|
4 years ago ::
Dec 05, 2008 - 2:50PM
#21
|
Date Joined:
Aug 25, 2008
|
56. Another country has abandoned a metallic currency. Instead, it has changed its currency to dragons' teeth. The quest for new money has nearly driven dragons to extinction.
I like that one. I can see surviving dragons banding together to wipe out that government. Or, better yet, hiring high level PCs to take down the government.
|
|
|
|
4 years ago ::
Dec 05, 2008 - 6:24PM
#22
|
Date Joined:
Apr 23, 2007
|
57. Country filled with little fey nations, some a few hundred yards or acres in size. Human nation too, people continually have to ask permission to cross these boundaries. Regulars can make deals and treaties, but newcomers have to negotiate again and again and again. And when there is a coup or borders shift, it gets interesing.
58. One of the houses of parliaments is comprised of liches, good aligned mostly. Talk about serving in office for life...
59. Vampires rule the nation. It looks pretty normal to newcomers, but there is the blood tax, paid by reporting to bloodletting stations on a set schedule. Things are set up so that no dies from the bloodletting, that is unless someone proves a problem to the vampires or their human allies.
60. Only the king is allowed to kill monsters in this country. If a monster is ravaging a village, well, they will just have to hold tight. He will eventually get there to kill the creature. All monsters are protected otherwise. If one accidentally dies the local village,farmer, town might be held liable. If you deliberately kill one, such as clueless adventurer who just wandered in...
|
|
|
|
4 years ago ::
Dec 05, 2008 - 7:19PM
#23
|
Date Joined:
Jan 16, 2006
|
51. City in the far north, threatened by an ever advancing glacier, saved from destructon only by a red dragon who shows up every now and then to drive the wall of ice back. Of course, he has a price for his services.
Interesting real fact: some time during the Medievil period a little ice age started, and the alpine glaciers advanced on a bunch of villages. The villagers, convinced this was the work of the devil, hired some priests to go out and perform and exorcism to stop the glaciers. They got results!………………for a while.
|
|
|
|
4 years ago ::
Dec 05, 2008 - 8:26PM
#24
|
|
|
61. This country has a highly stratified social system. Commerce is considered a lowly activity, so merchants are among the lowest caste. The next highest class is comprised of the intellectuals, including those that use arcane and divine powers. Next is the warrior and those that survive through physical labor. The highest class is reserved for the bureaucrats of the government.
62. This city-state records its history on a massive wall encircling its boundaries. Having your name recorded on the wall is a high honor. Subsequent failure can lead to the removal of not only your name but all of the names of your ancestors.
63. Massive tortoises serve as special beasts of burden in this country. The larger the tortoise and the more ornate its shell can greatly influence its owner's community standing.
64. The rules of this country seeks to preserve as much of its land as possible. Consequently, it has heavily invested in sophisticatedly engineered massive stone towers to serve as the sole residents for its citizenry. No one owns land except for the king, and he's very greedy to control all of it.
65. This country has a bizarre custom: no one may stand taller than the king while they are in his presence. It might not be a significant issue, save for the fact that the king is a halfling.
66. Horses are considered to be of a higher station than everyone except the monarch, to whom the horses are considered equals.
|
|
|
|
4 years ago ::
Dec 06, 2008 - 7:42AM
#25
|
Date Joined:
Apr 23, 2007
|
Interesting real fact: some time during the Medievil period a little ice age started, and the alpine glaciers advanced on a bunch of villages. The villagers, convinced this was the work of the devil, hired some priests to go out and perform and exorcism to stop the glaciers. They got results!………………for a while.
Yes, I saw it on a special that was on climate change and history, based in part I believe on a book by Brian Fagan. During the Little Ice Age some glaciers advanced quite a bit in the Alps and were serious threats to villages up there. That was the same time period that saw the vicious winters in London one sometimes reads about from English literature and the horrid winter faced by General Washington and his troops at Valley Forge. Also during that time the Rio Grande river froze over, something unheard of since.
|
|
|
|
4 years ago ::
Dec 06, 2008 - 7:48AM
#26
|
Date Joined:
Nov 21, 2008
|
67. A country where everyone has a dog, and breeds their dog with that of the person they marry. This sometimes results in the marriage of a noble to a peasant whose dog's line is highly valued. Those who are allergic to dogs are outcasts, no matter what their heiritage.
|
|
|
|
4 years ago ::
Dec 06, 2008 - 7:55AM
#27
|
Date Joined:
Apr 23, 2007
|
67. Country that is domainted by elves, though they are a minority. How high you rank in society as a human depends upon the amount of elven blood you have. Half-elves do the best of course, but there are terms in use like quarter-elves and eighth-elves. People page back alley magicians to look more elven so they can "pass" in high society.
68. Country dominated by a caste system, what race you are determines what you can do. Only gnomes for instance can do repair work and engineering (and that is all they can do) for instance. Only humans can farm (and that is all they can do). The caste system includes humanoids like giants, orcs, and goblins.
69. Weird spell effects plague this nation; random creatures become Awakened; intelligent and speaking. Once this happens if they are say farm animals they have the right to go free or if they want to stay on a contract has to be worked out. The raccoon you were about to kill that was raiding the chickens, if he Awakens, now has land rights and may have title to the land you are holding. Killing the animal off is a crime akin to murder.
70. Incredibly superstititous nation, most people ascribe great meaning to meaningless patterns in the tea leaves in the bottom of their glass, what day of the week it is, astrological signs, their house number, if two people say the same thing at the same time. Most of the time this is nonsense, nothing to worry about, but other times bad, or good, random spell effects occur, often enough to keep people on their toes. Good luck charms, hexes, and minor spells to protect people is a thriving business, though many of them are worthless, either know to be by those who create them or created by ignorant hedge wizards who are dabbling in things they know little enough of.
|
|
|
|
4 years ago ::
Dec 06, 2008 - 7:58AM
#28
|
Date Joined:
Apr 23, 2007
|
I like that one. I can see surviving dragons banding together to wipe out that government. Or, better yet, hiring high level PCs to take down the government.
If they went after all kinds of dragons, good and evil, I can't see that nation lasting long. Perhaps glib, persuasive dragons could persuade "races of the dragon" like kobolds to wage some sort of jihad against this country. Maybe even more distant relations like the lizardfolk.
|
|
|
|
4 years ago ::
Dec 06, 2008 - 8:01AM
#29
|
Date Joined:
Apr 23, 2007
|
[63. Massive tortoises serve as special beasts of burden in this country. The larger the tortoise and the more ornate its shell can greatly influence its owner's community standing. **That reminds me of Dinotopia for some reason, where dinosaurs of various types - all herbivores - live and work with humans, not only as beasts of burden and mounts but also as allies.
Perhaps these tortoises have sigils carved into their shells, magical sigils that provide good luck, great weather, magical protections, or curses to their enemies.
|
|
|
|
4 years ago ::
Dec 06, 2008 - 8:20AM
#30
|
|
|
delete
|
|
|
