[h1][b][u]The Council of the Damned: Anametha[/u][/b][/h1]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/tILsbE7.jpg[/img]
General stuff/intro:

Third time now I've had to write up to 30,000-40,000 characters on a simple introduction, yet every time my computer buggers up I fail to save it. But any who, welcome to the Council of the Damned, an expansive universe I've crafted over the last few years, mostly out of boredom however. I've been inspired by many things, Game of Thrones, Diablo 3, music primarily; though however I have unintentionally copied some things, sometimes creating something so similar to something else I hadn't even heard of at the time... the most notable example being the "Wall of Noduz" within my universe, a gargantuan and ancient (Yet ruined) wall stretching across a large segment in one of the main continents; it's primary function is to keep certain dark creatures magically locked inside the Black Forest... if you hadn't guessed yet I've accidentally copied The Wall from the GoT series... note that I created this Noduz Wall years ago, so I hadn't even heard of GoT at that point... my point is, no one is original, even if it is accidental.

Most of my shit -- mostly monsters and creatures and whatnot -- has been inspired by the music I listen to... which is 99% Dubstep, so it's blatantly obvious which song inspired me to create gigantic 100ft long monstrous centipedes that can take down colossal giants. *Cough*

Now! Onto the Lore of this big ass universe, I'm sure you'll love this giant read, lucky for you I'm putting it all in Hiders so you won't get a massive wall of text to the face just yet, AND I'm greatly cutting it down, getting rid of the unimportant parts that most likely won't appear in this Roleplay.

[b][u]NOTE: I haven't fully completed all of the Lore just yet, so be patient while I use my head parts to think of more crap! :D[/u][/b]

[b][u]Summary:[/u][/b]

> There are three main factions, the Council of the Damned, the Order of the Three Lights, and the Blademasters of Karanos.
> There are also 5 types of Magic: Null, Arcane, Aether, Mortis and Fel.
> The name of the planet is Arkus.
> Arkus holds a total of 6 continents: Aeolus, Sornatis, Karanos, Mana, Unik and Anthir.
> A total of 14 races inhabit Arkus, though not all of them will be playable.
> Warlocks & Paladins have been at war ever since Warlocks were created over 120 years ago.
> 18 Old Gods wander Arkus, Half-Gods that were once mortal. They are separated into two groups, 9 are Evil, and the other 9 are Good.
> The Twisting Abyss is the equivalent of Hell, as is the Ascension the equivalent of Heaven.
> Warlocks and Paladins age slower (2.2 years = 1 year) once they reach past the age of 18, after they reach that point, they age slower.
> Behemoths are by far the most dangerous creatures in Arkus, being composed of Null, they range from 50ft to 400ft. They are purely elemental, coming in many different shapes and forms.
> If your Warlock/Paladin character is past the age of 18, to figure out their physical age, subtract 18 from his/her biological age, the divide that number by 2.2, the add 18. e.g. Imperion is 142. 142 - 18 = 124. 124 / 2.2 = 56. 56 + 18 = 74. His physical age is 74. You can either be complex and do this, or just make up any random number.

[hider=Factions]

[b][u]The Council of the Damned[/u][/b]
The most recent faction to come to light, initially being created by Ko’roth and his children, it was passed down to the modern council, with Aydin as their leader, he leads the charge against the Order of the Three Lights, as well as any other enemies that cross their path. Wielding the dark powers of Fel, he and five other Council members have their grasp on a large segment of Aeolus.
 
These Council members are Kiara, the Mistress of Flame, sister to Aydin and by far one of the most powerful and terrifying Pyromancers in Aeolus, she is considered the most serious of the six Council members; often handling political situations as well as diplomatic.  Kiara is currently the master of Pyromancy in the Council. (Lord Zee's character.)

Lithoth the Plaguebringer, possibly the most psychopathic of the lot, he’s as much mad as he is a genius; initially creating the Anthoric Plague which wiped out a large portion of the population of Aeolus. Oddly enough, Lithoth used to be House Nerov’s butler, serving Alexi and Prim throughout the years, alongside helping raise Aydin, Kiara and the others. Lithoth is currently the master of Affliction in the Council. 

The third is Geros, a middle aged, enigmatic man, whose history is unspoken of directly from Geros; he has no recollected family nor loved ones. Though Geros himself may not be that powerful, the immense demons he is capable of summoning from the darkest corners of the Abyss make up for that lost power; Geros is currently the master of Demonology within the Council. (Deaddlife's character)

The fourth is Xelhobin, much like Astral Strings, he is not of this world; in fact he comes from Arkus’ sister planet “Welfall”, previously a sort of Demi-God on Welfall, until his position was ripped from him by the Dragon God Tjecel; and after a thousand years of battle, he was cast into the Rift and thrown into Arkus. Now merely a fraction of who he was before, Xelhobin has sided with the Council as the Master of Shadow. 

And finally, the 6th Council Member, Arkaedus, an extremely powerful Necromancer whose true origin is unknown. His left eye seems to be missing, when inquired he responds with “decomposition”, which is clearly a lie, due to the relatively large scar on his face. Nonetheless, Arkaedus’ ability to raise the dead, fuse flesh and bone and control all manner of deathly creatures is beyond Aydin’s comprehension. Arkaedus is currently the master of Necromancy within the Council. (Technically Lord Zee's character)

So, in summary we have 5 branches of the Council of the Damned; thus five aspects for apprentices to choose from: Pyromancy, Demonology, Affliction, Shadowmancy and finally Necromancy. The Council are possibly by far the fastest builders; only taking a grand total of 7 years to fully build Xanderath, the current main capitol for Warlocks. It’s no surprise, with an immense work force directly from Geros, thousands of willing Demons from the Twisting Abyss to aid in the construction of a city for themselves to live in, it’s no wonder it didn’t take long. The two other cities however, Eradus for example, the Demonic City; is still under construction. Anthoric was built by Lithoth and whoever may have aided him many years ago. Though the Council is classified as “pure evil” by the Order, they have done much good, aiding villages back up to standards that were previously on the brink of destruction, they’ve also had a large ecological impact on Aeolus, reclaiming some previously afflicted places and restoring them back to their natural status. Despite being outnumbered 5 to 1, the Council holds some of the most powerful fighters in Arkus, some such as Roseaver, a semi-immortal 3,500 year old vampiric entity whose powers were gifted by Halax’zen himself, though he may be “immortal”, it is still possible for Paladins and any other holy beings to grievously wound him. Two other extremely powerful fighters that do not use magic are General Xavicks, the Blademaster Emissary, and Tenshi, a technological genius, being one of the first to create ranged weaponry such as guns and all manner of siege weapons; his most incredible feat being the “VX119 EXR Anti-Behemoth Rifle”, a gargantuan sniper, a unique one at that; and as it’s name entails, it has the capability of taking down goliaths such as Behemoths, the most surprising part about all this is… Tenshi is still only a child.

[b][u]The Order of the Three Lights[/u][/b]
The Order of the Three Lights, formed from the Blademasters of Karanos, a few hundred years after the Blademasters were created, some warriors branched out to pursue a holy path, the first warrior to head for Aeolus was “Lieschar”, and he became known as the First Paladin. More and more warriors followed in his footsteps, and although the Noduz were already existent and acted as the Guardians of Arkus, the Paladins almost merged with them in aid. Lieschar learned from the Noduz, and became the absolute amalgamation of melee and holy magic; he separated himself from the Noduz, and formed “The Order”, the first original Paladin faction, holy warriors that fought back the tides of darkness.

However… everything was not as it seemed, the Scorned Ones began their onslaught on Arkus, and Lieschar was their first target. As powerful as the Order was, they could not stand against the unfathomable evil that annihilated them. They were dead within hours, every last Paladin slaughtered like a lamb, though fortunately the tomes were intact, and even though every living being that held the title of “Paladin” was butchered , they would one day return to Arkus. Time played out, and the Noduz eventually fought back the Scorned Ones, and at least 200-250 years after the war had finished, the tomes had finally been dug out from the ashes of burnt corpses. The Order had reignited, and discovered that the Noduz had died out, even though this sad fact was true, the Paladins served as the Protectors of Arkus. 

Over 2,000 years since the God War and the Order still stands, however they were no longer known as simply “The Order”, conjoined with two other branches and Old Gods, they became known as “The Order of the Three Lights”. There are currently four leaders within the Order, two of which are Old Gods; there’s Gia and Cordinis as the Old God leaders, and then Imperion Shadowbreaker, an elderly but powerful Paladin, and finally the twisted High Scarlet. The ‘Three Lights’ in the name entails the three primary branches; there’s the regular Paladins, holy warriors and whatnot, then the Crusaders, now these are deadly bastards; hulking monstrosities that are the size of the Blademasters, completely covered in thick armour and wielding a shield the size of itself, even a shield bash could kill a robe-wearing Warlock. And finally, the darker side of the Order, the “Crimson”, they call themselves; they are the more brutal side of the Order, harsh punishments are their trade, their interrogation methods are rather disturbing… and nor do they believe in “redemption”,  the last people that were caught in the act of homosexual activities were burnt alive then hung at the gates. The Crimson side of the Order is run by a woman known as the “High Scarlet”, an arrogant woman whose position as one of the four leaders of the Order should not exist. It is because of her that the Order has been dragged through the mud recently. One of their most horrible atrocities is creating the Exorcists; it is unclear if these Exorcists are even human or not, some even question if it were a Dark God that created them. Exorcists are by far the most feared creation to the Council. They are hooded, dark, and any recognition of their previous form has been ripped from them, skinned, flayed, castrated and cauterized. For months they are psychologically tortured, then chains are bound into their arms and wrapped around them. These chains are their most deadly weapon, they are tempered with holy fury, and at a high velocity they can break someone’s limb off with a single strike, or the preferred and far more painful method, it’s more of an endless torture than a kill; the chains wrap around their body, everywhere, and they begin to glow with holy radiation, to a normal person this will be an agonizingly slow death, but for a Warlock or any other unholy being…

[b][u]Blademasters of Karanos[/u][/b]
The Blademasters of Karanos have been around ever since Karanos itself was formed, and seeing that Karanos itself is barren of magic, the inhabitants had to fight with other methods; but despite that everything in Arkus is magic-based, the earliest of Blademasters adapted around this. Over thousands of years, they got better, some managing to take down entire Behemoths, these great warriors became famed for their ferocity as berserkers. The Blademasters are a competitive bunch, often being ranked by the High Warlord (Leader) onto the leaderboards, the amount of skill you exert, the amount of kills you have, most Behemoths killed and so forth.

The Blademasters do not discriminate in any way; even females prove themselves to be some of the greatest fighters on Arkus.  For example, General Xavicks of the Council of the Damned is Ranked No.7 in the Leaderboards… his wife however is Ranked No.3. The most formidable fighters for taking down Behemoths are in fact triplets named Terr, Raav, and Itah, the three work synergistically to manipulate the Behemoth and dismember rather easily.  Surprisingly a Nerov is in the Blademasters; Maikos Nerov, the eldest of Kiara, Aydin and Xepiroth. At a young age he was afflicted by the Lycan curse, thus transforming him into a Sub-Saavrak, he was outcast by many people (Fortunately not his family… much.), and thus he was recruited by the Blademasters, Maikos saw that he could put his newfound hulking strength to good use, he quickly rose through the ranks and landed himself ‘No.5’ on the leaderboard.  Some Blademasters use magic, some are able to use the magic that is buried deep beneath the sand for any purpose they desire; varying from shaping the earth beneath them to transforming themselves essentially into a living sandstorm. Most of these people are a hybrid between melee and magic.

Over time the Blademasters build themselves a “city” of sorts, or more or less a huge temple named “Karvernox”, built entirely out of hardened sandstone, marble and gold. Karvernox gleams with the scorching sun, often making it easy to see in the distance in a sandy wasteland. Sadhu, the Old God of War, resides within this large temple, seeing it as the perfect combination of peaceful meditation and senseless killing, and though Sadhu is powerful, he does not have any ranks on the leaderboard, nor is he the High Warlord; in fact the current High Warlord of the Blademasters of Karanos is D’jastah (De-sha-sta), whose name shall be sung throughout millennia as one of the greatest fighters to exist.

[/hider]

[hider=Magic Types]

[b][u]Arcane:[/u][/b]
Like Null, it is neither holy nor unholy; it can be used and manipulated by both sides, though it’s more compatible with Aether. Arcane can be used for creating more powerful and controlled elemental beings, and is used primarily by Wizards, Mages and Arc-Paladins. Arcane has no healing properties, but can be incredibly powerful when wielded in the correct way. Ever since Fel came into play, the number of Wizards and Mages has lowered, as a large majority of them chose the darker side of magic.

[b][u]Null:[/u][/b]
The most common of the five magics, composed of around 58% of the entire planet. Null has no useful properties; it is neutral, not holy nor unholy, it is odourless, colourless, but tastes a little bit like vanilla. It can however be converted fairly easily, with the right push that is. Though it has no useful properties or healing factors, it is rather deadly… Null is used to create elemental creatures such as Behemoths, with enough Null compressed into one area, it becomes sentient, Zound saw this opportunity to create the Behemoths.

[b][u]Aether:[/u][/b]
Aether is the holy magic of this world, and is the opposite of Fel; and when combined they form a deadly amalgamation, a very combustible one and far more destructive than Fel alone. Aether is primarily used by Paladins, Crusaders and Arc-Paladins (Arcane/Aether merging, Paladin Mages), and has many healing properties, possibly the best out of the five, however on it’s destructive & combat usage scale it cannot compare with Fel.

[b][u]Fel:[/u][/b]
Fel has only been properly used by mortals within the last hundred years; before Warlocks came into existence, no one dared touch the foul and corrupting temptation of Fel energy. Fel isn’t all that bad, it’s healing properties almost compares with Aether; though it is used in different ways, primarily for cauterization, though the most useful part of Fel is that it can cancel out Mortis energy; without Fel cancelling out Mortis, probably over half the planet would be overrun by horrid monstrosities transformed by Mortis. Fel is also possibly the most destructive, seeing that it can be shaped in many different useful forms, be it for blasting your enemies with flames, or summoning a demon from the Abyss.

[b][u]Mortis:[/u][/b]
The darkest of the five; a joke played by the Gods to torment our fleshy form. Mortis cannot be wielded by mortals, only by Old Gods, Demi-Gods and the occasional Nephilim, and due to the black magic’s toxic and radioactive nature, it is the most feared and avoided, even by the most terrifying of entities. Mortis begins slow, it corrupts your mind, and then your body, slowly snapping the bones and reorganizing them in a different manner; then the berserker phase begins, your mind is now completely lost, and everything that you were before is now a mere memory in the back of your shattered mind. The only cure… is death.

[/hider]

[hider=Planet Origins]

[b][u]Moons:[/u][/b]

[u][b]Nogarde[/b][/u]: This moon takes 419 days to fully orbit, and every 2500 years, Nogarde creates a two week worldwide blackout eclipse, which is in fact coming up in a few months. People have been anticipating this two week event for two and a half millennia (When this event happens, it will last for 14 real life days.) Nogarde was supposedly created by Halax'zen, hence the constant crimson red huetainting the surface of Nogarde. The blood moon has been said to cause several paranormal events, such as once every full Blood Moon, undead entities have said to be empowered tenfold, as well as a majority of them going into a murderous rampage.

[b][u]Necrotha:[/u][/b] This moon takes 74 days to fully orbit Arkus. Legends say that Necrotha was formed from a huge chunk of Arkus, as the Architects deemed that the planet was too big, thus they shattered a large fragment and reformed it into Necrotha, and the Architect that crafted Arkus named the moon after himself. Necrotha does have one extremely revered property; every one hundred years, the Old Gods are reverted back to their human form for one month only. With their humanity restored for a limited time, they are able to do as they wish, their power is temporarily ripped from them (if they are killed during the month, they are returned to life after the month is up), this prevents the Old Gods from going insane too much.

[b][u]Natural Events:[/u][/b]

[b]Nogarde Blackout:[/b] An extensive eclipse lasting two weeks, covering all of Arkus, sending it into darkness. May cause widespread panic.

[b][u]Lunar Rift:[/u][/b] When Necrotha passes over the Rift in the Abyssal Maw, light reflects from within the Rift, and creates a vertical beam extending into the sky on both sides of the Rift.

[/hider]

[hider=Continents of Arkus]

[b][u]Aeolus:[/u][/b]
 Aeolus, a land of lush plains, forests and towering mountains. Cities of both Paladin and Warlock origin are dotted around Aeolus, however, as of the last hundred years, certain areas have turned into a warzone due to the Warlock/Paladin feud. Aeolus does hold its dark side; The Black Forest has it's grasp on a small region of Aeolus, the horrors that lie in this forest are fortunately kept back by the gargantuan but ruined Wall of Noduz. Warlock cities such as Xanderath, Eradus and Anthoric are located in the eastern region of Aeolus, whereas the Paladin cities such as Paragon, Stormvalor and Nogalarun, there are at least a dozen more, thus outnumbering the Warlock cities.

[hider=Region of Aeolus] [img]http://www.clickwallpapershd.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/nature_wallpapers_high_resolution_2.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]Sornatis:[/u][/b]
The shattered continent, it has drifted from every other land, thus making itself almost like an island. The only way to get to Sornatis is by water, but even then you will most likely cease to exist, it is too dangerous to travel by air, for the constant brewing storm that looms over Sornatis will annihilate you and whatever you happen to be flying on. Sornatis is an ancient place of dark and terrible crimes, two thousand years ago, Sornatis held the first God War; a war that held Arkus by it's throat and was threatened by none other than the Scorned Ones, crazed worshippers following a Dead God, their terrible leader being Lord Zee. Fortunately, they were halted in their tracks by the Noduz, an ancient order that has been with Arkus ever since it was shaped by the Architects. Sornatis is an incredibly expansive wasteland, and mysteriously enough... no life inhabits the surface whatsoever; down to the smallest of cells, nothing lives. Jagged rocks cover the surface, often making it difficult to manoeuvre, but that isn't the most dangerous part. Holes and pits that lead to the Void itself are dotted almost everywhere, try not to fall in them; else it'll be the end of you. Despite Sornatis being a barren wasteland, it could've been MUCH worse; over 300 or so years after the God War had finished, the Dead God made one final strike, and caused a catastrophic eruption that slowly spread through Sornatis, and would've done so to the entire planet if it weren't for the Old God, Zound. He halted this cataclysm, and it is Zound we thank for our existence.

[hider=Region of Sornatis] [img]http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121013153223/thechroniclesofdrakoa/images/a/af/Wasteland_wallpaper.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]Karanos:[/u][/b]
The Gleaming Wasteland, the Sea of Gold, the Graveyard of the Damned. Karanos hold many titles to its name, but none other more reputed known as the Land of the Blademasters. Magic is almost completely barren in this region, people only ever find it in its crystallized form, transported to Karanos via shipments from nearby continents or through various magic wells/deposits buried beneath the sand; it's not as if any of the inhabitants there use magic so frequently anyway. A fairly alarming percentage of Karanos is in fact a barren desert, residents of Karanos report that no rainfall - in fact not even clouds - has occurred in well over a thousand years. Fortunately there are gargantuan reservoir dotted in several locations within Karanos which are usually perfect opportunities for colossal cities to be built upon; unfortunately most of these reservoirs are "corrupted" by an unseeable entity, it isn't an Old God seeing as what roams through the lands leaves no trace of Mortis or any sort of magic, though it's sinister aura most certainly rivals with the Old Gods. Needless to say, there's an evil lurking beneath the grains of sand that no one can explain, it is neither paranormal nor magical; very few have seen this being... primarily because the entity uses sun bursts in order to scorch the victim's eyes to dust, leaving nothing but a hollow eye socket, thus rendering them blind before dragging them beneath the sand where their corpse will most likely never be found. Not even the Blademasters of Karanos can face this beast; those that have witnessed this monstrosity have only described its appearance as "An evil that casts a shadow upon darkness itself.” This shadow isn't the only evil that walks the dunes of Karanos, there are such things known as "Sand Wraiths" and "Sand Vermin"; Loremasters speculate that these things were the previous residents of a great and ancient city, whose name has been long forgotten, only that the vast city was buried beneath a tide of sand, every single sentient being within that city was buried alive beneath the suffocating sand; and their vengeful spirits took form within the sand that ended their lives. The Sand Wraiths are certainly deadly, wielding Null magic that is stored within their bodies to shape the sands in order to create the Sand Vermin, whose job is to overwhelm a victim and feed off their flesh by surrounding them in a miniature sandstorm that shreds them to oblivion.

[hider=Region of Karanos] [img]http://media.indiedb.com/images/games/1/18/17088/pe_desert_waterfall.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]Mana:[/u][/b]
Nothing much is known about Mana, before the Void Catastrophe it was the primary continent, cities dotted around and Magic was incredibly dense. However… after the Void Catastrophe had happened, Mana was now consumed by the ocean, it’s cities perfectly preserved as a time capsule, however the area where Mana was located became the Dead Expanse, the region where Nykrileth sleeps, and ships are dragged beneath the waves to the crushing abyss.

[hider=Region of Mana] [img]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Clouds_over_the_Atlantic_Ocean.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]Unik:[/u][/b]
Quite the unique continent really, it is the combination of molten volcanoes and an arctic wasteland. Orcs and dragons inhabit this continent, and here’s a fact, these dragons aren’t even from Arkus; dragons originate from Welfall (Same place as Xelhobin), the first dragon to come through was a colossal, but mostly friendly one named Ghelgorath. He lived, bred, and died in Unik, and his place of death became known as the Cradle of Ghelgorath, thousands upon thousands of dragons flocked here, his bones became shelter. The nearby Orcs began to tame the dragons that had made a large portion of Unik their home, these grey-skinned Orcs became the first species to ever tame a dragon, and wield them as both a friend and a weapon. However, the Orcs that inhabit Unik are not the brutes they have been stereotyped as, Orcs in fact make some of the best Loremasters and Scholars in Arkus, their knowledge of the world accelerates past the Elves.
[hider=Region of Unik] [img]http://s1.1zoom.net/big0/141/321469-Sepik.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[u][b]Anthir:[/b][/u]
Anthir, known as the Shifting Continent or the Vanishing Continent. Due to unknown reasons, Anthir has the tendency to just… vanish, and like Sornatis, it is separated from the rest of the continents, sailors have reported to see a shifting island phasing in and out of existence, and yet no one, not even the most brilliant of minds can explain this phenomena. Though one person has been there and returned the famous explorer Wilson Pinnox, nephew to the very renowned Loremaster Abel Samuellson. He had written everything he saw when he was there, and to put it into very few sentences, he described it as an untouched haven inhabited by Dragonoid Saavrak. They were rather peaceful and docile, though he did manage to piss one off, and he described their fighting techniques to be nothing he’s ever seen before.

[/hider]

[hider=Races of Arkus]

Primary Races:

Human – The most common, I shouldn’t have to explain what they are.

Elf – Efficient at stealth, magic and archery.

Dwarf – Halfmen, half the man, twice the ferocity, also skilled craftsmen.

Orc – Either highly intellectual beings or brutish berserkers. These Orcs are grey-skinned.

Demon – Too many variations to list, demonic entities sentient enough to ascend from the Abyss and serve the Council. Such examples are Tenshi and Hyrisha, Succubus/Incubus siblings.

Undying – Extremely rare undead type, most undead are mindless minions, these however are not. Almost 1 in 100,000 undead are classified as ‘Undying’.

Saavrak – Halfbeasts, they come in all sorts of forms, ranging from dragon-like, wolf-like to even aquatic sea creatures.

Half-elf – Slightly taller than a dwarf, efficient at stealth and magic.

Goblin – In between the height of a Half-elf and a Human. Very light footed; also very good cannon fodder.

Nephilim – The combination of Holy and Unholy, bred from either a Warlock and a Paladin, or a Demon and an Angel. They are able to wield both Fel and Aether, thus making them extremely powerful. Nephilim can class as any race, e.g. Nephilim Human, Nephilim Undying.

Sub-races (Unplayable):

Druids – Those that had lost their minds to nature, their mind has been corrupted by a mostly-evil force.
Xar'knesht – Those that survive the Mortis affliction, though they will never return to their previous form, they now serve the Old Gods as fanatics.
Giants/Ettin – Really big people… enough said.
Verali – Angel-like beings that roam around the Ascension. They serve the Order of the Three Lights as some of the most powerful guardians.

[/hider]

[b][u]Gods & Old Gods[/u][/b]

[hider=Gods]

There are a total of 21 Gods in Arkus, though only 4 will be displayed to you, since they are the only ones that are actually of any importance in this Roleplay.

[b][u]Halax'zen the Blood God:[/u][/b]
The root of all evil in Arkus, this sinister entity is the reason Old Gods like Tor’qux, Syn and Ko’roth exist. Halax’zen likes to torment humanity, often playing tricks on them or manipulating them, or even rarely giving them a portion of his power. The most notable example was Roseaver at least 5,000 years ago; a broken teenager, his family burnt alive in front of him and cast out to die, Roseaver attempted suicide by throwing himself off a cliff. Halfway down he was shredded into a bloody mist, and reformed to where he stood before… Halax’zen gave him, no, forced upon him his “gift”, he may be killed, but he never truly dies. Meaning if he is decapitated, he will reform a few hours later; this power was bestowed upon Roseaver so he could reap his vengeance and slaughter those that took everything he loved. 5,000 years later he still stands… though half as powerful as he was 5,000 years ago.
[hider=Halax'zen's form] [img]https://forum.kag2d.com/attachments/halaxzen-jpg.35510/[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]Korven the Stormshaper:[/u][/b]
The brother of Halax’zen, the slightly less evil one; he is responsible for Nykrileth, Shuul-Aken and Raal’atoh. There’s nothing of actual importance when it comes to Korven, his “avatar” is seen roaming around as a colossal storm. He’s more commonly known as the Storm God, and since he’s mostly seen in his storm cloud-like form no one knows what his true form is. 
[hider=Korven's form] [img]http://i.imgur.com/NFLLl3J.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]Syar:[/u][/b]
The wife of Halax’zen, and the root to all good in Arkus, she is responsible for Old Gods such as Gia, Cordinis, [b][TO BE FINISHED][/b]

[b][u]Kru-Vakesh the Watcher:[/u][/b]

[/hider]

[hider=Evil Old Gods]

Like the Gods, despite being many of them, not all will have a description due to their unimportance, they may be mentioned, but never seen.

[b][u]1. Ko'roth:[/u][/b]
Ko'roth, possibly the newest of the Old Gods, only being at least over 100 years of age. Before his ascension, he was a Paladin, a famed one at that, ranking at one of the most skilled and efficient fighters in the entire Order. His feat of strength is one that very few have attempted, or even thought of. During the War of the Burning Fields against Anth-Skreleng, Ko'roth fought against the molten titan, and drove his spear into the eye of Anth-Skreleng, wounding him as the metal dissolved and melted from the sheer heat radiating from the Old God of Fury; Anth-Skreleng fled the battlefield. Then... everything went dark; at the time he had four children, and another one on its way, a gargantuan demon assaulted the village he was charged with protecting, this demon was like nothing Ko'roth had ever seen before, it was as if it were constructed, it took several hours to take the beast down, and only then did Ko'roth see the destruction it had caused; many of his closest friends had been viciously torn apart, two of which were Captain Jesse Stagner, and General Markus Bayne (Fortunately the two were later resurrected as Harbingers of Chaos, Ko'roth's Royal Guards). Shortly after all the chaos had ended, his beloved wife went into labour, hooded priests whose faces could not be seen took her inside of the nearest chapel, however... they locked the doors and did not allow Ko'roth to see his wife until the process was completed. In a blind panic, Ko'roth allowed this, seeing that anyone else that had any qualifications with such events had been dismembered. Hours had passed and Ko'roth grew impatient, everything was silent, too much so, he burst into the chapel only to see that his wife's throat had been slit, and the "priests" that had initially taken her in were now horned and disfigured in many ways, the child, his only daughter was still intact fortunately. Ko’roth was broken, as if his soul had been ripped from his body. Almost two decades had passed, and the once powerful Paladin had now found himself down an incredibly dark path, he declared himself the First Warlock, and his children followed shortly after. Ko’roth severed his connections with the Order, and became a fugitive, for months he was hunted, but it wasn’t enough to stop the propaganda he was spreading; more and more people turned over to the dark side. Then… one unfortunate day, Ko’roth had fallen right into one of the Order’s traps, the town was surrounded, and he and his children were taken to Paragon where their long deserved justice would be met. He and four of his sons were to be publically executed… save for his daughter; her being the Shadowmancer, the Paladins didn’t see her as that much of a threat in comparison to the others, but they were dead wrong. Though, unfortunately, Ko’roth’s daughter was raped by one of the apparent prison guards, and fell pregnant; by the time she managed to break out she was already far along the process. Months passed, and she gave birth to a child, the grandson of an unquestionably powerful Old God… Ko’roth’s daughter however, was not so lucky… she died during the childbirth, and with no mother, nor father, they left the infant outside to die.

[hider=Ko'roth's form] [img]http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120524195849/diablo/images/3/3e/Rakanoth-concept-art.jpg[/img] Yes... I know it's Rakanoth from Diablo 3; it's the closest thing I could get to describing Ko'roth. ;-; [/hider]
[hider=Ko'roth before ascension] [img]http://frostmilk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/frostmilk-paladin-tank.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]2. Syn:[/u][/b]
Syn, otherwise known as Sybil, is Halax’zen’s personal favourite, her sheer brutality and manipulative nature impressed the Blood God in many ways. Before her ascension, she was a mere innkeeper, well, an inn merged with a farm that is. This inn was not like most inns, it was not located in a village, neither a town, nor did the inn itself have a name. It was located on a crossroad in the middle of nowhere; a convenient place for travellers to rest their feet for the night. Of course this has a dark side to it; else she wouldn’t have become an Old God. Sybil was a butcher, a cannibal and a reputed mass murderer. She went through the cycle of letting travellers stay, if they had no money, she’d allow them to stay the night for free, she fed them for the night, then whilst they were sleeping she’d ram a knife into their throat; drag their mutilated corpse down into the cellar, and begin to dismember them, flay their skin, strip the flesh and proceed to cook it. Then fed the next traveller with this stew she had concocted from unfortunate wanderers. She was never caught, until an unusual wanderer passed by, he carried an unusual aura around him, but Sybil discarded this as nothing, she went through the usual cycle, and ended the man’s life; just as she was dragging him down below, he got back up, withdrew the knife and shook it off as if it were nothing. His skin melted as he grew in size, his terrifying form had been revealed. It was Halax’zen. The Blood God was not here to punish her, nor kill her; in fact he was here to reward her, he admitted he had been rather entertained by her routine to murder innocent people, and thus gave her the choice to either become an Old God, granted power beyond imagination, or to continue the life she has now. She chose the first one of course. Despite being a ruthless murderer, she is in fact quite lovely to her friends and family, like her twin sister Gia for example, or Ko’roth… they’ve gotten suspiciously close over the past few years.
[hider=Syn's form] [img]http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/f/2012/030/b/c/bc15df3f9424dd2b3541988b833ea219-d4o3gtl.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]3. Tor'qux:[/u][/b]
Tor'qux. A true testament to how utterly twisted a single mind can be. Before his ascension, he was a King, a child King, the King of the once shining city of Alakuun… before… something snapped inside of him; some speculate that a greater evil drove the child King to madness, whilst some say it was the sheer pressure of his position that broke him. Alakuun was the largest city in Arkus at the time, sheltering almost 500,000 citizens in this expansive city, the mad King began the abrupt executions of those he did not see trustworthy, this was only the beginning; as each day passed the amount of deaths grew, and people grew worried... only 3,552 people managed to flee the city before the walls were closed off. The day the gates closed was the day that the massacre began, over the course of 22 days, 491,746 innocent men, women and children were brutally hunted and murdered. Blood flowed through the streets; enough blood to drown a God, 491,746 people, every last one of them was a ritual sacrifice for Tor'qux. He bathed in their blood, and he rose into the air... every last drop of innocent blood was absorbed by this monstrosity. He- no.. IT emerged from the impaled bodies as a new entity; legends say that his first maddening roar echoed for miles on end. Trees began to grow hundreds of feet high, and the density was that of a wheat field. Fortunately the growth of these black trees was halted by the Wall of Noduz. Tor'qux's form is complex; it cannot be defined into one category.

[hider=Tor'qux's form] [img]http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/69/d8/67/69d8678f409bf37dd40fa9a45e96336b.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]4. Anth-Skreleng:[/u][/b]
Known a simply the Old God of Rage, he truly is a malevolent being, his violent outbursts have a certain infamy, sometimes killing people or his minions over the smallest irritants. Anth-Skreleng holds a deep hatred for Ko’roth and has made several attempts to murder him. It all began back before Ko’roth’s ascension during the War of the Burning Fields, Anth-Skreleng was in the middle of a war with the Order of the Three Lights, he was spreading like a wildfire, igniting everything he came across; be it villages, a forest or a simple wheat field, the flames wrought immense destruction that would indefinitely take years to properly regrow. It all ended on Glenn’s Field, the forces of Ko’roth and the rest of the Order, opposing them was the hulking molten goliath, Anth-Skreleng, alongside his demonic minions. The battle on Glenn’s Field took many hours, and it all ended with a faceoff with Ko’roth and Anth-Skreleng, the Paladin force seemed to be diminishing, and after a fierce duel with the fiery behemoth, Ko’roth thrust his spear into Anth-Skreleng’s eye, and gouged it out. Due to the intense heat radiating from the Old God’s body, the spear melted whilst inside of Anth-Skreleng’s eye socket. The Old God fled Glenn’s Field and weirdly enough was never seen again. Some speculate that he died, which is false, else there would be a visual imbalance. Some say he’s gone into hiding… and some say that he has infiltrated the Council of the Damned itself… 
[hider=Anth-Skreleng's form] [img]http://image.naldzgraphics.net/2013/05/6-demon-fire-colossus-rift.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]5. Nykrileth:[/u][/b]
Nykrileth. The Drowned God. Creature of the Abyss. Kraken. These are all names given to one of the most ancient of all of the Old Gods. How this Old God came to be is almost a mystery, the most believed theory is that Nykrileth was once a famed, but terrible pirate, Blackbeard, ransacking fleets and towns mercilessly for years. Until, he lost everything in a hurricane, all of his ships, save for his own; and with the very few resources he held left, in a fit of rage he attempted to strike at the heart of the Elven Navy… which ended only in the utter destruction of his one remaining vessel. In the end only he remained on a piece of wood in the middle of the ocean, the entire force of the Elven Navy aimed in his direction… but, something went wrong. Nykrileth screamed in unparalleled fury as one by one, his enemies were dragged beneath the waves to the crushing abyss where even the light may die. No one knows what happened to Blackbeard after, for everyone aside from him had been dragged under.

[hider=Nykrileth's form] [img]http://pre10.deviantart.net/a4a6/th/pre/f/2013/031/a/8/flower_in_the_ocean_by_desmondwoot-d55b47t.jpg[/img] [/hider]


[b][u]6. Raal'atoh:[/u][/b]
Known as the “Winged Terror”, Raal’atoh is the only flying Old God in Arkus, and there is a reason he is the only one… his sheer size has the capability to devour even the largest of Behemoths. Nothing much is known about his past, since he mostly can’t speak… its just inaudible roars. The beast’s size is unfathomable, almost 381 meters in length, two sets of wings alongside towering spires covering its entire body. Weirdly enough he has no other limbs aside from his dual wings, no eyes or nostrils whatsoever… just a main body, wings and an all-consuming maw. Raal’atoh travels in the clouds and rarely shows his face, the only times he does is when he’s feeding. Just pray to the Gods that he doesn’t pick you for his bloody feast.

[hider=Raal'atoh's form] [img]http://www.artlimited.net/user/0/0/1/6/1/9/3/artlimited_img378644.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]7. Shuul-Aken:[/u][/b]
Previously a miner of the D’jako Gold mines, the largest mine in Unik, unfortunately the mine collapsed with other 719 miners still inside (Including himself), apparently due to a faulty dynamite explosion, though the workers believe otherwise. Josef, his name was, before his decent into madness, a half-dwarf miner. Josef didn’t know that the mine had collapsed until he noticed crushed corpses on his way up, there was no way out… it was inevitable that he was going to die down here. Days passed as Josef consumed whatever food and drink he had brought down, he still had hope that he’d be saved. Days had turned into weeks and every other miner that was trapped in the depths of D’jako had passed on, and the soon to be Old God resorted to some unspeakable acts, as well as beginning to lose large fragments of his sanity, he resorted to cannibalism, gnawing on the bones and drinking the blood of his recently deceased friends, strangers one or two of them were even family. Weeks turned into months, and any glimpse of hope began to dwindle, he was running out of bodies to consume… he was starving as his sanity began to break, having no contact with any other human beings in months, he would often stumble about the black depths of the mines, cackling to himself over nothing, he would do so for hours until his feet turned bloody. Five years had passed since 718 miners had tragically died in the collapse, new miners resumed their work, but reports said that they could hear laughing in the depths of the mine, and miners were going missing then turning up months later with all internal organs, eyes, teeth and tongue completely removed. One miner had a mental breakdown, he collapsed on the floor clutching his head, clawing at his eyes and screaming so much their voice became hoarse. They managed to calm him down… mostly, they strapped him to a chair, restraining his arms; his eyes had been completely ripped out. The miner seemed to have mysteriously died before screaming “GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!” over and over again at the top of his voice. The foremen dismissed these as nothing… then the suicides began. People, not just the miners, nearby the mine would just stop dead in their tracks and out themselves in any method possible, the most memorable one was the primary foreman giving a speech, before stopping mid-sentence, slowly pulling out a knife and slitting his own throat. These incidents had to end, something was in the mines; dozens of warriors were lined up outside of the mine as it had been evacuated, what happened next no one could’ve predicted. A gargantuan snake-like being burst outwards of the mine, it was Josef, reborn as Shuul-Aken. Colossal arms covered its body to latch onto anything, tendrils spewed out of its mouth to rip the souls from those nearby; Shuul-Aken seemed to be made entirely out of flesh. Everyone in the province was dragged into the D’jako mines by the tendrils, none of them were seen again, and in a few days the entire region was evacuated fortunately.

[hider=Shuul-Aken's form] [img]http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2013/135/d/8/giant_monster_by_nekrosavant-d65e7wc.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]8. Zul'kafh:[/u][/b]

[b][TO BE FINISHED][/b]

[b][u]9. Shul'jin[/u][/b]
The Old God that every Old God fears, the God of Death. In the end, all life bows to Him. No one has seen his true form, however... it is reported he manifested into a human 16 years ago, and is unrecognisable just by looks; so as of right how, Death itself walks among us disguised as a mortal. A phrase has been uttered by Zul'kafh in the minds of bystanders, "Fear the blackout.” no one knows what it's true meaning is.

Though Shul'jin has never been properly seen, there are depictions to what his form may be. We are greeted by Shul'jin when we die, and only very few people have come back from it.
[hider=Shul'jin's form] [img]http://pre14.deviantart.net/24a1/th/pre/i/2013/331/f/9/corrupted_angel_by_eemeling-d6vtphc.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[/hider]

[hider=Good Old Gods]

Like the Gods, despite being many of them, not all will have a description due to their unimportance, they may be mentioned, but never seen.

[b][u]1. Gia[/u][/b]
Gia, known as the Aspect of Hope, is one of the primary leaders of the Order of the Three Lights. Gia is the twin sister of the malevolent Syn, and seeing that they both grew up in Alakuun near the time of Tor'qux's massacre, it's quite the surprise that Gia herself didn't turn evil. It was Gia herself that created the magic barrier that separated the Black Forest from the rest of Aeolus, infusing it with the Wall of Noduz, the Paladin's original ascension to Godhood is unique, shortly after she erected the barrier, she and her small force entered the Black Forest to try and put an end to the hellish God's reign... sadly this attempt was suicidal, and her force was wiped out within minutes, butchered like cattle by the gargantuan monstrosities that Tor'qux commands. He saved her for last, he wanted the satisfaction of killing her himself; he charged against her as she was impaled against a tree by her shoulder, then taking several deadly blows to the abdomen. Her blood dripped down the tree as several minutes passed in agonizing pain, but she refused to die; Syar came to her aid as a blinding light erupted from Gia's body... the pain was gone, and better yet, she felt more powerful than ever, she fought back against Tor'qux; however the horrifying abomination that is Tor'qux is still far more powerful than Gia, she still sustained several injuries. She empowered the barrier so that Tor'qux may never cross the Wall of Noduz; thankfully because of Gia, Tor'qux hasn't massacred hundreds of thousands more people... if Gia were to die somehow, the barrier would fall.


[hider=Gia's form] [img]http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/dranoel_297/Warrior_female.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]2. Zound[/u][/b]

[b][TO BE FINISHED][/b]

[b][u]3. Cordinis[/u][/b]
Cordinis, [b][TO BE FINISHED][/b]

[hider=Cordinis' form] [img]http://i.imgur.com/6rEcXzR.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]4. X'kor[/u][/b]
The Old God of Justice, X'kor is rarely seen due to his immense speed, in fact he doesn't even have feet, they were replaced with eerie spherical orbs that seem to just glide across the ground, he travels in a "skating" motion, it’s odd. X'kor's form is covered in spikes, whether they were put there for defence, a weapon, or simply because they look fuckin' awesome, we don't know. The spines also seem to be decorated in oddly glowing runes. Nonetheless, it is [b]HIGHLY ADVISED[/b] that you do not attempt to hug him. In all seriousness, X'kor frequently hunts down some of those that had escaped justice, those that had murdered and were never caught, nothing escapes his wrath. Those that he does inevitably hunt down are cast into the Void for the rest of eternity.

[hider=X'kor's form] [img]http://tgchan.org/kusaba/questarch/src/12881530892.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]5. Astral Strings [/u][/b]
Astral Strings, his true name has never been revealed, as it said, it's name may be "too complex for mortals to comprehend". Astral Strings is a powerful celestial being not of this world, his own body looks like an expansive star cluster. Astral Strings appears to have no classification of gender, it's voice tone appears to be directly in between male and female, unrecognisable by either side. He is a being of pure light, and thus proves the deadliest weapon against the tides of darkness. Astral Strings came to Arkus many years ago and sided with the Paladins almost instantly, he has no previous mortal form.

[hider=Astral Strings' form] [img]http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/powerlisting/images/5/59/Spiritual_energy.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130702102049[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]6. Sadhu[/u][/b]
The God of War, and currently one of the highest ranking Blademasters in Karanos (But not the best.), over the last few thousand years, Sadhu has caused more harm than good; starting needless wars resulting in countless innocent deaths, yet somehow after all the atrocities he's committed over the millennia, he still counts as a "Good" Old God. Sadhu has been known to have anger problems, often lashing out over the smallest of feuds, alongside his brutal nature and merciless combat.

[hider=Sadhu's form] [img]https://forum.kag2d.com/attachments/sadhu-png.42370/[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]7. Twy'ne[/u][/b]

[b][TO BE FINISHED][/b]

[hider=Twy'ne's form] [img]http://orig12.deviantart.net/4ad1/f/2014/072/c/6/diablo_3_fanart___crusader_by_m_hugo-d7a3ush.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]8. Vindicus[/u][/b]

[b][TO BE FINISHED][/b]

[hider=Vindicus' form] [img]http://i727.photobucket.com/albums/ww276/da7oom/1299561848_1920x1200_dark-gothic-angel_zps58ad5c7c.jpg[/img] [/hider]

[b][u]9. Kraagen'tar[/u][/b]

[b][TO BE FINISHED][/b]

[/hider]


Right, now that you've gotten through all that nonsense, it's time to read even more nonsense to create a character!

[b][u]CHARACTER APPLICATION:[/u][/b]

[u][b]Name [/b][/u]

Image and/or description of your character.

1. Age
2. Race
3. Gender
4. Affiliation
5. Backstory

[Optional]

6. Height
7. Weight
8. Birthday


___________________________________________________________________________________________

[h2][b][u]Character Compendium[/u][/b][/h2]

[h3][b][u]Paladin NPCs[/u][/b][/h3]

[hider=Imperion Shadowbreaker]
[img]http://img02.deviantart.net/556c/i/2009/270/1/d/el_paladin_by_elshazam.jpg[/img]
[i]"I'm not going to kill him, I'm going to BREAK him."[/i]

[b][u]Name:[/u][/b]
Imperion Bryus Inaera Shadowbreaker III

[b][u]Age:[/u][/b]
74 Physically | 142 Biologically

[b][u]Race:[/u][/b]
Human

[b][u]Gender:[/u][/b]
Male

[b][u]Affiliation:[/u][/b]
Order of the Three Lights

[b][u]Height:[/u][/b]
6ft 6"

[b][u]Backstory:[/u][/b]

Imperion was there before Ko'roth's ascension, Imperion watched as he became a broken man and took up the mantle as the "First Warlock". Even though he was around 14 at the time, he was still Ko'roth's superior. Time passed as Imperion grew up to be one of the most powerful Paladins in millennia, being one of the four leaders of the Order of the Three Lights, it's no surprise he ranked that high. Even in his elder years, Imperion still manages to take down some of the most formidable foes. 

The old Paladin has a daughter named 'Alleria Shadowbreaker', the identity of her mother is kept a secret among the four leaders, even Alleria herself has no information of the other half of her parentage, but one thing is certain; she is a confirmed Nephilim, a very powerful one at that. Imperion is very protective of his daughter, even at one point throwing his hammer at the jaw of a guard flirting with her, he still can't eat soup correctly.

Imperion has a deep hatred for the Council of the Damned, he has attempted assaults on Xanderath on many occasions, each one failing. Imperion has a certain method for punishing those that dare defy his terrifying rule; he likes to watch them suffer, breaking their legs and watching them try to crawl away to safety, disturbing yet truthfully rather amusing.
[/hider]

[hider=Alleria Shadowbreaker]

[img]https://i.warosu.org/data/tg/img/0392/82/1428782873215.jpg[/img]
[i]"It is highly advised you start running now..."[/i]

[b][u]Name:[/u][/b]
Alleria Aurora Shadowbreaker

[b][u]Age:[/u][/b]
32 Physically | 49 Biologically

[b][u]Race:[/u][/b]
Human Nephilim

[b][u]Gender:[/u][/b]
Female

[b][u]Affiliation:[/u][/b]
Order of the Three Lights

[b][u]Height:[/u][/b]
5ft 11"

[b][u]Backstory:[/u][/b]

The daughter of Imperion Shadowbreaker, however she is nothing like her father, she had a rebellious side. Dabbling with dark magics of the Council, on one or two occasions sneaking into Xanderath itself just to attend Loremaster Abel Samuellson's classes about the History of Arkus, or even Aydin Nerov himself teaching the basics, which she adapts to fairly easily. The reason she hasn't been regocnized nor ripped apart from the combination of Fel and Aether, is because she is in fact a Nephilim, but better yet, a shapeshifting Nephilim; managing to change her form, hair, eyes, height, build and so forth in a manner of minutes. Though shapeshifting isn't a part of being a Nephilim, it is certain that her mother, whoever it may be, was certainly not normal.

Alleria holds no hatred for the Council of the Damned, though she does despise Lithoth a tad... but who doesn't?
[/hider]