Hen Mut

[Llum]

Bio-only magic, that certainly not something you see often in fantasy (even when you get it in sci-fi it's usually the province of the Big Bad Invaders).  What made you decide to go this route?

When I say traditional necromancy I mean in the gaming sense, raising the dead and junk like that. Not the factual meaning where you predict the future etc..[/note]

[Llum]

Phenrys

Phenrys was originally part of Xen Homic. However when the Macers Rebellion shook the nation House Phenrys annexed large swaths of land. House Phenrys, one of the Witch-eye Aristrocrat Houses, Phenrys as a private dukedom allied with the Operlian Dominion.

Eversummit

Formerly part of Hen, House Eve used the war between the North Star Alliance and Cawn to make a bid for land. They succeded in capturing a large swath of land, the new Dukedom of Eversummit. Eversummit is considered part of the Operlian Dominion, and is also ruled by the Witch-Eye Aristocracy.

[Llum]

Old Homic

Old Homic was the seat of the ancient Homic empire that dominated Hen from three and a half millenia ago to just under seven centuries ago. Due to the fall of the Empire the land is scattered with ruins and much of it is no longer arable, infact only those who still cling to the shattered legacy of the Homic Empire still choose to live in the region.

Currently ruled by a Gerontocracy, the twelve eldest citizens rule what the poor country. A thirteenth elder, known as Mammon, is also part of this council. Mammon is said to have been alive at the fall of the Homic Empire, and some whisper at its birth as well. These claims are largely dismissed by anyone outside of Old Homic.

[Llum]

Soul-King

Godking of Akarta, Ruler of the Realm the Soul-King is considered by most to be the most powerful individual alive in the world today. The position of Soul-King has a long and dark history, the first Soul-King, grandfather to the current Soul-King landed on the Hen mainland nine thousand years ago.

The power of the Soul-King is unique, no one else has managed to duplicate it without his teachings. He has ability to live in multiple bodies concurrently. Scholars say this is because he can split his "soul" into several pieces and place pieces into different physical bodies. Only a few facts are known about this skill, a body cannot be taken over if unwilling, the body does not need have been sentient or humanoid and there is an upper limit of how many bodies can be lived in at once.

The first Soul-King hailed from a small deep ocean island, now sunk beneath the surface. He quickly carved out a small realm for himself using his powers. Over the next several millenia he consolidated his hold and slowly brought more of the Akartan people to Hen from his island homeland. It was until nearly three thousand years into his reign that he begand to expand his territory again.

Five thousand years ago the firstborn son of the first Soul-King committed patricide and killed every hsot body that his father occupied. After consolidating his place as the new Soul-King, something that took nearly nine hundred years combatting other nobles who also had the Soul-King ability. He had an expansionist agenda and subjugated the lands where present-day Ibn Aussai and Ibn Vennai are, as well are a large part of souther Operlia.

Fifteen hundred years ago he was betrayed by his own firstborn son, another patricide, who displaced his father and became the third Soul-King. In the following strife the land of Ibn Vennai rebelled to form its own country, in a much smaller incarnation. Over the next fiften centuries Akarta would slowly lose land, first with large swaths of territory becoming part of the Lost Lands, then to the creation of Ibn Aussai and finally three hundred years ago the last of its north-east holdings along the mountains to the newly formed Witch-Eye aristocracy.

The current Soul-King is seemingly indifferent to losing territory to foreign powers, up until the borders of Akarta. These are guarded with a suicidal ferocity by those living their who worship the Soul-King as a living divinity.

During the last thousand years the current Soul-King has slowly amassed a menagery of bodies, including several purebred Cawnish warhounds, a half dozen mostly human bodies and some more exotic experimental hosts. He has good relations with his firstborn son, as well as his other children. He has taught his consort his unique skill who know rules by his side as a sort of Soul-Queen. It is said she lives in a dozen of the most beautiful female bodies to ever live.

[SilvercatMoonpaw]

Five thousand years ago the firstborn son of the first Soul-King committed patricide and killed every hsot body that his father occupied. After consolidating his place as the new Soul-King, something that took nearly nine hundred years combatting other nobles who also had the Soul-King ability.

Man, I can totally see this coming back to bite the kingdom.

[Steerpike]

Questions about Soul-King mechanics:

1) Does the body need to be alive?

2) What happens to the consciousness that once occuipied a willing host body?

3) Does the Soul-King exist simultaneously in his different bodies, or is only one host active at any given time?

4)If he exists in all bodies simultaneuosly, do they communicate telepathically, or is each simply a "mental clone" of the other?  Can they converse with one another?  Couldn't they theoretically begin to argue, disagree, and even war?

[Llum]

Five thousand years ago the firstborn son of the first Soul-King committed patricide and killed every hsot body that his father occupied. After consolidating his place as the new Soul-King, something that took nearly nine hundred years combatting other nobles who also had the Soul-King ability.

Oh yes, I have plans for this :D Not sure how/if I want to reveal it at the moment though.

2) What happens to the consciousness that once occuipied a willing host body?

4)If he exists in all bodies simultaneuosly, do they communicate telepathically, or is each simply a "mental clone" of the other?  Can they converse with one another?  Couldn't they theoretically begin to argue, disagree, and even war?[/quote]

They don't communicate between each other then you communicate with yourself inside your own head. It is essentially one consciousness that sees out of and controls multiple bodies at once. They don't need to converse with one another because they are the same person, so no they could not begin to argue, disagree or go to war unless the person running these bodies had some kind of mental illness that gave it multiple personalities. And how that would differ from just a couple normal people starts to get really murky.

[Llum]

Ulen's Dale

Founded by Ulen the Hammer seven hundred years ago, Ulen's Dale is one of the younger countries on Hen. The terrain is mostly forest, and the countries name comes from the large dale where the capitol city, Urlwich, is situated.

Dalemen live under the stereotype of being proficient sailors, and while most of Ulen's Dales trade, military and manufacturing is tied to shipbuilding and vessels it is not the most common profession. The most common professions are lumberjack followed by mercenary with sailors comming in third. Due to their close proximity to Galados and historically good relations, high quality firearms are common and mercenary companies armed with masterwork rifles and pistols are very common.

Most mercenaries are called to deal with Cawnish raiders or with Xen Homic cattle rusttlers.

[Llum]

Longquill Hunting Club

Founded just after the ascent of the Witch-Eye Aristocracy for well to do proles who weren't part of the aristocracy the Hunting Club was originally a place for men to gather and hunt longquill pheasent and grouse in large estates.

Quillmen as members are known have changed over the centuries that followed. Currently the Club is the basis for an organization that is looking to form several aristocratic noble Houses to represent the common prole. They think that each dukedom inside Operlia should have a representative prole house in political assembly.

They are considered something of a joke in the North Star Alliance, often portrayed as flighty and clueless like the birds they hunt.

[Steerpike]

[blockquote=Llum]some sort of crustacean cephalapod hybrid[/blockquote]?

[Llum]

some sort of crustacean cephalapod hybrid[/blockquote]?

You know I love Chuul. I haven't decided on their final form yet though.

[Llum]

Ethnic Groups

Hen is inhabited solely by humans and while there are dozens of countries and factions, everyone belongs to one of six ethnic groups.

Prole

Original inhabitants of the Operlian region, the prole are traditionally the tallest and largest of the ethnic groups. Brown hair is nearly universal as are blue and green eyes. The Prole are the lightest skinned of all the ethnic groups, they are only lightly tanned.

Hen

The Hen people can be found all over nothern Hen, they were the first people to colonize the continent. They have a tan complexion and black hair, eye color varies from gray to brown to hazel.

Cawn

The smallest ethnic group the Cawn hail from the Cawnic Islands. They have ruddy complexions, dirty blonde and reddish-brown hair and pale eyes.

Ibn

The largest ethnic group, the Ibn hail from the southern portion of the continent. They are the third group to colonize the continent comming from a now sunken chain if islands far to the south. The Soul-King is of Ibn stock. Dark skinned with black hair and black or brown eyes.

Katari

The karati hail from across the eastern seas. They are an enigma, they have slightly metallic gold and bronze skin and shining gem like eyes that come on a myriad of colors such as saphire, emerald or ruby. The pureblood katari are said to be descended from humans who mated with demons in ancient times.

Homic

The Homic were the second ethnic group to colonize Hen, they have a tanned ruddy complexion, dark eye color, usually brown, and black hair.

[Llum]

Food

Most food is grown on trellises of bone covered in twisted viny veins to transport nutrients. Even a relatively small magicla talent can oversee an orchard large enough to feed hundreds of people in his or her spare time. There are different kinds of thew trees, and new kinds are constantly being innovative, without the restriction of coming from a functional animal all kinds of meat can be grown, varying in flavour, texture or any other physical property.



Even the things originally grown on trees have been changed, now exotic gardens grown rare, or even unique, fruits or vegetables to the specifications of the rich. These are orders of magnitude more difficult to manage then the simple Thew Orchards, and are generally restricted to specialty orders by those who have The Right to Rule.



Things created by the greatest magi seem to come from dreamlike worlds. Some of these remarkable things known across the continent, such as the edible flowers prepared for the Akartan royalty.

[LordVreeg]

Longquill Hunting Club

Founded just after the ascent of the Witch-Eye Aristocracy for well to do proles who weren't part of the aristocracy the Hunting Club was originally a place for men to gather and hunt longquill pheasent and grouse in large estates.

Quillmen as members are known have changed over the centuries that followed. Currently the Club is the basis for an organization that is looking to form several aristocratic noble Houses to represent the common prole. They think that each dukedom inside Operlia should have a representative prole house in political assembly.

They are considered something of a joke in the North Star Alliance, often portrayed as flighty and clueless like the birds they hunt.

SO this is a centuries old club, formerly social, now adding some actual purpose.
How many mambers?  Hereditary?  I get such a G.O.B. feeling from this.  

[Llum]

Longquill Hunting Club

Founded just after the ascent of the Witch-Eye Aristocracy for well to do proles who weren't part of the aristocracy the Hunting Club was originally a place for men to gather and hunt longquill pheasent and grouse in large estates.

Quillmen as members are known have changed over the centuries that followed. Currently the Club is the basis for an organization that is looking to form several aristocratic noble Houses to represent the common prole. They think that each dukedom inside Operlia should have a representative prole house in political assembly.

They are considered something of a joke in the North Star Alliance, often portrayed as flighty and clueless like the birds they hunt.

Membership is hereditary in the same way fortunes are, they tend to stay in the family until someone messes it up and ruins it. It's exclusive for the richest, most socially powerful (vis: militarily decorated) prole families, dynasties essentially. They however are not adverse to new blood, as long as they have the requisit coin/influence.

Since membership is somewhat fluid the number is pretty much always in flux (fortunes fall, people die in wars, people are awarded military honor), but its usually around four hundred give or take a hundred. The number of families involved usually varies between eight and nine.

I'm not really familiar with G.O.B, so not sure what you mean :p