[Forum Game] Noble War

[Jharviss]

[ooc]Stargate, questions:

How much land do we each have, and can we decide what this land does?  Do we have an estimated population of our land?  Do we have servants?  Do we have noble houses, keeps, or castles?  Do we have an income via taxes, or should we have other ways of making income, or should we just go with both our government income and our secondary income?  Is the current ruler a king?

End[/ooc]

[ooc]To Wensleydale:
Just to clarify, Darnan is married but is not yet old enough to be a useful member of the house?  So, that leads me to believe that 1) your house gets married very early (in the medieval ages 14 was common for a male) or 2) your house does not consider somebody an adult until they are later age than marrying age.  Are either of these true?[/ooc]

[Higgs Boson]

New COA:

[Stargate525]

How much land do we each have, and can we decide what this land does?

You'll all start out with a few acres of land, which are essentially devoid of any development. It's an open canvas.

Do we have an estimated population of our land?

If you're lucky, a few dozen.

Do we have servants?

You can, yes.

Do we have noble houses, keeps, or castles?

You will have a family estate, probably off of your land (you are all relatively NEW to this whole Royalty business). If you want to start construction on a castle, go right ahead.

Do we have an income via taxes, or should we have other ways of making income, or should we just go with both our government income and our secondary income?

You collect taxes from your people to a small degree, but beyond that, only what you can make. Personally, I'd start either developing the land or starting up business.
 

Is the current ruler a king?

Yes, very young. More about this on the update, which will hopefully be Sunday.

[Wensleydale]

[ooc]No, Darnan's not married... where'd you get that idea? :P He has some form of wasting sickness, just as his mother does, and is mostly bedridden.[/ooc]

[limetom]

House Inaun

Coat of Arms
A purpure field with two Or chevronels on a sable canton.

Origin
House Inaun as it currently stands represents the recent merger of two minor Houses, House Inaun and House Dzeis, in an attempt to increase their respective influence.

Each of the compromising Houses, Inaun and Dzeis, have a relatively minor history, reaching back to time immemorial.   After a long period of cooperation with one another, the two Houses married into one another, cementing their alliance.

Religion
House Inaun follows a bitheistic religion (i.e. having two complimentary deities), comprised of a god of the sky and warfare, Tsene, and the goddess of dawn and love, Ausa.  Spirits, as well as shamans whom are mainly female, also play an important role in the traditional religion of House Inaun.

Traditions
An important ritual, held around the time of harvest triannually, is horse sacrifice.  One of the best stallions is sacrificed to the gods before the harvest begins by the head of the House, while the oldest daughter, the High Priestess, interprets anomalies in the horse's entrails, and predicts what the next three years hold.

Aside from the triannual horse sacrifice, House Inaun has a few traditions, typically centered around the harvest, including a large feast once the year's harvest is completed.

Some pastimes of House Inaun include kicking an inflated ball around on a field in teams, essentially a glorified game of keep-away, with the team holding the ball for the longest winning.  Other games include such things as horse races, foot races, and various games of chance and skill.

Agents
Baron Hayim Inaun, Head of House Inaun
Hayim is the head of House Inaun, and is of the original House Inaun line.  He was the first to be married to a member of House Dzeis, Aulei Dzeis.  While relatively young at 39 years old, Baron Inaun is known as a clever and intelligent leader.

Baroness Aulei Dzeis Inaun
Aulei is the wife of Hayim Inaun, and married in from House Dzeis.  Somewhat of an oddity among House Inaun nobles, where physical prowess is relatively common, Aulei is relatively frail, being one of the few people to survive a bout of consumption.  Due to her relative lack of physical skill, she developed a talent as an competent author.  She is 37 years old.

Yuhau Inaun, Shaman
Yuhau, while technically the true heir of House Inaun, serves a different purpose.  She is a shaman, and communicates with the gods and the spirits, overseeing important rituals of divination and offerings.  Yuahu is 19 years old.

It is common belief that Yuhau was marked by the spirits, as she is heterochromic, possessing one gray eye and one brown eye.

Uzyim Inaun, Heir Presumptive
Uzyim, although one year younger than his sister Yuhau, is the current heir of House Inaun, and has recently married Laza Dzeis.  He is known as a consummate equestrian, and a skilled warrior.

Laza Dzeis Inaun
More urbane than her husband, Laza is the niece of Aulei Dzeis, and she is known to be much more skilled in political and business matters than Uzyim, and it is not a very well kept secret that she is l'éminence grise among the three heirs. Laza is 18.

[Stargate525]

So we've now got enough players. If everyone can get their infor to Jharviss, so he can get the family trees made, we'll start from there.

[Jharviss]

Oh shucks, we're waiting on me?  That's unfortunate.  They take some time, but I'll see what I can do.

[Stargate525]

Oh shucks, we're waiting on me?  That's unfortunate.  They take some time, but I'll see what I can do.

PLease, take your time. I enjoy being able to put this off. ;)

[Stargate525]

Alright boys and girls, here we go... I'll get house stats and a map up soon, then you can divvy up land.  

Prelude: The Lion's Peace.

It was the 13th year of the reign of King Pellan, the 263rd year of the fifth era. It was also the year of the signing of the Gilram Peace Accord, marking peace in the land for the first time in over five decades.

The King needed a way to reward his followers, as well as a way to divide the new land won in the war. So he made official an ancient tradition and custom of marking lineage; the house. The most loyal houses he made royalty, giving them land in the new country, and positions of authority therin.

House Fa'rcaal, a relatively new offshoot of the larger Derenthem House, was among the first to be given nobility, their medicine trade being responsible for saving the crown prince of his wounds only two years ago. They are in good standing with the crown, but know none of them particularly well.

House Illezou, an ancient line, was granted nobility by virtue of the many battles won  sue to the generalship of the Illezou family. However, only one offshoot of the family was given land in the new territory, to the anger of the rest of the house. Voran, the head of the newly-noble family, attempted to make peace by adopting one of his nephews.  Instead of uniting them, this split the family so that the remainder of the house no longer uses the name. The Illezou name has been dirtied in the old lands, but it remains to be seen how they will handle lordship in the new Territories.

The Sengeren House was given land in the new territories for valor in battle as much as to get the family out of the royal lands. Their Echo religion, while certainly not the most deviant religion found in the Kingdom, is the most advertised. The Sengerens were the only family to have their ancient land stripped from them, making them the only house with lands totally in the new territories.

Drenthem is an ancient line with even more ancient roots; some say as far as the founding of the kingdom. Cavalry provided by the family was essential in the Victory at Drel's Forge, and they were given a title and land in the new territories because of it.  

House Inuan, a recent merger of two small houses, was given nobility seemingly out of nowhere. Rumor abounds at the court, but the prevailing wind is that the King has some purpose to put the house to, though not even the members of the house know what this purpose may be. For now, Inuan is enjoying the tremendous burst of prestige and influence that this promotion provides.

Map of the World:
[spoiler] [/spoiler]

Map of the Kingdom:[spoiler]
[/spoiler]
Choose your region in the large southern portion, as well as a color.


 [ooc]AS a general housekeeping note, please try to put anything wider than the forum into spoiler blocks. Thank you.[/ooc]

[amikaligula]

Name:   The House of Corgat

Origin:  A popular legend amongst the Corgats states that their founding member, Sturum Corgat, worked as a stable-hand  at a popular horse-racing arena and made an offhand bet  to the crown prince, whom he did not recognize, on which horse would finish in first.  Sturum won and set out to collect his winnings only to find the crown-prince in the presence of his father, the king.  While at first Sturum assumed the prince was just a page or something similar, he quickly realized that the prince was a prince by the affection his father showed him.  Luckily for Sturum, the crown-prince was a man of the highest virtues and snuck off to meet Sturum.  However, the crown-prince was not a man of the highest mental faculties and had mismanaged the amount of his wagers with other nobles.   Deeply apologetic, the prince explained that his allowance was spent, but since Sturum was the only one to actually pick the winning horse (the prince had simply lost the bet that his horse would win with the other nobles:  none of the nobles had made a wager on which horse would win except that the princes horse wouldn'y.), the prince made the promise that he would appoint Sturum's family as a noble house when he, the prince, became king.  And so House Corgat was formed, as the legends go.

Religion:  House Corgat's patron deity is Loukay, Goddess of wisdom, hunting/sportsmanship, riding, and music/arts.  (The slashes denote what she will become once Corgat gets more sophisticated.)  She is part of a larger pantheon.

Traditions:  House Corgat retains its founder's stableman's sensibilities by keeping its primary focus of animal husbandry.  By far, their greatest successes have been their mounts, but hunting dogs, guard dogs, and hunting cats have played a large role in their establishing of a noble household.  they have dabbled in other taming endeavors.  Rubus Corgat, grandson to Sturum Corgat, was said to have had a trained bear as a bodyguard in battle.

House Corgat is considered to produce some of the finest sport-hunters in all the land.  They are known to breed fine horses in particular and fine livestock in general.  While falconry is gaining in popularity, because of their established fame and rivalry in other aspects of sportsmanship, it does not get much focus.  Sturum Corgat and his sons and grandchildren were said to have been influential archers in previous wars, but no Corgat was able to serve in the last few wars, for their family had been depleted from plague and the survivors were either of the wrong sex or wrong age.  The Corgats of this generation are noted for their musical ability rather than their archery.

Certain dates are held sacred by the followers of Loukay, four of which are celebrated by feasting and three of which are celebrated by fasting.  Birthdays, coronations, prosperous hunts or harvests, sporting victories, etc. are celebrated with feasts as well.  Because House Corgat usually supplies the feast's bounty themselves and open it to their commoners, they are well liked by their people.  Also, given their commoner roots, while House Corgat prefers marriages that supply a noble alliance, marriage with commoners over affairs of the heart are not uncommon.

Agents:
Horvaine Corgat:  Horvaine Corgat is the Patriarch of House Corgat.  He is a robust and hearty, as all members of the Corgat family tend to be.  He has brown hair and green eyes.  His hunting skills are mediocre, but he enjoys the hunt and goes as much as he can.  However, he sustained a hunting injury in his youth which kept him out of the war and finds it to be increasingly difficult to go on hunting expeditions as he ages.   Despite his rough appearances and manner, he is well versed in courting royalty and political intrigue, though he finds the latter distasteful.  His appearances and activities in the royal courts in his younger days suggests that his rough manners are a façade as does his often gentle and prodigious mastery of the harp.  Age:  42

Wessy Corgat:  Wessy is the Matriarch of House Corgat.  Of common birth, Wessy was of exceeding beauty and horsemanship talent in her youth.  Originally married to Horvaine's older brother, Torvaine, Wessy was remarried to Horvaine after Torvaine was taken by the plague, along with four of her children.  The only survivor was a son. Weslayne.  He, like his mother, has flaming red hair and deep emerals eyes.  Wessy manages the household and is a prominent member of the church.  Her common family is well loved for their helpful spirits.  Wessy and her common family still retain close ties and form a pipe orchestra during festivities.  Age:  45

Weslayne Corgat:  Heir to house Corgat and son of Torvaine and Wessy Corgat.  Weslayne resides in the royal courts learning the subtle art of courtship in preparation for his inheritance.  He plays the harp like his uncle and has taken to the sport of falconry, though he has distinguished himself more in spear hunting and quarterstaff practice.  It is said he favors his Paternal great-grandfather in tactical presicion, though he is untested in battle and has a very light-hearted air about him.   Age: 26

Siri Corgat:  Daughter of Horvaine and Wessy Corgat.  She acts as a house manager and cook during the busy times of festivities, but spends most of her time composing music and lyrics.  She has a wonderful voice and leads psalm recitations during the fasting holidays.  While a more than fair horseman, she is forever in the shadow of her mother and half-brother and so is discouraged often from riding.  Age:18

Adolt Salsot:  Stableman and Wessy Corgat's cousin.  Adolt is a noted cavalry archer and healer of humans as well as his wards.  He is more gruff than his cousin's side of the family, but is tender-hearted and gentle to anything or anyone in need of assistance.  His hobby is breeding and training superior hunting and guard dogs, though he has little time for this and is far from perfecting it by any means.  He and his assistants are central to the prosperity of the Corgat's animals.  Age:  40

Coat of Arms: Note:  The buck on the right is usually all white or otherwise contrasted with the brown background when displayed on a standard.  

[amikaligula]

[ic]  Weslayne Corgat has been petitioning His Royal Highness for months for land in the interior of the kingdom, midway between the coast and the border and midway between the southernmost shared border of Whalen and Gilram and the northernmost shared border between Suuth and Gilram.  He has repeatedly promised that once a household worthy of such a divine presence was established, there will be many a glorious and sporting hunt for any member of the royal family or court who care to visit, for the land abounds with foxes and other sporting animals to hunt.  There are also fair graze lands and plains nearby for horsemanship.  It would also please House Corgat if His Majesty would have his cartographers mark House Corgat territory in their standard's background color, brown.[/ic]
[ooc]Is Northport or Pellan the capitol?[/ooc]

[Stargate525]

[ooc]Pellan, newly renamed for the monarch (not unusual; it's a long standing tradition, and ensures that maps are updated at least every generation)[/ooc]

[Wensleydale]

[ooc]So, does Derenthem have lands elsewhere? Should I modify this to be a branch of the larger house? That seems wisest, I think.[/ooc]

[Stargate525]

[ooc]So, does Derenthem have lands elsewhere? Should I modify this to be a branch of the larger house? That seems wisest, I think.[/ooc]

Everyone (with the exception of one family) has small inherited estate on the main country. The families, before your small branch of the family listed, were not noble. The 'house,' though much larger, is not noble, and is therefore not considered here. What will probably end up happening is that some of your extended, un-noble family will come with you to the unsettled territories and act as your first peasant base.

...I just realized that this incarnation is totally not what I promised before. Quick show of hands, how many want to see the majority of the action taking place in Pellan (like I originally promised) instead of the new territories? You'd still have land out there, but it would be more abstracted, run by proxies, while you deal with politics at home.  

[amikaligula]

Darn, I could go either way.  I got used to the idea of having a fairly new noble house on the new frontier pretty fast.  In fact, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea of a new noble class in a new world.  While the new nobles may have a harder time initially, the mainland might be somewhat exhausted from the older noble houses.  I think there's alot of potential for breaking away/controlling more resources in the new land than the old blood and buying out the throne or something in the current setting.  Of course, as I came a little bit late, after the initial stats post, i probably subconsciously designed my house with considerations in mind the rest of you wouldn't have been able to have had.  Also, I have some biases against being in old-blood territory, so to speak, because my house is of more common stock.  But having an estate on the fringes of the capitol is perfectly feasible to me as well.