[Information] Triumviral Protectorate of Sar-Issus

[Oghain]

Nation-State Name: The Triumviral Protectorate of Sar-Issus Population Distribution: Vishkanya - 70%, Other: Humanoid - 20%, Other: Non-Humanoid - 10% Homeland Terrain: Location, Unknown. Terrain, Unknown. Resources, Unknown. The city of Sar-Issus sits in the centre of a dense rainforest basin. The basin itself is surrounded on all sides by mineral and ore rich mountains. The mountains and the rainforest basin within surround the city, the entirety making up the territory of the Protectorate. The edges of the city itself merge with the rainforest, even as the rainforest presses up against the base of the mountains. Though the Vishkanya have their own ways in and out of the basin, and arrangements can be made for prospective students wishing to study under the great masters of the city, there are no valleys or pathways in or out of the basin - other than scaling the mountains. Forced entry is strongly discouraged by the inhabitants of the city. Government: In the long history of the Protectorate the Triumvirate of the Great Ziggurats has governed the Protectorate and city of Sar-Issus, maintaining civil peace and boarders through the Guardian Caste. However, since the advent of the counterattack against the Alvari the Triumvirate has instigated an unprecedented policy. For the first time in Protectorate history since the time of Sar-Issus, the Vishkayana placed themselves entirely in the care of a single person. Taken from the creme of the Vishkayana population, the Kha-Thessis was chosen as the undisputed lord of Sar-Issus. Now, in all things, is the Kha-Thessis the highest authority in the Protectorate; at least until the Alvari threat has been dealt with and Sar-Issus rendered safe once more. In the absence of the Kha-Thessis, or rather while he is abroad, the Triumvirate maintains his authority and relies upon the Praetor of the Guardians to look to the defence of the city. History of The Triumviral Protectorate of Sar-Issus At the dawn of the world, when the old races and higher beings fought for their territories and carved up the multiverse, it is said that there existed another entity who walked the Planes and Prime Material shoulder to shoulder with the first of the first gods. What or who this entity was, is now impossible to know but what is known is that the entity went by the name, or as some have argued title, of Sar-Issus. For the long aeons of the primordial world Sar-Issus learned, studied, fought and meditated and became a great Sage. Then came the world as the young races know it, and Sar-Issus found a purpose for himself. He spread the seeds of his knowledge far and wide, small pieces which would later one day grow into grand works of learning and power. However, even one such as Sar-Issus has an end to their time... In the unrecorded history of nations, when the gods still walked amongst the young races, Sar-Issus saw it's end coming. In the distance of it's unfathomable foresight and wisdom, it saw its times end. It sought out a being like itself, an inheritor. For long centuries it wandered the Prime Material, seeking out that paragon above whom none but Sar-Issus and the gods could reside. It found none. Instead, Sar-Issus came across a primitive tribe of sibilant humanoids, neither lizard-men nor naga nor dragon nor saurian. Locked away in an ancient rainforest, simple guardians of a trinity of ziggurats that Sar-Issus had never seen before, that it had no knowledge of. It was in these simple creatures that it found it's inheritor, or rather, inheritors. Sar-Issus took upon himself the task of safeguarding the Vishkanya, their name for themselves, and spent his time betwixt their care and upbringing (for they were as truly like children in mind and complexity as they were in comparison to the rising nations and empires) and the study of the Ziggurats. Time passed for the world, for the Vishkanya and for Sar-Issus and the time came for it's passing. Amidst a people it raised from veritable childhood Sar-Issus passed from the multiverse and it's name was passed on to the Vishkanya, who in turn gave it to their homeland; the greatest honour they could bestow upon the being who had safeguarded them from the world beyond their mountains. Over the course of history, the Vishkanya grew into a reclusive population. Their thoughts dwelt longingly upon their passed caretaker and lack of purpose consumed them, until The First of Many passed across their primordial guardians and into their territory. For the first time since Sar-Issus, the Vishkanya were faced with a creature which shared their qualities and traits, but to a limited degree. It spoke, but not in a language which they could understand. It had a shape similar, but infinitely different to theirs. Not knowing what to do with it, they brought it into Sar-Issus, then still a simple collection of villages, and fed it. For some time it remained there and though it and the Vishkanya never learned to communicate in anything other than rude pictograms in the mud, they fulfilled it's requests. In this one simple act they had found their purpose. Many years past, another came to the Vishkanya, and though the language it spoke was still one they did not understand they had grown curious in the intervening years and understood it's purpose, and in doing so struck upon their own purpose. They had never realised it, both in the time of Sar-Issus and when The First of Many had come to them, but their knowledge of a great many things was far in advance of any of their neighbouring civilisations. Sar-Issus, in it's powerful desire to shield the Vishkanya from the world, had shielded the Vishkanya from the world too well. Their understanding of the many secrets that Sar-Issus had taught them was lacking in the absence of any others to compare to; for what was a simple task for the Vishkanya was a far more complex if not entirely impossible task for their neighbours. And so it came to pass that the Vishkanya set about with a purpose; the world beyond their mountains could never know of what lay within, but those who were capable of finding them would be blessed with the knowledge of Sar-Issus, just as they had been. The Great Ziggurats became vast centers for learning and the Vishkanya established the Triumvirate to guide them and all hopeful pilgrims. The Guardians and their Praetor were formed from the largest of the Vishkanya in the thought that they would be the most capable of defending the city from external incursion. Over time, their culture grew and matured, blossoming into the Protectorate. However their aggressively imposed, but otherwise deeply instilled, neutrality and separation from the rest of the world would not and could not, last. The rise of the Alvari presented a threat that the Triumvirate, in all it's centuries of rule, had never faced before. Others had sought to conquer the lands surrounding Sar-Issus' mountains, but could not surpass the primordial guardians. Others had tried to force their way through the mountains, hoping to find the great fonts of knowledge and power within; but found only death at the hands of the Guardian Caste and it's terrifying defensive strategies. The Alvari, however, came as dominators and their successes in battle worried the Triumvirate - for in all the years since Sar-Issus itself, the Alvari presented the most likely to surpass every defence the Protectorate could present to it's enemies. For a full score years the Triumvirate sent forth great constructs of metal and steam, great magics were wrought by their most powerful arcanists, powerful spirits and beings were conjured forth by their greatest shamans and the Guardian Caste was outfitted with ever greater weapons and armour - the most powerful lore of the Vishkanya was dredged forth from the Great Ziggurats, but it was not enough. It was not until the Triumvirate made itself known to the other nations and sent the most talented of Sar-Issus' students, Kha-Tessis, to join with the other great armies marshalling a unified front against the Alvari did the Protectorate see success in the greatest war of the Vishkanya...

[Oghain]

Size: Size is a reflection of the population of your empire, and is roughly your nation’s “Hit points” if you will: losing battles will cause you to lose land, possibly entire cities, and the score will go down. If your size is reduced to zero, your nation has been exterminated: you may still lead whatever remains of your military, but you may no longer recruit additional troops, and you basically become a mercenary force.

Rank 1: Your nation is very small, consisting of a single city-state, as well as the surrounding farmland. Recruitment attempts yield only 1d6*10 soldiers, but the compact nature of your nation does mean there is less red tape to cut through. All orders take half as long.

Rank 2: Your nation consists of two or three cities. Recruitment attempts yield 2d6*10 soldiers, and your smaller empire requires less time to accomplish greater things. Orders operate at ¾ duration.

Rank 3: Your nation is an average size of four to six cities. Recruitment attempts yield 3d6*10 soldiers, and your empire takes the normal amount of time to complete orders.

Rank 4: Your nation is impressively large, numbering between seven and ten. Recruitment is easier, granting you 4d6*10 soldiers, but the bulk of the nation means it takes time for orders to reach the proper officials. Orders take 50% longer to complete.

Rank 5: Your nation is simply vast, with as many as fifteen major cities. There are always people to recruit, and you get 5d6*10 each attempt, but the chain of command is so vast it takes twice as long to get anything done.

Finally, at the start of the game, your size determines the size of your starting standing military.
Rank 1: 1 General, 2 Majors, 4 Captains, 8 Sergeants, 32 Privates
Rank 2: 1 General, 3 Majors, 9 Captains, 27 Sergeants, 108 Privates
Rank 3: 1 General, 4 Majors, 16 Captains, 64 Sergeants, 256 Privates
Rank 4: 1 General, 5 Majors, 25 Captains, 125 Sergeants, 500 Privates
Rank 5: 1 General, 6 Majors, 36 Captains, 216 Sergeants, 864 PrivatesSize: 1
Military: Military determines the average skill and training of your army. Quite simply, your rank in this skill determines the effective CR of your privates, and each rank above private has +1 CR. For example, a rank 4 military would mean that your privates have a CR of 4, Sergeants a CR of 5, Captains CR 6, and Major CR 7. The General is always CR 10, regardless of the military, and is reflected by your personal character. Note that if you are using a nonhuman race, you must have a military rank large enough to allow your privates to be of that race (a minotaur race would require a military rank of at least +4, and would have base minotaurs for privates and class level minotaurs for sergeants and above).

All military troops (other than the general) get gold equal to their CR^2*100 to spend on gear, anything in excess of that must come out of your own coffers.Military: 1
Economy: Economy determines the economic stability of your nation, and determines both your starting gold and gold income. It also determines how many resources you are allow to have. Resources can be any natural resource ; you could be a mining nation and have access to several copper and gold veins, or your ground might be especially fertile, allowing for some impressive harvests, or you might have massive forests nearby to cut into lumber.

Rank 1: Your nation is barely scraping by. You only get 1d6*100g when collecting taxes, and you have a starting wealth of 50,000g. Your nation has only one resource to its name.

Rank 2: Your nation is poor, but not destitute. You get 2d6*100g when collecting taxes, and your coffers start at 250,000g. Your nation possesses two resources.

Rank 3: Your nation is fairly wealthy, but not rich. You get 3d6*100g when collecting taxes, and start with 1,000,000g. Your nation possesses three resources.

Rank 4: Your nation is quite well off, and slums are almost unheard of. You get 4d6*100g when collecting taxes, and start with 5,000,000g. Your nation possesses four resources.

Rank 5: Your nation is very rich, probably a merchant nation. You get 5d6*100g when collecting taxes, and start with 25,000,000g. Your nation possesses five resources.Economy: 5
Magic: Magic is a measure of how much magic your nation can call upon, as well as the availability of magical items. Note for the purposes of this skill, a caster is anyone who has access to spells or spell like abilities. Supernatural abilities may or may not count depending on the class, and any class for whom magic is only a secondary feature (any class that doesn’t go from 1-9 spell levels) only counts as half a caster. Your general is an exception to this rule and your general may be a 10th level wizard even if the rest of the nation has absolutely no magical ability.

Rank 1: Your nation has essentially no magic. Whether you are simply too primitive to learn it, are by some fluke incapable of casting, or simply choose to forsake magic for more reliable science is up to you, but you may not have any casters in your army, nor may you produce magical equipment (though you may still purchase it from other kingdoms)

Rank 2: Your nation has only rudimentary magic. You may have up to 5% of your total military force capable of casting spells, and none of them can be ranked higher than Sergeant. Magical items are rare in your nation, and cost 50% more to produce.

Rank 3: Your nation has a modest magical affinity. Your army may consist of up to 10% casters, none of which can be ranked higher than Captain. Magical items can be produced at base price

Rank 4: Your nation has a skilled magical background, and can field an impressive magical force. Your army may consist of up to 20% casters, which can be of any rank. Magic is readily available, and magical items can be bought for ¾ of the base price.

Rank 5: Your nation is based on magic. Up to 20% of your army can consist of casters, which can be of any rank, and secondary casters no longer count towards this percentage at all. Magic is so common place that competition has forced prices way down, so magical items can be purchased at ½ priceMagic: 4
Science: Science is a measure of your nation’s research. Note that it will be possible to do “research” in the game, but the scope of this game is far too short to allow a nation to move up an entire category, save for some extreme cases.


Rank 1: Tribal: Your nation has only just learned the power of the pointy stick. You may not produce any equipment that is primarily metal (swords, chain mail, ect) nor can you make any equipment with a complicated mechanism (like a crossbow or firearm)

Rank 2: Bronze era: Your nation has learned metal working, but it is far from perfect. Any primarily metal tool cost 3x as much, being made from bronze rather than steel. Metal weapons have -1 to hit because of their bulk, but deal an additional point of damage. Metal armors have -1 max dex and -2 armor check penalties, but +1 AC. Complicated weapons like crossbows are still beyond your capacities.

Rank 3: Medieval age: Your nation has standard knowledge, and is just short of discovering blackpowder: All equipment in the PHB is regularly available at the listed price, but firearms are still unavailable.

Rank 4: Renaissance era: Your nation prides itself on its focus on knowledge. Mundane equipment cost only half its normal price, except gunpowder weapons, which, while available, is still full price. Advanced firearms are beyond the scope of this age

Rank 5: Steampunk: Your nation has absolutely stunning technology, and all mundane equipment cost only half price, and is masterwork automatically where applicable. Early age firearms are 3/4th regular price, and advanced firearms are available at this stage (though at full price). At this level, you will be allowed to research any of the classical steampunk techs, such as airships and steam powered golems/contraptions.Science: 5
Cohesion: Cohesion is the tricky one of the bunch, and the one that will be the vaguest. It represents the loyalty of your nation’s subjects. This one is a bit more abstract, and I won’t go too much into detail here, but the higher your cohesion the less weak your army will be to bribes, defectors, ect, and the further they can be pushed before dropping a rank. At rank 5 your nation will be virtually incorruptible, and can easily take quite a beating before they even think about questioning their loyalty, while a rank 1 nation may very well break into civil war over a simple tax increase. If your cohesion ever hits 0, your nation falls into a civil war.

Rank 1: Your nation is resentful towards the leadership, and there are already small signs of protest within your borders

Rank 2: Your nation is unhappy, but not incredibly so. They are likely to grumble about the recent over drafting, but it could be worse. Given an opportunity, however, they will leap at it.

Rank 3: Your nation is content. Though a large enough bribe may tempt some of your people, you have no internal enemies to worry about.

Rank 4: Your nation is fairly patriotic: Even the greediest of your nation would pause before accepting a bribe, and most tax increases are met with understanding. You are, afterall, in a war, and need all the help you can get.

Rank 5: Your nation is absolutely devoted: The very thought of committing treason is enough to make some of your people sick, and some of your men would gladly jump off a tall cliff if you but gave the order.Cohesion: 3

National Treasury: 25,000,000gp

Resources: Stone (Basalt), Crystal, Steel, Mithril, Lumber

Army Size: 47

[Oghain]

Privates: 32 - Shimmer-Guardian x16; Spellthrower-Guardian x10; Dreamcrafter-Guardian x6

 

Shimmer-Guardian
Race: Vishkanya
Class: Sable Company Marine Ranger 1

 

Spellthrower-Guardian
Race: Vishkanya
Class: Myrmidarch Magus 1

 

Dreamcrafter-Guardian
Race: Vishkanya
Class: First Worlder Summoner 1

Sergeants: 8 - Smoke Thunderer-Guardian x8

 

Smoke Thunderer-Guardian
Race: Vishkanya
Class: Musket Master Gunslinger 2

Captains: 4 - Planar Envoy x4

 

Resolute Envoy
Race: Resolute Dhampir 1
Class: Kinslayer Inquisitor 2

 

Entropic Envoy
Race: Entropic Changeling 1
Class: Dreamweaver Witch 2

 

Fiendish Envoy
Race: Fiendish Tengu 1
Class: Swordmaster Rogue 2

 

Celestial Envoy
Race: Celestial Grippli 1
Class: Chirurgeon Alchemist 2

Majors: 2 - Ziggurat Warden x2

 

Ziggurat Warden
Race: Advanced Vishkanya 1
Class: Ki Mystic Monk 3