The Campaign Builder's Guild

~ Prologue

"I was there, you know, when the Bamachali crashed into our land. I felt the very earth beneath my feet slow to a crawl. I bore witness to the horrors that vile creature wreaked upon our fair land.  I survived the darkest days of civilization."
"I just don't believe you! How could a little Gremlin - whose race only lives for thirty years - see something that happened over four thousand years ago?"
"We may be Gremlins now but, in the distant past, we were so much more. We were Treants, living tree-men that thrived for thousands of years. We tended to the once great forests that blanketed this land..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard the story before, "We were once Trees that talked and walked like men but we were destroyed by the goddess Daldaina. She cursed us to be perpetually reincarnated in these Gremlin bodies." Pffft! That's what all you grubby little Vermes say! You just say that because you don't like being slaves! You were born a dirty Vermes, you'll die a dirty Vermes, get used to i...!"
"What seems to be the problem here?"
"This Gremlin was spreading lies! Says he was a magical tree-man!"
"Is that so?"
"Yes. We Gremlins WERE Treants!"
"That kind of talk is illegal under the laws of..."
"Under the laws of Sophus Valida, Melius Astrum..."
"Indeed. The fine under the..."
"But to which Sophus Valida, Melius Astrum do I owe my fines? Last I heard, there were thirty now! Thirty pretty kings ruling over the scraps left to them by the Filia Devum!"
"Why you uppity little Vermes...! Men, arrest this Gremlin and lock him away in the darkest dungeon! We don't need his kind contaminating the minds of young women like..."
"I am Titus Tulius Ursus, Knight-Errant of the People of Lyra. I am sworn to uphold the laws of the Codex Argenteus, set forth by Treaty of Vetus Campo, which was signed by the Senate and people of Lyra, both of whom were in mutual accord."
"Must you Knights always recount that tired old story? Can you not just say, "I am a Knight-Errant?"
"You of all people should know I cannot, Nonus. The Observators were founded to police the city of Lyra and uphold its laws. Your allegiance may be to the Senate but that does not give you license to harm a free man."
 "Free man? He is a Gremlin!"
"Not all Gremlins are slaves. I know this Gremlin, his name is Puvana...
"You may know this verme..."
"I purchased Puvana from his master out in the provinces and subsequently granted him his freedom."
"Humph! Very well. I take my leave of this vermin and of you, Knight. Pray we do not meet in a dark alley before you return to the hinter land..."

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~ Welcome

Welcome to the Land of Dying Sunrises' Campaign Thread! I just created this campaign setting not... Yesterday, actually. Join me as I brave the Land of Dying Sunrises and flesh out this world. You will see floating Goat-People, sentient Scorpions who record the happenings of the realm and operate the land's finest brothels, terrified Pixies, sentient Zebra who are world renown for their acting abilities, skeletal cyclopean horrors and much, much more! The world is fading my friends, so let us enjoy what little time the sun has ordained to give us...

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~ Table of Contents

- History
--- Carmenium (pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3, pt. 4,  )

- Places
--- The Forty Rocks
--- The City of Lyra
--- Oraikremos
--- Selini

- Races
--- Simius (Humans)
--- Minores (Gremlins, Virmes)
--- Nohircus (Goat-Men)
--- Virgatis Equus (Zebras)
--- Scorpius (Scorpions)
--- Centarus (Centaurs)
--- Satyros (Satyrs)
--- Hast (Fawn)
--- Perdidi (Pixies)
--- Osseus Cyclopea (Skeletal Cyclopes)
--- Vipera (Wyverns)

- Realms
--- The Empire of Feldenium
--- The Empire of Lyra
--- The Metuntio Empire
--- Tauria (pt. 1, )

- Organizations
--- Observators

- Concepts
--- Codex Argenteus

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Feel Free To Post In This Thread  :)

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"Please welcome our guest lecturer, Roshanaka Ilgjaqli, Bitinas of the Metuntio Empire. She has lived in Lyra since she was but a small child and has been a devote student of our history for almost as long."
"Thank you, Balbia Minor for that warm greeting. The history of Lyra can be traced back to the devastating war between the Oraikremosians and the Selinians. As we all know, that war was beget when King Drakvos the Great sailed from his home city of Selini to the lands of the Oraikremos. There upon he marched a small army in the dead of night to the city-state of Keio, slew King Chari the Unready in his sleep, kidnapped the King's ten daughters and sailed back to Selini. Such raids were common enough in those ancient days but to precipitate one in the dead of night went against tradition. King Chari's son, Kindyno (who would later earn the moniker of "the Cunning") rallied support from his fellow leaders of the Oraikremosian city states and staged a massive invasion across the Agrios Sea and besieged Selini. The siege lasted fifteen years but eventually the combined might of the  Oraikremosian army proved superior and the city of Selini was razed to the ground. In that intervening fifteen years, the eldest daughter of King Chari - Thamaza the Beautiful - married King Drakvos and bore him seven children. When the besiegers broke threw Selini's mighty walls, Queen Thamaza fled the city through a secret underground passageway, which lead to the docks. There she bribed an Keiosan boat master to take her to a land where neither side held any sway. Sympathetic to her plight, the captain agreed. A year later, they group arrived at what we now call Carmenium.
"Question."
"Yes?"
"Why would the boat master so willingly aid Queen Thamaza? By willfully marrying King Drakvos, she had foresworn her rights as a native Oraikremosian and became a true Selinian. From what I have read at the Great Library, King Kindyno put a bounty on his sister's head equal to a small fortune."
"Boat Master Akfeos sided with Queen Thamaza because he was a true patriot and a romantic at heart. Master Akfeos did not agree with the wholesale slaughter of Selini, or the bounty that had been put on the former Princess. The two became fast friends (tradition holds that they were never more than friends) as they spent the better part of a year evading Kindyno's fleet. One fateful day, a great storm appeared, which rocked the ship off course, sending it into the shallow, rocky coast the coast off what is now called Carmenium. It was a beautiful land of rolling hills, small woodlands and gentle rivers. The natives peoples were simple Simius, who had only recently mastered agriculture. They welcomed a great and powerful Nohircus into their society. Through her, they learned of better agricultural techniques, the written word and of stone construction. Together they founded a city at the meeting point of the Velox and the Livenes Rivers. As with everyone, eventually Thamaza passed away...
"And then Marcus Drakus Oceanus came to power!"
"Hush!"
"Indeed. Thamaka bore a single son after fleeing the flaming ruins of Selini. Marcus Drakus Oceanus was a pure-blooded Nohircus and claimed to be the eighth and final scion of King Drakvos of Selini. As his mother before him, Drakus was a wise and noble ruler, often taking time to ask even the lowliest beggar of his troubles. Drakus' reign was focused on the expansion of the city into the surrounding countryside, the empowerment of the aristocracy and formalizing his kingship over the city that had come to be called Lyra. He married a beautiful Simius named...
"Claudia Graecina!"
"Correct. Claudia Graecina bore Drakus ten daughters and ten sons. As there were no other large city states of note in the area, Rex Drakus paired each of his children off, to keep the noble line pure (as was ancient Selinian custom). The native Simius vehemently objected but Drakus would not hear any of their complaints. While at a rowdy party celebrating Drakus' twentieth year in power, a Simius named Gaius Virius Gaius yelled at the Rex that the marriage of his children was disgusting and abhorrent. Drakus and Virius argued for a time before blows were struck. No one knows exactly how it happened but..."
"Rex Drakus was slain!"
"Ahum. In the aftermath, the aristocracy decided to declare all of the marriages of Drakus' children annulled. They then split the twenty children up, each marrying into one of the twenty most powerful families in the city. These twenty families would eventually form the backbone of the Senate, that would be found just two years after the death of Rex Drakus."
"I think that will serve as a good stopping point for now. We shall re-convene the class after lunch.

Hmm, I'm not sure if I am sold on this format. It'd be easier if I just wrote it all out like a text book...

I find it pretty cool. It's like, glimpses into the world. At different places with different people. It gives a feel.

Quote from: Pymtein Magnushake
I find it pretty cool. It's like, glimpses into the world. At different places with different people. It gives a feel.

Well as long as someone likes it, who am I to argue. :)

Your reasoning is exactly why I thought this might be a cool way to showcase the world and its history. It feels a little less dry/sanitary than most settings I have written up in the past. It does require a different mindset however, which is why I am a bit ambivalent towards the style.

"Welcome back, we shall now continue the early history of Lyra and Carmenium with guest lecturer  Roshanaka Ilgjaqli."
"Before we left, we had seen Rex Drakus slain at the hands of Gaius Virius Gaius. Following his death, we also saw Drakus' children disseminated and integrated into the twenty most powerful clans. Can anyone name all twenty?"
"Virius, Avitus, Natanus, Furius, Oppius, Animus, Menus, Axius, Cassius, Crutus, Exitus, Jubus, Darius, Akfeos, Varaka, Selitos, Zifos, Skopos and..."
"And the Saros."
"That was it!"
"Very good. These twenty families had become the de facto aristocracy of Lyra over the previous forty-nine years. All twenty clans desired to maintain their power and not watch themselves be marginalized by a brand new class of people, all sharing the same progenitor's blood. That is why Gaius Virius Gaius stepped forward and challenged the Rex Drakus. I don't think anyone was hoping for a fight, just a change in policy. Regardless, what was done, was done. By disseminating the blood line of Drakus across all twenty families, they ensured legitimacy in the eyes of the people for what they were about to do - create an oligarchical government.
"Are you referring to the First Republic? I thought they created a better society, free from the tyranny of a single ruling bloodline..."
"You will learn as you grow older that things are not always as they seem. The Twenty Clans created the First Senate and even called their government a Republic but, in reality, they were nothing more than a highly conservative Oligarchical Aristocracy. Over the First (and Second) Republic's reign, the twenty Clans did not allow any other Clans to participate in government. Their word was law, period. This stands in stark contrast to the Third Republic that would arise some seven hundred years later, whose institutions were far more amenable, both to the poor and the provinces.
"Ahem, I believe it would be prudent if we veered the conversation back to the topic at hand..."
"Ah, yes, where was I?
"The rise of the First Republic. Would it not be a good time to mention the other native tribes of Carmenium at this time?"
"Most indubitably, Magister Balbia Minor. As we all know, the Lyrania Tribe were the Simius that allied themselves with Queen Thamaza. However, there were plenty of other tribes in the area at the time, most very distrustful of a Nohircus "witch" preaching foreign lifeways and using "magic words". The other tribes live all throughout Carmenium but the most powerful thrived in the Venpera Hills. Those hills were dominated by two competing tribes - the Algermo and the Atacosia. For the most part, they were little more than Hunter Gatherers who had mastered simple forms of domestication (primarily dogs and sheep). The leaders of these two tribes - Rece of Algermo and Iute of Atacosia - were belligerent and perennial enemies...
"And in steps Marcus Drakus Oceanus Carmenicus!"
"The very same. Rex Drakus' eldest son did not agree with the aristocracy's ideas and so fled the city in the dead of night. He wandered around the back country for years. It is said that Carmenicus journeyed out of the Fabliam Peninsula and out into the lands beyond the Fincantum Mountains. No one knows what he encountered out there, as he never went on record as saying. However, when he returned, he had become a great and powerful warrior, wielding the mighty Vitaculex, a massive two handed sword that was said to be capable of slaying a man and the horse he rode upon in a single slash. Upon his return, Carmenicus went to the Venpera Hills and united the Algermo and the Atacosia tribes under his rule. Accounts differ as to how but given his known brutality, the idea of gouging the Chief's eyes out and pouring liquid copper into their eye sockets seems likely.
*gasp*
"Carmenicus then marched all the males from both tribes out of the mountain and marched on Lyra. Caught completely unawares, the First Senate could do nothing except kowtow to any and all demands. Carmenicus declared himself Rex by right of succession, had each of the clan leaders publicly executed and used his army to conquer all the lands between the Uma River to the north, the Nus River in the south, the coastline in the east and the Venpera Hills in the west. Every tribe and village he conquered, he showed the same brutality - slay the leaders and install fearful pawns in their place. Many of the aristocrats fled Lyra (and Carmenium as a whole) to found new towns else where or to gather support for an army to oppose Carmenicus. 

  "That is probably a good stopping point for today. Class, remember to be back here bright and early so we can continue the lecture tomorrow.

"In the name of the Blessed Mother Filia Devum and in the shadow of Hamakari, sacred Rock of Bjornda, I - Bishop of Trodinium and High Shaman of Bjornda - do so crown Skarandi Skranklaud as King of the Highland Taurians!
"Humph!"
"That is all I must do to declare your Kingship. Then you will rise up and give the speech I prepared for you. It will be most wondrous!
"Is this ceremony really worth all this effort?"
"Indeed it will be my liege, for you will have the blessings of both the old and new gods. Their divine will shall protect you and your people..."
"The old gods are just like mortals - petty, belligerent, ignorant - why do I need their aid?"
"Because many of your people still hold them in high esteem, even those who would profess loyalty to the Sacred Mother. It is good to have the blessings of all gods for..."
  "Yes, yes, yes. The Lyrans may be in civil war now and their empire shattered but some day they may rise again.
"Actually my liege, I was referring to the Feldenia. You have beheaded every envoy they have sent to our land."
"I have not time to deal with the cunning lies and sweet whispers of the Wyverns! They too shall fall to my bloody axe - Renhold! I shall decapitate Rufum Magnum and use his skull as my throne!"
  "Yes, well... Until such a day as that glorious prophesy comes to pass, we must be wary of them. With Lyria per-occupied, as you say, in a bloody civil war, Feldinium is the natural state to fill the power vacuum. It would be most wise not to anger them so early in your reign. Let the resurgent Kiosians battle the Wyverns. We must set our sights on...
  "Arx Umbra. Those mages sit in their tower, baiting me to attack them by beguiling my people... RAWWW! I will gut every last one of them and tear their tower to the ground!"
"Umm..."
"Yes, yes, YES! I should make peace with them. Bribe them to be my allies, so I can freely conquer Tauria Superior. Your logic and guile are like rust to my warrior's heart!"
"We should invite the the Augustus Magus to your coronation. After seeing you crowned, and our display of raw power via the grand tournament, he may prove more amenable to our cause.
"The Magus will want me to clear Noxdokk Forest of that Witches Coven and their undead forces. I do not relish sending my troops into that dark woodland..."
"True, my liege, but it may be the only way. The Augustus Magus does not value much else..."
"My Chief, another Wyvern has been spotted along our southern border."
"Spit it out boy, what color is the Wyvern!?"
  "White. The Wyvern is White."
  "Hmm..."
   "What is your command, my liege?"
"Slay it like the rest, Ritso. I will not talk to such insolent neophytes. This time, let us send a more direct message to Rufum Magnum! After decapitating the beast, deliver the head back to Venenople, personally!"
  "B-But my Liege!?"
"If Rufum Magnum wishes to discuss anything with me, then he will not send a child to do an adult's job! I will speak to a Green and no less! I have spoken!"
"And your word is law!"

"Good morning everyone. Let us now continue our discussion of the early history of Carmenium with guest lecturer Roshanaka Ilgjaqli. Before we begin, does anyone have any questions?"
"I have one."
"Yes?"
"Can we go back a bit and describe the political landscape prior to Queen Thamaza's arrival?"
"We can, what specifically would you like to know?
"Well what were the native Simius doing before the Queen arrived? Were they peaceful, war-like, etc? Also, why did they so readily accept and embrace Thamaza and her Nohircus allies?
"As to the first question, Carmenium was divided into many different familial tribes of no more than a few dozen. Thirteen of the original twenty clans of Lyra existed before Queen Thamaza arrived. They were: Animus, Avitus, Axius, Cassius, Crutus, Darius, Exitus, Furius, Jubus, Menus, Natanus, Oppius and Virius. These Thirteen families formed a larger extended tribe called the Lyria. The Lyria inhabited the fertile plains surrounding the Velox and the Livenes Rivers. Other tribes existed as well, including the aforementioned Algermo and Atacosia, as well as five others not mentioned thus far - the Conmaris, the Clivum, the Anitus, the Corprima and the Cormus. War was an endemic way of life for these tribes however, unlike today, war was focused much more heavily on battles between champions, with the victor winning the war. This form of combat proved very effective at minimizing death but still allowing for disputes to be settled through violence (which was the preferred method of conflict resolution). Of these tribes, the Conmaris, the Algermo and the Anitus were the dominant powers, producing whole generations of strong, cunning champions. A month before arrival of Thamaza, the Lyria suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of the Anitus, that saw them lose the rights to the Veox River below where it and the Livenes meet.
"Was that a particularly devastating loss?"
"Indeed it was, as it saw fully half of the Lyria's territory stripped away. When Thamaza first arrived, she did so by the sea. The first tribe she encountered was the Conmaris, who shunned what they saw as freakish outlanders. The Anitus threatened war if she and her people came near their land. The Lyria were the third tribe she encountered. The tribe's Chief - Lucius Virius Gaius (grandfather of Gaius Virius Gaius) - was intrigued by the outlanders. When asked what Thamaza could  do for the tribe in exchange for protection, she replied, "I will give you the means to crush your enemies, gain immeasurable wealth and make your descendants' lives all the better for it." Lucius Virius was a bit of an eccentric, we are told, and so acquiesced to the outlander's request.
"Just like that?"
"You have to understand, the Lyria were in a bad position. They needed to change the nature of the game in order to win. Thamaza represented the best way to do that. Her first task was establishing the first large scale settlement on the Fabliam Peninsula, founded at the meeting point of the Velox and Livenes Rivers. Those two rivers would eventually prove to be the lifeblood of the entire region but that was years away. The other tribes were curious as to what was being built, for never had they seen such large, permanent buildings before but most were too fearful of the bad luck that was said to follow the outlanders to investigate or attack."
"Bad luck?"
"A silly superstition created out of the fear of the unknown. Up until Thamaza's arrival, the native Simius had only known of other races through legend and rumor. Regardless, with her stalwart ally Akfeos and his crew, they quickly built the original town of Lyra."
"Does any part of the original town still remain?"
"Sadly, no. It was burnt to the ground by Carmenicus when he returned to re-take his father's throne.
"I think this is a good point at which to pause the lecture for a small break."

"Welcome back from your break. We shall now continue our lecture on the early history of Carmenium.
"It is said the original town of Lyra was quite beautiful possessing a large market square, a temple painted in all the colors of the rainbow, a manor for the Nohircus and plenty of housing for everyone. Sadly, due to the lack of infrastructure, everything was constructed out of wood. It was a matter of convenience and speed, Queen Thamaza surmised that the town would one day need to be re-built out of stone but only once her greater ambitions for regional domination were completed.
"So Queen Thamaza wanted to conquer the whole of Carmenium from the outset?"
"Indeed she did. Remember, she was the Queen of Selini, one of the grandest cities in the ancient world. As queen, she commanded thousands and was accustomed to a particularly wealthy lifestyle. She was forced to flee after her brother, King Kindyno, sacked her city for its riches, then razed it to the ground. It is widely believed that Thamaza's end goal was to build an empire so that she could one day march a massive army into Oraikremos and raze the city of Keio to cinders."
"I don't remember learning that in school..."
"Nor should you. Remember education is a form of indoctrination. We teach our children a form of history, one that conforms to modern lifestyles and beliefs. To the conqueror, goes the spoils, or so says the idiom. This is true with education. Would it shock you to know that perhaps the Metuntions - my people - are not the barbarous imperialists they are so often claimed..."
"Ahem! Back to the topic at hand, if you please."
"Of course. Regardless, people in power often have larger ambitions than they allow the general populace realize. Thamaza was deeply resentful that her husband and children were all slaughtered by King Kindyno. She wanted nothing more to see him hang for his crimes. Queen Thamaza struggled to balance her desire to found a wondrous civilization in the west and her unbridled ambition to march an army to Keios throughout her reign. Her two closest advisers - Praetor Akfeos and Aedile Gaius Virius Gaius - help opposing views on the matter. Akfeos believed the best offense was a solid defense. He was a strong proponent of building up a power base in the west, then marching their own army on Kios. Guius Virius held the opposite view. He believed allying with other Oraikremosian cities against Keios would yield solid results, thus allowing their Queen to finally achieve her revenge.
"Wait, Akfeos was a Nohircus! He was an Outlander. Would it not make more sense if he was the one in favor of an allied war effort rather than the native Simius (Gaius Virius)?
 "Perhaps but their positions under lied their larger ambitions. Akfeos was a soldier at heart but he was no fool. He knew any alliance with other city states would remain temporary at best. There was no guarantee that they would remain loyal for any length of time, most especially considering how poor Thamaza was at that time. By building up a small empire in the west, Akfeos believed it put Thamaza in a better position to force the other city states to kowtow to her will. Gaius Virius, by contrast, desperately wanted to jump start civilization in Carmenium. He believed that the best way to expedite that goal was to gather as many Nohirucus was possible from the east and bring them west. He wanted poets, artisans, philosophers, farmers - anyone and everyone. From his perspective the only way to gather the amount of people necessary was to actually go to the east and recruit people directly. However, he had not the money nor the manpower to do this by himself. By encouraging a war against Keios, he hoped to further his own goals while the war raged around him.
"Was Thamaza aware of these plots?"
"Thamaza was a wise and learned leader who was well accustomed to dealing with conniving courtiers. One aspect that typifies Thamaza's reign is thoughtfulness. She never jumped headlong into a decision or an opinion. She allowed her advisers to bicker and debate amongst themselves before making up her own mind. That kind of sound governance is not often practiced in the modern day..."
"Topic."
"Of course."
"Question."
"Yes?"
"From what I understand, Thamaza never mounted an invasion of Oraikremos. Why was that?"
"That, my dear, is a topic we shall get to after lunch. Suffice to say, events on the Fabliam Peninsula consumed everyone's attention until, finally, no one was alive that could remember the  Oraikremos-Selini War. The slights of a distant King seemed less important than the immediacy of the happenings at home. It was not until Dictator Avitus Poplicus came to power that the slights of a King who reigned three hundred years prior were used a justification for an invasion.
"Lunch time everyone. Be back before the midday sacrifice."