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#Post#: 3586--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: April 3, 2018, 10:33 am
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A lot going on in this one. Need to split it into two posts.
Part 1/2
SADDLE ARABIA
GEOGRAPHY – To travel through Saddle Arabia is to take a risk
that you had better be prepared for as much of their territory
is blanketed with wind blasted sand and scorching heat. There is
very little shelter from the elements in between the cities that
have managed to be established and the oases around which small
settlements have sprung, meaning coverings, water and keeping to
the routes is vital to surviving any journey.
CULTURE/THE HARB ‘ABADIA – Saddle Arabia is a very dangerous
place for those who don’t know the culture and how to survive it
day by day. Arabia is a constantly shifting land, not because of
the sands, but instead because of the politics and the magic
that is constantly at play. Within the deserts are two opposing
forces that engage in an eternal battle for control over a
series of magical vortexes scattered through-out the deserts.
Known as Ma’an wells, but nicknamed “Soulwells” by foreigners,
these extreme concentrations of magical energies carry direct
influence over the desert’s conditions and the way of life for
the Saddle Arabians depending on who is in control at the time.
On one side of the conflict are an infinite number of magical
demons called Jinns that spawn from the power of an entity known
as Alsumu, a DJinni that is as ancient as the desert itself. A
being composed mostly of magic, Alsumu once ruled the lands of
Saddle Arabia and its people but was eventually reduced to his
current state through work done by numerous powers of the time.
Today he is kept contained under the deserts and is prevented
from returning through the work of Nazir.
Nazir acts as the other side of the conflict as he is one of the
few capable of handling the responsibility. Like Alsumu, Nazir
is a DJinni but is unfortunately not nearly his equal and as a
result can only work to keep Alsumu’s influence from washing
over the deserts and preventing him from gaining ownership of
the Soulwells.
This conflict is known as the Harb ‘Abadia and depending on
which side is winning it leads to two separate states by which
the Saddle Arabians are forced to live. The Waqt Alzalam is the
more common state where the Jinns have majority control over the
Soulwells and cast a shadow over the lands that makes life far
more difficult for its citizens. The Waqt Aldaw’ is the rarer
state where Nazir has wrestled away control of enough of the
Soulwells to allow the oases to flourish and give the people a
time of peace and comfort.
WAQT ALZALAM – A Waqt Alzalam is sadly considered the “normal”
state by which most of life Is lived for the Arabians. During
these times citizens are forced to seek shelter within the
cities that act as safe havens but at the same time struggle to
provide for the large number of civilians that flock to hide
behind the walls. This overcrowding leads to increases in crime,
a strain on food and water, and the frequent exiling of
troublemakers.
Navigating the markets while avoiding pickpockets, understanding
the varying authority of the guards, and sniffing out enough
work to pay for a meal is a constant struggle that forces the
average Arabian to get smart early in life if they hope to be
anything other than a beggar. Luxury is something strictly
reserved for the elite that can afford it with even something as
basic as water often being very strictly rationed to the
everyday citizen and its common to see the poor in large numbers
sharing abodes as room within the shelter of the cities is
limited.
The desert is a harsh and unfeeling teacher but its also one of
the best in the world as these challenges lead to the common
Arabian possessing a respectable intelligence, resourcefulness
and willpower when it comes to survival. Thievery is a skill
developed early for many children of the poor while the middle
class often are born into their jobs and are apprenticed or
educated by their parents to keep the occupation within the
family. To find a job that wasn’t inherited is to strike gold
within the cities of the sultanates as there is always an
overabundance of people clambering for them with government work
sometimes being fought over in the streets once announced.
The upper class isn’t guaranteed an easy go of it either,
regardless of which Waqt is in effect, as the cloak and dagger
politics of the land can often spell the end for entire families
among the elite. The numerous Cabals and shadow organizations
that infest the political landscape of Saddle Arabia makes every
move on the part of the sultans a calculated one. Every dirty
trick in the book is used by the politicians of Arabia, with
more than a few being patented by the Cabals as this stage
serves as their testing grounds. Kidnapping, blackmail,
poisoning water reserves, double dealing with the leaders of
foreign powers, nothing is off limits for those that run Arabia.
While sounding bad, those in the city are in fact lucky as those
born outside of city walls or are unable to be allowed inside
when a Waqt Alzalam is imminent can have even more trouble.
Outside the walls and the protection of the guards that patrol
them, the Arabians scraping together a living must learn how to
defend themselves and deal with the ever-looming threats of
Sakin Alsahra’s bandits, the Jinns of Alsumu and the numerous
natural hazards of the desert itself. While simple tribute can
sometimes be enough to prevent the bandits from raiding, there
is little these Arabians have that can interest the Jinns and as
such rely quite heavily on the help of Nazir to keep them at
bay. Unfortunately, even one such as he can’t be everywhere at
once and its not unheard of for there to be an occupation of
multiple settlements once a Waqt Alzalam begins and the oases
start to whither and dry. These occupations on good days most
often include abuses such as bullying of the populace,
vandalizing of structures and the destroying of supplies.
WAQT ALDAW’ – Life in Saddle Arabia hardly sounds worth trying
when taking into consideration all of the obstacles trying to
tear its people down, but there is a saving grace that keeps its
people from abandoning it all together. The Waqt Aldaw’, the
greatest gift Nazir can give to the Arabians and the main reason
why they claim him to be their ruler despite his protests, is a
time where the Djinni protecting Saddle Arabia manages to win
enough victories over the Jinns to take ownership of the
majority of the Soulwells. Under his influence they swell with
beneficial life promoting energies that causes the oases across
the desert to flourish and explode with life, stretching their
borders outwards and gifting the people with bountiful food and
flowing waters.
With the threat of the Jinns temporarily removed and the
conditions of the desert improved enough to allow for regular
patrols of Janissaries and city guards to keep Sakin Alsahra and
his bandits at bay, the citizens previously crammed into the
cities are allowed the freedom to head back out and rebuild
their smaller settlements across the lands. The easing of the
cities crowding also allows for the permanent residents of the
cities to relax and stretch back out, providing a window for
them to enjoy a higher standard of living and go back to
focusing on their lives without needing to trip over beggars and
watch for thieves.
The Waqt Aldaw’ also allows the Arabians freedom enough to study
the Soulwells. While not magically potent themselves, the
Arabians work on the Soulwells have allowed them to make leaps
and bounds in the fields of magical containment, altering and
release. Today the Arabians are considered experts in
enchantment, inscription, and the sealing away of magical
energies and beings, all of which being put to near constant use
in their efforts against the Jinns.
During a Waqt Aldaw’ the Jinns retreat back to their lairs for
shelter and to regain their strength in order to strike back
outwards and bring about the next Waqt Alzalam in the name of
Alsumu.
#Post#: 3587--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: April 3, 2018, 10:35 am
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Part 2/2
POLITICS –
SULTANATES – The deserts of Saddle Arabia fall under the
rule of several sultans whom each recognize Nazir as their
overall ruler, despite his denial of the responsibility. While
in charge, usually their influence is limited to their home
cities and the immediate surroundings as they act as the beacons
of civilization and safety when the lands are under the shadow
of a Waqt Alzalam. Of these sultanates three are of significant
note.
The city of Salama under the rule of Zaeim is found near the
western border of Arabia and is often the first to receive the
Caravaneers of Sidon when they enter the lands. Their location
and first pick of the oncoming traders allows them to be better
off than most of the other sultanates and water is less of a
concern as the Caravaneers often bring large amounts as part of
the first steps taken in their routine for distribution across
Arabia. Zaeim and his people are usually involved in dealing
with the traders and handling relations between Arabia, the
Carvaneers, and the Griffon Kingdom. By all accounts he’s
a reasonable and intelligent leader who handles himself with
honor, naturally making him an enemy of the Cabals and a rarity
among the Arabian elite.
Yarshud is a much better example of the political standard the
typical Arabian in power holds themselves to. Based in Mawaa and
located in the deep desert of the south, Yarshud is burdened
with the never-ending struggle of managing the needs of his
people while pursuing his own agendas. Scandals are common
regarding Yarshud and his currently favored Cabal, his dealings
with Sakin Alsahra’ also being painfully obvious but
carefully denied and kept clean enough to prevent outright
proving. Further, his attempts to manipulate and dig his way
into the Kiroho to the south plays a major role in the
Federation’s low opinion of the Arabians. Even so, Yarshud
has done his fair share of work in ensuring that he remain safe
in his position and is a problem that the other sultans
can’t currently solve for fear of enraging the Cabals.
Almasnin governs his swath of desert from the city of Himayatan
in the East and is more of an in-between when compared to
Yarshud and Zaeim. While not as respectable as Zaeim, Almasnin
is far more trustworthy than Yarshud as the Cabals are actively
impeded within Himayatan and Almasnin’s janissaries are
among the most dedicated in their duty to deliver water to the
surrounding settlements. While worthy of some measure of
respect, Almasnin suffers when it comes to diplomacy and is
usually regarded as weak by his contemporaries as his rolling
over to please the tiny Khunfisa’ Pharoahs is something
regarded as a joke despite Almasnin understanding the necessity.
The most controversial piece of trivia currently revolving
around Almasnin is that he is receptive to the culture and
ideals of the Crescent Empire to the north of his territory, the
information having yet to be strictly proving but succeeding in
drawing the attention of the Jade Conspirators whom have worked
tirelessly to secure their influence within Himayatan.
CABALS – The Cabals are a collection of small political
groups each pursuing their own agendas and attempts at changing
life within Saddle Arabia for what they deem to be the better.
There are almost too many to count and members often include the
most powerful people in the country both in business and
politics. It is not uncommon for the sultans of Arabia to
discreetly endorse whichever cabal is currently in line with
their own pursuits, though the laws of the land prevent any from
outright naming themselves as affiliated with them for fear of
exile or worse.
There are many cabals in Arabia but some are more influential -
or at the very least currently active - than the rest. The most
striking examples the people are aware of at this time are the
Jade Conspirators, Sorrel Initiative, Tagetes Revisionists,
Arcane Dominion, and Blue Royalists.
The Jade Conspirators hold the most influence in the East and
are believed to be based within Himayatan despite the city
guard’s efforts to root them out. Their beliefs are that
Saddle Arabia would be far better off if they were to abandon
the sultans and denounce Nazir, instead turning control of the
deserts over to Tānxīn Zhu and his Crescent Empire.
The way they see it is that his mastery over the element of
Earth would eventually allow him to terraform the deserts into a
permanently habitable land despite the influence of the
Soulwells which would be turned over to Zhu to satisfy The Tax
in place of the Arabian’s lack of magical capabilities.
When asked about the Jade Conspirators, Zhu always denies
involvement in the south but does so with an amused grin and
there have been multiple unverified reports of someone coming
close to the description of The Orchid within Arabian lands over
the years.
The Sorrel Initiative is composed of radical militarists who
believe that the Arabian population is doomed to eventually die
out should they remain in the deserts. The Waqt Aldaw’ for
them are never long enough to justify the hardships endured in
the times between and so the Sorrel are constantly pushing for
the sultans to unite and enact a hostile push southward in an
effort to annex the Kiroho Federation’s lands. This,
combined with Yarshud’s handling of relations between the
Arabians and the Kiroho, obviously has caused a great amount of
tension to arise between the two powers and it is rare for
Arabians to be allowed entry into their lands for fear that they
are in fact Sorrel Initiative spies.
The Tagetes Revisionists are more the enemies of the Caravaneers
of Sidon than anyone else. Believing that the reliance on the
camels to help transport water across their lands to be
inefficient and a way for the Caravaneers to influence them, the
Revisionists are aware of and push for economical shifts towards
the promotion and endorsing of a foreign company based in
Equestria. Offering better equipped and funded security to best
protect routes as well as larger shipments of water from the
start carried by state of the art wagons specially designed to
traverse the conditions of the deserts the deal seems too good
to be true for those not in the know. The flip side of the coin
though is in the small print which outlines that the company
would be allowed a hefty amount of influence when it comes to
Arabian imports and exports as well as opening the door to the
possibility of a monopoly over trade being established country
wide. Regardless, the Tagetes Revisionists believe this to be a
price well worth paying should it create more jobs for those
living under a Waqt Alzalam and solve their water problems once
and for all.
The Arcane Dominion is officially recognized by the Arabian
government as a terrorist organization and are treated
accordingly. The Arcanists work towards using the
Arabians’ understanding of the soulwells to seal Nazir
away within a bottle or similar container with the intent of
forever binding him to the vessel. Reasons as to why are vague
and range from the idea that they could then use his magics to
grant themselves wealth and power to their true purpose being a
cult in worship of Alsumu who hope to see his reign return.
Considered enemies of the state and reviled by most of the
citizenry, the Dominion are bent on achieving a goal most
consider to be suicide and any whispers regarding their
activities are treated extremely seriously all throughout Saddle
Arabia.
Polarizing the Arcane Dominion are the Blue Royalists who view
Nazir as their one and only ruler. Pushing for a full monarchy
to be adopted and to name Nazir as their all powerful king, the
Royalists are often considered a nuisance that often graffiti
and vandalize public property while refusing to acknowledge the
authority of either the sultans or their guards. While mostly
harmless, and even supported by a decent chunk of the
population, there have been a few exceptions where the Royalists
have caused serious damage or harm to government property and
personnel, these attacks being justified as the beginnings of a
revolution that will tear down their failing leaders and make
way for Nazir to take over in totality. Nazir openly disapproves
of the Royalists and firmly discourages the people from being
convinced that he has any right to rule over them.
BANDIT KING – The cities of Saddle Arabia have their fair
share of problems, but they also have a ruling body and a force
of guards to keep those inside relatively safe. The laws are
strict but necessary when under a Waqt Alzalam and the most
common punishment for the more serious crimes is the exiling of
the guilty party from the city so as to not have to worry about
spending any resources on them during a potentially lengthy
prison sentence.
Outside of the walls the criminals are given a simple canteen of
water and told to get lost before being left to their own
devices when it comes to survival. While difficult, surviving in
the deserts is not impossible and some of these exiles manage to
reach one of the smaller settlements who then often accept them
in order to improve their numbers against the Jinns. Most are
accosted by roaming bandits before they can make it to safety
and find themselves robbed of what little they had before being
left to cook under the sun, but some are lucky enough to be
discovered by a certain brand of bandit that offer them a simple
but tempting choice.
Keep walking and take your chances out on the dunes or come with
them and pledge an oath to do whatever it takes to survive.
Sakin Alsahra’ was once a Sultan ruling from a smaller
city in the center of Saddle Arabia called Maladh. During his
time, he hoarded resources for himself, sold out his own patrols
to bandits to get a cut of the profits and made more than a few
shady deals with a multitude of Cabals to rake in as much money
and power as he could. For years he avoided suspicion, but after
pushing his luck one too many times and crossing one of the more
vindictive Cabals at the time all of this was brought to light
and Sakin found himself swept up in a swift and merciless
tornado of retribution on the part of the other sultans
he’d screwed over during his reign. Sentenced to be
exiled, Sakin’s punishment was unique in that he was first
kept in a cell to dry out and starve for several days before
being roughed up, stripped of everything and then kicked out of
his own city. Outside he was shouted and sneered at from the
walls as he started his walk towards the sands to die.
Lucky for him though, the bandits he’d dealt with before
found him and remembered the deals they’d made. While they
intended to simply leave him be since he didn’t have
anything for them to take anyway, Sakin was able to convince
them of a raid they could pull over Maladh to claim his hoard of
supplies that surely would be fought over by the other sultans
for quite some time. Skeptical but giving into greed, the
bandits agreed and Sakin would go on to make good on his word,
using his knowledge of the city and taking advantage of the
guards weakened state after his dealings to lead the band in an
attack on the small city, retrieving the goods promised plus
extra and setting fire to a large section of the markets on
their way out for good measure. Outside the bandits prepared to
double cross Sakin and take the supplies for themselves but were
dissuaded by his promise that he could do the same to
Maladh’s neighbors, something he proved several times over
in the months to come.
Today Sakin Alsahra’ rules the deserts during a Waqt
Alzalam. Most of the smaller settlements are at the mercy of his
bandits whenever the guards and janissaries are required to
watch over the cities and Caravaneers and its widely believed
that the majority of Sultans across Arabia pay a regular tribute
to discourage his bands from causing trouble. The wealth
he’s managed to accrue has attracted the attention of most
of the independent bands as well leading them to take up his
banner, and at one point he was even powerful enough to take a
Soulwell from the Jinns in a daring gamble that was soon put to
a stop by Nazir.
Today Sakin remains one of the most powerful people in Arabia
with some of the most experienced and merciless warriors and
criminals the country has on offer under his command.
DIPLOMACY –
TRADE – Trade in Saddle Arabia flourishes during a Waqt
Aldaw’ but is hampered by the Jinns and bandits when under
a Waqt Alzalam. Normally the Arabians try to trade away their
rugs, pottery and their excess of enchanted vellums in exchange
for water, food and equipment.
The Caravaneers are relied upon to help with bringing in and
distributing water amongst the cities and settlements of Arabia
to the point where each sultanate is responsible for supplying
at least one janissary to help escort each caravan that enters
the desert. These janissaries are specially trained soldiers
that are meant to abandon their individual biases and political
beliefs in the spirit of providing the most important resource
to all Arabians, but – true to Arabian politics -
it’s not uncommon for the Cabals to meddle with and
influence these special guards into affecting the routes and
amounts of water rationed out at each stop.
An expensive but valued import for the Arabians is that of the
Griffon Kingdom’s Greatwood as its heat resistant
properties helps a great deal in shading the cities from the
harsh sun.
SHIFTY LOYALTIES – The Cabals keeps the Arabians from ever
being united in any one philosophy at a time. With a reputation
of being shifty and manipulative, the cleverness of the average
Arabian can often cause them trouble in a diplomatic setting as
most meetings are regarded with tentative trust and taken with
many grains of salt. Foreign dignitaries are well aware of the
Cabals and Sultans tendency to double speak and backstab and as
such are trained to treat everything said to them as if it were
a lie until proven. This is a serious detriment for the Arabians
whenever someone honest like Zaeim attempts to reach out or
strike a fair deal and its also led to Saddle Arabia being short
on allies and burdened with rivals and tensions.
DEPENDANT ON THE CARAVANEERS – As mentioned, the
Caravaneers are vital to the distributing of water across Saddle
Arabia. Sakin Alsahra’ and his bandits view each caravan
as a juicy target overloaded with supplies ripe for the plucking
and so cooperation amongst the sultans is required to ensure
their safety and mutual benefit. Jannissaries from each
sultanate are provided to act as a special escort for each
caravan traveling through the deserts, and should the bandits or
Jinns manage a serious blow against even one the repercussions
could potentially be felt nation wide.
DJINNI – Saddle Arabia boasts the presence of two very
powerful beings. These are the Djinni and both are polarizing
forces that have entered into an eternal struggle to take
ownership over several potent vortexes of magical energies found
scattered throughout the deserts.
Nazir is a benevolent being composed mostly of magical energy
but capable of maintaining a physical body which he can
shapeshift to most anything at a whim though he normally prefers
the body of a mildly glowing blue Arabian wearing simple
bracelets and a pendant of varying appearance. Being made of
magic himself, Nazir is an extremely capable spell caster and is
considered one of the most powerful and knowledgeable casters on
the planet. Unfortunately for arcane enthusiasts he has never
shown any interest in sharing this knowledge or taking on
students as his concerns and efforts revolve around only two
things: keep Alsumu contained and prevent the Arabians from
dying of thirst or destroying themselves. Because of his work,
he is unofficially recognized as the king to which all the
Sultans must serve even though he finds himself constantly
denying any right to rule. Despite his protests he is still
treated like a king but is therefore also conspired against by
some Cabals and sultans with coups intended to
“overthrow” him occasionally leading to his
inability to prevent the loss of Soulwells in the past.
Alsumu is the second Djinni residing beneath the sands of Saddle
Arabia. Imprisoned there long ago through a team effort between
some of the more powerful beings to exist at the time, Alsumu
was Arabia’s original ruler and holds true to the belief
that the lands rightfully belong to him. During his time he was
a cruel and malicious ruler who played with his subjects for his
own amusement and even now he causes trouble for them as he is
the source of the Jinns that trouble the country and constantly
work towards reinstating his shadow over its people. Like Nazir,
Alsumu was capable of shifting his physical appearance to
whatever he wished but most surviving images depict him as an
imposingly large and red Arabian lavishly decorated with fine
jewelry and possessing a wild and chaotic mane that lashed out
against those nearby. Whether this was accurate or merely
artistic embellishment is unclear.
#Post#: 3628--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: May 16, 2018, 1:15 pm
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A quick note on Changelings: According to this little thing I
wrote up the Changelings are still intended to be treated as an
antagonistic race of parasites like they were originally
portrayed back in the day. I understand that may or may not be
the case any more or that they're at least more friendly now, I
don't know for sure since I haven't watched anything involving
them since the finale they debuted in, but for the sake of not
contradicting canon we can just say that the changelings in the
Kiroho jungles are either led by antagonistic Queens or do not
consider any alternatives due to their history as enemies and
refusal to treat each other as anything else.
THE KIROHO FEDERATION OF TRIBES
CULTURE – The Kiroho are Zebras occupying the southern lands
beyond Saddle Arabia’s influence. The people there are very
spiritual and great reverence is paid to the dead on a daily
basis. This is made extraordinarily easy for them as they can
literally speak to the departed with it being so well understood
that several spirits from each major branch of tribes keeps a
permanent slot within the Roho Tribunal and helps advise the
Federation on many important matters. The concept of ghosts
being common enough not to warrant concern, let alone helping to
govern, is a difficult one for most outsiders to grasp and proof
of these practices is scarce thanks to xenophobia. Most of what
is known to the other countries comes as second-hand information
spread by the Caravaneers as they travel back from their visits.
What’s easier to accept is the more mundane aspects of daily
life within the Federation. Most tribes are independent enough
to have their own unique flavors when compared to the rest, but
there are commonalities amongst them. These include their near
universal valuing of the tribe as a single large family unit,
each usually being led by a number of elders, and religious
ceremonies being held every other day to calm the dead.
Community is strong amongst each of the tribes with a sort of
“home team” attitude being ingrained into their people early on
in life. Most meals are eaten and shared amongst their fellow
tribesmen at set times and entertainment is almost exclusively a
group concept that leads to games of sport, dance and song being
the primary means of passing the off hours. Competitions between
tribes are also common and used to encourage exercise, training,
loyalty to one’s tribe and act as a harmless outlet for
rivalries and disagreements between members of the Federation.
Art is simple for the Kiroho. The time and focus needed to
complete complicated pieces in the form of subtle portraits and
masterful sculptures requires too much time spent isolated for
most Zebras to find it worth the effort, instead opting to make
quick paintings across the sides of homes, on pieces of cloth
and sections of wood usually as group efforts and projects where
many tribe members take part. Each tribe has their own “flag”
with which they adorn their warriors and fly over their
territory and is often designed via community and changes
depending on the tribes leadership, current standings, mood,
goals and opinions.
POLITICS –
SHIRIKISHO – The Kiroho Federation – or ‘Shirikisho’ in their
native language - is a large collection of Zebra tribes found
south of Saddle Arabia that united after a long history of
turmoil. Rivlaries, distrust, paranoia, Changelings and the
confused and desperate ghosts of the time roaming the lands led
to countless small conflicts and a reluctance to co-operate up
until each tribe found themselves struggling to survive. At
their lowest they were brought back through the guidance of the
most spiritual of their kind, the Mtakatifu tribes, and were
instilled with a strong faith ever after. Cooperation with the
dead is now common place and viewed as vital to the Federations
unity.
Each tribe is still independent within the Federation when it
comes to managing their own lands and conflict still
occasionally crops up between the members, but hostile acts
taken against one must first be reviewed and determined as just
by the Council lest they fall out of favor with the Roho
Tribunal and risk expulsion. In exchange for the Federation’s
protection and assistance in ensuring their survival, each
member is expected to chip in if needed, pay a tribute to the
Wawindaji tribes to support their efforts and are required to
muster in defense of the Federation’s homeland should anything
come along to threaten it.
COUNCIL – The Council is the primary means by which the
Federation coordinates its members and convenes to discuss
matters that concern every member. If ever a member falls out of
favor with the Federation or an outside power attempts to
interfere in their work the Council is the final word on how the
Kiroho will respond and has the full authority to declare war on
their enemies then call on the obligation of every member to
participate. From there only the Tribunal has the potential to
veto the decisions made by the Council, though this is something
they are usually reluctant to consider.
ROHO TRIBUNAL – The Tribunal is an odd part of Federation
governance as it is the only known office in the world believed
to be run by ghosts of the long dead. To take the word of the
Caravaneers, the Roho Tribunal are three seats occupied by
spirits representing the three major branches of the Kiroho
Tribes and working to serve as advisors to the living Council.
While usually having the ability to sway the opinion of the
Council on most matters, the Tribunal usually wish to limit
their involvement in matters to simple advisory roles as they
believe that the concerns of the living should ultimately be
theirs to handle.
The current Mtakatifu representative is Kiongozi and he is by
far the eldest of the three members of the Tribunal. Living as a
high-ranking member of the Mtakatifu’s religious sanctuary -
Makao Takatifu – Kiongozi served as a recurring representative
for the Mtakatifu on the Council during the early years of the
Federation and served well in leading the now defunct Wraith
Regiment of the newly formed Federation’s defensive forces
against those who refused to join and resisted the unification.
It was only natural that he be assigned a spot within the
Tribunal in death and his return was celebrated as a boon for
the Federation as a whole. Unfortunately, his age is stretching
him thin when it comes to maintaining his presence in the world
and he is now expecting to fade within the next few years.
From the Dawa there is Pombe, a villain of the past now
curiously in a place of leadership. Originally a Brewer of fair
renown and skill, Pombe launched himself into legend when he
developed a series of new recipes involving wild plants of the
western jungles leading to breakthroughs in his craft.
Unfortunately, his craft was poisons and he became the most
dangerous Zebra of his time that the Kiroho had the trouble of
dealing with leading to a series of deaths and manufactured
diseases. Of the three current members of the Tribunal, Pombe is
the only one to have been executed by the people he is now
helping to advise, and while reviled for his actions in life his
knowledge regarding the brewing of potions and his experience in
getting samples of his deadliest batches into the most secure of
locations makes him an invaluable source of knowledge for his
tribes, even if they do need to strictly vet every recipe and
piece of brewing advice he gives them.
The Wawindaji aren’t too keen in worrying about their reps
within the Tribunal or the Council, but the current one is a
decent choice if flawed. Muuaji was a Jungle Warden in life who,
like Pombe, spent a portion of it in poor public opinion after a
bad call led to the unjust purging of a Mtakatifu border camp.
Unlike Pombe however, she was allowed a chance to redeem herself
with which she not only succeeded but simultaneously lost her
life taking. Venturing back into the jungle, she survived for
several years acting as a Kifo Seeker and countered Changeling
efforts to harass the Kiroho with bold infiltrations of their
hives. She died while attempting to assassinate a queen that
planned to erode trust between the Dawa and Wawindaji tribes
through a series of abductions and impersonations. The wound the
queen suffered delayed the plans long enough for the Jungle
Wardens to follow up on evidence provided by Muuaji and prepare
for the Changling’s plan leading to a resounding defeat for the
queen and a strengthening of relations between the two tribes.
Most don’t know the story behind Muuaji, but the Wawindaji take
care to remember their Kifo Seekers and know the history of
their Tribunal representative.
DAWA TRIBES – The Dawa are the Brewers of the Kiroho. While most
in the world have a fair understanding of alchemy and do it
well, the Dawa have their own unique brand of potion making that
they prefer to call “Brewing” and this carries deep ties to the
religious practices of the Kiroho people. Medicine-zebras and
witch doctors, the Dawa provide the Mtakatifu with religiously
significant potions and mixtures for their gatherings and spirit
rituals, brew cures for the various troubles that plague the
average Zebra, and work to assist the Wawindaji’s efforts by
cooking up ability enhancing concoctions that can allow for
incredible displays of physical prowess.
When it comes to their own, the average Dawa Brewer is viewed as
a sort of mad chemist by the Caravaneers and as a volatile flask
rattling drunk by the rest of the Kiroho. In a good way. Sort
of. Most of what they brew is made with the intention of
improving lives and to ensure the intended affects they must
test everything on themselves first before giving it to anyone
else. This leads to the reputation of some… odd character traits
being common amongst them as they work out the kinks in their
recipes. Should ever the Council demand they create something
more harmful however, the Brewers are plenty capable of cooking
up some trippy and devastating concoctions.
MTAKATIFU TRIBES – The religious leaders of the Kiroho and the
heart of the Federation, the Mtakatifu often accept roles as
leaders and guides to the rest of the Zebras of the tribes and
are the ones responsible for the original formation of the
Federation. Their unique understandings of the spirits of their
people and the strange connection they have with their homeland
allows the Mtakatifu to be the most in tune with the ghosts that
occupy their home and naturally places them in a position of
authority on the subject granting them heavy influence over the
rest of the tribes. Still, this influence is believed to be
responsibly managed as the Mtakatifu view themselves as
righteous advocates for good out to promote cooperation and
unity amongst the tribes to ensure they mutually prosper. It is
wondered by the visiting Caravaneers if their idea of unity and
strong xenophobia towards non-Kiroho suggests that they mean to
oppose everything else, and the much more materialistic Camels
of Sidon consider the general attitude and tones of the
Mtakatifu when preaching their beliefs to be a little too fierce
for their liking.
While in the past the Mtakatifu commanded Wraith Regiments –
forces of ghosts that terrorized their enemies – today their
priests have retired the now frowned upon practice of riling up
the dead to be used as weapons for the living. Instead, the
Mtakatifu have developed hexes and curses capable of punishing
the guilty, debilitating enemies of the Federation and crippling
their effectiveness to allow the more martial of their forces an
upper hand.
WAWINDAJI TRIBES – The Wawindaji are aloof loners amongst the
Kiroho tribes even despite being one of the three major
branches. This is not done because they despise or are repulsed
by the others but instead it is done out of necessity as their
work requires that they retain a healthy suspicion of all others
outside of their own tribes. Located both inside and around the
borders of the jungles to the west, the Wawindaji are the Kiroho
tasked with keeping the Changeling hives of the jungles in check
as well as rooting out their influence throughout Kiroho lands
through the hunting of suspected changeling imposters and the
production and distribution of various masks, fetishes, paints
and talismans imbued with energies intended to disrupt and
detect Changeling magic.
When it comes to Changelings the Wawindaji are surprisingly
merciful. While they may have had a long history of flat out
exterminating any trace of Changelings found outside of the
jungles in the past, today most efforts to remove them from
Kiroho villages leads to capture, branding to hinder their
ability to disguise themselves in the future, and release back
into the jungles they came from. Now-a-days the Changelings are
viewed as victims of their own nature and the Wawindaji reserve
the harshest of punishments for those found guilty of serious
harm to the Kiroho people.
Wawindaji Jungle Wardens make up the best individual warriors of
the Kiroho, their Purifier Agents are trained to be excellent in
investigating and rooting out foreign influence, and their Kifo
Seekers are the most effective scouts in the Federation with at
least one shadowing the Caravaneers of Sidon whenever they are
allowed to operate within the Kiroho’s territory.
While each tribe of Wawindaji are potent in their effectiveness,
they are few. To ensure that each Wawindaji is familiar with all
others, their numbers are limited to only a handful of tribes
who keep close watch over each other to ensure their purity.
DIPLOMACY –
SELF SUFFICIENT – Rivaling the Crescent Empire and Equestria in
sheer border range, the Kiroho find themselves being entirely
self-sufficient. The diversity in their geography, cooperation
between Federation members and their suspicion of others leads
them to have everything they need to create everything they
want, and they lack a desire to trade with outsiders for fear
that it may leave them vulnerable to treachery. The Caravaneers
are the only ones permitted to perform foreign trade within
Kiroho territory and usually it is limited to certain stretches
of time or to heavily monitored routes. Kiroho spices are the
most sought-after export of the Federation, its unique flavors
and scents and its sparse circulation fetching high prices
abroad.
SLOW TO TRUST – The common Kiroho Zebra views their own tribe as
family, other tribes as healthy rivals and allies when needed
and anything else as a potential danger that encourages their
xenophobia and borderline paranoia when dealing with a foreign
power. Raised to watch for imposters and spies from the
Changeling hives in the jungles of the West, to earn a Kiroho
Zebra’s trust is quite the achievement that only few can lay
claim to. It’s nothing personal, but anyone not native to the
Federation’s territory and wearing the stripes are not welcome,
this being something the Arabians know all too well and the
Caravaneers put up with every trip.
SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE – Kiroho beliefs tell of a Great Spirit that
watches over them and their lands with the desire to see them
unified under common belief, worship, respect for the dead and
spiritual purity. The ghosts of the lands and the Kiroho’s
ability to communicate with them cement these religious views as
fact for the Zebras the country over, and arguments against such
things are viewed as lunacy due to the proof the priests have at
their disposal of existence after death. Curiously though, this
has not been observed within the Jungles of the west nor have
any Zebra immigrants and travelers ever noticed such spiritual
activities – at least not to this extent - outside of Federation
territory.
For the spirits within Kiroho lands there has been plenty of
time for them to be studied and many attempts have been made to
understand their nature. What is agreed upon so far is that
after one dies there is a period of time – usually a generation
or two worth of years - where they are lost to the world,
somehow unable to return or manifest into anything tangible
enough to be detected by the living. Years after death the
spirit may return, though some are lost forever and are assumed
to skip over this visit back to the world and instead move
directly on to whatever comes next. Should they return they are
given only a window of time to be focused and contacted by the
Mtakatifu Priests before fading again, but if contacted they
regain enough of their senses to be capable of speech and
interacting with others to varying extents. This begins their
visit back in the world and can last for decades (centuries if
the spirit is from the Mtakatifu Tribe) before they eventually
near their limit and fade away to meet whatever comes next for
them.
When asked about death and what comes after, the ghosts are
oddly unanimous in their vague method of answering. The best
most can get out of them is a claim that it “isn’t so simple to
explain”, or that whatever is suggested “doesn’t work like
that.” Frustratingly enough no one has ever been given a
straight enough answer to do anything other than theorize.
#Post#: 3631--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: May 16, 2018, 7:26 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Ayyyyyyyyy finally got off my ass and finished the eastern
kingdoms I had planned so far.
THE MAMLAKAT KHUNFISA’
CULTURE – The Mamlakat Khunfisa is the smallest Kingdom of the
powers across the sea and are found to the East of Saddle
Arabia, taking up only a tiny portion of the map in comparison
to it’s neighbors and being very easy to miss or dismiss by
those ignorant of their relevance. Populated primarily by dung
beetles with some different species mixed in, their borders may
be small, but their population is massive with millions of
beetles living within their cities and spread out across their
country.
Within the cities of the Kingdom the worry for space is
irrelevant and complaints kept to a minimum. The Beetles, while
fully intelligent and capable of communication and complex
ideas, understand their inherited purpose within their homeland
and see no use in complaining over tight spaces as their small
bodies, dedication and insectoid nature eliminates their need
for personal space. A common site within major Mamlakat
Khunfisa’ cities, especially in their capitol of Alhayat
Alqadima found above the Necropolis, is that of entire rivers of
Beetles coursing through their streets and swarming over their
objectives to erect monuments and carve large statues in record
times through cooperation.
Every day for a Beetle of the kingdom is considered a gift to be
repaid via endless glorious servitude to the current Pharoah and
therefore frivolous luxuries and unproductive fancies are
considered heresy – a squandering of their gift – and is never
afforded to the common masses. If a beetle isn’t building,
carving, gathering or praying then they are undeserving of
kindness and are soon found by the Priesthood to either be
corrected and shown the error of their ways or have their shells
harvested early to be used in the decorating of the nearest
temple. Because of this strict adherence to labor, entertainment
is found in dutiful prayer and a job well done rather than shows
or games.
Despite their lack of games and luxury, art is still a major
part of the Kingdom’s culture and is considered a holy practice
as most pieces depict either the Pharoah’s or the Dalil Muqadas
Malak. Decoration of cities and temples is important to the
Kingdom and each one is often a breath-taking testament to
detail and lavish quality. Entire pyramids or buildings be made
of solid gold – a sacred material for the Kingdom - and
decorated with thousands of different colored shells harvested
from the deceased. Some argue Alhayat Alqadima even puts the
Jade City to shame, or at least that it would were it not for
the masses of insects and what serves as their primary source of
food tainting it according to their non-Beetle sensibilities.
Most non-sentient herbivore species are welcomed within the
Kingdom’s lands and are allowed to roam freely under Pharoah’s
protection for obvious reasons.
POLITICS –
PHAROAH – The Mamlakat Khunfisa is forever ruled over by an
ever-continuing succession of Scarab Beetle Pharoahs whom are
believed to share a direct lineage to their god Malak. Currently
the Kingdom is ruled by Mubarak XXXVIII but this is expected to
only last a few more months before his son, Mubarak XXXIX, takes
the throne for the rest of his life, this estimated to be around
2-3 months depending on his father’s passing. Like with all the
Beetles of the Kingdom, the Pharoah’s lifespan is fleeting but
this is not intended to be a quick life of achievements and
contributions till death but instead one of rest and easy going.
While the common Beetle may not be allowed the luxuries life has
to offer, Pharoah expects, and often demands, to be treated to a
life of nothing but as this is only a passing vacation before
their true work within the Necropolis is meant to begin.
Whenever a Pharoah is nearing their death, they are brought to
the Priesthood’s headquarters in Alhayat Alqadima to be prepared
for their next lives. Under the Priesthood’s care they are
subjected to physical dissections, rearrangements of internal
organs, sewing, chipping of the shell and a series of magic
rituals before they are ready to return as one of the immortal
residents of the Necropolis. Once ready (and quite dead) they
are brought via procession to the largest pyramid the Kingdom
has ever constructed – reaching a staggering height (for a
Beetle) of about 2 stories – where the final rights are
performed to bring the pharaoh back from their death. Afterwards
there is a ceremony where the newly risen pharaoh accepts their
responsibilities to forever serve Malak and then retreats into
the pyramid to presumably enter the labyrinth of tunnels and
passageways leading them deep underground. Eventually they find
their way to the Necropolis and reunite with the Pharoahs that
preceded them.
From here all that can be known by outsiders is pure speculation
but from what’s been learned from the Priesthood its believed
that the Pharoahs are amassing themselves either to focus their
eternal worship to Malak and their efforts in moving the world
through the cosmos or to wait for some kind of signal or sign
that would prompt further action.
KAHUNUT ALJUERAN ALDHAHABII – Also known as The Priesthood of
the Golden Scarab and usually referred to simply as The
Priesthood, those who have pledged themselves in leading the
worship of Malak in their communities are highly respected and
semi-revered within the Kingdom. Responsibilities for the
Priesthood include the harvesting of shells from the dead, the
organizing of workers in temple and pyramid construction, the
leading of the Beetles in spell casting, ensuring all Beetles
know the joys of work and understand the sin in idleness, and,
of course, the preparations that go into readying of a pharaoh
for their service within the Necropolis.
DEATH IS EASY – Within the Mamlakat Khunfisa’ lives are short,
and death is not feared. The average Beetle life expectancy is
less than a year due to their biology – most being lucky if they
manage to even reach half of one before passing – and the
occurrence of work place accidents is common with their small
bodies being very easy to crush and damage under the gold and
stone they build with. As such death is not mourned and instead
is accepted as a very fast approaching inevitability. So easy
going they are to the idea of dying that every Beetle’s shell is
harvested by the Priesthood upon their passing so as to be used
in the decorating of their temples, all for the glory of Pharoah
and Malak.
DIPLOMACY –
UNTAPPED RESOURCES/GOLD – The Mamlakat Khunfisa is very small,
but so are its people, meaning that its use of the natural
resources found within its borders is slow and measured. Copper,
desert gemstones, basalt, aromatic plants used to make perfumes,
and materials used in producing cosmetics are plentiful there
making it a treasure trove for those brave enough to risk
stealing from the Kingdom. Gold is dangerously common within
their territory and is valued as a sacred material that mirrors
the golden shell of Malak, but also draws in the attention of
neighbors and thieves. Since the Beetles draw on it so
carefully, a single mine discovered in their Kingdom can last
literally for thousands of years before being exhausted which
causes this to be a mouth watering target that ahs proving too
tempting to resist for some in the past.
Those who try to indulge in their desires to raid Khunfisa’
territory quickly realize how big of a mistake they have made
however as most resources are monitored by the Beetles and the
punishment for foreign thieves is severe. Malak have mercy on
those who dare go for the highest value target in the form of
the Khunfisa’s gold as so much as touching the material without
the express permission of Pharoah or the direct supervision of
the Priesthood is considered the most heinous of crimes and
leads to the cruelest punishment they can resort to.
Exclusively reserved for non-beetles and meant as a warning to
others, the mines can usually be found guarded by mummified
foreigners devoid of rational minds and free will. While the
sacred rituals of mummification are a blessing reserved for the
Pharoahs and acts as an opportunity to serve forever within the
Necropolis, this is a very different form of mummification that
leaves the victim a husk of their former selves doomed to
forever defend the very thing they tried to take in the hopes
that someday Malak may forgive them for their transgression.
There is no negotiating with the Khunfisa’ once someone is found
guilty of this crime regardless of the power of those attempting
it. Pharoah’s word is law and his wrath is on behalf of Malak
herself.
TRADE – Trade is done with the Mamlakat Khunfisa’ via the
Caravaneers of Sidon and the shared border with the Saddle
Arabians to the West. While the common Beetle of the Khunfisa is
denied the concept of luxury and the fancy imports from the
surrounding countries, Pharoah expects nothing less and
frequently orders large shipments – small for everyone else
involved – of various exotic goods from around the world. In
exchange he usually gifts the courier’s bringing him his luxury
with a large array of samples from their plentiful resources or,
should Pharoah be especially pleased with the exchange, samples
of the Khunfisa’s sacred gold, either in simple bar form or that
of small statuettes depending on request. If taken as statuettes
the exchange is usually heavily in favor of the foreign party as
the detail and craftsmanship that goes into their creation is
unmatched anywhere else in the world. The Beetles and their tiny
tools are capable of a level of precision unheard of elsewhere,
and each statuette usually sells for exponentially more than its
already respectable worth as gold.
SMALL BUT MIGHTY – Its easy for most to laugh when asked if they
believed the tiny Mamlakat Khunfisa’ and its Beetle populace are
anything other than a mild threat to any true full-sized army.
These people know not what they say as I suggest the Beetles may
very well be one of if not potentially the most powerful country
in the East that we should be thankful are satisfied with what
they have. It’s not uncommon to hear of the Sultans of Saddle
Arabia bowing to the demands of the Beetles or to catch wind of
Tānxīn Zhu recalling a deployment of Terracotta
soldiers inching a little too far South-East so as to avoid the
headache of dealing with the Khunfisa’. While mistaken as
skittish weakness, the wisdom in these actions is obvious to
those who truly understand what the Kingdom is capable of.
Imagine fighting a swarm of insects that outnumber you a
thousand to one and are fully capable of scattering, burrowing
and hiding in the smallest of places should things not go their
way only to reemerge seemingly from nowhere and in complete
silence further down the line in full strength. Picture having a
near undetectable force of small saboteurs infest and destroy
entire fields of crops or infiltrate the most secure of
locations to spy on or harm the most important people you have.
Every Beetle is capable of casting magic, and while its
considered pitiful when they are alone trying to cast miniscule
flashes of flames or wisps of wind, when in a congregation of
hundreds of thousands of their brethren and led by the
Priesthood their abilities multiply beyond anything a singular
mage could hope to achieve anywhere else.
The Arabians learned this the hard way long ago when an
ambitious Sultan by the name of Tumuh grew hungry for gold and
led a campaign into Beetle lands after capturing and cackling
over the perceived weakness of a Beetle agent. Going straight
for the capitol with plans to seize the Pharoah and force a
quick surrender, he found himself immediately being forced to
flee under the assault of boulder sized fireballs and erupting
earth brought about by the massive population of Alhayat
Alqadima and the core of the Priesthood of the Golden Scarab
working together to put on a display of magical power that few
believed was even possible and reduced his invasion to shambles.
For numerous years that followed the Arabians were tormented by
failed crops and lingering threats of assassination that
strained their already difficult survival within the deserts
with relief only coming after a meeting was made between the
Pharoah of the time and Nazir himself that managed to smooth
things over and cease hostilities.
The lesson learned by Tumuh was simple: One Beetle may be weak
and easy to destroy, but the Mamlakat Khunfisa’s people are
legion and should not be taken lightly.
THE NECROPOLIS AND THE DALIL MUQADAS – Beneath the Mamlakat
Khunfisa’s capitol city of Alhayat Alqadima lies, at an unknown
depth, the Necropolis. The Kingdom’s city of the dead occupied
by the numerous pharaohs of the past now mummified and locked in
eternal worship of their god swells with the induction of every
new Pharoah and has accepted new citizens since the earliest
recordings of Mamlakat Khunfisa’ history. Considering the
lifespan of the average Pharoah and the age of the country, its
believed that the population must today nearly equate that of
it’s living citizens, yet even to this day what exactly they are
doing down there remains a general mystery to outsiders. The
most accepted theories include either a focusing of their
worship similarly to the Beetle’s ability to combine their
magical power and a possible waiting for a sign to be sent from
their god Malak.
Malak is the god of the Mamlakat Khunfisa’s people. Referred to
frequently as the Dalil Muqadas in the texts of the Priesthood,
the general description of Malak is that of a female scarab
beetle possessing a shell made entirely out of solid gold. As
the teachings go, Malak is a being that operates on a cosmic
level similarly to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna of
Equestria. However, while the Royal Sisters manipulate and tend
to the sun and moon, Malak is believed to be the one trusted
with rolling the planet itself down along a course that it
travels through the universe where the sun and moon either
revolve around the planet or are being dragged along with it in
the wake of Malak’s efforts, presumably to some end goal or
destination. Without Malak the Beetles of the Mamlakat Khunfisa’
believe that the world would stop dead in its tracks and trap
everyone in one place for all eternity, denying them the end to
their journey and whatever awaits them there.
#Post#: 3767--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: June 20, 2019, 1:14 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Plot for the arc that never finished.
So what was supposed to happen was:
Tartarus was being occupied by a mercenary force that gained
entry after a few unicorns like those in Weaver infiltrated an
incoming rotation sent to relieve some of the boys. They
sabotaged junk enough to open the doors and cause the real
guards to retreat down to the third level (high value but
otherwise mundane prisoners). You’d have figured things out –
aside from it being obvious I felt – through clues such as no
supplies, discarded personal effects, the files and information
in the archives being picked through without care etc.
After the characters figured it out you’d have been forced to
retreat down like the guards had since the mercenaries would
have turned the battery of turrets and stuff at the entrance
against you. There you’d have met the real warden (guy upstairs
is the second in command of the mercs) who would have recognized
Charybdis to in fact be someone named Scylla who is known in the
Griffon Empire to be a terrorist. Blah blah relevance WAAAAAY
down the line but would have probably been a brief discussion
here given more pressing matters.
Once given a full explanation of how the prison got dingle
danged youd have been told that communications could be made
through some devices on the second level. Hopes would be low
though since that level got royally crunched by the unicorns
when they broke everything since cutting comms would obviously
be one of the first things they’d go for. You would have had the
option to take the second level anyway but wouldn’t have been
able to get any word out. You WOULD have gotten food and
supplies for the remaining guards though since they’d basically
been starving down on the third level with nothing but the stuff
they had on them when shit went down. Ultimately you would need
to go further down to solve things.
Charybdis, now just going by Scylla since the secret would be
out, would be familiar with these mercenaries, as would anyone
with extensive knowledge of such groups. She’d be able to fill
everyone in if need be as you go down to try and find out both
where they’re leader was and what they were up to.
On your way downstairs youd have dealt with a few prisoners and
things released by the mercs on the condition they act as extra
muscle in exchange for freedom. These included: A large golem of
stone and metal, some serpent people with spook magic, and an
accidentally released magical pox infecting the fifth or sixth
level. There also would have been a satyr with weird powers that
blew off the mercs after getting released and was just kind of
doing whatever he wanted.
Reaching… I don’t remember… the seventh level? Something like
that. You’d have found the boss of this little area. The
unicorns that sabotaged the prison would be at work disarming a
bunch of magic runes and shit keeping a sarcophagus contained in
a woo woo magic bubble so arcane wow. With them would be the
second in command – he’d have gone down soon after you got
chased lower to catch up with the boss – and the guy in charge.
He’d have been a minotaur for funsies and hefting a big ol’ axe
and a full suit of armor with crystals and shit to make it fancy
and magikarp. Strategy there would have been removing the
crystals – conveniently floating just off the surface of what
they’re set into – to weaken him enough to either knock him out
or trap him in one of the vacant cells around the level.
Way I saw the encounter going was either the group spreading out
even amongst the unicorns, lieutenant and boss or people
focusing on certain areas. The unicorns would mostly ignore you
all to focus on the cell with the lieutenant using his chain and
sickle to distract and keep you back while boss played the major
threat in trying to make you all notably less lively. If, for
whatever reason, you tried to ignore the minotaur entirely then
Scylla would have managed to deal with him alone since she’d had
to in the past. She’d have just been pissed afterwards and junk.
Notable detail here would have been the boss’ axe crystal
allowing him to cut through magical barriers, this being show
when Mana Burn would have tried to just contain him right away.
Scylla would keep this crystal through sleight of hand after he
was beaten since it would probably come in handy against all
these dang ass unicorns and their superior race’s magic.
Anyway, you’d fail to stop them from releasing what’s in the
sarcophagus. Damn, twice? You’re not super great at this are
you? That’s fine, there’s always next time. Anyway, there’s a
unicorn in it cause of course there is. The remaining unicorns
help him through another portal cause that’s their gimmick in
this arc. They’d keep the mercenary lieutenant with them too, so
he’d escape with ‘em while the boss stays behind all beaten and
stuff. The characters, the warden or Scylla would force him to
call of the rest of the mercs who would just bail since they’d
think they didn’t stand a chance if he lost to you guys and your
shiny stat blocks. The satyr I mentioned earlier would make a
brief appearance and would be livid that the unicorn actually
got out as theres a chance he’d have actually gotten around to
helping you guys if he’d learned more about what they were
doing. He escapes by the way.
You guys – or Thunder if no one thinks to – would most likely
ask the obvious question of “who was in the sarcophagus?”
Cutting backwards in time a little while we’d have some story
with Gleam going to Corona to investigate things. He’d have
grown suspicious of Lion Hearts handling of the investigation
after his visit from the person claiming to be sent by him to
update Gleam. While in Corona he’d have met with the captain of
their guard. Willows woulda been her name. I remember that
because she’d have been important for a while if things had gone
how I’d hoped. Anywho, in Corona he’d eventually have reason to
be poking around the castle and Heart would have been noticeably
uncomfortable with his presence and confused if his agent is
mentioned at all.
Punchline is hes arrested like seconds before a portal opens and
drops off the unicorn from Tartarus. Gleam would know who it was
and said the name “Kash” just before we cut back to the crew at
Tartarus.
Jump forward a few hours from the fight and the guards are
running their protocols to contain the prisons lower levels
while you guys are getting first aid or otherwise resting near
the top. The real warden would promise that the repairs on the
communications device would take only a few days to fix and that
so long as they have the gate under control nothing should be
able to escape before help can be called. A team is also
immediately dispatched to Weaver to secure the cyclops.
Returning to the question of who the unicorn was youd be given a
file with limited information. Basically all you’d have learned
is that he was in Tartarus to serve a life sentence for
“international crime” and that his abilities can “affect peoples
loyalties”. Basically he mess with peoples egg salads but they
don’t want to outright say it. Frustratingly vaguebut at least
slightly helpful you’d be left with asking about how the
unicorns got into the prison and would learn here – if you
hadn’t already by then – that the group they’d arrived with were
sent from Corona.
Oh. The no. What have we but betrayal to look back on. Kinda,
sorta, meh and humbug.
You’d make plans to go to Corona from here since going to
Canterlot would take too long and waiting for help would also
take too long. The file, while vague, would at least make a
point of mentioning that if the prisoner escaped that time would
be of the essence in containing him lest things get serious all
quick like givin the egg salads and his messing of them.
Point is you’d go to Corona or I’d turn this car around.
“But wait!” says Scylla, “I might have a mcguffin to help with
mind control! Trust me - the terrorist - and follow me to a
remote location where no one can hear you scream.”
You’d better do it, cause she knows some things you don’t,
mainly where this mcguffin is and why you’d need it cause its
actually real. Mostly.
Following her – I WILL turn this car around – you come to a
shack on the way to Corona. Scylla has a secret here in the form
of another god dang horn pony named Cada whom is intended to be
kind of creepy. She… Let’s just say she was intended to be the
most important character I’d have ever written here on this
forum- or anything pony related I guess - and leave it there for
now cause she’d take up the rest of this post.
You spend time there and would be offered a deal to help. You
get what you need to deal with Kash, she knows who he is, and
you, or more specifically anyone with the authority, promise her
one afternoon of unsupervised access to Corona Castle’s library.
The car keeps going whether or not you take this deal but it
would change how things rolled at Corona since taking it
provides you with a journal written by someone involved with
Kash’ original imprisonment. Included with this journal would
have been a shit load of backstory and some hastily jotted down
notes near the end that, through study, can be translated to a
sort of defensive spell intended to keep someone’s mind from
being tampered with. Mana Burn would be capable of using this
spell along with anyone of noteworthy magical aptitude. The rest
of you… hmph… “people” are just going to have to be careful. And
try not to scuff the horns they’re more valuable than your
lives.
If asked, Scylla claims that she will be fine and the group
doesn’t need to worry about her when it comes to getting brain
boggled.
Mewving on, I’d never decided on if I wanted to actually put
this in but I considered a short cutaway where Captan Willows of
Corona is escaping her own guards as they are being converted
over to same side as the Cortoza whom are revealed to be totally
loyal to Kash. Sprinkled in would also be scenes of Kash and
Gleam talking as they have a long history and it would allow
people to get some character from him even if it was out of
character.
Once you get to Corona you would have found the city in lockdown
and the weather would finally be breaking into some rain. How
thematically convenient! Civilians are being kept from leaving
through the gates and anyone trying to fly would be either
tackled or shot down then captured. Getting in would obviously
be a challenge but help comes in the form of Minos.
Remember Minos? No, I’m not letting that idea go, I swear I
could have done something with them and you can’t convince me
otherwise. They’d have in some way or another gotten into
contact with you guys outside of Corona with an offer to help
smuggle you inside. Scylla would be against trusting them and
would remind you all of her theories from the beginning with her
still kind of convinced this is all their fault.
Minos would explain: Yes, they are to blame! But only to a
point, and they aren’t happy with how things are going down.
See, they were hired way back by Lion Heart to acquire some
journals for him to add to his collection of Tartarus relevant
items. These journals were penned by Kash himself before he was
imprisoned and were enchanted in a way that would compel someone
to want to seek him out and return them. Originally this was
legit just his way of not wanting people to run off with his
personal writings or to just get them returned if he forgot them
somewhere, but overtime the magic went off and his imprisonment
meant he couldn’t be reached. This caused the enchantments to go
from simple compulsion to return a lost item to a growing
obsession that eventually took over Lion Hearts gray matter.
Kash was also related to the original Cortoza – the connection
that Gleam shared with him – and this obsession eventually
caused Lion Heart to reform the group and make the journals
required reading. Bingo bango cult-a-made-o.
Now, Minos don’t fuck with no spookums from Tartarus, so none of
their agents read the journals for fear they might learn
something they didn’t want to know, but they were more than
happy to let some other idiot do it if they paid them first.
This means they didn’t now about any of that but they did know
about how they were hired to get information about the guard
rotations and such in Tartarus. Normally they don’t do anything
if it means tampering with Tartarus’ security since they also
live on this planet and having things kill it would be lame, but
they were offered a LOT of money to do this and couldn’t refuse.
They could, however, give a very stern warning using their tough
guy voices telling Lion Heart that he better not, like for
serious don’t(Im not even kidding – I mean come on - ), do
anything to jeopardize Tartarus beyond level 4 (moderate magical
threats).
So he did.
Minos is trying to fix things in a way that doesn’t get them
killed and needs you guys in the city to do it. They’ve been
smuggling supplies in to assist the remaining free guards,
including Willows, and keep them going. Why don’t they leave?
Because they’re all that’s stopping the turned guards from
steamrolling over the civilians and getting this whole
processing step of Kash’ plan done in a few hours. They’re
refusing to leave out of loyalty to their oaths to protect the
people and Minos thinks they are a bunch of goobers because of
it though they appreciate how they’re slowing them down.
Why don’t you guys go get help while they work on things here?
If you don’t get back in time youll find the city “normal”. If
you prove it isn’t normal then you suddenly have a CITY full of
people willing to die to protect Kash. Ever try to cut through
mobs of civilians to reach the main baddie? Your arm gets tired.
I WILL TURN THIS CAR AROUND!
So how come if Minos knew about how this stuff was getting bad
and wanted to stop it they didn’t just go tell the royal guards?
Or heck the regular guards in corona?
#Post#: 3768--------------------------------------------------
Re: Kabyl's Stuff and Things
By: Haywire Date: June 20, 2019, 1:15 am
---------------------------------------------------------
They tried, but only in ways where they wouldn’t be noticed as
being involved at all. The visit Gleam got in Canterlot was one
of their people trying to make him suspicious of Lion Heart and
they weren’t alone. Every other mayor involved was being visited
by similar agents, but they just blew them off every time since
they are a bunch of d-bags. They did manage to get Gleam over
there at least, though he ended up not really preventing much.
So, what are you supposed to do? Step one: get in the city. Step
two: work your PC magic and figure out a plan to go beat up the
bad guys. You survived Tartarus at this point and that was the
roughiest tumbliest prison this little croutons ever been told
exists in pony land so this shouldn’t be that hard right? But
hold on there, friends, we aren’t just going to let you accept
our help that easily! You need to agree to our terms first.
But, crimipal! You need US!
Yes. But we need to talk to Scylla first. You guys don’t get to
know what the terms are but you do know that Scylla seems to
agree without much convincing. Next stop is Corona via smuggler
tunnels.
Inside Corona your first step would have been to make contact
with Willows and her people. Chances would be this wouldn’t work
out too great the first couple times since she’s all that’s
preventing the easy transition from unruly city to some god damn
peace and quiet. Eventually youd find her though and start
making plans on what to do from there.
Here I would encourage you guys to figure out your exact plan.
Points to consider would be breaking free some of the larger
gatherings of civilians in a sort of distractions to open a way
to the castle, the defeat of the Mercenary lieutenant currently
being used to train the recently converted civilians into actual
fighters, Gleam being held in the castle’s dungeon, and more.
Whatever you decided to do you’d end up in the throne room for
the final showdown. Kash would be able to take you guys, he was
a master battlemage who could summon and use two burning magic
swords at once and stuff. Also, anyone not being protected with
the spells learned from the journal you got back at Cada’s shack
would be susceptible to Kash immobilizing you by fucking with
your head. You’d be free to roleplay it some here in describing
exactly what hed be doing, anything from simply locking you in
place to drudging up some kind of memory or emotion that keeps
you from fighting for a turn or two. If he’s sufficiently
distracted, you’d break free and no one would get converted or
anything since that requires too much focus to do in a fight.
Yadda yadda you fight and stuff. Thunder gets a wing cut off and
Kash eventually gets pissed enough to in some way shape or form
knock you all back or around so he can villain talk and stuff.
Scylla would appear to be stuck under his influence here just as
a funny “haha you were wrong” moment but would reveal shes
actually totally immune and just was pretending in order to
throw some of the dust from WAAAAAAY back in weaver in his face.
He wouldn’t drop to it but that would basically be the big “get
em!” moment. Fight ends there.
Being knocked out breaks his control over the majority of people
in the city and solves problems. Willows survives maybe. Gleam
at some point manages to either be freed or free himself but
doesn’t reach the throe room until after the next point.
Kash is now unconscious on the floor and the arc characters
would be split in what to do. Mana would want him returned to
Tartarus. Thunder, either through anger from his crippling or
merely thinking pragmatically, would want him killed. They’d
argue with Mana going so far as to pull rank on Thunder and form
a barrier around Kash to shut down the idea of killing him.
While they’re arguing, and if the Players Characters aren’t
doing anything to try and do it themselves, Scylla would sneak
around to the barrier and, using the gem she stole from the
minotaur in Tartarus, cut through Mana’s barrier and kill Kash.
This was the condition of Minos’ assistance in getting them into
the city: That Kash die to prevent this from happening ever
again. Scylla, as mentioned before, didn’t need convincing and
would basically step out of the arc here by exiting through one
of the castle’s windows.
Gleam arrives too late to save Kash.
Cleaning up we return to the group in Canterlot where they’re
being debriefed by Gleam. Here the group can learn the full
story about him and stuff. After learning what they want Gleam
asks about the circumstances of Kash’s death. Thunder isn’t
present during the debriefing as he is being given a checkup on
his now missing wing elsewhere in the castle. Mana covers for
him by not mentioning his eagerness to kill Kash.
Mana and Thunder then part ways as Thunder quits the corps and
Mana stays on. Willows survived Corona most likely and is sought
by Gleam to apply for the new captain of Canterlot’s day shift
guards but is resistant to the idea. Lion Heart and the Cortoza
are given psychiatric help. Tartarus recovers with only a few
escapees still at large. The cyclops at Weaver is safely
returned to his cell. Kash is basically forgotten to history.
Gleam dies not long after this arc ends.
Cada is granted her unsupervised visit to the Corona Castle
Library.
So what else…
What was up with the monsters and stuff getting teleported
around?
Three things actually. Lion Heart managed to learn how Minos was
able to sabotage the weather factory before all this started and
thought it would be neat if he could use this technique to just
pop into Tartarus outside of Kash’ cell and pop back out. This
obviously didn’t work since the guards would have thought of
that but it did still give him the idea of using it as an
immediate means of returning to Corona once he was free and the
magical mumbo jumbo was down. The animals were results of tests
they were doing to perfect the teleportation from across vast
distances. These never were precise enough to satisfy Lion Heart
and he eventually settled on the tried and true portal technique
for his plan.
The teleporting did give him an idea while they were doing,
their tests though. A distraction in the form of a mystery to
occupy peoples minds and worries while he worked on releasing
Kash. His plan was to rile people up with escalating
occurrences, take the lead of the investigation to try and avert
suspicion, then release the cyclops and have him go terrorize
the Western coast all while freeing Kash and converting his own
city to serve him. By the time the cyclops was dealt with Kash
would be safe and could move on to his other goals.
Who’s Kash?
Kash was the co-founder of the original Cortoza along with
Gleam. They formed after saving Equestria from a hostile
invasion from a parallel world involving goats and satyrs and
trolls oh my. They averted it from really taking off and gave
the big baddie in charge of it all a black eye but in so doing
also had the academy they were attending totally demolished by
the crisis. Afterwards they considered rebuilding it but instead
committed themselves to going off as adventurers and defenders
of the weak and all that jazz.
Whys he an asshoooole?
The Cortoza were veering towards becoming a political piece in
Equestrian politics in the time just before their dissolution.
Kash was frustrated by this since he hated the idea of working
for one team when Equestria was just part of a bigger world. To
him, the Cortoza were meant to be everyone’s heroes but Gleam
was accepting far too many jobs suited towards Equestria’s gain
and no one elses. It all came to a head when they were sent as
covert support to help the Griffon Kingdom in their most recent
conflict with the Crescent Empire. They helped the Griffons take
the Basin’s(the territory between the two nations) most
important strategic location but in so doing ran into the Orchid
and had quite a tussle. Things went pretty badly and while they
were ultimately victorious they suffered casualties.
That was it for Kash as he didn’t like seeing his friends die
for something he didn’t think they should have been a part of to
begin with. He vowed to end the conflict between the Griffins
and Crescent for good. How? They both needed to be renovated.
And by renovated he meant they needed o both get seriously
jacked up to the point where they were both helpless and
couldn’t protect themselves. At that point he hoped they’d be
forced to sign something serious, something permanent, something
to get them to just stop once and for all.
He knew Gleam and the others wouldn’t be on board so he took it
upon himself to do all the work. He’d always studied taboo
magics in the past and had developed a skill in his mind
controlling magic years prior to these events though he never
had reason to use it before. There he finally did put it to use
in dominating the group of Eagles and Ravens the Griffons had
sent along with the Cortoza. With them under control he sent
them back to the Kingdom with plans to start dismantling their
government through assassination and sabotage. Those types were
the best the Kingdom had to offer so he didn’t feel a need to
babysit them as they worked and turned his personal focus to the
Crescent Empire.
For them he held a strong disgust and disliking as he found
their way of life revolting and so decided he’d just take over
their armies and spark a civil war. Each Commander in the
Crescent military had a legion of terracotta soldiers, so with
each one Kash dominated he gained a small army. Endgame for the
Crescent would be killing Zhu himself and Kash was confident he
stood a chance as he’d gone toe to toe against the big bad from
when the Cortoza formed and survived way back in the day so he
figured killing an ancient dragon wouldn’t be strictly
impossible.
He almost did it too. Kash managed to lay siege to Yu City
itself and forced Zhu to take the field. Unfortunately, Gleam
caught up to him before he could challenge the snek lizard.
Through sheer luck, Gleam doesn’t even front about it, Gleam was
able to incapacitate Kash and drag him back to the Basin.
Without Kash the commanders under his sway were freed from his
control and promptly executed by Zhu and the Orchid for high
treason.
Gleam dragged Kash all the way back to the Griffon Kingdom where
the remaining Cortoza were at work unraveling the plots of the
dominated Eagles and Ravens. When Kash went down hey were
released, saving the King’s life and revealing them to the rest
of the Eagles and such. The Eagles were questioned and studied
for any lingering effects. The Raven was questioned then
promptly executed with her example being the kick in the butt
the Ravens needed to up their mental resistance game.
Kash was then transported back to Equestria where everyone
agreed to lock him away and not mention that he was ever over
seas to begin with to avoid having Equestria and the Griffons
look bad. Gleam was promised that he’d be given chances for
rehabilitation through out his sentence. He wasn’t.
The rest f the Cortoza went their separate ways shortly after.
While failing his goal Kash did at least end the conflict
between the Griffons and Crescent for decades to come as it took
them quite some time to recover.
So what was Kash’s plan?
Gleam wrote the journal you learn the magic defenses against
mind control from. He super didn’t want Kash to die and in the
sections where its just them talking he’d have urged Kash to
give up what he was doing as it wasn’t necessarily his fault
that Lion Heart had been influenced by his journals. Nobody knew
who Kash was in that day and age so he could have turned himself
in and asked the Princesses for mercy. Gleam was hoping this was
a chance for his friend to return but Kash was committed to his
work as he was dying.
I never described Kash but he was a very sickly character that
always wore a face mask perfumed to all hell with tonics and
herbs to help with his bad health. His immune system was weak
his entire life meaning that if he didn’t take great care in
keeping himself protected from the world around him he’d easily
fall sick. The shock of being brought out of his imprisonment
without anyone really caring much for him in his sarcophagus
meant his body was being hit really hard by all the new strains
of viruses and stuff he’d been kept from for decades.
He knew he was going to die - and soon - so he wanted to implant
his “point of view” across the country before going out.
Basically he wanted to use Corona as a base where he’d lure or
capture important people across Equestria to take control of and
send off to push agendas and policies both small and far
reaching. When he died he’d lose all control over these people
and his hopes were only that whatever he’d put in motion would
be viewed critically instead of tossed aside immediately. In his
mind he was prepping the world for something better, to pull
people and countries closer together in the long run, but Gleam
would have been quick to point out the flaws in his thinking
whenever they’d have a scene debating each other.
Kash knew the flaws too but he simply didn’t have the time to do
anything else.
I think that’s mostly everything. Unfortunately, there’s tons
more I could say as this was supposed to be the start of a
series of arcs - no joke I had around 6 that I wanted to do
after this - but those ones weren’t as fleshed out as this one
since they were only plans at the time and not fully written.
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