View Topic

Yeah, guys, please don't recruit for Houses here, it's not the right place.

@Barnes, you wouldn't be particularly disadvantaged. The way this RP will be structured means that the only real benefits IC will be access to House resources (and Houses do have VAST resources, some of them basically run specific industries entirely) and an expected mastery of your House speciality.

The start of the RP will set you all in equal stead to each other, but by the end of it I am expecting you guys to be working mostly with your House You're more than welcome to start your own House, although it may be represented as a younger Line IC, but also more than welcome to join one of your choice.


Also, guys, please get your House factbooks posted up soonish, the RP will be starting within the week


All that said, it would be great for some Houses to be more than one person Houses, so I might advise joining an already existing one... that isn't House Valeria. They've got plenty of members, and some of the smaller Houses could do with some bolstering so that it's not NPC town for all but a few.

Where do we put our house factbooks?  And other Valeria folks, do you think that a Google Doc or something would be a good idea for collaboration? 

Just put them in here and I'll vet them and PM any changes/suggestions for keeping in-setting over

Bumping this - the RP will begin in a few days time, once I've cleared this last project off my desk and get to actually claim my holiday time! I said I'd post up rules, which I should have done by this evening, but otherwise please get to making character profiles and House factbooks

I'll work on mine soon as I can.

Valeria's getting our factbook done at some point now that we have collaboration all figured out!!

Okay, so: rules. Sort of. Roleplaying IC will be pretty normal, it's just the rest of it that needs some explaining

This is a character level role-play with a bit of a twist. Everyone has their main character who's involved in the central plot of the RP, hints of which are given in the teaser intro post. You've all RP'd char-level before, so it's pretty standard stuff when we get to IC.

Now what makes things slightly more interesting is your second character. Wintreath is pretty fucking huge, and for all that the main plot might advance there's no way you'd get to see all of it, right? What I'm hoping is that because of the Oh, The Places You'll Go in Wintreath thread being as detailed as it is, you guys can effectively free-roam in the world at the same time as delving deep into Wintreath's past in efforts to understand the Hunt Clan.

As for Houses... You guys seem to love your Houses, and that's great As I've previously mentioned, in the RP Houses have huge influence. What you've really got to remember, however, is that Wintreath is pretty fucking huge. A House has its Seat in a specific city (you guys choose which) but its influence spreads to nearly towns. A House also has, depending on its specialities, influence far and wide over many areas, towns and cities.

As an example my family, the Meindhert Line, originates in Bain - on the map, it's the one island off the northwest coast - but 531 years ago a delegation (Houses are kind of like clans) was sent to Frostlake City. We next got ourselves heavily involved in the revitalisation of Hammerfell, followed by the rail industry, and then sort of chilled and expanded our influence over the next few hundred years.

However, House Meindhert and House Penguon (@Pengu) may or may not (depends on what Pengu wants :p) have an alliance/emnity/uneasy peace, as I believe his House is located in Cain, just across the water from the Isle of Bain.

Think carefully about what you want your Line's speciality to be. Meindhert Line specialises in heavy gearwork, research and fishing - our Seat is, after all, on an island. When you look for a place for your Seat, read the descriptions and come up with something good you've got free rein, after all. Wintreath is big, and although your MC might be but one person, your second character gives you access to a whole new array of options when it comes to exploring the world and doing things. I've already mentioned there'll be an NPC House in Galdémere, meaning that @Rasdanation can if he so wishes role-play interacting with them as NPCs or occasionally with GM control for bonus content.

Reading the timeline I did (Establishment of Setting, linked in the OP) for the RP is at this point recommended

Hope you guys are looking forward to it! As I said, the stuff that's additional to the main plot is optional, and I get that it might be a bit confusing. How much you guys use it is up to you, but if you do I'll try and make it interesting.

Hrm I do have to ask what the case is with my line, considering that it was it's own line, joined with the Kestar line, and then diverged once again..also would, for example, my position of Jarl of Defense be able to have any play in this at all? (For example, it being applicable to a character of mine?)

Hrm I do have to ask what the case is with my line, considering that it was it's own line, joined with the Kestar line, and then diverged once again..also would, for example, my position of Jarl of Defense be able to have any play in this at all? (For example, it being applicable to a character of mine?)

Yup, if you hold any position you also hold the relevant position IC, but this won't really make too much of a difference for those not in such office.

As to your other point, I think it's simpler IC to go with your House having always existed as House Kaizer, without any Royal stuff involved.

Hrm, I think a good explanation would be the fact that the two families merged, but some members kept their name and many still identified as Kaizers (essentially the Kaizers existed as a sub-house of the Kestars), and due to rising tensions the Monarch dispelled those whom are Kaizers and disowned the members.

Essentially there would be an uneasy peace between house Kestar and house Kaizer due to that.

Again, I'd prefer it if this wasn't the case. Having one House somewhat embroiled in conflict with the Royal Family doesn't fit the thematics or the backstory I've built up for the RP, so I'd rather you had simply had ties with the Royal Family through business, maybe named Royal Purveyor of X or Y, and then lost the privilege for some reason than being actually part of the Royal Family and then splitting.

I'll be writing up my House's Factbook soon, as an example for anyone/everyone to follow. Ras's example on the 2nd page is pretty good, so for the time being you can base yours off of that if mine isn't written up by the time you come to submitting yours

A few notes - Wintreath is habitable up to and including the Huggtänder Mountain Range that spreads across the entire North of the map. The average life expectancy is between 120 and 150 years (save for the Royal Family, who live far longer). You may hold positions you hold OOC, but bear in mind how that position has to have been adapted to fit in with a 4000mile x 3000mile nation.

12 million square miles is roughly the area of Africa if anyone was wondering.

So how will the actual IC posting work? Will we be posting as our characters plus the NPCs they interact with unless they interact with another player-controlled character?

So how will the actual IC posting work? Will we be posting as our characters plus the NPCs they interact with unless they interact with another player-controlled character?

You'll be posting as your Main Characters for plot stuff and your Secondary Characters for whatever else you choose to do. The rule is that if you're interacting with a non-vital NPC you get to basically write whatever you want, but if it's a vital NPC (so a govt minister, or an important member of an NPC House) I'll give you a few lines

Patriarch (Player): Duke Klause Meindhert
Wife (NPC): Lady Ava Meindhert
Son (NPC): Jhayso Meindhert
Grandson (Player): Elliot Bernhard Meindhert // Barnes


--- --- --- --- --- --- ---

=Head of Hammerfell Branch=
Brother (Player(2)): Rhai Meindhert
Wife (NPC): Katerinya Meindhert

Familial Seat

Bain

First city of the island it takes its name from, Bain was the traditional home of the Meindhert Line and one of the few cities to retain its Fritänkare College after Spiritus took control of Wintreath. Due to its location in the far north-east of the region, separated from most of the rest of the world by the Strait of Cain and the Western Ocean, Bain has always been a highly independent place, full of radical political ideas and less-than-legal experimentation with gearwork.

With the migration of significant portions of House Meindhert to Frostlake and the acceptance of Kestar authority, Bain has become a vibrant city which sees itself as the last bastion of Wintreath. Having taken to its new ruler, Inric I, with a passion, the citizens of the city pride themselves on their loyalty and commitment to the Crown, and it is from Bain and its sister-city Cain that many of Wintreath's finest sailors are recruited.

It is said that one should never venture out of Bain's immediate environs without a local guide, for the rest of the island is prone to playing tricks on an unwary traveller and many are lost along the winding paths that lead to Bain's own small mountain range.

Details:
Population: 21,800 citizens + 500 Hvitt Riddaral.
Location: Isle of Bain [seconded to the territory of Bët]

The Meindhert Line also maintains holdings in the city of Hammerfell, where much of the heavy industry and R&D is run by the Family.

Hammerfell

Positioned on the southernmost extent of Frost Lake, some 50 miles from the capital city, Hammerfell represents the height of Wintreathean determination and ability. Hanging 30 metres over the edge of the cliffs, this bastion of culture serves no real military purpose - instead, it is a cultural, innovative hotbed of ideas and theories that shape Wintreathean politics, society and industry.

Built at the end of the Hard Years, Hammerfell was the first city-building project embarked upon under Indric Kestar's watchful eye. Drawing inspiration from similar construction projects elsewhere, the city atop the cliffs is a mixture of the central castle (the only strategic building apart from its walls), sprawling expanses of houses and the factories and workshops that give Hammerfell the use-name of Aldri Sover Byen, the Never Sleeping City.

Although Hammerfell lacks the rich cultural history that other cities in Wintreath can claim, it more than makes up for it with the rigorousness of its inhabitants. Its population of almost 55,000 are bustling, easy-going individuals, and the markets and theatres of the main city ring to the sound of laughter and earnest conversation. The royal Kestar family maintain a residence within the main castle but also within the suburbs, as does the Meindhert Line. In terms of importance, it is often argued that Hammerfell comes second only to Frostlake itself. And let one not forget, the views from the spires of Hammerfell are some of the best in Wintreath.

Details:
Population: 2000 Military personnel, 50000 non-military personnel
Size: 20 square miles (the painting above only shows the cliff-side face of Hammerfell)
Territory: Frost Lake (second city)

Familial Specialities

The Meindhert Line specialises primarily in heavy gearwork - a speciality that emerged over hundreds of years working on the national rail networks. By the modern day, House Meindhert produces everything from aeroships to military grade weaponry and armour, from personal carriages to the cranes used in construction across Wintreath.

As a secondary focus, House Meindhert has naturally delved into Research and Development, and the minds of the Line's scholars and academics are amongst the finest in the land. Arnocen Academy's East Wing was sponsored by a Meindhert Patriarch - Heynri Meindhert - some fifty years previously and is widely considered one of the foremost centres of gearwork learning.

Due to the Familial Seat's position on an island off the west coast of Wintreath, House Meindhert also specialises in fishing and light-weight ship-building. Although their vessels aren't as hardy or as militarised as those built by the mighty shipyards of Sørhavn, Meindhert fishing boats brave the icy and tempestuous waters of the North and live to tell the tale. The Isle of Bain provides much of the fishing needs of Bët Territory.

Familial History

House Meindhert rose to prominence on the Isle of Bain's eponymous first city some two thousand five hundred years ago by merit of being the foremost supplier of fishing vessels, then one of few methods for supplying the island's hungry mouths during the long and harsh winter months. Through a series of slow acquisitions and mergers, marriages and backroom deals, House Meindhert eventually established a monopoly on shipbuilding and shipbuilding skilled labourers, using this influence to purchase a large plot of land by the then-little used coastline of the city.

Over the next five hundred years, House Meindhert because the premier authority over the entire Isle of Bain and presided over the important treatise with Cain's rapidly expanding House Penguon that decided fishing rights for the next 1000 years. When Spiritian forces moved into Wintreath, Bain was effectively a unified culture under the Line, and reluctantly bent the knee in light of the superior technology the Spiritians wielded. It was at this point that House Meindhert's interest in military applications began to grow - over the length of the Spiritian occupation, branches of the Family were instructed to retreat to secluded coves and hidden bays on the island's western shores and begin guerrilla operations, converting fishing ships into fast galleys operating stolen cannon.

When the Spiritian occupation finally ended, House Meindhert welcomed back the branches who'd necessarily distanced themselves in order to perpetrate the attacks against the invaders and consolidated its hold on the Isle once again. When the delegation of top Familial members was sent to Frostlake City in 531BNO (Before New Order, BC effectively) the Patriarch's chief bodyguard - who had been a member of the Meinharst branch responsible for innovating technology to use against Spiritus - noted the potential benefits from involving the House in the affairs of the wider world, and Lord (the House had yet to surrender its old Wintrean title in servitude to Inric I) Jaesphair Meindhert realised that by expanding the House's wealth he could ensure the defence of Bain for ever through securing good relations with the newly unified Wintreath. Ever since, the Line has been unswervingly loyal to the Crown, though unafraid to speak out if matters call for such.

Over the next 500 years the House's labourers were shipped south to work on Hammerfell, who's cliff-face site had many similarities to the building sites on Bain's cliffs. When the time came to place the new headquarters of the rail company that was to overhaul the entirety of Wintreath's outdated tracks and locomotives, Hammerfell itself was a newly thriving city only 50 miles from the capital city with access to nearby iron and steel works. The choice was obvious, and the House soon bid for the contract and won.

Since then, House Meindhert has used its growing skills and knowledge of heavy industry to move first into gearwork as it was introduced and then into heavy Research and Development projects, scoring the first contract for military vehicle supply and the first ever defence system contract for the Wintrean Royal Flying Corp. At present day, the Line has branches in major cities across Wintreath and runs most of the rail freight transport network, as well as several contracts with the government to provide military defensive and offensive equipment.

Familial Connections

House Meindhert and House Penguon have several mutually beneficial trade deals due to the proximity of their Seats and the length of the relationship.

Familial Standing

The Meindhert Line is a Noble House, by merit of the Patriarch having been awarded the position of Duke of Wintreath for services rendered to Crown and country.

The Family, being sizeable and influential, maintains relations with various Houses, institutions and companies. A special link exists between House Meindhert and Arnocen Academy, as well as between the House and Hammerfell Rail Industries (which is whole-owned by the Line).

Please note that I'll be expanding the information on House members to include brief physical descriptions as well as their roles in the House, what they manage, skills etc. People are more than welcome to join the Family as well what role and relation you were would entirely be up to you.

Re-tagging everyone who expressed interest in this thread. Please start discussing what kind of relations you'd like between your Families and other Families!

@Yaoke @Govindia @Pengu @BraveSirRobin @Barnes @Chanku @North @Commander_Zemas @taulover @Aragonn @Colberius X @xXTheHydraXx @Samwise Gamgee and @Rasdanation.

Pengu, you and I need to work out what our inter-House relations are Valerians and Rasdanation should probably have a chat if the Valerians do decide to specialise in trade.

As a note, applications are STILL OPEN and will remain open for at least ONE MONTH after the RP starts. If you join late, be aware the good Familial Seats might be taken!