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Yggdrasil Chronicles
The Tyberian Uprising
Welcome to Tyberia. A city state on the fringe of Asgard territory. With the Zephyr's quick but hostile takeover, Tyberia faces invasion and occupation. We, the people of Tyberia, do not take kindly to the Empire's enforced laws and build an organization in the shadows to rise up and drive Asgard out. Nobody has ever risen up against Imperial rule and survived past a month. We will be the first. We will show the world that the rule of the Zephyr can be shaken!
We few are unknown, but we do not intend to remain that way. We will rise above our Asgardian oppressors, above the Zephyr oppressing them, and we will spark the fires of revolution proper! Our endeavors must start small, but even the smallest action has a resonating impact. Stay strong in the face of adversity, do not give into your fears. Asgardians bleeds like any other, we will bring that fact to light.
--<::WELCOME::>--
Welcome to the world of Yggdrasil, fellow roleplayers! This is a vast world with near limitless possibilities! The world has been a love project of mine since my young days and thanks to @Vietmyke, it has been revitalized with a new face to bring to the guild! This particular RP is set in the period before the secessionists began making great strides against Asgard. We play as but one of countless resistance groups belonging to territories occupied by the powerful nation.
There is a massive codex of information available for your reference whenever you please. In this codex, you will find information on the many races that populate Yggdrasil, the great nations and the factions that divide or form borders, and the technologies that power civilization on Yggdrasil. We welcome you to our RP, our world, and hope to build more for it with your help. Please, leave behind a character sheet and we will review it prior to allowing you to join the story. Vietmyke and I have a vested interest in not only creating a compelling story for you, but to improve on your already notable ability to fashion great characters! Thank you for taking a moment to review chapter one of the Yggdrasil Chronicles: The Tyberian Uprising!
DISCLAIMER
None of the images are my own. I simply pulled them from google images as a form of visual reference. Unfortunately, I am unable to source most of them; if there is an image that belongs to you that you would like sourced, credited, or removed, please let me know and I will gladly accept your request.
(Yggdrasil is a vast world with many secrets yet to be discovered)
The world of Yggdrasil is a wartorn one. Over the ages, conflicts of grand scale have been fought. Resources or idealogies or cultural differences have been the basis for every war since time had first been recorded; no doubt earlier as well. Many different races live on Yggdrasil, from humans and elves to orcs and gnomes, many races exist within their own empires as well as coexist in singular ones. The diversity of the individual folk is staggering.
(Ice spires such as these can be found in nearly every tundra of Yggdrasil. Nobody knows how these large spires were formed, but that hasn't stopped the scientific community from trying to find out)
Yggdrasi's geography varies just as much as it's inhabitants do. The lush jungles to the far east contrast greatly with the great deserts in the southern hemisphere. Mountains have formed over titanic, and long dormant, great dragons. Oceans and seas span endlessly, waiting for ambitious explorers to travel by boat or by airship and unlock their secrets. Tundras and frozen wastes occupy the caps of the world and the peaks of mountains. Dotted with farms, arboreal landscapes host some of the greatest amount of life.
(The World Tree before the great city 'Karras' was built around it's base)
At the center of all maps of the world, is the world tree. It touches the skies and beyond, offering its gift of mana to the people of the world named after it. Gigantic cities that stretch beyond the horizon have risen across the world. One of these 'Great Cities' surrounds the base of the world tree, forever shaded by the expansive branches that hang above the clouds.
(Máni, the Broken Moon, forms a ring around Yggdrasil with it's debris)
Yggdrasil has two moons that hang prominently in the sky: Máni and Selene. Máni, also known as the Broken Moon, is the larger of the two. It is white with spots of coppery red dotting the landscape. It's known as the broken moon because a massive chunk is broken off of it, it's debris circles around Yggdrasil which gives the world a vibrant red ring. Some nights, when the sun and Yggdrasil are at the right angle, the debris glows bright red in the sky. It is said that having the shadow of a piece of Máni cast over you is a week of good luck and being born in those shadows, is a lifetime of good luck. Selene is the smaller of the two. It's surface is silvery-blue. Selene is locked in orbit around Yggdrasil, never moving in a circle. The entire northern hemisphere is gifted with the sight of Selene all through the night and the day.
(Just a small section of Yggdrasil's vibrant night sky)
The skies beyond Yggdrasil's moons is vibrant with color. If one can escape the light pollution and coppery smog of the great cities, they will see streaks of purple and turquoise nurbulae criss cross. The gaseous clouds are filled with millions of bright starts to illuminate the stellar nursuries. Yggdrasil's star is visited frequently by comets and there it is almost a weekly occurence when a large blue comet tail is somewhere in the sky. But many people of the world don't see the bright night sky. Billions of people either live in the vast great cities, too obscured by dust and smoke and smog to even see the much closer clouds. Dwarves and gnomes live in their undercities. Elves thrive under the canopy of their woodlands. Many of the twisted ratoskr haven't even been graced with real sunlight for hundreds of years. Great city dwellers are often shocked and awed by the sight of the naked sky.
(The salamander is the most prominent steed on Yggdrasil. Their stamina, intelligence, and loyalty rise above that of a horse. Horses are frequently used as beasts of burden)
Yggdrasil has very colorful and diverse fauna, both aggressive and docile. The most notable creature is the salamander, large reptiles used as steeds. Salamanders are fast and can be found in any region of Yggdrasil. They are quick to evolve to their environment, so salamanders come in many different forms. Salamanders can traverse on all terrain and some can even crawl on vertical surfaces. As a salamander grows, it retains its parents' adaptations and makes it own as well. Salamander breeders pay a high price to breed two salamanders from two different extreme environments to make a salamander with all of their traits. These specially bred salamanders are sold to lords and commanders at a price that could buy many poor families a good home.
(A Demi Amber Root; it shares the same monetary value as one hundred great amber roots)
Across the world, the same currency is accepted. Amber Roots, usually simplified to either Ambers or Roots, are coins made from solidified tree sap. The coin is then coated in a polish that prevents sappy residue from from sticking. Roots are divided into four categories in increments of a hundred. A lesser amber root holds the lowest monetary value, one hundred lesser roots is the equivalent of a standard amber root. A greater amber root follows after that, sharing the same value as one hundred standard roots. Above the greater root is the demi root; demi amber roots aren't common anywhere outside of banks or treasuries as they are used as a means to condense funds into smaller, more manageable pieces. People who wish to discretely move large amounts money will often carry one or two demi roots in their pocket. The value of the root is determined by the circles in the center of the coin. One circle denotes a lesser roots and so forth. Some amber roots will be pressed with the emblem of the city they were made in, but that detail is superficial in the global economy.
(A girl looks over Midgar, the capital city of Asgard)
The largest empire on Yggdrasil, consisting of all of Western Yggdrasil, the majority of Central and portions of both North and South, Asgard is the most prominent power in the world. Asgardian culture is so dominant, its trade culture and currency have been adopted by almost every nation on the main continent of Yggdrasil. Asgardians as a people are quite industrious, and are regarded as the most technologically advanced civilization in the world, with strong mastery over statescraft and trade as well. While primarily a human empire, Asgard also possesses a large populace of elves, and dwarves, while gnomes, halflings, and orcs make up more marginalized minorities. Elves are the only other race in Asgard to hold major political seats of power.
(The inner regions of Asgard are prosperous and mostly safe, with the only true threats coming from the Ratoskr below)
Asgard consists of broken up 'Lesser Kingdoms' which are led by their lesser kings and queens. These kingdoms used to be independent nations before the expansion of Asgard. They range from dwarven cities and elven woods, to orcish badlands and halfling shires. The kingdoms all share the banner of Asgard, but their politics often conflict. The emperor and his office allows for skirmishes to take place between conflicting nations, commanding from the massive central "Greater Kingdom" that makes up the core of the empire, and includes the capital city of Midgar and the brunt of the Asgardian military. If agreements haven't been met after an allotted period of time, the Asgardian military arrives with an envoy to settle a deal and return peace to that region.
(A fleet of Asgardian aerial warships being deployed to the front line. Battleships are known to carry whole regiments of soldiers in their massive troop compartments)
Asgardian military is the largest in the world, numbering in the millions, Asgard supplements its forces with powerful fleets of mana-powered airships, gnomish automatons, tanks, and even Legionnaires. As a result, Asgard's bronze-clad legions are a known presence all over the world, the mana-lock rifle a signature weapon of the imperial forces. Due to its large size, the Asgardian military as a whole is rather sluggish and slow to deploy, but deploy in large and overwhelming force when mobilized. As an intermediary, Asgard trains legions of 'Rapid-Response' forces. Units based on airship capable of quickly- relatively in comparison to the Asgardian military as a whole- deploying to most regions around the world.
(A Free Eastern city state. Many of the world's Great Cities are found here. Each city is treated as its own nation. For the sake of security, these city states have formed a rough coalition in the event of an invasion from Asgard)
In East Yggdrassil is a collection of of city-states and nation-states. These cities are typically industrially developed and occasionally bicker with one another behind large walls of stone. Here, people develop different philosophies and create new inventions, making the Eastern city-states a haven for free thinkers and inventors. The types of governments in the city states are varied, some are democratic, there are several republics, a few kingdoms, and several mercantile cities.
(Technology varies from city to city in the Free East. Cities develop their technology independent of one another; however, technologies are frequently traded between friendly states as a show of good will)
The different races often intermingle and live together in these city states, but it is not uncommon for cities to be exlusively a single race. The majority of these city states are loosely allied with each other in a confederacy for a unified defense, though this alliance hasn't stopped small wars from breaking out between cities. A common sight are airships of various shapes and sizes travelling across the skies, trading and exploring and otherwise soaring about the sky. Resistant, but not hostile to Asgardian culture, the Eastern city states in general do not try to antagonize the Asgardian Empire, for fear of bringing their military might down upon all of them. Mainly due to fear of the Empire, many city states are militarized and possess their own private militaries.
(Tyberia is one of the world's largest great cities, second only to Midgar, the capital of Asgard. Before Asgard's occupation, Tyberia was a city-state in the Free East)
A relatively large city state sitting near the border of Asgard, Tyberia has long been regarded a centeral 'stopping' location between the trade routes of the Eastern city states and the Asgardian markets. As a major commercial hub between the east and west, Tyberia enjoys the benefits of a fruitful commerce and near continuous growth, making it one of the larger great cities of the east. Like many city states, it is militarized, in order to defend itself- though to appease the nearby Asgard, and to prevent any suspicion or accusation to be thrown their way, Tyberia's official military is rather small. Instead, it relies on the numerous mercenary guilds within its city limits to provide the city with security in times of need.
(Following Asgardian occupation of Tyberia, the city's Tan'Raga underworld rose in public support as they openly reject Asgard policies)
Following the rise of the Zephyr, Tyberia has been occupied and seized- its military easily crushed, and its mercenary bands quickly dispersed by the near overwhelming invasion force of Asgardian soldiers, and is currently the staging ground for further Asgardian campaigns into the east. Tyberia's Tan'Raga is the only known organization to publically stand up against their occupiers. The actions of the crime syndicate are beginning to inspire more virtuous resistance groups.
(Reichlander Soldiers recover from another violent border skirmish. Day by day, the Reichland attempts to penetrate into Asgardian territory, only slowing down to huddle up during the winter)
A small, but highly militarized dictatorship situated in the mountains of north Yggdrasil, this autocratic nation is made almost entirely of soldiers. From their vast underground fortresses, they wage a near constant war of Asgard, in pursuit of Asgard's rich lands and resources. Their underground cities are heavily defended, and the bitter cold and weather conditions of the Northern Spine mountains make it impossible for the Asgard to mount a large scale invasion of the north using their airships. However, the same weather conditions play against the Reichsland as well, as it is difficult for them to send large numbers of soldiers into Asgardian lands. The result is a stalemate, and perpetual skirmishes in the taiga lowlands and arboreal forests between the two nations.
(Reichland's only great city is Bermenstadt. Like almost every other Reichland city, it is built underground in massive caverns)
Reichlanders have access to potent mana as they're cities are all underground in order to resist the harsh winters. Where they lack much of the profoundly advanced technology that Asgard has, they make up for it in total power. Their less advanced weapons and vehicles are loaded with green mana. This makes their weapons highly unstable and liable to explode in the hands of the user, but when they don't, they are terrifying to be on the receiving end of. Reichlanders are motivated to continue attacking Asgard as their close proximity to large streams of liquid mana has lead to an epidemic of mana poisoning; for the sake of their people, they will not stop their attack on Asgard's borders.
(Asgardian forces launch a vicious assault on a hill currently held by Secessionists. The hard reality of a Secessionist soldier is that they are always hopelessly outgunned and at a constant disadvantage with Asgard)
The Secessionists consists of a confederation of half a dozen minor kingdoms and city states along Asgard's Eastern borders. Due to the sheer size and power of the Asgard military, however, the Secessionists are fragmented and scattered. While united against Asgard, the different nations of the Secessionists are distinctly independent from one another, and often have differing motivations. As such, the leaders of the confederation rarely see eye to eye and often butt heads while attempting to make large scale decisions, making the Secessionist movement as a whole slow, rigid, and unwieldy.
(Secessionists can not maintain the level of unified production compared to Asgard. To compensate, Secessionist soldiers often loot after a battle)
In general, the military forces of the Secessionist movement vary in training, as well as quality of equipment. The Secessionists forces are for the most part inferior to the Asgardian military, lacking both the numbers and logistics; however, the Secessionists' ideals are strong, and rapidly growing, and more and more rebels join the Secessionist cause every week- including former Asgardian soldiers and deserters. Entire lesser empires within the borders of Asgard have succeeded from the Grand Empire in the decades following the Zephyr's hostile takeover.
(Inspired by the defiance of the Tan'Raga, revolutionary groups have started to operate in the shadows)
Known as the Tyberian Revolutionaries, this group aims to return Tyberia to the Free East. The Revolution is small, and only spoken throughout the city in hushed tones. By necessity, and because of the Asgardian Military's presence within the city, the Revolutionist movement stays covert, and quiet, as they attempt to take their city back from their oppressors. Made up of a collection of Asgardian deserters, rebels, insurgents, and revolutionaries, the citizens of Tyberia are desperate to take back their city. The Revolutionist movement has been thus far unable to connect with any of the minor secessionist nations for aid, and are for the most part, on their own.
(Resistance hideouts such as this are all known revolutionaries have. Upon being revealed as a rebel, everything the revoluntary owns is taken and often destroyed)
Revolutionaries operate by means of subterfuge and sabotage. They, begrudgingly, work with the Tan'Raga to ascertain intelligence. Despite sometimes working together, the Revolutionaries and the local Tan'Raga are polar opposites. Tyberia's Tan'Raga defies Asgard and operates to further their own gains; The Revolutionaries operate for the benefit of all Tyberian citizens. People have their own reasons to seek out the resistance group, but if the reason is justified, the revolutionaries will try and lend a helping hand.
(Elven women make excellent spies for the revolutionaries. In a war within shadows, not even the vices of men are safe)
Since Asgard is constantly intercepting radio transmissions, communication between revolutionary hideouts and operatives is done through dead-drops, face to face meetings, spreading rumors with code, and many other ways. Security is the only real ally the revolutionaries have, and it is a fickle one. Every member of the resistance knows that the penalty for being captured is death, so they never take any operation lightly. It is common for resistance members to make pacts that if one is to ever fall into the hands of their occupiers, that they kill them before it's took late. Grimly, this pact is settled more often than not.
(A knight belonging to the House of Blades)
The Knight Houses belong to no specific empire. They are warriors and paragons of honor who travel the world to help the common folk. Knights are held in high regard across the world, and many people are grateful that they do not condone the actions of Asgard's government. Still, they will assist Asgardians if the cause is just. Knight houses usually have their own political agendas and often don't work together, but they will if their interests align.
(The emblem of the House of Blades)
The House of Blades is the oldest Knight House in Yggdrassil, and was one of the original houses since antiquity. One of the largest Knight Houses in Yggdrasil, the House of Blades has a chapterhouse in almost every major city. The House of Blades teaches and emphasizes traditional swordsmanship, and its knights are among the most skilled swordsmen in Yggdrasil. They often wear heavy mana-resistant plate armor.
(The emblem of the Knights of Lexicon)
The least militarized of the brotherhoods, the Knights of the Lexicon focus on the pursuit of knowledge above all. They protect all forms of knowledge religiously, and are willing to go to war to protect and preserve knowledge. They are responsible for maintaining the massive library in the Asgardian capital of Midgar, and are also known as masters of strategy. They commonly seek out tacticians and other men of thought to recruit into their ranks. They are among the smallest of the Knight Houses.
(The emblem of the House of Storms)
The House of Storms is a younger knight brotherhood that focuses primarily on use of the manalock and other ranged weaponry. Among them are some of the best marksmen in the world. A very selective Knighthood, their numbers fluctuate around 2500 Knights- considerably smaller than some of the other militant brotherhoods, and screening and selection processes for the Knighthood is very strict. Due to their focus on modern technology, many traditional brotherhoods, such as the House of Blades and the Knights Draconis look down on them- on the other hand, the House of Storms often look down upon the older knighthoods as obsolete and stuck in their old ways.
(The emblem of the Knights Arcana)
An elf exclusive knighthood, the Knights Arcana are made entirely of powerful manaweavers. The members of the Elitist Knights Arcana are often Elves of the purest bloodlines and the most powerful of manaweavers. As their members are all elves, they tend to share their mother race's arrogance, and often look down upon non-elves. Their skilled battemages are capable of impressive feats of magic, and are a feared sight on any battlefield.
(The emblem of the Knights Draconis)
A very large and prominent brotherhood, the Knights Draconis is another traditional knight brotherhood. The Knights Draconis focus primarily on cavalry and shock and awe tactics to dominate the battlefield. The Knights Draconis are primarily known for their fearsome Salamander Riders, also known as Dragoons.
(A House of Paupers banner)
The third largest brotherhood, behind the House of Blades and the Knights Draconis, the House of Paupers is a brotherhood that primarily focuses on humanitarian efforts, and are one of the least militarized of the Knighthoods. As a humanitarian group, the House of Paupers primarily gathers and distributes food, funds, and other resources for refugees, victims, and struggling people, with only a relatively small group of well trained warriors to protect these resources and the knighthood itself. As a result, the group enjoys massive popularity among the general populace of Yggdrasil. As this brotherhood has the most to do with money, and due to its size, there have been many allegations of corruption within the ranks of the House of Paupers, but the Grand Master of the brotherhood insists that these claims are false and are fabrications of those who wish to undermine their generous cause.
(Cogs and gears, while ages old, still form the backbone of nearly all pieces of technology)
Technology in Yggdrasil relies on a fusion of steam power, coal and iron furnaces, and most importantly: mana. The most common building materials are stone, wood, brass, bronze, and iron, and there also exists many other rare materials such as Mithril, or magic metal, incredibly denser and strong adamantium, or rare meteoric iron. Most machines in Yggdrasil are powered by powerful mana crystals, and to a lesser extent, supported by steam power. All manner of devices, from airships, to firearms often rely on mana for power.
(A small town under a root of the sprawling World Tree)
All mana in Yggdrasil comes from the world tree, a massive tree in in Central Yggdrasil, whose trunk is the width of a city, and stretches into the sky further than anyone could possibly reach. It is believed that it is the world tree that seperates and forms the bridge between the physical world and the Etherium. The World Tree's roots envelope and intertwine through most of the world, and its massive roots are often the sites of mana-mining facilities.
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(A blue mana crystal)
In its natural state, Mana is liquid in form, and seeps from the roots and trunk of the World Tree like sap. Unlike the sweet sap of a maple tree however, liquid mana- and mana in all forms for that matter, is highly toxic to most races. While it is found as a liquid, the primary form of used mana is in its solid state. Elven manaweavers, and specially trained and equipped Mana-tappers, collect large amounts of liquid mana and send them to refineries, where elven manasmiths condense the liquid mana into small crystals for everyday use. Pockets of gaseous Mana can also be found deep underground, often nearby geothermal vents and the planet's mantle, making the gathering of mana quite hazardous
(A river of liquid mana. While most mana in liquid form is found within the roots of the world tree, some of it seeps from small openings and forms rivers of the surface of Yggdrasil)
The quality and relative power of the mana primarily depends on the purity of the mana. Purer mana is found deeper underground, and is in its purest state, a brilliant emerald green, and at the surface, a pale citrine yellow. Powerful and demanding machines such as airships require larger, purer crystals, while most lesser machines can make do with the more common, cheaper crystals.
(A manalock rifle loaded with a highly unstable green mana crystal)
The most common firearm in Yggdrasil is the manalock. They generally come in bolt action or semi-automatic, and rely on mana-crystals. Manalocks propel sliver thin crystal projectiles coated in mana at high speeds, causing both physical and mana based damage.
(Despite wearing mana-resistant plate armor, even knights of the House of Blades can succumb to the deadly radiation of mana. Those who survive mana poisoning, often become mutated in some way)
Mana is toxic to the body, and even touching mana can cause mana burns to a person, as such mana is typically handled with leaded gloves. Mana based damage to the body is also known as mana radiation. Primary symptoms of mana radiation is the burning of the afflicted area. Mana radiation also causes cellular degradation in the afflicted area, and can cause other symptoms such as short term nausea and vomiting. Long term exposure and relatively larger doses can result in neurological effects, as well as rapid death. For the rare survivors of untreated mana poisoning, mutations are commonplace.
(An old elven manasmith researching ways to slow mana poisoning down for the other, susceptible races)
Some races, most notably elves, and ratoskr are immune to the effects of mana radiation and radiation poisoning- though elves are not immune to the physical manifestations of mana (a.k.a magic). Other races, such as dwarves are highly resistant, though not immune to mana radiation.
None of the images are my own. I simply pulled them from google images as a form of visual reference. Unfortunately, I am unable to source most of them; if there is an image that belongs to you that you would like sourced, credited, or removed, please let me know and I will gladly accept your request.
(Yggdrasil is a vast world with many secrets yet to be discovered)
The world of Yggdrasil is a wartorn one. Over the ages, conflicts of grand scale have been fought. Resources or idealogies or cultural differences have been the basis for every war since time had first been recorded; no doubt earlier as well. Many different races live on Yggdrasil, from humans and elves to orcs and gnomes, many races exist within their own empires as well as coexist in singular ones. The diversity of the individual folk is staggering.
(Ice spires such as these can be found in nearly every tundra of Yggdrasil. Nobody knows how these large spires were formed, but that hasn't stopped the scientific community from trying to find out)
Yggdrasi's geography varies just as much as it's inhabitants do. The lush jungles to the far east contrast greatly with the great deserts in the southern hemisphere. Mountains have formed over titanic, and long dormant, great dragons. Oceans and seas span endlessly, waiting for ambitious explorers to travel by boat or by airship and unlock their secrets. Tundras and frozen wastes occupy the caps of the world and the peaks of mountains. Dotted with farms, arboreal landscapes host some of the greatest amount of life.
(The World Tree before the great city 'Karras' was built around it's base)
At the center of all maps of the world, is the world tree. It touches the skies and beyond, offering its gift of mana to the people of the world named after it. Gigantic cities that stretch beyond the horizon have risen across the world. One of these 'Great Cities' surrounds the base of the world tree, forever shaded by the expansive branches that hang above the clouds.
(Máni, the Broken Moon, forms a ring around Yggdrasil with it's debris)
Yggdrasil has two moons that hang prominently in the sky: Máni and Selene. Máni, also known as the Broken Moon, is the larger of the two. It is white with spots of coppery red dotting the landscape. It's known as the broken moon because a massive chunk is broken off of it, it's debris circles around Yggdrasil which gives the world a vibrant red ring. Some nights, when the sun and Yggdrasil are at the right angle, the debris glows bright red in the sky. It is said that having the shadow of a piece of Máni cast over you is a week of good luck and being born in those shadows, is a lifetime of good luck. Selene is the smaller of the two. It's surface is silvery-blue. Selene is locked in orbit around Yggdrasil, never moving in a circle. The entire northern hemisphere is gifted with the sight of Selene all through the night and the day.
(Just a small section of Yggdrasil's vibrant night sky)
The skies beyond Yggdrasil's moons is vibrant with color. If one can escape the light pollution and coppery smog of the great cities, they will see streaks of purple and turquoise nurbulae criss cross. The gaseous clouds are filled with millions of bright starts to illuminate the stellar nursuries. Yggdrasil's star is visited frequently by comets and there it is almost a weekly occurence when a large blue comet tail is somewhere in the sky. But many people of the world don't see the bright night sky. Billions of people either live in the vast great cities, too obscured by dust and smoke and smog to even see the much closer clouds. Dwarves and gnomes live in their undercities. Elves thrive under the canopy of their woodlands. Many of the twisted ratoskr haven't even been graced with real sunlight for hundreds of years. Great city dwellers are often shocked and awed by the sight of the naked sky.
(The salamander is the most prominent steed on Yggdrasil. Their stamina, intelligence, and loyalty rise above that of a horse. Horses are frequently used as beasts of burden)
Yggdrasil has very colorful and diverse fauna, both aggressive and docile. The most notable creature is the salamander, large reptiles used as steeds. Salamanders are fast and can be found in any region of Yggdrasil. They are quick to evolve to their environment, so salamanders come in many different forms. Salamanders can traverse on all terrain and some can even crawl on vertical surfaces. As a salamander grows, it retains its parents' adaptations and makes it own as well. Salamander breeders pay a high price to breed two salamanders from two different extreme environments to make a salamander with all of their traits. These specially bred salamanders are sold to lords and commanders at a price that could buy many poor families a good home.
(A Demi Amber Root; it shares the same monetary value as one hundred great amber roots)
Across the world, the same currency is accepted. Amber Roots, usually simplified to either Ambers or Roots, are coins made from solidified tree sap. The coin is then coated in a polish that prevents sappy residue from from sticking. Roots are divided into four categories in increments of a hundred. A lesser amber root holds the lowest monetary value, one hundred lesser roots is the equivalent of a standard amber root. A greater amber root follows after that, sharing the same value as one hundred standard roots. Above the greater root is the demi root; demi amber roots aren't common anywhere outside of banks or treasuries as they are used as a means to condense funds into smaller, more manageable pieces. People who wish to discretely move large amounts money will often carry one or two demi roots in their pocket. The value of the root is determined by the circles in the center of the coin. One circle denotes a lesser roots and so forth. Some amber roots will be pressed with the emblem of the city they were made in, but that detail is superficial in the global economy.
Races wrapped in asterisks ( * ) are unplayable.
(A human baron. Barons are responsible for districts in grand cities and large plots of land in rural areas)
The dominant species of Yggdrasil. Humans are the most ingenious race of all the civilized races. Humans are responsible for the invention of mana-tech and steam-tech before that. They form the political bodies of nearly every empire and are the most variable in their culture and traditions. Humans have high adaptability and can excel in any way of life. Vast cultural differences and personal greed has led to many human empires to go to war over history before the formation of Asgard. Despite their warmongering ways, humans often show moments of admirable compassion and honor. They are capable of great diplomatic feats. Their dominance of Yggdrasil wouldn't be possible if they were hated. Humans are so varied that it is difficult to hate all humans based on the actions of a few.
(Officers of the Asgard Imperial Military gather around to discuss battle plans)
Humans have a tendency to go to war for resources. More wars have been fought by humans on Yggdrasil than any other race. Every costly war was started by the pen stroke of a human politician. Humans exploit resources to continue building their massive creations from tesla-armor to massive skyborne airships. In war time, humans manufacture so many weapons of war that their enemies can't keep up. With every defeat, humans find a way to improve their creations so they can triumph during the second attempt. Humans are always expanding their knowledge of technology and it shows every time they take to the battlefield. Their habit to improve shows in their weapons and vehicles as every one of them becomes stylized and unique. A tank off of the assembly line quickly becomes one of a kind after a few battles. New machines are revealed with every engagement and this makes them highly unpredictable on the battlefield.
(A local Tan'Raga spy running from authorities in an Asgardian grand city)
Corruption among humans is deep. Crime dominates the human underworlds. In nearly every city, a Tan'Raga can be found. Tan'Raga is ancient human tongue for 'Under Kings', it is another way of referring to something as a gang. Every Tan'Raga is led by a 'High Raga' (High King) who appoints their masters to certain tasks. The usual Tan'Raga consists of the High Raga, the king of coin (Raga'Mo), the king of pleasure (Raga'Sa), the king of smuggling (Raga'Fil), and the king of secrets (Raga'Mu); despite being 'kings', these crime bosses aren't exclusively male. The 'kings' of a Tan'Raga all run their own organizations independently and answer to the High Raga. Deception and betrayal is common in a Tan'Raga and it's that constant fluctuation of power that makes them so difficult to uproot from a city. Some Tan'Ragas are nothing more than petty thieves in alley ways, while others are shadowy empires who's influence reaches deep into its city's inner workings.
(A human town at sundown)
Human societies are often very class based. Royalty and nobility run human civilization while the upper class enjoys comfortable lives. The middle class form the majority of humans; they are the workers, the soldiers, and the farmers. The middle class can be both fair and brutal depending on the environment. The lower class consists of the slaves and the homeless who have no real chance at a better life unless they join their nation's military. Lower class individuals face tough lives from start to finish and are tough because of it. If there is no place in normal society for a lower class citizen, then the local Tan'Raga is happy to provide. Women are seen as equals to men and they enjoy the same luxuries. Moving up in class is difficult, but if one is smart or creative enough, they might get lucky. Human culture is so influential that other races have adopted it. It isn't uncommon to see elves or even orcs living by human standards.
(An elven manasmith. Manasmiths are exclusive to the elven race)
One of the more common races in Asgard. Elves are of generally thinner build than humans, but of similar height. They are considerably longer lived than humans, and are one of the few races capable of manipulating mana without assistance. Elves do not suffer the effect of mana radiation and mana poisoning. Elves share the same diplomatic duties as humans do as the two species are the most powerful in Yggdrasil. Where humans are in charge of industrial and technological advancement, elves are in more in charge of international politics.
(Elves tend to blend traditional weaponry with modern technology)
Often viewed as one of the more fortunate races, elvenkind are often highly integrated with human society, due to their similarity in physiology. Their longevity tends to result in a perception of innate intelligence, and many elves are often arrogant and view themselves as superior to other races. Elven superiority has led to some conflicts with dwarves, another proud race. Elves and dwarves live among one another in Asgard, but on a personal level, they often show a considerable amount of disdain toward one another.
(Elves are proud of their natural beauty and show it off with revealing clothes; female elves make for ideal spies)
They are the exclusive weavers of Yggdrasil's mana, and are the only race to possess manasmiths, making them integral to modern militaries and societies. The ability to weave mana is rare, even amongst elves, and the ability is believed to be passed down by heredity. Manasmiths are hugely valued and they usually can be found in mana refineries to create mana crystals. Manasmiths are utilized in militaries as both medical officers and as battlemages. Manasmiths have the ability to change the properties of mana at will; they can turn a mana crystal into a ball of fire to throw or they can diffuse the mana to prevent mana poisoning and radiation.
(Interbreeding between humans and elves is commonplace, half elves are very normal in most places where the two species coexist together)
Elven culture is considerably more formal and polite than other societies, mainly due to their longevity and natural health. Purely elven societies are very in tune with nature but are exceedingly rare due to the proliferation of other races. Exclusive elven communities have very sleek and curvy architecture. Elves are very artistic and enjoy a wide range of colors in their work. While they certainly aren't architects equal to dwarves, elves are capable of remarkable of making beautiful environments.
(A dwarven engineer; dwarven engineering is unparalleled, not even the humans can match the quality of dwarven work. Asgard tends to employ dwarves when designing new prototypes)
Short and stout, these broad shouldered individuals are stubbornly proud and hate disrespect. Shorter, but broader than humans, most dwarves are quite physically strong and are renowned for their craftsmanship. Dwarves tend to infuse mana into objects. This is called Runesmithing. A dwarven friend is a friend for life but earning their trust is the difficult part. Dwarves live in canyons and subterranean caverns. Asgardian dwarves live in undercities below the grand cities. Dwarves are natural miners and have a good eye for rare stones. While they aren't immune to the effects of mana, they do have a natural resistance toward it as the roots of the World Tree often intertwine with their cities. Dwarves tends to fashion armors that are heavily leaded to further improve their protection from mana radiation.
(A dwarven soldier escorting a gnomish supply automoton)
Dwarves fashion intricate and extremely defensible fortresses out of stone. Their squared off edges show off the fortitude of their people. Dwarves favor artillery and defenses rather than attack forces. Their warriors are clad in armor that can rival the durability of even a legionnaire. Dwarves that are a part of the Asgard military are kept on the rear lines as engineers. They are responsible for the maintenance of war machines and airships as well as the construction of military strong points whenever a location needs to be held. Dwarves in a combat role are used as tunnelers to ferry large amounts of soldiers behind enemy lines underground.
(A prospector searching the Belial mountains for signs of new resources)
Dwarves and gnomes share a kindred bond and those that aren't a part of Asgard live freely among one another. Dwarves rely on gnomish inventions whilst gnomes rely on dwarven protection. Before Asgard grew in power, gnomes stopped an elven army from destroying their capital by inventing the mana inverter. The inverter caused nearby mana to flow in reverse which resulted in a violent backlash as the elven battlemages took to the field. The gnomish ingenuity and their willingness to aid a crippled kingdom earned eternal gratitude from the dwarves. Independent dwarven and gnomish nations share their territory.
(A dwarf battles a ratoskr after their mining tunnels meet)
While dwarves are great allies with the gnomes, they are also great enemies to the ratoskr. Since both races live underground, it is all too common for their tunnels to meet. Tunnel skirmishes are common as the two battle for control over a network. Dwarves have developed a habit to train new miners in military practices in the event of an encounter with ratoskr. This militarization has led many dwarves to become potent fighters. If a King demands his people to fight, he can do so while resting assured his forces are capable. Dwarves distrusts elves since their near success in destroying a major dwarven city. Asgardian elves and dwarves will often show bad attitude toward one another but they wont exchange blows... Often.
(An orcish officer of northern Yggdrasil)
The largest and most muscular of the civilized races of Asgard. They are often considerably taller than humans and of ashen or pale green skin color. They're recognizable by their short underbite tusks. They typically have a shorter lifespan than humans. Orcs are aggressive and are fielded as heavy infantry in tesla-armor or as artilley crews to load ammunition quickly and easily. Orcs have become more civilized as their race has constantly undergone assimilation from many of the other nations.
(A traditional orc warrior; despite the advancement in technology, many orcs still prefer to fight in a melee)
The entire orcish society is based around a warrior class. While artisans and political leaders are present in orcish society, none of them have reached their position without taking part in a battle beforehand. It is entirely possible for the lowest class of orcish citizen to rise to nobility if one has come out to be the victor of a large number of battles. With the rise of Asgard and the conquering of nearly all of Yggdrasil, assimilation has mostly erased this tradition. Still, many orc exclusive communities hold true to their traditional roots. Traditional orcs look down on Asgardian orcs, they see them as weak for leaving behind the very core of their societal structure.
(An orcish knight of the House of Blades)
Orcs are nomadic by nature. They are native to the great sands of Tarcanis and resources are scarce. Orcish tribes settle for as long as they have resources in the region before moving on to another location. Before the rise of Asgard, orcs maintained a rather sizeable empire that extended into the could northern regions. The orcs were caught in between the human and elven kingdoms as they warred. Human war machines and elven mana overpowered the orcs simple warmongering and shattered their empire. What's left are pockets of orc cultures that have adapted very differently to their environments but maintain their warrior history.
(An orcish elder; orcs have a shorter lifespan than humans, forty years for an orc is the same as sixty years for a human)
Traditional orcs have a general distaste for anything asgardian. They still blame Asgard for the severing of their empire hundreds of years ago. If asgardians ever come into contact with a traditional orc nomad tribe, the chances of the orcs attacking the asgardians is dangerously high. With that pent up aggression, unification of the tribes would lead to a dangerous conflict. Because of this, Asgard employs many orcs as spies and a variety of other types of agents to ensure that they traditional tribes never completely unify.
(A gnomish adventurer)
One of the smallest civilized races in Asgard, gnomes are commonly found as artisans and traders due to their deft hands and dexterous bodies. Diminutive in stature, gnomes are surprisingly long lived. Automatons are used by gnomes to compensate for their small size, helping them with projects greater than gnomes can physically do. Gnomes keep their technologies well guarded and only have a tendency to share them with dwarves.
(Gnomish traders are so successful because they find their own wares and have stories with each and every item they sell; it adds intriguing histories to their items and therefore, makes them more appealing to buyers)
Gnomes are the most successful traders in all of Yggdrasil. They are silver tongued and know exactly what to say to a customer in order to make a sale. Gnomes are very dedicated to their craft and once they’ve found their career choice, they stick to it until death. Gnomes live a surprisingly long life, an elderly gnome can live up to 140 years. Gnomes don’t trade their technology unless it's beneficial for their people.
(A gnomish inventor working on a new automoton)
Gnomes employ the use of automatons to assist them in their day to day lives. They are contraptions of cogs and belts and gears and are usually dedicated to singluar tasks. Simple automatons are made for only one purpose and nothing else, but more masterful gnomish inventors have made automatons that can adapt to its surroundings and operate accordingly. Gnome militaries see heavy use of battle automatons. Gnomes are the first race to develop the concept of tanks, but even they were used as heavily armed and armored automatons. Nearly all technological advancements can be traced back to the gnomish people in some way, either directly or indirectly.
(A halfling entrepeneur. Successful halflings in Asgardian society live very lavish lives)
Halflings are quick witted and friendly individuals. Halflings are the only race to have never formed a real empire; preferring instead to live very communal lives in the form of shire-villages. Halflings are gifted with a brilliance toward whatever they set their mind on, but that potential is wasted as most halflings prefer to live a life of perpetual bliss. They aren't hedonistic folk, but they'd much prefer a fun night at the tavern over a stuffy gala with politicians.
(A halfling adventurer)
Halflings are quirky and very spontaneous. They chose to live day by day instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. They tend to make life decisions on the spot. As such, a quaint and humble farmer might just pack up and leave to go adventuring for a few years. This spontaneity has led to many halflings becoming somewhat untrustworthy, which attributes their roguish tendencies. They make excellent mercenaries and treasure hunters.
(Halflings have a knack for artifact hunting, many noble halflings will hire mercenaries and artifact hunters to find rare items)
Halflings are business professionals, and they seem to enlighten whatever job they are given. Halfling bartenders are better than human bartenders. Halfling jewelers are better than dwarven jewelers. But their size and random nature doesn't make them out to be very skilled career soldiers. It is more common to see halflings in auxiliary units and reserves than on any active unit. But gnomes are great at socializing and if one was to pay a gnome enough, sensitive information can almost always be acquired.
(Bearing a shape reminiscent of a human, the Ratoskr are deformed creatures that are the victims of mana radiation)
Once human, the Ratoskr have fallen to nothing more than slaves and cannon fodder. The race's tragic backstory is the fault of human misunderstanding during their first steps into the exploration of mana technology. A human kingdom, that didn't belong to Asgard as the time, known as Tarkos was the first to develop a mana-based power plant from the elves during the steamtech era. Humans and elves warred but it was a violent stalemate as human steam technology couldn't overcome elven mana and vice versa. Tarkos blended the two together to pioneer mana technology but ended in catastrophic failure when their power plant destabilized and detonated. The radiation emitted from the explosion blanketed Tarkos and mutated its inhabitants into the crippled form they are now, the Ratoskr.
(A ratoskr female navigating the endless tunnels beneath Yggdrasil)
Once asgardian scouts confirmed the fate of Tarkos, a massive army was sent to occupy it and enslave the broken people. The ratoskr lived as slaves to the Asgardian people, thrust into pits so deep that the sunlight doesn't even reach the bottom. Over the ages, the ratoskr has turned these seemingly bottomless caverns into sprawling pit-cities. While Asgard still technically slave the ratoskr, none dare enter the pit-cities. Ratoskr have become violent and ruthless toward their oppressors. They still retain their keen human intellect but their minds have been degraded over centuries of abuse and belittlement. Nobody knows how many ratoskr their are in the world, many theorists believe that the ratoskr now outnumber every known race on Yggdrasil, and that they are forming large armies underground. With access to the deadly and banned green mana crystals found only in the deepest parts of Yggdrasil, the ratoskr are creating deadly weapons and machines of war to one day return to the surface and annihilate Yggdrasil.
(A ratoskr inventor testing his potent new green mana powered battle armor. Whenever the ratoskr launch raids from their pit cities, infernal new mechanisms are always brought to the field and with them, new problems Asgardian soldiers aren't trained to handle)
Since the death of Tarag the Fool, a zephyr who unknowingly stepped into a pit city, the ratoskr have declared open war with Asgard and their Zephyr overlords. Doomsayers believe that the ratoskr tide is coming. While the war wages mostly at the mouths of the many pit cities, ratoskr incursions can appear anywhere. After centuries of living in the pit cities, ratoskr have become masterful tunnelers. A hole can open anywhere and the surrounding regions can be overwhelmed and destroyed before military forces arrive, only to see not one ratoskr. The ratfolk don't seem to mind those who do not share a banner with the great Asgard Empire and many flee to the Free Nations of the East to live as equals on the surface.
(A trio of Zephyr marching toward an Asgardian army shortly after breaking free from the prison in the Etherium)
Titans of unimaginable scale, the Zephyr aren't actually a unique race of their own. They form a number of titanic races of a lost age hundreds of millenia old that once walked Yggdrasil when the great dragons flew in the skies and before they became the mountain ranges. The Zephyr had been trapped in the Etherium when the serpentine people, the Jormungandr, children of the great dragons created mana. In the days of old, the Zephyr ruled Yggdrasil. They were the ultimate species of Yggdrasil, second only to the great dragons which were seen as predators to the Zephyr. The titans fought viciously against the great dragons but never once had they managed to kill one, until they constructed great nexus towers that harnessed the fel energies of the Etherium.
(A zephyr fighting the newly born great dragon Uziel. The zephyr would have succeeded if not for the return of Uziel's father, Belial)
The nexus towers tore holes in the skies above that led to the Etherium, a twisted place that mirrors the material world, the Materium, and inverts it. Using the energies of the Etherium, the Zephyr struck down the great dragon Coriel and severely wounded another. The Jormungandr, a race, tiny in comparison to the scale of the zephyr and the great dragons, worked tirelessly to help their worshiped great dragons. Sages of the Jormungandr managed to take the very same fel energies and create a new energy, mana. Using mana, the Jormungandr destroyed the nexus towers. The Etherium collapsed and the energies the zephyr wrapped themselves in faded back to the plane from where it came, taking the zephyr with it. The Jormungandr created the world tree as a generator source of mana, and as a nexus to keep the Etherium seperated from the Materium forever. The great dragons entered a state of torpor after their food source had all but vanished, as the geography changed around the dragons, they became the mountains that exist in the present day.
(Since zephyr are a multitude of titanic races, some look vastly different from others. Still, their intentions and goals are the same)
In the present age, as Asgard and other great empires across Yggdrasil exploited mana, they only weakened the chains that kept the zephyr trapped in the Etherium. The consumption of the world's mana supply generated by the world tree had been so great that zephyr were able to break free from the Etherium and return to reclaim their world. They found that hundreds of thousands of years had passed, and even their architecture was nothing more than dust that forms the deserts and geography now. Angered from their loss, the zephyr took to the most prominent empire of Yggdrasil and subverted it to their will. At first, the takeover was difficult, Yggdrasil wouldn't bow to the zephyr, so they destroyed whole lesser nations of the Grand Empire's until the emperor pledged servitude to save his billions of loyal subjects. The zephyr walk Yggdrasil again, using Asgard to fight against the world while they construct new nexus towers.
(A jormungandr warrior, enigmatic and deadly)
The jormungandr are responsible for the defeat of the zephyr and the creation of mana and the world tree. Next to the zephyr and the dragons, they are the most ancient living species on Yggdrasil. Jormungandr are known by the public to exist, but entire generations of people could live full lives and not one could ever be seen. The serpentine people are enigmatic and don't trouble themselves with the politics of the world unless it directly effects them. Before the zephyr reappeared from the Etherium, they warned the empires of Yggdrasil, even the elves, to stop using mana before there isn't enough to sustain the rift between the Materium and the Etherium. After being turned down by nearly every nation, their fates were sealed and the jormungandr seemingly vanished.
(Jormungandr are so talented in manasmithing, that they even forge their weapons out crystalized mana)
Even though the jormungandr aren't seen, it doesn't mean that they aren't there. Jormungandr had to hide from the zephyr in the old ages, and their scales have evolved to be able to deflect and bend light at will. The jormungandr essentially can achieve perfect invisibility, this has been mimicked in their architecture as well which makes finding jormungandr communities nearly impossible. They communicate telepathically so lesser species can understand them. Since the return of the zephyr, the jormungandr have been especially silent, even more so than before. Nobody knows what has become of them in the decades the zephyr have ruled.
(Standing in at fifteen feet and weighing over a ton, legionnaires are the mailed fist of the zephyr)
Legionnaires are large metal constructs that serve the zephyr. Enabled by modern technologies, the zephyr have created the legionnaires to act as their enforcers in Asgard. Legionnaires are a show of force and set an example to anybody thinking about rising up. They vary in appearance, some are slabs of metal made into a large fifteen foot body, others are ornate in the form of noble knights. Legionnaires consist of houses, as though they are mimicking the actual knight houses of Yggdrasil. Where the knights have three distinct houses, the Legionnaires have a house for every city and region they dominate.
(A very ornate legionnaire. Legionnaires are usually gifted newer and better bodies for exceptional service to their zephyr masters)
Though it is unknown to the public, legionnaires are created in a truly twisted fashion. The body is simply manufactured from a factory, but mana alone doesn't allow the legionnaire to think as a sentient being does. The zephyr's secret police, known as the Vigil, harvest homeless individuals from the streets and extract their souls using energies from the Etherium. The soul is then placed inside the legionnaire, attached to 'nervous font' which the soul melds with to achieve sentience. The nervous font generates mana to animate the body of the legionnaire. The fel energies of the Etherium corrupt and twist the soul that is placed inside the legionnaire which ensures their loyalty to the zephyr. Legionnaires become a shadow of their old self, their darkest traits become prominent. If a sacrifice enjoyed inflicting pain on others, then the legionnaire will be exceptionally morbid. Every legionnaire has a unique personality, but they are all completely loyal to the zephyr and that will never change.
(Oryx is the High Commander of the legionnaires. His authority can bypass even the emperor of Asgard as he answers directly to the zephyr. He is feared across the world for his ruthless attitude and his terrifying strategic ability)
Legionnaires wield massive weapons into battle. A cannon mounted on a cart is wielded like a rifle for the legionnaires. Legionnaires bring to bear some of the most terrifying weapons Asgard has and uses them to deadly effect. Some legionnaires have been known to carry lightning cannons over their shoulder into battle, others enjoy the use of huge great swords and axes. When a legionnaire takes to the field, the enemy quakes in fear.
(A human baron. Barons are responsible for districts in grand cities and large plots of land in rural areas)
The dominant species of Yggdrasil. Humans are the most ingenious race of all the civilized races. Humans are responsible for the invention of mana-tech and steam-tech before that. They form the political bodies of nearly every empire and are the most variable in their culture and traditions. Humans have high adaptability and can excel in any way of life. Vast cultural differences and personal greed has led to many human empires to go to war over history before the formation of Asgard. Despite their warmongering ways, humans often show moments of admirable compassion and honor. They are capable of great diplomatic feats. Their dominance of Yggdrasil wouldn't be possible if they were hated. Humans are so varied that it is difficult to hate all humans based on the actions of a few.
(Officers of the Asgard Imperial Military gather around to discuss battle plans)
Humans have a tendency to go to war for resources. More wars have been fought by humans on Yggdrasil than any other race. Every costly war was started by the pen stroke of a human politician. Humans exploit resources to continue building their massive creations from tesla-armor to massive skyborne airships. In war time, humans manufacture so many weapons of war that their enemies can't keep up. With every defeat, humans find a way to improve their creations so they can triumph during the second attempt. Humans are always expanding their knowledge of technology and it shows every time they take to the battlefield. Their habit to improve shows in their weapons and vehicles as every one of them becomes stylized and unique. A tank off of the assembly line quickly becomes one of a kind after a few battles. New machines are revealed with every engagement and this makes them highly unpredictable on the battlefield.
(A local Tan'Raga spy running from authorities in an Asgardian grand city)
Corruption among humans is deep. Crime dominates the human underworlds. In nearly every city, a Tan'Raga can be found. Tan'Raga is ancient human tongue for 'Under Kings', it is another way of referring to something as a gang. Every Tan'Raga is led by a 'High Raga' (High King) who appoints their masters to certain tasks. The usual Tan'Raga consists of the High Raga, the king of coin (Raga'Mo), the king of pleasure (Raga'Sa), the king of smuggling (Raga'Fil), and the king of secrets (Raga'Mu); despite being 'kings', these crime bosses aren't exclusively male. The 'kings' of a Tan'Raga all run their own organizations independently and answer to the High Raga. Deception and betrayal is common in a Tan'Raga and it's that constant fluctuation of power that makes them so difficult to uproot from a city. Some Tan'Ragas are nothing more than petty thieves in alley ways, while others are shadowy empires who's influence reaches deep into its city's inner workings.
(A human town at sundown)
Human societies are often very class based. Royalty and nobility run human civilization while the upper class enjoys comfortable lives. The middle class form the majority of humans; they are the workers, the soldiers, and the farmers. The middle class can be both fair and brutal depending on the environment. The lower class consists of the slaves and the homeless who have no real chance at a better life unless they join their nation's military. Lower class individuals face tough lives from start to finish and are tough because of it. If there is no place in normal society for a lower class citizen, then the local Tan'Raga is happy to provide. Women are seen as equals to men and they enjoy the same luxuries. Moving up in class is difficult, but if one is smart or creative enough, they might get lucky. Human culture is so influential that other races have adopted it. It isn't uncommon to see elves or even orcs living by human standards.
(An elven manasmith. Manasmiths are exclusive to the elven race)
One of the more common races in Asgard. Elves are of generally thinner build than humans, but of similar height. They are considerably longer lived than humans, and are one of the few races capable of manipulating mana without assistance. Elves do not suffer the effect of mana radiation and mana poisoning. Elves share the same diplomatic duties as humans do as the two species are the most powerful in Yggdrasil. Where humans are in charge of industrial and technological advancement, elves are in more in charge of international politics.
(Elves tend to blend traditional weaponry with modern technology)
Often viewed as one of the more fortunate races, elvenkind are often highly integrated with human society, due to their similarity in physiology. Their longevity tends to result in a perception of innate intelligence, and many elves are often arrogant and view themselves as superior to other races. Elven superiority has led to some conflicts with dwarves, another proud race. Elves and dwarves live among one another in Asgard, but on a personal level, they often show a considerable amount of disdain toward one another.
(Elves are proud of their natural beauty and show it off with revealing clothes; female elves make for ideal spies)
They are the exclusive weavers of Yggdrasil's mana, and are the only race to possess manasmiths, making them integral to modern militaries and societies. The ability to weave mana is rare, even amongst elves, and the ability is believed to be passed down by heredity. Manasmiths are hugely valued and they usually can be found in mana refineries to create mana crystals. Manasmiths are utilized in militaries as both medical officers and as battlemages. Manasmiths have the ability to change the properties of mana at will; they can turn a mana crystal into a ball of fire to throw or they can diffuse the mana to prevent mana poisoning and radiation.
(Interbreeding between humans and elves is commonplace, half elves are very normal in most places where the two species coexist together)
Elven culture is considerably more formal and polite than other societies, mainly due to their longevity and natural health. Purely elven societies are very in tune with nature but are exceedingly rare due to the proliferation of other races. Exclusive elven communities have very sleek and curvy architecture. Elves are very artistic and enjoy a wide range of colors in their work. While they certainly aren't architects equal to dwarves, elves are capable of remarkable of making beautiful environments.
(A dwarven engineer; dwarven engineering is unparalleled, not even the humans can match the quality of dwarven work. Asgard tends to employ dwarves when designing new prototypes)
Short and stout, these broad shouldered individuals are stubbornly proud and hate disrespect. Shorter, but broader than humans, most dwarves are quite physically strong and are renowned for their craftsmanship. Dwarves tend to infuse mana into objects. This is called Runesmithing. A dwarven friend is a friend for life but earning their trust is the difficult part. Dwarves live in canyons and subterranean caverns. Asgardian dwarves live in undercities below the grand cities. Dwarves are natural miners and have a good eye for rare stones. While they aren't immune to the effects of mana, they do have a natural resistance toward it as the roots of the World Tree often intertwine with their cities. Dwarves tends to fashion armors that are heavily leaded to further improve their protection from mana radiation.
(A dwarven soldier escorting a gnomish supply automoton)
Dwarves fashion intricate and extremely defensible fortresses out of stone. Their squared off edges show off the fortitude of their people. Dwarves favor artillery and defenses rather than attack forces. Their warriors are clad in armor that can rival the durability of even a legionnaire. Dwarves that are a part of the Asgard military are kept on the rear lines as engineers. They are responsible for the maintenance of war machines and airships as well as the construction of military strong points whenever a location needs to be held. Dwarves in a combat role are used as tunnelers to ferry large amounts of soldiers behind enemy lines underground.
(A prospector searching the Belial mountains for signs of new resources)
Dwarves and gnomes share a kindred bond and those that aren't a part of Asgard live freely among one another. Dwarves rely on gnomish inventions whilst gnomes rely on dwarven protection. Before Asgard grew in power, gnomes stopped an elven army from destroying their capital by inventing the mana inverter. The inverter caused nearby mana to flow in reverse which resulted in a violent backlash as the elven battlemages took to the field. The gnomish ingenuity and their willingness to aid a crippled kingdom earned eternal gratitude from the dwarves. Independent dwarven and gnomish nations share their territory.
(A dwarf battles a ratoskr after their mining tunnels meet)
While dwarves are great allies with the gnomes, they are also great enemies to the ratoskr. Since both races live underground, it is all too common for their tunnels to meet. Tunnel skirmishes are common as the two battle for control over a network. Dwarves have developed a habit to train new miners in military practices in the event of an encounter with ratoskr. This militarization has led many dwarves to become potent fighters. If a King demands his people to fight, he can do so while resting assured his forces are capable. Dwarves distrusts elves since their near success in destroying a major dwarven city. Asgardian elves and dwarves will often show bad attitude toward one another but they wont exchange blows... Often.
(An orcish officer of northern Yggdrasil)
The largest and most muscular of the civilized races of Asgard. They are often considerably taller than humans and of ashen or pale green skin color. They're recognizable by their short underbite tusks. They typically have a shorter lifespan than humans. Orcs are aggressive and are fielded as heavy infantry in tesla-armor or as artilley crews to load ammunition quickly and easily. Orcs have become more civilized as their race has constantly undergone assimilation from many of the other nations.
(A traditional orc warrior; despite the advancement in technology, many orcs still prefer to fight in a melee)
The entire orcish society is based around a warrior class. While artisans and political leaders are present in orcish society, none of them have reached their position without taking part in a battle beforehand. It is entirely possible for the lowest class of orcish citizen to rise to nobility if one has come out to be the victor of a large number of battles. With the rise of Asgard and the conquering of nearly all of Yggdrasil, assimilation has mostly erased this tradition. Still, many orc exclusive communities hold true to their traditional roots. Traditional orcs look down on Asgardian orcs, they see them as weak for leaving behind the very core of their societal structure.
(An orcish knight of the House of Blades)
Orcs are nomadic by nature. They are native to the great sands of Tarcanis and resources are scarce. Orcish tribes settle for as long as they have resources in the region before moving on to another location. Before the rise of Asgard, orcs maintained a rather sizeable empire that extended into the could northern regions. The orcs were caught in between the human and elven kingdoms as they warred. Human war machines and elven mana overpowered the orcs simple warmongering and shattered their empire. What's left are pockets of orc cultures that have adapted very differently to their environments but maintain their warrior history.
(An orcish elder; orcs have a shorter lifespan than humans, forty years for an orc is the same as sixty years for a human)
Traditional orcs have a general distaste for anything asgardian. They still blame Asgard for the severing of their empire hundreds of years ago. If asgardians ever come into contact with a traditional orc nomad tribe, the chances of the orcs attacking the asgardians is dangerously high. With that pent up aggression, unification of the tribes would lead to a dangerous conflict. Because of this, Asgard employs many orcs as spies and a variety of other types of agents to ensure that they traditional tribes never completely unify.
(A gnomish adventurer)
One of the smallest civilized races in Asgard, gnomes are commonly found as artisans and traders due to their deft hands and dexterous bodies. Diminutive in stature, gnomes are surprisingly long lived. Automatons are used by gnomes to compensate for their small size, helping them with projects greater than gnomes can physically do. Gnomes keep their technologies well guarded and only have a tendency to share them with dwarves.
(Gnomish traders are so successful because they find their own wares and have stories with each and every item they sell; it adds intriguing histories to their items and therefore, makes them more appealing to buyers)
Gnomes are the most successful traders in all of Yggdrasil. They are silver tongued and know exactly what to say to a customer in order to make a sale. Gnomes are very dedicated to their craft and once they’ve found their career choice, they stick to it until death. Gnomes live a surprisingly long life, an elderly gnome can live up to 140 years. Gnomes don’t trade their technology unless it's beneficial for their people.
(A gnomish inventor working on a new automoton)
Gnomes employ the use of automatons to assist them in their day to day lives. They are contraptions of cogs and belts and gears and are usually dedicated to singluar tasks. Simple automatons are made for only one purpose and nothing else, but more masterful gnomish inventors have made automatons that can adapt to its surroundings and operate accordingly. Gnome militaries see heavy use of battle automatons. Gnomes are the first race to develop the concept of tanks, but even they were used as heavily armed and armored automatons. Nearly all technological advancements can be traced back to the gnomish people in some way, either directly or indirectly.
(A halfling entrepeneur. Successful halflings in Asgardian society live very lavish lives)
Halflings are quick witted and friendly individuals. Halflings are the only race to have never formed a real empire; preferring instead to live very communal lives in the form of shire-villages. Halflings are gifted with a brilliance toward whatever they set their mind on, but that potential is wasted as most halflings prefer to live a life of perpetual bliss. They aren't hedonistic folk, but they'd much prefer a fun night at the tavern over a stuffy gala with politicians.
(A halfling adventurer)
Halflings are quirky and very spontaneous. They chose to live day by day instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. They tend to make life decisions on the spot. As such, a quaint and humble farmer might just pack up and leave to go adventuring for a few years. This spontaneity has led to many halflings becoming somewhat untrustworthy, which attributes their roguish tendencies. They make excellent mercenaries and treasure hunters.
(Halflings have a knack for artifact hunting, many noble halflings will hire mercenaries and artifact hunters to find rare items)
Halflings are business professionals, and they seem to enlighten whatever job they are given. Halfling bartenders are better than human bartenders. Halfling jewelers are better than dwarven jewelers. But their size and random nature doesn't make them out to be very skilled career soldiers. It is more common to see halflings in auxiliary units and reserves than on any active unit. But gnomes are great at socializing and if one was to pay a gnome enough, sensitive information can almost always be acquired.
(Bearing a shape reminiscent of a human, the Ratoskr are deformed creatures that are the victims of mana radiation)
Once human, the Ratoskr have fallen to nothing more than slaves and cannon fodder. The race's tragic backstory is the fault of human misunderstanding during their first steps into the exploration of mana technology. A human kingdom, that didn't belong to Asgard as the time, known as Tarkos was the first to develop a mana-based power plant from the elves during the steamtech era. Humans and elves warred but it was a violent stalemate as human steam technology couldn't overcome elven mana and vice versa. Tarkos blended the two together to pioneer mana technology but ended in catastrophic failure when their power plant destabilized and detonated. The radiation emitted from the explosion blanketed Tarkos and mutated its inhabitants into the crippled form they are now, the Ratoskr.
(A ratoskr female navigating the endless tunnels beneath Yggdrasil)
Once asgardian scouts confirmed the fate of Tarkos, a massive army was sent to occupy it and enslave the broken people. The ratoskr lived as slaves to the Asgardian people, thrust into pits so deep that the sunlight doesn't even reach the bottom. Over the ages, the ratoskr has turned these seemingly bottomless caverns into sprawling pit-cities. While Asgard still technically slave the ratoskr, none dare enter the pit-cities. Ratoskr have become violent and ruthless toward their oppressors. They still retain their keen human intellect but their minds have been degraded over centuries of abuse and belittlement. Nobody knows how many ratoskr their are in the world, many theorists believe that the ratoskr now outnumber every known race on Yggdrasil, and that they are forming large armies underground. With access to the deadly and banned green mana crystals found only in the deepest parts of Yggdrasil, the ratoskr are creating deadly weapons and machines of war to one day return to the surface and annihilate Yggdrasil.
(A ratoskr inventor testing his potent new green mana powered battle armor. Whenever the ratoskr launch raids from their pit cities, infernal new mechanisms are always brought to the field and with them, new problems Asgardian soldiers aren't trained to handle)
Since the death of Tarag the Fool, a zephyr who unknowingly stepped into a pit city, the ratoskr have declared open war with Asgard and their Zephyr overlords. Doomsayers believe that the ratoskr tide is coming. While the war wages mostly at the mouths of the many pit cities, ratoskr incursions can appear anywhere. After centuries of living in the pit cities, ratoskr have become masterful tunnelers. A hole can open anywhere and the surrounding regions can be overwhelmed and destroyed before military forces arrive, only to see not one ratoskr. The ratfolk don't seem to mind those who do not share a banner with the great Asgard Empire and many flee to the Free Nations of the East to live as equals on the surface.
(A trio of Zephyr marching toward an Asgardian army shortly after breaking free from the prison in the Etherium)
Titans of unimaginable scale, the Zephyr aren't actually a unique race of their own. They form a number of titanic races of a lost age hundreds of millenia old that once walked Yggdrasil when the great dragons flew in the skies and before they became the mountain ranges. The Zephyr had been trapped in the Etherium when the serpentine people, the Jormungandr, children of the great dragons created mana. In the days of old, the Zephyr ruled Yggdrasil. They were the ultimate species of Yggdrasil, second only to the great dragons which were seen as predators to the Zephyr. The titans fought viciously against the great dragons but never once had they managed to kill one, until they constructed great nexus towers that harnessed the fel energies of the Etherium.
(A zephyr fighting the newly born great dragon Uziel. The zephyr would have succeeded if not for the return of Uziel's father, Belial)
The nexus towers tore holes in the skies above that led to the Etherium, a twisted place that mirrors the material world, the Materium, and inverts it. Using the energies of the Etherium, the Zephyr struck down the great dragon Coriel and severely wounded another. The Jormungandr, a race, tiny in comparison to the scale of the zephyr and the great dragons, worked tirelessly to help their worshiped great dragons. Sages of the Jormungandr managed to take the very same fel energies and create a new energy, mana. Using mana, the Jormungandr destroyed the nexus towers. The Etherium collapsed and the energies the zephyr wrapped themselves in faded back to the plane from where it came, taking the zephyr with it. The Jormungandr created the world tree as a generator source of mana, and as a nexus to keep the Etherium seperated from the Materium forever. The great dragons entered a state of torpor after their food source had all but vanished, as the geography changed around the dragons, they became the mountains that exist in the present day.
(Since zephyr are a multitude of titanic races, some look vastly different from others. Still, their intentions and goals are the same)
In the present age, as Asgard and other great empires across Yggdrasil exploited mana, they only weakened the chains that kept the zephyr trapped in the Etherium. The consumption of the world's mana supply generated by the world tree had been so great that zephyr were able to break free from the Etherium and return to reclaim their world. They found that hundreds of thousands of years had passed, and even their architecture was nothing more than dust that forms the deserts and geography now. Angered from their loss, the zephyr took to the most prominent empire of Yggdrasil and subverted it to their will. At first, the takeover was difficult, Yggdrasil wouldn't bow to the zephyr, so they destroyed whole lesser nations of the Grand Empire's until the emperor pledged servitude to save his billions of loyal subjects. The zephyr walk Yggdrasil again, using Asgard to fight against the world while they construct new nexus towers.
(A jormungandr warrior, enigmatic and deadly)
The jormungandr are responsible for the defeat of the zephyr and the creation of mana and the world tree. Next to the zephyr and the dragons, they are the most ancient living species on Yggdrasil. Jormungandr are known by the public to exist, but entire generations of people could live full lives and not one could ever be seen. The serpentine people are enigmatic and don't trouble themselves with the politics of the world unless it directly effects them. Before the zephyr reappeared from the Etherium, they warned the empires of Yggdrasil, even the elves, to stop using mana before there isn't enough to sustain the rift between the Materium and the Etherium. After being turned down by nearly every nation, their fates were sealed and the jormungandr seemingly vanished.
(Jormungandr are so talented in manasmithing, that they even forge their weapons out crystalized mana)
Even though the jormungandr aren't seen, it doesn't mean that they aren't there. Jormungandr had to hide from the zephyr in the old ages, and their scales have evolved to be able to deflect and bend light at will. The jormungandr essentially can achieve perfect invisibility, this has been mimicked in their architecture as well which makes finding jormungandr communities nearly impossible. They communicate telepathically so lesser species can understand them. Since the return of the zephyr, the jormungandr have been especially silent, even more so than before. Nobody knows what has become of them in the decades the zephyr have ruled.
(Standing in at fifteen feet and weighing over a ton, legionnaires are the mailed fist of the zephyr)
Legionnaires are large metal constructs that serve the zephyr. Enabled by modern technologies, the zephyr have created the legionnaires to act as their enforcers in Asgard. Legionnaires are a show of force and set an example to anybody thinking about rising up. They vary in appearance, some are slabs of metal made into a large fifteen foot body, others are ornate in the form of noble knights. Legionnaires consist of houses, as though they are mimicking the actual knight houses of Yggdrasil. Where the knights have three distinct houses, the Legionnaires have a house for every city and region they dominate.
(A very ornate legionnaire. Legionnaires are usually gifted newer and better bodies for exceptional service to their zephyr masters)
Though it is unknown to the public, legionnaires are created in a truly twisted fashion. The body is simply manufactured from a factory, but mana alone doesn't allow the legionnaire to think as a sentient being does. The zephyr's secret police, known as the Vigil, harvest homeless individuals from the streets and extract their souls using energies from the Etherium. The soul is then placed inside the legionnaire, attached to 'nervous font' which the soul melds with to achieve sentience. The nervous font generates mana to animate the body of the legionnaire. The fel energies of the Etherium corrupt and twist the soul that is placed inside the legionnaire which ensures their loyalty to the zephyr. Legionnaires become a shadow of their old self, their darkest traits become prominent. If a sacrifice enjoyed inflicting pain on others, then the legionnaire will be exceptionally morbid. Every legionnaire has a unique personality, but they are all completely loyal to the zephyr and that will never change.
(Oryx is the High Commander of the legionnaires. His authority can bypass even the emperor of Asgard as he answers directly to the zephyr. He is feared across the world for his ruthless attitude and his terrifying strategic ability)
Legionnaires wield massive weapons into battle. A cannon mounted on a cart is wielded like a rifle for the legionnaires. Legionnaires bring to bear some of the most terrifying weapons Asgard has and uses them to deadly effect. Some legionnaires have been known to carry lightning cannons over their shoulder into battle, others enjoy the use of huge great swords and axes. When a legionnaire takes to the field, the enemy quakes in fear.
(A girl looks over Midgar, the capital city of Asgard)
The largest empire on Yggdrasil, consisting of all of Western Yggdrasil, the majority of Central and portions of both North and South, Asgard is the most prominent power in the world. Asgardian culture is so dominant, its trade culture and currency have been adopted by almost every nation on the main continent of Yggdrasil. Asgardians as a people are quite industrious, and are regarded as the most technologically advanced civilization in the world, with strong mastery over statescraft and trade as well. While primarily a human empire, Asgard also possesses a large populace of elves, and dwarves, while gnomes, halflings, and orcs make up more marginalized minorities. Elves are the only other race in Asgard to hold major political seats of power.
(The inner regions of Asgard are prosperous and mostly safe, with the only true threats coming from the Ratoskr below)
Asgard consists of broken up 'Lesser Kingdoms' which are led by their lesser kings and queens. These kingdoms used to be independent nations before the expansion of Asgard. They range from dwarven cities and elven woods, to orcish badlands and halfling shires. The kingdoms all share the banner of Asgard, but their politics often conflict. The emperor and his office allows for skirmishes to take place between conflicting nations, commanding from the massive central "Greater Kingdom" that makes up the core of the empire, and includes the capital city of Midgar and the brunt of the Asgardian military. If agreements haven't been met after an allotted period of time, the Asgardian military arrives with an envoy to settle a deal and return peace to that region.
(A fleet of Asgardian aerial warships being deployed to the front line. Battleships are known to carry whole regiments of soldiers in their massive troop compartments)
Asgardian military is the largest in the world, numbering in the millions, Asgard supplements its forces with powerful fleets of mana-powered airships, gnomish automatons, tanks, and even Legionnaires. As a result, Asgard's bronze-clad legions are a known presence all over the world, the mana-lock rifle a signature weapon of the imperial forces. Due to its large size, the Asgardian military as a whole is rather sluggish and slow to deploy, but deploy in large and overwhelming force when mobilized. As an intermediary, Asgard trains legions of 'Rapid-Response' forces. Units based on airship capable of quickly- relatively in comparison to the Asgardian military as a whole- deploying to most regions around the world.
(A Free Eastern city state. Many of the world's Great Cities are found here. Each city is treated as its own nation. For the sake of security, these city states have formed a rough coalition in the event of an invasion from Asgard)
In East Yggdrassil is a collection of of city-states and nation-states. These cities are typically industrially developed and occasionally bicker with one another behind large walls of stone. Here, people develop different philosophies and create new inventions, making the Eastern city-states a haven for free thinkers and inventors. The types of governments in the city states are varied, some are democratic, there are several republics, a few kingdoms, and several mercantile cities.
(Technology varies from city to city in the Free East. Cities develop their technology independent of one another; however, technologies are frequently traded between friendly states as a show of good will)
The different races often intermingle and live together in these city states, but it is not uncommon for cities to be exlusively a single race. The majority of these city states are loosely allied with each other in a confederacy for a unified defense, though this alliance hasn't stopped small wars from breaking out between cities. A common sight are airships of various shapes and sizes travelling across the skies, trading and exploring and otherwise soaring about the sky. Resistant, but not hostile to Asgardian culture, the Eastern city states in general do not try to antagonize the Asgardian Empire, for fear of bringing their military might down upon all of them. Mainly due to fear of the Empire, many city states are militarized and possess their own private militaries.
(Tyberia is one of the world's largest great cities, second only to Midgar, the capital of Asgard. Before Asgard's occupation, Tyberia was a city-state in the Free East)
A relatively large city state sitting near the border of Asgard, Tyberia has long been regarded a centeral 'stopping' location between the trade routes of the Eastern city states and the Asgardian markets. As a major commercial hub between the east and west, Tyberia enjoys the benefits of a fruitful commerce and near continuous growth, making it one of the larger great cities of the east. Like many city states, it is militarized, in order to defend itself- though to appease the nearby Asgard, and to prevent any suspicion or accusation to be thrown their way, Tyberia's official military is rather small. Instead, it relies on the numerous mercenary guilds within its city limits to provide the city with security in times of need.
(Following Asgardian occupation of Tyberia, the city's Tan'Raga underworld rose in public support as they openly reject Asgard policies)
Following the rise of the Zephyr, Tyberia has been occupied and seized- its military easily crushed, and its mercenary bands quickly dispersed by the near overwhelming invasion force of Asgardian soldiers, and is currently the staging ground for further Asgardian campaigns into the east. Tyberia's Tan'Raga is the only known organization to publically stand up against their occupiers. The actions of the crime syndicate are beginning to inspire more virtuous resistance groups.
(Reichlander Soldiers recover from another violent border skirmish. Day by day, the Reichland attempts to penetrate into Asgardian territory, only slowing down to huddle up during the winter)
A small, but highly militarized dictatorship situated in the mountains of north Yggdrasil, this autocratic nation is made almost entirely of soldiers. From their vast underground fortresses, they wage a near constant war of Asgard, in pursuit of Asgard's rich lands and resources. Their underground cities are heavily defended, and the bitter cold and weather conditions of the Northern Spine mountains make it impossible for the Asgard to mount a large scale invasion of the north using their airships. However, the same weather conditions play against the Reichsland as well, as it is difficult for them to send large numbers of soldiers into Asgardian lands. The result is a stalemate, and perpetual skirmishes in the taiga lowlands and arboreal forests between the two nations.
(Reichland's only great city is Bermenstadt. Like almost every other Reichland city, it is built underground in massive caverns)
Reichlanders have access to potent mana as they're cities are all underground in order to resist the harsh winters. Where they lack much of the profoundly advanced technology that Asgard has, they make up for it in total power. Their less advanced weapons and vehicles are loaded with green mana. This makes their weapons highly unstable and liable to explode in the hands of the user, but when they don't, they are terrifying to be on the receiving end of. Reichlanders are motivated to continue attacking Asgard as their close proximity to large streams of liquid mana has lead to an epidemic of mana poisoning; for the sake of their people, they will not stop their attack on Asgard's borders.
(Asgardian forces launch a vicious assault on a hill currently held by Secessionists. The hard reality of a Secessionist soldier is that they are always hopelessly outgunned and at a constant disadvantage with Asgard)
The Secessionists consists of a confederation of half a dozen minor kingdoms and city states along Asgard's Eastern borders. Due to the sheer size and power of the Asgard military, however, the Secessionists are fragmented and scattered. While united against Asgard, the different nations of the Secessionists are distinctly independent from one another, and often have differing motivations. As such, the leaders of the confederation rarely see eye to eye and often butt heads while attempting to make large scale decisions, making the Secessionist movement as a whole slow, rigid, and unwieldy.
(Secessionists can not maintain the level of unified production compared to Asgard. To compensate, Secessionist soldiers often loot after a battle)
In general, the military forces of the Secessionist movement vary in training, as well as quality of equipment. The Secessionists forces are for the most part inferior to the Asgardian military, lacking both the numbers and logistics; however, the Secessionists' ideals are strong, and rapidly growing, and more and more rebels join the Secessionist cause every week- including former Asgardian soldiers and deserters. Entire lesser empires within the borders of Asgard have succeeded from the Grand Empire in the decades following the Zephyr's hostile takeover.
(Inspired by the defiance of the Tan'Raga, revolutionary groups have started to operate in the shadows)
Known as the Tyberian Revolutionaries, this group aims to return Tyberia to the Free East. The Revolution is small, and only spoken throughout the city in hushed tones. By necessity, and because of the Asgardian Military's presence within the city, the Revolutionist movement stays covert, and quiet, as they attempt to take their city back from their oppressors. Made up of a collection of Asgardian deserters, rebels, insurgents, and revolutionaries, the citizens of Tyberia are desperate to take back their city. The Revolutionist movement has been thus far unable to connect with any of the minor secessionist nations for aid, and are for the most part, on their own.
(Resistance hideouts such as this are all known revolutionaries have. Upon being revealed as a rebel, everything the revoluntary owns is taken and often destroyed)
Revolutionaries operate by means of subterfuge and sabotage. They, begrudgingly, work with the Tan'Raga to ascertain intelligence. Despite sometimes working together, the Revolutionaries and the local Tan'Raga are polar opposites. Tyberia's Tan'Raga defies Asgard and operates to further their own gains; The Revolutionaries operate for the benefit of all Tyberian citizens. People have their own reasons to seek out the resistance group, but if the reason is justified, the revolutionaries will try and lend a helping hand.
(Elven women make excellent spies for the revolutionaries. In a war within shadows, not even the vices of men are safe)
Since Asgard is constantly intercepting radio transmissions, communication between revolutionary hideouts and operatives is done through dead-drops, face to face meetings, spreading rumors with code, and many other ways. Security is the only real ally the revolutionaries have, and it is a fickle one. Every member of the resistance knows that the penalty for being captured is death, so they never take any operation lightly. It is common for resistance members to make pacts that if one is to ever fall into the hands of their occupiers, that they kill them before it's took late. Grimly, this pact is settled more often than not.
(A knight belonging to the House of Blades)
The Knight Houses belong to no specific empire. They are warriors and paragons of honor who travel the world to help the common folk. Knights are held in high regard across the world, and many people are grateful that they do not condone the actions of Asgard's government. Still, they will assist Asgardians if the cause is just. Knight houses usually have their own political agendas and often don't work together, but they will if their interests align.
(The emblem of the House of Blades)
The House of Blades is the oldest Knight House in Yggdrassil, and was one of the original houses since antiquity. One of the largest Knight Houses in Yggdrasil, the House of Blades has a chapterhouse in almost every major city. The House of Blades teaches and emphasizes traditional swordsmanship, and its knights are among the most skilled swordsmen in Yggdrasil. They often wear heavy mana-resistant plate armor.
(The emblem of the Knights of Lexicon)
The least militarized of the brotherhoods, the Knights of the Lexicon focus on the pursuit of knowledge above all. They protect all forms of knowledge religiously, and are willing to go to war to protect and preserve knowledge. They are responsible for maintaining the massive library in the Asgardian capital of Midgar, and are also known as masters of strategy. They commonly seek out tacticians and other men of thought to recruit into their ranks. They are among the smallest of the Knight Houses.
(The emblem of the House of Storms)
The House of Storms is a younger knight brotherhood that focuses primarily on use of the manalock and other ranged weaponry. Among them are some of the best marksmen in the world. A very selective Knighthood, their numbers fluctuate around 2500 Knights- considerably smaller than some of the other militant brotherhoods, and screening and selection processes for the Knighthood is very strict. Due to their focus on modern technology, many traditional brotherhoods, such as the House of Blades and the Knights Draconis look down on them- on the other hand, the House of Storms often look down upon the older knighthoods as obsolete and stuck in their old ways.
(The emblem of the Knights Arcana)
An elf exclusive knighthood, the Knights Arcana are made entirely of powerful manaweavers. The members of the Elitist Knights Arcana are often Elves of the purest bloodlines and the most powerful of manaweavers. As their members are all elves, they tend to share their mother race's arrogance, and often look down upon non-elves. Their skilled battemages are capable of impressive feats of magic, and are a feared sight on any battlefield.
(The emblem of the Knights Draconis)
A very large and prominent brotherhood, the Knights Draconis is another traditional knight brotherhood. The Knights Draconis focus primarily on cavalry and shock and awe tactics to dominate the battlefield. The Knights Draconis are primarily known for their fearsome Salamander Riders, also known as Dragoons.
(A House of Paupers banner)
The third largest brotherhood, behind the House of Blades and the Knights Draconis, the House of Paupers is a brotherhood that primarily focuses on humanitarian efforts, and are one of the least militarized of the Knighthoods. As a humanitarian group, the House of Paupers primarily gathers and distributes food, funds, and other resources for refugees, victims, and struggling people, with only a relatively small group of well trained warriors to protect these resources and the knighthood itself. As a result, the group enjoys massive popularity among the general populace of Yggdrasil. As this brotherhood has the most to do with money, and due to its size, there have been many allegations of corruption within the ranks of the House of Paupers, but the Grand Master of the brotherhood insists that these claims are false and are fabrications of those who wish to undermine their generous cause.
(Cogs and gears, while ages old, still form the backbone of nearly all pieces of technology)
Technology in Yggdrasil relies on a fusion of steam power, coal and iron furnaces, and most importantly: mana. The most common building materials are stone, wood, brass, bronze, and iron, and there also exists many other rare materials such as Mithril, or magic metal, incredibly denser and strong adamantium, or rare meteoric iron. Most machines in Yggdrasil are powered by powerful mana crystals, and to a lesser extent, supported by steam power. All manner of devices, from airships, to firearms often rely on mana for power.
(A small town under a root of the sprawling World Tree)
All mana in Yggdrasil comes from the world tree, a massive tree in in Central Yggdrasil, whose trunk is the width of a city, and stretches into the sky further than anyone could possibly reach. It is believed that it is the world tree that seperates and forms the bridge between the physical world and the Etherium. The World Tree's roots envelope and intertwine through most of the world, and its massive roots are often the sites of mana-mining facilities.
(A blue mana crystal)
In its natural state, Mana is liquid in form, and seeps from the roots and trunk of the World Tree like sap. Unlike the sweet sap of a maple tree however, liquid mana- and mana in all forms for that matter, is highly toxic to most races. While it is found as a liquid, the primary form of used mana is in its solid state. Elven manaweavers, and specially trained and equipped Mana-tappers, collect large amounts of liquid mana and send them to refineries, where elven manasmiths condense the liquid mana into small crystals for everyday use. Pockets of gaseous Mana can also be found deep underground, often nearby geothermal vents and the planet's mantle, making the gathering of mana quite hazardous
(A river of liquid mana. While most mana in liquid form is found within the roots of the world tree, some of it seeps from small openings and forms rivers of the surface of Yggdrasil)
The quality and relative power of the mana primarily depends on the purity of the mana. Purer mana is found deeper underground, and is in its purest state, a brilliant emerald green, and at the surface, a pale citrine yellow. Powerful and demanding machines such as airships require larger, purer crystals, while most lesser machines can make do with the more common, cheaper crystals.
(A manalock rifle loaded with a highly unstable green mana crystal)
The most common firearm in Yggdrasil is the manalock. They generally come in bolt action or semi-automatic, and rely on mana-crystals. Manalocks propel sliver thin crystal projectiles coated in mana at high speeds, causing both physical and mana based damage.
(Despite wearing mana-resistant plate armor, even knights of the House of Blades can succumb to the deadly radiation of mana. Those who survive mana poisoning, often become mutated in some way)
Mana is toxic to the body, and even touching mana can cause mana burns to a person, as such mana is typically handled with leaded gloves. Mana based damage to the body is also known as mana radiation. Primary symptoms of mana radiation is the burning of the afflicted area. Mana radiation also causes cellular degradation in the afflicted area, and can cause other symptoms such as short term nausea and vomiting. Long term exposure and relatively larger doses can result in neurological effects, as well as rapid death. For the rare survivors of untreated mana poisoning, mutations are commonplace.
(An old elven manasmith researching ways to slow mana poisoning down for the other, susceptible races)
Some races, most notably elves, and ratoskr are immune to the effects of mana radiation and radiation poisoning- though elves are not immune to the physical manifestations of mana (a.k.a magic). Other races, such as dwarves are highly resistant, though not immune to mana radiation.
Dramatis Personae are NPCs of importance to the plot of the RP. These characters are the many faces that will be used by the GM and Co-GM in order to progress the story. Note that not all of these Dramatis Personae are allies, some are neutral and others are even your enemies. As time goes on, more Dramatis Personae will be added to the repertoire. Some will only make their appearance in this section as they are revealed in the plot of the RP. As the story progresses and changes, so will the Dramatis Personae.
Age
38
Race
Human
Personality
Ada's personality depends on the context of her presence. Officially, Ada is a charming woman who holds the people's best interest at heart and resents the actions of organized crime associations. Ada is constantly funding task forces to uproot corruption as a smokescreen, unbeknownst to those very task forces, they're only removing crime that she has deliberately placed for them. Ada isn't who the public eye makes her out to be. As Tyberia's Raga'Mu, she is one of the most powerful figures in the city and nobody knows it, not even the other under kings of the Tan'Raga as she has inserted a puppet to assume the role while she makes the decisions in the shadows. If one comes to the apparent Raga'Mu, he 'sends' his best agent to speak to them, Ada herself. When meeting others as a spy or information, Ada is a cunning fox. She has a sharp tongue and will often bring up secrets of her clients that should be known to nobody. Her words cut deep into the hardiest of men to manipulate them into stepping into her web of intrigue. Ada is truly cold, at times she is completely apathetic toward others; she sees many of their issues as 'problems of the privileged'. Still, as a spy, Ada seems to have redeeming qualities. Before her rise to power as Tyberia's spymaster, she was once a field agent for her master, the previous Raga'Mu. Ada uses her beauty to appeal to the vices of men and the jealousy of women to get what she wants. Those who know of her reputation know that Ada can't truly be trusted. Her motives are kept secret as is her agenda.
Backstory
Ada was a street child, she grew up not knowing who her parents were and had no real place to call home. Every day during her childhood was a battle against the elements and a struggle against the older street rats. Like most street rats, Ada found herself in the employ of Tyberia's Tan'Raga as a muse, a title given to child spies. Working for the Tan'Raga meant she was given shelter in exchange for completing her tasks, for her, it was serving the other under kings to glean information from them. None of the under kings knew she was working for the Raga'Mu known as Persepholis Maas, the greatest spymaster in Tyberia's history. Under Persepholis' tutelage, Ada managed to gather incriminating information of every other under king in the Tan'Raga. Persepholis didn't begin his coup d'etat until Ada was fifteen years old.
Half way through her teenage years, Persepholis formally adopted Ada. She had earned the Maas surname and became heir to his fortune that was the Tyberian Printing Press. Acting under the command of the High Raga, Persepholis divulged all of the information Ada had gathered on all of the other under kings as well as a man framed as the Raga'Mu to Tyberia's law enforcement. The High Raga was paranoid that the other under kings were plotting against him, he only trusted Persepholis because of the friendship and brotherhood they had shared since childhood. In a day, the Tan'Raga leadership was stripped and the High Raga appointed his new under kings. With a body of inexperienced under kings, him and Persepholis molded them into undying loyal servants, eliminating the worry of ever attempting a coup against him.
Where did Ada play in all of this? At fifteen, Ada was acting as the girlfriend of the police chief's son. She seeded corruption in the family with carefully chosen words and little hints to guide him toward further investigation of certain high profile figures. When Persepholis revealed the identities of the other under kings, the chief had already been investigating them, making the decision to take the initiative a simple one. Persepholis had seen Ada's growing affection for the police chief's son and allowed her to continue so long as her loyalty to the High Raga never shook. It came even to his surprise that Ada had been playing the part all along for four years. By nineteen, Ada's fingers were so deep in the police's operations that she could actually stop any activity simply by batting her eye lashes and showing a bit of leg. Ada's endeavors protected the Tan'Raga up until Persepholis passed away naturally at the age fifty-four.
The air quality in great cities were never ideal, and Persepholis has developed cancer in his lungs from residual mana. The High Raga mourned for his pact brother and honored him my instating Ada as his new Raga'Mu. Stepping into power at the age of nineteen, Ada knew she was going to be an easy target for the other under kings. Ada's work as Raga'Mu and head of the printing press led to her young and recently betrothed police chief to start asking unsavory questions. Where have you been late at night? Why are you so tired? You haven't been talking to me as much. You seem to resent my actions. It was time to cut ties. Ada planted half false evidence of the new police chief making deals with the Tan'Raga. He was arrested and imprisoned after a very brief investigation. Ada played as the oblivious woman who had no idea of her fiance's actions. She was off the hook. Ada then set her sights on the under kings. She already knew their vices, Persepholis has made her learn more about them as they were being inaugurated into the sinister crime empire. She just played at their weakness, using her other female spies to manipulate them and put them on a short leash.
By the age of twenty-five, Ada had earned the same level of trust from the High Raga as Persepholis had. Being an elf, the High Raga was still considered rather young to his people despite being sixty-one. Ada appealed to him, saying that she would be a far more effected Raga'Mu if she wasn't believed to actually carry the title. The High Raga agreed and had Ada 'replaced' with a puppet that was a part of Ada's inner circle of spies. From there, Ada went more public, becoming a commercial giant with the printing press. Now that her attention could be better divided, she could focus more on her legitimate appearance while still spinning her intricate web of lies throughout the city.
Ada is thirty-eight now. Since her apparent replacement as Raga'Mu, Ada's actions have become more subtle but they have nevertheless altered the politics of Tyberia drastically. While her puppet would take all the credit for it, so did all the blame. Every time a puppet failed, a new one took it's place; every one of them, a lesser spy of Ada's, aspiring to become her apprentice.
Skills
Lies, deception, slander, subterfuge. The creed of all spymasters in Yggdrasil. Ada's talents do not go to waste in Tyberia with the recent occupation by Asgard. With many of the city's elite still living a comfortable life, Ada enjoys many luxuries few commoners can even dream of while she pulls the strings of the city. Unknown to the populace of Tyberia, Ada is the true driving force of the city. Her network of information has replaced Tyberian leaders with her own puppets and has both uprooted and planted corruption. Seen as the inheritor of the city's most widespread printing press, she is entirely clear of suspicion and free to act as the city's eyes and ears and whispers.
Ephraim Quaid, High General of the Asgardian 5th Legion
Age
154
Race
Elf
Personality
Regal and proud, Ephraim is considered by many to be the model elf. Highborn and noble, with a calm, intelligent demeanor, Ephraim speaks with a certain, politeness and flair. Well spoken, articulate, and intelligent, though at times, haughty and arrogant, it is clear that Ephraim holds himself above most others. Like most highborn elves, Ephraim appears to be perpetually disdainful towards "inferior beings", as well as the incompetent. Extremely prideful, Ephraim does not tolerate disrespect, and freely doles out punishments and reprimands to those that displease him.
Background
High General of the Asgardian 5th Legion, Ephraim hails from a long line of talented manaweavers, and is one himself. Well learned and disciplined, Ephraim joined the Asgardian Military Academy through the power of his pedigree, and graduated as one of its top members. Turning down an offer from the Knights Arcana, Ephraim instead pursued a career in the Asgardian military, quickly earning the Emperor's favor, and within 30 years, was admitted to the Emperor's closest council of generals. Given command of the 5th Legion- second only in prowess to the Emperor's own personal 1st Legion, Ephraim is widely regarded as one of the Emperor's most powerful and trusted generals.
Whilst originally resistant to the Zephyr upon their arrival, when the Emperor pledged fealty to the Zephyr, Ephraim followed without question. And on the Emperor's orders, invaded and took over multiple rebelling lesser kingdoms, as well as embarked on two successful campaigns to expand Asgard's territories.
Recent rumors regarding Ephraim's son deserting Asgard to join with the rebels have caused no small amount of controversy, and has marred the General's reputation. However this has not stopped the General from invading and occupying Tyberia under the Emperor's orders.
Skills
Equipment
Age
31
Race
Half-Elf
Personality
Noble, righteous, and heroic, Coraline represents the core values expected from a Knight. She values her honor and integrity just as much as she values the lives of the common people. Coraline is a selfless warrior who will act for the sake of others rather than the sake of herself. She will often take time out of her schedule to take a detour if it means it will better the lives of others. Coraline is a patient fighter and will remain on the defensive until a decisive blow can be dealt. She places great faith in the House of Blades' advancement in armor and proves its effectiveness by running headlong into armed cohorts of her adversaries. Coraline attempts to offer new ways of lives for those she helps, whether it be an offer to join the House of Blades or a new opportunity in a distant land. She is motivated by purpose and quests throughout Yggdrasil to find more of it.
Backstory
A member of Duke Gabriel Toph's family, Coraline never felt truly connected to them. She was a bastard child with Duke Toph as her father and an elven maid as her mother. She was raised as a member of the Toph family, but Gabriel always made a point to remind her of her mixed blood, that she wasn't truly a Toph nor an inheritor of the family fortune. Vincent Toph, her younger half-brother, always appealed to their father to allow Coraline the same opportunities within the family. Gabriel explained that his honor and integrity as a duke would be stained if he were to pass the family over to a bastard. No matter how hard Vincent tried to earn Coraline's status, nothing was ever gained. Coraline was content, however. She grew knowing her place and allowed room for Vincent to rise as the heir to the Toph Dukedom.
The half-siblings were great friends and the disparity in their blood didn't put them on unequal terms. Coraline attended swordsmanship training with Vincent, she reasoned that she could at least be his housecarl to protect his interests. Coraline was without a doubt the better sword fighter of the two, but Vincent had beaten her by far in marksmanship. Rifles never came as naturally to Coraline as swords did. The two grew to cover each others' weaknesses and they made a formidable team in tourneys. It was from one of those tourneys that Coraline was scouted by a knight representing the House of Blades.
The man's name was Arthur Beckett. He approached Coraline after a duel and offered her a place as a squire in the House of Blades. At first, she declined, saying that she was to protect Vincent Toph's interest as his housecarl. Vincent also disagreed as he was too close to his half-sister to have to watch her be taken away to the Uziel Dragon Mountains where the House of Blades headquarters was. Sir Beckett left without confrontation and the two continued the tourney. In the semi-finals, Coraline lost to the son of an Aesir in a duel. She had taken an injury that resulted in the scar above her right eye. Her defeat had damaged the reputation of the Toph dukedom, a land known for it's exceptional soldiers. Since then, Gabriel became resentful of his daughter and forbade her train with Vincent.
The sudden seclusion from her half-brother and companion made Coraline begin to consider Sir Beckett's offer. At the age of seventeen, Coraline finally reasoned that her life was wasted in the Toph estate; she would never rise to become better there. Coraline sent a messenger to the fortress of the House of Blades and two months later, she was visited by Arthur Beckett. She took up his offer and left the next day with, saying her goodbyes only to her mother. She wanted to see Vincent before she left, but he was training and she wasn't allowed in the training yard while he was there. When Vincent got the news of Coraline's departure two hours later, he was hurt and took out his anger on his father.
Coraline began her life as a squire. She was much older than the other new squires, but her life at the Toph estate had shown her much, putting her equal footing with many of the squires six and seven years into their training. When she arrived at the fortress, she discovered that Arthur Beckett was to be her primary mentor. Coraline was skeptical at first, but after a few lessons, she had realized that Arthur was more than just a scout for the house. Arthur Beckett was one of the most unorthodox knights in the house, but also one of the most talented ones. Where many knights of blades favored the heavy full plate armor and a tower shield, Arthur used light plate and no shield! He was quick and able to penetrate the defenses of nearly ever sparring partner. Coraline adopted his techniques.
Ten years later, Coraline completed her training as a squire and was knighted. As a full fledged knight of blades, Coraline was given liberties and resources not available to many. Arthur, well into his sixties by then, gave her his long sword, Tarkos, as a reward for her graduation. He said he was retiring now that he had finished training her, and that she had to build her own history with Tarkos now. She gratefully accepted the gift and lived comfortably in the fortress for a short while.
It was a month later when the chapter master gave Coraline her first assignment. She was told that the Toph Dukedom was raided by Ratoskr and that she was to join a party of knights to go and investigate the region. She left without delay, worried for her mother and Vincent. When the party arrived, they found that everything was razed to the ground. Scorched bodies lay on the ground everywhere she looked, completely indistinguishable from one another. She didn't need to process much to understand that her bloodline had been wiped out. The party had hunted down and killed several bands of ratoskr in neighboring dukedoms and eventually found the source of their raiding. A cave in the nearby mountains had been connected to a ratoskr tunnel. The party sealed the cave and returned to the fortress.
When she returned, Coraline was greeted by Arthur. He gave her condolences and spent time with her to console her while she mourned the loss of her family. The Knight Houses aren't apathetic toward the families of their knights, and Coraline was given ample time to come to terms with the loss. Eventually, Coraline did, and she resumed her duties as a knight. She was appointed a squire named Urien Glint, an elven boy who had last much from a similar ratoskr raid. She trained Urien for several months in the safety of the fortress, but Coraline felt he had potential for far more. She took up the position of a questing knight and brought Urien along, training him on the road while they travelled across Yggdrasil.
Fours years have passed, Coraline and Urien still journey across Yggdrasil. Their travels have taken them to the Great City of Tyberia, recently conquered by Asgard. She knew that the people of Tyberia would be chafing under the aggressive rule. By the Knights Act, she was granted passage through the Asgardian encampments surrounding the city and allowed inside the great city's walls. Coraline and Urien stay in one of the city's many Blades Chapterhouses while they assist the common people.
Skills
Coraline is an exceptional swordsman even in the standards of the House of Blades. And her years away from the chapter's headquarters has taught her many tricks of the trade. During her journey, Coraline has learned how to maintain her equipment, her skill in smithing is impressive. To keep herself fed while on the road, Coraline has taken up hunting with the archaic bow and arrow; her marksmanship is uncanny for a knight of blades but is far from master level. People hold a great disposition for knights and Coraline is no exception, the people look up to her and treat her as well as she treats them.
Equipment
Ada Maas
Age
38
Race
Human
Personality
Ada's personality depends on the context of her presence. Officially, Ada is a charming woman who holds the people's best interest at heart and resents the actions of organized crime associations. Ada is constantly funding task forces to uproot corruption as a smokescreen, unbeknownst to those very task forces, they're only removing crime that she has deliberately placed for them. Ada isn't who the public eye makes her out to be. As Tyberia's Raga'Mu, she is one of the most powerful figures in the city and nobody knows it, not even the other under kings of the Tan'Raga as she has inserted a puppet to assume the role while she makes the decisions in the shadows. If one comes to the apparent Raga'Mu, he 'sends' his best agent to speak to them, Ada herself. When meeting others as a spy or information, Ada is a cunning fox. She has a sharp tongue and will often bring up secrets of her clients that should be known to nobody. Her words cut deep into the hardiest of men to manipulate them into stepping into her web of intrigue. Ada is truly cold, at times she is completely apathetic toward others; she sees many of their issues as 'problems of the privileged'. Still, as a spy, Ada seems to have redeeming qualities. Before her rise to power as Tyberia's spymaster, she was once a field agent for her master, the previous Raga'Mu. Ada uses her beauty to appeal to the vices of men and the jealousy of women to get what she wants. Those who know of her reputation know that Ada can't truly be trusted. Her motives are kept secret as is her agenda.
Backstory
Ada was a street child, she grew up not knowing who her parents were and had no real place to call home. Every day during her childhood was a battle against the elements and a struggle against the older street rats. Like most street rats, Ada found herself in the employ of Tyberia's Tan'Raga as a muse, a title given to child spies. Working for the Tan'Raga meant she was given shelter in exchange for completing her tasks, for her, it was serving the other under kings to glean information from them. None of the under kings knew she was working for the Raga'Mu known as Persepholis Maas, the greatest spymaster in Tyberia's history. Under Persepholis' tutelage, Ada managed to gather incriminating information of every other under king in the Tan'Raga. Persepholis didn't begin his coup d'etat until Ada was fifteen years old.
Half way through her teenage years, Persepholis formally adopted Ada. She had earned the Maas surname and became heir to his fortune that was the Tyberian Printing Press. Acting under the command of the High Raga, Persepholis divulged all of the information Ada had gathered on all of the other under kings as well as a man framed as the Raga'Mu to Tyberia's law enforcement. The High Raga was paranoid that the other under kings were plotting against him, he only trusted Persepholis because of the friendship and brotherhood they had shared since childhood. In a day, the Tan'Raga leadership was stripped and the High Raga appointed his new under kings. With a body of inexperienced under kings, him and Persepholis molded them into undying loyal servants, eliminating the worry of ever attempting a coup against him.
Where did Ada play in all of this? At fifteen, Ada was acting as the girlfriend of the police chief's son. She seeded corruption in the family with carefully chosen words and little hints to guide him toward further investigation of certain high profile figures. When Persepholis revealed the identities of the other under kings, the chief had already been investigating them, making the decision to take the initiative a simple one. Persepholis had seen Ada's growing affection for the police chief's son and allowed her to continue so long as her loyalty to the High Raga never shook. It came even to his surprise that Ada had been playing the part all along for four years. By nineteen, Ada's fingers were so deep in the police's operations that she could actually stop any activity simply by batting her eye lashes and showing a bit of leg. Ada's endeavors protected the Tan'Raga up until Persepholis passed away naturally at the age fifty-four.
The air quality in great cities were never ideal, and Persepholis has developed cancer in his lungs from residual mana. The High Raga mourned for his pact brother and honored him my instating Ada as his new Raga'Mu. Stepping into power at the age of nineteen, Ada knew she was going to be an easy target for the other under kings. Ada's work as Raga'Mu and head of the printing press led to her young and recently betrothed police chief to start asking unsavory questions. Where have you been late at night? Why are you so tired? You haven't been talking to me as much. You seem to resent my actions. It was time to cut ties. Ada planted half false evidence of the new police chief making deals with the Tan'Raga. He was arrested and imprisoned after a very brief investigation. Ada played as the oblivious woman who had no idea of her fiance's actions. She was off the hook. Ada then set her sights on the under kings. She already knew their vices, Persepholis has made her learn more about them as they were being inaugurated into the sinister crime empire. She just played at their weakness, using her other female spies to manipulate them and put them on a short leash.
By the age of twenty-five, Ada had earned the same level of trust from the High Raga as Persepholis had. Being an elf, the High Raga was still considered rather young to his people despite being sixty-one. Ada appealed to him, saying that she would be a far more effected Raga'Mu if she wasn't believed to actually carry the title. The High Raga agreed and had Ada 'replaced' with a puppet that was a part of Ada's inner circle of spies. From there, Ada went more public, becoming a commercial giant with the printing press. Now that her attention could be better divided, she could focus more on her legitimate appearance while still spinning her intricate web of lies throughout the city.
Ada is thirty-eight now. Since her apparent replacement as Raga'Mu, Ada's actions have become more subtle but they have nevertheless altered the politics of Tyberia drastically. While her puppet would take all the credit for it, so did all the blame. Every time a puppet failed, a new one took it's place; every one of them, a lesser spy of Ada's, aspiring to become her apprentice.
Skills
Lies, deception, slander, subterfuge. The creed of all spymasters in Yggdrasil. Ada's talents do not go to waste in Tyberia with the recent occupation by Asgard. With many of the city's elite still living a comfortable life, Ada enjoys many luxuries few commoners can even dream of while she pulls the strings of the city. Unknown to the populace of Tyberia, Ada is the true driving force of the city. Her network of information has replaced Tyberian leaders with her own puppets and has both uprooted and planted corruption. Seen as the inheritor of the city's most widespread printing press, she is entirely clear of suspicion and free to act as the city's eyes and ears and whispers.
- Master Spycraft - Ada's connections to Tyberia's Tan'Raga and her history of espionage against the state has led to her dangerous skills in spycraft. Ada employs many methods to acquire the information she knows; she never divulges more information than she must, leaving others perpetually curious of just how much she knows. Ada's influence reaches the far corners of Tyberia, she is seen at high profile political functions and low profile Tan'Raga gatherings. She has crafted webs of lies over other webs, her true motives are known only to her.
- Professional Sleight of Hand - In Ada's field of work, being quick with your hands is essential. One must pass notes or steal in plain sight to get the job done. Ada usually has an organization of spies in her employ to do these tasks for her; as such, her own skills in sleight of hand have diminished slightly.
- Adept Politics - One must know the ebb and flow of Tyberia's politics in order to effectively orchestrate a grand illusion and a grand subterfuge. To the lords of Tyberia, Ada is seen as an inheritor of her deceased father's company, the printing press to deliver news across the city. In truth, the company is the legitimate front of her previous master in order to glean information from the Tyberian elite. Ada spends as much time on news headlines as she does in the shadows of Tyberia's underworld. This level of renown has made Ada completely invisible, and it has enabled her to act freely. Her influence has spread into the highest echelons of Tyberia's leadership.
- Journeyman Pistolier - Combat is not Ada's concern, still, she defends herself if she must. Ada's lack of formal training with pistols shows. Ada isn't concerned with her skill in marksmanship however. When confronted for her lackluster skill, Ada reminds her colleagues that she is a spy, not an assassin.
- Professional Business - In order to maintain the illusion of a successful corporate leader, Ada has to play the part as much as look it. Her late master had established a printing press to deliver news, both true and incriminating as well as false and embellishing, to mislead the masses and manipulate them without anybody knowing. Being the most successful printing press in Tyberia, Ada's inheritance has skyrocketed her social status to be among the city's elite. In the eyes of the public, she has large shoes that she has yet to fill, but she is more than competent enough to handle the daily rigors of the press.
Ephraim Quaid, High General of the Asgardian 5th Legion
Ephraim Quaid
Age
154
Race
Elf
Personality
Regal and proud, Ephraim is considered by many to be the model elf. Highborn and noble, with a calm, intelligent demeanor, Ephraim speaks with a certain, politeness and flair. Well spoken, articulate, and intelligent, though at times, haughty and arrogant, it is clear that Ephraim holds himself above most others. Like most highborn elves, Ephraim appears to be perpetually disdainful towards "inferior beings", as well as the incompetent. Extremely prideful, Ephraim does not tolerate disrespect, and freely doles out punishments and reprimands to those that displease him.
Background
High General of the Asgardian 5th Legion, Ephraim hails from a long line of talented manaweavers, and is one himself. Well learned and disciplined, Ephraim joined the Asgardian Military Academy through the power of his pedigree, and graduated as one of its top members. Turning down an offer from the Knights Arcana, Ephraim instead pursued a career in the Asgardian military, quickly earning the Emperor's favor, and within 30 years, was admitted to the Emperor's closest council of generals. Given command of the 5th Legion- second only in prowess to the Emperor's own personal 1st Legion, Ephraim is widely regarded as one of the Emperor's most powerful and trusted generals.
Whilst originally resistant to the Zephyr upon their arrival, when the Emperor pledged fealty to the Zephyr, Ephraim followed without question. And on the Emperor's orders, invaded and took over multiple rebelling lesser kingdoms, as well as embarked on two successful campaigns to expand Asgard's territories.
Recent rumors regarding Ephraim's son deserting Asgard to join with the rebels have caused no small amount of controversy, and has marred the General's reputation. However this has not stopped the General from invading and occupying Tyberia under the Emperor's orders.
Skills
- Accomplished Swordsmanship - More than a mere commander of strategy, Ephraim's talent with the sword has been honed over the course of decades. Regarded as one of the best swordsmen in Asgard, few have challenged him and lived to tell the tale.
- Adept Manaweaving - manaweaving is a difficult talent to master, and Ephraim's decades of practice have rewarded him with considerable skill in the art. While he lacks the raw power and talent his son possesses, he has more than enough experience to facedown many a skilled manaweaver.
- Accomplished Strategist - Commander of the 5th Legion, Ephraim has trained and led his men for decades, and has even instituted a new standard of soldier, to which all Asgardian Legions currently emulate.
- Adept Statescraft - As a highborn elf, it is only natural that Ephraim engages in politics and the matters of state. His status as one of the Emperor's most trusted Generals also helps with this.
Equipment
- Sieglinde - An ornate, masterfully crafted greatsword forged from the finest Mithril in Asgard. Despite its size, Ephraim is quite capable of wielding it in a single hand, as well as wielding it with both hands. A gift from the Emperor, and forged by the finest of dwarven blacksmiths, it is rumored that this blade is capable of rending even a Legionnaire in half with a single stroke.
Coraline Toph
Age
31
Race
Half-Elf
Personality
Noble, righteous, and heroic, Coraline represents the core values expected from a Knight. She values her honor and integrity just as much as she values the lives of the common people. Coraline is a selfless warrior who will act for the sake of others rather than the sake of herself. She will often take time out of her schedule to take a detour if it means it will better the lives of others. Coraline is a patient fighter and will remain on the defensive until a decisive blow can be dealt. She places great faith in the House of Blades' advancement in armor and proves its effectiveness by running headlong into armed cohorts of her adversaries. Coraline attempts to offer new ways of lives for those she helps, whether it be an offer to join the House of Blades or a new opportunity in a distant land. She is motivated by purpose and quests throughout Yggdrasil to find more of it.
Backstory
A member of Duke Gabriel Toph's family, Coraline never felt truly connected to them. She was a bastard child with Duke Toph as her father and an elven maid as her mother. She was raised as a member of the Toph family, but Gabriel always made a point to remind her of her mixed blood, that she wasn't truly a Toph nor an inheritor of the family fortune. Vincent Toph, her younger half-brother, always appealed to their father to allow Coraline the same opportunities within the family. Gabriel explained that his honor and integrity as a duke would be stained if he were to pass the family over to a bastard. No matter how hard Vincent tried to earn Coraline's status, nothing was ever gained. Coraline was content, however. She grew knowing her place and allowed room for Vincent to rise as the heir to the Toph Dukedom.
The half-siblings were great friends and the disparity in their blood didn't put them on unequal terms. Coraline attended swordsmanship training with Vincent, she reasoned that she could at least be his housecarl to protect his interests. Coraline was without a doubt the better sword fighter of the two, but Vincent had beaten her by far in marksmanship. Rifles never came as naturally to Coraline as swords did. The two grew to cover each others' weaknesses and they made a formidable team in tourneys. It was from one of those tourneys that Coraline was scouted by a knight representing the House of Blades.
The man's name was Arthur Beckett. He approached Coraline after a duel and offered her a place as a squire in the House of Blades. At first, she declined, saying that she was to protect Vincent Toph's interest as his housecarl. Vincent also disagreed as he was too close to his half-sister to have to watch her be taken away to the Uziel Dragon Mountains where the House of Blades headquarters was. Sir Beckett left without confrontation and the two continued the tourney. In the semi-finals, Coraline lost to the son of an Aesir in a duel. She had taken an injury that resulted in the scar above her right eye. Her defeat had damaged the reputation of the Toph dukedom, a land known for it's exceptional soldiers. Since then, Gabriel became resentful of his daughter and forbade her train with Vincent.
The sudden seclusion from her half-brother and companion made Coraline begin to consider Sir Beckett's offer. At the age of seventeen, Coraline finally reasoned that her life was wasted in the Toph estate; she would never rise to become better there. Coraline sent a messenger to the fortress of the House of Blades and two months later, she was visited by Arthur Beckett. She took up his offer and left the next day with, saying her goodbyes only to her mother. She wanted to see Vincent before she left, but he was training and she wasn't allowed in the training yard while he was there. When Vincent got the news of Coraline's departure two hours later, he was hurt and took out his anger on his father.
Coraline began her life as a squire. She was much older than the other new squires, but her life at the Toph estate had shown her much, putting her equal footing with many of the squires six and seven years into their training. When she arrived at the fortress, she discovered that Arthur Beckett was to be her primary mentor. Coraline was skeptical at first, but after a few lessons, she had realized that Arthur was more than just a scout for the house. Arthur Beckett was one of the most unorthodox knights in the house, but also one of the most talented ones. Where many knights of blades favored the heavy full plate armor and a tower shield, Arthur used light plate and no shield! He was quick and able to penetrate the defenses of nearly ever sparring partner. Coraline adopted his techniques.
Ten years later, Coraline completed her training as a squire and was knighted. As a full fledged knight of blades, Coraline was given liberties and resources not available to many. Arthur, well into his sixties by then, gave her his long sword, Tarkos, as a reward for her graduation. He said he was retiring now that he had finished training her, and that she had to build her own history with Tarkos now. She gratefully accepted the gift and lived comfortably in the fortress for a short while.
It was a month later when the chapter master gave Coraline her first assignment. She was told that the Toph Dukedom was raided by Ratoskr and that she was to join a party of knights to go and investigate the region. She left without delay, worried for her mother and Vincent. When the party arrived, they found that everything was razed to the ground. Scorched bodies lay on the ground everywhere she looked, completely indistinguishable from one another. She didn't need to process much to understand that her bloodline had been wiped out. The party had hunted down and killed several bands of ratoskr in neighboring dukedoms and eventually found the source of their raiding. A cave in the nearby mountains had been connected to a ratoskr tunnel. The party sealed the cave and returned to the fortress.
When she returned, Coraline was greeted by Arthur. He gave her condolences and spent time with her to console her while she mourned the loss of her family. The Knight Houses aren't apathetic toward the families of their knights, and Coraline was given ample time to come to terms with the loss. Eventually, Coraline did, and she resumed her duties as a knight. She was appointed a squire named Urien Glint, an elven boy who had last much from a similar ratoskr raid. She trained Urien for several months in the safety of the fortress, but Coraline felt he had potential for far more. She took up the position of a questing knight and brought Urien along, training him on the road while they travelled across Yggdrasil.
Fours years have passed, Coraline and Urien still journey across Yggdrasil. Their travels have taken them to the Great City of Tyberia, recently conquered by Asgard. She knew that the people of Tyberia would be chafing under the aggressive rule. By the Knights Act, she was granted passage through the Asgardian encampments surrounding the city and allowed inside the great city's walls. Coraline and Urien stay in one of the city's many Blades Chapterhouses while they assist the common people.
Skills
Coraline is an exceptional swordsman even in the standards of the House of Blades. And her years away from the chapter's headquarters has taught her many tricks of the trade. During her journey, Coraline has learned how to maintain her equipment, her skill in smithing is impressive. To keep herself fed while on the road, Coraline has taken up hunting with the archaic bow and arrow; her marksmanship is uncanny for a knight of blades but is far from master level. People hold a great disposition for knights and Coraline is no exception, the people look up to her and treat her as well as she treats them.
- Accomplished Swordsmanship - As a knight of blades, Coraline is exceptionally skilled in sword techniques. Being in melee combat with Coraline is a surefire way to guarantee defeat at her hands. Coraline's light plate armor allows her to remain nimble while she fights, making her an agile opponent which isn't characteristic of the House of Blades.
- Journeyman Smithing - Maintaining equipment whilst on the road is important, as such, Coraline has taken up the smithing trade to be able to keep her gear in top condition at all times. She isn't a master smith, but she is capable and that counts for a lot. As a result of smithing, Coraline has developed an eye for spotting weaknesses in armors; this secondary trait has made Coraline focus on more accurate strikes when dealing with armored opponents.
- Journeyman Archer - Hunting is what keeps Coraline fed as she travels between communities. Archery is a dying art in lieu of firearms, but Coraline prefers the traditional method and its silent results. She doesn't need to worry about weight or ammunition as she can fletch her own arrows and always craft new bows if she needs to. Her accuracy could use some work, but for a knight of blades, she is leagues better than most.
- Accomplished Knight - Coraline's reputation precedes her. As a knight, many people look up to her with admiration by default. Coraline has been questing across Yggdrasil for three years and word has spread to many regions of her deeds. While Coraline isn't held at the same level of esteem as the Aesir, living legends of Asgard, she is often met warm welcomes and a hearty meal. She is known among the Knight Houses because of her deeds and her skill. Often times, Coraline's reputation can allow her to be diplomatic with her enemies rather than aggressive; many a time has Coraline stopped a conflict by reminding them who they're dealing with.
Equipment
- Tarkos - Named after the ill-fated nation and homeland of the Ratoskr, Tarkos is Coraline's long sword. Since her days of a house squire, Tarkos has been present. The sword belonged to her mentor before it was passed down to her as a reward for her knighting. Tarkos is an impressive blade, forged with Uziel steel, a metal refined from the Uziel Dragon Mountains. A mana crystal is embedded in the pommel, discharged into the blade by elven mana smiths. The crystal fills the blade with mana, making it far deadlier than any normal long sword. Being a half-elf, Coraline isn't effected by the low amounts of mana that fills the blade. As a precaution, only she or other elves maintain the sword.
- Short Sword - Coraline keeps a short sword for backup if she somehow ends up disarmed. There isn't any special about the sword. If she loses the short sword, she can easily acquire another or smith one herself.
- Short Bow and arrows - Coraline also keeps a short bow handy, as well as a quiver of arrows, for when she needs to hunt for food. She can use the bow for combat as well, but she'd rather differ to her sword for fighting.
- Light Plate Armor - Made for travelling and quick maneuvers in combat, Coraline's light plate armor protects her adequately while giving her full range of movement. All of her armor is mana resistant, like all knights of blades, and can shrug off a number of mana based attacks. Her light plate armor consists of a breast plate, pauldrons, greaves, bracers, and leggings. Coraline wears travel leathers underneath her armor and a cloak bearing the emblem of the House of Blades over top.
Appearance: Digital Art images preferred.
Name: First name, any nicknames, last name
Age: 18+ preferably.
Race: Desired race. Note that races in the codex wrapped in asterisks ( * ) are unplayable.
Personality: Provide a paragraph or so describing your character's personality. Detail is great!
Backstory: Provide a few paragraphs or so describing your character's life up to this point. How have they found themselves where they are now, and what did they do to get here and learn the skills they possess?
Skills and Abilities: Here is where you put things your character can do/are good at, as well as what magic abilities they have (if any). Skills and abilities should be presented in list form as Experience level, Skill, Description. For instance:
Novice Woodcutting - this character has been chopping wood for a short amount of time
In general, the 'level' of experience based skills should go: Novice, Journeyman, Professional, Adept, Accomplished, Master, Legendary. Skills that aren't as dependent on experience (such as the ability to wear armor) should just be Untrained or Trained.
Using Swordsmanship as an example:
Equipment:
Here is where you'll give me a list of your character's prominent equipment, weapons, and armor- if any. If your character possess a particularly special/powerful weapon made of some fancy fantasy metal, there had better be a good reason aside from "It looks/sounds/feels/is cool!". Equipment should also be generally in line with your character: a street-thief-turned-revolutionary probably wouldn't have a gold-gilded longsword made of magic metal and metoric steel, unless proper reasoning is explained. Somewhat similar to skills, equipment should be listed in a format of "name, qualities." Images can be included in hiders. For instance:
Sword, Old, Dull. - this sword was given to example character by an old man in a cave.
Vidofnyr, Adamantium - This mighty battle axe is forged of fine Adamantium and hits like a carriage; a really heavy, fast moving, sharp carriage.
Minor equipment, such as waterskins, clothes, and the like don't need to be listed
Name: First name, any nicknames, last name
Age: 18+ preferably.
Race: Desired race. Note that races in the codex wrapped in asterisks ( * ) are unplayable.
Personality: Provide a paragraph or so describing your character's personality. Detail is great!
Backstory: Provide a few paragraphs or so describing your character's life up to this point. How have they found themselves where they are now, and what did they do to get here and learn the skills they possess?
Skills and Abilities: Here is where you put things your character can do/are good at, as well as what magic abilities they have (if any). Skills and abilities should be presented in list form as Experience level, Skill, Description. For instance:
Novice Woodcutting - this character has been chopping wood for a short amount of time
In general, the 'level' of experience based skills should go: Novice, Journeyman, Professional, Adept, Accomplished, Master, Legendary. Skills that aren't as dependent on experience (such as the ability to wear armor) should just be Untrained or Trained.
Using Swordsmanship as an example:
- Novice: You've been shown instruction on how to hold a sword, swing it, parry with it. You have a year's or less worth of experience with this.
- Journeyman: You've been trained in the use of a sword, or have direct experience using it. You've learned a few complex techniques. You're roughly the equivalent of a town guard or common mercenary. You're capable of besting untrained or inexperienced warriors.
- Professional: You're around the level expected of a skilled mercenary or soldier, you've had extensive training or years of experience. You're well versed with different techniques and can hold your own in many combat situation.
- Adept: You have the skill expected of an accomplished Knight, you're proficient to the point that you are capable of instructing trainees. You know many stances and forms, as well as counters to different techniques.
- Accomplished: You are the Elite of the Elite, and few can hold their own against you alone. You've reached the top of your prime at this point, and your physical prowess may begin to wane sightly, but due to your knowledge and skill you still remain superior.
- Master: You're as OP as Yoda, but probably taller. Few know of your art as well as you do. You've likely grown old by this time, but even with your waning physical stature you can easily defeat those with lesser skill than you.
- Legendary: You've probably made some pact with a magical or godly force and are virtually untouchable.
Equipment:
Here is where you'll give me a list of your character's prominent equipment, weapons, and armor- if any. If your character possess a particularly special/powerful weapon made of some fancy fantasy metal, there had better be a good reason aside from "It looks/sounds/feels/is cool!". Equipment should also be generally in line with your character: a street-thief-turned-revolutionary probably wouldn't have a gold-gilded longsword made of magic metal and metoric steel, unless proper reasoning is explained. Somewhat similar to skills, equipment should be listed in a format of "name, qualities." Images can be included in hiders. For instance:
Sword, Old, Dull. - this sword was given to example character by an old man in a cave.
Vidofnyr, Adamantium - This mighty battle axe is forged of fine Adamantium and hits like a carriage; a really heavy, fast moving, sharp carriage.
Minor equipment, such as waterskins, clothes, and the like don't need to be listed
The changelog is where you will find updates to the thread's OP. The updates are dated so you will be able to identify how recently the changes have been made.
12/28/2015
Interest Check launched
01/03/2016
Codex Completed
Added Character Sheet Template
01/05/2016
Replaced Knight House emblems with better ones edited by Harbringer, they are as follows:
- House of Blades
- Knights of Lexicon
- House of Storms
- Knights Arcana
01/06/2016
Added the Dramatis Personae section, a list of GM and Co-GM controlled NPCs
The spymaster, Ada Maas, has been added to the Dramatis Personae section
The general, Ephraim Quaid, has been added to the Dramatis Personae section
01/07/2016
Replaced Knight House emblems with better ones edited by Harbringer, they are as follows:
- Knights Draconis
- House of Paupers
01/11/2016
The knight, Coraline Toph, has been added to the Dramatis Personae section
01/12/2016
Added Amber Roots, Yggdrasil's form of currency, into the Codex under 'The World of Yggdrasil' section
01/17/2016
OOC Launched
01/18/2016
Darius Cezare added to the Player Characters section in the thread's Characters tab
Dramatis Personae added to the thread's Characters tab, they can also be found on the OP
12/28/2015
Interest Check launched
01/03/2016
Codex Completed
Added Character Sheet Template
01/05/2016
Replaced Knight House emblems with better ones edited by Harbringer, they are as follows:
- House of Blades
- Knights of Lexicon
- House of Storms
- Knights Arcana
01/06/2016
Added the Dramatis Personae section, a list of GM and Co-GM controlled NPCs
The spymaster, Ada Maas, has been added to the Dramatis Personae section
The general, Ephraim Quaid, has been added to the Dramatis Personae section
01/07/2016
Replaced Knight House emblems with better ones edited by Harbringer, they are as follows:
- Knights Draconis
- House of Paupers
01/11/2016
The knight, Coraline Toph, has been added to the Dramatis Personae section
01/12/2016
Added Amber Roots, Yggdrasil's form of currency, into the Codex under 'The World of Yggdrasil' section
01/17/2016
OOC Launched
01/18/2016
Darius Cezare added to the Player Characters section in the thread's Characters tab
Dramatis Personae added to the thread's Characters tab, they can also be found on the OP
