Idea Search

[merlinofchaos]

Ok kids, I need some ideas.

I am attempting to populate my world, and I have this tendency to hit a blank wall. Most worlds aren't completely populated from just one person's brain.

So what I'm looking for are kingdom ideas. I'm pretty good at running with a basic idea, but well, there are lots of kingdoms and I don't want them to all just be clones of each other, so I'm looking for a little spice.

Here are the parameters:

BTW, by kingdom mostly I mean political entity. It doesn't have to be king-ruler type of kingdom. Could just
be a grouping of city-states. Or it could even be quasi-democracy. Who knows.

Mostly human, of various races. In fact, most of the western european style kingdoms are already populated, so most of what
I'm likely to want to do include less western traditions, especially in ethnic appearance and culture.

There are non-human races, and there can be entirely non-human kingdoms, though these are a bit
dicy. Elves are unlikely, but still possible if it's interesting. My elves are xenophobic by nature, and it's
not likely they'll overcome that politically. Dwarves are the most likely in terms of non-humans to organize somewhat and
be wide open to human interaction. Orcs and goblins don't organize well. An organized maroan (catman) or gnoll kingdom
is possible too.

The magic level is medium; it's generally restricted to those born with the capability of doing it. In some parts of the world magic is really hated, unless it's priestly, but in other parts it can be tolerated.

I have lots of terrain to play with. In one part of the world I have a big, sort of evil-ish empire that's expanding,
and in another part of the world I have the remains of an older empire that collapse several hundred years ago,
but like the Roman empire (which it is heavily based upon) its influence is still felt simply by having touched
so many people in so many places.

Oh yes, humans mix with all of the races really well, so half-human stuff is great and fits into the world really well; but the races don't mix with each other, so there is no half-dwarf/half-elf combo, for example.

Comments

[fenodoree.livejournal.com]

I've always found some of the models of other governments interesting, such as theocracies, etc. I remember the Theocracy of the Pale from the old old D&D days, and Stephen had a few interesting ones in his game, one that ruled by the demon summoners, another by the necromancers. Then there's the rule by being the best at what you do, (I forget the term) so it's rule by merit.

In other words, consider how the rulership works and evolve the society out from there. You might come up with some interesting twists. Feel free to shoot the breeze with me online if you're so inclined.

I have always had this wacky idea...

[ebonlock.livejournal.com]

For a sort of amazonian nation made up entirely of female dwarves. I'm not sure why, but the very idea has always amused me.

On a slightly more workable note, how about a sort of pseudo state entity like the Rom. There's leadership, but no defined borders, just family, religious and ethnic ties between groups of caravans. Maybe the King/Patriarch/Queen/Matriarch character tends to hang out in whatever state court will have him/her and the alliances of this large but widespread people are in constant flux. Despite being farflung they have an incredibly efficient and organized system of governance and communication. I could go on and on, but I've probably babbled enough :)

[lonespiritwolf2.livejournal.com]

Oooh...how about a gypsy race of Maroan. Hard to find groups that are nomads. A bandoleer type of leader (or a gypsy king/prince, queen/princess). Very family/clan/friend oriented. Honor based (well, their honor anyways).

These are always good for knowledge/lore/history spots.

This is what I thought of when you first told us about them.

[hotpoint.livejournal.com]

I tend to stick with humans for my nation ideas, and my world is dominated by humans. I think that humans tend to form nations more easily than other races; they have a long enough lifespan to build things but not enough to remember what they used to be, and they have an ability to view humanity as split between 'my friends' and 'those other guys' and to sustain the spirit of feuds while forgetting the details. Longer-lived races like elves and dwarves, and shorter-lived races like orcs would lack that special balance.

One thing that intrigues me is population movement. Since you have an empire that collapsed some time ago, perhaps having a nation of warrior nomadic tribes (Goths, Huns, etc) who either precipitated in the collapse but have settled down, or moved into the territory of the empire afterwards, and have now become farmers friendly to their new neighbors? That enables them to be culturally and linguistically different from their immediate neighbors, certainly with romantic attachments to historical figures others would see as brutes and conquerors, yet not causing war and bloodshed (which they would likely lose, if all of their neighbors ganged up on them) now. A kingdom whose head is descended from the warrior king who decided that it was time to settle down would be ruled by the royal family that decided that changing their ways and settling down was the best option, giving it a great deal of legitimacy. And if things went horribly wrong, they might be able to pack up and learn how to be nomads again.

Another linguistic isolate possibility is mountain people who've been there forever and sullenly hate anyone who tries to rule them. Dark, secret magics can be attributed to them, worked in a tongue nobody can speak (most of them speak some Common). Think Basques.

Nations whose ruling class is imported but are being assimilated: I'm thinking of the Kingdom of Sicily, back when the Norman French (ex-Vikings) sailed over there and took over, or the Mongols conquered the Chinese and were assimilated by them. The rulers are gradually speaking yet another language as they get raised by local nannies, and they have several bardic traditions with their individual myths, gods and songs being blended together.

Imperial collapse can leave strong feelings behind -- Yugoslavia, where a relatively homogeneous ethnic and linguistic area was left with three religions (Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim) by different waves of settlement, cultural influence and conflict, is the most strife-riven area that comes to mind. Monotheism in general exacerbates such problems, but even in a polytheistic region tolerance can be scanty; the outside influences to disrupt a western European tradition can be imported religion or language.

Jungle countries, where the merchant-kingdom only controls the coast and some of the length of a major river, and natives fill the interior. Trade goes on and provides the food and the riches for the kingdom, in exchange, but the merchants and rulers don't have a very clear idea of where the trade goods come from or what might interrupt that trade flow. And then there are pirates...

Greek city-states are neat ideas but don't adapt well to modern warfare; they can't raise a large enough army on their own and they can't afford enough mercenaries. City-states could exist in mountain valleys (think Switzerland), and you could have a collection of pseudo-democracies or petty noble states, each fiercely guarding its independence and envying its neighbors, but outside armies get repelled by militias at the mountain passes. Perhaps some of the city-states would be dwarven, and the humans could be intermediaries selling the dwarven goods as well as farming for the food both races needed.

[tayefeth.livejournal.com]

If the elves are xenophobic, does that mean there are territories where non-elves don't dare go because the elves will get cranky?

[merlinofchaos]

Oh yes.

There's a large (thousandish square miles? Possibly more) forest
that any non-elf caught in is put to death.

They really don't like outsiders. They're cranky.

That forest has also the only known remaining landmark from the time the Gods walked the land, too, so people try to go there anyway. Stupid people, but hey.

[colubra.livejournal.com]

I have found, in past, that the best way I have for making up new kingdoms/principalities/nations for a storyworld is to just go spelunking for the oddest possible way of creating a government- then trying to come up with a way to make that work. We've got a couple good examples of kleptocracy out there already (Thieves' World & Lankhmar both come to mind).
Rule by the _______: fill in the blank repeatedly.
1: Rule by the chickens. Okay, that one doesn't work...
2: Rule by the psychic. What would a psyocracy practice? Obviously they're well-suited to rule, since those who are not psychic couldn't lie to them, perhaps...
3: Rule by the accursed class of religious outcasts. This one intrigues me: what does that tell us about the religion? Are they withdrawn eremites, the further they get into their religious order? Are those who are shunned the only people who are permitted to involve themselves in the affairs of man?
4: Rule by the childless: Why by the childless? What benefits are there to having people without children ruling?

That's how I always do it, though: come up with a bunch of completely bizarre arbitrary patterns of rulership, then make something up to explain it. Nobody's going to notice that the person they deal with most often in Kalabastan and Margyan are the same person essentially, if Kalabastan is ruled by a cabal of powerful atheists, and Margyan is ruled by the One Church of the Other.

Hey!

[rrauwl.livejournal.com]

I tend to do the same thing (see below). But I start with a general structure, because it's too easy to fall into archetypes if you do Ruled By before structure. The chicken nation should be, you know, a vegetarian poultry utopia. But isn't it more interesting if they're a capitalist caste system, and they actively export some of their population as food? :)

[drivingblind.livejournal.com]

Come, steal from the Born to be Kings atlas:

http://www.iago.net/amber/kings/atlas.shtml

[mysticmoose.livejournal.com]

I'd be glad to talk to you about this sometime (perhaps on Logrus when I get back home)! It sounds very interesting.

Well, sure, I'm bored.

[rrauwl.livejournal.com]

1) Mirasalem

Type: Theocracy

Geography: Isolated (islands, a desert people, etc)

Ruled By: Belief. Over 80 percent of the population believes in a single religion, power is given to the church to elect officials as they see fit.

Power Structure: A 'pope' figure is elected (or 'chosen') for a 5 year period, serving once and only once, then spending the rest of their life preaching among the people and nations.

Enforcers: Church police and military, in the form of clerics and holy knights. The rogue's guild is contained and controlled, in whole, by the church and used to perform miraculous events (things appearing overnight, messages and signs, etc).

Military Might: Known for their fearless [armada if on sea, calvary if on land]. Outside influence is controlled and minimized by strong border control, and strictly regulated immigration and emigration.

Other Laws: Sorcery and non-divine magic is banned, punishable by death. Preaching another religion carries a sentence of hard labor in the mines. Polygamy is legal, so long as proof of the ability to support X families is rendered. Same sex and interracial relationships that cannot bear children are not only legal, but encouraged as 'blessed' in order to hedge against population inflation in such a contained area.


2) Stevwul

Type: Democratic Bureaucracy

Geography: Foothills and forests (large, sprawling)

Ruled By: Evolving set of laws. Complex code of legal parameters in constant flux as judicial bodies rule on the land's two word constitution: "Be civil."

Power Structure: People rank who the most civil public servants were, every 3 years. The top 9 averages go on to judge the High Court, top 99 to the District Courts, top 999 to the Regional Courts, and top 9,999 to the Local Courts. Judges must have been lawyers for at least 6 years prior to appointment. Lawyers have no real power unless they become judges.

Enforcers: The entire population. Citizens are empowered to carry out the rulings of the courts. If questions arise, they are to wait for further instructions from the courts after submitting their questions about the ruling. Because of this, citizens are expected to be armed, every man, woman, and child.

Military Might: The population, under current law, has a rotating citizen's militia. There are volunteer waiting lists, the civic pride in serving is so great. 10 percent of the population serve in an active or reserve role, defending the 35 percent of the population that supports the legal system, and the 50 percent that keep food on the tables. 5 percent live in the wilderness, away from the courts and cities, living a much more simple life.

Other Laws: Laws change from season to season as the words "Be Civil" are interpreted in hundreds of ways, changing to fit whatever the current community issues are. Laws about personal behavior that don't impact others are currently unenforceable, because of strong personal protection and privacy laws.


3) Yrm

Type: Dictatorship

Geography: Dusty, dry plains

Ruled By: Evan Trimbly, Necromancer.

Power Structure: Evan has all of the power. He's not a bad sort though, just warped. The entire population of Yrm are animated zombies, living a parody of their former lives, through the rose tinted lenses of Evan's psyche.

Enforcers: The Yrm Police Force are, of course, undead. Like most folks, they don't shamble so much as walk and run stiffly. They tend to work off of an ancient 'code of laws', which is illegal to write down or record in any way. In reality, they live my Evan's moral guidelines.

Military Might: The only standing army, as such, are 'Yrm's First Division'. Mostly pikemen and crossbowmen, all zombies. There is no chain of command, they seem to know what Evan would want them to do, and they do it.

Other Laws: Laws are, of course, Evan's will. Tourism isn't hot in this area, but the living are fully tolerated by the dead, and goods and services, though not great, are available to tend to them. The zombies are forgiving of little infractions of their unwritten laws by outsiders. A recent push towards tourism has been made, and plans for more marketing and infrastructure are in the works.


Enjoy!