Uniting All Under Heaven
For over 500 years the land has not known peace, 500 years of...
For over 500 years the land has not known peace, 500 years of...
Uniting All Under Heaven (Kingdom AU CK2 Quest)
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Uniting All Under Heaven
For over 500 years the land has not known peace, 500 years of unceasing conflict and endless suffering. Long ago all were united under the Mandate of Heaven and knew the meaning of peace…however that time is long past. Ever since the destruction of Western Zhou, what was once one state fractured into many. From fractured Zhou came many states, large and small, and accompanying those states were the countless wars they fought in pursuit of hegemony over China…over All Under Heaven.
Through hundreds of years of war, the countless states that existed at the beginning of the Spring and Autumn Period, have been winnowed down into just seven. Later on, the world would come to know of them as the "Seven Warring States".
It has been ages since the people have known what it means to not be constantly at war, to not have to fight your fellow man at the behest of another, to understand that peace is not just another lull in the fighting.
It is 280 BC, and unbeknownst to all a figure beloved by the Heavens has just been born in the State of Qin. In another life, another possibility, you would be known as Li Mu…Riboku. Your name would resound throughout all of China, and your titles were many. To many the first they would have heard of you was by your title of General, the masses across all of China would know of you as one of Zhao's Three Great Heavens, while those in power would know you as the Prime Minister of Zhao.
But, for all of your fame and all of your achievements even you could not save your beloved State of Zhao. Indeed, even mighty Riboku, whose name was counted amongst the likes of Hakuki, Renpa, and Ousen as one of the four greatest generals of the Warring States Period, could not save the doomed State of Zhao. Ever since Qin's victory at the Battle of Chouhei the fate of Zhao, and indeed all of China was sealed. Your ignominious death brought about by a foolish King ensnared by the honeyed words of Qin spies was simply another stepping stone on the road towards the unification of China.
However, you are not that Riboku; you are not Prime Minister Riboku of Zhao. You are Riboku of Qin, born to…
Your parents are/were:
[X] Nobles: You were born into one of the aristocratic families which make up the nobility of Qin. Within the prominent families of Qin, there is a wide range of diversity, with some families being distant relatives to the Royal Family, while others have only recently become ennobled. It is from the nobility that Qin draws its scholar-bureaucrats, administrators, and commanders.
Nobility Benefits:
1. Wealth: No matter how old your family is, no one becomes a noble without a certain amount of wealth. Whether it be through military rewards, a vast fief, or the vast mercantile coffers which purchased their nobility, most nobles have enough wealth to support their family for generations. (increased starting wealth upon becoming family head, steady income)
2. Influence: With power comes influence. Your family has ways to be heard in certain circles, whether it be through their vast wealth, past military achievements, or rank in court, when your family speaks others listen. (ability to speak in the Royal Court, increased chance of interacting with other nobles)
3. Training: As a noble youth your wealth and status have made you exempt from the work that your commoner counterparts would usually be doing. Because of that, you are left with plentiful free time. However, as a noble you also have certain responsibilities to both your family and the State. But, due to your influence and wealth, you are able to hire the best trainers and tutors to help you manage those responsibilities. (increased bonus to training rolls, unlocked new choices due to education)
Nobility Detriments:
1. Rivalry: Among the nobility, there are many who either want to put you in your place or usurp your position. It was this feuding within the nobility that caused the downfall of the State of Jin. Be careful when dealing with your fellow nobles, for it only takes one slight or misstep to cause a feud which could potentially end with poison in your tea or an assassin's knife in your back. (politics…you will have to deal with it)
2. Responsibility: As a member of a noble family you are responsible for your fief and your duty to your family head. From time to time, you will be responsible for assisting your family in the running of your demesne and tasks given to you by your family head. (Essentially while you are nominally independent there will be occasional tasks given to you that will have to accomplish)
3. Noble/Commoner Divide: Your noble status and upbringing have made it so that there is some distance between you and commoners. (Essentially you will have decreased effectiveness when it comes to leading units composed of militia, as well as decreased effectiveness when it comes to empathizing with commoner troops due to the stark divide in status.)
[] Merchants: You were born into a family of itinerant merchants who has just recently established themselves and their business in Kanyou. In these turbulent times most commoners do not have much in the way of wealth, however, your family is one of the exceptions to that due to their successful merchant enterprise. While your family may not be as fabulously wealthy as the merchant turned Chancellor Ryofui, they do have enough wealth to elevate them above the common peasants and close to the nobility.
Merchant Benefits:
1. Prosperous: As a member of a successful merchant family you are well-off compared to most commoners, with not many material items being out of your reach. So even if you may not be a member of the nobility, well not yet at least, you can at least use your wealth to throw your weight around like one of them. (Highest starting wealth and initially, high income, which will fluctuate over time, increased stewardship)
2. Connections: Generally prosperous merchant families only become as wealthy as they are through selling their wares to a multitude of people across state borders. While your family may at the moment are citizens of Qin that have not always been the case. In the past, your family was simply one of the many roving merchant bands that plied the trade routes across state borders and even beyond. Through their time traveling they have made many contacts across the Seven Warring States, contacts which they have kept to this day. (increased diplomacy, greater amount of connections)
3. Freedom: Compared to the nobles, who are tied to their fiefs, and peasants, who are tied to the land, merchants generally have more freedom to travel where they please…so long as they can afford it. While merchants are still able to be conscripted, their mobility makes it so that they are never around when the officials send out the conscription orders. From the markets of Kantan to the horse breeders in the Fergana Valley, Chinese merchants can be seen far afield. (increased independence and mobility)
Merchant Detriments:
1. Hated Profession: While merchants do enjoy relatively comfortable living from their mercantile pursuits all of that comes with the disdain they face from the rest of society. Compared to the hard working peasants who work the land or the nobles who serve as commanders or scholars, the merchants merely make their profits off the backs of others, and that has led many in society to see their profession as dishonorable. (decreased diplomacy with non-merchants who are not allies)
2. Merchant Specialization: When it comes to the mercantile profession there is often little need for physical prowess in order to be successful, especially when the keys to success are often a keen mind and silver tongue. This has made it so that merchants are often lacking when it physical attributes when compared to other, and in this age of the Warring States that can often be a huge disadvantage when you are conscripted to fight due to an enemy army at the gates. (Decreased martial stats and physical rolls, decreased intrigue stats)
3. Relative Danger: Wealth often attracts attention, however not all of that attention is good. Among the Warring States, the wealthiest personages are often nobles and merchants. Unlike nobles, however, who are protected by their warrior-retainers, merchants are not nearly as well-defended. In a profession that involves the movement of wealth merchants are often singled out by both bandits and other less scrupulous merchants. (Increased danger in encounter rolls)
[] Peasants: You were born to a family of peasants who has tilled the land since before the founding of Qin as a state. Through centuries of turmoil and strife your family has managed to survive where countless others have been laid low by disease, bandits, or war. While your family may not be as prosperous or privileged as the merchants and nobles, they have their own strength them as well. Strength and teachings that have been passed down from generation to generation that has helped your family survive these trying times and earn the respect of your community.
Peasant Benefits:
1. Robust Physique: Years of toiling in the fields and laboring in the nearby city have made it so that you and your family have developed a strong and tough frames. Your family, in particular, appears to have been blessed with a tall and robust physique, no doubt something that has helped your family survive for this long. (starts off tall, increased bonus to physical and personal combat rolls)
2. Camaraderie: Amongst your community, your family has been there the longest. That longevity has made it so that your family is often looked upon for leadership whenever the nobles or officials aren't present…which is often. Through shared bonds and experiences, your family has earned the respect and admiration of those who look up to them. (increased bonus when dealing with peasants, increased bonus when leading militia units)
3. Family Traditions: A family as long lived as yours does not make it this far without some teachings or traditions that have helped them survive this long. While some of the most educated nobles and merchants might sneer upon these unorthodox or downright superstitious teachings, that still doesn't change the fact that your family has found a use for them from time to time, whether that be in farming or warfare. (increased bonus to survival rolls, unorthodox tactics unlocks different choices)
Peasant Detriments:
1. Poor: While your family is not exactly penniless, that still doesn't change the fact that as peasants you do not have much money to spend. In their daily struggles to survive, peasants often aren't given many opportunities to earn more money in a scrupulous manner. As a long-lived family your family is better off than most peasants, however, while you may have some heirlooms lying around that doesn't change the fact that you probably won't be able to buy many things. That is why many peasants look for success on the battlefield to help elevate their income, and hopefully status. (very low starting wealth, low income)
2. Uneducated: Let's face it, for many peasants, their work of farming or hard labor often means that an advanced education is not very necessary to survival, nor is it easy to obtain due to the costs of doing so. So while the average peasant may know the basics in regards to survival, whether it be through how to farm or how to count, you probably won't be able to engage a peasant in conversation about philosophy or tactics. (malus to learning, intrigue, and piety stat)
3. Lowborn: Just as the nobles swear their oaths of fealty toward the King so too do you owe your allegiance to your own noble lord. As always peasants are often on the bottom when it comes to status. So when times of war come it is often the peasants, like yourself, who are often drafted to fight. And when it comes to dealing with nobles, whether it be appealing to them for assistance or making yourself heard on the battlefield, peasants are often ignored. (conscription is mandatory when it occurs, malus when it comes to dealing with nobles)
Merchant Benefits:
1. Prosperous: As a member of a successful merchant family you are well-off compared to most commoners, with not many material items being out of your reach. So even if you may not be a member of the nobility, well not yet at least, you can at least use your wealth to throw your weight around like one of them. (Highest starting wealth and initially, high income, which will fluctuate over time, increased stewardship)
2. Connections: Generally prosperous merchant families only become as wealthy as they are through selling their wares to a multitude of people across state borders. While your family may at the moment are citizens of Qin that have not always been the case. In the past, your family was simply one of the many roving merchant bands that plied the trade routes across state borders and even beyond. Through their time traveling they have made many contacts across the Seven Warring States, contacts which they have kept to this day. (increased diplomacy, greater amount of connections)
3. Freedom: Compared to the nobles, who are tied to their fiefs, and peasants, who are tied to the land, merchants generally have more freedom to travel where they please…so long as they can afford it. While merchants are still able to be conscripted, their mobility makes it so that they are never around when the officials send out the conscription orders. From the markets of Kantan to the horse breeders in the Fergana Valley, Chinese merchants can be seen far afield. (increased independence and mobility)
Merchant Detriments:
1. Hated Profession: While merchants do enjoy relatively comfortable living from their mercantile pursuits all of that comes with the disdain they face from the rest of society. Compared to the hard working peasants who work the land or the nobles who serve as commanders or scholars, the merchants merely make their profits off the backs of others, and that has led many in society to see their profession as dishonorable. (decreased diplomacy with non-merchants who are not allies)
2. Merchant Specialization: When it comes to the mercantile profession there is often little need for physical prowess in order to be successful, especially when the keys to success are often a keen mind and silver tongue. This has made it so that merchants are often lacking when it physical attributes when compared to other, and in this age of the Warring States that can often be a huge disadvantage when you are conscripted to fight due to an enemy army at the gates. (Decreased martial stats and physical rolls, decreased intrigue stats)
3. Relative Danger: Wealth often attracts attention, however not all of that attention is good. Among the Warring States, the wealthiest personages are often nobles and merchants. Unlike nobles, however, who are protected by their warrior-retainers, merchants are not nearly as well-defended. In a profession that involves the movement of wealth merchants are often singled out by both bandits and other less scrupulous merchants. (Increased danger in encounter rolls)
[] Peasants: You were born to a family of peasants who has tilled the land since before the founding of Qin as a state. Through centuries of turmoil and strife your family has managed to survive where countless others have been laid low by disease, bandits, or war. While your family may not be as prosperous or privileged as the merchants and nobles, they have their own strength them as well. Strength and teachings that have been passed down from generation to generation that has helped your family survive these trying times and earn the respect of your community.
Peasant Benefits:
1. Robust Physique: Years of toiling in the fields and laboring in the nearby city have made it so that you and your family have developed a strong and tough frames. Your family, in particular, appears to have been blessed with a tall and robust physique, no doubt something that has helped your family survive for this long. (starts off tall, increased bonus to physical and personal combat rolls)
2. Camaraderie: Amongst your community, your family has been there the longest. That longevity has made it so that your family is often looked upon for leadership whenever the nobles or officials aren't present…which is often. Through shared bonds and experiences, your family has earned the respect and admiration of those who look up to them. (increased bonus when dealing with peasants, increased bonus when leading militia units)
3. Family Traditions: A family as long lived as yours does not make it this far without some teachings or traditions that have helped them survive this long. While some of the most educated nobles and merchants might sneer upon these unorthodox or downright superstitious teachings, that still doesn't change the fact that your family has found a use for them from time to time, whether that be in farming or warfare. (increased bonus to survival rolls, unorthodox tactics unlocks different choices)
Peasant Detriments:
1. Poor: While your family is not exactly penniless, that still doesn't change the fact that as peasants you do not have much money to spend. In their daily struggles to survive, peasants often aren't given many opportunities to earn more money in a scrupulous manner. As a long-lived family your family is better off than most peasants, however, while you may have some heirlooms lying around that doesn't change the fact that you probably won't be able to buy many things. That is why many peasants look for success on the battlefield to help elevate their income, and hopefully status. (very low starting wealth, low income)
2. Uneducated: Let's face it, for many peasants, their work of farming or hard labor often means that an advanced education is not very necessary to survival, nor is it easy to obtain due to the costs of doing so. So while the average peasant may know the basics in regards to survival, whether it be through how to farm or how to count, you probably won't be able to engage a peasant in conversation about philosophy or tactics. (malus to learning, intrigue, and piety stat)
3. Lowborn: Just as the nobles swear their oaths of fealty toward the King so too do you owe your allegiance to your own noble lord. As always peasants are often on the bottom when it comes to status. So when times of war come it is often the peasants, like yourself, who are often drafted to fight. And when it comes to dealing with nobles, whether it be appealing to them for assistance or making yourself heard on the battlefield, peasants are often ignored. (conscription is mandatory when it occurs, malus when it comes to dealing with nobles)
And what a time to be born, for Qin, is on the warpath. It is the 27th year of the reign of King Sho of Qin and China is in a golden age of war.
From Qin five Great Generals have risen to the forefront to lead Qin's armies in wars of conquest and expansion.
In the central plains the Three Great Heavens of Zhao fight both with Wei and Han against the advancing Qin, yet at times against each other.
To the east the states of Yan and Qi war over bitter grudges, with the genius of warfare Gakuki leading the forces of Yan against his rival Great General Randan of Qi.
And finally to the south, the vast superstate of Chu has marshaled its many armies, and for now, their Generals lie in waiting for the time to strike out and conquer for the glory of Chu.
So do you have what it takes to not only survive these dangerous times but thrive?
Will you make a name for yourself that will be heard across the lands and shouted to the heavens?
O Riboku of Qin, will you perish on the path to glory, or will you become a legend?
AN: So for those who don't know what this, this is essentially a quest based off of the Kingdom manga by Haru Yasuhisa where you play as
the series antagonist Riboku, Li Mu, but with the key difference being that you serve Qin.
Since this is my first quest, and this is not a very well-known setting, I am willing to answer questions that you may have.
Voting will be closed once either a consensus has been reached, or after 24 hours.
Last edited:
Character Sheets
LucidProp
Pocky Eating MafiaDoka
[X] Peasants
I honestly have no idea what Kingdoms is, but there's a lack of Ancient Chinese Settings in SV sooo...
As for why I'm picking Peasant instead of Noble, that's because I was suddenly reminded of that one Dynasty Warrior Quest where we played a Peasant trying to survive in Lu Bu's army.
I honestly have no idea what Kingdoms is, but there's a lack of Ancient Chinese Settings in SV sooo...
As for why I'm picking Peasant instead of Noble, that's because I was suddenly reminded of that one Dynasty Warrior Quest where we played a Peasant trying to survive in Lu Bu's army.
Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
[X] Peasants: You were born to a family of peasants who has tilled the land since before the founding of Qin as a state. Through centuries of turmoil and strife your family has managed to survive where countless others have been laid low by disease, bandits, or war. While your family may not be as prosperous or privileged as the merchants and nobles, they have their own strength them as well. Strength and teachings that have been passed down from generation to generation that has helped your family survive these trying times and earn the respect of your community.
Obviously Peasant is where it is at
Obviously Peasant is where it is at
Link and/or name?
Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
Was there even magic IN kingdom? I forget
LucidProp
Pocky Eating MafiaDoka
- Location
- USA
This will mostly be a realistic setting. The manga itself is based off the time period of the Warring States period in China, however, the author has taken some artistic license with the setting.
So while there will is no magic, the characters themselves are almost superhuman in ability. Here is an example of what I mean:
Also since this setting is based off a manga there are some elements that come off of it that are shonen-esque. Such as when a character is mentioned to have "weight" they are not talking about mass, but what they are really talking about is the culmination of characters victories, struggles, defeats, and so on and so forth.
Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
I never did get that about shounen settings that don't have some energy like ki or something but are just near superhuman. Whats with the words like weight or pressure? Just use normal words
Also their superhuman in the fact that their like Dynasty Warrior heroes
- Location
- USA
It comes with the genre, I suppose, though the setting is very seinen due to the nature of the world it is in.
But weight isn't exactly the same as ki if you are wondering, and it only really applies when it comes to clashes between powerful characters like Generals or the rare Great Generals.
Also, just to let you all know, the reason for why some of the character choices are vague is because of the fact that I will be rolling a 1d100 to determine how well off you start.
For example if you happen to choose noble and get a roll of say 80? Then your family will be a fairly prominent one within Qin, closer in ranking to the Royalty than say the soldier class. If you happen to roll very low, such as say 1-10, well that means you end up as a war orphan, such as it is. So choose wisely.
Usernames
Merc gonna merc ya
[X] Peasants: You were born to a family of peasants who has tilled the land since before the founding of Qin as a state. Through centuries of turmoil and strife your family has managed to survive where countless others have been laid low by disease, bandits, or war. While your family may not be as prosperous or privileged as the merchants and nobles, they have their own strength them as well. Strength and teachings that have been passed down from generation to generation that has helped your family survive these trying times and earn the respect of your community.
yo. Till the earth and trim the heavens.
yo. Till the earth and trim the heavens.
Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
What happens if we get 1-10 as a peasant? were an super slave under 10000000000000000000000000000000000000 Chinese dollars of debt or what?
- Location
- USA
What happens if we get 1-10 as a peasant? were an super slave under 10000000000000000000000000000000000000 Chinese dollars of debt or what?
Hmmm...let's just go with this:
Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
So we die?Hmmm...let's just go with this:
- Location
- USA
No, but you probably end up as a slave to some bandit boss. Being a war orphan has a lot of variety to it. If you were a noble you would probably be adopted by a relative or another noble family. As a merchant or peasant, you will probably end up as a slave/servant to someone else. If you roll really poorly, you end up serving like Kanki, the guy shown above.
Ghostdevil
The Devil of Ghosts
- Location
- United States
What about a crit success?
DannyboyZero
Has a GIF for that
- Location
- United Kingdom
[X] Nobles: You were born into one of the aristocratic families which make up the nobility of Qin. Within the prominent families of Qin, there is a wide range of diversity, with some families being distant relatives to the Royal Family, while others have only recently become ennobled. It is from the nobility that Qin draws its scholar-bureaucrats, administrators, and commanders.
A Kingdom Quest? Count me the fuck in.
A Kingdom Quest? Count me the fuck in.
- Location
- USA
[X] Nobles: You were born into one of the aristocratic families which make up the nobility of Qin. Within the prominent families of Qin, there is a wide range of diversity, with some families being distant relatives to the Royal Family, while others have only recently become ennobled. It is from the nobility that Qin draws its scholar-bureaucrats, administrators, and commanders.