[center][h3] Pahaad: War and Necromancy[/h3] [b]Synopsis:[/b] [i]It seemed like the world was collapsing around the mountain city [u]Pahaad[/u]. It had seemed like the last safe haven from the approaching [u]Amol Empire[/u], yet something is amiss. Amol was a relatively small country without the resources to even bother its nearby citystates, let alone conquer them and turn to empire. Amol hardly keeps the reason a secret, yet none can bring themselves to believe it: a necromancer is among their ranks. For the first time ever, a man claims to have brought back the dead, legions of them. The army of the dead, [u]The Returned[/u]. The Returned continue to decimate the armies put infront of them, as every Returned cut down was replaceable with the next. Yet, if this was all, things would be less bleak. [u]Monsters[/u], in numbers never seen before, ravage the country. The guilds and their [u]hunters[/u] cannot keep up with the demand for work, and the city guard has their hands full keeping them out of the city. Ontop of this, natural disasters, such as mudslides and tempests occur nearly weekly. The only conclusion the faithful have is that the [u]gods[/u] are angry with them. This suspicion only grew after the Temple of the Three Gods was destroyed by lightning, and the [u]mana[/u] flow has noticeable been fluctuating around the area, frustrating [u]magic[/u]-users, both [u]Caster[/u] and [u]Refiner[/u] alike. Despite these troubled, Pahaad still stands as the safest city on the Western front. It is flooded with refugees, hunters looking to make a names, and deserts and spies for Amol alike. Without a doubt, history is in the making, and heroes will find their way from all walks of life.[/i] [b]World Overview[/b] The overwhelming force in the world is [u]Mana[/u], the energy of life itself. Mana cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be polluted and renewed. Whenever mana is used, such as in [u]magics[/u], it is polluted. Whenever mana flows through life, it renews itself. The flow of mana revitalizes life, and as such, areas heavy in mana are heavy in life, such as forests and the like. Areas devoid of mana, are devoid of life, such as deserts. Mana is easily influenced by its enviroment. Mana found in cold areas will already have a cold feel from it. This influence is called coloring. The flow of mana refers to its movements, and the paths it takes around the world. Mana concentrations change, and so, eventually so do the bio domes of the world with it. Just as life is important to the renewing of mana, so is death, as the souls of the dead guide the mana as they are drawn to the Land of the Dead before moving on to the next realm. Mana's energy and ties with life occasionally bring with it odd effects. In extreme heavy concentrations, it may either create, or alter life in an area. Monsters that roam the world are animals that have received such heavy doses of mana as to change their very form, and are voracious to maintain their new high need bodies. Human's have found varying uses for mana, mainly in magics. Two forms of magic exist, Casting and Refining. Casting mana is the art of drawing mana inside one's self, and coloring it to change its form. The color and form the magic takes depend on the mentality of the one casting it. Casted Magic could become a blazing fire, or a blast of ice. In order to cast more than one type of magic, a Caster must be able to change his mentality. Because of this, the mental state of a Caster is of utmost importance, elsewise they could end up casting the wrong manner of spell (especially bad if one is a healer for example). The other form of magic is called Refining. Warriors tend to favor this form. Rather than focus on changing the color of mana, a Refiner focuses on changing it's shape, condensing it around them, and increasing either their physical abilities, or objects they are touching. They can sharpen a sword, or harden their skin to absorb a blow. A swordsman's aura, or a fighter's ki are examples of Refining magic. The use of magics has not always ended well. For example, a group of humans once experienced a similiar changes to their bodies as monsters. Known today as Beastkin, approximately 2,000 years ago, a man named Baladeva and his followers sought power that came with mana, and so they traveled to the most concentrated parts of mana, following the mana flow itself. It became so important to them, a mist of it eventually replacing the very blood in their veins, and granting them great physical strength. However, the gods looked down on their desires, and cursed them. Their bodies began to be unable to cast magic, unable to color it. Instead, they were the ones influenced by mana, taking on the essence of whatever life the mana had travelled through, becoming beastmen. Some grew wings, others grew horns, all to varying degrees. Some beastkin could pass for a human still, others could almost pass for a monster. To this day, most Beastkin are nomadic, as they depend on mana to survive still. They have developed an old and traditionalist approach to life. They worship nature and strength, and call Baladeva their god. The constant nomadic lifestyle has grated some, and some of the newer Beastkin reject it, and have travelled to more liberal human settlements. Mana's effects extend further than either man or beast however. Carrying with it the essence of life, in high concentrations, mana has occasionally spawned life, creating beings long before man. These beings, the fairfolk, or fae of old, searched desperately for purpose. Some, having fulfilled their search, and having gained immense power, began to govern an aspect, and became what the humans call gods. Most however, are still in search of both power and purpose. Fae tend to be masters of casting. Most Fae while young help traffic the dead. The recent events have cause many of them, seeing the recent disturbance with the Mana flow as their chance, have sought out human villages in search of the disturbance. [b]Pantheon[/b] [hider] [left] The Three Gods [hider] Jyothi -- The Spark, Kiran -- The Vision, and Akhil -- The Apex. One god of three aspects, thus known as the three siblings to many a mortal, these "Siblings" each govern a key element of creation. Jyothi -- The Spark: The youngest of the three siblings, said to be the first of all gods. Tis she who gave birth to the others, though its siblings came to be through other means. Spark embodies and governs the idea of potential making it the beginning of all things. However, despite her ability to bring forth things with the potential and create pure energy, Spark cannot shape or harness this into a refined form making its abilities seemingly limited. That is until one realizes just how pivotal the start of anything is. It is in this way that Spark serves as the catalyst to all things new, even if acting as such does not allow her to see what will come of said things. Thus Spark is often viewed not as a wise mother, but as a new mother, filled with love and the wish to protect her offspring, but not with the knowledge or skills to do so. She is beautiful and naive, but powerful and full of potential. She is Spark(this may become a title rather than a name). Kiran -- The Vision: The middle sibling of the three, Kiran is a wise being, embodying the concepts of vision, perception, and purpose. Kiran's time of beginning is unknown. It is said that once Jyothi and Akhil both came to be, Kiran simply was. No one is sure if he existed before his older sister and younger brother, or after. As such, Kiran is often closely correlated with the mysterious and enigmatic entities of existence. Nevertheless, the middle siblings purpose is as leader of his the others and a guiding hand for both the essence of potential so that it may eventually reach its culmination point and see Akhil at its end. All seers and prophets are said to be devout followers of Kiran, often granted their abilities by the god himself. This however has never been confirmed. It is by this sibling's hand that potential is given purpose and form. Akhil -- The Apex: Likely having come into being some time after Jyothi, Apex is said to be the last god to come into being. Often is it that Akhil's involvement with the great work is ignored or underappreciated as he is most associated, at least in mortal minds, with one's final moments. However, in truth, Akhil's aspect does not just give him power over death, but over the moments where one reaches their highest achievements and lowest valleys. Were it not for Akhil, no one would ever feel momentous happiness or fulfill their deepest desires. However, Akhil's aspect is not all positive for mortals as he is also wont to show mortals their lowest point so that they may choose to surpas the obstacles before them and so that they appreciate the end result when, and if, they reach it. As such, Akhil is a polarizing figure. As evidenced by the existence of three orders all of which proclaim to be the "true followers," of the god. It should be known that Akhil is often associated with the idea of inevitability and the fleeting nature of any given moment as all eventually comes to an end. [/hider] Other Minor Gods [hider] -Feel free to add people. [/hider] [/left] [/hider] [b]Terms & Races:[/b] [hider] [left] Pahaad- A large mountainous town seated near the border of the the Amol Empire. Prahaad is located in hearty terrain, formed initially as a pass over town on the way between Amol, and the city states of Bahrain. Despite the rugged terrain, the location quickly made it into a trading town, and free of conflict, it grew prosperous. The terrain however was filled with monsters. In order to deal with these monsters, hunters were often hired and brought into town. Eventually a full guild formed. Bahrain- A collection of city-states that loosely help eachother in times of trouble, and trade readily with one another. Each city is governed by itself. Amol Empire- Hunter- Men (and women) who specialize in the hunting of monsters, though a few take mercenary work just as easily. Large groups of hunters occasionally group together to form guilds, to draw in work easier. Life expectancy for a hunter is rather low, but they generally are well paid. Gods- A pantheon of gods are worshiped throughout the land, in both Bahrain and Amol. Generally each god governs one aspect that they zealously protect. The one exception could be seen as The Three Gods, three gods that all govern various aspects of creation. The Three Gods are the head gods, and all others are beneath them(though to what extent is often called into question). Their exact nature is often up to debate, but their existence is generally accepted, even by the less faithful The Returned- Dolls given life, The Necromancer has claimed they are the dead brought back(they aren't). The Returned are formed by binding the souls of the dead to a mask. The doll will then take on the characteristics of that soul. The Returned have no memory of the life they are based on. The mask need not be worn all the time, but for The Returned to live they need it on their persons, or they will return to being a lifeless doll. The soul bound to the mask continually talks to them, driving some insane. A few of the Returned have deserted Amol, and several found their way to Pahaad. [/left] [/hider] [h3]Character Sheets[/h3] [b]Human[/b] [b]The Returned[/b] [b]Beastkin[/b] [b]Fae[/b] [/center]