[M] Dragonslayers (OOC)
[THIS IS HEAVILY WORK-IN-PROGRESS, PLEASE BE PATIENT]
The title of Dragonslayer is one that commands great respect. In ages past, they were the brave warriors and mages who ventured into the Lands Unknown to slay the greatest of all beasts. They were the greatest heroes the realms have ever known, the first and last line of defense against dragon attacks. When Scaltheraz the Cindered Calamity threatened to turn all of Ghor Undrel to naught but ash, it was Sir Sigurd who drove his blade into the flaming throat of the beast. When Ørrsgründ the Frost-Bitten Horror sought to cloak the realms in eternal winter, it was Lady Tariel who unwound the spell and turned it back on the White Wyrm of the North. When Filcodrius the Vengeful Hurricane rose from the depths of the Cerulean Sea, it was Captain Aléxandros who punctured the leviathan with the bow of his own trireme.
Now, the great dragons of legend are all gone, having disappeared with the heroes of old. Hopeful dragonslayers have had to branch out, hunting lesser monsters for coin and glory. When trolls threaten bridges, when sirens take up residence in shipping lanes, when gryphons begin stealing livestock, people call the dragonslayers. With less and less monsters causing problems and more and more troupes of amateur dragonslayers, times are getting tough for the professionals. Still, rumors persist of a hidden world of dragons, where the ancient wyrms still live, waiting for their chance to enact vengeance upon the mortal realms…
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Spoiler: SettingThe realm of mortals is vast and varied, suffused with primordial magic and overflowing with the influence of the divine. The world as it is known to mortals is slightly over 10,000 years old, but in reality is much, much more ancient. The current year is 1863 P.D., Post-Drakomancy. There are seven mortal races, though some can live for centuries. There are also several intelligent species that although are capable of creating civilizations, are disinclined to for one reason or another. They are considered oddities and are rarely seen in settlements.
Spoiler: Planetary DetailsMortals have no widespread name for their planet, but in ages long past it was known as Aerie by the dragons. Aerie is an Earth-sized planet orbiting a Sun-sized yellow star. In turn, it is orbited by two moons. The primary moon is similar in orbit and appearance to the Moon of Earth, called Theia. The second moon, called Selene, is 2/3rds larger than Theia and has an orbit period roughly twice as long.
Aerie has three continents, one ocean, and three seas. The largest continent, Ghor Undrel, contains 66% of the planet’s landmass. The continents of Ghor Omphalos and Ghor Crascus contain 26% and 17.98% respectively. Many islands and archipelagos make up the last 0.02%. The ocean, sometimes called the Abyss, covers 60% of Aerie. The three seas, the Cerulean, the Craven, and the Cradle, cover 12% of Aerie altogether.
Spoiler: The Mortal RacesSpoiler: HumansHumans are the most populace race on Aerie. They are adaptable, diverse, the best of the best and the worst of the worst. Many Dragonslayers of legend were humans, including the near-deific Sir Sigurd and Captain Aléxandros. They stand between 5 and 7 feet tall on average and have skin tones that range from almost alabaster white to near-obsidian black, with a whole range of pinks and browns in between. Their hair may be any shade of black, brown, blonde, red, or colors in between. Many even dye their hair other colors. Their eyes can be blue, black, brown, or green. They are capable of growing facial and body hair. They tend to die before crossing their first century, but some have been known to hold on longer, especially those kept alive through magic or latent genetic traits from other races. Humans can produce offspring with elves and orcs which can in turn produce offspring, but offspring with dwarves, halflings, dragonmarked, or merrow tend to be infertile. Humans possess no darkvision.
Spoiler: DwarvesDwarves, also called the stout folk, are the second-most populace rave on Aerie. They tend to be steadfast, keen, and proud. They stand between 3 and 5 feet tall, with the entire range of human skin tones and hair colors and textures. Their eyes, however, are the color of precious metals, from gleaming gold to burnished bronze to oxidized copper. They are capable of growing body and facial hair, particularly beards, which they are known for. They tend to live for three or four centuries, using their long lives to master crafts such as smithing, masonry, or brewing. Some even become shipwrights. Dwarves possess darkvision.
Spoiler: ElvesElves, also known as the Star-Children, the Ancient Ones, and knife-eared devils, are the longest-lived race on Aerie. Many live for several centuries, and certain elves may live up to a millennia or more with the aid of magic. They are 4-6 feet tall on average, of slight build. They cover the entire human range of skin, hair, and eye colors, but may also come in muted greens, blues, purples, greys, or even lily-white. Their hair is similarly colorful. The elves of Caern Deep have purple skin and silver or white hair. Elves are known to be frivolous and flighty, with timeless perspectives, which some mistake for apathy or aloofness. They favor bows and arrows as their weapons of choice, and many have a distaste for firearms. Elves possess powerful vision, hearing, and darkvision.
Spoiler: HalflingsHalflings, also referred to as the wee folk or hobbits in their own tongue, resemble humans in most respects, except that they are half as tall. They also do not wear shoes, instead preferring the naturally leathery soles of their feet, which grow hair on the tops to keep them warm. Halflings are usually quite fond of peace and quiet, with usual meals and their usual schedules. However, some are struck with an intense wanderlust, which usually results in their untimely adventures and following silverware pilfering. They possess no darkvision.
Spoiler: OrcsOrcs, also called Goblins or Hob-Goblins by some, are a fairly common race on Aerie. They stand 6-8 feet tall and possess green, brown, yellow, grey, or dark purple skin, with yellow or green eyes and black, brown, or red hair. Orcs also possess long tusks from their lower jaws that jut upwards. Orcs are known far and wide as prodigious fighters, with some mistaking that for uncivilized savagery. Orcs value great feats of strength and power, and will fight with unmatched ferocity. Orcs possess darkvision.
Spoiler: DragonmarkedDragonmarked
Spoiler: MerrowMerrow
Spoiler: Intelligent MonstersIntelligent Monsters
Spoiler: The Lands KnownAsk any commoner, and they could tell you the distinction between the Lands Known and the Lands Unknown. One’s known, innit? The Lands Known is the name for the various inhabited portions of the world. The Lands Known include much of Ghor Undrel, the mainland of Ghor Omphalos, and a small portion of Ghor Crascus.
Spoiler: Ghor UndrelGhor Undrel is positioned in the Western Hemisphere of Aerie, stretching between the northern and southern poles. It is shaped vaguely like the triangular stroke of a paintbrush, large and thick at the top and scraped thin at the bottom. The western coast of Ghor Undrel is jagged and rocky, coming to a sharp point as it stretches south. The entire continent has a gentle curve, with the edges pointed eastward. Halfway between the equator and the north pole, Ghor Undrel’s eastern coast is split open by a wide and shallow sea. This is the beginnings of the Cerulean, which stretches near 4,800 kilometers to the shores of Ghor Omphalos.
Ghor Undrel is the most diverse geographically and culturally. From north to south, Ghor Undrel is by far the most populous, home to 780,000,000 people. Ghor Undrel is divided in rough “bands” of different biomes, from biting tundras and frigid taigas, to boreal forests, to temperate forests and rainforests, to bogs and fens, to rolling grasslands, then steppe, which becomes savannah as it nears the equator, then a massive red desert. Across the equator, the savannah returns and transitions into jungle, which stretches southward until it abruptly hits the Dragonwastes.
The Dragonwastes are the last remnants of the Drakomancy, a vast stretch of permanently warped wasteland. The combined draconic arcane power of the Drakomancy has resulted in a strange primordial hellscape brimming with magical radiation and everlasting chemical reactions between the various dragonbreaths. Only dragons and their kin can survive in the Dragonwastes, a fact that the Dragonmarked take full advantage of.
There are six main mountain ranges of Ghor Undrel. The Wyvernclaws wrap around the northeastern corner of Ghor Undrel, shielding the highlands from hurricanes. Jormungand’s Spine winds down the western coast, while the Frostograd’s Fangs bisect the northern portion of the continent. Oíngvarr’s Scattered Scales are a collection of ancient mountains that stand alone in various points across the desert. Quetzatl’s Feathers rise from the jungle, cloaked in perpetual fog. Merlemere’s Gift is the effort of a benevolent wizard who raised the mountain range as a shield against the Dragonwastes.
Spoiler: Ghor OmphalosGhor Omphalos is positioned in the crux of Ghor Undrel’s curve, a vaguely oblong landmass surrounded by hundreds of small islands. Shielded by Ghor Undrel from the most vicious of ocean currents, Ghor Omphalos enjoys warm weather and calm seas year-round. The various islands are home to individual city-states, and their relationships shift with the tides. Ghor Omphalos manages most of the shipping lanes of the world and the transport of oceanic goods. Ghor Omphalos is home to 200,000,000 people.
White shale cliffs and tough salt-resistant olive trees are a staple of Ghor Omphalos, though the mainland is more diverse in climate. The entirety of the continent is sliced neatly in half, the result of an ancient battle between Dragon and Dragonslayer. The perfectly-smooth walls have been long-since settled, towns surviving within the white walls and on rope bridges across the gap. At the bottom of the Crack lies the skeleton of the dragon, even in death a spectacle. Impossibly huge and immovable, the meat has long-since rotted away and left the sun-bleached bones. While the air-breathing races live amongst the stone, a civilization of Merrow has long flourished in the bones of the great sea dragon.
Spoiler: Ghor CrascusGhor Crascus is positioned in the eastern hemisphere of Aerie, a mysterious volcanic continent known for its glittering black sand. It is said that Ghor Crascus may have had more people on it at one point in time, and that the rest of the continent has been sank beneath the waves. Artifacts that predate modern knowledge of history indicates this may be true. Currently, 20,000,000 people call Ghor Crascus home.
Spoiler: The Lands UnknownThe Lands Unknown
Spoiler: MagicMagic
Spoiler: Technology and ArcanotechTechnology and Arcanotech
Spoiler: DragonsDragons
Spoiler: DragonslayersDragonslayers
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