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Completed [LP] Enlist in the Royal Dragoons! Codex plays Sabres of Infinity

Joined
Nov 29, 2016
Messages
1,832
soicover.png


INFINITY SAGA

Guns of Infinity is the first book in a planned 5-book series of text adventures with RPG elements, authored by Paul Wang and published by Choice of Games. I highly recommend purchasing the games and supporting the author.

Click here to read the second part of the let's play, Book II: Guns of Infinity.

Click here to read the third part of the let's play, Book III: Lords of Infinity.

BECOME THE OFFICER OF HIS MAJESTY'S ROYAL DRAGOONS

Sabres of Infinity is a choose your own adventure game with RPG elements by Paul Wang (incidentally he also drew the cover art, hence its amateurish but charming quality), available through purchase on Steam and hosted by the Choice of Games website. It is by far one of the best games of its kind, with many meaningful choices and diverging paths that still delivers a well-written narrative with some excellent characterization.

This is a military drama set in a low-fantasy universe of Infinite Sea where multiple nations engage in early modern warfare. Expect muskets, hussars, and bayonet charges! The game appears to be very well researched for a one man project, which may pleasantly surprise fans of the period. There is also an intriguing political, religious, and economic backdrop, emphasizing the great human and logistic cost of war, although the game is focused on its military drama narrative.

Our protagonist is a nobleman who decides to enlist in the army of the Unified Kingdom of Tierra (based of Britain and Spain) as an officer to join the war effort against the League of Antar (based on the Polish Commonwealth during its decline.) Will you actions lead him to glory, dishonour, or death?

Here is something to get the gentlemen in the mood:


Reference.png

While the game does a fairly good job of introducing crucial pieces of background information, the game comes with an extensive reference that elaborates on many of them. Feel free to explore or, you know, reference these resources if the desire arises:

world_map.jpg

tierra_map.jpg

antar_map.jpg
OVERVIEW:
The Royal Tierran Army is the land-based branch of the Tierran armed forces. Though eclipsed by the Royal Tierran Navy in size, reputation, and funding, the Royal Army maintains readiness mostly through the sale of commissions and the private contributions of various powerful Cortes nobles, who often pay to maintain private units of "house guards" who serve as that noble house's private guards in times of peace. The Army has a wartime strength of approximately 24 000 fighting men, divided into 18 regiments.

ORGANIZATION:
The basic administrative unit in the Tierran Army is the Regiment. Although horse (cavalry) and foot (infantry) regiments are organized differently, both types are large, usually independent formations of around 1 000 men. These regiments are ranked by the seniority and the perceived quality of their officers and men. The elite "Guards" regiments (The Grenadier Guards, Wolf's Head Cuirassiers and Kentauri Highlanders) are ranked first, followed by the three regiments of the Royal Marines and then by the remainder.

PURCHASE OF COMMISSIONS:
To ensure that the Royal Army's officer corps is populated by men of wealth and appropriate class, the Royal Army usually requires an officer to purchase a promotion once they have the appropriate seniority. Of course, any officer could refuse to sell their commission to a would-be successor considered too disreputable to advance in the ranks. In addition, promotions are extremely expensive, especially in more prestigious regiments. Even a Major's commission in a Regiment of Foot costs some 800 Crowns, equivalent to ten years' wages for a working member of the middle class. This means that the peacetime army is populated by men of wealth, honour, and privilege. Only during times of war are officers from humble backgrounds capable of earning the great sums of money needed to reach the higher ranks.

RANKS (CAVALRY EQUIVALENTS FOR INFANTRY-ONLY RANKS IN PARANTHESES):

Non-Commissioned:
Armsman (Trooper/Dragoon)—One bar.
Lance Corporal—One chevron.
Corporal—Two chevrons.
Sergeant—Three chevrons.^
Sergeant-Major (Staff Sergeant)—Three chevrons and crown.
Colour Sergeant—Three chevrons over an reversed chevron enclosing a crown.^^

Commissioned:
Ensign (Cornet)—One gold pip.
Lieutenant—Two gold pips.
Captain—Three gold pips.
Major—Pair of crossed swords.
Lieutenant Colonel—Two pairs of crossed swords.
Colonel—As with Lt. colonel, topped with a small crown. ^^^
General of Brigade—Two small crowns.
Lieutenant General—Three small crowns.
General-Royal—One large crown. ^^^^

^Sergeants usually lead cavalry patrols or infantry sections, the smallest individual units.
^^The Colour Sergeant is the most senior NCO in a Regiment. He is tasked with guarding the officer carrying the Regimental flag, or "Colours".
^^^colonel is the highest rank obtainable by purchased commission. General ranks must be earned by seniority and excellent service.
^^^^This rank is reserved for the King, as commander-in-chief.
Humanity in the Infinite Sea is best seen as a pyramid. At the bottom sit 99.5% of the human race: those lacking the ability to sense the Bane within all living and formerly-living things. This inability marks them as "Baneless". The remaining 0.5% who do possess banesense are known as "Banebloods". Of these, perhaps one in one hundred are able to manipulate the Bane and bend it to their own will. They have the capability of influencing the objects and living things in which the Bane resides with the aid of material components like baneseals. These gifted few are known as Banecasters. While Banecasters may be born from the union of any two Banebloods, the child of a Baneblooded parent and a Baneless parent will not possess the Banesense, nor will any of their descendants. These offspring are referred to as "Deathborn".

In the Northern Kingdoms (including Tierra and Antar), one of the most important social distinctions is that of Baneblood: Only Banebloods may inherit noble titles, rule as monarchs or become knights of any of the religious orders. This means that in the Northern Kingdoms, the term "Baneblood" is almost synonymous with "hereditary nobility". While there are Banebloods without titles, they are still part of the aristocracy, a social class which no Baneless person may enter. In the interests of protecting both their noble blood and their pool of Banebloods, every single one of the Northern Kingdoms maintains laws that prevent Banebloods from marrying or having intimate relations with anyone else save other Banebloods. Harsh punishments, up to and including summary execution, are used to enforce these laws.
The Northern Kingdoms are relatively unified under the worship of the "Pantheons of the Saintly Martyrs". Saintly Martyrs (or "Saints", as they are more commonly referred to) are Baneblooded exemplars who died in a way which allowed them entry into one of the three Pantheons. Saints of the Red die in battle, leading their soldiers to victory or staving off a hopeless situation. Saints of the Blue die protecting the weak and innocent against injustice or tyranny. Saints of the Green sacrifice their lives for the pursuit of knowledge, exploring the unknown or long-lost.

The process of canonizing a Saint is very simple. Any Baneblooded individual can make a shrine to a Martyr: a flame which must burn continually for an entire year, in the presence of one of the Chapterhouses of an established order. As long as the fire does not go out and is not put out by some proactive critic for that year, the deceased in question is considered Sainted, and dispensation is made to create an order of knighthood for them.

Knightly Orders are powerful organizations. Only Baneblooded can apply to become knights. Baneless and Deathborn can only join on the explicit invitation of the Grand Master of the Order. These knights seek martyrdom in the manner of their Saint's pantheon. Knights of the Red are, for example, determined to die in battle and often lead armies from the front. Below them are their Baneless compatriots, Seekers, who serve as clerical workers and priests as well as squires and retainers. It is believed that there is no distinction made between Seekers and Knights after death, so long as they gain martyrdom. Baneless and Baneblooded alike, their Patron Saint awaits them in a shining palace, ready to induct them into his or her celestial retinue.

Knights of the Red are often the most politically powerful of the orders. Focused on martial prowess, they naturally carry a great deal of influence both in inter-ordinal politics and within their host states. They are commonly referred to as the "Orders-Militant". The representatives of these orders meet semi-regularly in the Principality of Mersdon to discuss politics and dictate policy. In addition, the "Convocation of the Orders-Militant" (as this meeting is called) has the ability to declare Holy War: They may proclaim a state Pariah-Among-Nations, which gives the targeted state a choice: they may either immediately put their entire ruling house to the sword, or face invasion by the assembled Knights of the Red, a prospect which would inevitably lead to destruction.

The League of Antar possesses a similar, but different religious system. About three hundred years ago, certain theologians speculated about a "Mother of Ascension", a supreme being who alone adjudicated the saintly status of a martyr. One of the earliest adherents to this belief was Prince Eugen of Antagia, the founder of the League of Antar. As a result, the "Ascensionist Heresy" became the state religion of Antar, and its Church Hussars fight not for individual Saints, but for the Mother, depicted as an impossibly beautiful winged woman in her thirties clad in a suit of silver armour..
Though relatively uncomplicated by the standards of the Great Powers, the ranks and titles of the Tierran nobility have been known to cause some trouble for those unversed in the history and political structure of the Unified Kingdom. Thankfully, the Tierran peerage does maintain some semblance of internal logic: titles are based almost entirely on the manner in which the holders of those titles first joined the Unified Kingdom during the great wars of unification which ended some eighty years ago. These titles are, from highest ranking to lowest:

DUKES/DUCHESSES: The highest level of the peerage short of royalty itself. The first Dukes of Aetoria were the rulers of the kingdoms which had allied with Edwin the Strong during the initial formation of the Unified Kingdoms. Aside from the royal family's possession of the title of the Dukedom of Aetoria, there are also the Dukedoms of Cunaris, Havenport, Warburton and Wulfram. Duchies consist of massive swathes of land and tens, if not hundreds of thousands of crowns worth of property. Their House Guards number in the hundreds. Unlike the lesser peers of the realm, Dukes and Duchesses are styled "His/Her Grace".

MARQUESSES/MARCHIONESSES: During the Wars of Unification, House Rendower made the rather inspired move of offering high office and titles to those vassals of rival petty kingdoms willing to betray their masters and swear themselves to the service of the Unified Kingdom. The few noble families who did so were given this title, though little in the way of new lands or holdings. As a result, while the dozen or so Marquesses in the peerage are theoretically senior to their former overlords, a typical Marquess can only call upon a fraction of the resources avaliable to a typical Earl or Viscount.

EARLS/COUNTESSES: This exalted title belongs to those independent monarchs who did not willingly submit themselves to Tierran authority at first. For example, the first Earl of Leoniscourt was once monarch of his own petty kingdom. It was only after a decade of war that King Callum the Cruel of House Cazarosta negotiated a surrender with King Edwin I. Other Earldoms include those of Castermaine and Weathern. Earldoms are usually wealthy tracts of lands, or ones in control of lucrative monopolies worth tens of thousands of crowns. They are often in control of dozens or hundreds of retainers.

VISCOUNTS/VISCOUNTESSES: King Edwin the Strong's allies were not the only ones rewarded for helping unify Tierra. The most powerful vassals and younger offspring of the new Dukes of Tierra were made Viscounts. Families like the Hartigans of Hugh and the Hunters of Wolfswood were given new lands confiscated from enemy noble houses rendered extinct, often worth thousands of crowns, as recompense.

BARONS/BARONESSES: The descendants of those landholders who had once carved out their own meagre estates during the long centuries between the Fall of Calligia and the rise of Edwin the Strong became Barons with the establishment of the Unified Kingdom. Though often old in name and honours, they rarely possess particularly wealthy properties. Few of the two hundred and sixty three baronies scattered throughout the Unified Kingdom exceed more than two thousand crowns in worth: a fortune for a commoner, but insignificant to more powerful families.

BARONETS/BARONETESSES: To fund the construction of a new fleet and the establishment of the shadowy apparatuses of Royal Intelligence, King Edmund II established the title of "Baronet" in OIE 559. For a one-time price ranging anywhere from one to eight thousand crowns, a rich Baneblood without noble holdings might buy themselves and their descendants a noble title. Though the title does not entitle the holder to estates, the right to sit on the Cortes or any other substantive privileges, it does allow the holder to style themselves lord/lady and has proved very popular. There are currently about sixty Baronetcies in circulation.

PRIVILEGES OF NOBILITY: Hereditary nobles in Tierra (aside from Baronets) are provided with a great deal of advantages by the crown. For example: they are exempt from taxation (unless they were to take up any trade other than military service), they have the right to maintain men under arms as personal sworn retainers, levy land taxes and act as justices of the peace towards commoners residing in their holdings when matters of property or civil law are concerned.
The practice of using the Bane to manipulate the physical world to the will of a particular mind, or "banecasting", is an exceptionally versatile and powerful ability when used properly, prized throughout the human realms of the Infinite Sea. Banecasters have been able to heal otherwise fatal wounds, turn the tide of battles and create armour and weapons of impossible durability and strength. However, this immense power is limited by four main constraints: natural ability, resources, casting medium and the laws of physics.

The first, and often considered most important constraint is that of the natural ability of the human component. Banecasters are only born from the exalted ranks of the Banebloods, and even a child of the blood has only a one in one hundred chance of being gifted with the mental traits that allow him to bend the Bane to his or her will. In addition, all Banecasters might be trained, but their ability to implement their training varies from individual to individual. Human Banecasters are divided into ten calibres: Banecasters of the first calibre have very little ability, while Banecasters of the tenth calibre are capable of such awe-inspiring feats as pulling entire bulldings down with their power, or summoning gouts of blue or green banefire hot enough to incinerate huamn bodies instantly.

The second constraint is that of the material components needed for any sort of banecast: baneseals. These are discs of wax, approximately 10 cm in width and 5 cm thick, attached to a strip of parchment paper upon which banerunes are written in fresh blood (be it human or otherwise). These seals serve as the anchor points which focus the caster's mental powers and allow them to be amplified and channelled properly into the casting medium. Baneseals must be arranged in the proper pattern to achieve the desired effect of the cast. While simple procedures like the creation of heat or the minor acceleration of entropy might be achieved with a few dozen baneseals, more complex casts, including the much-studied and extremely difficult process of healing injuries and wounds, can take hundreds of seals and multilayered patterns that might take hours to prepare. In addition, banecasting is a physically and mentally exhausting activity, partially due to the fact that the process of casting also syphons off a small amount of the caster's own Bane. Those casters who use their powers regularly often live considerably shorter lives, withering away by the age of sixty-five from a combination of mental and physical fatigue.

The third constraint stems from the nature of the Bane itself, as it is an entity which only exists within objects which are or were recently alive. As a result, banecasting can only directly affect those sorts of materials. This is why baneseals must be marked with fresh blood, why armour and weapons must have runes etched into them and anointed with oils to be bane-hardened or otherwise enchanted, and why weapons such as the longbow have long been made obsolete as weapons of war.

The last constraint should be self explanatory: even Banecasters must respect the laws of inertia, thermodynamics and conservation of matter. For example, their ability to "create" heat is merely the temporary conversion of bane into heat. If there is no source of Bane nearby to be used, there is no way to cast.
BANE:
ex: "The bane permeates all things, and cannot be escaped."
An energy that exists in all things living or once living. Can be sensed by Banebloods and used by Banecasters to perform acts of what could be loosely described as "magic".
SEE: BANEBLOOD, BANECASTER

BANEBLOOD:
ex: "Despite his wealth, he could never be counted a member of the nobility, for he was not Baneblooded."
A person with the hereditary capability of sensing the bane (banesense), a gift possesed by less than one in three thousand humans. A child is only certain to inherit this ability if both parents are Baneblooded. In the Northern Kingdoms, "Baneblood" is synonymous with "nobility". Approximately one in twnety Banebloods are Banecasters as well.
SEE: BANE, BANECASTER, DEATHBORN

BANECASTER:
ex: "I did not linger, for it is unwise to anger such a powerful Banecaster."
A Baneblood with the ability to manipulate the bane to serve their own purpose with the aid of a banepattern. Human Banecasters are measured in calibres, from first to tenth.
SEE: BANE, BANEBLOOD, BANEPATTERN, CALIBRE

BANEHARDENED:
ex: "Banehardened plate can deflect musket balls at a range of ten metres."
A term to describe armour which has been hardened via banecasting by one of the chantries of the Orders-Militant. Banehardened armour is immensely expensive to make. Only Knights of the Red and Church Hussars are allowed the privilege of wearing banehardened armour in the Northern Kingdoms.
SEE: BANECASTER, HUSSAR, KNIGHT OF THE RED

BANEPATTERN:
ex: "The banepattern was immensely complex, and took several days to assemble."
A specially designed pattern of baneseals (specially made wax seals) which allows a Banecaster to channel the bane into performing in a particular manner. Banepatterns usually consist of anywhere from fifty to three thousand baneseals.
SEE: BANECASTER BAYONET:
ex: "They charged with fixed bayonets and began a fearful slaughter."
A long steel spike approximately 75 cm long, designed to affixed to the barrel of an infantry musket so that it might be used as a short polearm.
SEE: INFANTRY, MUSKET

CALIBRE:
ex: "He was a Banecaster of the third calibre, barely worth mentioning."
A scale of measurement of a Banecaster's ability, with first calibre being the weakest and tenth being the strongest.
SEE: BANECASTER

CARBINE:
ex: "He carried a short carbine in one hand and a sabre in the other."
A shortened version of the musket designed to be used from horseback. Usually rifled to increase accuracy.
SEE: DRAGOON, MUSKET, RIFLING

CAVALRY:
ex: "A regiment of cavalry"
Soldiers who fight from horseback. They usually fight with pistols, short carbines or some sort of melee weapon.
SEE: HORSE,
SUBTYPES: CUIRASSIERS, DRAGOONS, HUSSARS, LANCERS

CUIRASSIERS:
ex: "Three or four cuirassiers rode from the fort."
Heavy cavalry wearing heavy steel breastplates and armed with long, straight-bladed broadswords. Considered the most prestigious of all cavalry.
SEE: CAVALRY, HORSE

DEATHBORN:
ex: "He is not to be trusted, for he is Deathborn."
The child of an Baneblooded mother who lacks banesense themselves. Since the likelihood that a child born of two Baneblooded parents will inherit banesense themselves approaches certainty, Deathborn children are almost certainly the result of the mother's adultery. Deathborn are considered mentally deficient and naturally untrustworthy.
SEE: BANEBLOOD

DRAGOONS:
ex: "DRAGOONS are rated as barely cavalry by some."
Light cavalry armed with curved sabres and rifled carbines, capable of fighting dismounted as well as on horseback.
SEE: CARBINE, CAVALRY, HORSE

FOOT:
ex: "Regiment of Foot"
Soldiers who march, fight and die on their feet.
SEE: INFANTRY

GRENADIER SQUARE:
ex: "We have orders from Grenadier Square to take the fortress immediately."
A series of buildings in Aetoria enclosing a square courtyard. Serves as both home barracks for the Grenadier Guards Regiment and as headquarters of the Royal Army.
SEE: GrenadierS, NORTHERN KEEP

GRENADIERS:
ex: "Grim-faced and determined, the Grenadiers did not halt their advance."
Line infantry armed with cast-iron hand grenades in addition to muskets and bayonets. Distinguished by their tall bearskin hats. Considered the most elite of all infantry.
SEE: INFANTRY

HORSE:
ex: "Regiment of Horse"
Soldiers who fight from horseback.
SEE: CAVALRY,
SUBTYPES: CUIRASSIERS, DRAGOONS, HUSSARS, LANCERS

HUSSARS:
ex: "The Hussars bore down on us like angry gods."
Heavy cavalry exclusively composed of the Antari nobility. Equivalent to the Knights of the Red in other Northern Kingdoms. Equipped with bane-hardened armour and enchanted weaponry. When entering battle, they characteristically wear contraptions of steel and eagle feathers on their saddles, which are meant to represent angel wings.
SEE: CAVALRY, KNIGHT OF THE RED, LEAGUE OF ANTAR

INFANTRY:
ex: "A unit of infantry."
Soldiers who fight on foot. Usually unarmoured and armed with a musket and a bayonet.
SEE: BAYONET. FOOT, MUSKET
SUBTYPES: LIGHT INFANTRY, LINE INFANTRY

KNIGHT OF THE RED:
ex: "He wore the armour and golden spurs of a knight of the red."
A high-ranking, Baneblooded member of one of the Orders-Militant. Knights of the Red have the right to wear bane-hardened plate armour and wield enchanted weapons in battle. The Antari instead have Church Hussars.
SEE: BANEBLOOD, BANEHARDENED, HUSSAR, ORDERS-MILITANT

LANCERS:
ex: "The lancers charged the enemy."
Cavalry armed with long lances and mounted on nimble horses for the purpose of fighting other cavalry.
SEE: CAVALRY, HORSE

LIGHT INFANTRY:
ex: "The light infantry advanced under cover of darkness."
Skirmish infantry who fight in loose formation. Usually armed with a rifled musket or similar weapon.
SEE: FOOT, INFANTRY, RIFLING

LINE INFANTRY:
ex: "A company of light infantry, marching to the fife and drum."
Heavy infantry trained to fight in tight, disciplined formation under close supervision by officers and NCOs. Two-thirds of the Tierran Army is made up of line infantry.
SEE: FOOT, INFANTRY

MUSKET:
ex: "He slung his musket over his shoulder.
A firearm approximately 150 cm long, which uses a flintlock mechanism to fire a lead ball out of a steel barrel. Used almost exclusively by infantry. A well-trained soldier can fire three to five shots a minute. Muskets are accurate up to about 80 metres. Most muskets are capable of mounting a bayonet.
SEE: BAYONET, INFANTRY.

NORTHERN KEEP:
ex: "The Northern Keep maintains oversight over all high-level functions of the army."
The oldest and largest of Aetoria's fortresses. Serves as the official residence of the King of Tierra.
SEE: GRENADIER SQUARE

ORDERS-MILITANT:
ex: "He was made a knight of the Orders-Militant."
A collective term for the orders of knighthood devoted to the Saints of the Red: Saints who achieved martyrdom in battle. The Baneblooded Knights of the Orders-Militant have the right to wear bane-hardened plate and wield bane-hardened weapons. They often fight as elite heavy cavalry or shock infantry.
SEE: BANEBLOOD, CHURCH HUSSARS (Their Antari equivalent), SAINTS

RIFLING:
ex: "Repeated firing wore out the rifling in the barrel."
Spiral grooves machined into the inside of the barrel of a firearm, imparting a spin onto any shot fired from it, increasing accuracy.
SEE: CARBINE, LIGHT INFANTRY

SAINTS:
ex: "After her death, she was made a Saint of the Blue."
Short for "Saintly Martyr", a baneblood who is venerated and elevated to a figure of worship due to the heroic or admirable circumstances of their death. Saint-worship is the predominant faith in the Northern Kingdoms. All Saints have an order of knighthood associated with them.
SEE: BANEBLOOD, ORDERS-MILITANT

Prologue.png

The harsh Cunarian sun beats down upon you as you step off the running board of your family's coach and onto the manicured courtyard of Fernandescourt's Old Fortress. The smell of horse manure and raw iron assaults your nostrils as a group of uniformed men thunder past on horses, herded by a stout, red-faced sergeant.

Under one shoulder, you carry a leather binder which holds the key to the rest of your life: a commission as a cornet in the Royal Dragoon Regiment, signed by His Majesty, the King himself. With it sits an order to report to your new Squadron Commanding Officer, Captain Alfred d'al Montez, at Fernandescourt immediately upon your arrival.

With one hand held over your temple to shield your eyes from the sun's glare, you quickly find what you are looking for: the open door to the old stone fort's citadel, where you will begin your career as an officer of His Majesty's Royal Dragoons.

-

You step through the heavy iron-banded doors into the blissfully cool interior of the citadel only to be nearly bowled over by the rush of clerks and aides scrambling to and fro like enraged hornets.

The outbreak of war with the League of Antar had come as a shock to no one. Still smarting from previous slights, the great and powerful lords of the League Congress saw their opportunity for vengeance appear when the untested teenage Prince Miguel succeeded his father upon the Gryphon Throne of Tierra.

It had been a calculated diplomatic move, or so the men of stately affairs had said: The Antari had expected the new king to cave. They had not foreseen the young monarch's response as he mobilized his fleet and army with determined force. They certainly had not expected the King to land troops on the Antari mainland itself.

Now, the entire country is abuzz as regiments like the Royal Dragoons ready themselves for battle, waiting to join the rest of the army across the Calligian Sea.

-

The great central chamber of the Old Fortress is a hive of activity. Staff officers and their aides move about in self-centred trajectories. A team of clerks push counters and check notes written on the maps which sit atop the tables in the centre of the room. On the wall above them, an oil portrait of the Duke of Cunaris, the regimental commander, peers down beneficently upon his flesh-and-blood subordinates.

While it would probably be a good idea to report to your future commanding officer immediately, it might also do to take a look around and familiarize yourself with the fortress. You: (choose one)

1) Report in immediately. I should try to make a good impression on my superiors first.
2) Observe the men training outside. I might be able to pick up some pointers.
3) Try to talk to some of the other junior officers and get some advice.

(My own comments will appear like so. Below is the summary of your character's stats, which will terminate every update. I will also post an updated list of Persons of Interest as well as the updated State of the War at the beginning of each chapter starting with the next one.

Also, I should add that I have had the chance to finish the second game as well as follow some of the developer's commentary on the game's setting on its forums, so please let me know if you have any questions regarding the game or its world and I will try to answer what I can)


As of the Spring of the 602nd year of the Old Imperial Era.

Unknown d'al Unknown
Age: 0
Rank: Civilian
Wealth: 55
Income: 0

Soldiering: 30%

Charisma: 30%

Intellect: 30%

Reputation: 20%

Health: 75%

Idealism: 50% Cynicism: 50%

Ruthlessness: 50% Mercy: 50%

You have no decorations as of yet.
 
Last edited:

Kipeci

Arcane
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
3,027
Location
Vicksburg
Prestigious nobleman start, looks promising! :obviously:
I'd say to go ahead and pick up tips from the junior officers, 3, I wanna know how to put on those ridiculous hats.
 
Joined
Nov 29, 2016
Messages
1,832
(Indeed.

Oh, and here is something to get the gentlemen in the mood)



Captain Montez's office smells of old leather and stale coffee. The man himself is a small, pinch-faced fellow. A pair of spectacles balance atop the bridge of his short, stubby nose. He greets you formally and offers you a seat.

"I had the fortune to witness your arrival," he begins, waving at the open window behind him. "Do not doubt that I find it most gratifying when new officers are prompt in the following of simple instructions. I hope you will prove most useful to us."

(Straying could have allowed us to pick up some pointers and extra information but incurred a noticeable reputation loss.)

-

You hand over your commission papers and orders. Montez scans over them quickly, his eyes darting back and forth behind his steel-rimmed spectacles. The Captain picks up a waiting quill pen and signs the papers with a fluid hand, making your commission fully official. Dropping the documents in a drawer, he shuffles through another pile of papers atop his desk, pulling one out.

"I am afraid that we shall need to go through a few formalities first, for the record, you understand." Montez picks up the quill pen again, ready to write.

"Given name?"

A1) Arturo.
A2) James.
A3) Louis.
A4) Alaric.
A5) Alfonso.
A6) I don't like any of those names. (Write-in your own suggestion. Please note that silly names like Cleve d'al Codexia shall not be permitted!)

"Family name?"

B1) Maradirez.
B2) Castleton.
B3) Sancroix.
B4) Ortiga.
B5) I don't like any of those names. (Write-in your own suggestion. Please note that silly names like Cleve d'al Codexia shall not be permitted!)

As of the Spring of the 602nd year of the Old Imperial Era.

Unknown d'al Unknown
Age: 0
Rank: Civilian
Wealth: 55
Income: 0

Soldiering: 30%

Charisma: 30%

Intellect: 30%

Reputation: 22%

Health: 75%

Idealism: 48% Cynicism: 52%

Ruthlessness: 50% Mercy: 50%

You have no decorations as of yet.

(Our cynicism and reputation increased by 2% for reporting immediately)
 

Kipeci

Arcane
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
3,027
Location
Vicksburg
(Write-in your own suggestion. Please note that silly names like Cleve d'al Codexia shall not be permitted!)
:decline:

Though, I like A4B4. Kinda Visigoth sounding. I’ll vote for that!
 
Last edited:
Joined
Nov 29, 2016
Messages
1,832
(When counted individually, names Alaric and Ortiga win the vote.

Alaric d'al Ortiga. Has a rather nice ring to it if I do say so myself.

Also, I should add that I have had the chance to finish the second game as well as follow some of the developer's commentary on the game's setting on its forums, so please let me know if you have any questions regarding the game or its world and I will try to answer what I can.)


"Very well then, Alaric d'al Ortiga, shall we take a moment to clarify a few facts about your early life and origins?"

-

The Unified Kingdom of Tierra is nominally ruled by the sixteen year-old King Miguel of House Rendower. Advising him are his Privy Council, men of high birth and enormous power: namely, the official heads of the army, fleet, civil service and intendancy, or home office. Below them sit the Cortes, composed of the heads of the hundreds of noble houses that make up the bulk of the Tierran aristocracy.

The Cortes provides the greatest check to the king's power: the ability to vote on the royal budget. While the King can give decrees without restraint, only the Cortes can vote him the money to carry them out.

The members of these two bodies are the titled members of baneblooded noble houses like your own, each with unique positions in a complex feudal system of obligations and privileges. Through quirks of history and by the vagaries of fealty, Tierra itself is divided into several culturally distinct regions.

Which of these regions is your family from?

1) The North, the economic powerhouse of Tierra, a land of iron mines and mills.
2) The Western Coast, stormswept and desolate, home to tough tides and tough men.
3) The Eastern Plains, where Fernandescourt stands. Home to some of the best horsemen in the Unified Kingdom.
4) Aetoria, the capital city, a centre of culture and education.

(And so begin the important choices. Much of the prologue is, in essence, character generation - opportunities to increase your Soldiering, Charisma, and Intellect afterwards will be few and far between. Other statistics such as Reputation, Idealism/Cynicism, Ruthlessness/Mercy, Wealth, etc are much faster to change and Health must be noted as having the unfortunate tendency to decline over time and with age. I will explain Sol, Cha, and Int further when you will be explicitly training these attributes.)

As of the Spring of the 602nd year of the Old Imperial Era.

Alaric d'al Ortiga
Age: 0
Rank: Civilian
Wealth: 55
Income: 0

Soldiering: 30%

Charisma: 30%

Intellect: 30%

Reputation: 22%

Health: 75%

Idealism: 48% Cynicism: 52%

Ruthlessness: 50% Mercy: 50%

You have no decorations as of yet.
 

Commissar Draco

Codexia Comrade Colonel Commissar
Patron
Joined
Mar 6, 2011
Messages
20,856
Location
Привислинский край
Insert Title Here Strap Yourselves In Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Divinity: Original Sin 2
Would vote 2 but since we joined Cavalry: 3 Its good to be tough Man but if you drop from saddle even iron skull won't help you. Other choices are good if we opted for not military profession or pioneer troops.
 

Kipeci

Arcane
Joined
May 22, 2012
Messages
3,027
Location
Vicksburg
4, I want to have Alaric as a :obviously: man of culture, not a smelly provincial barbarian. Some silly little war is no excuse to let standards slip!
 

Tigranes

Arcane
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
10,350
4. A proper british gent soldier Alaric shall be.
 

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