LFG Gild, the Last Flame of Jura

[VigiloConfido]

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They are the last who hold to the faith of Jura. From a ragged band of persecuted refugees, to having now their own Kingdom, they have come far. Their strength is their unity, the bond of shared piety, and through it does their Community—the Jemaat—grow.

They are the people of Gild. Humans, the descendants of the bygone Turkal people; Dwarves, who through ancient friendship have settled here; Ogres, invited by mercy into calling Gild home; and others, from lands both near and far, who seek a way of life found nowhere else on Arethil.

Against them stand the many dangers of Campania—for no small reason is it called "the Bloody Crescent". But the Gildan people have as their sword and shield the Praetors, holy warriors and statesmen, to combat the ravages of chaotic magic and lead Gild through the most dire of times. As an era of great strife approaches, the courage to endure will like never before be tested.

Will Gild come to claim dominion over Campania? Or will the last flame of Jura be snuffed out for good?

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[GILD WIKI]​

Hello, all! Gild is a project I have been working and iterating on for nigh on two years now.

It represents my attempt to fill a particular niche here at Chronicles: a low fantasy, anti-magic setting. Where magic takes a prominent place in other settings, and characters therefore can be quite powerful, it is my hope and goal that Gild will provide an opportunity for a different kind of playstyle and for more "grounded" stories which might be difficult to write elsewhere. The lore of Gild isn't wholly bereft of magic, but here its role, generally speaking, is inverted, being more so the exclusive domain of the antagonists over the protagonists of the story.

The aesthetic of Gild is a light base of Early Republican Rome draped over with heavy Turkish influences. It features a cohesive worldview, shaped by the religion of Jura, to explore with a variety of character concepts. Gild as well inhabits a region, Campania, replete with dangers. The Gildans are very much the underdogs, and far from being a player on the world stage they aren't even all that notable in their own local region of Campania. We will have to fight tooth and nail to achieve any level of prominence. Though Gild will face tribulations both foreign and domestic, and hard subjects will be given their weight, the overall tone I intend for the culture and people is one of life, light, an effluence of public spirit and pride for heritage.

So if all this has piqued your interest, great! What to do from here, you might ask. First, check out the wiki above to familiarize yourself more with the setting. Also, I have a roster of eleven characters (whom I will be rejoining as needed) to provide examples; though by no means a complete list of what's possible in the setting, they could help spark ideas of your own:

Ruslan Gildal - Noble, Praetor
Anfisa Ironhammer - Beyar, Praetor, Dwarf
Marta Maisal - Beyar, Praetor, Priestess, Clan Maisal, Letai
Irene Savashal - Praetor, Regulator
Mogrin Dhuumal - Career Soldier, Ogre
Grigori Mikhal - Praetor
Leah Kadashal - Praetor, Regulator-in-training
Nemeska Elissal - Gildan Devil, Second Penitent
Castulo Arnal - Gildan Devil, Career Soldier
Boesarius Terral - Gildan Devil, Praetor, Regulator
Akiza - Gildan Devil, Vampire

The Praetors, like the College in Elbion or the Dragon Riders in Thanasis, are the premier group within Gild, revered warrior statesmen with anti-magic power. The "Gildan Devils" provide an alternative to regular Praetors, being a small secret "black ops" group who play by a looser, any-means-necessary set of rules (more information in the thread detailing their formation, A Few Devils). As well, there are Regulators, Penitents, Nobles and Beyars, Clan Maisal, Career Soldiers, and other opportunities for character creation. Lastly, though there are a number of threads (mostly unfinished, sorry guys) available for reading in the Gild wiki already, if you would like the foremost example of the tone, setting, and characters of Gild, I would recommend checking out: Embrace the Slaughter.

Between the wiki, character bios, and sample threads, I understand that's a lot of reading. No problem, I am available via the Discord—the best way to reach me with questions and/or discussions. If it becomes appropriate, I will make a Group Thread for Gild in the Roleplay Event Room section on the Discord as well to further help collaboration. I'll conclude here with a current synopsis of Gild's storyline and a few miscellaneous potential questions in the next post in this thread.

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THE STORY THUS FAR

The "Armistice" has kept the peace between nations in Campania for over five years now. Gild, having surrendered to Omma, the Iron Aristocracy, has been paying a hefty tribute of silver all this time...yet Omma is secretly maneuvering to weaken and ultimately subjugate Gild. As the Praetors defend against the daylight dangers facing Gild, the Gildan Devils covertly work to ignite the Great War of Campania, this to cast off the yoke of Omma, and furthermore to set the stage for grander ambitions yet.​

 

[VigiloConfido]

Will you be running the story?
I will be providing direction for the "macro" story of Gild, yes, taking into account things that happen in threads I am both part of and not. We all will influence the macro story. However, Gild is very much a setting as well as a grand narrative. You can choose to interact with the macro story as much or as little as you like. There's plenty of room for "micro" stories that don't have to impact the overall narrative, so if Gild provides a good setting for a separate, self-contained story for you and a writing partner, great! Use it. Much like Alliria, Elbion, Vel Anir, and the rest, Gild is also a place for that as well.

Are Praetors overpowered?
Far from it, as their power is only useful against mages and magic. Moreover, they aren't all powerful in this regard either: a novice Praetor will be overmatched by a Elbion College Maester, for example, and Praetors can—like their mage counterparts—still very much expect a visit from the Herald if they bite off more than they can chew.

Why do (almost) all of your characters' last names end with "-al"?
It's a traditional Gildan naming convention in the lore. The "-al" suffix on a surname carries a meaning of, "from where I come; to whom I belong". Your character doesn't need to follow this convention (especially if they're a recent immigrant), and you could even make a story point of it, as I have with Anfisa and Akiza.

Do you own all of Campania?
No, all I've done is give a much needed name to the region. Gild is currently but a minor Kingdom in the grand scheme of the region.

I don't like playing religious zealots. Do I have to?
No, and I would even advise against it for a first character, since such archetypes can be very narrow. Religiosity exists in many degrees before we arrive at the full-blown zealot, so it doesn't have to dominate their personality.

Any restrictions on race for Gildan characters?
Gild primarily consists of humans, dwarves, and ogres, but any of the standard "mortal" races can potentially be found there. Similar to other locations, vampires and werewolves (and also shapeshifters) are considered abhorrent. Smart exceptions can be written though, as is shown with Marta and Akiza. Inherently magical creatures/species, like elementals, demons, or Fae, are not tolerated.

Does Gild hate magic?
Now here we have a nuanced, and therefore RP rich, answer. No, Gild does not hate magic—it is, in fact, something to be revered in the right circumstance. Magic is seen as the domain of the gods, and therefore not for mortals to use; according to the creation myth of Jura, the magic which mortals have access to is "chaotic magic"—dangerous and ultimately destructive. Simply being able to use magic doesn't make one bad—actually using one's magic is the sin. All this, though, is the view from a broad, cultural standpoint. Gild is not a hivemind, and there will of course be a variance of thought among individuals. Some will reductively hate magic outright, some will be very forgiving, and everything in-between.

What are some of the dangers facing Gild?
Not an exhaustive list, but here are some of the antagonists you and I could draw on for Gildan threads:

-Monsters from the Spine
-Mages from Althhaven, a school of magic in the Spine
-Vampires from Reikhurst, a fallen city just west of Campania
-Summer Court Fae, whom everyone despises
-Nihilistic cultists of Monolith, who seek to extinguish the Everburning Flame
-Scheming Erolites, Gildan nobles who secretly wish to restore the monarchy

And, eventually when wars break out, there will be the many and various nations of Campania to contend with. As well, not all the Curites, ancient and bitter rivals of Gild, are gone, and may have vowed revenge centuries in the making.