On the Ultimate Origin of Things (Mature Trad fantasy OPEN)
Rated M for Violence, Gore, Dark Imagery, and nudity/sexuality.
Spoiler: IntroductionUntil recently, the continent of Cyren was one of relative peace. The kingdoms would occasionally squabble with each other over a piece of land here or there, or a tribe of orcs or goblins may become bold enough to attack the outlying cities, but they were always quickly pacified. That is, until he showed up.
About two decades ago, Luthor Vataal ascended to the throne of Naargoth, a small kingdom descended from nomadic barbarians in the northern reaches of the continent known as Vindslaga. In the next twenty years, Luthor Vataal turned the small kingdom into a massive empire, uniting all of Vindslaga under his rule and marching Southward in a campaign to conquer the entire continent. South of Vindslaga is the main body of the continent, known to the inhabits as Thelia. Seeing the threat posed by Luthor's empire, some of the kingdoms located in Thelia have put aside their differences and formed the Thelian alliance in an attempt to push Luthor's armies back to the north. Recognizing the threat such a man poses, the King of Ostbaum, Kaze Zachan has organized a meeting of all the heads of nations across Cyren to discuss Luthor's mobilizing forces.
Rumors spread like wildfire in Cyren, and this war is no exception. Whispers in all corners of the continent declare that Luthor's plans are driven by something far greater than domination... beneath Luthor's political and military conquests lies the influence of something ancient and far more sinister...
Spoiler: Regions of Cyren
Vindslaga
Vindslaga is the northernmost portion of the continent. Known for its harsh winters and monster-laden wildernesses, Vindslaga was, until fairly recently in history, entirely populated by human and orcish barbarians constantly fighting over land and occasionally making a push for Southern kingdoms. Influenced by southern cultures they encountered, some of the indigenous human barbarians settled into small kingdoms. Now, Vindlsaga has been unified under Luthor's banner. The only remaining part of Vindslaga not in Luthor's control are the mountains to the west, home of the Dwarves.
Characters from Vindslaga are likely to be rather stoic and used to hardship, not only because of the general harsh nature of the region, but also because of the horrors Luthor has brought upon its people. Vindslaga is a land of barbarians, first and foremost, being home to orcs, the goblinkin, and Giantkin, as well as a fairly large human population. Ethnic Vindslagan humans tend to be tall and fair skinned with brown, blonde, or red hair, and blue or green eyes.
Thelia
Occupying central and western Cyren, Thelia is a mishmash of kingdoms, usually run by humans, expanding and contracting in size and influence with each passing century. The Thelian kingdoms now scramble to come to an agreement about the coming horde of Luthor's armies. They are on the front lines of the war, and the ones most directly engaged with Luthor's armies.
Thelia is a fairly diverse region, both in terms of its population and geography. Temperatures range greatly, with the winters being frigid and the Summers blazing. The terrain is anything from smooth, grassy plains to thick forests, even becoming mountainous in the northwest regions. Though mostly human, Thelia is one of the most diverse regions on the continent, having fair populations of every single race found on Cyren. Thelian humans come in a wide variety of appearances, and an even wider variety of beliefs and values.
El'Rhean
Named after the elven creation God/Goddess, the southeastern portion of Cyren is covered in thick, lush, forests. Home to the elves and the fey, El'Rhean has often been the most peaceful and stable region in Cyren, despite lacking any sort of established or centralized government. The only threat is the occasional Gnoll raid, though most often Gnoll populations are kept low by elven vigilance. The contents of the El'Rhean forest remain a mystery to most, though legends tell of fantastic ruins of ancient fey civilizations and other wonders. Generally isolated from the affairs of humanity and the other races throughout recorded history, El'Rhean communities are now sharply divided in a way they never have been before, with some communities urging an immediate alliance with the Thelian kingdoms whilst others press for continued isolation.
El'Rhean is home largely to elves, though it does have a fairly large human and halfling population as well. El'Rhean characters tend to be benevolent and idealistic, though somewhat naive.
Urumish
Something of an oddity, Urumish is a small Peninsula located on the southernmost region of Cyren. Known for its warm, tropical climate and port cities, Urumish has access to the wider world in a way that the rest of Cyren simply does not. It is a hub of strange technology and exotic, foreign cultures. Urumish kingdoms, so far from Luthor's armies, have remained silent on the ongoing war.
Urumish is home generally to humans and Gnomes, though numerous other races can be found within its walls. If your character is not one of the major races of the continent, they likely arrived in Urumish's ports from a strange foreign land. Ethnic Urumish humans tend to have dark, olive-colored skin and black hair. Urumish people tend to be curious and well-educated, though rather eccentric and oblivious to the cultural norms of the rest of Cyren.
Spoiler: Races
Humans
The most diverse and numerous people of the continent, humans can be found anywhere on Cyren. Their general lack of a cultural identity is often seen as bewildering and tiring by the other races, who don't seem to understand how one race can be so thoroughly divided and varied in its tastes. Humans can excel in any profession, and are found in every profession. Humans generally reach adulthood in their late teens, with very few even living a single century.
Elves
Elves are a race of people found primarily in the southeast regions of Cyren. Elves are known for their love of music, poetry, nature, and magic. Despite this reputation, they are also well-known for a deadly proficiency with the bow and the ability to use magic to devastating effect in times of conflict. The elven culture is one of the oldest found on Cyren, with records going back thousands of years into the past.
Elves tend to be short and slim by human standards, most distinguished by long, pointed ears, and chiseled, angular features. An elf typically reaches physically maturity in their mid 20s, but lives far longer than a human, with the oldest of elves living for five centuries.
Dwarves
Dwarves are an industrious race of miners, smiths, and warriors found in the northwest regions of Cyren. Strongly entrenched in their mountain homes, not even Luthor's armies have been able to reach the Dwarven kingdoms. Dwarven weapons are prized for their amazing quality, and fetch an extremely high price on the market. Dwarves tend to be gruff and serious, but still quite honorable. Most dwarves are heavily-armored warriors, having no love for stealth or magic. As their name implies, Dwarves are not very tall, with few males of the race even reaching five feet in height. Despite this, they are an extremely stocky and solidly built, often weighing as much as a fully grown human man. Dwarves typically reach adulthood by their twentieth year and can live for up to three centuries.
Orcs
Orcs a race of barbarians indigenous to Vindslaga. Proud, fierce warriors, the orcish people have never established a civilization or kingdom, preferring to live instead as semi-nomadic tribes. They have a reputation for violence and brutality, which is not entirely unfounded, though there is debate about the extent to which Orcish instincts are violent. Recently, the majority of orcs have been enslaved or joined Vataal's massive war machine.
Orcs are typically large and muscular by human standards, with green skin, coarse, black hair, prominent tusks, and feral features. Orcs mature quickly, often reaching adulthood by their fifteenth year. Those orcs that are not killed in battle rarely live past seventy.
Gnomes
Gnomes are a short race of builders, tinkerers, alchemists, and scholars found mostly in Urumish. Not being indigenious to Cyren, the Gnomes migrated to the continent several centuries ago, settling in Urumish and revolutionizing the region's culture. Gnomes are most famous for the strange engineering and technological feats they accomplish, though their inventions remain largely confined to Urumish and their own villages. Gnomes are intelligent and kindly, if not absent-minded and naive. Gnomes typicalyl have medium-brown skin, large blue eyes, long noses, and blonde hair. Gnomes typically stand just short of four feet tall. They reach adulthood at about the same age as a human and live for about 150 years.
Halflings
Halflings are a race of gypsies, thieves, and wanderers found generally everywhere except for Vindslaga. They are a crafty and tricky people, surviving by their wits and skills despite having no established nation or community anywhere on Cyren. Halflings are typically of a light to swarthy skin tone with brown hair, brown eyes, and, as their name implies, a small stature. Male halflings usually are about 3 1/2 feet tall. They live roughly the same length of time as humans.
Half-breeds
Mingling between the races does occur on Cyren, and numerous hybrids are possible. Typically, hyrbids will be an even mixture of their parent races. Half-breeds are typically accepted into society, but the degree to which they are welcome varies greatly.
Other races
There are other races to be played as, such as one of the goblinkin or giantkin found in Vindslaga, or maybe the Gnolls that prowl El'Rhean's forests. Additionally, Cyren is but one continent on a planet, and oddities of all sorts may find themselves in Cyren by means of the ports of Urumish.
Spoiler: Important groups/organizations
Naargoth Empire
Naargoth was once a small kingdom descended from Vindslaga barbarians. Now, it is the largest nation on the continent. United under Luthor's totalitarian government, the people of Naargoth hardly live better than slaves. Despite this, Naargoth's armies are massive and well-trained, training and indoctrinating all able-bodied young men and women from the numerous Naargoth villages and cities, as well as conscripting entire orc and human barbarian tribes.
Thelian Federation
The Thelian federation is a loose alliance of Kingdoms inhabiting Thelia that have hastily united in an effort to push back the coming invasion. It is a loose and uneasy alliance, and does not even constitute the entirety of the Kingdoms in Thelia. Members of the Thelian federation are working frantically to unite the region and continent itself.
The Rangers
The Rangers are an international organization of peace-keepers, diplomats, guides, and guardians of the natural world. Typically, the Rangers have remained neutral in inter-kingdom conflicts, but the threat posed by Luthor's armies is unprecedented. They have sent agents to Thelia to assist in the coming conflict and work to persuade the rest of the continent to unite in coming war. Every member of the Rangers is trained in tracking, hunting, stealth, archery, two-weapon fighting, and a limited degree of druidic magic.
The Awakened
A secret covenant comprised of Luthor's most trusted advisers, generals, and associates. Besides serving as Luthor's aides in his campaign, rumors circulate that the Awakened is actually a dark cult that consorts with demons of other planes and practices the most unholy forms of magic. Members of the Awakened are forced to take a vow of silence regarding the affairs of the order, and very few people are even aware of its existence.
Spoiler: Important NPCS
Luthor Vataal
The Emperor of the Naargoth empire that now extends over Vindslaga, Luthor is a ruthless, egotistical dictator obsessed with increasing his power. As a child, Luthor came to romanticize the warrior history of his people, finding great delight in the stories of destruction and conquest. After receiving a formal education in his adolescence, he spent the first half of his twenties as an adventurer. It is rumored that he discovered an ancient tome in his travels, the contents of which destroyed what little humanity he had in the first place. After commanding his father's armies in a campaign against the local orc tribes for a few years, Luthor ascended to the throne in his late 20s. In two short decades, Luthor conquered the entirety of Vindslaga and has now set his sights on the kingdoms to the South.
At six feet two inches, two hundred pounds, Luthor remains a physically impressive man despite being fifty years old. He is a master strategist, tactician, warrior, and even an accomplished Necromancer. Though he lacks compassion, Luthor retains some old-world sense of honor. He will not go back on his word once he gives it, and shows considerable respect to anybody he deems a worthy adversary. Rumors about the emperor's activities run rampant, many of which set him as the ruler of a dark cult he established after returning from adventuring as a young man.
Kaze Zachan
Kaze is the 38 year old King of Ostbaum, a fair sized kingdom in central Thelia. It was he who first called together and formed the Thelian alliance, and it is he who hosts the meeting of numerous leaders from all over Thelia in Ostbaum, where our story begins. Though he recognizes the threat Luthor faces, Kaze is before anything else, a political opportunist, and seeks to use Luthor's invasion to his advantage.
Valendria Galonodel
Raised in the forests of El'Rhean, Valendria always wanted to leave her forest home and explore the world. After reaching maturity, she joined the Rangers, and quickly rose through their ranks. Something of a legend among the Rangers, Valendria has witnessed Luthor's rise to power from the beginning and is convinced he poses a dire threat to the safety of the entire continent, if not the whole world. She personally volunteered to represent the Rangers at conference of nations being held in the Thelian kingdom of Ostbaum, where she hopes to convince the leaders of the rest of the continent of the threat Luthor poses.
Despite her youthful appearance, Valendria is nearly two centuries old. Though far older than any human, her heart burns with a youthful and vigorous idealism that serves as the primary motivating factor for her. Valendria is small and slender, standing barely over five feet tall and weighing about one hundred pounds. She is a highly skilled warrior, and opponents underestimate her at their own peril.
Spoiler: Character sheets
The Story begins in the kingdom of Ostbaum, where leaders from all over Thelia and Cyren have come to discuss Luthor's ambitions. Your character, for any variety of reasons, find themselves in Ostbaum during this international conference.
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Race: (If you want to play something different than the mentioned races, please PM me with what you have in mind)
Appearance: (A Picture and any details you feel are necessary to add)
Personality:
Bio:
), he quickly became a notorious figure, wanted in many regions under aliases. But seeing the threat Luthor posed, as well as his intense natred for Orcs, Vos reluctantly made his way to the meeting. Unknown, and unseen he watches as the various races converge for this one meeting.
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