The World of Sails Full of Stars
- Thread starter Filo
- Start date
Ten Moon Kingdoms
(Unable to find the source) Luwan, the Capital of the most important Kingdom of the ten kingdoms of the Moon, Huangye, during goddess Cheng'e festival. Obviusly the most loved and important festival of the year on the moon chinese colonies.
The Moon (ch. Yueliang) is considerated the most important and the most preciopuse of the Heaven domains by Chinese Empire.
In the medieval age, when China was overrun by foreiners, the Moon was the main cultural chinese pole and the bastion of indipendence and national revival.
It was from here, chinese admiral Zhu Yuanzhang ended Yuan Mongol Dynasty and still from here. Duke Bei Yin, the founder of the actual dynasty(ruling from demise of Ming one in 1645) is still from Moon.
Last edited:
Inspired by this setting(and probably next prg campaign) www.drivethrurpg.com/product/1… (downloadable free from drivethrurpg)
During XII century an alien race remberring eastern dragon meets the Chinese and teach them how to fly between the stars, giving them the Rheoship technology and acces to lunite an antigrav metal allowing heavy-than-air flyght.
The book is set in 1846, and didn't give too much informations, so i work out of my inspirations and trying to do hings much "real" as possibile.
The 3 Great Powers: Lunite, Rheoship and solar colonies is what made a great power.
France, Ottoman Empire and China are the three most strong, more riche and more powerfull countries on Earth.
France is a relatively newcomer, It's great power status started in XVII century when found a vein of Lunite in central mountains. Napoleon, aided by the flyng ship fleet and orbital biombardement subdued England and other European countries, but the cold climate of Russia stopped the ships and he was forced to retreat. After his death in 1821 and the brief reign of his son Napoleon II, the french imperial throne is occupied by Napoleon III.
France is master of Europe and also indipedent countries like Austria and Prussia cannot act without taking France in consideration.
France is also founding colonies on other planest, angering China.
The war of Rumania left Sanit Petersburg particulary unhappy and trubles in Italy, Spain and England probably shall led to another european war.
Ottoman Empire: Beween the three powers, OE is the weakest as the war for Rumania as showed, the military might of France is a serious concern for Istanbul.
Also lacking of technologial and alchemical developement left the Empire with more than a truble dialoguing with the other two states.
However Ottomans sailers and navigational instruments are the best of the Solar system and, altought OE has less space colony that any other powers, its ships are one of the most common views of the stars.
The empire is still strong, but the worsening situation in Europe shall led to some a difficult choise. Instead in Africa and Central Asia the only trubles come from Iran, the other states, including the powerful Afhan sultanate are allied, or strongly near to the Ottoman Empire.
On Earth, the ottoman Empire is stable, and also the defeat from France didn't hit too hard, things could change if Indian Confederation should challeng Ottoman presence in the subcontinent.
China: (It's unclear, here, if China is rukled by a chinese dynasty or by Manchu, but i'll go for a indigenous dynasty coming from a space colony, as the book seems to suggest)
China had little, if none, conquest on Earth, and also the demise of Great Bretain Empire, didn't let Nanjing to grab some land.
They aided indipence of sud-east asian nations taking back colonial possession of Europeans dispached by Napoleon, but nothing more.
The true destiny of the Middle Kingdom are the heavens.
China has the most numerous, popolouse and widespread colonies in the solar system. Altought OE and France had, somewhat, bridged the distances(for Exemple Frane has the exclusive control of the richnesses of Io), China is still the strongest player in the heavens.
The best outcome for Nanjing should be a war crippling both its adversaries, but at the same time the risk to have only a winner is a frightening possibility.
The other powers:
Usa: Usa are a growing nation. They have a great industry and their science and alchemy is one of the finest of the world, but lacking of Lunite, if not what they can buy from France is a serius handycap for such an abiyious nation.
Whasington have also other trubles to deal on. Recently Texas declared indipendence from Mexico(in this TL Mexico is ruled by Bourbonfleed from Madrid) and asking for aid to its fellows americans, at the same time, in the north, Kingdom of Canada(the heir of United Kingdom) expanded toward the west and Usa must decided what to do with it. Allying in anti-french coaltion or annexing it. At the same time, Brasil abolish slavery, leaving United States as the only slaveholder state in the world, this is sharpening the divide between industruial north and slavholding south.
Russia: Russia is still a secondary power, but a power nothingless.
Saint pertersburg accepted to lost Poland, but is determinated to give no more land and also is thinking to ove in central Asia, wehre Ottomans are not well extabilished and GB is only a (bad?) memory.
India: india is one of the newst player on the scene. When GB empire collapsed with the capture of London by the French air army(armee de l'air), Southern India gained indipendence. Altought Bengala too become indipendent and Nepal expanded in the vacuum, Mumbay(the actual capital of Indian Confederation) is struggling to gain acces to Lunite and halleng the powr of Ottomans and Bengala.
Brasil: Brasil is one of the most developed states in the world, not so much in industry and tecnology but in social liberties and human rights.
Brasil abolished the slavery in 1830 and, without much strife, is leading to a true egalitarism betwee black and white citezens.
Thanks to a litte, but rch, lunite mine in Amazonas, Rio has built a small but efficient fleet of aiships able to gain the uper hand in South America.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Austria: Austria regained part of Dalmatia and Tyrol in 1830, after the July revolts that treathened France Throne, when they aided Napoleon II against the socialist rubble. Wien is still a little player, but a determinated one. Ferdinand is an old man and is dying, his son Franz-Joseph seems to promise much, if the new winds of revolutions hall not blow to hard for the monarchy.
Prussia: Berlin is a third rate power, also in front of Austria and Russia. Altought Prussia dosen't love Paris, dosen't love Russia neither.
With Austria there is more competion than friendship, and with Rhenish confederation declared enmity.
Without a great political figure, Prussia is doomed to back seat of history and to give skilled captains to franch navy.
Rhenish Confederation: the revolts of the '30s didn't gained indipendence but borders revision and lightening of french garrisons. In the end Frankfurt government decided to sided with the Empire and continue to gaining acces to extraterrestrial markets.
The confederation is rich and acculturated, many german sailors, soldiers and explorers work for Paris and serve in (low) imperial nobility, but they felt their country is incomplete altought at the moment what to do is unclear, also if debated in Germany numerous caffehouses.
Italy: Italy is divide in three kindoms.
In the noth, Kingdom of Italy is pratically directed by Paris in evrything and the King, an uncle of Napoleon III is only a figurehead to calmdown the more hotheaded italian patriots.
Kingdom of Etruria is ruled by Elisa II Bonaparte, more quiet than nothern Italy is a strong French supporter and hosts one of the most impornt seafleet base(Livorno) and one of the most rheorship facility(arcetri)
Kingdom of Naples is somewhat a problem for Paris. Ruled by Napolen I Murat (a middle aged and sick man) has improved a lot from early XIX century, becoming probably the more rich of the italian states, at the same time its nobility and intelligenzia belive it's time for Napoli to unite Italy with, or without, French benevolence.
Napolen is dying, and having no sons, he must leave the kingdom to his brother Lucien; he also knows that opposing to French Empire means death and destruction.
Japan: Japan is a closed land. The Tokugawa Shogunate ruled the country since XVI century continues to close the gates to the outside world.
However japanese swordmen are found sometimes in Chinese extraterrestrial colony, Yakuza affiliates and some ninjas are also a somewhat not uncommon view in Martian and Venusian cities.
It's said that inside Mount Fuji there is an lunite vein, but for now is only a speculation.
China sea and air fleets guards no Gaijin ships try to enter unseen in Japan.
Last edited:
Ten Moon Kingdoms II
Yueling, the imperial colony of China of Moon.
Moon is considered by Nanjing as "private" chinese property. The colony is the true source of great power status for the Celestian Empire.
It is composed by ten kingdoms, seven kingdoms (fairly more like city states) in the light face of the moon and three nomadic tribes in the dark one (also if they roam where they want)
The ten kingdoms are no more indipendent from 1645, when Duke Bei Yin ended the Ming dynasty and exiled the Manchu more dangerouse tribes on the dark side.
Every city has a port for flyng ships and rheoships, allowing to every Yueling citizen the possibility of connection with the mainland.
Differently from Mars or Venus, Moon is not abitable and was only with the greatest effort than the Song dynasty was able to estabilish those cities. The cities are covered by rheosilk domes and extract air and water from ice brought there from asteroids belt or from the poles of Mars and Earth. Some water is found also in deep caves under the moon crost.
The cities are:
Luwan: The capital of the Ten kingdoms, the Duke of the Moon resides here. Here lies the most big and busy rheoport and there is the most important university.
Maoshantu: This city is somewhat a perculiar one. Maoshantu were not built for mining or industrial pourpouse, but for the pleasure of a Song Emperor, rapidly it become a beacon of culture and (buddhist) religion.
The city hosts a lot of great pagodas and buddhist temples, it's venerated also by one of the nomad tribes, and a fine alchemist academy.
Aokeng: When southern Songs fell to mongol armies, a lot of Kung-fu pratictioners fled to the city on the Moon.
A master of Shaolin Kung-fu fled on Aokeng where found a new monastery and a new fighting style.
Aokeng is a place where to learn Kung-fu and other martial disciplines, the city is also the seat of the most renowed martial academy of the Chinese Empire.
Lianxi: Every city on the moon has a lunite mine, but Lianxi has the biggest and richest ones.
The city is covered in railways, chimneys and refineries of lunite metal.
Although the corporations ruling the city were loyal to the emperor on Earth, the triads control much of the Lianxi outside the government quarters.
Zangshan: The second richest vein of lunite, united to a deep sweet water lake, make Zangshan another busy industrial city.
The Duke of Zangshan, Lo Tu-Kai, is one of the wealthiest man of the empire and probably of the solar system.
He is loyal to the emperor and deeply involved in alchemichal reserch.
Xiaoge: The city of Xioge is the busiest rheoship factory, the city is pretty dull and unimpressive. Despite of this Xiaoge is a livable and rich city. The only bright spot is the quarter around the Shinto Shrine of the moon godess where
Tienchuang: Once it was the capital of the ten kingdoms, now Tienchuang lost is place to Luwan, but the rheoport of the city is the most effective, if not the most busy.
The city itself is an interesting place to be, both for the european quarter, a city within the city called Hong Kong where peoples from many french occupied countries.
The Three Tribes:
The three tribes that dwell in the dark side come from the nomadic part of China (Mongolia, Manchuria and Turkestan) the tribes are know as "Black Wolf"(Mongol), "White Eagle"(Manchuria) and "Golden Lion"(Turkmen).
Last edited:
Mars Ottoman Capital
by Flavio Bolla
Borusar: Queen of the Sands
The ottoman empire is, between the great powers, to space colonization.
However, the Ottomans still posses the finest of the fleet and their rheoships can be found in every corner of the solar system and their merchants(expecially armenians and greeks, but also some arab and native turk) travels in every city and outpost in the space.
Mars is the only planet, outside Earth, where Ottomans are common(The Empire posses nerarly half of the planet and used it to dump trubling minorities(sending greek and serbian "rivolutionaries" on Mars spared the empire the greek revolution).
The capital of ottoman Mars is called Borusar and lies on a great Channel, one of the many waterways built by an unknow but ancient civilization thousands of years before.
The city is very ancient for Mars, because it was built aroun 1470 as first extraterestrial settlement of ottomans.
In then image you could see the outside bazaar, where the weekly market is held, the imposing Ahmet Cami (Mosque of Ahmet) built in XVII whrn ottomans where the most powerful state on Earth, and in background the goverment quarter and Rheoship spaceport.
The Empire of the House of Osman
Ottoman Empire is the third of the great power, but a power nothingless
At the present(the game is set in 1846) the Empire goes out from a dangerous situations. If (somethime forced) migrations allow it to defuse dangerouse indipendent moviments(like Saudis or greeks nationalists) or unconfortable personalities(Ali Pasha Tepelene and Muhammad Ali seems have settlend in space), foreign powers did not allow the Empire to rest.
Romanian War (started in 1825 and concluded in 1831) concluded with a sound defeat for the empire that permits to the Frenchs to plant garrisons in Bucharest and Iasi(altought the ottomans can still import grains to a convenient price) , allows at the same time to Russia to annex much of Krim, but at same time give the OE a clear pip to reform or to die.
Mahmud II completed the task of Selim III and in 1826, during the so called Auspicious Day , destroyed the Janissary corp and its allies, at the same time reforming the adiministrations.
Some times before, when Napoleonic airfleet conquered Great Britain, Ottoman one was disembarching Nizam-i-Cedit Soldier in India, Pakistan and Baluchistan.
The new subjets were mostly muslim and happy to be freed from british rule, many leave Hindustan lands to settle in Balkans and European cities. After 30 years many areas of southeast Europe have now a sizable urdu or gujarati quarters.
in the South(outside from the map) Zanzibar paids Sultan tribute(but not formal submission) to defend itself from France expansion.
Central Asia is (mostly) free from Russian interference, thanks to Ottoman Armies at Quetta, Herat and Kabul, but the khans, princes and amires prefer to not bow to Konstantinyye and have with the Ottoman E pire only a formal alliance.
Iran is another matter. Shah Abbas kingdom was destroyed by Ottoman fleet and alchemy in XVII century war to aveng the Safavid conquest of Bagdad. However ottomans were, in the long run to stabilize and incorporate that land for a variety of reasons, many of them related to shia religion and savafid loyalism. When a pretendent apper in the person of Nader Shah, Istanbul was quite happy to leave inner Iran to him. The state of disarray in which Iran is now, is a blessing for OE.
Altought the Sultan, and the administration, refer to the ottoman state as the "Sublime State" (tr. Devlet-i Âlîye), verily, it is more commonwealth of states, nations and peoples that found more convenient obey to the House of Osman than not.
In the end, however Ottoman Empire is been able to reform itself and avoided to crumble.