Inspiration:

This plot was inspired by extensive study of the Minoan-Atlantian connection. The Minoans (named for the story of King Minos by the archaeologist that uncovered it) were an advanced civilization that predated both the Greeks and Romans and had commonplace technology that surpassed either for many years. Many scholars believe their society, which was swallowed in the flames of the Santorini volcano and washed over with the tidal wave that followed it, was what Plato referred to as Atlantis (they believe his description of it being thousands of years before his time was a matter of mistranslation by a factor of ten; same with the distance from Egypt [i.e.: it was 960 years before, not 9600. And it was 250 miles away, not 2500---both of which fit Crete]). Passionate preaching aside, I am very adamant that it is the equivalent of Atlantis and so I like to play it as such. I label it 'ancient steampunk', because I am further inspired by the inventions of Heron of Alexandria (automatically opening doors [using water and weighs and pulleys], coin operated water dispensers, small robots, robotic theaters, et cetera). I combine these alluring stories to create my own world that I call Kethadria.

Story

Long before the Romans walked every known niche of their world, or the Greeks dominated the Mediterranean; before the Persians and Babylonians reached the heights of power, when the Sumerians still had their grasp on Mesopotamia, a single island civilization sprouted---it grew, it evolved, and it survived. Watching alongside the birth of nations, standing as right hand allies to Egypt, Kethadria was a pacifist nation that was respected for its technological mastery, the stunning command of its unrivaled navy, its wealth, and its legends. At its height, the eccentric King Minos reigns over the land and connects the forsaken cities in the west with their beloved capital and invaluable flow of trade with roads that run like veins through the heart of the nation, rivaling the later Roman's Appian Way in constructive ingenuity. His palace sits on a labyrinth, which houses a monster, designed by a genius who is the only one that knows all of its secrets. From its bowels, children walk into the light changed. Those that are sent into the darkness forever in the company of the beast do not always stay for eternity. Their eyes become golden, a mark of the Gifted, and they are endowed with abilities beyond even Kethadrian comprehension. This incites a political problem; the Gifted threaten the stability of the nation, but they must be honored because they are touched by the gods. Nations in the north are looking to exploit opportune weaknesses in Kethadria's defenses; its soldiers are being posted more actively to defend against the threat of attack. And amongst all the chaos, rumors of plots for assassination of the king, the uproar of a possible change of rule, sits another problem--- miles away, near a smaller island, a volcano bellows in waiting to erupt and cover the sky in a thick cloud of ash that will plunge them into darkness.


Kethadria:

Realm: Kethadria (capital dialect); Kateria (alternative dialect)
Basis: Atlantis
Location: Mediterranean sea (implied); Ancient Crete (implied)
Genre(s): Fantasy, reality, science fiction, ancient steam punk
Capital city: Aiatse
Harbor cities: , Aiatse (eastern central port), Fasea (southern port to Egypt), Natalan (lower eastern port to Mesopotamia), Nossas (northern port to Mycenea)
High commerce/trade cities: Natalan, Aiatse, Korsa, La'am, Solam (all coastal)

Open character positions:

King Minos
King's wife
King's son/daughter
Council members
Genius/crazy inventor
Sailors/merchants
Soldiers
Nobility
Street urchins/thieves
Gifted children
Acolytes and priests
Priests/priestesses of other religions
Doctors/nurses/healers
Hunters/rogues/assassins
The Watcher (keeps an eye on the beast in the Labyrinth; leads the sacrifices into the darkness)
The Minotaur (beast that sleeps in the center of the Labyrinth beneath the palace)

If somebody wishes to play the king, my only request is that the character be classified as. . . "weird". A king that is not very kingly. Perhaps too benevolant, too crazy, likes to get his hands dirty and invent things. The prince/princess role is intended to be the opposite of whatever the current king is, so if you would prefer to play an evil/crazy king or queen, then apply for the position of prince/princess. In canon, I would like an eventual assassination to happen (the player of the King can have another role pre-determined to be open for them afterward if they wish to continue in the plot).

Otherwise, all characters can be of your own making, unless you have a request of something specific (i.e.: foreign ruler, etc). I can always add more locations to this realm.

General Information:

Aiatse is a city strategically placed inland, surrounded by rings of water (massive mote rings said to be dug by the deities responsible for the land mass when designating a capital city, now used as water transportation, minor business/trading routes, et cetera). The waterways open into a harbor which leads to the western port of Natalan and out into the sea whose coasts lie on other major empires (implied: Egyptian, Mesopotamian). Because of Natalan's connections with the capital city, and the massive amount of trade that passes through those harbors to get there, it has become one of the richer cities of Kethadria; all massive importing goes through the Natalan port. The primary religion of Kethadria is general Paganism (since many inhabitants hail from other nations); Aiatse's primary recognized religion is called Syntana.


RELIGION:

Syntana:

A religion that recognizes seven deities as representing the elements of earth, and that all things are made up of these seven elements.

Spirit
Light/Darkness
Water/Air
Earth/Fire

Water, the deity Aisu (known in Kethadria as the female deity responsible for the existence of the land mass itself), is worshiped most importantly as the Kethadrian people are said to be children of the sea. The second highest deity in worship is Atiatu, the deity of light, said to have watched over the nation faithfully and guided it in the right directions. The elements are ranked according to their tangibility (spirit being the least tangible is the highest on the list, light and darkness as opposing intangible forces are ranked second. The collective four remaining elements are the earth elements and are ranked together in third. However, this hierarchy merely serves as a way to recognize which deities are closer to the Symphony and are more powerful; Syntana is not about worshiping the most powerful, but respecting the earth).

MAGIC:

The Symphony:

Within Syntana is a concept called The Symphony, which asserts the idea that all things are connected by a fundemental rhythm. All things are moving at all times, and there is no such thing as true stillness. Those who can tap into the essential rhythm of the world attain inner peace and power. This rhythm is recognized as their ultimate concept of God, for those who are out of tune with it can corrupt or die, and those who are aware of it and use it may prosper. This theory supports their use of magic through vibrations and manipulation of the six usable elements (the four lower ones being the most common). Not all magic users acknowledge this system, however.


SERVITUDE:

The servants of Kethadria are treated fairly well. Usually the result of debt or of being bought from another empire through the harbors, servants are asked to do the many tasks in life that Kethadrians simply don't have time for or need help with. The citizen class (usually bestowed upon them as gifts for various reasons, or when the family is owed a debt) uses them for house work, messengers, mentors/teachers, et cetera. Those of the citizen class are treated very well and given nice beds. Their attire tends to reflect for whom they work. Servants of the citizen force dress in simple cloth wraps with a single stripe of the family color; the actual family would wear three strips of silver beading accompanied by a thick stripe of their family color. The wealthier upper class would adorn their servants with a single strip of gold beading (where they would wear three). For the upper class, servants will accompany the mother and children almost everywhere and will be seen as almost part of the family, but this can also leave room to be looked down upon at the same time because they are still servants. In the citizen class, they are considered part of the family, as a general rule of thumb, though that doesn't mean every family treats them well.

The final level of servitude would be the servants of the king, who can be adorned however the imperial ruler wishes, usually with his distinct color of robe (not white linen), and gold and gems. The king treats his servants with a particular fondness and rewards them for being faithful servants.


GENERAL HIERARCHY:

King/Emperor
Royal Advisors/Politicians (The Council)
Upper class (priests, well-to-do families, architects, inventors)
Citizen/merchant class (trade and sale of goods; entrepreneurs--equivalent to middle class)
Labor class (agriculture, construction; 'dirty work'---equivalent to lower middle class)
Classless (poor and jobless, homeless, outcasts, rogues, outlaws)
The Gifted (children blessed by the gods with certain abilities; they must have golden/amber eyes as their mark)


TECHNOLOGY:

Kethadria (like Atlantis) possesses the most advanced technology of its day. In fact, of any near era.

I have made a point to incorporate all the inventions of Heron of Alexandria and similar ancient geniuses. This includes the use of ancient batteries, automatically opening doors (controlled by weights, pulleys, water pressure), coin operated dispensing technology, the prototype of the first steam engine, force pumps, and fountains.

One of the first nations to introduce the idea of a septic system, the toilets are stone slabs in each home with a decent sized hole carved into them that drops into a cesspit underneath the dwelling. Rushes of water from the motes (in Aiatse, the capital) or other sources of water which are irrigated to each household in the city or town dillutes the waste when a lever is tugged. The waste is then dropped into a smaller chamber and system of tubes which, by the end of its journey, will have flushed the waste out to sea. There is hot and cold running water to every home in the form of sinks, with levers that allow the water to flow (ancient versions of regular sinks); toilets and sinks among upper and citizen classes are furnished from polished stone with polished bronze accent to minimize erosion.

Transportation in Kethadria is typically by foot, but palki-like contraptions are adopted for royalty, advisors, and some upper class families---inspired by travel systems in India and China (a palki is a decorated and quite comfortable box with cushioned seats; four men carry the box by holding onto handles that extend from each corner on the outside).

Electrical energy and spiritual/magic energy are used to power things. Water ships, air ships, and weaponry can be experimented with. Each Kethadrian possesses a crystal around their neck which is chipped off of a much larger (possibly quartz) rock locked in a vault in Aiatse (said to be a gift from the earth goddess to the children of the sea). The larger crystal absorbs energy from the earth and magnifies it, concentrating it (much like a magnifying glass does to sunlight on an ant). The energy that can be magnified is electromagnetic and electrochemical energy which is said to govern the basis for their magic. So long as this crystal can absorb such energy, Kethadrians will have access to elemental manipulation. The crystals can be removed from the neck and used as keys by introducing a jolt of stored energy into a machine. You can come up with other ways to harness/use these crystals on your own.

You can pretty much take this one up for grabs, how advanced you want it to be---just make sure it's all cohesive. I've had alien type technologies suggested to me, some of which I've used, and others I leave up to the roleplayers in discussions to see how far they want to take it.


WAR:

Kethadrian people as a government are passive and do not partake in war. However, this could possibly change at any time at roleplayers' choice. There are small civil wars which break out quite frequently. Large scale wars may be played, as Kethadria trains a secret force of men behind the walls of the capital city and other select cities and is endowed with a powerful, unrivaled Navy blessed by the god of the sea. There is an army (and characters can be soldiers in, or any part of, the military) and the government does experiment in ancient clockwork robotics. This idea is based off of the story of Talos, a giant robot said to have run a circle around the perimeter of Crete three times a day to deter any threats. Generally, Kethadrians are viewed by Egyptians and other contemporary civilizations as being a worthy ally for trade, but their fortune and success is tempting to many rogue armies or newly formed nations.

I do plan to reenact the downfall of Crete by erupting the volcano. This will not end the roleplay by any means, it is simply another conflict to overcome. ;)


THE GIFTED:

The bulk of the roleplay is centered around the matter of the Gifted children of Kethadria. They are children who are found, born, or who survived the sacrificial ceremony of the beast within the Labyrinth and emerged with golden colored eyes (a sign they are blessed by Apollo). These children are currently under the protection of the Kethadrian military and of the High Priestess by order of the King. However, that is subject to change if the roleplayers choose to change rulers. The Council has also been known to want the disposal of the Gifted in fear they may someday overtake the government and remove them from power.