Thaln has had a history of conflict. Laying to the southeast of the Kingdom of Velt, and south of the Kingdom Ithillin, Thaln has found itself long embroiled in various forms of conflict. From idealogical conflict between the kingdom's nobility, to the clash of warriors on a battlefield. Its history was born from warfare. It is these conditions that resulted in the rise of the Iron Rose Knights.

An orphaned girl, no older then sixteen, took up a fallen warrior's sword and defended the Mayonite High Priestess Salferi Falthir with her life. Despite no prior training in the art of swordplay, she fended off several armed soldiers and ensured the Priestess's safety. This girl, due to her miraculous defense of the High Priestess, was immediately granted sanctuary and assistance. But her one desire she named above all was to found an order that could defend Falthir, ensure that no harm came to the High Priestess of Mayon. It was here that the Iron Rose Knights came to be.

First lead by the girl, whose miraculous swordplay paved the way for tradition, they began as Knights of the Mayonite Clergy. Since then, successors of the orphaned Elionne Carthet had always been maidens born under a full moon, as the miraculous girl knight herself was. Over time, their purpose changed. Motivated by the Mayonite tenets of the protection of those who could not protect themselves, the Iron Rose Knights slowly began to grow more distant from the Mayonite Clergy.

Two hundred years since their founding, the Iron Rose Knights have become defenders of Thaln and its people. A noble order of knights founded on Mayon's kindness. Their symbol, over so many years, has become a simple Iron Rose as opposed to the stylized Mayonite Rose. A link to their roots, and a show of their continued love of the goddess, while also symbolizing that times have forged them into more then guards for the High Priestess. Of course, this change could never have happened if the High Priestess had not chosen to give the Knights' services over to the kingdom.

Since their founding, and the changing of their purpose, the Knights have proven themselves by again and again striking down warlords, bandits, and foul cults.

Now, Thaln is at relative peace. An era of simplicity, it seems, as compared to a past of conflict. The current King and Queen have governed wisely, and their daughter has shown herself to be a popular figure among the people.

The Iron Rose Knights stand ready, to strike at any threats that may rise.

However, can they truly prepare themselves for a threat from within?

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The Iron Rose Knights stand in service of Thaln's people. An elite force that adheres to old tradition, this does not mean there is no dissent in the ranks. One of the chief sources of such dissent is their method of selecting the captains of the Iron Rose Knights.

While no-one can deny the miraculous nature of Elionne Carthet, the first captain of the Iron Rose Knights, the tradition that resulted from her has begun to wear thin on some nobles, and some within the ranks of the Knights. To pick a young girl, inexperienced even if she has fought and trained in swordplay, over those with more experience on the battlefield. Simply because she was born on a full moon. This has rather sharply resulted in backlash in recent years, even after the tradition has gone on so long.

And the current captain, recently selected, must bear it.

And some nobility even say that perhaps the time has come for such an old order to fade away...

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Here's some information crucial to the setting:

Races(ONLY HUMANS ARE PLAYABLE. PLEASE ASK IF YOU DESIRE OTHERWISE. I MAY CONSIDER IT):

• Humans: Straightforward and coming in many varieties. Humans in Thaln are ruled by the King and Queen of Thaln, living Thaln's Capital of Aimlenn. The overwhelming majority of the Iron Rose Knights are human.
• Elves: Elves, too, come in several varieties, with splits even within these varieties. High Elves dwelling in cities, High Elves dwelling in forests, Wood Elves dwelling in Forests in both tree-cities and in a manner more one with nature, Dark Elves dwelling beneath the earth and far to the North in Barukstaed. The greatest differences between these varieties is culture and architecture, as all elves are unable to die of old age. They are also capable of reproducing with humans, producing half-elves. Of course, Elves are extremely rare in Thaln.
  
  • High Elves: There are a handful of High Elven settlements beyond Lethienvel, but they are few and far between. Rarely, a High Elf from beyond the veil will venture into the rest of the world. High Elves boast perhaps the greatest proficiency with magic among their kind. An extremely rare sight in Thaln.
  • Dark Elves: From the Far North, Dark Elves are mysterious folk who dwell so far to the North that the sun rarely pierces the snowstorms. Another rare sight in Velt. Dark Elves are highly proficient assassins and are skilled in the art of stealth and infiltration. An extremely rate sight in Thaln
  • Wood Elves: The most common variant of Elven kind in Velt, and the youngest, Wood Elves dwell in forest cities and towns. They are fond of solitude, but gracious hosts to visitors who arrive with their permission. Few intruders, however, return alive. Wood elves are known for their skill in archery and hunting. There is a Wood Elf Settlement in Thaln, but finding it is extremely difficult.
• Dwarves: Short, bearded folk dwelling in their deep mines and working metal, dwarves have a reputation for honesty, loyalty, and being the most stubborn people you could possibly meet. Dwarves often build vast kingdoms within mountains across the land. The dwarven capital is far North of Thaln, in the great Grey Mountains, home to their most vast halls and the Deep King. Dwarven metalworking is the best by far in the land, but they lack magical capabilities entirely. They are only ever seen in Thaln as traveling parties.
• Nem: A diminutive race from the deserts of the south, the Nem resemble small humans, commonly reaching heights of around 3'4-3'5. They are universally pale in skintone, with red or yellow eyes and black hair. Nem males cannot grow facial hair, and as a whole they are small and agile but lacking in physical strength. They are also known for being skilled archers, and wielding curved swords(well, more like daggers to the larger races). Their language lacks an equivalent to the letter "B", and some Nem have trouble pronouncing it as a result. They are nocturnal and possess excellent night vision, but during the day their vision is slightly worse than a human's. They also easily burn in the sun and must wear covering clothing to move during the day. Most Nem live in their desert homes, but there are a few found in Thaln as well. They have an extremely low alcohol tolerance. Nem worship a night goddess known as Ila-Nem.
• The Hundi: The Hundi are a a near-human race. On average they are around the average human height, or slightly shorter. What physically sets them apart from humanity is their soft, furred, dog-like ears and tails. Loyal, proud, and honorable, the Hundi are said to be incapable of lying. On every Hundi's sixteenth birthday, they are sent on a journey to practice their highly-valued combat skills and learn about the world first-hand. An unusual custom of the race is their unique marriage rights. An opponent who defeats a Hundi in honorable combat immediately gains the position of that Hundi's fiancee, to be married as soon as possible. Hundi are most common in Ithillin, but some enter Thaln as part of their mandatory quests, or as wanderers or the occasional sellsword.
• Sapient Undead: Living beings who have, for whatever reason, revived after death with their mind intact. Usually this process only occurs with the recently dead. In place of the inherent life of any living being, they possess what magi refer to as a "mana reactor", a wellspring of mana simulating life and allowing a corpse to be animated. Their bodies do not decompose, and they are immune to poisoning or the effects of bloodloss(though their blood does indeed flow it serves no purpose). The "mana reactor" allows their bodies to heal, but decapitation is unquestionably death for even the most powerful of sapient undead. They can also be hacked to pieces, their bodies capable of healing but needing its parts to be fixed in place before such a thing is possible. One possible source of Sapient Undead is necromancy. ASK ME FIRST
• Fairy: Fairies resemble female, human-like children. With the exception of the fact that human children tend not to be six inches tall at most, winged, and wearing clothing made from flowers. Fairies possess translucent insect-like wings, and all fairies are female. They tend to possess a childish immaturity, but they are in fact adults. Fairies tend to be inquisitive and curious, as it benefits such a small race of beings to investigate their surroundings thoroughly. Their curiosity extends to when they meet new people, as well. Fairies are mostly harmless, the worst they seem to be able to bring themselves to do being mischevious pranks upon other, larger races. However, harming or killing a fairy will bring the anger of other fairies upon the perpetrator, and they carry a large amount of sharp objects and know how to aim for the eyes and throat far too well. Fairies cannot die of old age, and only violence or disease can kill a fairy. A common sight in Thaln's forests.
• Nagas: One of the monstrous races, and an extremely uncommon sight outside of the wilds, nagas are human until you reach their thighs. For, from the thighs down, a naga possesses a strong, thick snake tail instead of legs. Nagas are carnivorous and possess sharpened teeth, though no naga dwelling in Thaln is venomous. There are various races of naga across the lands, though only one dwells in Thaln. A naga's tail is incredibly strong and remarkably dangerous.
• Harpies: A mountain-dwelling monstrous race, harpies are an unusual race of beings in that they are entirely female, relying on the males of other races for reproduction. In place of arms they have a pair of wings, and therefore lack hands and cannot create clothing or tools easily. Harpies dwelling in towns or cities often live with a roommate of another race in order to be dressed properly. A harpy's bird-like feet are highly dexterous and possess sharp claws, and their wings are strong enough to easily break a man's arm. They are light due to their hollow bones and highly cold-resistant. On average they are somewhat shorter than human females.
• Orcs and Goblins: A race divided into two categories, largely by strength and size. Orcs are on average a head taller than a human man, and are very burly and powerful. Goblins are usually a head shorter on average, and are wiry and thin. They usually possess sickly green or grey skin, and are violent barbarians who pillage and steal from others. Orcs are generally found roving in warbands, while Goblins often hide in deep, dank caves. Both Orcs and Goblins are known to eat the flesh of other races. Orcs ride boars, often given aggression-boosting herbs.Not playable, even if you ask.
• Trolls: A relation to Orcs and Goblins, Trolls are tall, muscular, and dim-witted beasts. Eating anything they can get their hands on, trolls are more monsters than they are sapient beings. Orcs often use them as attack dogs of a sort, filling them with aggression-boosting herbs. Not playable, even if you ask.
• Mindless Undead: Undead reanimated by a source that does not retain their mind. These undead can be revived at any point after death, and unlike sapient undead their bodies are not preserved. Rotting corpses or skeletal warriors, mindless undead crave flesh and will attempt to consume it even though they are incapable of digesting it. With the aid of guiding intelligence, such as a necromancer, mindless undead can wield weaponry. Necromancy can also raise mindless undead. They may also occur in places of great violence or magical disturbance. While a bite from a mindless undead can cause unpleasant infection, they are usually no great threat to a prepared warrior. Mindless Undead are considered an abomination by the Dual Church of Reon and Mayon, and are exterminated whenever possible. Not playable, even if you ask.
• Giants: A race of huge humanoids, often ranging from seventeen to twenty-five feet tall in height. They resemble, quite simply, enormous humans of either gender. They are extremely strong and physically capable, but few giants ever posses the capability of performing magic. Velt's Giants live in small settlements resembling human villages, but there are giants with a more tribal civilization further south. In spite of the size difference, half-giants are possible. They tend to be around ten feet tall and have immense strength.ASK ME FIRST

Locations:

• Thaln: A land covered in forests and plains, Thaln has had a remarkably bloody history. However, in recent times there has been a period of relative peace. The last notable conflict was the War of the Red Flag, between the Kingdom's armies, including the Iron Rose Knights, and the forces of the rebellious noble Phoran Cal and his allies. It ended in a resounding victory for Thaln's forces and Phoran's soldiers were crushed, the noble himself struck down by the Iron Rose Knights' previous captain. However, she died shortly afterwards from a blow struck with a poisoned dagger. There have been several years of peace since then, but only recently was a replacement captain of the Knights selected and instated. Due to their war-filled past, Thaln's nobility most often has a strong military tradition, though younger members of certain families may be less exposed to such matters.
• Velt: The country of Velt, northwest of Thaln, is a vast land composed largely of plains and forests, with a few notable mountain ranges(such as the Northern mountain of Cahladren, home to the dwarven city of Draz'khzidra). The River Nirinel runs through the heart of Velt, and the Veltan capital of Meridan is situated on its Southwestern bank. Velt is dotted with ruins of the past, from the crumbling Blue Ridge Watchstation overlooking Vaelin's Lake, to the deep, dark ruins of the Prison-Castle of Mad King Haldric. Meridan is a vast, wealthy city, featuring the White Tower as the seat of its royalty and the rulers of Velt.
• Ithillin: The land to the northeast of Thaln, ruled by King Indril of Calthir. Similar to Velt in climate and geography, though lacking in the mountainous regions to the North, Ithillin has a bustling trade with Velt and the two countries enjoy excellent relations. Thaln experiences some of this trade as well. The country's capital is Calthir, situated to the northwest. Deep in the southeast their lies the Black Pit, Talderia, a foul crater given a wide breadth by all but the most insistent of adventurers.
  
  • Talderia: "And the King's misdeeds destroyed all, his black heart darkened his city, and all was brought to ruin." The ruins of the ancient city of Talderia are located in Ithillin. They are given a wide breadth by travelers, and it is often times that Talderia is referred to as the Black Pit. For the ruins of Talderia have become a den of the utmost evil, filled with the most vile beings beyond imagining. None who venture into the Black Pit ever return.
• The Veil of Tears/Lethienvel: The famed, or perhaps infamous, rushing wall of water dividing the western land of the High Elves and the lands east of them. There are gate-ways between them, though the water. There is no visible source, and yet somehow it appears to flow. Though somehow, it is difficult to tell if the water flows up or down. Its infamy stems from a tragic event in the history of the High Elves, the first occurrence of the spilling of High Elven blood by other High Elves. The tragedy and regret from this incident gave the location its name, and to this day many High Elves still have reluctance to cross the Veil. However, there are some settlements on the opposite side of the Veil.
• Orodagor: In the land Northeast of Ithillin lies the shattered remains of a relic of a long-passed age. Orodagor, the Black Fortress, was a stronghold for the armies of Hidroroth the Void. Hidroroth, the poison existence born from the utter fall to evil of one of the world's deities, sought to paint the world in shadows an consume all life in a shroud of darkness. He was slain, ultimately, in the Battle of Inmoorn, thousands of years ago, his spirit left to the judgement of the Gods. Orodagor was one of the remnants of this long-passed age, abandoned for centuries. However, nearly eight thousand years ago, a new figure appeared and made her stronghold here. The Witch-Queen of Orodagor, as she came to be known, threatened Velt and all the lands around it by sending her coven of witches to overtake the lands. She was apparently slain at Orodagor in spite of her incredibly powerful magic, but rumor has it she did not perish here.

Other:

• The Church of Reon/The Church of Mayon: The largest religion among humans in Thaln, originating from Velt, this dualistic religion worships both the Sun Goddess Reon and the Moon Goddess Mayon. Both Goddesses, it is said, cannot be separated from one another. Reon's symbol is a highly-stylized lily, and Mayon's is a similarly-stylized rose. Chapels to the goddesses are paired, and adherents focus on either one or the other. Paladins of both goddesses are a common sight, with Reonite paladins being highly aggressive combatants while Mayonite paladins are often more intended to keep peace. The religion is deeply anti-slavery, and Reonite paladins are often deployed to break slavery rings and free those being sold through them. Worship for either sect features the sacrifice of lilies for Reon and roses for Mayon. In Thaln, Mayon worship is more common then Reon worship, but both goddesses are revered.
  
  • Reon: The sun goddess Reon is believed to have the form of a beautiful maiden. While unimpressive in stature in spite of her nature as a deity, it is said that the goddess possesses a fiery nature. She is described as having fair skin, flowing, long blonde hair, and alert blue eyes. She is clad in red and gold robes. Reon is said to have a palace on the surface of the Sun, a paradise that all her worshippers go to after death. Naturally, the aspect most strongly symbolizing her is fire. Lilies are even burned to be sacrificed to her. The weaponry of Reonite Paladins is often enchanted so that it is capable of in some way channeling this divine fire. Reonite Paladins are highly aggressive fighters, their purpose being to destroy evil.
  • Mayon: The moon goddess Mayon also takes the form of a beautiful maiden. She is taller than Reon, with shorter, black hair and somewhat darker skin. Her eyes are a soft shade of amber. She wears robes of blue and white, and like her counterpart possesses a palace, though naturally hers is situated on the moon. The aspect that most strongly symbolizes her is water, for water is directly effected by the phases of the moon. Incorporating water into weaponry in a direct manner is difficult, so unlike Reonite Paladins, Paladins of Mayon do not often use such enchantments. They are more protective, often wielding enormous tower shields for the purpose of defending themselves and the innocent from evil.
• Magic: Many races possess a natural internal source of mana. However, not everyone has enough to achieve the status of a mage. Magi are practioners of magic educated by a tutor or by a Mage's College, honing their skills in order to cast a variety of spells. Spells require some concentration and the ability to cast, using chants ranging of at least one word. Stronger spells require more words and therefore take more time to cast. Running low on mana is dangerous as it may strain the caster's body, causing them to lose consciousness or worse. Magic users educated outside of the accepted systems are known as witches, and are viewed with no small amount of suspicion.

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So, um, basically to summarize this is an RP about an order of Knights in a conflict-filled country, taking place in a fantasy setting filled with all kinds of different fantasy-related things. Of course, Thaln has less interaction with some of the other races then some other countries do, but it's a fantasy RP nonetheless.

It'll be arc-based, and I'll freely take suggestions from players for arcs and collaborate with them to control the antagonists, but GM participation is a must in order to maintain consistent tone and setting.

A final note, as indicated by tags, there's anime influence in the setting and this RP.

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Bios:

• Name:
• Age:
• Gender:
• Race: Human(unless you discuss it with me AND your idea is approved. Nonhuman Iron Rose Knights must be an extreme minority)
• Appearance:
• Personality:
• Brief Backstory:
• Equipment:
• Skills:

This RP is in progress, found here. However, I'm opening it up in the hopes that we get some new blood!

Tentative interest, but hot damn that's a lot of RP to read through. I like the concept a lot, but can I get a TLDR so I can get up to scratch on what's gone down so far?

@Richard Horthy: Certainly!

The RP opened with the Iron Rose Knights dispatched to take on a particularly dangerous group of bandits, lead by a man calling himself Bandit King Jeremiah. On arriving and attacking the camp, the Bandit King revealed himself to be a monster of a man who was famed for slaying three-hundred men in a single battle and attacked the Knight-Captain Fanilly Danbalion, but was eventually killed by the combined efforts of multiple knights.

After the remaining bandits were killed or captured, the Knights returned to Aimlenn and their base of Candaeln, where they experienced some downtime before being invited to a ball being organized by the Royal Princess. Attending the ball, there was some animosity with one of the nobles, but much of that was pushed aside when an attempt was made on the Princess's life by a Nem Assassin, who was subdued after her failure. Questioning revealed she was being forced into the assassination attempt using her sister's life to do so. The knights were able to suppress the news of her failure and allowed her to guide them to the location in which the conspirators were hiding, where an intense fight broke out in the Cal Family crypt. Most of the Conspirators were killed, with one being taken prisoner and another revealing himself to be one of Phoran Cal's relatives, now a vampire who put up a considerable fight before finally being slain after dispensing an ominous warning.

After a little more downtime, the Knights were sent to a fort about a day's ride from Aimlenn from which a messanger had been sent begging for help before dying. When they got there, they found a mercenary band led by the ferocious Alette the Shark slaughtering what initially appeared to be Thaln's soldiers but were actually another mercenary band(the Golden Boars) who had discovered the soldiers stationed at the fort all dead from injuries inflicted by their fellow soldiers or themselves after being hired to obtain a mysterious item. Already a bizarre situation, it was also discovered that a shard of the ancient sword Angroron once wielded by the long-vanished Dark Lord Orodrunn was responsible, and following their only lead in hopes of finding it the knights went to the oldest Mayonite Shrine in Thaln. Here they found Phoran Cal's Daughter Veileena and her bodyguard, who reluctantly revealed after some considerable prodding that she had hired Alette to try and recover the Angroron Shard, which had been stolen from the Mage's College that was keeping it hidden on the same night as the assassination attempt. While interrogating her, the knights were suddenly ambushed by another group of Golden Boars seeking to capture Veileena.

And that brings us up to date, I believe!

@VitaVitaAR Cheers for that! I have a couple of ideas for characters with what i've read over so far. I'll start putting pen to paper and get back to you with what I come up with later on today.

@Richard Horthy: Glad to hear it, I'm eager to see what you come up with!

Hey, I would be interested in participating in this roleplay. The character I have in mind is a son of nomadic druids who aided the rightful king in the War of the Red Flag. Due to this aide the King recognized the authority of the head of the clan over his clan of druids. In a show of good will, the druid leader sent his son to be raised in the capital, converting to the Mayonite faith. He would eventually become a member of the Iron Rose Knights. He would have access to nature based magic, mostly plant life. He would also have a Great Horned Owl familiar.

If that character concept has any issues, please let me know.

@Martian: That all sounds good to me! There's a lot of unmentioned spirits and minor deities who even get some attention within the Reonite/Mayonite faith, so converting would not even have been that big a leap.

Sounds like y'all got a fun thing going. Really like the setting and story so far.

Current idea is a Nem who functions as more of a scout/tracker/sneak-thief combining unusual bladework, trickery, and alchemy to pull the rug out from under his opponents. His craft is rather un-knightly but of the utmost value. I was thinking he is someone outside the order who assists the knights in ways they would be hard pressed to do themselves.

Of course I'm very flexible and more than willing to reshape this idea or come up with something entirely different

@Jarl Coolgruuf: That would certainly work, definitely suited to a Nem's strengths as well.

So I was looking over some of the character sheets, and I was curious about the lore about making someone the progeny of a vampire and a human - AKA, a dhampir. I don't really care much about any of the power scaling stuff behind it - I ask because having it would give some more leeway toward their backstory as a conscript who's been captured and pressed into service a ton of times throughout their years, and any time they attempted an escape, fate would just so have it that some other conflict comes to be and they're pressed back into some random army. So given all the shit they've been through, they've taken up pretty heavy drinking to try and cope, which in turn has led to some very hazy memories that only come back to them when they start going through similar situations in what would be some fairly amusing hijinks. The tone I was thinking of was like The Hangover mixed with O Brother Where Art Thou where it's just this mishmashed odyssey of weird adventures strung together by drunken escapades so many times that they all just start fusing together.

But mostly it gives them an excuses to wear sunglasses everywhere.

@VitaVitaAR
So I'm working on my character sheet now. When it's done, would you prefer it to be posted in the OOC thread or PMed to you?

@Richard Horthy: Hmm. I think you'd be better off with a sapient undead for that concept.

@Martian: Post it in the OOC.

@VitaVitaAR Hmm, alright. Well anyway I think i'll go ahead and start getting to work on a character sheet.

I gotta ask though, why a sapient undead over the original idea

@Richard Horthy: With how vampires work in-setting dhampirs aren't possible.

Character is done and posted in the OOC thread.