TwistedSun

Colonial Powers, A NRP of colonisation, conquest and diplomacy.

gowia said
Darkwolf i amnot putting in any more islands, unless you are islands are so minute they wont appear on the map and have no real strategic value i am not tailoring the map to you.TwistedSun, that is just the world as your growing nations know it...as the RP goes on new lands will be discovered with native civilisations as events.

I apologize, I didn't make it clear. I was referring to the geological conformation of the continent ^^'
Is it at our total discretion?

Colonial Powers, A NRP of colonisation, conquest and diplomacy.

By the bye, is the map complete? Looks pretty... ehm ... blank.

Clash of Civilisation: A Historical/Alternate History RP

Here I show my interest in this!
*throws on the table the Kingdom of Naples*

Demon Sunrise

Peace Keeper said
If a spot were to ever show it's face, could you please inform me?This seemed quite interesting and I would surely like to be a part in it eventually.

Just to let you know: the nightmare steppes are currently empty ;)

Demon Sunrise

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T h e E t e r n a l V e r d a n c e

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‘-Is like a warm embrace,
Could only be one sweet place,
Home and the Heartland…’
A tender breeze tickled his nose as his lips uttered the words, void of melody.
The foliage emanated a rustling sound, swept lightly by the higher winds, moving and constantly spawning new sunrays; or at least, those few which managed to pierce the dense jungle that overlooked him. His nose wrinkled at a particularly strong inhibiting perfume, tightening the whole face in a bothered expression.
Something, with high possibilities a cumbrous event, was drawing closer.
He had questioned himself more and more times what was he doing, but found no apparent reason for having been playing the lute for the past three hours. Baffled of his own odd habits, Elea gently wound the instrument in a silken cloth, completely enfolding it, and placed it on the tea table.
He particularly enjoyed gazing upon the city from that lonely window, and for this reason sat comfortably on a couch, relaxing as he felt his limbs melt at the graceful warmth that wrapped his body.
-You are consciously aware about the upcoming celebration. Why are you not preparing yourself?-
‘I recall of having shared with you my reasons for being here, Jorrwarg; are you accusing me of indolence?’ snapped Elea, arching his left eyebrow.
-Most likely.-
-You shouldn’t behave like that, Jorrgy dear. Young Elea has his own problems going through his mind; we shouldn’t be meddling with him right now.-
‘I don’t even know whoever I may be. Little remains of myself…’
-But you still remember right, young cub? Even now, you keep most memories of your past self.-
He sighed. That was precisely something he loathed with his very being.
-And that, Flora, is forsooth the reason why I want him to hurry. He decided to act this way, now he is not allowed to stray from his path.-
-Oh shush! I prompted in numerous occasions not to allow this to happen; but have you heard me out? No! No, you didn’t. No.-
-Whether we are going to put the discussion on such terms I- -
‘Enough.’ Silenced the king. He had expected to be calm and prompt for the incoming meeting, but those two surely couldn’t, nor had intention, of helping him out.
-This shall be my last warning. Are you sure of activating this trigger?-
Elea raised himself from his position, and stretching his flesh upwards, yawned soundly, earnestly hoping of being back as soon as the day had not sunk. ‘It’s time.’ Was all he could respond, leaving his mouth slightly open, almost as she wanted to enquire something else on her own.
His steps reverberated on the marble tiles through the aisle, void of any presence.

‘You majesty!’
An armored guard appeared just before he could put an hand on a side door’s handle. From behind the rusted straps that engulfed the wood, cheerful noises and giggles could be heard, and, in particular, a deep and hoarse disembodied voice, which loomed soundly all over the ballhall. Unleashing a spiritless sigh, he forced himself to look at the steel shell, as thoughtless as his face could fake.
‘Yes, page?’
‘Your majesty, sir!, Goffland the Great, tribe master of the Volianai has arrived since the fifth stroke; he has been waiting with the court assembly.’ Proffered the guard, taking the traditional salute position. However, showing a novice’s inexperience, his halberd hit the ground way too sharply, generating an obvious and tense silence in the adjacent room.
‘Don’t call him ‘great’ in my presence, you twit. He may wear an honorable title, but still remains nothing more than a pernicious savage in my eyes. Forsooth should be the same to all of you.’ Snapped the King, keeping a low tone.
Without further procrastination, Elea entered the hall, followed by the thick sprawling chaos of glances, which devoured him with all sorts of thoughts; he never turned himself, but kept progressing towards his throne, avoiding eyes and faces alike. He even occluded his eyes, with the purpose of stressing a dignified and abstract outlook, performing the same ceremony he by then knew already by heart. Frightened, fidgeting for the scolding, the young guard appeared before him, as the only attendant he required; however, before he could catch up with his master, the novice had to close the door which had been so mindlessly overlooked and left wide open by him. Under the subdued laughter of the whole assembly, Edwin offspring of Lolerei finally reached the ceremonial guard stand, and hit roughly the bare stone with his weapon. Before any bystander could return to a normal breathing rhythm, the noise had to be absorbed by the vain silence of the hall; then, the pallid characters obtained again the right to emit any form of flatulence.
‘Enters his royal highness Kráthin I, offspring of Eél, ruler of the Kargath and of its lands! Salute!’
Elea opened his eyes, overlooking the bowed crowd.
He had never expected to find strangers around that place. For which reason? Most likely due to the utter isolationism in which his people decided to self-confine. Those two men that stood blabbering before him – whose presence still went unnoticed – wore pelt straps much unlike those of his fellow mates, incredibly less refined and tanned; their aspect hinted they were highly uncivilized Velusians, clearly not of his clan. That, most of all, troubled his mind. In fact, the watchmen emanated a penetrating smell, like that of a long since dead animal, and their greasy and wild hairs were covered in mud, probably with the intent – without a doubt botched - of faking a camouflage.
All of a sudden, the two savages moved towards an undefined point, giving him the goose bumps for the shock; without hesitation, Elea continued towards his objective, hoping everything to be as it should.
Though not as processed as Hetrya ones, the tribe master had a fine pelt mantle, probably giant lynx, that covered almost entirely the big and pudgy mass he wore over his feet; the few spots that weren’t saved from the spectator’s judgment, aroused a strong contempt towards the pale and hairy skin. Elea wondered how could have that man provoked giggles in his court. That very court he now rewarded with a cold stare, that bowed mindlessly at the presence of his figure. All these were fine men and women, gentle, intelligent… what hoax or magic had he used to subdue their rationality?
After what seemed an interminable minute, the king granted the crowd to stand again. And then, was the moment he met him again.
Elea’s eyes took fire: twenty-seven years of sorrow and despair were conjured again in an infinitesimal instant, through which both soul and body were shook to the very ground. Distant remembrances were called back from the spirits of the dead, and traveled again to the kingdom of the living, as if they had never left it.
Smoke rose high into the sky, intertwined with dreary cries and laments of his people. The under wood had been annihilated, and blood stains were visible all over the massive trucks of the jungle. He ran. He stumbled; he cried. Few bulky tears dripped over his face, whilst he felt hot ambers burning his skin.
Fire.
‘Your majesty’ enquired the tribe master, hesitant. Elea had been, seemingly impassible, staring in the void for more than a minute; but now, he was very present, and still was burning for the scar that face recalled to life. Gulping, feeling his own throat hoarse for the shock, the king allowed him to speak further.
‘King Kráthin, I humbly thank you for having shown such a kind heart allowing us to rest in your lands.’ The tribe lord grinned softly, doing an another bow; an excessive ostentation of servility. What was his goal? For which reason drawing so mockingly closer to your enemy, idiotic bastard?
‘You indeed speak for your people, and wisely as well. Forsooth’ added after a brief pause ‘ you should prize this opportunity for a good future for yours, people.’ Elea raised his hands, moving his attention from the barbarian to a particularly detailed hunting scene carved on his ring, on a pearly cameo embedded in it.
‘I hope’ continued, this time raising his voice, over the undecipherable expression of the colleague ‘ you have not damaged our gardens and monoliths. Applying druidic runes for such large areas it’s not an easy task, not even for us of the Kargath.’
His head was twirling awfully hard.
That couldn’t possibly be her hand! Not of his Oleé- of his lovely sister…
He crouched, grabbed what little remained of his family, brought it to his head, and felt the burned flesh under tact; a scream of agony could not be repressed, and ended with jangling amidst the slaughter.
‘Of course, of course, honorable liege. This settlement bestows true honor to our race, and I could not image a Verdance spoiled of its eternal light, so seldom-‘
Elea saw something conjuring in those eyes. ‘Stop, now. Flattery won’t wind your request towards better hopes. Speak, and spare this assembly from avoidable futilities.’ He was seriously growing tired of this; his heart did not want to decelerate. How could it, after all?
‘Yes, yes, as you desire. Recently in the zones much afar from the Kargath a wild beast has been spotted. An incredibly savage and blood thirsty feline like creature attacked our tribe one month ago, and thus forced us out of the territory which we had claimed. You ought to help us! He has killed dozens- nay, tons of my men, scarred families, left orphans to die amidst the wild jungle! It is a demonic creature for sure, that has come to haunt us, huble, innocent servants of Fél!' finished in a pathetic cry, trying to move the crowd on the boundaries of human feelings. What he had in return were only cold stares of an indifferent set of grey statues. Bursting, exploding in sharp and vicious colors, Elea raised, unable to refrain himself anymore.
He was in front of his headsman, after all.
That microscopic feeling that binds all creatures together, that so easily forestalls death and pleasures alike, had advised Elea so clearly as soon as he saw the enemy tribe master, the one that above all was enjoying the sight of the burning timber, feeling with his hands the acid yells of the dead, of turning his back, and running, fast. But he could not.
Elea sprinted towards the wild monster, holding tightly his sword. Whatever rationality would have suggested, he knew the upcoming event was necessary for himself and everyone else. In few instants he had charged towards him, bursting in an hysterical scream.
The swords touched his skin, grazing against it, feeling the fear that flowed unrestrained through the veins. Elea could not refrain himself from smiling, sneering at his frightened expression.
'Poor, poor savage... don't tell me you have forgotten?'
'Wh-What?'
'You speak of innocence, of oughts... don't you feel any shame? You, who above all in this whole world should suffer the most scabrous punishments, burning to your very soul in the Feron-Khol, rot amidst the Rhul Thaar, torn to little pieces by the madmen of Indar Solasi; you... you man FORSAKEN BY THE SAME FE'L YOU SO HARDLY INVOKE AND SOIL WITH THOSE SLITHING WORDS, DON'T YOU HAVE ANY SHAME?!'
The scream echoed everywhere, carried by the winds.
Elea paused. Suddenly, bursting in a subtle laughter, continued 'Foolish man... you've buried that memory, haven't you? You have said it yourself, after all. Verdance is not a place for the weak, lad.'
'Of blood thirsty ' concluded in a solemn voice, raising in all his stature ', blood you shalt have!'
Before he could do anything, two men took him by behind his shoulders; the river was red of the blood of his people, frothy of his greasy tears, relentless of the broken hopes. And he, who could do nothing against the unjust fate that had been bestowed to them, was taken as well, hit to death, and left to the wild nature of the streams.
And right before his senses could abandon him, Elea heard few words that would have changed his life entirely.
Beheaded, the tribe lord's body slumped to the ground in a disgusting clatter, whilst his head rolled forth away from the pool of blood.
'Verdance is not a place for the weak, lad.' had uttered the corpse nine years before.

Demon Sunrise

Since i always end with double posting, I link what I'm listening atm as an apology.

Demon Sunrise

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T h e E t e r n a l V e r d a n c e

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A supposedly infinite plane of tainted life. Towering trees and mysterious waterfalls stretch far beyond the horizon - one can easily find themselves lost within the haunted undergrowth, where the sun is quickly blotted out by a canopy that is as thick as it is imposing. Fél Válásí may have once been a land dedicated to life and all it's wonders, but if true, that no longer so. None can say what spirits, beasts and twisted creatures lurk within the never-ending maze of the Verdance.

Themes
Beasts
Natural Spirits
Nature
Life

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R u l i n g F a c t i o n

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Name: Eèl Hétrya Válásí
Size: Roughly a steady number of Velusians of 3600+

Hierarchy and Culture

Many usually cannot tell where the omnipresent faction and the state itself end, and as often end with misinterpreting the role itself of the Hétrya. They are the military, the functionaries, the army leaders that rule over the Kargath, that defend and shield its population from the inexplicable mysteries of the Grove.
Their hierarchy is pretty basilar, composed of a piramidal scale of components, on top of which there's the king, who rules by absolute power with the kind and selfless disposition of the inhabitants of the Kargath [though that doesn't determines the recoverability of that very concession]. Generally, the members of the faction are considered sworn brothers and sisters of an unic great family, thus making family laws apply even to the clan.

What an Hétrya does, sooner or later is going to become a common fashion, from clothes to designs, to speech and formulas, with the king as major 'celebrity', towards whom people naturally tends to uniform. A clear example of this mindless conjunction with their ideologies is the adoption of the 'condos families' custom, which started spreading around one century before the current times and has conquered most of population by now: basically, imitating the periodical meetings of the Hétrya heads, each family that inhabits a determined building will host at turn an assembly (more resembling a cheerful party), restricted to the sole members of the condos.

Hétrya ideology may be considered an utopian one; it has however not to be considered entirely negatively, as it's naturally consequent that such way of thinking has developed in this faction. Since its very beginnings, the clan has passed horrible and dready hardships, living in conditions of costant sorrow and discomfort; unlike their brothers, who got blown away by savagery and chaos, surrendering to the superior forces that succeeded in breaking them, the Hétrya sought a possible betterness, a future brighter than the one present at that time; in the end, things once considered impossible to reach had been conquered, an entire dream realized. The main source of freedom is imagination for Hétrya, and though limited to the experiences of life, it's still considered the best way through society can develop, as it grants the individual the possibility to positively organize a future programmation, sometimes strayed from the bounds of reality to favour more ways of realization of the same goal.
In the end, however, utopian societies are quite unmovable and totalitarian, and do not permit the dialoge of ideas different from the chosen one; in long term this organization may lead to a catastroph, but is given only to the king the autority to do what is best for the faction - no, the whole Kargath.

History

The Eternal Garden before the Grove

Accordingly to the Nexusian archives, historically speaking the Hétrya were a preeminent figure in Eradni theology, as their mission was substantially that of keepers of the fire, symbol of life stream. After the crumble of Eradni institutions and society at the end of the Verdance Crysis, the name and the functions these sorcerers held lost through time, narrated only in tales and epic narrative of ancient times.
After the successive chaotic spread of jungles and the definite death of the eternal garden, during the exponent ensavagement Velusians had to undergo to survive the increasingly wild environment, traditions brought to the birth of several wandering tribes, and one of them was called Hétrya. Already from the beginning this community was widely despised for their excessive attachment to the Eradni culture, bringing in some cases real wars between clans, of those who aided these progressivists as an hope for a better future, and those who believed of them as abominations of the already corrupted and unhappy Velusian intellect.
About how the Hétrya tribe reached the decision of settling down is unknown, though many suppose it as a necessary condition after the founding of the only working portal to the Nexus; seeking a place to colonize under the emblem of a once again blooming civilization, they eventually reached the Kargath, where established eight outposts in very different zones of the valley, to analyze and survey the capabilities of the land and of its potential dangers. Written testimonials affirm that the outlook of the Kargath at that age differed greatly from the modern one, as it was still covered by drenched jungles. In the end, with the joining of other two tribes, today major aristocracy families, Vethuviá’s first urban centre took shape, and from then on Hétria history intertwined constantly with the formation of the state itself.
The city expanded, culture bloomed, and civilized life sprung out again in this perfumed garden, shielded by the odds and calamities of the jungle.

After several decades of often bloody relations with the other major factions in the Kargath, the Hétrya eventually were victorious, and established a monarchy to centre the power in their hands, still, though in a minimal part, assenting to the presence of a weak aristocracy element.

However, lately the horizon has been full of signs of grimace and desolations. The druids are convinced, the world is changing; Válásí has changed much since the beginning, and the dangers of the exterior world are as insurmountable as never before; a wind of war has started blowing not so long ago between the tribes, and madness and savagery are again spreading like a venomous miasma. Fools, they look at tomorrow like there’s no future, like changing is impossible. They are not willing to take conscience that this limbo is ending, that the last moment of reckoning is inevitably drawing near, and unless unite, it will mercilessly blow away everything.
They cannot see it: the Grove has wakened, conjuring a storm to befall its enemies, those who oppose the utter chaos and instincts. But what matters more, what will the Grove do, once the last stand has fallen? who knows how many worlds will conquer, consume, destroy.
However, the Hétrya, no, all the Velusian race, is determined not to let pass this idiocy that seems to have wrapped Válásí, which sought outside of the world that gave birth to it incommensurable power; they will fight against it, they are going to impose a last mark on these ever growing chronicles, or perish gloriously in their civilization end dusk.

Military Capabilities

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The Sentinels

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The nerve of the army. Very versatile, a sentinel is specialized in swift and unheard attacks, often granted by their experience in marksmanship.
Though their best battle environment are the walls of the Kargath, their eclectic nature gives them complete freedom of movement into any territory, though damaging in some cases their resistance to specific enemies.
Sentinels are raised to their job since their very childhood, indoctrinated on the major virtues of any good Velusian, and brought to their final state through a difficult training that lasts for great part of their young ages. Once fully developed, every sentinel must take a magic owe, to protec and serve the kingdom with heart and faith. It's still possible to become a Sentinel, though much more difficult, as the subject has to catch up with people born to fulfill their task.


A Reptilian mount

Running back and forth through the jungle would be a strenuous task without those friendly reptilians: dragon like creatures, are furnished with strong claws and swift bodies, that make them perfect to move across the Grove and the unsteady branches that cross the endless ravines.

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The City guard

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More specialized than common sentinels, the city guards are commonly the ones who patrol the roads of the Kargath, and fight the greater odds. Their fighting abilities are incredible, and whereas some of them specialize in heavy and devastating blows, some other would prefer to keep track with the ancestral traditions, and wear light armors for faster and clearer movements.

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Druids & Magicians

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Druids are the second most important part of the army, as they compose an essential role in covering large fields of units with healing buffs, or in enlarging the forces with summoned creatures like animal spirits or forest spawns. Many of them are also proficient in poisonous magic, making these few individuals extremely important for large military movements across the plane.



The elementalist is basically an expert of the basic and advanced concepts of thaumaturgy, after having studied both theoretically and empirically the wonders and mad mechanical laws that rule the universe. Understanding how the cosmos flows, they are able to bound elements to their will, conjuring large fireballs as spawning storms to favourite the harvest. However, the incredible quantity of wisdom required for such a profession leaves the row of magicians pretty skinny, making this kind of individuals rare and of incredible strategic value.

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Wardens

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Probably the less understood and trusted part of the army. These experienced soldiers are few, loyal only to the king, and absolutely deadly: they are the result of the mix between traditional and modern education, both military and physical ones. They make the nerve of the scouting and intelligence force, and wheter you have commited a crime or not, if you are their target, you are surely going to need a epitaph, sooner or later.

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The Dragons

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There are two major dragon races who live amist the fields of the Kargath: one of them are the Gilghrll, a considerably apathetic race of earth dragons, who sided with the Velusians only for sympathy and pity. Whereas their role may appear marginal, their resistance is incomparable to that of any mortal or deamonic being, and the crystals which make up great part of their bodies also function as magic transmitters, making these some kind of tactical war golems. They are unfortunately land dragons, and even willingly, they could never be able to fly.
On the other side there are the Holìvia dragons, essentially a race of friendly and playful beings, who sought in the Velusians an occasion for the peace and prosperity the Grove could never donate them. Compared to their moral value, which is quite high, the tactical one reduces to the sole unit transportation, given the high frangibility of their foliage mimicking bodies.

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The OwlBeasts

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Gùulvdar, personal guard of the Dragon King

Powerful, prideful, selfish, the Owlkind is one of the few sentient races of Verdance, alike Velusians. Though many of their ideologies never concretely supported a possible return to the Eternal garden state, they sided with the Hétrya as they saw their natural habitat slowly fade away with the unseen jungle mutations that reached the farthest cliffs and mountains.
They are used mostly as a heavy attack force, usually in the third line, often helping forest spawns to carry war artifacts and such. Many consider them useless, and even dangerous, but it cannot be forgotten the great influence the Owlkind had on the settlement of the Kargath, that granted them an 'honorable' privilege over the Velusians.

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The Forest Spawns

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Peaceful and semi-sentient beings wandering aimlessly in the jungle, these creatures were once gardeners and keepers of the forests. Now essentially jobless, they go from place to place, moving their small villages and seeking new places to purify and convert again in lush perfumed gardens. Important is how creatures of every size and mass avoid them as much as possible, probably for the distinctive goodness of these elementals. Fact is that some of them are integral part of Velusian society, and give a substantial help both in war and in peace.
Forest spawn summonings seem to be limited to the sole druids, and moreover these spirits are not keen on being called or distracted by anything that isn't Velusian, or their ally.

Anthem & Warcry

Alévehiá Eél Fél Válásí!

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D e m o n L o r d

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Name: Kráthin Eéleá
Type: The Verdance avatar

Appearance

Many times criticized for his girly and wimpy face, one must not forget that this forged young man has proved his value and strength more times than some old bearded generals that let themselves die off in dusty strongholds. Under the mask that are his royal clothes, bright int heir green and sophisticated designs, Elea has a well trained body, with muscles act to sudden and swift movements and hits. Scars testimony the fatigue of traditional education and training, or the countless battles he has gone through.
There's no peculiar part of his appearance that necessarily needs to be stressed out, as the overall equilibrate complex make him seem fair to members of both genders, though not necessarily attractive. He has the common constitution of Velusian race, with slightly pointy ears, and a slender build; he is somewhat taller than average (1.87), though not reaching like most males (around 1.82 metres) the same average height of females (roughly 1.95 metres tall).
His hairs are of a light brown, slick but often revolting against specific formations; in broad sunlight they usually have a light-green appearance, typical of an Velusian. Usually, beneath them, Elea uses to wear a copper circlet, with small silk bandages, adorned with cream colored glyphs, hanging over his face; probably a traditional custom of his tribe, or just an odd habit consequent his return.
His eyes, on the contrary, have not a color common in Velusian society for the iris, but gleam of a light blue consistency, almost unearthly. The reasons behind it are not known, but surely not important nor interesting. Or perhaps not...?

Personality and Drive

Many are not able to perceive Elea’s true nature, where lies his unconceivable strength and magical ability. Whereas common conception portrays the Dragon King as a noble and just entity, Elea is simply more than that, and bears with him a secret buried deep inside his heart – or soul, as some would say.
He is not limited to the oneness of spirit that usually binds mortals and demons, but is participant of multiple natures granted them by the intertwining of his lost soul, and those of the forest spirits. In fact, the one who operates, that acts in public and civil life, is nor truly Elea, nor the spirits of the forests; perhaps is something superior composed of both. Or it’s likely that Elea has really died that day in the temple, and what now remains is an entirely different individual. Sure is that his behavior has much changed from how people remembered him once, and seems to be more eclectic and wit then before.
The king drives are obviously the betterness of his people, the growth of the state and the progress of civilization. To achieve that, the grove must be befall, and Verdance return to its original shimmering beauty. But what does this hollow façade bears in his heart? What are his real plans, hidden to anyone beside his other selves?
Only with time these secrets will be unveiled.

Life History

Verdance had never been a place for the weak, and the natural rule imposed severe changes to all fauna, sentient or not. However, of the Velusians, some refused to lick the knees of instincts, and forbid the sprawling chaos to manipulate them. These people, which sought a possibly better future, strayed off the habits and customs that spread amongst their kindred, and started to organize the environment to their own accord, no more mere temporary inhabitants of an untameable wilderness, but colonists of an ancient world. One of these clans was indeed the Hétrya, which eventually would find refuge in the Kargath, and develop a civilization on their own; however, they were not the only ones who proclaimed themselves independent from the will of the Grove, but many other tribes followed the same path, and tried to settle down in little paradises alike, spots of the world still uncontaminated by chaos to a certain extent. Elea born in one of these tribes, whose name went for Vaàl Ilvia, or ‘shimmering stream’, which was one of these stationary ethnic groups; most of his young life went off flawlessly – if becoming family heir though being fifth son may be considered normal -, educated to the common concepts of knowledge and ethics druids kept for generations. However, when he was around ten, war suddenly spread through the jungle sector they inhabited, and the tribe became soon conscious that they could not survive against the feral hatred of their brothers; it was settled to reach out for the western ravines, in hope to cross the run down bridge that connected the two extremities, and eventually enter in allied territory.


The Vaàl Ilvia village

But death was faster.
The muddy streams that unrolled under the stilts of Ilvia were inevitably filled with the blood of innocents, and everything was left in ashes, or in rotting decay. As soon as the savages came, left, without even bothering pillaging the village, just seeking blood to fed the madness which had grasped them. However, few individuals were blessed with survival; one of them was indeed Elea. But things didn’t go as any kind soul would have hoped. Knocked down in the first minutes of battle, his body slipped off the wood walkways, feeling into the small rivers. His body eventually survived drowning, unlikely his war mates, and was found by a wandering sentinel group, alerted by the sudden apparition of black smoke out of the dense foliage of the jungle. He never met the crumbling embers that were left of his spiling village, nor the mowed arts and body left everywhere to rot; Elea just woke up several days later, in the Kargath, lost, and estranged from his birthplace.

He eventually found again the will to fight, started to believe in the ideals that were the basis of the Hétrya, and in the end, decided to enter officially the military, to get good uses of his unique capabilities of factual marksman, and of his adept skills of druidism and elementalism. Hardships filled his path, and human and feral odds he had to overcome, raising his grade across the army, and awarding badges of honour, glory, and justice.
Sooner he was able to obtain for himself even a proper nickname, renowned in all the region, and sometimes even beyond it. He became the Water fury, a symbol of how man can raise himself from savagery to the most elevate concepts of chivalry.

Time passes, and mercilessly makes everything wither and die under his passage. Apparently, death’s shadow appeared more often, and already at the date of his twenty-fifth birthday, the first fatal omen appeared, preannouncing an inevitable and proxime end.
That day at least come, and Elea, completely unaware of his fate being shred under the eyes of unknown deities, abandoned the city, for the common recognition that routine asked to be fulfilled by everyone. Sent as head of a nutritious fellowship, composed of five or six man of noble attitude, left he Kargath and ventured into the unknown mist of the jungle, with the simple mission of surveying a zone inhabited by a group of friendly forest spawns: a routine work. Afterall forest spawns are seldom to be attacked by wandering beasts, and their mass and potentially un-ending life shielded them from most of dangers; one thing that seemed they lacked was company, and queerly enough nobody asked himself why they had never asked to join the resistance.
Following the same tracks used by even by the most inexpert novices, they reached the small valley inhabited by the forest spawns, finding it deserted. Initially perplexed, they sensed the atmosphere didn’t give any good omen on what was going to happen shortly later. And indeed, instincts are not always as bad as Velusians may think.
One of the most vicious and monstrous creature in the Grove is probably the Phlegmy worm, a rare species of invertebrates that has fun at smashing in pieces incidental sentinels or savages, gulping with ferine impetuosity the gory flesh mowed in little parts, enjoying particularly the languid and viscid feel that intestine gave when sliding through their simple digestive apparatus. Now, for one of the most unfortunate cases, or even more likely for the mischievous plot of some superior entity, the fellowship encountered the beasts, and was inevitably annihilated. The monstrous power of the worms, combined with the hostility of the environment brought death to those men. And with them fell also Elea. Or so it seemed.


Phlegmy worms attack Elea and his legacy

Time passed, and the expedition was long forgotten, long thought dead; calamity struck the kingdom, after that a particularly strong giant insects swarm attacked the Kargath whereas the lighthouse ceremony was completed, and the king died, the crown left without an heir, and darkness soon to befall into the kingdom.
But suddenly, like a ghost arisen from the legend of the past, exactly like fairy tails said, the rightful hero returned to take his proper place: Elea came back, escorted by the glorious magnificence of a dragon army, subjected to the new king; and Dragon king was thus nominated.
Elea, already considered hero of the people, ascended to the crown, and was posed as absolute ruler of the Kargath, of its lands, of its inhabitants. However many noted that Elea's behaviour had much changed, and his aims are not clear even now. Sure is, the latest successful expansionist campaigns prove that the king is determined to proceed further on the sanctified quest his predecessors overlooked.

Armaments

Elea usually tends not to wear too much weight on his back, thus he often uses light but sharp materials to forge his weapons. Most noticeably, he is mostly keen of highly proficient in strikes and lunges, done with his attentively prepared and sharpened sword. Moreover, hidden to malicious eyes, he carries a series of powerful potions and unguents, with a even more daggers for the most varying uses.

Dusk Edge-

This staff was believed nothing but a legend until few weeks before the conoration of Elea; everyone believed it was lost with the great clash that destroyed both king Jianvi's army and an insane Owlbear tribe. Incredibly enough, Elea during the wandering previous his return to the Kargath was able to find it again, consolidating even more his royal power.
Nobody actually knows the material of which this staff is composed, but rumors affirm is composed of refined stardust, bound through magical forces in the elegant and equilibrate form it has today.
Though its origins are unsure, it's given for sure that is an Eradni artifact, and thus incredibly powerful. Legends say that it is used to control animals, spirits and nature itself. In summary, the perfect druid and elementalist staff.

Arch of forests-

A seemingly weak and common longbow; you have seen many of this, and apparently bears now particular power. And indeed it does, for anyone who isn't conscious of its capabilities. Substantially, it acts as a magic conductor thanks to the soft cobalt strings that unroll beneath the steel surface, exponentially multiplying the magical power of some magical hits. Moreover, in case enchantment is not desired, can always be used as a booster for physical damage; obviously, if the casting does not break it.

Edge of Vengeance-

A slender sword, crafted by the best artisans of the once flourishing home tribe of Elea. The beauty of the blade, and the detailed designs, make suppose this is a weapon passed from generation to the immidiately succesive, symbol of the lasting of one family. However, no family now breathes anymore in the world, and its mission has changed to avenge the same souls it should have protected against all odds.
The lame is apparently inert and useless in the arms of any wielder who isn't his master, and whereas his normal outlook remains that of an elegant but pretty useless weapon, in the grip of his owner transforms in a vengeful art of destruction, surrounded a sharp, blue shimmering gleam.

Abilities

Passive Abilities-
Elea has the ability of perceiving the natural life that bursts around him, granting him the possibility of hearing and communicating with the forests, the plants, the animals, and the spirits who inhabit the most remote places.
Moreover, thanks to his natural propension for jungle and forests, he is immune to practically all diseases and poisons, making potentially invulnerable against the swamps and hazardous flora that lie beneath the jungle shrubbery.
He radiates a very powerful aura, usually visible with intese sunlight in the form of a pure light-blue aura, that sometimes scares lesser deamons or beings. Reason on such thing remains a mystery.


Spell-like abilities

Vengeful Spirits- Elea, being a proficient elementalist, can summon at his command most forms of elementals, with the sole exclusion of fire and decay ones. Moreover, heritage of the long tradition of druidism, he can bind to his will also forest spawns, and eventually summon them in fight.

Razor Claws- In any kind of ground, Elea can bend the earth and minerals to his will, eventually forming incredibly sharp shurikens to launch at any time. Depending on the type of soil used, each ammo will have different secondary effect.

Nature Boost- A sudden green halo surrounds the creature, eliminating all negative boosts, and eliminating most of potentially fatal poisons. As a side effects, if applied some unguent as aider, also wounds will start to regenerate.

Earth cliffs- In case of desperate retreat, Elea can summon resistant and high earth wall, by basically moving the ground itself. In some situations, this may even become an offensive spell, given the great damage such a massive impact would causate.

Everlasting Aurora- The spell calls forth to aid the caster in the formation of a watery bubble, of multiple functions. Whilst offensive through the creation of ice spears, bolted at great velocity through the air, it can also become defensive, creating an impenetrable barrier of solid water, whereas its support capabilities are limited to healing and stat boosts.
It's named after the perfume of the water much resembling that of morning dew drops.

Shimmering flower- Springing from the ground, through specific druidic castings is possible a fairly big and colorful flower from the ground. The main ability of these floreal servants is the eclectic nature, which grants them the possibility to activate specific shieldings on summon: thanks to this, the caster is completely shielded through the retractile leaves, against one to a maximum of two elements. To change elements it's necessary however to start from the beginning the spell casting.

Deep Roots- A bunch of metal like roots envelops the warded creature, causing it to stop immediately. If the roots wound the prey, they will start to release a liquid poisonous substance, that will either immobilize or put asleep the victim. Very few people have escaped the chocking grip of these seemingly alive roots.

Original Genes- Through a complex and long ritual, Elea is able to identify recessive genes in the genetic pool of the subject, releasing potentially dangerous or beneficial mutated cells into the organic system. Some of them may be able to reproduce, though only few cases attested this happening, and infect the whole body totally mutating the host. Cancer sometimes is not to be taken lightly.

Touch of the Verdance- The mystical touch of Verdance, gift of the spirits that rule the world, permits to subjugate any wild animal of good/neutral alignment, and eventually, even ferine beasts, if previously weakened. May also work for lesser demons, though Elea has never met a demonic creature for a... research testing.

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T h e H o l d i n g

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Name: The Karg(/k)ath - Vethuviá
Type: Citadel with annexed territory.

Description

The Kargath valley

Somewhere, off in the jungle, blooming out of the savage foliage that covers the seemingly endless green horizon of Fél Válásí, lays the civilized valley of Kargath (which literally means ‘Fertile Land’). The territory follows a minded and well-ordered shape and distribution, aimed to a perfect and elegant equilibrium between nature, deamon, and society.
Protected by a complex and enormous wall which blends with the mountains that surround the valley, unrolls a fertile farmland, tightly exploited to produce a consistent food outcome to nourish the whole territory; scarcely populated, most of edifices present in this sector are nothing more than rustic villas or silos, with the exception of few urban centers, inhabited by owners of the farthest fields or sentinels. Following the whitely paved roads running though the bright green of young fields or ochards, is possible to reach the inner cicle, a second,bigger wall that covers a circular area almost exactly in the middle of the Kargath: there rests Vethuviá, or simply ‘The city’, nerve of the whole civilization. Leading all to the justice palace, and the lighthouse, situated in the middle of the circle, paved streets are intercoursed by green plazas and palaces, thanks to both the aid of botanical gardens and a green stucco mixture, used often in conjunction with a white one; intertwined, the two of them cheerfully play on numerous light games created with particularly minded forms and shapes, carved in the tuff walls. Whilst on the outer side of the city, shouldering the inner wall circle, merchandising and trading take place, and inhabited mostly by farmers, artisans, or filled with manufacturers, leaning closer to the center palaces and small four stories multi-family buildings start to appear, bearing more elegant and stunning designs. The lighthouse strays from the whole territory concept, due to his cold and dull massive walls which spire far into the sky, reaching out to the domain once only inhabited by dragons; composed of large bluish basalt bricks ( not differently from walls), interconnected with a resistent and unknown cobalt based metal legacy, the lighthouse is what remains of tangible of the Eradni passage on the world. Today its main purposes are mainly two: to create a safe refuge for the newly joined dragons nests, and to serve the same purpose its name bears with it, as, once a month, a suspicious amount of wood and timber (sometimes with small additions of coal and refined alcohol) is fired to attract possible allies… or potential preys.
Little mention deserves also the territory immediately outside of the Kargath: after an heavy exploiting of the wood resources that surround and continuously choke the inner land, and due to particularly complex druidic rites, the earth has started to produce again spontaneously the ancient flower mat that originally covered indiscriminately all the surfage of the Eternal Verdance.

The Kargath is based on an autarchic self-management and self-protection policy, and whilst movements in the inner zones of it are freely and gladly permitted, opening the walls to exit into the exterior world is considered, without explicit permission by the king himself, as a severe crime, and punishable with even death.

From the sky, the valley aspect resembles much that of a the benzene, whose six edges represent the cobalt walls, and six points five mountains, plus one dead Vulcan; exactly at the center of it there’s a blurred circular structure with a massive construction raising from the ground in the middle of it. Symbolically it represents the ideal perfection of deamonic intellect, and the incessant and eternal success of ordered nature, over chaotic nature.


A Crypt Dragon

During the first times, the original settlement could exchange letters and potentially useful jungle state information through a portal not too distant from the Kargath, that connected the Nexus; however, given the sudden appearance of a particularly ferocious Crypt dragons nest, and the spectacular but nonsensical position of the warp (situated on the edge of a cliff overlooking a vast vegetative zone, whose only excess points are the road that connects directly to the Kargath, and a crumbling and ruined marble staircase that connects the ruined warp facility with the underlying forest), contacts have become so dangerous to force the cutting of all contacts with the other planes. However, something has changed recently, and seems that the latest change of the wind has taken away the stench of those vile creatures. Maybe exchanges with the nexus are possible again? And, more importantly, what could have forced the Crypt Dragons to move?

The New Empires

Feigling said
Ok, I looked through a few apps. There is some cleaning up to do, I'm afraid.First, the 'game vs. story' thing, I personally prefer story. A lot of people make the mistake of assuming that when two armies face off, it's all or nothing - just you and your troops versus the enemy and their troops over a crucial point that without, the whole campaign falls apart - NCR vs. Legion, if you'll forgive the New Vegas reference.But the Greek states united against the Persians. France, England and Germany united during the crusades. The 'Auld Alliance' gave Scotland several crucial French-funded advantages during its fight against England. Some people side with the underdog whilst others side with the favourite, for varying reasons - loyalty, fear, religion, mutual advantage, etc. It won't ever be 1v1 out there.Also remember armies don't just contain soldiers. They need blacksmiths, town guards, trainers, medics, messengers, scouts and at least a dozen more classes of non-combatant.That said, numbers depend on culture and wealth. If you are a warlike, tribal nation, you will likely have more troops per civillian than a more peaceful, but far richer nation, but they will also be worse off.If any of you play Warhammer 40k - both nerdy and unrealistic, I know - imagine I said "Orks vs Eldar - who wins?"You could guess, but the answer will always be 'it depends'. Where are they fighting? How many of each type is there? What equipment do they have? And so on and so forth. Everyone knows a Screaming Banshee would dominate a lone Ork Boy in combat, but what about a Nob? Or a Warlord? Or 50 Boyz?To add even more consideration, remember an army doesn't just fight - it trains, it protects and it studies. Your men need holidays occasionally, and maybe you could spare a squad or two to go help that explorer. Perhaps you want to recruit more troops - you'll need soldiers to do that. And if your soldier isn't there for the fight, he misses it. Very rarely will the whole army fight another whole army. There may be skirmishes, quick deathmatches that mean nothing to the war as a whole, but will add up over time. They'll need to take positions, make friends and keep a steady supply of food and water close at hand before they even think about fighting.Also, races. No general 'they're all beautiful' races. Every race should have its stunners and its dogs. They can have similiar features, but think about it like this - Caucasians have wide eyes and pale skin, Eastern Asians have darker skin and thinner eyes. Both races have their attractive people and ugly people, but they have similiar aesthetic traits to other Caucasians and Asians. An ugly Asian will still have the darker skin as an attractive Asian, just like a pretty Caucasian shares her wider eyes with her ugly sister. But not all Asians are beautiful, nor are they all ugly. Same with Caucasians. Same with Hispanics and Africans and Middle-eastern people. So too, then, should your races have variety in their looks.As for wings - flight + ranged weapon = an unstoppable army. Give an angel a crossbow and you have the fantasy equivalent of a bomber with no AA to take it down. The only way to beat it is to have another flying creature to counter it. Have something that limits them e.g. flight is short ranged, flight doesn't go very high, they can't carry weapons while flying, so on and so forth, to make flying creatures a bit less OP.

We started a whole discussion about qualities never mentioned or intended. The only time I've written beautiful was due to a subjective slip in describing their wings, but it seems that just because they're angel-like, they are supposedly graceful and perfect. Having features commonly referred to an exotic fashion doesn't make them necessarily attractive; red haired people with green eyes are today referred to as cool, beautiful, whilst in medieval ages they were hunted down, or deeply despised.
Now, if you read the history, you may understand that the race is restricted to the sole Aeonas Kingdom, incredibly lowering ethnic differences and the DNA pool variations. For this reason they're faces look fairly similar one to another.
About wings, I am obviously not an expert on the matter, so analyzing flight, wings complexion and other descriptive measures to validate their presence is rightly impossible to me. However I implied more times that by being magical beings, their origins and mana supported automatically flight, through a specific apparate.
Obviously, something that flies, unless it has an incredible strength and such, can't possibly take with him anything more than a bow and some arrows, or a short sword and a parma, with little to none armor. If i have to explicitly say that an angel that wears an armor can't do anything more than glide, please say so.
On magic I've expressed my opinion. Now, since it's not allowed, and I'm not given to know why it is not allowed by the GM itself, I'll go trash in the bin around 10 hours I've spent designing my faction, because apparently too Mary Sue, too unrealistic, too magical.

Demon Sunrise

Milieu said
@Human Players: Since my character is an Outer-Planar lord looking to help humans, you should include me in devising your schemes :P If you want, PM me.

Uh, add me as well once I've posted my app. I am definetly on the side of humans x3

The New Empires

Dinh AaronMk said
Physcially lean, tall, with a light complexion and light skin. As well as all of this being pretty fairly homogeneous between members of their race, except perhaps with some changes in hair color between some overall goofy colors. Even your picture makes them out to look like perpetual saiyans with leathery bug wings. Per wings:You did say it an explicitly mention the "beauty" of it. The only way this could get any worse if they were still capable of flight.They come across as being a race of Edward Cullen's with wings. Something someone might expect from legend to come down and woo a race's women and steal them off to some place their men would declare horrible. In a world where the writing is sure to be defined by politics carrying their own ugliness, then they don't fit.Per magic: it's a rather abstract and poorly defined concept within the fantasy world, and if it was said "allowed but not over-powered" then we run into a case of what's the limit between acceptable and over-powering spells. Can someone cast magic missile infinitely and it's OK? Do they need to go to the level of the fire-storm summoned at the Battle of the Wraiths in the Witcher 2 franchise?Magic can be too arbitrarily played and too often carries the risk of being a magical fix-all for ailments and problems a characters will face that would be much more interestingly challenged in traditional means then someone casting hocus pocus or magic missile can clear it all out? It's more fit for table-top RPGs, in that way no one has battalions of spell casters running around de-summoning cities.

1) Fairly Homogeneous? I said they looked alike only in face and colors. Take as example eastern ethnicity if you are from Europe or America. I find personally challenging distinguishing one face from another, and they look practically identical to me in some cases. In fact, I mentioned how different the thing goes for those who are used to it.
But really, Sayans? Couldn't you find a more politically-correct comparison? Slender, tall, with light hairs and skin, and you go think of sayans and not elves? Anyway, leaving jokes aside, I think you got the wrong image: they are not necessarily beautiful, paragons of grace and elegance. They are human-like; imperfection is common.

2) Subjectivity probably betrayed me again. I personally find wings of any kind (even bat ones) really beautiful and appealing. Any way, they have no aesthetic purpose; they are used and intended, obviously, to fly. And when i said furry, I apologize, because I lacked some knowledge. I meant, for furry, similar to the juvenile plumage of penguins' cubs.

3) Removing magic mows the basic concept of fantasy for me. Semi/Realistic medieval stories are not the same thing.
Probably the best thing is to force every player to spit out right away every spell they intend to use, so that no problems are created when the Roleplay actually starts.

Last thing: since I feel a tacit and mocking sarcasm beneath your words (may be of course only my imagination), may i ask you to keep a more neutral tone?