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I've been waiting for something like this to come around. I'll get to creating an app soon.
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Jul 4, 2016 22:53
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 14:38 |
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Submitted for your approval. Gur-Khan Jalaluddin, oglu Cihangr, oglu Ibrah… They found him in a raid on one of the Wyvern Clans. The Steppe Lords took much from them; among them was him, barely a man back then. He was exactly one of the men of the steppes, yet none recognized him. If he hadn’t named his father, grandfather, and family line, they would have killed him. As it stood then, they took him back home. His family - the Gulbahar - refused to take him in, and would have continued to disown him if the Bey commanding them had not forced Jalaluddin upon them. They Beylerbeyi - Bey of Beys - sent men out beyond the steppes to find more about the boy, why he was beyond their borders. It would be a long time before they bore that information, and things had changed beyond what anyone would imagine.... There were raids from those lizard-fuckers two generations ago. Many had died, and the Wyvern Clan left with many captives. There was no ransom made, and The Steppe Lords all thought they would be fodder for their wyverns… They were only half wrong. The Clans were having them tend to their lizards, with the unwilling being devoured. Portions of those thralls chose to flee southwards as the road back home was under constant watch; among them was Cihangr, father to Jalaluddin. He would turn up in a stronghold under Talrimas control, working as a stablehand. How Jalaluddin came to be was the result of a fling between Cihangr and a highborn Talrimas with little discretion. Her family was vehement in their disapproval, locking here away for months; Cihangr was unmanned, and the Talrimas took Jalaluddin for themselves. The time Jalaluddin spent as ‘Jeacock,’ a retainer for the Talrimas was training, and learning protocol with a firm hand insisting that he not sully their name in any way. They had groomed him to be a sheriff of their stronghold, and ‘Jeacock’ would’ve spent his life as a sheriff had Cihangr not been taken on as well. It would be Cihangr who taught Jalaluddin of his heritage and skills native to his people: horsemanship, archery, hunting. When Cihangr died from his unmanning, in his last breath he urged Jalaluddin to return to his homeland, and a week later he did just that, left with a horse, bow, quiver, and spears. Nobody in the Talrimas household had realized that ‘Jeacock’ abandoned them until it was too late. What training he had as a child had guided him to life in the steppes; what his family and Khan - chieftan - taught him added to what he learned. He was also restless as he came to his own; eager to join in raids on the outsiders who dwell on the steppes, and lacking the subtlety that is needed in the Beasts that dwell in the steppes. No understanding of how quickly the Raptors breed, nor the grudges each Zhucheng clan bore, nor the territorial aggression of the Stegoceras, nor the many other wants of the other Beasts. If his family was one of the Border Clans, that would be fine, but he was in the heartlands where their lives depended on more than just raiding. It took him surviving an Elasmuth stampede to realize this, but even then it seemed he did not take the right lessons from the Beasts. Young Jalaluddin started to commence raids of his own, spread beyond and deeper into the steppes. Became more brutal and precise. The spoils he gained were great. The Beylerbeyi took notice of his prowess and initiative and made him a Khan; gave him a wife to marry and three dozen horses to build his strength. All signs of favor. It would be Jalaluddin who brought in many outsiders who did not answer to the Beylerbeyi, by bow, sword, or will. As he reached his thirty-fifth year - his seventh year as Khan - he started to dream of bounty. In his dreams, Jalaluddin saw vast herds of horses, weapons and armor that shimmered like those from long ago. He saw vast wealth and fare to feed the Steppe Lords thrice over, and other things that defied his life as Khan. His eyes turned southwards, back to Sevvran. Each raid made his eyes turn again south, dissatisfied with what gains he made. Eventually he mustered up as many riders as he could - and few Khans - to press outside the steppes, past the Wyvern Clans’ roosts. The horde came upon a border town in Sevvran, and made quick work of it. They rode back with cartfuls of goods, cattle, and spoils from their raid with much congratulations among themselves. The Bey who ruled them however was displeased with what they did, regarded their actions as negligent, and had half their spoils burned and the other half taken by the Bey. This made the Khans who joined Jalaluddin furious with him - all their efforts reduced to ashes - and tried to kill him for forgiveness but to no avail. Back at the border an army from Sevvran was mustered to push north and wreak vengeance against the nomads who plundered their countryside. They bribed the Wyvern Clans to let them through without a fight, and made it clear to them that they were here for one enemy: the horse nomads. The Sevvran army met their enemy at the border; arrows flew, and the steppe echoed with shouts and screams. Jalaluddin heard news of the battle, and saw the chance for the wealth he knew existed. He rode with every rider he could raise and charged into the border. He coordinated with the other Khans to push the army not outwards, but further into the lands where a pack of raptors were roosted; that army did not stand chance. Then every rider on the border fled south, out of the raptors’ range and back into Sevvran. Jalaluddin and his horde made an ultimatum to each stronghold they passed: give a thousand pounds in silver, or have their city razed. He made this offer three times, and only one of them refused. Then the horde came to their fourth stronghold to raid; Jalaluddin’s old home. There was no raid though not for lack of trying. A new army had finally mustered under commander Verenas and met the horde in battle. The two fought for five to a stalemate days both Jalaluddin and Verenas made for a truce. The meeting was a cold one, between the two but in the end Jalaluddin’s horde would be allowed to keep half the spoils of their raiding, if he and his Khans swore an oath of fealty to Verenas and de Wulfe to keep the peace in Sevvran and their holdings. Jalaluddin agreed to the terms, knowing that there would be another chance to claim more from the kingdom - its enemies or otherwise. The steppes are going to get their resources to fight the Beasts one way or another. [+4] Seasoned Raider - Life in the Steppes has been hard and many a raid the man had participated in to ease the hardship. Terror, speed, and wits are as much his tools as a steady bow hand and a quiverful of arrows. [+4] Enforcement - Acting on behalf of the regency, and House Talrimas to prevent war from breaking out in the kingdom presents a deal of leeway in enforcing this peace. If a rich man finds himself stripped of assets for paying an audience to treason, that’s just collateral damage. [-2] Dynastic Complications - Between appeasing his own followers and placating arrogant noble family that had oh so nicely reminded of his ‘heritage’ the Gur-Khan has his work cut out. His biggest threat may not be the foes without, but whether one family wants the other dead. ------ The Massif Steppes (Ilker)  A great massif mark the borders between the Red Vale, the territory the Wyvern Clans roost, and their homes beyond. Beasts of great ferocity dwell there, and the Steppe Lords had generations to fight them. No town or stronghold built in the steppes had withstood the test of time, and whatever goods that could be had is in either game and herbs, or from raiding their neighbors. The Wyvern Clans suffer the brunt of these raids, especially as the Steppe Lords despise their Wyverns, likening them to the Beasts back in their homeland. Kinship is a serious matter to them; it determines what roles someone has, and where they’re allowed to hunt and graze. Without knowledge of their lineage, they would essentially be property. ------ [+4] Primodial - Many beasts untamed roam the steppes, and the people who dwell there are hardened warriors. Neither take to outsiders kindly - or one another for that matter. [-2] Primitive - There is not much that has developed in the steppes. Hardened leather, spears, bows, arrows, and horses are pretty much the best they can do; maybe palisades if they find enough trees to make- one. Then there are the Beasts who would hamper anyone who lingered for too long in their territory. AnAnonymousIdiot fucked around with this message at 06:17 on Jul 15, 2016 |
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Jul 8, 2016 06:46
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Completely revamped my Steppe Lord from top to bottom. Will be providing a more concrete answer later on regarding Verenas.
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Jul 14, 2016 22:47
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