Elves are extremely willing to pick a fight, will eat anything, and will sleep with anything (Most sentient creatures (that aren't Human, Orc, Dwarf, or Kobold) and higher intelligence monsters are the result of elven breeding). This is due to their near-extinction in the apocalyptic Titan War that overthrew a god. I use Latin to represent the old Elven language, though it comes up rarely.
Humans and Orcs have mostly integrated their cultures, and the three civilized empires are rule by a noble class of vast polygamous clans (which date back to the titan war.)
The three empires also have fairly distinct cultures:
In the Holy Aprilian Empire, sex is treated as if it were any other art, being taught in the schools, and skilled prostitutes are treated much like rock gods or A-list actors. Slavery is illegal outside of the court system, where it is used for crimes that merit the death penalty but not being soul-bound to a golem. Due to strong Elven influence, cannibalism is legal, if disliked, and many judical slave wind up on the menu of elven restaurants. This empire is the remnant of the Empire, which broke apart in civil war in the year 28983. It tends toward bombastic architecture (the capitol, Kri'stak, is built around a mile-high mithril tower, with twenty rings of wall ten miles apart. The population of this city is currently forty million), and considers censorship a crime equal to genocide. I generally use Hebrew to represent the higher ceremonial form of the language, and will use Yiddish if the common everyday language comes up.
In Markavia, group marriage (outside of the noble houses) is nearly unheard of, and unliscened magic use is a capital crime. They are also the only empire that borders the vast goblin lands, and thus being a goblin is usually also a capital crime. They tend toward practical buildings, and mostly focus on mining. All of their seaports were conquered by Aprilia four thousand years ago, thus they have no navy.
Cinnabar trades slaves openly, and has a very strong seafaring tradition. It is, however, a capital crime to injure, eat, or otherwise mistreat a slave. Elves are widely distrusted and very rare. They are the greatest naval power, and have colonized many islands while trading with tribals on dozens more. Thus, they are the prime source of exotic goods, and they tend toward a cultural mishmash. Alone of the Empires, their ruler is a figurehead controlled by the noble houses by his addiction to pleasure slaves and exotic drugs.
Goblins are actually a degenerate breed of Orc, descended from the survivors of those who kept faith with the evil god at the First Battle. Their culture is unknown, but they are extremely well armed and often launch raids from ships, or try to seize the only pass between them and the Empires.
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Topic: D&D: The mercenaries - Game Concluding (Read 129003 times)