NOTE. This RP is set on the higher end of the "Casual" catagory. I was not sure if it would fit into advanced, but it will hold to higher standards such as good grammar, coherent ideas, character developement
The Struggles of Gadria
The Struggles of Gadria is a Roleplay Set in the land of Gadria. This is a continent created by me, and placed in a time period where the usage of swords and bows is not uncommon (middle-age type weaponry). Magic is not an uncommon thing and neither are creatures like Wyverns and Werewolves. All information on races, weapons, rules and other such things can be found on the thread above. Now, to start it off, here is the history of this magical realm.
In the days of its birth, Gadria was a land where any race could prosper. The plentiful resources and vast landscapes were more than enough for the settlers. The races worked to co-operate and distribute whatever was needed to whoever needed it. But as the days became years, and the years became decades, the unity that had once driven the alliance began to fracture and crumble. As a resort of this each of the races established their own Territory.
Atlana, the empire of humanity, was the first to be formed. Humans, as was their nature, always desired more. They were the first to establish walls and build securites for what they felt they deserved. They built their empire from the focal point of Mount Arizar, for they found that the plains that surrounded the mountain were the most suitable for civilization.
Next to be formed was Orikal, the heartland, and the dominion of the Orcs, goblins, and trolls. They were not willing to give lands to the humans so easily, for their nature was proud and headstrong. They claimed the highlands as their domain, the plateaus and mountain pastures of the Sheili Range were fitting for such tough and hearty people.
Third to join suit were the Dwarves, for they found that their caves and wonders were in danger of being seized by one of the other races, so in response they formed the kingdom of the deep, Azerai. There was something different about the dwarves though, instead of claiming land for themselves, they carved deep into the ground below the northern provinces of the Sheili Mountains, nestling cities from the bowels of the earth. The most impenetrable walls of all were at their disposal.
Fourth to continue the trend, were the elves. The creatures of the wood had little interest in the affairs of the other races; they only looked to protect that which needed protecting, the forest. And so came the formation of The Whispering Wood, where the elves roamed free amongst others of their kind and made dwelling within the very trees themselves. How they protected their cities was another matter entirely. Being a magic people, they wove many spells into the outlying regions of their forests. This prevented anyone not permitted from entering by causing them to quickly loose their way and find themselves right back where they started, a most devious magic it was.
Next was the most mysterious race among the settlers, the Raiyeen. These reptilian people were more partial to the seas, so they took the bay of Trogai to create their domain. Using the tools of the ocean, they sculpted the great coral city of Arnuch, rose it to the surface, and polished it to a brilliant shine; for this it was named the Shining isle. To shield themselves they made pacts with the creatures of the sea, they would provide them with knowledge in exchange for protecting their territory.
The last to establish their claim, were the dragons. The proud race took the only place that was left to take, the skies. They used their formidable magics, strength, and breath. To fashion the floating isles of Haakenzir, Moldenoch, and Varcshei. These isles were made of the very essence of magic. The dragons used their minds to create a material as hard as their scales, yet as light as the very air, to give shape their towering cities and mountains. This material was covered by the fires and frosts of their maws to create an iridescent like surface. The cities of the shifting skies, where no mortal has ever tread.
But some were not happy with what they had chosen. After a golden century of peace, the humans began to desire the realm of the dragons. So they began to make mock constructions that they felt would reach the Shifting skies. After being unsuccessful, they found themselves in want of the most defensible of the kingdoms, and so they marched on the Dwarves. The people of the depth repelled the attacks of the humans without substantial effort, for their gates served as perfect choke points. But after seeing the size of the human armies, began to wonder at their own offensive abilities. So the Dwarves began to research the other ways in which metal could be useful. They began to construct devices of war that could be controlled from far away by Drarven spellcasters. They called these contraptions Erdui, called by the other races "soulless".
With these machines the Dwarves began an offensive, for they had an avid curiosity of the ocean and what materials they could take from it to better themselves. Their many attempts at Seizing the Shining isles were inevitable failures, for they knew nothing of the seas and how they shifted and danced. After being defeated by the waves, they became restless and arrogant. They felt that if they could not have the ocean, surely the rest of the Sheili Mountains should be theirs. With this though in mind, they assaulted Orikal. The Orcs were powerless to stop them, for the Dwarves did not attack from the front or the back, but from below. Erdui were dispersed to dig out the ground from beneath the feet of the heartland dwellers. Sinking their cities and collapsing their mines. This kind of warfare was baffling to a race who so relished in the pride of face-to-face combat. They considered the tactics of the Dwarves to be cowardly and beneath them, but regardless, they had no way of stopping them. So the Heartlanders were forced to leave their lands, becoming nomadic tribes and creating small colonies where they could. Although there was a large fraction of them that chose to leave Gadria entirely. They set out on vessels for distant lands, their mass migration was called The Rite. It was named this because a ritual was performed by the leaving masses where they left artifacts of great value on Gadria, thus forsaking all that was there, and vowing never to return.
After their victory over the Heartlanders, the Dwarves were sated. Although the humans remained jealous. They came to the Dwarves with offerings of peace were given and messengers were dispatched that requested the Dwarves share their newly conquered land with the Humans. The Dwarves refused to give any portion of their new lands to the people of Atlana, but they did strike a bargain. In secret, the Dwarves and the Humans co-operated to find a way to bypass the enchantments of the elves, naming their alliance the Tributary. After four decades, they finally cracked the spells, and marched together on the elves. Caught completely off guard, the Elves hastily prepared for war. The war was long and devastating, the Tributary gained a foothold in the Whispering Woods, where they proceeded to launch assaults. Their efforts came to a standstill as they neared the heart of the wood. For the Erdui could not dig through the grounds because the roots of the trees, enchanted by the Elves, were as hard as steel. Now at a disadvantage, the Tributary began to be over-run as their swift and decisive strike was deflected.
The Elves were infuriated by the breach of their lands, so they launched counter-assaults on Both Atlana and Azerai. Being only second to the Dragons in age and magical ability, the elves drove deep into Atlana, and created magical tunnels into the cities of the depths. The wounds were opened as the elves tore through both cities with unmatched ferocity. After four years of devastation and futile resistance, the Humans and Dwarves surrendered. Both races offered condolences for their harms to the cities in the Whispering Woods, but the Elves did not accept them, they simply forged on. They cared not that The races had surrendered, for they were consumed in blind rage.
From their floating fortresses, the Dragons watched as the Elves, Humans, and Dwarves, slaughtered each other like cattle. They watched as the lands that each race had claimed and nurtured, were tortured and destroyed, this behavior infuriated the Dragons. The old ones swooped down from their perches and swiftly put a stop to the fighting. The magic and power of the dragons was unparalleled by any race in existence, thus none would dare oppose them. After the battles were ended, and the war ground to a reluctant halt, the eldest of the Dragons on Gadria offered, nay, commanded that the leaders of each race attend a council.
The emperor of Atlana, Phius Lethin, The grand queen of the Whispering Woods, Lia Elthuna, The Golden king of Azerai, Gorik Ebonfist, And the waved ward of Arnuch, Yaetra Olgonari all were brought before the Eldest, on Moldenoch. Being the only time any mortal had set foot upon the Shimmering isles, the event carried an unimaginable weight. There, they were addressed by the Eldest, who told them that their actions thus far had been unforgivable. Yaetra was excused from the reprimanding because the Raiyeen had taken no part in the war. From there the Eldest informed the leaders that a barrier was being placed around each of their nations, and in a thousand years, this council would convene again and discuss if they were to be removed. The Elves and Raiyeen agreed without protest, but the Humans and the Dwarves called out that it was not fair to confine them within such boundaries. The Eldest silenced them, for the 'proposal' was not up for debate.
The leaders were brought back to their respective nations, and the curtains were raised between each of the great provinces. The Raiyeen and the Elves accepted the barriers willingly, But the Dwarves and the Humans, who could no longer co-operate, failed in every attempt to dispel the magical barriers set by the dragons. After a century or so, the attempts were dismissed as futile, and stopped completely.
Nine-hundred years later, the council was set to convene again. The Leaders of each of the nations were brought back to Moldenoch to present themselves before the Eldest once more. The Eldest noticed immediately that the races had matured considerably. The Humans no longer had the jealousy of their ancestors, and the Dwarves were no longer so concerned with the affairs of the other races, and had also discovered a coast behind their mountains, so no longer wished to posses the Raiyeen's water.
After much consideration, the barrier was removed by the dragons, races that had been wondering about this mysterious continent were finally free to enter, and the local races were once again free to mingle amongst each other.
But some wounds do not heal so easily.
Synopsis of Part One
Velais Vis throws hand over hand to conquer a vertical surface hundreds of feet from the still surface of lake Tongar. Sasrin Van-Guile, his elven companion, trails behind him slightly. They reach the pinnacle of this rock face and turn to watch as the reflections off the lake shift the world to a gilded twilight. As the sun sets, the two characters jump from this extreme height, using magic to safely plunge themselves into the water below.
After camping along the coastline of the lake, Velais awakens early to a commotion from the base of a nearby cliff. He is surprised to see two Erdui emerge from a newly dug tunnel with their pilots in tow. The Erdui confronted Velais and Sasrin. While one Erdui is incapacitated, Sasrin is killed and Velais is forced to escape. After teleporting unintentionally to a eastern fork of the Reisa River over twenty-five leagues away, Velais is stunned.
We now go to observe Lyonnem Donek; an elf travelling East along the Reisa river via raft. After a devastasting crash off a waterfall, Lyonnem is nursed back to health by an old women with a Noble pet, a gargantuan white leopard. After he is fully recovered, the woman offers to let Lyonnem ride the leopard for some time, to make up the time which he lost from the crash. Offering the old woman his utmost gratitude, Lyonnem sets out on his prior journey once again. He arrives at the Eastern fork of the Reisa River, where he encounters Velais. After exchanging words of caution, they deem eachother to be trustworthy, although Lyonnem remains cautious. Velais confides In Lyonnem and tells him of the loss of his Friend, Sasrin. After Lyonnem offers to accompany him to find Sasrin's body and place him to rest, the pair fall asleep in the cave. They share a similar vision that night, of a place far above the clouds in the seas of blue sky far above the world. Each is addressed by an unknowable force before thrown back to reality.
Velais and Lyonnem share their visions the following morning, finding themselves more connected then before. They realize that it was fate that brought them together and set off in the direction of lake Tongar. Deciding to take a short-cut, they turn their raft to a route not yet traveled by either of them. After crashing around in a blackened tunnel, they arrive at the entrance to a massive cavern dotted with luminescent crystal trees. After yet another incident with a large waterfall, They come to the base of the cavern floor, where they follow the winding river toward the opposite end of the cave. About half-way through, they encounter the two Dwarven Erdui pilots who killed Sasrin. After a failed attempt to circumvent the Dwarves, another encounter ensues. While exchanging blows with the the Erdui, Velais notices that the weak spot he had used to incapacitate the other Erdui had been reinforced. Velais and Lyonnem make a fair fight, but the conflict is interrupted by an outside force. Enter Vicis, the blue giant. This pale man comes to the conflict from nearby, resolving to play the card in his favor, when the battle is interrupted by a magical explosive tossed by one of the Dwarves, a thirty-five foot crystal tree crashes down between them, separating the enemies. Velais and Lyonnem take the opportunity to escape into the river. When the leave the cave, lo-and-behold, another waterfall confronts them, but this time Velais uses his magical abilities to keep them from harm.
After reaching the lake and burying Sasrin Velais and Lyonnem head to a near-by village. Velais discusses with Lyonnem the reasons for his Dwarven pursuers and they deduce that the dwarves seek a tresure Velais had taken from an "Uninhabited temple" In the northern Sheili Mountains. They reach the village and question the local barkeep about the runner that Velais had given the "stone" to after he had retrieving it from the temple. They retrieve some gossip from the barkeep that a man had boasted of a great treasure on his way south with a noble lord whom was last known to reside at the head of the Arkan River, along the coast of Lake minev.
They reach the Arkan river after a week or so of uneventful travel down a NORMAL river, free of waterfalls. Along the coast, Velais and Lyonnem have another similar vision, this time the Voice addresses them more directly, telling them that they are about to be entwined in a struggle that will determine the fate of Gadria. In the night, Velais goes for a walk and encounters Vicis in the forest. He questions the man about his travels in "the Misty Marshes"; mysterious lands far to the north. Vicis mentions the presence of the Leech, a vile presence that inhabits his mind from many thousands of leagues away. Velais uses his most precious possession, The Grimoire of Concentrated Energy (a book of magic that was given to him by the Raiyeen) to block the Malevolent presence from Vicis's Mind, thus giving the giant access to his previous consciousness. After traveling with the giant for some time, Vicis suffers a psychological break when the Leech breaks through the wards surrounding the giant's mind. Velais tries to use his Grimoire to re-asset the wards, but is confronted directly by the Leech's ancient consciousness. The leech incapacitates Velais while Lyonnem attempts to restrain the enraged Vicis. When another ancient consciousness enters Velais's mind and releases him from the leech's influence, Velais gasps. The other ancient Consciousness speaks to him for the first time out of his dreams, revealing himself to both Velais and Lyonnem as the Elder; The oldest and most powerful dragon in Gadria, that had resided there tens of thousands of years before any race stepped foot on the continent. The Conflict between Vicis and Lyonnem is resolved when Lyonnem releases an uncontrolled burst of magic that renders them both unconscious.
The following morning, Velais binds the unconscious Vicis with enchanted ropes, to prevent them from harm if he suffers another psychological break. They consider leaving Vicis behind, but decide to keep him around when they consider that the elder could be the only one that could free Vicis from his curse. Further down the river, a popping sound attracts Velias's attention in the night, while he is having trouble sleeping. He goes to investigate and surprises a Raiyeen practicing alchemy with the local plants. Due to his experience with Raiyeen in the past, Velais inquires about the raiyeen's differing appearance from the northern people of the Shimmering isles. Lyonnem follows Velais, and surprises the Raiyeen, who is introduced as Tafkarl Ishtock, with his presence. Velais returns to camp while Lyonnem and Tafkarl talk. When they all come back to camp with the addition of Tafkarl, they are attacked at night by Aldek, a fire sorcerer who is deeply bound to a blood demon, which gives him powers of epic proportions. Velais recognizes Aldek as the man who tormented him as a child, killing his parents and alienating him further by declaring that he was a half-elf to the entire village he lived in.
Velais looses all composure and faces down with the demon sorcerer, who is engulfed by demon-flames; taking on the visage of the demon he worships. Velais releases all his stores of energy to cloak himself in writhing blue flames, and although his power is formidable, he begins losing horribly. The battle turns tide when the other members of the group arrive to help. Lyonnem stikes with ferocious grace, battering back the demon, and Vicis drives his mass into the side of the flaming monster, ignoring the savage burns he receives from doing so. Even Tafkarl, not having a aggressive disposition, flings large rocks at the demon sorcerer, driving him off balance. This gives Velais room to move in and smash hard against Aldek. Together they subdue the Demonically cloaked Sorcerer enough for the visage to dissipate. Aldek escapes in a wreath of flames, vowing to return to destroy them all when he collects more power.
Struggling with his sense of inadequacy, Lyonnem leaves with Tafkarl to search for a swords master that can help him increase his strength so that the next time he is attacked, he will be able to defend those he cares about. Velais is distressed to find that Lyonnem is gone when he awakens. he finds no other option then to move on with his quest with Vicis in tow. Together they set off once again, down the Arkan river.
End of Part One
This is where we move on from. This is the beginning of the battle to end it all.
This Begins Part Two
The IC of Part One is available HERE for those that wish to read through it fully. For the sake of convenience, the chronological order of some events were changed from original order.
Link to OOC and app thread
HERE
The Struggles Of Gadria: IC thread
