[center][IMG]http://i66.tinypic.com/orhvfr.jpg[/IMG][/center] [h3][b]GENERAL KNOWLEDGE [/b][/h3][i][b]History, gods and common sense of the world[/b][/i] [hider=My Hider] [center][IMG]http://i454.photobucket.com/albums/qq263/Animanijak/sample_e8a64178f78dd1c83a317817d5c346caeda916cf.jpg[/IMG][/center] [hider=History] For more than a thousand years, the continent of Revea was united under the prosperous rule of the Alidan emperors. However, fifty years ago, when Alidan Nevus took the throne, a reign of tyranny began. The young emperor abused and exploited his people, using the accursed Anathema to keep the population in line and crush any who would rise against him. So great was Nevus’ hubris that he even challenged gods, believing himself to be their better. But his evil ways were not meant to last, for the Heroes arose all over Revea to challenge the tyrant, each wielding Divine Relics and leading a whole army against the hordes of Anathema which did the emperor’s bidding. There were 8 heroes: [center][b]Yar-[/b] the Dragon of the Rainbow, [b]Shingen-[/b] the Crimson Knight, [b]Gurthal-[/b] the Lion from the North, [b]Tarsaiq-[/b] the Bravest of the Heroes, [b]Ilufar-[/b] the Arrow of Certain Death, [b]Tzianxi-[/b]the Son of Heaven, [b]Kisha-[/b] the Grand Alchemist and [b]Pelephon-[/b] the Master of a Thousand Spells.[/center] After bloody struggle which lasted over many years, Heroes finally broke Nevus’ armies and forced him to wall himself within the Eternal City, the empire’s capital. Alas, Heroes were robbed of their final triumph, for the mad tyrant, loath to admit defeat, destroyed himself together with the city, cursing the lands for miles around it. With Alidan Nevus defeated peace that many have given lives for did not return to Revea. With their common enemy gone Heroes turned to each other, carving their own countries out of the empire, waging series of ever escalating wars with ambition to one day become the new emperors of the entire continent. [/hider] [hider=Gods] There are three major gods in Revea, but they are not part of the same pantheon. Instead each is its own religion and their followers only begrudgingly accept (or not all) any god besides their own as a true divine being. Below are only their names and some attributes associated with each god (because exact views differ from region to region). [b]Kilin-[/b] [i]Sun, Light, Justice, Wrath, Valour, Eternal Curse [/i] Worshipers of Kilin are referred to as “Kilians”. Most of Revean countries are Kilian. [b]Meya-[/b] [i]Moon, Luck, Change, Knowledge, Cunning, Madness[/i] Worshipers of Meya call themselves “Meyans” but everyone else calls them “the Others” because the religion is not originally from Revea. Today Meya is worshipped only in the Celestial Empire. [b]Rusvaatti-[/b] [i]Earth, Spirits, Primeval Force, Joy, Fertility, Entropy [/i] Rusvaatti is worshiped only by Fay. It is unknown if Fay are Fay because they worship Rusvaatti or they worship Rusvaatti because they are Fay. [/hider] [hider=Common Sense] These are the things that people in Revea will often mention completely certain that you'll know what they're talking about. [b]Language[/b] The way language works in Revea is very simple- all followers of one god are able to fully understand each other without actually bothering to learn other person's language. Pay attention, this doesn't mean that they speak one language! There are dozens of different languages, but between leaving your mouth and entering the other person's ear, the words you speak are magically translated to the listener's mother tongue. This works only for spoken words, written texts remain the language they are written in. Fortunately for worshipers of Kilin a script was developed during the days of the first Alidan emperors made out of symbols which represent concepts, so despite words sounding different in another language when pronounced the meaning of the written text will be understood. The Celestial Empire uses a letter-per-sound script while Fay don't write at all! Normally, when speaking with worshipers of other gods you hear their words as they are meant to sound, so you'll have to learn their language, but for some reason you are able to understand and be understood by everyone so every religion thinks you are one of theirs! [b]Money[/b] Money is simple in this world: 1 gold = 12 silver = 240 copper. Now, different countries have different names for each type of coin, but the Heroes didn't change much how coinage works from how it was during the Alidan Empire so the coins have more or less the same worth throughout Revea. [b]Fay[/b] Worshipers of the god Rusvaatti, Fay inhabit forests of Revea. They are not governed by the same laws as mortals- they cannot die a natural death, they are not born like mortals, they have strange way of interacting with their environments through contracts and they all possess some kind of supernatural bane. Because of their mysterious nature Fay often do things which seem nonsensical or downright suicidal. It is impossible to reason with them because their reasoning and common sense is different than that of the mortal folk. This has created a lot of tension between Fay and mortals, and since the demise of the Alidan Empire these tensions are only increasing, escalating to outright war in the Confederation of Marath. [b]Anathema[/b] Once upon a time, before there was even the Alidan Empire, there existed a mortal tribe which rebelled against Kilian and even attempted to kill the god. For this crime they were cursed and banished to live in the frozen land to the east (since then named the Savage Lands) forever the outcasts. During the reign of the emperor Nevus Anathema returned to the heartland of Revea, and stories of their atrocities are told to this day. Fortunately, with the tyrant gone they were again cast out of the civilised lands. [b]Adventurers[/b] Adventurer is anyone registered at the Adventurer Guild who does various quests provided by the Guild. That’s the simple definition, but today, after the Guild’s network of Guild Halls has been greatly damaged by war against Nevus and the subsequent wars between the Heroes, anyone who wanders between towns doing odd jobs, monster and treasure hunting will be called an adventurer [b]Monsters[/b] Just like with the adventurers, there’s a simple definition for what a monster is, and then there’s reality. Monsters are all animals that are capable of using magic- that’s the simple part. However, depending on how it’s convenient to a person, he may even label sentient beings such as dragons, Fay and Anathema as “monsters”. [b]Dungeons[/b] Dungeons are magic-filled places put in the world by the gods as a test to see who is worthy of wielding the Divine Relics (see below). Dungeons are usually filled with myriad of monsters and traps which strive to thwart and even kill any would-be explorer who dares to trespass in it. Still, the lure of owning (or selling) a Divine Relic is too great of a temptation for most adventurers, not to mention that there is other treasure besides the Relics, so every day a new party tries to test its skill and often fails and perishes. [b]Divine Relics[/b] Items made (or at least blessed) by gods. They hold abilities of incredible might that make the one who wields them without peer, not counting other Divine Relic owners. Holders of the Divine Relics are also made immune to natural death, allowing them to live for hundreds of years. Strange thing about the Divine Relics is that you are not required to worship the god who made it in order to use its full power. Divine Relics are found at the deepest (or highest) parts of a dungeon. [/hider] [/hider] [h3][b]DRACONIC KINGDOM, LANGUA[/b][/h3][b][i]Location of Velte, Mimori, Eri, Harmonic, Ranca and Tori.[/i][/b] [hider=My Hider] [center][IMG]http://i63.tinypic.com/iny6uq.jpg[/IMG][/center] Unlike other Heroes who founded their countries after the demise of the last Alidan emperor, Langua was the realm of the Dragon of the Rainbow since the early days of the empire. Yar was given the western land known today as the Draconic Kingdom as a reward for his faithful service to the first emperor. Since then Yar has administered and protected his realm with dutiful devotion, never asking for more but also never allowing anyone to infringe on his domain. Even after other Heroes, led by foolish ambition, began waging wars against each other, the Dragon-king Yar only sought to protect what was already his, providing his subjects with safety and security in this time of the warring states. For this, the people of Langua are grateful to their king. [u][b]Social Order[/b][/u] The king Yar stands at the helm of the country, but he is aided in his guidance of the common folk by a great number of other dragons and the Dragonborn. These beings are absolute in the Draconic Kingdom and hold the most power, but beneath them the nobility also has some influence in the decision making. In return for answering the call to arms of their king, nobles get to rule small portions of the kingdom and can rise to become ministers or some other position of power. After nobles are the citizens- commoners who are free to live and travel wherever they wish and be as rich as their ability allows them, but have no say in how the country is governed. Lastly come the serfs, people tied to their land and servitude of the nobles and dragons. All in all, it is a very feudal society. [u][b]Religion[/b][/u] People of Langua, together with their Dragon-king, are true followers of Kilin. Certainly, there is sizable Fay population within the kingdom, mostly in the Eleghur forest in the western parts, but the wise king Yar has made sure that they can’t destabilize the country. Kilian temples in Langua teach that the dragons are the children of Kilin, and that it is the duty of mortals to obey and revere them. Their progeny is just as holy and an average commoner should treat them with the respect which befits their station. [u][b]Capital[/b][/u] Capital of the Draconic Kingdom is Verzales, probably the largest city in the western region of the old empire. It is only natural, considering that Verzales has not seen war in five centuries. This long period of peace has led to prosperity and with prosperity came the flourish of culture. Verzales is renowned across the world for its painters, musicians, writers and its theatres. It used to have a nickname Twice Second City, because it was second to Eternal City in culture and to Yazai in wealth. Today, after the destruction of Eternal City and the formation of the Cursed Realm, Verzales is the place where men and women of learning and talent from all over Revea gather. Another thing Verzales is famous for today is the number of adventurers you can find, thanks to the fact that the Adventurer Guild shifted its HQ there due to Eternal City’s demise. [u][b]Common Sense[/b][/u] [i][b]Dragonborn-[/b][/i] any descendant of one of the dragons who govern the Draconic Kingdom. By their birth they occupy the highest positions in Langua’s society and it is expected of them to accomplish great things. Most Dragonborn marry others of their kind in order to keep the lineage pure, because those who have diluted the blood so much they’ve lost their draconic traits and power lose the status of the Dragonborn and become regular nobility. Although there are dozen Dragonborn families, four of them stand out due to their influence, age and wealth: Ardea, Ognien, Jashar and Ressi. [i][b]Fay-[/b][/i] fortunately for the people of Langua, the wise king Yar has an understanding with Fay of the Draconic Kingdom to not disturb them and their forests as long as they don’t disturb the people of the kingdom and allow safe passage through their lands to anyone using the highway (anyone who wanders off the highway is considered a fair game for Fay). [/hider] [hider=Volume 1 Quests] [center][IMG]http://i66.tinypic.com/sdd3te.png[/IMG][/center] [b][h2][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8hPp9xYR6s]The Land of Yar [/url][/h2]Participants: Velte, Mimori, Eri, Ranca and Tori[/b] All roads of Langua lead to Verzales- this is a common saying in the country, but when you turn this around, it means from Verzales you can directly reach any part of the Draconic Kingdom. Every day coaches to the various provinces leave the capital, able to reach the borders of the kingdom in a week. Of course that is for those who can pay while poor fellas like you will have to hitch a ride or make do some other way. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like you have to go far on your first journey outside of Verzales. The Quest window shows you Quests which are all located in Yar-agna, the region surrounding the capital. The area is known to be relatively safe due to the constant patrol of the guards and numerous extermination missions in Adventurer Guild have made sure that any newbies like yourself will not have too much of a hard time: [hider=My Hider] [b][u]Exploration Quest:[/u] Citrouille Dungeon [u]Difficulty:[/u] [color=39b54a]Easy[/color] [u]Rewards:[/u] Depends on you, likely low[/b] Known for critters which occasionally creep out of its depths and steal fruits, vegetables and sometimes cattle of the hardworking farmers in Verzales’ surroundings, Citrouille dungeon is, at a glance, just a simple cave. It’s plain entrance, a simple hole in a hillside, shows no sign that there’s anything magical about the place, and the monsters you can see on the first level appear more like your regular animals than actual monsters. In part, this is because the Divine Relic of Citrouille dungeon is already taken, making the place lose its magical fuel, but it is also because the cave is often visited by starting adventurers who wish to train. Exploring this dungeon is relatively safe experience and only utter buffoon would manage to get himself seriously injured or killed here. [b][u]Escort Quest:[/u] To the Rousilon, And Further Beyond! (maybe) [u]Difficulty:[/u] [color=fff200]Medium[/color] [u]Rewards:[/u] 10 Counts (copper) to Rousilon, positive reputation with merchants[/b] Merchant Dolei is looking for a few good men to escort his wagon to the town at the edge of Yar-agna. Because there is not much danger expected on the road the pay is relatively small, but if he is satisfied with you he might offer you to escort him further, at which point you can negotiate for a better reward. Merchant Guild of Verzales has quite a lot of influence among the nobility of the Draconic Kingdom and even outside the country, so having good relations with it is something a lot of people desire- you never know when you’ll need its wide web of connections. [b][u]Bounty Hunter Quest:[/u] The Warmag’s Band [u]Difficulty:[/u] [color=f26522]Hard[/color] [u]Rewards:[/u] 10 Counts (copper), any loot you find[/b] Although Yar-agna is considered a safe region, from time to time a bandit group would appear thinking that they will find people unaccustomed to danger and thus easily robbed. This is not entirely wrong, but while peasants and merchants may be unused to danger, the City Watch certainly isn’t such a pushover to let any bandit group hang around for too long and wreck too much havoc. Still, as of yet, the Warmag’s Band has yet to do anything more serious than a road shakedown. There have been no murders or large property damage, so the City Watch is content with just putting up a bounty on Warmag’s head. [b][u]Messenger Quest:[/u] Charlotte’s Willing To Help [u]Difficulty:[/u] [color=fff200]Medium[/color] [u]Rewards:[/u] 5 Counts (copper), positive reputation with the Ognien[/b] family Somewhat aware of your situation, Charlotte’s noblesse oblige does not allow her to simply dump you after entering Verzales. She decided to give you a simple job to earn some starting money. You need to deliver her message to another person of the Ognien family who is already in the capital. That’s it. There’s a catch, however. You see, Ognien family is very old Dragonborn family, descendant of the fire attribute dragon Ognien, and they have a lot of enemies. There will probably be individuals and organizations that would try and steal the message from you (dead or alive) or simply offer to buy it off of you. Work hard and don't disappoint Charlotte’s good intentions! [/hider] [/hider] [h3][b]CELESTIAL EMPIRE[/b][/h3][i][b]Location of Dragon Rayo, Miyu, Orion, Takeyoshi and Sophia.[/b][/i] [hider=My Hider] [center][IMG]http://i67.tinypic.com/1zfk3eg.jpg[/IMG][/center] Covering nearly the third of the old empire's territory, the Celestial Empire is Revea's largest and most powerful nation. There’s no other country which can match its splendour or the vastness of its armies, and it is all thanks to the wisdom, cunning and might of Tzianxi, the Son of Heaven. It is he who united the fragmented tribes and principalities in the eastern parts of the dead Alidan Empire, it is he who wrestled the control of Yazai from Pelephon and eventually killed the foolish Hero, and it is he who personally led the Imperial Army on great conquests, only stopped with the combined might of three other kingdoms. Yet, it is only a temporary setback, for the power of the Celestial Empire cannot be contained by mere mortals! Tzianxi is the Son of Heaven and he will see his Celestial Empire spread over the entire Revea. If the Alidans could do it with the guidance of their simpleminded god, then how could the child of Meya, a goddess whose cunning and knowledge know no bounds, not? [u][b]Social Order[/b][/u] People of the Celestial Empire are split into two groups: Meyans and everyone else. If you are Meyan, all paths to grandeur are open to you. Either through shrewd trade, bravery on battlefield or diligent and just work in the Imperial administration you can rise to reach positions of great power (and wealth) in the empire. There’s no nobility, only good and capable men and women who are willing to work themselves to the bone for the glory and might of the nation. If you are member of other religions, well, what are you waiting for? Accept Meya as your goddess and truly become part of the Celestial Empire! [u][b]Religion[/b][/u] The Celestial Empire is the only Meyan nation in the world, and it is Meyan through and through. Although it tolerates the presence of other religions within its borders (in fact, a third of the empire’s population is not Meyan), Meyans pay lower taxes, have access to all career paths, enjoy equal rights with all other Meyans before the law and they are not in danger of being suddenly conscripted on some big public project, such as building bridges, fortresses, public baths, etc. [u][b]Capital[/b][/u] Yazai, or the Greatest City of the World (or just the City), is the largest city in Revea, having more population than its next four competitors combined. Located on Feng Qi strait, which is a knot of several important trade routes in Revea (and beyond), Yazai possesses the riches beyond imagining of the people who have never been there. Even before the Eternal City’s demise Yazai had already surpassed it in splendour, but now no other city comes close to matching it. Despite the Meyan nature of the Celestial Empire, Yazai is filled with people of various religions, who come from all of Revea’s nations, making it also the most cosmopolitan city. Sometimes, some outsiders would comment how the City, its customs and its citizens can be quite strange, even borderline insane on occasion, but who cares about the ramblings of the country bumpkins who can’t handle the lifestyle of a true city? [u][b]Common Sense[/b][/u] [i][b]Festival of Regeneration-[/b][/i] an annual festival which marks the birthday of the Son of Heaven. It is the greatest event occurring in Yazai where people from all over the empire come to see it, and even from other parts of Revea. [/hider] [hider=Volume 1 Quests] [center][IMG]http://i63.tinypic.com/14vpks5.jpg[/IMG][/center] [h2][b][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--tfb6Cv7eY]The Rhythm of Yazai[/url] [/b][/h2][b]Participants: Dragon Rayo, Miyu, Orion, Takeyoshi and Sophia[/b] Another beautiful day in Yazai! The streets are filled with creatures of all races, religions, shapes and sizes, with carts and mounts and occasionally some kind of tech-thingies that you are not familiar with as of yet. Everyone is running somewhere, everyone is looking for new opportunities on this wonderful morning, and you should join them, or else you’ll be forced to live on scraps your entire new life. Oh, did I forget to mention? It has been three days since you arrived to this city (and this world, let’s not forget that!) and your stomach is sounding loud protests on the lack of input. However, you are broke, so your only choice is to find some kind of job. Fortunately, your trusty buddy the pop-up window has your back! [hider=My Hider] [b][u]Exploration Quest:[/u] Qaizan Dungeon [u]Difficulty:[/u] [color=fff200]Medium[/color] [u]Reward:[/u] Depends on you [/b] In the main square of the Qaizan district of Yazai, located right before the gates leading to the courtyard of the High Temple of Meya, is a teleportation circle. This circle leads to the first of a series of structures hovering high above Yazai. They are all together called the “Qaizan Dungeon”, after the name of the temple district, and each structure is actually one dungeon floor. You can see first few floors from Yazai, but the dungeon goes so high up it is impossible to count their exact number. Qaizan Dungeon is a favourite of the local adventurers: it is located right within the city so you can easily replenish supplies and sell loot, it has not been fully explored so there’s always possibility of acquiring great riches, and lastly, its Divine Relic has yet to be reached. [b][u]Extermination Quest:[/u] Sewer Pest Removal [u]Difficulty:[/u] [color=f26522]Hard[/color] [u]Reward:[/u] Any items found on the corpses of the previous groups sent, 10 Yin (copper)[/b] Down in the sewers some creature has made its home. The Council of Public Health is in a pinch because the few groups sent to deal with it have yet to come back, but the Black Helmed Guardians find the task of dealing with sewer vermin to be beneath them, so a call for any adventurers or people who feel that way has been sent out. Yazai sewers are a labyrinth of tunnels stretching for miles beneath the city and nobody really knows all pathways and how deep it goes. Fortunately, most of the sewer system necessary for the City to work is close to the surface and all important tunnels are mapped, so there should be no danger of getting lost. Probably. [b][u]Gangsta Quest: [/u] Neck Deep in S*** [u]Difficulty: [/u][color=fff200]Medium[/color] [u]Reward:[/u] Opportunity to become a member of Palepi Imps (and maybe even their leader)[/b] A small time gang from Megdan district that bit off more than it can chew is now looking for help against its competitors. Originally bunch of homeless kids from Omari slums who thought of making it big in the arena district, Palepi Imps have pissed every already established gang in Megdan simply by existing. If they were good at diplomacy they might’ve been able to play various rivals against each other, but instead they managed to get them united in desire to crush the cocky upstarts. Megdan district is the location of Yazai’s largest arena. The district is chuck full of the arena veterans who can’t fight there anymore due to age or wounds, and young punks who were refused access to the arena for various reasons, so it is a perfect place for strong and violent people to gather and form gangs. [b][u]Real Estate Quest:[/u] The Exorcist [u]Difficulty:[/u] [color=f26522]Hard[/color] [u]Reward:[/u] An apartment[/b] One of the better apartment buildings in Xixia district has become haunted by ghosts. More precisely, one of their apartments is, but the fear of the ghosts spreading out further has already made a lot of residents leave. The owner has offered to let anyone who exorcises the ghost take the haunted apartment as his own, free of charge. This has already created numerous corpses so more and more people opt not to take the offer. Xixia is the central district of Yazai. It is located on both shores of Feng Qi straight. On its eastern shore is the Royal Palace, but the larger western part is home to many businesses, such as elite craftsmen, luxurious inns, expensive shops etc. Suffice to say that getting an apartment here is definitely not cheap. [/hider] [/hider] [i][b]To Be Continued...[/b][/i]