General
What is the basic setting for this RP?
This RP is a closed setting that will focus upon the political landscape of Valderon, a continent that has until recently been unquestionably ruled by the Delmerin Empire. The actions of the players involved in this roleplay will determine whether or not nearly one thousand years of Delmerin hegemony will come to an end.
What is the role of gender in Valderon?
In most areas of Valderon, women cannot own land, are considered their husband's property, and generally have less rights than men. This is to give a more realistic sense of immersion in a primarily Medieval setting. However, the patriarchal norms of Valderon may diminish as the actions of the players involved in the Blood and Empire RP determine how history unfolds.
This does not mean that female RPers are restricted. While women face all kinds of challenges in this setting, they are just as important as men. Women are simply more sly about their use of power in Valderon. While they normally cannot achieve high ranks in the military or hold titles independent of their spouse, they can play powerful roles by deceiving, advising, or cowing other men, hiding their gender to pose as men, privately learning arts of combat, secretly studying the lost arts of magic, using the leverage of their dowries, and more.
What kinds of characters can I play?
The scope of this RP is large. While other RPs might focus on one kingdom, this RP revolves around an entire continent. This considered, characters with small roles such as slaves, servants, bandits, bakers, mercenaries, etc. should understand that they are running the risk of being overshadowed and overpowered by characters with bigger roles, who may have entire armies at their disposal.
With the political turmoils between factions being the centerpoint of the RP, one should always be wary of trying to RP as nonpartial, nonpolitical characters. These characters will find it difficult to squeeze into Valderon's very exclusive high-life, but you are still welcome to attempt to capture these roles. Who knows, perhaps you will be the one to change the course of history?
What sorts of races are available?
There are no orcs, elves, unicorns, dwarves, or what have you. Blood and Empire is not high-fantasy, so there will be no floating fortresses or spirit bombs. There are some fantasy elements, but they are so seldom witnessed that even the people of Valderon themselves would -- by majority -- doubt their existence.