Speedwagon — Roleplayer Guild

The world in which this takes place is Vallorum. It is made up of three kingdoms, one queendom and an unknown land of which no one has ever returned. The four main armies of the four monarchies are under a constant state of war with one another, forging temporary alliances that break just as quickly as they are made. Assassins, magic, alchemy, all out warfare... all are vying for control or extermination of all the others by any means necessary. 

The continents

Each continent has been monopolized with the exception of the western continent. This in essence means every continent is completely united under each ruler's respective banner; with the exception of rebellions coming about now and again for various reasons, of course.

The kingdom at the dead center of all five continents goes by the name of Kimohrun. Led by King Kyustus of the Korin line.

It is a kingdom built on war and strife, being at the heart of all conflict. Many long ago saw Kimohrun as the most vulnerable and the first to be erased for its easy access from all other continents. The old royal bloodline lead by the Jundale family ended when their last king, King Roark Jundale II was usurped after a long and bloody civil war that came to be known as the “Ash Conflict” that ended 150 years ago, named as such due to the heavy toll it took on the capital city during the final battle. The city burned to the ground, and only ashes remained. 

The man who lead the rebellion was a tengu warrior by the name of Kyustus Korin who was unsatisfied with the state of Kimohrun due to the other nations closing in as well as the racial bias against people that weren't of human, elven or dwarven descent. After reportedly hearing the call of a beautiful goddess as he lay dying on the field of battle, defending the kingdom he despised as a reluctant knight of the Order of the Blue Rose, he claimed to have been revived from certain death and bestowed with a magical amulet that could allow him to kill anyone with a single swipe of a weapon; or so legends say. Much is unclear  of the tengu's rise to power, but what was certain was that he did eventually kill Roark Jundale in his own chambers during a nightly sneak attack. 

Thus, he proclaimed himself to be the new king and the Korin family became Kimohrun's new royal family. Kyustus changed the state of the kingdom and focused heavily on military and trade with few peaceful negotiations. He pushed all of the foreign invaders from his lands with unprecedented might, and then died in battle for the second and final time upon invading the Grand Republic of Thilsis to the south. He was killed by the emperor of the Grand Empire of Thilsis, Charles Rylus the Undying. He left behind a son, named Kyo, who took up the throne as king and his father's aggressive ideals. 

In the present, Kimohrun is hailed as the pinnacle of defensive warfare. They effectively hold the center branching point for all other continents and have not relinquished it to any other military superpower yet. 

The citizens that inhabit Kimohrun are potentially the most diverse. Humans and tengus are the primary races inhabiting the kingdom, but there are many dwarves, elves and half breeds as well. It also has the most booming trade business and silver mines. At the moment Kimohrun does have an issue with attacks by undead wiping out small villages, but it hasn't gotten out of hand yet. 

The capital of Kimohrun is currently known as Freefeather and is primarily inhabited by Tengus.

To the south is Thilsis. The Grand Empire of Thilsis is one that recognizes humans as the superior beings, while all others are treated as slaves, laborers or free fodder for warfare. While there are some exceptions made for half-elves and half-ogres, any non-humans who enter Thilsis revoke their rights to safety and protection. Shopkeepers aren't obligated to sell you items for the proper price, town guards may choose to look the other way if trouble crosses you, and your possessions are free to grab by anyone. Aasimar are treated with respect, however, due to their celestial heritage. Religion is respected and never questioned in Thilsis. Holy deities and pure-blooded angels are treated with even more reverence than humans.

Many residents have been brainwashed from a young age to hate non-humans, even those who were born non-human themselves. This was started by the current supreme authority known as Charles Rylus, who has been the reigning ruler of Thilsis for over 200 years. Being by all accounts an ordinary human in appearance, Charles only appears to be in his mid-30's in age at a glance. His past is shrouded in mystery and not even those close to him know why he is how he is. Rumors circulate that he's a vampire, or he was cursed to live forever, or that he has some sort of magical item that makes him immortal. The answer is unclear.

However, he is respected by his countrymen and rarely questioned when on the battlefield. Legends of old battles say that Charles has slain entire armies on his own, and that no weapon or spell can kill him in battle.

After many years ruling from the capital city of Stryford, Charles grew bored and left after appointing his advisor as the “Temperor”. From then on, it has become tradition for Charles to allow temperors to do all the strategic, financial and social business. Randomly, he would appear at the losing point of a battle to turn the tide with his combat brilliance. He became known as the Wandering Emperor, still seen by the people as the supreme ruler of Thilsis despite his lack of attendance at the throne.

Currently Thilsis is locked in fierce naval warfare with the Eastern Queendom of Falgaria, not being quite able to breach their strong magical abilities. The present Temperor in charge of the Empire is Orius Van Allgrey, a known and respected politician who dabbles in magic and diplomacy in equal parts.

Falgaria is a land of renowned wizards and sorcerers, and has its own personal military order of trained Bloodragers. The main races inhabiting Falgaria include elves, halflings and drow. The drow population is so dense that being below ground for too long is considered extremely dangerous in Falgaria, earning it the nickname of some as the “Drow capital of the world”. It is also where uncommon races are the most common, as the high population of magic users of all kinds draws all kinds of spirits and rare beings to dwell there. Spiritualism, honor, religion and magic are all the primary traits of citizens here. All races are respected, treated with kindness, and equally judged and protected. Drow, however, are still treated with the disdain and even outright hatred that they are typically treated with elsewhere.

It's ruled by Queen Amelia Yun, who has earned a reputation as being unseen. No one currently alive has seen her face, giving orders to people through written notes. Rumor has it that she is a sorcerer of such strength that gazing upon her would bring death to the individual, but this is of course nothing but a rumor. She nonetheless has a highly renowned naval fleet, strong to the point of being almost unrivaled on the sea when combined with the powerful magic of the Krakenborn Legion or the swift underwater hit-and-run assaults of the Merfolk Crusaders. 

Falgaria is currently on the defensive in a naval war against Thilsis, while simultaneously has spies roaming the vast lands of Kimohrun. Tensions are running high as well with the rumors running rampant about a super-weapon being built within the depths of Falgaria's capital city, Glace.

Naero, the northern continent, is one that has for the most part abolished religion and many forms of magic. Instead, many citizens pursue lives of technological advancements. With the technology boom in Naero 50 years ago, many steps have been made towards the usage of magical items and gunpowder. Of all the kingdoms, Naero has the most firepower by far. Many who hail from Naero don't even use conventional weaponry such as a sword or bow, instead preferring to use gunpowder weapons and magical items and devices. Primarily it is gnomes, dwarves, halflings and humans who inhabit this place. Very few of the innate magical races are gazed upon with positivity, as many citizens believe that the older magics have grown useless, pretentious and inconvenient over the years. 

The ruler is the Prodigy King, Kelridge. A gnome alchemist, he was the one to start the initial technology boom that lead to the advancement in magical item usage. He earned the title of “Prodigy” after being the one to design the plans and theories on creating the Willstone, a gigantic crystal that was later used to lift the capital city of Deicanrus into the sky and above Naero's highest mountains and clouds. Located in the very depths of the palace, the city became known as Deus Ex Deicanrus. Soon the mass production of the Willstone began, and the entire continent was split into eight sectors that each had a massive city in the sky that was connected by sturdily built and enchanted bridges. 

Naero is currently the most neutral kingdom, not going to war with anyone at the moment. As it is also the hardest kingdom to gain access to, few rumors are circulating about it from outsiders. Recently some information was leaked, however, that some sort of strange new breakthrough was discovered within the research facilities. Details are scarce with the disappearance of the one who leaked the information, but he could be heard talking about "the next step in mortal evolution".

No one who has ventured to the western continent has ever returned. The most powerful of heroes, parties, organizations and even armies have left for it and vanished without a trace. If any history of the western continent has been recorded before, it has yet to be found by anyone who has turned it in to a historian. Some claim to have come from there before, but this claim has become more popularly used as a way to make themselves seem tougher and not so much the actual truth.

The entire continent is surrounded by a thick dome of fog on all sides, making it impossible to see in even through magical or divine means. As such, no one alive has even gotten a glimpse of the general appearance of the continent. Truly, this continent is both Vallorum's greatest mystery and greatest motivation for aspiring adventurers and heroes.

Technology

In terms of technology, black powder can be found commonly throughout all continents but is most popular in the Central and Northern continents. Use of magic and magical items is also not a rare sight with a booming demand for such things worldwide that won't stop any time soon. Electricity (mostly lighting) can be found to power high class inns in most places throughout the world, with the exception of Naero with the advancements that allow them to supply electricity all across the continent. The best technology can be found in Naero with the exception of magical wands and staves of which Falgaria is the strongest.

Keris Mardok, the Rogue
Valtyra Ymir, the Paladin
Vandred Rootvein, the Druid
Harzak Onyxclaw, the Magus

Starting location

The party will be starting in the mining town of Klaus in the central kingdom, which is a few days' journey from the capital city of Freefeather. Popular for its silver mines which deliver directly across all of the kingdom, it's one among many suppliers of wealth that make Kimohrun as a whole so desirable. It's surrounded by forestry and wildlife which is slowly being cut down to make way for more paths in and out of the town.

Strange disappearances have recently been occurring deeper within the mines, having been caused by an unknown source. Some speculate undead due to the growing number of them plaguing the continent as a whole, while some say that the mine led to a secret Drow society that has been killing off any who get too close. Either way, miners are disappearing in mass numbers.

On lighter notes a famous wizard has been seen in the area of late, just recently buying a room at the Golden Goose Inn. He is known for his amazing abilities that he uses to help people in need - for a reasonable price.

In terms of shops, Klaus is home to a blacksmith, alchemist, hunter, and wizard; all of whom sell goods relating to their respective professions. There is also a miscellaneous goods shop home to all sorts of bizarre oddities.

Well from a DM perspective, there will be overarching plots... but only if you guys want to pursue them. I'm not gonna sit here and say what you can and can't do in this RP. There will be consequences for not doing certain things, sure, but you don't have to do them. Even  if the world was ending and you all decided you wanted to just chill out on your final days or something, it'd be... anticlimactic, but acceptable.

TL;DR: From what I intend, it's as much player-driven as it is story-driven. The story will be there, and the story will also affect the environment according to the amount of action or inaction that occurs from the party.

For example, if there were a barbarian tribe a ways away from town and they were constantly advancing on it and invading, but the party did nothing to stop it and the townspeople were too scared to rise up against them... chances are, that raiding party will be on your doorstep eventually. Just as well the world is in a constant state of warfare and conflict, so things might not stay peaceful forever in the area you decide to inhabit. 

...Crap, my TL;DR ended up being longer than the original part of it. Ah, whatever.

Also since one of the characters is gonna be a Paladin then chances are they're going to be doing SOMETHING against evil and injustice eventually. =P

The RP will be here on the forum, as well. One post a day at the minimum would be my preference. Letting me know if you can't post on a certain day is fine too though. We'll be doing a usual post order that will be determined by... what else? An initiative check before we begin the game.

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