The independant Kingdom of Tearsdown......

[slade2501]

Mostly this is me getting thoughts out on paper as it were. I am still working on people of note to add to this write-up. I wanted to introduce knightly orders (power armor and robots instead of old body armor) as an institution, a way of life not an occupation. A world-view instead of a means to an end or making credits. The power armor and robot vehicles become instruments of that world-view instead of banal equipment to be used and discarded. So here we go......


the kingdom of Tearsdown

The kingdom of Tears down was first founded in 64 P.A. The city arose from the ruins of a pre-rifts Theme Park, but over the decades had become home to many adventurers looking for a place to rest and build a home. As the years went by the population slowly grew as more settled down and families expanded. Small cottage industries soon turned into large family businesses and trade blossomed with other nearby settlements as needs arose and survival transformed to productive success. Soon a local man rose to power and was nominated by popular vote as King. He codified the local laws, enacted a small tax structure and engaged in public construction works to improve the Kingdom's trade, infrastructure and finances.

The capitol city is situated just south of the border of the Magic Zone, just west of the exact middle between Merctown and GAW. The central Building in the city center was a reproduction of a British medieval castle, complete with towers and such. The city inhabitants have rebuilt the castle and the wide, tall city walls using mega damage ferro-crete, making the city remarkably secure from the average threat. Easy access to the nearby river allows for hydro electric power and a ready water/food supply in local fishery. The land along the river is quite fertile and works well for farming.

The city has a developed a moderate fuel refinery which readily produces multiple types of motor fuel; this combined with an abundance of hydro-electrical power also provides for battery charging facilities through the city.

Utilities: The city chiefly acts as a hub for travelers, offering lodging with multiple inns and taverns, fuel and battery charging, a Titan Robotics showroom and repair facility, A Gunny's Depot, A black Market area offering Bandito Arms and other products, fresh food market, some small magic stores (techno wizardry, crystals, local herbs/druid supplies. etc).

Farming: the ground within the Kingdom's borders is quite fertile and easy to plow, while the weather is often mild year round with a generous length growing season, making it a farmer's paradise. Wells are easy to dig and water is plentiful, so irrigation is also an easy option for most. Many farmers co-op to group purchase basic farm equipment (often subsidized by the Crown), making plowing and harvesting far easier and efficient, leading to much better crop yield. Abundant fresh food and produce is often a premium on Rifts earth, so many farmers can turn a quick credit with a little luck and some hard work. There are several orchards for oranges, apples, pears, etc.
Distilling: for centuries, farmers have turned excess crops into alcoholic beverages through the time tested method of backyard stills. Beer brewing is also prevalent but only a few farms are capable of bottling. Trade caravans and weary adventurers passing through are the primary market, and sales are excellent.

Average farmer's home: either an above ground reinforced (M.D.C.) structure, single story with barn or a below ground multi room home with ferro-crete walls and floors (old prairie sod-house style). The below ground homes are much easier to heat and stay naturally cool in hot weather but lack sunlight. These homes typically have oil lamps or rechargeable light systems (some run on an e-clip for a month). Cooking is done typically on an electric or propane stove (wood or coal burning is rather rare). If the Farmer has a plot of land with any oil or minerals, then electricity is plentiful as the oil well or mining operation will provide excess energy to the farm. Crop field size will greatly depend on the number of farmers living at the farm and or their access to farming equipment such as plows or harvesters. There is almost always a temperature controlled area (refrigerator, chest freezer or root cellar) to store long term food or provisions.

Population: 9000 within the city, another 3-4000 in the surrounding Kingdom. The Kingdom accepts humans and D-bees without prejudice, and has a population of about 60/40 human-D-bee. Psychics and magic users are welcome as long as local laws are obeyed.

Education level: the general education level of Tearsdown is second only to Northern Gun/Mantisique Imperium. In the farm lands, literacy is near 65%, while it is closer to 85% inside the city itself. At the age of sixteen, every able bodied man or woman in the Kingdom must undergo mandatory firearms training. Even the lowest farmers household has an emergency radio and basic armaments (a L-20 rifle, 1d4 e-clips and a suit of non-environmental body armor, 1D6x10 M.D.C.).

Borders: The Kingdom of Tearsdown claims a boarder of one 75 miles in every direction from the castle proper. Most of that is deep woods forest, which does not need to be patrolled (it most definitely patrols itself) but the open areas are claimed for farming or some other resource (oil refining, coal iron and copper mining, etc.) These operations are owned and operated by the Crown, with most mining products sold to Titan robotics, GAW or Wellington industries. Most of the oil and its refined products is stored in underground tanks and sold on the open market.
The boarder is regularly patrolled by air or land, with armed vehicles, knights or hover cycle scouts. This way any travelers are directed towards the main roads for ease of travel and safety.

City defenses: The primary defense force is the Royal Guard (just under 500 strong) composed of men at arms, aircraft and RPA pilots. The guard has a robust force of hover/assault bikes and ground based armored vehicles. The Royal Guard takes pride in operating any tank they can get (major purchasers of GAW tanks and tracked vehicles, as well as Northern Gun equipment). The city proper has multiple weapons emplacements along the city wall, backed by short/medium range missile batteries (which can really prove a point). Aside from this, the citizens themselves are mostly armed (heavily in some cases) and turn out in droves when the alarm is raised. Local knights almost never miss muster, eager to engage in defense of their homes.

Economics of the city/kingdom:
Service industry: The city and Kingdom at large have a robust service industry, a wealth of lodgings, armor/vehicle repair and modification, food sales and various trade. Cargo by the ton is regularly imported and exported by air land or river traffic (with low taxation). Adventurers and trade caravans are a daily sight.
Oil extraction/refining and mining operations: the Kingdom has extensive mining operations producing over a dozen earths and minerals, as well as multiple oil wells producing millions of gallons; all sent to local refineries and processed into a plethora of fuels and plastics. Titan robotics is a major purchaser of these, earning the Crown many millions of credits per month alone. The Kingdom is also a major trans-hub of salvage and technological scrap, often salvaged from battlefields or pre-rifts ruins.
Infrastructure: the current king has a policy he calls "the four Fs"; Food, Fuel, Free Electricity and Fresh water. The people are a tough, hard working type, and the Crown knows that they will help the Kingdom prosper if they have access to basic utilities. To that end, the Crown spends a good deal of its income building and providing potable water wells to every community within its borders, free basic farming tools and seed supplies to new homesteaders, building regular fuel stations through out the Kingdom along with a significant discount for locals, and free electrical charging for vehicles, e-clips or other systems in areas with electrical power (usually at the fuel stations or some other Crown built facility). Many Farmers also have an oil well on their land, which will have a power system (usually wind and solar combination) that can provide enough extra juice for a farmer's needs.

Intelligence Service: the Crown maintains and operates a small but professional intelligence service, both inside and outside the Kingdom. This service listens in on radio traffic, tracks caravans and shipments, river traffic and the knightly orders, as well as rumors and talk of threats or monsters. Crown Intelligence has basic but accurate information about almost every other city or power in the Americas. They have accurate vampire/demon fighting information.

Currency: most of the kingdom takes universal credits, and there are several exchanges that only charge a nominal fee (5%). The Crown also mints its own currency called a Thaler, small flat coins of flexsteel with a small disk of gold in the center. Each coin is worth a thousand credits of goods or services anywhere in the kingdom, backed by the crown itself and to receive this coinage is seen to be both a privilege and an honor. Those who work for or aid the Crown in some way are paid with this coinage. Many businesses are often eager to gain the patronage of anyone who carries these.

The Knights of Tearsdown: For generations, the kingdom has perpetuated the tradition of Knighthood and a knightly honor code, extremely similar to that of cyber-knights. This is a result the fact that several of the city founders were themselves cyber-knights and power armor pilots of a similar temperament. They founded a kingdom around a gigantic medieval castle, how could they not? Over the years, as new people came and settled into the city, the tradition spread until it became natural to everyone. The populace simply accepted it; this was a kingdom of knights. The King (or queen as the case may be) is always themselves a knight. Anyone elected to King-hood who isn't trained to pilot armor is soon educated, as they hold the position of 1st knight of the Kingdom. Their family (anyone of age, of course) is also trained appropriately.

Knighthood within the Kingdom: Anyone who pilots a robot or power armor is automatically considered by the average citizen of the city to be a Knight, weather a traveler or a fellow citizen. In the city, some 23% of the populace owns and or operates a suit of power armor or a giant robot. Any pilot who wishes to (and are hardily encouraged by anyone they meet or deal with) may register with the Crown to attain their knighthood, granting them the public honorific of Sir, (or Dame, in the case of women) a discount on weapon and armor repair/ammunition along with food or lodging. They receive a small heraldic shield (attached to their armor on the chest area)and a bracelet that identifies their status as a knight of the realm to any who see it (the government keeps a database of knights and tracks their exploits).

Types of Knights
Knight Errant: an adventurer knight, unaffiliated with any of the orders, this includes mercenaries who fight for credits rather than honor or cause. The heraldry of their shields is a white field with a red horizontal stripe. These are the vast majority of Pilots not based in the Kingdom itself. Every new knight is provided with the kingdom's code of chivalry, and highly encouraged to follow it as best they can.
Order Knight: a knight that has joined or affiliated with one of the Orders. Their Heraldry is that of the Order.
Knight of the Black: these knights still follow the rules of chivalrous combat, but these are men and women who are willing to do dirty deeds. This often includes the ruthless or cruel, intelligence agents and Kingdom Security men. Assassination, infiltration, intelligence gathering, etc. Their heraldry is a black field with a white vertical stripe running through it. Note: there is no shame associated with being a knight of the black by either the common people or the Royal Guard.
Knight of the Kingdom: these are the men and women who are citizens of the kingdom itself, working and living within the walls, operating shops and businesses. When the city comes under attack, they done their armor or board their robots and muster to the city's defense. Their heraldry is a blue field with a red vertical stripe.It can be quite a sight to see nearly a quarter of the city's populace suddenly turn out in a myriad of power armors, robots and combat vehicles. Any damage their suits in defense of the city or Kingdom take is repaired by the Crown free of cost.

Knightly Orders: there are three Orders in operation within the kingdom, as any Order requires a licence from the crown and to pay taxes based on membership and contracts directly to the Crown as well. Each Order is essentially a military/mercenary company that takes contracts for military actions such as exploration of ruins, monster hunting and thei chief occupation; caravan guard. Knights of the Orders spend the majority of their time guarding travel trains and caravans carrying goods and products to and from Merctown, Kingsdale and GAW, sometimes even further. They also can be engaged to patrol outlying settlements within the kingdom's borders, or even border defense from raiders or other aggressive city states. They also take bounties from the Kingdom's bounty board (see the local Gunny's Depot for this).
Code of Chivalry: each of the three orders has adopted the cyber-knights code of chivalry, which provides an excellent framework for the order to operate as heroes and warriors for good, providing a good measure of hope and goodwill towards the kingdom.
Ordre de la Générosité: a hospitaliar Order, dedicated to protecting travelers, caravans and the wounded, most members have some knowledge of medical aid and carry a good deal of medical supplies. Many settlements that suffer casualties from monsters or raiders solicit aid from this order. Most of their proceeds are used to run a local hospital (with reputable cyber-doc).
The Order of the Alexandria: the knights of this order are most often seen in the company of rogue scholars and treasure hunters, exploring old ruins or delving underground. They contract out to explorers and even GAW engages their services. Most knights pick up a solid knowledge or skills in archeology and anthropology, as well as recognizing the value of pre-rifts artifacts. The order uses the trade of artifacts to fund a public library, open to all citizens. All books are available in digital copy.
The Order of the Argonauts: this order are primarily adventurers and monster hunters. They regularly contract out to seek and destroy many dangerous creatures, supernatural threats, alien invaders, etc. They regularly claim salvage and bounty of anything they kill. More than a few knights of this order have traveled to other dimensions on missions and adventures. These knights are often solicited to fight some horror from a rift or to eliminate a band of raiders. If an area needs an expedition, these are your knights.

Points of interest to travelers:
Titan Robotics Showroom: situated just 3 miles from the city proper by a well maintained road is the massive Titan building. The surrounding area has proving grounds and robot parking areas. The showroom sells the complete line of Titan products, and offers the standard repair facilities for any PA or robot imaginable. The knightly discount applies here as well. The facility lead, a man named Able Johnson (secretly a 5th level synthoid) offers great trade in deals for non titan suits or robots (35% above market price) towards Titan products. He is more than happy to repair any non-titan product as well (often installing secret recording and tracking devices at the same time).

Black Market Bazaar: located outside the walls on the opposite aide of the city along the river, the Black Market has constructed a permanent encampment of Quonset huts and low flex-steel buildings to make a support a wide variety od sellers and services. All manner of tradesmen, weapon dealers, armor sellers, scrap and salvage buyers, cyber docs and chop shops, vehicle sales and service. The complete line of Bandito arms is available here, including robot and power armors (the sidewinder PA sells well here). money lenders, money exchanges, buyers of metals and jewels are present as well. The knightly discount does not regularly apply here unless the seller is trying to sweeten a deal.

Fresh Food Market: about half a mile north of the city proper, several large farms meet at a crossroad and have a great food market for caravanners and traders from nearby cities and kingdoms (GAW and its surrounding tows in particular often shop here). Several large exhibition halls lined with stalls for sellers to rent (cheaply) and display their produce or wares. All manner of produce, vegetables and fruits are available, along with a wide assortment of canned or preserved goods, cured meats and smoked fish. Frozen meat and vegetables are offered as well (some farms find it far easier to run freezers in a building that other options). MREs are also sold here by the crate. The farmers offer good deals for bulk sales and decent prices for smaller amounts. The Market is only open in good weather, but the permanent stalls in the exhibition halls allow for some sales year round (preserved food sellers in particular).

Hydro-electric power station: just south of the city built right along the river is a dam with a set of built in highly efficient hydro-electric turbines that supply power to the city, along with a river side power station and service depot/barracks for the defense force. The power station is defended by the Royal army, who view this as a plumb assignment as many royal guards invest their pay into local fisheries for a sweet return in sales percentage. A small village of Junk Crabs (3D4 individuals) makes their home at the bottom of the hydro station in the river. They are extremely friendly with the station crew, and often help with maintenance and repair in hard to reach areas. The station crew happily supply them with all the scrap and trade tech they could ever desire, creating a wonderful friendship with the odd river dwellers.

Northern Gun Sales and Service Super-center: 25 miles north of the city, along the main north road sits the brand new NG super-center, their answer to the Titan Robotics showroom. A massive eight story building built in the center of a sprawling compound complete with landing pad, the service center can sell and service any Northern gun product. Anyone who comes to this super-center with a NG power armor or robot can expect to have their equipment serviced and cleaned, repaired at a substantial discount (40%) all while the pilot is offered a hot shower, an free meal and small but comfortable room for the night. In the morning after an affordable breakfast (20 credits to enter the breakfast buffet) the pilot is taken to their Pa/robot, which has been cleaned and readied to go. Anyone who has a non-NG robot or PA only gets a 10% labor and parts discount, and gets charges 50 credits for the room and dinner. Many find this still a good deal.
The super-center offers the complete line of NG weaponry, survival gear, personal body armor, etc. If one had enough credits on hand, even a sky bunker could be ordered in within a day or two.
Robots and drones are sold quite often at this location, usually for farm work or manufacturing jobs (particularly the NG-W9 and W10 labor bots, very popular).
As for PA and robots, there are always several of each in stock, and anything can be ordered in. In particular, the V10 Super Robot Vehicle, the Hunter Mobile Gun (original model) are readily available and often sold for defense and mining operations (quite popular among the more frugal knights as well).
So far, business has been good and corporate is seeing the super-center as a success.

Harold's training School: an academy for aspiring knights. Run by Sir Harold de Belon, knight of the Kingdom and retired adventurer (11th level RPA pilot) and his three subordinates (all 5th level RPA pilots), this six week course will train its applicants in the basic knowledge and skills of power armor and robot piloting, basic robot/PA combat, Weapon Systems, Sensory equipment and WP sword. At the end of each course, the newly trained graduate is offered a new suit of power armor (Samson or some equivalent) in return for a three year enlistment in the Royal Guard, at the end of which they may leave with their armor and the Crown's blessing. The training course itself only costs 2500 credits (this is heavily subsidized by the Crown). Skills gained after six weeks are Pilot robots & power armor basic at 60% + 3% per level thereafter, robot and power armor combat basic, and W.P. sword/shield (yes they use mega-damage swords and shields).

Chipwell Arms: set up with locations both inside the city and also at the river side Bazaar, Chipwell does a surprising amount of business in the Kingdom of Tearsdown. While the the Royal guard does not purchase nor use their products (the Kingdoms safety and security is to important to be left to chance equipment) many others of lesser means often see their cut price offerings as an easy way to become a knight or even to survive. The challenger combat armor, is quite popular with farmers for home defense and requires little or no skill to use. Many retrofit them to run on E-clips for ease of use. Warmonger suits are generally laughed at and regulated strictly to industrial use (dockyard work, fishing, hazardous materials, farm work etc). The Assault suit is seen as passable for a knights first armor, even though most who can afford it will switch out its main weapon for something whit a little more kick.

Tourney Grounds: East along the river, 5 miles from the city proper lies the summer Tourney Grounds, site of a month long knightly tourney of arms. Suits of power armor and robots engage in matches of arms; un-armed, armed and ranged combat, sharpshooting and weapon exhibition, etc. Rules and safety are tightly enforced, and the winner is given a 25 Crown Thaler prize along with the title of Tourney champion, which (recognition of martial skill and virtue aside) is always good for a free drink somewhere in the city. The Flying competition (open to hoverbikes and small aircraft) are quite popular as well.

Tearsdown Airfield: a well kept, small airfield about 10 miles from the city proper. Surrounded by guarded warehouses (some refrigerated) this is a major cargo port for all manner of aircraft. Several hangers are available for rent, along with a bevy of small aircraft mechanic businesses ready to service nearly anything that can fly.

Relations with other nations:
Tearsdown has excellent trade and communications regularly with Merctown and GAW (also its surrounding cities). Both import/export taxes are low, keeping many parties happy. Relations with Wykin are cool but some trade persists.
Kingsdale sees both good political and trade relations, although mitigated by the near presence of the Coalition.
Tearsdown has no official political or trade relations with the CS (the Black Market smuggles good from Tearsdown into the burbs on a regular basis; profit is profit).
As for the Federation of Magic, Tearsdown practices a tone of neutrality and tightly controlled trade (dark magic is illegal to import into the kingdom, as are slave or bio-wizardry) with the cities of the Magic Zone.
Neither the Splugorth nor their minions are allowed within the kingdom's borders, and are hunted on sight. The only exception are runaway slaves or Kittani/blind warrior women defectors (a surprising number of each, all of which have undergone psychic interrogation to determine the truth of their claims).
The Shemarrian nation is also treated neutrally, as they occasionally emerge from the woods but never venture into the open lands unless chasing prey, usually a splugorth or other such threat. The people give them a wide berth.
Simvan riders are often treated with respect as they are willing to hunt monsters for bounty and trade of goods.
Others: Tearsdown occasionally sees travelers and traders from Old Bones, or the two Lazlo's.

[Aermas]

How do you pronounce it? Crying or Ripping?

[slade2501]

Ah, its the crying version. its a reference to circumstances where a weary traveler would reach his or her destination and weep suddenly, overcome with the pent up emotions they had bottled up during the trip. Back when traveling was an arduous and life risking event (which it often is on Rifts-Earth). A place safe enough to let your tears down. I was reading stories and diaries of french people making the trip to Mont-Saint-Michel and how many would simply burst into silent tears upon reaching the walls of the abbey. Often the people themselves wrote or remarked that they had no idea why they were crying.

[SolCannibal]

Mostly this is me getting thoughts out on paper as it were. I am still working on people of note to add to this write-up. I wanted to introduce knightly orders (power armor and robots instead of old body armor) as an institution, a way of life not an occupation. A world-view instead of a means to an end or making credits. The power armor and robot vehicles become instruments of that world-view instead of banal equipment to be used and discarded. So here we go......

What about Glitterboys? Because that seems to with their OCC's narrative of a duty/legacy of heroism inherited from parent to child, in some cases all the way back to the Time of the Rifts, almost to a tee.

Also, ever considered the possibility of a "monastic" state ruled over by a military/knight order? Europe did have at least a few of those back in the middle ages, so it could make for a very interesting fit for what you're aiming for here, imho. The large numbers of knights in relation to the populace make me think that might mesh better than something like a local king or queen and their circle of hanger-ons.

Plus some possible comparison, contrast, interactions and more with the Cyberknights and Mystic Knights/White Rose Order both.

Also, something like a guild/academy of Operators to support the maintenance of all the equipment, old & repurposed or new and made from scratch, is another thing i would suggest adding to the mix.

[taalismn]

Okay, GBs get the legacy fun because originally they were about the most indestructible things around(that the players could lay hands on reasonably). So it's indeed possible that, power plant considerations aside, it's entirely possible that a GB could be in the family for generations.
But yes, why shouldn't the big 'bots have the same sort of fun?
Like the Robojox or Battletech's Mechwarriors who exist as a cut above the rank and file spear carriers, have codes of honor, special moves, and machines that have been lovingly maintained (and replaced piece by piece) over generations.

SolCannibal's suggestion of a 'monastic' order isn't far off the mark, though the best model, the Knights Templar, was at its height less a monastic order and more a well-oiled business institute, with networks of forts/outposts, support-communities/estates, banking networks, and the like. Things that made them wealthy and influential, and both a threat and temptation to their alleged liege-lords.

And while the name may be referring to a weary pilgrim crying in relief, I can totally see the 'rip/teardown' also applying when a 'bot-pilot comes into town with a badly damaged machine and stumbles into a local garage to have the mechanics disassemble the machine for either an overhaul or to cannibalize it for parts("Make you an offer, mate, if you don't want this thing, I'll buy it off you for the parts and materials.")