Goober4473
2007-09-23, 11:43 PM
I'm running a game in a world that has a very large population of undead, and they have formed a society, based on etiquette, rather than ethics. I thought I'd post the rules and cities of the society, to see what you all think.
Cities:
Necropolis
Population: 22,440 (82% undead, 16% mindless undead, 2% others)
Necropolis, a sprawling mass of crypts, cathedrals, and courtyards, surrounded by a massive dark iron wall lined with spires of bone. In the center lies the Scythius Focus, a crystalline obelisk, always glowing with a dark purple light, that provides negative energy to power the city. Here sits the Sentinel, a being of immense power that rules over all of Undead Society. It is said that she is an undead goddess, or a goddess trapped in the body of an undead creature. No record of her origin is known to exist. Whatever she is, she is unlike any other being, though she resembles a simple necropolitan.
The city contains homes, working places, markets, shops, and others places of business one would expect to find in a city of its size, but every citizen is undead, or something close. Manual labor is primarily done by mindless undead servants, while more intellectual, artistic, and creative work is done by the citizens. As many have no need for upkeep, food and other sustenance is rarely sold, and some citizens choose to remain in there homes, ignoring the world outside.
Necropolis is made up of a great deal of corporeal undead that have no dietary needs, such as necropolitans, corpse creatures, bone creatures, and liches. Mortals must have special privilege to enter outside of specific guidelines. It has no guards or military to speak of, and has open trade with the City of Shade, and Cruentus, which each bow to the power of the Sentinel, but have little other allegiance with Necropolis.
Cruentus
Population: 13,570 (86% undead, 8% mindless undead, 6% others)
Cruentus, or the City of Blood as it often known, is home to a vast majority of undead that hunger, for blood, flesh, energy, or any other obsession an undead could imagine, foremost the vampires and their spawn. It is notorious for its cruelty towards mortals, yet it attracts the most of any undead city, because of its even stronger reputation for decadence and indulgence.
Cruentus has no walls, and all are welcome, at their own risk. All manner of foods, drinks, drugs, art, tools, weapons, and slaves can be found for sale here, and the city regularly trades with undead and mortals alike.
The City of Shade
Population: 10,150 (93% undead, 6% mindless undead, 1% others)
Like Necropolis, the City of Shade is surrounded by a wall of dark iron. Unlike Necropolis, there are no doors. It is a city made up of primarily incorporeal undead and their servants. Incorporeal and ethereal walls, and those made of force, provide the true walls of this city. These walls contain gates, and make up many buildings when combined with stone and metal.
The City of Shade is independent and only rarely trades with the outside. Mortals are almost never allowed inside.
Undead Society:
Killing:
No member of the Society is to kill, destroy, attack, or bring knowing harm to any other without provocation outside of a declared conflict.
Respect:
No member of the Society is to steal, use mental domination, or otherwise disrespect the property or individual freedom of any other member.
Disruption:
No member of the Society is to bring harm to the Society. This includes the summoning or creation of dangerous beings or objects, or taking any other action that might disrupt or damage any member, city, or territory that is not in a declared conflict with the summoner/creator.
Conflict:
Any member of the Society may declare a conflict with any other member of equal or lower rank. The target of the declaration must be made aware, and given one week to prepare. All servants, slaves, minions, spawn, students, or others under the command of a member in a conflict are also part of that conflict, as are any declared allies, beginning three days after they have been declared. The conflict must be declared as either non-lethal, semi-lethal, or lethal. At any time, either member of the conflict may increase the type of the conflict, but they must make this known to the other member, and they must be allowed one week to prepare before the change takes place. A conflict may end only when both members agree to its end, at which point it ends immediately.
During a non-lethal conflict, the members must participate in an agreed upon challenge or bet, which must resolve the conflict in some way. A game, non-lethal duel, or other competition, on which rides the gain or loss of territory, servants, slaves, minions, spawn, or other property that is transferable and in dispute of true ownership.
During a semi-lethal conflict, the members must participate in a challenge similar to a non-lethal conflict, however the conflict may include lethal duels between the members and/or their followers/allies. This includes artificial wars confined to a specific battlefield, one-on-one fights, and anything in between.
During a lethal conflict, the members are allowed to kill, destroy, enter territory without announcement, steal, and otherwise harm or disrespect any enemy in the conflict, so long as it does not harm or disrespect any other member not in the conflict, unless those members knowingly put themselves into the path of the conflict by entering a battlefield or a conflicting member’s territory.
Ranks:
The Society is broken into five ranks. All members begin at the rank of Initiate, as students, followed by Experienced, normal members of the Society, Noble, advanced members that contribute to the Society, Elder, members who control territory and have great responsibility to the Society, and finally Master, obtained only by the grace of the Sentinel, rulers of the cities. Members may increase in rank by being sponsored by a member of higher rank than the rank they wish to attain. The sponsor is responsible for the member for the next year, limiting the sponsoring of unworthy students that will bring shame and punishment to the sponsor.
Creation:
Members who create other undead are directly responsible for them. Unintelligent and servant undead must be kept under control, and registered in case control is lost. Free-willed undead must be initiated into the Society and the creating member must take them as students, and is responsible for their actions, until they reach the Experienced rank. Students may be transferred to another member of at least Noble rank if the student, teacher, and new teacher all agree.
Members of Initiate rank are not allowed to create undead of any kind. Accidental creations must be reported to an Elder or Master. Experienced members are not allowed to create free-willed undead, and must register all servant undead with an Elder or Master. Noble members must obtain permission from an Elder or higher in order to create any intelligent undead, and must register servants as Experienced members. Elders and Masters may create undead freely.
Territories:
Undead of the rank Elder or higher may claim and own territory. If no other member disputes their claim, it dimply becomes theirs. If a dispute occurs, a conflict must take place in order to determine ownership. Once a territory is owned, members must make their presence known to the owned when they enter. Members must obey all rules defined by the owner that do not conflict with the Society when in the territory of another member. These rules must be made known to those who enter before they can be enforced.
Mortals:
Members of the Society are not to harm mortals unless it is necessary for the member’s survival. Agreements must be made with mortal civilization in order to gain continual sustenance or tribute. Otherwise mortals may not be harmed except in self-defense or when in dire need of nourishment that must be obtained by this harm.
Cities:
Necropolis
Population: 22,440 (82% undead, 16% mindless undead, 2% others)
Necropolis, a sprawling mass of crypts, cathedrals, and courtyards, surrounded by a massive dark iron wall lined with spires of bone. In the center lies the Scythius Focus, a crystalline obelisk, always glowing with a dark purple light, that provides negative energy to power the city. Here sits the Sentinel, a being of immense power that rules over all of Undead Society. It is said that she is an undead goddess, or a goddess trapped in the body of an undead creature. No record of her origin is known to exist. Whatever she is, she is unlike any other being, though she resembles a simple necropolitan.
The city contains homes, working places, markets, shops, and others places of business one would expect to find in a city of its size, but every citizen is undead, or something close. Manual labor is primarily done by mindless undead servants, while more intellectual, artistic, and creative work is done by the citizens. As many have no need for upkeep, food and other sustenance is rarely sold, and some citizens choose to remain in there homes, ignoring the world outside.
Necropolis is made up of a great deal of corporeal undead that have no dietary needs, such as necropolitans, corpse creatures, bone creatures, and liches. Mortals must have special privilege to enter outside of specific guidelines. It has no guards or military to speak of, and has open trade with the City of Shade, and Cruentus, which each bow to the power of the Sentinel, but have little other allegiance with Necropolis.
Cruentus
Population: 13,570 (86% undead, 8% mindless undead, 6% others)
Cruentus, or the City of Blood as it often known, is home to a vast majority of undead that hunger, for blood, flesh, energy, or any other obsession an undead could imagine, foremost the vampires and their spawn. It is notorious for its cruelty towards mortals, yet it attracts the most of any undead city, because of its even stronger reputation for decadence and indulgence.
Cruentus has no walls, and all are welcome, at their own risk. All manner of foods, drinks, drugs, art, tools, weapons, and slaves can be found for sale here, and the city regularly trades with undead and mortals alike.
The City of Shade
Population: 10,150 (93% undead, 6% mindless undead, 1% others)
Like Necropolis, the City of Shade is surrounded by a wall of dark iron. Unlike Necropolis, there are no doors. It is a city made up of primarily incorporeal undead and their servants. Incorporeal and ethereal walls, and those made of force, provide the true walls of this city. These walls contain gates, and make up many buildings when combined with stone and metal.
The City of Shade is independent and only rarely trades with the outside. Mortals are almost never allowed inside.
Undead Society:
Killing:
No member of the Society is to kill, destroy, attack, or bring knowing harm to any other without provocation outside of a declared conflict.
Respect:
No member of the Society is to steal, use mental domination, or otherwise disrespect the property or individual freedom of any other member.
Disruption:
No member of the Society is to bring harm to the Society. This includes the summoning or creation of dangerous beings or objects, or taking any other action that might disrupt or damage any member, city, or territory that is not in a declared conflict with the summoner/creator.
Conflict:
Any member of the Society may declare a conflict with any other member of equal or lower rank. The target of the declaration must be made aware, and given one week to prepare. All servants, slaves, minions, spawn, students, or others under the command of a member in a conflict are also part of that conflict, as are any declared allies, beginning three days after they have been declared. The conflict must be declared as either non-lethal, semi-lethal, or lethal. At any time, either member of the conflict may increase the type of the conflict, but they must make this known to the other member, and they must be allowed one week to prepare before the change takes place. A conflict may end only when both members agree to its end, at which point it ends immediately.
During a non-lethal conflict, the members must participate in an agreed upon challenge or bet, which must resolve the conflict in some way. A game, non-lethal duel, or other competition, on which rides the gain or loss of territory, servants, slaves, minions, spawn, or other property that is transferable and in dispute of true ownership.
During a semi-lethal conflict, the members must participate in a challenge similar to a non-lethal conflict, however the conflict may include lethal duels between the members and/or their followers/allies. This includes artificial wars confined to a specific battlefield, one-on-one fights, and anything in between.
During a lethal conflict, the members are allowed to kill, destroy, enter territory without announcement, steal, and otherwise harm or disrespect any enemy in the conflict, so long as it does not harm or disrespect any other member not in the conflict, unless those members knowingly put themselves into the path of the conflict by entering a battlefield or a conflicting member’s territory.
Ranks:
The Society is broken into five ranks. All members begin at the rank of Initiate, as students, followed by Experienced, normal members of the Society, Noble, advanced members that contribute to the Society, Elder, members who control territory and have great responsibility to the Society, and finally Master, obtained only by the grace of the Sentinel, rulers of the cities. Members may increase in rank by being sponsored by a member of higher rank than the rank they wish to attain. The sponsor is responsible for the member for the next year, limiting the sponsoring of unworthy students that will bring shame and punishment to the sponsor.
Creation:
Members who create other undead are directly responsible for them. Unintelligent and servant undead must be kept under control, and registered in case control is lost. Free-willed undead must be initiated into the Society and the creating member must take them as students, and is responsible for their actions, until they reach the Experienced rank. Students may be transferred to another member of at least Noble rank if the student, teacher, and new teacher all agree.
Members of Initiate rank are not allowed to create undead of any kind. Accidental creations must be reported to an Elder or Master. Experienced members are not allowed to create free-willed undead, and must register all servant undead with an Elder or Master. Noble members must obtain permission from an Elder or higher in order to create any intelligent undead, and must register servants as Experienced members. Elders and Masters may create undead freely.
Territories:
Undead of the rank Elder or higher may claim and own territory. If no other member disputes their claim, it dimply becomes theirs. If a dispute occurs, a conflict must take place in order to determine ownership. Once a territory is owned, members must make their presence known to the owned when they enter. Members must obey all rules defined by the owner that do not conflict with the Society when in the territory of another member. These rules must be made known to those who enter before they can be enforced.
Mortals:
Members of the Society are not to harm mortals unless it is necessary for the member’s survival. Agreements must be made with mortal civilization in order to gain continual sustenance or tribute. Otherwise mortals may not be harmed except in self-defense or when in dire need of nourishment that must be obtained by this harm.