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Hidden 10 yrs ago 9 yrs ago Post by Harbringer
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Harbringer Death to Asgard!

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"In this world filled with death and blood...what better way to relax than watching others shed their blood and die?"
-Lucius Malleus, History of the Arena



The continent of Arkreides is a cesspool of violence, each race discontent with each other for even the most minor of infractions. The otherwise pacifistic elves wage an incessant war against the industrious dwarves in the eastern Myrian forests while waves of orcs and humans crash against each other in the far northern wastes. Caught up in all of this are the beastmen whose nomadic lifestyle often brings them into conflict with the other factions. This near constant conflict brings in a steady flow of very specific commodities. Grieving mothers, corpses and, of course, slaves. But one can only have so many domestic slaves until all work is done, so what can you do with the excess? Why pit them against each other in mortal combat for your entertainment of course!

What started as backalley duels between wealthy families soon evolved into a nationwide sport for Humans once they realised they could make a pretty denar for charging people to watch this bloodshed. This practice soon spread to the nearby war-like orcs who relished these fights and the opportunity to beat slaves into a pulp for their own entertainment (not that they didn't already do so). Suffice to say most orc gladiators are not slaves, rather they are trained pit fighters. Over time, arena fights spread to almost all major nations, even the elves who used these fights to settle matters with as little bloodshed as possible, using selected champions to settle political matters. These days arenas are more regulated, with fighter training requiring a specific license. Those who hold these licenses are called the 'Lanista', people who hold the keys to the shackles of dozens of trained fighters, and yet somehow still maintain control over them, whether through respect, fear or otherwise.

Arena fights are not only simply pitting slaves against each other, no, there is so much more to it. Sometimes these slaves may be thrown into a pit with ferocious beasts or forced to reenact famous battles of those peoples' history, but by far the most popular are the simulated environments, pitting teams of slaves against each other in a fabricated environment. That ends our brief history lesson children, tis time for lunch. Remember your hats.

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Races:











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Magic:

Magic is a gift given to very few and for good reason, for those who possess this ability and misuse it are the most terrible threats. These mages are able to discern faint shimmering strings hanging in the air, attaching to everything, although individuals are tuned towards specific elements. Nascent mages may dismiss these faint strings as simple tricks of the light but those that know how to use them are extremely dangerous. These 'fate strings' dictate everything about their environment. Those attuned to fire can see the strings which control the climate while those attuned to the air can see the strings as they enter a person's body. Of course, those can see them can also alter them, given some assistance. Utilising special gloves or staves, these mages can 'weave' these strings to create something else. The aforementioned fire mages may pull together fire strings to create an excrutiatingly hot fire ball and throw it, or an air mage can suffocate his opponent by simply pulling the air strings away.

While sounding and being fantastic, the use of these fate strings often has long lasting effects. They say the cold, frozen northern wastes which the orcs now inhabit was once a desert wasteland...which turned into a winter wasteland when their shamans discovered their primitive version of fate weaving early in their inception as a civilisation. Their flames acted as beacons for their people, but at the same time they used up more of the flame strings than could regenerate until eventually they exhausted most of the naturally occuring strings, creating their now sub zero hell. That being said, the opposite can be seen in the Myrian Forest where the elves dwell. Their powerful magics were mostly held in check and instead of using it to combat their dwarven enemies, they used it to encourage growth, creating a luscious forest within years and increasing the density of earth based strings in the forest (which they then use to combat their dwarven enemies).


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Notable Locations:

Capital Cities:









Human Cities:













Orcish Cities:



Elvish Cities:

Dwarven Cities:

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Historic Events:


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Hidden 10 yrs ago 10 yrs ago Post by The book of bad juju
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The book of bad juju Make Koganusan / Great Again.

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Appearance: Haughty, with angled features and a certain look like she was hewn from mahogany Koganusan is the spitting image of dwarvish merchant's wife of a billion woodcuts . She's pictured here without her beard on. In the fortress where she was raised, wigs and toupees were the fashion at the time, ever since the discovery and subsequent invention of bauxite and mythril filaments. The metallurgs and engravers of the time were highly skilled and braiding and shearing miniature works of art designed to be worn under the chins. She had to sell hers to pay her way.

Name: Koganusan Hawlaestic Sunkissed. If you get on her good side, she'll let you call her "Cog".

Age: Koganusan is not in the flower of her youth. More of the wrinkly unripe fruit of middle age. She's three-and-fifty.

Gender: Despite the beard and bodily hair, she's female.

Personality: Koganusan, like the infamous dwarven encampment for which she's named, is introverted and secluded to the point of mutism. She doesn't talk much, and what does end up coming out of his mouth is often broken and twisted, followed by mutterings and swears in Mine-speak. Unless you want to buy or sell, in which case she opens up like the emperor's palace to foreign ambassadors, and it's practically impossible to get her to stop.

Previous Profession: Purveyor and Racketeer.

History: It's hard to explain a dwarf's history without revealing something of their ancestry. A dwarf of the valleys shares little if anything with the dwarves of the hearth, who in turn share nothing with the saltsmithers of port Arz, or the merchants of the catacombs of Dhalmad. And none of those will even deign to raise their name to the dwarves of the shantytown. Barely anything but mining camps hewn into the side of a mountain, which gather houses like dog doings attract flies. As for Koganusan, she was born and raised in one of these, known in dwarvish as Gröf Herbergi, or salt catacombs. The place was built above rich seams of salts and nitrates over a bed of sandstone. It's a dry, acidic place where the sand stains your feet red. Gröf Herbergi was deep set into sandstone, and gained a reputation for salts and acidic deposits, as well a deeply hot and bitterly long sun. The name of "Sunkissed" denotes Koganusan's place in life: On the surface, bargaining with trade caravans.

Her mother, a broad woman by the name of Korsefandi, was the town tanner and leatherworker, with a face like she was constantly sucking on lemons. She taught her well before her untimely death and subsequent. How to cut leather, and dye wool. How to juggle scales. How to balance books. How to pretend iron was silver, and to melt down coins in secret. How to grease palms, and shave a little off the top for you and yours. She'd been good at it, and Koganusan had struggled to keep the lies going after her death. Of course, by that time she'd been in way too over her head already. She barely remembered for what exactly she'd been accused of, but these lies are like a dam, and all it takes is one rock to was away for the dam to burst. She'd ran, carrying most of her possessions on her back. Modern science has, as of yet, been unable to determine the maximum carrying capacity for a dwarven peasant, and she'd made it almost to the big city of men itself before she'd faltered and had been forced to sell her beard. She's in the arena because it's the easiest way to get back on her feet, gather enough to make a profit, and get herself some dinerii behind her. And once she does, she's going back to the mountains and sinking her teeth into the nearest mineral vein and she's never going to let it go.

Preferred Arms: The dwarvish weapons of choice are hammers and picks. Mine-to-mine warfare means that anything long or that requires stabbing are practically useless. However, Koganusan was never at home in mines at the best of times, and her preferred weapon to defend her hearth and home was the khopesh, a sickle-like sword.


Still a work in progress.
Hidden 10 yrs ago 10 yrs ago Post by RainbowReindeer
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RainbowReindeer trash

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Will be working on my CS! I'll finish it tonight or tomorrow at the latest. :^)
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Knight of Doom
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Appearance:

Duvain has long, light blonde hair contrary to the green that most of the Canopy Striders have. She likes to keep it down to her waist, but if it gets in the way of her fighting, she will tie it up. She has bright emerald green eyes that capture most people's attention, one could say it's her most striking feature. While Duvain makes sure to keep fit, and limber, she doesn't have a lot of muscle, but the muscle she does have is ropey and stretchy. Duvain is very flexible and uses that along with her fast reflexes and speed to battle. She has perfect pale skin, that will stay pale no matter how long she stays in the sunlight. She's also very prone to sunburns. Some swirling black and green tattoos adorn her upper right arm, upper back, and one wraps around her waist.

Name:
Duvain Vanya

Gender:
Female

Age:
174

Personality:
Duvain is a brave, but kindhearted elf. She is good at listening, but never knows how to comfort others. While she tries her best to put others first, but she has trouble interacting with them. She is patient and is always willing to be the one who goes first or takes the blame. However, she only does this with elves. She is unsure of how to act around other species and is usually afraid of them, or gets nervous around them.

Previous Profession:
Duvain hunted and gathered food for the Canopy Striders.

History:
Duvain lived comfortably on her own in a modest home. She lived fairly close to her parents in order to visit them, and her younger sister who is 108 years old. She had very few friends due to the fact that she didn't know how to approach someone. One day Duvain's parents were killed while hunting a dangerous wild animal that had been terrorizing their village. So, Duvain had to take in her younger sister and started to take care of her. On the day that Duvain was kidnapped, she had left her younger sister playing with a friend at her friend's house. She went out farther than usual in order to gather food. While she was skinning a deer she had struck down, Duvain heard movement indicating that she was being surrounded. Since Duvain didn't have as much experience fighting against multiple people, she tried to escape from the circle that was closing in, however, she failed. After being knocked out by an unknown figure, they dragged her to an unknown place. When Duvain woke up, she was alone, and shackled down. While normally brave and fearless, Duvain couldn't help but feel hopeless as the manacles weighed her limbs down.

Preferred Arms:
Duvain prefers a light, bendable bow. However, she also carries around a dagger for skinning animals and, when necessary, fighting. Duvain prefers to wear light armor that doesn't restrict her movements, if any at all. However, if necessary, Duvain is trained to at least be adequate in all types of fighting.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Knight of Doom
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If there's anything I need to change tell me.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by bluejay_gl
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bluejay_gl

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I should have my sheet up by tomorrow night.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Harbringer
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Harbringer Death to Asgard!

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@The book of bad juju Looking good so far. Can't wait for the history. Will be interesting to see how a merchant holds up in an arena.

@RainbowReindeer@bluejay_glCool, will wait with anticipation.

@Knight of Doom Accepted. Now thats two elves. Noone ever wants to be human XD. Go ahead and put the sheet into the characters tab.
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@Harbringer

What can I say? I think elves fit my characteristics better, so it'll be more fun for me to RP them.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Harbringer
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They ARE pretty fun to play. It's like playing a snooty rich guy without the wealth. Also there are only so many ways you can describe brutally ramming an axe through someone's head (Cough, orc, cough)
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by bluejay_gl
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Appearance
Gaunt-faced, strong-jawed, and heavily-browed, Kamnar’s appearance is fairly typical of Orcs of the Blacktusk tribe. His dark brown hair reaches his shoulders, partially braided with traditional painted beads adorning them. He has eyes as black as coal; looking in them is like staring into the void. His tusks are rather small for his kind – more resembling fangs than tusks, really – carved with angular forms and marks. His skin is the familiar dark, grayish olive of the green Orcs. He is tall even for an Orc at 6’8”, and his thick, impressive musculature coupled with his height make for an intimidating individual.

Name
Kamnar Murug-kah, previously Kamnar Murug-gar (as per traditional Blacktusk naming, Kamnar is his given name and Murug is his family name; the -kah attached is an honorific denoting dishonored Orcs, such as ex-paladins, deserters, and traitors. The -gar honorific denotes an esteemed religious rank)

Gender
Male

Age
29

Personality
Anger and ferocity is respected as honorable passion among the Orcs; the most successful warriors and Chiefs are also the most aggressive in disposition. Thus, Kamnar’s calm, thoughtful demeanor and calculating mind is highly unusual for Orcish kind, and certainly played a major part in his current shameful position. His quick thinking and inclination to logic make him not only a strong fighter but a capable strategist. However, he prefers reasonable discussion to unnecessary bloodshed. Despite his passive nature, it would be a mistake to call Kamnar a pacifist; he is still a trained Orcish knight, and will use force if he deems it prudent. He is also not without his pride, and won’t stand idly by if someone mocks his race or culture. As an ex-paladin, he is accustomed to talking to many different races for diplomatic and ministry reasons, and has seen that people of all walks of life fear the same fears and dream the same dreams; because of this, Kamnar does not suffer from the racial prejudices common of his kind.

Previous Profession
Kamnar was a paladin, serving Pra’Flakor and the Blacktusks. His work was mainly based around teaching his religion and the customs of his tribe, but he was also tasked with knightly duties, such as guarding and escorting the elites and higher-class religious ministers.

History
Kamnar can best be described as an outlier of all Orcs. He didn’t share the same energetic bloodlust and tenuous fury of his peers, and so leant on one of many popular religions of the Blacktusks, that which worshiped the river god, Pra’Flakor. Pra’Flakor is a rarity among their pantheon, being one of the few deities not centered on war or blacksmithing. His family lived in Hel-brok'thar, where he was born and raised. His parents and six brothers were all renowned warriors of the tribe who brought honor to the Murug name. Though at first skeptical of his chosen path, they were pleasantly surprised to see him rise through the ranks so quickly and at such a young age, and were especially proud of his extraordinary skills in battle. Kamnar became a paladin at 20 and was dressed with a multitude of honors and accolades by 25; at 26, he became the youngest of the Lok’krith, or Ten Warriors, which was the group of paladins with the highest possible ranking among Blacktusks.

One day, the Lok’krith were on a diplomatic mission to a small tribe of black Orcs on the outskirts of Arkreides. One of the oldest of the paladins, Durak Bol-gar, who had become jealous and suspicious of Kamnar’s quick promotion, secretly met up with a Lanista, and arranged to have Kamnar enslaved as an Arena fighter – in exchange, the Lanista would help Durak disgrace Kamnar.

The Lanista and his slave warriors kidnapped a peasant black Orc in the tribe and murdered him in the middle of the desert. Durak tricked Kamnar into finding the corpse; he had barely discovered it before being “caught red-handed” by the black Orc’s family, and was immediately attacked. Kamnar had no choice but to defend himself – to this day he still shudders at the memory – and he slaughtered them all. So far away from his home of Hel-brok'thar, his family and friends were forced to trust the Lok’krith’s word that Kamnar had single-handedly killed this black Orc family in a blind rage. Framed for a murder he didn’t commit and forced to obliterate innocents, Kamnar was disgraced and shamed, removed from his status as paladin, and had all of his honorable decorations withdrawn. The Lok’krith, a smug Durak among them, told him that he should be grateful they chose to have him sold into slavery for the rest of his life rather than executed. The Lanista took the yoke-bound Kamnar and his weapons and armor, and brought him aboard a crowded boat destined to the Arena…

Preferred Arms
Kamnar is skilled in a variety of weapons, but is especially trained in the claymore, or two-handed sword. He is accustomed to heavy armor; as a paladin, he wore the best steel armor forged in Hel-brok'thar, with the customary white loincloth over his armor adorned with the Pra’Flakor insignia, denoting his paladin status. His barbute-style helmet was also decorated with long, white plumes, which only the most esteemed warriors were allowed to wear. After he lost his rank as paladin, he was forced to dye his loincloth and plumes black, announcing his shameful exoneration for all to see.

***

By the way, I do intend to provide a picture of Kamnar; I personally paint (or at least sketch) all of my roleplay characters, so it may be a spell before it’s completed, but it will happen!
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Harbringer
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Harbringer Death to Asgard!

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He looks wonderful. And so much lore for me/you to expand on

*Drooling intensifies*

Feel free to add him into the characters tab.

Currently adding more locations to the map so that it looks...well...more like a map
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by The book of bad juju
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The book of bad juju Make Koganusan / Great Again.

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I might as well ask some questions about dwarvish society, before i get my history segment done Exactly what kind of dwarves are you expecting? Lord of the rings-style money-grubbers who dig because there's gold in them thar hills? Discworld-style silent and quiet types used to poverty and downtroddeness, who dig because it's safer then living on the surface? Or more Dwarf Fortress artisan, heavily into drink and liberty, who dig because with each layer down you find a whole rainbow of stones and gems just waiting to be arranged and set into some trinket?

I know there's not a whole lot of difference on the surface of each of these, but it'd help for me to get a feel for the world a bit.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by Harbringer
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The latter would be the most accurate out of those. They like revelry and innovation and really enjoy testing out new things they make. Money grubbers would be human and the quiet ones are the Elvies
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by bluejay_gl
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@Harbringer Thanks! I was afraid I had gone a bit overboard with the lore, but I'm so glad you like it. Also, I'd love to work with you on world-building as we go, specifically concerning Hel-brok'thar and other Orcish tribes. (:
Hidden 10 yrs ago 10 yrs ago Post by Harbringer
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I'm quite loose when it comes to new lore. I like to see what my players come up with. I might keep this world and expand on it in future if this RP goes under. I really hope it doesn't.

EDIT: Map is updated!
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by The book of bad juju
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The book of bad juju Make Koganusan / Great Again.

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Dwarf fortress dwarves are best dwarves, good choice.

Also, it's weird how sometimes you write way too much but feel like you wrote barely enough.
Hidden 10 yrs ago 10 yrs ago Post by Harbringer
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I never think ive written too much. Theres always room for purple prose.

Oh and juju, love the story and the inclusions of other towns. Much building of worlds will occur. Accepted. Into the character tab she goes. Im a little apprehensive thats she isnt a slave but i have an idea how to basically turn her into one...huehuehue.
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by RainbowReindeer
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RainbowReindeer trash

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Oops sorry, I'll probably have my CS up tomorrow. Flooded with homework right now. Apologies!
Hidden 10 yrs ago Post by The book of bad juju
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I'd disagree. There's a time and a place for purple prose. A character sheet is not one of them.
Hidden 10 yrs ago 10 yrs ago Post by Harbringer
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Oops sorry, I'll probably have my CS up tomorrow. Flooded with homework right now. Apologies!


Take your time. Also juju, former post was edited In case you didnt notice. I know i wouldnt have.

EDIT: Also...whats a saltsmith? Like a chef who really likes his sodium intake?
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