[Completed] [Settlement] Chaldees, the Village of the Mihyaari

[Melpomenne 1552]

Settlement PRO MC Name: Melpomenne, shartblaster

 

Settlement Name: Chaldees, the Village of the Mihyaari

 

Proposed Settlement Locations (Highlight 3 on the map):

Tile 127 (-376, 79, 2738), Tile 127 (-253, 88, 3223) , and Tile 128 (-178, 78, 3396). Contact nicki#8300, Hephaestus#8435, and/or kujo#0404 for further elaboration. We are willing to compromise. 

 

Settlement Lore (could link to an existing creature or other lore) (1000 words minimum):
 

 

 

 

 

Settlement Government Structure Explanation:

At the crux of it, the village of Chaldees is an oligarchic republic, a good real-life reference being the Carthaginian government/republic.

 

The village of Chaldees is operated on two distinct levels. The first of which is the ceremonial leadership, consisting of the Pharaoh at the absolute top of the food chain, a sovereign ruled by mandate from blessed ancestors. Directly underneath this individual is the ministerial body of the Pharaoh—the council—each of whose members act less in individual capacities, but more as an advisory for the monarch. The advisory acts as a divine synod, extracting decrees and directions for rule via clairvoyant ancestral transmission, purely cultural practice and holding no real lore weight, conveying said mandates to the Pharaoh. This puts the advisory at being the ‘true’ authority on the ceremonial/titular administrative front, the members of whom are selected by the Pharaoh based on one’s ability to track their nobility and capacity to oversee the village.

 

Given the high frequency of artifice and piracy within the city, however, the above is considered the lesser of the two authoritative bodies within the village. The positions detailed in the above are recognised more so simply titular/nominal, relative to the below, which holds far more stake in the village administration.

 

At village-level, there is the streamlined republic authority which has taken root among the marauders of Chaldees: the Beth es-Sultan, a senate operated by individuals of high financial standing and other influential citizens—usually pirates—which act as the main republic body of the village. These advisors hold office, in most cases, for life, but much as is the pattern with pirates, are traditionally deposed by other brigand groups. There are initially five seats in this senate. In the beginning, this republic was structured by an election participated in by the citizenry, in which every household in the village would cast votes for the town officials who would attend the Beth es-Sultan. This senate is the chief legislative company within the village, and is responsible for managing charters and laws within the village. It is often customary (but not necessary) to elect a Gesserit, a president/magistrate of the senate, much like a tribune, responsible for coordinating the senate itself, but whose vote holds as much weight as any other senator.

 

 

 

Lair Build and Infrastructure (photos required):

Spoiler

 

The below was built completely within a plot of 75x75, with a central fort, barracks, and watchtower in the center, around which are individual housing complexes, a marketplace, a farm, and foundry. A note that the walls are not intended to block off any activity and/or visitors from entering at their own convention, without the need to redundantly haggle with a gatekeeper for longer than is necessary.

 

 

Texture pack ver. (below):

Spoiler

 

 

How does this settlement offer a unique niche not already found in an existing polity on the server?

Being that the Mihyaari culture is completely unique to the Almaris peninsula, we faced difficulty finding a foothold in vassalisation under any major settlement, partly out of unfamiliarity and scepticism from both parties. The ambiance and atmosphere that we had intended to achieve through the hamlet, largely a shoddy desert outpost of sorts, narrowed options down geographically, and with respect to vassalisation too, as very few settlements provided or held adequate land in the south. Finding land under or within a nation/city with the topography we sought after only limited our options.

 

Initially, we considered petitioning the Balian or the Principality of Savoy for land (before it was dissolved), but reconsidered on second thoughts. Both settlements follow (or, in the case of Savoy, followed) Canonism and their religious banners fall under the Holy Church of Canon. This would complicate diplomacy, as the faith adopted by the Mihyaari is dualistic, rather than monotheistic, hence we have suspected ideological conflicts and disputes, with reference to certain aspects of our own faith (e.g., thievery, skin-taking, cremation and sky burials). We would rather not assimilate to Canonism, out of an in-character and out-of-character interest. For a stretch of time, we discussed working in tandem with the Fakhr Oasis, or even stationing ourselves in a plot of land under them. Scarcity of available land turned us off, admittedly, and we were unwilling to pursue this option, as the land we were offered proved far too small for our liking. The issue of faith was also at hand: dualism, idolatry, and other such themes in our culture and creed are largely barred in the Qalasheen culture, as was the case with Savoy and Balian.

 

Simply roleplaying in one of the three southern settlements—that is, Savoy, Balian, and the Oasis—would not be viable either (this was considered before the dissolution of Savoy and Drusco). In the long term, I cannot see the culture leaving a very considerable footprint and flourishing much at all under the Savoyard settlements and Balian. They feature extensive, developed cultures, as is (as does the Oasis). Ideological differences come into play with all three groups, also; all three are monotheistic, as was prior mentioned, and conflicts of interest would arise. We believe these conflicts may oppose or otherwise not provide us a platform for us to pursue our roleplay, given the radical cultural differences. In fact, in our culture lore, we wrote in a common aversion to foreign diplomacy—Gorhen’s Folly—which would render the people as being very ambitious, and unwilling to bend a knee, much less to bureaucrats, based on unsavoury past experiences.

 

(Note that the above, with concern to the notes on Savoy, was written before the nation was dissolved)

 

The recent dissolvement of Savoy, and the inactivity of the Sultanate (its loss of nation status) has also left a gaping hole in the consolidated activity in the south, and a desert environment and hub for roleplay is remiss. The failure of both to provide activity similarly makes vassalization literally impossible. The intent here is to both inject some activity into the south, and to allow for diversification of group and cultural presence in the south, which has historically seen few longterm and established groups with the exception of the Sultanate (this point applies to the next question).

 

In another capacity, this 'village' is also meant to serve as a magic group lair, doubling as an outlet for the primary necromancer coven, albeit practiced in some covertness and almost underground. While the Hexicanum serves as a full-fledged necromancy lair, and Petra Turris more as a desolate religious site, the village will allow for necromancers to assert power and authority into the world and the southern region with some secrecy. The fixation on crime within the culture (which, said necromancers will have 'hijacked' in a sense) should reasonably entice the power-mad necrolytes of the magic's coven.

 

How does your settlement tie to the greater lore and narrative set by the community on LotC?:

The truth is, the south and its cultures on LoTC are severely underutilised. Off the top of my head, I can only recount the Oasis and its Qalasheen culture, outside of which the Savoyard culture does exist, but is not and was never directly a southern ethnic group to begin with.  Hence, with Chaldees, the intention is to diversify the desert region and the entirety of the south. I believe that, for the longest time, people have identified the desert as housing the Qalasheen alone; this is unrealistic, in my opinion. And, while I generally dislike associating the culture we wrote with real-life examples, I think the lack of similar near-eastern cultural groups on LoTC is disappointing and a waste of the resources available. The Mihyaari culture allows for a broad range of roleplay to be conducted through Chaldees, should it be implemented, but particularly for thievery and more dynamic crime, and piracy roleplay to be facilitated given the widespread practice of trickery and artifice across the nativepeople of the culture. 

 

Beyond the culture itself, the loose and non-streamlined hierarchical system which exists outside of the very structured bureaucracies of the Holy Orenian Empire and the Kingdom of Haense gives opportunity for players new and old to cement their power. The idea is alluded to in our cultural lore that Mihyaar belongs de facto to the thieves and pirates which inhabit it, and the pharaoh or leader is largely only a titular position. This can provoke a conflict dynamic often unseen in the current climate of LoTC. We’d similarly like to facilitate pirate roleplay, even if it is land-locked, as there is a lack of roleplay environments which are able to accommodate piracy. We’d also like to extend a hub for the thievery roleplay/roleplayers within our own group. Whereas, with villages, a lack of formal military body is able to provide an outlet for this, given the appropriate roleplay is performed by all parties involved. The intention is also to provide a regressive roleplay environment, in an atmospheric sense, and to simulate a hamlet that has failed to move into and progress in the over-saturated, modern world, existing almost as a relic in time. Village roleplay is something we would very much like to represent again after the niche’s stagnancy in recent years.

 

Additionally, the closeness in aesthetic to Rh'thor, as well as literal cultural history (Mihyaar and Rh'thor), would introduce less educated players to Rh'thor—or, a very similar environment—on the server front, and not simply in the lore. This is an area of lore previously unexplored and left, for all intents, barred and unbeknownst to the better part of players uninvolved in Rh'thoraen Necromancy to any extent. 

 

Have you ever run a settlement on LoTC before and what experience do you have with leadership within roleplay communities among the current groups of players?:

 

I (Melpomenne) have been on this server for around two years now. While I am not as nicely decorated as my counterpart, I have been given the honor to lead smaller player groups within various racial communities. Aiding in the formation and growth of groups, moving past periods of stagnancy, and aiding in maintaining a steady player base, have been some of the things I deem myself sufficiently well at. I have experience within nations like Oren, specifically regarding government activity around late 2020, and had the honor of helping lead and coordinate player groups within Urguan, such as the settlement, Veritas, and the group, the Brothers of Virtue. 

While I (Hephaestus) have been around for more than a few years on-and-off now and on different fronts, I first entered into the realm of leadership on the server as recently as 2020, where I predominantly helped govern orc groups under Krugmar and later as defectors. I was responsible for coordinating the nation as Dominus for an extended period of time, helping revitalise orc activity during stagnancy, after which I helped direct the schismatic Raguk clan during a civil war within the Orc-lands. During this time, I oversaw over forty roleplayers. I would later participate in government activity within Oren and Kaedrin, and in Almaris, helped drive and administer the County of Dobrov at its establishment. In the time since, I’ve helped build several smaller groups, mostly human but with some exceptions, i.e., the Order of the Silver Lion, a mercenary company in Haelun’or.

 

I do not anticipate to hold very great stake in the administrative component of this settlement, but I will make certain to counsel and give whatever guidance I can to my peers.

 

Do you understand the metrics for maintaining activity and the grounds for settlement removal, along with the standing polity cap?

We do.

 

[MayRndz 1128]

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