Leaders: Monarchs, Emperors, Prime Ministers etc

Government Officials: Prominent members of government who do not necessarily dictate the direction of a nation, but may have a hand in influencing it.

Generals: Leaders of armies who are not necessarily linked to the running of state, but rather, the leading of armies. Commanders, Lords, Princes, Admirals, Captains - that kind of role.

Scientists/Inventors: Individuals whose research and experiments are likely to procure ground breaking results in the very near future. Could for example, be someone on the verge of figuring out how to harness gun powder in an effective form.

Explorers: Individuals who have accumulated enough wealth, or who have been sponsored by rich benefactors, to set sail beyond the great seas to lands yet unknown. Think Christopher Columbus.

Soldiers: Individuals of great skill and renown (or not?), who have made their living in the trenches or on the sands of some Gods forsaken arena, but whose story might bring grit to the tale of an entire Empire.

Common Folk: Every day citizens and subjects, or slaves, who may yet one day be of some significance to the history of your nation.

Religion Name: Faith of Twin Moons

Type: Pantheistic(I think? Correct me if wrong)

Name of Believers: Followers of the Twin Moons, or for short, Followers.

Overview of Beliefs: The faith of Twin moons is more or less an example of the inner working of a kobolds mind in general.
Based around goddesses of the two moons, called Arill and Zee. Arill being a kind and nurturing goddess, and Zee being an aggressive warrior deity. However when exposed to other religions the faith of Twin Moons quickly changed. Every single god, goddess, and other form of deity is taken in by the Followers of the Twin Moons.
The faith is more or less an extension of the kobold race's curiosity and need to record information. The Great Temple, the holiest site of the Followers after the highest point of the mountains(which the temple rests under), resembles a library more than a place of worship in places.

Followers are expected to be tolerant of all things, as the secrets of the gods are not fully known to the Kobold race. While there is nothing in the faith speaking against murder, theft, or any other crime it is still expected for Followers to not break laws, not because it is unholy, but because it is simply wrong to do so.

Religion Name:Hazurkianity

Type: Monotheistic

Name of Believers: Hazurkians

Overview of Beliefs: Hazurkians believe in a simple code, and it stands as follows:

1) Do unto they who did unto you.

2) The wishes of one's superior supersedes the first principle.

Thus Hazurkianity has been tightly wrapped around the idea of "obeying the man in charge", and has been butchered twice and remodelled during times of great change or turmoil in Uthein. Critics therefore argue it is a false religion, based around a false God. However, that does not prevent some Dwarves from putting their faith into it. After all, there is much to be gained from being a known Hazurkian.

For one, the Stone Guard have incorporated it into the doctrine, and being that they are both a powerful and rich paramilitary organisation, a Hazurkian can count on them for protection and financial support.

Hazurkianity was founded after Hazurk (Tall Dwarf) built the mountains in the centre of the world, after using his magical hammer to work them from the ground. He then became one with the mountains, but before he did so, he cut off his right hand, which then turned into various Dwarven tribes. The Dwarves were charged with the stewardship of the mountains... although due to the open nature of the language used, some have taken "mountains" to mean "world".

Those who hold true to Hazurk, will join him in his mountain-bond, which is an existence described as "constant ecstasy".

Leaders: Monarchs, Emperors, Prime Ministers etc

Government Officials: Prominent members of government who do not necessarily dictate the direction of a nation, but may have a hand in influencing it.

Generals: Leaders of armies who are not necessarily linked to the running of state, but rather, the leading of armies. Commanders, Lords, Princes, Admirals, Captains - that kind of role.

Scientists/Inventors: Individuals whose research and experiments are likely to procure ground breaking results in the very near future. Could for example, be someone on the verge of figuring out how to harness gun powder in an effective form.

Explorers: Individuals who have accumulated enough wealth, or who have been sponsored by rich benefactors, to set sail beyond the great seas to lands yet unknown. Think Christopher Columbus.

Soldiers: Individuals of great skill and renown (or not?), who have made their living in the trenches or on the sands of some Gods forsaken arena, but whose story might bring grit to the tale of an entire Empire.

Common Folk: Every day citizens and subjects, or slaves, who may yet one day be of some significance to the history of your nation.

Character Name: Queen Lia

Character Gender: Female

Character Race: Kobold

Character Age: Twenty six

Character Appearance:
Queen Lia, even for a kobold, is short. Standing at a single foot and eight inches most other beings tower over the young Queen, however she moves with a determination and boldness more suiting to someone six times her size. Her eyes are a deep red with hints of gold, and her scales are a common brown tint. Day to day the Queen, like the queens before her, wear simple if well made clothes, most of the time Lia adorns herself in a white grey shirt and trousers of the same hue. However, like many kobolds, Lia wears more than just clothes. Over each arm she wears no less than six golden bands, her neck is home to two amulets, one bearing the symbol of the Scalethein Empire, which marks her as Queen, and another with the image of a dragon, a lovely trinket that Lia won in a game of chance.

Character's Role Within Nation: Queen of Scale Home, and leader of the Scalethein Empire

Character Background Info:
The Queen was born the runt of her family, the youngest and smallest of her seven sisters. Her life was simple up until her mother died. With her seven sisters all trying to get the throne, the eight of them ended up more or less trapped in the palace until someone was Queen.
It would be during these two years that Lia slowly, one by one, defeated her sisters, not by arms as the small kobold couldn't hope to even put up a fight, but instead with guile and trickery. The exact details of what happened in the palace are kept secret, but in 478 A.E the eight daughters of Likka left the palace, and together stated that Lia would be Queen.
Since becoming Queen Lia has worked towards easing relations with the recently antsy dwarves, building a formal temple to the mountain god in Scale Home among other efforts.

Character Name: Senator Arnak Florin, or Warmaster Bloodaxe

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Dwarf

Character Age: 96

Character Appearance: Bloodaxe is an old Dwarf, nearing his 100th year, and thus the end of his life. However, if one thought they would find an old man, frail with age and waiting for death, they'd be sorely disappointed.

Bloodaxe is tall for a Dwarf, standing at five feet, and carries with him a bulk of fat and muscle in equal measure. His arms are knotted with bulging muscles, and his neck is as thick as a tree log. His legs though stubby, are powerful contraptions, capable of propelling him at unsightly speeds.

His hair is the colour of iron, and though his face is wrinkled, his piercing blue eyes glow with a youth not common in one as old as he. A stranger might be forgiven for thinking him a Dwarf of 60.

When in battle, Bloodaxe wears full plated Zaqiri steel, with designs of a charging bull engraved across its surface. He also wears a horned full helm. A suit of chainmail lays underneath all this.

Out of battle, Bloodaxe prefers a simple linen robe that drapes over his body, but leaves his massive arms exposed. A heavy gold chain rests across his neck, and each link is inscribed with the names of all those he has slain - well, those whose names he knew in any case.

Character's Role Within Nation: Warmaster, and leader of the Stone Guard/Senator

Character Background Info: Bloodaxe leads the Stone Guard, a paramilitary faction that exists outside of Imperial control. He is a national hero, revered across the Dwarven territories as a living legend, and his following is massive. Even those who do not agree with his past actions, nod their heads in respect as he passes by.

A nationalist, Bloodaxe seeks to restore Dwarven strength, though it is unclear how he plans to do this. His relentless rise in power and influence however, has attracted the watchful eye of the Imperial Senate and the Queen.

Other: N/A

Character Name: Tall Ape Galarg, son of Galarn

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Promethean, 1st Generation

Character Age: 21

Character Appearance: Galarg is seven feet tall, with a powerfully built torso, and muscular yet lanky limbs. He is covered from head to toe in a light grey but short fur, though a few streaks of black spread out from the center of his back like a spider's web.

Like all Prometheans, his facial features are flat, as if someone hit him with the good end of a shovel. Grey eyes peer out above a shallow nose, and a couple of white fangs protrude from thin lips.

He wears a simple loin cloth, whether in battle or not, and carries a satchel of various goods that straps diagonally across his chest.

Character's Role Within Nation: King of the Promethean Remnant

Character Background Info: The Prometheans are all but extinct; they number a few thousand, maybe even a few hundred - none can be entirely sure, for they have scattered into dozens of roaming family groups that haunt the ancient jungles of the former Promethean Empire, and rarely risk having themselves seen by outsiders.

The Promethean Plague has mostly vanished from existence, now that there are so few victims for it to consume; however, the damage is done. There are simply not enough of the Ape People to form a feasible base of procreation, without ushering in generations of genetic imperfections.

Yet still they live. Their days consist of hunting and feasting; their nights of hiding and mourning. They are a dead peoples, no thanks to the Scalethein Empire's actions over the last few centuries. They exist only through their warrior spirit, and their unbending will to live when only death can accomodate them.

Under the cautious and wise guidance of Galarg, the Last King of the Prometheans, they have been able to live a rather peaceful existence - away from the multitude of hostiles that lay in wait for them beyond the jungle's bounds. If they are lucky, perhaps they will be allowed to go quietly into the night.

Not so! For Galarg may be cautious, but like all Tall Apes before him, he is equally ambitious. He refuses to acknowledge that his people are on their death bed, and still dreams of glory.

From his jungle refuge, he plots the future of the children he shall never have, of the future that has already been decided.

Other: Galarg and his peoples represent the last of the original Prometheans (lesser breeds/mixed breeds still exist elsewhere), and once he is gone, they will be irreversibly extinct.

Character Name: Senator Ackwell Stonebrim

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Dwarf

Character Age: 61

Character Appearance: Senator Stonebrim is a fat and short Dwarf, with balding black hair but a finely trimmed beard. He cannot boast the appearance of a warrior, though one has to wonder what he keeps under his voluminous and colourful robes - it can't all be fat, surely!?

He has yellow eyes, and perfect white teeth. A bulbous nose peaks forth from his face, and is by far the most prominent feature of his appearance - and tends to be where strangers first look when he greets them.

Character's Role Within Nation: Senator

Character Background Info: The Chief Foreman of the Uthein Smelter's Alliance, Senator Stonebrim bought his way into political prominence. Even his title, Senator, was paid for; though this is hardly unsurprisingly, given the Senate's famed elitism. Many joke that he even paid his mother to push harder when he was born, so that he would not have to lift a finger to free himself from her womb.

Despite his affluence, and his power, Senator Stonebrim is known as a decent and compassionate man. He lavishes the poor quaters of Uthein with his riches, and employs down trodden individuals when possible. Indeed, it is not uncommon for widows to approach his estate in search of financial relief - and so far, it is believed he does not take advantage of them.

Somewhat of a socialite, Stonebrim's hobbies involve eating and drinking in the company of others, and end there.

He is a keen supporter of the Kobold Queen, and a model citizen when it comes to upholding the Empire's values of social cohesion and equality among cultures.

At the RP's start, Senator Stonebrim has been charged with the task of opening the "Stoneguard Review", a Senate-sponsored investigation into Warmaster Bloodaxe's business, and whether the existence of himself and his men is legal.

Other: N/A

Character Name: Warren

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Cobold

Character Age: Eighty nine

Character Appearance:
Warren is not much to look at. A Cobold, he possess fits of brightly colored scales which clash with his naturally darker scales covering most of his frame. His eyes are green, a mutation, though it effects little other than how people see him. Three feet and six inches tall, and even though old he is still muscular and fit. Warren dresses himself in his armor most times, a simple yet effective steel breastplate. When not in active combat he wears leather to protect his shoulders and legs, though in battle metal plates are instead worn. Over the armor Warren wears a blue cloak, the badge of office for the Queen's Guard. At all times Warren also wears a dagger at his waist, and a short spear strapped to his back. Aside from the cloak Warren wears nothing else in the way of decoration, jewelry not suiting the mindset of Warren.

Character's Role Within Nation: Head of the Queen's Guard

Character Background Info:
Warren grew up on the streets of Scale Home, and lived a peaceful life until the war with Zaqir. It was there that he first tasted combat, and there that he caught the attention of Queen Liika. Once the war was over Warren was a Queen's Guard, and a lover of the Queen. The Queen bore him one daughter before the monarch's end.
Warren was one of the

Character Name: Elein Hillfang

Character Gender: Female

Character Race: Kobold

Character Age: 42

Character Appearance: Elein stands three feet tall, and has a muscular, heavy frame; this would suggest to an onlooker that she is a kobold giant, built and bred for war. They'd be right.

Scars line her powerful jaws, and stand as testimony to the many battles she has fought in both arenas and on behalf of the Empire in the field of battle. Her slender farm is likewise marred by various wounds, all of them sustained in her reighteous quest to instill herself as the finest warrior the Empire has ever produced.

Red eyes and yellowed fangs are the first thing to greet a person, and she is somewhat more menacing in appearance than an average kobold. Her scales are a shade of green and purple, and appear patchy.

Her war attire consists of light iron chainmail, and she does not wear a helm. Outside of combat, she wears traditional Kobold robes of varying colours.

Character's Role Within Nation: Aspiring Stone Guard

Character Background Info: Tired of the Empire's clinical military doctrine, and disliking the idea of chaining herself to family life, Elein has embarked upon an impossible quest: join the Stone Guard, a Dwarf-only warrior outfit.

Her story will be one of hilarity, adversity, blood, tears and self-discovery.

Other:

The Monarchy

The head of state is known as King of Ashkar, Shepherd of the Edimmu people. The title refers to his rulership over the city of Ashkar. This very city would later expand over a relatively vast Kingdom, and the monarch’s power by extensions includes also the places the citizens of Ashkar and their descendants founded. He is known as Shepherd of the Edimmu as, being the King over their territory and monarch over them, he must take care of them as shepherd takes care of his flock. The King is responsible for the welfare of his people and ruled in accordance with divine will. The dynasty is claimed to be have divine blood, the first King claiming and is recognized accordingly to have been the son of Iyanna.

The monarchy has tried as much as it can to keep the whole of political power within its own hands without needlessly micromanaging. The priesthood, while intimately tied to the state, has its political power limited by the monarchy. The nobility has the same problem, and the monarchy sees the nobles as the greater threat. They cannot to be destroyed entirely, so the monarchy relies on them as administrators, but makes it so that they cannot become anything more.

List of Monarchs

Early Mar-Tu Dynasty

Mar-Tu “The Conquerer”-75 – 15 E.C. (-159 - -69 A.E.) 1 – 15 E.C. (-83 - -69 A.E.)
Alaraem II -46 – 22 E.C. (-130 - -62 A.E.) 15 – 22 E.C. (-69 - -62 A.E.)
Sarru-Kinu -23 – 40 E.C. (-107 - -44 A.E.) 22 – 40 E.C. (-62 - -44 A.E.)
Sumu-abum -2 – 85 E.C. (-86 – 1 A.E.) 40 – 85 E.C. (-44 – 1 A.E.)
Sumu-Abum 24 – 85 E.C. (-60 – 1 A.E.) 63 – 85 E.C. ( -25 – 1 A.E.)
Anvor 45 – 88 E.C. (-39 – 4 A,E.) 85 – 88 E.C. ( 1 – 4 A.E.)
Samu-Sumu 80 E – 89 E.C. (-4 – 5 A.E.) 88 – 89 E.C. (4 – 5 A.E.)
Sumarael I “the Great”52 – 131 E.C. (- 32 – 47 A.E.) 89 – 131 E.C. (5 – 47 A.E.)
Sumu-abil 82 – 163 E.C. (-2 – 79 A.E.) 131 – 163 E.C. (47 – 79 A.E.)
Illedrazki “The Wise” 100 – 194 E.C. (16 – 110 A.E.) 163 – 194 E.C (79 – 110 A.E)

Middle Mar-Tu Dynasty
Akhar 137 – 215 E.C. (53 – 131 A.E.) 212 – 215 E.C. (128 – 131 A.E.)
Ettrewahu 157 – 229 E.C. (73 – 145 A.E.) 215 – 229 E.C. (131 A.E. – 145 A.E.)
Sumarael II 176 – 240 E.C. (92 – 156 A.E.) 229 – 240 E.C. (145 – 156 A.E.)
Akhaku 198 – 283 E.C. (156 – 199 A.E.) 240 – 283 E.C. (156 – 199 A.E.) Iyannaabu 223 – 313 E.C. (139 – 205 A.E.) 283 – 289 E.C. (199 – 205 A.E.)
Illedrazki II 247 – 315 E.C. (163 – 231 A.E.) 289 – 315 E.C. (205 – 231 A.E.)
Sumarael III 267 – 318 E.C. (183 – 234 A.E.) 315 – 318 E.C. (231 – 234 A.E.)
Akaku 288 – 335 E.C. (204 – 251 A.E.) 318 – 334 E.C. (234 – 251 A.E.)
Samu-Sumu II 311 – 407 E.C. (227 – 325 A.E.) 334 – 407 E.C. (250 – 325 A.E.)
Sumarael IV 332 – 420 E.C. (248 – 336 A.E.) 407 – 420 E.C. (325 – 336 A.E.)
Yamu 350 – 445 E.C. (266 – 361 A.E.) 420 – 445 E.C. (336 – 361 A.E.)
Anvor II 374 – 445 E.C. (290 - 361 A.E.) 445 E.C. (361 A.E.)

Late Mar-Tu Dynasty
Itu 401 – 489 E.C. (361 – 405 A.E.) 445 – 489 E.C. (361 – 405 A.E.)
Abatu 452 – 500 E.C. (368 – 416 A.E.) 489 – 496 E.C. (405 – 412 A.E.)
Akhar II “The Great” 473 – 555 E.C. (389 – 471 A.E.) 496 – 555 E.C. (412 – 471 A.E.)
Anvor III 532 – 571 E.C. (448 – 487 A.E.) 564 – 571 E.C. (480 – 487 A.E.)
Girbranu 554 – 615 E.C. (487 – 531 A.E.) 571 – 615 E.C. (487 – 531 A.E.)

Note 1: Samu-Sumu II is the longest-reigning King so far, who reigned seventy-three years.

Satrapies

The Satrapies are the provinces into which the Kingdom is divided. There are currently twenty-four Satrapies. Its overseers are the Satraps, the highest-ranking nobles in the country, whose role is synonymous with governor. They oversee the administration of the satrapy, and their duties were collecting taxes, overseeing local administrators, and retaining control and stability of the area. They ruled entirely through the authority of the King, not their own authority. Their position, however, was hereditary.


The Satrapies

Law

The first collection of laws was organized under Sumarael the Great in 99 E.C. (15 A.E.). As the centuries wore on the educated so them they were seen as increasingly out of touch and superstitious. A newer and more modern code was created by Akhar the Great in 530 E.C. (430 A.E.), although in truth the core of it was kept.

The law is overseen by a judge. When a case is brought forth towards him, both sides, the accuser and the accused, present the judge with the evidence. The judge will then decide, with the evidence given to him, what is the proper ruling. As always, Sumarael’s maxim “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” is the prevailing principle of the law. A faulty ruling by the judge, if proven, will result in his disbarring, the ultimate shame.

Society

Ashkarian society is split between the High Class and the Low Class, and no concept of a middle class exists in Ashkar. This is because the distinction High Class and Low Class is not truly based on wealth, although the High Class tend to be wealthy and the Low Class tend not to be. The true distinction was around power. The High Class consisted of those who ruled, and the Low Class consisted of those who were ruled over.

In recent times, the merchant profession has seen itself become steadily more profitable. In the mercantile and trading hub of Argilo, the Kingdom’s second largest city, the merchants have become so powerful they have effectively usurped the traditional nobility of their power in the city. They have subsequently acted little better or worse towards the populace.

Ashkar is a patriarchy, and males are in control of the political, social, religious, and military institutions of the civilization. In regards to families, fathers have power over the mothers. Inheritence is settled along the lines of primogeniture, with sons being given precedence over daughters in inheritance even in cases of seniority by the females. Women are not allowed to serve in the military at all.

Nonetheless, Ashkar has a given women a considerable (for a patriarchy) number of liberties. Traditional customs and written laws are clear that women have rights, although women are not equal to men. Women have the right to own businesses, make contracts in trade, and own property. Women can divorce their husbands without a reason given, and must simply bring forth their desire before a judge.

Although children are not considered property per say, they must obey an arranged marriage organized by their father. Divorce laws, however, make it so that the marriages could end as soon as that child turns sixteen. However, this is not a problem, as loyalty to the family as well as the tendency to gain an attachment to one’s spouse as time passes negates the desire.

Every man and woman’s profession is considered important for theological reasons. A profession is stated not to be merely a job, but each person’s small part in preserving the force of Order and fighting against the force of Chaos. Ashkarian society tends to lean towards collectivism and the greater good. The exception, of course, is with the King. No matter how tyrannical he is, his word is law.

The Edimmu are, in general, monogamous moderate polyamorists, and this is not so much of a contradiction. Marriage is strictly between a man and a woman, and its primary focus is on procreation and the proper raising of the young. Despite this, romance in marriage is seen as the ideal state, and idealists say it is actually the norm.

Concubinage is allowed only for the nobles and the royalty, and it is only allowed for men. For the royal family, it is expected that the princes and, above all, the King will take a good many number of concubines; at least a dozen. The men often have their favorite among their various concubines. The nobles have much stricter rules. Noble men may only take on a maximum of four concubines.

Outside of official business is the business of lovers. Lovers are by tradition of the same sex and have no legal connections, only emotional, romantic, and physical relations. Often these relationships are formed between a wealthy patron and an attractive youth from the Low Class, although there are no strict traditions regarding it.

Despite all this, some Edimmu may be completely monogamous, and may have sexual relations with only their spouse. Some take lovers when they are sexually unsatisfied, but many do not. The Edimmu generally try to keep the whole thing low-key, and are upset by how loud the Reguli are about it.

Or’Rouzi Culture

Contrary to popular Ashkarian mythology, the Or’Rouzi were not backward savages in need of civilization before their unwelcome arrival. Gemeti, founded three centuries prior to Ashkar, was once Sahba, and Hamusi, founded five centuries prior to Ashkar, was once Dil’miyun.

The Or’Rouzi are the indigenous of the northern territories beyond the Sea of Ashkar, and continue to make up a clear majority of those lands. Prior to being conquered by Ashkar, the Or’Rouzi lived in villages, towns, and cities, the largest cities becoming the cities of Hamusi and Gemeti. If the Ashkarians did not to utterly decimate the population, they would continue to do so.

Religion played a large part in Or’Rouzi society. The shamans were both the political leaders of their settlement as well as the religious leaders. Settlements were built out of wood, and were often walled by a collection of tall wooden spikes side by side. Warfare between city-states was common, so a type of defense was necessary. It did not, however, help during the Ashkarian takeover.

The Or’Rouzi, however, did not base their entire life on religion, and had an eclectic lifestyle. Their favorite sport and pastime is a type of association football, known as Ilihaus. Or’Rouzi also enjoy hearing the tales of professional storytellers and folklorists, and eventually wrote these down. Similar to their imperialist overlords, the Or’Rouzi formed a society made up of varied professions including builders, merchants, farmers, warriors, and shamans, among others.

Currently, Or’Rouzi is in a period of upheaval and disruption due to the Ashkarian invasion and their subsequent subjugation under the Rosians. Many Or’Rouzi from outside Ashkar proper are taken from their homes and sold as slaves to the rich and powerful. Many of the others have had their standard of living plummet in comparison to their ancestors, working as unskilled laborers in contruction projects for little money.

Rosian Culture

I am neither Edimmu nor Or’Rouzi, your majesty. I am of the Rosian line.

The Rosians originally were the result of the relations between Ashkarian soldiers and the indigenous Or’Rouzi, but today the origins of the Rosians are far more varied. The Rosians are the feudal lords of the northern territories, known as the Rosian Lands in their honor, instead of the Or’Rouzi majority. Despite their genetic ties with the Or’Rouzi, the Rosians elite are seldom beneficial to the Or’Rouzi majority. The Rosian nobility enjoys lavishness, wealth, and power, often building great architectural structures to expand their own glory.

The elite make up about a tenth of all Rosians. The rest serve as merchant and artisans, forming a type of proto-middle class. They are kinder and more beneficial to the Or’Rouzi, although their own interests are rarely the same as those of the Or’Rouzi, and their thoughts on their ruling brethren tend to be kinder.

The pride of the Rosians is Lord Addu ibn Baraku (508 – 596 E.C., 424 – 512 A.E.), who is the first major figure of Rosian intellectual thought. A philologist, social theorist, and philosopher, he was one of the major early figures Esagilianism. A rare philosopher to ultimately ignore metaphysics, he analyzed society and was a great influence on Dammu. As a philologist, he studied etymology and the meanings of texts, taking a critical outlook even on religious texts.

Reguli Culture

The Reguli immigrated to Ashkar first starting in 334 E.C. (250 A.E.), after their home was destroyed. They were in shambles after the destruction of Ilitscium, and a great many of them migrated to Ashkar. Poverty-stricken and depressed, things likely would have been quite different had it not been for the leadership of Philon the Great (69 – 290 A.E., 153 – 374 A.E.). They were disorganized and poor, but Philon made them an organized force, and gave them hope with his talk of divine providence.

The Reguli arrived in Gemeti, and while a few stayed most left further south, mainly to the cities of Ashkar and Argilu. They proved unpopular with the Edimmu natives at large, and Race Riots occurred in Ashkar against them, but King Samu-Sumu II was sympathetic to them, and such uprisings were quickly crushed through force of arms.

The Reguli tried to carry on as they once had before. Their standard of living had been greatly reduced, and now their home was a slum, and they were segregated away from the Edimmu majority. They found themselves barred from most professions. Prostitution, always a cultural landmark, thrived just as it had in their homeland, although now the prostitutes were destitute. Many Reguli turned to the mercantile professions, becoming merchants and financiers, while others worked inside their own community to improve the situation of the slums. The situation was better in Argilu than in Ashkar, as the mercantile rulers of Argilu were more accommodating to willing merchants, even though they were hostile to competition.

The Reguli brought forth a unique philosophy to Ashkar. They were hedonists in the absolute sense, and had a love of sensual pleasure. The Edimmu were not adverse to sensual pleasure, but they were unused to someone being so barefaced about it, and proclaiming wanton sex was a virtue rather a vice. Reguli thought was made clear by Philon the Great, who wrote plenty after arriving in Ashkar for the purpose of making clear Reguli thought and making it defensible. Philon wrote of the intrinsic value of life, and the purpose of pleasure in life as something that ought to be fulfilled. He made clear a monotheist doctrine completely foreign to the Ashkarians as well. Then he wrote the Praevian (283 A.E., 367 E.C.), a collection of five books that would soon become holy to the Reguli.

Antonia (500 – 698 E.C., 416 – 614 A.E.) brought philosophy further still with her own philosophy. Drawing from Inakkya, Edimmu defender of sex and sacred prostitution, and from the logician Zu-lum-ra, she sought to show Reguli religion was logically true. Those urges, for one thing, were not so bad, and were merely the attempts of the potentiality to reach its actuality, or the x to reach to y. Then there was the deal of the Divinitus, the Great Divine, also known as God, which she also calls the Demiurge or Great Architect, who she sees as a logical necessity for the creation of the world. She lived life as a mystic, focusing on meditation, the Divinitus, and the life of roving traveler.

Calendar

The current calendar was created by Adauya 460 E.C. (376 A.E.), who fine-tuned the earlier calendar by Apil-Seun in 160 E.C. (76 A.E.). There are four seasons, Elu-Karulla (Summer), Ahisthu, Ramman, and Aramma. Months are divided by the season they are in.

Elu-Karulla 1 (June)

Elu-Karulla 2 (July)

Elu-Karulla 3 (August)

Ahisthu 1 (September)

Ahisthu 2 (October)

Ahisthu 3 (November)

Ramman 1 (December)

Ramman 2 (January)

Ramman 3 (February)

Aramma 1 (March)

Aramma 2 (April)

Armma 3 (May)

Character Name: Girbranu Mar-tu

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Edimmu

Character Age: 30

Character Appearance: Girbranu is short. His hair is fine and others have called him “pretty,” his eyes gushing with innocence.

Character's Role Within Nation: King of Ashkar, Shepherd of the Edimmu People

Character Background Info: The son of a cruel and egotistical tyrant, he thankfully did not take after his father. He is unable to excel in anything, and has a fragile soul and reserved nature. It is precisely for this reason that he became beloved by the people. As a youth he would try to impress his domineering and tyrannical father. He never would. When he was seventeen, he became King. He always preferred men to women but, in typical Edimmu fashion, he still took a slept with a wife. Her name was Misira. In the plague, Misira died, and Girbranu wept and mourned bitterly. He was soon pressured into marrying again, this time to a young noble woman named Karalia. Girbranu was surprised by her spirited attitude, and she helped him get through the mourning process. About a year ago he first encountered Hugu, and felt as if he had been swept off the floor. The two are lovers today.

Other: Insulting his father, no matter how well-warranted, is the only thing that can make him angry.

---

Character Name: Karalia

Character Gender: Female

Character Race: Edimmu

Character Age: 23

Character Appearance: Karalia has above-average physical attractiveness, a clean complexion and an unusually thin figure even after pregnancy.

Character's Role Within Nation: The Royal Consort

Character Background Info: She was born into the high nobility, being the son of a Duke. She was a woman with both a strong heart and strong personality, her animated yet polite personality made it so she was able to thrive in the political arena of noble courts. She was glad to do so, as being a passive woman never interested her. She was the candidate for marriage to the King that eventually went through, marrying King Girbranu. She surprised the timid King, and she helped him get through his mourning crisis.

Other: She is a fearsome woman who will always stand up for her husband, as he has a problem doing this himself.

---

Character Name: Sumarael

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Edimmu

Character Age: 12

Character Appearance: Sumarael is still a child, small but growing. His features are strong, and his hair is long.

Character’s Role Within Nation: The Crown Prince

Character Background Info: Sumarael is the son of King Girbranu and his former consort Misira. He was born with a fraternal twin, and her name Assiriya. The two were extraordinarily close, but during the Plague Assiriya died along with his mother, and his father mourned them bitterly. Sumarael as well would be haunted by the very memory. He always had a tense relationship with his mother-in-law Karalia. When he five, he began to be tutored by the famed Sophist Gishru. However, the teacher’s thoughts on virtue and goodness seemed to fall flat. He has been spending some time with Atu instead…

Others: Everyday he seems more and more like his grandfather, although only time will tell what the result will be.

---

Character Name: Edu

Character Gender: Male

Character Age: 5

Character Race: Edimmu

Character Appearance: Edu is small and growing. He tends to stare, and has a spacey look in his eyes.

Character’s Role Within Nation: Prince

Character Background Info: Edu is a young child, who is in many ways still developing. He is constantly curious, always asking questions.

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Character Name: Atu

Character Gender: male

Character Age: 86

Character Appearance: Atu looks every bit his age. His hair has the characteristic longness (down below his waist), but has grayed. He has a stern, serious, and noble expression and a thin figure. He wears the flowing brown robes of the magistrates.

Character’s Role Within Nation: Minister of Counsel concerning “special matters”

Character Background Info: An austere man with an incredible intellect, he has served in the government palace for seventy years, serving with distinction. He knows everything there is to know about plotting and counterplotting there is. He is cold and calculating along with being a realist. However, he has no real ambitions, and has utter loyalty to the King, and intends on having the King keep all of his power.

---

Character Name: Assuritu

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Edimmu

Character Age: 20

Character Appearance: Assuritu has a sharp appearance, and well-groomed hair.

Character's Role Within Nation: Court Noble; Count of Salimat

Character Background Info: Assuritu is a young and ambitious noble hailing from eastern Ashkar, best known for their rebellion. His family was among the nobles who were disgraced by King Anvor III. Assuritu would like to see his family once again become prominent and to increase his own personal power.

---

Character Name: Gishru

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Edimmu

Character Age: 64

Character Appearance: His hair is long, but slightly short for an Edimmu, and his appearance is youthful. His expression is always emotionless.

Character's Role Within Nation: The Royal Tutor

Character Background Info: Previously the greatest of the living public teachers of morals. Born into the middle nobility, at the age of fifteen he began to read Amartu and his path in life was chosen. At the age of nineteen he left to join the Academy, but soon became dissatisfied, seeing the Academicians as arrogant agnostics. What really bothered him was that they discussed metaphysical skepticism, and not virtues and ethics. He became a Sophist, who became famous for speaking virtue among the people for money. Gishru was hired as the royal tutor for King Girbranu’s two sons.

Other: Along with his career as an eminent orator on morality, he wrote a number of tracts, treatises, and essays; Essays on Morality (565 E.C., 481 A.E.), On Morality (558 E.C., 474 A.E.), The Realization of Virtue (563 E.C., 479 A.E.) and Ethics (572 E.C., 488 A.E.).

---

Character Name: Hugu

Character Gender: male

Character Age: 29

Character Race: Edimmu

Character Appearance: Hugu is noted for his great physical attractiveness, which was what drew the eye of the King. He is thin and tall yet also quite muscular.

Character’s Role Within Nation: Chief personal aide and bodyguard to the King.

Character Background Info: Born into the warrior class, he entered into the Ashkarian Ring of Valor as a gladiator. He was incredibly unpopular with the organizers, and he would only fight in fair duels. Then he won the Almurzani and became famous. Although Girbranu does not like the arena, that was where he caught he first saw Girbranu. After a number of chance and picturesque encounters, the two of them become lovers, and Hugu became the chief personal aide to the King.

other: He is definitely the dominant half of the relationship.

---

Character Name: Dammu

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Edimmu

Character Age: 26

Character Appearance: Dammu is a young Edimmu. He is plain-looking and does not stand out.

Character's Role Within Nation: Royal Aide

Character Background Info: Dammu is a commoner who went to work into the Palace in order to help support his family, struggling from the loss of income that came with the death of half of his extended family. Now he works as the Royal Aide, conducting business people have the King as a third party.

Other: Despite being a commoner, he is extraordinarily concerned with intellectual matters. He went in to the streets and talked with the teachers and sophists in order to learn philosophy and history, and his role as Royal Aide has made his quest much easier.



Character Name: Pelim

Character Gender: Female

Character Race: Elan

Character Age: 38

Character Appearance: Covered always in an array of garments befitting a great alchemist, his features are fair but fragile, and are rarely seen. Like other Elan, his skin is extremely pale and white in color.

Character’s Role within Nation: A rising star of the army of Ela’Susam; former alchemist

Character Background Info: A talented and famed alchemist, he eventually revealed his prowess at combat while commandeering a band of mercenaries his father had hire while overthrowing the old King Mekh. Since then, he has been steadily rising the ranks, but the old military brass is distrustful.



Character Name: Amanu

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Edimmu

Character Age: 45

Character Appearance: Amanu is a reasonable good-looking Edimmu, although he has a number of average flaws with his complexion. He generally seems to neglect his grooming, especially his hair.

Character's Role Within Nation: Doctor and Biologist

Character Background Info: Amanu is the son of a history teacher who taught philosophy. Amanu would go down a different path, although his father’s love of philosophy was passed down. He became a doctor. Influenced by Esagilio’s confidence in scientific experimentation and impressed by his biological methodology, he sought to continue where he left off in biology. He has a reputation as an elite doctor, and he is trying to promote his own studies in biology.

Other: Amanu is an enthusiastic Esagilian, and he has eclectic interests that include philosophy and poetry. He never engages in the latter, having no skill in it.

---

Character Name: Ellapu

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Edimmu

Character Age: 81

Character Appearance: He is now beginning to look older, although he doesn’t tend to care of such things. In recent years he has put on considerable weight.

Character's Role Within Nation: Botanist, Biologist, and Anatomist; former Doctor

Character Background Info: Born into a long family of doctors, he took up the family position. Gaining fame for his skill, he once was the personal physician to a number of wealthy and powerful patrons but, as he himself as said, “that was a long time ago.” Now, he is mostly interested in physiology, having since retired from the medical profession after having acquired a large sum of money.

Other: His wife, Abalya, has always been very supportive. He is estranged from his son, who disapproves vehemently of his dissection of human corpses.



< E M P T Y >



< E M P T Y >



Character Name: Idris

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Or’Rouzi

Character Age: 20

Character Appearance: He has a youthful appearance, yet appears waifish and thin. His clothes is ragged and well-worn.

Character’s Role Within Nation: stoneworker

Character Background Info: Born into a family of Or’Rouzi workers, he was little higher than those fellow Or’Rouzi who worked as chattel slavery. Since he was ten years old, Idris has been engaged in wage slavery, working for very little under the Lord of the Manor.

Religion Name: Cult of the Divine

Type: Monotheism with Shamanistic and Hero-Worship elements

Name of Believers: Diviners

Overview of Beliefs: A mixture of the original tribal beliefs of the ancient saurians and the beliefs of the neighboring Regulii of Ilitscium, the Cult of the Divine expresses worship of a single, true God known as the Divine. However, there are many lesser spirits in the world besides this God, each of whom have some power and influence. Some are the Divine's servants; some are the Divine's enemies. Others still are the souls of the ancestors and great heroes who help and answer the worthy.

The Cult of the Divine believes that God has several different aspects, each of which represents a different ideal or element. The Divine has an aspect of storms, of war, of mercy, and more. All of these faces, however, are merely faces of the one true God who is supreme.

Religion Name: Temple of Ila

Type: Strict Monotheism

Name of Believers: Ilaists

Overview of Beliefs: The faith of the Temple of Ila is that of a single omnipotent and omniscient entity, one of such great power that it is beyond the complete understanding of any mortal. Ilaism holds to the belief that the Sun and Moons are both glimpses at other worlds, other worlds which make up the afterlife of Ilaism. They believe that in the beginning Ila (simply the Yossodite word for 'God') created the world, the sun, and the twin moons, as well as the mortals which would come to inhabit them. The ayels had always been the favoured children of Ila, and they loved their great God in return. But legend holds that the nameless race grew jealous of the ayels, and in an act of betrayal butchered them and drove them from their homes on the twin moons. As retribution for this horrendous act, Ila would strip the race of its name, drive them from the twin moons, and set the Sun alight so they would burn eternally for their treachery. And such is was that Ila made the twin moons a paradise, for now he decreed it would be that the souls of the virtuous would come there to live for eternity, whilst the souls of the wicked would burn in the sun.

Ilaism puts a massive emphasis on living a life of virtue, and the greatest virtue is to submit oneself to God and do his will. However, the Temple of Ila has no single holy figure or prophet around which the faith revolves. The Temple's "Prophet" is simply the mouthpiece for and one of the few humans who communicate with the Ayels, who are the Chosen Children of Ila and above all other mortal races. It is they who, through the Prophet, communicate the Word of God to the masses and it is the series of Ayelic Edicts that set down the religious laws and codified beliefs for the Temple of Ila.

Religion Name: Shamanism

Type: Shamanism

Name of Believers: Shamanists

Overview of Beliefs: A minority in the Dominion, Shamanists are practitioners of ancient, tribal saurian and human beliefs that originate from the jungle. Most of the practitioners either live deep within the jungle or live on the Jandoo Isles. They worship a plethora of spirits and gods, and their beliefs vary widely from tribe to tribe.

Philosophy Name: Samaksism

Type: Martial Philosophy

Name of Believers: Samaksists

Overview of Beliefs: Also known as the School of Martial Excellence, Samaksism emphasizes personal skill and strength. The greatest virtue to ardent Samaksists is to become a better fighter. They approach all their problems head-on, and while they are much more than brute warriors, Samaksists nevertheless do not care for the study of tactics or deception. This makes Samaksists especially skilled at single combat but lacking in other areas.

Philosophy Name: Mazarism

Type: Martial Philosophy

Name of Believers: Mazari

Overview of Beliefs: A rather practical school of thought, Mazarism is a martial philosophy which encourages the growth of skill and strength but puts greater emphasis on tactics, deception, and knowledge applicable to the battlefield. The acquisition and defense of knowledge is highly important in Mazarism: hiding information from your enemy while gathering enough to act wisely is key to victory. "All great victories are founded on one side knowing everything and the other knowing nothing," claimed its founder, and Mazarists still heed those words to this day. Personal glory is as much a pursuit for Mazarists as it is for any other saurian, but Mazarists earn that glory through cunning rather than overwhelming strength.

Philosophy Name: Ilism

Type: Martial/Religious Philosophy

Name of Believers: Ilists

Overview of Beliefs: Where Mazarism and Samaksism emphasize the betterment of the self, Ilism emphasizes the betterment of the group. A highly religious philosophy, Ilism encourages its practitioners to fight together, not as individuals, and to fight for the Divine - or God - rather than themselves. Ilists tend to have good battlefield discipline and devote their lives to their craft, perhaps even more zealously than other saurians do.

Leaders: Monarchs, Emperors, Prime Ministers etc

Government Officials: Prominent members of government who do not necessarily dictate the direction of a nation, but may have a hand in influencing it.

Generals: Leaders of armies who are not necessarily linked to the running of state, but rather, the leading of armies. Commanders, Lords, Princes, Admirals, Captains - that kind of role.

Scientists/Inventors: Individuals whose research and experiments are likely to procure ground breaking results in the very near future. Could for example, be someone on the verge of figuring out how to harness gun powder in an effective form.

Explorers: Individuals who have accumulated enough wealth, or who have been sponsored by rich benefactors, to set sail beyond the great seas to lands yet unknown. Think Christopher Columbus.

Soldiers: Individuals of great skill and renown (or not?), who have made their living in the trenches or on the sands of some Gods forsaken arena, but whose story might bring grit to the tale of an entire Empire.

Common Folk: Every day citizens and subjects, or slaves, who may yet one day be of some significance to the history of your nation.

Character Name: Tereza the Stonecleaver, Potentate of the Zaqiri Dominion

Character Gender: Female

Character Race: Saurian

Character Age: 40 (adult)

Character Appearance: Though she's a bit small for a saurian woman, standing at a mere seven feet and two inches, Tereza wears all the scars that belong to a veteran of many battles. They indicate that she might have lost one or both of her arms in the past, but like all saurians she was able to regrow her missing limbs. She has sandy yellow scales and a rather typical build for a saurian warrior: lean and muscular. She has long, sharp fins running down the back of her head to her tail, a rare trait among saurians, and has some webbing between her claws.

When not in her armor, Tereza has what other races might call a "kingly" appearance. She wears a white turban which is adorned with golden chains in a lattice pattern, and resting about her turban is a golden crown jeweled with beautiful amethysts. She wears a light robe, also white, embroidered with golden thread and decorated with black and purple beads of quartz. A series of thin steel discs woven on the outside serve as armor in the event of an assassination attempt. She wears golden bracers and anklets with this outfit.

For battle, Tereza dresses in impressive armor. Her turban is replaced with an Asqari Warhelm, a design based off of Ashkari helmets but with a piece of metal placed over the eyes. It is, of course, specially designed for her as she is saurian, not Asqari. She wears a thick steel breastplate, and under that a long-sleeved chainmail shirt which reaches down to her knees, and underneath that carefully-woven silk cloth that can be used for bandaging in an emergency. Her armor is all highly decorative without sacrificing function. The most bold image is carved into her breastplate: the symbol of Zaqir's bloody sword pointing downward, the bloody blade's outline painted red.

Tereza's wields two weapons. The first is a one-handed sword which looks like the bloody blade and has the same straight edge - a good weapon for thrusting, parrying, and slashing. Her second weapon is a handaxe made completely from steel. It is deceptively small, but it is this very axe with which Tereza earned the name "Stonecleaver," cutting through statues and pinning her enemies to walls. She carries several light axes for throwing at her enemies.

Character's Role Within Nation: Something that other races never understand about saurians concerns the roles of government and war in their culture. For most nations war is an extension of politics. The opposite is true in Zaqir: politics is an extension of war.

Potentate Tereza represents this truth. As leader of her people, she is expected to find good battles for them to fight, and if she fails to do so then she will be replaced by the political process of revolt and assassination so that the common people can have the war they so desperately need. A Potentate must be strong, bold, and cunning. Tereza possesses these qualities, or else she would not have managed to maintain her position. She needs that strength to stay alive, her boldness to have the willingness to attack, and her cunning to know who to attack.

The Potentate is the undisputed dictator of Zaqir. Tereza's word is law, and anyone who attempts to usurp her rule may answer to her directly.

But there are those who would yet wish to take Tereza's life. Several factions within Zaqir as well as foreign powers would find it beneficial to throw Zaqir into a state of civil war and unrest once again. Perhaps this time someone will be successful...

Character Background Info: Not much is known about Tereza's history. She is known to have fought in the Conquest of the Burning Isles, and she's fought in the Almurzani once before. However, there are large gaps in her history, and if she has relatives she hasn't made them known to the world. She simply made a bid to become Potentate one day during all the period between 480-489 A.E. She was formally accepted by the Circle in 489, and the Stonecleaver has been a strong Potentate since then.

Other: Rumor has it that Tereza wants to start an invasion very, very soon. The question is... who will she invade?

Character Name: Warleader Ambul the Spitter

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Saurian (Jandoo)

Character Age: 109 (elderly)

Character Appearance: Standing five feet and ten inches tall, Ambul is not what one would expect of a saurian warleader. Firstly, he is male. Secondly, he is small, as saurian males all are. Finally, he doesn't have the build of a titan or of a strong, lean duelist, but rather has a pot belly like a toad's and is a hunchback. Yet this same decrepit figure almost led Jandoo guerrillas to victory against the vastly superior armies of Zaqir. He may not look like much, but looks can be deceiving.

Character's Role Within Nation: Leader of the Mazari. Ambul is a strategist who employs tactics mainstream Zaqiri minds would find dishonorable. He also fought hard against the Conquest of Jandoo. Nevertheless, this saurian of the Burning Isles has become a loyal member of the Zaqiri Circle and has aspirations to one day be Potentate.

Ambul understands the Zaqiri need for war and would not discourage it. However, he would have Zaqir align itself with another nation first. He feels Ashkar makes for a natural ally.

Character Background Info: Once the leader of the Jandoo resistance, Ambul is now a loyal subject of Zaqir. He managed to become a member of the Circle as he was chosen by his people to represent them.

Other: Like all Jandoo, Ambul can create balls of acidic spit. Unlike most Jandoo, he can also spit streams of acid quite accurately thanks to a gap in his teeth. This makes him much more dangerous than he would seem.

Character Name: Warleader Cizana the Sharkblooded

Character Gender: Female

Character Race: Saurian

Character Age: 85 (elderly)

Character Appearance: An albino saurian, Cizana has white scales and bright red eyes that always seem hungry for more blood. She is tall, lean, and wields a massive trident which is deadly in her hands. She wears no armor and indeed leaves her chest bare, letting all the world see her battle scars and the places where even the best-aimed arrows have failed to slay her. Those who meet her are surprised to learn just how old she actually is, for she has the vitality of someone far younger than herself.

Character's Role Within Nation: Leader of the Samaksists. Cizana was one of the warriors who fought to be Potentate in the interim period preceding Tereza's ascension to the Zaqiri throne. She is still bitter over her loss, but as she has been spared by the Potentate after losing a duel, she has begrudgingly accepted the Potentate as her ruler. She is a magnificent warrior and deeply believes that the throne belongs to the best fighter. Should Tereza die, that would be Cizana.

Cizana deeply respects Bloodaxe for his physical power and brutality. She believes Zaqir has a natural ally among the dwarves, though she laments that the dwarves still remain aligned with the weak kobolds...

Character Background Info: Although an accomplished Captain, Cizana was relatively unknown to the public eye until she won second place as a Single Combat fighter in the Almurzani in 490 A.E, losing only to a highly talented soldier from Ashkar. The Samaksists quickly chose to make her their leader. Though she is old, white-scaled Cizana has since turned out to be a determined politician with strong traditionalist values.

Other:

Character Name: Warleader Naula the Stout

Character Gender: Female

Character Race: Asqari

Character Age: 50 (middle age)

Character Appearance: Dressed in brilliant blue silks and silvery steel chainmail, Naula makes for a proud looking woman indeed. She has the dark skin associated with Ashkar's people, a long nose, expressive eyebrows, and short-cut brown hair. Her favored weapon is a stout Asqari spear, and her shield is oval-shaped rather than circular. She smiles warmly and is very diplomatic.

Character's Role Within Nation: Leader of the secret Asqari independence faction. While not all Asqari wish to be independent of Zaqir, many do believe that the time has come for them to be independent. They see Zaqiri culture as a kindred one, but still one that is different, and so they would like to claim independence while remaining allies of the Dominion. Naula is the leader of this faction, and she realizes that Zaqir will never let Asqar leave the Dominion without a fight. She plans to give it to them.

Character Background Info: There is little to be said of Naula. She was raised in the Asqari warrior culture, and she grew up feeling fiercely proud of her heritage. She saw the failed attempts on Asqar's part to break free of the Dominion, and while she did not take part in this war, she definitely felt the same wish for freedom many of her people do. She is now in a position to perhaps bring her people that chance to be free once: she is a member of the Circle.

Other:

Character Name: Warleader Rafiqa the Godsworn

Character Gender: Female

Character Race: Saurian

Character Age: 20 (young adult)

Character Appearance: Rafiqa herself is not very distinct. She is of average height for a saurian woman (six and a half feet). She does have the rare chameleon-like scales some Zaqiri folk are blessed with, but otherwise there is very little about her that stands out. What she does have, however, is a look of pride and self-confidence that nobody can truly shake.

Rafiqa's weapon is a beautiful double-headed battleaxe made in Yossod. Its blades are shaped like crescent moons, and its shaft has pearls embedded in it. The wood itself is black, and the weapon has incredible balance. The Ilist's shield depicts a white full moon laid against a field of black. Her armor is a coat of chainmail painted oiled until likewise stained to be ebony with a sheen. When she wears this armor, she can appear like a shadow because her scales turn as dark as her armor, and her yellow eyes stand out when this happens.

Character's Role Within Nation: Leader of the Ilists. Rafiqa is a passionate speaker with a calm tone, and she has increasingly large crowds who listen to her preach and speak of the state of the nation. She does not speak out against Tereza, but she has been building her power base slowly. The Ilists may be the most powerful faction in Zaqir now. Rafiqa may be young, but she is influential nevertheless.

If someone wanted to find a Zaqiri warrior more zealous in their devotion to Ila, they'd be hard pressed indeed. Rafiqa is devoted to Ila, the one true God, and would make a martyr of herself to spread Ila's word. She has a healthy communication with the Brotherhood of the Covenant.

Character Background Info: The details of Rafiqa's history are brief. She reached the age of six, began doing mercenary work early, and when she was dying was saved by a Brother of the Covenant while she was serving in Yossod. She has since devoted her life to serving Ila, and would do anything for her God.

Other: Rafiqa has devoted herself so thoroughly to Ila that she has never had a lover and does not seem inclined to take one any time soon.

Character Name: Commander Tana the Noseless

Character Gender: Female

Character Race: Human

Character Age: 31 (adult)

Character Appearance: Tana is not a pretty sight to look at. Her nose has been cut off (as her name suggests) and has dark brown skin scarred heavily by the trials of war. She carries a variety of weapons and prefers to wear light, padded armor to the chainmail favored by other Zaqiri leaders. The only indicator of her high station is the winged helmet she wears on her head.

Character's Role Within Nation: Tana is one of Zaqir's fleet commanders and is experienced in the art of war. She is ruthless in her tactics and executes her plans swiftly, but she's actually quite amiable once the fighting is over. To her, a battle should be finished as quickly as possible to minimize death, glorious though battle may be, and prisoners should be treated with the utmost respect... unless they are cowards who refused to fight.

Character Background Info: An Or'Rouzi native, Tana became a raider at the ripe age of 15 and lost her nose in her first battle. She was mocked back then, but she has since proven herself to be an able leader.

Other: Tana's helmet was looted from the corpse of a would-be adventurer that got tangled in a fight with Tana's crew. She liked the design so much that she made a new figurehead of her ship depicting a sword with wings spreading out from the hilt. It's incredibly apt given that her vessel is a modern Swordfish design.

Character Name: Yzzy

Character Gender: Male

Character Race: Saurian

Character Age: 50 (middle age)

Character Appearance: Yzzy is a smaller saurian, standing at five feet and three inches tall. He has brilliant blue scales and a rather thin build as is typical for his sex. He wears thick sand-colored robes most of the time and wears simple jewelry adorned with green gemstones. His eyes are a predatory yellow.

Character's Role Within Nation: Yzzy is an alchemist who has been tinkering with various chemicals for a long time. He has already discovered some of the... err, unique properties that can be found when combining sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter. All that remains is to find a way to make it useful... And Yzzy has a few ideas.

Character Background Info: Yzzy was a miner long before he became an alchemist, and he used the money he earned in his former profession to purchase an education for himself. He then married a saurian raider and has happily raised their children since. Only within the last five years has he begun to realize the potential that sulfur could have...

Other: Yzzy is considered to be a very attractive man by saurian standards. Other races would beg to differ. He is a married man and happily stays at home taking care of the hatchlings... while, of course, experimenting with his explosives.

Character Name: Zorai the Massive

Character Gender: Female

Character Race: Saurian

Character Age: 63 (middle age)

Character Appearance: Put bluntly, Zorai is huge. She towers over everyone around her, reaching a whopping nine feet and seven inches in height - almost half the size of some stone trolls. She also has a series of spiky protrusions rising from the back of her neck and more along her jawline, and with her bright red scales she stands out in a crowd. She's not sinewy like most saurians but rather broad of shoulder and build, making her seem even more like a giant.

Many remember Zorai for her characteristic shield: a huge thing, a round shield in Zaqiri fashion but larger and made entirely of steel. She depends on this more than her chainmail to protect her, and carries alongside it a large, straight sword which most would require two hands to wield - but not Zorai. Its silver hilt has a pommel shaped and carved like an oyster, the lines of which have an inlay made of aquamarine.

Zorai's clothing is of a simple make, and her armor is unadorned although it is very effective. She wears a padded mail cap on her head (coifs do not function so well due to her spikes) and has a belt with a silver buckle.

Character's Role Within Nation: Zorai is a famous figure and a past winner of the Almurzani, one of a pair of fighters. However, she has evaded any attempts to give her command of her own raiding crew, and has retreated into social obscurity. Even still, her words and actions have considerable weight in Zaqiri politics. She is loved by the common people (who do not know how greatly her beliefs differ from theirs) and has sailed about much of the known world.

Zorai unwittingly serves as a contrast to the greater blood-crazed mindset of her people, having grown disillusioned with some particulars of their lifestyle, especially in the wake of Bloodaxe's actions and the lessons he took from fighting alongside Zaqiri warriors. She is no pacifist, but she no longer accepts combat for combat's sake. She searches for a higher meaning to it all, and has thus far been dissatisfied with the martial philosophies of her people. Yet she remains the epitome of what it means to be a saurian warrior: powerful, dangerous, and defined by a lifetime of bloodshed.

Character Background Info: Zorai was too young - three years old - to join the battle against the Scalethein Empire when war broke out. Her mother died in that war, and her father died at home of illness. But her aunt who had fought in the war took her in as her own child and told her of the glory that could be found on the battlefield. She learned from a young age that the greatest glory was to fight impossible odds and win. Zorai swore she would make her brave mother proud.

Zorai's size and strength became obvious at an early age. She had a powerful, heavyset build the likes of which was the admiration of saurians everywhere (and was extremely attractive to the males). She only grew bigger as she grew older, and by the time she was twelve years old she reached her full height, towering over all her kin. The impressive strength that came with her size made her a fearsome raider. She had, too, a keen mind, and practiced all three schools of martial thought. She finally came to favor Ilist and Mazari philosophy (though not the Ila religion), both of which prepared her for well for the Almurzani of 460 A.E.

Zorai was paired with a veteran warrior, the dwarf named Bloodaxe, and the two of them proved to be an incredibly capable team. She was the defensive element on the team, using her long reach and her huge shield to keep their opponents at bay and off-balance until Bloodaxe could finish them off, and she was no slouch when it came to the attack, either. Bloodaxe offered a terrible, animal-like ferocity, eagerly going at their enemies with his two-handed axe. In the end, though, the popular duo lost to a pair of experienced kobold ring fighters. They left the arena in shame, but also became good friends. Though their paths would take them to different battlegrounds, Zorai and Bloodaxe kept in contact with one another.

Zorai spent several years afterwards raiding under the tutelage of her aunt who wished her niece to replace her as captain of her raiding vessel. Yet as she joined her aunt on her adventures, she came to realize that she found no joy in pillaging and plundering. Her enemies were not warriors: they were peasants, farmers, fishers, and occasionally sailors who felt forced to fight. Oftentimes their enemies surrendered rather than risk death, and Zorai came to understand that the fear and hatred in their eyes was not the same as the respect between warriors. All of this confused her greatly: was not the warrior profession that which should be admired? Was battle not intended to better both the victor and the loser? Why, then, did these people hate the deed so?

Zorai decided to cease raiding and told her aunt she would go on adventures of her own. And she did: for five years she traveled across the land, delving into the jungles, fighting monsters in the lands east of Asqar, and even traveling to Yossod and serving there as a mercenary for some time. These experiences were much better for her. Working as a caravan guard in Yossod, fighting off wild beasts and barbarian raiders, exploring places long forgotten - all of these things seemed much more rewarding, at least on a spiritual level, to Zorai. She finally returned home in the early part of 479 A.E. and was quickly contacted by her old friend, Bloodaxe.

Together, Zorai and Bloodaxe perfected their martial arts. They trained with different weapons, practiced fighting in different ways, critiqued one another and overall became better warriors. Each developed their own new style of fighting. Zorai's took advantage of her huge size, and she came to time her swings and movements better than ever before.

When the Almurzani of 470 began, the pair performed exceptionally well, even better than before. The final round was between them and the very same two kobolds they'd fought before. Bloodaxe quickly dispatched of his own enemy, but just as Zorai was accepting the surrender of her opponent, he came in and chopped off the kobold's head. Zorai watched him trick his way out of being executed for his actions, convincing the crowd and the referees of his innocence. His head, he claimed, was still ringing from a blow to the head, and he had been deafened. But Zorai knew better. She knew he'd entered the round intending to make sure neither of their opponents ever breathed again. Bloodaxe wanted revenge as much as he wanted victory.

The saurian accepted her reward and the prestige that came with their victory in the Almurzani. She gave Bloodaxe the impression that the two of them were still on good terms, but silently she wished nothing more than to part with him, and indeed with Zaqir, for a very long time. She was disillusioned and felt her victory in the arena was undeserved. She was undeserving of any honors for her part in the murder of a brave fighter.

Zorai has wandered the world since then, exploring the farthest parts of the known world and even beyond. The legendary warrior returns to Zaqir on rare occasions, but she cannot bring herself to stay. She feels a terrible shame and a need to redeem herself. She's merely trying to answer the question of how.

Other: Like her former friend, Bloodaxe, Zorai has come to speak several languages. She's a wanderer, taking passage on ships and with caravans whenever possible, and constantly moves from place to place, searching for something worth fighting for.

Over the course of her travels, Zorai has found herself seeking emotional rather than physical connection when seeking would-be lovers. The only two people she's ever been sexually involved with have, oddly, been human women. Zorai does not speak of this, nor of her rather non-physical desires, to anyone except those she trusts very dearly. She has wondered in the past if these behaviors of hers are shameful as well. They are certainly not the norm in any society she knows of.

Character Name: Melina Metaxas

Character Gender: Female

Character Race: Regulii

Character Age: 27 (young adult)

Character Appearance: A stunning beauty, Melina has the pointed ears of her people, olive skin, and incredibly long, curly black hair. Her eyelashes are long and dark, her body slender, and her eyes a brilliant purple. She wears... very revealing clothes.

Character's Role Within Nation: Melina is a merchant who travels across the Red Shores and the Pearly Sea, bringing news from abroad to every nation she stops by in and helping foster the trade between nations in this era.

Character Background Info: Born in New Ilitscium, Melina's father was a merchant and her mother was a lady of the night. Melina is a little of both, a far-ranging trader who is willing to use her beauty to get better prices on whatever goods she needs. She has her own vessel, a flag and accompanying papers which state she is under the protection of Zaqir (and thus is not to have her ship plundered by Zaqiri raiders), and has managed to make a small mercantile empire for herself.

Other: Melina actually has several children already. None of them are old enough to travel with her, and she can't remember exactly who their fathers are. Two of her children are half-Soun'yei twins, one is purebred Regulii, and the fourth has distinctly human traits.