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Zarozynia |
Posted:
Jul 27 2004, 10:03 PM
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![]() Seer of Darkness ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 241 Member No.: 131 Joined: 10-April 04 ![]() |
I tried to make these all nation specific. I know
that the Ghealdan one is a bit small, but I couldn't find any more
references than that to the behaviors of their people and didn't really
want to make anything up. If I remember right somebody has already written
backgrounds for The Two Rivers and Far Madding, so I don't have to do
that. Amadicia Although many of the nations of the Westland boast of power struggles between a monarch and others who would wish to rule the nation, none are as poignant as the struggle between The Children of the Light and King Ailron, the King of Amadicia. It is said that King Ailron does have some real power in Amadicia, but only if he does not go against the wishes of the powerful organization of the Children of the Light. Called “the Whitecloaks” by those less favorable to their extreme tactics, the Children of the Light control and enforce all the laws of Amadicia, and there are many. For one thing channeling is outlawed in Amadicia, and to have even been trained in Tar Valon can be a death sentence. The White Cloaks believe all channeling to be the work of the Dark One, since it was channelers who caused the breaking of the world. Personality: People living in Amadicia had better be in line with the ideals of The Children of the Light, or they had better be quite discreet. Woman especially lie low in Amadicia, as small offenses can get you tried and convicted of being a channeler, even if you cannot use the ability to save your own life. Male hedge wizards practice the craft of herb lore and healing in the nation, as a woman who heals “too well” will eventually be accused of being able to wield the one power. Because of the nature of the Whitecloak ideals, Amadicia gives rise to some of the most extremist people in the Westlands. Most people from Amadicia grow to hate and fear channelers, as they have been taught throughout their entire lives that they are Darkfriends. It takes an exceptionally strong willed person to get over these prejudices. Physical Description:Amadicians, like all Midlanders, tend toward medium to dark hair and dark eyes. They are of average height. Common woman wear deep bonnet, which cover most of their faces when they are out in public, and dress so that nothing but their fingertips are visible. The only adornment on their dresses are heavy velvet bows. Noble women, on the other hand, dress in silk dresses that leave little to the imagination and wear their hair in elaborate carefully manicured curls. Men, common and noble alike, favor long button down coats and tight breeches. Relations:Most Amadicians are not looked upon favorably by many Westlanders. Even those with no discernable ties to The Children of the Light are suspected of being their spies. Amadicians know this, and may stay closer to home than most. They have a natural hatred for anybody who is from Tar Valon, as all who live so close to “the witches” must have ties to the dark one himself, and don’t think much higher of Andorans as their Queens traditionally train in The White Tower. The Children of the Light are hated and feared in almost all nations. Language: Common (Midlands) Bonus Languages: Common (Taraboner), Common (Ebou Dari) or any for a Whitecloak Background Skills: Ride, Intimidate, Knowledge (Whitecloaks), Handle Animal Background Feats:Militia, Saddleback, Strong Soul, Bullheaded Andor Andor is the oldest surviving nation in the Westlands. Carved out of the ruins of the Artur Hawkwing’s empire, it holds the distinction of being the only nation that, by tradition stronger than law, is always ruled by a Queen. Though its border technically stretch from the River Erinin to the Mountains of Mist, some of the further reaches of the Queen’s domain have not seen a tax collector in enough years to have forgotten that they were ever a part of the great nation. A rich nation, Andor thrives from its strategic location where it is a center point of trade between Tar Valon and the Borderlands to the North and the Southern powerhouses of Tear and Illian. Its major exports are gold, iron, bronze, copper, tabac, mutton, wool, and barley; while you can find imports from all nations in Caemlyn, its thriving capital. Personality:Andorans are deeply steeped in tradition. Sturdy, dependable, and, some might imply, repressed; Andorans like their routines and their traditions. Its easy to imagine the Andoran commoners planning their yearly spring riots which, while shutting down the city of Caemlyn, do little actual property damage. Morgase Trakand has held the crown for nearly twenty years and most view her as a caring and just ruler. Even after she takes Lord Gaebril as a lover and forgets her duties as their Queen, many will stand by her simply because she is their Queen, and that is what a loyal subject should do. Still, Andorans are by no means afraid to speak their minds. They like their sturdy clothing and their moral values, and they’re not afraid to run a foreigner out of town that threatens what they think of as their way of life. Some speculate that the inborn Andoran stubbornness increases the farther West that you travel, where the blood of the lost nation of Manetheren still runs strong in the small villages that live in the shadows of the Mountains of Mist. Physical Description:Andorans are on average sturdy folk. Residents nearer to the Mountains of Mist tend towards dark hair and eyes, but it is not unheard of to see golden haired people near to the city of Caemlyn. This trait may in fact rise from the blood of the royal line which can trace its routes back to Ishara, Caemlyn’s first Queen, for it is often the nobility that shows these golden haired, blue eyed tendencies. Morgase herself is blond and fair skinned, giving rise to a popular saying that a blond woman are “gold haired like a Queen”. Andoran dress is generally plain. The woman wear high-necked dresses that fall all the way to their ankles, and men wear wool trousers and heavy linen shirts. Both sexes prefer sturdy practical footwear, and heavy woolen cloaks to keep out the worst of the chill of the long winters. The nobility tends to dress in silk rather than coarser wool, but otherwise the fashions remain very similar. Relations:Andorans get along well with most foreigners, although they may find issue with the morality of the Domani who flaunt their sexuality so openly. There have been small border skirmishes between the Andoran nobles and those of Murandy for many years, but that tends to stay within the upper crust and does not tend to effect the general population. Andorans may find an unlikely companion in the people of Shienar, who have a sparse lifestyle similar to their own. Language: Common (Midlands) Bonus Languages:Common (Borderlands), Common (Tairen), Common (Tar Valon), Common (Illian), Common (Cairhienen) Background Skills:Handle Animal, Heal, Ride, Wilderness Lore Background Feats:Bullheaded, Luck of the Heroes, Militia, Strong Souls, Ghealdan Ghealdan is a small fairly self-sufficient nation that is nicely nestled between the Mountain of Mist to the north and west, Murandy to the east and Amadicia to the South. Though few of the people realize it, they are the ancestors of the great nation of Manetheren which once graced the breadth of their lands. The residents are known to keep to themselves and go about their business, which mostly consists of mining in the Mountains of Mist, and hoping that the Children of the Light don’t decide that their nation should be its next point of conquest. Personality:Residents of Ghealdan tend to keep to themselves. They are wary of strangers and make unlikely adventurers unless forced into the situation. They are honest and extremely loyal, but due to their natural wariness of the unknown, take time to warm to anything new or different. Physical Description: Due to their common heritage, Ghealdans look much like the residents of Western Andor. They are dark haired and eyes, and tend to be smaller in height than the rest of the midlanders. Their men are often large and well muscled though, due to mining being their major source of income. Relations: Ghealdans may get along with people of any nationality, but only after they have grown to know and accept the person. They may get along better with Andorans than most, due to the Andorans natural reserve, which is a nice reflection of their own. Language: Common (Midlands) Bonus Languages: possibly Common (Taraboner) or Common (Ebou Dari), but Ghealdan is completely surrounded by other midland nations, so their chances of having learned other dialects of common are unlikely unless they are a trader, or a diplomat Background Skills: Handle Animal, Heal, Ride, Wilderness Lore Background Feats: Miner, Luck of Heroes, Strong Soul, Bullheaded Murandy It has been said that the only time that a Murandian will claim himself as a Murandian is when he is afraid that his land might be invaded by either Andor to the North or Illian to the South. On other occasions you are likely to hear him refer to himself as a Lugardian or the subject of a specific Lord or Lady. In truth the nation is consists of a loose association of lordships centered around the trade city of Lugard. Due to its location on the trade path of the ores mined in the Mountains of Mist, Lugard sees much more wealth than you might imagine would go through the capital city of such a disorganized nation. As a result, the inns and taverns in Lugard are very well off, and in fact, the city itself is known for the girls that may be seen dancing in its multitudes of taverns. As well as the more than modest sum of money that Lugardians make from their inns and taverns, they also due business in lace and sweet wine. Personality:In comparison to the residents in most of the midlands, Murandians are really quite fiery in temperament. Lugard is as known for its wild bar fights as it is for its uninhibited dancing girls. As much as they rely entirely on foreign trade, Murandians are exceptionally suspicious of outsides. Perhaps this come form the possibility of being annexed into one of the more powerful neighboring nations, or just that Murandians tend to be ornery. It is well known that a thief from Lugard may view any foreigner as a willing target, and rumored that more thieves can be found in Lugard than honest traders. Physical Description:People from Murandy look like most midlanders. They are of average height and have hair that ranges in color from light brown to black with coloring that is somewhere between the fairness of Andor and the olive complexion of their Southern neighbors. There is a great discrepancy in the clothing among the various classes in Murandy. Common or “loose” woman tend to wear their hair down and dress in skirts that fall to a spot about half way down the shin while the more respectable and higher-class woman wear skirts that fall to their ankles, and cover their heads in brightly colored cloth or lace. Lace is a hot commodity in Lugard especially; most high-class men and woman wear at least some at their cuffs and neck. Men wear brightly colored jackets, and sport goatees and other carefully sculpted designs in their facial hair. Relations:Murandians are often very suspicious of outsides, specifically of Andorans due to their constant skirmishes over border issues. They know that many participate in the Game of Houses, and are often very suspicious that the kindest courtesy has a deeper meaning behind it. Language: Common (Midlands) Bonus Languages: Common (Tairen), Common (Ebou Dar), Common (Illian) Background Skills:Appraise, Diplomacy, Bluff, Sleight of Hand Background Feats: Seductive, Smooth Talk, Silver Palm, Bull Headed -------------------- Legends of Darkness Are Not Always Myths - An Ongoing
experiment in writing/illustration/mythology Photographia Temple of the Goat - a philisophical weblog Diynen'd'ma'purvene - A Wheel of Time resource with backgrounds, feats, house rules, a vit/wound point system and an Age of Legends campaign setting (in the works) |
Talan |
Posted:
Jul 27 2004, 10:38 PM
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Learned Master ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 32 Member No.: 40 Joined: 20-January 04 ![]() |
Very cool - once again ! I am not sure i think that Saddleback is appropriate for Amadicians (they are not all Whitecloaks), and Seductive has always been a Domani feat for me, but thats just my personal oppinion. Doing Seanchan and Shara next ![]() Talan |
Zarozynia |
Posted:
Jul 27 2004, 10:54 PM
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![]() Seer of Darkness ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 241 Member No.: 131 Joined: 10-April 04 ![]() |
I think that I agree with you on Seductive, and will probably change it, but not on Saddleback. I think that the fact that so many White Cloaks ride horses would imply that its common of Amadicia, given that most White Cloaks come from there. And the version of the White Cloak PC that I use requires the character to get Mounted Combat and Ride by Attack before they can become a Whitecloak, so Saddleback makes sense as their background feat to go with it. I see you point though, that not all Amadicians are White Cloaks but I'm kind of of the oppinion that the background feats should be there to reflect a group as present as the White Cloaks. I'm a big fan of Tower Education (whomever wrote that) for Tar Valon. Maybe I should include something that you have to have some White Cloak background (either training with them or raised by one) to take Saddleback as an Amadician? That just seems to get complicated, though. -------------------- Legends of Darkness Are Not Always Myths - An Ongoing
experiment in writing/illustration/mythology Photographia Temple of the Goat - a philisophical weblog Diynen'd'ma'purvene - A Wheel of Time resource with backgrounds, feats, house rules, a vit/wound point system and an Age of Legends campaign setting (in the works) | ||
bmtc |
Posted:
Jul 28 2004, 12:51 AM
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Learned Master ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 29 Member No.: 169 Joined: 30-June 04 ![]() |
Just because saddleback is a background feat doesn't
mean that a character has to take it. If it doesn't fit the concept, pick a different background feat. Simple. |
Two Rivers Wolfbrother |
Posted:
Jul 28 2004, 05:11 AM
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![]() Great Fang ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 331 Member No.: 20 Joined: 15-January 04 ![]() |
Exactly. Not all Tairens are great on horses, not all
Tar Valoners are well-educated, and not all Cairhienin are fantastic in
the city. -------------------- This is an old thing, boy. Older than Aes Sedai.
Older than anybody using the One Power. Old as humankind. Old as
wolves. Current Projects: Encounters Handbook Homepage: www.towncenterproductions.com It's Funny! |
Zarozynia |
Posted:
Jul 28 2004, 06:25 AM
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![]() Seer of Darkness ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Group: Members Posts: 241 Member No.: 131 Joined: 10-April 04 ![]() |
Yes, if that were to happen, we would get ALL of our
background feats, now wouldn't we? ![]() -------------------- Legends of Darkness Are Not Always Myths - An Ongoing
experiment in writing/illustration/mythology Photographia Temple of the Goat - a philisophical weblog Diynen'd'ma'purvene - A Wheel of Time resource with backgrounds, feats, house rules, a vit/wound point system and an Age of Legends campaign setting (in the works) |
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