I just wanted to thank you guys so much for the Vallians and their history, as a person of color its refreshing to always see the takes on POC when they appear in rpgs, many times nowadays POC's are nothing but the "brown color choice" option when it comes to videogames and as of late especially rpgs and mmorpgs which saddens me immensely. I also love the fact of how you pulled real history into the mix with the Vallians and their Italian flair instead of the typical African or increasingly popular Arab touches, there were POC in Europe as well, and some of them ruled. It makes me smile to see that there are those out there who have dug up actual history and used it in a game.

 

And with that I'll leave these images of Alessandro Medicci a one time ruler of Florence. Thank you again guys. I hope you guys decide to make an mmorpg of this universe. Your first thousand will gladly come from me.

Edited March 20, 201510 yr by Ultimo Noressi

^ That actually wouldn't be too bad a choice as a PoE character portrait.

Like the vaillians the most too. Some references to occitania is enough for me to go for a vaillian dude in the first playthrough

We could even go back even more in time, and remain in the italian context, with emperor Septimius Severus.

Yeah, i have to say Afro aesthetic + Italian culture is a really uncommon combo...and it's a nice one.

 

 

We both (me and the op) gained something, he has got some fine renaissance art and i have got 5 more centimeters.  

Edited March 20, 201510 yr by Mazisky

I'd rather play Ezio Auditore.

 

:wry:

Like the vaillians the most too. Some references to occitania is enough for me to go for a vaillian dude in the first playthrough

We could even go back even more in time, and remain in the italian context, with emperor Septimius Severus.

 

Yep!

 

Don't forget Sir Maurice of Thebes, a Roman legion commander. I love this picture of him

Edited March 20, 201510 yr by Ultimo Noressi

Here are some members of the Thebian Legion under Sir Maurice

Thank you again guys. I hope you guys decide to make an mmorpg of this universe. Your first thousand will gladly come from me.

 

You guys know you can be Valian and not be a "person of color" right ?  None of the cultures are that hardwired or generic.  That said the Valian Republic does have one of the most interesting histories and places in lore of all the different cultures.

gr8 b8 m8.

 

8/10, WB.

Good post. I can agree with your sentiment. We can rarely be found sometimes in these genre of games.  Like the history you posted also. 

 

Amazing when one can dig and find hidden information about the past.

 

Thank you again guys. I hope you guys decide to make an mmorpg of this universe. Your first thousand will gladly come from me.

 

 

You beat me to it.

 

Je suis Vallian!

As an italian, some of the vallian names are... funny. Still very cool stuff xD

Good post. I can agree with your sentiment. We can rarely be found sometimes in these genre of games.  Like the history you posted also. 

 

Amazing when one can dig and find hidden information about the past.

There is alot of it believe it or not on this very subject. Despite modern teaching this history is more common than many think, care to believe or teach.  Way, way more common. It made me smile to see Obsidian making use of it, whether it was intentional or not. And its what got me ready to purchase the game.

Edited March 21, 201510 yr by Ultimo Noressi

 

There is alot of it believe it or not on this very subject. Despite modern teaching this history is more common than many think, care to believe or teach.  Way, way more common. It made me smile to see Obsidian making use of it, whether it was intentional or not.

 

 

 

Modern history TEACHING is a thumbnail sketch of a thumbnail sketch, it can never cover much or be expected to be comprehensive about anything.  I do not really understand people's obsession with it, it is like criticizing school age math for not teaching complicated cutting age mathematical theory.

 

Obviously with an international club like the nobility lots of interesting things happened, likewise with a huge Empire like the Roman Empire.

Edited March 21, 201510 yr by Valmy

Here are some members of the Thebian Legion under Sir Maurice

 

Ok this is bugging me. It is SAINT Maurice. A 3rd century Roman did not hold any knighthoods.

 

And all those pictures were made about a thousand years after he lived, but he did come from southern Egypt so...

 

But even if he was not black skinned, the Medieval Europeans liked to think he was which is probably more important.

Edited March 21, 201510 yr by Valmy

I just wanted to thank you guys so much for the Vallians and their history, as a person of color its refreshing to always see the takes on POC when they appear in rpgs, many times nowadays POC's are nothing but the "brown color choice" option when it comes to videogames and as of late especially rpgs and mmorpgs which saddens me immensely. ... It makes me smile to see that there are those out there who have dug up actual history and used it in a game.

On a similar note. I was pleasantly surprised, when the Vallians turned to be the major slavers ..

Hardly surprising for something supposed to loosely borrow from the roman empire.

 

A 3rd century Roman did not hold any knighthoods.

 

Indeed.

 

Though there were knights in the roman society, if I'm not mistaken they were basically ranked under senators in term of importance, but distinguished from the regular citizen. They served the state and were, for that purpose, given a horse. Fun fact, knight in french is chevalier, from the word cheval (=horse), although gave the word chivalry. Pretty sure there's the same etymology in latin, italian and other romance languages.

 

So there were knights in Rome, the word just didn't mean the same.

True. The equestrian class, which was a hilarious anachronism from the time of the Punic Wars onwards. I think you have it backwards though, they served as the cavalry because they could afford a horse. By the time the state starting providing military gear they had long since become a social class without necessarily a military role.

Hardly surprising for something supposed to loosely borrow from the roman empire.

It is to me. The game is set in a former colonial frontier, where the colonist exploited and enslaved the natives... Usually it this point, it turns into a "black and white" story\morality (pun intended), with the white devils who are corrupt, evil and without any redeemable qualities vs the brave and courageous people of color who are all saints and philosophers.

 

So yeah it is good to see a splash and mix of history as reminder that human nature isn't bound by skin color or circumstances. In our case vallian culture belong to the oldest, most advanced and expansive empire. They are elitist and the most prominent slave traders. I'd love to see how it plays out.

 

EDIT: Also the Aedyr are the ones who are loosely resemble the roman empire.

Edited March 21, 201510 yr by Tort

True. The equestrian class, which was a hilarious anachronism from the time of the Punic Wars onwards. I think you have it backwards though, they served as the cavalry because they could afford a horse. By the time the state starting providing military gear they had long since become a social class without necessarily a military role.

 

There's a strong chance I got confused about this indeed ^^ but I've always had the idea struck in my head that the horse they used were "lended" by the state and represented their bind to it, some sort of "public" horse that is. Thanks for the precisions though.

 

Sure it is, the game is set in a former colonial frontier, where the colonist exploited and enslaved the natives... Usually it this point, it turns into a "black and white" story\morality (pun intended), with the white devils who are corrupt, evil and without any redeemable qualities and the brave and courageous people of color who are all saints and philosophers.

 

So yeah it is good to see a splash of history and reminders that human nature isn't bound by skin color or circumstances. In our case vallia culture belong to the oldest, most advanced and expansive empire, they are elitist and the most prominent slave traders. I'd love to see how it plays out.

 

I don't need a game to remind that, I just read some History. I although avoid the television.

Edited March 21, 201510 yr by CaptainMace

I have yet to see a game where white people enslaved black people that was not a historical type game. But in any case the Valians are like the Venetians, they don't discriminate they just need galley slaves.

 

Hardly surprising for something supposed to loosely borrow from the roman empire.

It is to me. The game is set in a former colonial frontier, where the colonist exploited and enslaved the natives... Usually it this point, it turns into a "black and white" story\morality (pun intended), with the white devils who are corrupt, evil and without any redeemable qualities vs the brave and courageous people of color who are all saints and philosophers.

 

So yeah it is good to see a splash and mix of history as reminder that human nature isn't bound by skin color or circumstances. In our case vallian culture belong to the oldest, most advanced and expansive empire. They are elitist and the most prominent slave traders. I'd love to see how it plays out.

 

EDIT: Also the Aedyr are the ones who are loosely resemble the roman empire.

 

 

Sorry you feel this way, people only remember the things that are the most recent. As a POC myself I know the roles that -every- race played in the slavery trade in all times of history, I am fully aware of the roles that black nobles and black moors during the Dark Ages played in the TransAtlantic African, Irish, Native American slave trades. So I hope you do not think there aren't those of us who are POC who are fully aware of the truth of history. I for one know that there were just as many black devils as there were white ones.

 

But that is another subject, I'd like this to stay a thank you thread, thanks.

Edited March 21, 201510 yr by Ultimo Noressi