The World
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The world of Maerus is a chaotic, tumultuous, and ultimately, difficult one. However, there is also joy to be found in the small moments, and the sheer wilderness and primal ephemeralness is simply breathtaking. From tall bluffs to shallow lakes, the world is filled with natural wonders, most of which haven’t even been fully explored yet. There is almost every ecosystem imaginable on this planet, with blisteringly hot deserts to highlands, to lucious forests and more.
The kingdom of Vestan is located in an environment similar to Western Europe. Rural woodland covers a majority of the kingdom, with the urban areas being clustered near the long river that runs near the eastern border of the kingdom. The climate is temperate (with it raining more often than not), and there are four distinct seasons. The vegetation is rather varied, but the soil is rather coarse and so woody plants tend to grow best. The kingdom also sports several cave systems, many of which have gigantic glowing crystals nestled deep within the caves systems. Beasts range from chipmunks to wolves to even more..exotic and fantastical creatures. There are rumors of unicorn sightings within the fog-covered forests of Escera.
Against the majestic backdrop of the kingdom is their nation’s castle, a tall, spiraling moss covered citadel that is fabled to be built by the founders of the nation’s themselves, taking over five generations to finish completely. While the longevity of the project itself might be a bit of a stretch, the castle itself has withstood devastating floods, political upheavals, and stood the test of time thus far. It is a national treasure to most of the Vestanians and a symbol of the kingdom’s strength.
Apart from the feudal kingdom of Vestan, there are other tribes and nations that populate Maerus. Ifflan, the mildly xenophobic and cast iron mountain nation to the north of Vestan is one example. Known for their mineral exports, most of their traders come by way of middle men to Vestan. Recently there’s been a boycotting of all Ifflan goods recently by prominent Vestanian merchants as a nationalist movement and a hope to increase the selling of their own goods. This movement has created more strained relations than usual between the two kingdoms and two weeks prior to the events that unfold in the roleplay there was the first hostile clash at the border between the two nations in nearly four decades.
Magic
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Deeply embedded within nature, magic itself comes from the world around it, possessing the land and atmosphere and creating a beautiful and almost dreamy scene to those who dwell in the world of Maerus. Though the term “magic” is usually associated with the images of unlimited flashy mage abilities, magic in this world is more like an energy, constantly recycled back into the environment to be reused by the spiritual and seemingly ethereal entities that roam across many continents. Unlike many other magical beings, humans are unable to possess “true” magic; they are unable to be born with the abilities to use it at will and must use different means in order to control this energy. Certain species of plants are often harvested to extract magic into inanimate objects such as pendants, gems and crystals, or other minerals; this even being a job for those who are adept to drawing magic from the environment, though a license is required of those who take on this job.
Although recycled, abusing magic in a way by using extreme amounts of it or killing the magical creatures that exist, is highly detrimental to the area around it. By using raw magic like this, say a fireball or something rather, it draws from the land, creating a weakened and dangerous environment, causing the surrounding to turn dark and lifeless. And though rare, it may cause the creatures that use the area's supply of magic darkened as well, turning them into aggressive beings, and having a vicious hatred for mankind for destroying the spiritual energy they used to create life.
Not exactly saying that humans absolutely cannot use magic, they must use alternative means such as the crystals and gems powered by raw magic, though they're only capable of convenient things like boiling water, helping with things around the house, ect.
Heavily dependent on the world around it, the strength of certain magic is determined by the moon phases, where the new moon means that the world's energies are low and sleep-like, whilst the full moon awakens the beauty of the natural world, lighting up forests and lakes in a bioluminescent way to where the whole world seems to hum with newfound energy. Creatures are spotted easily within this time of month, who are highly respected and worshipped as higher beings, often sought out for enlightenment and religious purposes. Many who live outside of kingdom walls tend to have a deeper connection with the land, these beings are sometimes seen in the distance of ancestral villages and places less crowded with humans or places that have deep rooted history. But unlike these places, inside of large kingdoms, for those who've never traveled far or for a lengthened period of time outside of the walls, these creatures are just stories and legends for most of the common people have never been outside of them. So for most, stories of these extraordinary beings are just...stories.
The Story
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Chaos. Panic. The beloved and beautiful Queen Ephia of Vestan has just been assassinated in her own room, word has already spread rapidly thanks to the whispered rumors of the chambermaids, outbursts outside of the wall of the castle increase as confusion flood the minds of the citizens. The King, King Ryes, in a state of grief and desperation has ordered the immediate capture and imprisonment of those who worked around Queen Ephia.
As most of the kingdom knew, the queen had fallen ill to an unknown sickness some years ago, often fading in and out of health through that time. King Ryes, unsure of what to do and afraid for the safety of his wife, hired those to take care of her, such as Avyanna the Shaman, and Haireth, who was a part of the Kingsguard and was ordered to guard her room, along with others. This group, who were somehow in contact with the sick queen at the time, are now the main suspects of her murder.
Fortunately, you and the others had just managed to escape through the confused and panicked Vestanians, quickly fleeing the kingdom and out of direct trouble, seemingly safe, though as you are well aware, Vestan has eyes and ears everywhere, which danger is sure to ensue. It's been some time now, and it has been suspiciously quiet, nothing has really happened, and it seems all is well.
Rules
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**VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE READ**
- Make sure you can be an active participant of this roleplay. If you cannot post at least 2+ times a week, then this might not be the roleplay for you. However, if there are circumstances in which you cannot meet the posting criteria, then just popping into the discord and explaining why/when you can post again so we can plan accordingly would be admissible.
- There is no strict length requirement for this roleplay, but with that being said, make sure your posts have some level of effort put into them. Please don't write one-liners unless it's absolutely necessary.
- This roleplay is based on exploration and adventure, but character interaction is also a very important component to this roleplay! Make sure your character can at least decently interact with other human beings and have meaningful conversations with the other players that join. Character interactions are most likely going to end up being the bread and butter in this roleplay along with the fantasy plotline, so make sure you plan out your character accordingly and keep that in mind.
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