EMPIRE! A Community World-Building Tale of People & Discovery

[D20ragon]

Spoiler

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My friends! Harken to the words of Czar Demetrius VII, Ruler of the Southern Republic of Sidvarsa, and his esteemed daughter, Marquis Darlessa, heir to the crown, and ruler of the northern provinces!
Ahem. My countrymen, welcome! This year has been a good one to our land of Sidvarsa! Our trade is going nicely, the livestock have prospered, the wheat harvest is well underway, and best of all, our famed navigator Reymond D'clou has returned, bearing evidence that our earth is indeed a globe! Is this not splendid news? [Only you care, father. The people need someone who actually listens to them.] Our republic is the most educated, well respected, and prosperous on this earth! [And yet, with such a vainglorious fool steering it, we are destined to fail.]
Of course, as many of you already know, I have granted my daughter and only heir Darlessa possession of the northern quarter of our country, for her to rule! And a fine job she has done of it too! Why, in just a year, she has doubled the efficiency of our farmers flour production by, er harnessing the raw power of... Well...

Darlessa stepped forward, brushing her fair hair out of the way.

[What my dear old father means to say, is that I have trapped the wind, and made it do my will.]

She moved to the side, displaying a miniature windmill.

[When the wind turns this wheel, my friends, the grindstone turns as well, with no effort at all on our part, save to lay the grains of wheat beneath stone. And that is not all. Using a intricate system of gears, I have managed to utilize the same design for water! I have already begun construction of a water powered drill which will enable us to mine resources undreamed of!]

Now now dear, let's not get carried away with this all. I'm sure your toys are marvelous, but they pale in comparison to the knowledge that are earth is round! Round! The mind boggles!
[With all due respect father, I disagree. Your discoveries do not feed bellies. Mine do, and what's more...]

Czar Demetrius VII is 47, old for a Sidvarsan, a rather plump man, his long red hair fading to grey, his bones becoming creaky, though he is still full of the fire of youth, and possesses enthusiasm in spades. His mind is as sharp as ever, and, as ever, filled with ideas of exploration. He longs to claim the moon, outlandish as it seems, and spends long hours into the night gazing at it, working in his latest madcap scheme. He is exuberant, rollicking, and careless, and though his palace is always full of the latest guests, his ears are often closed to the complaints of his people. Herein lies his greatest fault. He would willingly help his people, but frankly, he just doesn't care enough to. "Oh, they'll figure it out" he says. "The draughts not too bad. And besides, I think this moon boat of mine might really work! Would you care to stay for lunch?"

His 14 year old daughter Darlessa, born of a union of the Czar and his chief engineer, is everything her father is not, save the fact that she too is brilliant. The affairs of the people are her greatest concern, and she is forever locked away in her workshop, creating tools to raise Sidvarsa to a major world power. A slim woman, Darlessa is aging fast, even for a Sidvarsan. Her hair is already white, and her eyes are growing dim behind the shine of the silver implanted in them. Her main fault is her lack of compassion. She cares for the people, but truly, she sees them as useful tools. And one must take care of ones tools, mustn't they?

Curiosity: 5
Diplomacy: 2
Military: 1
Luck: 1
Faith: 1
Population: 19,000

Spoiler: People.

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The people of Sidvarsa tend to be tall, with blond or red hair, and skin tanned by the sun. Most are rather vain, and many improve their appearance by implanting precious gems in their eyes, by a process known only to them. They prefer bright colors, and tend to dress in the finest clothing they can afford. Their buildings are colorful as well, and tend toward high, arching ceilings, outdoor courtyards, and roman columns, alongside large porches and masque-like domed roofs. As a whole, the Sidvarsans are not a religious people, tending to prefer science and philosophy to blind faith. Most do respect their ancestors, however, and follow a practice of setting an extra chair at the table for family members who have passed on.
To get into a debate with a Sidavarsan, is, some say, as difficult as trying to thread a needle blindfolded. They will argue tenaciously, and if their point begins to lose, they will switch to another, defending it just as readily. A old chestnut tells of a Sidvarsan who argued for a month that rain was dry, and at the end of the month, when his opponent finally agreed, changed tack, belittling the other man for his utter stupidity, and holding that rain was indeed wet.
In addition, they are proud, ambitious, and somewhat aloof, though friendly. They merely consider all others "less enlightened", and pity them.
An average Sidvarsan has about 130 IQ, though the northern and southern provinces make use of it in astonishingly different ways. In the south, whimsy theory and exploration rule the day, where as in the north, men's minds turn to machines of steel and steam, machines to serve man, and improve their lot in life. Though Sidvarsa has an astonishing amount of brilliant people, they are limited by their brief lifespan. Most only live to 30, some to 35. As a result, they mature a great deal faster, children learning to speak in several months.

Spoiler: Terrain

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The lands of Sidvarsa are rocky and mountainous in the north, with fields of wheat growing on hard ground. A great pit opens up in the earth, made visible for miles by the machinery surrounding it. Known as "Darlessa's Mine," it her current obsession, and home to her water powered drill. Her palace, in addition, is worth mention. Built to her specifications, none are allowed in without her consent, which she rarely gives. Hellish lights burn in the windows, and shrieks of pain are sometimes heard echoing from within. It is no secret that the prisoners of the northern republic enter there, rumored as test subjects. Few come out. A few whisper that Darlessa has made a bargain with a demon of some kind, but others point to her machines, and how they help the people.
In the south, a marked change in climate occurs. Here, the land is fertile, dotted with pastures, vineries, and silk farms. A warm breeze blows in from the ocean, bringing ships from far and wide to Kaspus, the royal city. Though the palace is marvelous, a wonder of masonry and metalwork, it's huge dome glinting in the sun, the true glory of Kaspus is the The Global library of Exploration. This huge building, which appears to be a huge globe, continents and all, was built in honor of the discovery that the world was round. It holds countless maps, charts, atlases, textbooks, and tomes, as well as the headquarters of the Horizonswalkers, the Czars personal explorers and mapmakers.