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.

Tier 1 consist of the most powerful 12 bloodlines on a board
Tier 2 are the next 24 most powerful
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.

Cinavetti Board[]

Cinavetti Board (~modern Scandinavia)
Bloodline	Rank	Academy Notes	Emblem	Colors	Academy Staff
Cinavetti*	t1r1	Westgaard Ally. Enemies of the Veks.		Purple/silver
Westgaard	t1r2	Main Academy Enemy. Enemies of the Veks.		Orange/black
Kneppt*	t1r3	Westgaard Ally. Enemies of the Veks.	stag rampant with wings	Gold/black
Tepes	t1r4	Neutral to the Academy. Vek Ally.		Red/black
Haugen	t1r5	CURRENTLY Cooperating with Westgaards!	plumed helm	Gold/silver
Vek*	t1r6	Academy Ally	Fanged serpent	Blue/silver	Ash, Moony, Snowy (half member)
Mazon	t1r7	CURRENTLY Cooperating with Westgaards!		White/black
Raero	t1r8	Neutral to the Academy. Vek Ally.		Orange/white
Torgeirrsen	t1r11	Neutral to the Academy. Vek Ally.	spear w/lightning	Blue/gold
Bekkarn	t1r12	Neutral to the Academy. Vek Ally.	eagle w/flower in beak	Purple/gold

Engout Board[]

Engout Board (~modern British Isles)
Bloodline	Rank	Academy Notes	Emblem	Colors	Academy Staff
Engout	t1r1	CURRENTLY Cooperating with Westgaards!	Manticore backed by a sun	Gold/black	-
Cantiaci*	t1r2	Tribus. Neutral to the Academy. Currently friendly to the Veks. Paladins with a heavy bardic tradition.	solar harp and lunar lance	Red/gold/silver	-
Hayles	t1r3	Friendly to the Academy. Mr. Sneak Sneak aka Galen Hayles is heir presumptive.		Blue/red/gold	-
Cornovii	t1r4	CURRENTLY Cooperating with Westgaards!	antlered skull	Black/gold	-
Pearse	t1r5	CURRENTLY Cooperating with Westgaards!	dragon with spear	Red/black	-
Abbott	t1r6	Friendly to the Veks. Name means "Fire River."	burning flame	Purple/red	-
Haart*	t1r7	Tribus. Neutral to the Academy, means "Fleet." Loose allies to Sloans.	leaping deer	Purple/gold	-
Kenemon*	t1r8	Tribus. CURRENTLY Cooperating with Westgaards! Allies with Cornovii.	armored dog, magic	Silver/blue	-
Alaindahl	t1r9	Neutral to the Academy. Allies to the Haart and Cantiaci.		Blue/gold
Durotriges	t1r12	Allies to the Clumban and Windsor. Loose allies to Sloans.	dragon w/sword	Green/gold	-
Tier 2	Rank	Academy Notes			Academy staff
O'Suileabhan	t2r1	Rivals of the Clumban. CURRENTLY Cooperating with Westgaards!	hawk with herbs and gemstone	Green/silver	-
Clumban	t2r2	Allies of the Sloans. Name means "White feathered." They are an ancient descendant bloodline of the Sloans, based in Ireland.	White feather	Red/white	-
Windsor	t2r3	Neutral to the Academy.	Unicorn with one foreleg raised	Blue/Red	-
Sloan*	t2r5	Friendly to the Academy. Name means "Warrior" or "Raider." Located primarily in the Scottish highlands. Culture is primarily mage-knights and druids, very old-world Celtic.	Bear imposed over a mountain	Green/bronze	Paws, Cinnamon
Mickel	t2r8	Allies of the Veks. Descendant bloodline of the Veks.	Animal skull	Black/gold	-
Mac Ai	t2r9	Allies of the Sloans.	Spiral	Blue/gold	-
Iceni	t2r13	Allies of the Sloans, and a tributary bloodline of the Durotriges. They are descendent of the Cantiaci bloodline.	Horse and stars	Silver/Blue	-
Starke	t2r17	Neutral to the Academy. Descendant bloodline of the O'Suileabhan, and tributary to the Mickel bloodline.	Bull-headed bird	Black/blue	-

Rocque board[]

Rocque Board (~modern France, Spain, and Portugal)
Bloodline	Rank	Academy Notes	Emblem	Colors	Academy Staff
Rocque	t1r1	Neutral to the Academy. Ruling bloodline of the board. Alliances unknown. Main estate is near Toulouse.		Blue/white
Aedui	t1r2	Neutral to the Academy.
Bituriges	t1r3	Neutral to the Academy. A bloodline of ancient Gaul origin whose strongholds are primarily in modern France, near Bordeaux. Name means "Kings of the World." Culture is still druidic, and they are known for their skill with ironwood.	Crowned grapes	Purple/gold
Chevalier	t1r4	Neutral to the Academy.
Tier 3	Rank	Academy Notes			Academy staff
Ravenbrook	t3r13	Neutral to the Academy. The small bloodline whose name extends to the Adventure Village that Trefoil is using in the 2003-2005 years (in story).

Andalucia Board (yellow)
Benedict Board (green)
Rolande Board (purple)
Barlowe Board (light blue)
Tortugain Board (red)

Andalucia board[]

Andalucia board (modern SW US, Mexico [yellow area])
Bloodline	Rank	Academy Notes	Emblem	Colors	Academy Staff
Andalucia	t1r1		castle turret	red and yellow
Garcia	t1r2		horned lizard	brown and grey
Cortes	t1r3		tall ship	blue and white
Fisher	t1r4		bass with a curving brook behind it	blue and pewter
Gates	t1r5		dragon breathing fire	blue and black
Baptiste	t1r6		honeybee	yellow and black
Coloradas	t1r7		Pinyon Pine	red and brown
Castro	t1r8		crossed spears over a shield	green and white
Tlizalani	t1r9		two goats butting heads	black and white
Nocona	t1r10		warrior on horseback	blue and yellow
Morales	t1r11		roadrunner	red and blue
Walker	t1r12		charging bull	red and white
Tier 2	Rank	Academy Notes	Emblem	Colors	Academy Staff
Jackson	t2r1		mockingbird	gray and orange
Lallemand	t2r2		swan	orange, black, and white
Jacobs	t2r3		monarch butterfly	blue, yellow, black
Cree	t2r4		armadillo	black and brown
LaSalle	t2r5		lightning bolt and clouds	gray and white
Williams	t2r6	neutral to the Academy	two rearing horses on either side of a longsword and a single star	black and silver
Ramsey	t2r7		tree frog	green and white
Parker	t2r8		longhorn steer	brown and orange
Alley	t2r9		Sun	blue and purple with white trim
Hewlett	t2r10		single star	red and black
Russell	t2r11		black bear	black, green, and white
Goldwyn	t2r12		grizzly bear	brown, red, and white
Warner	t2r13		Redwood	purple and green
Mayer	t2r14		lion	gold, red, and black
Roche	t2r15		tortoise	green and tan
Rainwater	t2r16
Padillia	t2r24			yellow and white
Tier 3	Rank	Academy Notes	Emblem	Colors	Academy Staff
Celaya	t3r1
Shary	t3r2

Benedict board[]

Benedict board (modern SE US [green area]}
Bloodline	Rank	Academy Notes	Emblem	Colors	Academy Staff
Benedict	t1r1
Biltmore
Reynolds
Duke

*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:

Merchants	shipping/trade business, markets, bartering and bargaining
Teachers	child care and training
Researchers	the scientists and magical experimenters
Accounting	the bankers and collectors, and those good at keeping track of paperwork
Farmers, Fishers	food and herbal reagent generation, oversight of farms, vineyards, etc
Craftsmen	gear, tailors, lapidaries, smiths, alchemists, etc - may oversee workshops
Structural	architects and warders, gardeners, groundskeepers
Town Management	Oversight of towns, companies, and markets owned by the bloodline
Zoology	the animal trainers - dragons, griffins, aviary, owlery, equestrian, etc
Handmaiden/Page	management of the helpers, assisting the heirloom bound personally while serving as an additional guard, ensuring guests and members alike have housing.
Warrior	Weapons-masters, plumbum stipatores, assassins and knights, rangers, honor guard
Scouts	Informants, messengers, and special package or mail-runners.
Event planners	the masters of ceremonies who manage the tiny details on festivals, balls, etc
Medical	the doctors, healers, and herbalists
Chefs	culinary artists with much knowledge in poison-mitigation. They do not usually serve their food directly to the players, but rather experiment to create recipes and then teach those recipes to house-elves or wraiths to make the real meal.

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.