@Medjedovic Need some undead horseman? probably an entire army of them. (around 500-1200) units themselves standard, perhaps a few uncommon type sergeants and a unique leader? I think it'd be funny to have the leader be super tall and that the only reason he wanted his men on horseback was so he could look them in the eye without doing his back in
Other than that go for it (try to make it both comical and deadly)
Here, I started writing something in the spirit of what I said before. Hope the scale is not too large, but I can always tone it down if it is. The characters in /b are going to have their own character sheets later on. I will expand further about religion yet, but I need you guys to decide whether their God should be a real entity or a fake. Also, the extents of Divination magic-I was thinking some sort of unclear visions plus telepathy and thought reading. Again, I'm not sure whether I should make this something specific to this faith, or expand it into a universal school of magic.
Also, I didn't know how the river in the middle is called so I just called it The Great River because I'm super creative.
The Expeditionary Force of The Kingdom of Heaven
The Kingdom of Heaven, as this powerful continental political entity calls itself, has not been interested in the island of Naroe throughout most of it's long history. Civil wars, crusades, revolutions and the general turmoil of the ages past as well as relative remoteness of the island has kept it safe from the imperialistic ambitions of the rest of the world for a long, long time.
However, the period of storm and strive back on the land is long over, and the Church of Holy Flame is, for the first time in centuries, feeling secure enough to extend it's powers beyond the borders of their homeland. Upon learning of rich ores of gold and silver in the mountain ranges of western Naroe, the aristocracy and clergy alike has formed an unlikely alliance and organized a large expedition in an effort to claim that land for their faith, their king and their purse. Ten years ago, a large fleet set sail and landed on the western fridges of the island, near the mouth of Great River*, where they settled their first and(so far, their only) city in this land-proudly named Port Hope. Ironically too, if you ask the natives.
Within a year, the army of zealots has cleansed the land surrounding the mouth, burning sacred grooves, razing villages and small towns and either killing or enslaving the locals. The humans were given a chance at conversion-most of them were pagans, ignorant of the blessings of the Flame- upon which they were send to special prison-like labor camps were they were to work in relatively mild conditions until the local clergy deemed them "faithful enough". Those who refused, were sent straight to the mines, together with non-humans.
Oh yes, the mines. Despite claiming to come for Faith and Glory, in truth, the entire expedition would never happen if not for the reports of precious minerals in the local mountains. By the time the soldiers and colonists arrived on the island, the rumors of gold and silver have grown to tales of golden cities and unfathomable riches that the greedy unbelievers have been stockpiling for themselves since the dawn of history. It is therefore unsurprising, that as soon as the nearest areas were relatively secured, the land has been swiss cheesed with dozens of mines, holes, excavation sites. Most of these have been dug by private hands-continental entrepreneurs, be they merchants, nobles, or clergymen who didn't mind dabbling in the mundane, they've all wanted to outspeed their rivals and take the largest slice of cake for themselves. At first, the workers have been volunteers from the continent, peasantry, even soldiers-but as soon as prisoners of war arrived, the owners of the mines became steadily replacing them with much cheaper slaves, often leaving the former employees fired and without any means of sustaining themselves. Unrest followed, and soon, the army found itself fighting on two fronts. Before them, was uncharted wildness-behind them, were bandits, vagabonds and mercenary units, all former miners who, in order to survive, chose the path of crime. Attacking farms, pillaging supply convoys, smuggling stolen goods back to the continent, even allying with the Enemy, if the pay was good-all these actions have effectively stalled further conquest, forcing the military to focus on defending what they already have, at least until the situation stabilizes.
However, now, several years later, the chaos continues. Old rebels have been joined by the new arrivals from the continent, and with every new gold vein found, even some of the less patriotic soldiers find themselves deserting to the traitors....It's not a civil war, but it's not peace either. What's worse, some of these deserters have became local warlords among the peoples deeper in the island, teaching them the modern ways of warfare...
But not all is grim and dark. The successful mining is more then compensating for the ever increasing costs and expenses, and the King and Church alike are in agreement, that the colonization effort must continue. Six years ago, first peasant settlers have arrived, establishing first villages, harvesting first crops...in the words of High Patriarch, "these villages...although few and unable to sustain even 1/10 of our effort there...are the sign of things to come. I envision..a bright future for our people in Naroe".
Port Hope, from a hastily build harbor surrounded by tents and clay huts, has developed into a city proper. From dirty slums to rich Upper Districts, from dirty docks to magnificent Cathedral towering over the landscape, from stone walls to stone barracks housing the local military police, "this place has everything you'd expect from a port town on the continent...if I didn't know better, I wouldn't even know that I am on the edge of nowhere!". And further development continues. Next to the aforementioned Cathedral, a central point of every Heaven settlement, there is a giant construction site. There, in the future, there is going to be magnificent fortress, whose splendor is going to rival the greatest marvels of engineering known to the Kingdom...a mighty monument to zeal and ingenuity of it's people. And perhaps, a future seat of the ambitious Crown Prince....
Unfortunately, even this city hasn't escaped the chaos of the the outside world...Despite the utmost efforts of the military police, thieves, smugglers and deserters all somehow find refuge within the city walls, and sin flourishes within the Port Hope's infamous slums. Rumors of corruption within the aristocracy abound....and the Crown Prince, busy playing soldier far away in the wilderness, doesn't do anything to stop this...The actual governance of the city is left to the High Patriarch, and old and experienced man, who has enough duties as it is..
The Church of Holy Flame is an organized religion whose roots go back thousands of years to the past, to these ages where man lived in caves and feared the encroaching darkness. There, a nameless prophet, had a vision of fiery entity called God, Lord, Holy Flame, the Bringer, the Giver, the All-Powerful one, which thought him the art of using fire, as well as the secrets of writing and Divination. There sparked, what the Church claims to be, first human civilization-the ancient ancestors of the present Kingdom. The Prophet, as he is simply called nowadays, has became first Patriarch and first King, and from his bloodline came the Oracles-blessed maidens who can use the art of Divination to communicate directly with the Divine and foresee future events, as well as "other things hidden". He was said to have lived 100 years, and he was said to have bred 100 children. Modern genealogists and clergy are in agreement that nowadays, almost every human within a kingdom carries the Founder's blood.
On his deathbed, he was said to have narrated a Holy Scripture containing all the mysteries of faith and all the wisdom of the world withing it's 1000000 pages. However, the Scripture has been lost, torn apart, and scattered throughout the world and only several thousand pages remain within the Church's grasp...these pages, put together, have became a Holy Book of Fire, this faith's most important theological text... However, even though the pages have been lost, they can still be recovered. For they cannot be burned with fire, time doesn't erode them, and evil doesn't dare to touch them..the clergy of the Kingdom is positive that one day, they will recover it all, and then, a miracle will happen...for the sake of this noble endeavor, countless crusades have been fought, countless archaeological excavations have been founded and, some say, that even this expedition enjoys such a wide support from clergy because of the faint chance that some of these Lost Pages might be discovered in this uncharted land.
The Church is organized hierarchically. On the top is the Council of seven High Patriarchs, which is the highest legal and executive entity within the organization. Beyond them are the Bishops, each of whom is a sort of religious governor of the province he is assigned to. Port Hope does not have it's own Bishop as the duties of one are effectively taken by one of the High Patriarchs. Below them are High Priests-educated scholars of theology and accomplished clergymen, whose wealth and power rivals that of aristocracy. Lower in rank are regular Priests-each assigned a church or, if he's accomplished enough, a Cathedral. At the very bottom are Novices-young priests in training.
Separately from this hierarchy are monasteries-actual centers of academic learning within the Kingdom-and the Oracles, who are a power on their own. So far, on Naroe, there are no monasteries and there is only one Oracle-although, given the power of her Gift, "one is more then enough".
The universe had no beginning, but it will have and END. When the "time comes" the Flame God will turn all the existence into a fiery inferno in the event called The End of Days. Nothing, not even gods will escape the cataclysm. What shall come afterwards, is unknown to human mind and has only been described in various holy scrolls and by Oracles in vague terms such as "rebirth", "the unknown", "the future world", "the unknown after", "the foreverdark", "the Afterburn", "the Heaven". It doesn't help that the Holy Book is often contradictory about this subject, and there is still much theological debate going on the subject.
One thing is certain-when the apocalypse comes, the flames will "burn the sinners" and they will suffer "all the horrors of their mortal lives, repeated over and over, in moment like eternity". The righteous, though, "will savor the flames and rejoice in the grace of Fire". This, in the doctrine of the Church, is called The Covenant- a promise of victory of Good over Evil, faithful over faithless and the future, eternal power in the Unknown After. Nothing shall escape the judgment of fire-dead will be resurrected, to either experience a second death or a blissful rebirth.
Yes, the people of the Kingdom of Heaven do not believe in the afterlife in the conventional sense-it is thought that death is the Ending, but their God has the power to bring the dead back to life. Indeed, there are many myths and legends, canonized and further reinforced by the Church, of exceptionally pious saints and kings being brought back to life in the grace of flame. It is believed that at the end, the Founder himself will rise from the grave to rein over the righteous in the world-after-the-flame. However, this isn't a cult of undeath. The dead will be returned "in a way they were", as living people- not rotting, skeletal abomination, an image the undead are most often associated with.
Despite the monotheist nature of this faith, the existence of other gods is acknowledged, although they are considered lesser and inferior to the One True God. They too, will not escape the judgment of fire. Therefore, worshiping these beings is considered ignorance(if brought up in the un-knowledge of the true religion) or cardinal sin(if a faithful converts to the foreign religion out of his own will). Accordingly, the blind and ignorant are to be enlightened in the light of Holy Book- given a chance- while traitors and sinners are to be enlightened in the flames of the stake.
Every good believer should follow the path of Five Noble Virtues and avoid the Five Unforgivable Sins which are each other's exact opposites(in the doctrine of the Church at least). There morals have been derived from the Holy Book by the scholars of religion, and canonized as the "correct interpretation of the Scripture".
1. Justice
The first and the noblest of virtues. A truly righteous man will never turn the other cheek in the face of evil. Will never let the wrongdoer go unpunished. Shall not suffer the witch to live, the heretic to speak, the hypocrite to corrupt, the innocent to suffer, the faithful to be oppressed. He shall be a like a sword to Evil, and like a shield to all that is good and pure. Naturally, Justice is expected the most of kings, nobles, clergy and other people in power. Unfortunately, it often happens that this very people find it impossible to live up to high standards set up by this virtue. Perhaps that's why occasional good rulers are remembered and revered for centuries after their death?
2. Temperance, also known as Persistence
This Virtue is mostly defined in terms of what it is not, rather then what it is. A temperate man will not commit the sin of gluttony. He will avoid alcohol, tobacco and any other psychoactive substances that may lead him astray. He will not surround himself in luxuries, and will not dress immodestly. Celibate is encouraged among all classes of people, but only Oracles and highest clergy is actually compelled. Most importantly, a temperate person will never skip daily prayer, and while praying, will do it with all their heart, mind and soul. Will persist in preaching the word of Flame, and will never blaspheme against their God. Will resist the temptation to sin, and, like Justice, will never let the sin go unpunished.
3. Zeal
All faithful have a duty to proselytize and convert the unbeliever, and punish the heretics and blasphemers. Not doing so, staying indifferent to evil or to the efforts of other righteous people, is a sin in itself. Even weak and feeble-minded can still contribute by indirectly supporting the crusading efforts of those more capable then themselves, by paying money to the Church or providing other services. This religion does not care for "tolerance". A zealot should see the world in monochrome. "Either you're with us or against us"- should be their motto. Naturally, that means that in the perfect world there is no place for other faiths, races or doctrines. And the colonization of Naroe- indeed, sometimes called the "crusade" back on continent"- is another step to creation of that world.
4. Charity
A righteous person will feed the poor, the orphan, the disabled. For all the poverty and strive that the people of the Kingdom of Heaven are subjected to in these harsh times, they have never failed to provide basic care for those who need it. Indeed, even on this remote island of Naroe, there is already an orphanage, and plague doctors make a routine(and often dangerous) trips to the poorest district of the Port Hope to ensure that the poor are keeping, at the very least, the basic of hygiene. Indeed, not doing so is considered a sin in itself, although no one is particularly eager to punish it! Such policy has it's historical roots in various plagues and disses that once devastated the continent. And some of the greatest heroes of this nation, have, indeed, been orphans who have risen from rags to glory. This, however, does not seem to argue with the concept of strict feudal system-at least in the eyes of clergy and nobles!
5. Obedience
All faithful shall obey the words of the Oracles, the laws of the Kingdom, the rule of the King and will not question the privileged position of the Aristocracy. To rebel against one's position in life is a sin, to question the words of the Holy Book is a heresy. This Virtue also includes obedience to one's parents, respect to older siblings and keeping order within military.
1. Evil
For the people of the Kingdom of Heaven, Evil itself is the opposite of justice. Chaos, disorder, malice, wrong-doing..there are many evils in this world, and, according to doctrine they all share the same essence, regardless of their kind. This essence is a corruption that dwells in the hearts of all the creation. In order to get rid of this corruption, one must cleanse himself in the merciless Fires and become one of the Faithful. The "cleansing", is done, of course, through Action-simple Actions such as ritual prayer, feeding the hungry or attending mass, and grand Actions, such as burning infidels, touching holy relics or allowing the Oracle to read one's heart and mind. This faith is not supportive of passive contemplation, and mere will to do good, and faith unexpressed in one's lifestyle are considered meaningless.
Of course, non-humans are beyond redemption. Their very blood is corrupted.
2. Indulging in pleasures of flesh and mind
Gluttony, lust, greed, love of material things..all these are gateways to Ignorance of the Divine. Some of the holiest men of the Church have been ascetic hermits, and even now, self torture and rigorous monastic lifestyle are encouraged. The high priests and Patriarchs of this religion often find themselves missing limbs, eyes, ribs or ears-all the evidence of their piety. However, the highest form of cleansing self-mutilation is, of course, burning. Fire is the very essence of God. It is believed that baptism in fire, destructive to body, has a healing effect for the soul. For that reason, the people of Heaven always cremate their dead, and burning on a stake is a default form of execution(and an entertaining show, too!).
However, evil lurks not only in body, but also in mind. Reading forbidden books, indulging in godless science or occult practices is forbidden. In fact, all kinds of scholarly pursuits are thrown upon if they are undertaken by anyone else then clergy-who are thought to be more resistant to guilty temptations and heretic thought then most people are. Especially peasants. All magic is forbidden, except the Divine magic of the oracles and the healing magic of the plague doctors. Especially hated is fire magic-for fire is God's domain, and those who claim command over it, displease God greatly. For this reason, Dragons have been hunted almost to extinction-even if they weren't even fire-breathing types!
3. Impiety
Atheism, paganism and heresy obviously all fall into this category. However, merely believing is a sin as well- a faith which is not put into action is a dead faith. Therefore, all true believers are obliged to pray daily, and attend mass at certain days and hours. Those who do not are at risk of social ostracism or, if the behavior doesn't cease, criminal charges! Disrespecting(or rather:not showing enough respect) to religious symbols, myths and figures also falls under this category of sin.
4. Malice
Hatred for a non-human, a witch or a sinner is not only justified, but expected. However, bearing ill-will towards a fellow believer, a poor, an orphan or disabled is considered a crime against the Flame, regardless of the reason for such hatred. All quarrels are to be solved in court, and even then, action against a fellow faithful should only be guided by one's sense of justice-or hatred of injustice-but never personal feelings towards him. Such is the theory. In practice, the state has little control over population, the law is ineffective and vendetta is carried out daily, among the poor and reach alike. Even clergy didn't escape the long traditions of revenge-murder...of course, no one dares to point that out.
5. Disobedience
The peasant shall never disobey his lord. A soldier shall never disobey his commander, regardless of what orders he received. And no one will disobey the words of clergy and Oracles. This is the order that this society has been built on. To challenge this order, is to challenge the Fiery Deity himself. Alternate systems of government-such as republics, or, ironically, even theocracies are considered revolutionary and, thus, sinful in nature.
@ArenaSnow Dragon lore sounds good. But since Naroe is only an island, I'd recommend that you base that lore elsewhere as well as Naroe. Other than that then hell yeah!
Anyone familiar with the wars on the island of Naroe has probably noticed that one name keeps coming up in the records of various armies: “The Hakapel”, a military unit numbering between 700 to 1200 cavalrymen infamous for the destruction and terror they bring to any battlefield they join. What makes this company stand out in the sea of other irregular military formations is that the Hakapel aren’t mercenaries and instead they join battles on the losing side and strive to turn the tables around and bring as much havoc to the enemy as possible (though it should be mentioned that they show little regard for their “allies” as well). Thanks to them, many a military commander gives considerably more thought on whether to engage in battle than their counterparts in other parts of the world, as there’s always a chance that the Hakapel will appear and mess up their plans.
What is unknown to many is that soldiers of the Hakapel are all undead. Zombies, skeletons, ghouls, vampires make up the rank and file of this cavalry regiment. Their leader introduces himself to mortals simply as “Namulos” and he holds all other soldiers under his thrall. This undead unit requires constant influx of blood, flesh and negative emotions to sustain themselves, which is why they constantly travel from one battlefield to another. To be honest, though, the Hakapel don’t bring destruction and carnage because they need to. They do it because they love it. At least Namulos does and his desires are the only ones which matter.
History
Records of the Hakapel stretch back for centuries. They have been the reality on battlefield for so long generals make plans built on the possibility of the Hakapel’s arrival. However, few people have any idea about the origins of this company. Some are aware that they come from the old Iron Kingdom which fell to ruins more than three centuries ago, but nobody knows that Namulos is the Iron King himself. The Iron Kingdom is famous even today for its militaristic nature and the love its king had for war, and that love the Iron King carried with him to his deathbed when the old age and illness were threatening to end his long and bloody military career.
While he could still hold the sword in his hand and charge into enemy, the Iron King decided for one last war. He purposely made offenses which would anger all neighboring countries and make them form great coalition against him and then invaded a member of that coalition. What resulted was one of the greatest wars in the history of Naroe, and probably the rest of the world, for although the armies of Iron Kingdom were outnumbered 4 to 1 they were made out of the greatest soldiers of their time. The Iron King fought bitterly for every foot of his kingdom, relishing every drop of blood spilled regardless if it was his or his enemy’s.
The War to Break the Iron, name given to the conflict by the future generations, lasted little over seven years. In the end the Iron Kingdom was destroyed and its cities razed. The Iron King himself died in the last defense of his capital, fighting to the end.
Unfortunately, the world underestimated the warrior king’s bloodlust. Even dead his desire for battle and carnage haunted his soul. The king rose again, driven by his thirst, and with him rose his elite unit. They followed him blindly into a foolish war while they were alive and now they were cursed to follow him for eternity in their afterlife, bound completely to his will.
The newly arisen undead found only ashes were once was their homeland. They were uncertain how much time has passed since their deaths, but the world appeared to have moved on. Unfortunately for the world, the Iron King didn’t. He lived for battle while was alive, but now in death the battle became the sole reason for his existence. To him the undeath was the greatest gift he could ever hope for. No responsibilities of ruling a kingdom, no need to rest or eat or drink. Now, he could fully devote himself to battle and war.
He named himself Namulos, “the Rotting King” and his cavalry unit the Hakapel, “Arisen” and has since haunted battlefields of Naroe.
The Officers
Namulos, the Rotting King Long hair and beard, broad shoulders, ripped muscles not even death could take away from him and standing at beyond 2.2 meters in height, the Rotting King is an imposing figure. Just one look at him would strike fear in the hearts of his enemies while he was alive, but now that he’s dead he is even more terrifying. He wields huge sword average human would never even think to carry into battle and fights with broad grin on his face, laughing merrily as he partakes in slaughter. Namulos only cares about those capable of providing him with challenge. Everyone else will get crushed under his boots as he charges into the fray.
Talwon, the Court Magician During the days of the Iron Kingdom Talwon was the right hand man of the Iron King. He took care of any affairs related to ruling the kingdom which had nothing to do with war. However, in death his significance to the King fell off considerably. Now that there is no more kingdom to rule and the Hakapel could devote itself to war, the only useful skill Talwon has left is his magic, which is something he is not very pleased with. Talwon dislikes war and hates the fact that he is enthralled to the king as mad as Namulos. Thus, he uses he knowledge of magic to figure out how they were raised from death and how to break the hold the Rotting King holds over the soldiers in Hakapel.
Karolm, the Tarnished Knight Once known as the White Knight, Karolm used to be the mitigating influence on the king. He was the one who worried about the common folk who got caught up in the king’s war and the one who strived to save as many innocents from pointless death as possible. During the War to Break the Iron, he wept as he saw his country ravaged by armies of the coalition. He fought not for the mad king but to defend the people suffering because of his insanity. When the war was lost and he was killed, Karolm had only regrets and those regrets he carried into his undeath. He hates what he’s become and he hopes that one day a mighty warrior will grant him the peace of death.
Hundervud, the Immortal Soldier Both in life and death, others always considered Hundervud to possess same love for war as the Rotting King. Although not entirely false, the reason behind Hundervud pursuit of battle was not in mad bloodthirst but in warrior’s desire to always improve his skill fighting against stronger opponents. Hundervud is the best warrior in the Hakapel, his skill on horseback and on foot unmatched. Unknown to others is the fact that Hundervud is the only member of the Hakapel who isn’t supernaturally bound to the Iron King and follows Namulos out of his own free will. Why does the Rotten King have no sway over his will is unknown to him and considering he has seen no reason to tell others about it, he probably won’t find out the reason any time soon.
Fatuh, the Butcher of Rassien Fatuh is the one person in the Hakapel who is more bloodthirsty than Namulos. While the Rotten King loves war because he enjoys the thrill of battle, Fatuh loves war because he can slaughter people without being held accountable. His title comes from his greatest crime and his greatest personal pride, the massacre of the citizens of Rassien. It is said that ten thousand people died in less than week when Fatuh captured the city and ordered his soldier to kill every man, woman and child they could come across. The atrocities committed that day are too many and too horrid to recount, but suffice to say that Fatuh has not changed at all with death. In fact, you could say that now that his existence depends on spilling blood of others that he embraces carnage with even more enthusiasm than when he was alive.
An ancient breed, classified as Greater Beings by most and second to only others in that category. An individual dragon can destroy decent sized forces of men, and often without an apparent stopping point, given the lack of those specifically trained in such duties.
That said, they are extremely rare and are as of now found only in higher mountains or the cold north of the island. The ones in the world at large are completely unconcerned with the affiars of Naroe; the few dragons left on Naroe are in hiding mostly to save themselves, although a select few would actually go in public. Those few tend to be Dragon Mages.
Most dragons, by default, come with wings - those that do not tend not to be pure dragons and are rarer to come by than winged ones. The backside, legs, almost dinosaur-like arms and heads of dragons are heavily layered in thick scales that are almost impossible to penetrate with normal weaponry, although magic weapons can be a different story.
They all possess a natural immunity to magic, as that is part of the essence of their being. This is only diminished by those who have dabbled a little too much in magic; usually magic that augments oneself. They also have a stronger natural immunity to the elements they specialise in.
The nature of the dragons that are on Naroe means that most of them have an affinity with fire, although some (which, combined with the rareness of typical dragons, makes them even rarer) are born with different elements or specialties in mind. Ice and cold could be one dragon’s specialty, while another may be a powerful maker of acid.
Dragons age very, very slowly. A dragon can easily live for a thousand years before age starts to kick in. They mature over the course of 50 years.
All of them possess what is known as the Dragon Flame. It comes in a variety of types; it doesn’t even have to be fire. It was simply the name given to it by humans, who tended to meet fire based dragons (at least the ones who survived an attack or even befriended them). This “Dragon Flame” is the source of every dragon’s fire, and is attached in magical form to their souls. Dragon Mages can tap into this and use it to maintain their appearance as human mages. Hints of this magic can be noticed in their blood, although a human trying to ingest dragon blood would be killed due to its composition being acidic to humans but just fine for dragons.
Those that are dragon mages tend to be incompatible with some human spells. Thus, spells used against them usually have to be universal in nature or compatible specifically with dragons in general, whereas dragon mages have difficulties using standardised human spells - they tend to draw upon completely different sources.
It is difficult to make friends with any dragon, given the mutual distrust, but the few that do make friends tend to be very good buddies - dragons tend to be more attached to others than other species, although it is difficult to form such an attachment in the first place. Many view humans as “Lesser Beings”, further complicating the issue.
Dragons not born to dragons and raised as individuals can grow to be very dependent upon those that raise them. (More to be added if needed)
Dragons tend to have difficulties shifting their mass on ground. Even though they are very good at flying, they are awkward while on the ground due to their size, especially if in an area terraformed for human purposes (a town, castle, etc).
They all, in dragon form, have a softer underbelly, vulnerabilities in the eyes and the insides of their body. Ingesting something acidic that they are not specialized for is deadly, poking at the eyes is a good way to blind or piss them off, and stabbing at the underbelly has a higher chance of success than any other part of the body. Human form is just that, for the ones that can shift - vulnerable. Being in human form and mortally wounded automatically forces them into dragon form… which can become a problem if in a cramped space. Additionally, they still suffer a good portion of the wounds they had in human form - what may be fatal to a human would gravely injure the dragon, although not fatally. Fatal damage in dragon form cannot be recovered from except by external healing; shifting to human form would more likely kill them on the spot.
Their population is very small and typically old, even for dragons, the effects of which are shown by a bit of an amplification of all weaknesses.
Dragon Mages tend to be incompatible with strictly human/related species spells. They draw off different types of power reserves.
A small branch of dragons in the world at large, these come from all walks of dragon species, united in one thing - their ability to shift, condense their mass via magic in such a way as to pass off as human. Their weaknesses and attributes are mentioned above. Although in dragon form typically not much more powerful than other dragons, some of the most notable dragons in history have been Dragon Mages.
The first dragons to appear on Naroe came several thousand years ago, being a mixture of dragons that were more or less exiled from their homeland. They all consist of what is known of the world’s Southern Dragon Brood; however, they have split once more over time. Various types of dragons had come to the island, so some of those can potentially be found.
In their day, they were the dominant forces on Naroe, trampling as much as they liked. One dragon, a Dragon Mage, led them, being a combination of not only a dragon mage but also being the strongest dragon in the entire southern part of the world, let alone on Naroe. His name was Nathkrul, and he led all the dragons in relative unity.
They bit off more than they could chew, however. Forces were created that knew the dragon’s tricks, and old magics were invoked. The result was a long, bitter, 300 year long war that killed over half the dragon population and eventually Nathkrul himself, which shattered the unity of dragons on Naroe and demoralized dragons everywhere. Hunting continued for another 700 years until they became extremely rare.
Four broods - Northern, Eastern, Western and Southern - formed from these remains, all of which tended to be hostile to each other. Their encampments are deep in the mountains of Naroe. 30 or so dragons survive of each brood, a fraction of which consists of dragon mages. Some of them have tried to emerge in society to either continue the old wars or make peace; either way, those have been repelled. The result is a very small, old, very slowly breeding (ie, losing more than gaining) population of declining dragons. Young dragons and dragon eggs are considered sacred and every bit worth dying for.
Dragon Natural Abilities: Like most dragons of a higher level, Etruscan is capable of swift flight while in dragon form, possesses the extra strength that a full sized dragon is entitled to, can breathe Dragon Flame, a bit more resistant to the effects of weather and weapons due to scales, and is a bit resistant to magical attacks (less, however, than most dragons) and is resistant to fire. Additionally, he has the healing ability of dragons while in dragon form. Dragon Mage Abilities: Dragon mages possess the ability to make themselves look human, with a good rate of success by “Shifting”. For the most part, they cannot be distinguished from normal humans in a normal setting, although they have a smell that a trained nose can detect and tend to have more dragon-like eyes that stand out regardless of the strength of the dragon mage. All dragons can immediately detect him and greater or magic based beings typically have a good idea of what he is from the start. “Shifting” to human form gives him the mobility of a human and control and resistances of normal Dragon abilities, such as being able to channel Dragon Flame and having a stronger hit power and more resistances than usually found on humans, on top of being about to augment himself with other spells that dragons could not take advantage of, if required. Taking a critical wound in human form forces a shift to Dragon form - even if there is not enough space to shift. If he, say, has his head chopped off, then that’s tough luck for him - that limb is lost forever, and he will shift without a head and therefore no control over his body ever again… of course while being dead. This applies to other limbs lost in human form. If limbs are lost in dragon form, than this translates also to human form - although wings feel as though a deep pain in his rib cage.. Wounds in dragon form tend to heal better, but are still heavily damaging. A critical wound in dragon form is fatal, although harder to strike. Intelligence: That of a dragon, while inheriting some of the sometimes undue pridefulness and tendency to over complicate simple things.
Dragon Natural Weaknesses: Restraint in human form for dragons that can shift means that a dragon is incapable of shifting back to dragon form. The same applies vice versa. They suffer from some lack of mobility, given their size, and a little in agility. Although beings with a magical base, they tend to have less control over spells in general - even dragon mages find it harder to control spells than a powerful human mage. Certain dragons are born specializing in different elements, with Dragon Flame taking on that element, but this means that resistances shift to accommodate that element - that would mean no more fire specific resistance. The underbelly, eyes, and insides of a dragon are vulnerable, with the eyes causing the most pain to them if they are hit there and the underbelly tending to be softer than everything else. Large numbers and crowd take-downs can be very dangerous if unchecked, with the proper strategies and equipment. He will permanently revert to human form if he loses both of his wings, meaning fatal wounds in human form at that point stay fatal no matter what, with no escape. They (dragons) are average in the grand scheme of greater beings and to another greater being, they may not be as powerful as they may think themselves as, with Etruscan being no exception. Lightning in a storm has a slightly higher chance of focusing on a dragon’s internal magic, with Etruscan being more vulnerable to this. Too Much Tinkering: Etruscan is unstable in body composition due to various spells, including many unsuccessful ones, to attempt to make himself stronger. Overexertion in magic can kill him faster than with others, and being overwhelmed with magic is easier to do than if done against other dragons. Unpopularity: His history makes him hated by many dragons and unpopular with many other beings, making allies without using manipulation a very rare occurrence.
Almost deemed insane by other dragons, Etruscan has his sights set on his goals and will stop at little to achieve them. He is more than willing to use “lesser beings” as his pawns and suck up to greater ones, respectively. He is cynical and manages to find just about anything bad in a situation.
An elder dragon, Etruscan was once a trusted member of the Southern Dragon Brood, before the whole island’s dragon population was considerably reduced through the ages. The situation with reduced dragon population became so dire that he decided to take matters in his own hands. Kidnapping the eggs of several precious dragon eggs, he went to a series of previously unknown mountains to raise a small army to strike back at the beings that were such a pestilence.
This went against all the ideals of the leader of the Southern Dragon Brood, who sent his remaining forces of dragons to take down Etruscan and his rebellion. By then, Etruscan had gathered a small army of dragons, other Brood recruits, extremist humans who were deluded into following the cause, and a force of undead thanks to the works of one necromancer who had joined him. The battle was extremely damaging on both sides - every single one of the stolen dragon egg legacies were killed in combat by more aged and experienced dragons, and the “army” was smashed in minutes. Etruscan himself was forced into hiding.
He has bided his time for quite a long time. His current goals are to find and raise dragon eggs for himself, while building up a small following in the meantime. He considers himself completely just and one day strives to get back at the puny species that had decimated his kind on Naroe… permanently.
