Heart of Darkness

[CYMRO]

Otto Von Bismarck is a personal hero of mine,

Are you familiar with Emil Ludwig's biography? My personal favorite.  

It would be nice to see some crunch on the enforcers.  They sound twisted.

[Furor]

Thank you critical threat, its good to hear that someone likes the setting.

cymro arbiter brassici, by request i most certainly will expound upon the enforcer in my section upon major organizations and the Dictum, and no i have not read it, but i will certainly check it out. History major, so i read history books and biographies more than I do fantasy or sci fi (may account for the "realism" i've tried to incorporate into my setting). Currently engrossed in napoleon, and seriously resisting moving my campaign to the 1800's.

[Furor]

NEW RACE
Valheru
Personality: The Valheru place a great amount of pride in their ability to show little if no emotion. Many humans describe their behavior as flighty, or nervous, but nothing could be further from the truth. Valheru do tend to get impatient, but this is a result of their extremely small stomachs, which force them to eat upwards of ten meals a day and stay constantly on the move.
Physical Description: Lithe and dangerous, the Valheru are only vaguely bird-like. They stand at around 5 feet tall, but weigh only 60-70 pounds. Hands and feet are thickly scaled and slightly webbed, but often covered in weaved armor. The frightening weaved armor is universal amongst Valheru. Rather than a nesting instinct, the Valheru weave feather studded armor from local plant life. Valheru are flightless, but are great swimmers, usually living in swamps or marshes. Their Double jointed limbs give them great flexibility, but at a sacrifice to strength. The Valheru, however, can move at blinding speeds because of their ultralight bone structure and streamlined bodies.
Relations: The Valheru rarely consider other races except when hunting them. Very few Valheru bother to learn any other language but their own. Isolated in their swamps and marshes, the valheru are nothing more than another vermin to most communities.
Alignment:Any Neutral
Valheru Lands: Valheru lands are ruled by the strongest and most powerful. They live in small elevated villages or dugout warrens. These villages are primitive and well concealed, ringed by sentinels and traps designed to keep their communities safe. The majority of Valheru live in the expansive Mangrove swamps, flitting between massive trunks hunting Root Sharks.
Religion: Animism
Language: The Valheru use a series of oscillating tones and hormones to speak, most of which falls outside human perception. It is impossible for a non-Valheru to speak their language (not even with tongues).
Names: Those Valheru that move out of their communities are often given names based on defining characteristics.
Adventurers Valheru rarely if ever leave to adventure, it is a basic need of their species to exist in a community.

Valheru Racial Traits
â,¬Â¢ +2 Dexterity, â,¬'2 Strength
â,¬Â¢ Medium: As Medium creatures, Valheru have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
â,¬Â¢ Valheru base land speed is 30 feet.
â,¬Â¢ Darkvision out to 60 feet.
â,¬Â¢ +1 racial bonus on saving throws against powers, spells, and spell-like effects. Valheru have an innate resistance to psionics and magic due to their alien psychology.
â,¬Â¢ +4 racial Bonus to Move Silently, Jump, Swim and Listen.
â,¬Â¢ Burst (Su): Three times per day, a Valheru can put on a burst of speed to increase her speed by 10 feet, plus 10 feet per four character levels beyond 1st, to a maximum increase of 30 feet at 9th character level and higher. These bursts of speed are considered a competence bonus to the Valheruâ,¬,,¢s base speed. A burst of speed lasts 3 rounds.
â,¬Â¢ Automatic Languages: Valheru
â,¬Â¢ Favored Class: Ranger, Rogue

[Furor]

Seagulls whirled in clouds of white and gray, filling the skies with screeches and flapping wings. Their normal roosts were disturbed by the throngs of onlookers, pouring from the dockside taverns and inns to see the launching of the fleet. Huge rams, monstrosities of painted bronze and Iron jutted majestically from the prows of the new fleet. The King had adapted an old model, the ancient Quinqereme, deadly in its time, but outdated in current naval warfare. His adaptations, though, were extraordinary. Pipes of polished bronze spouted punishing gouts of liquid flame as row after row of ballistae lurked hidden inside the top rowers banks. These outdated ships would serve a purpose, and the grizzled king smiled as his Admirals fumed over their new fleet. They would serve their purpose well, for Seracon would burn.
Kingdom of Carscia
Leader: Artanus Kolgir, Archduke of Cetania and King of Carscia
Population: 1.4 million (including tributary states)
Description:The Island Kingdom of Carscia has risen to power under the careful guidance of Artanus Kolgir. Born a peasant, he rose within the navy to become Grand Admiral, killing and outwitting his rivals and opponents. His daring conquest of Cetania earned him his title of Archduke and paved the way for his rise to power during the october rebellion. Supported by the might of the Carscian Navy and the power of the Untainted, Artanus Kolgir and the brutal Carscian war machine are poised to dominate the Leucetean Sea.
Key Ideas
Cetania: A territory once part of the Causetian Alliance and now a tributary of the Kingdom of Carscia, Cetania was a prominant shipyard and base for the Causetian Navy. Cetania was conquered by Artanus Kolgir who won it with only 12 ships against a force over twice the size of his.
October Rebellion: Military Coup staged by the leaders of the Carscian Navy to install Artanus Kolgir as King during the Carscian Republic. The Consul submitted immediately to Kolgir, but the senate fought on for another two years before assembling one last time to crown Artanus Kolgir the first King of Carscia.
Untainted: Part of an age old tribute from the Emperor of Jaroch, Carscia is supplied with ten legions of Eunuch warriors every decade. These men are usually slaves captured during war and train from age 8 on to become heartless killing machines. All traces of femininity are washed away by tattoos signifying rank and unit and their frightening bronze armor.
Leucetean Sea: The inner sea that separates the northern peninsula from the southern continent.
Quinqereme: A ship based off of the trireme design but possessing a total of five banks of oars. They are faster and heavier than traditional triremes, giving a distinct advantage when ramming or landing troops.
Seracon: Capital city of the Causetian Alliance, Seracon is built on the ruins of a vast, flying fortress of stone, a remnant of the once powerful Varghost. Seracon is perched precariously on great pilings of wood and stone, jutting out into the Seracian Bay. It was once the seat of a great trading empire, but the ascendancy of Carscia now that it controls the Cetanian Straight has ruined the Causetian economy

[CYMRO]

Untainted: Part of an age old tribute from the Emperor of Jaroch, Carscia is supplied with ten legions of Eunuch warriors every decade. These men are usually slaves captured during war and train from age 8 on to become heartless killing machines. All traces of femininity are washed away by tattoos signifying rank and unit and their frightening bronze armor.

Confusing.  What traces of femininity?

[Furor]

Eunuchs become effeminate due to the lack of testosterone. They aren't as muscular or defined as a normally developed male and often look more like a woman.

[CYMRO]

Eunuchs become effeminate due to the lack of testosterone. They aren't as muscular or defined as a normally developed male and often look more like a woman.

Testosterone production by adrenal glands in eunuchs is markedly higher than in whole males, making what you say questionable at best.  Maintenance of muscle tissue and strength is only a problem for the nutless late in life.

And since, historically, eunuchs commanded armies, this seems odd.  I assume, since you do not specify (that I could find), that you are using d20 rules.  Is this magical castration?  And in a world where gender roles are trumped by magic over and over again, what is the basis for this practice?

Quinqereme: A ship based off of the trireme design but possessing a total of five banks of oars. They are faster and heavier than traditional triremes, giving a distinct advantage when ramming or landing troops.

Were quinqeremes not three banks of oars, but with the top and bottom banks having two rowers, giving you five groups ofrowers, but not five banks of oars?

[Furor]

it is unclear how many banks of oars quinqueremes had, depending on the source they either had five banks, or as you said five rowers to an oar.


defending myself with wikipedia...
Medical consequences
A subject of castration who is castrated before the onset of puberty will retain a high voice, non-muscular build and small genitals. They may well be taller than the average, as the production of sex hormones in puberty - particularly testosterone - stops long bone growth. The person may not develop pubic hair and will have a small sex drive or none at all. Castrations after the onset of puberty will typically reduce the sex drive considerably or eliminate it altogether. The voice does not change. Some castrates report mood changes, such as depression or a more serene outlook on life. Body strength and muscle mass can decrease somewhat. Body hair sometimes may decrease. Castration prevents male pattern baldness [8] and reduces or eliminates the risk of testicular and prostate cancer.[citation needed]

Historically, eunuchs suffered from a range of urogenital problems associated with the removal of their sexual organs, and they had their own specialist doctors, such as Joshua Marfa (1834-1893) who catered to their health needs.[citation needed]

Without Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), typical symptoms similar to those experienced by menopausal women include hot flashes , gradual bone density loss resulting in osteopenia or osteoporosis, potential weight gain or redistribution of body fat to the hips/chest. Gynecomastia, or the development of breast tissue, may also occur sometimes. Resumption of testosterone in the form of gel, patches, or injections can largely reverse these effects.

the thing is "in the adrenal glands", overall testosterone levels are much lower. D20 has rules for eunuchs? Its actually self-castration with a ceremonial knife, but that will be covered when I do Organizations. The purpose for the eunuch army is for a "rapeless" conquest and the "dehumanization" of the units. By forcing them to remove their own genitals it proves the final part of their childhood training. It reinforces their status as slaves, demoralizes them by making them incapable of reproduction and makes them more "pliable" by their trainers during adolescence.

[CYMRO]

it is unclear how many banks of oars quinqueremes had, depending on the source they either had five banks, or as you said five rowers to an oar.

Not five rowers to an oar, but two rowers for each oar in the top bank, one rower for each oar in the middle bank, and two rowers for each rower in the lowest bank.
Sources:
Matyszak's Chronicle of the Roman Republic.
Goldsworthy's The Complete Roman Army.

D20 has rules for eunuchs?

The question was not about eunuchs, but about what ruleset your setting is using.

Its actually self-castration with a ceremonial knife, but that will be covered when I do Organizations. The purpose for the eunuch army is for a "rapeless" conquest and the "dehumanization" of the units. By forcing them to remove their own genitals it proves the final part of their childhood training. It reinforces their status as slaves, demoralizes them by making them incapable of reproduction and makes them more "pliable" by their trainers during adolescence.

So, if you use d20 or a similar ruleset, this must get tedious as every cure or heal spell makes the boys grow back.
My point in bringing up the ruleset is that in a standard d20 fantasy campaign, the availability of magic makes such rituals meaningless.  Any opponent worth his salt can completely fuck up your army by casting mass heal on your nutless wonders, effectively destroying that very weird esprit de corps they have.
And again, in a standard d20 fantasy setting, logic dictates that traditional real world gender roles are moot.  When great physical strength and agility and increased mental prowess, or even physical characteristics, are just a spell away, such rituals become ludicrous.

defending myself with wikipedia...

Is that like carrying a chocolate shield into battle against a red dragon? ;)

[Furor]

dnd, so yeah, d20. Low-magic though, so there may be only 2 clerics in the entire world that can cast mass heal, something tells me that the last idea they'd have is to give the Untainted their testicles back. Actual clerics are considered prophets in my world, just like sorcerors are of merlin fame. I don't restrict my pc's in regards to taking a magic casting class, they just have to consider the roleplaying demands of widespread social stigma or expectations of the clergy.

[Ghost]

I am really liking this setting. Reminds me of a bunch of other good games, like Warmachine and Warhammer Fantasy.

I'd love to see a map; seeing the geographic placement of the countries would make some details easier to understand. It would also make it easier if anybody wanted to help with the yet-unmade areas.

Other than that, it looks very good.

[CYMRO]

Seconded on the map.

[SA]

I love the Immortal Emperor!

"Swathed in flowing robes of silk and dripping gold and diamonds, the Immortal Emperor caressed his male attendant, laughing contemptuosly as the youth blanched before his advances."

Call me twisted, but when I skimmed over the setting the first time, this little snippet is what sold me on it.

Positively delicious.

[Furor]

Thank you, the Immortal Emperor has been with this world since its inception (2 years ago) and was just a lich lord. I have since tried to add depth and a sense of revulsion to his character. He's supposed to be that "makes-your-skin-crawl" villain. Glad that it was appreciated.

I guess i'll have to check out warhammer, as to the map, it is forthcoming, it moght be a while though

[Numinous]

If you can draw up a rough map, I have a friend who can photoshop it into something beautiful mighty quick.