SuzeWiki Feed http://www.suzerain.info/tiki-wiki_rss.php?ver=2 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 22:01:00 +0100 Tiki CMS/Groupware via FeedCreator 1.7.2.1 http://www.suzerain.info/img/tiki.jpg Suzerain.info http://www.suzerain.info/tiki-index.php en-us Gatherall http://www.suzerain.info/tiki-index.php?page=Gatherall .diffchar { color:red; } -      As with all Suzerain realms, Pulse plays a big part in Gatherall. Wizardry is taught in elite universities and labs. Shamans are hired to negotiate contracts between suitable spirits and corporations, binding them into robot bodies to do deep sea work or other jobs not suited to humans. Pulse also fuels the various cyberware implants that are used all over the city for both aesthetic and professional augmentation. And then there are the stalkers... while Gatherall has no other races, about 1% of the population are vampires, and vampires are the blessed children of the Church. To give blood on Prayerday is an act of communion within the Church of Trinity.
+      As with all Suzerain realms, Pulse plays a big part in Gatherall. Wizardry is taught in elite universities and labs. Shamans are hired to negotiate contracts between suitable spirits and corporations, binding them into robot bodies to do deep sea work or other jobs not suited to humans. Pulse also fuels the various cyberware implants that are used all over the city for both aesthetic and professional augmentation. And then there are the stalkers... the vampires run the Church of Trinity and giving blood is a communion of sorts on Prayerday for the average citizen.



&nbsp;    But all this is just a tiny glimpse of what's inside that bubble of energy that holds out the <a title="Wilderlands" href='tiki-index.php?page=Wilderlands' class='wiki'>Wilderlands. The truth is that Gatherall isn't one city at all, but four cities that work together, each with their own take on the Trinity religion, each with their own power structure, and each with their own problems to deal with. If you want to know more... you'll just have to go there and live the life, whether it's among the muses of A'ir or the deep-sea colonies of Vater.
]]> MMK Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:12:03 +0100 Wilderlands http://www.suzerain.info/tiki-index.php?page=Wilderlands .diffchar { color:red; } -      One of five realms in the Elements family, Wilderlands was a set of post-apocalyptic waselands thanks to the Pulse War. For the survivors of the war, marooned in this quarter of the world when the Barriers went up, life was extremely tough.
+      One of five realms in the Elements family, Wilderlands was a set of post-apocalyptic wastelands thanks to the Pulse War. For the survivors of the war, marooned in this quarter of the world when the Barriers went up, life was extremely tough.
]]> vickeya Tue, 17 Aug 2010 22:21:09 +0100 Barbarian Gardens http://www.suzerain.info/tiki-index.php?page=Barbarian+Gardens .diffchar { color:red; } - The arrival of the Athenians did not change this much. The Aztec empire quickly crumbled and was divided into Athenian colonies, while the Inca-empire fought back for a few decades before their last cities fell.

An expedition into the Sioux-nation by a phalanx of “diplomats” turned out to be a disaster. Negotiations between a local chieftain and the Athenian colonists quickly turned into a bloodbath and the tiny tribe was wiped out. Reprisals were quick to fall upon the Athenians however and the “diplomats” were killed with the exception of two who were ordered to go back and tell their governor to stay out of the Sioux-nation.

This might normally have resulted in the Athenians launching a major offensive to “teach the barbarians a lesson”, but this was in 2337 and the Sakalids were on the verge of completely overrunning the Athenian hegemony, so the governors on Lokin were left with a bare minimum of hoplites to control their vast colonies and the Sioux-nation was left to its own affairs.
+      The arrival of the Athenians did not change this much. The Aztec empire quickly crumbled, and its territory was divided into Athenian colonies, while the Inca-empire fought back for a few decades before their last cities fell.

     Many of those who survived the attack of the Athenians left and joined the nomadic Sioux, swelling their numbers even more.

     Thier decendents started seeing dreams of Tezcatlipoca, a oracle of their people. New weapons and ideas started to emerge among the tribes who had taken in the refugees from the great Aztec and Inca Empires.



Soldiers sometimes used bone and rust colored weapons.



     An expedition into the Sioux-nation by a phalanx of “diplomats” turned out to be a disaster. Negotiations between a local chieftain and the Athenian colonists quickly turned into a bloodbath and the tiny tribe was wiped out. Reprisals were quick to fall upon the Athenians, however, and the “diplomats” were killed with the exception of two who were ordered to go back and tell their governors to stay out of the Sioux-nation.

     This might normally have resulted in the Athenians launching a major offensive to “teach the barbarians a lesson”, but this was in 2337 and the Sakalids were on the verge of completely overrunning the Athenian hegemony, so the governors on Lokin were left with a bare minimum of hoplites to control their vast colonies and the Sioux-nation was left to its own affairs.

     Peace arose in time. Most Athenians stayed true to their traditions, but others adapted some of the native traditions and ideas as their own. Some Athenian colonists have even gone completely native and adopted the Sioux ways.

     Illegal trade of native weapons (in particular the Thunder Guns) started and expanded to other worlds. Smugglers permeate all aspects of the Athenian garrisons and trade on Lokin.
]]> Magnus Sun, 16 May 2010 09:36:20 +0100 Sakalid http://www.suzerain.info/tiki-index.php?page=Sakalid .diffchar { color:red; } -
  • The Sakalid language is very complicated and seemingly constructed rather than evolved, possibly an amalgamation of several languages.+
    • The Sakalid have no markings on their ships but during the war the largest vessels (about the size of Athenian invasion barges) were called Obsidian and Granite ships, whereas the smaller vessels were known as Golden, Copper or Sandstone.



    • The inside of a Sakalid ship smells of a choking chemical and biological stench.



    • Their ships are extremely crowded, making it easy to underestimate the number of soldiers their landing crafts can hold.



    • The Sakalid language is very complicated and seemingly constructed rather than evolved, possibly an amalgamation of several languages.-
      ]]> Magnus Sun, 16 May 2010 09:13:50 +0100 Celestial Map http://www.suzerain.info/tiki-index.php?page=Celestial+Map .diffchar { color:red; } -

      uw_does_it_work_">So houw does it work?

      +

      So how does it work?

      -      The way it works is something like this: the immortal realms of the gods sit in a far corner of the spirit world called the Maelstrom, which is outside of mortal time and space. There's a Veil between the mortal and immortal, with portals through it. Thus, a person travelling from the Maelstrom could get to many different mortal realms through these portals. Some of them are linked to each other too. The linkages on the 'map' show the thematic links between realms href="tiki-editpage.php?page=realms" title="Create page: realms" class="wiki wikinew">?.
      +      The way it works is something like this: the immortal realms of the gods sit in a far corner of the spirit world called the Maelstrom, which is outside of mortal time and space. There's a Veil between the mortal and immortal, with portals through it. Thus, a person travelling from the Maelstrom could get to many different mortal realms through these portals. Some of them are linked to each other too. The linkages on the 'map' show the thematic links between " href="tiki-index.php?page=Realm" class="wiki">realms.
      -      Immortal realms href="tiki-editpage.php?page=Immortal+Realm" title="Create page: Immortal+Realm" class="wiki wikinew">? are the places created by beings of god-like power in the chaos of the Maelstrom, their homes. Mount Olympus is the immortal realm of the Greek gods. The Realm of Fire is the immortal realm created by the Great Spirit of Flame. Simple enough.
      +      " href='tiki-index.php?page=Immortal+realms' class='wiki'>Immortal realms are the places created by beings of god-like power in the chaos of the Maelstrom, their homes. Mount Olympus is the immortal realm of the Greek gods. The Realm of Fire is the immortal realm created by the Great Spirit of Flame. Simple enough.
      ]]>       MMK Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:03:44 +0100       Aeneas and the Axe http://www.suzerain.info/tiki-index.php?page=Aeneas+and+the+Axe .diffchar { color:red; } +
      +
      + The following short story is from the far future Suzerain realm of Garden of Athena takes place in the traitor state of Gortyna.
      +
      +
      +
      +
      ]]>       Magnus Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:20:54 +0100       Legions Of Valon http://www.suzerain.info/tiki-index.php?page=Legions+Of+Valon .diffchar { color:red; } -      Politics, ever the playground of the wealthy and powerful, delayed our legions’ deployment. We arrived none too soon. Alongside warriors from all the civilizations of Austeria, we halted the assault by the murdering Warlocks. Ah, to have been part of those forces! The Caladon Kingdom was hardest hit. My homeland escaped the worst of it, being behind the mighty Lehr River?, but we supported the Caladon knights. To do otherwise would have been our shame. Still, many of our own gave their lives, and today we annually honor them.
      +      Politics, ever the playground of the wealthy and powerful, delayed our legions’ deployment. We arrived none too soon. Alongside warriors from all the civilizations of Austeria, we halted the assault by the murdering Warlocks. Ah, to have been part of those forces! The Caladon Kingdom was hardest hit. My homeland escaped the worst of it, being behind the mighty Lehr River?, but we supported the Caladonian knights. To do otherwise would have been our shame. Still, many of our own gave their lives, and today we annually honor them.
      -      Gymnasiums served as training and recruiting stations. Gymnasiarchs would identify each initiate’s strengths and distinguish the person for specialized duties. During restructuring, the Emperor and Senate sat with the Legatus Legionis to work out a deployment plan for the legions. Three were sent riseward, to Elenium? and New Garris. The Fourteen Legion is stationed at a fort on a major roadway about four days’ journey setward of the river. The Fifteenth Legion is in Elenium. We of The Sixteenth Legion make our home in New Garris, the only Valon military presence on the riseward banks of the Lehr River.
      +      Gymnasiums served as training and recruiting stations. Gymnasiarchs would identify each initiate’s strengths and distinguish the person for specialized duties. During restructuring, the Emperor and Senate sat with the Legatus Legionis to work out a deployment plan for the legions. Three were sent riseward, to Elenium? and New Garris. The Fourteenth Legion is stationed at a fort on a major roadway about four days’ journey setward of the river. The Fifteenth Legion is in Elenium. We of The Sixteenth Legion make our home in New Garris, the only Valon military presence on the riseward banks of the Lehr River.
      ]]>       vickeya Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:32:19 +0100       History Of Austeria http://www.suzerain.info/tiki-index.php?page=History+Of+Austeria .diffchar { color:red; } -

      ages_of_myth_and_legend">Three ages of myth and legend

      +

      Ages_Of_Myth_And_Legend">Three Ages Of Myth And Legend

      -      Allrighty, so whwere was I? Oh yes, the First Age. Starting with paradise and then going wrong when the fire goddess Austra turned up. Nobody knows quite what happened, but what everybody agrees is this: there was a battle among the gods, and nobody remembers what it was about. On the night of the third day’s battle Austra erupted in gouts of flame so large that even gods were incinerated in the blast. Those that survived fled the world for the safety of the Maelstrom where they became mere dreams in the minds of men. Nations were rent asunder, the land flowed under the tide of disasters that destroyed the lands of men, and new peoples awoke as the gods dreamt them into being.
      +      Allrighty, so where was I? Oh yes, the First Age. Starting with paradise and then going wrong when the fire goddess Austra turned up. Nobody knows quite what happened, but what everybody agrees is this: there was a battle among the gods, and nobody remembers what it was about. On the night of the third day’s battle Austra erupted in gouts of flame so large that even gods were incinerated in the blast. Those that survived fled the world for the safety of the Maelstrom where they became mere dreams in the minds of men. Nations were rent asunder, the land flowed under the tide of disasters that destroyed the lands of men, and new peoples awoke as the gods dreamt them into being.
      -      What we got left with is a huge patch of ground with all the buried Trader cities under it. The patch of ground stretches for thousands of kilometers and is called the Great Expanse these days. You could ride for weeks over it before you reached the end, but mostly the Caladon settlers dig down – in search of old Trader relics.
      +      What we got left with is a huge patch of ground with all the buried Trader cities under it. The patch of ground stretches for thousands of kilometers and is called the Great Expanse these days. You could ride for weeks over it before you reached the end, but mostly the Caladon settlers dig down – in search of old Trader relics.>



      --Estev Brass-Ear, Quartermaster



           The Second Age in a Nutshell



           In the Second Age of the Relic realm, the Trader Imperium built great walled cities and fortress markets across the centre of Austeria, joining them with a network of wide, paved roads. Valon sat to the Setward side of the Trader Imperium and the Caladon Kingdom on the Riseward side. It was an era of peace and prosperity.



           The Traders were the dominant civilization of their age, their ziggurat temples towering over the landscape. Yet the Wild came, twisting and mutating reality wherever the Warlocks trod. Armies of the Wild appeared and marched Setward, first crushing the Caladon Kingdom before crossing the Jorna River and laying siege to the Trader Imperium. The War of the Wild was long and bloody, and only won by the combined efforts of all the empires and kingdoms. The final battle was the Siege of Garris (Garris was the last Trader city left standing), and it too was consumed in the last battle of the war.



           Before The Wild



           The Trader Imperium was the vital trading partner to both Caladon and Valon. Prior to the war, everybody got along, for the most part. Occasional skirmishes were restricted largely to nomadic tribes and barbarians who encroached on each other’s territories. Wild beasts, especially in lesser populated areas, also caused problems.



           Summary of the War



           Seven Warlocks appeared on the scene. After quietly assessing Austeria from within Isirion, the Wild swept Setward across Austeria. They wielded a corrupting force called ‘Wild magic’.Caladon bore the brunt of the attacks and began to fragment under the relentless pressure. Its cities fell, and the Caladon people were taken in droves as slaves and foodstock for Wild manifestations.



           The Trader Imperium joined with retreating Caladonian forces to push back the invaders, but was overwhelmed. The weather twisted as the Warlocks advanced, planting altars to their insane dreamlords and drawing a curtain of darkness along with them. Caladon’s provinces fell and the armies of the Wild crossed the Jorna, beginning to sweep across the Trader lands with ease.



           In those dark times a leader arose from the ranks of the last remaining Caladonian knights: Balrin, who would become King. Balrin was a brave and shrewd man; he rallied what knights he had, and hurried the construction of defenses, knowing that they could only hold back the darkness for so long. At the mouth of the Lehr he ordered walls to be built to protect the folk of his kingdom at a place that would become the Caladon capital of Barhoun.



           The Traders had seen the exodus of the Caladonians. The small force they sent to help before the Caladon Kingdom fell was defeated with it. They agreed to set up units of soldiers, few in number but highly trained, to guard the great road network. They contacted the various Barbarians, with whom they also bartered for crafted goods, and paid strong Barbarian mercenaries from the Lehr Peaks to join the units. Balrin released his personal bodyguard to set up an academy, and pass along their experiences. Thus a combined army was drawn together.



           The Alliance army of the Trader Imperium, the Caladon Kingdom, and the Lehr Barbarian clansmen mobilized and countered. For some time it appeared that they could hold the Wild back, but the Warlocks brought awesome magic, and the taint spread further. Unknown to the allies, the Wild had corrupted the hearts of the Jorna Barbarian chiefs, and a horde of their finest warriors swept down at the call of their Wild masters. An army of abominations approached from the steppes to the north and, backed by Barbarian reinforcements, drove back the brave forces.



           The Imperium was swept away. Prior to its fall, the Trader Imperium gave King Balrin two cities for his people. One was a place that was designed years ago by and named after Barhoun of the Caladonian family Shasko. The other was Garris, the layered ruin of what was once the main Trader stronghold built on the site of ancient mining tunnels. King Balrin had the foresight to realize that the Wild would keep coming. He started thinking of how to gain a military advantage while keeping his remaining citizens safe. He sent the civilians to Barhoun and had soldiers set up an encampment at Garris. Outside the walls of Garris, Balrin built a new cathedral to focus the faith of all who were there and to bolster their spirits. The separation was in part a lure to keep the armies of the Wild focused away from Barhoun, the cradle of their civilization, as they would inevitably approach.



           Next, he visited the Valon senate and told them of the coming evil which would not rest and would not stop and would sweep aside all civilized peoples before it unless they joined together. But the people of Valon were not ready to think of war or death. They thought that the Wild could be reasoned with, and bargained with in good faith. Following the senator Salnus, they rebuffed Balrin.



           Help arrived from the least likely of sources, the Aquasaar, whose scouts had seen the Wild blighting the coast. Their emissary had secretly visited the senate in Valon, and finally convinced them to act as the tainted troops set camps along the river. The Valon army, equipped with new Aquasaar weapons from the mysterious island forges, and a contingent of Aquasaar with them, sailed across to the gates of the besieged Garris to join the battle, and the alliance drew up its battle lines there.



           King Balrin led the force, General Arens of Valon at his side. Two flanks of troops, the finest youth of the civilized lands, pressed forward from the encampment and smashed into the enemy forces. For two days the enemy brought up every resource they had, and were beaten back. Brave men fell. The tainted Jorna Barbarians were slaughtered to a man, never to forge another army or play a major role in the world of men. And many twisted creations of the Wild fell to Aquasaar weapons or Caladon lances. Finally, Balrin and the greatest of the Warlocks met on the battlefield and only Balrin was victorious, though Garris was left a smoldering ruin.



           The siege lifted, the allies pursued the enemy wherever they found them, the remaining regiments driven back into the storm-tossed lands of the east once more. Now it was time for the lands of men to push back the Wild.



           The Wild Defeated



           Caladon was annihilated and King Balrin had to restore the kingdom far away from the wreckage. The Trader Imperium was destroyed utterly. Valon was furthest from the Warlocks’ armies and survived well, but their Senate paid for the construction of new Caladon cities, in recognition of the brave Caladonian knights who lay on dozens of battlefields. The work nearly bankrupted Valon too. Yet, the Alliance had won the war and a new Age was declared, the Third Age of Man.



           It took about ten more years of heroic quests to hunt down the remnants of the Wild before the authorities were satisfied it was gone.



           Something In Common



           During the War and after, some things stayed the same. There is a common language. ‘Trader’ is a pidgin tongue of the original Trader language, mixed with old Valon and many loan words from various tongues. It’s a simple and direct language for commerce, counting and various ceremonies.



           There are other languages, but none are as widespread as Trader. The various Caledonian churches speak Lati, which is also used by scientists and archivists. The Shifter races share a sparse sign language based on body language, human-form translations of animal stances, head tilts and ear movements. Each race has its own tongue.



           The vast bulk of trade is direct barter for goods or services. 'I give you my prize pig for your sheep and three half-starved chickens', and the like. Money is a Trader invention for bulk purchases. The normal precious metals, gold and silver, are used for large transactions. The Trader currency is used around the world; it’s the Crown and the Ran, where 100 Crowns (100C) make one Ran (1R). In modern terms, a Crown is about $1, which you can use as a fast translation for basic universal purchases – a quick lunch might cost 5C ($5) in a town, that sort of thing. Holding a 1R coin would be like holding a $100 bill.



           Celestium is the king of metals and the metal of kings. It’s stronger than steel and rarer than platinum. It is rarely used in transactions and no-one has ever made coins from it. But it’s hugely valuable, the metal the Traders used to make relics.

      >
      ]]>       vickeya Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:25:44 +0100       Covert Ops http://www.suzerain.info/tiki-index.php?page=Covert+Ops .diffchar { color:red; } - Later in 2010, expect to see a new realm book for the Savage Suzerain (external link) RPG that will be called... Covert Ops. What's Covert Ops? Well, here's the back cover text as a little teaser:
      +      Later in 2010, expect to see a new realm book for the Savage Suzerain (external link) RPG that will be called... Covert Ops. What's Covert Ops? Well, here's the back cover text as a little teaser:
      - It’s 1998 and monsters don't exist. They’re the stuff of legend and myth, right? Wrong. This world is filled with supernatural creatures just itching to enslave humanity or wipe it off the face of the Earth.
      +      It’s 1998 and monsters don't exist. They’re the stuff of legend and myth, right? Wrong. This world is filled with supernatural creatures just itching to enslave humanity or wipe it off the face of the Earth.
      - Only the world’s finest agents stand between the supernatural horror and an unsuspecting public. Outfitted with the best technology and tradecraft, it's time to get to work.
      +      Only the world’s finest agents stand between the supernatural horror and an unsuspecting public. Outfitted with the best technology and tradecraft, it's time to get to work.
      - Wear the tuxedo, load the Walther PPK, and save the world!
      +      Wear the tuxedo, load the Walther PPK, and save the world!
      - Inside you’ll find all you need to create characters in this unique Covert Ops setting, a wealth of background information, gadgets and espionage equipment, a plot point campaign, 20 Savage Tales, and stats for all manner of new NPCs, government organizations, evil masterminds and creatures of legend to use as allies and adversaries.
      +      Inside you’ll find all you need to create characters in this unique Covert Ops setting, a wealth of background information, gadgets and espionage equipment, a plot point campaign, 20 Savage Tales, and stats for all manner of new NPCs, government organizations, evil masterminds and creatures of legend to use as allies and adversaries.
      ]]>       MMK Thu, 11 Feb 2010 04:05:40 +0100       Community Content: Colony ship http://www.suzerain.info/tiki-index.php?page=Community+Content%3A+Colony+ship .diffchar { color:red; } + Colony ship
      ]]>       Magnus Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:59:29 +0100