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Setting
♖ The World of Tyranoth ♖
Upheaval, 1090 A.E.
A realm awaits the turn of a monumental century, the leviathans of a past age lie in the throes of chaos and disarray as the balance of power and civilization once more shifts leaving the lands open to a new hegemon. Each nation seeking to bring about an era of glory upon its people, yet this glory shall be brought with blood and steel. Once more we see the ancient game of warfare, diplomacy and power play out between the inheritors of this land, each with their own history, motives and ambitions.
♜ The Valradic Empire ♜
A nation that has been the dominant power in Tyranoth for over 500 years, the Valradic Empire rose from the ashes of the Antican age, usurping three former empires and expanding it's territories far into new frontiers and barbarian lands. What resulted was an amalgam of east, west, north and south and an age of cultural, societal and technological advancement that saw the rise of a truly mighty civilization. Valradia was the first to bring people of all creeds, cultures and races together under a single banner and superseded monarchy to introduce a unique senatorial and republican system which saw decentralized power and better representation of its social classes, it went through several periods of strife and affluence but for the last 100 years has seen a constant regression which has seen it's borders reduced, it's rulers divided and it's people distraught. Valradia is now gripped in a state of civil war whilst also being beset upon all borders by new and emerging nations, some old enemies and others aspiring allies. The mysterious death of the Emperor and an unclear line of succession has left three contenders for the throne, military veteran and favored of the legions General Garrus, Senator Lucan whom has the support of the noble houses and clans, and consort of the the former Emperor, Empress Rhaina whom claims the throne in her young daughter's stead citing the law of hereditary succession and it's religious implications.
The military of the Empire albeit divided is learned in all arts of war and arguably one of the most well trained, the venerable legion with it's hundreds of years of warfare experience and a professionally trained army is at the core of this military machine. The Empire depends on carefully managed systems, tactics and strategies to overcome it's foes where it may not always have the advantage in terms of numbers or terrain. Imperial armies are typically well equipped but expensive to manage, and often rely on garrisons and forts to maintain a bulwark whilst their armies remain on the march. The legion is a formidable adversary to face in direct combat given the veterancy and rigorous training standards of their troops but with the ongoing civil war supply lines are a matter of constant concern, the carefully orchestrated and time-tested maneuvers are not invulnerable or free of fault, the standardized nature of the legions means they are not specialized in any one direction but capable of executing several roles efficiently and effectively. Praetorian infantry renowned across the realms, possessing javelins, spears, swords and heavy shields unrivalled in the art of battle, ballistarius crossbow men are capable of knocking a rider off his mount, Hastatii skirmishers and scouts harass the enemy, slinging firebombs and sulfurous fumes to devastating effect, indestructible cataphracts eagerly hunt champions across the battlefield whilst Gryphon-riders rain thunder from the skies alongside the legions, many auxiliary troops drawn from mercenary ranks augment this fighting machine. The Empire specializes in strategy, their troops possess high morale and have tactical superiority.
Valradia Invicta ! - Valradia Unconquerable !
Pros:-
Diverse Troops
Overall best armies on a troop by troop basis, can recover well if supply lines maintained
Siege engines and alchemical weapons
Cons:-
Vulnerable if supply lines are cut
Jack of all trades, master of none army
Dependent on their command structure
Expensive upkeep, mercenary auxiliaries particularly archers and cavalry.
♞ Kingdom of Rovalt ♞
The lands of Rovalt were once populated by several barbarian tribes that were gradually subjugated and made vassals of the greater Valradic Empire, these people were always culturally heterogeneous from the Valradians but were greatly influenced by Valradia, during the Empire's protracted wars and general decline, Rovalts support was earned at the behest of generous grants of land, treaties of alliance which favored the Rovalter and gave them greater autonomy and wealth as the Empire struggled to maintain control of it's territory. Rovalt was invariably a site of constant conflict and warfare for much of the time preceding the civil war since it was the Empire's bulwark against the north and west and many of the Empire's soldiers were recruited from these lands but eventually, the fiefdoms of Rovalt were united or conquered by Rainard of Marteaux, whom claimed the title High King of Rovalt and broke away from the western Valradic Empire. Rainard's early years were spent pushing away the Talgardian raiders and people from the north of his lands, subjugating wood elves and rebellious populations and conquering territory held formerly by the Empire. Rainard now seeks to assert himself as Emperor of Valradia, a claim which is contested by the remnants of Valradia though this claim is not his biggest concern for it's neighbors to the north and west have a grudge to settle with the treacherous Rovalters.
Rovalt is viewed as a power that is equal parts despotic yet ambitious, largely feudal and archaic in its mannerisms the nobility is viewed as too pre-occupied with conquest to truly focus on reforming what they've already captured. Large quickly raised armies of peasant soldiers are trained as they go along battle to battle whilst the noble houses who can afford standing armies possess retinues of knights, champions, line-breakers, and lancers. Using the masses to pin down an enemy before the cavalry come in to deal the killing blow, the rapidly moving hippogryph cavalry are particularly effective in this regard. The armies of Rovalt are slow-moving and possessed of limited morale utilizing storm and stress tactics and pilfering as they go along. Rovalter knights, pikemen, arbalests, and champions are a force to behold.
En Avant Rovalte ! - Onwards Rovalt !
Pros:
Most well-armed, trained and armored cavalry in Tyranoth.
Capable of raising armies quickly.
Excellent defenders, Powerful shock cavalry, Dragon riders.
Cons:
Slow-moving armies.
Low morale, poorly trained armies vulnerable to disorganization.
Poor supply lines depend on stocking up and feudal taxation to feed armies
ᛝ Talgardian Confederacy ᛝ
The people who have traditionally inhabited the far north of Tyranoth have always lead a harsh and bitter life, a landscape of little resources, hostile weather and vicious wildlife have given rise to a common culture of resilience, endurance, and ferocity. At the city of Talgardr between the great northern forests and fjords, following the defeat of a great army of sea raiders at Banseth and the loss of their territories to Rovalt, the Jarls and Boyars gathered and elected Ragnavar Skärnsson to lead them after a series of political marriages to consolidate their bond. Possessed with a mighty navy and formidable army supplied by dwarven forges Ragnavar promised to lead his people into an age of prosperity, to dominate the north, to slay the beastmen and the wyrms and to subjugate all the shores and forests that were snowed upon. The Warhorns were sounded, Talgard goes to war.
The reputation of Talgard's forces is utterly menacing since most are descended from sea raiders, fur-trappers and tundra hunters, these are supplied by subjugated dwarven holds however metal and materials must often be sourced from outside of Talgard necessitating a " raid and trade " based economy. Talgard compensates for it's lack of population by raising all men and women to be warriors, they farm in the summers and spring and typically go to war in the winter and fall which is highly unusual for the times and thus catch their enemies off-guard. Infantry forms the largest component of their armies and they are quite fond of utilizing two handed weapons and berserker tactics, the armies are quite resilient and well equipped, capable of withstanding punishment from defenders. Talgard utilizes it's bear cavalry and mammoth-riders on occasion to shatter an enemies defenses, occasionally 10 or 12 foot tall giants join their raids, The Talgardians repeatedly batter an enemy into submission, dealing deadly wounds and letting winter do the rest.
Ved Talgardr Groma ! - With Talgard's Thunder !
Pros:
Heaviest armed and armored infantry units
Vast array of unique units - mammoth riders, bear riders, longships, giants
Exceptionally powerful infantry units
Do not suffer from cold weather penalties or rough terrain in the northern hemisphere
Reduced Attrition penalty
Cons:
Smallest army sizes, can become easily outnumbered
Lack of other unit types (Archers, Cavalry, Siege)
Armies are difficult to raise and maintain
Worst supply characteristics, possess almost no stocks, depend on raiding so vulnerable to attrition
ꕥ The Kingdom of Banseth-Braithwain ꕥ
The Caernathii, ancestral peoples of Banseth migrated from the mainland thousands of years ago and dominated the highlands, crags, meadows and cliffs of Banseth long before the arrival of the Empire, in what was arguably one of the Empire's most protracted and difficult wars, the entire South of Banseth fell to Valradia whilst the barbarian Caernathii became reluctant vassals brooding for a chance at freedom. This chance came when the Empire entered it's state of decline, a war ensued between the Empire and the Caernathii for a decade before Rovalt capitalized on both armies being exhausted and laid claim to the south of Banseth, this was reportedly done through an act of treachery since the Rovalter army had promised aide to the besieged Caernathii king, whom was promptly defeated by an Imperial army and executed. To make matters worse, Banseth's coasts were being ravaged by Talgard longship fleets, the status quo changed when Brannon Macrath of the legendary highland warrior clan of Cormag took power, eager to restore the honor of a besieged people he quickly proved himself by beating back the three foes from making further gains in Banseth. The high king welcomed wood elf refugees fleeing from Rovalt, The Brave leader of a brave people now leads them to war.
Banseth's armies specialize in guerilla warfare and make full use of the terrain, they are particularly at home in mountains and forests where other armies tend to suffer from not being able to deploy cavalry or heavy troops. Curadh clan warriors are champions that specialize in taking on large groups of infantry having trained all their lives to break formation and fight when outnumbered wielding warhammers and claymores to great use, wood elf archers and huntsmasters have arguably given Banseth the greatest missile troops in all of Tyranoth, it is said a Banseth wood elf avenger can shoot a coin off a dragons wing, equipped with poison arrows and capable of devising vicious traps and ambushes which can catch an unsuspecting army off guard, Marcach rangers and scouts ride swift horses studying the enemy's every move and picking off stragglers, Banseth's Wroc war eagles specialize in delivering precision strikes to stagger enemy formations and break maneuvers, vicious bull-sized wardogs riders off their horses. Banseths armies appear from the mists reaping the foe and leaving fields of the dead in their wake.
Dìoghaltas Braethwyn ! - Avenge Banseth !
Pros:
Low upkeep, capable of foraging
Excellent scouting, tracking, and stealth abilities
Best Ranged Troops
No terrain penalty in forests and mountains
Deploy traps
Cons:
Poorly armored units ill-suited to direct, conventional engagements
Mediocre army sizes
Limited cavalry
※ The Sultanate of Ishtar ※
The Cradle of Civilization, The Timeless Sands, The Land of Kings, many are the titles given to the ancient domain of Ishtar whose sands and valleys once cultivated mighty civilizations at the banks of great rivers whose secrets are all but lost to the sands, the Dashtar civilization collapsed with the rise of the Valradic Empire and was mostly conquered by desert tribesmen and nomad whom formed a new culture and identity building on the old one. The lands of Ishtar bear great wealth, it's people worship the flame and the sun and it's populations grow ever larger with the fertile produce of it's rivers. It's leaders ambitious and warlike dream of conquest to rival the splendor and might of the ancient phaerons, The sun once again rises for Ishtar, desert clans and petty kingdoms kept warring against one another are no longer kept divided by imperial silver. Now they swear fealty to Varzak of the warlike Hulyan clan, who promises them riches, protection and plunder. Sultan Varzak sets his sights westwards towards the faltering walls of the Empire. Ishtar rises from the sands.
The Ishtarans are no strangers to warfare, their former empires reveled in the art of war for centuries and the merciless environment of the deserts crafts fine warriors, limited resources means they put most of their efforts into developing a strong offensive capacity. Desert cavalry are noted for having the fastest horses and their swordsmen and fighters are well renowned, their archers and soldiers are highly capable. Ishtarans are highly resilient, they can out-endure the armies they fight and often do so through multiple skirmishes and several short battles. They utilize this wear and tear tactic to great effect, beyond that they have one of the most menacing siege cavalry divisions, equipped with war elephants, rhino cavalry, war lions and chariots, which they use to devastating effects however Ishtarans have not conquered the skies and thus remain vulnerable from that end.
Atash'ar Khr'az - Let The Fire Cleanse
Pros:-
High Risk, High Reward armies - Low Armor but excellent offensive capabilities and speed
Vast Array of Land-based Units
Very Low attrition penalties
No terrain penalties in deserts
Cons:-
Poorly armored units particularly vulnerable to missile units and swifter foes must close gap quickly
Poor defenders, even their walls are made of mud.
⤱ Dor'vas ⤱
The vast grasslands of Dor'vas have long been inhabited by nomadic herders, it is here that many believe horses were first domesticated, the nomadic tribes of the steppe have begun to assimilate and phase into a more settled life, migrating further into the Dor'vas territory from the east. Recently the tribes have been united by a bloodthirsty leader, Hurunag, Kahn of the Celestial horde, these unstoppable riders have descended from the east as a new force ravaging Elven, Imperial and Ishtaran lands, unifying the tribes as a khanate. The native orcs of Dor'vas have already sworn their allegiance to Hurunag, seeing him as a scourge sent by Gruumsh to ravage the empires of elves and man, they build mountains of skulls and descend as mighty horse and warg hordes which lay waste to all that is before them, salting fields, those who surrender become vassals subject to the whims of the fearsome hordes.
The people of Dor'vas live their lives upon the saddle, they scar their faces ritualistically and pray to the sky-wolf for blood and sustenance, savage by their nature however Hurunag has assembled them into a more sophisticated fighting force, they field large numbers of cavalry, particularly horse archers, dire-wolves, orcish infantry and warg-riders to supplement their ranks. Hurunag subjugated the orcs and absorbed their clans into his Empire, they've been a loyal and reliable force often at the forefront of raids and sieges, swift raids and hit and run tactics before the enemy can strike back, crippling supply lines, letting their opponents starve then charging in like the pale specter of death in clouds of dust to pay the reaper his due.
Vol'gar Tölbör! - Riders, Charge !
Pros:
Very rapid and maneuverable armies
Shock and Fear factor withers enemy morale
Fields Direwolves and Orcish soldiers
Cons:
Armies rely on freedom of movement, mountains and forests yield penalties
Undisciplined armies prone to disorganization and being trapped
Lack of reinforcements, armies are difficult to raise
❖ The Aeldaron ❖
Before man had learned how to write, the elves reigned supreme over most of Tyranoth, they have a long and complex history and several subspecies many half-elves populate Tyranoth today whom are descended from those ancient lineages. The elves are still a present force in Tyranoth and always eager to recover their lost pride, their empire was destroyed in a series of preternatural invasions caused by their reckless use of magic, this catastrophic event wiped 2/3rd of the elven population, the survivors went off and formed their own clades of which the High Elves today hold the most power which is consolidated within the realms of Aeldaron, reclusive and conservative yet cooperating with humans, Aeldaron fields a massive navy which rules over the north seas and is necessary to maintain unity between its colonies separated by land and sea. The wood elves have largely been absorbed into Rovalt, Banseth and Valradia, The Dark elves have communed with Talgard as auxiliary allies. The high elves are firm believers of the saying if you wish for peace, you must prepare for war. It is thus that High King Ilthrandir VIIIth has called upon the high elven realms to raise their armies. Their realms are surrounded by fire, yet an endeavor for conquest is close to every Elven noble. Shall the elves reclaim their long lost glory ?
Elven armies are noted for their use of the Mithril alloy which is only mined from mountains within their territories, they purged the dwarves and humans from their lands in ages past before the Valradic Empire pushed them back and conquered most of their lands during a phase of infighting for the high elven throne. The elves are long lived and highly experienced, their affinity for magic and heightened reflexes make them a formidable force upon the battlefield, though they cannot field massive armies they can make up for it in ways that devastate opposing armies. Wyrm-riders ride into battle upon drakes, elven cavalry, lion chariots and spearmen rush forth in orderly formation to impale the foe, blade-dancers and glaive reavers leave the fields covered in gore, elven archers darken the sky with arrows and if all else fails, elven mages are prepared to crush the enemy.
Ar'oth Ild'yr Asur ! - Valor is the Duty of The Asur (Elves)
Pros:
Magic utilization provides a unique advantage
Highly trained troops that excel in holding lines and positions
Shock infantry and cavalry can devastate enemy flanks and stray formations
Mages can break enemy defenses
Cons:
Limited numbers, every loss counts
Rely heavily on mercenaries to supplement their own divisions
✠ End ✠
Greetings everyone, thank you so much for taking the time to have gone through this little world-building project of mine, a few important disclaimers before we begin.
None of the art is mine, all rights and ownership are due to the original artists and any request to remove it shall be complied with, unfortunately for some of these, I have not been able to ascertain the source.
All literature above is an Original creation, the concepts have been inspired by contemporary works including digital media but are nothing is a verbatim copy or reproduction thereof.
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Tyranoth has been through several iterations but in the simplest terms, it is a world, a realm that is an amalgam of historic and high fantasy meant to reflect familiar cultures in an alternate context. The concept for Tyranoth is one of an open world that yields an experience " beyond the character " as in your decisions make long-lasting impacts and factors regarding economy, management, diplomacy and trade can make all the difference. Your character has a special place in this world, they are a person with a greater destiny whom by virtue of their fate are decided to take part in influencing how this world will be structured in the decades and years to come. Will you form your own band of adventurers, a trading empire perhaps, will you stand under the banner of a nation aspiring for greatness or order? these things will be decided with you but this is a world that will necessarily interact with you and even the option of not intervening or choosing to remain idle shall have consequences. Warfare, trade, armies, and diplomacy are central elements to Tyranoth, your character is the decision-making vessel of a larger entity, they are intimately involved with crafting the fate and story of the various factions in Tyranoth.
Whilst what I've said thus far may seem like a monumental undertaking, rest assured I've spent a great amount of time meticulously working the details to ensure this world is approachable, that you can make your place here without going through complex systematics and that the focus is largely on the writing and not details pertaining to numbers or statistics. Remember that this world will yield to you what you invest in, you can be anything from a beggar to a king here perhaps both over the span of several years. Opportunity, creativity, and detail shall define roleplay in this world. This is not your run-of-the-mill DnD campaign nor an indirect attempt at fanfiction, Tyranoth is very much its own unique experience for those that crave something new, something more, something pleasant to read. To that end, i hope you shall join me as a writer, for i am looking to actively recruit individuals to bring this world to life, be you an actor or director of this great play.
If you want to lead massive armies upon glorious fields of battle, devise battle plans in tents, manage castles and decide the fate of realms Tyranoth is for you.
If you want to form merchant caravans, travel across war-torn dangerous territories, barter for the finest goods, make your riches and explore splendorous cities across the realms, Tyranoth is for you.
If you are a mercenary looking for the action and excitement of battle, the coin of nobles and the confines of inns and garrisons await you in Tyranoth.
I look forward to writing with you, please, don't hesitate to send me a message if you're interested or have any further questions!
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Roleplayers Supplement
In Tyranoth, the dating system is referred to as Anno Emperatori, dated from the crowning of the first emperor of the Valradic Empire, Tiberius, the 500 years that followed his reign are known as the Tiberican Era, following this a period of upheaval and reform marked the Imperial golden age and it's subsequent decline for around another 500 years known as the Avernian era, so-called due to the construction of the great Librarium of Avernus which became a great center of learning, science, magic and technology. Your characters find yourself at the turn of a century in 1096 A.E. The period from 1096 A.E. to 1130 A.E. was known as the Brontian Age, marked by widespread warfare, the formation of new nations and powers, the restructuring of the realms and the mass migration of people as Tyranoth progressed into an entirely new era which is roughly concurrent with the Migration Period in real world history. The Valradic Empire would go on to ultimately fall in 1230 A.E. but it's successor states were undeniably influenced by the societal and cultural progression made by the Empire. The Brontian era laid the basis for the formation of these successor states. You find yourself in the midst of the Brontian Age.
♖ The Roleplay ♖
Tyranoth will use mostly T1 and even stats are more descriptive and open-ended. Fundamentally Tyranoth encourages you to think beyond the individual and carefully consider every option you may have and attempt to be creative with your skills as well as acknowledge consequences for each choice. You're expected to use some degree of reasoning or sense which is why I encourage going through the lore. Your character is essentially a hero, unbound to any faction at the start but belonging from a particular nation, race and class are more open-ended but any buffs and penalties will be considered for these. You're expected to have a good sense of balancing your character, the way I've set this up is for no defeat to be permanent ideally you will always have a chance to recover and return because I feel killing a hero defeats the purpose of the roleplay which is essentially to influence the world. Failure would mean failing to realize your goals or aspirations, not simply dying.
Storylines in Tyranoth proceed through a campaign system - You write a certain event of significance and it is played out via a campaign, each campaign has particular objectives which may have to be completed in a certain way or within a certain time e.g. ( Caravan Ambush, Scouting Duties, Bounty Hunt ). A campaign can be as simple as acquiring goods or as complex as a full-scale war. Anyone that starts a campaign is the de-facto DM for the campaign and is responsible for generating encounters for the party i.e. all heroes involved ( 3 heroes, 3 seperate rolls - The heroes either respond to the situation they are given or refer to the number to determine the consequences of their actions or their chances of success ). The end of a campaign concludes with a significant event in the world, for example, you kidnapped an important noble and now ransomed him. Each successful campaign will result in you gaining renown and influence.
Renown is how well you're known - for example, Nobles might decide to give you high stakes quests if you have great renown, or you may be able to intimidate your way through situations, you may have bad renown or a good one, both have advantages and disadvantages.
Influence is how much power you hold on the land your very presence impacts decisions, alters patterns of things, causes people to be swerved to your cause and allows you to take actions, someone with a high influence would have an easier time raising an army or perhaps impacting governance policies in your lands, your influence can be invested in giving a certain faction power over the other, it can be used to give yourself power or invested in other ventures to give yourself unique passive buffs.
You don't have to start at rock bottom either, you may decide to have high influence and renown by the time you start a campaign or have different influence and renown in different lands, it's more of a passive factor that you'll need to think about. I wouldn't recommend for example want to be in Talgard and then decide to start a campaign in Ishtar, which would entail you sailing across a lot of sea and travelling across a lot of land in a very difficult sort of campaign but if that's your thing, you can.
The use of rolls will utilize 1d10 for the sake of simplicity and will be utilized by the DM for the campaign to either generate an encounter, apply an effect or determine your character's success or failure chances. Communication is a key factor, you need to have a well-rounded idea of what your character's strengths and weaknesses are and design them in a way so that the DM has a frame of reference for what you can do well and what you can't, buffs will be applied accordingly. I'll give you an example.
Suppose your character got caught in a blizzard but is of Talgardian culture the consequences for them rolling a 4 are far less severe (even null) then someone not from Talgardian culture because it is assumed they are used to the cold.
I cannot emphasize this enough, but play on your strengths and use your senses, for example, it's common sense if you charge into pikemen it will end badly for you. Not all actions have to be about attacking and defending, utilize your action turns to order your troops, cast skills, build or craft, utilize your charisma and so on. There's a hundred ways to resolve a situation, that doesn't always have to resort to the blade or battle.
The reason why I have one supervisor rolling is for the sake of simplicity, impartiality, and progression since the story will be our main objective and I'd rather not have you looking through numbers. If we run into a situation where a player has an objection to the DM's decision we can have a moot in our writers corner, which may involve all parties rolling or a unanimous vote to settle the decision following up to a repost, so rest assured, the power is not solely in the hands of the DM.
♖ Equipment ♖
Your equipment has an effect on how you proceed - for example, heavy armor sounds great for protection but if you're faced with mud it would cause significant movement and exhaustion penalties. Here is how your character's equipment is oriented
1, Your Armor - Light, Heavy, Medium
2, Three Weapon Slots - One-handed, Two-handed, Thrown, Ranged - Further divisions are made on the reach of your weapon, it's slashing, piercing and blunt damage potential
3, One shield slot - Shields will weigh you down depending on the type e.g. A round shield is more convenient for movement but offers less coverage than a tower shield or kite shield, you may choose not to carry one in which case this will become a spare slot for ammo or further equipment
4, Two Wares Slots - Any special equipment your character uses e.g. firebomb, navigation tools, telescope, shovel, enchanted/magic items, potions
5, Your Mount - Which has subsequent effects on your rations, speed, combat ability, carrying capacity etc. a dragon is not always better than a horse and vice versa. This is very open, you can literally ride an elephant if you want.
6, Rations - Your food and drink stocks - must be regenerated - depends on how much your character eats - has a value of 100 decreased by 1d10 rolls daily.
7, Miscellaneous - You can optionally carry 3 more items that must be acquired from the campaign, however, i.e. they are found as loot.
8, Storage - Things you carry on your mount or march, e.g. Portable siege engine, blacksmiths tools, tents etc.
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Details and Lore will be generated procedurally for each Campaign - they must include
Details of The Environment ( Terrain, Weather, Rivers/Lakes etc. )
The State of Diplomacy - ( Is the region a warzone, at peace, ceasefire, closed borders, passing armies etc. )
Notable Local Figures and Factions
Any further description as pertain to the campaign goals
They may include
Notes on Flora and Fauna
Maps
Notes on local resources and industries
Notes on language and customs
and any further detail at the campaign author's discretion.
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