Post by Duckling! on Dec 17, 2007 20:59:04 GMT -5
Name of Place: Nul-Nessar is a corruption of Nil Nether, or "Nothing Underneath"
Geography: The capital is located on an island a few miles away from the mainland. Most of the island has already been settled, although there are still a few patches of wildland scattered throughout the island. Those are mainly sacred groves dedicated to the God-King.
To the west of the island can be found the mainland. Nul-Nessar rules much of the coastline, and has a flourishing fishing industry. The natives have mostly been routed from the coastland and enslaved. Flourishing cities, almost as fine as Nul-Nessar itself, have sprouted in the centuries since the conquests.
The temperate forests and the grasslands beyond that have been settled more recently. The cities here are small. It is here that most of the rebellions have taken place.
A few fur traders have ventured beyond, to the alpine mountains, although that's dangerous these days with the parts of the Empire nearby in turmoil.
Climate: I slept through geography, so I have no clue. The Empire is large, so there are several different types of climates.
People Groups: Nul-Nessar is ruled by humans. Only humans can become priests, mainly because the high priests, who are human, want to keep power for themselves. There are other races, but they're always enslaved.
Culture: Nul-Nessarens are against magic. This presents a bit of a problem, since up to 25% of the Nul-Nessarens have magic. Those with stronger magic are accepted into the priesthood, where they are taught that their magic comes from the God-King. Only the highest of the priests know the truth: that all magic comes from the same location. People with weak magic are denounced by the priests as sorcerers, who bargain with dark forces in order to get their power. They're burned at the stake, of course.
The culture is very big on fighting religious wars. Nul-Nessarens spend a lot of time "converting" other races. Those who won't convert are slaughtered and have their land taken. Those who do convert are enslaved and also have their land confiscated, which is marginally better than the other option.
Slavery among the Nul-Nessarens is regulated by laws that prevent mistreatment of slaves. However, those laws are not followed, because the Nul-Nessarens simply do not care and no one will believe a slave who speaks of mistreatment.
Demons serve as an excuse for just about everything. Was your daughter raped by a priest? If you're rich, then a demon shapeshifted into the form of a priest and raped her, and she, poor thing, is just a victim who must be treated kindly. (If you're poor and can't pay the priesthood a bribe, then she seduced the demon in the form of a priest--knowing it was a demon, of course--using her demon-granted powers, and therefore must be burned at the stake. And if you press the issue, the rest of your family also consorts with demons.)
Women are considered the most likely to consort with demons. As a result, women are cloistered and married off as soon as possible. They are also expected to pray to the God-King many times a day, and some families elect to take their daughters to witch-burnings to "provide a good example". Needless to say, a lot of women in Nul-Nessar become quite disturbed individuals.
Treason and rebellions close to Nul-Nessar are almost unheard of. The last time the God-King was threatened, he burned the mob to death* and earthquakes shook the land for a few months. Most peope in Nul-Nessar are quite well-behaved as a result.
The priests sometimes offer the "witches" mercy, if they're in a good mood. Don't be fooled; when they speak of mercy, they mean mercy after death. The so-called witches are drowned instead. If she float, then she will not forsake her demons and therefore must be killed. If she sinks, then she renounced her demons at the last minute and will go to a good afterlife.
Current Events: The God-King, ruler of Nul-Nessar, is dead, though only the highest of his priests know this. They have elected to keep this information secret from the people in order to keep their power.
There's a drought going on in the city of Nul-Nessar. While there's plenty of water, it's all salty(and probably polluted, besides).
To make things worse, a recent influx of demigods have arrived in the city, drawn by the news of the God-King's death. Some seek to become the next ruler of Nul-Nessar, while others come simply to wreck havoc. What they don't know is that whenever they use their powers, Spite and Enmity stir. The magic of the demigods causes a reaction with the powers of Spite and Enmity which permeate the island, causing them to enter a near-waking state.
They dream now, and the effects are rarely good. Their powers are pain-aspected, and their dreams are unpleasant nightmares. Sometimes the effects are minor, like when a man is crushed to death by sudden pressure, while others are more wide-spread, like earthquakes that go on for far too long.
In Nul-Nessar, there is a group of secret mages. It is agreed that they treat with demons(read: demigods) and present a great threat. However, the priests' attempt to find this group have not succeeded.
Those mages aren't interested in liberating the people. They and their immortal allies want power, the throne of the God-King.
Priests have been assaulted in the streets in broad daylight; ordinary civilians who are just trying to keep their heads down fare no better. If you aren't actively part of the rebellion or you haven't exhibited rebel tendencies in the past, then you're a priest's lackey.
And since Nul-Nessarrens, up until now, have always been very well-behaved, that means that almost everyone deserves death.
The Nul-Nessarren Empire has also grown too big and too wide. Attacks at its borders by its neighbors, who are growing bolder, aren't helping matters. Rebellions are commonplace in the rural areas, where the capital has little jurisdiction.
Nul-Nessar is like a snake eating its own tail. Its ruin is inevitable; all that remains to be seen is who will take power afterwards.
And who does the blame for all this fall onto? Why, the slaves, of course. They look different and they have different customs, so of course they're evil.
History :Nul-Nessar was founded by two sisters, one the demigoddess of spite and the other the demigoddess of enmity. The names of those two demigoddesses have been forgotten; they are now known by their domains, as Spite and Enmity, respectively.They joined their powers to make an island to rise out of the sea and then created their city by magic. While an ordinary city would have taken years to create, Nul-Nessar was created in a day in a place where there had been no land before. Hence its name, "Nothing Underneath".
The demigoddesses' rule lasted only days. Larantia, angered by their impudence in creating an island without consulting her, imprisoned the two in the land they created. Some other god, though, took pity on them and caused them to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.
They still sleep now, bound in the rocky ground of the island. Their power is the reason that the land is unchanging despite the years;
Occasionally, though, the enchantment that keeps them asleep weakens, and they stir. They dream, and their dreams have an effect on the world around them.
After the demigoddesses were imprisoned, a younger demigod took power. He became known as the God-King, and mortals now believe that the God-King created Nul-Nessar. The God-King is worshiped as the creator of Nul-Nessar, which is, according to the priests, the only part of the world that isn't populated by heathens. The people believe that the God-King is still alive and in power today, although the decisions are mainly made by his priests.
The God-King rarely uses his powers, and only the priests get to see him.
*It's not that hard. All you need is a really big magnifying glass.
Geography: The capital is located on an island a few miles away from the mainland. Most of the island has already been settled, although there are still a few patches of wildland scattered throughout the island. Those are mainly sacred groves dedicated to the God-King.
To the west of the island can be found the mainland. Nul-Nessar rules much of the coastline, and has a flourishing fishing industry. The natives have mostly been routed from the coastland and enslaved. Flourishing cities, almost as fine as Nul-Nessar itself, have sprouted in the centuries since the conquests.
The temperate forests and the grasslands beyond that have been settled more recently. The cities here are small. It is here that most of the rebellions have taken place.
A few fur traders have ventured beyond, to the alpine mountains, although that's dangerous these days with the parts of the Empire nearby in turmoil.
Climate: I slept through geography, so I have no clue. The Empire is large, so there are several different types of climates.
People Groups: Nul-Nessar is ruled by humans. Only humans can become priests, mainly because the high priests, who are human, want to keep power for themselves. There are other races, but they're always enslaved.
Culture: Nul-Nessarens are against magic. This presents a bit of a problem, since up to 25% of the Nul-Nessarens have magic. Those with stronger magic are accepted into the priesthood, where they are taught that their magic comes from the God-King. Only the highest of the priests know the truth: that all magic comes from the same location. People with weak magic are denounced by the priests as sorcerers, who bargain with dark forces in order to get their power. They're burned at the stake, of course.
The culture is very big on fighting religious wars. Nul-Nessarens spend a lot of time "converting" other races. Those who won't convert are slaughtered and have their land taken. Those who do convert are enslaved and also have their land confiscated, which is marginally better than the other option.
Slavery among the Nul-Nessarens is regulated by laws that prevent mistreatment of slaves. However, those laws are not followed, because the Nul-Nessarens simply do not care and no one will believe a slave who speaks of mistreatment.
Demons serve as an excuse for just about everything. Was your daughter raped by a priest? If you're rich, then a demon shapeshifted into the form of a priest and raped her, and she, poor thing, is just a victim who must be treated kindly. (If you're poor and can't pay the priesthood a bribe, then she seduced the demon in the form of a priest--knowing it was a demon, of course--using her demon-granted powers, and therefore must be burned at the stake. And if you press the issue, the rest of your family also consorts with demons.)
Women are considered the most likely to consort with demons. As a result, women are cloistered and married off as soon as possible. They are also expected to pray to the God-King many times a day, and some families elect to take their daughters to witch-burnings to "provide a good example". Needless to say, a lot of women in Nul-Nessar become quite disturbed individuals.
Treason and rebellions close to Nul-Nessar are almost unheard of. The last time the God-King was threatened, he burned the mob to death* and earthquakes shook the land for a few months. Most peope in Nul-Nessar are quite well-behaved as a result.
The priests sometimes offer the "witches" mercy, if they're in a good mood. Don't be fooled; when they speak of mercy, they mean mercy after death. The so-called witches are drowned instead. If she float, then she will not forsake her demons and therefore must be killed. If she sinks, then she renounced her demons at the last minute and will go to a good afterlife.
Current Events: The God-King, ruler of Nul-Nessar, is dead, though only the highest of his priests know this. They have elected to keep this information secret from the people in order to keep their power.
There's a drought going on in the city of Nul-Nessar. While there's plenty of water, it's all salty(and probably polluted, besides).
To make things worse, a recent influx of demigods have arrived in the city, drawn by the news of the God-King's death. Some seek to become the next ruler of Nul-Nessar, while others come simply to wreck havoc. What they don't know is that whenever they use their powers, Spite and Enmity stir. The magic of the demigods causes a reaction with the powers of Spite and Enmity which permeate the island, causing them to enter a near-waking state.
They dream now, and the effects are rarely good. Their powers are pain-aspected, and their dreams are unpleasant nightmares. Sometimes the effects are minor, like when a man is crushed to death by sudden pressure, while others are more wide-spread, like earthquakes that go on for far too long.
In Nul-Nessar, there is a group of secret mages. It is agreed that they treat with demons(read: demigods) and present a great threat. However, the priests' attempt to find this group have not succeeded.
Those mages aren't interested in liberating the people. They and their immortal allies want power, the throne of the God-King.
Priests have been assaulted in the streets in broad daylight; ordinary civilians who are just trying to keep their heads down fare no better. If you aren't actively part of the rebellion or you haven't exhibited rebel tendencies in the past, then you're a priest's lackey.
And since Nul-Nessarrens, up until now, have always been very well-behaved, that means that almost everyone deserves death.
The Nul-Nessarren Empire has also grown too big and too wide. Attacks at its borders by its neighbors, who are growing bolder, aren't helping matters. Rebellions are commonplace in the rural areas, where the capital has little jurisdiction.
Nul-Nessar is like a snake eating its own tail. Its ruin is inevitable; all that remains to be seen is who will take power afterwards.
And who does the blame for all this fall onto? Why, the slaves, of course. They look different and they have different customs, so of course they're evil.
History :Nul-Nessar was founded by two sisters, one the demigoddess of spite and the other the demigoddess of enmity. The names of those two demigoddesses have been forgotten; they are now known by their domains, as Spite and Enmity, respectively.They joined their powers to make an island to rise out of the sea and then created their city by magic. While an ordinary city would have taken years to create, Nul-Nessar was created in a day in a place where there had been no land before. Hence its name, "Nothing Underneath".
The demigoddesses' rule lasted only days. Larantia, angered by their impudence in creating an island without consulting her, imprisoned the two in the land they created. Some other god, though, took pity on them and caused them to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.
They still sleep now, bound in the rocky ground of the island. Their power is the reason that the land is unchanging despite the years;
Occasionally, though, the enchantment that keeps them asleep weakens, and they stir. They dream, and their dreams have an effect on the world around them.
After the demigoddesses were imprisoned, a younger demigod took power. He became known as the God-King, and mortals now believe that the God-King created Nul-Nessar. The God-King is worshiped as the creator of Nul-Nessar, which is, according to the priests, the only part of the world that isn't populated by heathens. The people believe that the God-King is still alive and in power today, although the decisions are mainly made by his priests.
The God-King rarely uses his powers, and only the priests get to see him.
*It's not that hard. All you need is a really big magnifying glass.
