[center][i]"[color=palevioletred]When there's nowhere left to turn but the clear sky above, where the Moon is heavy with tomorrow's blood and stars dance in mourning love. Remember the blessings that be in these twilight seasons, adorned with pale light. We are faded creatures, in the eyes of Blind Goddess' lost sight. When there's nowhere left to turn but the dark times ahead, where the Sun is enraptured with the night's birthed blood and stars wait in sullen dread. Remember the blessings that be in these burning seasons, adorned with a mantle of war. We are empty creatures, in light of the Dreaming Gods' great scar.[/color]"[/i] This is a story of completion...of unification and destruction. This is a fantasy story with a few twists and touches, here and there. I'd like to keep this portion brief...if that's ok and just let you read some information for yourself. Oh, as a note; I'm not done yet. There's a lot of stuff to add, but I thought it might be kinda cool to do things a little differently. After you've read some of this stuff, [s]there'll be a form for submissions[/s] we can discuss ideas and other details of the world. I'll also be taking questions. I hope you help me in crafting the world of Irriss and those who will inhabit it. Thanks for your time and I'll see you on the other side of this wall of hiders. [hider=Information][hider=Metaphysical] [hider=Twin Deities] [color=palegreen]Blind Goddess[/color] Responsible for guarding all mortal souls, the Blind Goddess (Mimagi) is tasked with maintaining the balance of Irriis. She is an impartial deity, called upon by; enforcers of justice/order, those seeking recompense or mercy, blacksmiths and artisans. Attached to her are qualities of strength, perseverance and fairness. Often worshiped alongside the Dreaming God, the Blind Goddess is seen as the more rational and disciplined entity. [color=mediumorchid]Dreaming God[/color] Creator of Irriis, the Dreaming God (Gharak) is viewed as eternally locked in his slumber; so that the material world may continue to exist. It is said that the Dreaming God provides inspiration and intuition to its creations and is often invoked by; mages, scholars and those seeking knowledge. He is often given qualities of languid lunacy, compassion and creativity; however, it is known that Gharak is only the largest shard of the Dreaming God. He and the Blind Goddess are often viewed as sibling entities, with each playing their role in maintaining Irriis. Other fragments of the Dreaming God are seen as individual deities. Each third day in Irriss is said to be blessed by the Dreaming God.[/hider] [hider=Magic] Manipulation of reality through the exertion of willpower on the world. Most Magi come in one of five Elemental Ascendancies/Sways. The divisions are simple in their design. Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Luminous and Umbral. Each Sway [Water, Umbral, Earth] or Ascendancy [Fire, Wind, Luminous] is possessed of their guardian entity; said to be a facet of the Dreaming God's mind and warden over their respective element. Ascendancy [Ascendant] Mages are tied directly to their elemental deity through a trial that pits their willpower against that of their guardian; given that they succeed. Those who fail in their Ascendant Rites do not often live. This gives them more direct control of their element and a deeper familiarity with their deity's influence on the world. Sway Magi are only required to perform a pact with their elemental warden, offering up a boon with each act they perform in their deity's name. These sacrifices differ depending upon the whims of the guardian. Sway Magi rarely come into direct contact with the ruler of their elemental sphere, but this does not diminish their potent abilities. Though there are fewer Magi now scattered throughout the world, they are all recognized as Servient Magi by the Demense; as such, all functioning Magi within Irriss are considered to be subject to the command of the Convocation.[/hider] [hider=Elemental Guardians] [color=orangered]Itos[/color] A mercurial ophidian deity with influence over the spheres of fire and passion. Itos appears when invoked by Ascendancy Magi that it deems of sufficient worth. The fiery serpent is known for its pride and arrogance, but as well for the skill of its Servient Magi. Those connected to Itos are known as Flametongue and are often imbued with tremendous destructive capabilities. What gifts Itos bestows often depend on the perceived worth of his Magi; they usually involve conflagrations, explosions or infernos. [color=lightblue]Izia[/color] Volatile in her gentle nature, the ever placid, ever rapid Izia appears in many forms. Often curious of the affairs of mortals, Izia is known to hold dominion over secrets and the aquatic elemental sphere. Most Magi in her Sway are known as Scryer. Sacrifices made to her are often simple and allow the Servient Scryer a unique gift, as well as allowing for control of Izia's element. These gifts are often in the ways of mending/curing, divining the future or scrying distant places. [color=goldenrod]Ranth[/color] Silent bones of the Earth, Ranth does not appear when invoked; but is believed to listen to any invocation. The sacrifices required to appease Ranth are often complex, requiring somatic components and mixing herbs and roots from the earth; but are enduring in their effects. Ranth is known to impart strength to his Nomad Magi through the mixtures and salves produced through these rituals; though control of flora and terra comes naturally to them. There are rumors that Ranth has appeared, as a blind Nomad Magi, in the southlands of Irriss, seeking to cure a plague there. [color=royalblue]Taifia[/color] Gentle in her aimless ambling, tempestuous in her ceasless racing; Taifia is much the sister-soul of older Izia. The two are known to be of similar temperment and connected in elemental parallels, though Taifia is known to take only one form when invoked; a maiden near-translucent wreathed in gray-blue, cowled and of bright eyes. She is known to shift humors in an instant; changing from giddy to sorrowful or wrathful with little cause. Her Magi are known to be Striders, which bear a close kinship with the Nomad Magi; due to their tendencies to roam Irriss. The power she imparts is to give her Striders freedom; allowing them to run on the wind, conjure twisters or elevate themselves/others. [color=moccasin]Eldra[/color] {Will flesh out later. Basic idea is she's similar to the Blind Goddess, so much so that she's considered an extension of Mimagi. All about some indifferent justice, but with a hatred for those with wicked intent. Magi are referred to as Lambent.} [color=fuchsia]Viaak[/color] {Will flesh out later. Basic idea is it is a creature of indulgence, prone to inciting chaos to fulfill its own desires. Mastery over the Umbral elemental sphere allows for control of shadows, imparting of nightmares, curses. Being a Sway guardian, Viaak is interested in exchanges. The sacrifices to it vary, depending on the strength of its selected Magi. Servient Magi are known as Shadeweaver.} [/hider][/hider] [hider=Physical][hider=Irriss] [b]Irriss:[/b] A massive continent, awash and forlorn in an otherwise empty world. Eaten at by the centuries, this beautiful land is in the beginning of its end. Irriss is locked in a recurring dream, a nightmare in which all things come to an abrupt and brutal end. To the north, the crystal trees shudder and shatter as the bones of the earth begin to bend and break. Nomadic tribes of wild folk have begun to travel into old, once forbidden ruins; seeking shelter from growing hordes of aberrant monstrosities. Despite this, the Demense sits veiled from the immediate threats; a glistening black orb, waiting behind a ring of mountains. The shaman and earthspeakers tell of disturbing omens, of chains torn asunder and a dark truth released on the world. In the east, the ever-warring realms of Drasil and Volance {each famous for their involvement in a supposedly ongoing blood-feud, focused on the disappearance of a common ancestor's bones, which has lasted for just over three hundred years and been the source of countless deaths} have fallen silent. Their hills and mountains abandoned of common folk, while castles dotted across the territories shutting tight their gates against an unknown enemy. Their closest neighbor {Essia}, nestled in the middle of the continent, has sent out word to their western colonies to prepare for a royal arrival. From the south, hordes of immigrants trudge ever northward; escaping a plague spreading from deep within the Attenian Spread. With them comes a string of strange occurences, spreading outward from the Atten Heart (which is, currently, a nexus of reality displacement phenomenon and magical instability). Too, though, with their migration, comes another influx of strange tidings. Envoys from the reclusive Maroth Isles (rumored to have technology far beyond that of the rest of Irriss' nations) have passed through the Attenian Spread, heading north and west. The west is quiet, settling its self after a bloody conflict. Essia clashed here with the Attenian Shield over formerly unclaimed territory. While they were victorious, the hardship of settling a new land is leeching the strength of those who have chosen to make their homes there. Cities are beginning to rise, flying the Essian Mare, though there, too, are holds being raised by migrant Attenian nobles and their commonfolk. Essian scouts and warparties roam the countryside, contending with bandits and migrant Attenians.[/hider] [hider=Regions] [b]The Northern Reach:[/b] Is suffering from periodic earthquakes of great strength, which is sending the nomadic peoples of the North Reach to ruins long abandoned to their people. In these ruins, the tribes are uncovering artifacts relevant to the events at hand. The Demense is untouched, as is the ring of mountains surrounding it. Most of the Northern Reach is flat and frigid forests, scarred with vallies and pock-marked with pockets of towering mountains. There are no kingdoms that rule in the North Reach, but there are several tribal chiefs and warlords that populate the area from Essia to the Demense. [i]-The Demense:[/i] A black-domed labryinth that houses the Servient Magi and the Convocation. It is settled at the northernmost tip of Irriss, sitting in the center of a ring of mountains. Some have surmised that time doesn't pass in the mountains surrounding the Demense. Inside the Demense is a Domain for each type of Servient Mage and a vast collection of arcane and mundane knowledge. It is largely empty, in modern times. The Convocation, composed of an appointed Magi from each Ascendancy or Sway, makes their home their and holds their meetings within. [b]The East:[/b] Has fallen silent, the 'brother nations' of Volance and Drasil falling silent; their ancient killing fields abandoned and their three-hundred and six year feud seems to have come to a screeching halt. While Essia has sent two small scouting parties beyond their borders to investigate, no information has returned; save that the land is abandoned and the keeps encountered would grant them no entry. While there are some traveling into these lands from the south, it is uncertain if anyone is aware of their presence. Traders from Volance and Drasil have brought stories of uncertain truth to the far reaches of Irriss; claiming that the sky opened up and people began disappearing into a great maelstrom. Others claim to have seen strange shapes hovering over the Sunless Dunes, in the short days before this mass disappearance. [b]The Attenian Spread:[/b] The colloquial name for southern Irriss, this triad of allied nations was brought together in an era long past by the Atten Empire. Since its dissolve long ago, its descendants have maintained fairly peaceful relations. However, in recent weeks, a plague has swept through Noul (the Attenian Heart), Nov (the Attenian Shield) and Nore (the Attenian Sword). The elaborate palaces and temples of the Attenian's are still alive, as are their capital cities; but much of the area is eaten with death, leaving the infested dead to pile in the streets while their kin flee north. Supposedly the Attenian Heart is enraptured with some magical phenomenon, wreathed as it is by an impenetrable, impassable fog. [b]Essia:[/b] A fortress settled in the sky, resting on the jutting lip of a mountain; Essia is a city cast in the light of Eldra, in its design and history. The Essian Mare has long been a symbol of prosperity and diplomacy in Irriss. It is they, who make their home in the center of the continent, who have long sought favorable relations with their neighbors. Trading with both Drasil and Volance has made the country rich in recent years, but a budding war with the Attenian Spread has the Essian nobility on edge; concerned with their growth in the westlands and the safety of their homeland, the Emperor and Empress have sent out word to their colonies and seek to find balance between protecting their distant citizens and the heart of their home. [b]The Westlands:[/b] Though the Westlands have long been the lust of other nations, they have existed in a state of abandonment. This lust is born from want. For countless ages, there existed a wall between the Westlands and Irriss; giving this fertile expanse the former name of the 'Dreamlands', as what could be seen through the Iridescent Veil that separated reality from unformed reality was nothing but tumultuous darkness, penetrated by errant bolts of unknown energy. Over the last ten years, the Iridescent Veil has dissipated; leaving the lush Westlands open to the rest of Irriss. The Attenian Spread was the first to settle here, followed by Essia just two years later. Currently, Essia and the Attenians are engaging in small conflict here over the new land.[/hider][/hider][/hider][/center] My first post, wooooo~! So there's that mess. I'm wondering if anyone has any interest in the setting and working in a small group to make a plot? I'll post my ideas and stuff after I get some feedback. Also, sorry about the shitty coding. I'm going to pretty it up here in the next little bit. Thanks again for reading. [hider=Edit Log] [i]0[/i]) Created Edit Log. Good idea. [i]1[/i]) Added some colors. Will add more. [i]2[/i]) Changed a misspelling. [i]3[/i]) Minor edits. Working on a Character Sheet.[/hider]