Arthanus — Roleplayer Guild

-=Rules=-

1. Listen to the GM(s), If you have a complaint tell me. I am not an evil dictator and if I am wrong I will admit it.
2. Romance and Gore allowed, But keep it in good taste and in site rules
3. Now not all characters will play nice with each other I understand that, but keep the disputes in the RP not in OOC
4. Be civilized and polite please
5. All basic RP rules apply to this roleplay: Power playing, Meta gaming, and others are not allowed.
6. The story isn't exactly set, If you have an idea for a mission feel free to pm me the details and I'll try to work it in.
7. Copy the rules into a Hider in the "other" of your cs so I know you read them.
8. Get into your character's skin become him or her as you are playing have fun and give us insight into their thoughts.
9. Try to keep active, in both the IC and OOC pages please. And even if you don't have anything to say, at least read the OOC

-=Land of Hitor=-

-=Blood Rose Irregulars=-

The Blood Rose Irregulars is an Adventuring Company lead by a man named Jing Sanada. The Company after long years of fighting creatures and gaining riches has been drawing in many talented adventurers and spreading its reputation around the empire.

Jing Sanada (NPC) (See people of Interest within Empire Tab)

Shion was born to a family of farmers who always dreamed of Grandeur. He learned the bow from his father when the two would go out to hunt and is quite a decent shot. Caught up by Jing's presence and stories Shion joined the Irregulars to support his family sending most of what he makes back home.
 (NPC)

Little is known of Gwendolyn's past or even her reasons for joining the Irregulars, but she is a powerful mage. Versed in Fire and Healing Magic Gwen supports the Irregulars from the rear.
 (NPC)

A master thief with all the skills the title implies, Stephan is a simple man to understand. He will do whatever it takes to get money. He joined the Irregulars after they had made a name for themselves for the simple fact that it would make him money. His loyalty is questionable at best, but you know he will stick around and have your back in a fight if he gets his promise of coin for his services.
 (NPC)

Hector stands as the final test that most members of the irregulars take. More of a contracted member than a full on member Hector takes recruits that catch Jing's eye to test their skills as a warrior, coordination, and general usefulness as a Mercenary. It seems that hector does this test as a favor to Jing for some long forgotten dept and Jing trusts Hector's advice when it comes to his new recruits.
 (NPC)

Alm Saito <- Its Me

Olivia Blackmoore <- Nerdy Reference

Kaeciel Sinclair <- Lumiere

Ariel Lightwood <- Aragorn

Iroryn Varo <- Athol

-=History=-

Legends state that long before this Chaotic Age, and even before the Age of Beasts there was an Age of Gods. During this time our world of Hitor was created and Gods walked its surface shaping the world as we know it. It is said that Ristoth, The God of Creation, was the one to form the world and breathed life upon it, And after centuries of creation he gave the world over to his children. His children then continued Ristoth's work each taking part of the world for themselves to shape as they saw fit. 

Although many of the stories and legends from that time have been lost, there is still one which has survived throughout the ages, The Fall of The Gods... Ultimately it is unknown exactly how long the age of Gods lasted, we do know of its bloody end. For reasons now unknown the Gods who ruled the world as its creators and protectors became divided resulting in a war of Gods. The war was fierce as the Gods sent their loyal followers into battle against each other. And after one hundred years of fighting the war couldn't last any longer. Mankind was decimated by the war as countless lives had been thrown away over the God's squabble, and even the gods had given their lives in the war and the handful of remaining Gods still fighting Ristoth returned to the Mortal Realm. In an attempt to end the Chaos Ristoth took up arms joining into the fray. In one epic final battle Ristoth and his Son Zantos took each others lives ending the combat between the gods. As Ristoth died his body shattered these shattered pieces covered the earth spreading his power and introducing magic into the world. The remaining gods being stripped of their immortality after their father's death tried to focus on rebuilding the world with what time they had left.

After the Fall of The Gods Hitor once again fell into chaos. Creatures and Beasts who once blindly served the gods who created them were now set free. And without the leash to bind them the Powerful creatures started to take the wold for themselves. With mankind still weakened from the War of The Gods the only way to survive was to find strong intelligent beasts who would protect them. So centuries passed as mankind slowly brought itself back from near extinction, during this time the tales of Ristoth and his children faded away as mankind began to worship the Beasts who protected them. But there were those among mankind who didn't want to live their lives governed by the will of beasts and eventually mankind was ready to rise again and stand on its own feet. 

With the Beasts who ruled Hitor becoming weaker in their overconfidence mankind finally started to make its move. The first real victory over the Beasts came from the area now known as the Golden Coast, Varrian Lionheart lead his people to defeat the Great Serpent Xanboro. Varrian's victory sparked all out revolution as humans began to rise up under his banner. Unifying and fighting back Humans were able to reclaim independence and carve out a land of their own once again. And following the Human's lead other species made their moves and made homes of their own pushing the mighty beasts into hiding.

In the Three Hundred years since the birth of the Empire Mankind has steadily regained its footing and has grown to a respectable size. But now with enemies on two fronts Humanities advance seems to have halted and a very uneasy "peace" seems to be in place as both the Humans and their Neighboring powers seem content with their current holdings neither side ready to make a move on the other. But tensions grow across the world as the various powers poke and prod each other testing the strength of their rivals.

-=World Regions=-

-=Grand Empire=-

The "Center of the World" being not only in a central location of the world but also the homeland of Mankind the Empire still stands as a major powerhouse in World politics with many roads leading to the Golden Shores.

Seeing as the Bloodrose Irregulars are based inside the empire it is kinda important so here

The Grand Empire of Man stands as Humanities last hope, it has stood for three hundred years in the face of all sorts of beasts and creatures repelling each wave and securing humanity's safety.

-=Governance=-

Contrary to popular beliefs, the Empire is not a unified nation ruled by a powerful central government but is in actuality a massive confederation of fiercely independent states and provinces whose inhabitants are tied together only by a common language, a shared faith in Ristoth and a mutual Imperial culture. Nowadays there are two types of states: the provinces and the city-state. Varrian was a wise and calculating leader, and he had the foresight to recognize that the Empire was far too big to be ruled by a single man. And so he gave the title of Count to all the region leaders, each responsible for managing his own territory but subject to the Emperor in matters relating to its rulership. Their independence was supposed to counterbalance the power of the Emperor should he proved too tyrannical as a leader, as well as to ensure mutual but non-violent competition among each of the Imperial Counts

-=Culture=-

The Culture within the Empire varies drastically depending on where you are. Each major Province seems to have its own Culture and even more so for the self governed City-States. Though one thing remains a constant throughout the Empire, The Empire is the land of Man meaning humans always come first and even if somewhat accepted Non-Humans are treated as second class citizens in most areas making life difficult for those who live within the Empire.

-=Currency=-
There are two forms of currency used in the Empire.
Sovern - The official currency of the Empire, coins that are easily carried and universal. With a set value it makes trade easier and ensures that prices can be fair throughout the empire.

Soul Stones - Used as a form of currency in rural areas where the Empire's Sovern has little actual value. (More on these later)

-=Places of Note=-

The Capital of the Empire, a vibrant and glorious sight to behold. Located on the west most point of the Empire it features the Imperial palace, Imperial College of Magic, Illustrious Royal Port, and the World Market along with being the most populated city within the Empire. Although kept pristine and shiny on the surface like most major cities there is a dark underbelly within the Capital and in certain districts you might not want to turn down an alley way because you might not be seen again.

The Silver Moon Citadel stands as Humanities first line of defense Sitting at the mouth of the Black Pass all who wish to Enter, or leave the Empire must pass the massive Fortress. The Construction of the Citadel makes it nearly impregnable with such narrow paths leading to the gates that it is difficult to bring siege equipment or even great numbers to siege the main gate. And yet the Citadel's presence demands that you deal with it preventing an army from marching past on the valley floor just because that army would quickly be attacked in the rear from the Citadel's Knights.

Divided into Four areas even if you got into the main Citadel your fight would be far from over.

Inner Ward - The Inner Ward houses the Keep, Barracks, Granary and Armories and its own set of massive walls it is the final line of defense for the Citadel. The keep is large enough to house the population of the Citadel in times of dire need as well as get them to safety with a set of secret tunnels that lead off into empire territory if the need to evacuate the citizens arises.

Outer Ward - The Outer Ward is the Life of the Citadel it is where the commoners live, work, shop, and go about their lives safely tucked into the mountain side and with only one main gate the Outer Ward alone would be incredibly difficult to breach as any forces attempting to cross the bridge to reach the walls would be easy targets for the Archers and Mages charged with her defense.

Lone Gatehouse - Across the stone bridge from the Citadel lies a Lone Gatehouse, this stands as the final checkpoint for those leaving the Empire and a Welcome home for those returning. Anyone wanting to enter the Citadel must first pass through the Gatehouse Which is garrisoned with its own small army for protection.

Gatehouse City - With Adventurers and travelers not wanting to have to venture into the Citadel for a bit of rest or a place to trade goods a city ended up popping up outside the Gatehouse. Located on the Dread Desert's side of the Gatehouse the small city is surrounded by a strong wooden wall and has all the needs of those who are willing to venture to the desert and especially those returning from it. Protected by the looming Gatehouse filled with Empire Knights even this small city would be hard pressed to fall to the normal rabble that tries to attack from the desert.

The City-State of Honimora sits in the far south west corner of the Empire, it serves as a nice stopping point for any sailing to the Golden City from the South. It is about a week's trip away from Silver Moon Citadel and aside from its bustling port doesn't get many visitors on foot due to its out of the way position. The City Lord is Jing Sanada and the little plot of land is very well off and prosperous. Also the serving home to the Bloodrose Irregulars.

The Main Estate in Honimora and the actual home base of the Irregulars.

-=Persons of Note=-

Young descendant of the mighty Varrian Lionheart Graham sits on the throne today. Although he is supposed to hold the greatest power within the Empire he is seen as a weak emperor and as it is now the Counts hold the fate of the Empire within their hands. Graham sits now as little more than a figurehead unable to demonstrate his power within the Empire. Whispers say that the Counts are making moves to finally remove the Lionheart family from power due to Graham's incompetence.

Lord of the City-State Honimora Jing also serves as the leader of the Bloodrose Irregulars. Once known as the "Black General" Jing stood as the Commander of The Silver Moon Citadel's defenses for ten years. During that time the Main Gatehouse never fell to any foreign attack. But due to a grievous wound in his final defense Jing was forced into retirement from the military. After a long recovery Jing formed the Irregulars to sate his need for adventure and glory.

-=Infinite Forest=-

The land of the World Tree. The Infinite forest was the place of a great battle during the Age of Gods. Many gave their lives for this Island plot of land and the ground was once stained red with blood. But after the War of Gods ended the Goddess Aya came to this spot hoping to heal the world in some way. Giving her life energy back to the planet the land began to grow into a lush beautiful forest starting with the World Tree. The World Tree is a massive tree overflowing with Aya's magical energy as it is her final resting place and a symbol of her love for the world. After the Fracture of the Elves a faction of Elven people moved to the Infinite Forest making it their home finding a place where they could be at piece with Nature.

-=Black Desert=-

Wastelands to the South of the Empire. A vast and grand desert still cursed from the Age of the Gods. It is a harsh land home to many Savage Orc Tribes as well as ruins from long ago hiding secrets from the Age of Gods. The Black Desert's name comes from it's Black Oasis on its eastern tip. Rumored to be the resting place of a God the Black Oasis is known by its black sand and undead guards. Many adventures have tired to brave the Oasis and claim treasures of the "Black City" that can be seen to be preserved by some magical force, but none who have tried have returned thus far.

Just imagine the sand is black

-=Dread Coast=-

The land of the Elves. The Dread coast is not really that dreadful, but is named as such due to the presence of the Dark Elves in the Eastern Half of the Region. The Dread Coast, or "Ifari" as the elves call it, was once a peaceful land ruled by the Elven High King. But after Ristoth's death the Elven people were those the most greatly touched, and that changed everything. Having a great affinity to magic the Elven people became obsessed with the power devoting their entire lives to it, this devotion lead to a great magical revolution and advanced the elves into a state in which Magic was part of their every day lives (think Magic-Puny like society). 

But with this sudden change there were those who sought to better themselves and further their own gains instead of that of the people. This caused a break in the Elven people, the High Elves Whom embraced magic for the gain of the Elven people at the expense of the other races, The Dark Elves who decided to use magic to fuel their own desires shunning the rest of the world and turning to dark magics, and the Wood Elves the elves who wanted to remain true to the Elven way of preserving and protecting nature. 

With three different sects of Elven people trying to inhabit the same land war broke out among the elves. This war lead to the departure of the wood elves leaving to inhabit the Infinite Forrest after hearing of the World Tree, leaving the High Elves and Dark Elves to duke it out for control of Ifari eventually things settled down a bit with the High elves settling in the West and the Dark Elves or "Drow" settling in the East. And now after all this time the two sides have come to terms with each other tolerating the others existence but still not able to completely pull off cohabitation with small border wars happening every so often.

-=Razorthorn Mountains=-

Land of the Under-dwellers. The Razorthorn Mountains are a land of constant chaos as three races fight for control of the area. This resource rich land is littered with underground cities and caverns that are frequently war zones between the Dwarf, Orc, and Goblin factions. It is almost impossible to map out which faction controls what parts of the Mountain range as they themselves don't know with cities going generations without hearing from the others due to the dangerous under-paths. As it Stands the Humans of the Empire currently have an alliance with the Dwarven King or Ruinguard which lies on the North Eastern Border of the Empire.

-=Frozen Wastes=-

Land of Ice and Death. the Frozen Wastes were once the seat of the Gods with the Glorious City of Ristoth serving as its capital. But this land was also the spot of the final fight between Ristoth and Zantos took place. Ristoth's death hit the land like a plague freezing over the entire continent and making it one of if not the most inhabitable continent in the land. Rumor states that deep within the ruins of the City of Light Zantos' body still rests petrified with Ristoth's blade plunged through his chest perhaps to serve as a reminder of what happened, perhaps for something much darker.

-=Dragon's Maw=-

Land of the Dragon. Protected by the Ancient Dragon Glaurung Dragon's maw is the home of the Beastmen. A land that remained in the age of Beasts with Glaurung holding onto his territory while most "minor" races drove away their Ancient Guardians. Content with his holdings the Dragon Lord made a deal with the "upstarts" from the other continents, as long as they stayed out of his lands he would ensure that the other great beasts would be banished and remain in the Shadow Lands. With such a good deal and the Beastmen's loyalty to the Dragon a Blood Pact was made. Now the only things known about Dragon's Maw is news that come from Beastmen Traders who leave their home to venture the world.

-=Shadow Lands=-

No Man's Land. The Shadow Lands are a mystery to all. Due to the Blood Pact between Glaurung and all the intelligent races it is the place where all the surviving great beasts were banished to. Beastmen scouts claim it is a wild savage land that even the bravest and strongest warriors never return from. And as long as Glaurung keeps up his end of the deal the rest of the world is glad to let the Shadowlands remain a mystery

-=Magic=-

As Ristoth breathed his final breath he smiled knowing his last great gift to the world

Exert from the Divine Tales of Ristoth

Humans and Creatures use magic by tapping into their Soul Stones. While some creatures have the natural ability to tap into their own Soul Stones to produce magical effects. The Humanoid Races must make use of ancient relics in order to tap into their Soul Stones. The use of these Relics allows a Mage to tap into the Base element (I'll get to this) of magic that their Soul Stone is attuned to. Relics must be properly engraved into an item to allow for the casting of magic (more will follow). But in order to properly control Magic one must strengthen one's Soul Stone increasing their magical power as well as study and learn all they can about the magics of their element. But a Soul Stone only has a finite amount of energy and can be overloaded by magical power causing a backlash on the user if they try use a spell that requires more energy than their Soul Stone can produce. But this Soul Stone Power or "Mana" will replenish over time or after consuming special potions.

The source of life in all things. Each living creature has a soul stone within their body, it grows with them and is a testament to their power. Soul Stones are valuable and useful as they carry the life essence of a creature. Once extracted a Soul Stone can be used in many ways. One use is for power, Soul stones literally fuel the Empire as they are used as a fuel source in the Empires Magics. Everything from Cooking and Lighting to the High Elven flying warships run off of Soul Stones. Another use of the Soul Stone is Magic, When used correctly a Soul Stone can be used to tap into to increase ones own magical power.

Again all creatures have have Soul Stones as well and if properly cultivated allows for them to use magic tapping into their own power. And although they have Soul Stones it is forbidden to extract the Soul Stone of a Human, Elf, Dwarf, or Beastman but that doesn't mean it isn't done. These Soul Stones are used in Dark Magic rituals for various purposes and in some rural civilizations The Soul Stone is removed from the Corpse of the fallen as a keepsake for the family.

All magic used by Humanoids can be broken down into various elements. Most mages are limited to spells that align with their Soul Stones but there is a rare mage that can learn magic from another school. The current list of magic elements are as follows. Light, Dark, Fire, Water, Earth, Nature, Wind, Arcane, Death. No Element is inherently evil nor good and it is up to the user to decide how they will use their magic.

Relics are magic writing that allows for a spell to be cast. Relics can be applied to almost anything to give it magical properties. But for a mages use they must use one of four mediums.

Grimoire - Literally books of magic. A book that holds many spells of varying powers. Most mages spend their lives cultivating their Grimoire as it is their primary source to draw spells from. These Books can be very powerful and the various Colleges of Magic around the world will pay handsomely for a "Full Grimoire".

Scroll - Pages of Magic. A page with a magic spell on it. Written on a special parchment paper and allows for a single use of a spell. Scrolls can also be used to add a spell to a Grimoire or copy a spell off of a Grimoire. 

Wands - Allow the engraving  of a single spell allowing the Mage access to that spell while channeling through the Wand. Wands allow a Mage to use a spell with an element they are not attuned to.

Staves - An upgraded form of a wand holding a maximum of three spells.

-=Races=-

The following is a list of races I will allow the players to play as

Humans - Basic humans very diverse and all that. Only reason they are getting along is because there is something else that is a bigger threat pulling them together. 

Dwarves - Where there are mountains there are bound to be Dwarves. Master Craftsmen and Fierce who rarely set foot outside their underground homes. The Dwarves have both a senate and a King each holding their own powers over Dwarven culture. There is one simple rule when dealing with Dwarves. Don't go into their caves. And if you do bring fresh vegetables, eating nothing but mushrooms and meat can get dull

Wood Elves - The first of the Knife ear Races. Defenders of the forest and its creatures. They will give you one warning before putting an arrow through your skull. "Humans are not meant for the forest and bring nothing but destruction" is their basic thought on all humans. Their forces consist of master archers and powerful mages. You better have a good reason for entering their forests and better plan not to stay long.

High Elves - The Magical Knife Ears, Near Pale skin tones real high affinity for magic. Look down on other races as "uncivilized"

Dark Elves (Drow) - The Stronger Knife Ears, Dark skin tone, more muscular than the other elven races. Not inherently Evil but do have a bad rap sheet about it

Beastmen (Demi Humans) - Basically humans with animal features (ears, tails, claws ect). They fall within certain clans or species and take on some of the traits of the animals who's features they barrow. (looks like at least one god was a furry)

More can be added drop me a PM and we can work it out.

I'll add this as I bring them up :)

-=Combat Rules=-

Combat will be separated into two parts Free Form and "Boss Battle" each having their own rules. 

Free Form - A simple form of combat, The GM (in case its a side arc I don't control) will send out a mass of enemies each player will then have a go at taking them out. This section will be all on the participants and I will allow you to control both your character and the NPC enemies. You will be allowed to kill at will, but please remember you are not alone, If there are 10 enemies and 5 players I don't want one person claiming 5 of the enemies. Colab posts are acceptable in this phase of combat, but please don't have the group waiting two weeks for one Colab post.

A lone Gladiator walked down the hall, the echo of cheers can be heard as the gladiator presses forward. A moment of blindness inflicted  the gladiator and the cheering became deafening as he walked out into the arena. As his vision returned he could see that three Orcs already stood in the arena waiting the arrival of their prey. Not wasting any time the Gladiator started to make his move reading his trident and net for the fight.

One of the orcs moved forward to fight the Gladiator confident of its own skills while the other two stood back for the moment. As the first orc charged sword in hand, the gladiator was quick to move out of the way while tossing the net to capture the Orc. The net worked wonderfully trapping the orc ans as it struggled to escape the net only got tighter allowing the Gladiator to jab at the Orc with his trident. The trapped orc was easy to finish off as the gladiator was able to stick it with the Trident multiple times before the other two orcs were able to close the gap and save their comrade. The approaching Orcs forced the Gladiator to retreat back a bit and drop the net. 
The two orcs came at the Gladiator in the first charging and the second a bit more cautious. With a bit of a jump to the side the Gladiator was able to dodge the first orc while lunging his trident at the second. The attack was caught by the Orc's blade who attempted to lock the blade and impeded the Gladiator, but the gladiator quickly retracted the trident and used the staff of the weapon to block a slash from the other orc. Determined to survive the Gladiator had to go onto the defensive and look for any opening he could exploit, he took a low stance to the ground attempting to keep the orcs at bay with his trident.

And a scoop of dirt from the ground would give the gladiator his chance both Orcs retreated back sand in their eyes giving the Gladiator a chance to lunge forward jabbing the trident right under the jaw of one of the Orcs nearly impaling the Orc's skull then with a quick movement the Gladiator knocked the second orc off balance sweeping its legs as he withdrew the trident from the orc's skull. He followed the sweep with a powerful kick to the chest by planting the butt of the trident into the ground and using it as a support while preforming a strong jumping kick knocking the orc to the ground.

With his opponent on the ground the Gladiator hurried to finish his foe attempting to stab the trident into the Orc's chest. but the Orc caught the trident attempting to push back the weapon and save its own hide. The crowed cheered as the two fought the Gladiator inching the weapon forward and the Orc pushing it back. This ordeal went on for what seemed an eternity until finally the Gladiator was able to overpower the orc plunging the trident into its chest. The crowed erupted in cheers as the gladiator stood triumphant throwing up his arms in victory.

Boss Battle - The more advanced combat that will play out post to post. Boss battles will mainly be group fights or will be in place if a Player vs Player fight. It will be more turn based as in one player states its action then the next will post his reaction and counter/followup to the previous actions. During this type of combat there will be no auto hits or auto kills. 

GM - As the group entered the cave the Troll gave a massive roar before charging the group Smashing its massive club at them

Player one - The Warrior rolled to the side to avoid the club before making a lunge at the beasts leg attempting to ground the beast.

player two - The Archer jumped back landing in a roll while knocking three arrows aiming for the Troll's eyes.

GM - The Club smashed into the ground kicking up a screen of dust which ended up hiding the warrior but eyes focused forward the Troll saw the archer readying the arrows and moved its massive hand to guard itself. all three arrows stuck into the Troll's arm but didn't seem to have much effect otherwise. But it was when the warrior's sword hit its mark that the troll reacted flailing its arm at the warrior.

Player One - The trolls hide was tough, yet the blade pierced the skin and blood spilled from the wound. In a thrash the Troll reacted swinging hits heavy arm at the warrior. He quickly withdrew his blade and braced his shield readying to take the blow with no other option.

Player Two - *Tsh* the Archer let out an annoyed sigh seeing her arrows fell ineffective. But her moves did allow the warrior to land a blow and the trolls reaction gave the archer an opening. She knocked a single arrow pulled the string tight and let the arrow fly, she aimed directly for the wound the Warrior had made looking to drop the beast through the open wound.

GM - The troll's arm slammed into the Warrior's shield sending the Warrior flying into the cave. The Troll went to turn and continue its assault on the warrior but then the troll fell. Arrow punctured bone as the Archer's arrow found its mark dropping the troll and ending its assault on the warrior.

(Blah Blah you get the point)

-=Character Sheets=-

Character Sheets are to be placed in the OOC until they are accepted then moved to the Characters Page.

Name: Self Explanatory
Race: Self Explanatory
Gender: Self Explanatory
Age: Self Explanatory
Appearance: Img or description (would prefer a little of both)
Bio: Your back story. Who are you? Where did you come from?  (minimum of three paragraphs)
Fighting Style: Your fighting style. Is it unique and named? or is it a basic Sword and Shield fighting style?
Equipment: What is the basic equipment you carry on your person
Skills/Abilities: Any special skills/talents you possess (Mages list magic types here) 
Other Information: any special information about your character (must be approved by GM, so shoot me a pm and lets talk)

Ending Stuff

If you have made it this far THANK YOU! I have put a lot of time and effort into writing this all out and I appreciate it if you took the time to read through all this mess. If you have any questions or feel I didn't explain something enough please feel free to ask. Again Thank You.
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