Inspired by Haspen's excellent Spamkingdom, I have decided to try my hand at the format. Perhaps this will go terribly.
Oh, right, Demonhood 2 is not dead- just resting. On the backburner for the moment. Who knows, perhaps writing something else will refill the creative well, so to speak.
Anyway. Rather than a King ruling with righteous authority, you are a Warlord ruling through strength of arms, in a world gone to shit. You recently carved yourself a small fiefdom to call your own- but we'll get to that. First, we must learn who you are:
Name: [preferably something sensible]
Title: [ex. Warlord, Khan, Daimyo, whatever]
Background: Who are you, and how did you acquire your army?
A-Former commander: a general in the imperial army, you always made sure that your soldiers knew who paid their wages, perhaps anticipating the coming collapse. Whilst most of your soldiers abandoned you, enough remained for you to take control of your new fief.
B-Common soldier: starting out as a humble footsoldier, you rose through the ranks until you found yourself the commander of a sizeable force. When the collapse happened, the soldiers under your command stayed with you, as they love you for being 'one of them'.
C-Merchant prince: born to wealthy parents, you spent your early years travelling to exotic places, trading in exotic goods, and meeting exotic people. When the collapse happened, you realised the only way to protect your wealth was to buy the loyalty of a bunch of soldiers. They may not be devoted, but they do their job.
D-Legitimate nobleman: third son of a count of some stature, you suddenly found yourself at the head of the succession when your father and brothers died in the collapse. Fortunately, your family retinue proved loyal enough for you to secure control over your rightful estates before some ghastly warlord could take them.
E-Bandit king: even before the collapse you had aspirations to warlordhood. Your band of outlaws roamed the empire, evading the army, looting towns, and living the good life off of the spoils. Indeed, in a small way, you contributed to the collapse. And now you reap the rewards.
F-Warrior princess: whilst others played with dolls, you played with wooden soldiers. They laughed at you as you fought with swords whilst they learnt to dance. Who's laughing now? Not them, they all died in the collapse. You, on the other hand, escaped, and won the loyalty of a band of mercenaries by defeating their leader in single combat.
G-Rebel leader: some consider the collapse a catastrophe. You consider it a victory. Years, nay, decades of planning- every second worthwhile. Of course, now that it is done, someone needs to take control and build a new society, one that better represents the people. And who better to do so than you and your loyal army?
Skills: Obviously, you would not have gotten where you are today without considerable martial skill. But strength of arms alone is not enough- what other skill do you have?
A-Martial and wise
B-Martial and charismatic
C-Martial and lucky
D-Martial and healthy
Army makeup: You possess a reasonably sized fighting force, with a mixture of troops. But one kind in particular stands out.
A-Footsoldiers. Where other warlords may see fit to simply hand a peasant a helmet and spear and send them to war, you make a policy of giving them a helmet, spear,
and the bare minimum of training. A week or two of marching up and down and stabbing straw men does wonders, and your footsoldiers are that little bit more capable than others.
B-Archers. Why get close to the enemy when you can kill him from far away? Your elite longbowmen strike terror into the foe, raining death upon them long before the melee begins.
C-Heavy infantry. Heavily armoured, highly disciplined, equipped with the best weapons, your heavy infantry are an unstoppable force that can withstand anything the enemy throws at them.
D-Light cavalry. No flank is safe from your horsemen. Swift as the wind, they fly across the battlefield, harassing the enemy, giving them neither rest nor quarter.
E-Heavy cavalry. Honourable. Devoted. Exceptional. Though small in number, each of your elite knights is worth a dozen lesser men, and their charge alone can break enemy lines wide open.
F-Siege weapons. Soldiers win battles, but they do not win sieges. Any besieged force cowers before your mastery of winches, levers, and tensile strength.
...and that'll do for now. We'll get to your domain after introductions are complete.
HISTORY