Post by Becca on Mar 28, 2010 17:30:53 GMT
Basic introduction:
Most of the RPing on this site takes place in Kalum Den, a castle-like structure set into the side of Vanth Mount near Therem, the capital city of the most powerful kingdom in the world, Frinnara.
Time period:
Kalum Den is set in a world with medieval levels of technology and society. There are no motorised engines, no electrical appliances and no notion whatsoever of telephones. Instead they use more primitive methods of living; homes are lit with candles and warmed by fires in grates. Horses are the primary form of long-distance transport, either ridden directly or used to pull a carriage. Sailing ships of various sizes are used for crossing large bodies of water.
Farming is done on large, open plan fields, some with crops and others with livestock, and it's from these that the people get the vast majority of their food. Other foods come mostly from hunting. Clothing is primarily made from wool or cotton, which can be woven into the desired shape and dyed to the required colour, though leather clothing is not uncommon. Most people have just one name, though this name could be literally everything from names we would know to things found in nature to entirely made-up words. Some people earn unofficial titles such as 'Strongarm' or 'Deerhunt' as they age.
Frinnara - Geography:
Most of the action will take place on Frinnara, the most powerful nation in Kalum's world. It sits on its own mini-continent in the Northern hemisphere, about mid-way to the pole. For that reason it's a chilly place, with average temperatures in the winter of 4˚c and in summer, just 20˚c. This means that it has a relatively short growing period for crops, but its soil quality is so good that it rarely has a problem with food shortages. By and large it's a fairly flat country, with just a few rolling hills towards its Northern end. The notable exception is the now-dormant volcano Mount Vanth, which sits amid these hills.
Apart from the areas that have been urbanised, Frinnara is mostly covered in pine forest. These trees offer and excellent source of wood and Frinnaran carpentry is sold all over the world. The people are careful however, well aware that, if they cut down too many too fast, the forest will begin to dwindle. For this reason the forests are carefully managed and protected by law. The other main resource of Frinnara is iron ore, which is found in great supply in the hills to the country's North.
Frinnara - Society:
Frinnara is a kingdom, meaning that it is run by one reigning family and power is passed down from father to son through the generation. At the very top of the hierarchy is the king and his queen, and their children. The eldest son (or daughter, if he has no sons) becomes his heir and will take over from him when he dies. Below the royal family are various advisors, lords and their families who help the king run his country well. Together, this level of society is known as the aristocracy, and they control pretty much everything.
Below the Aristocrats are the middle-class citizens, also known as 'city-folk'. They are generally educated craftsmen who practice their work at home and sell their goods either to other Frinnarans or overseas with the traders who come with their sailing ships. They generally live good, secure lives with plenty of food and enough home comforts to keep them happy. Often their sons will take up the family trade once the father retires, and the daughters will marry into other city-folk families.
The vast majority of Frinnaran people are peasant farmers who work the land to survive. They are an uneducated lot and are by and large are left to their own devices by the higher members of society, although they must pay a small tax to the king. In general their lives aren't too bad. They must work hard, but they have their own land and are free to do as they choose.
Some unfortunate individuals don't even have the luxury of having their own land, and these are the slum-folk. They live on the edges of every city, trying to eke out a living on other-people's left-overs.
They're not the most popular of folk, blamed for every crime and everything that goes wrong.
Therem:
Therem is the capital city of Frinnara, and home to the royal family. It sits in the Northern half of the country, close to Mount Vanth and is the centre of the world's trade. It's split into three concentric rings, the inner-most of which is known simply as the inner-circle. It houses the king's palace as well as the homes of most of Frinnara's aristocracy, and its protected by a thin fence. Outside if that is the Outer circle. This is the business part of the city, where the middle-class craftsmen live and work, and as such it's well-maintained and tidy. A large stone wall protects this part of the city, and outside of it are the infamous slums.
Kalum:
Most countries have their own dragon den, but Kalum is by far the largest and most densely populated. It's capable of housing up to a thousand dragons, as well as the families of their riders and all the servants they could possibly need. It's run by the den-leader and his rider, with the help of a den-second. Together they keep all the other dragons under control while their riders take care of keeping the den running smoothly.
The point of the den is to act as the focal-point of Frinnara's military. To this end the dragons and their riders are taught battle-tactics from the moment they're born and, once they're old enough to fly, are trained in actual fighting techniques. To improve their chances in a battle, the dragons are organised in regiments or 'wings' that fight together. A wing contains twenty to thirty dragons and is led by a wing-leader and a wing-second.
Kalum gets the food and supplies it needs from the rest of the kingdom. The king spends a large portion of the taxes he gets from his people on keeping the Den well-stocked. It's worth his time because, at present, no other country will threaten Frinnara for fear of its aerial corps.
Most of the RPing on this site takes place in Kalum Den, a castle-like structure set into the side of Vanth Mount near Therem, the capital city of the most powerful kingdom in the world, Frinnara.
Time period:
Kalum Den is set in a world with medieval levels of technology and society. There are no motorised engines, no electrical appliances and no notion whatsoever of telephones. Instead they use more primitive methods of living; homes are lit with candles and warmed by fires in grates. Horses are the primary form of long-distance transport, either ridden directly or used to pull a carriage. Sailing ships of various sizes are used for crossing large bodies of water.
Farming is done on large, open plan fields, some with crops and others with livestock, and it's from these that the people get the vast majority of their food. Other foods come mostly from hunting. Clothing is primarily made from wool or cotton, which can be woven into the desired shape and dyed to the required colour, though leather clothing is not uncommon. Most people have just one name, though this name could be literally everything from names we would know to things found in nature to entirely made-up words. Some people earn unofficial titles such as 'Strongarm' or 'Deerhunt' as they age.
Frinnara - Geography:
Most of the action will take place on Frinnara, the most powerful nation in Kalum's world. It sits on its own mini-continent in the Northern hemisphere, about mid-way to the pole. For that reason it's a chilly place, with average temperatures in the winter of 4˚c and in summer, just 20˚c. This means that it has a relatively short growing period for crops, but its soil quality is so good that it rarely has a problem with food shortages. By and large it's a fairly flat country, with just a few rolling hills towards its Northern end. The notable exception is the now-dormant volcano Mount Vanth, which sits amid these hills.
Apart from the areas that have been urbanised, Frinnara is mostly covered in pine forest. These trees offer and excellent source of wood and Frinnaran carpentry is sold all over the world. The people are careful however, well aware that, if they cut down too many too fast, the forest will begin to dwindle. For this reason the forests are carefully managed and protected by law. The other main resource of Frinnara is iron ore, which is found in great supply in the hills to the country's North.
Frinnara - Society:
Frinnara is a kingdom, meaning that it is run by one reigning family and power is passed down from father to son through the generation. At the very top of the hierarchy is the king and his queen, and their children. The eldest son (or daughter, if he has no sons) becomes his heir and will take over from him when he dies. Below the royal family are various advisors, lords and their families who help the king run his country well. Together, this level of society is known as the aristocracy, and they control pretty much everything.
Below the Aristocrats are the middle-class citizens, also known as 'city-folk'. They are generally educated craftsmen who practice their work at home and sell their goods either to other Frinnarans or overseas with the traders who come with their sailing ships. They generally live good, secure lives with plenty of food and enough home comforts to keep them happy. Often their sons will take up the family trade once the father retires, and the daughters will marry into other city-folk families.
The vast majority of Frinnaran people are peasant farmers who work the land to survive. They are an uneducated lot and are by and large are left to their own devices by the higher members of society, although they must pay a small tax to the king. In general their lives aren't too bad. They must work hard, but they have their own land and are free to do as they choose.
Some unfortunate individuals don't even have the luxury of having their own land, and these are the slum-folk. They live on the edges of every city, trying to eke out a living on other-people's left-overs.
They're not the most popular of folk, blamed for every crime and everything that goes wrong.
Therem:
Therem is the capital city of Frinnara, and home to the royal family. It sits in the Northern half of the country, close to Mount Vanth and is the centre of the world's trade. It's split into three concentric rings, the inner-most of which is known simply as the inner-circle. It houses the king's palace as well as the homes of most of Frinnara's aristocracy, and its protected by a thin fence. Outside if that is the Outer circle. This is the business part of the city, where the middle-class craftsmen live and work, and as such it's well-maintained and tidy. A large stone wall protects this part of the city, and outside of it are the infamous slums.
Kalum:
Most countries have their own dragon den, but Kalum is by far the largest and most densely populated. It's capable of housing up to a thousand dragons, as well as the families of their riders and all the servants they could possibly need. It's run by the den-leader and his rider, with the help of a den-second. Together they keep all the other dragons under control while their riders take care of keeping the den running smoothly.
The point of the den is to act as the focal-point of Frinnara's military. To this end the dragons and their riders are taught battle-tactics from the moment they're born and, once they're old enough to fly, are trained in actual fighting techniques. To improve their chances in a battle, the dragons are organised in regiments or 'wings' that fight together. A wing contains twenty to thirty dragons and is led by a wing-leader and a wing-second.
Kalum gets the food and supplies it needs from the rest of the kingdom. The king spends a large portion of the taxes he gets from his people on keeping the Den well-stocked. It's worth his time because, at present, no other country will threaten Frinnara for fear of its aerial corps.