<Snipped quote by Willy Vereb>

Nice, very detailed and well though of. Though I have a question what weapons do you have with gunpowder or how powerful is it qhen you infuse it with magic?

@Wildman13

Did you see my message on discord?

<Snipped quote by Wildman13>My first reaction was to say that they are just as powerful as regular guns but probably the powder makes them closer to 18th century weapons due to its purity. Not a big difference in the grand scheme of things but it exists.
Their real magic would be just the fact they give out various howling noises or even sounds akin to very loud musical instruments instead of the usual boom when fired.
As for why it's important will make sense once I finish the military section.
They have this whole "sounds of war" play going on.

@wildman13 My CS is complete and is present for your assessment. Note, remember what we discussed about characters in Discord.

Feel free to question me or ask me to change specific parts of the CS, I would be glad to do so.

@Jangel13 You asked me to tell you when the CS is down, well here it is.

Name: The Khalani Realm of the Lonely Isles [+]

Race: [+]

Half-Human/Half-beast in local tongue they are called Vesen, Voren, and Viuren (nocturnal, diurnal and cathemeral respectively) but the umbrella term is Khalai

Characteristics: Their race is composed of half-human/half-beasts, they can take on the shape of the most human form yet still retain their hightened sense of hearing, sight, and smell or something else entirely depending on their animal traits. They can shift between three types of forms, their human like form, their beastial form, and their primal form.

The human like form is used for formal occasions, scouting, and overall appearances, this doesn’t make them completely human however as some features tend to show (ears, tails, etc.). Their beastial form is something you’d see from a rarian, they share many features with their animal counterpart including a size change – this is the form most likely used in combat. Their primal form is their beast form – a large increase in size and an almighty rage that exudes from their spirit. The primal state is not something one desires and is mostly seen in humans that have not undergone the ritual. It is possible to enter the primal state voluntarily however this risks the user being lost to the animal path and might never return, as such it is very rarely done. In their local language they call changing “Voge” (voh-geh) or “Woge” (woh-geh) in direct translation it is “to show”.

Flag/symbol: [+]

culture [+]

Religion: The Khalai people believe that in nature there is life and death and that through death one can appreciate life, just as one cannot appreciate the moon without the sun, or fire without water, or peace without war. This is why the Taisu stone, their relic and only wonder, is so important to their religion as the stone’s imagery represents light and dark constantly at odds with each other but always apart and in balance.

Magic: The Khalai people have three principles of magic. Elemental magic (Earth, Wind, Fire, Water), Natural magic (all things that grow with nature), and spiritual magic (hexes, curses, cures, enchantments, talismans etc.). These three principles have three different types of practitioners, the sorcerer for the elements, the druid for nature, and the shaman or witch doctor for spiritual magic.

hierarchy [+]

The Khalani people have four levels of hierarchy, the ruling class, the warrior class, the religious class, and the peasantry class. The ruling class is determined by most dedicated and elite warrior class through ritual combat unless the current patriarch or matriarch declares an heir which can then be challenged by the warrior elite to ritual combat. The religious class is held at a slightly higher regard than the peasantry class as they preserve the history and culture of the Khalani people; while the peasantry class is considered lowest in the hierarchy they are treated with a degree of respect if they are hard working citizens of the realm.

Criminals, hooligans, beggars, and thieves are viewed as garbage because they bare no use to the country. The guards and priests pick up these people and give them a choice, work as a guardsman for five years or become part of the clergy and study abroad to bring back new knowledge about the world around them. Though this doesn’t ensure that they won’t run away it is a way of culling the weak from their society.

History: [+]

The Lonely Isles were a set of islands that were discovered and settled by people who wanted to distance themselves from the mainland’s struggles and conflicts. They settled on the isles and built large villages which would be the foundation of the realm that it would become.

All was peaceful, the people that created their new society appointed a leader among them and their endeavors grew in magnitude; their borders, while closed to many of the mainland’s inhabitants, were open to dwarves, elves, fairies, and other humans. Friendly nations which wanted to watch the realm grow pledged their navies and troops to help protect the meager isles; while there was strife and hardship, the people who have settled on the island have never forgotten their goal.

Not long after however, a strange and mysterious curse started to affect many of the human inhabitants, at night they would turn into voracious monsters that terrorized villages and towns, and while many of the other inhabitants rose to fight, more and more were being affected by the curse. It was not long before many of the settlers decided that leaving the islands would be a better alternative to struggling through another night on the Lonely Isles.

There were very few brave souls left, around half the population of humans remained, the dwarves, elves, and other settlers have all but fled – what remained of the settling population were the stubborn few. It was then that the Khalani tribesmen appeared, they had nursed many of the people that have turned beast to health and followed them to the nearby villages and settlements. They were once human but many years of living on the island have shaped them into something new. It was difficult trying to talk to them at first, but a good few knew common.

They had a solution to the problem the settlers faced, they were in between the state of beast and man, somewhat like the rarians of the mainland but more human than beast. They explained that the “curse” as they interpreted it wasn’t a curse at all, rather a test of nature and spirit. The Khalani told them that this test was meant to bridge the animal spirit and the human spirit which they called the test of paths.

The animal path allowed you to know the animal you most identified with and the human path allowed you to understand more about yourself. By bridging the two paths you get a spirit that is attuned to nature and its gifts and still understand the importance of death and loss. Through this enlightenment your spirit becomes one again.

The effect is caused by the relic that lies within the center of the largest island’s many cave systems and is a religious place for the Khalani.The tribesmen gathered everyone affected as well as the people who will be affected and conducted a mass ritual to help the settlers become whole. During their transition the settlers and Khalani lived together, learned together, and grew together. There were times where the human settlers would attempt to break the relic known as the Taisu stone – the wonder guardians and the Khalani defenders thwarted their attempts alongside human settlers who were against the destruction of the stone.

The human settlers weren’t the only danger however, they were constatly at odds with more radical Khalani tribesmen and clans. The isles were divided in many ways, struggle and strife became a part of everyday life and eventually war broke out among the clans. The period of great divide ended with one clan uniting all the others through combat. For the majority this was an honor as their victory ensured that the strong ruled, the others however harbored resentment mostly because they felt that the losses they had sustained was unjustified and uncalled for.

To preserve this new found of peace the ruling echelon declared a period of slumber as the new nation closed its borders to rebuild and heal. Only a select few were allowed into the country to trade and study, they were the elves, dwarves, fairies, and other humans. The humans who traveled there understood the risks and underwent the same ritual the other settlers before have gone through. This was hundreds of years ago in the past.

Today the Khalai practice an open but strict border and a firm yet tolerant view of foreigners. They send many scholars and traders to all nations open to them to learn and return with new found knowledge and wealth for the betterment of the country. Through this they’ve learned that the world has changed, there has been great struggle and greater unimaginable war. A problem that the mainland had to deal with, it was not of Khalai concern. However the future for them is uncertain as their world would be the subject of great change.

Wonder: [+]

The Taisu Stone (A relic) – A large, flat, circular disk made out of marble and granite carved to look like two wolves chasing each other’s heart. One had the heart of the sun and the other the moon. The stone splits the soul of every human who enters the isles into two paths – The animal path and the human path. If left unchecked, the effects turn those who are affected into all manner of uncontrollable beasts at night but in the morning they wake up with no memory of the night previous.

It is said that people trying to escape the isles is what led to the creation of many of the beasts that you see today, the most prevalent examples are the rarians. Some of the rarians today are descendants of the people who ran away from the lonely isles, only to accept their beast form when they had learned that they could not escape it. While not all beast-men originate from the isles, there’s a good portion that did. The stone is responsible for the creation of many races, but it will not affect them when it is destroyed, only the fact that no new races can be birthed from the stone and regular humans will no longer be turned into beasts against their will.

Wonder guard: [+]

The guards manifest as two spirits, the warrior clad in armor and his companion a wolf. They are the physical manifestation of the stone’s creators. The warrior represents the human path and the wolf represents the animal path. They speak an ancient language that no one can speak or understand, but they have since let their names be known. Ardanus and Frenmous - their spirits are bound to the stone and have long protected it from all manner of beasts and assailants. Their story is long lost, yet they still tell it through their own tongue.

Though they have learned little by little the languages of today, they still cannot hold a proper conversation. But their identities are known, they were the agents of the gods to keep watch on the world, the human warior watched by day and the wolf by night; that is about as far as most people know. What happened to them is still lost in translation.

Technology: [+]

Their technology is slow in its development, while the rest of the world has flintlocks, the Khalani have only managed large matchlocks that are slung over the shoulder to fire. However, they have learned how to create canons from their returning scholars around the rest of the world. Their scholars also found various boat design and sails where before they only had large paddle powered galleys.

Steel was developed early and their steel work is more advanced after their interaction with the dwarves, however they cannot create it to the standard the dwarves have set. They now have their own forging methods that allow them to create steel of differing qualities for different uses.

Military might: They create capable warriors however, they have never been an aggressor in a conflict that involved more than themselves and always strive only to strike when struck. To sum it up in a few words, they have a capable defense force.

characters [+]

The Matriarch [+]

Name: Dayala Azora (Dah-yah-lah Ah-zoh-rah)

Nickname: Dayla (day-lah)

Rank/title: Matriarch

Capabilities: She is a capable leader and a capable warrior, she has never lost in ritual combat nor has she ever shied away from more heavy handed methods of governing. She can guage when to be lenient and when to be unforgiving by just an eye on the situation. There is a reason she is the Matriarch

Background: When Dayala was young she was already thinking further than most, she was already braver than most, and already more headstrong than most. She was smart, strong, dedicated, and yet because she was a woman she was never taken seriously. But she was never one to backdown from a challenge like that, nor was she to take the world as it is.

By the time she was of age to join the Isle guards the eras were changing, women were starting to assert themselves and their rights and unlike in most societies they weren’t against more primal methods of asserting themselves. Ritual combat was a way of showing who was boss and the women of the isles were not exempt from it. Dayala had challenged many of her kinsmen to ritual combat and she has never lost once. She had trained for so long just for the chance to join the isle guard and her hardships did not cease when she was finally accepted into the isle guard. Even though she had passed every requirement she was nothing more than a maid, but it was something she endured, it showed her restraint – many new members go through this stage of labor regardless of gender.

Eventually she rose through the ranks and proved herself worthy of recognition. She was the reason the isle guard were reformed to better fit an army than a meager militia force. Her reforms made the Isle guards stronger and smarter, her strict doctrines within the Isle guards and her kindness to her peopler were what drew many to support her when she challenged the patriarch in ritual combat for the right of leadership. The patriarch was a strong Leopard Khalai and though he was stronger than her physically, he was not careful in combat, nor wise in his assessment of his opponent. The patriarch lost and honorably conceded his position to Dayala who from that point on wards became the Matriarch of her people.

She then placed requirements for ritual combat when it came to positions of power as it was important that new would be leaders have to be ready to face certain hardships. She placed tests of will, tests of heart, and tests of mind before the test of strength - ritual combat and though there have been many who passed these requirements, she has never lost in ritual combat and thus she continues her duties to her people.

Deus Ex Machina points/ DEM points: (This is how likely you are from being saved or surviving an attack.Their actions and their priorities gives an individual DEM points.)

Death points: (Death points are how likely a character would die in an event. Their actions and their priorities gives an individual DEM points.)

The Fox [+]

Name: Altaz Zenrah

Nickname: Al

Rank/title: The Fox/Commander of the Isle guards

Capabilities: Altaz is the type of man who’s old enough to know what he’s talking about, he is the type of leader who would pull a sneaky trick out of his sleaves when all seems lost, he’s the type of man that would run from a fight only to trap you later. He’s a sly fox.

Background: Altaz, a beggar and a stealer. He was never destined for anything other than being trash, he was never destined for anything other than being an outcast. However, he was always the smartest of the smart and the most illusive of all conmen. He had a way out for everything, he had no problems with his life. He’s old enough to have seen the regime change plenty of times, but none have caught him more than the regime of Dayala.

The way they met was rather unceremonious, he was finally caught and was being brought into the halls where Dayala would speak to him. He was expecting harshwords and a punishment, instead he was told three words which surprised him. “Become my general.” How could he refuse, how difficult could it be?

His ascension to power was not overlooked by many of his subordinates, he had to do more work to get back into good physical condition, and he had to read up on doctrine. It wasn’t very fleshed out, but many parts of it intrigued him. There came a point where he was challenged to boardgame, something like chess in the other world. He won several times, but by cheating and when he was caught many would complain to the Matriarch about this dishonorable man. The matriarch replied to their squirming,

“To have been fooled as generals by a man who clearly knows the basics of strategy just shows how inexperienced you all are. Deception is part of the game and he put it to even more use, in an actual battlefield there won’t be a set amount of guidelines telling the other general what to do and staying in that mindset will get your men killed.

Knowing this, I should have half a mind to have you all replaced by more capable men and there are plenty out there that can do a much better job than you.”

It was then Altaz realized something, she chose him because he could make do with very little, because he was actually capable of strategy and leadership to a degree that most people can’t comprehend. He thought outside the box. He was given purpose and he owed the Matriarch his servitude.

Deus Ex Machina points/ DEM points: (This is how likely you are from being saved or surviving an attack.Their actions and their priorities gives an individual DEM points.)

Death points: (Death points are how likely a character would die in an event. Their actions and their priorities gives an individual DEM points.)

Grand Admiral [+]

Name: Kazah Barda

Nickname: Ironclaw Kaz

Rank/title: Grand Admiral

Capabilities: The grand admiral is a crab Khalai, he is ruthless combatant and will not tolerate mercy towards pirates and those who wish only to profit from his people. His claw is strong enough to snap and bend steel swords, his natural armor is hard enough to stop hammer blows. His down and dirty way of thinking is why he is called “Ironclaw Kaz”

Background: Kazah’s life was like many aquatic Khalai, mostly beneath the sea. He has traveled to every island just by swimming the depths and exploring the currents that made up the waters of the Lonely Isles. The Khalai beneath the waves would often do this because they were delivering fish and underwater goods to other islands as trade. That being said, Kazah wanted more than just being a tradesman all his life, he wanted to be able to do something more for his people and back then the only other thing more important than scholars and tradesman were guards.

Kazah joined the naval branch of the Isle guards, his experience with the sea quickly earned him the rank of lieutenant. As lieutenant he could captain a ship of his own, back then all the navy had were paddle powered galleys with rickity mounts for cannons, a last minute addition – an afterthought. The extra weight meant that the galley wasn’t as fast as many of the newer ships that they would soon encounter.

Piracy was blooming, a new age of exploration was coming to fruition, however Kazah tolerated no pirate. If he could not compete in speed, then he would compete in wit and the more times progressed the more aggressive his methods became. New ships were available to him, a meager sloop was supplied, and he made do yet again. Bigger ships couldn’t out run him and nore could they out maneuver him and the beastial form gave them a huge advantage when boarding. Kazah would earn his nickname as ironclaw by snapping things in half with his large crushing claw. His insane tactics earned him the rank of admiral – eventually he was promoted to grand admiral by Dayala, the new Matriarch.

Her reason for promoting him were as follows.

“There was no man that I could entrust the seas to than the famous Ironclaw Kaz of the eastern fleet. His aggressive yet well calculated methods of attack as well as his quick thinking at sea is the reason why pirates no longer see our isles as a safe haven. He is ten times the man that his peers are – though they are impressive in their own right. None are more legendary nor more accomplished in leading a fleet than Kazah Barda.”

Deus Ex Machina points/ DEM points: (This is how likely you are from being saved or surviving an attack.Their actions and their priorities gives an individual DEM points.)

Death points: (Death points are how likely a character would die in an event. Their actions and their priorities gives an individual DEM points.)

Since elves are reluctant to fight at the frontlines they have created something that does. The elvish "creation magic" is well-known, it turns a previously lifeless body into a fierce animated guardian. The ritual usually requires a living soul as a catalyst and a target to whom this creature is bound like an obedient automaton. Onqára or the "stone monks" of Yllendthyr are a bit different. It all begins with person enrolling in the Onaira system which is a mix between a religious cult, propaganda and military academy. These people undergo intense training in both spirit and body with the end result being to groom a fanatic ascetic warrior ready to serve the Empire. The novices are often also sent to guard duties to preserve public order and spread the fame of Yllendthyr. Upon the completition of their 10 years of training they are ready to make the ultimate sacrifice. Forsaking their bodies, sensations and the ability to speak they transfer to a construct body made of stone, carved by themselves. As the Ongára they sever their worldy desires and become something greater, all for their desire to maintain order. The Ongára and the Onaira organization in general has a highly esteemed reputation with most people being in awe of the monks' devotion.

Of course the reality is a bit more sinister. The soul used to animate the construct is only the catalyst, they explicitly have no free will. Stone monks upon conversion lose all their individuality and become mindless servants to the Empire. As their contract is linked to the state instead of a particular person this also manages to avoid the common issue with elvish constructs. Namely if the creator dies, all constructs lose their bindings and turn to dangerous frenzy. This is also the reason why in spite of the convoluted methods to acquire sufficient number of souls, Yllendthyr has a much larger ratio of construct soldiers than any other empire. With the illusion of this process being voluntary they also manage to avoid the public outrage. In general this is a win-win situation to them.

Onqára are stone warriors, usually made of some kind of marble or limestone equivalent. As animated stone creatures they have superior strength and are durable enough to ignore both arrows and swords. In addition they lack vitals and thus can take surprising amount of punishment. Their only weakness is the destruction of the specific part which contains the soul. Anything else destroyed means the soul is still salvageable and can be put into another body. Stone monks are a powerful asset and unlike other elvish contructs they don't need direct order from their master to be effective. So long Yllumírë stands the Onqára will serve the empire.

I just think it would be really fun to screw over those damn primitives.

Have a spot for one more? Assuming this is still active... looks like people haven't been posting as much lately.

Name: The Bastion

Flag/symbol:(Optional)

How you survived: The Bastion is a group of ships centered around the USNS Mercy, a hospital ship whose sole mission is to provide medical care for the injured around the world. As such, it was never a combatant in the war and attacking it is considered a war crime according to the old international law. However, that didn't stop some desperate nations during the wars to try to seize the ship for its immense medical capabilities. However, the USNS Mercy found safety in the form of defectors or ships who lost contact with their command. With little direction, the commanders of various ships found the USNS Mercy and joined it in its mission to serve mankind to help heal the wounds of its own folly. The Bastion has never engaged in an offensive mission, and only engages targets in self-defense.

Flag Ship:
Enterprise - The Enterprise is the 3rd in line of the former US' new line of super carriers. Meant to be largely automated, it needed less personnel to operate the ship and is powered by 2 A1B Nuclear Reactors to make the ship a floating power generator.

Modules:
1. Self-Defense System - An array of weapons that are used to protect the ship from missiles, ships, and aircraft.
2. Hanger - Permanent housing and service area for the fleet's aircraft
3. Energy Generation - 2 Nuclear Generators provide the ship with more than needed. Originally intended to be used to allow further upgrades to the ship before WW3. Now it is used to help provide power and energy to the rest of the fleet and cities that they visit to provide care.
4. Engineering Bay - Due to the extended need to operate and need to be self sufficient, the engineering bay has been expanded to allow the ship to allow the ship to make extra parts, machinery, and etc.
5. Advanced Radar Array - The Enterprise needs to be able to see what's coming in order to appropriately deal with the situation. The ship has the best radar system available to man before the wars.

Two Ships:
Mercy - A former oil container that was converted into a hospital ship by the US. It features beds for patients, and a whole array of medical equipment, supplies, and a laboratory. It also houses a hydroponics lab for the fleet's need for vitamins. This ship houses most of the fleet's non combatants.

Laramie - A former fleet oiler, the Laramie provides the fleet with it's oil needs to operate machinery like aircraft. Due to the fleet's need for self-sustainability, part of the ship has been converted into a drillship to find and drill for oil. This ship serves as a resource surveyor.

One Escorts:
Zumwalt - The Zumwalt is a multirole stealth destroyer, typically tasked with protecting the fleet both on and off the sea. However, it also has a small amphibious loading bay where the Bastion's marines largely deploy from to secure landings and perform peacekeeping operations where ever the fleet lands.

Technology: The Fleet carries some of the best technologies to keep the fleet safe and help others. However, it's ability to conduct offensive operations are largely limited to aircraft and the zumwalt since the two auxiliary ships are non-combatant ships. Thus, the technology of the fleet can best be described as great to defend and sustain itself, but it particularly excels in the field of medicine and biological research.

Military might: The Fleet has serious abilities to defend itself, but conducting offensive operations away from the fleet is something that the fleet has not done and hopefully will never have to do. However, most of the armaments of the fleet are self-defense systems with the exception of aircraft, marines, and the zumwalt's missiles and guns.

History:

The Bastion has largely been a neutral entity in the old world, simply focusing on its mission of helping the unfortunate and securing the future of the fleet and humanity. Although some pirates and other desperate nations have attempted to capture the fleet, the fleet has been more than successful at fending for itself due to the capabilities of the Enterprise and the Zumwalt. Still, there are many people around the old world who have their lives saved thanks to the humanitarian missions conducted by the Bastion. These good relations have been beneficial for the fleet as it enabled the fleet to receive charitable donations and attract skilled and educated experts in areas that it had historically been lacking in. The fleet is proud to host one of the most diverse and advanced medical staff in the world as well as other experts whose contributions have helped the fleet keep up its mission.

I do have a discord! However, I'm going to be busy until tomorrow night. I have to take the CFA... so been focusing on that the last few days. But I can make a character asap after my test.