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#Post#: 3124--------------------------------------------------
Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: August 19, 2017, 11:20 am
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I spend 99.99% of my time bored with whatever it is I'm doing at
the time. Because of this I spend most of my time thinking and
daydreaming, so I have a few arc and story ideas that I've come
up with in the process. I'mma dump them here if that's okay, so
I can have a place to keep them and possibly further develop
them into something that could maybe be run/written someday.
#Post#: 3130--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: August 19, 2017, 11:36 pm
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I’m bad with titles so I’ll just call this one… iunno…
Bingle Bang: The Quest for Dang
Special Snote: Everything I plan does not take into
consideration firearms nor modern technology. I usually try to
keep it close to show canon if it can be helped.
A bare bones summary and very light description of what I'd have
in mind:
Not too long ago I spent way too much time thinking about
characters and junk that, in a perfect world, would be used in a
series of fan fic stories if I didn’t procrastinate like crazy.
Each I find could be converted to a forum arc with some work.
One would be a prequal taking place after Nightmare Moon but
before the Mane 6 are born. I thought it would be fun to screw
around with the time period before the Elements and flesh out
what could have happened in that time.
This would be during a time where - without the elements -
serious threats obviously would have been dealt with by special
teams, knights, the military, guards and blah blah. Could be a
chance to make a character where you can have them establish
some lore for the past and be referenced or met by current
characters later on in their life should you wish to have an
aged veteran appear somewhere down the line. They could be a
jumping off point for further stories involving them,
experienced characters that could provide adventures of their
own for current ones, a grumpy old codger, hublablubahblub.
This particular story would be relatively grand in scale but,
considering the time period and the fact that characters
participating would more or less be created specifically for
this, relatively self-contained and focused. There would be a
big bad, battles, arc NPCs, the works, but the fact that we know
the world ends up the way it does means strong encouragement of
deciding how these characters that would be made for it end up
towards the end. Since this would involve war, it would be a
chance to make a character with how they end up being the focus
as opposed to just being a regular character you would want to
have participate in everything. Maybe you want to make a war
hero that dies on the battlefield? Maybe they did something neat
and earned themselves a statue in the Canterlot Castle gardens.
Or maybe you can play someone who’s actions were vital but went
unsung and only those that survive would be able to share their
story.
Drama and junk.
The main bad guy would be a sort of hybrid character that would
be difficult to explain as he would have reality warping
abilities. Nothing terribly game breaking but enough to keep
fighting him a very difficult thing to plan and pull off due to
his ability to change immediate surroundings to a certain degree
and influence perception. Some details on him would be
immediately available to royalty due to them being royalty or
whatever, and behind him would be his own faction, but beyond
that RP would be needed to learn more.
Starting of this would most likely be the main bad appearing
somewhere and working to build strength while the good guys
catch wind, try to locate and prevent his actions. Chances are
they’d not succeed to make room for the escalating conflict, but
mehbe can cut it short, or at least effect the way things role
out later down the road, if actions are smart and just dang ass
perfect.
This story would I imagine be about Teen in rating but possibly
upgraded to Mature if we wanted it to be more serious and what
not. I would love to have planned moments and ideas collaborated
with others to include to spice up the story, but the usual RP
improv would still be the norm.
Well, this killed a half hour or so. :P
#Post#: 3158--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: August 25, 2017, 9:16 am
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Boom Zoom: The Tomb of Doom
This idea is probably the most fleshed out of all of mine due to
it having started as an arc idea for the previous forums then
was rewritten to act as a standalone fan fiction that I’ve
written a couple of chapters for already. It wouldn’t take much
for it to be changed back into an arc for others to participate
in.
This story begins with a mystery involving the sudden
appearances of wild and dangerous animals and creatures within
several different cities in Equestria, presumably via magic as
reports claim that they literally just appear out of thin air.
The mayors of each are gathered to discuss what’s going on and
devise a plan on how to anticipate the next occurrence as well
as try to discover who’s responsible. Your characters would
either be assigned to investigate should they be the type to be
given orders from the crown or would be caught up in what’s
happening due to having chosen to attend a festival being held
in one of the two target locations deemed the most likely to be
attacked. From there shenanigans would ensue.
This story has what I like to think of as three major stages
with increasing challenges and higher stakes the further along
you go (duh), each area having its own characters, enemies and
such that you would meet and need to deal with before learning
more and moving on to the next to try and keep things fresh. The
locations would be varied and not take place in one single town
either, so expect some variety.
I know, like, two of you may already know what happens in this
story due to me having talked about it before, but even so you
could still participate and maybe even help write it if you have
any cool ideas you think would add to it. :P
#Post#: 3416--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: October 31, 2017, 2:03 am
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Arc "pitch" if anyone is interested. This is for Boom Zoom: The
Tomb of Doom. I remind that this would not include modern
technology military or otherwise and would operate off of show
canon only where magic is basically the driving force of
everything.
PART 1
---
This heat sucked. Normally the summers of Equestria were
merciful to its capitol but this year the season simply wasn’t
having it. The trees did not move; they did not sway nor bend as
the mellow breeze so commonly felt through-out the mountain side
city of Canterlot had been nowhere to be found for weeks. If not
for the occasional trembling twig or shaking leaf one would be
fooled into thinking the parks of the city were a work of still
life art. Pretty, but frozen and not easy to enjoy under the
oppressive radiating heat infesting the still air. It didn’t do
many favors for the populace that the city happened to have its
own lake and waterfall running almost its entire length either -
just outside of the walls mind you - making things wet and
sticky for everyone without the free time to take a dip.
You know what isn’t fun to wear when everything when the heavens
are set to broil? Armor. Especially a set you’re required to
wear for the entire day, much like the required dress of the
Royal Guard posted around the city. It was interesting how
quickly many of the guards had broken into their own little
factions while under the oppression of Celestia’s sun. The
guards out in the market square roasting in the oven that was a
heavily populated area envied the ones on the walls since they
occasionally felt the air move. The ones on the walls hated the
ones inside the castle, what with their shade and cold stone
walls and junk. And the ones in the castle? They hated their
lives since they were the ones that had to listen to everyone
complaining about the heat, but also because the “cold stone
walls” did nothing for the sweat they had dripping from their
brows. However, there were a few who found themselves hating
their lives just that little bit more than the others as they’d
fallen victim to a unicorn that had been walking through the
castle and been very displeased by what he’d seen. A unicorn who
demanded perfection from all he came across and didn’t hesitate
to say so. A unicorn whom two guardsmen wondered if anyone would
miss as he berated them for every little thing.
“Straighten up. No slouching pony is going to wear that uniform
and get away with it on my watch.”
This unicorn was an elderly pony, one with wrinkles and a grayed
yet disciplined mane kept carefully cut to set an example.
“You’re glistening. Wipe yourselves down else a dignitary will
slip on the puddles you’re leaving and use the accident for
leverage.”
His silvery coat was doing better than his mane but was not
immune to the age he’d experienced. It was fading a bit in
color, but it’s base color was still obvious enough.
“Why can’t I see myself in your armor? You call this polished?
You somehow guard the castle of our illustrious leaders and
expect visitors to be impressed by a smudgy breastplate? This
isn’t a nightclub, kiddo, and you aren’t some shady bouncer
kicking out rowdy patrons after they vomit on your hooves. Clean
yourself up!”
His voice was raspy in that way only age could make it. Well,
age and a lifetime of yelling at others.
“Don’t you roll your eyes! Such disrespect! From a guardsman! I
should have you stripped of your responsibilities and forced to
clean latrines on the frontier! Or better yet, teleport you to
the bottom of the ocean with a fresh set of gills and see how
that plays out!”
This unicorn’s name was Gleam. “Head Instructor Gleam” he would
be quick to correct. He didn’t deal with unruly and sometimes
unstable unicorn colts and fillies day to day to be referred to
like any old pony. He had no authority over the guard - not
anymore at least - but that hadn’t stopped him from laying into
the two posted outside a set of massive and beautifully carved
doors leading into one of the castle’s meeting halls. Believe it
or not, it wasn’t even because of the heat that was making the
guards next to him consider crimes against his property as this
was just common behavior from him. A hair out of place, a horse
shoe left rusty, a spear that did not stab to his exact
standards, any of these examples and more were enough to incur
his wrath and force one to suffer through a session of lectures
and “back in my days”.
“Your mane is supposed to be trimmed in a perfect yet subtle
curve, colt,” Gleam scolded, jabbing a hoof at the plume of the
guard to the door’s left, “This wavy irregular crap is why no
one takes you seriously anymore. How can we say this is
Equestria’s elite when you look like you just rolled out of bed?
“And you!” his attention creaked towards the pony to the right,
“You’re off center. Tilted! One of your shoes isn’t even with
the rest. With a glance, I’d think a stiff wind could blow you
over and I’m not an assassin waiting for just the right time to
fall on one of the countless targets that frequent these halls.
Get that fixed by tomorrow, and you better believe me when I say
that I WILL come check to see if it was done. I know your face
now. You can’t escape.”
If everything these guards had done to help others in their
lives could be repaid with one act, they’d settle for two
individual pony sized meteors landing on them right about now.
One wicked away some sweat from his forehead with a quick flick
of magic, Gleam opening his mouth to object in some way when the
holiest of sounds rang out through the hall.
The doors opened. A shifting of heavy wood and mild woosh of
moving air displaced by the weight.
The guards nearly wept with joy as a yellow earth pony stepped
out.
“Head Instructor Gleam?’ she asked to which Gleam nodded
impatiently, “Thank you for coming. The mayors have all arrived
and are ready for you.”
“It’s about time,” Gleam grumbled, “any longer and I’d have been
forced to reform the royal guard into a proper legion the
sisters could be proud of.”
He shook his head and trotted forward past the doors. The guard
he’d most recently criticized, now believing himself free of the
unicorn and lacking in witnesses, looked to his counterpart and
conjured an illusion of a rope with which he pretended to hang
himself.
“… You call that a noose!?” Gleams voice rang from beyond the
doors, “I wouldn’t hang my worst enemy with that!” The doors
shut with a slam, almost to punctuate Gleams sheer disapproval
of the guard’s existence. The guard to the left chuckled while
the one on the right dropped the illusion and groaned.
#Post#: 3417--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: October 31, 2017, 2:09 am
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PART 2
---
“That was a conspiracy to run my name through the mud and
you know it!” a mare angrily exclaimed as Gleam entered
the meeting hall.
Things were already lively in here. Gleam took note of and
recognized the ponies waiting for him to arrive while the yellow
pony that let him in wandered off towards a corner of the room.
There were six on the other side of those magnificent doors
he’d passed just moments before. All were standing around
a large table with plenty of space between them with the only
exception Gleam could see being one fully equipped unicorn that
seemed to be serving as a silent bodyguard for another. None of
the rest were willing to get near any of the others for fear of
them somehow smelling a secret, and their personal bubbles
– as far as they were concerned – encompassed half
of the country. A large and no doubt expensive rug was laid out
beneath the wide circular table before them and light shone in
from one of the many carefully organized windows spaced between
several larger windows that held stained glass. Celestia help
anyone who spilled a drink in here.
“Never once did I even visit that dust swept hole in the
ground let alone sell Cautious any lewd photos of anyone! I
would never bring myself so low as to partake in such frivolous
and degenerate activities just to strike at you,” the mare
continued, a smirk creeping across her face, “besides,
I’d never drop myself so low as to make them suffer seeing
such pictures in the first place. None should live with the
memory of having such a horrid thing burned into their
memory.”
Gleam recognized the voice before he’d even looked in the
mare’s direction. Diligence, an orange Pegasus mare that
was probably guilty of whatever she was being accused of. She
had a reputation for digging up dirt and seeding rumors amongst
the various governors, mayors and so forth across Equestria.
Gleam had no patience for such things and was always annoyed
when having to deal with her. She had this look about her that
always made it feel like she knew something about you that
you’d rather she didn’t, some creepy sensation that
something private was about to be made public should she feel so
inclined. Worst part was how much she enjoyed it.
“How dare you imply that my mother is not a sight to
behold!” a stallion shouted back from across the table,
pausing for a second before catching himself and stuttering
with, “Y-y-you know what I mean!”
That was Merger, a light blue earth pony that thought shaving
parts of his head would become a popular fashion trend. He was
an idiot, pure and simple, and Diligence was playing him like a
fiddle. Not once would he pause to think before speaking and
Gleam considered him a worthy subject for someone to do a
character study. He wouldn’t do it, but it would be worth
having someone try to figure out how Merger managed to get to
his position without being stamped out early on in his career.
“Oh, they’re going to have a field day with that
one,” another pony chimed in, this time a unicorn of a
dark green hue, “you sure you don’t want to try that
sentence again?”
Gleam needed a second to place this one’s name. Dark green
unicorn… He didn’t think he’d met him before
but he’d had to deal with most of Equestria’s
leaders at some point or another so he was sure he’d at
least heard his name onc-
“Go to Hell, Matrix,” Merger yelled, solving the
mystery, “just skip the line and tell them I sent
you!”
Matrix only laughed while the fourth pony at the table - another
Pegasus of a mild yellow - rubbed the bridge of her snout with a
hoof.
“I could have been organizing a banquet today,” she
complained, “This is not how I wanted this weekend to
go…”
Vision? Gleam, thought her name had something to do with vision.
Or seeing. Something like that. It was probably Vision. Either
way, he was growing impatient with this nonsense as he neared
the table. This constant fighting and fanning of rivalries
between the mayors of the various cities and their respective
territories only ever tired Gleam. It was just so very petty how
they’d invent rumors and conspiracies to throw mud and
argue for hours over nothing. Politics was never something Gleam
thought on fondly. He’d and understood it’s
importance of course, but the ones involved always came off
as… well… they came off as these kinds of people.
“That’s enough!” the fifth and final pony, a
sizable dark red stallion of the unicorn race, slammed his hoof
into the table in a show of anger, “Diligence, stop
drumming up drama! Merger, drop it! Matrix, shut up and
Visionary, stop complaining!” Visionary! That’s what
it was. Gleam didn’t think it suited her.
“This isn’t what we’re here for and
there’s far more important matters to attend to than you
two trying to screw each other over! Put it on ice and focus for
Celestia’s sake!” This stallion was named Lion Heart
and Gleam was rather familiar with him, though it wasn’t
for reasons that Lion would appreciate. He was an example of
governance that had yet to embarrass himself in some easy to
avoid way. Scandals involving guard captains, embezzlement,
altered documents and even rumors of smuggling had plagued all
the other mayors present, but not Lion Heart. Somehow,
he’d avoided the drama, and according to the higher ups he
was an example to strive towards. Gleam had yet to be impressed.
“Now, maybe if we’re done seeing who can p*iss
further and on who’s face, we can focus?” Lion Heart
finished before noticing Gleam.
“Head Instructor,” Lion nodded, Gleam did not,
“Thank you for coming. I understand it was short notice
and I’d like to apologize for that right away before we
get into things.”
“Last I checked both Luna and Celestia were both still
breathing,” Gleam growled and took a seat near the table
away from the rest of the ponies for fear that he’d slap
one of them the next time they spoke and rack up another favor
on behalf of the country, “so unless the Elements have
been kidnapped or turned into gelatinous cubes I don’t see
why you needed to drag me away from my duties to witness you all
bicker like school aged colts and fillies. I see enough of that
already.”
#Post#: 3418--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: October 31, 2017, 2:10 am
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PART 3
---
He noticed only now that the table had a map scrolled across it
of Equestria’s western countryside. There were several
points marked with flags and a few notes had been scribbled and
laid out over spots that Gleam could only assume were points of
someone’s interest.
“Trust me,” Lion continued, shooting Merger a brief
glare to keep him from speaking out of turn, “I
wouldn’t ask you to abandon your students if the situation
weren’t dire. We need your help.”
Lion glanced back at the sixth pony present, a unicorn fully
equipped in armor that had yet to say a word amd seemed to be
serving as both bodyguard and assistant to Lion. The
unicorn’s horn lit up with a glow of magic as he levitated
a scroll over to Gleam.
“We seem to be under attack,” Lion claimed while
Gleam rolled the scroll out in front him, “over the last
few months there have been several occurrences of unusual and
sudden appearances of various kinds of wildlife.”
“Animals have been showing up seemingly out of
nowhere,” Diligence spoke up, Gleam listening as he
scanned the contents of the scroll, frowning the further into it
he got, “So far we’ve counted four separate
occasions, and they’ve been increasing in severi-”
“It started in Greenswill,” the voice of Merger,
cutting off Diligence in another display of short term petty
self fulfilment, “some… animals materialized out of
thin air. The guard looked into it but found no evidence of any
criminal activity.”
“That’s your city, isn’t it?” Gleam
asked without looking up from his scroll, “what was the
variety. Of wildlife, I mean.”
“… It doesn’t matter-”
“Bunnies!” Diligence interrupted, pausing only to
catch her breath after a fit of laughter, “his market was
flooded with bunny rabbits and it was the silliest thing anyone
ever-“
“Yes! They were bunny rabbits!” Merger retook
control of the conversation, speaking loud enough to drown out
Diligence whom had refused to stop laughing over the nature of
his crisis, “Rabbits appeared at noon in the center of the
market square during the height of business hours, or so the
patrons had reported. None of my guards had seen it happen, but
according to witnesses the rabbits just suddenly appeared out of
nowhere like they had teleported into the area with no warning.
Like I said, I had my guards look into it but they found nothing
beyond a few traces of magic. We’d assumed it was a prank
some up and coming mage had played on us for laughs and
disregarded it as such.”
“Then a pack of dogs appeared in Noble’s
market,” Visionary adopted the narrative, Gleam halfway
through the scroll that detailed what he was being told though
done so with more magical technicality and insight,
“They showed up at noon during a grand opening for a new
restaurant. Most were run off by the guards that were watching
over the event but some managed to get a few bites in on the
attending ponies before being scared off. We still get the
occasional report of feral hounds harassing people after dark. I
would have chalked it up as a prank similarly to how Merger had
done so with his… uh… ‘bunny
situation’,” another fit of laughter from Diligence,
“but ours was different. When we investigated, I got
reports from my guards that detailed how some of the dogs
appeared to be… Inside the walls of the buildings around
the market. Half of the dogs were melded into the building while
the other half were, well… you know. This made us assume
someone had used magic to teleport the dogs but had been off
target.”
The conversation stalled long enough for Diligence to catch her
breath, Gleam finishing the scroll and setting it aside and
impatiently clearing his throat. Diligence paid no mind.
“Hahaha! Aha! Ah… Hah… Oh… Okay…
So… After they dealt with their dumb harmless
nonsense,” Diligence finally managed to form words, much
to the chagrin of Merger and Visionary, “I was hit with
timber wolves.”
Diligence’s voice dropped to a sudden grave tone that
Gleam hadn’t expected from the previously laughing mare.
“They appeared closer to Perticity’s castle than in
Greenswill and Noble, I might add, managed to do more damage
than their stupid bunnies and dogs. Several ponies were mauled
before my guards were able to get things under control, so maybe
you two should stop friggin complain about the inconvenience of
having mild woodland creatures show up to momentarily interrupt
otherwise normal events!”
Merger and Visionary went on to start shouting some pointless
defense that Gleam didn’t care about. He ignored the
brewing argument while he went over in his head what the scroll
had informed him one more time.
Several occurrences of seemingly random teleportation that
involved animals of increasing threat classifications. First
bunnies, then dogs and timber wolves. The report mentioned
manticores coming next which Gleam assumed one of the mayors
present would go into detail over soon enough, but he rolled the
idea around regardless in hopes of ideas coming to him before
this train wreck of a briefing was through.
“Stop!” Lion again attempted to regain control of
the conversation, his tone making it clear that his tolerance of
these ponies and their rivalries was wearing extremely thin,
“Your people are being attacked by wild animals and
monsters from the Everfree, and you think this the time to argue
and fight amongst ourselves? Reign it in! This is
serious!” Lion took a second to let loose another sigh and
shake his head at the others.
“My city was next,” He turned his attention to
Gleam, shooting the others quick stabbing glances as he spoke to
keep them quiet, “and I think it’s fair to say that
mine was the worst. Gleam, I noticed you rolled up the scroll I
gave you, so I assume you read about the manticores? They hit
Corona, right in the center of my castle’s square, and
they did quite a bit of damage before my Cortoza were able to
put them down.”
Ah, yes, the Cortoza. Gleam almost rolled his eyes at the
mention of Lion Heart’s pet project. A corps of battle
mages intended to outperform and possibly replace the royal
guard? He’d found the idea amusing a few decades ago when
he’d had the honor of helping to found its original
incarnation, but now it seemed like a rather desperate attempt
to impress the royal sisters and make a name for himself. He
didn’t bother hiding his distaste for Lion’s
mentioning of the Cortoza as he never felt a need to and thought
Lion’s defending of the resurrection of his retired corps
to be sad.
“They took control of the situation,” Lion continued
with emphasis placed on the Cortoza’s efforts,
“after putting them down and calming the civilians they
cleaned up the mess. Immediately after I set them to investigate
the situation I contacted the others here and learned of their
experiences.”
“what did Captain Willows find?” Gleam asked,
speaking for the first time in what he felt was forever.
“Willows wasn’t consult-“
“What did Captain Willows find?” Gleam repeated, his
tone demanding in his desire to know what the captain of
Corona’s guard had discovered.
“Willows. Was. Not. Consulted,” Lion repeated with a
blunt stop and start cadence, “My Cortoza were assigned to
investigate the phenomena and found little to go on.”
“You’re toy soldiers failed to pick up on any leads
then?” Gleam chuckled, directing his attention to the
table in front of him as Lion huffed from his corner,
“I’m shocked. Truly. What’s this all about
then? This map has markers over several towns and cities that
none of you mentioned. What’s their significance?”
“We’ve been trying to discern a pattern,”
Visionary spoke up to explain, “There’s no concrete
rhythm to the appearances that we’ve been able to
decipher, but we’ve noted several possible targets that
might be hit next according to the locations that have already
fell victim to these attacks.”
“Attacks!?” Diligence nearly fell over, clutching at
her sides as she howled with laughter,
“’Attacks’ she says! Dogs and bunnies!
Ahahahaha!”
“… These are the most likely targets according to
our estimations,” Visionary tried to ignore the raucous
cackling of Diligence, “We can’t tell for sure where
it might happen next, of course, but we’re pretty
confident that it will be in one of these two locations.”
“Berylsburg,” Gleam named off one of the marked
locations, a sizable city some distance away. He shot Matrix a
glance at the mention as he realized why the pony had been
present this whole time.
“And… what is that… Weaver? Why is Weaver
marked on here?”
“Weaver is going to be holding a festival within the next
few days,” Matrix mentioned while scrutinizing his left
hoof’s most recent manicure, “Some locally run
square dance or whatever they do out in the boonies. Lion
think’s that might make it a target but I don’t get
why. It’s just some backwater where everyone sleeps all
day, I think.”
“It’s the nap capitol of the world, actually,”
Diligence tapped near Weaver’s position on the map and
whispered as if letting everyone in on a secret, “They
make blankets.”
“Every attack has happened either in a center of a
congregation of ponies or near the cities administration,”
Lion stepped in again, “and a festival falls in line with
the former. However, I agree that it’s an unlikely target.
Berylsburg is a much stronger candidate what with its upcoming
gem exchange.”
“Yeah,” Matrix, “we get tons of tourism this
time of year since a bunch of collectors show up and show off
their rare gems. It does wonders for the economy, I tell you
what. Those nerds love to flaunt their shiny rocks.”
Gleam looked over the map and weighed the options. He’d
heard of Weaver but never been there personally. The festival
coming up was unknown to him, and as such he could only assume
it was more of a local event than Berylsburg’s well known
gem exchange that reliably attracted thousands of ponies every
year. As a “nerd” – according to Matrix at
least – he found himself in agreement with the arrogant
mayor. Especially when considering that, in this heatwave, most
of the exchange would probably be taking place indoors to get
out of the sun. More concentrated targets. More potential for
damage.
There was, however, one question that had been bothering Gleam
ever since he’d received that scroll from Lion Heart.
“Why haven’t you told the royal sisters?”
Gleam was blunt, staring Lion in the eye as he asked this.
Lion was hesitant to answer, but Diligence started to snicker as
had become common behavior for her when it came to the other
mayors’ missteps.
“Well?” she asked halfway through a breath,
“Why haven’t you told the princess? Please,
enlighten us.”
Lion avoided eye contact with the others. He glanced back at his
bodyguard, Gleam only now noticing the insignia on the
guards’ armor and scoffing while Lion turned back to
finally answer.
“The Cortoza can handle this,” He claimed, the other
mayors either groaning or chuckling at the idea, “All they
need is to be told where to go and we can stop it. One lead and
this problem is solved.”
“You want me to trust your toy soldiers with what could
potentially be a burgeoning crisis?” Gleam’s words
cut like a knife, Lion flinching slightly while the other mayors
only took pleasure in it, “Have you gone insane?
This needs to be brought to Celestia or Luna immediately.”
“No!” Lion pleaded, Diligence cackling away in the
background, “Gleam, I know you don’t think much of
me, but I implore you, give my Cortoza this chance! I’ve
already gone through the trouble to organize this meeting,
Corona is far closer to both of the next potential targets than
Canterlot and I have a number of prepped teams on stand-by just
waiting for me to say the word-”
“Sorry, you’re going to have to repeat that,”
Gleam said after loudly shushing Lion down, “You’ll
have to forgive me, I’m getting up there in years so
it’s getting a tad difficult to be sure, but it sounded
like the words that just came out of your mouth weren’t:
‘Yes, Head Instructor, I apologize for being a selfish
child that values his project over the security of my people and
will alert both Celestia and Luna immediately’. Am I
wrong? Someone correct me because I swear it sounded like
something completely different!”
Lion was silent then straightened himself out and looked Gleam
in the eye.
“I’ve done my research, Head Instructor. I know
about the Cortoza. Their past, their history, what they did and
what they were capable of. I also know that you’ve doubted
my reincarnation of the corps since its inception. But please,
just give them a chance. I have overseen their training, taken
great pains to ensure that they are the best of the best, all so
I can prove that their corps not only is needed but has a place
in today’s military that none can deny.
“I grew up with stories of what you and your friends
managed to do,” Lion continued, his gaze dropping to the
floor beneath him, “My library is one of the few to still
have surviving evidence of these events. Gigatrax, The Cloven
March, Surmount…”
Lion sighed, the stallion sitting down where he was and focusing
on the map in front of him as he ran a hoof across his forehead
to wipe away a few beads of sweat.
“I know that the Cortoza are exactly what we need in this
day and age. All they need is one opportunity to prove
themselves. This is that opportunity, I‘m sure of
it.”
There was silence.
Then Matrix spoke up.
“I say let it blow up in his face,” Diligence loved
this idea and expressed it in a way that I’m sure you can
assume, “I mean, his joke of a guard reformation guided by
a selfish desire to be at the head is primed to become a
hilarious disaster already. Why not go full throttle?”
Lion glared daggers at Matrix while Merger contributed with:
“I honestly don’t care either way. Whatever shows up
will be an issue for you all to deal with anyway so I
don’t really give a flying fudge what you decide. I
don’t even know why I’m here. Did I mention that my
city only had to deal with a sudden explosion in it’s
rabbit population? Can I leave now? I don’t think
I’m really relevant to this discussion.”
“Sit down!” Lion barked, bringing Merger’s
butt back to the ground.
“So long as someone looks into it, I’m happy,”
Visionary sounded urgently, “Just so long as maybe it
happens right now? We’ve spent all this time talking but
we’ve decide on almost nothing. Can we get a move
on?”
The group looked in Diligence’s direction but were left
with no insight as she just slapped on a smirk and shrugged.
Gleam passed his gaze between each of the ponies. He gave each a
full scan before moving on, focusing on the eyes and body
language before moving on to the next. Eventually he reached
Lion and narrowed his own watery gray eyes. After a few seconds,
he looked back down at the map scrawled out in front of him.
“… I’ll see what I can do to send a few guards
over to Berylsburg,” Gleam assured the congregation after
heaving a deep breath, “I can call in some favors and pull
some people. They can show up under cover and keep an eye on
things. If anything suspicious comes up they can send word to
Corona then Canterlot and we can decide what to do from there.
“but know this, Lion,” Gleam growled, leaning over
the table and appearing somehow larger than he had before,
“If these wannabes that you’ve scrounged together
fail to provide results, they’re finished. I will
personally come to Corona and fire each pony one by one and turn
their little headquarters into a bakery.”
Lion didn’t flinch, but Gleam felt he’d gotten the
message.
“What of Weaver?” Visionary asked, thrusting a hoof
in the town’s respective position on the map.
Gleam backed off the table and looked towards Weaver on the map.
After some thought, he waved a dismissive hoof at the town.
“I know a couple of ponies that can look into
Weaver...”
---
Characters would either be attending the festival at Weaver or
would be assigned to investigate depending on who they are. This
opening may be tweaked depending on if the arc starts in a
manner that would require it.
#Post#: 3566--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: March 18, 2018, 11:44 am
---------------------------------------------------------
TL;DR: Updating the canon of the forum is ultimately meaningless
because most people here don't follow it anyway. Easy example is
all the modern warfare stuff that would remain regardless. Also,
I'm going to be posting ideas I've been having regarding other
countries and races in the world that may or may not be
important to my arc and any stories I am at the helm of in the
future. I am NOT forcing others to accept any of it as overall
canon for the forum unless it's good enough to be. I just want
to share ideas and going in depth about the details of a race or
country is fun for me.
--
As I've mentioned before, when I get bored I think about ideas
and stuff for stories and settings. So over the last couple
months I've been brainstorming ideas regarding world building
for the places outside of Equestria that I think would be neat
and flesh out the world. I mention this because starting two or
three weeks ago I began writing things down to get these ideas
on paper so I could share them with everyone both for fun and to
help the forum understand where I come from when it comes to
things like the arc that is being run. These posts would include
descriptions of races - both seen in the series and ones I think
could reasonably exist - their countries, leadership, culture,
politics and opinions of each other. Basically I will be
overthinking the setting of a show intended for small children
as everyone on the internet with nothing else to do should.
Now there are two reasons why I bring this up. One is the fact
that talks have begun regarding updating this forum's official
canon to that of the movie and such which I wanted this post to
contain my opinion on, and the other is so I can very clearly
state that I am NOT trying to force these ideas as canon onto
anyone's character or stories. However! When it comes to stories
I myself am writing, such as the arc or characters I come up
with, this world building is what I will most likely be
referring to for backstory and noteworthy details when
discussing the world in character. I do my best not to
contradict the official canon, and I will happily work to fix
any mistakes that are pointed out. Other than that I expect
nothing to be official outside my own little plot lines unless
somehow everyone else likes it enough to make it so.
Continuing from that thought and moving on to discussing the
update - and assuming that my opinion carries any weight after I
explain where I'm coming from - I find the process of doing so
to be easy and ultimately inconsequential. The reason I say this
is because even if you do update the canon it's not really going
to change much when it comes to how we all operate outside of it
already. This forum doesn't hug what's been established all that
closely and as I was recently skimming through the factions and
character bio's I found that there is a decent focus on military
groups and modern technological weaponry and devices. Now I'm
not going to sit here and pretend that it's impossible for there
to be any kind of military force in the series since we've seen
magic used offensively and I think the movie's inciting event is
that of an invading hostile force - not to mention one of the
countries I've been world building practices mandatory military
service - but I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that
this force didn't role up in tanks with AR-15s and helicopter
support. Pretty sure that isn't canon and more likely than not
would punch some pretty big plot holes as to how the kid
friendly story of a group of friends saving the day wasn't
riddled with bullets and left to bleed out.
I really don't want to sound like a jerk, but I can't really
think of a better term than "cherry-picking" when it comes to
fan forum's in general and what they decide to keep from the
official material and what they just ignore. Someone else
mentioned the idea of only accepting pieces of the movie's canon
into the forum which falls in line with this but at the same
time I don't really see any other way of doing it because that's
whats going to happen regardless of if you take just the races,
one location or the whole package. This is because once its in
it will start being sliced up with the things that people liked
- and are conveniently not in the way of headcanon - being kept
front and center while stuff that raises questions gets shoved
aside. This is what fanfiction does.
I haven't seen the movie. I've read reviews, listened to
critiques, watched clips, heard bits of the music, seen some of
the new characters and locations and gone through the synopsis.
I know what happens in it, and overall it comes off as a weak
film to me that I'm happy to have not spent any money on. I also
haven't watched the 6th season, or the 5th, I don't remember the
slog I went through with the fourth and I didn't like half of
the third. Assuming you're still reading after that I'll
continue. I'm the kind of person who thinks things would have
been far better if both Twilight and Cadence had remained or
simply been unicorns from the start. To be dramatic, the show's
world would have been better off, and I know people's usual
argument is to not take it so seriously and that its just a
cartoon but I don't look at media as mindless colors and shapes
that you're supposed to just appreciate for existing.
Allow me a moment to vent about this a bit.
The Secret of NIMH - not the second one - is my favorite go to
example for entertainment intended for younger audiences that I,
as an adult, watched and found to be quite enjoyable as it
wasn't contradictory nonsense at every turn, had a consistent
story to follow, was beautiful to watch and even got dark in
some parts that probably would have been spooky for kids. Now
that was a movie, so it had one single story to tell from start
to finish with nothing in the way of it whereas this is a show
that releases multiple stories per season and is required to try
and keep fresh ideas coming. One could argue that its far more
difficult to stay consistent when trying to come up with new
episodes every season, but I argue that its just as easy. Every
episode is there to be reviewed and fact checked which leaves no
room for "accidental" contradictions. Sometimes it feels like
the people writing the episodes haven't even watched the rest of
the show which if I were magically in charge I would force my
writers to do before ever letting them pen a single idea for an
official continuation of the series. The only reason it's gotten
as bad as it has is because of so many people meddling with the
show for the sole purpose of slapping their name onto and being
associated with something that was wildly popular a few years
ago.
Back in MY day: the Main 6 had story arcs and life goals, the
alicorns were royalty/demigods/gods, the unicorns casted magic,
the pegasi controlled the weather and the earth ponies worked to
supply the superior races with the bounty of their fields!
(Disclaimer: Applejack is my favorite.) Now alicorns are just
made - I wonder what trials and lessons Cadence supposedly went
through to become one - presumably from unicorns, further
cementing their place as the master race and I wont get super
into the Mane 6 but it feels like they're just given everything
they ever wanted now with no sense of responsibility or
commitment to it.
Because of all of this I fell out of love of watching anything
new for the series a long time ago. I do, however, still quite
enjoy the first couple seasons and I think the setting itself,
while cutesy and silly, can be a lot of fun and a good base for
writing fantasy adventures. If I didn't I wouldn't be checking
the forum every day to see if anyone's posted so I can start
working out the details for the next step in the arc's thread.
But, I think its clear that the canon of the show hasn't been
important to forum's, or even really itself, in a long time.
Were it actually an issue we'd be seeing a lot more swords and
spells with simple or one off gag examples of technology -
except for stages I guess? It seems music is given multiple
examples of modern mix tables, microphones and sound set ups? -
and a lot less oorah soldiering, advanced computers and weaponry
with a lack of horror towards death even though the ponies of
Equestria seem mostly peaceful and harmless. I've made it
obvious in the past that I would personally prefer the former
since its closer to what the show was when it was starting out
but that's another - irrelevant at this point in time -
discussion about canon entirely as it would revolve around how
much change to the official stuff is reasonable.
Anyway, that's my two cents. I know I haven't been here as long
as everyone else and that most of the stuff I pointed out has
been around since the beginning of the forum, but that's how I
feel when it comes to the question over updating the forum's
canon. That being that it probably wouldn't change much anyway.
I sort rambled a lot in this like I always do so I wouldn't
blame anyone for seeing the wall of text and noping the hell
away from it. I just wanted to make it clear that I wanted to be
honest not mean and that this isn't me ranting, just trying to
explain how I see the show, where I was with it, my reason why
and the topic of incorporating the canon.
[spoiler]If you do go with the races from the movie, I would beg
of you not to include the dumb anthro cats. I hate anthro cat
people in everything I see them in. Why couldn't they have just
been lions, or tigers, or just big cats? Feels like a gateway
for arguments revolving around "but I like this animal and we
already saw anthro cats so why can't there be anthro this?",
which is fine if you're a furry, but that's not what I thought
this forum was when I joined.[/spoiler]
#Post#: 3569--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: March 19, 2018, 1:11 am
---------------------------------------------------------
To show that I am in no way innocent when it comes to never
breaking from canon, I'mma throw up a piece of the world
building I've been brewing out of boredom the last few weeks.
Again, I am not forcing this to be canon and wont be forcing it
into stories or arcs outside of my own. I just think its fun to
share ideas.
THE GRIFFON KINGDOM
CULTURE–
Griffon culture is strict, harsh and cold but ultimately fair as
it merely expects the best from each of its citizens. The
average griffon’s personality often reflects their homeland in
that they are difficult to learn and work around but is
something you can come to appreciate and rely on once you’ve
gotten used to it. Their often blunt and critical observations
and interactions can easily come off as the behavior of a bully
and overall negative person to the uninitiated which has given
them a reputation across the world for being callous and
difficult to please.
In the Griffon Kingdom all citizens native to the country are
provided with a full education up until they reach adulthood
where each take part in mandatory military service. While in the
service each are given ample opportunity and encouragement to
choose what jobs best suit their talents and interests so long
as it ultimately is a benefit to the Kingdom. Training and some
higher education is provided on the Kingdom’s dime while serving
but once an individual reaches the end of their service they are
given a simple choice to either remain in the service or strike
out using everything they’d learned to build a new life.
Once outside of the service the Kingdom no longer holds their
hand. Everyone is expected to either sink or swim with little
sympathy being paid to those who fail as everyone is left on
equal footing when starting out. Handouts from the crown are
unheard of and there are few government programs in place to
assist people struggling beyond providing basic necessities to
keep them alive. The only exception to this way of life comes in
the form of the Eagles whom are known to help where they think
it necessary to maintain a fair environment for all.
While seen as harsh when viewing it from the outside, the
Griffons of the Kingdom view it as a lifelong trial by fire.
Shared service and mutual struggle within this meritocracy
encourages competition which each Griffon relishes while
encouraging each other to rise above as they wish for only the
worthiest of rivals and friends to test themselves against. The
average Griffon expects the best from the rest and strives to
meet this expectation themselves whether it be in solo endeavors
or working as a team. Those who reach great heights are idolized
as heroes who came from nothing, easy shining examples of this
being the Eagles who watch over the Kingdom and earn adoration
from the rest of the populace.
Griffons often share a strong sense of brotherhood with the rest
of their people forged through similar experiences growing up.
This combined with their near constant rivalries encourages a
respect that few of them take for granted. When engaged in
friendly pastimes its easy for a group of griffons to quickly
warm to each other and soon be chatting as if they’d known each
other for years. Sports are a celebrated part of Griffon life as
it feeds into their competitive spirits perfectly. Athletes are
common subjects for conversation with an extra praise being paid
to wrestlers and boxers as individual showings of strength and
skill are widely approved of.
Music among the griffons has a heavy emphasis on heavy or fast
beats to move to. Whatever can get the blood pumping is popular
among most of the Kingdom’s citizens with more calming music
being viewed as boring and for children being put to bed.
Musicians are a common choice for younger griffons planning out
their lives as their claws allow for the use of most known
instruments that don’t outright require magic to play. Several
genres and sub-genres of music have been innovated over the last
few generations especially with unique vocals and kicked up
tempos catching on with the youth of today. The elderly describe
it as screechy noise with the dancing that often accompanies it
being a “wild flailing that will probably get someone hurt.”
Aside from music, art amongst the griffons usually includes
pieces described as “spontaneous” by critics of their homeland.
Their claws allow for above average “real” sculpting and
paintings often incorporating high varieties of colors.
Splatters and erratic strokes decorate the more prized examples
of painted Griffon works while the most revered sculpture from
the Kingdom is a statue depicting their lost deity Aeolus that
is currently and proudly displayed in the foyer of the Griffon
Royal Palace.
POLITICS -
MERITOCRACY - The Griffon Kingdom operates off a meritocracy for
most positions of power in both government and civilian life.
Family connections and wealth mean little when it comes to who
is selected for each job and corruption is surprisingly low due
to the vigilance of the Eagles. A griffon’s skills and talent is
what gets them places in the Kingdom, and each are expected to
give every effort their all as should they fail to live up to
expectations they will be quickly replaced with someone who can.
ELECTED MONARCH - The Kingdom itself is ruled by an elected
monarch upon the current leader’s death, inability to continue
ruling or ejection from the throne should the Eagles deem it
necessary. A worthy monarch is granted all the powers and
privileges as to be expected for any ruler of a major power once
elected and is responsible for the management of the state.
Currently the Kingdom is ruled by Ol’ Wren, a veteran of several
campaigns within The Basin whom was able to take and hold the
Crescent’s Shan Fortress for three days and survive an encounter
with the Orchid before having his forces driven off.
The elections that led to Wren’s office were held shortly after
the inevitable white peace that followed a few months later, the
previous griffon Queen suffering from a fatal heart attack a
week after signing the treaty and fueling a slew of conspiracy
theories as a result. The results were near unanimous as was to
be expected considering the fresh anti-Crescent sentiment
amongst the populace and the candidate’s feats made against
them. Popular then and now, Wren boasts the near universal
support of the Eagles and the people. With his stances on their
neighbors, confidence in dealing with the crescent and intent on
taming the mountains to the north, Wren is viewed as a capable
leader who is expected to lead his country to an era of
prosperity.
EAGLES - The Eagles are an elite class of citizens who have been
recognized as examples of what every griffon should strive to
be. To become an Eagle one must either show extreme physical
talent, high intelligence and a strong potential for leadership
while serving out their mandatory years in the military or later
achieve a multitude of great achievements that puts them head
and shoulders above their peers. Upon being recruited, aspirants
are granted specialized training and higher education – if
lacking - to prepare them for their roles and responsibilities
in society.
An Eagle is expected to be everything that a Griffon can be in
the Kingdom and is expected to be prepared for and useful in
every situation. In peace they are mentors and enforce the law
while watching the throne and keeping the Ravens and Elected
Monarch in check. In court they are both judge and jury and can
carry out sentences as they see fit with only another eagle
having the ability to step in should they deem it necessary. In
war they are commanders and elite commandos that can potentially
change the tide of a battle both on the front line and beyond
it.
Eagles carry similar influence to that of the Elected Monarch
and are the sole owners of the privilege to eject the monarch
from their throne should they prove to be either a danger to the
country or too incompetent to rule. This privilege comes at the
price of removing their ability to vote and disqualifies them
from the election themselves. No one Eagle commands the rest,
but respect is important to them and it isn’t uncommon for
unofficial leaders to rise amongst them based on merit and
experience.
RAVENS - In the Kingdom, the Ravens are the strange and shadowy
figures in the corners of the bar and hunched in cloaks over the
armrest of the throne whispering in the Elected Monarch’s ear.
Acting as spies and saboteurs, the Ravens are the dirty secret
of the Kingdom that they claim don’t even exist. Many a coup
have been foiled before being able to even take root thanks to
these dark figures constantly watching for signs of trouble.
Several engagements with the Crescent have been either negated
or won thanks to the unsung work that these griffons carry out.
The Ravens monitor all, including the Eagles and the Elected
Monarch, their one loyalty supposedly being to the throne itself
and the country it is at the head of.
DIPLOMACY -
TRADE – Within the canyons that form the majority of their
homeland the Kingdom has established a number of mines that dig
into the sides of cliff faces and crevices where they’ve tapped
into several rich veins of silver, Iron, and numerous deposits
of common crystals and minerals such as quartz, calcite and
feldspar. Silver is obviously valued the world over for it’s
beauty, but the common crystals of their lands are no slouches
when it comes to pulling their economic weight. Jewelers are
always in need of such things to work their craft and the
Mamlakat Khunfisa’ are always offering high sums for the
minerals they consider “quaint” to craft special jewelry for
their pharaoh.
Aside from the mines, the Griffon Kingdom has unique access to
the ancient Greatwood Trees around which they often center their
towns and cities. Made from a special type of greatwood
possessing unusual properties of regeneration and strong
elemental resistances, this lumber forms the materials used to
craft special armors worn by the Eagles and is in high demand by
the Equestrians as their qualities prove quite valuable to the
countries expansion south. The Mamlakat Khunfisa and Saddle
Arabian royalty and nobility prove to be in consistent demand
for the lumber as well as the former uses it to craft fresh
litters for their pharaoh and the latter value it’s heat
resistance to help shade markets and palace grounds from the
desert sun. The regenerative properties of the Greatwood Trees
allow for this to be an ever-renewable resource so long as the
griffons harvesting it remain responsible and take care to not
over do it.
The final major export of the Kingdom is that of swords and
metal armors. The griffon’s supply of raw iron, strong military
and near constant threat of conflict with the Crescent Empire
often leads them to forge a large stockpile of weapons and armor
that they end up not using. A history of conflict has lead to
rather advanced techniques in weapon smithing amongst the
griffons and while the rank and file examples are usually sold
in bulk when their trade partners require it the more
prestigious swords and suits of armor forged by masters often
fetch high prices in auctions.
EQUESTRIAN ALLIES – The Equestrians are one of the Kingdom’s
nearest neighbors, Equestria being just across the sea off the
Kingdom’s west coast, and they have been recognized as an
official ally of each monarch to take the throne for the last
century. Relations between the two powers are usually cordial
with at least one dignitary belonging to each maintaining a
permanent residence within their capitol cities to keep contact
strong. Interests are often mutual with a heavy focus on trade,
the sea between the two being a major asset for both as it acts
as a stage for multiple high value routes both between the two
and towards the south to the Caravaneers port city of Shilling.
Beyond trade the Griffons usually prefer to solve their own
problems - as their culture expects of them - and are reluctant
to drag Equestria into their affairs unless in dire need.
CRESCENT RIVALS - While friendly towards the Equestrian’s, the
same can’t be said when it comes to the Crescent and their
empire whom share a border with the Griffons to the East and
constantly battle over the ownership of The Basin located there.
Hostile relations are frustratingly common between the Griffons
and the Crescent’s emperor Tanxin Zhu with everything from near
constant espionage and sabotage to armed conflict breaking out
every other decade. Both are openly intolerant of the other with
each viewing the opposite side as something to eventually
conquer. Trade is banned with the Crescent resulting in the
reliance on the Griffon’s sea trade with the Equestrian’s to the
west and the Caravaneers of the south.
WARM TO THE CARAVANEERS - The Kingdom appreciates the
Caravaneers of Sidon as they act as valuable assets in moving
goods both to and from the southern powers. The Crescent
Empire’s proximity to the Kingdom makes travel south difficult
to manage for the griffons, but this is not the case for the
Caravaneers and they regularly carry the burden of bringing
money to the Kingdom from the south for a price the Griffons are
happy to pay.
WARY OF THE ARABIANS – The notorious Cabals of the Saddle
Arabians leaves the Griffon Kingdom on their guard whenever
dealing with them. The idea of not being able to trust the words
of ambassadors supposedly sent on behalf of the sultans is
something the Griffons find unsettling in deeper ways than the
obvious. To them, loyalty Is important, and to play to loosely
with the concept is to lower yourself to a level unbefitting of
a power carrying the amount of influence that the Arabians do in
their lands. Still, the Arabians are a consistent customer when
it comes to the griffon’s greatwood and have yet to come short
in paying up, so relations remain.
BEETLE BUDDIES – The Mamlakat Khunfisa’ is ignored by the common
griffon, but those in charge understand the worth in maintaining
relations. The Khunfisa’s pharaoh is a huge fan of not only
their common stones but also the greatwood that forms the
backbone of the griffon’s trade. Not only are they always in
demand, but the Khunfisa are so small that ordering anything
other than tiny shipments would be a threat to their pharaoh’s
ego as leaving it out in the open would allow thieves and
bandits the opportunity to swoop in and steal it away. As such
the orders are always fitting to their size but not their prices
as each order is specially made and handsomely compensated by
the pharaoh’s personal agents themselves.
DEITY -
Celestia and Luna manipulate the celestial bodies, Tanxin Zhu
plays with the earth as if he were an artist with clay, the
Mamlakat Khunfisa and Kiroho Tribes claim a bond with the
spirits and undeath, experts suspect the Ouroboros of the
Wildland Serpientes possesses a power we have yet to understand,
and the Arabians have their poor Djinni who remains ever
frustrated with their meddling.
For the griffons, none of them could compare to the mighty
Aeolus, progenitor of their people, planter of the Greatwoods
and master of the winds. Their first king who trekked to the
north with unknown intent and was lost to them, Aeolus is the
example to which each monarch and Eagle is compared so that the
griffon people could hope to have something even remotely
nearing his greatness until he someday returns home to reclaim
his throne and lead them forever after.
The Griffons claim a connection to the winds that whip through
their canyons and test their resolve daily. Difficult for them
but near impossible for others without the right conditioning,
the winds explain the strength of the average griffon’s wings
and their common skill in flight as they happily carry out their
day to day routines under even the most violent of storms and
hazardous gusts. Common belief among the griffons is that each
gust within their homeland is sent to them directly via the will
of Aeolus himself from wherever he is now to keep his people
strong. While most are skeptical, they do find it odd that the
winds of the Kingdom tend to take on some strange behaviors
whenever the Crescent manage to breach their border, easing up
on the griffon forces and blasting away at the Terracotta of Zhu
as if angered by their trespass.
#Post#: 3571--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: March 19, 2018, 11:09 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
More. Same as before. Not canon unless people think its neat.
THE CRESCENT EMPIRE
GEOGRAPHY –
The Empire enjoys a large variety to their surroundings with
everything from snowy mountains in the north to the edges of the
deserts to the south. In the east they reach nearly up to the
coast while the west is buffered with a great basin that divides
the land between themselves and their griffon neighbors. The
Empire’s sole city of Yú is found in the great plains at
the heart of their territory.
CULTURE –
The Crescent Empire is decadent and rich. The natives, a breed
of unicorns who’s horns curve unlike those of the average
Equestrian variety, are pampered and cared for by an army of
clay terracotta servants in exchange for a constant taxation of
their magical energy. While crippling the average crescent when
it comes to casting any advanced magic, the exchange leaves them
cared for when it comes to most needs purely for remaining a
citizen and partaking in The Tax. The average crescent needs not
even work and is supplied with an allowance that makes it easy
for them to each pursue whatever entertainment or hobbies they
desire. The above average Crescent are recruited by the Emperor
to become Craftsmen, Overseers and Commanders each of whom are
exempt from the Tax in exchange for their service.
With little else to do but pursue their dreams and make use of a
readily available, free and high-quality education available to
them, Crescent unicorns often become incredible experts in their
fields of study or masters of their chosen crafts.
Unfortunately, their easy lives and dedication to their ruler
heavily discourages emigration or travel and usually leads to
these experts remaining within and working solely for the
Empire.
How can the Empire afford to pay for the lives of an entire
population? The goods crafted within it’s city walls are
of unmatched quality and extremely exotic design. Everything
from their art to their exported rugs and pots are highly sought
after by the richest collectors and nobility the world ever.
Each piece fetches exorbitant prices to prey on the wallets and
egos of those hoping to show it off as a display of wealth and
power, and with most of the Empire’s menial labor being
handled by mindless servants that require minimal maintenance
and no fuel, all this money is used to fund the Crescent’s
lifestyle. Going further, most shops are also run by terracotta
and are government owned as a result, meaning the money spent
goes right back to the Empire’s treasury which is then
sent back out to the people in the next grant of allowance.
Entertainment within the Empire’s singular city of Yú is
the envy of the world. Ancient awe-inspiring theatres, opera
houses, symphonies practiced to perfection, stadiums for live
practice battles between Commanders, and prestigious art
galleries filled with one of a kind masterpiece. Even taking a
simple walk through the streets of Yú can consume an entire day
as the city’s size, aesthetic, and blocks teeming with
attractions can feel like an adventure to explore as there is
always something new to experience and enjoy.
Life is easy for the Crescent and is often made easy for most
unicorns or otherwise magically adept foreigners immigrating to
the Empire, but the same cannot be said for the rest of the
races. If you can’t cast magic and do not possess
something that can be siphoned via The Tax to feed the Emperor,
you are treated worse than dirt. The allowance afforded to the
crescent is absent for the magic handicapped races with each
being forced to accept the only work available to them.
Mining, logging, farming, cleaning, building, retail and
soldiering are all handled by the clay terracotta headed by a
qualified Overseer or Commander. Factories however are still
very necessary for creating the terracotta themselves that
protect and care for the crescent, and while an Overseer and his
team of Craftsmen are required to run each location and weave
the needed spells to make them function, the pieces needed to
build them are simply mundane materials that still require
manufacturing and assembly. As such this is where the lesser
races are relegated with some sequestered slums often being
built nearby to prevent them from making appearances in the
better parts of the city and dirty up the Crescent’s image
of perfection. The question of why this isn’t merely
handled by yet more terracotta is often shrugged off by Zhu and
his court with the simple response of this being the lesser
races way of earning their place in their great empire.
POLITICS –
IMMORTAL EMPEROR – The Empire is forever ruled by an
immortal and powerful dragon known as Tānxīn Zhu whom
feeds off his people’s magical energies through The Tax
and uses it to fuel and continuously grow his own strength.
Serpentine and wingless, Zhu does not resemble the dragons that
come to most people’s minds, instead possessing a more
mystical aura as opposed to their powerful and frightening
presence.
Tānxīn Zhu is a master of the element of earth - being
born from and swimming through it long before he ever learned to
fly - and is the one who invented the magic that goes into
fueling the Empire’s clay soldiers. Zhu is the sole being
capable of creating terracotta servants in mere minutes from
nothing more than dirt while those made by the Craftsmen in the
Empire’s factories require more tempering and time. Zhu is
also the one to have sculpted the great palace guardians that
protect his home as the effort and power required to do so is
nearly impossible for anyone else to expend or achieve.
Zhu is massive in size, intimidating in person, sickeningly
greedy, and incredibly arrogant, but even still his people
nearly worship him like the god he claims to be. He can
sometimes be seen flying over and observing his domain much to
the delight of the Crescent with such nights being celebrated
with impromptu feasts and parties springing up on very short
notice. Most of the time however he keeps himself hidden away in
his opulent palace where he invites those he finds interesting,
consults his court and plots against his neighbors.
THE COURT – Zhu’s Court is a group of advisors
composed of five leading masters arising from his government
workers and the Orchid. These masters are as follows: Apprentice
Chuízi, Taskmaster Biānzi, Yìngbì of Trade, Steel Laojiàng,
and Qiánxíng the Shaded.
Apprentice Chuízi is named such due to his direct tutelage
beneath the emperor himself when it comes to practicing the
magics that go into crafting the terracotta. While called an
apprentice, Chuízi is in fact a master unrivaled by the rest of
the Crescent in his field and is kept by the emperor to help
develop new techniques and prototypes as well as work on
updating current designs in pursuit of perfection. Chuízi earned
his apprenticeship when word started getting around that his
experiments and personal projects had started to show results
including but not limited to the increasing of terracotta
multitasking and problem-solving skills without direct
supervision by a respectable 2%.
Taskmaster Biānzi is responsible for the management of the
Overseers through-out the empire. Each factory, farm,
congregation of servants and labor camp is run by an Overseer
and the Taskmaster is one of the most experienced of the bunch
chosen based on, of all things, the submission of an application
which is reviewed by Zhu should he require a replacement.
Biānzi was chosen due to his managerial skills and
respectable experience and performance when working in
“The Block” – a cluster of factories dedicated
towards replacing high end security and soldier terracotta
models during times of conflict.
Yìngbì of Trade is the one the Caravaneers of Sidon deal with
whenever they enter Crescent territory. As one could assume, the
Empire’s trading with other countries is overseen by
Yìngbì, but she is also responsible for managing the populations
allowances and acting as the lead accountant of the
Empire’s treasury. Yìngbì’s position is one of
extreme danger and is often one that is viewed as a curse by
anyone made to accept it. To be responsible for managing the
wallet of the Emperor is to have everything you do be under
never ending scrutiny and live in constant worry that even the
smallest discrepancy could lead to extreme consequences. This
position is given to the few that the Emperor feels he can
trust, though this quickly changes once these individuals are in
office.
Steel Laojiàng trains the Empire’s Commanders and is the
Emperor’s war advisor whenever the Griffons start to get
out of line. Laojiàng has spent most of his life occupying The
Basin in the Empire’s western territory and was a major
reason why the last few engagements with the Griffons has led to
resounding victories. His candidacy for a seat in Zhu’s
court was never in question and when Laojiàng began to grow too
old to easily travel through The Basin’s demanding terrain
he reluctantly accepted Zhu’s invitation. Whenever not
running drills, one of both Laojiàng and Zhu’s favorite
pastimes is to get together and discuss hypothetical scenarios
and plan contingencies for the next time they need to deal with
one of their neighbors.
Qiánxíng the Shaded inherited his place as his family has for
generations. He makes sure the palace grounds have sufficient
shade in the summer. It is strictly illegal to ask for details.
THE ORCHID – The Orchid is ageless, powerful, and
Zhu’s greatest asset. Serving as the Emperor’s right
hand, The Orchid has been his agent for numerous centuries, his
eternal youth being a gift from Zhu and fueled by a portion of
The Tax as a showing of his appreciation. Vigilant when not
needed, frighteningly effective when deployed, The Orchid
carries out the will of Zhu with every fiber of his being as his
loyalty is unshakeable and skill immense.
For the Crescent he is a living legend whose feats are taught
about in schools, but for the Crescent’s main rival the
Griffons he is a nightmare that has troubled them for a very
long time. The Orchid is the second most powerful Commander of
the Terracotta under Zhu himself and when under his direct
control they increase their effectiveness by a staggeringly
large margin. Even alone he is capable of turning a tide when
engaged with the griffons as his mastery of himself and the
Crescent’s weaponry is all encompassing and perfect, his
abilities beyond the scope of most other combatants.
When not given a task to perform, The Orchid does nothing but
train and act as a personal bodyguard to the Emperor.
DIPLOMACY –
TRADE – The Empire imports almost no raw materials as they
have access to most things they could ever need and instead
treats itself to the luxury goods of the neighboring powers with
the strong exception of the Griffons due to trade between the
two being strictly banned. Exports from the Empire mirror this
as they are well known for their expensive but beautiful
furniture, wines, tea, instruments, art and so on. Simply put,
if you aren’t rich and looking to show it, you have no
business buying Crescent goods.
NEEDS NO ONE – The Empire has no need of allies as their
terracotta armies are large, inexpensive, easy to replace and
quite effective when under the guide of a competent Commander.
Standing forces require little maintenance and no fuel making
upkeep incredibly easy and cheap and defensive fortresses
through out the land are built to last and are for all intents
and purposes immune to a long term siege. On top of this the
large amount of land and varied geography leads the Crescent to
be almost entirely self sufficient as they are capable of
producing most things a country needs to exist with absolutely
no need for outside help. This all means that co-operative
relations with other powers would only prove to be a drain on
the Empire’s time and resources and Zhu has little
interest in bothering with helping anyone other than his
himself.
GRIFFON RIVALS – Zhu is very old and has never been a
friend of the Griffons. Their culture is a near antithesis of
his Empire’s own and as a result makes their presence
something that Zhu finds annoying at best and angering at worst.
The Crescent’s population despises the griffons and
believes them to be dirty, poor and uncivilized with popular
opinion being a casual call for them to be driven off the
continent and into the sea entirely so that the Empire can take
ownership of their lands. The borders of the empire are strictly
closed to the Griffons as this makes things more difficult for
their rivals in the area of trade and travel southwards, this
pleasing Zhu greatly and being a permanent decree.
TOLERANT OF THE CARAVANEERS – The Caravaneers serve a
purpose for the Crescent and as such are allowed to do business
unimpeded within Crescent lands. Moving the Crescent’s
high value goods around the powers is a respected role amongst
the Court and helps to feed extra money into the Empire to
further bloat their wealth. Because of their usefulness, a
special force of terracotta under a Commander meets each Caravan
at the border of the Empire’s lands on set dates to escort
the Caravaneers through their lands, monitor their behavior and
provide protection up until they leave.
HE HATES SAND – The south has little to fear when it comes
to the Emperor’s greedy desire to expand his domain.
Saddle Arabia and the Kiroho Federation of Tribe’s
territories are home to several deserts that takes up large
swaths of land which acts as a deterrent to the Empire as the
hassle of invading would be too slow and difficult to risk
leaving themselves open to a bothersome invasion of Griffons.
Sand is hard for the current incarnation of terracotta to
traverse and the trouble they’d have making it through the
deserts that the native forces have adapted to would only lead
to a few embarrassing failures that Zhu simply cannot allow. As
for the Mamlakat Khunfisa’, their borders encompass such a
tiny blip on the map that the Emperor has absolutely no interest
in wasting his time taking it from them.
TERRACOTTA –
The backbone of the Empire without which it could not operate in
its current form, the terracotta are vitally important to the
day to day life of Yú City and the defense of the Empire itself.
Made from clay and then infused with special magics to bring
them to life, each soldier, servant, laborer and guard is
capable only of following simple commands and carrying out a
basic purpose unless supervised by a capable Commmander or
Overseer. When under supervision the effectiveness of each
terracotta in performing their tasks increases based on their
supervisor’s own aptitude which also effects how many
terracotta they can control.
For example, a terracotta soldier left to guard one of the many
outposts within The Basin can only perform a simple guard duty
protocol that recognizes none Crescent intruders and then moves
them to engage with the skill of a green recruit. However, a
commander’s presence allows them to receive and understand
orders similarly to regular soldiers with their skill scaling
accordingly. Someone like Steel Laojiàng or The Orchid can
command legions of terracotta at a time with each individual
possessing the skill of a seasoned veteran. This same scaling
applies to every type of terracotta with the numbers delegated
to manual labor and servitude falling under the guide of the
Overseers.
#Post#: 3578--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: March 25, 2018, 10:15 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
ayyyyyyyy
THE CARAVANEERS OF SIDON
BARREN HOMELAND – The homeland of the caravaneers is a
stretch of land comprised almost entirely of harsh and sandy
deserts. Natural resources within their official territory are
extremely scarce with what little is readily available –
usually found near the coast and its city of Shilling - being
difficult to harvest due to the common sand storms and shifting
dunes burying attempts to reach them.
CULTURE/TRADE – Life as a camel of Sidon is one of
constant travel and a careful understanding of money. Each
newborn native to Sidon is brought into the world either on the
road under one of the country’s caravans, as part of the
Exchange’s ever relocating trading posts and rest stops
within the shifting deserts, or as a resident of the
camel’s port city of Shilling.
Due to special accords recognized by the different powers, those
born into a caravan need not stress over citizenship as each
caravan acts as a sort of mobile piece of Sidon territory so
long as they keep to the routes. Once born, they are under the
protection and responsibility of each caravan’s master who
serve as both a boss of business to the members and a sort of
governor who is charged with the well being of each. The master
must keep an accurate census of his people, a clear record of
their travels, provide necessities to ensure survival including
fare wages, see to the employment of qualified camels dedicated
to providing a basic education to the young and so on. In
exchange for this protection and assistance expectant parents
sign into an agreement for themselves and their child to become
indentured servants until the child comes of age with refusal
leading to being expelled from the caravan to not slow them
down.
If born under the families of the Exchange young camels are
assigned an allegiance and become a part of the crews that roll
through the deserts setting up and tearing down the trading
posts that act as artificial oases for the caravans. There tents
are raised and services provided to allow passing caravans the
opportunity to trade their goods amongst their own people for
necessities and hard currency with what’s sold being sent
back to Shilling to be prepped for the families perusal or
shipped off in Sidon’s sea trade. Due to the nature of the
desert these posts don’t stand in one place for long,
regularly being torn down to be set up somewhere else depending
on the weather and any incoming sandstorms. Those who manage the
posts are experts in being able to read the desert and the spots
used to establish the posts are often rotated to establish
consistency. Caravans hoping to find a post are expected to be
led by an experienced enough master to find one, but even if the
opposite is the case the camel’s natural ability to last
longer without food and water than most other races often buys
them enough time to figure things out.
Shilling behaves like most cities in the world and is the
central hub when it comes to the importation of goods from the
surrounding countries. Here the families of the Exchange center
their power while paying tribute to Azurfa Zinariya. Seaward
trade is carried out by a pieced together collection of ships
not native to Sidon due to the camels preferring to simply
purchase their vessels from others. Similarly, to walk the
streets of the city or enter a home of a well-off camel would
feel like entering a mish mash of different cultures due to the
bits and pieces bought from around the world used to decorate
them. Griffon greatwood tables decorated with Khunfisa’
statuettes and Crescent wine bottles placed over an Arabian rug
is a combination commonly found in affluent households.
Production of goods by the camels themselves is exceedingly rare
and often of low quality as the skills to create such things
themselves are not usually taught to nor pursued by their
people.
On the road the most important skill taught to every camel is
the art of haggling as this has been a vital part of their
culture since the earliest pieces of their recorded history.
Back then, before they’d established their routes and
relations with their neighbors, what little they could scrounge
together from their homeland was traded amongst themselves
extremely carefully with the need to learn negotiating skills
and the appraisal of somethings worth being vital to ensure
their individual survival. Today it’s the backbone of
their entire nation with each camel being expected to represent
their country accordingly.
Outsiders are treated to the “hump”, a slang term
used by Griffons and Saddle Arabians to refer to both the
obvious physical features of the traders and the
Caravaneer’s tendency to always try to come off as
friendly to ease your defenses. For the uninitiated it is a
highly effective strategy as the behavior is well practiced and
easy for the average caravaneer to tailor to everyone’s
personality. For those wary of such a ploy they find little
comfort in it as its still difficult to undercut or trick a
camel and their sense of economic value. Still, dealing with the
Carvaneers has become unavoidable at this point in time due to
the different powers coming to rely on them for some reason or
another. This does not mean they are disliked however as most
caravans are usually well received when they roll into town.
Entertainment for the camels of Sidon is limited due to their
nomadic nature. Most camels within the caravans entertain
themselves and others through the regaling of travel tales and
stories that they’ve picked up on the road. Songs are
often sung to help pass the time and simple easy to carry
instruments are sometimes carried to help break up the monotony.
Art is not made in the same ways as the rest of the world as
wasting the space to transport the materials and stopping to
take the time to carve a statue or paint a picture is unheard
of. Every wasted minute is a drain on a caravan’s coffers,
and no responsible master would ever put his caravan in jeopardy
long enough to entertain such a fancy. Instead, to make up for
this, camels often decorate themselves by shaving their fur to
depict complicated images that often times tell a story or keeps
track of their own personal travels. All of this also helps to
provide conversation starters which are always useful to someone
in their trade.
Amongst themselves camels often deal with rivalries and
loyalties regarding either the families of the Exchange or their
individual caravan masters. All camels rely on the success of
these to determine their own wealth and value within Sidon
society and treat those not of their own franchise as
competition in most aspects of everyday life. Intense bidding
wars over the smallest of things and shouted over the crowded
market of Shilling is an everyday occurrence and bribery is such
a common means of negotiating differences that its almost legal
in Sidon lands. To gain influence in Sidon one must possess the
coin to back it up and they are willing to do most anything to
achieve it with the purchasing of high earning caravans being
the ultimate means by which one can rise to power and ultimately
name themselves Lords and possibly even the Sarkin Tafiyar.
POLITICS –
LORD – In Shilling there resides a unique Caravan Lord
whom holds sway over the rest. Often incorrectly referred to by
foreigners as simply their singular Lord, when in truth there
are many, the actual official title for such a prestigious
position is that of the Sarkin Tafiyar and they are often the
owner of most of the best performing caravans Sidon has to
offer. Adopting this title requires the purchasing of the Arziki
Caravan, one of Sidon’s oldest and most expensive which
holds significant meaning to the camels of the land, from the
current Sarkin leading to their demotion from office and the new
Lord’s rise. The wealth required to do this is immense and
its been common in the past for the office to be juggled between
multiple Lords whom jump at the opportunity to take it but then
find themselves bankrupt and replaced shortly after. Eventually
one comes along with the sense to have their finances in order
before falling to their own ambition and the reign of these
worthy camels are often long and lead to lasting dynasties as
the ownership of the Arziki caravan remains hereditary until
sold.
The perks of the Sarkin Tafiyar position are many with the most
important being influence over the Syndicate, tribute from the
Exchange, permanent luxurious residence within Shilling and a
lack of need to deal with traveling themselves beyond the
occasional visit to the ruling powers of the surrounding
countries to discuss opportunities.
The current Sarkin Tafiyar of Sidon is Azurfa Zinariya, a
second-generation inheritor of the Arziki and the complicated
network of caravans built and purchased by his now deceased
father Asali Ubangiji. Groomed to take over, Azurfa is no push
over when it comes to business and has responsibly maintained
his dynasty’s superiority within Sidon for decades. When
foreign powers hope to alter or strike new deals of any serious
consequence, Azurfa is the one it must be approved by.
Similarly, any substantial offers sent beyond Sidon’s
borders are penned by Azurfa or one of his representatives.
THE SYNDICATE – The Syndicate refers to an organization
formed to ensure that the caravans of Sidon operate with the
best interests of their country and fellow masters in mind. Each
master of every caravan is required to become a member with
attempts to avoid this leading to steep penalties and a green
light for the rest to not have to treat them fairly. The primary
goals of the Syndicate are to ensure fair prices across every
caravan, discourage the manipulation of foreign customers to
foster favoritism, prevent meddling amongst each other that
could potentially harm Sidon’s overall profit and to
enforce each Master’s responsibility to his employees and
indentured servants.
The Syndicate is technically led by the Sarkin Tafiyar, who
himself is a member and subject to its rules, but it is usually
managed by the Caravan Lords beneath him. It is totally
acceptable for a Lord to own several of the lesser caravans
operating within the Syndicate so long as they adhere to its
rules.
THE EXCHANGE – While the caravans are out dealing with the
surrounding countries and making a profit someone needs to stay
back to hold down the fort and make sure they have a place to
return to. Named after their primary service offered at the
trading posts throughout Sidon, The Exchange is a collection of
families who run Shilling and own and operate the posts that dot
the deserts. Collecting tariffs, buying goods and selling
resources to returning caravans, maintaining the sea trade to
the west and keeping the infrastructure of Shilling intact all
fall within the realm of the families within which is their own
little hierarchy. At the top are the Jagora, Gina and Motsie
families who run and collect tariffs from most of the trading
posts, keep Shilling standing and manage the ports respectively.
Beneath them are the Talakawa, Isasshen, Iafiya, Manta and Kyau
families whom perform the same duties as the three above but in
lesser ways with most efforts often needing to be run past them
before any headway can be made. Even further down the totem pole
are numerous families who are more or less irrelevant and
replaceable as their compared wealth to those above is
insignificant and ability to do much of worth equally as
unlikely.
The Exchange mostly governs themselves, but they do adhere to
paying tribute to the Sarkin Tafiyar on a regular basis with how
much each family pays being calculated based on their net worth.
Reasons for why include the fact that the Sarkin Tafiyar owns
most of the best performing caravans Sidon has to offer and as a
result brings in a huge chunk of the country’s profit. On
top of this the Sarkin Tafiyar is rich enough to basically take
over the sea trade from the Exchange should he feel the need to.
The Exchange have had to fight with overly greedy Sarakuna in
the past with this usually leading to a rotation of inept
hopefuls taking the title and have decided long ago that the
tribute, and its pacifying of the Sarkin Tafiyar, is a much
better deal in the long run.
DIPLOMACY –
MORE TRADE – Diplomacy for the Caravaneers is usually
simple and straightforward. You let them do their business and
they’ll help you make money. True neutrality is the norm
and the camels have no interest when it comes to taking sides in
any conflict as there would be no sense in dividing their
routes. Each caravan acts as a mobile piece of Sidon territory
and are therefore neutral zones so long as they keep to their
routes. All sides prefer to avoid interfering with their travels
for fear that they themselves would suffer for it in the form of
steeper prices and less business.
With their society built around materialist values, it should
come as no surprise that the camels have established themselves
as well respected and valued assets to the surrounding powers.
Whether it be bypassing the Griffon-Crescent trade ban, helping
to distribute water through Saddle Arabia, or merely securing
the great Khunfisa’ Pharaoh’s next delivery of rare
Kiroho spices the Caravaneers deliver and are well compensated
for it.
Despite their skills the Caravaneers have always struggled to
implant themselves into the Kiroho Federation of Tribes’
the same way they have with the rest of their neighbors. The
Kiroho are far less materialistic than the other races and
therefore are lacking in the idea of trading with the rest,
instead preferring to trade amongst themselves and be as
self-sufficient as possible.
UNTOUCHABLE – The Caravaneers were patient and smart when
establishing their routes, their ability to make long steady
treks on limited resources and talents for appraisal being put
to good use through their history to install themselves into the
societies of their neighbors. Today the surrounding powers rely
on them a great deal to maintain their economies – the
only major exception being the Kiroho Federation of Tribes - and
as a result consider the security of the caravans to be of high
priority. While each caravan keeps on staff several camel guards
the other races tend to be far more capable when it comes to
fending off threats resulting in the common rotation of hired
guards and escorts depending on where the Caravaneers find
themselves at the time.
In the Griffon Kingdom mercenaries are readily available to be
brought along for a price. The Crescent Empire and Saddle
Arabian’s both assign special military escorts in the form
of a Commander and their unit of Terracotta for the former and a
team of janissaries sent on behalf of the individual sultanates
within the latter. When in the lands of the Mamlakat
Khunfisa’, the pharaoh needs only approve of their
presence for most trouble to be avoided, though some Arabian
bandits occasionally attempt to follow and harass the caravans
before being made to regret it by the tiny kingdom’s
population.
The Kiroho Federation are unique however in that they’re
tolerance of the caravans but lack of need for them leads to a
mixed bag of security that often shifts depending on the
political climate. At times the camels find themselves accepted
by most of the tribes and have little to fear, but there are
occasions where a freshly discovered changeling hive or rising
tensions between tribes can cause paranoia and distrust to a
point of deflecting the caravans entirely. Regardless, at least
one member of the Wawindaji Tribe follows each caravans’
activities while in Kiroho lands – and whether they know
it or not - to ensure that they are indeed Caravaneers and not
up to any trouble.
To attack, rob, hinder or slow down the caravans is to commit
severe crimes against both the country of Sidon and their
current hosts leading to serious consequences for the guilty.
LACK OF GOD – Unlike the rest of the races surrounding
them, the camels of Sidon do not believe themselves to have any
sort of patron deity or god unique to them. In fact, most camels
don’t believe that the rest of the countries do either.
While careful to respect the views of their customers and keep
relations warm, for them Celestia and Luna are simply powerful
spellcasters who have found a way to reach out to the celestial
bodies, Zhu is an ancient dragon who has had plenty of time to
figure out how to manipulate the earth, and Aeolus is merely a
myth. Hardcore materialists, the Caravaneers consider themselves
to be a realistic and practical people who have no time to
entertain the idea of divinity or higher powers watching over
them when there’s real work to be done.
Whether or not the camels are right about their lack of a deity
or are simply ignorant is unknown.
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