The mandate is lost, those are the words that spread like wildfire, even before people truly knew what they meant. Those words, uttered en mass, were consuming the natural order and leaving only ashes in their wake. It is up to you to survive the chaos in a land without order, without rule, but one rife with opportunity. Will you find a worthy lord to serve, or carve your own path. Lead unstoppable armies or craft schemes that will unravel nations. Forge bonds that will last a lifetime and earn the ire of warlords everywhere. Your legacy is yours to craft, in the Folly of the Five Kingdoms!
Folly of the Five Kingdoms
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Chapter 1 Post 1: Hope's Folly
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The mandate is lost, those are the words that spread like wildfire, even before people truly knew what they meant. Those words, uttered in mass, were consuming the natural order and leaving only ashes in their wake. The words first arrived on a merchant caravan, claiming that the capitol had been burned to the ground, with no sign of the emperor since. At the time everyone dismissed them, the prince missing? Well then he'd be found soon, we all thought, if for no other reason than he had to be.
When the tax collectors failed to come, leaving our offerings in the town square, it began to sink in that maybe something of note really had happened. Still the mayor and militia captain assured us the collectors would be here soon and that everything would be fine, they would watch over our harvest in the meantime
It was only a couple days later that the rumors of bandits, sacking the surrounding countryside came to be. "There is nothing to worry about." said the mayor of your village, addressing the crowd you were now a part of. "The imperial army will soon come restore the peace." The thought should have put your mind at ease, but those words 'The mandate is lost' still echoed through the air.
"Then tell us," a voice belonging to a young woman, dressed in ornate robes, erupted from the crowd. "Why would they send an army of men, when they can not spare a dozen to collect our taxes?"
Her words seem to hit the mark and you briefly spot a brief glimpse of panic on the mayors face, as murmurs break out amongst the crowd. "We should run, run to the capitol." shouts a voice from the crowd, gathering quite a bit of agreement from the onlookers.
"Don't be stupid!" yells a man, with a Dao on his back and a warriors build. "Surely you've heard the rumors, the capitol is ashes. All you'd be doing is trading sturdy walls for dense forest or empty fields, neither of which are good against bandits. We should prepare to fight!" this too earns rumbles of agreement along with dissent.
You can't help, but notice the satisfied smirk on the face of the woman from earlier, before the argument is once again broken through, this time from a rather portly gentlemen you recognize as the local wine merchant. "Couldn't we try paying them off? We still have our taxes right? A full tiger doesn't hunt after all. I'll even throw in my entire harvest of wine if it will help." The man sounds surprisingly eager to have his plan adopted, despite the inordinate amount of cost to him.
As all this was going on the thing that was most notable was the mayor's reaction, the man was becoming more and more panicked as time went on. Sensing that the mayor was about to lose control, the militia captain steps in. "People, people, listen I've served this post for ten years and despite all the attempts, there has never been a successful bandit attack on our humble little town. Look around you, you see those brave men in uniform, your friends and neighbors, why they're all the defense you'll ever need. Right sir?" The captain say, elbowing the mayor in the ribs.
It takes a second for the mayor to react, as if he needed time to find his own body, but once he did an easy smile spread across his face. "Of course, of course, please forgive me for not reassuring you all sooner. My friend here is right of course, as a matter of fact I'd like to buy him, no wait all of you, I'd like to buy all of you a drink or ten. Let it be known that all drinks at the inn tonight will be on my tab, bottoms up!" With that the mayor swiftly turns toward the inn and leads the procession there, leaving no more room for argument.
At first the unease was palpable, but after the first couple of drinks you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a festival. Even the militia captain had given in after constant badgering from the mayor. You however stayed sober, after all you really wanted to talk to...
[ ] The militia captain
- You'd like to learn more about the militia's plans should the worst happen and maybe see about joining in on the drills.
[ ] The young man with the Dao
- You'd never seen him around here before, what stake did he have in whether or not your village fought?
[ ] The mysterious woman
- She'd seemed to have some sort of agenda when calling out the mayor.
[ ] The wine merchant
- He's constantly scanning the crowd, but for what you're not sure. He's intentionally made eye contact a few times.
[ ] The mayor
- He's really gone all out for this impromptu party and yet you haven't seen him drink a drop.
-------------------------------------------------------
While we're here, lets get a name and gender vote going. Note this setting is not free of sexism, it might be harder to earn people's respect as a woman, but notoriety gain will increase as a result. Also I'm going to have to juggle a lot of Chinese names, forgive me in advance for putting two first or last names or names of the wrong gender. I don't speak the language and am armed only with basic knowledge of google.
[ ] Jun Tao, Male
[ ] Chun Hao, Male
[ ] Jia An, Female
[ ] Bao Ling, Female
[ ] Write In
I'll be dumping the rules in a pdf below, but reading it is not required. Things will be introduced, hopefully organically, when they matter and I'll have preset builds for characters next update. That being said if you want to get started on creating a character, you can absolutely do that.
When the tax collectors failed to come, leaving our offerings in the town square, it began to sink in that maybe something of note really had happened. Still the mayor and militia captain assured us the collectors would be here soon and that everything would be fine, they would watch over our harvest in the meantime
It was only a couple days later that the rumors of bandits, sacking the surrounding countryside came to be. "There is nothing to worry about." said the mayor of your village, addressing the crowd you were now a part of. "The imperial army will soon come restore the peace." The thought should have put your mind at ease, but those words 'The mandate is lost' still echoed through the air.
"Then tell us," a voice belonging to a young woman, dressed in ornate robes, erupted from the crowd. "Why would they send an army of men, when they can not spare a dozen to collect our taxes?"
Her words seem to hit the mark and you briefly spot a brief glimpse of panic on the mayors face, as murmurs break out amongst the crowd. "We should run, run to the capitol." shouts a voice from the crowd, gathering quite a bit of agreement from the onlookers.
"Don't be stupid!" yells a man, with a Dao on his back and a warriors build. "Surely you've heard the rumors, the capitol is ashes. All you'd be doing is trading sturdy walls for dense forest or empty fields, neither of which are good against bandits. We should prepare to fight!" this too earns rumbles of agreement along with dissent.
You can't help, but notice the satisfied smirk on the face of the woman from earlier, before the argument is once again broken through, this time from a rather portly gentlemen you recognize as the local wine merchant. "Couldn't we try paying them off? We still have our taxes right? A full tiger doesn't hunt after all. I'll even throw in my entire harvest of wine if it will help." The man sounds surprisingly eager to have his plan adopted, despite the inordinate amount of cost to him.
As all this was going on the thing that was most notable was the mayor's reaction, the man was becoming more and more panicked as time went on. Sensing that the mayor was about to lose control, the militia captain steps in. "People, people, listen I've served this post for ten years and despite all the attempts, there has never been a successful bandit attack on our humble little town. Look around you, you see those brave men in uniform, your friends and neighbors, why they're all the defense you'll ever need. Right sir?" The captain say, elbowing the mayor in the ribs.
It takes a second for the mayor to react, as if he needed time to find his own body, but once he did an easy smile spread across his face. "Of course, of course, please forgive me for not reassuring you all sooner. My friend here is right of course, as a matter of fact I'd like to buy him, no wait all of you, I'd like to buy all of you a drink or ten. Let it be known that all drinks at the inn tonight will be on my tab, bottoms up!" With that the mayor swiftly turns toward the inn and leads the procession there, leaving no more room for argument.
At first the unease was palpable, but after the first couple of drinks you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a festival. Even the militia captain had given in after constant badgering from the mayor. You however stayed sober, after all you really wanted to talk to...
[ ] The militia captain
- You'd like to learn more about the militia's plans should the worst happen and maybe see about joining in on the drills.
[ ] The young man with the Dao
- You'd never seen him around here before, what stake did he have in whether or not your village fought?
[ ] The mysterious woman
- She'd seemed to have some sort of agenda when calling out the mayor.
[ ] The wine merchant
- He's constantly scanning the crowd, but for what you're not sure. He's intentionally made eye contact a few times.
[ ] The mayor
- He's really gone all out for this impromptu party and yet you haven't seen him drink a drop.
-------------------------------------------------------
While we're here, lets get a name and gender vote going. Note this setting is not free of sexism, it might be harder to earn people's respect as a woman, but notoriety gain will increase as a result. Also I'm going to have to juggle a lot of Chinese names, forgive me in advance for putting two first or last names or names of the wrong gender. I don't speak the language and am armed only with basic knowledge of google.
[ ] Jun Tao, Male
[ ] Chun Hao, Male
[ ] Jia An, Female
[ ] Bao Ling, Female
[ ] Write In
I'll be dumping the rules in a pdf below, but reading it is not required. Things will be introduced, hopefully organically, when they matter and I'll have preset builds for characters next update. That being said if you want to get started on creating a character, you can absolutely do that.
Rules and Setting Details
New
- Location
- A.Z.
Rules below in pdf form. If there is a better format to share it please let me know.
acrobat.adobe.com
Adobe Acrobat
Last edited:
Character Sheet and Known Associates
New
- Location
- A.Z.
This post reserved for character sheet and known associates.
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- Ae/Aer
[X] The mysterious woman
[X] Bao Ling, Female
This looks interesting.
[X] Bao Ling, Female
This looks interesting.
- Location
- A.Z.
In hindsight I probably should have had the gender and name votes be two separate things. Depending how I call it, right now it would be either 3 for male, 2 for female or 2 for Bao Ling, 2 for Jun Tao and 1 Ma Feima. I'm leaning the first option, but since I wasn't clear from the start, I'll give it a day and push back the name vote until after the gender vote is over. Also looked up the meaning of Ma Feima, cool name.
- Pronouns
- Reader
[X] The militia captain
[X] Write In - Meng Yun, Male
[X] Write In - Meng Yun, Male
- Location
- A.Z.
I'd hoped to stagger this out and do it organically, but that would have required forward planning I do not have. Or to put it another way, this is a point-buy system where everything draws from the same points. So I'm while we're not voting on them yet I'm gonna post some completed character sheets that will be voted on before the next story update. First though I'm gonna throw some concepts at you.
First are the four pillars, these are the primary stat everything else is based on. You can have an ability higher than its governing pillar. However that pillar usually contributes to the abilities power, by adding to its dice pool. They also tend to inform how a person will act, as they are more about personality than any direct measure of physical capability. Below is a list and description of each pillar.
Zeal is about passion. A warrior with a zealous temperament will tend to throw their all into their attacks attempting to overwhelm all in their paths. Those who know how to turn this overwhelming force against them will often find great success when dealing with them. In social situations those aligned with zeal tend to incite strong feelings in others be they good or ill.
Intuition is about adaptability. A warrior with a intuitive temperament will attempt to use their opponents momentum against them and play to their opponent's weaknesses. Their reliance on counters leaves them weak to those with a solid stance. In social situations they can adapt to any partner and can easily read people.
Guile is about movement. A warrior with a guile temperament will attempt to get past their opponent's defenses and strike where they are vulnerable. This approach can leave them flat footed when someone puts on the pressure and takes the direct route. In social situations they are tricky and hard to pin down, weaving truth and lie together in order to shape the listener's mind however they please.
Might is about enduring. A warrior with an mighty temperament will seek to wear down his foes while exerting minimal effort. They leave few openings, but their predictability is an eternal weakness and anyone who can get around their guard may find a soft target. In social situations they are stoic, cold and logical. They are almost entirely immune to pleas of emotion.
First sheet is for a mighty general.
The thoughts behind this character is of course to be an apt general, with a secondary focus on selecting styles that give command abilities that can power up cavalry. Note that command skills of each style can be switched out before combat. I went with rank 5 on the dao to capitalize on its ability to bully weaker opponents. I then chose rank 5 on Raging Demon to make sure they were proficient in another element, also to have them ready for possible scenarios such as social gatherings where one might be disarmed and magic would be considered too lethal.
Next sheet is for more of a strategist character.
This character is all about the strategist and overpowering others with their mind. An important thing to note is lack of an unarmed style. I chose to forgo unarmed in favor of more command ability options, choosing instead to rely on bodyguard, if need be.
First are the four pillars, these are the primary stat everything else is based on. You can have an ability higher than its governing pillar. However that pillar usually contributes to the abilities power, by adding to its dice pool. They also tend to inform how a person will act, as they are more about personality than any direct measure of physical capability. Below is a list and description of each pillar.
Zeal is about passion. A warrior with a zealous temperament will tend to throw their all into their attacks attempting to overwhelm all in their paths. Those who know how to turn this overwhelming force against them will often find great success when dealing with them. In social situations those aligned with zeal tend to incite strong feelings in others be they good or ill.
Intuition is about adaptability. A warrior with a intuitive temperament will attempt to use their opponents momentum against them and play to their opponent's weaknesses. Their reliance on counters leaves them weak to those with a solid stance. In social situations they can adapt to any partner and can easily read people.
Guile is about movement. A warrior with a guile temperament will attempt to get past their opponent's defenses and strike where they are vulnerable. This approach can leave them flat footed when someone puts on the pressure and takes the direct route. In social situations they are tricky and hard to pin down, weaving truth and lie together in order to shape the listener's mind however they please.
Might is about enduring. A warrior with an mighty temperament will seek to wear down his foes while exerting minimal effort. They leave few openings, but their predictability is an eternal weakness and anyone who can get around their guard may find a soft target. In social situations they are stoic, cold and logical. They are almost entirely immune to pleas of emotion.
First sheet is for a mighty general.
Pillars
Zeal 7
Intuition 5
Guile 5
Might 7
Total: 106 points
Syles
Dao: Rank 5
Butcher's Work: The Dao deals one additional damage.
Crucible of Steel: For every round you fail to hit you roll two more dice next round.
Ruinous Edge: If the opponent has less ranks in their active style 3s count as successes against them.
Command Abilities
Killing Blows: Do an additional point of damage, when winning combat. Infantry, Cavalry.
Gruesome Display 2: When this unit wins a round, the opposing unit counts as having failed morale by a minor amount, if it had not already failed. Infantry, Cavalry.
Crimson Inferno: Rank 3
Kindling: All enemies must take a R3 Might test or become Ablaze each round. The magnitude of the test increases by one for every odd level, but the first you have in this style.
Resurgence: Upon taking a potentially fatal blow negate it and gain 25% of your health back. Can only be used once per day.
Command Abilities
Comet Charge: If this unit is the engaging unit do an additional 2 damage, before combat. Infantry, Cavalry.
Scorched Earth: This unit does an additional point of damage. Skirmisher, Archer, Mage.
Raging Demon: Rank 5
Demon's Fortitude: Gain two additional dice to fight off status effects
Demon's Due: At the cost of 3 stamina at the end of a round you can choose to deal one point of damage for every crit you rolled during a lost round.
Demon's Hand: If two criticals are shifted ignore anything that would reduce your damage or allow an opponent to roll extra dice.
Command Abilities
Demon's Hide 2: If you would take more than 2 damage from a non magic attack, you take 1 less. Infantry, Skirmisher.
Demon's Due 2: When this unit is defeated, deal 2 damage to all engaged enemies. Any.
Total: 38 points
Skills
Zeal
Leadership 4
-The ability to keep soldiers from breaking and make them follow extreme orders. When taking morale tests, gain dice, 1 for ranks 4, 7 and 10 of Zeal. Gain an additional dice for ranks 1, 4, 7 and 10 in Leadership.
Charm 3
-The ability to get others to agree with you based on emotion.
Might
Endurance 1
- The ability to regain stamina, in and out of combat. Gain the ability to rest for a turn in order to gain back stamina, equal to 1/2 Endurance and Might. Also gain increased stamina during downtime.
Command 4
-The ability to utilize command abilities. You gain on Command Ability slot ranks 3, 6 and 10 of Command. You also gain an additional command slot for ranks 4 and 7 of Might. Command also decides how many activations in a row you get when commanding with 6 and 10 Might granting an activation Meanwhile ranks 4, 7 and 10 of the Command skill gain 1 additional activation each.
Total: 36
Grand Total 180
Zeal 7
Intuition 5
Guile 5
Might 7
Total: 106 points
Syles
Dao: Rank 5
Butcher's Work: The Dao deals one additional damage.
Crucible of Steel: For every round you fail to hit you roll two more dice next round.
Ruinous Edge: If the opponent has less ranks in their active style 3s count as successes against them.
Command Abilities
Killing Blows: Do an additional point of damage, when winning combat. Infantry, Cavalry.
Gruesome Display 2: When this unit wins a round, the opposing unit counts as having failed morale by a minor amount, if it had not already failed. Infantry, Cavalry.
Crimson Inferno: Rank 3
Kindling: All enemies must take a R3 Might test or become Ablaze each round. The magnitude of the test increases by one for every odd level, but the first you have in this style.
Resurgence: Upon taking a potentially fatal blow negate it and gain 25% of your health back. Can only be used once per day.
Command Abilities
Comet Charge: If this unit is the engaging unit do an additional 2 damage, before combat. Infantry, Cavalry.
Scorched Earth: This unit does an additional point of damage. Skirmisher, Archer, Mage.
Raging Demon: Rank 5
Demon's Fortitude: Gain two additional dice to fight off status effects
Demon's Due: At the cost of 3 stamina at the end of a round you can choose to deal one point of damage for every crit you rolled during a lost round.
Demon's Hand: If two criticals are shifted ignore anything that would reduce your damage or allow an opponent to roll extra dice.
Command Abilities
Demon's Hide 2: If you would take more than 2 damage from a non magic attack, you take 1 less. Infantry, Skirmisher.
Demon's Due 2: When this unit is defeated, deal 2 damage to all engaged enemies. Any.
Total: 38 points
Skills
Zeal
Leadership 4
-The ability to keep soldiers from breaking and make them follow extreme orders. When taking morale tests, gain dice, 1 for ranks 4, 7 and 10 of Zeal. Gain an additional dice for ranks 1, 4, 7 and 10 in Leadership.
Charm 3
-The ability to get others to agree with you based on emotion.
Might
Endurance 1
- The ability to regain stamina, in and out of combat. Gain the ability to rest for a turn in order to gain back stamina, equal to 1/2 Endurance and Might. Also gain increased stamina during downtime.
Command 4
-The ability to utilize command abilities. You gain on Command Ability slot ranks 3, 6 and 10 of Command. You also gain an additional command slot for ranks 4 and 7 of Might. Command also decides how many activations in a row you get when commanding with 6 and 10 Might granting an activation Meanwhile ranks 4, 7 and 10 of the Command skill gain 1 additional activation each.
Total: 36
Grand Total 180
The thoughts behind this character is of course to be an apt general, with a secondary focus on selecting styles that give command abilities that can power up cavalry. Note that command skills of each style can be switched out before combat. I went with rank 5 on the dao to capitalize on its ability to bully weaker opponents. I then chose rank 5 on Raging Demon to make sure they were proficient in another element, also to have them ready for possible scenarios such as social gatherings where one might be disarmed and magic would be considered too lethal.
Next sheet is for more of a strategist character.
Pillars
Zeal 4
Intuition 7
Guile 8
Might 4
Total 104
Styles
Staff: Rank 5
Pilgrim's Rest: Instead of losing two stamina at the end of each bout gain four. Regain two health at the end of each bout.
Elemental Weave: At the cost of six stamina you may add any Pillar to the staff and deal an additional damage for the bout.
Draining Strike: For every round you succeed you deal an additional two stamina damage.
Command Abilities
Whirling Defense 2: If a ranged attack would do 3 or more damage, it instead does 2. Infantry, Skirmisher.
Extra Conditioning: Gain 3 max health. Any
Tempest: Rank 5
Whip like Crack: All enemies gain weakness ranged. Enemies that already had weakness ranged take one more damage from a lost round.
Defensive Burst: When you lose a round you may pay four stamina to roll two additional dice. On these dice threes count as successes and fives count as crits, but you cannot win the round, only tie or cause your opponent to lose.
Wide Slash: Whenever you win a round while outnumbered hit two additional targets.
Command Abilities
Cutting Vortex: This unit takes 1 less damage, to a minimum of 2 from archers. Cavalry, Mages.
Tempestuous Engagement: This unit does 1 damage upon engaging or being engaged, by an opponent. Cavalry, Mage.
Whirlwind: Rank 3
Break the Chains: Whenever you are under the effect of a status effect you may pay four stamina to free yourself from it and deal two damage to your opponent.
Dive Kick: For four stamina you can deal an additional two damage to your primary target and those around them. Can also be used for free first round of combat if not caught unaware.
Command Abilities
Whirlwind Offense: Once per turn, if you successfully attack an opponent, you may attack an adjacent opponent. Cavalry, Mage.
Zephyr: 3s count as successes if you are not engaged. Archer, Mage
Total 38
Skills
Intuition
Insight 3
-The ability to be able to tell the opponents style and relative skill in combat. A high guile allows you to read what style an opponent is going to use for the round.
Scouting 4
-The ability to read the terrain and enemy forces. When scouting gain one dice per two levels in scouting and an additional dice per three ranks in Intuition.
Observation 3
-The ability to tell truth from lies and point out inconsistencies.
Guile
Strategy 4
-The ability to shape the battlefield through Stratagems. When using stratagems, gain a dice every 3 ranks in Guile, starting at rank 4 adding one dice and every other rank in Strategy giving you an additional dice.
Knowledge 2
-The ability to recall important political and geographical facts.
Total 39
Grand Total
178
Zeal 4
Intuition 7
Guile 8
Might 4
Total 104
Styles
Staff: Rank 5
Pilgrim's Rest: Instead of losing two stamina at the end of each bout gain four. Regain two health at the end of each bout.
Elemental Weave: At the cost of six stamina you may add any Pillar to the staff and deal an additional damage for the bout.
Draining Strike: For every round you succeed you deal an additional two stamina damage.
Command Abilities
Whirling Defense 2: If a ranged attack would do 3 or more damage, it instead does 2. Infantry, Skirmisher.
Extra Conditioning: Gain 3 max health. Any
Tempest: Rank 5
Whip like Crack: All enemies gain weakness ranged. Enemies that already had weakness ranged take one more damage from a lost round.
Defensive Burst: When you lose a round you may pay four stamina to roll two additional dice. On these dice threes count as successes and fives count as crits, but you cannot win the round, only tie or cause your opponent to lose.
Wide Slash: Whenever you win a round while outnumbered hit two additional targets.
Command Abilities
Cutting Vortex: This unit takes 1 less damage, to a minimum of 2 from archers. Cavalry, Mages.
Tempestuous Engagement: This unit does 1 damage upon engaging or being engaged, by an opponent. Cavalry, Mage.
Whirlwind: Rank 3
Break the Chains: Whenever you are under the effect of a status effect you may pay four stamina to free yourself from it and deal two damage to your opponent.
Dive Kick: For four stamina you can deal an additional two damage to your primary target and those around them. Can also be used for free first round of combat if not caught unaware.
Command Abilities
Whirlwind Offense: Once per turn, if you successfully attack an opponent, you may attack an adjacent opponent. Cavalry, Mage.
Zephyr: 3s count as successes if you are not engaged. Archer, Mage
Total 38
Skills
Intuition
Insight 3
-The ability to be able to tell the opponents style and relative skill in combat. A high guile allows you to read what style an opponent is going to use for the round.
Scouting 4
-The ability to read the terrain and enemy forces. When scouting gain one dice per two levels in scouting and an additional dice per three ranks in Intuition.
Observation 3
-The ability to tell truth from lies and point out inconsistencies.
Guile
Strategy 4
-The ability to shape the battlefield through Stratagems. When using stratagems, gain a dice every 3 ranks in Guile, starting at rank 4 adding one dice and every other rank in Strategy giving you an additional dice.
Knowledge 2
-The ability to recall important political and geographical facts.
Total 39
Grand Total
178
This character is all about the strategist and overpowering others with their mind. An important thing to note is lack of an unarmed style. I chose to forgo unarmed in favor of more command ability options, choosing instead to rely on bodyguard, if need be.