Storm Earth and Fire
Would you like to make a contract?
Approximately 200 years ago, explorers from a continent rising out of an era of strife and anarchy crossed the ocean in search of riches, glory, and escape. They found a whole new world. Pokemon on this previously unknown continent seemed to live simplistic lives, free of worries that gripped 'civilized' Pokemon back home, surrounded by beautiful landscapes and abundant resources. The natives cultivated a life with the land, only clearing that which they needed.
They showed marked differences, notably in religious beliefs. The Pokemon of the 'Old World' believed in one god Pokemon, Arceus, though with many, many different interpretations, but mostly acknowledging that no other Pokemon had anything near the same status as Arceus. The natives of the 'New World' seemed to believe in a plethora of legendary Pokemon, all having a role in the world and holding roughly equal status. Some of the natives migrated often, others were settled, unlike the Old World where just about everyone was settled. They were organized into tribes, rather than states.
200 years later, the promises of plentiful, bountiful land and riches, as escape from overflowing cities, a prosperous life as a trader, and escape from persecution of all sorts have led many to settle in the New World. Kings, princes, and other heads of state in the Old World commissioned charters allowing groups of Pokemon to cross the ocean and claim their stake in the name of their country.
And with these foreign settlers from many different nations came inevitable tension and conflict. Squabbles with natives aren't uncommon. Arguments between different colonies from different states could escalate into skirmishes as well. And wars from the Old World were carried out in the rich lands of the New World as well.
Experiences in the New World have shaped unique cultures and views. And some grow unsatisfied with mere colony status. They cite oppressive controls from the mother country, and especially unfair taxes, and call for petitions, representation, autonomy, and, if none of these are met, independence.
Nestled in the woods along opposite banks of a river stand two colonies, Nij Ljouwert and Shadowvale, which share generally few similarities, whether in philosophy, government, or culture. And hidden away from these two colonies would be the lands of the local native tribe, the Nootka.
Nij Ljouwert: Founded by a trade and colonial charter company, Nij Ljouwert initially existed as a trading post, the prime force behind all decisions being profit. As such, it's population was initially minimal. However, recent decisions have opened up settlement charters to anyone, and it is now a popular destination for those repressed in the Old World. However, Nij Ljouwert's mercantile spirit remains strong, and trade through the town still makes up a large part of it's income.
The town itself occupies a fairly small piece of land, not far from the river. A path extends to the banks of the river, and a dock is under construction. Small patches of land have been cleared to grow various food crops on a small scale in an effort to make the colony at least partly self-sustaining. Buildings are sturdy wooden structures built from local trees. One can notice the beginnings of districts, a residential, mercantile, and artisans, though the settlement isn't quite large enough to make them official.
While the company rules Nij Ljouwert, the Stadtholder, the ruling prince back in the home country, has to be reported to and exercises ultimate authority. A colonial assembly was instituted 10 or so years ago, allowing democratically elected representatives to meet regularly with the governor and bring the will of the people to the government. The number of members is not specified, but rather, is adjusted based on population trends. The assembly can levy taxes and amend the colony's laws, but the governor can veto any proposal. There is talk, and worry, that Nij Ljouwert at any time could change into a direct colony of the mother country, rather than a company-managed colony.
Shadowvale: Shadowvale is a vibrant aristocratic city-state, nestled on the banks of a river. While technically they call themselves a republic and they hold elections to select their representatives, the large, founding Shadiya family holds considerable influence within the colony's politics, and elections are limited to citizens of the colony. Colonists automatically gain citizenship upon completion of 10 years of schooling, and schooling is free for children of citizens. However, citizens are considered to be the highest cast, and are made up mostly of Flygons, as compared with prisoners, slaves, and journeymen. Slaves are tied to the citizen who owns them, and are treated as their property, while journeymen are free individuals, mainly immigrants, although with some freed slaves and prisoners. However, schooling to become a citizen, for a journeyman, is not free, and this fact helps keep citizenship in the hands of the wealthy and privileged.
Shadowvale has a tremendous support for the arts and sciences, and rewards are often given for demonstrated excellence and brilliance. Despite their social structure, they are often considered rather progressive, putting a strong emphasis in education and technology.
There is a leadership council of 13 members, that the citizens elect. Then, the Governor is chosen by the council from its own members. So, there are 12 other 'council members' available
Fun facts: Shadowvale's number and monetary system is based on Base-6, rather than Base-10. This is in part because Flygons have 3 fingers, as opposed to 5. There are 4 separate coins, all with a proportional worth of 6, labeled A, B, C, and D. A coins are worth 6 times as much as B, 36 as much as C, and 216 times as much as D coins. Money amounts thus are given in the form "$A.B.C.D".
Nootka: Fishing is a big thing to the Nootka, and one of the most important deities is Kyogre, who represents the bounty and power of the sea. Other important deities include Shaymin, the nature-mother, and Ho-Oh, the life-giving sun, but there are many others.
The Nootka society is mostly matriarchal, believing strongly in the value of women as the givers of life, and the tribe is run by a female elder. However, that does not mean that men are not important; they are important as hunters as well as part of the government. Women and men are treated equally for the most part, though the scales are tilted more in favour of the female side.
There are many customs centered around the coming of age in both males and females. Men are sent out at the age of 13 alone into the woods for seven days to prove their worth. If they can bring back the feather that the Elder has planted in the depths of the forest, they officially become part of the hunters. When females reach the age of 13, they face a challenge of their own. They must go forth to the beach and sit on a special ceremonial rock for three days, alone, and think. They will eventually have a vision, sent to them by the deity of women, Latias, and it will tell them their fate, be it as a mother, a mystic, or an old maid.
The authority system works sort of like this:
1. Elder + Elder's Mate
2. Hunting & Fishing group Leaders
3. Mystics
4. Old Ones (over 40 years old)
5. Hunters
6. Everyone else
The Nootka are proficient in the arts, able to skillfully carve various kinds of wood to make canoes, totem poles, and ceremonial masks. They mostly trade good and not money, though precious stones found in the surrounding areas occasionally serve as a sort of currency.
The Nootka hold lavish ceremonies to celebrate coming-of-age, harvests, and significant events, these ceremonies usually have large amounts of food, music, and dancing. Masks are used in the dances that represent various gods; Latias and Latios, the twins and guardians of women and men respectively, Ho-Oh, the Sun, Kyogre, the sea, and Shaymin, nature, are the most used masks, but ones featuring Giratina, goddess of death are used in funeral ceremonies as well.
Why yes, I did it. Here is the colonial Pokemon RP.
Rules:
- Forum rules. That's all I will say about that.
- No legendaries.
- Ask permission before killing someone's character.
- This should be fairly open-ended. Unsatisfied with your governor? Then do something about it. Hate those colonies? Give raids a try.
- The setting? A humid subtropical, forested area, not too far from the ocean. A river divides the area, and not far away from it are the two colonies, one on each side, and hugged by trees due to relatively little chopping for farmland. Nestled in some foothills farther away from the colonies would be a native Pokemon settlement, notable for it's neighboring fields, cleared from the forest for farmland.
- You can have two characters, but they must be from the same faction.
- Most likely this will start when all factions have 3 users in them.
- This thread says planning because I'm always open to ideas.
Info and whose who:
Nij Ljouwert
(Dutch/Frisian)
Governmental Style: Democratic
Governor: Rokus van Snits (Storm, Earth, and Fire)
Lieutenant Governor: empty
Colonial Armed Forces Commander: Heike Broekemeier (Minnow)
Colonial Assembly: (There will be a bunch of these, seeing as how it's an assembly. Don't be afraid to join this late.)
Citizens:
Shadowvale
Governmental Style: Oligarchic
Governor: Aniya Shadia (Kali the Flygon)
Leadership Council: (up to 12 members)
Citizens:
Kali Shadiya (Kali the Flygon)
Journeymen:
Nootka (Closed)
(Nuu-chah-nulth)
Governmental Style: Despotic (Or did I assume wrong?)
Elder: Zyanya (Full Metal Cookies)
Elder's Mate: Tecumseh (moon-panther)
Hunting Group Leader: Hania (Grass King)
Fishing Group Leader:
Mystics:
Kanti (Evoli)
Old Ones:
Hunters/Fishers:
Denya (Dragon)
Achak (Grass King)
Others:
Ananya (Dragon)
Misu (Evoli)
Form:
Name: Try and stay culturally appropriate...
Species:
Gender:
Age:
Appearance: Well this is pretty much optional if you want to note anything special.
Faction: If you want to be some sort of crazy native who has decided the colonies are better, state that in your bio. And be sure to put assimilation under issues.
Occupation: Assuming your character is employed.
Stances: This spot is actually optional, you can be indifferent or choose to hide your intentions until the thing starts. For colonists the main issues are treatment of natives (assimilation, trade, peace, or hostility) and status (loyalty, autonomy, independence). For natives the main issue is stance towards the colonists (hostility, peace, trade, assimilation)
Personality:
Bio:
Other:
Name: Rokus van Snits
Species: Breloom
Gender: Male
Age: 35
Appearance: He wears a scarf with an orange-white-blue tricolor pattern.
Faction: Nij Ljouwert
Occupation: Governor
Stances: trade, autonomy
Personality: Rokus is an apologetic, honest governor. He is quite flexible, except in his native policy, where he is quite hard set on building a working trade relationship with the natives, and especially doesn't tolerate threats of violence towards them. Rokus believes in democratic principles, as seen by the fact that he opened a colonial assembly and even holds town hall meetings to try and gauge public opinion, sometimes running in opposition to normal colonial company policy. Rokus is quite a trusting person, and forgiving. He always tries to seek the opinions of others in his rule, and when interacting with the heads of other colonies or native tribes, Rokus tries to secure mutual consensus. Though an efficient administrator, some might see him as an ineffectual ruler who doesn't press others hard enough.
Bio: Rokus is an official in a colonial company, born to a mercantile family. Rokus was a steady worker in the company's bureaucracy who took promotions slowly compared to others. His appointment to the established Nij Ljouwert colony came as a surprise to many, but Rokus has proved himself competent in the post.
They showed marked differences, notably in religious beliefs. The Pokemon of the 'Old World' believed in one god Pokemon, Arceus, though with many, many different interpretations, but mostly acknowledging that no other Pokemon had anything near the same status as Arceus. The natives of the 'New World' seemed to believe in a plethora of legendary Pokemon, all having a role in the world and holding roughly equal status. Some of the natives migrated often, others were settled, unlike the Old World where just about everyone was settled. They were organized into tribes, rather than states.
200 years later, the promises of plentiful, bountiful land and riches, as escape from overflowing cities, a prosperous life as a trader, and escape from persecution of all sorts have led many to settle in the New World. Kings, princes, and other heads of state in the Old World commissioned charters allowing groups of Pokemon to cross the ocean and claim their stake in the name of their country.
And with these foreign settlers from many different nations came inevitable tension and conflict. Squabbles with natives aren't uncommon. Arguments between different colonies from different states could escalate into skirmishes as well. And wars from the Old World were carried out in the rich lands of the New World as well.
Experiences in the New World have shaped unique cultures and views. And some grow unsatisfied with mere colony status. They cite oppressive controls from the mother country, and especially unfair taxes, and call for petitions, representation, autonomy, and, if none of these are met, independence.
Nestled in the woods along opposite banks of a river stand two colonies, Nij Ljouwert and Shadowvale, which share generally few similarities, whether in philosophy, government, or culture. And hidden away from these two colonies would be the lands of the local native tribe, the Nootka.
Nij Ljouwert: Founded by a trade and colonial charter company, Nij Ljouwert initially existed as a trading post, the prime force behind all decisions being profit. As such, it's population was initially minimal. However, recent decisions have opened up settlement charters to anyone, and it is now a popular destination for those repressed in the Old World. However, Nij Ljouwert's mercantile spirit remains strong, and trade through the town still makes up a large part of it's income.
The town itself occupies a fairly small piece of land, not far from the river. A path extends to the banks of the river, and a dock is under construction. Small patches of land have been cleared to grow various food crops on a small scale in an effort to make the colony at least partly self-sustaining. Buildings are sturdy wooden structures built from local trees. One can notice the beginnings of districts, a residential, mercantile, and artisans, though the settlement isn't quite large enough to make them official.
While the company rules Nij Ljouwert, the Stadtholder, the ruling prince back in the home country, has to be reported to and exercises ultimate authority. A colonial assembly was instituted 10 or so years ago, allowing democratically elected representatives to meet regularly with the governor and bring the will of the people to the government. The number of members is not specified, but rather, is adjusted based on population trends. The assembly can levy taxes and amend the colony's laws, but the governor can veto any proposal. There is talk, and worry, that Nij Ljouwert at any time could change into a direct colony of the mother country, rather than a company-managed colony.
Shadowvale: Shadowvale is a vibrant aristocratic city-state, nestled on the banks of a river. While technically they call themselves a republic and they hold elections to select their representatives, the large, founding Shadiya family holds considerable influence within the colony's politics, and elections are limited to citizens of the colony. Colonists automatically gain citizenship upon completion of 10 years of schooling, and schooling is free for children of citizens. However, citizens are considered to be the highest cast, and are made up mostly of Flygons, as compared with prisoners, slaves, and journeymen. Slaves are tied to the citizen who owns them, and are treated as their property, while journeymen are free individuals, mainly immigrants, although with some freed slaves and prisoners. However, schooling to become a citizen, for a journeyman, is not free, and this fact helps keep citizenship in the hands of the wealthy and privileged.
Shadowvale has a tremendous support for the arts and sciences, and rewards are often given for demonstrated excellence and brilliance. Despite their social structure, they are often considered rather progressive, putting a strong emphasis in education and technology.
There is a leadership council of 13 members, that the citizens elect. Then, the Governor is chosen by the council from its own members. So, there are 12 other 'council members' available
Fun facts: Shadowvale's number and monetary system is based on Base-6, rather than Base-10. This is in part because Flygons have 3 fingers, as opposed to 5. There are 4 separate coins, all with a proportional worth of 6, labeled A, B, C, and D. A coins are worth 6 times as much as B, 36 as much as C, and 216 times as much as D coins. Money amounts thus are given in the form "$A.B.C.D".
Nootka: Fishing is a big thing to the Nootka, and one of the most important deities is Kyogre, who represents the bounty and power of the sea. Other important deities include Shaymin, the nature-mother, and Ho-Oh, the life-giving sun, but there are many others.
The Nootka society is mostly matriarchal, believing strongly in the value of women as the givers of life, and the tribe is run by a female elder. However, that does not mean that men are not important; they are important as hunters as well as part of the government. Women and men are treated equally for the most part, though the scales are tilted more in favour of the female side.
There are many customs centered around the coming of age in both males and females. Men are sent out at the age of 13 alone into the woods for seven days to prove their worth. If they can bring back the feather that the Elder has planted in the depths of the forest, they officially become part of the hunters. When females reach the age of 13, they face a challenge of their own. They must go forth to the beach and sit on a special ceremonial rock for three days, alone, and think. They will eventually have a vision, sent to them by the deity of women, Latias, and it will tell them their fate, be it as a mother, a mystic, or an old maid.
The authority system works sort of like this:
1. Elder + Elder's Mate
2. Hunting & Fishing group Leaders
3. Mystics
4. Old Ones (over 40 years old)
5. Hunters
6. Everyone else
The Nootka are proficient in the arts, able to skillfully carve various kinds of wood to make canoes, totem poles, and ceremonial masks. They mostly trade good and not money, though precious stones found in the surrounding areas occasionally serve as a sort of currency.
The Nootka hold lavish ceremonies to celebrate coming-of-age, harvests, and significant events, these ceremonies usually have large amounts of food, music, and dancing. Masks are used in the dances that represent various gods; Latias and Latios, the twins and guardians of women and men respectively, Ho-Oh, the Sun, Kyogre, the sea, and Shaymin, nature, are the most used masks, but ones featuring Giratina, goddess of death are used in funeral ceremonies as well.
Why yes, I did it. Here is the colonial Pokemon RP.
Rules:
- Forum rules. That's all I will say about that.
- No legendaries.
- Ask permission before killing someone's character.
- This should be fairly open-ended. Unsatisfied with your governor? Then do something about it. Hate those colonies? Give raids a try.
- The setting? A humid subtropical, forested area, not too far from the ocean. A river divides the area, and not far away from it are the two colonies, one on each side, and hugged by trees due to relatively little chopping for farmland. Nestled in some foothills farther away from the colonies would be a native Pokemon settlement, notable for it's neighboring fields, cleared from the forest for farmland.
- You can have two characters, but they must be from the same faction.
- Most likely this will start when all factions have 3 users in them.
- This thread says planning because I'm always open to ideas.
Info and whose who:
Nij Ljouwert
(Dutch/Frisian)
Governmental Style: Democratic
Governor: Rokus van Snits (Storm, Earth, and Fire)
Lieutenant Governor: empty
Colonial Armed Forces Commander: Heike Broekemeier (Minnow)
Colonial Assembly: (There will be a bunch of these, seeing as how it's an assembly. Don't be afraid to join this late.)
Citizens:
Shadowvale
Governmental Style: Oligarchic
Governor: Aniya Shadia (Kali the Flygon)
Leadership Council: (up to 12 members)
Citizens:
Kali Shadiya (Kali the Flygon)
Journeymen:
Nootka (Closed)
(Nuu-chah-nulth)
Governmental Style: Despotic (Or did I assume wrong?)
Elder: Zyanya (Full Metal Cookies)
Elder's Mate: Tecumseh (moon-panther)
Hunting Group Leader: Hania (Grass King)
Fishing Group Leader:
Mystics:
Kanti (Evoli)
Old Ones:
Hunters/Fishers:
Denya (Dragon)
Achak (Grass King)
Others:
Ananya (Dragon)
Misu (Evoli)
Form:
Name: Try and stay culturally appropriate...
Species:
Gender:
Age:
Appearance: Well this is pretty much optional if you want to note anything special.
Faction: If you want to be some sort of crazy native who has decided the colonies are better, state that in your bio. And be sure to put assimilation under issues.
Occupation: Assuming your character is employed.
Stances: This spot is actually optional, you can be indifferent or choose to hide your intentions until the thing starts. For colonists the main issues are treatment of natives (assimilation, trade, peace, or hostility) and status (loyalty, autonomy, independence). For natives the main issue is stance towards the colonists (hostility, peace, trade, assimilation)
Personality:
Bio:
Other:
Name: Rokus van Snits
Species: Breloom
Gender: Male
Age: 35
Appearance: He wears a scarf with an orange-white-blue tricolor pattern.
Faction: Nij Ljouwert
Occupation: Governor
Stances: trade, autonomy
Personality: Rokus is an apologetic, honest governor. He is quite flexible, except in his native policy, where he is quite hard set on building a working trade relationship with the natives, and especially doesn't tolerate threats of violence towards them. Rokus believes in democratic principles, as seen by the fact that he opened a colonial assembly and even holds town hall meetings to try and gauge public opinion, sometimes running in opposition to normal colonial company policy. Rokus is quite a trusting person, and forgiving. He always tries to seek the opinions of others in his rule, and when interacting with the heads of other colonies or native tribes, Rokus tries to secure mutual consensus. Though an efficient administrator, some might see him as an ineffectual ruler who doesn't press others hard enough.
Bio: Rokus is an official in a colonial company, born to a mercantile family. Rokus was a steady worker in the company's bureaucracy who took promotions slowly compared to others. His appointment to the established Nij Ljouwert colony came as a surprise to many, but Rokus has proved himself competent in the post.
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