Shining Ys
13-06-2008, 23:45
Official Name: Roantilez de Ys (Roantilez lit. "places which are ruled")
Common Names: The Grand Duchy of Ys, Shining Ys, Ys
Ruler: Antalez, Youenna IV
Ruler Titles: Roane de Ys (Ysian title meaning lit. "Female Ruler of Ys"), Grand Duchess of Ys, Bearer of the Key, Beloved of the Spirits
Map: http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb159/Jordan-AB-McLaren/Ys.png
Key:
Medium/dark green - Forest/dense forest.
Light green - Wild grassland.
Yellow-green - Farmland.
Grey - Heavily settled land.
White - Palace compound.
Blue - Water.
A: Ducal Palace Compound.
B: Major settled area, known unofficially as "Yeralez" after the dominant house.
C: Major settled area, known unofficially as "Craen" meaning "Gateway" or "Threshold".
D: Major settled area, known unofficially as "Caerolez" after the dominant house.
E: Ysian Docklands, East Gate.
F: North Gate.
G: Northern farmlands.
H: North Forest.
I: West Forest.
J: South Forest.
K: de Antilez Loccan (Loch Antilez, after the royal house).
History:
Founded by a great king of old hailing from the mainland, the city of Ys was to be the new capital of a proud kingdom, a symbol of its power. The king - whose name and nationality have been lost to history - became obsessed with the project of building the city walls and shaping the island, barely sleeping, overseeing the work of his labourers night and day. He died, exhausted before, his time and left no heir. Shortly after his death, his once-proud kingdom fell into a long civil war for the empty throne. Rebel Dukes declared independence and fought eachother with armies levied from the pesantry. The infighting lasted until no trace of the once-glorious country and its proud people remained. In the city of Ys, however, a willful duchess, Youenna of the House Antaliz, maintained the order that had prevailed in the great Age of Kings. Some say that she had been the king's mistress, and attempted to preserve his kingdom out of her undying love for him. Others say that it was not love of king, but of country, that inspired her. For whatever reason, and by whatever means, she managed to hold together the people of Ys while the rest of the kingdom was lost. Work resumed on the shaping of the island and the construction of its incomplete walls. Youenna I never claimed the title of Queen, believing that one day the kings would return and restore the kingdom to its former glory.
Centuries passed, and history became legend. The people of Ys gained their own unique culture, adapting to the island paradise they had built for themselves. Druids, wise village elders, sang wood from trees, from which were built great palaces. Skilled craftsmen laboured over cities and towns with walls of their own. The Ysians never infringed on nature, of which they are always respectful. Instead, they always built around the lush forests of ancient trees, the oldest of the old kingdom, which had been brought over the sea by the early druids hundreds of years ago. With their work finished, the craftsmen turned their attention to their hobbies. Metalworkers, poets, musicians, artists, carpenters, machinists, and men and women of a hundred different trades toiled with care, and produced works of greatest beauty and outstanding craftsmanship, until the cities were brimming with incredible works of art. Buildings were carved with intricate patterns and painted with murals and friezes over the generations. Great towers of wood and stone were raised with wooden machines, even these painted and carved. Ys became the great capital that that nameless king who lived so long ago envisioned, its people ruled over by the benevolent duchy and nobility.
Ysian characteristics:
The people of Ys live mostly into their sixties and seventies, with nutrition, housing conditions and sanitation being excellent, and disease almost nonexistent due to the island's enforced isolation. However, this isolation makes the Ysians very vulnerable to the diseases of foreigners, and as such, great care is taken to ensure that emissaries do not fall ill or spread disease within the walls. Reddish-brown and blonde are the most common hair colours, and most Ysians' eyes are grey, green or brown. Ysians are generally slightly taller than their mainland brethren, males usually between 6'1" and 6'3", and females between 6'0" and 6'2".
Demographics:
Free citizens:
Humans (Ysian): 2,130,000
Slaves: 0
Society:
The Ysians are a strongly pacifistic people, with the exception of their military, which is considered a necessary evil. To kill any animal is strictly illegal and gravely taboo among the Ysians. The punishment for killing is permanent imprisonment, though prisoners are kept in comfort; as the Ysian penal system is not based on vindication, but protection. The people of Ys are otherwise legally free to do almost anything they want, as the nobility prefers not to interfere in the private lives of the commoners.
Nature is held sacred and much loved by the people of Ys. Ysians spend their leisure time appreciating the forests, practicing their craft; or engaging in outdoor sports such as running and wrestling in the summer.
Ysian society is highly stratified, a system with which the people are generally content. Nobility receive a greater share of national produce, but not so much greater than that of the common people as to give them cause to be envious. The nobles mostly live in grand residences in the towns in which they hold authority, or in the Ducal Palace complex, which is also the island's largest city, holding 400,000 of its people - nobility, courtiers, servants and Ducal Tradesmen, favoured craftsmen selected for their skill who serve the Duchess.
The Ysian economy is based on communal production and sharing of goods, which are distributed equally among the people by regional government. Naturally-growing fruit, nuts, vegetables and berries are harvested, and most households tend a vegetable garden. Luxuries are traded for using barter or the island's unusual currency, the Silver Mark, affectionately called the Lucky Silver Mark. This is not redeemed for possessions, nor is it earned. Rather, it is found, after which can be displayed to a craftsman, who is obliged to present the bearer with a gift, and then hidden again. The origins of this odd practice are unknown.
The social structure is also unusual. Though Ysians do have spouses, it is very common and not at all frowned-upon for one to take multiple other lovers. Sexual freedom is taken for granted, with same-sex relationships common and accepted. Ysian people dress oddly enough to suit the other eccentricities of their national character. Men are mostly clean-shaven with shoulder-length hair, sometimes tied back. They wear vests, shirts, waistcoats or open jackets, or go bare-chested. Kilts or short trousers are worn on the legs. Women dress in much the same way, but with the addition of blouses and skirts, which are considered effeminate on a man, and trousers are less common among women, especially older ones. Women usually wear their hair long, sometimes to waist-length. Most garments reveal the upper arms, where Ysians of both genders have tatoos which indicate their clan and their achievements. Great pride is taken in clothing, and often Silver Marks are exchanged for beautifully embroidered, colourful articles; which are customarily passed down as heirlooms.
Ysian people are fiercely passionate, their language poetic and their wit quick. Intelligence, particularly in the study of nature, is considered a virtue; as is physical fitness. Human beauty is often idealised in statues and paintings, and philosophy is centred around the discussion of art and culture. Instruments such as harps, lyres, drums, flutes, pipes, fiddles and, more recently, violins are popular; and Ysian music is extremely complex and beautiful in its composition and lyrical content.
Druids (Ysian: drouez), wise village elders who practice natural magic, are the nation's spiritual leaders. The archdruid (Ysian: dres-drouis), who is the only elected figure of government in the city, lives in the Ducal Palace as an important adviser to the Duchess. They are looked to for cures to diseases (often accompanying emissaries to protect them), sung wood (wood which is coaxed from a tree through chanting, rather than cut), and their accrued wisdom. The Grove at the Ducal palace is the religious centre of the informal Ysian animistic faith, and a place of great learning where those of magical prowess are trained by the elder druids, the very strongest of whom become permanent students in service of the duchy.
Army:
The City Guard are the main bulk of the 30,000-strong Ysian army, a purely defensive force, consisting of the freshest recruits and those still in training. Their purpose is to act as a police force in the towns, and they generally associate with ordinary citizens cordially. The Wall Guard, however, are the Ysian elite. The 10,000 members of the Wall Guard are selected for the promise they show in training. Their training is more arduous than that of the City Guard and their equipment better. They spend their lives training for the event of an attack on the city walls. The attitude of normal civilians toward the Wall Guard is close to fear. They are seen as outsiders, foreigners within their own nation.
The City Guard are equipped with a suit of scale mail iron armour, a spear, a short composite bow, a longsword and a round shield. The Wall Guard receive a full suit of steel plate armour, a long pike, a tower shield, a miniature close-range crossbow, a longbow and a longsword. City Guard training lasts two years, the second year of which is spent in service; while Wall Guard training never stops.
Some Druids pledge themselves to the army, not to fight, but to heal the wounded.
The most formidable soldiers of the Ysian army are not the City Guard or the Wall Guard, though, but the Repeating Crossbow Regiment. Although only 2000 exist, they are equipped with a medium-range repeating crossbow, capable of launching 40 bolts per minute in their skilled hands. These weapons can be devastating in theory, though they have never been used in battle. Perhaps as formidable as the Repeating Crossbow is the Polybolos, a large ballista that does not require reloading, but instead can be fired again and again. These weapons, combined with an impressive array of other siege engines crafted by Ysian machinist, make the shining walls of Ys no easy target for invaders who envy the wonders within - not that the walls themselves, the highest and thickest in the world, tempt invaders.
Below are details of the composition of the Ysian army - note that references to the Wall Guard and City Guard appear twice due to the fact that they are both infantry and ranged units, not because they are different units in each case.
Infantry:
Ysian Wall Guard (10,000)
Ysian City Guard (15,000)
Ranged:
Ysian Repeating Crossbow Specialist Regiment (2000)
Ysian Wall Guard (10,000)
Ysian City Guard (15,000)
Artillery:
Trebuchet (500)
Catapult (500)
Ballista (750)
Repeating Ballista (750)
Ysian Polybolos Specialist Regiment (500)
Specialty:
Druid (reserve medics) (500 approx.)
Navy:
The Ysian docklands, the only area of the city in which foreigners are permitted without the Duchess's express permission, contain two very productive shipyards: the West Docks and the North Docks. In the West Docks, the Shipbuilder's Guild produce fast, streamlined trade vessels, among the finest in the world. Ysian ships are notable for their size and number of sails. Wood is bought from outside the city, exchanged for the services of Ys's craftsmen. The North Docks are run by the military, which produces equally fast but far larger and more intimidating ships for the purpose of naval warfare. Ys possesses 100 warships, each equipped with 2 polyboloi and 4 catapults. Though these ships have not seen use in hundreds of years, training exercises are frequent and they are kept in good order. Details of the composition of Ys's navy are listed below.
Ships:
Ysian Warships (100)
200 polyboloi
400 catapults
Sailors:
Wall Guard Specialists (2000)
Trade:
Ysian trade with other nations exists purely in the form of barter, as they have no conventional currency. Ys's main exports are sung wood, machinery, carved wood and masonry, blown glass, and other assorted artworks and crafted items. It mostly imports the raw materials required to produce these items, as well as luxuries like silk, dyes, cotton, etc.
Foreigners will also pay for the services of an Ysian craftsman, and are permitted to use Silver Marks they find while in the city.
The docklands, outside the walls, are the only area of the city where foreign currency is in circulation, and so more normal trade occurs here. Often retired soldiers choose to live in the docklands, knowing that they will not be seen as they were before they signed up by those within the city walls.
Common Names: The Grand Duchy of Ys, Shining Ys, Ys
Ruler: Antalez, Youenna IV
Ruler Titles: Roane de Ys (Ysian title meaning lit. "Female Ruler of Ys"), Grand Duchess of Ys, Bearer of the Key, Beloved of the Spirits
Map: http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb159/Jordan-AB-McLaren/Ys.png
Key:
Medium/dark green - Forest/dense forest.
Light green - Wild grassland.
Yellow-green - Farmland.
Grey - Heavily settled land.
White - Palace compound.
Blue - Water.
A: Ducal Palace Compound.
B: Major settled area, known unofficially as "Yeralez" after the dominant house.
C: Major settled area, known unofficially as "Craen" meaning "Gateway" or "Threshold".
D: Major settled area, known unofficially as "Caerolez" after the dominant house.
E: Ysian Docklands, East Gate.
F: North Gate.
G: Northern farmlands.
H: North Forest.
I: West Forest.
J: South Forest.
K: de Antilez Loccan (Loch Antilez, after the royal house).
History:
Founded by a great king of old hailing from the mainland, the city of Ys was to be the new capital of a proud kingdom, a symbol of its power. The king - whose name and nationality have been lost to history - became obsessed with the project of building the city walls and shaping the island, barely sleeping, overseeing the work of his labourers night and day. He died, exhausted before, his time and left no heir. Shortly after his death, his once-proud kingdom fell into a long civil war for the empty throne. Rebel Dukes declared independence and fought eachother with armies levied from the pesantry. The infighting lasted until no trace of the once-glorious country and its proud people remained. In the city of Ys, however, a willful duchess, Youenna of the House Antaliz, maintained the order that had prevailed in the great Age of Kings. Some say that she had been the king's mistress, and attempted to preserve his kingdom out of her undying love for him. Others say that it was not love of king, but of country, that inspired her. For whatever reason, and by whatever means, she managed to hold together the people of Ys while the rest of the kingdom was lost. Work resumed on the shaping of the island and the construction of its incomplete walls. Youenna I never claimed the title of Queen, believing that one day the kings would return and restore the kingdom to its former glory.
Centuries passed, and history became legend. The people of Ys gained their own unique culture, adapting to the island paradise they had built for themselves. Druids, wise village elders, sang wood from trees, from which were built great palaces. Skilled craftsmen laboured over cities and towns with walls of their own. The Ysians never infringed on nature, of which they are always respectful. Instead, they always built around the lush forests of ancient trees, the oldest of the old kingdom, which had been brought over the sea by the early druids hundreds of years ago. With their work finished, the craftsmen turned their attention to their hobbies. Metalworkers, poets, musicians, artists, carpenters, machinists, and men and women of a hundred different trades toiled with care, and produced works of greatest beauty and outstanding craftsmanship, until the cities were brimming with incredible works of art. Buildings were carved with intricate patterns and painted with murals and friezes over the generations. Great towers of wood and stone were raised with wooden machines, even these painted and carved. Ys became the great capital that that nameless king who lived so long ago envisioned, its people ruled over by the benevolent duchy and nobility.
Ysian characteristics:
The people of Ys live mostly into their sixties and seventies, with nutrition, housing conditions and sanitation being excellent, and disease almost nonexistent due to the island's enforced isolation. However, this isolation makes the Ysians very vulnerable to the diseases of foreigners, and as such, great care is taken to ensure that emissaries do not fall ill or spread disease within the walls. Reddish-brown and blonde are the most common hair colours, and most Ysians' eyes are grey, green or brown. Ysians are generally slightly taller than their mainland brethren, males usually between 6'1" and 6'3", and females between 6'0" and 6'2".
Demographics:
Free citizens:
Humans (Ysian): 2,130,000
Slaves: 0
Society:
The Ysians are a strongly pacifistic people, with the exception of their military, which is considered a necessary evil. To kill any animal is strictly illegal and gravely taboo among the Ysians. The punishment for killing is permanent imprisonment, though prisoners are kept in comfort; as the Ysian penal system is not based on vindication, but protection. The people of Ys are otherwise legally free to do almost anything they want, as the nobility prefers not to interfere in the private lives of the commoners.
Nature is held sacred and much loved by the people of Ys. Ysians spend their leisure time appreciating the forests, practicing their craft; or engaging in outdoor sports such as running and wrestling in the summer.
Ysian society is highly stratified, a system with which the people are generally content. Nobility receive a greater share of national produce, but not so much greater than that of the common people as to give them cause to be envious. The nobles mostly live in grand residences in the towns in which they hold authority, or in the Ducal Palace complex, which is also the island's largest city, holding 400,000 of its people - nobility, courtiers, servants and Ducal Tradesmen, favoured craftsmen selected for their skill who serve the Duchess.
The Ysian economy is based on communal production and sharing of goods, which are distributed equally among the people by regional government. Naturally-growing fruit, nuts, vegetables and berries are harvested, and most households tend a vegetable garden. Luxuries are traded for using barter or the island's unusual currency, the Silver Mark, affectionately called the Lucky Silver Mark. This is not redeemed for possessions, nor is it earned. Rather, it is found, after which can be displayed to a craftsman, who is obliged to present the bearer with a gift, and then hidden again. The origins of this odd practice are unknown.
The social structure is also unusual. Though Ysians do have spouses, it is very common and not at all frowned-upon for one to take multiple other lovers. Sexual freedom is taken for granted, with same-sex relationships common and accepted. Ysian people dress oddly enough to suit the other eccentricities of their national character. Men are mostly clean-shaven with shoulder-length hair, sometimes tied back. They wear vests, shirts, waistcoats or open jackets, or go bare-chested. Kilts or short trousers are worn on the legs. Women dress in much the same way, but with the addition of blouses and skirts, which are considered effeminate on a man, and trousers are less common among women, especially older ones. Women usually wear their hair long, sometimes to waist-length. Most garments reveal the upper arms, where Ysians of both genders have tatoos which indicate their clan and their achievements. Great pride is taken in clothing, and often Silver Marks are exchanged for beautifully embroidered, colourful articles; which are customarily passed down as heirlooms.
Ysian people are fiercely passionate, their language poetic and their wit quick. Intelligence, particularly in the study of nature, is considered a virtue; as is physical fitness. Human beauty is often idealised in statues and paintings, and philosophy is centred around the discussion of art and culture. Instruments such as harps, lyres, drums, flutes, pipes, fiddles and, more recently, violins are popular; and Ysian music is extremely complex and beautiful in its composition and lyrical content.
Druids (Ysian: drouez), wise village elders who practice natural magic, are the nation's spiritual leaders. The archdruid (Ysian: dres-drouis), who is the only elected figure of government in the city, lives in the Ducal Palace as an important adviser to the Duchess. They are looked to for cures to diseases (often accompanying emissaries to protect them), sung wood (wood which is coaxed from a tree through chanting, rather than cut), and their accrued wisdom. The Grove at the Ducal palace is the religious centre of the informal Ysian animistic faith, and a place of great learning where those of magical prowess are trained by the elder druids, the very strongest of whom become permanent students in service of the duchy.
Army:
The City Guard are the main bulk of the 30,000-strong Ysian army, a purely defensive force, consisting of the freshest recruits and those still in training. Their purpose is to act as a police force in the towns, and they generally associate with ordinary citizens cordially. The Wall Guard, however, are the Ysian elite. The 10,000 members of the Wall Guard are selected for the promise they show in training. Their training is more arduous than that of the City Guard and their equipment better. They spend their lives training for the event of an attack on the city walls. The attitude of normal civilians toward the Wall Guard is close to fear. They are seen as outsiders, foreigners within their own nation.
The City Guard are equipped with a suit of scale mail iron armour, a spear, a short composite bow, a longsword and a round shield. The Wall Guard receive a full suit of steel plate armour, a long pike, a tower shield, a miniature close-range crossbow, a longbow and a longsword. City Guard training lasts two years, the second year of which is spent in service; while Wall Guard training never stops.
Some Druids pledge themselves to the army, not to fight, but to heal the wounded.
The most formidable soldiers of the Ysian army are not the City Guard or the Wall Guard, though, but the Repeating Crossbow Regiment. Although only 2000 exist, they are equipped with a medium-range repeating crossbow, capable of launching 40 bolts per minute in their skilled hands. These weapons can be devastating in theory, though they have never been used in battle. Perhaps as formidable as the Repeating Crossbow is the Polybolos, a large ballista that does not require reloading, but instead can be fired again and again. These weapons, combined with an impressive array of other siege engines crafted by Ysian machinist, make the shining walls of Ys no easy target for invaders who envy the wonders within - not that the walls themselves, the highest and thickest in the world, tempt invaders.
Below are details of the composition of the Ysian army - note that references to the Wall Guard and City Guard appear twice due to the fact that they are both infantry and ranged units, not because they are different units in each case.
Infantry:
Ysian Wall Guard (10,000)
Ysian City Guard (15,000)
Ranged:
Ysian Repeating Crossbow Specialist Regiment (2000)
Ysian Wall Guard (10,000)
Ysian City Guard (15,000)
Artillery:
Trebuchet (500)
Catapult (500)
Ballista (750)
Repeating Ballista (750)
Ysian Polybolos Specialist Regiment (500)
Specialty:
Druid (reserve medics) (500 approx.)
Navy:
The Ysian docklands, the only area of the city in which foreigners are permitted without the Duchess's express permission, contain two very productive shipyards: the West Docks and the North Docks. In the West Docks, the Shipbuilder's Guild produce fast, streamlined trade vessels, among the finest in the world. Ysian ships are notable for their size and number of sails. Wood is bought from outside the city, exchanged for the services of Ys's craftsmen. The North Docks are run by the military, which produces equally fast but far larger and more intimidating ships for the purpose of naval warfare. Ys possesses 100 warships, each equipped with 2 polyboloi and 4 catapults. Though these ships have not seen use in hundreds of years, training exercises are frequent and they are kept in good order. Details of the composition of Ys's navy are listed below.
Ships:
Ysian Warships (100)
200 polyboloi
400 catapults
Sailors:
Wall Guard Specialists (2000)
Trade:
Ysian trade with other nations exists purely in the form of barter, as they have no conventional currency. Ys's main exports are sung wood, machinery, carved wood and masonry, blown glass, and other assorted artworks and crafted items. It mostly imports the raw materials required to produce these items, as well as luxuries like silk, dyes, cotton, etc.
Foreigners will also pay for the services of an Ysian craftsman, and are permitted to use Silver Marks they find while in the city.
The docklands, outside the walls, are the only area of the city where foreign currency is in circulation, and so more normal trade occurs here. Often retired soldiers choose to live in the docklands, knowing that they will not be seen as they were before they signed up by those within the city walls.