A Community based on Realism and Immersion
Overview:
Baldoria is a realm somewhere within the land of Life is Feudal. Where exactly it lies is of course undecided and will not come until the Baldorian community finally settles in game once the game is launched. This article serves a few purposes. Firstly and perhaps most importantly, to define a foundation for the community and to strike interest in the hearts of like minded players.
The Realm of Baldoria is a highly immersive community. It is designed with story driven aspects in mind, and will remain thusly very story driven well through its lifespan in LIF (Long live Baldoria!). It is a home that is both directed at role players and non-role players alike. Why did we not go strictly PVP or why not strictly Roleplay? The answer is simple. Immersion is not exclusive only to roleplayers, and roleplayers are not entirely exclusive to immersion. There is a place for players of each kind to fit within the community of Baldoria. And even if many of the players are not roleplayers themselves, and prefer not to necessarily partake in all the IC events, their role is still very essential to the community and helps give it life.
Am I a roleplayer? Yes. I would be defined even as a heavy role player. Story based content is actually much of what drives me to continue to play games well after the content on my hard drive becomes lacking. But I believe there is a balance that can be struck here that will make everyone involved happy and feel that they are a vital member to what I hope to be a very large and ultimately thriving community.
So what is it that Baldoria ultimately aims for?
Immersion.
Realism.
Baldoria aims to simulate every aspect of medieval society that is vital for a culture to thrive. From the political aspect of medieval culture, to the social aspect. From those who tend their hands to the fields, to those who tend them to the sword. If you are a hardcore PVP enthusiast, the Baldorian military can use you to defend the lands that Baldorians call home. If you tend to enjoy crafting then Baldoria can reap the benefits of your labor and reward you in turn. If you are a shrewd entrepreneur or politician then play the most dangerous game that this world can offer and choose loyalty or deception, whichever brings you closer to power and glory.
Royal House
Monarch
Eventually the realm of Baldoria will have a Monarch. That Monarch will be decided at a Kingsmeet by the Lords of the Realm.
Hand of the King
Yes, this may be a tip of the hat to the Song of Ice and Fire series, but lets be honest. In a world where people have a lot of other things to do then spend their entire time behind a computer screen, it is always a great thing to have someone to fall back on for big decisions when the King cannot be around. The hand is the King’s voice when he is not available and has the full authority of the King in his absence.
The Royal Council
The third and final voice if the King and his hand is absent. The Royal Council is hand picked among the noble lords and masters of the realm. More importantly they serve as the King’s wisest advisors, strategists and tacticians.
Master of War – A strategist and tactician chosen by the King to aid in military endeavors with their deep knowledge in strategy and tactics.
Master of Ships – Same as above, but in this case the Master of Ships commands the King’s Navy.
Master Treasurer – A master of finance and economy. The master treasurer helps advise the spending of the Kingdom treasury. Taxes will be a real thing and a necessity for running a Kingdom. And the Master Treasurer will be responsible for documenting the Kingdom expenses and making sure the treasury never runs dry.
Master of Trade – In a game environment where resources are scattered amongst many locales, the trade of the Kingdoms wares for things that the Kingdom lacks will be of great importance. The Master of Trade’s purpose is to make the King’s council aware of the needs for certain projects and as well, potential allies to be made business partners, or enemies that have something vital to the realms needs that may need to be taken by force.
Master of Agriculture – Food is a vital resource for keeping the populace happy, thriving, and healthy. The master of agriculture can help devise plans for agricultural growth and as well advise importance of the Kingdom’s food pool. Will food need to be rationed? Will there have to be a stronger effort on harvesting the land of its natural fruits to provide for the overall Kingdom’s prosperity?
Master of Secrets – Military strategy, economical strategy, and financial strategy all have a very important beneficiary that play a hand in all of it. Intelligence. The Master of Secrets primary task is to find the secrets of the enemies, and in some cases, the allies to the crown of Baldoria. Both foreign and domestic. Whether it is important trade routes, supply lines, siege defenses or weaknesses, or important caches of resources, there is much information to be had of the world around the Kingdom of Baldoria that can be instrumental in seeing to the success of the Kingdom as a whole
The Kingsguard
The Kingsguard is a special office that reports only to the King himself. These men are chosen from the realm for their legendary prestige in combat, their valor and chivalry, and their loyalty to the crown. There are nine Kingsguard. Eight who are commanded by one Lord Commander. The Lord Commander is never very far from the King, and the King will often advise them for council. These are considered to be the most elite warriors in all the land and are oathsworn into service.
Offices of the Council
Each master of the Council also leads their own office. In each office are officers that are delegated some duties among their office.
Office of War – The office of war are the marshalls and commanders that work with the Master of War in war strategy and training for professional soldiers
Bowmaster – The bowmaster sees to the training of projectile based troops. They are responsible for running drills with archer troops of the Kingdom and supervising training sessions to ensure that the archer forces of the Kingdom are accurate and deadly come the time of war.
Castellan – The Castellan sees to the training of melee troops and prepares them for war. Like the Bowmaster, they are responsible for supervising the training of melee infantry and preparing them for war.
Cavalry Marshall – The Cavalry Marshall sees to the training of the Kingdom’s trained Cavalry and prepares them for arduous training and cavalry excercises.
Captains – Soldiers who have been granted a rank of leadership among military forces. These warriors lead skirmishes and also help see to the training and assist either High Officer of War in their supervisory tasks.
Office of Ships – The Royal Navy
Admirals – These men are proven commanders who lead fleets of ships to do the bidding of the crown. They are the highest officers, second to the Master of Ships himself who is in charge of the entire royal navy.
Captains – Secondary commanders who command individual ships. They are expected to act cohesively to the command of their commanding admiral.
Office of the Treasury
Accountants – Accountants can be assigned to monitor the spending of the treasury and to keep a recording of all transactions to and from the Royal Treasury.
Taxers – Taxers are officers approved by the crown to see that each realm of the Kingdom pays their dues to the crown. They are often accompanied by a military outfit to ensure that their duties are respected and performed ‘peacefully’.
Office of Trade
Grandmaster Armorer – Sees to the Kingdom’s military stores for good castle forged armor, and their work is of the highest quality. They specifically tend to be the go-to craftsman for the work of officers or nobility of high station.
Grandmaster Weaponsmith – Sees to the Kingdom’s military stores for the best quality in weaponry. Their work is the highest quality, and where the need for many weapons may go to contracted guild masters, the Grandmaster Weaponsmith and Armorer are envoys working directly for the crown itself.
Guild Masters – The office of trade appoints many guild masters who work to ensure the stores of the Kingdom are not want for resources, such as armor, weaponry, and other important equipment. They can be a privateering franchise that is contracted by the crown, and ultimately see that the needs for trade, or for the Kingdom’s own personal needs are met.
Caravan Masters – Special agents appointed by the office of trade to oversee that the transport of goods from a guild, business, or enterprise, are met hastily and are well organized. They often will work with detachments of the military to ensure that deliveries are made timely and safely.
Office of Agriculture
The office of Agriculture will often have appointed land owners and nobles who will be go to people for crops, livestock, and horses.
Office of Secrets
Spymaster – A spymaster is someone who has their own branch or organization that may be based in a particular region. They train spiders, spies, and agents to infiltrate enemy lands or offices.
Agents – Someone who operates in a specific region to help unravel secrets of the enemies and even allies of the crown. They most often report to a Spymaster who commands the efforts of espionage in that particular region.
The Nobility
The nobility are the next social class beneath Royalty and the members of the Royal Offices. They are men and women who have proven their valor to the crown and are granted land within the realm to partake in their own endeavors and enterprises.
However, in return for these gifts, they are expected to serve the crown and provide muscle in times of war, resources, and taxed income to their liege King.
Nobles are given sovereign rule over their people under their service and are expected to uphold the King’s laws within their lands. They also govern and militarize the region in which they are stationed.
High Lords – A high lord is given station over lesser houses who are their sworn bannermen. They are the supreme law of the realms in which they govern and answer only to the King, The Hand, and the Royal Council.
Banner Lords – A banner lord is given station to rule small settlements and fiefs that answer to a High Lord that is the ruler of the region these settlements are stationed in. They are sworn to the service of their High Lord and will go to their Liege Lord for domestic matters, rather than travelling to the King’s Court for resolution.
Knightly Houses – These are the upstart lords who have proven their valor through their service to the crown. They answer to the High Lord of their region, but are not considered as prestigious as banner lords.
The Gentry
The Gentry are prestigious people who have proven valuable members to medieval society. They can be anything from esteemed merchants, to formidable guild masters, to commanders of knightly orders. They are not recognized nobility, but are favored among the lords and ladies of their realm. They report to the Banner Lords or Knights who see over the settlement in which they reside. They are considered to be above the station of commoners or peasants.
The Peasantry
The peasantry is the lowest social rank of Baldorian culture. They do not have any real rights and are expected to serve the lords of their realm as the Lord sees fit. The peasantry goes to the Lord’s court for concerns and issues affecting their welfare. They are expected to serve with unyielding loyalty.
(MORE TO COME SOON!)
