People of the Green Isle

[Elfarion]

The problem here is that if Washraha isn't the iron-fisted dominator of the coast, then what is keeping Haldric et al. from fleeing south instead of east?

If the fishermen who later emigrated to the Green Isle lived at the northern coast of the Southern Continent and the Washraha lived south of them, then they would have to get past the Washraha in attempt to find a new home. Also they would know that the Washrahan civilisation is the most powerful of the Southern Continent and eventually they would be raided again, because the Washrahan warrior caste is permanently looking for targets.

[revansurik]

johndh wrote:
The problem here is that if Washraha isn't the iron-fisted dominator of the coast, then what is keeping Haldric et al. from fleeing south instead of east?


If the fishermen who later emigrated to the Green Isle lived at the northern coast of the Southern Continent and the Washraha lived south of them, then they would have to get past the Washraha in attempt to find a new home. Also they would know that the Washrahan civilisation is the most powerful of the Southern Continent and eventually they would be raided again, because the Washrahan warrior caste is permanently looking for targets.

The Chomi who migrated to the Green Isle would have taken with then stories about the violence of the Washraha and the danger of the Deshra; these stories could have well survived until Haldric's time, probably even being exaggerated a little (or a lot), and so he decided to avoid Arajunna - after all, Haldric was leading a band of refugees, and so he had to go to the safest possible place.

[Elfarion]

I see, I didn't understand johndh correctly...
revansurik's explanation makes sense to me. Stories geht preserved and change. So a few generations after the eimigration the South would be inhabited by giants, cannibals and other horrible people in the stories of the Islefolk.

[revansurik]

So, have we reached a final draft of the history of the Islefolk's ancestors?

[johndh]

It's FOSS game development. There's no such thing as a final draft. Anyway, I can write more if necessary once I'm settled in to my new job and dwelling, but I think we've got a pretty good handle on things for now.

[Elfarion]

I think so too. The Islefolk's background seems consistent and fixed. When will we start working on the Southern Continent?

[zookeeper]

The Islefolk's background seems consistent and fixed.

Could one of you folks write up a complete draft then? Doesn't need to be polished or anything, just something which contains all the information. It's pretty ackward to try to piece it together from so many posts.

[revansurik]

When will we start working on the Southern Continent?

Anytime you want; I've got a few ideas already about other peoples of Arajunna...

Could one of you folks write up a complete draft then? Doesn't need to be polished or anything, just something which contains all the information. It's pretty ackward to try to piece it together from so many posts.

Here goes the timeline I've organized, alongside the description of the peoples involved:

Spoiler:

PRE-HISTORY

- The Aeserians, a tribe of the Old Continent, accidentally come ashore an uninhabited island in the middle of the sea. They call it the Green Isle, and start building settlements there. After an orcish attack on their original homeland, all of the Aeserians move to the Green Isle.

- Chomi sailors from the continent of Arajunna, many miles to the south of the Green Isle, find it as well, and begin trading with its inhabitants.

- In Arajunna, the Washraha, led by the Tarva Dinasty, constantly raid the neighbouring peoples. This, as well as the constant threat of the giants known as Deshra, forces the various Chomi tribes to search for another, more peaceful land to settle, and thus they go to the Green Isle, where they gradually merge with the descendants of the Aeserians.

- The Chomi-Aeserian chieftains build many kingdoms over the Green Isle, such as Southbay, Blackmore and Stormvale. Although they remain as autonomous kingdoms, they all call themselves the Islefolk.

- Islefolk sailors attempt to re-visit their ancestors' homelands in both Arajunna and the Old Continent, but the bad sailing conditions in the seas to the south and the west of the Green Isle prevent them from establishing a safe route between both their old and current homeslands.

- During a sea travel around the Old Continent, the Islefolk meet the Wesfolk for the first time.


THE AESERIANS: they were originally a small tribe from the eastern coast of the Old Continent. Living in a seaside valley surrounded by large mountains, they had very little contact with other civilizations, including the human Wesfolk. Albeit quite primitive in terms of technology, they had some sailing skills, accumulated from years of fishing whales in the Vast Sea. By following the track of those whales, they found that which would be known as the Green Isle, which was then uninhabited, and started building settlements there. One day, the orcs found a way into their valley in the Old Continent, and so, unused to fighting, the Aeserians' only alternative was to abandon their original homeland for the Green Isle.

THE CHOMI: they were a people, or a confederation of culturally similar tribes, who lived on the northern shores of the continent of Arajunna. They were numerous, had relatively large cities and were good at sailing and trading, but weren't very strong in terms of military, and their settlements weren't fortified; thus, they were constantly being harassed by the neighbouring Washraha and, in rarer occasions, by the giants known as Deshra.
Chomi sailors found the Green Isle some time after the Aeserians had all moved there. Both peoples traded goods and knowledge, and were very friendly to each other. They even built a mixed Chomi-Aeserian city in the southern shores of the Green Isle which quickly became a thriving trading centre between both peoples.
Each of the Chomi tribes was ruled by its own king; other than through commerce, those tribes didn't have any strong relationship with each other. This disunion remained even during attacks by the Washraha. However, after a massive attack by the Tarva Dinasty that completely destroyed three of their main cities, the Chomi decided to help each other to evacuate their lands and move to safer Green Isle. Once there, they occupied the lands that were still uninhabited with many kingdoms, and some even merged with Aeserians to form mixed nations. However, as time passed, the Chomi and Aeserian cultures merged to form a single 'Islefolk' civilization.


Note: The paragraph on the Washraha below is a modified version of their original description by johndh; I just removed the part that described them as a naval power, since we agreed that it was better to keep them a land-only empire, and added some new information at the end.

THE WASHRAHA: The nation of Washraha on Arajunna was formed when the Tarva dynasty came to power and united several squabbling tribes and city-states to drive out the Deshra. The Deshra (literally "high-kneed") were a race of giants that lived alongside the other inhabitants of this part of the continent, and the people lived in fear of them and their appetites. The ruler of the city-state of Shray Tahl, a warlord known as Tarva Pah, formed a coalition of allies to drive out the Deshra. His army became known as the Washrajan, or knee-cutters, and they lent their name to the resulting empire. When he became their first emperor, Tarva Pah became a fearful and paranoid man. He instituted a paradigm of isolationism and xenophobia, building a wall along their land borders as mighty Washrahan scouting groups watched over the savannah and the mountains surrounding his lands, swiftly putting a violent end to anyone who came exploring or seeking trade or refuge. These policies were carried out by his successors for generations; nevertheless, the Washrahan themselves often visited neighbouring lands and people, but with ill-intention: for in the belligerent Washrahan culture, the warriors must be constantly proving their mettle in combat, and so they are often raiding smaller foreign tribes, but seldom destroying any of them completely. In the reign of Empress Sa-Tarva, however, the Washraha decided to expand, razing countless towns and villages and conquering vast extensions of land, becoming the absolute power in Arajunna. Their power became unrivalled indeed, and it could have expanded to realms far beyond their continent, were it not for the Washraha's almost superstitious fear of the sea.

PS.: I have a little suggestion: is it possible to change the name of the Old Continent to Argea? Kanzil, Knightmare and I call the Old Continent like this in the Pre-Wesnoth timeline we've created for our campaigns; I'm suggesting it because 'Argea' is shorter and more practical. It's annoying to keep writing 'Old Continent' all the time'.

[johndh]

When will we start working on the Southern Continent?

Anytime you want; I've got a few ideas already about other peoples of Arajunna...

Perhaps it would be better to write a short story set in the south or on the old continent as the next step in the process, as that will help find what lore does and doesn't work in practice, and it will also give the common folk something to read. For some reason, not everyone likes reading scholarly discussions of fictional societies as much as they like stories. Go figure.
Also, a story could potentially serve as the basis for a campaign if some ambitious and talented soul sought to make it so.

[Elfarion]

Perhaps it would be better to write a short story set in the south or on the old continent as the next step in the process, as that will help find what lore does and doesn't work in practice, and it will also give the common folk something to read.

Nice idea! I would even do it, if I was'nt working on two other short storys and a novel right now. Plus, university starts in ten days. *Sigh* Just not enough time...

[johndh]

I've got some biggish projects coming up at work, but I might see if I can come up with a short story as a warmup to Nanowrimo once I get a non-handheld computer again. However, I'd be more interested in seeing what someone else could come up with based on the "established" southern lore, since that'll give a good idea of what can be made from it without the million unwritten things I have in my head.

[Elfarion]

How is it going? Is there any news about the wiki being changed or something?

[revansurik]

I've got some biggish projects coming up at work, but I might see if I can come up with a short story as a warmup to Nanowrimo once I get a non-handheld computer again. However, I'd be more interested in seeing what someone else could come up with based on the "established" southern lore, since that'll give a good idea of what can be made from it without the million unwritten things I have in my head.

I am busy with university studies and with my new campaign - hell, I didnt log in these forums for more than a week - so I too can't write much more on Arajunna. All I have in mind right now is a character for a future campaign that is from Arajunna, but until this campaign is released it'll take many months

How is it going? Is there any news about the wiki being changed or something?

I have been wondering the same thing...

[revansurik]

So, it's been a while since the last post
Well, at this height I think we have the peoples of Arajunna well-defined; thus, I'm planning to turn the Washraha, the Chomi and the Deshra into actual factions, which I plan on including in my campaign War of the Jewel (together with Arajunna itself).
That's how I'm planning the units:
-The Chomi should be light-armoured foot soldiers, somewhat frail (low hp and vulnerable to physical attacks), but with high level of terrain defence; they also have boatsmen and rely a lot on ranged attacks.
-The Washraha, being more warlike, have sturdier units with strong attacks, but lesser terrain defence than the Chomi. I've planned three kinds of unit for them: a spearman line (with the lvl 3 having a blade attack), a swordsman line and an archer line. They shouldn't have much variety, since they don't know horses (there are no horses in Arajunna, right?); they also find it more honourable to fight in melee combat.
-The Deshra, being giants, have huge hp and strong (though not numerous) attacks (I'm planning on giving one of their units an Area of Effect weapon special), beside being very resistant to all kinds of attack, but they have little terrain defence.

I'm also thinking about what kind of name I should give the units; johndh, did you have any specific language/culture in mind when you imagined the Washraha and the Deshra? 'Cause I'm thinking of searching up African (Berber/Yoruba/Ashanti) words and names for those units...
BTW, I'm placing some sprites as attachments; I've picked them from the factions in the Ageless Era (if I'm abusing of borrowing art from other factions, please let me know; I'm not a good drawer, so all I can do is borrow from others )

[johndh]

So, it's been a while since the last post
Well, at this height I think we have the peoples of Arajunna well-defined; thus, I'm planning to turn the Washraha, the Chomi and the Deshra into actual factions, which I plan on including in my campaign War of the Jewel (together with Arajunna itself).
That's how I'm planning the units:
-The Chomi should be light-armoured foot soldiers, somewhat frail (low hp and vulnerable to physical attacks), but with high level of terrain defence; they also have boatsmen and rely a lot on ranged attacks.
-The Washraha, being more warlike, have sturdier units with strong attacks, but lesser terrain defence than the Chomi. I've planned three kinds of unit for them: a spearman line (with the lvl 3 having a blade attack), a swordsman line and an archer line. They shouldn't have much variety, since they don't know horses (there are no horses in Arajunna, right?); they also find it more honourable to fight in melee combat.
-The Deshra, being giants, have huge hp and strong (though not numerous) attacks (I'm planning on giving one of their units an Area of Effect weapon special), beside being very resistant to all kinds of attack, but they have little terrain defence.

That all sounds good with what I've imagined, with a few exceptions and additions.

I like your concept of the Chomi as a guerrilla faction. I think it fits them to have units that move quickly through terrain and ambush their enemies. Probably they could have some skirmisher, backstabbing, and camouflaged specials.

Since the Washraha have to fight the Deshra and got their name from being able to cut them down, it seems like they should have a line of units with heavy weaponry. The Chinese of antiquity had several anti-cavalry weapons, such as the pudao or "horse cutter", which were meant to be able to cut the front legs out from under a charging horse. Such a weapon would be useful against a giant, since it has superb chopping power and decent reach, and the brute strength behind it fits the Washrahan elite warrior culture. Also, for some reason, axes have been ingrained in my image of Washrahan warriors since the beginning for some reason. I'm not sure if it's the connection with Vikings or if it's just trying to defy the "black people from the desert always use spears and scimitars" cliché. I'd go with axes for one of the lines since an axeman with a shield could be a well-balanced fighter, having decent attack and defense with a ranged option. Perhaps the knee-cutter could be a level 3 unit that branches off from one of the other lines? Washrahan warriors might view archery as either cowardly or pedestrian, so if they have archers then they would probably be their "weakest" units (the peasants and slaves who can't handle a real weapon) but maybe make up for it with dishonorable tactics. In their general appearance, my mental image of Washrahan visual style is inspired by Assyrian art -- the beards, the cool hats, the armor, etc. So I guess that would give us the following lines for the Washraha (just a rough draft idea, not carved in stone or anything):
Spearman 1 -> Spearman 2 -> Spearman 3 (defensive line)
Swordsman -> Elite Swordsman -> Champion Swordsman (heavy attack line)
Axeman 1 -> Axeman 2 -> Axeman 3 (balanced infantry line with ranged attack)
Archer 1 -> Archer 2 -> Archer 3 (ranged line)

I had wondered how to go about making the Deshra into a faction, as even the most basic one would probably be level 2. I'm also imagining that the Deshra have some kind of shamanistic connection with the elements and have tamed beasts at their disposal, like hyenas and snakes, as well as a shaman line with earth- and wind-based attacks. I don't think the Washraha should have any magic since they value brute strength too much and isolate themselves from others, but maybe the Chomi would develop it later on after learning it from the Deshra. The idea here is kind of a reversal of the annoying "ethnic magician" trope.

I'm also thinking about what kind of name I should give the units; johndh, did you have any specific language/culture in mind when you imagined the Washraha and the Deshra? 'Cause I'm thinking of searching up African (Berber/Yoruba/Ashanti) words and names for those units...

I've actually tried to avoid making any of them "just like Africa/[other real-world culture]" because that feels cheap. So far I've incorporated (intentionally or otherwise) elements of African, Indian, Native American, and Viking culture and probably others that I can't think of right now. Just as Wesnoth isn't "that European analog", Arajunna should not be "that African analog". I hope that makes sense.

BTW, I'm placing some sprites as attachments; I've picked them from the factions in the Ageless Era (if I'm abusing of borrowing art from other factions, please let me know; I'm not a good drawer, so all I can do is borrow from others )

I'm not really qualified to comment on sprites, as I have zero pixel art skills myself.