Loosely based on the classic video game Wizardry 8, this RP takes place in a valley on a planet known as Dominus. Surrounded by mountains and separated from other cultures, the players can play as a race of their own choosing or as one of the three races native to the valley. The technology level is roughly medieval or ancient. They are as follows:
Higardi: The humans living on Dominus, the Higardi have an empire in the valley, with a capital at the Great City of Arnika. Led by an Emperor, they have excellent discipline, good armor, fine armaments (swords and maces are preferred, but they have a wide variety) and powerful magic. Although they are currently the dominant force on Dominus, their control is threatened by the schemes of the evil Rapax, which will be detailed below. The Higardi are generally religious people, following many gods. Although they have priests, the spiritual center of the people is found in the monasteries and the monks.
Arnika, the capital, is well-known for its landmarks. Among others, these include the Great Library, the Palace of the Emperor, The City Arena, the Hippodrome, The Great Lighthouse, the Colossal Statue of the first emperor, the city catacombs, and the many temples. These temples were built out of marble (looking much like a Greek temple) and were rather plain, but once they were dedicated to a deity, the building took on characteristics reminiscent of the god it was dedicated to. For example, the goddess of fertility's temple has plants growing all over it, the forge god's temple has a massive furnace in it, the goddess of the hearth has a smaller but brighter eternal flame, the sea god has pools of water in the main room of the temple, while the god of light has an oracle to dispense enlightenment to those who would hear. The central religious order of the Higardi is the Brotherhood of the Ascension, which claims that humanity will rise to join the Gods one day. The world will be left behind.
The Higardi military is organized into legions. These legions are divided into three main groups: the Limitanei (border guards), the General Legions, and the elite armies known as the Comitatenses. Of this last group, the very best are enrolled into an army under the direct command of the emperor, the Palatines. To further add to the armies, the emperor has his personal guard known as the Praetorians. It is this latter force which protects the emperor, while the Palatines and others engage in open warfare. There are also militia units and other specialized groups (including allies) which reinforce the general armies of the Higardi. The Emperor is in command of the military, but has to deal with the Senate for matters like taxation, legislation, and declaring war. The Higardi Empire is allied with the Trynnie, which are discussed below.
Trynnie: Although they are the smallest people on Dominus, the white-furred Trynnie are easily the closest to nature. Living in the great forest, this diminutive race is known for its skill with hunting, foraging, and climbing trees. Standing between three and a half to four feet tall (males are larger), a Trynnie has large eyes, excellent senses (especially smell), three clawed toes per foot, three clawed fingers and a thumb, a pink nose and no tail or outer ears. As they have padded hands and feet (much like a cat or dog), they have little difficulty going barefoot and they don't use footwear. Trynnies are not known for being very smart by most standards, but they possess a wisdom that is beyond the Higardi or Rapax in how the world of Dominus works. This has given them the best alchemy in the planet, and an alliance with the spirits of the woods.
As they prefer a natural life, male and female Trynnies alike use only a pair of shorts for clothes. Being already covered in soft white fur, this isn't a serious issue for them. Their culture has fewer inhibitions of stealing and a weak grasp of property rights. As such, Trynnies tend to steal shiny little items which catch their eye, much like pack rats. The Trynnie have a single city: Trynton. It was built out of wood and placed high up in the giant trees in order to escape from dangerous predators, including the Rapax. While many Trynnie tribes exist, the leader of Trynton is the chief. He is assisted in his duties by the high shaman, who lives in the great temple.
In war, Trynnies mostly use the spear, either as a melee weapon or as throwing spears. Small hand axes are used as well. Unlike the other two races, the Trynnie don't use metal weapons, preferring to use stone-tipped ones instead. Even with the use of poisons, this puts them at a distinct disadvantage against direct combat with the Higardi or the Rapax, so they prefer to use Guerrilla tactics and ambushes. A favorite tactic of the Trynnie is to throw spears down on a band of opponents from the trees, and when the enemy turns to respond, a second group of Trynnies leaps down onto the enemy from behind, and then runs back up the trees using their claws to climb almost as easily as they can run over the ground. Apart from guerrilla warfare, the Trynnie fight back using magic. This is especially potent in the woods, where spirits of the wilds will often come to their aid. This aid can be invoked with the help of a spirit staff, an enchanted piece of wood granted to Trynnie mages. The spirit staff can only be granted, never bought, sold, or stolen, lest it lose its power. It will only aid the one it was given to, and only if he or she uses it for just causes, especially in defense of the forest.
The Trynnie revere the spirits of the forest. The central belief of their religion is that one day, the world will be inundated in a vast flood, sweeping away all impurity. Nature will be restored, the dead will return, and the Trynnie will have the world all to themselves. Unlike the Higardi, the Trynnie don't seek to leave the world or reach a good afterlife. While they believe in moral behavior to a good extent, they view the living world itself as a paradise and as such, revere it above all else. This puts them at odds with the Rapax, a group which regularly hunts Trynnie for food and sport.
Rapax: A minotaur-like race, the hooved Rapax are sworn enemies of the Higardi and Trynnie. They fought and lost a war against the Higardi thousands of years ago, and were pushed from the plains in the center of the valley into a volcanic, desert rift. Strangely, they flourished there, and are now a serious threat. Standing at over a foot and a half taller than most people and weighing at least another 150 pounds, a male Rapax is quite brutish creature, much like the bulls they resemble. Female Rapax are smaller, much like cows are to their male counterparts. Rapax have brown fur, curved brown horns, and unlike cattle, they are carnivorous and have a long tail.
Rapax culture is violent in the extreme, with blood sports, torture, and fights to the death regular and accepted practices. The Rapax King rules from his castle as an autocrat, with no real limits on his power. The only force which remotely counterbalances him are the elite soldiers known as the Templars, who are loyal to the Rapax goddess as much as they are to the king.
The Rapax revere a Demoness named Al-Sedexus. Between her and the mysterious creature known as the Lava Lord (a giant humanoid in the Rapax Rift compromised entirely of lava), the Rapax have built several major temples. Al-Sedexus goes by many names, but chief among them are the "Birthmother" and "Lady of the Rapax." The former title indicates her ability to give birth to powerful monsters, which have aided the Rapax from time to time. The latter title indicates her quasi-political power among the Rapax. While she lives in her own, twisted dimension, she takes enough of an interest in mortal affairs to cast her approval or disapproval on the policies of the Rapax King, and no monarch of the Rapax wishes to directly and openly defy her. When she visits the Rapax, she spends most of her time in her underground sanctum in the Rift, protected by a golden, enchanted statue of a Rapax with wings, but she also appears in a special temple in the Rapax Castle itself.
When a Rapax wishes to join the temple of Al-Sedexus as a Templar, one must go to the Temple of the Initiate in the Rapax Castle. After paying for initiation costs, one must solve the riddles of Al-Sedexus's handmaidens, collect ceremonial clothing, and then go to the neighboring Temple of Al-Sedexus (also in the Rapax Castle), where one must pour dark nectar onto her altar (extracted from a plant native to her dimension), causing her to appear. After correctly answering the riddles, she will personally judge whether or not one is worthy to be a templar, and if she does, one is in. It is a commitment for life, but unlike most other Rapax soldiers, Templars get to learn spells as well as use swords, spears, and other weapons. The Rapax use heavy armor, bows, halberds, and every male Rapax is expected to know how to use a sword (females use daggers instead.) All of the clergy of Al-Sedexus are female, including her high priestess, who is armed with a flaming magical staff.
Most of these details come from the game itself, but I have added and tweaked some things to make it easier to play in an online RP.
Higardi: The humans living on Dominus, the Higardi have an empire in the valley, with a capital at the Great City of Arnika. Led by an Emperor, they have excellent discipline, good armor, fine armaments (swords and maces are preferred, but they have a wide variety) and powerful magic. Although they are currently the dominant force on Dominus, their control is threatened by the schemes of the evil Rapax, which will be detailed below. The Higardi are generally religious people, following many gods. Although they have priests, the spiritual center of the people is found in the monasteries and the monks.
Arnika, the capital, is well-known for its landmarks. Among others, these include the Great Library, the Palace of the Emperor, The City Arena, the Hippodrome, The Great Lighthouse, the Colossal Statue of the first emperor, the city catacombs, and the many temples. These temples were built out of marble (looking much like a Greek temple) and were rather plain, but once they were dedicated to a deity, the building took on characteristics reminiscent of the god it was dedicated to. For example, the goddess of fertility's temple has plants growing all over it, the forge god's temple has a massive furnace in it, the goddess of the hearth has a smaller but brighter eternal flame, the sea god has pools of water in the main room of the temple, while the god of light has an oracle to dispense enlightenment to those who would hear. The central religious order of the Higardi is the Brotherhood of the Ascension, which claims that humanity will rise to join the Gods one day. The world will be left behind.
The Higardi military is organized into legions. These legions are divided into three main groups: the Limitanei (border guards), the General Legions, and the elite armies known as the Comitatenses. Of this last group, the very best are enrolled into an army under the direct command of the emperor, the Palatines. To further add to the armies, the emperor has his personal guard known as the Praetorians. It is this latter force which protects the emperor, while the Palatines and others engage in open warfare. There are also militia units and other specialized groups (including allies) which reinforce the general armies of the Higardi. The Emperor is in command of the military, but has to deal with the Senate for matters like taxation, legislation, and declaring war. The Higardi Empire is allied with the Trynnie, which are discussed below.
Trynnie: Although they are the smallest people on Dominus, the white-furred Trynnie are easily the closest to nature. Living in the great forest, this diminutive race is known for its skill with hunting, foraging, and climbing trees. Standing between three and a half to four feet tall (males are larger), a Trynnie has large eyes, excellent senses (especially smell), three clawed toes per foot, three clawed fingers and a thumb, a pink nose and no tail or outer ears. As they have padded hands and feet (much like a cat or dog), they have little difficulty going barefoot and they don't use footwear. Trynnies are not known for being very smart by most standards, but they possess a wisdom that is beyond the Higardi or Rapax in how the world of Dominus works. This has given them the best alchemy in the planet, and an alliance with the spirits of the woods.
As they prefer a natural life, male and female Trynnies alike use only a pair of shorts for clothes. Being already covered in soft white fur, this isn't a serious issue for them. Their culture has fewer inhibitions of stealing and a weak grasp of property rights. As such, Trynnies tend to steal shiny little items which catch their eye, much like pack rats. The Trynnie have a single city: Trynton. It was built out of wood and placed high up in the giant trees in order to escape from dangerous predators, including the Rapax. While many Trynnie tribes exist, the leader of Trynton is the chief. He is assisted in his duties by the high shaman, who lives in the great temple.
In war, Trynnies mostly use the spear, either as a melee weapon or as throwing spears. Small hand axes are used as well. Unlike the other two races, the Trynnie don't use metal weapons, preferring to use stone-tipped ones instead. Even with the use of poisons, this puts them at a distinct disadvantage against direct combat with the Higardi or the Rapax, so they prefer to use Guerrilla tactics and ambushes. A favorite tactic of the Trynnie is to throw spears down on a band of opponents from the trees, and when the enemy turns to respond, a second group of Trynnies leaps down onto the enemy from behind, and then runs back up the trees using their claws to climb almost as easily as they can run over the ground. Apart from guerrilla warfare, the Trynnie fight back using magic. This is especially potent in the woods, where spirits of the wilds will often come to their aid. This aid can be invoked with the help of a spirit staff, an enchanted piece of wood granted to Trynnie mages. The spirit staff can only be granted, never bought, sold, or stolen, lest it lose its power. It will only aid the one it was given to, and only if he or she uses it for just causes, especially in defense of the forest.
The Trynnie revere the spirits of the forest. The central belief of their religion is that one day, the world will be inundated in a vast flood, sweeping away all impurity. Nature will be restored, the dead will return, and the Trynnie will have the world all to themselves. Unlike the Higardi, the Trynnie don't seek to leave the world or reach a good afterlife. While they believe in moral behavior to a good extent, they view the living world itself as a paradise and as such, revere it above all else. This puts them at odds with the Rapax, a group which regularly hunts Trynnie for food and sport.
Rapax: A minotaur-like race, the hooved Rapax are sworn enemies of the Higardi and Trynnie. They fought and lost a war against the Higardi thousands of years ago, and were pushed from the plains in the center of the valley into a volcanic, desert rift. Strangely, they flourished there, and are now a serious threat. Standing at over a foot and a half taller than most people and weighing at least another 150 pounds, a male Rapax is quite brutish creature, much like the bulls they resemble. Female Rapax are smaller, much like cows are to their male counterparts. Rapax have brown fur, curved brown horns, and unlike cattle, they are carnivorous and have a long tail.
Rapax culture is violent in the extreme, with blood sports, torture, and fights to the death regular and accepted practices. The Rapax King rules from his castle as an autocrat, with no real limits on his power. The only force which remotely counterbalances him are the elite soldiers known as the Templars, who are loyal to the Rapax goddess as much as they are to the king.
The Rapax revere a Demoness named Al-Sedexus. Between her and the mysterious creature known as the Lava Lord (a giant humanoid in the Rapax Rift compromised entirely of lava), the Rapax have built several major temples. Al-Sedexus goes by many names, but chief among them are the "Birthmother" and "Lady of the Rapax." The former title indicates her ability to give birth to powerful monsters, which have aided the Rapax from time to time. The latter title indicates her quasi-political power among the Rapax. While she lives in her own, twisted dimension, she takes enough of an interest in mortal affairs to cast her approval or disapproval on the policies of the Rapax King, and no monarch of the Rapax wishes to directly and openly defy her. When she visits the Rapax, she spends most of her time in her underground sanctum in the Rift, protected by a golden, enchanted statue of a Rapax with wings, but she also appears in a special temple in the Rapax Castle itself.
When a Rapax wishes to join the temple of Al-Sedexus as a Templar, one must go to the Temple of the Initiate in the Rapax Castle. After paying for initiation costs, one must solve the riddles of Al-Sedexus's handmaidens, collect ceremonial clothing, and then go to the neighboring Temple of Al-Sedexus (also in the Rapax Castle), where one must pour dark nectar onto her altar (extracted from a plant native to her dimension), causing her to appear. After correctly answering the riddles, she will personally judge whether or not one is worthy to be a templar, and if she does, one is in. It is a commitment for life, but unlike most other Rapax soldiers, Templars get to learn spells as well as use swords, spears, and other weapons. The Rapax use heavy armor, bows, halberds, and every male Rapax is expected to know how to use a sword (females use daggers instead.) All of the clergy of Al-Sedexus are female, including her high priestess, who is armed with a flaming magical staff.
Most of these details come from the game itself, but I have added and tweaked some things to make it easier to play in an online RP.