[OOC] Wanted: Squad of killers to dispose of Chosen One

[Mardox]

A new age has dawned in the world of Hethras. An age of blood, fire and tyranny. In the petty Kingdom of Gennebeuge, the monarchy has been brutally deposed, and after years of devastating civil war and ceaseless bickering amongst the now-divided revolutionaries, one man has risen to power. His name is Zalheidas Vos'Kapraai, and with a combination of ruthless efficiency and unholy magical powers, he has united Gennebeuge under his rule and rapidly expanded into neighbouring countries, unifying these small nations into a single sprawling entity known as Zal Drudakk.

At first, the greater nations thought nothing would come of these petty kingdoms fighting amongst themselves, and were content to leave them be. Surely, Zalheidas' ambition would be sated soon, they thought. The realisation of their mistake came far too late; his ambition had no end. Troubling rumours began to arise - rumours of infernal pacts and unholy experiments, and before long Zalheidas met with the first resistance against his rule. Attacking from their home in the desert, a disorganised band of djinni - who took offence at Zalheidas' false claim of being half-djinn - assaulted Zal Drudakk. Met by the full force of Zalheidas' Legions, the djinni were slaughtered to a man, and through sorcery taught to him by his fiendish friends, Zalheidas claimed their souls for his own nefarious purposes. It was then that he began to be known as the 'Dark Lord', a title he eagerly embraced.

With the souls of the slain djinni, the flesh of the races he had subjugated, and a plentiful supply of fresh souls delivered to him by a traitor Djinn named Raadia, Zalheidas forged a new race in the dark depths of his capital, named in honour of himself and designed to be the ultimate soldiers. While the Dark Lord did not succeed in creating the master race he desired, he managed to create a formidable race of warriors to serve as the backbone of his legions. No longer would he have to rely solely on mercenaries, allies, and undead to do his bidding.

However, the Dark Lord was not content with the hideous and flawed Zalheiders. Turning upon his demonic former friends, he wrenched their souls from their bodies and tore them asunder before placing their rearranged essence into corpses. Yet these new beings were not his dream of a master race either. Rather, they were to be his agents, and more importantly, his assistants in creating and improving life. These 'Carrion Doctors', as they would come to be known, are rare outside the dark citadel, but their potent magical abilities make them a force to be reckoned with if challenged.

As Zalheidas and his allies in the Twilight Crags and the Slumbering Cities strengthened their iron grip over the continent of Meithra, the remaining great powers of the world moved to oppose them, finally responding to the threat the Dark Lord posed to their very existence. The proud elves of Zimska'avrat - ancient enemies of the Arachnae - were the first to mobilise, and their wise men uncovered a long-forgotten prophecy from olden days; one that quickly gave hope to their nation, and rallied others to their cause:

"There comes an age of blood and fire;
Of nations' fall 'pon blazing pyre.
Yet have no fear, for from it all,
One shall rise while all else fall.
Of humble blood, auspicious birth;
A master of the skies and earth,
Comes forth to conquer blackest night;
End ancient war 'twixt dark and light.
And peace shall reign throughout the lands;
The world within his guiding hands."

Sure enough, the elves produced a champion from their ranks. A peasant by the name of Lovrenc Amadeji proved himself to be extremely competent with sword, spell and leadership. So unusual was his skill that the sages agreed that he must be the Chosen One foretold by the prophecy.

With him at the head of the elven army, valiantly resisting the dark legions' encroachment on his lands, others aligned themselves with the elves, forming a mighty alliance they called the Bond of the Covenant. Al-Qazvin and the Dogiate of Cantazzaro, city-states in the southern lands, have raised their banners, along with rebel undead from the Slumbering Cities. Meanwhile, the nations of the Western Isles prepare for battle and to the east the Sacrum Imperium Hominis, exercising its supposed claim to rule over all mankind, has already sent soldiers to fight on behalf of the free peoples.

The fate of the world hinges upon the outcome of this war and legends walk the Earth. Zalheidas would give anything for Amadeji's head. This is where you come in. You have somehow caught the attention of the Dark Lord's underlings, and been recruited to a squad of killers said to be without rival. Your mission is to kill Amadeji and break the Covenant's will to fight.

Important Notes:

• The technology level is quasi-Napoleonic rather than the standard medieval tech that often accompanies fantasy. However, this is not steampunk. Automatons and robots will not be accepted.
• Amadeji is not actually the Chosen One the prophesy is about. The Dark Lord Zalheidas is. You know this, your character(s) do not.
• We are playing the baddies. Feel free to make your character truly despicable, but please be mindful of other players' comfort levels.
• Collaboration with other roleplayers is encouraged. We have a Discord and use a site called PiratePad to write collab posts.
• Applicants are expected to read the entire post before making a character.

Nations of the World

• Zal Drudakk - Founded by Zalheidas Vos'Kapraai himself, the dark empire of Zal Drudakk stretches across a huge swathe of Meithra, from the treacherous mountains of the north to the edge of the great deserts that dominate the western landscape. The core territories of the Dark Lord's empire have been turned into sprawling industrial powerhouses, churning out munitions and vat-grown Zalheiders at an alarming rate, while the frontier provinces are a desolate no-man's land, scorched and flattened by the constant warfare that now plagues the continent.
• Zimska'avrat - In the frozen north, the proud and haughty elven race dwells. Devoted utterly to their strict principles of honour, and their devout worship of the sun god Aurelion, the elves are traditionalists to a fault - a dangerous flaw to have in a rapidly modernising world. Nevertheless, their ideological fanaticism and perfection of archaic yet still deadly tactics make them a formidable foe.
• Sacrum Imperium Hominis - To the east lies the continent of Etrikea, dominated in its entirety by the Imperium. Claming holy authority granted by the dragon Adonai, the Imperium wishes to exercise what it sees as a sacred right to rule over all mankind across the globe. Whilst it has never yet come close to achieving its goal, the chaos of a world war may be the chance it needs.
• The Twilight Crags - The mountains that stretch across the north of Meithra are home to the Arachnae, the twisted spider-folk that have pledged their allegience to the Dark Lord. The Crags are a sinister, perilous place, where most do not dare to tread - especially the elves, of whom a scarce few have ever returned.
• The Slumbering Cities - The stench of rot and decay permeates these eerie marshlands, where sprawling cities populated by the living dead rise precariously from the swamp. Despite appearances, however, the dead here have kept their minds intact, and do not act with immediate hostility towards those who enter their lands. Most have pledged themselves to Zalheidas out of something approaching desperation - the Dark Lord accepts their fealty, while other powers would gladly see them exterminated.
• The Barrens - The Barrens are named for a stretch of strange desert that houses the largest population of Djinn in the entire world. The ancient city of Vargos hides beneath a tide of swirling sand, and the Djinn keep their old secrets away from outsiders. Travel and trade are tolerated in this mysterious land, but anyone getting too curious is sure to meet a terrible fate.
• Zelamoyod - Zelamoyod is an island nation on the very edge of the world. The Zelamoyodians are fiercely independent, fanatically militaristic, and almost religiously industrialist. They shun magic and despise foreigners, making certain to arrest anyone to travel to their nation without the purpose of business or diplomacy. They accept neither alliance, and if it was within their power, they would probably declare war on both sides.
• Cantazzaro - One of the most important trade hubs in the world, the small yet prosperous city-state of Cantazzaro is concerned only with one thing: maintaining its astronomical mercantile profits. The Doge and merchant council that govern the city employ formidable armies of mercenaries to aid in its defence - their protection being the only reason Cantazzaro remains independent. An attempted siege of the city by the Dark Lord's forces has resulted in the Dogiate aligning itself with the Bond of the Covenant.
• Al-Qazvin - An oasis of humanity on the edge of Djinn territory, the walled city of Al-Qazvin towers above the dunes, its impenetrable fortifications protecting its denizens from the perils of the vast desert lands. Al-Qazvin has repelled every attack and weathered every siege in its long and proud history, but it will not be long before the ambitions of the Dark Lord lead him to shatter this impressive record.
• Vaskrheim - On the southernmost island of the western archipelago, the harsh and bitter cold is tolerable only by the Vaskr; a hardy race of bear-men, warlike yet noble. With a culture heavily focused on glory in battle and deeds of great bravery and daring, the Vaskr are more terrifying warriors than even the Zalheiders themselves, especially when they give in to their base animalistic fury. Unfortunately for the Dark Lord's forces, the bear-men have firmly pledged their support to the Covenant.
• Solkyst - Once similar in culture to their ursine southern neighbours, the predominantly human nation of Solkyst has made significant efforts to modernise and civilise in recent decades. While they still technically maintain an allegiance with Vaskrheim, tensions between the two caused by their newfound cultural divide have begun to escalate, with the Vaskr seeing the men of Solkyst as betraying the old ways and embracing the corrupt modernism of foreigners.
• Xanthoupoli - A vassal state of the Imperium, Xanthoupoli is a small island republic to the south of Etrikea. Immensely wealthy and renowned for art and ornament of almost unparalleled quality, the island's residents are permitted to retain some semblance of independence purely in return for a hefty tribute paid regularly to Imperial agents.

Species

• Humanity - Humans are the most common sentient species in Hethras, and can be found almost anywhere on the world. The vast majority, not including some small, backwards tribes, are part of different nations; nations that compete with each other just as often as they will help each other. However, some may occasionally band together against a common foe like the Elves or the new Zalheiders.
• Zalheiders - A vicious and warlike species, the Zalheiders are a failed attempt by the Dark Lord Zalheidas to create a master race. Despite the Dark Lord's disappointment in them, he has found that they still have merit as capable fighters, or cannon-fodder. They are not pleasant to look at, however, and both their origin and behavior win them few friends outside of the Dark Lord's allies. As such, they are usually only found in territory controlled by or under attack by Zal Drudakk, the Twilight Crags, or the Slumbering Cities.
• Elves - The Elves on the northen peninsula are a xenophobic, aloof race. Isolated in their small country, their only extended contact would be with the Arachnae, and to a lesser extent, the SIH. Their government has evolved very little over the time, and they have seemed to settle on a shogunate. The Elves are very set in their ways, even so far as to have sworn off using gunpowder in favor of their sacred Kehinsha. The Elves would charge in with 7 foot glaives, skewer someone and dismount their horse at full speed; then continuing the slaughter. As a result of only fighting the Arachnae, Elven military doctrine has stagnated somewhat.
• Djinni - The Djinni are an ancient and furtive race of nomadic tradesmen, scholars, and magicians that roam the sunblasted Barrens. The Djinni are strange creatures with the ability to shift form and utilize powerful magic, but they are few in number and without major organization. They are deeply religious and stoic in their vows of absolute secrecy, interacting with other races only to trade menial supplies and trinkets before disappearing again into their swirling desert. Their cultural capital is located between worlds, hidden from all others by a strange veil of unknown magic. The Elder Ones - a council of Djinni so old that they are said to remember the very forming of the world - preside over their religion and military, a tiny force of lethal magicians known as the Watchers. These warriors protect the sacred artifacts of their old and mysterious religion, and eliminate any of their own race that stray from their holy path of circumspection.
• Sentient Undead - Living corpses blessed or cursed with minds of their own, these undead are reviled despite a relative lack of aggression and have usually live in their own nation for safety's sake. Most commonly, they are the result of a necromancer making a mistake or dying unexpectedly, but other causes such as lingering necromantic energy and unfinished business have been reported to create undead with wills of their own.
• Arachnae - Former elves altered by potent magics, the arachnae have the bodies of elves from the waist up and the bodies of giant spiders from the waist down. Their society is Matriarchal, with each house getting one vote in any national decisions the Queen feels should be adjudicated on. Over time they have evolved into three subraces which somewhat fit into different castes. They absolutely despise the elves and ritually consume captured elves but are willing to negotiate with other races willing to overlook their monstrous appearance and the fact that they eat their own dead.
  
  Spidery Subraces

  • The Varcha are the smallest, only 2 or 3 feet high; often found in crevices or small spaces no other Arachnae could be found/fit in. They are quite quick as you might guess, and they posses powerful legs for hopping around caves. They are adept miners and doctors, as they are quite adroit.
  • The Clerck are the next biggest, ranging from 6 to 7 feet; these are the most common subrace of Arachnae. Since they are the most common, the Clerck fill the roles that the Varcha or Therapho do not, such as cooking, building, farming, et cetera.
  • The Therapho are the largest of the arachnae, towering over their brethern at 9 to 10 feet, often requiring that houses and workshops be built outside of the crags because of their tremendous heft; but this is good reason, as the Therapho are master engineers and craftsmen, having a sort of "ancestral knowledge" past down from generation to generation. They are unusually fast for their size, but still the slowest out of all Arachnae. Unlike the others, they have fur rather than a protective carapace over their spider half
• Vaskr - A large and ferocious species of sentient bear, the Vaskr are native only to a small and icy island in the far south, known as Vaskrheim. Hulking, primarily quadrupedal beasts with razor-sharp fangs and claws - and notably equipped with opposable thumbs - they average around 3 metres tall when supported on their hind legs, with white fur to camouflage them against their snowy surroundings. Perhaps their most distinctive feature is their armour, with each Vaskr clad in a suit of thick steel plating it has forged itself - upon completion, the suit will rarely be removed other than for repairs, cleaning, and other essential maintenance, and serves as a badge of honour amongst Vaskr society, with the armour of the oldest and most distinguished warriors often being engraved with scenes depicting their heroic deeds and victories. The bears are famed for their warlike culture, with infighting an extremely common occurence as each Vaskr seeks to outdo its peers in acts of great bravery and savagery alike. Bears who seek adventure further afield often find work as mercenaries, and are greatly prized in such a role, their huge size and formidable claws making short work of most enemies - although it is notable that more and more Vaskr seek human training on the use of guns, and a handful of the bears have taken to standing on their hind legs to facilitate the wielding of such weaponry, scaled up to better suit its larger operators.
• Therianthropy - In the 1300s, a strange disease began to manifest itself in the land of Hethras; a disease that turned man into bloodthirsty beast without warning. No one knows truly where it came from, but most of the peasantry believe that the curse of Therianthropy originated during a divine battle between Aurelion and Hecataah. The warhound Cairne was bathed in Hecataah's blood, thus becoming a half-man, half-beast abomination and the first true Therianthrope. The disease is thought to be transmitted by blood, either hereditarily or through transfusion, most commonly via bite. Those subjected to the curse are able to master their monstrous powers - typically they will gain proficiency in controlling their transformation over time, usually taking around 6 years to master it completely. An interesting aspect of the curse is that the beast form one takes is dependent upon one's own race - to provide examples, a human will become a wolf, an elf will transform into a great cat, and a Zalheider takes the form of a terrifying hairless bear.
• Carrion Doctors - Forged from the corpses of wizards and the souls of demons, the Carrion Doctors are most powerful magic-users serving Zalheidas, barring a few renegade djinni and a couple of truly exceptional individuals. These sinister beings have faces that resemble the masks of olden plague doctors and while some serve in the field as Zalheidas's agents and holy men of the Zalheiderist cult, their true purpose is to assist the Dark Lord in his endless quest to create and improve new forms of life.
• Special Snowflakes - If all that's not enough for you, Zalheidas and the Carrion Doctors are always experimenting on and creating life. You can make something up but you'll have to run it by me and there's a decent chance I'll say no.

Religions

• Religija Faith - A pagan religion with gods to represent every natural phenomenon from water to death. It mainly teaches unity among the tribe but after that hate for everyone else, The religion was founded after days on end of desperation where the leader Steigėjas had a vision where he should settle the tribe and after he did he kept having visions which he drew of on stone and those rocks became the key centers of the religion. Afterwards with wars and many of the rocks destroyed the followers made an area of worship called the “Circle of Stones” where no one controlled and all tribes would teach holy lessons. While there is no true religious leader, the lessons are taught by the current tribe leader, and the elders of the tribe. Ideas commonly followed, but not always followed are worship and preservation of nature and worshipping of ancestors, this is thought as a core belief but some tribal leaders find a more warring approach as a better idea since most of the Religija tribes are commonly at war. Though the religion became lost to time after many people converted or were slaughtered and is only followed by small groups or lone men.
• The Blind One - In the Primordial times, there were two warring clans in the elven lands; The Anjunar in the north, and the Slesprin in the south. The Slesprin were eventually driven deep into the caverns of The Twilight Crags from the war, and that is where they found the The Twilight Queen. She said she could grant them boundless power, enough even to end the war. They agreed, of course, but this changed them into the Arachnae. After hearing this, Aurelion attacked the Twilight Queen, ripping her eyes out, and transforming them into jewels. He gave these to the elves; who put them on their crown of nobility. The Arachnae do not know if she was a goddess, or simply a powerful sorceress, but she is revered in The Twilight Crags as a deity.
• Aurelionism - The foundation of Elvish religion is based around one figure - Aurelion, God of the Sun. He is described as the severe and absolute ruler of the sun, which he tends alongside a detachment of holy eagles. He is a stoic and unforgiving God, completely without humour or mercy when dealing with injustice or sin. The Elves worship Aurelion by sacrificing animals and praying before battle, which they believe to be sacred. The Elvish religion and the God Aurelion is depicted in great detail in the Elvish book of conflict and creation, which recounts the three great victories that founded the Elvish nation.
  
  The first victory is that of the Anjunar. Before time, and before light, a race of reptilian creatures ruled the world, called Kesilia. They were primitive creatures born from the mountains themselves, living in caves and crevices within the rock. Aurelion was disgusted with their lack of grace, and so forged a new people from the fire of his sun. He created a legion of soldiers and their wives, which he named the Anjunar. He also created a class of servants and craftsmen, naming them the Slesprin. Both would follow him to the battlefield, and both would create his perfect civilization after the Kesilia were dealt with. He descended to Hethras with a vanguard of Anjunar at his back, and struck the foul race from the world in its entirety.
  
  The second victory is that of the Slespin. With the conquest finished, Aurelion set his Slespin to work building his pristine cities and institutions that would comprise the Elvish civilization. The Slespin set to work, and Aurelion began to further organize his army of Anjunar. When he was satisfied, he returned to the sun to manage his own affairs. This victory has the smallest passage in conflict and creation, and it is perhaps the most insignificant of them.
  
  The third victory is that of the Sun. As the centuries dragged on, Aurelion gradually began to favour the bold Anjunar over the withering Slespin. They had not built anything of note for many decades, and to Aurelion, they were not fulfilling their purpose of creation. The Slespin tired of constant labour, and as the Anjunar feasted with his legion, they raised arms in revolt and left his lands entirely. This act sparked a war between the Anjunar and the Slespin that would last hundreds of years and decimate their populations completely. Finally nearing defeat at the hands of the militarily superior Anjunar, the Slespin were pushed into the mountains that had once allegedly spawned the Kesilia. It was there that they stumbled across the Twilight Queen, an entity of unknown power and origin. She promised them the means to defeat the Anjunar in battle if they rejected Aurelion completely, and in their desperation, they accepted. This contract stripped them of the last of their dignity, and turned them from the proud race of Aurelion to the grotesque Arachnae. Learning of this final and complete betrayal, Aurelion became untethered. He descended from the sun and personally lead the final attack on the treacherous Slespin. They retreated at the sight of him, but he cut through their ranks and pushed deep into the crags that they now dwelled in. He found the Twilight Queen trying to escape with the rest of her newfound worshippers, and while she screamed in vain, the God of the Sun ripped her eyes straight from her head.
  
  He had his eagles extinguish every burning fire in the crag, and left the Arachnae decimated and wholly in the dark. He captured the remainder of their cities with ease, putting every resident to the sword. He settled the Anjunar on as much land as he could, and exterminated the Arachnae wherever he found them. To survive, they retreated deeper into the crags than ever before, to places without light or comfort. When the slaughter came to a close, Aurelion left Hethras, still embroiled in anger. The Elves believe that he will only return if their race is threatened so gravely again. Now that Zalheidas threatens them, some elves believe that Lovrenc Amadeji is an incarnation of Aurelion.
• Hecataah - The clergy of Hecataah teaches that the world is a harsh, unforgiving place. The strong rule the weak, and power is the only reward worth having. Cruelty and mercilessness are necessary tools. Chaos is the great equilizer, but order is necsccasary to keep an army well-regimented. He believes that honor (in battle) takes importance above all. Cowards are to be executed, and the brave are to be rewarded.
• Remyori -
  • Blue - The Cult of the Blue Rose, commonly known as the Blues, is currently the most popular sect of the Remyori religion. This particular cult worships the blue rose as their sacred idol, and marks their holy quarter in the winter months. The Blues preach values of endurance, strength amidst adversity, and stability. As such, they heartily dislike the typically volatile nature of their Red compatriots. Their gardens are orderly, beautiful in their efficiency and mastery of the soil. The Blues enjoy support from all levels of Zelamoyodian nobility, although a sizeable portion of the loyal underclass chooses to worship the blue rose as well.
  • Red - The Cult of the Red Rose, commonly referred to as the Reds, are the second most popular sect of the Remyori faith. They see the red rose as the idol of greatest importance, and they celebrate their holy quarter in the spring. The Reds are, and always have been, a strange and controversial sect of Remyori in Zelamoyod. The Reds believe in upheaval and change, and their worship is complex and shrouded in mystery. Red gardens are usually tended by more than one person, and they vary from place to place. The Reds draw much of their support from the lower classes, but there are a few nobles that display a certain passion for the Red sect.
  • White - The Cult of the White Rose, commonly known as the Whites, is the third largest branch of Remyori. The Whites worship the white rose, and take the summer months as their sacred quarter. The Whites are most popular in the southern agricultural provinces of Zelamoyod, where they directly compete with the Reds for sway over the farming peasantry. The Whites worship simplicity, plenty, and the natural world. Their gardens tend to be free and elegant, ordered only if absolutely necessary. The Whites take little interest in the squabbles between the other sects, keeping to their peaceful selves.
  • Purple - The Cult of the Purple Roses, commonly known as the Lilacs, are the smallest sect of Remyori in Zelamoyod. The Lilacs take the purple rose as their idol, and worship during the sacred months of fall. They value elegance and difference above all else, and their gardens tend to be fashioned to individual preferences. The Lilacs are popular with the few artists and intellectuals that inhabit Zelamoyod, but the majority of the other sects see them as a fairly haughty bunch.
  • Black - The Cult of the Black Rose is not officially a sect of Remyori. They garden no idols, worship no months, and maintain only one temple. Inside, there is a bed of black soil, surrounded by black walls, with a floor of black marble. When Zelamoyod marches to war, this room is entered by a brotherhood of priests dedicated to its maintenance. The brothers plant four of their black roses in the soil, and they water it with the blood of the current monarch. The gates to the temple are then sealed completely with the brothers inside, only to be opened when the war has been won. For every year the war is fought, another four black roses are planted.
• Zalheiderism - To say the Zalheiders revere their creator as a god is not hyperbole, it is an understatement. The overwhelming majority of the violent creatures believe that the Dark Lord is a god that has taken mortal form to bring order to the world and cleanse it of its sins. The commandmentents and tenets of the faith are rather simple - morality is following the will of Zalheidas. Those who die in service to the Dark Lord will be rewarded in the afterlife and those who survive service will be rewarded in both this world and the next.
• The Worship of Flame, referred to simply as the Worship, is the dominant and only religion recognized and practiced by the mysterious Djinni. Next to nothing is known about the intricacies of this religion, thanks to the incredibly secretive tendencies of the Djinni, but the basic tenants of the Worship are known.
  • Knowledge and Piety - The Worship promotes knowledge as something to be cherished and preserved above all else. According to less than credible sources, the Djinni capital Vargos holds more academic and technical texts than the rest of the world combined. Piety is also something that is valued by nearly every Djinn. Worship of Flame is usually comprised of daily ritual - this action is completed by creating a triangle of oil around the worshipper and then setting it ablaze. The worshipper sits in reflection and prayer until the flame has died.
  • Perfection and Balance - The Djinni are known for their love of organization and routine. Djinni that live in Vargos are said to be incredibly clean and collected. Their houses and temples are almost fanatically cleaned, and the streets are swept by students from the many religious schools of thought every two days. Nomadic Djinni are known to never stop their caravans before the stroke of midnight, and when they do, the Djinni arrange themselves within a triangle of marked chalk or scented oil. A candle is left burning in a safe place at all times, to keep the Flame close to their minds. The Djinni strongly believe in a balance between light and dark, fire and void. They use these rituals and routines to uphold their balance as they see fit.
  • Deception and War - It is no secret that the Djinni are not a society of warriors. They do not have an army of trained soldiers, nor any militias. Djinni traders have been known to simply protest as their goods are stolen rather than come to conflict over it, and their caravans are an avid target for bandits and marauders from around the world. The Djinni have one ally - deception. Their ability to remain undetected as they move through the Barrens and even the rest of the world is the reason that they are even able to trade at all. The Worship expands and exemplifies on this deception, even making it a necessary skill for every Djinni child. Of course, this might make them an effective military force, but the Djinn are not interested in war. They have only one group of magicians trained to kill, and the Watchers rarely venture outside of their grand temples in the centre of Vargos.
• The Imperial Faith - The Sacrum Imperium Hominis may be a divided realm full of infighting, but they are largely united in faith. Their holy books speak of the dragon Adonai who came to the aid of the first humans in ancient days when Elves, Vaskr, and Djinni waged war upon the new-born race. The great reptile with his unknowable scales flew the best of humanity to Etrikea, former home of the dragons who had all perished through war, folly or time. All but Adonai, first and last of the dragons. It was in the cradle and tomb of the dragons that the Wise One mentored humanity and made of them a great nation. Before age claimed Adonai, he gave the Imperium a code of laws to follow and told them that it would be up to them to unite humanity under their banner and righteous rule.

Character Sheet

Character Sheet:
Name:
Sex:
Race:
Age:
Appearance:
Religion: If any.
Backstory: Where did you come from? Who is your character?
Motivation: What has Lord Zalheidas promised you?
Magic: If any
Skills/Strengths: What is your character good at? What abilities does your character have?
Weaknesses: What are your character's flaws or vulnerabilities? This could be a gap in your skills, a vulnerability like sunlight if you're a vampire or a character flaw like pride.
Gear: What is your character bringing along on this adventure?
Other: Anything else you feel like mentioning?

[Beany McBean]

Character Sheet:
Name: Everil Malapharius Carne
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Age: 140
Appearance: i.imgur.com/poTog85.png
Religion: None
Backstory: The eldest son of a prominent military family in Gennebeuge - the lands that would later become Zal Drudakk - Everil was drilled in the art of war from a very young age, with the expectation that one day he would become a respected general like his father. But while he certainly demonstrated a natural flair for combat and leadership, the young boy grew to see the conventional military as a very limited, and began to show an interest in less orthodox subjects. Still, when he came of age, he entered the army as the Lieutenant of a fairly respectable infantry regiment, and showed considerable promise as an officer. Much to the disdain of his father, though, Everil began to devote his spare time towards the study of magic, gradually gravitating towards the darker branches of the sorcerous craft.

By the time civil war erupted in Gennebeuge, Everil had risen to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, commanding a full battalion of musketeers. His aptitude for the dark arts had also grown considerably – ostensibly in secret, although rumours circulated suggesting various foul and disturbing things. The Lieutenant-Colonel’s first battle came shortly after the conflict began, where forces loyal to the king, Everil included, found themselves surrounded and outnumbered in a small town by supporters of his bastard brother. The encircled army fought bravely, but in the end were worn down and wiped out to a man.

A week later, strange tales began to spread regarding events inside the occupied town – mysterious disappearances and deaths, and terrifying sightings of walking corpses. Sure enough, the enemy army was rapidly falling victim to relentless undead attacks, forcing them to abandon their posts and retreat. Encouraged by the news, the king’s loyalist forces sent a detachment of troops to reclaim the town. What they saw astonished them. Marching out of the now-liberated settlement, a small company of rotting soldiers, muskets clutched in their skeletal arms, formed up in front of the living troops. From within their midst, Everil, noticeably gaunt and pallid, came forward and explained to the allied officers how he had reclaimed the town from the enemy’s grasp.

Far from being celebrated for his remarkable victory, however, Everil was immediately taken prisoner, awaiting court-martial for his use of necromancy, a branch of sorcery outlawed in Gennebeuge. With no choice but to escape and go into hiding, the dark mage slipped out of his prison and fled north into the mountains.

Over the next century, Everil spent his time tirelessly practicing and improving his necromantic powers, as well as carving out an almost-palatial mountain lair – with the aid of his undead slaves, of course. By the time the Dark Lord Zalheidas took power, and Gennebeuge became Zal Drudakk, the former officer was now strong enough to raise whole legions of walking corpses and command them to do his bidding. Descending finally from the mountains, the necromancer approached and pledged his allegiance to the Dark Lord, promising to aid him in his planned conquest of all Hethras.

Motivation: Everil desires power and wealth, as do most, but that is not his only motive. He has come to believe that the world could legitimately be made a far better place if necromancy was tolerated and the undead were more widely utilised – manual labour, warfare, and other such unpleasant tasks could be carried out by the deceased, while the living would be free to devote their time to the pursuit of knowledge and pleasure. As the only major player who does not despise necromancy, the Dark Lord is a natural ally towards achieving such ends.
Magic: Everil is a powerful necromancer, capable of raising and controlling legions of undead warriors, communing with the spirits of the deceased, and extending his own lifespan indefinitely.
Skills/Strengths: Aside from his magical abilities, Everil is a skilled leader and strategist, as well as being knowledgeable in a wide array of academic disciplines.
Weaknesses: The magics used to prolong his own life have left him somewhat lacking in physical strength – while certainly not a cripple, Everil would not fare well in feats of athleticism.
Gear: Clothes and hat (shown in picture), overcoat lined with steel plates, undead horse, various books & grimoires etc., crystal ball, money, food & water, tent, maps, a pair of flintlock pistols with silver bullets and a sabre for personal defence, a regiment of skeleton musketeers with an attached company of skeleton riflemen, all with bayonets, along with the powder and shot to keep them fighting.
Other: He can raise more undead than just that regiment, but it would be silly if he travelled with a huge horde all the time. All supplies and heavy/bulky items e.g. food, water, books etc. are carried by his skeleton troops when travelling.

[Maki the Finn]

Name: Finnegan “Ripper” Tiberius
Sex: Male
Race: Human, Caucasian
Age: 45
Appearance: Eyes: Green
Hair: Silvery-white
Demeanor: quiet, when human.
Height, Human: 6’7”
Height, Wolf: 7’3”
Religion: Hecataath
Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Backstory: North of the Dogiate of Cantazzaro, nestled between The Twilight Crags, there is a great and ferocious warband called The Iron Tide; a mismatched army of Elves, Humans, and 50 werewolves called The Immortals. They raided all along the outskirts of Cantazzaro, pillaging what they could and running before the militia came. But one town was different.

Ostershire.

This is where Finnegan’s mother Eliza lived. She, and the rest of the town, were gathered in the square for a harvest festival; celebrating how bountiful it had been this year. This was the best target for The Iron Tide, so they surrounded the village, and let the Immortals close in. The townsfolk ran for the church, but they were too slow. Entering a bloodrage, the werewolves slaughtered all of them; except Eliza, she managed to avoid her death in town, and a much worse fate.
When Eliza ran from the town, a single werewolf noticed her scent trail off; and he gave chase. She ran, but in the end, he was faster, and she was taken prisoner. You see, every 15 years, all the marauder armies gather in The Twilight crags to allow their Immortals to repopulate. In the valley between 3 mountains, there lies a massive steel cage where the armies keep all their prisoners; the men too weak to fight, and the women that the soldiers captured. At the beginning of the day, all the werewolves rushed into the cage, devouring the men; and raping the women. For 8 hours, the Immortals bred, and the wails from the cages cast a blood-curdling dirge over the steppes.
Then Finnegan was born. Eliza did not survive the birth, after being brutally beaten by the werewolves; So he was raised by One-eyed Jack, the leader of the Iron Tide. Being a hereditary werewolf, Finnegan was trained in unarmed and bastard sword combat, knife throwing, and scent tracking.With the raping of his mother still relatively fresh in his mind, he took out his trauma and anger on raid victims, often leaving them sodomised and psychologically broken. After 17 years of this, he had been honed into the sharpest blade of malice the world had ever seen. With his training done, he murdered Jack; and led the Iron Tide to raid the capital, permanently crippling the Dogiate.
Until one day, he stopped, disappearing from the Tide. Now he works for whoever he chooses, sowing chaos and destruction in their name until he gets bored and moves on, starting the cycle anew.

Motivation: Women, and slaughter

Magic: Lycanthropy. All other magic is for COWARDS

Skills/Strengths: Lockpicking, Knife throwing, able to transform certain body parts to werewolf bits whenever he needs, logical, stitching (flesh or fabric), minor alchemy knowledge, adept smith

Weaknesses: Absolute psychopath, serial rapist, looks down on magic users somewhat, thinks he’s invincible, wrathful, sadistic, reckless

Gear: Leather riding coat, weighted throwing knives(3), steel-toe jackboots, leather fingerless gloves, medium bandages(2), small backpack, waterskin(2), some ye olde beefe jerky, small book of common herbs, 15 gold pieces, stitching needle with tough thread, set of lockpicks, cold iron bastard sword, double-barreled flintlock pistol, steel buckler, 12 oz flask of Arachnae blood

Other: Finnegan will (secretly) designate 2 people in his group that are the highest priority and the lowest priority of staying alive. Where as the highest one has the utmost importance in his eyes (for any reason), he may deem them more valuable than the rest and thus he will go out of his way to make sure they live. The opposite can be said about the lowest, which is usually ranged spellcaster.

[Toomanychairs]

C

[Mardox]

@Beany McBean@Maki the Finn
Accepted.
@Toomanychairs
A few issues with syntax, capitalization and so on. We'll hammer it out.

[Luftwaffles]

Name: Raadia

Sex: Female

Race: Djinn

Age: 97

Appearance:
Raadia is Djinn, and as such, she is prone to shapeshifting. In her own preferred form, she appears as a woman dressed in red clothing.

Religion: Raadia follows the Path of the Sacred Flame, although not exactly in an orthodox fashion.

Backstory: Raadia spent her first years travelling the Barrens with a nomadic band of Djinni merchants, stopping at the fringes of settled civilization to trade and broker with human cities. She was given a basic education in magic and shape-shifting at twenty, as is custom for Djinni children. Once she passed her first tests, she was sent to the hidden city of Vargos to further train in magic. Although she spent all of her required twenty years at the institution, she did not prove a talent in any magic except shape-shifting, which she excelled at. Presented to the Red Council at fifty-three, they denied her an extended stay in the city and relegated to the same merchant band that she was born into.

Raadia did not take this rejection well. She snuck into the exalted halls of the Elder Ones after the black sun had set, stealing ten of the oldest souls stored within. Knowing the heavy price of her blasphemous act, she attempted to flee the city before anyone took note of the theft, but she was discovered by a watcher of Vargos. The watcher cast a spell to annihilate Raadia, but she was able to deflect it at the last moment. She escaped, but the magic seared into her flesh and marked her as a traitor to the Red Council and to the Sacred Flame. She ran far from the sifting city, far from the barrens, and far from her family.

Raadia spent the next thirty years in hiding, moving from place to place in a desperate attempt to keep the souls in her own hands and away from the Watchers that had been dispatched to obliterate her. They found on the eve of her eighty-fifth year, committing to a duel and forcing her to retreat yet again. She spent three of the souls merely keeping the watchers at bay, and collapsed outside the walls of Zal Drudakk. The young master of the tower, Zalhedias, ordered her brought into the city, knowing that the Djinn watchers are forbidden from entering a city other than ancient Vargos. Raadia gave him the rest of her stolen souls as thanks for saving her life and pledged her service to his throne.

She became a spy for Zalhedias, keeping tabs and reporting on his many enemies. She spent years of her life entrenched in the courts of the elves, the humans, and even some of the undead. When she returned from a particularly murderous mission in Zelamoyod, she discovered that the master of Zal Drudakk had finally found a use for her stolen souls. The army of Zalheider was created, and when the finest soldiers rose from their ranks, Zalhedias placed her in a special unit dedicated to the destruction of all other contenders to the prophecy that he believed belonged to him.

Motivation: Raadia wants to survive, and so, she's chosen the faction that she sees as the most likely to win.

Magic: Some fire magic. The spells cast that marked her as an adolescent have marred her ability to extensively use the arcane arts.

Skills/Strengths: Raadia is a Djinn, and so, she is able to change her appearance incredibly easily. She is able to use magic as well, albeit not as effectively as others of her kind.

Weaknesses: Raadia is fairly arrogant in her ability to deceive, and as such, she underestimates most of her enemies. The patterns that were burned into her skin by the Watchers stay with her in every form, and although she is very good at covering them up, they can sometimes cause her trouble.

Gear: Her red clothes, pistol, and dagger.

Other: Nothin'

[Mardox]

@Luftwaffles Accepted

[BlondyMcHuggles]

Name: Zofija Halsey
Sex: Female
Race: Human
Age: 29
Appearance: Here
Religion: None
Backstory: Born in Zelamoyod to cruel and abusive parents, Zofija's childhood was far from ideal; she was cut off from the outside world, unable to make friends and to learn about many things, including morality. After years upon years of suffering, her parents sold her to agents of the Dark Lord on her 15th birthday.
The Dark Lord recognised her magical abilities soon after she came into his service; she was trained intensely for years, though the Lord was much more supportive in her learning. For the first time in her life, she was well-cared for, and finally had somebody to look up to. Once she had fully understood her own powers, she was a completely willing servant of the Lord.
Motivation: To serve the Dark Lord as best she can.
Magic: The ability to warp reality using psychic powers.
Skills/Strengths: She excels in using psychology to get what she wants; the use of violence isn't a first resort, though she's not afraid to get her hands dirty. In addition, she can warp reality, such as making things appear out of nothing, or making people think that illusuions are reality.
Weaknesses: Because of her undying loyalty to the Dark Lord, she is willing to do whatever he tells her to, even if her orders go against her own best interests. She's also not very trusting or trustworthy; the Lord comes first - everyone else is secondary to her.
Gear: Some nice clothes, a small knife and a pistol
Other: None

[Mardox]

@BlondyMcHuggles
Welcome aboard