Bloodlines

Bloodlines are a specific type of extended family who are ranked within "Player Society," family trees who trace their lineages back hundreds and even thousands of years.

## **Boards**

A "Board" is a large geographical region that is claimed as the territory of a group of bloodlines.

There are 20 total boards in the world, currently, and they are said to have influence with the International Confederation. Each board is named for the currently ruling (most powerful) bloodline in its territory. Bloodlines are extended families who work together against other bloodlines, sharing ancestral heritage.  They can be considered kingdoms or ‘kindoms’ in their own right, all within a larger empire that is their Board.

Depending on the bloodline’s rank and size, they may have multiple estates and even command small towns or cities, or at least own portions of markets, shipping companies, and banks. In some areas and in most gameboards’ history, they were originally tribes or clans.

*Important: The norms of a board will heavily vary depending on the board that they are from. Boards are quite diverse, although are influenced by the norms of other civilizations and societies that exist in those particular regions. Furthermore, the norms of an individual bloodline within a board can heavily vary as well. There is a spectrum that can roughly be grouped by one's tier within a board. However, there are plenty of exceptions to even that so one should always do their research first.*

The ruling bloodline of each board is effectively responsible for leading their board if an invasion happens. It is a term called "Common Threat," when all games and in-realm fighting is put aside in the face of a threat to Gaia.

### **Bloodline Rankings**

**Bloodlines rank amongst themselves by status, power, influence, and resources.**

1. Tier 1 consist of the most powerful 12 bloodlines on a board
2. Tier 2 are the next 24 most powerful
3. Tier 3 are the lowest half of the board, maxing out at 36 bloodlines total per board.

Within each tier, bloodlines are ranked in order by resource power and influence. These rankings change depending on a bloodline's ability to gain leverage over other bloodlines.

#### **Known Bloodlines**

There are many more bloodlines (which may be researched further), but these are the ones that have potential alliance complications that impact the Academy.

##### **Rocque board**

\*Duodecim Tribus: These are the original first tier within a gameboard, or those that founded the board at its inception.  Not all duodecim tribus have survived to current day, and being a part of one can be difficult as it paints an additional target on one’s bloodline. With age comes a great many alliances, debts, and owed favors, as well as enemies, grudges, and ancient rivalries. Most tribus are many thousands of years old.

## **Bloodline Members**

Given that the heirloom bound of a bloodline have final say on the distribution of resources, keeping your heirloom-bound happy, entertained, and protected becomes critical. Protect and serve the heirloom bound, and they will protect you in return.

#### **Roles in the Bloodline**

There are many jobs to be managed, and some jobs may overlap.  These can include and are not limited to:

### **About the** **Dinah Community**

The Dinah Community is dedicated to the protection of their bloodline's heirloom bound. The Dinah Community is overseen by that bloodline's Plumbum Stipator. The community is highly trained in both magical and martial combat. Their training, in particular, focuses on how to disable multiple opponents in tight quarters.

#### ***The Code***

The difference between a plumbum stipator and a bodyguard is as follows:

> “Our unwavering self-control and steadfastness is what separates a plumbum stipator from any other type of bodyguard.  It is a guarantee to the one you guard that you will hold when others would turn and flee, remaining between them and danger at all times.  It is a guarantee that if comes down to shielding the one you swore to protect or yourself, you will chose them without a second’s hesitation even with your dying breath.  Your enemies know that to enter a fight with a plumbum stipator means that they better be sure they killed you first. To be alive when your charge is not is a fate worse than death, for you are without honor.”
>
>

#### ***Ranking***

* **Prospect**: With their bloodline’s permission, anyone may declare themselves as a prospect plumbum stipator, or “prospect” for short. They will train on average for 5-10 years depending on the individual’s past experiences and natural aptitude. A prospect trains under their bloodline’s plumbum stipator & its weapon masters, who are candidates. Their training is guided by five different principles: self-control, indomitable spirit, perseverance, loyalty, and sacrifice. Once there is a general consensus among the trainers, the prospect is permitted to take the candidacy exam. A side note: In the absence of such parties, it is not uncommon for another plumbum stipator to step up and oversee the training.
	+ Exam:  the test designed to be emotionally, mentally, and physically brutal. Passing it is a source of great pride and the idea of repeating it strikes equal terror for good reasons. The exam is broken up into 5 components.
		- Test 1: Physical Fitness (Gauntlet, proficiency with a multitude of weapons)
		- Test 2: Magical Fitness (Rescue mission, tactics etc)
		- Test 3: Mental Endurance & Awareness (Permitted zone is a progressively smaller box)
		- Test 4:  Obedience in Melee (Protecting multiple resistant targets)
		- Test 5:  Melee in a Contained Space (Resourcefulness, Overwhelming odds)
* **Candidate**: Any individual who has passed the exam is now a candidate. Candidates may serve in a host of roles (weapon master/assistant to an older weapon master, escort or retrieval missions, squad leaders during battle etc). If a highly skilled candidate is on the main estate, the plumbum stipatores will arrange for them to cover various guard shifts for the heirloom bound when the plumbum stipator is not available or is out training.
* **Plumbum Stipator**:  Upon being chosen, a plumbum stipator takes a magical vow to that particular heirloom bound. To break it is simply unthinkable. While all players are expected to be obedient to their heirloom bound, a component of the vow exempts the plumbum stipator from having to obey, as long as it is in the course of protecting their charge.

“Sometimes, the one you are protecting needs to be protected even from themselves particularly when one is dealing with an heirloom bound. Their first instinct and training is to wade into a fray even when your analysis concludes that this a very bad idea. While they are capable of getting quite grumpy, at least they are alive when they regain consciousness. Tenet 9 before striking the back of the head is my advice.”    - A plumbum stipator, to a recently made candidate during a debriefing.

This position holds the highest status one may obtain in a bloodline without becoming an heirloom bound.   It is expected that an individual serves in this position until their death or until the choosing heirloom bound decides to remove them.  Faced with removal, a plumbum stipator will often choose to self-sacrifice in battle rather than be placed in permanent disgrace. In addition to protecting a particular heirloom bound, the plumbum stipator is ultimately responsible for both prospects and candidates.

## Players without a Bloodline

Players can exist without having a bloodline.

Having a bloodline requires being claimed by the heirloom-bound and swearing fealty to a throne, but being a player in general only requires the acknowledgement of that status by any single heirloom-bound.

Solo players are also unprotected by anyone but themselves, and at the mercy of any bloodline - they get by via making themselves useful or otherwise finding a protector.  Some solo players will band together (often in families) like an unofficial bloodline, serving as mercenaries or providing shipping (or pirating, ‘trading companies,’ privateers) or serving as information brokers.  If they prove themselves, it is possible for the board’s ruling bloodline to grant them the bloodline status and generate heirlooms. (Other new bloodlines are formed by players who originally were a part of another bloodline but either successfully broke away or were granted permission to leave.)

Players without bloodlines can easily prove themselves useful to other bloodlines, provided they can walk that fine line of neutrality without getting squashed or claimed as a non-member resource.  Without a bloodline, they are much more maneuverable, as they can operate freely on any board around the world.