Oriast
Oriast is a Dark Fantasy world based on fiction such as the Witcher, Fable, Game of Thrones, Dragon Age, and even the real world. Our story takes place in the year 780 AFS in a time where the continent is overrun by monsters and bandits. Even the most powerful Kingdom in Oriast, Raliven, is extremely weakened and unable to provide safety to travelers or unwalled villages. Creatures such as vampires, werewolves, demons, dragons, draugirs, balvarines, harpies, wraiths, and many others haunt the landscape.
Forty years ago the people of Oriast won a seventy year long war against the Cult of Pullo and their Demon Army at a great cost. The population was cut significantly and is still recovering. Technology has been set back hundreds of years making this a world of primitive siege engines and long bows. (Very early European technology) Medicine is almost non-existent and the common man is illiterate. Magic is also very uncommon and is only practiced by those belonging to institutions such as the College of Mages or the Sarian Academy.
Oriast is a world of humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, lizard people, and orlvan (a mixture of human, elf and orc). It has entered a second Dark Age. Despite this there is an overwhelming number of adventurers and mercenaries that travel the land in search of fame and fortune. Some of the most famous of these adventurers come from the Sarian Academy, an institution that was created after the Demon War by a war hero named Florian Serrer. For forty years its students have traveled the world as both heroes, villains, and everything in between.
We will be playing as Sarians, or people who have trained at the Sarian Academy to become dangerous warriors. We will travel through an open sandbox world going on adventures and determining the fate of entire nations.
Nations
Built in 740 AFS one year after the end of the Demon War, the Sarian Academy has become famous for training the deadliest mercenaries, monster hunters, assassins, and mages in the world. The Academy is built in the ruins of the old Island of Saria and is surrounded by deadly swamplands filled with a great deal of supernatural creatures and monsters.
The Academy trains children of any race to become warriors and scholars so long as they have magical ability. The word Sarian, once used to describe an extinct race or citizens of an ancient Empire, is now used to describe anyone who has trained in the Academy. Over the last forty years since the end of the Demon War the Academy has been run by Florian Serrer, a war hero from the Demon war who is now an old Wizard keeping himself alive through magic.
The Academy’s professors are an assortment of mercenaries, wizards, mages, and assassins. The Academy does not force a moral outlook on its students and will send trained warriors into the world whether they are heroes or villains. The Academy is also neutral in all political affairs and will not take sides in any war though it does not disallow its former students from participating on one side or the other.
The Main Hall holds most of the classroom instruction while the courtyard has multiple training rings for melee combat, archery, and magic. The swamp is also used to train the students though it is quite dangerous.
The Academy is also the protectorate of two small towns that have also been built on the Island after the Demon War called Sar and Academy Town. Neither town is ruled over by the school’s administration but they are protected against the various monsters and bandit gangs on the Island by the Sarians. Both towns have various blacksmiths, traders, inns, and brothels for travels as well as docks for travel to the mainland.
Lastly the Island is home to the Arena. Built in the ruins of the old Sarian Coliseum, the Arena has become famous over the last twenty years. While it is not in any way connected to the Academy many Sarians like to fight in the Arena to gain fame and fortune though most don’t make it far enough to do so. Anyone who volunteers is welcome to fight in the Arena and do so knowing that each fight is a fight to the death. Challengers battle against captured monsters, bandits, criminals, or other challengers. The most famous arena combatant is a woman called Sara the Lionheart who had no training at the Academy.
The entirety of the island is filed withruins from the ancient capital city of the Sarian Empire. It is situated in a gulf that separates the southern halves of Raliven and Ossuland.
Real world culture: French
Raliven is the most powerful Kingdom in the world. With the North Sea at its northern border, the Gentic River to the East, the Idrin Peninsula to the west, and the Latio Peninsula to the south, Raliven is one of the central nations on the continent. Raliven was also the kingdom that offered the most resistance against the Cult of Pullo during the Demon War. Despite this Raliven has no real allies with Ergiland across the North Sea being the closet thing they have. Even with Ergiland relations have been strained in recent years.
Raliven is home to the College of Mages in its capital city of Orleans and boasts the largest number of mages in all of Oriast. Orleans itself is one of the largest cities in the world and thick stone walls that have never been broken through, even in the Demon War. Orleans has a multitude of shops, inn, brothels, blacksmiths, libraries and many other services within its walls. The outskirts of the city is populated with small villages built next to its walls. Further out is a large area of farmland that is often patrolled by soldiers to keep the monsters away.
Raliven is currently ruled by King Phillippe Battier, a wise and fair man in his early thirties. Ralish nobility from smallest to largest were ranked by: Baron (Barony), Comte (Comte/county), Marquis (marquessate), Duc (Duchy). Ralish national colors are blue and yellow and the national coat of arms is a single yellow fleur de lis on a blue background.
Ralish knights are known a Chevaliers and are trained from noble families and trained in the art of swordplay. Chevaliers are some of the best soldiers in the world and some peasants are even allowed into their ranks if they show enough combat prowess. The Chevaliers as an order hold to chivalry and many have been known to give their lives to protect even the most insignificant peasant (provided they are human of course.)
Raliven’s greatest enemy has always been Gentland to the east. Though the Kingdom of Loth is situated in between the two nations, they often find a way to go to war with each other.
Real World Culture: German
The Kingdom of Gentland is the second most powerful nation in Oriast, a fact that they deeply resent. The Gentic people believe themselves to be the superior race on the continent and are not shy to express this belief. They are also quite harsh when it comes to dealing with their enemies often opting to torture them severely before execution. The Gents also boast the best heavy infantry in the world, they fight in heavy armor and often use a spear and shield in combat.
Gentland is ruled by König Adelar Vahlen, a middle aged tyrant with dreams of ruling the world. The Gentic capital city is Stierberg located in the middle of their lands. The city walls are still being rebuilt after a long siege during the Demon War but most of the city prospers. It is built on a tall hill overlooking the surrounding farmland.
One hundred miles away from Stierberg is the city of Magier which serves as the nation’s school of magic. Magier is ruled by Konig Adelar himself and is extremely hard to be accepted into. Everyone who lives in the city is a student of a professor and all graduates are pressed into the Konig’s service. Magic itself is highly restricted and regulated throughout the country as it is believed by the Gentic people to be the cause of the world’s current state. They are also very distrustful of any non-human species, especially elves.
Gentic nobility is structured as follows: Herr (Barony/Herrschaft), Reichsgraf (County/Grafschaft), Herzog (Duchy/Herzogtum), and König (Königreich/Kingdom). Their colors are black and yellow with a black dragon on a yellow background as their coat of arms.
Real World Culture: Anglo-Saxon/Viking
The kingdom of Ergiland is across the North Sea from the mainland of Oriast but is still considered part of the continent. Directionally just north of the Kingdom of Raliven the two nations have a pretty unsteady alliance that really serves more as a non-aggression pact. Ergiland is a cultural mixture of Nordic and Oriastian cultures. They are followers of the Castian Church like all the kingdoms on the mainland but still use the old Nordic tribal nobility ranks to distinguish noble class.
A relatively new kingdom in the history of the world, Ergiland was established as a feudal Kingdom only two short decades before the Demon War by Jarl Wulfgar Hrodvig. The Hrodvig clan still holds the royal title of High King in their capital city of Ludivig, the largest city in the Ergi Isles. Ergilsh nobility ranks are as follows: Thane (Thanedom/Barony), Count (clan/county), Earl (Earldom/Duchy), High King (Kingdom). High King Loki Hrodvig, a young but intelligent warlord, is the current king of Ergiland. He rules his kingdom fairly and is currently at war with various Ergi and Nordic tribes that populate the Isles north and east of Ergilsh lands.
Ergilish national colors are white and red with a serpent as their coat of arms. They are an immensely proud people with a distrust of magic in the hands of any who are not of their Magician class. The Ergilish do not have a dedicated school for magic but they do have a group of mages in each of their noble clans.
It is believed that Ergilish chainmail is some of the finest armor in the world and that they hold one of the best naval forces in Oriast. The average Ergilish citizen is quick to anger but is extremely loyal to their country. They are also known for the creation of the pub, a combination of the Oriastian tavern and the Nordic Mead Hall.
Real World Culture: Loosely based on Normans
The Kingdom has had a long history of warfare against its neighbors yet still only has one ‘major’ enemy. Hundreds of years ago during the time of the five Magnus Kings, the Lothan army crossed the Gentic River and conquered both Gentland and Ossuland (in a time when they were known as Northern and Southern Gent). Ever since this time the Lothans and the Ossulans have had a fierce rivalry even more severe than that of Raliven and Gentland. Loth and Ossuland are currently at war with each other and have been for about a year. When they are not fighting Ossuland they are often caught in the middle of a war between Raliven and Gentland.
Loth itself is ruled King Herman La Roche in their capital city of Loth. King Herman is an old and feeble man with a brilliant mind who was young during the final years of the Demon War. Besides Vladimir Draco in Shosvia King Herman is the only King who was alive during the time. The city of Loth is a port city that is built on both the west and east side of the Gentic River connected by multiple high bridges over the water. The city is surrounded by deep forests like the rest of the country. Loth is a very forested nation in which hunting is the most stable profession, whether that is hunting game or monsters. The Kingdom also hosts some of the best archer in the world.
Lothan Nobility is as follows: Baron, Count, Duke, King. Their colors are green and white with a white deer on a green background as their coat of arms. Hunting and fishing culture is at the forefront of Lothan society. The people are hardy and proud with a distrust of non-human races (though not to the extent of Gentland).
The kingdom also does not have a school for magic though they have nothing against the practice. Lothans just prefer a good sword or bow in their hands in a fight. They eat more meat than any other kingdom due to their hunting culture and only have a few spread out farms throughout their lands. Most agriculture is imported from other nations.
More coming soon.
Religions
The Castian religion is the dominant religion on the continent of Oriast. Castianity has its roots in the elven land of ancient Gre’valen as a cult of monotheistic elves who worshipped the Creator, a god who they believed literally shaped the world with his own hands. In a time even before the rise of Saria, the ancient Gre’valen city states worshipped a multitude of pagan gods and forced the budding Creator Cult out of the region.
Eventually the cult found a home in the City of Jerut on the western shores of Orderak where a great many Orlvan peoples converted to the religion. Eventually their theology grew to include Holy Spirits (angels) created by the Creator to protect the Promised Land (heaven). One Spirit named Desaan, who was one of the most powerful Spirits in all of Creation, grew jealous of his Creator’s power. Together with half of the Spirits he fought a war against the Creator for the Promised Land. Eventually he was defeated and sent to the Supernatural World with the rest of the Spirits that followed him, now called demons. Desaan lost his Spirit name and became known as simply the Arch Demon.
After hundreds of years making their home in Jerut, the city was captured by a wandering clan of Orcs and the Cult was thrown out of the city. From that point on there was a prophecy that the Creator would send down a man without parents to bring power to his people. Finally, after a thousand years during the reign of the Sarian Empire, Castus appeared.
It is believed that Castus was the son of the Creator himself in human form to bring peace to his people. After traveling the world for 44 years Castus allowed himself to be crucified by Sarian soldiers in order to become a martyr for his new church. It is believed that after five days Castus rose from the grave and rose back into the Promised Land in Orlvan form.
Before he rose Castus left his Church in the hands of his Followers, all of which followed the Alm or High Priest the first of which took the name of Dias. Eventually the religion spread throughout the Empire despite multiple persecutions. Alm Dias the Second is believed to be the one to convert Emperor Constus to the faith during the Great Sarian War.
After the Fall of Saria the Castian Church headquartered itself in the ancient city of Carpulo on the Latio Peninsula where it is still based today. The Church has also come to possess a great deal of political power throughout the continent as many wars can be started or ended because of Almal favor. The Church also controls a pretty substantial amount of territory in Latio called the Almal States.
The ranks of the magisterium of the Castian Church is as follows: Priest, Arch Priest (Bishop), Loalm (Cardinal), Alm (Pope). When the current Alm dies his successor is elected from the Loalms. Men and women of any race can become priests and arch priests though only humans or Orlvan can become Loalms or the Alm. It is worth noting that the first ALm in the history of the Church, Dias, was an Orlvan woman while Dias the Second was a human man.
More Coming Soon
Magic
History
Originating on the Island of Saria located in the Sarian Gulf in the middle of Southern Oriast, the City of Saria covered the entirety of the Island. Made up of a population of a mixed breed of Human and Elven peoples, the Sarians were a new species in and of themselves. They built a Republic based on the governments of the Elven peoples of Gre’valen in southeastern Oriast and the southern continent of Kederak. As a species, the Sarian people inherited the sharpened ears and brightly colored eyes of their elven ancestors while keeping the slightly larger frames and less angular faces of their human ancestors and had a natural affinity towards magic. As a Republic the Sarians were ruled by a senate elected from those of noble bloodlines (the families that were either instrumental in the building of the original city or had the ‘purest’ Elven blood) called Patricians. The Senate was led by the Consul, an elected Patrician of at least forty years of age that had executive powers for a period of two years.
In the year 932 BFS, after nearly 200 years of existence, the Sarian Republic expanded outside of the Island of Saria for the first time in its history into the Latio peninsula in on the southern coast of the Oriastian mainland. Led by Consul Titus Lentullus Maximus, the Sarians were victorious in the first Latian War conquering the western half of the peninsula. It took another hundred years and two more Latian wars to bring the entirety of the peninsula under Sarian control.
Eventually in the year 824 BFS the Latian population was replaced by a majority of Sarian peoples. The peninsula was granted full citizenship throughout all cities, towns, and villages. Representatives from the major Latian cities such as Carpula, Nea, and Cretian were allowed to join the Sarian Senate though no man not born in Saria was allowed to hold the title of Consul.
In the year 787 BFS relations with the Qartish Republic located in northern Kederak reached a breaking point. The Elven people of the City of Qart launched a full scale invasion of the Island nation Syran, an ally of the Sarians. For thirty years the first Qartish War raged across the Metriach Sea (the sea that separates the continents of Oriast and Kederak) until finally a Sarian mage name Kais Cestus was able to lead his Legion to a victory in the siege of Brotik on the shores of Kederak killing the leadership of the Qartish Senate. A peace treaty was signed that was extremely one sided in the favor of the Sarians and most of the islands in the Metriach Sea became Sarian territories.
For the next fifty years the Sarians expanded into the lands in the eastern Metriach Sea. They fought a series of wars against the city states of Gre’valen who valiantly defended their lands against the invaders. Alexos the Great, the greatest Elven military leader in the history of the world, untied the Gre’valen cities for the first time in 600 years to fight the Sarians. After he was victorious in the Alexan War, Alexos expanded his empire eastward into the lands of Orderak (the region that connects the continents of Oriast and Kederak as a very large land bridge akin to the middle east in the real world) and eventually even further east. He brought Elven culture to the Orlvan people in the east. (A mixed breed of human, elven and orcish blood that is still the dominant species in the region today)
In 704 BFS the Qartish people attacked the Sarians again. Still recovering from the disaster that was the Alexan War, the Republic was nearly destroyed. The Qartish, led by the general Hannibal, had expanded into the Idrin peninsula (the westernmost region of Oriast, think the Iberian Peninsula) and had allied with the Rauls to the North of Latio. Hannibal led his forces throughout Sarian lands. For 15 years the Sarians were beaten back until eventually Hannibal prepared to invade the Island directly. In a final desperate attempt to save their republic, the Sarian Senate gave emergency Imperator powers to Quintus Publius Scipio, the senior remaining general in the republic. He led his army of ten Legions, 100,000 soldiers and mages, against Hannibal. In the final battle of the war on the shores of the Island of Saria, Hannibal was defeated and killed by Scipio. The Qartish army was crushed so severly that they had no way of mustering enough men to counterattack before Scipio would be able to march on Qart itself. They surrendered to the Sarian Senate and all of their conquered lands in Idrin were granted to the Sarians.
Finally in the year 663 BFS Alexos the Great died at the age of 165, around middle age for an elf. His empire collapsed into a state of civil war over their next ruler due to the fact that Alexos had not sired an heir. (There are many historians that believe he was homosexual) While this Alexan Civil War was taking place, a now old Scipio led Sarian troops to conquer lands in Gre’valen. Scipio died three years into the invasion of poor health and left his son in command of his Legions.
It took another 100 years and dozens of generals but the Sarian Republic eventually conquered all of Gre’valen and even began expanding into Orderak. During this time the Republic also conquered much of the Idrin peninsula and even fought in a much smaller scale third Qartish War where their long time enemy was destroyed and their city burned to the ground by Scipio’s grandson.
By the year 556 BFS the Sarian Republic was the most powerful nation in the known world. However political infighting was threatening to tear the nation apart. Three men started to use this to their advantage: Crassus, the richest man in Saria, Pompeii, its greatest general, and Caesar, the young head of one of Saria’s oldest families and a powerful mage. They were able to keep control over the Senate by “taking turns” as consul. One of them was elected to the position after the other’s term in office.
In 542 Caesar used his position of Consul to invade the land of Raul on the mainland of Oriast and north of Latio. For a decade he fought the Rallic Wars against the various human tribes in the region. Eventually the tribes united under the leadership of Versox, the most powerful Rallic mage who ever lived according to history. Versox crossed the Gentic River that separated the lands of Raul and their longtime enemy the Gerts. Somehow Versox convinced 13 Gertic tribes to ally with his Rallic horde and he attacked Caesar’s army. In the battle of Allia Caesar described himself fighting an army of 350,000 Rauls and Gerts with half as many men. After four days of fighting he was victorious and killed Versox with his bare hands after summoning a dragon to destroy the enemy army.
Caesar intended on returning home as a hero after adding the most substantial amount of territory to the republic by one general ever in history. Instead, the Legions of Pompeii his ally, attacked his men. After a fierce battle Caesar was forced to retreat. He later learned that the Senate had become frightened of his power believing he intended on conquering Saria itself and that Pompeii was jealous of his fame. Crassus made his way to Raul where he aided his longtime ally Caesar.
In what became known as the first Sarian Civil War Caesar, Crassus, and Caesar’s greatest general Antony, fought against the Senate throughout the conquered lands of Raul and the Latio Peninsula. In one fierce battle by the City of Carpulo Crassus was killed by Pompeii’s men. It is said that Caesar cried over the corpse of his friend and vowed to end Pompeii’s life with his own hands.
In the year 520 BFS Caesar took the Island and reformed the Sarian Republic into the Sarian Empire after killing Pompeii in the battle for Saria. For the first time in history he allowed representatives from conquered lands outside of Latio to enter the Senate. Even humans and elves from Kederak, Idrin, Gre’valen, and most shockingly Raul were allowed. In 508 BFS Caesar was assassinated by his lover in bed leaving his empire in the hands of his only teenage son Augustus who was also a mage.
Augustus had to fight another Civil War against Caesar’s ally Antony, who also believed he had the right to be emperor, for control. After a decade of fighting Augustus was victorious though he was not the general his father was. For one hundred years Augustus was the emperor of Saria and he completed the conquering of northern Kederak, Idrin, and Orderak. More territory was brought into Sarian control under his rule than any other time in history. While his rule was filled with victory, it also had a few defeats such as the failed invasions of both the Gertic lands to the east of Raul and Ergi Isles across the North Sea.
Near the end of Augustus’ reign in 412 BFS an Orlvan man named Castus was born in Beslavin in Orderak. It was believed that he was the long awaited savior that the local people had been waiting for though many of the high religious officials in the region denied this. Augustus died in 406 BFS leaving the throne to his grandson Titus.
In the year 368 BFS Castus was crucified at the age of 44. The local Sarian government feared that he would lead a revolt among the local Orlvan people who believed that Castus was the son of their Creator. This crucifixion lead the people to believe that Castus was a martyr and that he had risen from the dead to be with the Creator in the Heavens. This lead to a large scale religious movement that spread throughout the Empire like wildfire.
By 327 BFS Emperor Trajan, who was not of Caesar’s bloodline, began murdering the Castians. In the forty years since the death of Castus his church was beginning to divide the Empire, something that Castus could not allow. This caused the Church to practice its beliefs underground for a time.
In 297 BFS Emperor Nero led an invasion of the Ergi Isles and conquered much of the southern lands on the main island. This created another frontier that the Sarians would have to defend against for the next two hundred years. At the end of his reign Nero decided to split the Empire among his four greatest generals since he had not left an heir. This caused the Great Sarian War to begin in the year 266 BFS.
The son of one of Nero’s emperors, Constus, was given control over the Northern Empire in 258 BFS which consisted of Raul, the frontiers in Ergi and Gertic lands, and the northern half or the Idrin Peninsula. Constus was not only a human but also a Castian. He painted the Castian cross on the shields of all of his soldiers and fought against the other emperors for three decades before he finally won the Great Sarian War. He built a great city in Gre’valen called Casto and became the first pure human Emperor of Saria.
In the years that followed, the large populations of elves, humans, Orlvan, and even dwarves that had migrated Dwarven Mountains that separated Oriast from the Far East in the empire began to overpower the pureblooded Sarians. After the reign of Constus no pure Sarian was ever crowned Emperor again. By 140 BFS pure blooded Sarians were a very small minority in their own Empire and by 0 BFS they had mostly disappeared.
In the year 90 BFS the Empire was split between its western and eastern halves. The Western Empire was based in Saria while the Eastern half was based in Casto. This proved to be a mistake as both sides saw themselves as the true power in the Empire. This lead to infighting and a reluctance to cooperate of aid each other in times of war.
In 82 BFS the Eastern Empire was attacked by the Orcish horde from the Far East. The horde ravaged the land and conquered territory that had been in Sarian control for hundreds of years but the West still refused to aid their brothers. In 76 BFS this would cost them dearly as the Lizard People from the far south of Kederak began destroying Western territory. By 66 BFS the Eastern Empire had signed a peace treaty with the Orcs but refused to aid the west. In 64 BFS the Orcs turned their attention to the west and the Western Empire found themselves fighting a war on two fronts against incredibly powerful foes.
By 41 BFS the Western Sarian Empire was pushed back to the Island of Saria and the Idrin Peninsula as their last line of defense. The new Emperor, an Elven Sarian Mage named Luevard Pullo, pleaded with the East to send support. Eventually they agreed. For ten years the East and the West pushed back against both the Lizard tribes and the Orcish horde until the Orlvan in Orderak revolted. They took the East’s eyes off of the war with the Orcs who were then able to invade Idrin.
In 19 BFS Idrin was invaded by the Lizard People and within nine years the entire region was lost. Pullo pulled all of his Legions back to the Island of Saria to make the Empire’s final stand. They waited for six years without an attack from their enemies who were now fighting each other. Eventually Pullo invaded Latio which was now in Orc territory. His invasion failed and his army was all but destroyed. In 2 BFS Pullo retreated back to Saria. Once the Orcs had beaten back the Lizard people that same year their king, Oacilla, besieged the island. For two years the battle raged and the Eastern Empire sent their Legions to try and take land in the Oriast mainland to distract the Orcs but eventually Oacilla broke through the city walls.
In 0 BFS Saria was burned to the ground and Pullo was crucified in the middle of the Senate building. As he died on the cross it is said that unleashed a spell of incredible power that killed Oacilla and his entire horde. Not only on Saria but throughout the old Imperial lands. This spell misfired however and ended up destroying over half of the known world’s population and tore the veil between our world and the next allowing the monsters to pass into our realm. For the first time in history dragons, werewolves, vampires, demons, and many other monsters lived permanently in the world of the living instead of only being summoned by mages for a few hours.
This event became known as the Fall of Saria and the world adopted a new calendar. AFS became the new measurement of time (After the Fall of Saria) and all time before it became known as BFS (Before the Fall of Saria)
After the Fall of Saria the world attempted to rebuild. A few generals tried to remake the Empire though their names are now lost to history and they became known as the Lost Generals. For twenty years after the Fall many old cities raised armies and tried to conquer lost Imperial lands but the constant battle between each other and the new monsters introduced into the world stopped them from gaining any ground. In 4 AFS the most famous of the Lost was a human living in northern Raul who became known as the Last Sarian built a small army to combat the growing threat of monsters. Legend says that he was a Sarian soldier who was present during the Siege of Saria and the Fall.
The Last Sarian led men to kill Paralox, a dragon that was ravaging the cities in the northern region of Raul. He also destroyed two dens of vampires and a clan of werewolves in the region. In 9 AFS the Last Sarian defeated Gracill, the last Orc warlord in Oriast on the banks of the Gentic River. Legend says that in 14 AFS he built the city of Orleans in northern Raul which is now the capital of the Kingdom of Raliven. In his last act the Last Sarian traveled to the Island of Saria to kill the dragon Darko in 19 AFS. He succeeded in killing the beast but died three days later of his wounds. His men buried him in the Sarian catacombs next to the bodies of Scipio and Caesar. His famous sword Rali was brought back to Orleans where the local people started using its name to describe their culture.
In the years that followed, the Castian Church built their headquarters in the ancient city of Carpulo on the Latio Peninsula. From there they spread the message of Castus and the Creator throughout Oriast. They once again became the dominant religion on the continent like they had been during the time of Emperor Constus.
In 36 AFS the remnant of the Eastern Sarian Empire renamed themselves the Grev Empire. They had been pushed back for years and now only controlled the lands in Gre’valen. They renamed their capital of Casto to Grev and started the Grevan Church, a group that worshipped Castus and the Creator but had far more Elven customs. Every now and then they attempted to expand into Orderak but were always unsuccessful because of resistance from the local Orlvan governments and the different types of Sand Demons.
Over the next three hundred years the continents of Oriast, Kederak, and Orderak began forming new tribes and kingdoms until the unity they felt from once being under the Sarian Empire had disappeared. This period of time became known as the Dark Ages and was filled with petty wars between the various cultures that were rising. It also became a very dangerous time to travel as the fractured kingdoms and tribes were unable to keeps the roads safe from the ever growing presence of monsters. Magic also became a practice that was less and less common as now the average person was illiterate.
The Dark Ages became a time in which the traveling mercenary or monster hunter became a profession. Many famous heroes rose during this time including Sadia the Balvarine Slayer, Gerard the Dragonrider, and Boslov the Vampire. Many stories and songs were written about these heroes as the traveled throughout Oriast killing monsters and men for money.
In 352 AFS a human mage from the Rali tribe in the City of Orleans named Karl Magnus married the Queen of Ventach tribe in Northern Raul. With his wife’s help he became the undisputed ruler of the Rali. With control over the two most powerful tribes in northern Raul he began to conquer new territory. As a devout Castian he became known as Karl the Holy by those under his rule. This officially marked the end of the Dark Ages.
By 395 AFS he had conquered the entirety of ancient Raul and the lands east of the Gentic River and was planning to expand his Empire westward into the Idrin Peninsula. However legend says he was killed by a harpy during the march towards the peninsula. His Empire was split by his five sons with his oldest, Pippen, taking control of northern Raul with his capital in Orleans. Karl Magnus is credited to be the man who created the feudal system of government and built the College of Mages in Orleans.
In 400 AFS the sons of Karl Magnus created five distinct kingdoms in the lands of Raul and east of the Gentic River. Northern Raul became known as the Kingdom of North Raulia and was ruled by Karl’s oldest son Pippin. Southern Raul became the Kingdom of South Raulia and was ruled by the second son Reves. The Kingdom situated in the middle of the kingdoms in ancient Raul and the eastern Gents became known as the Kingdom of Loth named after the capital city on the western bank of the Gentic River and was ruled by the third son LaBeau. The lands east of the river were split into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Gent ruled by Karl’s last two sons Henrik and Kaiser respectively.
The five sons of Magnus fought many wars against each other over the years each hoping to unite the kingdoms into one empire. None of them succeeded and within 40 years the Magnus bloodline had died out. In the Kingdom of Loth the throne was given to Bernard Dalia, the brother in law of King LaBaeu in 416 AFS after the king was assassinated.
King Bernard Attacked the Gentic Kingdoms in 426 AFS and executed the Magnus rulers. He nearly conquered the entire region but in 430 AFS Otto Von Driwak lead a peasant revolt against the Loth King. Within two year Bernard was dead and the Loth Soldiers had retreated back across the Gentic River.
In 433 AFS Otto Von Driwak was named king of Southern Gent while a noble named Hugo Wittich became king of Northern Gent. In 435 AFS Otto renamed his Kingdom Ossuland and Northern Gent became known simply as the Kingdom of Gentland. The two kingdoms would become allies and often fought against the Loth.
In the other parts of the world during this time no other area was as successful as mid Oriast. In the west, the continent of Idrin was a region of dozens of kings and tribes that were all fighting each other and against the Elven kingdoms of northern Kederak. Kederak itself had become a warzone between the Elven kingdoms and republics and the Lizard People of the Far South. Orderak was filled with warring Orlvan tribes who fought against themselves and sometimes even against the Orcs of the Far East. The Latio Peninsula was filled with dozens of independent City States the most powerful of with were the Almal States ruled by the Alm of the Castian Church.
In 443 AFS the Kingdom of North Raulia experienced a succession crisis after the death of King Pippin the Second. (Karl Magnus’ grandson) This caused a massive civil war over which of his three sons would hold the throne. Five years into the Succession War however, Baron Julian Bonarte of Raloeux allied himself with King Reuven Descartes of South Raulia. Together the two defeated all of the other northern armies and installed Baron Julian as King after years of fighting in the year 477 AFS.
King Julian quickly renamed his realm to the Kingdom of Raliven after the two old tribes that had started Karl Magnus’ Empire, the Rali and the Ventach. He also changed the Kingdom’s colors and coat of arms from the brown it had been under the Magnus line to the blue and yellow it is today. South Raulia became known as simply the Kingdom of Raulia and the two became allies.
By 515 AFS a new religion was rising in Orderak called Estlam under the prophet Ellahammed. The prophet united the Orlvan peoples and began expanding into Kederak and even into the Latio Peninsula in Oriast. In 542 AFS the army of the Almal States allied with Raliven and Raulia pushed the armies of Estlam out of Oriast. Despite this victory the religion spread throughout the Elven peoples of Kederak creating entire Sultanates of Estlamic Elves.
These Estlamic Elves in northwestern Kederak began invading the Idrin Peninsula in 573 AFS and by 600 AFS they controlled half of the region. Idrin existed in a constant state of war against the elves for the next seventy years before it was interrupted.
In 619 AFS raiders from the Nordic Islands in the North Sea began spreading through Northern Oriast and into the Ergi Isles. The Nords were a race of humans that were never influenced by the Sarian Empire much like the Shos east of Gentland and Ossuland. The Nords pillaged the land for their Algod and his children. The multiple Jarls even started gaining territory in northern Gentland until they were defeated by a Gentic/Ossu army in 637 AFS.
One of the Nordic Jarls, Wulfgar Hrodvig, converted to Castianity in 638 AFS and started a kingdom in the Southern part of the Ergi Isles called Ergiland. He allied himself with the King of Raliven and together the Erglish/Ralish army conquered most of the southern half of the main Island by 644 AFS. The Ralish pulled their troops off of the island and king Wulfgar was allowed to rule his kingdom independently.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the world, on the ancient Island of Saria which had been overrun by dragons and demons in the last few centuries, an Elven cult dedicated to Dark Magic was formed in 652 AFS. They called themselves the Cult of Pullo and were led by an Elf simply known as the High Priest. They believed that the last emperor of Saria had not died but instead had entered into the Supernatural World to build an army of monsters to rebuild the Empire.
They became adept at summoning and creating more monsters from the Supernatural World with the intent of conquering Oriast in preparation for Pullo’s return. In the year 666 AFS they unleashed their demon horde on the southern shores of Raulia. The Cult had complete control over their beasts and the High Priest rode the dragon Luevo, named after Pullo, into battle.
What became known as the Demon War started in 666 AFS when the High Priest of the mysterious Cult of Pullo attacked the southern shore of Raulia. The Raulian King called his Ralish allies into battle and the two armies met on the field. The human army was crushed severely buy the monster horde. Never in history had an army faced an enemy of this kind and the survivors were few. The Castian Church quickly called all Castian Kingdoms into the war.
In 668 AFS the Kingdoms of Raliven, Raulia, Loth, Gentland, and Ossuland were all allied against the cult. This was not enough however, their victories were few and costly. By 670 AFS all of Raulia was overrun and their entire royal family was killed.
In 671 AFS the College of Mages in Orleans officially joined the Ralish army for the first time in its history. The Ralish were able to push the Demon Army back with the help of their mages. The Cult however simply moved their army to Idrin where they conquered the entire Peninsula by 674 AFS.
In 676 AFS King Wulfgar of Ergiland entered the war and was able to convince many of the Nordic Jarls to join him. The Nordic army was able to save the Kingdom of Loth from being overrun in 682 AFS and even aided their longtime enemies in Gentland against invasion. In 684 AFS the High Priest himself killed King Wulfgar which fractured the Nordic Alliance.
Over the next twenty years the Demon Army destroyed most of the major cities in Oriast including the Grev capital. The High Priest conquered much of Kederak and most of Orderak as well. By 704 AFS the Ralish capital of Orleans was surrounded by an army of Draugirs. The new Ralish King, a mage named Clovis Battier, with the help of the College of Mages rained fire down on the enemy army for four straight days before the siege was broken.
In 712 AFS King Clovis and Florian Serrer, a member of the Mages Council, broke the siege of the Almal States capital of Carpulo and took much of the old Raulian land back from the Demon Army. However the Kingdoms of Loth and Ossuland were overrun.
In 724 AFS Clovis was killed by the High Priest and seemingly all hope of victory was taken away from the world. Instead the Mage Florian Serrer captured one of the priests in the Cult of Pullo. The priest as a human Vampire from even further east than Gentland named Vladimir Draco. Through magic Florian was able to break the Cult’s hold on Draco and the two became allies. Draco was able to find weaknesses in the enemy army for the humans to exploit.
In 730 AFS Florian and Draco traveled to the Dwarven Mountains in the east and brought allies to fight the demons. In 731 AFS even a few Orc Warlords had joined the fight against the cult. For the next five years the war raged on with no end in sight until in 736 AFS Draco and Florian led 300,000 men to the Island of Saria itself.
After a siege that lasted an entire year the Cult was defeated and Florian slayed the High Priest and his Dragon single handedly. Most of the cultists were executed by beheading. Without the magic of the cultists to keep control, the Demon Army fell apart. In the year 739 AFS after over seventy years of fighting, the war was declared over.
Raliven gained control over all of the lands that once belonged to Raulia while the Kingdoms of Loth, Gentland, and Ossuland were restored to their old borders. Vladimir Draco returned to his home lands east of Gentland and united all of the local tribes into the Kingdom of Shosvia. Shosvia is now the last Oriastrian Kingdom west of the Dwarven Mountains and the Far East.
Kederak and Orderak were once again ruled by various Orlvan and Elven kingdoms while the Grev Empire was mostly destroyed. While the monster in the world were no longer unified or intelligent enough to wage war against the kingdoms they were still very common. The world entered into a second Dark Age where technology and learning had been sent back almost 400 years.
The wars between the humans and the elves in Idrin continued though they were mostly stagnate due to the high concentration of monsters. Florian tried to return to the College of Mages but was turned away because of his use of Dark Magic to save Draco during the war. Enraged Florian returned to the ruins of Saria and built the Sarian Academy in the rubble.
Other Stuff
So that is my interest check so far. I know what I want to do for all of the other kingdoms and such but am open to suggestions. Also if anyone would like to help me make a world map that would be great! I have absolutely no means of doing so. I'll update the rest of the nations and put a section that talks about races and such if I get enough interest on this. Other Kingdoms include Ergiland (based on early anglo-saxon England), Loth (a mixture of French and German), Latio (Italy style city states), Gentland (Germany), Ossuland (Hungary/Bulgaria), Shosvia (Russia), Idrin (Iberian Peninsula), and the Nordic Isles (Scandinavia). Of course these aren't carbon copies of those countries they are merely based on them culturally. We will be playing in a completely open sandbox world in which you can go to any of these countries.
We are all Sarians and were all trained at the Sarian Academy so we all have magic ability. Your race and country of origin are completely up to you. That being said, if you want to be an Orc you need to be able to explain how they got to Oriast and must be prepared to face pretty intense racism from the humans that are dominant in the continent. Also nobody is famous yet, we are all pretty recently graduated so we haven't had much time to adventure yet. I might make everyone start of the Island of Saria and have us move out into the world from there.
Hope this is interesting to anyone who is still reading this. I could also use help in fleshing this out some more. We'll hold off on creating characters until we get an OOC up but if anyone has ideas for the kingdoms I haven't fleshed out yet just let me know. You can also help flesh out the magic in the world as I want to do an elder scrolls style magic system with the different schools and such.
