OddHat Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 A history that never was, featuring nations, characters, artifacts, and random ideas. Table of Contents Song of the Ainu List of Empires Vague, Sweeping Overview Shen Zhou Quick Take Magadha Quick Take Totun Quick Take Imperium Romanum Quick Take A Quick and Easy Map Magic Overview Magic Overview: The White Magic Overview: The Black Magic Overview: The Green Magic Overview: The Gold Magic Overview: The Red Technology Fighting Styles Attitudes Towards Magic Astral Projection and The Sight Sample Starting Character - Xu Ruibai, apprentice magicker Religion in the Imperium Religion in Shen Zhou Immortals Feeding the Gold Feeding the Red Nonhuman Races and Monsters Haemon - Sample Sorcerer, Minor Villain Becca, sample starting character Currency of the Imperium Secrets of the Black - Short fiction illustrating Black Magic in use. Secrets of the Black - Mechanics: Mechanical rules for Black Magic in the campaign Secrets of the Black - Spirit Warriors, Aspects, Mounts, and Avatars Secrets of the Black - Summoning - How Summon works in the setting, and a brief discussion of Spirits, Ghosts, Daemons and Avatars Secrets of the Black - Summoning Concluded Secrets of the Green - Abbot of Green Bat versus the Red Khagan Secrets of the Green - Mechanics Ghosts and Spirits - Mechanics - How ghosts and spirits are built by default in the campaign, and the rules for Manifestation. Law, Order and Government in the Provinces of the Imperium Travel and Trade Air Ships Part I Air Ships Part II Sample Foes: Typical Bandit Veteran Bandit Local Hero Auctorati Player's Contributions to the Imperium Romanum: The Destruction of the House of Appius, adventure recap by Tribal On the Destruction of the House of Appius, adventure recap by SatinKitty Liamfada's Report Part One, adventure recap by Winston Liamfada's Report Part Two, adventure recap by Winston Marcus Sevarius Varus, sample character by keyes_bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign Before the ice, before the fall, there were the People of Ainu. Wise were the People of Ainu, gifted with the knowing of ten thousand names and crafts. Strong were the People of Ainu, in their hands lighting, in their blood fire. Rich were the People of Ainu, their cities built of jewels and glass, their raiment glorious. Then came the time of ice, and wisdom did not save, and strength did not save, and wealth did not save. The time of ice came and passed, and with it passed the People of Ainu, the people of fable, for all things pass, and all things fall, and sea and stars are not forever. - Song of the Ainu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign The Great Empires – Shen Zhou, Empire of the East Magadha, the Soul of the World Imperium Romanum, the Western Empire Mutapa, the Southern Empire Totun, the Blood Kings Kalaallit, the Ice People Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savinien Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign Intrigued... How about a vague, sweeping overview? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign How about Vikings? Will there be Vikings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mayapuppies Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign Sounds nifty so far. more more more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign How about Vikings? Will there be Vikings? We like Vikings! Bring on the Vikings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign Intrigued... How about a vague' date=' sweeping overview?[/quote'] The key setting questions are: - What is the limiting factor for Empire? - What differences, cultural, technological, social and historical, would result from real, reliable, repeatable magic? The key personal questions are: - How do we find ourselves corrupted? - Can we find our way to redemption? - How do individuals change the course of history? Historical inspirations include: - Proto-Indo European Culture and Mythology - Greek, Roman, Indian, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese history - Greco-Buddhism and the cultural and commercial traffic connecting Greece, Rome, India, and China Literary influences include: - David Gemmell, most importantly Echoes of the Great Song, Lion of Macedon, and ideas drawn from his body of work. - Tom Holt, most importantly Song for Nero, Meadowland, Alexander at the World's End, and Olympiad. - Robert Graves, I, Claudius and Claudius the God Much more to follow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign How about Vikings? Will there be Vikings? After a fashion, yes, but owing more to the Kalevala than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign The Empires - Imperium Romanum: Symbol: The Eagle Official Languages: Latin, Greek Capital: Roma Date: 2760 R (2760 years since the founding of the city of Roma) Government: Constitutional Monarchy Head of State: Emperor Head of Government: Shared between the Emperor, the Consol for the Plebeians, and the Consol for the Patricians Deliberative Body: Senate Area: 2.4 million square miles, not including the Meadowland Colonies Population: 180 million Establishment: 722 R First Emperor: Augustus Current Emperor: Claudius IX Official Religions: Roma Numina (Animism), Roma Genius (Ancestor Worship). The city of Roma itself is worshiped as a god, and all emperors are considered to be invested with divinity upon their ascension to office. Greco-Buddhism is widely spread and officially sanctioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L. Marcus Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign After a fashion' date=' yes, but owing more to the Kalevala than anything else.[/quote']I'm down with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign The Empires- Shen Zhou: Symbol: The Dragon Official Languages: Putonghua Capital: Beijing Date: 2228 SZ (2228 years since the unification of the Empire) (Yang Calendar) Government: Absolute Monarchy Head of State: Emperor Head of Government: Emperor, though in practice the bureaucracy dominates government policy. Deliberative Body: None, though day to day policy is debated within and implemented by the bureaucracy. Area: 3.8 million square miles, not including the Meadowland Colonies Population: 450 million Establishment: 0 SZ First Emperor: Qin Shi Huang Current Emperor: Hu Jintao Official Religions: Shen Buddhism, Shen Taoism, Shen Confucianism. Shen Zhou also features a rich folk religion built on ancestor worship and worship of the court of the Jade Emperor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign A rough and ugly map. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killer Shrike Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign A rough and ugly map. Hey, that looks familiar...maybe I visit the world of the Imperium in my dreams? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign Hey' date=' that looks familiar...maybe I visit the world of the Imperium in my dreams?[/quote'] I can't draw, but with an "alternate history" I don't really have to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristopher Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign Before the ice, before the fall, there were the People of Ainu. Wise were the People of Ainu, gifted with the knowing of ten thousand names and crafts. Strong were the People of Ainu, in their hands lighting, in their blood fire. Rich were the People of Ainu, their cities built of jewels and glass, their raiment glorious. Then came the time of ice, and wisdom did not save, and strength did not save, and wealth did not save. The time of ice came and passed, and with it passed the People of Ainu, the people of fable, for all things pass, and all things fall, and sea and stars are not forever. - Song of the Ainu I like that. Is it yours, or from something else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign I like that. Is it yours' date=' or from something else?[/quote'] It's mine, in the style of David Gemmell when he was being poetic. Not sure which influences he was drawing on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savinien Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign Very nice. Online or face to face? (Sorry, it was an inevitable question.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign Empires - Magadha: Symbol: The Lion Official Languages: Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Putonghua Capital: Pataliputra Date: 2760 R (uses Roma dating) Government: Absolute Monarchy Head of State: Emperor Head of Government: Emperor Deliberative Body: Extensive nobility, bureaucracy and administration Area: 1.9 million square miles Population: 100 million Establishment: 411 R First Emperor: Chandragupta Maurya Current Emperor: Ashoka Gupta Official Religions: Buddhism (official state religion), Hinduism. As the source of world Buddhism and the meeting place of West and East, Magadha exercises cultural, economic and moral influence disproportionate to its population and military power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign Very nice. Online or face to face? (Sorry, it was an inevitable question.) FtF, though with this one I might consider an online game. If/when, I'll post asking for players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign No Persians? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign No Persians? Crushed by Alexander the Great and never recovered as a world power, though they remain as an ethnic group and hold land roughly in the area of Iraq and Iran. The map only shows the major powers in the campaign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted January 25, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign Empires - Totun: Symbol: The Panther Official Languages: Nab'ee Maya' Tzij Capital: Cholula Date: 2207 R (Roma dating, the Totun use multiple calendars) Government: Theocratic Monarchy Head of State: God Emperor Head of Government: Priest Kings Deliberative Body: None, administrative duties performed by priesthood Area: 4.9 million square miles Population: 110 million Establishment: 532 R First Emperor: Itzamna Current Emperor: Hunahpu Official Religions: Totunan (Animistic Pantheism). The Totun, among their other religious beliefs, hold that their Emperors are living gods. Human sacrifice is practiced to honor the gods, the land and the God Emperor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
assault Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign Crushed by Alexander the Great and never recovered as a world power' date=' though they remain as an ethnic group and hold land roughly in the area of Iraq and Iran. The map only shows the major powers in the campaign.[/quote'] Fair enough. Clearly the Successor period worked out rather differently. It's interesting that no major power has emerged in the good old "Fertile Crescent". In fact, now that I think about it, this would be the perfect place for PC empire building... Let's see: you could either be a local, or someone from the fringes (Arabia, the steppes, or a mountainous area). It probably doesn't matter which. It would be better to be a clan leader of some description, although being a mercenary leader might work too. In the latter case you would need to engage in a serious diplomatic marriage, though. Of course "clan leader" could be little more that "bandit chief" to begin with. Alternatively, I suppose you could be a religious leader. Combining clan and religious leadership would be preferable, but an itinerant preacher type might be able to win over a powerful patron. Either way, you can potentially get control of some serious agricultural and urban centres, lying nicely across the trade routes between the other states... Alternatively, you could empire build a bit further north, and grab the trade routes across the steppes. You could move south after you've declared yourself the Great Khan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manic Typist Posted January 26, 2007 Report Share Posted January 26, 2007 Re: Imperium Romanum - A fantasy campaign Crushed by Alexander the Great and never recovered as a world power' date=' though they remain as an ethnic group and hold land roughly in the area of Iraq and Iran. The map only shows the major powers in the campaign.[/quote'] Wait, is there an actual map with drawn boundries? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.