Looking for a Writer!

[alexeduardo]

We need someone (or a group of someones) to craft at least three good, long an' epic plot in this settting (http://www.playgroundstudios.freeforums.org/bpgsdfhl-a-a-rundown-of-the-setting-t13.html)!
Save us, writers, you're our only hope!
Also, the setting was mostly my doing, I can madify it if it doesn't make any sense at all.

This seemed like the most sensible thing to do.
Also, it's supposed to be an RPG videogame, so choices and impossible odds are a good thing

[13_CBS]

Hmm, I'd be interested. I'll try to come up with a skeleton plot within the next three hours or so.

[Rutskarn]

Writers needed. That's a new one.

Alright, until further notice, consider me a prospective applicant.

[Blayze]

As I stated before in another topic, I'm always available for writing stuff -- give me a subject and some basics you want included and I'm good to go.

[Xondoure]

Sounds fun! I need something to do with my time...

Some questions: Do you have names for the different powers, important people, etc? Does magic work? Do the gods really exist? Is there a map, or at least a description of the terrain we can follow? Do you want us to write the story as if we were making the plot for your players? Important details need answering.

[alexeduardo]

Sounds fun!

But it is written. I mean, you read it...



Some questions:

yay


Do you have names for the different powers, important people, etc?
For the time being, call the Church "The Law" and the rebels "The Frontiersmen" or "Rebel Generals"


Does magic work?
DO NOT SPEAK OF THE DEVIL


Do the gods really exist?

I don't know, I'm not a theologist


Is there a map, or at least a description of the terrain we can follow?

Well, picture it as the United States as it was conquering the west. Only that there isn't any California t the end so the whole enterprise seems pointless. Also, the civilized world is smaller and sadder


Do you want us to write the story as if we were making the plot for your players?

yes. Any further questions?

[13_CBS]

I don't know, I'm not a theologist


Erm...mate, that's a pretty important question to answer. The undeniable existence of god(s) can radically change what sort of plot people write.



Well, picture it as the United States as it was conquering the west. Only that there isn't any California t the end so the whole enterprise seems pointless. Also, the civilized world is smaller and sadder


Pointless? Americans didn't always go out west just for gold, you know. But I digress...

So we are to assume that the climate and geography is basically flat desert with the occasional rocky plateau and mountain ranges?




Any further questions?

1) You mentioned "Renaissance" level of technology, but you also mention moveable prosthetics (which is mostly impossible today, and fantastically expensive, I think) and machine guns (reliable machineguns didn't really exist until people like Gatling invented them in the 19th century, IIRC), so I'm still not sure what level of technology you really mean. Do you want Steampunk? Clockpunk? Something else?

2) Can you give us a map as to how the world looks like?

3) How does warfare work in civilized areas? Frontier areas?

4) What is the church of the Lawful god like? The Chaotic god?

5) What are the full duties of an Inquisitor?

I'll come up with more questions later.

[Llama231]

Erm...mate, that's a pretty important question to answer. The undeniable existence of god(s) can radically change what sort of plot people write.

There is no proof either way, and if they do exist, they do not do anything. I think.



Pointless? Americans didn't always go out west just for gold, you know. But I digress...
Good point.



So we are to assume that the climate and geography is basically flat desert with the occasional rocky plateau and mountain ranges?
We have not truly decided on what the world will look like, but from what I know, it may possibly be an entire flat planet, with every type of environment. Generally speaking though, the more hospitable areas such as flat/hilly forest land or near rivers/oceans will be lawful, and the harsher, outer areas, like deserts and mountains will be chaotic.



1) You mentioned "Renaissance" level of technology, but you also mention moveable prosthetics (which is mostly impossible today, and fantastically expensive, I think) and machine guns (reliable machineguns didn't really exist until people like Gatling invented them in the 19th century, IIRC), so I'm still not sure what level of technology you really mean. Do you want Steampunk? Clockpunk? Something else?

There is gunpowder, maybe dynamite too. Machine guns are new, and only work when mounted on the ground. Sword and guns are both used evenly, though the wild areas seem to have slightly more focus on guns, and less armor. (Think a cowboy for chaotic and a knight for lawful.) Everything else technology-related seems to be stuck in the 14-1600's, with the frontier constantly developing new things.


2) Can you give us a map as to how the world looks like?
We have yet to get going with this, so I imagine that you are free to make up locations all you want.


3) How does warfare work in civilized areas? Frontier areas?
The lawful areas are highly organized, with what I am assuming is local police force, and standing armies. We have yet to decide how many civilizations there are. The frontier is basically the wild west, most violence is raids, stampede, and staring at each other.


4) What is the church of the Lawful god like? The Chaotic god?
I do not know much about this part, but it seems that the god(s) on either side are the same, but just viewed differently. Like Islam-Christianity, Protestant-Catholic, etc.


5) What are the full duties of an Inquisitor?
I don't even know what this is in the setting...


I'll come up with more questions later.
Always good.


Please correct me if I am wrong.

Edit: Oh, and if anyone is confused, or information is contradictory, go with what alexeduardo says.

[alexeduardo]

Erm...mate, that's a pretty important question to answer. The undeniable existence of god(s) can radically change what sort of plot people write.

Well, the Law makes the existance of their lord undeniable, and the Rebels are total fanatics about their diety. But most educated people see them as a way to manipulate the populance.
To answer your question more specifically: no, the gods don't do miracles or constant apparitions.



Pointless? Americans didn't always go out west just for gold, you know. But I digress...

Well, yes. At first it was believed that the Lord wanted the expansion, but nowadays people are just frustrated at the endless desert.


So we are to assume that the climate and geography is basically flat desert with the occasional rocky plateau and mountain ranges?

For the frontier, yes. Mostly like the deserts in the southers US and Northern México. The Civilized World is more temperate, sometimes tundric.



1) You mentioned "Renaissance" level of technology, but you also mention moveable prosthetics (which is mostly impossible today, and fantastically expensive, I think) and machine guns (reliable machineguns didn't really exist until people like Gatling invented them in the 19th century, IIRC), so I'm still not sure what level of technology you really mean. Do you want Steampunk? Clockpunk? Something else?

uh...I meant illumination! Well, I don't realy know what I meant. I didn't want to use the term steampunk or clockwork since most people have predetermined ideas of what those words mean. I always thought it is silly to assume all civilizations develop technology at the same rate, The Mayans, for example, developed astronomy and medicine far beyond that of Europe, but never really developed metalurgy. BPGSDHFL-A is far advanced in some areas and very backwards in others. The reason for the war itself is that the church monopolized the use of technology, so it only advances according to their interests.
Just think of it as the middle ages with quasimodern guns.

(Think a cowboy for chaotic and a knight for lawful.)
this is a much better answer


2) Can you give us a map as to how the world looks like?

uhh...we're on it


3) How does warfare work in civilized areas? Frontier areas?

There's no warfare in civilized areas, and if there is it is a perfectly choreographed cannon orchestra to replace puppet leaders.
On the Frontier areas, warfare is more varied. Some Rebel Generals lead apache-like raids on Loyal Towns while others ambush and cut supply lines much more sneakily. A big part of the setting is the fact that the Rebels are divided and constantly fighting and betraying each other. As such, the tactics differ.


4) What is the church of the Lawful god like? The Chaotic god?

The Law is a highly dogmatic untouchable technocratic force that controls all of Central Civilization, normal people anly ever come in contact with it by attending the daily rituals or by enlisting in the Holy Army. The ones that become priests soon forget where they came from, but the hugher Echelons always remain unknown. By the time someone has real authority, all of their humanity is lost. At least that's what they preach, in reality they are very corrupt and nepotic.

The Chaotic god's church's point is that it is not centralized. People, as strange as it may sound, become fanatics by their own will. The chaotic cult is smaller and less influential, and therefore their people are diabolically savage in their relelentless fanatism.



5) What are the full duties of an Inquisitor?

To hunt demons and witches wherever they are found. To slay heretics and imposters. To do the will of his superiors and to preserve the Good Ways.
Most of them delude themselves into thinking they're not the church's thugs.


I'll come up with more questions later.

whopee.

EDIT: Long Post ninja'd!
Llama is mostly correct, though it may be better to read both posts as he is more eloquent than I

[Seraph]

I need writing practice, sign me up as a prospective writer.

[13_CBS]

There is no proof either way, and if they do exist, they do not do anything. I think.


So neither of the gods, whether they exist or not, influence the mortal world directly? (No sending angels, no verifiable incidents of people receiving real, prophetic visions, etc)



We have not truly decided on what the world will look like, but from what I know, it may possibly be an entire flat planet, with every type of environment. Generally speaking though, the more hospitable areas such as flat/hilly forest land or near rivers/oceans will be lawful, and the harsher, outer areas, like deserts and mountains will be chaotic.


So it's definitely a spherical planet, then?




There is gunpowder, maybe dynamite too. Machine guns are new, and only work when mounted on the ground. Sword and guns are both used evenly, though the wild areas seem to have slightly more focus on guns, and less armor. (Think a cowboy for chaotic and a knight for lawful.) Everything else technology-related seems to be stuck in the 14-1600's, with the frontier constantly developing new things.


How do the machine guns work? And if they use some sort of technology that was not available to real life Renaissance people (which they probably do), why hasn't the technology for auto-loading a gun been applied to other engineering fields?

How do the guns work? Are they like this (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/1945/Guns/XGA17.jpg)? Or like this? (https://rowellsapushistory.wikispaces.com/file/view/musket.jpg) Or are they breech loading? Something else?



I don't even know what this is in the setting...


I hope you do soon, since the protagonist is one...:smalleek:



More questions:

I'm a little confused: this is supposed to be a single-player CRPG, right? Like Morrowind or The Witcher? If that's the case, do you want us to write the protagonist's personality (like The Witcher) or make him/her a blank slate (Morrowind)?

And what kind of RPG is this? Turn-based with parties, solo hack & slash, etc?

[Coidzor]

So demons are believed to exist in what role? Possession?(demanding either exorcism or killing of the host depending upon the level of "niceness") Physical manifestation? A bit of both?

[Llama231]

So neither of the gods, whether they exist or not, influence the mortal world directly? (No sending angels, no verifiable incidents of people receiving real, prophetic visions, etc)
Yes, that is correct.


So it's definitely a spherical planet, then?
Ummm... Either that or it is flat. So basically, I don't know.


How do the machine guns work? And if they use some sort of technology that was not available to real life Renaissance people (which they probably do), why hasn't the technology for auto-loading a gun been applied to other engineering fields?
I would assume like any normal machine gun. Why is communication progressing so fast these days? I would assume that the weapons are needed more than say, a train or car or something.


How do the guns work? Are they like this (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/1945/Guns/XGA17.jpg)? Or like this? (https://rowellsapushistory.wikispaces.com/file/view/musket.jpg) Or are they breech loading? Something else?

I have no idea, but I assume that it would be the second, it looks the best. :smallwink:


I hope you do soon, since the protagonist is one...:smalleek:
I have learned. Sounds good to me with plenty of opportunity for story, duty, AND freedom.



More questions:
The previous stuff was not? :smallamused:



I'm a little confused: this is supposed to be a single-player CRPG, right? Like Morrowind or The Witcher? If that's the case, do you want us to write the protagonist's personality (like The Witcher) or make him/her a blank slate (Morrowind)?
That is what I was assuming, the character's personality should be as the player plays it.


And what kind of RPG is this? Turn-based with parties, solo hack & slash, etc?
Solo 3D action. Yes, we know that is the hardest kind to make. Except for maybe Multiplayer 3D action...

____________________________


So demons are believed to exist in what role? Possession?(demanding either exorcism or killing of the host depending upon the level of "niceness") Physical manifestation? A bit of both?

Think the real world.

[13_CBS]

I would assume like any normal machine gun. Why is communication progressing so fast these days? I would assume that the weapons are needed more than say, a train or car or something.




Machineguns, weapons with the ability to fire a bullet and automatically load another one into the chamber, require highly sophisticated machinery, the kind that can machine steel (that is, simply cut it into VERY precise shapes and sizes) among other things. That sort of technology didn't exist until at least the mid 19th century or so, and you absolutely need that sort of technology to produce auto-loading rapid-firing guns. If that sort of precise, high tech machinery exists for guns, why hasn't anyone applied it to other things?

And what is it about the setting that the weapons are so incredibly important that every bit of high level technology goes straight into gunsmithing? Weapons are important, certainly, but even in warfare the sophistication of weapons isn't quite everything. You need good transportation to move stuff around, communication methods, methods of mass-producing steel (or mass producing anything), wealth to afford large standing armies and to equip them and supply them and train them, etc. It strikes me as odd that so much of the world's technology goes into gunsmithing, and only gunsmithing, and apparently absolutely nothing else.

[Coidzor]

Machineguns, weapons with the ability to fire a bullet and automatically load another one into the chamber, require highly sophisticated machinery, the kind that can machine steel (that is, simply cut it into VERY precise shapes and sizes) among other things. That sort of technology didn't exist until at least the mid 19th century or so, and you absolutely need that sort of technology to produce auto-loading rapid-firing guns. If that sort of precise, high tech machinery exists for guns, why hasn't anyone applied it to other things?

And what is it about the setting that the weapons are so incredibly important that every bit of high level technology goes straight into gunsmithing? Weapons are important, certainly, but even in warfare the sophistication of weapons isn't quite everything. You need good transportation to move stuff around, communication methods, methods of mass-producing steel (or mass producing anything), wealth to afford large standing armies and to equip them and supply them and train them, etc. It strikes me as odd that so much of the world's technology goes into gunsmithing, and only gunsmithing, and apparently absolutely nothing else.

Seems like the Law is an information cult that restricts use of technology to what they've dogmatically approved, stifling human ingenuity or putting it in forbidden libraries, only taken out when the church needs something new to cement their control over humanity.

I wouldn't be surprised if only Archbishops knew about radio-type equipment which they used to commune/send directives throughout their dioceseseseses....

So, uh... one subplot I can see is that of a rogue technologist supplying a rebel cult with various innovations that the church has kept on lockdown for centuries (managed to get into the library when he had to surrender all of his journals and such to the Law after they found out he invented something new, and decided that he'd rather liberate some knowledge while he was there and go rogue out of a sense of betrayal or sommat)

Or just a tinkerer guy out in the sticks taking the principles that have been obtained through the weapons R&D and stolen Church relics and making new stuff for the first time in maybe a thousand years or what have you...

[alexeduardo]

So neither of the gods, whether they exist or not, influence the mortal world directly? (No sending angels, no verifiable incidents of people receiving real, prophetic visions, etc)

precisely


So it's definitely a spherical planet, then?

yes, but no one can possibly know that




How do the machine guns work?

beats me


And if they use some sort of technology that was not available to real life Renaissance people (which they probably do), why hasn't the technology for auto-loading a gun been applied to other engineering fields?

The Law controls technological development. Progress only moves where they want it to.
(I think that can also answer your latest post)



I hope you do soon, since the protagonist is one...:smalleek:

I think I adressed that question in a previous post



More questions:

awesome


do you want us to write the protagonist's personality?

Yes, but make him a simpleton. leave a lot up to the player, but don't leave him a blank slate (which is something morrowind can get away with by being in the first person)


And what kind of RPG is this? Turn-based with parties, solo hack & slash, etc?

Kind of like Mass Effect, with a lot of focus in the hand-to-hand while still having shooter elements.


So demons are believed to exist in what role? Possession?(demanding either exorcism or killing of the host depending upon the level of "niceness") Physical manifestation? A bit of both?

Well, no one's ever seen a demon. So I guess there should be no physiscal manifestations

[alexeduardo]

Seems like the Law is an information cult that restricts use of technology to what they've dogmatically approved, stifling human ingenuity or putting it in forbidden libraries, only taken out when the church needs something new to cement their control over humanity.

I wouldn't be surprised if only Archbishops knew about radio-type equipment which they used to commune/send directives throughout their dioceseseseses....

YES! that's exactly what I've been trying to get at. Has anyone here read Foundation?

[Coidzor]

YES! that's exactly what I've been trying to get at. Has anyone here read Foundation?

A little bit... Know the basic idea at least. I think. Hopefully no Mules will be involved though. :smalltongue:

Hmm, so are the oceans set up in such a way that circumnavigation is impossible? Or has it just not been done yet due to a lack of impetus for exploration?

(I'd make the frontier mostly scrubland at least, so there's something for livestock to graze on a bit rather than true duney desert. More wastes/steppes than desert... though maybe I'm just biased in what I think of as desert...)

[Seraph]

yes, but no one can possibly know that

why not? the ancient greeks proved the world was round and calculated its size to within a few kilometers with nothing but a few deep wells, a couple poles, and someone who could run really fast. finding out the shape of the world isn't all that hard.

[Coidzor]

why not? the ancient greeks proved the world was round and calculated its size to within a few kilometers with nothing but a few deep wells, a couple poles, and someone who could run really fast. finding out the shape of the world isn't all that hard.

Maybe it's a football shape...

Or a disc...
:smallamused:

[alexeduardo]

A little bit... Know the basic idea at least. I think. Hopefully no Mules will be involved though. :smalltongue:

hey, you're the wirters.


Hmm, so are the oceans set up in such a way that circumnavigation is impossible? Or has it just not been done yet due to a lack of impetus for exploration?

Well, it's mostly the lack of impetus. Also, why would you want to go around the world when the Law clearly states that God wants us to dominate the desert?


(I'd make the frontier mostly scrubland at least, so there's something for livestock to graze on a bit rather than true duney desert. More wastes/steppes than desert... though maybe I'm just biased in what I think of as desert...)

Well, my homeland of chihuahua is steppe-ish yet a geological Desert. So yes, there may be some grass. Though I'm uncertain as to why does the writer need know that

[An Enemy Spy]

Ooh ooh! pick me!
I'm not the best when it comes to descriptions but I can make some flippin awesome stories and characters.

[alexeduardo]

Ooh ooh! pick me!
I'm not the best when it comes to descriptions but I can make some flippin awesome stories and characters.

such as...?

[13_CBS]

Seems like the Law is an information cult that restricts use of technology to what they've dogmatically approved, stifling human ingenuity or putting it in forbidden libraries, only taken out when the church needs something new to cement their control over humanity.


[/QUOTE]

Okay, that makes sense. I'll try to think up of more questions.

Edit: what's the planned rating for this game? Teen? Mature? What about the general feel of the setting? GRIMDARK or optimistic?

[Llama231]

Okay, that makes sense. I'll try to think up of more questions.

Edit: what's the planned rating for this game? Teen? Mature? What about the general feel of the setting? GRIMDARK or optimistic?

I would assume teen as it allows for realistic violence without going to far. It's what most RPGs are anyway. I would assume that the feel is a bit dark, with all the conflict and all.

[An Enemy Spy]

I don't actually have any completed work I can show you, but I do have an excerpt from the first draft of a story I am working on with my (considerably less talented, whooee he's bad) friend.
It's not Fantasy but I think its good.
“So in other words, when our men go down there, we can’t offer support.”
“Precisely. Would you like to put the mission on hold?” his number two inquired.
“Negative, commander.” Jason said, “Every moment we waste is a moment that the Ancients have to waste another planet. As soon as the troops are ready, this operation begins.”
“Very well, sir. I will relay your orders to the commanders.”
Elsewhere in orbit, another ship appeared. Unlike the Argos, which was a frigate that had been refitted into a troop carrier, this vessel could hardly be called a ship at all. It was more of a small troop bay attached to a hyperspace engine. It floated through orbit, all its systems powered down. Due to its size, it could easily be mistaken for space junk. On board were the seven Imperial Knights that Yvonne had instructed to recover Desmond. The knight designated Alpha 1 strapped himself into his reentry cage. The other knights, Gamma 8, Delta 5, Delta 17, Kilo 12, Nova 6 and Beta 3 did likewise. Alpha 1 had personally picked these men to accompany him as they had all shown extraordinary bravery and skill, even for Imperial Knights, on past fields of battle. Nova 6 stood out among them, as he had singlehandedly defended a key mountain pass from an army of Aellyrian warriors numbering in the thousands for three days before reinforcements could arrive to support him during the war of the Midgard coast on Loki. The knights unlocked the clamps holding their cages in place and plummeted into hell.
Lieutenant Rikhard surveyed the men in his Salvation class dropship. They were restless, eager to get on with the mission. Rikhard sympathized with them. His second child was being born this week and because of this lousy op, he would miss it. It’s not as if a commander with his war record was actually required for a milk run like this. Hunting around in the desert for a treasonous deserter was a job for some young sergeant who was eager to prove himself. Not a seasoned lieutenant with four medals dammit! Rikhard pushed these thoughts aside. When he joined the Freyan Imperial army, he had sworn an oath to unflinchingly perform his duty to the empire, even on fubar pile of **** missions like this one. He walked into the ship’s cockpit and pounded the pilot’s shoulder. “Tell the good captain that we’re ready to go.” Rikhard went back to the troop bay and strapped into his seat. He cleared his throat and addressed the men. “All right soldiers, strap in and hold on to your asses. We’re dropping in hard. If you have anything in your stomach right now, I suggest you keep it to yourself.” The dropship lurched as the clamps holding it to the Argos disengaged and the ship entered freefall.
Alpha 1 steeled himself for the ordeal that was ahead of him. He had reentered atmospheres many times in his military career, but that didn’t mean he was particularly fond of doing it. The reentry cage was little more than simply that; a cage. His power armor would be taking the punishment from the atmosphere. Fortunately, he and the other knights had coated the white metallic plates of their armor with a special fluid designed to minimize the burn. As the men plummeted through the sky, their suits grew hotter and hotter until the heat was almost unbearable. Alpha 1 closed his eyes and tried to separate his mind from his body. Not an easy task when you’re plummeting hundreds of miles above the ground. At last he entered this Zen state of mind, completely removed from the pain he was experiencing. At last, the warriors broke through the planet’s thermosphere. That was the easy part of the drop. Now the Knights had to enter the storm clouds below.
The six dropships plummeted into the gray maelstrom. Immediately, they were buffeted by powerful winds and lightning flashed around them. Lieutenant Rikhard gritted his teeth as his stomach turned inside out. Around him, some of the men were laughing uncontrollably, while others were closing their eyes as tight as they could. Three of the soldiers had vomited and the contents of their last meal seemed to float in the air in front of them. The men’s breakfasts weren’t the only casualties of the mission. Argos 2 had been struck by a bolt of lightning and broke in half. The pieces of the ship spun uncontrollably to the ground, bringing everyone aboard to their deaths. That was 23 lives wasted on this op and not even a single shot had been fired.
Seven streaks shot out of the storm clouds. The Imperial Knights had the rockets attached to their cages firing straight uyp at full burn. Alpha 1 sent a signal to the warriors under his command to disengage from their cages. A parachute shot out his armor and jerked him out of the cage. He watched as it fell to the ground beneath him. The knights were still falling at a considerable rate, but at the rate they were decelerating, they should have a relatively safe landing.
With less than two thousand feet between them and the sand, the Salvation dropships began to pull up. Rikhard’s insides shuddered as he was slammed by the Gs. The ships put on all their airbrakes and began to slow down to a more manageable velocity. Rikhard’s ship, the Argos 4, righted itself with a mere 82 feet to spare. The drophips slowed down and landed on the desert surface. The Lieutenant unstrapped himself and stood up. “Everyone make sure their pieces are still in all the right places and file out. We’re burning daylight.” A lot of the greener soldiers fell out of their seats and onto the floor. Rikhard exited the ship out of the ramp that had opened in the back of the troop bay and walked out on the desert sand. He held down a button on his chest and said “Desert.” His armor and fatigues changed color from the standard black to a dull tan. Night had fallen and the sand dunes were shrouded in a soft darkness. The area was humid from the wet air of the nearby rainforest. All in all, Rikhard thought it was beautiful. As he looked out on the vista, the men behind began to setup a base camp.
Alpha 1 rolled down the sand dune he had landed on. When he reached the bottom, he hit a button on his shoulder, making the parachute retract back into his suit of armor. Delta 5 was also at the foot of the dune. Alpha 1 got to his feet. “Let us regroup with the others. Then we will search for the one called Desmond.”

I don't know how good you want it to be but I think its quite decent considering I'm fairly new at this.

[alexeduardo]

I would assume that the feel is a bit dark, with all the conflict and all.

more like a chunk dark. We are, after all, trying to make it realistic.
Incorporate violence into your plot, but torture scenes and on-screen raping are not nessesary

[alexeduardo]

“So in other words, when our men go down there, we can’t offer support.”
“Precisely. Would you like to put the mission on hold?” his number two inquired.
“Negative, commander.” Jason said, “Every moment we waste is a moment that the Ancients have to waste another planet. As soon as the troops are ready, this operation begins.”
“Very well, sir. I will relay your orders to the commanders.”
Elsewhere in orbit, another ship appeared. Unlike the Argos, which was a frigate that had been refitted into a troop carrier, this vessel could hardly be called a ship at all. It was more of a small troop bay attached to a hyperspace engine. It floated through orbit, all its systems powered down. Due to its size, it could easily be mistaken for space junk. On board were the seven Imperial Knights that Yvonne had instructed to recover Desmond. The knight designated Alpha 1 strapped himself into his reentry cage. The other knights, Gamma 8, Delta 5, Delta 17, Kilo 12, Nova 6 and Beta 3 did likewise. Alpha 1 had personally picked these men to accompany him as they had all shown extraordinary bravery and skill, even for Imperial Knights, on past fields of battle. Nova 6 stood out among them, as he had singlehandedly defended a key mountain pass from an army of Aellyrian warriors numbering in the thousands for three days before reinforcements could arrive to support him during the war of the Midgard coast on Loki. The knights unlocked the clamps holding their cages in place and plummeted into hell.
Lieutenant Rikhard surveyed the men in his Salvation class dropship. They were restless, eager to get on with the mission. Rikhard sympathized with them. His second child was being born this week and because of this lousy op, he would miss it. It’s not as if a commander with his war record was actually required for a milk run like this. Hunting around in the desert for a treasonous deserter was a job for some young sergeant who was eager to prove himself. Not a seasoned lieutenant with four medals dammit! Rikhard pushed these thoughts aside. When he joined the Freyan Imperial army, he had sworn an oath to unflinchingly perform his duty to the empire, even on fubar pile of **** missions like this one. He walked into the ship’s cockpit and pounded the pilot’s shoulder. “Tell the good captain that we’re ready to go.” Rikhard went back to the troop bay and strapped into his seat. He cleared his throat and addressed the men. “All right soldiers, strap in and hold on to your asses. We’re dropping in hard. If you have anything in your stomach right now, I suggest you keep it to yourself.” The dropship lurched as the clamps holding it to the Argos disengaged and the ship entered freefall.
Alpha 1 steeled himself for the ordeal that was ahead of him. He had reentered atmospheres many times in his military career, but that didn’t mean he was particularly fond of doing it. The reentry cage was little more than simply that; a cage. His power armor would be taking the punishment from the atmosphere. Fortunately, he and the other knights had coated the white metallic plates of their armor with a special fluid designed to minimize the burn. As the men plummeted through the sky, their suits grew hotter and hotter until the heat was almost unbearable. Alpha 1 closed his eyes and tried to separate his mind from his body. Not an easy task when you’re plummeting hundreds of miles above the ground. At last he entered this Zen state of mind, completely removed from the pain he was experiencing. At last, the warriors broke through the planet’s thermosphere. That was the easy part of the drop. Now the Knights had to enter the storm clouds below.
The six dropships plummeted into the gray maelstrom. Immediately, they were buffeted by powerful winds and lightning flashed around them. Lieutenant Rikhard gritted his teeth as his stomach turned inside out. Around him, some of the men were laughing uncontrollably, while others were closing their eyes as tight as they could. Three of the soldiers had vomited and the contents of their last meal seemed to float in the air in front of them. The men’s breakfasts weren’t the only casualties of the mission. Argos 2 had been struck by a bolt of lightning and broke in half. The pieces of the ship spun uncontrollably to the ground, bringing everyone aboard to their deaths. That was 23 lives wasted on this op and not even a single shot had been fired.
Seven streaks shot out of the storm clouds. The Imperial Knights had the rockets attached to their cages firing straight uyp at full burn. Alpha 1 sent a signal to the warriors under his command to disengage from their cages. A parachute shot out his armor and jerked him out of the cage. He watched as it fell to the ground beneath him. The knights were still falling at a considerable rate, but at the rate they were decelerating, they should have a relatively safe landing.
With less than two thousand feet between them and the sand, the Salvation dropships began to pull up. Rikhard’s insides shuddered as he was slammed by the Gs. The ships put on all their airbrakes and began to slow down to a more manageable velocity. Rikhard’s ship, the Argos 4, righted itself with a mere 82 feet to spare. The drophips slowed down and landed on the desert surface. The Lieutenant unstrapped himself and stood up. “Everyone make sure their pieces are still in all the right places and file out. We’re burning daylight.” A lot of the greener soldiers fell out of their seats and onto the floor. Rikhard exited the ship out of the ramp that had opened in the back of the troop bay and walked out on the desert sand. He held down a button on his chest and said “Desert.” His armor and fatigues changed color from the standard black to a dull tan. Night had fallen and the sand dunes were shrouded in a soft darkness. The area was humid from the wet air of the nearby rainforest. All in all, Rikhard thought it was beautiful. As he looked out on the vista, the men behind began to setup a base camp.
Alpha 1 rolled down the sand dune he had landed on. When he reached the bottom, he hit a button on his shoulder, making the parachute retract back into his suit of armor. Delta 5 was also at the foot of the dune. Alpha 1 got to his feet. “Let us regroup with the others. Then we will search for the one called Desmond.”



Well, it's kind of simple and needs more descriptions. Let's see what you can do with our setting.

[An Enemy Spy]

What about offscreen?

[An Enemy Spy]

Well, it's kind of simple and needs more descriptions. Let's see what you can do with our setting.

Again, it's just a first draft. None of these characters are all that major anyway.

[alexeduardo]

What about offscreen?

as long as it moves the plot forward...

[13_CBS]

I'm still trying to figure out what sort of "feel" your game has, so here's a "testing the waters" brainstorm of the various endings:

The plot could be about how the Inquisitor explores the myriad depths of spirituality, from witnessing (or performing) acts of great mercy and salvation to witnessing (or, again, performing) acts of great evil and corruption. Basically, the 2 extreme ends of religion--on one end, spiritual and secular improvement for everyone, and on the other, a mere tool for the worst of dictators and liars. The Inquisitor goes through the game partly as a 3rd party observer (maybe he gets to witness of his colleagues doing stuff) but also makes his own spiritual journey, figuring out what he believes and why.

The endings could be on 2 axes: spiritual, and secular.

Spiritual endings:

1) The Inquisitor becomes a devout follower of the Lawful god.

2) The Inquisitor becomes a devout follower of the Chaotic god.

3) The Inquisitor worships both, either as one entity or as two equal beings, each worthy of respect.

4) The Inquisitor remains unconcluded, an agnostic.

5) The Inquisitor becomes an atheist.


The Secular endings could be the following:

1) The Inquisitor becomes the leader of the frontier factions and leads them to domination.

2) The Inquisitor becomes the leader of the civilized factions and leads them to domination.

3) The Inquisitor becomes not a leader but a servant (a powerful one) of the frontier factions, and helps them take over the world .

4) The Inquisitor becomes not a leader but a servant (a powerful one) of the civilized factions, and helps them take over the world.

5) The Inquisitor becomes a mediator between the two factions, and works out a peace between them.

6) The Inquisitor becomes takes no one's side and takes the world for himself.

The endings can be a combination of any of the two axes. For example, for Spiritual ending #1 and Secular ending #1, he could convert all the frontiersmen into worshipers of the Lawful god. And etc.

[alexeduardo]

The endings could be on 2 axes: spiritual, and secular.

Spiritual endings:

1) The Inquisitor becomes a devout follower of the Lawful god.

2) The Inquisitor becomes a devout follower of the Chaotic god.

3) The Inquisitor worships both, either as one entity or as two equal beings, each worthy of respect.

4) The Inquisitor remains unconcluded, an agnostic.

5) The Inquisitor becomes an atheist.


The Secular endings could be the following:

1) The Inquisitor becomes the leader of the frontier factions and leads them to domination.

2) The Inquisitor becomes the leader of the civilized factions and leads them to domination.

3) The Inquisitor becomes not a leader but a servant (a powerful one) of the frontier factions, and helps them take over the world .

4) The Inquisitor becomes not a leader but a servant (a powerful one) of the civilized factions, and helps them take over the world.

5) The Inquisitor becomes a mediator between the two factions, and works out a peace between them.

6) The Inquisitor becomes takes no one's side and takes the world for himself.

The endings can be a combination of any of the two axes. For example, for Spiritual ending #1 and Secular ending #1, he could convert all the frontiersmen into worshipers of the Lawful god. And etc.

I think that Secular ending #6 is a bit silly, but a really dedicated player could make it happen. Also, I'm not really sold on the Spiritual endings. But it would be interesting to see the player's actions change the Inquisitor's religion. (It would open up many friendships and dialog options to openly switch to the Chaotic side, and it could be really intersted to remain a follower of the Law)

I've describer our "feel" as Neodark. That is, stark and realistic but far from Tolkien.

[13_CBS]

It's your choice since you're the developer, but I'd be really interested in seeing the player choose between lots of different stances on religion and spirituality: does he choose one of the two mainstream religions, or does he go atheist, or does he remain unsure, or does he Take The Third Option and start his own religion?

[Llama231]

I support the spiritual stuff, but I think that the secular part is more important.

[alexeduardo]

It's your choice since you're the developer, but I'd be really interested in seeing the player choose between lots of different stances on religion and spirituality: does he choose one of the two mainstream religions, or does he go atheist, or does he remain unsure, or does he Take The Third Option and start his own religion?

when you put it that way, it does sound very awesome (in the sense that it produces Awe). I guess the plotsmakers would have to figure out a way to propose such concepts to the player so that he knows he can make such choices.
Also, wouldn't it be cool if the protagonist switched religious stances more than once over the course of the game?


Found his own religion....hmmm...a wild west Christ with guns....tempting.

[13_CBS]

I support the spiritual stuff, but I think that the secular part is more important.

Of course, but if you guys do end up taking this Spiritual/Secular axes, do remember that it'll probably be the Spiritual axis that will make your game stand out a bit more in terms of having a relatively unique plot. All that Secular stuff (join a faction, rule a faction, take over the world, etc) has already been done by many other games.

[Raewyn]

hmmm...a wild west Christ with guns....tempting.

Like Wolfwood from Trigun? :smalltongue:

[Coidzor]

It definitely does seem like his moral/spiritual development would be pivotal and be one of this thing's main things to set it apart/selling points...

[Blayze]

Did a little writing earlier today to explore some character opinions, and now it's dogma time! I couldn't think of another name for the civilised society, so I just called it "the Empire" for simplicity.

"Peace. Order. Stability. These are the tenets of civilisation. These are the tenets of *our* civilisation. Those who decry our methods attack our strengths, believing them to be flaws. They see our slow, steady, measured progress and evolution -- and call it stagnation. They see our justice, our honour, our treatment of criminals -- and call it weakness. They see our societies, our communities, our businesses -- and cry corruption. They see our honoured and respected army and our belief in peace -- and call it hypocrisy. And yet we ask only one thing of our subjects -- that they obey the law that grants them peace, that grants them order, that grants them stability."

"The Empire's many things, but progressive ain't one of 'em. While we're out there discovering the truth 'bout both the world and ourselves, the Empire just sorta sits there. They don't *do* anything -- well, 'part from inflict their self-righteous attitude on us. We're just tryin' to make a better world, but unfortunately the high-ups in the Empire don't want that. Why would they? If the commoners only knew half o' the labour-savin' inventions bein' kept from 'em, there'd be a bloody riot! In fact, that's not such a bad idea..."

"Don't get me wrong, progress is a great goal and one I'm dedicated to -- but I don't trust half the anti-Empire rhetoric and propaganda being bandied around by my "superiors". That's another point, actually. We're meant to be a society of equals, but how come we're a damn hierarchy? I know someone has to be in charge for stuff to get coordinated and done properly, but I've seen the rations the high-ups get to eat and that ain't no rat stew if you get my drift. Sure, the Empire's got its fingers in our pies and we're well on the way to kickin' 'em out, but are we any better? No way in Hell our "superiors" will share the wealth with us, we'll just end up trading one corrupt leadership for another."

[Llama231]

Did a little writing earlier today to explore some character opinions, and now it's dogma time! I couldn't think of another name for the civilised society, so I just called it "the Empire" for simplicity.
Coolio. I was wondering about this too.


"Peace. Order. Stability. These are the tenets of civilisation. These are the tenets of *our* civilisation. Those who decry our methods attack our strengths, believing them to be flaws. They see our slow, steady, measured progress and evolution -- and call it stagnation. They see our justice, our honour, our treatment of criminals -- and call it weakness. They see our societies, our communities, our businesses -- and cry corruption. They see our honoured and respected army and our belief in peace -- and call it hypocrisy. And yet we ask only one thing of our subjects -- that they obey the law that grants them peace, that grants them order, that grants them stability."
I would assume that this is an introduction.


"The Empire's many things, but progressive ain't one of 'em. While we're out there discovering the truth 'bout both the world and ourselves, the Empire just sorta sits there. They don't *do* anything -- well, 'part from inflict their self-righteous attitude on us. We're just tryin' to make a better world, but unfortunately the high-ups in the Empire don't want that. Why would they? If the commoners only knew half o' the labour-savin' inventions bein' kept from 'em, there'd be a bloody riot! In fact, that's not such a bad idea..."
Recognizably Western speak, and shows what they think well.


"Don't get me wrong, progress is a great goal and one I'm dedicated to -- but I don't trust half the anti-Empire rhetoric and propaganda being bandied around by my "superiors". That's another point, actually. We're meant to be a society of equals, but how come we're a damn hierarchy? I know someone has to be in charge for stuff to get coordinated and done properly, but I've seen the rations the high-ups get to eat and that ain't no rat stew if you get my drift. Sure, the Empire's got its fingers in our pies and we're well on the way to kickin' 'em out, but are we any better? No way in Hell our "superiors" will share the wealth with us, we'll just end up trading one corrupt leadership for another."
This one seems abit more confusing too me, what is it?

Overall, I find it quite good. :smallwink:

[13_CBS]

This one seems abit more confusing too me, what is it?


Probably a quote from a random follower of the rebel generals, likely of a low rank. He's pointing out how his faction and the Empire are disturbingly alike in many fashions, and he doesn't trust that the Empire is quite as bad as his superiors make them out to be.

Great stuff Blayze! :smallbiggrin:


@ Llama and Alexeduardo: Are you guys finished with the world-building? I would prefer the world-building to be mostly done before I start writing anything more than skeleton plots.

Edit: also, should we move this conversation over to your forums or keep it here?

[Khaeta]

I might be interested in helping (if you still need people). I do a bit of random writing in my almost nonexistant free time, but it's almost summer and I think I might be able to get this site working on my computer again, so color me interested. Now, to finish reading all the assorted other stuff that's been posted so far...

[alexeduardo]

Did a little writing earlier today to explore some character opinions, and now it's dogma time! I couldn't think of another name for the civilised society, so I just called it "the Empire" for simplicity.

"Peace. Order. Stability. These are the tenets of civilisation. These are the tenets of *our* civilisation. Those who decry our methods attack our strengths, believing them to be flaws. They see our slow, steady, measured progress and evolution -- and call it stagnation. They see our justice, our honour, our treatment of criminals -- and call it weakness. They see our societies, our communities, our businesses -- and cry corruption. They see our honoured and respected army and our belief in peace -- and call it hypocrisy. And yet we ask only one thing of our subjects -- that they obey the law that grants them peace, that grants them order, that grants them stability."

"The Empire's many things, but progressive ain't one of 'em. While we're out there discovering the truth 'bout both the world and ourselves, the Empire just sorta sits there. They don't *do* anything -- well, 'part from inflict their self-righteous attitude on us. We're just tryin' to make a better world, but unfortunately the high-ups in the Empire don't want that. Why would they? If the commoners only knew half o' the labour-savin' inventions bein' kept from 'em, there'd be a bloody riot! In fact, that's not such a bad idea..."

"Don't get me wrong, progress is a great goal and one I'm dedicated to -- but I don't trust half the anti-Empire rhetoric and propaganda being bandied around by my "superiors". That's another point, actually. We're meant to be a society of equals, but how come we're a damn hierarchy? I know someone has to be in charge for stuff to get coordinated and done properly, but I've seen the rations the high-ups get to eat and that ain't no rat stew if you get my drift. Sure, the Empire's got its fingers in our pies and we're well on the way to kickin' 'em out, but are we any better? No way in Hell our "superiors" will share the wealth with us, we'll just end up trading one corrupt leadership for another."

Nice. Is this meant as some sort of narrative? or is it just a sort of introduction for your own characters?


I would prefer the world-building to be mostly done before I start writing anything more than skeleton plots.


ehh...That's kind of why we're here....

[13_CBS]

So you want us to help you guys with world building as well?

[Blayze]

Nice. Is this meant as some sort of narrative? or is it just a sort of introduction for your own characters?

I might end up designing characters based on those quotes, but for now they're just random speech-dumps. There's no actual narrative -- it'd be a bit of a word-heavy scene if it was.


Probably a quote from a random follower of the rebel generals, likely of a low rank.

Bingo. :)

[Llama231]

So you want us to help you guys with world building as well?

All help is helpful if it helps.

[13_CBS]

If that's the case, maybe we could more firmly establish the traits and attributes of the two mainstream religions (and their various denominations) first? Using that as a foundation, we can better guess at what sort of place your setting will be.

[Dallas-Dakota]

Did a little writing earlier today to explore some character opinions, and now it's dogma time! I couldn't think of another name for the civilised society, so I just called it "the Empire" for simplicity.

"Peace. Order. Stabbity.
I read it at first as this.:smallbiggrin:

[alexeduardo]

If that's the case, maybe we could more firmly establish the traits and attributes of the two mainstream religions (and their various denominations) first? Using that as a foundation, we can better guess at what sort of place your setting will be.

Well, fire your questions.

[13_CBS]

1) What are the origins of each religion? Who started them, why did they get started, when were they started, how were they started, where were they started?

2) Are there any sacred texts for the two religions? Who wrote them? Over what stretch of time were they written? Where were they written? Did anyone edit them, and if so, who? Why was it edited? If there aren't any sacred texts for any of the religions, why is that so?

3) What values did the religions uphold the most during their inceptions? Why did they value them? Who decided to make those values and why?

4) What things did the religions condemn the most during their inceptions? Why did they condemn them? Who condemned them and why?

5) What values do the religions uphold the most now? Why did those values change? Who changed them, and how?

6) What things do the religions condemn the most now? Why did the condemned things change? Who changed them, and why?

7) How do the religions operate in religious matters? What about secular matters? For example, does the church of The Law enforce tithes? (If it does, how do they do so, and what is their public justification?) Does the church of the Chaotic god hold organized ceremonies?

8) What kind of denominations do the religions have, if any? Why did those denominations splinter from the main group? When did they split? How did they split (were there any wars or was it just a bunch of people walking away and leaving)? Who led the splinter group(s)?

9) How do the religions interact with people of different cultures? Why do they interact this way? For how long was each religion in contact with these groups?

10) How does one become a clergyman of either church? How about becoming a person of great importance? Or even the supreme leader? Why is it structured this way?

11) Do either of the religions use a special language for its clergymen? A real-life example of this would be Roman Catholic clergymen using Church Latin for various things.

12) How do worshipers of either god deal with those they claim to be heretics? What about blasphemers? Why do they deal with them in this way?

13) Do either of the religions have a concept of the afterlife? If so, what is it like? How do you get there? When do you get there?

14) Do either of the religions have a concept of holy men/women? Real life examples of such people include Christian saints and Buddhist Buddhas/Boddhisatvas. If so, who are these people? Why are/were they considered to be holy? How did they come to be regarded as holy? Why did they do things that were considered to be holy?

15) How do either of the two churches deal with things like music and dancing? Do they incorporate it into their worship services or are such things condemned?



Once we're able to answer all of these questions (and then some), we'll have laid out the foundations for much of the setting, I think.

[alexeduardo]

1) What are the origins of each religion? Who started them, why did they get started, when were they started, how were they started, where were they started?

uh...I'm don't really know how to answer that question completely. The Law has kind of always been there and nowadays t seems to value Order over any other thing, I guess we'll go with the origin that most people like.
As for the Chaotic one, it kind of emerged as a form of rebellion toward The Law. as the Civilized World tried to repress such heresy, it grew stronger to the point of fanatism and lifelong devotion. Think of it as modern islam in a medieval setting. Actually, now that I think of it, maybe the world was conquered by The Law's armies many centuries ago.
Yes, that could be it! Kind of like Europe had the muslims gotten past France. I think it could work, explains a lot of the self-rigtheusness.


2) Are there any sacred texts for the two religions? Who wrote them? Over what stretch of time were they written? Where were they written? Did anyone edit them, and if so, who? Why was it edited? If there aren't any sacred texts for any of the religions, why is that so?

The Chaotic heresy has no texts, reading is for Aristocrats.
As for The Law, maybe a few texts by The Prophet, seeing as how individual innovation is pursued, it is unlikely that it has changed much since ancient times.


3) What values did the religions uphold the most during their inceptions? Why did they value them? Who decided to make those values and why?

The Frontier Heresy values the killing of Aristocrats, Innovation, Idealism and basically anything that can give the Rebel Generals more power.
The Law values law and order, stagnation and the strict railroading of technological progress. There isn't a thing as science as far as The Law is concerned, it creates dangerous thoughts.


4) What things did the religions condemn the most during their inceptions? Why did they condemn them? Who condemned them and why?

Well, The Law was originally meant to save the world from ignorance and barbarism. It was their mission to save people from their own stupidity, but it seems that they just replaced one superstitious mass ignorance with another.
And the chaotic heresy was a means to be individual and strong against The Law. I guess that it differs from pastor to pastor (or whatever you want to call them) as long as it works against The Law.



I'll answer the other ones in another post...

[alexeduardo]

5) What values do the religions uphold the most now? Why did those values change? Who changed them, and how?


6) What things do the religions condemn the most now? Why did the condemned things change? Who changed them, and why?

The Frontier Heresy has remained pretty much the same (it's kind of new) while The Law now looks to create a stable, passive and stubborn race of dumb people inside its borders. It's only when they began to expand and drift away that technology was applied to things other than gunsmithing, gunsmithing and gunsmithing only. I think that they went from intellectual missionaries to mental police to defend the status quo. Maybe the Order is more fragile than it seems and the only way to fight Entropy is to make the world stay dumb.
Wait, what if the original prophets of the Frontier Heresy were actually Lawful intellectuals who wanted to escape their depressing gray lives? How's that for a plot twist?

I'll answer the rest later

[alexeduardo]

7) How do the religions operate in religious matters? What about secular matters? For example, does the church of The Law enforce tithes? (If it does, how do they do so, and what is their public justification?) Does the church of the Chaotic god hold organized ceremonies?

Yes, but intead of taking 10% they take.....uhh, 40%? or maybe 100%. The point is that they own everything, and if they didn't anarchy would come and satan would take over men's souls as it did centuries ago.
Yes, but they're mostly executions. Weddings happen, and sometimes even baptisms, but there's no real code or dogma for them.


8) What kind of denominations do the religions have, if any? Why did those denominations splinter from the main group? When did they split? How did they split (were there any wars or was it just a bunch of people walking away and leaving)? Who led the splinter group(s)?

Up to now they're pretty much uniform. With maybe some knight orders inside The Law, I haven't really developed that idea.
also, the Frontier Heresy's main point is that it's open to interpretation while still being unarguably right


9) How do the religions interact with people of different cultures? Why do they interact this way? For how long was each religion in contact with these groups?


Hey now, we can baraley creat two cultureas and you want a bigger world? pleaqse, let's keep it small. (or at least, not too huge)

[Don Julio Anejo]

Besides the machine guns (which I strongly suggest you shouldn't include, they require so many innovations to make them even a tiny bit viable that the Law simply wouldn't have), there is a big question that needs to be answered before this story becomes logical.

Why was there a rebellion in the first place? People don't rebel for the hell of it unless they're 15 year old teenagers who try to be different by dressing in all black. I highly doubt the world is populated by 15 year olds.

How did the split between East and West happen in the first place? E.g. were there remnants of the people who originally lived there and managed to keep parts of their culture intact in the West? Did a large number of people unhappy with the current regime get exiled West, like to Siberia? Were there powerful nobles/landowners far removed from the seat of power who wanted independence so they would be free from control of the church?

Without answering these questions it's hard to make the rebellion believable in the first place. Most people don't rebel against the Law because it's the Law, they rebel against it if they're unhappy with how they're treated by the Law. But if the government were that oppressive, civilized regions in the East would want to rebel as well, therefore there must be something that makes people in the West want to rebel.

[alexeduardo]

Well, Don Añejo, The Law is very repressive of the Frontiersmen that, like 1800's americans, are expanding because they believe god wants them to/ there may be riches/ they're ordered to/ they think it's their destiny. Of course, by now they have lost all motivation and it's just a tedious existance in the desert with The Law constantly asking for Obligatory Donations.
Also, the people in the East have been taught to be stupid. And don't forget the new religion, it has a lot of power over the frontiersmen and it literally preaches to Kill The Aristocrat.
Any more nits you want to pick?

[alexeduardo]

10) How does one become a clergyman of either church? How about becoming a person of great importance? Or even the supreme leader? Why is it structured this way?

Well, I was thinking that maybe The Law operates a caste system, with the excuse of keeping a similar mindset. The Higher Echelons would be mysterious and godly entities that only a few have seen.
The Frontier Heresy has no real "code". Anyone can recieve god's call at any time, and now that the revolution is on people are literally happy to fall off a cliff in the name of the Cause.



11) Do either of the religions use a special language for its clergymen? A real-life example of this would be Roman Catholic clergymen using Church Latin for various things.

The Frontier Heresy is the people's cult, other languages are for Aristocrats. On that note, yes, The Law does have a secret language. I think it may be best if the Inquisitor started out knowing only basic verbs and nouns.

[alexeduardo]

12) How do worshipers of either god deal with those they claim to be heretics? What about blasphemers? Why do they deal with them in this way?

Execution, mostly. Sometimes The Law holds trials in order to humiliate a noble family, or it tortures the heretics to save their souls. (you know how it is with the demons and all that)
The Frontier Heresy (as I've grown fond of calling it) is very maleable, and it could be argued that, since there's no official rulebook, every single different pastor is a Heretic.


13) Do either of the religions have a concept of the afterlife? If so, what is it like? How do you get there? When do you get there?

The Law teaches that if you're good and obey the church you'll be fine. You can go to one of the circles and Obey Forever. But if you do anything else, well, you burn.
The Frontier Heresy, on the other hand, has a much more spectacular afterlife. A good soldier will be forever caressed by soft angels and willing nymphs, while Aristocrats, Friends of Aristocrats, and their sopldiers will burn. a lot

[alexeduardo]

14) Do either of the religions have a concept of holy men/women? Real life examples of such people include Christian saints and Buddhist Buddhas/Boddhisatvas. If so, who are these people? Why are/were they considered to be holy? How did they come to be regarded as holy? Why did they do things that were considered to be holy?

It could be said that every Rebel General is some sort of crusader. As for saints, yes, The Law incorporates a selcted number of saints (not like real-life catholics that literally have one for every day of the year). I'll leave the specifics to you writers, but no, no big Christs or anything.
(Exept for The Law's Prophet, but I leave him up to you)



15) How do either of the two churches deal with things like music and dancing? Do they incorporate it into their worship services or are such things condemned?

There are slow, repetitive Lawful chants that pacify the masses and keep the World stable. The Frontier god has no time for such foolishness, and neither should his sons.


Anyway, these are just my views. Anyone care to differ?

[Xondoure]

Some stuff, not sure if this is what you want but:

---

The desert city of *Armyno*. This is the place I grew up, an orphan on the streets. To this day, it stands as a symbol of the empire, a city destined to rule the west as it was meant to be, the holy land of the law. It is here that the grand church stands, overlooking the world like a throne for those who control all of man kind, those who would establish order. This city is torn, even here there are those who swear allegiance to a new god, heretics who run from the law. Violence has broken out over my home land, and I will stop it. I have to find the answers, for all those I left behind...
Imperial Officer: "So, your the new inquisitor huh? well I can't say I expected much but it looks like you won't even manage to get the job done.
Inquisitor: "Don't question an inquisitor, it won't end well, even for an officer.
Officer: "I- I'm sorry sir, I meant no disrespect. I hope your ready to handle the situation though, things have gotten out of hand down here in the lower quarters.
Inquisitor: "What is going on?"
Officer: "Well, it all began yesterday when a *chaos fanatic* began preaching in the town square. It was a simple demonstration, happens all the time, but the church decided to crack down, leave an impression you know? Only problem is, someone fired a gun, whether it was one of us, or one of them I cannot say but, a riot has occurred and the people aren't safe.
Inquisitor: "So what do you want me to do?"
Officer: We need you to get in there and try and calm the masses. try and get the faithful out of harms way, and make sure the 'fanatics' are dealt with.
Inquisitor: "Understood."

The inquisitor will then enter the confrontation zone, where he will be recognized by his uniform, and subsequently attacked by the more militaristic fanatics. He will encounter a series of civilians and soldiers that he will be charged with evacuating. It will be the player's decision whether to rescue those who have defied the law and there families, the soldiers who are fighting for their beliefs, both, or none.

(Note: words in *text* are names that I made up but are merely place holders that may or may not become permanent)

---

Just some thoughts, which I sincerely don't intend to be set in stone. More of a way to get my head working, and put some stuff on paper. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure how we are supposed to do this, unless you give us details like: "The first encounter will be in the lower quarters of an imperial city. You will be engaged in riot and forced to choose who to save." So I have written it like this and am ready for hell to brake lose, or heaven to sing depending on what you think.

[alexeduardo]

Interesting, I don't thik we had considered the possibilities of a major city built in the desert.

Also, maybe one of the possible origins would be that you came from a desert. But then we'd have to have different begginings for different origins, not that it isn't a good idea, it's just that we would need to clearly define those options.
If anyone has ideas for origin stories, please post

[13_CBS]

The Law has kind of always been there and nowadays t seems to value Order over any other thing, I guess we'll go with the origin that most people like.


Which origin was that, again?



As for the Chaotic one, it kind of emerged as a form of rebellion toward The Law. as the Civilized World tried to repress such heresy, it grew stronger to the point of fanatism and lifelong devotion.


Alright, now were there any particular prominent figures who sparked it? Real life religions have people like Muhammad, Christ, Guatama Buddha, etc. who laid down the foundations and the core teachings of the religion. Was there anyone like that for the Chaotic religion or was it something that kinda slowly grew and evolved lots of people from all over without any clear leader?



Think of it as modern islam in a medieval setting.


Eh...careful about what you say here, mate, we're already pushing the envelope as it is.



Yes, that could be it! Kind of like Europe had the muslims gotten past France. I think it could work, explains a lot of the self-rigtheusness.


So the Lawful religion simply conquered most of the land? In that case, who were the prominent leaders of the original armies, and what were they like?



The Chaotic heresy has no texts, reading is for Aristocrats.
As for The Law, maybe a few texts by The Prophet, seeing as how individual innovation is pursued, it is unlikely that it has changed much since ancient times.


Are people from Civilized areas allowed to read those texts?



The Frontier Heresy values the killing of Aristocrats, Innovation, Idealism and basically anything that can give the Rebel Generals more power.


So according to Chaotic thought, aristocrats are inherently evil? Without exception?



The Law values law and order, stagnation and the strict railroading of technological progress. There isn't a thing as science as far as The Law is concerned, it creates dangerous thoughts.


If that's how The Law thinks, then how did it manage to gain technological superiority in the first place?



Well, The Law was originally meant to save the world from ignorance and barbarism. It was their mission to save people from their own stupidity, but it seems that they just replaced one superstitious mass ignorance with another.
And the chaotic heresy was a means to be individual and strong against The Law. I guess that it differs from pastor to pastor (or whatever you want to call them) as long as it works against The Law.


So The Law condemns ignorance, chaos, and barbarism, and the Chaotic religion condemns...The Law? Is there anything else?



Yes, but intead of taking 10% they take.....uhh, 40%? or maybe 100%.


A 100% "tithe" system would be nearly impossible to both implement and keep, since the people who make stuff (say, farmers) literally don't get ANYTHING in return. How are they supposed to eat or make money when every penny they make goes to The Church of The Law? I think 40%-60% sounds more reasonable.



The point is that they own everything, and if they didn't anarchy would come and satan would take over men's souls as it did centuries ago.


I'm assuming the last part is propaganda? Or were there actual, undeniable demon possessions?



Yes, but they're mostly executions. Weddings happen, and sometimes even baptisms, but there's no real code or dogma for them.

No real code or dogma for the sake of punishing heretics? Or no real code or dogma at all? The last one would be a bit strange for such a rigid religion...:smallconfused:





Hey now, we can baraley creat two cultureas and you want a bigger world? pleaqse, let's keep it small. (or at least, not too huge)

Not bigger, but more diverse. Making every single town in a 1000 square mile area the exact same in terms of culture would be a little weird. Southeastern USA isn't the same as Northeastern USA, for example, and even folks around the northern part of the state of Georgia are quite different from the ones living in the deeper south. In the same way, there probably ought to be various different cultures among both the Chaotic frontiers and the Civilized areas. It'll make for a good excuse to keep the setting varied enough so that players won't get bored after seeing 2 towns.



Well, I was thinking that maybe The Law operates a caste system, with the excuse of keeping a similar mindset. The Higher Echelons would be mysterious and godly entities that only a few have seen.


And how does one move up and down such a caste system? Can they do that at all? Also, are positions hereditary in the church of The Law?



The Frontier Heresy is the people's cult, other languages are for Aristocrats. On that note, yes, The Law does have a secret language. I think it may be best if the Inquisitor started out knowing only basic verbs and nouns.

Gotcha.




The Law teaches that if you're good and obey the church you'll be fine. You can go to one of the circles and Obey Forever. But if you do anything else, well, you burn.


Circles? Could you expand on that? What do the Circles promise during the afterlife?

[Xondoure]

Interesting, I don't thik we had considered the possibilities of a major city built in the desert.

Also, maybe one of the possible origins would be that you came from a desert. But then we'd have to have different begginings for different origins, not that it isn't a good idea, it's just that we would need to clearly define those options.
If anyone has ideas for origin stories, please post

Yeah, I kind of took a page out of another desert empire regarding the city (Egypt).
So just to be clear, the empire has remained the same for countless year and follows the old ways even though they have access to technology much like imperial China?

[alexeduardo]

Which origin was that, again?

Well, I think that a world domination that took place a long, long time ago


Alright, now were there any particular prominent figures who sparked it? Real life religions have people like Muhammad, Christ, Guatama Buddha, etc. who laid down the foundations and the core teachings of the religion.

Well, I propose that there be a god-like figure of The Prophet as well as some famous generals or rulers that are adored as saints


Was there anyone like that for the Chaotic religion or was it something that kinda slowly grew and evolved lots of people from all over without any clear leader?

the slow growth thing.


Eh...careful about what you say here, mate, we're already pushing the envelope as it is.

Excuse moi




So the Lawful religion simply conquered most of the land? In that case, who were the prominent leaders of the original armies, and what were they like?

I'll get on it. btw, you're supposed to be the darn writers



Are people from Civilized areas allowed to read those texts?

Yes, but only the watered-down editions.



So according to Chaotic thought, aristocrats are inherently evil? Without exception?

Yes.


If that's how The Law thinks, then how did it manage to gain technological superiority in the first place?

There's a difference between controlled technological progress and pure scientific curiosity. Also, most of what they have is centuries old.



So The Law condemns ignorance, chaos, and barbarism, and the Chaotic religion condemns...The Law? Is there anything else?

The Law also condems anything that challenges The Law's authority. It also constantly fights against writers and agitators that would un-dumb their masses.
Well, the Frontier Heresy condems aristocracy as a whole. As well as taxes, bandits hate taxes.



A 100% "tithe" system would be nearly impossible to both implement and keep, since the people who make stuff (say, farmers) literally don't get ANYTHING in return. How are they supposed to eat or make money when every penny they make goes to The Church of The Law? I think 40%-60% sounds more reasonable.

50%! then they can say it's only fair!




I'm assuming the last part is propaganda? Or were there actual, undeniable demon possessions?

propaganda.



No real code or dogma for the sake of punishing heretics? Or no real code or dogma at all? The last one would be a bit strange for such a rigid religion...:smallconfused:

no, no, no. The Law IS Dogma, it's the Frontiersmen that have no code.





Not bigger, but more diverse. Making every single town in a 1000 square mile area the exact same in terms of culture would be a little weird. Southeastern USA isn't the same as Northeastern USA, for example, and even folks around the northern part of the state of Georgia are quite different from the ones living in the deeper south. In the same way, there probably ought to be various different cultures among both the Chaotic frontiers and the Civilized areas. It'll make for a good excuse to keep the setting varied enough so that players won't get bored after seeing 2 towns.

Sounds good, any thoughts?



And how does one move up and down such a caste system? Can they do that at all?
No, that's the point


Also, are positions hereditary in the church of The Law?

On the record, no. But then again, what does the record matter?


Gotcha.

hey.


Circles? Could you expand on that? What do the Circles promise during the afterlife?

...haven't you read the divine comedy? I'm thinking of something like that.





Also, nice of you to borrow from Egypt. Maybe they can be a sub-culture

[Blayze]

I'm thinking of something like that.

Ironic punishment, you mean? I like the idea myself, but I'll try to twist it in new ways.


I'll get on it. btw, you're supposed to be the darn writers

I'll knock up a few fluff stories.

[13_CBS]

I'll get on it. btw, you're supposed to be the darn writers


Of course. I'm just trying to establish the limits of the available knowledge.

I think I have enough info to figure out some basic tenents of both religions by tonight.



Well, the Frontier Heresy condems aristocracy as a whole. As well as taxes, bandits hate taxes.


I gotta wonder why the Frontier Heresy people hate aristocracy so much. Are aristocrats usually clergymen as well?





Sounds good, any thoughts?


At the moment, I'm thinking of having the Frontiersmen vary wildly depending on location and distance from Civilization. As for Civilization itself, I think it'll be best if they're culturally united for the most part, save for subtle differences between regions (maybe one region puts more emphasis on a certain law than another, for example).



No, that's the point


In that case, we'll have to come up with a way for people to replace dead clergymen. I'll get on it tonight.



On the record, no. But then again, what does the record matter?


Interesting...:smallamused:



...haven't you read the divine comedy? I'm thinking of something like that.


I had a feeling it had to do with Inferno. :smallwink:


Anyhow, I'll see what I can come up with tonight. I think I'll relegate myself to mostly world building for now.

Speaking of world building, I think people who are world building and people who are writing the plot/dialogue will need to keep in touch frequently.

[alexeduardo]

Yes, aristocrats are usually clergymen
and
yes, keep in touch with each other

[Xondoure]

We could do it this way: Everyone who wants to works on world building. We split up into groups of two or three for the three individual plots.

[Llama231]

Whoa, I missed a lot, but it seems to be looking good.


We could do it this way: Everyone who wants to works on world building. We split up into groups of two or three for the three individual plots.

I support this.

[13_CBS]

. We split up into groups of two or three for the three individual plots.

Three individual plots? Did I miss something? :smallconfused:

[SilverSheriff]

Three individual plots? Did I miss something? :smallconfused:

I think it'll be Good, Evil and Neutral.:smallconfused:

[Dallas-Dakota]

Wasn't that one of the major points? Not to do good(, neutral), evil but lawfull/chaotic and potentially religious/atheist?

[13_CBS]

Wasn't that one of the major points? Not to do good(, neutral), evil but lawfull/chaotic and potentially religious/atheist?

I brought it up, and some people seemed to have liked it, but I don't know of any of the current plot writers are using that model.

[An Enemy Spy]

We could do it this way: Everyone who wants to works on world building. We split up into groups of two or three for the three individual plots.

SPY LIKE LITTLE MAN IDEA!

[13_CBS]

(I'm still not sure what this Three Plot idea is about :smalleek:)

Anyhow...

The Law

Since this deals with history and timelines, I will be using a certain yearly calendar system, similar to today's AD/BC or CE/BCE.

For reference...

BD = Before Decree (you'll see why later)
PD = Post Decree

At the moment, I'll be putting the start of the game at 1509 PD. Neither this BD/PD system nor the starting date is set in stone, I'm just using it for now as a easy way of measuring time.

The Ancient Past:

Until about 1500 years ago, the civilized lands were divided into small towns and villages, each controlled by a single person or family who enforced their rule through military might. In short, the world's government system was pretty much "feudal". The fact that the lands were fairly rocky and inconvenient to travel across made it easier for people to remain fragmented and harder to unite.

During these times technology progressed at a snail's pace, since things like advanced metallurgy and engineering often required wealthy financiers who had the money and the time to become an inventor's patron, and most people who had such resources preferred to spend it on military needs instead. Some of the wealthier regional lords were able to set up bronze manufacturing facilities, but these were fairly crude and the knowledge on how to efficiently produce good bronze was jealously guarded, further impeding technological progress. Much of the skirmishes and small wars were started over disputes on sources of tin, and the common people tended to suffer because they were the main source of soldiers for the local lords, and also said lords' main targets in raids.

Religion in these days were diverse and many--one could find radically different gods and religions simply by walking over to the next valley. Contact between civilizations was fairly little, so most of these local religions developed on their own over long stretches of time. These faiths were concerned more about short term material needs than abstract thinking (such as the next harvest, victory in battle, favorable weather, etc. than about quandaries about why we are here, what is good and what is evil, etc. ).

Thus, the overall "theme" of this old era was about looking out for oneself and those immediately around you. Every feudal lord for himself, every farmer for himself and his family. "As long as my family and I have food on the table, all is well" sort of deal. Same thing with the religions--much of religious worship consisted of tossing something onto the altar and making a deal with a god about making something in your life better ("Oh great Teluto, please make my crops grow well this season," etc.)



The Great Decree

The Great Decree describes the rise of the person known as The Prophet, Hasana Lexicus. Much about Lexicus has been lost in history, including Lexicus' actual gender and when and where the prophet of The Law was born. For the sake of convenience, I'll be assigning Lexiucs the pronoun "he" for the rest of the article.

Lexicus grew up as the child of a minor local lord. He was a compassionate person, and always wondered why the peasants that he saw always seemed to be suffering. Lexicus eventually grew tired of manor life, of living in comfort as the people "beneath" him starved, and he fled his father's manor to become a poor traveler, desiring to see the world and to find out what it was like.

He was...surprised yet disappointed. The places he visited were culturally varied, yet they all were under the yoke of people who ruled through military might. He encountered lords who were kind and lords who were cruel, lords who were intelligent and lords who were stupid, and lords who were weak and lords who were powerful, yet they and the people they ruled all seemed to suffer. After some years of travel and meditation, Lexicus came to realize that this was so because there was no true sense of overall community.

As mentioned before, the lands were politically and culturally fractured, since people rarely mingled with one another, and as such it was too easy for people to regard only their neighbors as worthy of kindness and love. One village could have cared less if the village only a day's walk away was burned to the ground as long as whoever did it didn't come over and torch them too. There was no sense of "nationalism", no sense of belonging to a group larger than the few dozen thatched houses people saw every day. Lexicus set out to fix this.

He did so through military conquest.

But where did The Law come from?

Sacred texts claim that The Great Lawgiver/Legislator Magnus, the one and only deity of The Church of The Law, inspired Lexicus as he meditated at the summit of the world's tallest mountain. Radical Frontier Heretics, on the other hand, claim that Lexicus came up with it to stave off boredom while traveling. In any case, The Law came into being some time before Lexicus set about on his military campaigns, called The Adjudication. The Law did not fully come into being until the First Recess, when Lexicus stopped campaigning, but the initial ideals included the following:

1) Laws bring order, order brings peace, peace brings joy, and joy brings prosperity. (This was THE most important tenet in The Law.)

2) The laws must be made not to promote the interests of the few but to bring happiness to the many. This is justice.

3) The strong and righteous nation is the united nation. The united nation is one that is ruled by justice and law.

4) Selfishness is the destroyer of all. To break the law, to bring injustice into the community, is the ultimate act of selfishness.

5) As long as justice is observed, The Lawgiver, who is the source of order and stability, and thus prosperity, will be appeased. No need for wasting resources on sacrifices or anything, just obey justice.

Plus some other things.

As for the Adjudication...

Lexicus had no military to speak of, but as the child of a regional lord, he was taught in the ways of warfare by his father, including strategy, logistics, tactics, and martial arts. He passed this knowledge onto a collection of villages that he was friendly with, and turned that pack of rabble into a powerful fighting force, instilling in them a desire to fight not just for their lives or the lives of their families, but for each other and for an ideal that they all believed in. With this idea of The Law he undermined the armies of his enemies by assimilating their soldiers into his own fighting force (resistance was futile!), and by the end of his life he had defeated or was joined by most of the regional lords in the land, creating the foundations of Civilization. The total size of the lands he had conquered was relatively small compared to the size of the world, but it was till one of the largest empires the world had ever seen.

After this bout of conquest, Lexicus, who was growing quite old by now, began creating the laws under which his people would live. This was called The Decree of Samaro, named after the city in which Lexicus created the laws. It was in this Decree that Lexicus completed The Law and Civilization was founded, and a new calendar system was created to mark the new beginning of civilized peoples.

In this new nation, Civilization, the laws were constantly being made and edited by priest-legislators, who were initially appointed by Lexicus himself. Any new ones thereafter were elected by the citizens of Civilization (the priest-legislators were chosen for life). There was no other central ruler in Civilization save for these people. As for religion, Lexicus did not mandate the destruction or intolerance of faiths outside of The Law, but he did encourage the followers of Legislator Magnus to try and convert people of other faiths whenever they could.

Unfortunately, although Lexicus was a visionary and a great military commander, the religion and the nation he founded would stray from his original plans...



How it changed


As mentioned before, the priest-legislators (originally called Tabelari, or "Couriers", as they were supposed to be "messengers between mortals and The Lawgiver") were the ones making the laws that everyone in Civilization lived under. The first ones were close to Lexicus and thus followed many of his ideals, but eventually (perhaps inevitably) the system became corrupted. Incompetent Tabelari created equally moronic laws and corrupt Tabelari created self-serving laws, and because of the religious mindset of following laws for the sake of justice, it was difficult for the people to protest against such laws (even though it was legal). About three hundred years later, the Tabelari had gained supreme, indisputable power over all of Civilization by creating advantageous laws and exploiting the byzantine old ones. Again, the people could have protested, but many of them did not know all the laws that had piled up over the years by heart, and by then it was considered to be socially taboo to speak out against poorly made laws.

A few did cry out against the injustice, though. They claimed that perverting the system for the sake of one's own gain was the worst way of breaking the law, and they said that Lexicus would never have approved of such a thing. These people were quickly silenced by the Tabelari, who declared that the malcontents were criminals and thus were the truly unjust. The leader of the rebellion, Isowa Palevurum, responded by taking his followers and fleeing to the untamed lands outside of Civilization. Had he stayed longer and convinced more people to join his cause, he might have over thrown the rule of the Tabelari, but instead he fled, fearing the retribution of the law makers.

And so more and more laws were piled on, and the Tabelari further cemented their power. Eventually, even the system of electing Tabelari was quietly replaced by a hereditary one, thus ensuring that the power of the Tabelari stayed within the Tabelari. New laws were also made to limit the power of commoners, and all the while the clergy, most of whom were under the Tabelari's thumb, pacified the masses. Along the way, civil freedoms, education, science, and even the arts were slowly taken over by the countless laws of the Tabelari. Even reading about a law was made to be strictly illegal unless one was a Tabelari or a government-approved judge.

By the end of 1000 PD, the tenets of The Law became the following:

1) Laws bring order, and order brings prosperity. (Note what happened to peace and joy)

2) The laws are made because it is justice. To follow the law is justice.

3) The strong and righteous nation is the obedient nation. The obedient nation is one that heeds justice and law.

4) Disobedience is the destroyer of all. To break the law, to be unjust, is the ultimate act of disobedience.

5) A being as great and powerful as Legislator Magnus cannot be appeased by mere mortal thoughts and actions. To give to His Chosen, the Tabelari, is to appease Legislator Magnus.

Among other things.

Along the way, The Law also picked up on many random rituals and daily actions that believers were mandated to perform without fail. Lexicus might have once encouraged disciplining oneself through such daily rituals, but would have frowned upon wasting too much time or doing them simply for their own sake.


Hierarchy of The Law



A basic rundown of the hierarchy in the church of The Law in 1509 PD:


Tabela: Simply the Tabelari. Over time, as language changed, the word morphed into Tabela. They have supreme legislative power (and thus control) over all aspects of life in Civilization. They are "elected", but typically the only available candidates for election are children of current or former Tabelari. Due to a series of laws, people who are not such people are not allowed to run for election. Election days are times of high tension among the candidates. New Tabelari are only elected when one dies. There are eleven Tabelari.

Coerdor: They are clergymen who answer only to the Tabela. They manage much of the bureaucratic matters, both secular and spiritual, of Civilization. Most would-be Tabela are also Coerdor.

Serbor: The grunt workers of the bureaucratic systems of Civilization. The Serbor Leja deal with secular matters, while the Serbor Eclesa deal with spiritual matters. Life as a Serva is dull, difficult, and not very rewarding. Few, if any, Serbor ever rise above their station (it's technically illegal to do so).

Duelor: The military arm of The Law (and therefore the military of Civilization). They are under strict control of the Tabela. Some say that the Duelor even undergo mental conditioning to ensure their loyalty. The ranks of the Duelor have their own subdivisions and hierarchies.

Inperior: Commanders of the Duella, Generals of Civilization. The more martial-minded Tabela candidates are often Inperior.

Oradior: Preachers whose main job is to pacify and educate the masses. They are the ones who enforce the will of the Tabela when the sword is not an option.

Makianor: Engineers whose main job is to create, maintain, and at times improve the gunsmithing technology of The Law. Becoming a Makianor is a long and painful process, and once you're in, you can never leave. Many are shut in dark factories where they toil for the rest of their lives.

Inquisitor: Fairly lowly ranking clergymen who go out into the field and investigate Civilization and beyond. Recently, they have been ordered to purge the Frontier Heretic elements within the borders of Civilization. The best ones are armed with the most advanced weaponry the Makianor can make.

[Xondoure]

We need someone (or a group of someones) to craft at least three good, long an' epic plot in this settting (http://www.playgroundstudios.freeforums.org/bpgsdfhl-a-a-rundown-of-the-setting-t13.html)!


That clear things up 13_CBS?

[13_CBS]

Ooooh, that Three Plots thing. Thanks!

[SilverSheriff]

Ooooh, that Three Plots thing. Thanks!

yeah, the BPGSDFHL-A was my not so serious Idea.:smalltongue:

Black Pants Guy's super-duper fun happy land, A

[An Enemy Spy]

Does this setting have cool mythical creatures like griffons?

[13_CBS]

Here are the five main tenets of The Law again, this time as how it's written (this is the original version created by Lexicus).

The Five Great Laws



I. Know that Law, and Obedience to it, is the source of good things. Law begets Order: Order begets Peace: Peace begets Joy: and Joy brings Prosperity. This is the foremost of the Laws that I give unto you.

II. Know that Laws created for the sake of one is Injustice, and that Legislator Magnus shows no favor to the Unjust. But Law created for the sake of Many is Justice, and Legislator Magnus smiles upon the Just.

III. Know that Strong and Righteous nation is the United nation. The United nation is the nation devoted to Justice and Law.

IV. Know that Selfishness, and its Practice, is the source of evil things. Selfishness begets Greed: Greed begets Envy: Envy begets Atrocities: Atrocities beget Suffering. To break the Law, to bring Injustice into the Community, is the ultimate act of Selfishness.

V. Know that The Great Lawgiver, Legislator Magnus, the source of Order and Stability and Prosperity, will Bless you as long as Justice is served. To waste Victuals as a sacrifice to the Lawgiver is an Injustice, for Victuals is for Mortals and Mortals only.


Just felt like adding a bit of flavor to it. :smallwink:

[alexeduardo]

Good start. I was kind of hoping for a Muslim-like epic world conquest, but that can be added to what we have now. The main advantadge is that we now have the basic tenets, and we can work from it.

And no, Enemy Spy, no griffons

[Xondoure]

Thinking about the 3 stories, I suggest the layout of 1) Male Inquisitor, 1) Female Inquisitor, 1)ending story where you play as both, being able to choose one as your primary, the other meeting up with your character occasionally. If you played through the game having one be lawful, and the other chaotic, you could have them as a nemesis. If they both choose the same side, then when you meet up you become allies, and would face certain challenges as a team. Questions? Comments? Insults? Flattery?

Edit:

Here are the five main tenets of The Law again, this time as how it's written (this is the original version created by Lexicus).

The Five Great Laws



I. Know that Law, and Obedience to it, is the source of good things. Law begets Order: Order begets Peace: Peace begets Joy: and Joy brings Prosperity. This is the foremost of the Laws that I give unto you.

II. Know that Laws created for the sake of one is Injustice, and that Legislator Magnus shows no favor to the Unjust. But Law created for the sake of Many is Justice, and Legislator Magnus smiles upon the Just.

III. Know that Strong and Righteous nation is the United nation. The United nation is the nation devoted to Justice and Law.

IV. Know that Selfishness, and its Practice, is the source of evil things. Selfishness begets Greed: Greed begets Envy: Envy begets Atrocities: Atrocities beget Suffering. To break the Law, to bring Injustice into the Community, is the ultimate act of Selfishness.

V. Know that The Great Lawgiver, Legislator Magnus, the source of Order and Stability and Prosperity, will Bless you as long as Justice is served. To waste Victuals as a sacrifice to the Lawgiver is an Injustice, for Victuals is for Mortals and Mortals only.


Just felt like adding a bit of flavor to it. :smallwink:

But, but, they all say the same thing!

[13_CBS]

Not really:

#1 = Obeying laws is good and leads to good stuff.

#2 = Laws made selfishly are bad, Laws made for the good of many are good.

#3 = Being unified is good, and to be unified you must be just and lawful.

#4 = Selfishness is bad and leads to bad stuff.

#5 = Don't bother wasting resources on sacrifices.

[Llama231]

Wow, this is really great stuff. At least what I have seen so far. :smallwink:

[Felixaar]

Hmm, this looks interesting. I'll have a deeper, more indepth look at this topic tomorrow and post more.

[An Enemy Spy]

Can we give Civilization a different name? The current one just doesn't feel right.

[13_CBS]

Shall we go with a "name" name (Spain, France, Germany, etc) or a "name + government type" name (Roman Empire, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, etc)? In either case, we'll need some kind of proper name.

[Llama231]

I think that the name+type would be good, so that it is easy to distinguish how the country works. Just name could be a short version, like China to the (People's) Republic of China.

[An Enemy Spy]

How bout The Holy Empire of Lexica
It's named after the founder and since its an Empire, you know it's evil

[13_CBS]

Actually, do you guys have an official name for the continent yet? The name for the place can be REALLY stuck up sounding if it's something like, "The Holy Empire of the Civilized Peoples of [Continent Name]". And for short, it could be called "Civilization".

[alexeduardo]

How bout The Holy Empire of Lexica
It's named after the founder and since its an Empire, you know it's evil

How about the Allied Kingdoms of Law, or The Allied Kingdoms of Lexicus' Path?

or how about the Decree Treaty? or the Decree's Kingdom(s)?

the hoy empire is good, though

[Llama231]

We have no official names yet. That I know of.

[13_CBS]

Then let's make one! :smallbiggrin:

You said that Civilization's cultures were based off of Italian/Japanese cultures, right? Then why not have the name of the continent be a mix of Latin/Chinese?

[An Enemy Spy]

The Holy Alliance of the Imperial Powers of the Great and Holy Lexicus.
If that isn't stuck up I don't know what is. I prefer my original idea though.

[alexeduardo]

Actually, do you guys have an official name for the continent yet? The name for the place can be REALLY stuck up sounding if it's something like, "The Holy Empire of the Civilized Peoples of [Continent Name]". And for short, it could be called "Civilization".

I like this idea better.

Also, the continet should be called BPGSDHFL.

[Llama231]

Black Pants Guy's Super Duper Happy Fun Land. If anyone mentions MJ, I will be annoyed.

[An Enemy Spy]

I like this idea better.

Also, the continet should be called BPGSDHFL.

And anyone who can't pronounce it put to death!

[Llama231]

Adding random vowels for the ability to pronounce it: Bupagesdohfil
boo-pah-jez-doh-fill

[13_CBS]

Uh...you guys sure about this? :smalleek:

[An Enemy Spy]

I hope not

[alexeduardo]

Uh...you guys sure about this? :smalleek:

Yes, of course, it makes perfect sense.


A chinese-sounding name would have short syllables, though I'm not sure if you're reffering to Latinicus latin or Latino latin.

[13_CBS]

Ah, I meant Latin as in the language that the Romans used to speak.

I'm not sure about the continent's name, though :smalleek: it...sounds a little long and awkward to me...

In any case, here are the modern Tenets of The Law, as they're actually written:



I. Know that Law is the source of all good things. Law begets Order: Order begets Prosperity. This is the foremost of the Laws given unto you.

II. Know that Laws are created to uphold Justice. To obey the Law is Justice, and Legislator Magnus smiles upon the Just.

III. Know that the Strong and the Righteous nation is the Obedient Nation. The Obedient nation is devoted to Justice and Law, and Legislator Magnus smiles upon the Just.

IV. Know that Disobedience, and its Practice, is the source of evil things. Disobedience begets Disorder: Disorder begets Chaos: Chaos begets Atrocities: Atrocities beget Suffering. To break the Law, to bring Injustice into the Civilization, is the ultimate act of Disobedience, and Disobedience is the ultimate act of Injustice. Legislator Magnus shall bring down his wrath down upon the Unjust.

V. Know that The Great Lawgiver, Legislator Magnus, the source of Law and Stability, requires Devotion and Love, for he is a mighty being. For everything you receive through His bounty, give half unto his Servants.

[alexeduardo]

Toreza, as a placeholder. Also, a latin name in what sense?

[13_CBS]

Also, a latin name in what sense?

What do you mean? :smallconfused: If you want to take the pseudo Chinese/Latin route, all we need to do is mash up a word incorporating Chinese (Mandarin?) sounding phonetics with classical Latin ones.

Edit: Something I've just realized...

If you guys ever officially implement the Five Tenets, you will actually have a good reason to make Civilization's battlecry be "FOR GREAT JUSTICE!!"

[alexeduardo]

well, I don't know any mandarin....

[13_CBS]

That's what memory and dictionaries are for. :smallwink: I've heard a smidgen of Mandarin, so I think I can come up with something.

[13_CBS]

So...anything else new?

[SilverSheriff]

from my point of view things have already fallen apart.

[13_CBS]

Why do you say that? :smallconfused:

[SilverSheriff]

I haven't heard from Llama or Alexaduaro in a while.:smallconfused:

[Llama231]

What would you expect us to say? :smallconfused: I have been busy, and not able to pump out stuff recently, as I have been preparing to travel for 3 weeks, but when I return, I will do what I can to get this back up on its feet if needed.

[Blayze]

I'm working on a sample conversation, but I've got a week off work and I'm not going in just to get at my files. :P

[Llama231]

A to-do list. (http://www.playgroundstudios.freeforums.org/the-to-do-list-t16.html?sid=3ae09abff34835708ea1e622f3ae8819)

[alexeduardo]

So...anything else new?

well..I was kind of hoping you could come up with a name...

[Xondoure]

Did this die?

[Dallas-Dakota]

Considering the last post on the boards there was almost two weeks ago...

[Xondoure]

Considering the last post on the boards there was almost two weeks ago...

I can hope right? Right? Yeah, I thought not...

[13_CBS]

Uh...heh heh...I somehow managed to forget about all of this these past weeks. :smallredface:

I'll get started on a name ASAP.

[SilverSheriff]

Yeah, in orderfor it not to be forgetten people need to communicate.

[Llama231]

In my attempts to reinstate the project, I am bumping this thread, and suggesting to all writers to look at the other thread located in the Gaming (Other) section of the boards, and the forum located here (http://www.playgroundstudios.freeforums.org/post141.html?sid=a177b7f25b22fc534608424226033c10# p141), and post.

[Llama231]

Where did everyone go?

[Xondoure]

They vanished into oblivion. :smalltongue:

[Llama231]

Well, you are still here.

[Xondoure]

Tue, but I don't know if I'll have time to write the entire plot by myself. I have a suggestion for finding more people though.
1) Start a new thread with all of our cuent progress and writing organized in the first post
2) Use a different title such as "A Tale of Law and Chaos; the Imperial Era (Writers wanted)"
3) Place the thread in the Arts and Crafts Forum, as that is the place writers will be looking for work.

This will accomplish
A) People not having to go through 5 pages of work to be up to date.
B) New title means you will attract people who think they know the old one, and thus might bring back some of the old folks.
C) Bring in a brand new host of people to get to work

[13_CBS]

Bleh, I'm really sorry...I said "I'm back!" but then Titan Quest caught my attention and I wandered off...:smallfrown:

I'll try to get something done by tomorrow, but I can't make any guarantees. :smalleek:

[Llama231]

True, but I don't know if I'll have time to write the entire plot by myself. I have a suggestion for finding more people though.
1) Start a new thread with all of our current progress and writing organized in the first post.
This sounds good.


2) Use a different title such as "A Tale of Law and Chaos; the Imperial Era (Writers wanted)"
How about both?


3) Place the thread in the Arts and Crafts Forum, as that is the place writers will be looking for work.
This too.

I will do all three when I get around to it.


This will accomplish
A) People not having to go through 5 pages of work to be up to date.
B) New title means you will attract people who think they know the old one, and thus might bring back some of the old folks.
C) Bring in a brand new host of people to get to work
Always good.

[Xondoure]

This sounds good.

cool!


How about both?

That's what I meant. the ; was supposed to indicate a subtitle.


This too.


I will do all three when I get around to it.


Always good.
:smallbiggrin: All fine and dandy then.

[Llama231]

Posted. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=6540077#post6540077) An I missing anything important?