Atrum Daemon
07-18-2010, 12:09 AM
THE INVASION
[Rated for graphic violence, harsh language, various uses of drugs and alcohol, sexual and suggestive situations, et al]
Lumeria. An expansive world home to thousands of nations and empires. Many locations are famed among the peoples of Lumeria and often appear in similar myths and tales. Mittgott, Lemura, Hel, and Levis are just a few of these places and the most famous. Hyperboria, the Hellion Empire, the Keraventrie Empire, and the Empire of Light are the most famous historical kingdoms of Lumeria. Unfortunately, only two of them still exist. The Hellion Empire still stands strong within the far northern continent of Hel while the Keraventrie Empire controls a large section of Lumeria, having consumed the remains of Hyperboria and the Empire of Light.
The peoples of Lumeria are extremely varied. All kinds of Elves, Humans, Dwarves, and many other races live all over Lumeria, some living only among others of their race and others living alongside other races. It is a very rare thing for all nations of Lumeria to be involved in a single event. This tale is of one such event.
This has it’s roots in a civil war that gripped the Keraventrie Empire in the early first century of the Age of Artifice. In that age, the Kera were focusing their attention on the craft of making magical machines, living constructs, gateway devices, and so on. The first century reached it’s peak with the first development of inter-planar travel. This new development set the spark of the fires of the civil war. A powerful Kera mage named Voltaire wanted to use the new gateway machines to travel to other planes and expand the Empire. Voltaire was given allowance to travel to another world plane with one of the Kera’s greatest city-fortresses, the Black City, and establish a foothold on the world of Arion. However, the foothold was destroyed and the Black City vanished, causing the complete defamation of Voltaire, who made a violent push to try again and was exiled.
The civil war began when Voltaire returned with new allies from other parts of the Empire and beyond. The bloody conflict lasted five years before Voltaire was beaten and sent to an uninhabited plane through one of the gateways. The plane was sealed off from Lumeria by a series of powerful hedron stones connected to leylines. By removing the alignment of the hedrons with the leylines, the plane was sealed from Lumeria with no hope of reconnection.
The end of the Imperial Civil War coincided with several other major events that occurred across Lumeria. The sailing of a then unknown militant group from Hel called The Marauders to a Hellion outpost on the continent of Mittgott, an unsuccessful attempt by the Kera to get a foothold in the Eastern Kingdoms, and the beginning of the War of the Rose, a bloody conflict fought by the Empire of Light and a sorceress called The Black Rose.
However, Voltaire was not sitting idly by in his new home. Using powerful dark magic and his knowledge of artifice, he not only converted the green, natural plane into a plane of metal, machines, and gears, he also bound himself to the plane. Binding to the plane made Voltaire a god-figure, virtually unable to be killed.
The plane changed radically under Voltaire’s dark influence. The oceans, lakes, and rivers turned from water into a thick, black substance similar to oil. The trees either died or became spires of metal that Voltaire’s minions used to begin building the structures for the mage-god’s plans. Under his direction, Voltaire’s henchmen built great factory-structures and forges while Voltaire converted the heart of the world-plane into his own lair. Once the minor construction was complete, Voltaire began altering himself and his faithful. The mage made many, many mechanical alterations to his men, practically removing all presence of flesh from many. Voltaire also made mechanical modifications to his own body, his followers calling him “Machine God” or “Father of Un-flesh” as a result.
During the centuries that it took Voltaire to change his new home, Lumeria also saw changes. During this time, The Marauders became famous after a bloody campaign in the north of Mittgott. They and the other Hellions were soon driven out by the Elf tribes, however. The Keraventrie’s Black City reappeared in the skies above Mittgott, supported by new magical devices that enabled it’s flight. This also marked the birth of a Kera named Velkin Norath, first son of a powerful noble family, who would become the greatest sage the Empire would ever know. These years also saw the return of the Black Rose, who once again attempted, and nearly succeeded, at bringing the Empire of Light to it’s knees. She was bested in her own tower by the Marauder’s leader, Kell. The two vanished from Lumeria at the climax of the battle, but her tower remains.
Voltaire completely remade his new home into a plane of metal and machines. Burning seas of oil replaced the once glittering seas of water. Smokestacks and factories replaced the mountains and forests. Minions and soldiers were grown in vats or created from people captured from other planes. Many of the captives were used as slaves in the mines and factories. In the heart of the plane, which Voltaire named Travincal, the Machine-God and his inner circle planned their return to Lumeria. Voltaire’s plan was to send human-looking agents and sleeper agents to other planes connected to Lumeria. The agents would then travel to Lumeria and begin the process of aligning the magical hedron stones with their leylines, thus opening the portal between Travincal and Lumeria again.
Voltaire’s plan is set and in motion. A few of his agents pierced through to Lumeria ahead of their peers. Heroes and great warriors will need to rise in order to kill these agents and prevent Travincal from invading. That is, if knowledge of the invasion can spread before it is too late to stop it.
Just what it sounds like. A list of the important locations around Lumeria and a brief description of the people(s) that dwell there.
Mittgott
The continent’s name varies between languages, but all names mean the same thing: “middle of the world.” The name is appropriate as the continent does sit at the middle of the world. Mittgott’s northern region is all highlands and mountain areas regularly contested by Hellion and Elvish forces. It’s southern region is the home of the Empire of Light, which has become an arm of the Keraventrie Empire. The central region has recently come under the control of an organization called The Cabal.
The Highland Islands
An impressive archipelago of mountain islands populated entirely by barbarian tribes and clans. When not fighting each other over land or power, clansmen have been known to journey to other parts Lumeria to find fame, fortune, or what-have-you.
Orotia
The homeland of the Keraventrie, this larger continent is mostly jungle and grasslands. It’s sole population is the Kera, a human-like race with pupil-less eyes and an affinity for magic. Their empire stems from the Golden City capitol in the heart of the Orotian Jungle and spreads throughout a good part of the world. They are easily the largest power alongside the Eastern Kingdoms.
Hel
The northern most continent of Lumeria and home to the Hellions, a human race with pale skin, light colored hair, and bright red eyes. Possessed of magic and impressive physical strength, they control all of the northern islands.
A short list of all important government and militant groups.
The Cabal
A large group of spell casters and warriors that took control of the central region of Mittgott after the second War of the Rose destroyed the previous government. The Cabal itself is structured much like a family and extended family, with members referring to one another as brother and sister and their leader as Matriarch or Patriarch depending in the gender of the leader. They operate much like militant thugs, but are very effective at keeping the entire region in order. They are bound to one another by old magic that depends on the use of names. Every member receives a cabalist name upon joining while their true name was kept a secret and when spoken gave the speaker control over them. As expected, the Cabal leader knows all the names of the Cabal’s members. The biggest draw for people all over Lumeria are the gladiator tournaments the Cabal holds as it’s Coliseum. The attire for Cabal members is very militaristic, with each member adding his or her own special touches. The current Cabal Patriarch is Raleigh Morson.
The Keraventrie Empire
One of the largest governmental and military powers on Lumeria. Controlling all of Orotia, Hyperboria, and the southern region of Mittgott. Before expanding, the Empire was made up only of the Kera race, but now members of nearly every race are imperial citizens. They have made the largest advancements in magical and weapons technology and freely share them with their allies. As a race of natural spell casters, the Kera are rather formidable opponents in any kind of battle. The Empire is led by the Emperor-Archon with his military commanders being the Archons and his advisors the Sages. The current Emperor-Archon is a Stefan Minellious.
The Eastern Kingdom
The largest power next to the Keraventrie, the Eastern lands have remained independent and apart from nearly all major events that have occurred on Lumeria due to the location of the continent and islands. The Eastern lands are occupied largely by various races of beast-men and much of the noble class is heavily steeped in old tradition. The current Emperor of the East is a powerful dragon named Daitaro.
Heroes are the best of the best. Those who have been acknowledge by their respective leaders for their outstanding ability, valor, courage, etc. The following is a short list of the hero characters and a short description of each. If you wish for your character to be a hero, contact me via PM or IM.
Velkin Norath [Played by myself]
A skilled Sage from the Keraventrie Empire and talented mage. Velkin is widely known for his talent with mana and his contributions to the second War of the Rose in beating back the Black Rose’s hordes as they attacked an important trade city. By beating back, we mean destroyed them single-handedly using his magic. This secured his place not only among other heroic figures of the Keraventrie, but as a Sage of the inner circle who were advisors to the Emperor-Archon.
Jade [Reserved]
A highly skilled warrior from the eastern lands. She was a key part in the defeat of the necromancer Lenore nearly a decade before the Keraventrie consumed the remains of Hyperboria. She was also a part of the force that defeated the sorcerer known as The Faceless One when he attacked the East.
Shiro [Reserved]
A legend in the eastern lands, this warrior was present during the fall of the Magocracy that gripped Lemura and was a part of the group that destroyed the corrupted mages. He was also a key element in defeating The Faceless One in the east. He now serves as the eastern Emperor’s most trusted elite soldier.
Those great names spoken of in story and myth. Those who’s triumphs may or may not have happened the way they are told. Very few of these great figures still walk Lumeria, but they may need to be called on yet again. Like with the heroes, PM or IM me if you want a spot on this list.
Myrdred Tawl [Played by myself]
His achievements date back to the old kingdom of Hyperboria, where he fought in the Chaos War. A highly skilled mage, his near mastery of destructive arts led him to hold off superior enemy forces at Hyperboria’s borders for nearly five days before help arrived. He defeated the Chaos Army’s deadly lich lord in a two day battle that left marks that scar the land in the present day. Later, he would be a key element in bringing down the Magocracy in Lemura before traveling to Mittgott. What he did there remains a mystery, as is how he has lived for so many centuries. He returned to his homeland in time to be a part of the fall of the necromancer Lenore and traveled to the eastern lands shortly after that. His currently whereabouts and status are known only to a select few.
The Travin are the denizens of the metal plane Travincal. Many of them are modified humans, elves, and so forth that were abducted from other world-planes and brought to Travincal due to their skills. Alongside these modified peoples there are many fully mechanical constructs that may or may not have once been living beings. Large amounts of undead also populate the fighting forces of the Travin, many of them given second life through mechanical magic. (Note that this is not a full list of Travin life forms, just the most prominent/most important)
Travin Undead
When in the need of a labor force or simple cannon fodder, Travincal turns the masses of unused corpses and zombies procured over the centuries. Dangerous alone or in groups, the Travin Undead are very tenacious and many, mostly the skeletal ones, can reassemble themselves after dismemberment.
The Unworthy - Those that are brought to Travincal and deemed unworthy for transformation from flesh to Travin are simply discarded and left dead. At times, their skeletons are given artificial improvements to give them life again to be used as a labor force and cannon fodder due to their extreme tenacity. The Unworthy have no minds of their own.
The Monitors - A rather prestigious position among the ranks of the Travin undead. Monitors are skeleton creatures dressed in long, dark colored leather coats with an armored lining and hood as well as armored arms that usually included a weapon of some kind. The Monitors are responsible for overseeing production and growing of Travin soldiers. They are also responsible for applying the initial mechanical augments to the troops. They have a good degree of intelligence as needed to perform their duties.
Scrapers - Zombies made to live and fight again through the addition of mechanical implants and armor. They are used as frontline troops in large-scale battles and as scouts.
Reapers - The shock-troops of the Travin undead. Outfitted with mana powered armor grafted to their bodies and firearm weapons taken from distant planes. They exist to hit hard and fast, mercilessly killing all that stand in front of them and usually strip the flesh from their bones.
Travin Living
The living have the widest range of life form on Travincal. From the unmodified human-like creatures grown in vats of grey oil to the mechanically altered beings who serve as a partial labor and military force.
Mites - Mites are the name given to the unmodified Travin grown in vats of Travincal’s unique, magical grey oil. They appear as androgynous humans and are grown to adulthood, then trained and prepared for life on Travincal. Mites are later put through the transcendence process in which they are made into other forms of Travin to serve any number of purposes.
Soldiers - The bulk of Travin hordes. These mechanical creatures vary widely in appearance and serve a great number of purposes for Voltaire outside of normal military use. Some are specialized for certain jobs, such as assassins and spies.
Agents - Agents are one of the more unique Soldiers in the Travin arsenal. They are fully grown, and sometimes genetically modified, Mites who have not been through a special transcendence process. Thus, they only internal mechanical modifications to make them as strong and resilient to pain as the rest of the Travin Solider class. As such, they appear as normal humans and are able to carry out the various tasks outside of Travincal. Some are even experimental Sleeper Agents, fully unaware of their task and simply dropped off in the target plane.
Travin Carriers
These terrible things are biomechanical creations used to spread the diseases and plagues that Voltaire creates. They are commonly used in suicide strikes, destroying themselves to release their deadly plagues upon their foes.
Baser - These flying things look to be a cross between a giant fly and giant mosquito. They are used to spread Travincal plagues over walls and into parts of cities where other carriers cannot reach. Once their initial payload is released, Basers destroy themselves and unleash the remains of their pathogen.
Defiler - A mechanical body built around the bulbous, disease-filled life form comprises the Defiler. The mouth of the machine body is able to spew it’s liquid disease upon it’s enemies and it is armed with various blades and saws on it’s arms and other appendages. When the mechanical body takes enough damage, the Defiler itself explodes it’s body, sending its foul liquid all over.
Plague Master - A twisted mockery of a religious priest. Their flesh and metal form courses with a powerful pathogen that causes vivid hallucinations and insanity. As with other carriers, they can detonate their bodies to spend their disease to a wider area.
Travin Constructs
The constructs range from machines built from scratch to Travin who have made a full transition from their flesh bodies to bodies of metal, wires, and gears. All are extremely dangerous.
Hulks - One of the larger mechanical beasts in the Travin arsenal. These creatures are normally used to sweep up survivors left by the initial waves of Travincal troops.
Colossus - One of the largest metal beasts in the Construct class. These tower over even the Travin Hulks and are nearly unstoppable, but move slower than their Hulk counterparts. They are brimming with nasty saw, blade, and bludgeoning weapons.
Dreadnought - Easily the largest and most frightening weapon in the Travin arsenal. Truly unstoppable and possessing armor no weapon has been able to pierce, this machine is used to utterly destroy entire cities that refuse to bend to the will of Travincal. It’s uses are rare and no one ever survives to warn others about it.
Travin Horrors
True monstrosities that are usually combinations of undead and constructs or just combinations of constructs. Many possess free will and tend to live apart from other Travin.
Gargantuan - Massive brutes of steel, wires, and gears. These are made through combining a Hulk body with a Colossus. They use their sheer size to outmatch any opponent met on the battlefield and their claws are massive enough to scoop up as much debris as an earthmoving device and smash anything in that same space. Strangely enough, many of these machine look like giant, metal crabs-creatures.
Enders - Slender bodied monsters with slightly elongated limbs that give them a lanky appearance. Their heads are also slightly elongated and their mouths are filled with razor sharp teeth. Not only do their metal fingers end in deadly sharp points, but Enders also possess blades on various other places, depending on the design. Their joints crackle with deadly magic that they used in a number of ways to kill their enemies. As to be expected from their name, these horrors are used as Travincal’s terrifying elite assassins.
Travin Knights
The cream of the crop. The best of the Travin warriors suited for more than just labor or killing machines. They are much more intelligent than other Travin and possess all their human mental attributes. There are various knightly orders and all are extremely dangerous. Though they have gone through the Complete Transcendence, they still retain a human-like appearance. Although, much more monstrous.
The Paladins - These Travin Knights are dedicated to eradicating all life that will not submit to the Will of the Machine God. They have fully cybernetic bodies with flesh grafted and stitched together over their metal forms, giving them an almost zombie like appearance. Most armor consists of shoulder plates, helms, and lower body armor.
The Order of Voltaire - Totally mechanical beings that guard the entrance to the Inner Sanctum, the underground of Travincal. They all carry deadly scythes that have magical properties depending on the Knight wielding it.
Praetorians - The final Knightly order and the personal guard of the Father of Un-flesh himself. These Knights tend to have their bodies styled after some kind of beast or armor style. Little else is known.
This is the ruling body of Travincal. It consists of Voltaire’s most trusted generals and are all old comrades from the Imperial Civil War. These demons answer only to the Machine Father himself and ensure Travincal runs smoothly.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm213/Daemon_010/greatunwashed.jpg - The lord of the Travin Carriers and indeed the first of the Carriers. His mechanical body courses with a powerful acid that eats through armor and puts his plague directly into the victim’s blood.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm213/Daemon_010/Necron.jpg - The first of the Travin demons and one of the first to gain a fully mechanical body. He designed the Travin Enders and oversaw their creation. Heritor crafted a smooth, almost skeletal looking body for himself once the transformation of Travincal was complete.
Tsaibo - At one point in her life, Tsaibo was a skilled sorceress. When it came time for Voltaire’s trusted comrades to make the change from flesh to steel, she took on a mechanical for that kept her humanoid upper half, but replaced her body from the waist down with that of a spider. Soon, she even altered her upper half to be more arachnid in appearance.
THE RULES
All the standard RPA rules and such apply
I am the GM. My word is final on ALL decisions
I encourage the making of multiple characters, but keep it under five, please
Feel free to give criticism to your fellow players within the OOC thread, but play nice
Characters will die. I am giving fair warning right now
If you must leave or be absent for an extend time for any reason, please inform us
CHARACTER TEMPLATE
Name:
Alias: [if any]
Age:
Race:
Appearance:
Equipment/Possessions:
Abilities/Powers:
Bio:
Name: Myrdred Tawl
Alias: The Reaper, Lord of the Empty
Age: 967
Race: Hyperborian
Appearance: Myrdred stands at a solid six feet, one inches with a toned, muscular form gained from years of traveling, fighting, and trying new training exercises. His hair is short and persistently spiky for reasons even Myrdred can’t pinpoint and his eyes are a bright cyan green. His face holds his most distinguishing feature: a partially healed burn scar on the left side of his face. Despite being over nine hundred years old, Myrdred’s youthful face and form don’t appear to be much older than twenty-five. He is commonly found wearing a white traveling coat over tailored leather armor that covers his torso and his legs are protected by ornate black and white plate armor.
Equipment/Possessions:
The Reaping Staff - a magical scythe whose staff can split in half to form a pair of twin, double bladed scythes attached to one-another by a chain.
Travel and camping gear
Clothing for all weathers
A full set of enchanted armor, the leg segments of which he wears regularly
Abilities/Powers:
Master of the Reaping Staff - due to his centuries with the weapon, Myrdred has perfected his style of using the staff and it’s split form.
Mastery of the Soul Arts - The Soul Arts are magical arts that stem from use of souls, generally those absorbed from the dead or using the energy of one’s own. The offensive spells are elementless energy.
Master of Death Magic - Absorbing life, creating temporary thralls, consuming the souls of the dead. All this and more Myrdred has learned without going insane from the power. It is speculated that mastering these arts is what led to his discovery of eternal life.
Destructive Arts - The first magic Myrdred learned and has long since mastered. He combines red and black mana in his spells for devastating effects.
Hand to hand combatant - Myrdred is an accomplished hand to hand fighter. His natural strength as a Hyperborian enables him to easily overcome most opponents when not using is staff or magic.
Bio: Born almost a millennia before our story during the Golden Age of Hyperboria. He gained his scar at the age of ten when it was discovered he had a talent for magic. Such is the terrible luck of being born in a town where magic is hated and feared. After being exiled (Really, these people were HUGE dicks), Myrdred was lucky enough to picked up by a Royal Mage named Beckette. Beckette took Myrdred in and personally trained the youth in the magical arts. At eighteen, he joined the ranks of the Royal Mages as the war between Hyperboria and the Chaos tribes began. Myrdred began building his fame as he led his team of mages to victory time and again.
Upon the ending of the war, Myrdred’s name was well-known. Much of what he did after the war has been lost along with the history of Hyperboria’s Mythic Age. His name appears again as the head of the mysterious Masked Army near the end of the Age before the rise of the Magocracy. Myrdred truly reappeared near the end of the Magocracy and was one of the Magi how destroyed the corrupt mages who had Hyperboria steeped in fear. Once more, his name vanished into myths and tales until the rise of the necromancer Lenore, whom he helped destroy. What little is known of his actions afterward is that he traveled far east and has not been seen in common lands since.
Name: Velkin Norath
Age: 30
Race: Kera
Appearance:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm213/Daemon_010/Fepr-volke.jpg
Equipment/Possessions:
Sage’s Robes [enchanted for defense against weapons]
Enchanted battle and throwing knives
Enchanted leather armor
Abilities/Powers:
Velkin is a near master of mana-based magic. Thus, he is a danger to all foes within whom mana flows.
Proficient in blades - while he prefers magic, Velkin can hold his own with his dual battle knives and enchanted throwing knives.
Bio: Born in the Golden City on Orotia to a noble family which was known for producing great warriors. However, Velkin’s great talent for magic made him an ideal candidate for training under the Sages. His talent grew as he learned and he remained in the top percentile of success among the other students. He was granted full mage status at eighteen and then conscripted to fight the Black Rose in Mittgott. His fame became real when he utterly destroyed a part of the Rose’s army that tried to get a hold of the largest trade city in the Empire of Light. Shortly after, he was offered a position among the Sages, which he accepted. However, he kept a lot of his extracurricular activities going since his duties did not take up much of his time. He is currently staying in the town of Rondo.
Name: Rourke
Age: 27
Race: Travin Agent
Appearance:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm213/Daemon_010/5-2.jpg
Equipment/Possessions:
Leather Armor
Twin short swords
Travin Overdrive Distortion Device - An experimental, and potentially unstable, magical item that has been implanted to replace his ribcage. When activated, the device increases all of Rourke’s natural attributes and allows for short-range teleportation and temporal manipulation. However, the temporal manipulation causes him intense pain.
Abilities/Powers:
Dual Blades - Rourke is highly trained in using a weapon in each hand to the point where he can wield and full size weapon in each hand.
Shifting - Short range teleportation granted by using the Overdrive
Time Stop - Temporal manipulation granted by using the Overdrive
Minor Destructive Arts - He has a basic understanding of the use of offensive black and red mana.
Bio: Like all Travin Mites, Rourke was grown within a processing tank filled with the strange gray oil found in Travincal. Upon growth to adulthood, he and the three hundred other Mites in his growth batch were tossed in the Blacksteel Forest to prove they were not weak and useless. Those that were died very quickly. Rourke proved his ability to survive and his quick thinking when he used thirteen of his fellow Mites to distract one of the forest monsters so he could kill it with an improvised weapon. However, the other Mites were killed in the process. This put Rourke on the track to becoming an Agent. He was trained by a group of skilled Enders and Heritor himself in the arts of stealth and subterfuge. His final upgrade before being sent out from Travincal was the Overdrive Distortion device that replaced his ribcage. After the upgrade was complete, Rourke was sent to the world of Merathe to find a way to get to Lumeria. His current location is within the Cabal territory of Mittgott.
A squad formed out of an idea Voltaire had. He put together a team of his soldiers that all possessed sentience and free will to travel one of the planes near Lumeria and attempt on site transcendence as well as a few other ideas.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm213/Daemon_010/Deathpaladin2.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm213/Daemon_010/monitor.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm213/Daemon_010/stranger.jpg
http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100714063134/dragonage/images/4/41/Hurlock-concept2.jpg
[Rated for graphic violence, harsh language, various uses of drugs and alcohol, sexual and suggestive situations, et al]
Lumeria. An expansive world home to thousands of nations and empires. Many locations are famed among the peoples of Lumeria and often appear in similar myths and tales. Mittgott, Lemura, Hel, and Levis are just a few of these places and the most famous. Hyperboria, the Hellion Empire, the Keraventrie Empire, and the Empire of Light are the most famous historical kingdoms of Lumeria. Unfortunately, only two of them still exist. The Hellion Empire still stands strong within the far northern continent of Hel while the Keraventrie Empire controls a large section of Lumeria, having consumed the remains of Hyperboria and the Empire of Light.
The peoples of Lumeria are extremely varied. All kinds of Elves, Humans, Dwarves, and many other races live all over Lumeria, some living only among others of their race and others living alongside other races. It is a very rare thing for all nations of Lumeria to be involved in a single event. This tale is of one such event.
This has it’s roots in a civil war that gripped the Keraventrie Empire in the early first century of the Age of Artifice. In that age, the Kera were focusing their attention on the craft of making magical machines, living constructs, gateway devices, and so on. The first century reached it’s peak with the first development of inter-planar travel. This new development set the spark of the fires of the civil war. A powerful Kera mage named Voltaire wanted to use the new gateway machines to travel to other planes and expand the Empire. Voltaire was given allowance to travel to another world plane with one of the Kera’s greatest city-fortresses, the Black City, and establish a foothold on the world of Arion. However, the foothold was destroyed and the Black City vanished, causing the complete defamation of Voltaire, who made a violent push to try again and was exiled.
The civil war began when Voltaire returned with new allies from other parts of the Empire and beyond. The bloody conflict lasted five years before Voltaire was beaten and sent to an uninhabited plane through one of the gateways. The plane was sealed off from Lumeria by a series of powerful hedron stones connected to leylines. By removing the alignment of the hedrons with the leylines, the plane was sealed from Lumeria with no hope of reconnection.
The end of the Imperial Civil War coincided with several other major events that occurred across Lumeria. The sailing of a then unknown militant group from Hel called The Marauders to a Hellion outpost on the continent of Mittgott, an unsuccessful attempt by the Kera to get a foothold in the Eastern Kingdoms, and the beginning of the War of the Rose, a bloody conflict fought by the Empire of Light and a sorceress called The Black Rose.
However, Voltaire was not sitting idly by in his new home. Using powerful dark magic and his knowledge of artifice, he not only converted the green, natural plane into a plane of metal, machines, and gears, he also bound himself to the plane. Binding to the plane made Voltaire a god-figure, virtually unable to be killed.
The plane changed radically under Voltaire’s dark influence. The oceans, lakes, and rivers turned from water into a thick, black substance similar to oil. The trees either died or became spires of metal that Voltaire’s minions used to begin building the structures for the mage-god’s plans. Under his direction, Voltaire’s henchmen built great factory-structures and forges while Voltaire converted the heart of the world-plane into his own lair. Once the minor construction was complete, Voltaire began altering himself and his faithful. The mage made many, many mechanical alterations to his men, practically removing all presence of flesh from many. Voltaire also made mechanical modifications to his own body, his followers calling him “Machine God” or “Father of Un-flesh” as a result.
During the centuries that it took Voltaire to change his new home, Lumeria also saw changes. During this time, The Marauders became famous after a bloody campaign in the north of Mittgott. They and the other Hellions were soon driven out by the Elf tribes, however. The Keraventrie’s Black City reappeared in the skies above Mittgott, supported by new magical devices that enabled it’s flight. This also marked the birth of a Kera named Velkin Norath, first son of a powerful noble family, who would become the greatest sage the Empire would ever know. These years also saw the return of the Black Rose, who once again attempted, and nearly succeeded, at bringing the Empire of Light to it’s knees. She was bested in her own tower by the Marauder’s leader, Kell. The two vanished from Lumeria at the climax of the battle, but her tower remains.
Voltaire completely remade his new home into a plane of metal and machines. Burning seas of oil replaced the once glittering seas of water. Smokestacks and factories replaced the mountains and forests. Minions and soldiers were grown in vats or created from people captured from other planes. Many of the captives were used as slaves in the mines and factories. In the heart of the plane, which Voltaire named Travincal, the Machine-God and his inner circle planned their return to Lumeria. Voltaire’s plan was to send human-looking agents and sleeper agents to other planes connected to Lumeria. The agents would then travel to Lumeria and begin the process of aligning the magical hedron stones with their leylines, thus opening the portal between Travincal and Lumeria again.
Voltaire’s plan is set and in motion. A few of his agents pierced through to Lumeria ahead of their peers. Heroes and great warriors will need to rise in order to kill these agents and prevent Travincal from invading. That is, if knowledge of the invasion can spread before it is too late to stop it.
Just what it sounds like. A list of the important locations around Lumeria and a brief description of the people(s) that dwell there.
Mittgott
The continent’s name varies between languages, but all names mean the same thing: “middle of the world.” The name is appropriate as the continent does sit at the middle of the world. Mittgott’s northern region is all highlands and mountain areas regularly contested by Hellion and Elvish forces. It’s southern region is the home of the Empire of Light, which has become an arm of the Keraventrie Empire. The central region has recently come under the control of an organization called The Cabal.
The Highland Islands
An impressive archipelago of mountain islands populated entirely by barbarian tribes and clans. When not fighting each other over land or power, clansmen have been known to journey to other parts Lumeria to find fame, fortune, or what-have-you.
Orotia
The homeland of the Keraventrie, this larger continent is mostly jungle and grasslands. It’s sole population is the Kera, a human-like race with pupil-less eyes and an affinity for magic. Their empire stems from the Golden City capitol in the heart of the Orotian Jungle and spreads throughout a good part of the world. They are easily the largest power alongside the Eastern Kingdoms.
Hel
The northern most continent of Lumeria and home to the Hellions, a human race with pale skin, light colored hair, and bright red eyes. Possessed of magic and impressive physical strength, they control all of the northern islands.
A short list of all important government and militant groups.
The Cabal
A large group of spell casters and warriors that took control of the central region of Mittgott after the second War of the Rose destroyed the previous government. The Cabal itself is structured much like a family and extended family, with members referring to one another as brother and sister and their leader as Matriarch or Patriarch depending in the gender of the leader. They operate much like militant thugs, but are very effective at keeping the entire region in order. They are bound to one another by old magic that depends on the use of names. Every member receives a cabalist name upon joining while their true name was kept a secret and when spoken gave the speaker control over them. As expected, the Cabal leader knows all the names of the Cabal’s members. The biggest draw for people all over Lumeria are the gladiator tournaments the Cabal holds as it’s Coliseum. The attire for Cabal members is very militaristic, with each member adding his or her own special touches. The current Cabal Patriarch is Raleigh Morson.
The Keraventrie Empire
One of the largest governmental and military powers on Lumeria. Controlling all of Orotia, Hyperboria, and the southern region of Mittgott. Before expanding, the Empire was made up only of the Kera race, but now members of nearly every race are imperial citizens. They have made the largest advancements in magical and weapons technology and freely share them with their allies. As a race of natural spell casters, the Kera are rather formidable opponents in any kind of battle. The Empire is led by the Emperor-Archon with his military commanders being the Archons and his advisors the Sages. The current Emperor-Archon is a Stefan Minellious.
The Eastern Kingdom
The largest power next to the Keraventrie, the Eastern lands have remained independent and apart from nearly all major events that have occurred on Lumeria due to the location of the continent and islands. The Eastern lands are occupied largely by various races of beast-men and much of the noble class is heavily steeped in old tradition. The current Emperor of the East is a powerful dragon named Daitaro.
Heroes are the best of the best. Those who have been acknowledge by their respective leaders for their outstanding ability, valor, courage, etc. The following is a short list of the hero characters and a short description of each. If you wish for your character to be a hero, contact me via PM or IM.
Velkin Norath [Played by myself]
A skilled Sage from the Keraventrie Empire and talented mage. Velkin is widely known for his talent with mana and his contributions to the second War of the Rose in beating back the Black Rose’s hordes as they attacked an important trade city. By beating back, we mean destroyed them single-handedly using his magic. This secured his place not only among other heroic figures of the Keraventrie, but as a Sage of the inner circle who were advisors to the Emperor-Archon.
Jade [Reserved]
A highly skilled warrior from the eastern lands. She was a key part in the defeat of the necromancer Lenore nearly a decade before the Keraventrie consumed the remains of Hyperboria. She was also a part of the force that defeated the sorcerer known as The Faceless One when he attacked the East.
Shiro [Reserved]
A legend in the eastern lands, this warrior was present during the fall of the Magocracy that gripped Lemura and was a part of the group that destroyed the corrupted mages. He was also a key element in defeating The Faceless One in the east. He now serves as the eastern Emperor’s most trusted elite soldier.
Those great names spoken of in story and myth. Those who’s triumphs may or may not have happened the way they are told. Very few of these great figures still walk Lumeria, but they may need to be called on yet again. Like with the heroes, PM or IM me if you want a spot on this list.
Myrdred Tawl [Played by myself]
His achievements date back to the old kingdom of Hyperboria, where he fought in the Chaos War. A highly skilled mage, his near mastery of destructive arts led him to hold off superior enemy forces at Hyperboria’s borders for nearly five days before help arrived. He defeated the Chaos Army’s deadly lich lord in a two day battle that left marks that scar the land in the present day. Later, he would be a key element in bringing down the Magocracy in Lemura before traveling to Mittgott. What he did there remains a mystery, as is how he has lived for so many centuries. He returned to his homeland in time to be a part of the fall of the necromancer Lenore and traveled to the eastern lands shortly after that. His currently whereabouts and status are known only to a select few.
The Travin are the denizens of the metal plane Travincal. Many of them are modified humans, elves, and so forth that were abducted from other world-planes and brought to Travincal due to their skills. Alongside these modified peoples there are many fully mechanical constructs that may or may not have once been living beings. Large amounts of undead also populate the fighting forces of the Travin, many of them given second life through mechanical magic. (Note that this is not a full list of Travin life forms, just the most prominent/most important)
Travin Undead
When in the need of a labor force or simple cannon fodder, Travincal turns the masses of unused corpses and zombies procured over the centuries. Dangerous alone or in groups, the Travin Undead are very tenacious and many, mostly the skeletal ones, can reassemble themselves after dismemberment.
The Unworthy - Those that are brought to Travincal and deemed unworthy for transformation from flesh to Travin are simply discarded and left dead. At times, their skeletons are given artificial improvements to give them life again to be used as a labor force and cannon fodder due to their extreme tenacity. The Unworthy have no minds of their own.
The Monitors - A rather prestigious position among the ranks of the Travin undead. Monitors are skeleton creatures dressed in long, dark colored leather coats with an armored lining and hood as well as armored arms that usually included a weapon of some kind. The Monitors are responsible for overseeing production and growing of Travin soldiers. They are also responsible for applying the initial mechanical augments to the troops. They have a good degree of intelligence as needed to perform their duties.
Scrapers - Zombies made to live and fight again through the addition of mechanical implants and armor. They are used as frontline troops in large-scale battles and as scouts.
Reapers - The shock-troops of the Travin undead. Outfitted with mana powered armor grafted to their bodies and firearm weapons taken from distant planes. They exist to hit hard and fast, mercilessly killing all that stand in front of them and usually strip the flesh from their bones.
Travin Living
The living have the widest range of life form on Travincal. From the unmodified human-like creatures grown in vats of grey oil to the mechanically altered beings who serve as a partial labor and military force.
Mites - Mites are the name given to the unmodified Travin grown in vats of Travincal’s unique, magical grey oil. They appear as androgynous humans and are grown to adulthood, then trained and prepared for life on Travincal. Mites are later put through the transcendence process in which they are made into other forms of Travin to serve any number of purposes.
Soldiers - The bulk of Travin hordes. These mechanical creatures vary widely in appearance and serve a great number of purposes for Voltaire outside of normal military use. Some are specialized for certain jobs, such as assassins and spies.
Agents - Agents are one of the more unique Soldiers in the Travin arsenal. They are fully grown, and sometimes genetically modified, Mites who have not been through a special transcendence process. Thus, they only internal mechanical modifications to make them as strong and resilient to pain as the rest of the Travin Solider class. As such, they appear as normal humans and are able to carry out the various tasks outside of Travincal. Some are even experimental Sleeper Agents, fully unaware of their task and simply dropped off in the target plane.
Travin Carriers
These terrible things are biomechanical creations used to spread the diseases and plagues that Voltaire creates. They are commonly used in suicide strikes, destroying themselves to release their deadly plagues upon their foes.
Baser - These flying things look to be a cross between a giant fly and giant mosquito. They are used to spread Travincal plagues over walls and into parts of cities where other carriers cannot reach. Once their initial payload is released, Basers destroy themselves and unleash the remains of their pathogen.
Defiler - A mechanical body built around the bulbous, disease-filled life form comprises the Defiler. The mouth of the machine body is able to spew it’s liquid disease upon it’s enemies and it is armed with various blades and saws on it’s arms and other appendages. When the mechanical body takes enough damage, the Defiler itself explodes it’s body, sending its foul liquid all over.
Plague Master - A twisted mockery of a religious priest. Their flesh and metal form courses with a powerful pathogen that causes vivid hallucinations and insanity. As with other carriers, they can detonate their bodies to spend their disease to a wider area.
Travin Constructs
The constructs range from machines built from scratch to Travin who have made a full transition from their flesh bodies to bodies of metal, wires, and gears. All are extremely dangerous.
Hulks - One of the larger mechanical beasts in the Travin arsenal. These creatures are normally used to sweep up survivors left by the initial waves of Travincal troops.
Colossus - One of the largest metal beasts in the Construct class. These tower over even the Travin Hulks and are nearly unstoppable, but move slower than their Hulk counterparts. They are brimming with nasty saw, blade, and bludgeoning weapons.
Dreadnought - Easily the largest and most frightening weapon in the Travin arsenal. Truly unstoppable and possessing armor no weapon has been able to pierce, this machine is used to utterly destroy entire cities that refuse to bend to the will of Travincal. It’s uses are rare and no one ever survives to warn others about it.
Travin Horrors
True monstrosities that are usually combinations of undead and constructs or just combinations of constructs. Many possess free will and tend to live apart from other Travin.
Gargantuan - Massive brutes of steel, wires, and gears. These are made through combining a Hulk body with a Colossus. They use their sheer size to outmatch any opponent met on the battlefield and their claws are massive enough to scoop up as much debris as an earthmoving device and smash anything in that same space. Strangely enough, many of these machine look like giant, metal crabs-creatures.
Enders - Slender bodied monsters with slightly elongated limbs that give them a lanky appearance. Their heads are also slightly elongated and their mouths are filled with razor sharp teeth. Not only do their metal fingers end in deadly sharp points, but Enders also possess blades on various other places, depending on the design. Their joints crackle with deadly magic that they used in a number of ways to kill their enemies. As to be expected from their name, these horrors are used as Travincal’s terrifying elite assassins.
Travin Knights
The cream of the crop. The best of the Travin warriors suited for more than just labor or killing machines. They are much more intelligent than other Travin and possess all their human mental attributes. There are various knightly orders and all are extremely dangerous. Though they have gone through the Complete Transcendence, they still retain a human-like appearance. Although, much more monstrous.
The Paladins - These Travin Knights are dedicated to eradicating all life that will not submit to the Will of the Machine God. They have fully cybernetic bodies with flesh grafted and stitched together over their metal forms, giving them an almost zombie like appearance. Most armor consists of shoulder plates, helms, and lower body armor.
The Order of Voltaire - Totally mechanical beings that guard the entrance to the Inner Sanctum, the underground of Travincal. They all carry deadly scythes that have magical properties depending on the Knight wielding it.
Praetorians - The final Knightly order and the personal guard of the Father of Un-flesh himself. These Knights tend to have their bodies styled after some kind of beast or armor style. Little else is known.
This is the ruling body of Travincal. It consists of Voltaire’s most trusted generals and are all old comrades from the Imperial Civil War. These demons answer only to the Machine Father himself and ensure Travincal runs smoothly.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm213/Daemon_010/greatunwashed.jpg - The lord of the Travin Carriers and indeed the first of the Carriers. His mechanical body courses with a powerful acid that eats through armor and puts his plague directly into the victim’s blood.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm213/Daemon_010/Necron.jpg - The first of the Travin demons and one of the first to gain a fully mechanical body. He designed the Travin Enders and oversaw their creation. Heritor crafted a smooth, almost skeletal looking body for himself once the transformation of Travincal was complete.
Tsaibo - At one point in her life, Tsaibo was a skilled sorceress. When it came time for Voltaire’s trusted comrades to make the change from flesh to steel, she took on a mechanical for that kept her humanoid upper half, but replaced her body from the waist down with that of a spider. Soon, she even altered her upper half to be more arachnid in appearance.
THE RULES
All the standard RPA rules and such apply
I am the GM. My word is final on ALL decisions
I encourage the making of multiple characters, but keep it under five, please
Feel free to give criticism to your fellow players within the OOC thread, but play nice
Characters will die. I am giving fair warning right now
If you must leave or be absent for an extend time for any reason, please inform us
CHARACTER TEMPLATE
Name:
Alias: [if any]
Age:
Race:
Appearance:
Equipment/Possessions:
Abilities/Powers:
Bio:
Name: Myrdred Tawl
Alias: The Reaper, Lord of the Empty
Age: 967
Race: Hyperborian
Appearance: Myrdred stands at a solid six feet, one inches with a toned, muscular form gained from years of traveling, fighting, and trying new training exercises. His hair is short and persistently spiky for reasons even Myrdred can’t pinpoint and his eyes are a bright cyan green. His face holds his most distinguishing feature: a partially healed burn scar on the left side of his face. Despite being over nine hundred years old, Myrdred’s youthful face and form don’t appear to be much older than twenty-five. He is commonly found wearing a white traveling coat over tailored leather armor that covers his torso and his legs are protected by ornate black and white plate armor.
Equipment/Possessions:
The Reaping Staff - a magical scythe whose staff can split in half to form a pair of twin, double bladed scythes attached to one-another by a chain.
Travel and camping gear
Clothing for all weathers
A full set of enchanted armor, the leg segments of which he wears regularly
Abilities/Powers:
Master of the Reaping Staff - due to his centuries with the weapon, Myrdred has perfected his style of using the staff and it’s split form.
Mastery of the Soul Arts - The Soul Arts are magical arts that stem from use of souls, generally those absorbed from the dead or using the energy of one’s own. The offensive spells are elementless energy.
Master of Death Magic - Absorbing life, creating temporary thralls, consuming the souls of the dead. All this and more Myrdred has learned without going insane from the power. It is speculated that mastering these arts is what led to his discovery of eternal life.
Destructive Arts - The first magic Myrdred learned and has long since mastered. He combines red and black mana in his spells for devastating effects.
Hand to hand combatant - Myrdred is an accomplished hand to hand fighter. His natural strength as a Hyperborian enables him to easily overcome most opponents when not using is staff or magic.
Bio: Born almost a millennia before our story during the Golden Age of Hyperboria. He gained his scar at the age of ten when it was discovered he had a talent for magic. Such is the terrible luck of being born in a town where magic is hated and feared. After being exiled (Really, these people were HUGE dicks), Myrdred was lucky enough to picked up by a Royal Mage named Beckette. Beckette took Myrdred in and personally trained the youth in the magical arts. At eighteen, he joined the ranks of the Royal Mages as the war between Hyperboria and the Chaos tribes began. Myrdred began building his fame as he led his team of mages to victory time and again.
Upon the ending of the war, Myrdred’s name was well-known. Much of what he did after the war has been lost along with the history of Hyperboria’s Mythic Age. His name appears again as the head of the mysterious Masked Army near the end of the Age before the rise of the Magocracy. Myrdred truly reappeared near the end of the Magocracy and was one of the Magi how destroyed the corrupt mages who had Hyperboria steeped in fear. Once more, his name vanished into myths and tales until the rise of the necromancer Lenore, whom he helped destroy. What little is known of his actions afterward is that he traveled far east and has not been seen in common lands since.
Name: Velkin Norath
Age: 30
Race: Kera
Appearance:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm213/Daemon_010/Fepr-volke.jpg
Equipment/Possessions:
Sage’s Robes [enchanted for defense against weapons]
Enchanted battle and throwing knives
Enchanted leather armor
Abilities/Powers:
Velkin is a near master of mana-based magic. Thus, he is a danger to all foes within whom mana flows.
Proficient in blades - while he prefers magic, Velkin can hold his own with his dual battle knives and enchanted throwing knives.
Bio: Born in the Golden City on Orotia to a noble family which was known for producing great warriors. However, Velkin’s great talent for magic made him an ideal candidate for training under the Sages. His talent grew as he learned and he remained in the top percentile of success among the other students. He was granted full mage status at eighteen and then conscripted to fight the Black Rose in Mittgott. His fame became real when he utterly destroyed a part of the Rose’s army that tried to get a hold of the largest trade city in the Empire of Light. Shortly after, he was offered a position among the Sages, which he accepted. However, he kept a lot of his extracurricular activities going since his duties did not take up much of his time. He is currently staying in the town of Rondo.
Name: Rourke
Age: 27
Race: Travin Agent
Appearance:
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm213/Daemon_010/5-2.jpg
Equipment/Possessions:
Leather Armor
Twin short swords
Travin Overdrive Distortion Device - An experimental, and potentially unstable, magical item that has been implanted to replace his ribcage. When activated, the device increases all of Rourke’s natural attributes and allows for short-range teleportation and temporal manipulation. However, the temporal manipulation causes him intense pain.
Abilities/Powers:
Dual Blades - Rourke is highly trained in using a weapon in each hand to the point where he can wield and full size weapon in each hand.
Shifting - Short range teleportation granted by using the Overdrive
Time Stop - Temporal manipulation granted by using the Overdrive
Minor Destructive Arts - He has a basic understanding of the use of offensive black and red mana.
Bio: Like all Travin Mites, Rourke was grown within a processing tank filled with the strange gray oil found in Travincal. Upon growth to adulthood, he and the three hundred other Mites in his growth batch were tossed in the Blacksteel Forest to prove they were not weak and useless. Those that were died very quickly. Rourke proved his ability to survive and his quick thinking when he used thirteen of his fellow Mites to distract one of the forest monsters so he could kill it with an improvised weapon. However, the other Mites were killed in the process. This put Rourke on the track to becoming an Agent. He was trained by a group of skilled Enders and Heritor himself in the arts of stealth and subterfuge. His final upgrade before being sent out from Travincal was the Overdrive Distortion device that replaced his ribcage. After the upgrade was complete, Rourke was sent to the world of Merathe to find a way to get to Lumeria. His current location is within the Cabal territory of Mittgott.
A squad formed out of an idea Voltaire had. He put together a team of his soldiers that all possessed sentience and free will to travel one of the planes near Lumeria and attempt on site transcendence as well as a few other ideas.
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm213/Daemon_010/Deathpaladin2.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm213/Daemon_010/monitor.jpg
http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm213/Daemon_010/stranger.jpg
http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100714063134/dragonage/images/4/41/Hurlock-concept2.jpg