Outredemesne

[Shroom Man 777]

Maybe the Rus themselves are the non-humans (who might've taken in a large number of humans into their civilization, and deposited a large number of non-humans into human lands too... for all we know, humans also generally call their species 'Rus')? It doesn't change the us-vs-them thing, it could be an interesting reversal. Or not.

Maybe they've ALWAYS been multicultural, or been so for a long time, with the non-humans sufficiently different to prevent us and them from killing each other out or something.

[Ford Prefect]

I must admit that I automatically imagined the natives to be some sort of elf analogue; just more wild and less refined than they're usually portrayed. However, I see what you mean by it turning 'us-vs-them'; right after Avatar, too, if you catch my drift. Having the colonies be multi-spcies could be interesting, though. It certainly bears thinking about, especially in terms of the ruling factions of each polity.

And do you plan more than these two major colonies?

[Shroom Man 777]

I must admit that I automatically imagined the natives to be some sort of elf analogue; just more wild and less refined than they're usually portrayed.

I think that'd be really cliche'd though.

Now, on the other hand, if the Rus were these sparkly non-humans from a faraway land, that might also help with the whole "legendary" thing Siege wanted for the Rus. The native local humans might end up seeing one of those colonial Rus' and, well, regard him highly or something.

These Ruses could be out in human lands, colonizing, in an effort to "civilize" humanity but since they're not assholes but are actually benevolent rulers, they might actually end up taking home lessons learned from the humans themselves or something? Or they might decide to NOT act like colonial overlords precisely by NOT interfering with "colonial affairs" and by, instead, acting as how Siege described the Rus. Distant, with some minimal presence, but pretty much quite mysterious.

Blah, I am rambling.

[Ford Prefect]

Actually, that idea has suddenly grown on me. That the forgein Rus has tamed the barbarian human natives into functional societies, providing the tools and understanding to further their development. It may be out of line with Siege's conception, however.

[Shroom Man 777]

But they don't tame human barbarians through any asshole Western-style historical colonial whatever. Their attempt at taming humanity could be, ironically and paradoxically, through minimal interference and stuff. They send a few Ruses over, have the local governments swear fealty, and the few Ruses try to affect human society very slowly (perhaps the Ruses are long lived, like elves, but that might be cliche'd). The few Ruses try to make an example of themselves, act like Jedi Knight Musketeers, and the faraway Rus homeland is all legendary and known only to the natives in stories and the legend is further enforced by the rare trade galleon coming in with trinkets and beans.

Meanwhile, back in Rus land, the Ruses might go stabbing each other in the dick and scheming and politicking and fighting some other major threat - and the reason why they've acted so benevolent towards the humans is because, well, they pretty much can't be arsed to do anything else anyway. What can primitive humans have to offer? Resources? They've got plenty of those there.

Perhaps those Ruses who are in human lands are, like, half-colonizers and half-missionaries.

EDIT:

While doing so, the Ruses themselves are positively Renaissance in garb and manners!

EDIT 2:

Hell, if we're talking about Renaissance and far away lands and legends and tall stories of these exotic distant civilizations... could the Ruses be all, like, MARCO POLO?

[Ford Prefect]

I would think an important element of the setting would be that the Rus itself is never really explored; in that sense, our only clues would come in the form of the actual people who are from there. So maybe making them long-lived is a good idea, so that they can exist throughout the history of these various colony states?

Man, we are speculating all over Siege's thread.

[Siege]

And do you plan more than these two major colonies?

Yes. Since this is mostly based on the Crusader States founded after the First Crusade and the city-states of northern Italy during the Renaissance I think I'd need at least five, maybe even six or seven. I'm considering names that aren't too obviously Florence or Antioch.

For some reason I rather like the idea of the Rus being a huge multi-species affair, one in fact where the humans are little better than a mercantile group, and certainly not top dogs. Hell, maybe compare them with European Jews in Medieval times (with less pogroms perhaps): that would certainly explain why, after founding their own place in the boonies far away, they don't exactly feel much like returning home. And if the Rus in turn is ruled by significantly longer-lived creatures (note to self: maybe import Suzougu-Go from Solidarity Wars?) it would also explain why they don't bother to get in touch that often. After all, two centuries might seem like a real long time to humans, but if you're an effectively immortal dragon-thing, you might not see it that way.

Interestingly enough, if they're dragon-things, that jives pretty neatly with the Renaissance obsession with art, marble architecture and pretty things in general.

[Shroom Man 777]

Outstanding! Maybe there can be a future plot wherein the Rus, or elements of it, might centuries or decades later want to come in reigning in their colonial vassals!

The Rus' coming to the human land would be akin to some great event or feat worthy of song and celebration! Grand and great! FESTIVUS!

Do we also get unicorns and lions and aquilas? Maybe it'd be too much and just lame to base all the non-humans on Renaissance creatures.

[Ford Prefect]

Making the Rus the multi-national hang-out of a bunch of elaborate dragon-dudes would actually be pretty cool. Dragons often get depicted as being powerful and important in fantasy, but I can't really think of any examples of them exhibiting much in the way of order or society (the closest is the Dragonflights of Warcraft).