"A new king rises. The Grandis Empire has returned."
Welcome to the world of Hitala! One of my creation that has honestly been in my head for years but for some reason or another, I have never decided to put it on paper (or webpage in this case). This world has a high fantasy theme, yet magic, for the most part, isn't as common a practice. Not that it doesn't exist, but the remaining races that take up the majority of the world don't have as strong of an affinity towards it.
Grusk-
Ancient race characterized by a high affinity towards magic, and unique hair and eye colors. They were nearly all wiped out from the Last Crusade 300 years ago, a power move to take their magic enriched lands to use as resources. Very few remain, and of those few, along with any half breeds, most try to hide their existence. There is rumor of a Gruskan survivor of the crusade, who is now on a warpath to reclaim the lands stolen from them. They were once known as the Grandis Empire. Unlike the elemental affinities of other races, Gruskans had the ability to learn multiple elements of magic, as well as curses, rituals, and forbidden magics such as necromancy. Other races can do magic other than Grusk, but they require spell-books, runes, incantations, magic items, and chants and the like. Its just that the Grusk can do magic quite more effectively. They are higher tuned to magic thus can do much more complex magic as well as do it without items or chants and such.
Human-
Your standard mortal with an average affinity in all areas. They are the most widespread and common race seen across the world. A jack of all trades in the grand scheme of things, humans make up for their lack of affinity in numbers and craftiness. It was the Council of Man that declared the Grandis Empire a threat, claiming that they were hoarding their magical power to one day take over the rest of the known world. A staged attack was conducted to provoke the Grandis forces into a counter attack which wiped out an entire town. With this, the Council of Man aided by the other kingdoms and races, got their wish, and their overwhelming numbers soon overtook the Grandis empire. The largest human city is Portea, and though the Council of Man no longer exists to operate the city, Portea has become the trade capitol of the world and run by the merchant class.
Sylve-
The people of the Scar are quite pale and have long pointed, and interestingly movable, ears. Their military has been monikered as 'the reapers' for their affinity towards speed and agility which lends to the quick and brutal elimination of their enemies. Their fighting styles are kept a secret from the outside world and jealously guarded and they excel at the art of assassination. Few are born with the ability to summon forth wind. They live in the side of a canyon dubbed 'the scar' as a means to keep out of the heavy winds that sweep their lands, which is where they got their name. The spirit of the wind 'Sylph' is said to roam these plains. The bottom of the canyon is rich in resources as it gathers the constant rains.
Varuk-
The hardy race native to Killiman Desert. They tend to have darker skin tones and light colored hair, complemented by eyes with shades of reds and yellows. They have an affinity towards strength, durability, and endurance and are invulnerable to heat. Few are born with the ability to summon forth fire. With little resources they manage to stay alive in the harsh environment of this deadly desert. Hot in the day and frigid at night, if the scarce resources and environment doesn't kill you first, the creatures in the sands will. The Varuk is split into many small warring tribes, however, they have been known to band together in times of great conflict. Varuk are strong and hearty people, and they aren't as discriminatory as others. While they do respect strength, they could recognize other talents like being a craftsman or for example. The Varuk don't see value in coin, and despise merchants like the ones in Portea, but they love a good trade, so if one can make something of value, they would fit right in their society as well. Varuk women are held in high regard as well. If they are strong enough to fight, which they often can be, they are seen as warriors, but even if not, they are respected since they bear children and normally have to raise them when the warriors are away. There is actually normally nurseries and orphanages in tribes ran by women and elderly for children who's parents may both be away or deceased, and children once old enough are taught survival, battle, and hunting/gathering skills.
Isoli-
The race of people who live in the icy kingdom of Tundral. The Isoli people are one of the only other races that can use magic without magic items, though it seems to be limited to healing magic. A number are born with the ability to summon forth ice and are usually sought after in Tundral for the military. The queen of the lands has never been defeated in her home country. The unbearable cold and unrelenting military backed by their healers nearly impossible to overcome at the same time. They are characterized by blue tinted skin tones, the invulnerability to the cold, and either white or black hair, sometimes both! The Isoli are the only people to not have participated in the Last Crusade, stating it was none of their concern what the world outside their walls troubled themselves with if it does not affect their kingdom.
Transcendent (locked)-
Can be considered a type of half race, being that it is an extremely rare trait that can show up in any individual, regardless of race, as a sign of things to come. Usually referred to as harbinger. A child may be born every hundred years that signals the times to come. They are characterized by the outcome of their wings. A child with draconic black wings is a bad omen, while white angelic wings would signify good times ahead. A transcendent has the ability to fly or hide these wings in their body, though they painfully erupt from the user's back when needed again. A transcendent also has a remarkably strong soul that radiates energy from within. This power can be weaponized by storing it and releasing it by either casting it out or making contact with an object where the energy is gathered. However, overuse of this ability can wear down its user quickly and cause severe spiritual injury.
Beastmen-
There are a number of different types of beastmen that live in tribes all across Hitala. Each tribe having a different theme in animal or monster. the more pure beastman they are, the more monsterlike. However, they are compatible with other races and form half beastman types, though these are rarer and usually looked down on in society as 'mutts' as beastmen aren't normally seen as equal with the more 'human' appearing races. Some beastmen tribes do have specific forms of magic unique to their race and tribe.
Ancient race characterized by a high affinity towards magic, and unique hair and eye colors. They were nearly all wiped out from the Last Crusade 300 years ago, a power move to take their magic enriched lands to use as resources. Very few remain, and of those few, along with any half breeds, most try to hide their existence. There is rumor of a Gruskan survivor of the crusade, who is now on a warpath to reclaim the lands stolen from them. They were once known as the Grandis Empire. Unlike the elemental affinities of other races, Gruskans had the ability to learn multiple elements of magic, as well as curses, rituals, and forbidden magics such as necromancy. Other races can do magic other than Grusk, but they require spell-books, runes, incantations, magic items, and chants and the like. Its just that the Grusk can do magic quite more effectively. They are higher tuned to magic thus can do much more complex magic as well as do it without items or chants and such.
Human-
Your standard mortal with an average affinity in all areas. They are the most widespread and common race seen across the world. A jack of all trades in the grand scheme of things, humans make up for their lack of affinity in numbers and craftiness. It was the Council of Man that declared the Grandis Empire a threat, claiming that they were hoarding their magical power to one day take over the rest of the known world. A staged attack was conducted to provoke the Grandis forces into a counter attack which wiped out an entire town. With this, the Council of Man aided by the other kingdoms and races, got their wish, and their overwhelming numbers soon overtook the Grandis empire. The largest human city is Portea, and though the Council of Man no longer exists to operate the city, Portea has become the trade capitol of the world and run by the merchant class.
Sylve-
The people of the Scar are quite pale and have long pointed, and interestingly movable, ears. Their military has been monikered as 'the reapers' for their affinity towards speed and agility which lends to the quick and brutal elimination of their enemies. Their fighting styles are kept a secret from the outside world and jealously guarded and they excel at the art of assassination. Few are born with the ability to summon forth wind. They live in the side of a canyon dubbed 'the scar' as a means to keep out of the heavy winds that sweep their lands, which is where they got their name. The spirit of the wind 'Sylph' is said to roam these plains. The bottom of the canyon is rich in resources as it gathers the constant rains.
Varuk-
The hardy race native to Killiman Desert. They tend to have darker skin tones and light colored hair, complemented by eyes with shades of reds and yellows. They have an affinity towards strength, durability, and endurance and are invulnerable to heat. Few are born with the ability to summon forth fire. With little resources they manage to stay alive in the harsh environment of this deadly desert. Hot in the day and frigid at night, if the scarce resources and environment doesn't kill you first, the creatures in the sands will. The Varuk is split into many small warring tribes, however, they have been known to band together in times of great conflict. Varuk are strong and hearty people, and they aren't as discriminatory as others. While they do respect strength, they could recognize other talents like being a craftsman or for example. The Varuk don't see value in coin, and despise merchants like the ones in Portea, but they love a good trade, so if one can make something of value, they would fit right in their society as well. Varuk women are held in high regard as well. If they are strong enough to fight, which they often can be, they are seen as warriors, but even if not, they are respected since they bear children and normally have to raise them when the warriors are away. There is actually normally nurseries and orphanages in tribes ran by women and elderly for children who's parents may both be away or deceased, and children once old enough are taught survival, battle, and hunting/gathering skills.
Isoli-
The race of people who live in the icy kingdom of Tundral. The Isoli people are one of the only other races that can use magic without magic items, though it seems to be limited to healing magic. A number are born with the ability to summon forth ice and are usually sought after in Tundral for the military. The queen of the lands has never been defeated in her home country. The unbearable cold and unrelenting military backed by their healers nearly impossible to overcome at the same time. They are characterized by blue tinted skin tones, the invulnerability to the cold, and either white or black hair, sometimes both! The Isoli are the only people to not have participated in the Last Crusade, stating it was none of their concern what the world outside their walls troubled themselves with if it does not affect their kingdom.
Transcendent (locked)-
Can be considered a type of half race, being that it is an extremely rare trait that can show up in any individual, regardless of race, as a sign of things to come. Usually referred to as harbinger. A child may be born every hundred years that signals the times to come. They are characterized by the outcome of their wings. A child with draconic black wings is a bad omen, while white angelic wings would signify good times ahead. A transcendent has the ability to fly or hide these wings in their body, though they painfully erupt from the user's back when needed again. A transcendent also has a remarkably strong soul that radiates energy from within. This power can be weaponized by storing it and releasing it by either casting it out or making contact with an object where the energy is gathered. However, overuse of this ability can wear down its user quickly and cause severe spiritual injury.
Beastmen-
There are a number of different types of beastmen that live in tribes all across Hitala. Each tribe having a different theme in animal or monster. the more pure beastman they are, the more monsterlike. However, they are compatible with other races and form half beastman types, though these are rarer and usually looked down on in society as 'mutts' as beastmen aren't normally seen as equal with the more 'human' appearing races. Some beastmen tribes do have specific forms of magic unique to their race and tribe.
Trantis-
A water city that has built itself in the calm waters of the Great Trantis Lake where the floating city gets it's name. There is a coastal area as well as a number of floating anchored buildings. The people here are highly adapted to the water, and are superior at swimming and diving, though most use various types of boats to travel around the town. Lots of fishermen, and is also supplied by a number of farms to the north of the city.
Salna-
A trade town just north of Trantis and across from the farmlands that both towns utilize. Originally just a trading hub for Trantis, Salna eventually became large enough to become it's own town with close ties to Trantis. Many of the goods come from Portea, which is the merchant capitol of the world, giving Salna a decent variety of goods. Most the items exported from Salna are the cloths and harvests of different goods from their farms.
Kalla-
A small and miraculously peaceful Varuk settlement that if people do visit the Killiman Desert to trade with the varuk, they would go there. Kalla is named after the tribe that lives there and they are possibly one of the strongest tribes due to being close to water and being strong enough to actually have an established town, albeit a small one. It does face it's fair share of raids, though they haven't lost a battle, they have lost people defending it of coarse, either by death or capture from raiding tribes. There is an arena where events and entertainment is held. Despite the ferocity of the Varuk in battle, great discipline is shown in the arenas as there is rarely a death that occurs in their competitions. Every ten years, a tournament is held here to decide upon the leader of Kalla, with the belief that a real leader will show their true colors in competition.
Portea-
The merchant capital of the world. This large city thrives on trade and innovation. This is where most of the humans in the world live. The town is heavily controlled by larger merchant families, with the wealthiest tending to have most the control on the weak governing forces there. Most law is enforced through payed officials and mercenaries, which also make up the bulwark of Portea's military power. Due to the number of wealthy merchants and their power in the city, it seems to be divided up among the different merchant families, with some places being a pleasant place to live, and others being quite oppressive. The city sees its fair share of greed and the evils it produces, but there are honest merchant families as well that try to make their area of control a haven for others. There are six prominent merchant families in Portea.
The Scar-
The scar is the name of the giant chasm in the northeast. To avoid the high winds of the plains surrounding the chasm, the Sylves made their home in the side of the chasm, building both bridges and a network of tunnels to reach their home, each heavily guarded. It is said that assassinations had always occurs in the world, but it was the Sylves that turned it into an art form, and in some cases, a trade. Their society is build on honor, loyalty, duty, and solidarity. These four core principals are drilled into all sylves at a young age. To betray ones countrymen would mean death or a life of servitude. The reapers serve as their military force, and although they are few in number in comparison to other military forces, it is a requirement for every citizen to be taught the art of the blade, in case of a large scale attack. Though when at war, the reapers have been known to kill nearly all major leaders through small pinpoint attacks or assassinations before any army was able to even reach The Scar's chasm. While the resources are scarce across the gray plains of their homeland, the bottom of the chasm is extremely resourceful and fertile, with farmland, forest and a lake at its bottom. The largest growth of plant and wildlife in the plains, is a forest of cherry trees southwest of the chasm, which is seen as a treasure to the Sylve people. along the outer boarder of The Scar, there are many outposts that watch for any signs of intruders.
Tundral and Midrill-
The capitol of the icy kingdom of the Isoli people. The Isoli are very shut off to the outside world around them save for the sake of trading. The giant Ice wall that surrounds their lands keeps invading forces from stepping foot on their lands, and the few who have spent the any time trying to break through it in previous wars only break through to have to cross a brutal winter landscape to even reach the capitol. The Isoli of Tundral pride themselves with their healing arts and magics, and often see themselves as superior to other races, including other Isoli who live in Midrill. The cold in these lands would freeze most other races after long periods of time, though the Isoli are fairly comfortable in these temperatures. The insides of their buildings are usually warm enough for a person of the other races to have a bit of a chill however, but they are a good deal warmer than the outside. The Queen of this land is rarely seen and spends her time in the palace. Her daughters are seen more often as they do tend to leave the palace often, though normally under escort, they still have made a decent relationship with the people. The Isoli are fiercely loyal to their royal family. Midrill, in contrast to Tundral, is fairly cool year round due to being close to the ice kingdom. It hosts a number of different races, though a large portion having Isoli blood. This town is mostly a trade hub between the world and Tundral, and the closest to the ice kingdom as most ever get.
A water city that has built itself in the calm waters of the Great Trantis Lake where the floating city gets it's name. There is a coastal area as well as a number of floating anchored buildings. The people here are highly adapted to the water, and are superior at swimming and diving, though most use various types of boats to travel around the town. Lots of fishermen, and is also supplied by a number of farms to the north of the city.
Salna-
A trade town just north of Trantis and across from the farmlands that both towns utilize. Originally just a trading hub for Trantis, Salna eventually became large enough to become it's own town with close ties to Trantis. Many of the goods come from Portea, which is the merchant capitol of the world, giving Salna a decent variety of goods. Most the items exported from Salna are the cloths and harvests of different goods from their farms.
Kalla-
A small and miraculously peaceful Varuk settlement that if people do visit the Killiman Desert to trade with the varuk, they would go there. Kalla is named after the tribe that lives there and they are possibly one of the strongest tribes due to being close to water and being strong enough to actually have an established town, albeit a small one. It does face it's fair share of raids, though they haven't lost a battle, they have lost people defending it of coarse, either by death or capture from raiding tribes. There is an arena where events and entertainment is held. Despite the ferocity of the Varuk in battle, great discipline is shown in the arenas as there is rarely a death that occurs in their competitions. Every ten years, a tournament is held here to decide upon the leader of Kalla, with the belief that a real leader will show their true colors in competition.
Portea-
The merchant capital of the world. This large city thrives on trade and innovation. This is where most of the humans in the world live. The town is heavily controlled by larger merchant families, with the wealthiest tending to have most the control on the weak governing forces there. Most law is enforced through payed officials and mercenaries, which also make up the bulwark of Portea's military power. Due to the number of wealthy merchants and their power in the city, it seems to be divided up among the different merchant families, with some places being a pleasant place to live, and others being quite oppressive. The city sees its fair share of greed and the evils it produces, but there are honest merchant families as well that try to make their area of control a haven for others. There are six prominent merchant families in Portea.
The Scar-
The scar is the name of the giant chasm in the northeast. To avoid the high winds of the plains surrounding the chasm, the Sylves made their home in the side of the chasm, building both bridges and a network of tunnels to reach their home, each heavily guarded. It is said that assassinations had always occurs in the world, but it was the Sylves that turned it into an art form, and in some cases, a trade. Their society is build on honor, loyalty, duty, and solidarity. These four core principals are drilled into all sylves at a young age. To betray ones countrymen would mean death or a life of servitude. The reapers serve as their military force, and although they are few in number in comparison to other military forces, it is a requirement for every citizen to be taught the art of the blade, in case of a large scale attack. Though when at war, the reapers have been known to kill nearly all major leaders through small pinpoint attacks or assassinations before any army was able to even reach The Scar's chasm. While the resources are scarce across the gray plains of their homeland, the bottom of the chasm is extremely resourceful and fertile, with farmland, forest and a lake at its bottom. The largest growth of plant and wildlife in the plains, is a forest of cherry trees southwest of the chasm, which is seen as a treasure to the Sylve people. along the outer boarder of The Scar, there are many outposts that watch for any signs of intruders.
Tundral and Midrill-
The capitol of the icy kingdom of the Isoli people. The Isoli are very shut off to the outside world around them save for the sake of trading. The giant Ice wall that surrounds their lands keeps invading forces from stepping foot on their lands, and the few who have spent the any time trying to break through it in previous wars only break through to have to cross a brutal winter landscape to even reach the capitol. The Isoli of Tundral pride themselves with their healing arts and magics, and often see themselves as superior to other races, including other Isoli who live in Midrill. The cold in these lands would freeze most other races after long periods of time, though the Isoli are fairly comfortable in these temperatures. The insides of their buildings are usually warm enough for a person of the other races to have a bit of a chill however, but they are a good deal warmer than the outside. The Queen of this land is rarely seen and spends her time in the palace. Her daughters are seen more often as they do tend to leave the palace often, though normally under escort, they still have made a decent relationship with the people. The Isoli are fiercely loyal to their royal family. Midrill, in contrast to Tundral, is fairly cool year round due to being close to the ice kingdom. It hosts a number of different races, though a large portion having Isoli blood. This town is mostly a trade hub between the world and Tundral, and the closest to the ice kingdom as most ever get.
Hundreds of years ago, the Grandis Empire was the leader in magic developments. It was predictable as the Grandis Empire was made up mostly of Gruskan people, who already had an affinity towards magic and lived on the most magic fertile land in the world. Many believed that they had used to be human, but the lands intertwined with their souls and gave them the gift of sorcery. Eventually, the Council of Man in Portea convinced the other kingdoms to become weary of Grandis's power, and under a false attack to bait the Grandis Empire to lash out, they were framed as being evil, which is all the Council of Man needed to make their case against the Grandis Empire and go to war. While Grandis was more powerful than the other kingdoms combined, they weren't able to hold off the insurmountable number of troops that attacked them. They found that their magic, which they mostly relied on in combat, was often too slow to cast to combat ranged attacks followed by an onslaught of blades. While the Grandis Empire did have soldiers, the Gruskan people's physical on average was weaker than most humans, let alone the few Varuk tribes that aided them. The few beastmen tribes that tried to help the Grandis Empire didn't have enough numbers to support them, and soon, the Grandis Empire fell. The Council of Man was already making preperations to put the magic rich land to use, however, the Grandis King had other plans. The King, in a final effort to not let the enemy win, cursed his lands, so that it would drive all non-Grukan people's minds mad with rage. He also 'purified' it, meaning that he drained the land of all its mana and magic, essentially killing the land and turning it into the dark forest seen today. With this surge in power, he destroyed his kingdom with his enemy in it, summoning forth a giant mountain that erupted from the ground, the likes of which no soul had witnessed before. He then sent whatever magic remained into the few Grukan people that were able to flee the Kingdom, making sure that they all had a piece of the homeland in their bodies to carry on for generations. This event went down as a defeat for both the Grandis Empire and the Council of Man, which was soon disbanded. The war was seen as a mistake, all the bloodshed with nothing to show for it, and instead was covered up in history as a crusade against a great evil. Only the ancestors of the Gruskans that escaped know the true tales of what happened, passed down by word of mouth for generations. There is naturally a large discrimination against the Gruskan people, and many use their magic to hide themselves in society, fearful of whatever fate may come their way if they were found out.
Name:
Age:
Race:
Appearance:
(pictures are fine, if any changes just mention them here as well)
Personality:
Bio:
Equipment:
Abilities:
Extra notes: (if anything else)
If any help is needed or if you have any questions about making a character, don't be afraid to let me know! I'm even up for making new towns and expanding the world a bit should it work with the universe.
Age:
Race:
Appearance:
(pictures are fine, if any changes just mention them here as well)
Personality:
Bio:
Equipment:
Abilities:
Extra notes: (if anything else)
If any help is needed or if you have any questions about making a character, don't be afraid to let me know! I'm even up for making new towns and expanding the world a bit should it work with the universe.
