BoBS History and Background Thread

[SkaForHire]

BoBS History and Background Thread

On this thread you will find articles that relate to the history and background of the world that Brethren of the Brick Seas takes place in.

Index:

Madrice Peninsula (Where Corrington, Eslandola, and Oleon are located)
Brief History of the Madrice Peninsula
Jameis Farstrider's Guide to the Madrice Peninsula
Religions of Oleon and most of the Madrice Peninsula
Wars of the Madrice Peninsula

Halos:
Religions of Halos
The Middle Empires

New Terra:
Journals of Cato Calrelli
The Founding of Bastion and the Original Articles of the Pirate's Court.

Maps:
Madrice Peninsula and much of Halos (This post)
The Crossing


General Background of Brethren of the Brick Seas

The year is 615 AE and this is the dawn of a new era. For the first time in the history of the continent of Halos, new lands have been discovered. Even more shocking, the Halosians are not alone in the world. Once thought to be a flat plane, where monsters roamed the edges, the world is now believed by most geographers to be most certainly round. This was proven first with the discovery of Terraversa by the Mardierian explorer, Ardmond Basker.

For 100 years the Mardierians have held Terraversa as a far off gateway, keeping all others out and not allowing the information of the world to the east, or New Terra, to permeate into the rest of Halos. At almost a 1000 miles from the next island in the Sea of Storms, the island remains a most crucial point on the voyage into the unknown.

As time went on, other nations of the Madrice Peninsula began to search the seas for other islands and their potential riches. South of the Basker Islands, Corrington took Tiberia, an unforgiving rock just outside of the much more lucrative tropical zone. Oleon found LeBellan, the jewel of the Sea of Storms. LeBellan sits right inside the tropical zone, and produces sugar in vast quantities. 56 years ago Eslandola took possession of An Holli and An Toli, two smaller islands south of LeBellan, both sugar producing as well. Despite gaining footholds in the Sea of Storms, the other Madrician nations were unable to voyage beyond Terraversa.

This all changed with the death of King Harln of Mardier, and the vast civil war that began in the country in 595 AE. Instead of looking to gain territory from Mardier’s mainland, the Eslandolans approached the Viceroy of Terraversa and paid him handsomely for permission to trade at the island. The Viscount took it further and allowed ALL nations to pay for the privilege to visit his island. Twenty years later, as the civil war continues, Terraversa has become a defacto independent state. The Viscount’s son, Miro Oldis, now runs the island, and his father’s policies live on. It is not certain if the Mardierians will reestablish their colony or not after the war, but it may be too late.

In 597, intrepid Eslandolian explorer Cato Calrelli sailed east from Terraversa into the unknown. Thought to be suicidal at the time, the voyage ended 70 days later when he returned with the news that he had found more of New Terra. He claimed the land for Eslandola, and soon the Kingdom of Eslandola was the leading nation in colonization.

In 605, news circulated throughout the Madrice Peninsula that the Eslandolans had found gold on their island of Nellisa, and this set off a thirst for expansion and exploration never before seen. With Terraversa as a launching spot for new expeditions, Corringtonians, Oleanders, Eslandolans, along with some Garvans, Mardierans, and Carnovans made their way towards New Terra. Many found themselves unable to find supplies at Nellisa, the Eslandolans baring even some of their own from landing on the island. These vagabonds headed south, where a new isle was found, one with few resources, but great defensive harbors. Soon, the Sea Rats had a home. Angry that they had been dispossessed and had not found aid, many turned to vengeance on the Eslandolans by becoming pirates, and many of these pirates began to prey on all nations, and even their fellow pirate. Besides Terraversa, where the Atwi tribe lives, no new natives have been found yet. The islands beyond Terraversa have so far all had strange abandoned settlements upon them, and some sailors say that there is a whole new nation of people in these far waters, but no one has recorded seeing a non-Halosian or Atwi person yet.

This brings us to the present. Oleon and Corrington have both issued rewards for the first permanent settlement “Beyond the Line” (beyond Terraversa). They are willing to bring their navies to New Terra if they only have a settlement to resupply at. Eslandola is calling for its own people to venture into the unknown and find wealth and fortune in the name of Eslandola. But the Sea Rats lurk in all the waters of New Terra, waiting for opportunity, and despite the world seeming more round than ever, some say those old sea monsters still exist in the uncharted lands of the East.

[SkaForHire]

A Brief History of the Madrice Peninsula
A brief history of the Madrice Peninusla can shed some light on the geopolitics of discovery and colonization of the present. Traditionally, the peninsula starts with the two nations of Pontilla and Varcoast, although these two nations are much more similar in language and culture to those of the continent proper. Oleon is the first major nation as one moves east along the Madrice Peninsula. The region had been part of the province of Madrice under the Great Empire which broke up in the year 0 AE. For a hundred years Madrice was its own empire, but for the most part, it was a weak confederacy. The easternmost portion, sometimes called the Great Triangle, became more distanced by 103 AE, and soon the nation of Mardier was born of that whole portion of the peninsula. Back on the neck of the peninsula the death of King Pontis led to the creation of four nations, Corrington to the Northeast, Oleon in the center, and Pontilla and Varcoast to the South.

From the first day Corrington and Oleon became enemies. At the signing of the Treaty of Pontsvil, where the four nations had divided themselves almost peacefully, the tone was soured when Prince Ahmon of Corrington murdered King Arltrees of Oleon. This set up the long feud that still exists to the this day. Whereas the southern nations kept most of their territorial integrity, despite some Oleonder aggression, the border between Oleon and Corrington often shifted by 50 to 100 miles in each war, and there were many wars between the two.

The most destructive war was the War that Time Forgot, or the Mardierian Intervention as it is known to the rest of the peninsula. The war started in 258 AE, and by 325 AE Corrington had captured most of Oleon to the gates of its capital, Granoleon. It was a marriage of the Oleonder king’s second daughter to the prince of Mardier that finally brought relief to Oleon. The Mardierians invaded the western portion of the peninsula, taking much of Corrington’s land, some to this day still held by Eslandola, and forced a peace in 352 AE. Unfortunately for Mardier, this was the beginning of the end of its dominance of the Great Triangle region. After raising too many taxes to fight the Corlanders, many regions revolted. This created the nations of Namere, Carno, Garvey, Baldondia, and most importantly, Eslandola.

The history of the Peninsula since the Mardierian Intervention has been one of warfare, political maneuver, and intrigue. Although Corrington and Oleon continued to fight on and off, the nations of the Great Triangle fought fewer wars with the “Red” and “Blue” Kingdoms. Oleon’s biggest success was the union of its own monarchy with that of the nation of Guelph. In 459 AE, after a small civil war, Guelph was conquered and Oleon became two kingdoms within the same Empire. New Oleon sits further to the south in a region called the Midlands. These conquered peoples have merged into Oleon society almost completely. Corrington expanded slightly over the last 100 years. After many wars with Oleon and its allies of island states that surround the Penninsula, Corrington was finally able to take over almost all of these small nations, including the nation of Balondia on the Great Triangle. This would play greatly in their attempts on New Terra.

Meanwhile Eslandola became the power broker of the Great Triangle region, and Mardier was relegated to fourth strongest nation on the peninsula. With the discovery of the Basker Islands and Terraversa in 511, Mardier regained some of its former glory. Terraversa was a rich island, having both moderate mineral wealth and the capability to grow both Tobacco and Sugar. Its strategic location meant that only the Mardierans could venture to the fabled New Terra. The other main nations were able to take a few islands discovered later within the Sea of Storms, but nothing close enough to get to New Terra, thus keeping Mardier’s monopoly. Still, the Eslandolans became the masters of trade in the region, their ships plying the waters of every corner of the Old World. Where Corrington and Oleon spent on warfare, science, and conquest, Eslandola spent on merchant marine, ships, and better ports.

Then in 595, the death of King Harln of Mardier opened doors for Eslandola. With so many petty lords trying to rise up and claim the throne, the Viceroy of Terraversa had no direct master. Agnal Oldis sold entrance rights to his port to the highest bidder, and almost every nation of the Madrice Peninsula, large and small, tried to buy these rights. As the prices went up, only the largest nations could afford it. From Kings Port, Terraversa, the intrepid Eslandolan explorer Cato Calrelli bravely sailed East and found the isle of Nelisa. On that island, there was rumored to be more gold than anyone could imagine. With that gilded rumor, the nations of the Peninsula began a quest of conquest in New Terra.

[SkaForHire]

Jameis Farstrider's Guide to the Madrice Peninsula (WIP)





Altonia
Demonym: Altonians
Flag:
Founded in 362AE,

Carno
Demonym: Carnites
Flag:
Founded in 355AE,


Corrington
Demonym: Corlanders
Flag:
Founded in 106AE, Corrington is one of the Great Four nations of the Madrice Peninsula.
Eslandola
Demonym: Eslandolans
Flag:
Founded in 359AE, Eslandola is one of the Great Four nations of the Madrice Peninsula. Eslandians love their monarch, but they don’t like him bothering them. They are individualistic, and, especially in the colonies, tend to ignore royal orders. However, when the nation needs to defend itself, its large sprawling noble class is eager to respond. Honor is found in both war and business – but business is preferred.

Fifty years ago the East Trade Wind Company foreclosed on much of the royal possessions due to excessive debt levels. To get them off his back, the King established Renato, a newly knighted explorer, as Viceroy of all the royal ports. Now Renato has to try to curb the ETWC’s power, no easy task! The ETWC dominates the High Council, and the aims of the empire are divided between the monarch’s ambitions and desires of those who control the purse strings. Recently, however, the fairly conservative and slow-to-expand ETWC has been challenged by the rapidly exploding Merchant’s Colonial Trading Company, which has also managed to grab several seats in the council. For this reason, much of the foreign policy of Eslandola has been to acquire as many new territories in the resource rich New World as possible. Despite the large trading companies, smuggling is rampant and small competition abounds.

The Eslandians are a romantic and freedom loving people, cherishing long and winding stories. Nobility still loves to dress in armor, even though those days are over. The horse is also a useful tool, especially when dealing with natives, and most Eslandians know how to ride a horse and shoot at the same time. Eslandola has no state religion, but leaves such matters entirely to the desires of its people.

Garvey
Demonym: Garvians
Flag:
Monarch: Leopaldis IV
Capital: Kieg
Colonies: Prinport, Holder’s Rock, in the Sea of Storms
Founded in 363AE, Garvey has a history of standing up to larger nations. Winning three major wars against Mardier, including its independence, and one major war against Eslandola in 470AE, the Garvians are considered tough fighters and elusive sailors. Garvey has long been a nation of smugglers, which is one of the reasons it has had such good relations with sea scum such as the new faction of outlaws and adventurers known as the Sea Rats. In recent years, some have called the small nation “The Fence of Madrice” because the lack of trade laws and customs enforcement has given the Sea Rats a legitimate nation to distribute their plunder. Most of the transfer of goods happens at the tiny island in the Sea of Storms called Holder’s Rock and its one city, Prinport. The city is well guarded, and well protected for a Garvian city. All nations are welcome to trade there.

Mardier
Demonym: Mardierians
Flag:

Founded in 103AE, Mardier is one of the Great Four nations of the Madrice Peninsula.
Namere
Demonym: Nami
Flag:
Founded in 403AE,

Oleon
Demonym: Oleander
Flag:

Founded in 106AE, Oleon is one of the Great Four nations of the Madrice Peninsula.
Pontilla
Demonym: Pontillans
Flag:
Founded in 106AE,

Varcoast
Demonym: Varcosians
Flag:
Founded in 106AE,

[SkaForHire]

Religions of Oleon and most of the Madrice Peninsula



The Order of the Faith worships the Aplynacian Gods, of which there are 3, along with a cast of lesser deities and demi-gods who are mentioned in the lore. It is said that first, there was Chaos. Then, the Titans were birthed of the Chaos, and the world was forged at their hands. Then, came the three main Gods, the brothers Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. These three, seeing the barbaric nature of the Titans, overthrew the evil Titans and sentenced the foulest of them to the cursed realm of Tartarus. The heroic Gods then divided the world between them. To Hades, the eldest God, went the Underworld and all that emerges from beneath the ground. To Poseidon went the seas and all that is derived from them. And, Zeus, the youngest, but the most powerful and righteous, claimed the heavens as King of the Gods, and took the great Mount Aplynacus as his residence and as the court of the Gods. All three shared the earth, where mortals were allowed to live. They now rule the mortals benevolently, ensuring that the evil influence of the Titans holds no sway in their hearts.

There are many tales and texts relating the often confusing and contradictory mythos of The Faith, These legends are disseminated and approved by the ever-present Order of the Faith.

The Order holds great power in Oleon, and has secured its hold over the people through a variety of methods. The Clergy offers public sermons in Cathedrals and Temples to the gods, and holds feasts and festivals on holy days, while its covert operatives employ more clandestine approaches, such as silencing vocal non-believers and heretics, and bribing/blackmailing dissenting public officials. The Order of the Faith also owns great swaths of land, especially in New Oleon, where they act as the de facto government. They even fund missionary and conquistador voyages to spread their beliefs and influence to the new world.

The Order's internal system of organization is confusing to an outsider, however, a simple rule of thumb is that Clerics of Zeus hold the greatest power, followed by Clerics of Poseidon, and then Clerics of Hades. Clerics of Zeus hold the greatest influence in the Old World, however Clerics to Poseidon have proliferated and grown in power in the Colonies. Clerics to Hades are a strange bunch. They dress in red and are seldom seen save for at funerals. The Clerics of Hades are often those who carry out the Order's less savory activities, and have the power to declare a heretic or enemy of the Order "Already Dead." and execute the sentence.



Clerics in the Order of the Faith wear white or grey robes, although Clerics to Hades always wear red or black robes (which further puts them at odds with Corringtonians, who wear their sacred colours with no respect for the gods.) It is not uncommon for the less fortunate clerics, and missionaries to wear brown or tan in the absence of white or grey robes.

It is unknown who leads the Order, however, more likely than not, it is an assembly of the High Priests.

[SkaForHire]

Wars of the Madrice Peninsula

This section has a little bit about the more well known conflicts that befell the major nations of the Peninsula, and it is meant as a guide for those who want to add some historic context to their stories and builds, or for those wishing to MOC famous battles from the past. Although this timeline is open to additions, we should try to use "known" wars as much as possible to keep from entering a history where there was a war every year between every nation. Still, the community is welcomed to "make up" some history!

[While the timeline is a little porous, feel free to create wars if needed. If you MOC any historic mocs that related to these wars, then let us know and we will link them after the corresponding war]


War Timeline

103AE – 105AE Mardier’s War for Independence – Mardier broke from the Madrice Empire.

106AE – 110AE The Great War of Separation – Corrington, Oleon, Pontilla, and Varcoast fight a war for territory, as the crumbling Madrice Empire finally falls. It was a four sided war, with Oleon in the middle being squeezed from all sides. No real victor, but borders close to the modern borders were created.

258AE – 352AE The War Time Forgot or The War that Forgot to End or the Mardierian Intervention -- The most destructive war was the War that Time Forgot, or the Mardierian Intervention as it is known to the rest of the peninsula outside of Corrington and Oleon. The war started in 258 AE, and by 325 AE Corrington had captured most of Oleon to the gates of its capital, Granoleon. It was a marriage of the Oleonder king’s second daughter to the prince of Mardier that finally brought relief to Oleon. The Mardierians invaded the western portion of the peninsula, taking much of Corrington’s land, some to this day still held by Eslandola, and forced a peace in 352 AE. Unfortunately for Mardier, this was the beginning of the end of its dominance of the Great Triangle region. After raising too many taxes to fight the Corlanders, many regions revolted. This created the nations of Namere, Carno, Garvey, Baldondia, and most importantly, Eslandola.

354AE – 370AE The Mardierian Fall – during this war Eslandola, Carno, Garvey, Altonia, Balondia, and Namere broke away from Mardier.

470AE – 473AE The Eslandolan / Garvey War – Eslandola decided to take over Garvey, Garvey fought them back for three years until a status quo antebellum was achieved via the Treaty of Notti.

459AE – 463AE The Midlands War -- Oleon’s biggest success was the union of its own monarchy with that of the nation of Guelph. In 459 AE, after a small civil war, Guelph was conquered and Oleon became two kingdoms within the same Empire. New Oleon sits further to the south in a region called the Midlands.

541AE – 590AE The Forty-Nine Years War – Started over a personal insult to the King of Corrington, the Corish invasion fleet took over Belondia, a traditional ally of both Eslandola and Oleon. Eslandola stayed neutral during the war, but supported Belondia rebels. Oleon and its island allies, Peppin, Myrph, and the Isle of Tam attacked Corrington. However, King Arlin I had planned for this and had a large force of Northern Corlanders on the border with Oleon. For most of the war almost every battle was fought within Oleon, destroying much of the countryside in the Northern most parts of the country. Without Eslandola to worry about, the Corish invasion fleet left Belondia under a skeleton garrison and sacked Peppin (which had technically been a province of Corrington, and was in rebellion) and Myrph by 557AE. In 589 the Isle of Tam fell to Corrington. The next year Oleon and Corrington signed “Arlin’s Pact” which stated that Oleon and Corrington would never fight again as long as Arlin lived. Arlin was assassinated in 600AE.

607AE – 608AE The Juniper War – A war between Oleon and Corrington over the Great Juniper groves that lay on the border of the two nations. Somewhat trifle, the causes of this war are more deeply rooted than trees. After the defeat of Oleon in the 49 years war, the need for revenge added fuel to the fire here. Oleon was swift and decisive, and an unprepared Corrington, whose Southern Fleet was in the Sea of Storms, was forced to negotiate a peace. Losing the 100 square

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[Captain Pirate Man]

Question.

What role do the "yellows" play? I see they have an island. Do they have a government? Fleet? Etc? Are they activly trying to explore? Who controls them?

[Garmadon]

Question.

What role do the "yellows" play? I see they have an island. Do they have a government? Fleet? Etc? Are they actively trying to explore? Who controls them?

I suppose you are referring to the Mardians? If so, they are a NPC (non-player character) nation whose government, fleet, etc, is controlled by the leadership of BoBS and to be used in the storyline/challenges. The island however is run practically independent of the nation on the continent, and is used by the other nations who pay a fee to replenish and repair their ships on the island. Right now only the three main empires (Eslandola, Corrington, and Oleon) are active in exploration.

[Captain Pirate Man]

I suppose you are referring to the Mardians? If so, they are a NPC (non-player character) nation whose government, fleet, etc, is controlled by the leadership of BoBS and to be used in the storyline/challenges. The island however is run practically independent of the nation on the continent, and is used by the other nations who pay a fee to replenish and repair their ships on the island. Right now only the three main empires (Eslandola, Corrington, and Oleon) are active in exploration.

Thanks. Yes they were exactly who I was talking about.

[SkaForHire]

Mardrier is the most fleshed out, and most important of the NPC nations. You can license buildings in any of their cities, which you can find on the Terraversa map. To do so, you can message me and I will let you know what the government's current rental fee is.

[mccoyed]

I'm thinking about finally getting into the mix here. I was probably going to join the Sea Rats and maybe have a sigfig from one of the countries that aren't in the Great 4. I was wondering what lore there was for the others, if any?

[Kai NRG]

I'm thinking about finally getting into the mix here. I was probably going to join the Sea Rats and maybe have a sigfig from one of the countries that aren't in the Great 4. I was wondering what lore there was for the others, if any?

This thread is where most of the lore for other countries is (there's not a whole lot, admittedly); there's also the Namere build-off, the Carno build-off, and the Mardier build-off, which I suppose each have a little smattering in them.

[Capn Frank]

I was wondering what lore there was for the others, if any?

If there's no lore, then you could probably make some up.

Just do your best not to contradict what has been established by Ska and others.

That's what I did a little bit. I've suggested that Tellvok, Salleck, and Pan roughly correlate to the Saracen states with Oleon establishing New Oleon in the area.

[Bregir]

It would be great to have more of the NPC countries fleshed out a bit, and as Phred said, stay within the (limited) existing lore and the setting, and you can basically get the honour of fleshing them out.

If you have a specific nation in mind, you could ask Ska if he had some real life counterpart in mind when he designed it.

EDIT: Phred: Saracan or Barbary like states sounds great!

Edited June 11, 2016 by Bregir

[Jacob Nion]

I would love to have one dutch styled nation since the netherlands were a great mariner nation. Altonia maybe. The name fits in some way I think.

[TitusV]

I would love to have one dutch styled nation since the netherlands were a great mariner nation. Altonia maybe. The name fits in some way I think.

I'd love that as well, and Altonia feels right

[Jacob Nion]

I'd love that as well, and Altonia feels right

Also the size and location would fit well. Ska, could we do this pleeeeease?

Edited June 11, 2016 by Jacob Nion

[CelesAurivern]

I would love to have one dutch styled nation since the netherlands were a great mariner nation. Altonia maybe. The name fits in some way I think.

Mardier is Orange

[Kwatchi]

I thought Garvey was orange...

[Jacob Nion]

Mardier's yellow.

[SkaForHire]

Garvey wears purple, Mardier wears Yellow and Orange. We can change Altonia around to be more Dutch. I don't see a huge problem with that. They could also wear orange, they were once part of Mardier, so keeping similar colors would be fine. Maybe their colors are green and orange. I do have a flag for them somewhere, I can change up the colors. Namere wears grey, and their colors are grey and purple, with a wolf emblem. Carno's color is red... I have to find the original file to let you know about the other ones.

A little more on politics of the smaller nations near Mardier:

Namere, once part of Mardier, are the easternmost people on the continent. They are avid seafarers, but mostly travel west. They control the gateway to the north coast of Halos, and have a pretty strong local navy. They are currently involved in open support for the rebels in the Mardier Civil War, and have been issuing letters of mark. The rebels opinion is that any of the major nations that still trade with Mardier (all of them) are supporting the "False King" in power currently. So a Namere privateer would have permission from Mardier rebel command to plunder any ships of another country not currently backing the rebels (Namere, Carno, Garvey, Altonia).

[Ayrlego]

Does anyone have any objections to me portraying people from the southern part of the Mokolei Empire as similar to the historic Indian subcontinent?

Sort of similar to Phred's portrayal of people from the New Olean area as Middle Eastern (which I am a huge fan of BTW and incorporated into a recent build).I have a storyline in mind and some Indian style buildings I'd like to do along these lines. In short basically a Prince from the loosely federated states of the Mokolei Empire flees to the new world with his family and retainers. They form a small community in my settlement (a Mokolei quarter?) I can then do some residential and cultural builds in an Indian type style and raise a company of Sepoys. Would this be a problem with the overall story?

[kaiju]

Honestly, the name sounds more African - specifically it sounds like the African myth Mokele-Mbembe.