in the surf class. Soldiers usually opt for shorter hair. Beards are worn by about one quarter of the male population, Moustaches are common.
Women almost always have long hair. The women of the soldier caste tend to pin their hair up in many different styles however.

Education
The state runs the school system of Jherakeen, which is over seen by the Administratoi. The teachers are usually females of the merchant or soldier caste, or males of the Administratoi.
The citizens are given the finest schooling available, as they are taught the ways of warfare. They are also taught to read and write early on. Math is covered, as well as the psychology of warfare, history and social science. School for the soldier caste is a military style of schooling. The soldiers are conditioned to resist fear and embrace order, and well as to respect all and conduct themselves appropriately.
Merchant class are taught to read and write as well. Math is also stressed for the trade class.
The serf class are not mandated to read and write, however it is highly encouraged. The serf class typically spend the least amount of time in school, and rarely learn math.
Social science is taught to every student, as is their place in the grand scheme of the city. Serf children are taught to believe that because of the soldier caste they can live in relative safety and that in exchange for the soldier caste fighting their battles for them, they get to life in relative peace (Which is true). They are also taught patriotism for their city-state, and that every task that helps the state is rewarding to society as a whole.

Legal system
All citizens and semi-citizens are given the right to a trial by jury. The juries consist of one priest from each of the temples, with a Justicar or a subjusticar appointed by him to act as a judge. Each Justicar can appoint one subjusticar from the Administratoi, for any length of time. The subjusticar then acts as a judge during trials.
Serf caste also have the right to trial for all crimes except capitol offenses, however, they are tried by a panel of five Citizens, with one priest to act as a judge. In the case of a capital offense a serf may be summarily executed by a soldier caste, or brought in for trial. Either is acceptable.
In both cases, simple majority vote of the jury can find a person guilty or not guilty. During trials witnesses can be called for defence and prosecution. The judge calls for a vote at the end of the trial and then sentences.

Sports and leisure
Chariot races are a public sport that serves as training for the Jherakeen Guard, and a good way for soldiers to make a name for themselves. Soccer is a popular sport for all caste and it is acceptable for them to mingle while playing soccer. Athletic clothes are worn so as ones caste cannot be distinguished while playing.
The soldier caste, male and female, also practice archery, running and wrestling as a sport apart from during training time.
Folk dancing is popular in all caste as is singing and the playing of musical instruments (the latter being more rare).




-end

Okay then, I've still got a few things to add, but that's the basic run down I have thus far.

I would like to add a trade route to the deep south of silk, of which this city would be a part of, and have that be the only route for silk. But I wanted to get your permission for that one. As I think the silk road is world effecting, especailly as far as trade and wealth go...

What do you think sirs? And ma'am? I hope this is up to snuff thus far. As a write up just for fun, I think it's going rather well so far, but let me know if I've gotten the right spirit here.

~ Jerell

[kirksmithicus]

First let me just say: FREAKING AWESOME!, dude you work fast. I'm still just scribbling notes

No you don't have to do 4 more city states. Let's just call this the maximum carrying capicity of the region (i.e. the most cities that the region will support given the current level of technology). Not to mention, much (if not most), of the cultural and regional background can be used for all city states in the same region. With perhaps a different political and religious institutions and some other minor differences.

These cities don't have to be created unless someone wants to do so. If the project suffers from a lack of enthusiasm and we end up with only a total of 3 city states, then so be it. We can always change the map later, delete regions and change the scale. When I first posted this concept I figured it would be a long term project, lasting at least a few months before getting more than the basics of a few regions and cities laid out. I was hoping to eventually get at least a half dozen to a dozen people involved (overly optimistic perhaps ). But we'll see how things progress and in a few months reasses and determine if things need to be made smaller or whatever.

As for editing, I'll read it over for anything obvious, but I'm no Engish Professor .


The silk road / silk trade is cool, feel free to add that if you like.

[kirksmithicus]

Before I post anything on the Wiki site I thought you should read throught the terms and conditions of that site. If you don't agree with the terms I can find another home page that can not be altered if you prefer.

Updated the link to the wiki page
http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Prometheu ... :Main_Page

I've also tentatively changed the name of the setting / project.

[Jerell]

Kewl, I'm just glad you liked it. I'm relieved actually, that was about 2 solid days of work. Maybe I should go into business making world setting for RPGs... lol I really wanted to do as much as I could as quick as I could while I was sitting here near old Babylon and the old boarder of Sumeria with the El Salvadorian, Georgian, Kazakh, Lithuanian, and Polish armies. That way all the ideas and cultural infleunces I was thinking about would be fresh in my mind. Anyway I'm packing up getting ready to head on out, so I'll be out of contact with everyone and everything in a few days. I'll probably check back here around June 1 or just after, after go out of contact.

I would however like to do more, but won't have the time for weeks probably. I sure do hope more people join in though. I'll be patient however, as I would like to see this map fully developed some day. Maybe I can get my buddies back in the states to do a city or two... Call the region whatever you like mate. If you're checking my spelling, be warned, I type with an English accent some times.

I will use this setting in my campaign if it get's used for nothing else, I really look forward to seeing what other people come up with. I wish everyone luck with the project for now. I'll describe the architecture, and the weapon and helmet styles when I get back on in a few weeks.

~ Jer

edit - Use whatever web site you like. I'm okay with your choice, you are the project manager after all.

[kirksmithicus]

Well have a safe trip home. I assume that you are in the military? What unit?

If you want to do more that would be great, don't worry about getting things done in a rush. Hopefully the project will be around for a while. Anyway, have some fun when you get back and once you have time, I look forward to seeing all the new material you've come up with.

As for the name of the area you created, I just had to call it something. You can always change it later if you come up with something else you like better.

In the mean time, I hope to have most of what i'm working on posted up on the web page.

[Natasha]

Here's Region #6's overview.


Aertepia

Location and geographical overview
Center of the continent on the southern edge of the Sea of Aertepia (also known generically as The Northern Seas and as Vor Azula ("the calm blue waters") by the Ilkarians). The region's southern border is defined by the Sultay Mountains; the eastern border is the Yelina Mountains, which are the source of the mighty Yelina River which empties into Sultay Lake in the Sultay foothills; and the western border is defined by one of the continent's longest rivers, the Aeleny (Yellow) River. The Neba Suma (New Winter) peninsula in the west of the region juts into the Aertepian sea. The Lutians claim some of the islands in the archipelago of Region#4.

People and culture overview
The common term for a person of this region is Aertepian (Aertepians, plural). These are relatively short people, the males rarely exceeding 5' 6" while the females are on average 3 inches shorter. Their skin, hair, and eyes are dark coloured. A common physical trait is epicanthal folds and a majority seem to have cleft chins.

These people are not given to war, however, war is something they have been traditionally successful at.

Much value is placed on the afterlife. When a master dies, his favoured servants commit suicide so that they may continue to serve their master in the afterlife. Inhumations are primarily catacombs with the occasional animal remains buried with the deceased along with prized possessions and texts and prayers to help him through his journey in the next life - in the form of praise, advice, humour, and memories. The more he takes with him, the easier his life will be.

Language: Aertepian, although Lutian is a strongly distinct dialect.

Crops
The region is fertile ground for grapes, figs, pistachios, dates, cherries, and tangerines.

The Sultamenians of the Sultay Mountains control the pistachio crop.

The vast majority of grapes grown (75%) are used for wine making. While 20% is used for fresh fruits (5% of that for making grape fruit juice) and the remaining 5% are dried to produce raisins.

Common herbs and spices: Chamomile and peppermint, which are used for flavouring teas and in some medicinal applications such as upset stomaches and for the menthol in peppermint.

Other domesticated animal: Chicken (Aertepia)

Naming conventions: The given name is the common name which identifies the person. The family name identifies the person's family, which always ends with "nen" - if the last letter is "n", then the ending becomes "inen". The person will have at least two middle names: the name of his father and the name of his family's urheimat or homeland. For example, Maranik Stepanik Lutia Maraninen identifies a male named Maranik; his father is Stepanik; his homeland is Lutia; and his family's name is Maraninen.

Male names often end in: the letters ik. Such as the name Maranik.

Female names often end in: the vowel a or o. Such as the name Marana.

Technology
The predominate armour is padding and leather while hard core infantry units often wear bronze helmets, body armour, and carry shields. By far the most common weapon is the antenna-hilted sword.

City-states

There are three city-states in the region:

1. Lutia: located along the "North Coast", concentrated on the western peninsula called Neba Suma.
2. Sulamenia: located in the Sultay Mountains are well known for their pistachios.
3. Cenplia: located in the central plains. They are known for their human sacrifice rituals (although this primarily the execution of criminals offered to the gods).

[kirksmithicus]

Awesome!
keep up the good work.

I see that everyone is ahead of me!

I think i'll have some Aertepian bird for lunch.

Well this is what I have so far.

Location: (3)The island of Ilkara is located near the center of the Northern Seas (which the Ilkarians call Vor Azula -"calm blue waters") north of the Aertepia coast. The island is a large fertile volcanic island with a large variety of natural resources

People and Culture: Local legends say that ancient Kromori ("savage men", also commonly used as an insult) settled the island when the Gods were young. The Gods gave these Kromori the gifts of agriculture, writing and bronze smelting. After recieving these gifts they abandoned the ways of their Kromori ancestors and became the Ilkara. Above all else the Ilkara revere intellect and a quick wit. As such all learned men and traders who drive a hard bargain are highly esteemed. This combined with their sailing capabilities explains why they have become prominent explorers and traders. Alkarian men are often very tall and thin, even those of great strength, while women are slightly shorter. Skin color is a dark mahogany and hair is black and curly. Common eye colors are brown and green.

Language: Ilkarian

Regional Crops: Grapes, Lemons, Almonds, Olives, Eggplant, Beets

Common Herbs and Spices: Lavender, Cloves, Saffron

Domesticated animal: Horses, Oxen, Dogs, Sheep, Goats and Bees

Naming conventions: Among the Ilkarians a persons family name is more important than their own. When greeting another person the family name is given first, then one's own name.

Male names often end in:

Female names often end in:


City States

[kirksmithicus]

modified the map to make it more consistent with prevailing winds and weather patterns.
Basically, the rivers in region 1 and 2 are smaller and will probably reduce the total number of city states allowed in each.

http://www.geocities.com/kirksmithicus/ ... semap3.JPG

http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Prometheu ... :Main_Page

Things are coming along steadily but there coming. Areas 3,6,9 have the basics of the region completed and two city states are up and in progress, Jherakeen, and Hellianoptis with more to come.

As always, everyone is welcomed to contribute as little or as much as they like.

Thanks to Natasha and Jerell for their contributions

[Natasha]

Sure thing.
And I'm working on some city-state details but more slowly than I thought I would.
Dang real life GRR.

[kirksmithicus]

No problem, I'm in the same situation. There aren't any deadlines Trying to deal with life and work on a city state plus hash out setting details like weather, vegetation, technologies, trade routes etc, so I understand. Currently trying to find something about bronze age trade ships but details are appearantly a little sketchy. Well at least in the 1970's library book I have!

[Natasha]

Maybe you can find his book Seagoing Ships & Seamanship in the Bronze Age Levant.

[kirksmithicus]

Thanks for the tip but I think I finally have what I need. It would probably take me a month to get the book on interlibrary loan because at 80 bucks i'm not buying it

Anyway, I've added some general world information to the wiki page and I was thinking of rolling the population of each city state just to give them a little variety.

Still working on things, the site could use a little more organization but it's not bad consisdering how long we've been working on it. A lot of minor edits to make also, and trying to decide on some style and formatting conventions. Anyway, its coming along.

http://wiki.rpg.net/index.php/Prometheu ... :Main_Page


Now if we could just get some more people to contribute!!!

[pblackcrow]

Yeah, sounds great!!!

[pblackcrow]

What cast would mages/magi belong to???

[kirksmithicus]

What cast would mages/magi belong to???

That would depend I suppose. Are they part of the main religion? are they advisors to the ruler?

Depending on the prestige of their calling they could be near the top of the bottom of the caste system. The caste system that we've talked about so far is only a guide, four basic classes that should probably be included at a minium. Other caste's can be included but it would be up to you as to where they should fall in the caste structure. I would say that if they were advisors to the king or part of the main religion/God then they would pretty high up in the caste. If they come from the lower classes and they have nothing directly to do with the ruling class then they would be a lower caste. It may also depend on how the average guy feels about magic? is it good and helpful or is it something to be feared, is it officially sanctioned? Mostly it just depends on what you think works.

Hopefully this rambling might help

BTW, looking foreward to see what you've got.

[pblackcrow]

Egypt...they would fit into all casts. Including ruling. More so at Alexandria.

Sparta...I would say religious, ruling, and advisers.

Greece...probably advisers, religion, healers, and nobility.

They weren't exactly what I would call feared, but respected; yes. Mages were very respected. But it would mostly depend on the town or what not.

[Jerell]

I'm back and home in Michigan. However, due to not seeing any of my social contacts here for over a year, especially my wife. Other things are demanding my attention.

So I just wanted to drop a line. I don't have the time availible to do much more for now. I'll wait a while and see if anyone else is willing to help us out. I would hope they are out there somewhere...



I'm in a Forward Surgical Team, BTW. I don't want to say more than that.

[kirksmithicus]

Sorry for taking so long to respond. I've been out of town all week and I just got back late last night.

I'm back and home in Michigan. However, due to not seeing any of my social contacts here for over a year, especially my wife. Other things are demanding my attention.

Not a problem, totally understand that. Welcome back and I hope you have a great time. We'll see you when have settled in and have more time.

A couple of questions.
Which ones are already being worked on/done? (Are 3,6,&9 the only ones being worked on?)
Is this "Earth" based only? (Are fantasy creatures/races involved?)
What comprises a region? (how far around the #'s do the regions stretch?)

At the moment on area's 3,6 and 9 are being worked on, though I've been working up some material for another region though I have not decided which one it will be applied to, so yeah everything but 3,6, and 9 are still open. Within region 3 you are free to create additional city states that is in keeping with already created material (i.e. regional material).

The original intent was to keep everything "Earth" based, only humans or generic. This was so that individual GM's could assign race's, or insert elves or dwarves etc, as they saw fit in their own personal games. If you envision a particular group as Elves that's fine, I would just describe them as normal, minus the pointy eared details and such, that would overtly indicate their race.

Most of the regions are centered on rivers and river valley's but this is not always the case obviously. Region 3 is an island and region 6 has no major river valleys. I generally asuumed that each city state in a region would be seperated by at least 30 miles. This would be the cities hinterland (agriculatural base) but the seperation of each city state could be even greater, say 50 to 100 miles, though I wouldn't go much beyond this. This information was intentionally left vague so people could create the region as they saw fit.

Eventually I (or possibley others) will create larger maps of each region on which cities and other details can be placed. As well a city maps themselves, but this may take a little while.

I hope I answered all of your questions. If not, let me know, and I'll try again

I hope you will join our collaborative effort.

For other people, who may not have time to create an entire region or city state I am open to smaller contributions. This could be anything as little as suggesting names for regions or cities or adding a bit of detail to a city or region. With the city states creators acceptance of course. This could be something as simple as throwing in a few sentances or a paragraph describing a religious festival that someone has named but not described. Alternately you could provide material that others could use in something not yet created, a religous order, political structure, or whatever. In addition I have decided that dozens and dozens of barbarian tribes need a voice, if your interested in that kind of thing post it up. Who are they, where do they live and so on.

[kirksmithicus]

Sarmania (region 1)

Location and Geography

The city states of Sarmania are all located along the Harstor River. The Harstor river flows north along the western edge of the great Atibul mountain range and ends in the bay of Menit. On the eastern side of the Atibul mountains lies the Thismus straights and across these straights is the land of Stavishik. To the west and south of the Harstor river lies the Mubitku desert. Most of the population of Sarmania lives within a mile or two of the Harstor river though there are smaller settlements and villages located along the base of the Atibul Mountains. Though the Samanians have explored areas adjacant to the region there are no settlements on the eastern side of the Atibul Mountains. All along the length of the Harstor river both large and small canals have been dug to provide irrigation for fields. These fields mostly lie on the western side of the river while the eastern bank of the Harstor is given over to large tracts of wilderness and forests. The hot dry winds of the Mubitku desert evaporate large quantities of water from the Harstor river but then these moisture laden winds climb the Atibul mountains and cool. This cool moist air returns as rain on the western slopes of the Atibul's thus watering the forests before returning to the Harstor. This cycle is central to the religious pantheons of the Sarmanian city states, and Sarmanian culture in general. The origins of the Harstor river are unknown but near the southern extent of the Atibul range the river suddenly appears out of the desert. The river, for much of it's length is an underground river, though to the south of Sarmania there are numerous areas where the river reaches the surface for short periods. These oasis are known as Afthusen in the Sarmanian tongue and may be as small as a few feet across or as large as 20 miles long. Though no major cities are found on these oasis, small villages can be found around the larger Afthusen. These villages play a major role in trade with the city states of the The Jhera Valley to the south, and make the desert crossing possible.




People and Culture

The Sarmanian male population averages around 5'6" tall while females are slightly smaller (5'4"). They commonly have straight blakc hair, dark eyes and epicanthal folds. They may be distantly related to the Aertepians though they lack the cleft chins and are slightly lighter in color. Sarmanian culture, like other civilzations revolves around agriculture.



Language

Sarmanian, though there are slaves who speak a variety of barbarian tongues. The Sarmanian language is linguistically related to the Aertepian language, though very distantly. The two languages share approximately 20% or less of the same words. Along the southern trade route Jherakh is commonly spoken as a second language.



Domesticated Crops

Pomegranates, Citron, Almonds, Chickpeas, Vetch



Common Herbs and Spices

Bay Leaves, Celery Seed, Marjoram



Domesticated animals

Horses, Oxen, Dogs, Sheep, Goats and Donkey



Naming conventions

Male names often end in: rha, era, tas, vala, tyon, los, bek.

Female names often end in: gyao, iana, ona, usa, aris, riga, ella.



City States

Atiscalla

Tambylia

Hamira

Butroan

Altenel

Haphtep

Silak

Estrastos

Jaratu

[kirksmithicus]

count zero and Amberjack have come up with some great stuff in the Region 2 thread. If you haven't checked it out yet, you should.

I have just some general questions about the project that I wanted to get some feedback on.
I was reading through some of the city descriptions and was thinking that several topics may be more appropriate to the 'region' section. These topics are clothing, hairstyles and Sports and Leisure, though any minor variations or things specific to a city could be addressed in the city state descriptions.

So in brief: should I move this stuff to the region descriptions?

I was rereading Stormchilds post and got to thinking that perhaps the Human only restriction might be to limiting. The whole fantasy race does not appeal much to me, but I can easily change this for my own use, so why should I limit the creativity of others.

Should other races be allowed in the setting?

Since no one other than people in the PB forums has contributed to the project, should I allow the contributions that have PB stats (monsters, NPC's, etc.)?

[count zero]

count zero and Amberjack have come up with some great stuff in the Region 2 thread. If you haven't checked it out yet, you should.

I have just some general questions about the project that I wanted to get some feedback on.
I was reading through some of the city descriptions and was thinking that several topics may be more appropriate to the 'region' section. These topics are clothing, hairstyles and Sports and Leisure, though any minor variations or things specific to a city could be addressed in the city state descriptions.

So in brief: should I move this stuff to the region descriptions?

I tend to agree. There will always be cultural differences across city-states, but I think general descriptions should apply on a regional level. (Unless there are very large variations across a region.)

Should other races be allowed in the setting?

Since no one other than people in the PB forums has contributed to the project, should I allow the contributions that have PB stats (monsters, NPC's, etc.)?

I sort of like the feel of a fantasy setting light on non-human races (or without them altogether). There's a place for magic and monsters, but the way it's shaping up so far, I like it without non-human races. It sets it apart a bit. I like that it has more of mythical vibe than an orcs & elves & dragons-type gig.

The PB stats question is a judgement call, I guess. I don't have a strong opinion either way. Anything I contribute probably won't include stats, but I wouldn't rule out including prominent individuals (NPCs).

Ø

[kirksmithicus]

count zero, thanks for the feedback and the sweet new map.

I used the map you made to make some regional maps, as usual not the greatest maps in the world but what can you do when you have little to no artisic ability and the only graphics program i've mastered is MS Paint

I also added a demographics calculator. It's and exel spread sheet. Just fill in the fields in bold and the rest takes care of itself. You can tweak the percentages of various occupations to whatever you think best fits a region. I may do some more of these things, just because I recently figured out how to do formula's in exel.

[count zero]

I've made a pretty substantial update to the page detailing the city-state of Xadir in Caulis (HERE). Comments and suggestions are always welcomed and appreciated. There are some gaps yet to fill in (Law, Trade, etc.), but I'll keep putting sections in when I have the spare hour or two to write them up. Cheers.

Ø