PokeSuikoden

In the Beginning…

In the beginning, all that existed was Darkness.

Existing for unknown aeons in vast solitude, Darkness began to despair. And in that sorrow fell three tears.

Those three tears became three eggs, and from those three eggs came three brothers.

The first brother, the self-appointed eldest, came to call itself When, a force that had and would exist for all moments to come. And so, Time was born. The second brother, not to be outdone, called itself Where, asserting that it was all-encompassing, ever-present. Thus the concept of Space came into being. The third brother simply watched, and waited.

The first two brothers began to argue over who was greater than the other. These arguments became quarrels, and these quarrels would become conflict. So it was that When and Where tugged at each other's forms and power, neither able to truly gain a foothold over the other. But it was during their conflict, after seven days and seven nights would pass, that the Darkness was sundered. The shed blood burst into flame, creating the stars, and Light. Its bones became the ground, its flesh the heavens above. And that which was left of the Darkness could truly call itself that no longer, looking over the expanse that had been formed, and recalling itself What. And in the Light, their Form could now be seen. In this Creation did When and Where take pause, ceasing their conflict.

In its pain from being sundered and from having seen its children fight, What shed fourteen more tears. It was now that the third brother acted, and spoke the first true words. "I am Who." and reaffirming his sense of Self. And so Souls were born. In that instant, each new tear, each new egg became a creature bearing the power of those words. The brightest of these creatures looked about curiously at the expanse before itself, and found it empty and barren, still. And so did Love create Life, and numerous creatures - somewhat less in power than their predecessors - would begin to dot the landscapes. Among these were Knowledge, Emotion, and Willpower made in Love's image, which gave rise to humanity, who gave all of those who came before names of their own making.

What happened afterwards is uncertain, only that each of the original Eighteen would leave their presence on this world in the form of sealed True Runes… Forces that would greatly shape the history of the world to follow. Humanity would settle itself among the other lesser creatures created by Love, which they dubbed Pokemon, and eventually begin to tame them. And thus began the world as we know it.

The World at Large

The continent of Ansilia runs from the northern hemisphere to the midst of the equator in a somewhat battered crescent shape, folded westward - ranging a gamut of climates from the cold and snowy shores of the Six Tribal States of Girdi to the beautiful, paradisic coastline rainforests of Davadezi, one of the largest trade-centers in the world. Of the 29 countries on this continent, our story is concerned with three in particular.

The monarchy of Nolgranda is settled firmly in the Nolgrandic Highlands, a range of plateaus and sheer mountains on the mid-southeastern side edge of the continent. Here, the King and Queen have equal power and rule jointly. A national religion exists, somewhat comparable to Catholicism. They worship and recognize Arceus (the remnant of the original Darkness) and bear a more scripturized version of the events seen above as the story of creation. The nation also tends to have a bit of a hard-on for Dragon types, considering there are an unusual amount of dragons in the Nolgrandic Highlands, and that the first three children of Arceus were Dragons themselves. Perhaps a bit cross to Catholicism, Pride is considered a virtue in this society, and perhaps as a result they are considered to be a very aggressive nation politically. Not everyone follows these doctrines or shares these views, of course, and the nonreligious of Nolgranda might be looked down on, but rarely outright persecuted. The main exports of this rocky country are minerals from the land and materials harvested from hunted dragons. The area is known for its skilled artisans who produce beautiful works of art, whether golden jewellery, devastating weapons, or nigh-impenetrable armor, and it is perhaps best known for its powerful military and embrace of various new technologies and sciences. Firearms are not an uncommon sight within these borders, and are more favored than bows here. The King and Queen, Lord Esrand Filius Nolgranda and Lady Amelia Dulcinea Nolgranda wield together the True Rune of The Land and the True Rune of the Waters, the two powerful runes used in conjunction bringing plenty of rain to the elevated region and protecting the kingdom from their enemies. The waters from the capital form the great river Nolgir, which flows and splits through the highlands and feeds into many countries. The crown princess, Regina, is currently abroad to the north in the state of Carthas, pursuing a private education.

The Imperial Federation of Davadezi, on the other hand, is a conglomerate state comprised of seven smaller states which rule via parliament. A holdover of the changes made within the nation sixty-seven years prior, the Empire still has a monarch, titled Sultan or Sultana, who does not participate in political rule of the state - the current Sultana being Her Grace Tanvi Manaan . Much of the empire (which altogether is the largest nation on the continent) is within the coastal tropical forests among the southern shore of the continent, but states do stretch to the north and west of the rainforest into the lush and hilly plains. Davadezi is a natural trade capital of the world, having many exotic flora and fauna, as well as shrewd and knowledgeable merchants - though at times, the Federation more resembles an oligarchy than anything its common folk usually have a say in. Though not a terrible place to live in by any means, laws and political events more often than not serve the wealthy, who scheme behind each other's backs. On the other hand, the empire lacks a strong, well-trained military (their own forces tending to be small) and often relies on its economic muscle, alliances, spies, and sellswords from the northwest to protect its interests. The various states of the empire have been known to act independently from time to time, squabble between each other, and otherwise act ill-fitting of a united empire - often necessitating diplomacy from the sultana herself as an intermediary, despite her holding little to no political power.

Finally, the Commonwealth of Rivale, where our story begins, is a small country between Nolgranda to the northeast and the eastern outskirts of Davadezi. Originally an untamed wilderness just outside the rainforest clime of Davadezi, trade routes begin to form between the Empire and Nolgranda along the banks of the river Nolgir, which winds deeply through Rivale and into the Empire. These trade routes then began connecting to other countries to the north, before sprouting into villages, villages into towns, and so on and so forth until it was clear that there was suddenly a territorial dispute between the Kingdom and the Empire. Rather than squabble over the previously unclaimed land, the two nations agreed to allow Rivale to be independent, and now it is split into subregions of its own, ruled over by mayors or powerful families beholden to no greater government. Rivale thrives on through-traffic, catering to travelers and traders going between nations, and a healthy amount of farming business. Because of the nature of the trade routes and lack of centralized government, banditry is common throughout the country. Personal freedoms are at a high, however, which can make Rivale an attractive place to live. Mercenaries are also a common sight, though unlike within the borders of Davadezi, sometimes the line between mercenary and bandit is questionable. Those who practice the art of the shinobi sometimes put their services for hire as well, and at least three ninja villages are said to exist within the nation's borders - all three of which's locations are unknown.

As of the time of the campaign's start, no major conflict has broken out… yet. But the fires of war will not tarry long. Where will you be?

Character Gen Information

Pokemon Tabletop United 1.05. ALL OFFICIAL BOOKS OPEN. Check with me if you're trying to refluff something that's otherwise stupidly out of genre and I'll talk with you. No Blessed and the Damned stuff out of the gate - you know better.

Level 5 Trainers
Two Level 10 Pokemon. Choose up to three Inheritance moves from their Egg Move lists. They will gain the first of these moves at char-gen, the second at level 20, and the third at level 30. I get the final say in what's allowed as an inheritance move. Clear your pokemon choices with me too. Homebrew Pokemon, such as Sagemons, may be allowed with permission. In fact, many such will appear in-game.

6000 Potch. Potch is going to be the universal currency across Ansillia. You all get a free Simple Weapon and a Light Armor should you so choose. Fluff them however you want. Extra things pending. No TM purchases out of character creation. Clear with me again if you're unsure about something.

Choose an item important to your character. Keepsake, memento, weapon, whatever. Just as long as it's something that means something to them with at least a small story behind it. Note this in your inventory somewhere.

Any other questions? Ask me.

What Should I Expect, Anyway?

A Pokemon-flavored Suikoden game! Or a Suikoden-flavored Pokemon game. One of those two. Plenty of high octane excitement. Houserules! Powergaming! Fun roleplay! Frantic correcting of houserules to not be completely broken! Ridiculously tough battles with complicated mechanics. Suikoden staples like war battles, a stronghold (with expansion!) and maybe even a certain teleportress. A bit of heartbreak and betrayal. And hopefully, a drama-free environment! You guys are cool, right? Right.

Various Bits of Important Information

Players

Player Character Classes Nutshell
Break Iltani Isaacs Relentless Justice / Tumbler Field engineer, 'retrieval specialist,' certified troubleshooter.
Aori Radidjiu Katsuo Nightarrow Kage / Roughneck / Backpacker / Hunter TACTICAL EDGELORD ACTION
Damienlunas Somalakshmi Pari Maneater Dancer, Social Infiltration Specialist
Anise Lekha Satyasvapna Sage / Oracle / Channeler The Best Rune-Hunting Seer
Kain http://paradoxhaze.wikidot.com/cornell | Cornell Nolgranda Conductor / Commander A softspoken boy with an eye heavensward.
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