i still have thane brain rot, so sorry, but it's more on battle now after some plotting the other day.
anyways! calvary units played a crucial part in many conflicts pertaining to inodal. for most of the same standard reasons: improvements to mobility, greater height in combat, greater mass, and the general intimidation of horses charging into conflict. in a way, horses were as valuable as gold during battle times.
yeah, so to shorten a long story, thane ruined that. even the most steeled war steed couldn't make itself approach thane. more often than not, they would scatter, leading to chaos amongst the ranks and injuries to their own riders. in an instant, calvary units were more of a detriment to the most critical conflicts in wars of the surrounding kingdoms. lands they prided themselves on horses went from regarding the creature highly to seeing a sharp downturn in their usage.
a few other ways things changed were how strategies differed. with more general warfare standardized again, the lack of horses slowed conflicts more than in years. it did become a gambling game to keep a horse just to catch wind of an ambush since thane can't mask his presence from them. it became a way to locate him.
over time, though, with the manipulation of information, calvary was reintroduced for inodal. since they knew where thane would be, they could put their calvary units out without worrying about them entering a frenzy. it became a one-sided advantage, did not do wonders for enemy morale, and made many skirmishes easy pickings for the soldiers of inodal.
Oh this is a random discussion but thane loves games like civilization. Building a nation? Governing things? Less of the stress because it’s digital. Yeah when he’s off work good luck prying him from civ.
thane has been cursed to feel and suppress the negative emotions of others. he takes away their sadness, rage, etc and, in turn, takes those feelings upon himself. this ability's reach is extensive enough to at least blanket his kingdom. with practice, he's managed to dull the effect it has on him as a testament to his mental strength. it takes a lot to muster his response, whether it's pain or sadness. keeping himself from being swept up by the tides of feelings flooding him takes consistent effort. in a sense, he suffers from his curse himself, stripped of his feelings — struggling to discern himself from where others begin. despite knowing the sadness of countless beings, his ability to empathize with them is lacking.
he prefers to avoid violence, given he can feel what its victims do. although far from a pacifist. to make things in line with his vision of the greater good, he'll gladly bear arms and use threats and violence. in the modern day, to match the times, he's much more forgiving. they were a warrior before they were a king and the battlefield was their first home. sometimes, it still calls to him, even if he's denied its previous comfort. he's averse to killing if only because he can find use for people he spares ( and avoid feeling the pains of their demise. )
to those within range of his curse, some things narratively that could occur: a very faint sense of elation, a bit of a fogginess to their thoughts about pressing matters, a struggle to muster up the drive for aggression, the fade of pain from injuries, etc. it's still present, like regarding those feelings through glass, for lack of better words. you know you should be angry, hurt, etc. but connecting with yourself takes a bit more effort.
thane's blood is a bit gold reflecting is godly half but it's mostly red. so, think crimson w/ golden flecks. the gold concentrates itself a lot in his scars and such, kintsugi style.
thane's love language is helping him maintain his dreads. thanks.
thane’s hair is grey but it wasn’t always that color; it’d started to change once he’d received his curse. it used to simply be black, messy and rather unkempt before they’d started to mellow out. it’s never really bothered him, not that it would have, he thinks it makes him look a wiser beyond his years which isn’t something that would hurt his reputation. a few dark strands of his original hair still linger but most are tangled within the presence of grey.
during his reign, he only married once but had many different consorts with the intentions of producing an heir to the throne. his interest in performing the act wasn’t high but they’d do so out of duty. thane treated them well, as equals, with the privileges a queen would have. granting them luxuries as if they’d been crowned themselves despite not being married to them. some of his lovers had greater chemistry with him than others which meant his favorites might’ve been apparent from time to time. thane’s interest in his children's lives was bare minimum until they were old enough to involve themselves in politics or things pertaining to the kingdom.
his gift curse numbs away pain and hostility, those lacking food would not suffer nor those that happened to succumb from a disease. in a sense, as a king, he was with everyone when they suffered hardships whether they were aware of the fact or otherwise. however, the feelings his people could experience ended up being rather limited because of him leaving them in rather dull states when not experience happiness or excitement. aware of this fact, they’d make sure to interact with them in the form of parties or gatherings which would happen more often than not during the week. something to make sure everyone was fed or taken care of in some regard.
the whole reason he was given the ability to numb and withhold the pain of others was to change him from being a savage. fighting, in all forms, had seemed to be his only interest from birth with rather lethal results. under the burden of those around him, feeling the same pain he’d sought to inflict on someone in some form changed him from a fighter to a pacifist since killing someone would be akin to killing himself. thane prefers to talk things out and avoid conflicts.
inodal is a kingdom that is bordered by a vast sea, finding its trade in fishing and other seas based opportunities. he loves the ocean and tends to visit places that are bordered by water. it reminds him of home, allowing him a chance to feel connected to it. oddly enough though, thane can’t swim to save his life and almost drowned when lost at sea during a brief skirmish.
four other major cities make up thane’s kingdom which was acquired through his efforts in expanding their borders. he appointed his sisters as the one to oversee these acquisitions and essentially gave them free reign as they wished within reason. their basic rules are the same but what they’d developed their lands into was entirely up to them as long as they shared their earnings with the others. each city was a wheel to keep things going but they’d all still be able to exist if one happened to fall into obscurity. despite finding himself in inodal, which was the capital of it all, he’d venture to these other places to grace them with his presence and allow them to partake in celebrations they’d heard about which happened in the inodal itself. inodal was, for lack of better word, viewed as a type of paradise where everyone prospered. smaller towns fill the gaps between the cities but do fall under the rule of them.
ezeocia was the closest to inodal, it made its trade in crops of a greater variety along with dealing in spices to share with the kingdom itself. placed against the sea as well, they’d also have a hand in fish trade and pearl hunting but with far more dedication than inodal. it’d appear closer to a fishing town with a grand pier and many other boats lined along its coastline which would move to deliver goods where it’d be able.
iramuca found its niche in ores and precious stones which crafted it into a mining city that’d supply a great deal of the material that’d be used for armor and weapons. workers had a powerful voice here since they were the ones working tirelessly to mine out the materials and craft them into something that’d be of use. digging for precious stones further flourished their wealth and a great deal of jewelry would spread from them all across the land. their craftsmanship becoming rather famous among the people that’d actually be able to afford it.
murozia fashioned itself into a place of knowledge, dipping into the arcane and housing a college that’d teach magic for many years after building upon what was already there. bolstering it into a place where many techniques and crafts would be discovered or perfected. it’d also find itself second to inodal as a place to worship the gods and pay them tribute. they’d deal in potions, herbs, medicines, and textiles which fetched a good price while being useful to many.
shezregary became a prison city, keeping those that’d been found guilty of grievous crimes and sentenced to live out their years in isolation. the prison is massive and the people that live there are the ones who are related to the guards working in it. the prison would contribute to the weapons and armors crafted as service to the kingdom by those that were incarcerated.
an important thing to remember was most of the land outside of inodal itself originally belonged to other people; it’d been conquered and claimed by their armies. the people that’d lived this before were either driven out or adopted into the kingdom. being overtaken definitely leads to some animosity, naturally, but thane’s curse would impact these areas enough to where it’d stay simmering instead of boiling over while they worked to defuse it. there’s also how things like monsters were viewed, those that carried themselves as humans would. it’d result in the same effect, numbed down to the point where it’d stay from spilling over but somewhat present in the community in the cities but less so in inodal itself. preaching for equality is a lot different than obtaining it but thane did have his eyes sight on that being the final conclusion.
i was gonna say thane has a habit of taking in strays but then i remembered his presence alone makes animals run for dear life because all they feel is a predator hunting them. oddly enough, not fish though. he keeps a nice tropical fish tank which serves as a) stress relief and b) a way to vent his more controlling tendencies. talk to him about fish i guess
tag dump ( 4 / ??? )