The "Daily" Worldbuilding Prompt. Chapter 3

[Orc Knight]

Question 132: Taxes... bloody taxes. Who gets to issue and collect them?

They tend to come down from the highest government official, usually a Master of Coin or the Treasuries. Since not all taxes are money, any collector has to be adept in finding suitable ways to tax people. And some will not be taxed, particularly any below poverty line or after big disasters. Unless the collector is a total ass with thugs, but even they may find themselves hanging from a noose or somebodies lunch because they were starving.

Taxing does vary from kingdoms and other area's. Like for instance, the Wood Elf Queendom even has taxes down on it's Hoods and other more 'cooperative' bandit sorts. Granted she must sometimes make a personal appearance and remind them to pay what is owed or their group will suddenly find themselves extinct. And Denarius, the Queen's brother, is in charge of the kingdoms treasuries and is Master of Coin. He can lean in on those who aren't willing to pay with the ever present threat that is his sister. Either let the jovial fat elf take some money or the wrathful queen take all of it. And then your life.

 

[Devor]

Question 132: Taxes... bloody taxes. Who gets to issue and collect them?

Ohh, I honestly don't know and don't want to think about that.

They do accept taxes in the form of parts for the factory though.

 

[Miles Lacey]

Question 132: Taxes... bloody taxes. Who gets to issue and collect them?

Taxation is based on the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) model in which the Tax Department of the Imperial Ministry of Finance requires employers to deduct from a person's pay packet.

A tenth goes to the regional government, a tenth goes to the Imperial government and a tenth goes to the temple of the taxpayer's choice or - if they object to this - to the local university or mage's college.

All property owners pay an annual five percent tax to local government based on the value of their land and the buildings on that land.

Most tax is spent on infrastructure, education, health care and social security including housing for the poor. Under the terms of the Treaty of Chur'Bro which ended the Great War in 7424 defence spending cannot exceed 10% of Imperial tax revenue.

In some cases people are allowed to pay their taxes in kind. This is only permitted where the cash economy is not developed such as on remote islands.

 

[Roosevelt Theo]

Question 101: Giants amongst giants. Who's the biggest/tallest sapient your world has ever known and what can you tell me about them?

In my land, giants are legendary creatures. We can only find them in the western region (Westminer). A bit backstory about them, they used to be roaming free on the land. But something has forced them to hide in the western region. Nowadays, the giants are enslaved by the orcs. yet the orcs denies it. And the issue about it still raging even when "The Invader" (main villains in the novel) came.

 

[Roosevelt Theo]

Question 129: Rivers! Can you tell me about the biggest one, the most famous one and the one most vital to the world economy?

Rivers in my land is in a shape of "H". It flows into every country, except the east region. Most people in the central plain don't use rivers anymore. they were modernized people. for western, which mostly orcs and trolls, the river used as the border. Southern people used them as the only clean water source because most of the southern regions are swamp. Well, they didn't really use water as much either, because most of the people who lives there, are a vamp. I don't want to talk about northern people because they are no one lives there anymore. The northern people are extinct, simply to say.

 

[Roosevelt Theo]

Question 131: Roads. How and with what are they paved, who lays them (if anyone) and is there a significant difference in quality by region and proximity to the cities?

for the west, they paved their road with rocks and dirt. for the north, there are no roads. southern region, well, before we enter the city, we have to take a boat, or if you don't mind to get dirty, you can walk in the swamp. Inside the city though, they have the best roads than other regions. Imagine the paved road in the Victorian era. southern region doesn't have any other villages or cities. There is only one huge city which makes it easy for them to fund their own roads. East, mostly sand and dirt. The corrupted king, or they called as Sultan, didn't even care about his own people. Yet his people still worship him as "The Great" and "The Benevolent". As for the central plain, you can see it as nowadays road. With asphalt and such.

nowadays, road that connect between two cities or regions are barely used because most of the people have their own flying-craft. Even the orcs.

 

[Roosevelt Theo]

Question 122: Which groups of people are stereotyped as backwards in your world? (Is there truth to the matter in technological, social, etcetera contexts?)

1. For northern region people which already extinct, they said the orcs.
2. For creature all around the region, except east, has said, human.
3. For the eastern people, the rest of the region are. Except for them.
4. For me, as a writer, the southern people are the one. They still live in dark ages. They accepted nothing that looks modern. Candle, torch and such, you can still find that thing over there. Creepy castle, wood and stone buildings. Old Tavern. Brothel. Most people who live there are a Vamp and criminals who care nothing but money, food, beer and women.

 

[Ban]

Question 133: Can you tell me about some of the least capable leaders your world has ever seen? (What did they do/not do, and what were the repercussions of their rule?)

 

[Gotis]

Question 133: Can you tell me about some of the least capable leaders your world has ever seen? (What did they do/not do, and what were the repercussions of their rule?)

King Gregor, known to history as Gregor the Fool. He ruled the small kingdom of Brighton around 500 years ago. In the forest there were gnomes loyal to him.

It's complicated, but gnomes are essentially little wooden men. An unscrupulous wizard could turn a gnome into a powerfully magic wand by horrifically mutilating him. The gnome continues to live in this state in constant physical and mental pain.

A group of wizards captured several gnome children from Brighton's forest. They sought the help of King Gregor. The King, his army and the gnomes defeated the wizard, but it was too late for the children.
The gnomes wanted to mercy kill the children, but Gregor kept these powerful wands for himself.
over the next three decade, using magic, animals, and guerilla tactics the gnomes destroyed Brighton.

The area is now known as The Red Forest and no human who goes there comes back.

Man, I fell way behind on these!

 

[Orc Knight]

Question 133: Can you tell me about some of the least capable leaders your world has ever seen? (What did they do/not do, and what were the repercussions of their rule?)

Being an incapable ruler on Eld usually means a short reign or they're puppet rulers. Though with the current straights the land is in, they're getting their share of those who are leading simply because they're the only ones left to lead. For the current ones that are absolute doom to themselves, their peoples and others it is among these three.

Baba Yaga: The Witch of the Woods decided to team up with a couple of Liches in order to finally make a successful northern rebellion. This act of defiance would pretty much shatter the North and leave it a mostly broken war zone between the multiple races she once ruled. Not to mention the clan wars that break out after the failure and her resulting jail time as a personal servant.

Warlord Bloodhoof: What would probably be the centaurs greatest war herd leader on the western Fea continent, he too decided to team up with a Lich as he tried to conquer the world. This ended with him dead and the centaurs so broken that they ended being enslaved by gnolls and hunted on general principle. Centaurs were already not trusted and this made it worse. Ironically, if not for their enslavement and servitude to the gnolls, they would have been wiped out due to him.

Tor Towers: Current Underking of the Towers family and a dwarves dwarf. His love of strong booze and hatred for anyone not of his kind makes him hard to work with. And even then he barely tolerates other types of dwarves. It is through him that will lead to the extinction of the Towers, Shieldwall and Goldhand clan lines. Breaking from their status as soldiers and guards to the high ruling clan the Wrathsword's over their continuing alliances with the elves and humans and going into full xenophobic mode. This stance, while almost bringing about a civil war, also sets into the motion for them being taken over by Liches and leading to their extinction. Their paranoia of the outside led them to be devoured from the inside. And the three families mountain fortresses would become charnel houses that had to be cleansed and burned from the inside out.

 

[Roosevelt Theo]

Question 133: Can you tell me about some of the least capable leaders your world has ever seen? (What did they do/not do, and what were the repercussions of their rule?)

The least capable leader in my land is The Elders. They are the first generation of The Elf. Also, they were being worship as God amongst some humans who believed and recognized their power. Yet they almost do nothing except to sit on their throne, guarded heavily by their loyal guardian in their castle, far away from the border wall of Northwind territory. It costed them to lose all the Northern People to die in an extreme weather a long time ago. Nowadays, the Northwind can still hold their ground by placing their guard and soldier (mostly third generation of the elf) on the border wall. This is the illustration:

The second least is Victor. Founder of the least known kingdom of the south, Victoria. Yet unlike The Elders, Victor dare to confront anything that might or may harm his land and his people. He even dared to go out on a patrol with his lowly rank soldier. But his weakness lies on the hand of his daughter, Terresa. It had cost him his life by the hand of his own daughter, which doesn't really care about ruling or being a leader. And the Victoria has to stand without a leader or even rules. Thus, it makes Victoria, a safe-haven for every criminal in the land. And here is the illustration:

Note: The image does not really show how it looks like and credits goes to those who owned them.

 

[Miles Lacey]

Question 133: Can you tell me about some of the least capable leaders your world has ever seen? (What did they do/not do, and what were the repercussions of their rule?)

Immanuelle IX led the Tarakan Empire into war in 7410 by invading the Federated Padong States and launched the Great War. He led the Tarakan Empire through a series of initially successful military campaigns but when he launched an invasion of the Occidental Republic in 7415 it turned into a disaster. Nine years later he was forced to abdicate after signing the humiliating Treaty of Chur'Bro. His incompetence cost the Tarakan Empire its industrial power base (which was annexed by the Edo Empire) and all of its continental territories (which were annexed by the Occidental Republic).

 

[Ban]

Question 134: How do people meditate in the cultures of your world? (Chanting, koans, mindfulness, whirling dancing, concentration on a thought or object, tantric sex, transcendental whistling)

 

[Orc Knight]

Question 134: How do people meditate in the cultures of your world? (Chanting, koans, mindfulness, whirling dancing, concentration on a thought or object, tantric sex, transcendental whistling)

Had to mention sex and the drow take that one as a primary source of not only sacrifice to Lolth but as a way to gain magic and even meditation. Chanting is more a giants thing, though dwarfs take it up. Many elves and orcs take up hanging out with dryads, niads, nymphs and other such as a good source of mind clearing. Koans are probably around, but you're likely to get more thought and meditation from an ice cream cone. There is also actual meditation, for those who can sit still long enough to actually do them. Trolls often have rituals, some with potent herbs and many without. Whistling to other planes is a good way to have the other planar beings bop you on the head for annoying them. Or smite you. Whistle at your own risk.

 

[Vaporo]

Question 131: Roads. How and with what are they paved, who lays them (if anyone) and is there a significant difference in quality by region and proximity to the cities?

Most Untian cities are paved with either cobblestone or, in wealthier parts of town, cut stone. Low-traffic areas and slums often still have dirt roads. In the countryside, a few roads between major cities are paved with stone, but otherwise it's mostly just dirt roads.

In Kumbaska, the overwhelming majority of roads are dirt, with paving relegated mainly to the wealthiest sections of town.

Question 132: Taxes... bloody taxes. Who gets to issue and collect them?

Untian taxes are usually set by the relevant noble lord, and when funds are needed for infrastructure or the like the local parliament will petition the lord for funds. Otherwise, the noble is free to do as they see fit with the collected funds.

To collect, lords typically hire tax collectors and put a small squad from the city guard under their command. It is then their job to determine how much each citizen is required to pay under the lord's current tax code and how to go about the collection.

Question 133: Can you tell me about some of the least capable leaders your world has ever seen? (What did they do/not do, and what were the repercussions of their rule?)

Ooh. This is a fun one.

King Shurtin of Keflat. Upon his rise to the throne, Shurtin decided that his plan would be to make friends with everybody. So, the first thing he did was go around to all of Keflat's old rivals and strike up peace treaties and alliances, regardless of the reason for the rivalry or the cost of making peace. This meant giving up a lot of contentious points, but the worst part was that he didn't really tell people how much he gave up. He insisted on negotiating in private and never told people the actual terms, going so far as to create multiple fake copies of treaties and hand them out to nobles. One noble who made money off of sea trade might be told that Keflat only gave up a trade route, another with land in the south may be told the Keflat gave up some land to Elter. In reality he gave up both of these and probably much, much more. He went to great effort to keep his nobles from talking to each other, constantly finding ever more creative ways to keep them in the dark. Keflat's disjointed political system allowed him to gaslight his nobles for three years before the house of cards came crashing down.

Antisa and Ikla, long time rivals, went to war. Keflat had alliances with both Antisa and Ikla that required Keflat to send an army to aid them in a time of war. Instead of doing the smart thing and simply saying that he couldn't honor the treaties, Shurtin formed two armies, neither knowing about the other, and sent one to Antisa and one to Ikla. When the two forces inevitably met on the battlefield, there was a great deal of confusion. Generals from all four armies, the two Keflation, the Antisan, and the Iklan parleyed to try and figure out what was going on.

Soon, the Antisan and Iklan armies agreed to a temporary alliance and marched to Keflat alongside the two Keflation armies to siege their capital and demand an explanation.

Shurtin responded in a letter, expressing confusion about their dismay. In his mind, he had done nothing wrong. He had followed both the Antisan and Iklan treaties to the letter. And, once word made it back to their respective homelands the Antisan and Iklan kings agreed through clenched teeth that, technically, Shurtin was right. He had followed the treaties, so they really couldn't righteously do anything about it. So, they ended the siege, recalled their armies, and went back to their war.

However, that wasn't the end of it. On the Keflation homefront, taxes had skyrocketed to pay for the array of new treaties. Shurtin insisted that it would all be worth it in the long run, but discontent was growing rapidly both among the nobles and citizens. The Antisan-Iklan siege shone a harsh light on Keflat's new mass of treaties. Suddenly, nobles were coming together to compare notes and assess how much Keflat was actually giving away. It was a lot. Shurtin... wasn't king for very long after that.

But, that still wasn't the end of it. The Antisan-Iklan siege counted as an attack against Keflat, causing the massive knot of alliances to draw tight around Keflat's neck. Suddenly most major Untain nations were drawn into what started as a fairly small conflict between Antisa and Ikla with Keflat now stuck right in the middle of it all. It is now known as the fifty-year war.

Question 134: How do people meditate in the cultures of your world? (Chanting, koans, mindfulness, whirling dancing, concentration on a thought or object, tantric sex, transcendental whistling)

Meditation is one of the most common methods used by Amul monasteries to cultivate supernatural powers. Since the ways that such powers can come to be are vast and varied, there is no set method of meditating. Some spend hours contemplating a landscape. Others close their eyes and try to decipher the inner workings of their own mind. Others will engage in manual labor or exercise. Many read the teachings of the Alstalia, seeking wisdom. Some repeatedly bash themselves over the head with flowerpots... You get the picture. Every monk can have their own approach to the matter.

Untian shrines may include meditation as part of their worship. Usually, it consists simply of focusing on an object or thought, but sometimes it may be more intricate.

 

[Miles Lacey]

Question 130: What sort of undomesticated animals might I find inside of the cities? (If they are not from out world: How do they survive?)

Rats, werecats, stray domestic animals and the rumoured alligators in the sewers.

 

[Miles Lacey]

Question 131: Roads. How and with what are they paved, who lays them (if anyone) and is there a significant difference in quality by region and proximity to the cities?

Roads are mostly built by tautai because of their physical strength. The roads range greatly in both what they are made out of and type.

Imperial Autobahns are multi-lane carriageways that link up some of the main cities. Imperial highways are mostly paved asphalt roads. Local roads vary considerably from narrow paved roads to gravel roads.

As a general rule the closer to cities the roads are the better the quality.

There is an average of one car for every thirty persons.

 

[Ban]

Question 135: From Agincourt to Cannae to Stanford Bridge, can you tell me about a battle frequently discussed by strategists and historians alike in your world? (What led up to it and what happened as a result of it in the short and long term?)

 

[Orc Knight]

Question 135: From Agincourt to Cannae to Stanford Bridge, can you tell me about a battle frequently discussed by strategists and historians alike in your world? (What led up to it and what happened as a result of it in the short and long term?)

There's the Last Battle, which is usually discussed because only three quarters of the people who were there actually have any memory of what happened at it, due to the healing of the Corruption taking out much of their memory. And also the series of battles during the war that led up to it, mostly for what worked and what didn't over those decades of war with the undead. So they try to figure out the stratagems used just how they managed to get the cooperation and all with the sheer amount of armies they had to use.

The other is The Breaking of the Thousand Year Fortress. Though it is mainly a thought exercise in what might have happened (and at times if it was actually possible) when Queen Inivia broke the fortress mountain of the Iron Knights. Things like if she had not been there, had one of the orcish champions been there and even despite the world they live in, how it is even physically possible to punch down a mountain. It's became a sort of military strategy game, with one of the pieces so overpowered that simply taking the field means they win. Most of the time.

 

[Miles Lacey]

Question 134: How do people meditate in the cultures of your world? (Chanting, koans, mindfulness, whirling dancing, concentration on a thought or object, tantric sex, transcendental whistling)

All of the above except tantric sex and whirling dancing.