Sylvan
Canwall - Pre Cleansing
"What if I told you that there was a way to construct a source of constantly renewing energy?"
"Oh please. You do go on of this. Everyone knows the story of Gidhail to be but folklore and children's tales."
"Ah, but that is where the truth is, no? Tales told to seem like a farce."
"I told you once and I will tell you again, 'Yer an idiot and we've got more pressing matters.' Now, let's get back to work."
The tales of Gidhail would prove to be true and not just mere fairy tales. For the men and women of all races and likes, the desire to have an ever renewing source of clean efficient energy was something to die for. I'll give you the short gist of the tale. It goes like this: "Woe is to the man who does not dream of venturing to the top of the holy Gidhail Mountain. With its peak piercing the sky, it acts as a direct pathway to the Great Ones. The Great ones patiently await a champion to beseech them atop Gidhail. If one is able to reach the top of Gidhail, they will be granted power and knowledge untold."
Sounds crazy right? Well, you better take all that you know of the world in the Ever Expanse and just throw it out the window. Because that mere fairy tale happens to be true. I know it to be true.
In the world of the Ever Expanse, man and a plethora of races have aligned themselves for the common goal of survival. Due to this, advancements in technology have skyrocketed. Mainly due to the Dwarven technology of the South, but the other races have prove very useful as well.
But, there is always one race that will desire more. Can you guess that race?
The human capital city in the Ever Expanse is known as Canwall. Canwall was a vibrant city with flourishing businesses and companies and life all about. The city was the Human capital, therefore their government was stationed there. Little did the Human population know, a dark evil was about to unfold in the city of Canwall.
In the Government's highest seat rested a man who thought himself on top of the world. His name had been erased from history and he simply called himself The Baron. The Baron was a crazy man. No one believe his tales of creating a source of renewable energy. But, boy was everyone wrong. The Baron constructed a device that revolutionized the City of Canwall and the Human empire. But the Baron could not handle all this power. Some believe he made a deal with the Fallen. Dark pact indeed...
With this source of energy and an the monstrous amount of technology, The Baron lost himself and succumbed to the desire for power. His view on the Human race turned bleak and things in Canwall took a horrid turn for the worst.
The Baron constructed a large castle and placed it above the city of Canwall. Jet propulsion systems kept the Castle suspended in the air and the only way in the castle was through the sky. Steam power revolutionized the world. Flying ships and contraptions took over the skies and everything was different. Anything you can think of was available to you through technology.
The Baron constructed monstrous machines he deemed "Saviors" which were placed around the walls of Canwall. These "saviors" looked like giant Humans.
Everyone in Canwall felt this assurance of safety, but things changed one fateful day. The Baron activated the Saviors and they turned on the innocent humans in Canwall. Keep in mind as I tell you this story that Canwall was the human population center.
Hundreds of thousands were killed in a matter of a few days. A large portion managed to flee but at what cost?
Humans took refuge in Elf communities and the Dwarves and Mi'kans were more than happy to help humanity. The Baron has controlled Canwall ever since. His close knit government has taxed any faithful human to the brink of starvation. He rules Canwall with an iron fist.
So, the Baron constructed his own army and navy of machines and humans a like. The Baron calls it the Regiment of Iron. The Regiment seeks to control every inch of the Ever Expanse. The Baron is a ruthless killer who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
But there is hope yet. A faction has arisen consisting of Humans and races from far and wide. This rebel alliance has called themselves "The Insurgence" The Insurgence seeks equality for all races in the Ever Expanse and the eradication of the Regiment of Iron. Mercy has been thrown out the window here.
With the fairy tale of Gidhail being conceived to be true, it is time to venture to the top of Gidhail. Both factions have started this, but both are focusing more on the fighting. The secrets may yet rest at the top of Gidhail.
"You really believe in the stories of Gidhail don't you, Rosen?"
The gruff dwarf with a beard as long as his stocky body took his reading glasses off and placed them on the small table in front of him. He reached over and took a sip of his drink from the metal cup and placed it back on the table with a thud.
He gave the man in front of him a small nod and a smile formed on his face.
"Aye've lived many a year in the Ever Expanse. Tis all I know. I saw that Baron turn. Fallen pact or not, he has seen something and aye don't much like it. So... Yes. I do believe in the stories of Gidhail. Isn't it better to believe and be wrong than to not believe and turn out to be right?"
The young man scratched the back of his head before standing up. The short dwarf tilted his head back to look up at him. "Very well. I trust you, Rosen. You are like family to me. I will inform the Insurgence."
Hello! Thank you for reading this if you took the time to read all of it! I have had this idea floating around in my head for some time now and I just now went to flesh it out on the forums.
If you read all of that and you're still going, "Wat did I just read? Op plz explain wall of text." Then I will give you the short version:
World of mega steampunk and magic is being taken over by an evil human known as the Baron. Anything steampunk is good to go as technology has been accelerated by a large amount. Any, and I MEAN ANY ( I WANT MEGA DIVERSITY AND FANTASY STUFF TO BE IN PLAY HERE), Race is available to play. But keep things easy going. Magic is allowed and preferred. Magic as in spells and healing and all that stuff.
Anyways, legend has it that if you venture to the top of Gidhail mountain you can have court with the Great Ones who will give you powers untold. Baron wants to reach it first, but so does the Insurgence. Baron reaches it first then that means certain death, Insurgence reaches first, they can wipe the Baron off the face of the Ever Expanse.
The Ever Expanse
The Ever Expanse is the world we all inhabit. The world this RP is based in. Legend has it that the Great Ones themselves deemed this land to be worthy for all kinds to live on only after they accepted it to be so. Humans believe the Great Ones left everything for us to discover, while other races believe the Great Ones left nothing and the races are supposed to combine their knowledge for survival. The Ever Expanse has a myriad of regions ranging from wide and seemingly endless oceans to stout and thick forests.
The Great Ones
Gods of the old and watchers of the new, every being in the Ever Expanse has a differing opinion on the Great Ones. Legend tells that these beings are the ones who created all that every race knows to be true. And every race. The Great Ones have no specific names or genders for they are one. Everyone in the Ever Expanse refers to them as simply "Great Ones". No one in the EE has officially seen the Great Ones, but some claim they have glimpsed their world. The ones who make such claims are usually told to be insane or mad. But, the Great Ones might be closer to us than we think. Some choose not to worship them as there seems to be no penalty for not doing so. One can get away with not ever uttering any sort of praise to the Great Ones. The stories tell us the Great Ones simply built the world in which we inhabit and then let us do what we please with it and they have not intervened. Some would ask if the Great Ones even still remember their creation.
The Fallen
Beings said to have fallen from the sky where the Great Ones supposedly live. These beings have no distinct appearance as no one in the time in which we live has seen a living Fallen. These Fallen have a rather large cult following that mainly dwell underground as that is where they believe the Fallen to reside. All races and genders can choose to worship these supposed fallen gods, but many people have their doubts of their existence. Most believe those who choose to worship the Fallen to be trying to fill a void for the feeling of emptiness the Great Ones leave.
Legend has it that the Fallen are very real and will often make deals with those who are weak willed and easy to manipulate. Many believe this is what happened to the Baron due to his cleansing of Canwall.
Magic and Technology
The Baron outlawed the practice of magic long before he cleansed Canwall and turned his back on the Ever Expanse. But, with a law banning the practice, this only made the practice of magic spark a fire in the hearts of humanity. Other races in the EE have had the use of magic at their side for eons and Humanity has only but recently fully grasped the idea of magic. Magic is something the Baron fears. The Baron believes in the use of practical knowledge and technological means to accomplish a task. Magic is a sin to him.
Magic in the Ever Expanse is the art of bending the world around you. It is manipulating the world to do what the wielder wants. Does the wielder want to create a spark of fire out of thin air? Through using the mind and will, one can force the world to do this.
Spells can range from the destructive range to simple healing. It is said that if one learns the knowledge of the Great Ones they can attune their bodies to be a magical vessel to wield their legendary power.
When the renewable energy source was constructed by the Baron, Technology exploded. Great machines are in every town or city in the Ever Expanse. Air ships seem to dominate the sky, but the Baron's influence has made flying a crime against the Regiment and any unmarked airship is the be taken down with ruthless force. The Baron uses fear as a major component in his Regiment of Iron. All of his monstrous machines look like great beasts.
Some have reported the Baron even has a one hundred mile long and twenty mile wide machine that prowls the Ocean to the East of Canwall. No one can prove if this is true or not.
Guns seem to be the Regiment's main weapon and the Insurgence uses guns as well. But, the Insurgence uses magic as a weapon as well. The Insurgence members are crafty and have created a plethora of enhanced weaponry specialized in taking out the Regiment's soldiers.
The Myth of Gidhail
Now this is an interesting one isn't it? Anyone who has ever lived one day in the Ever Expanse knows the story of the Holy Mountain of Gidhail. The tallest mountain in the entire Expanse. One would think it to be easy to climb, right? Just use an airship. Well, if it were that easy then the myth would not exist. Brave adventures have tried to scale the mountain. The Regiment has the base of the mountain on lock and they are trying to climb it as well, but their main efforts are on the Insurgence.
The Insurgence focuses on the fighting as well, but some in their ranks believe the tale of Gidhail to be true.
The myth has it that if one is able to reach the very top of the mountain, they will enter the realm of the Great Ones who have been awaiting the arrival of some brave individuals for eons. Many believe this to be true. Some say the reason the Great Ones do not interfere in our lives is because they are waiting for us to come together and reach them.
The myth continues to say that if one does reach the top of the mountain and has council with the Great Ones they will be given power and knowledge untold.
Races in the Ever Expanse
Many races inhabit the Ever Expanse. If one were to show you a map of the EE it would be fairly simple to learn. The Human capital of Canwall is smack dab right in the middle. To the East is the Gochen Ocean and in the middle of the seemingly endless body of water is the Mi'kan capital city: Fayyard. I will go into more detail soon.
North of Canwall holds many small bodies of water and the Great Planes. The Regiment has a tight hold on this area now. The once great capital of the Orcans rested here. Now, Nylgya, is but a pile of rubble and ruin. Many orcs were taken into slavery by the RoI, but some escaped and mourn the loss of their capital. The Insurgence was quick to take them in and their compassion with the humans in fierce.
To the South is where the Elves were believe to hold their own. The elves have a strong magical background and the Regiment wants their area for their dense forests and large mountain regions. The Regiment wants to wipe them out due to not being human, but also for their resources. However, the Elves have shown severe commitment to their homeland and have not lost their land despite relentless onslaught by the RoI. Many Insurgence soldiers are stationed here to help repel any attack.
In the west, one would think it to just be plain area. But that is not true. The west holds the fabled Gidhail Mountains and an area which has been deemed the Crying Void. This area is called this due to its harsh environment and almost unstable weather patterns. The Regiment only holds a station at the base of the mountain due to their impressive technology and stabilizing devices.
Many harsh creatures inhabit the Crying Void too. Disturbing creatures inhabit all of the Ever Expanse too. This area is where the Dwarfs are said to have lived but they long abandoned their home long ago.
Races
There are many non document races in the Ever Expanse, but here the basic few.
Humans - Few and far between, humans are all over the Ever Expanse. The RoI consists of Human and Robot soldiers, and Orc slaves.
Elves - Longest living race in the Ever Expanse. The great Elf Elder watched the Baron rise to power and is still alive to this day. It was believed he and the Baron were friends before the Baron turned. Now the Elder does not speak of him.
Orcish - Not usually the big brutes one would think them to be. While some have the stereotypical 'teeth and mouth askew look' most orcs have a air about them that demands respect. Orcs can be ruthless raging brutes, and will not be that way.
Dwarves - Next to elves the Dwarves have been in the Ever Expanse long before humans. The dwarves were the main manufacturers of new technology up until the Baron's invention. Then, they were deprived of their land near the base of the Gidhail mountain.
Mi'kans - People with the spirits of animals and humans combined by a magical force. These people have animal like attributes and they use them well. The Mi'kans inhabit the ocean capital in the Gochen Ocean. Their land has remained relatively untouched due to the location and the RoI does not see them as much of a threat. But their race has given the Ever Expanse some of its brightest inventors. The Mi'kans supports the Insurgence and have given all that they can. (Think cat people or the Miqo'te from Final Fantasy)
There are many other races in the Ever Expanse but these are the main few the Census has recorded. Other races exist and well known.
And that seems to do it for now! If anyone has any questions don't hesitate to ask! I will work on the Character App soon :D
