Hey everyone.

This IC is for a roleplaying world that I've developed with a friend over years.

[img]https://s6.postimg.org/sl6xoa7sx/Map_1.jpg[/img]

That is the world map, to give everyone an idea of the scale of Lasgoul.
Also, this map is the current state of the world. The timeline below is roughly 150 IRP years older than the map as it is.

Over the past four years, through other roleplaying mediums, my friend and I have developed this world.

Every single nation on that map has its own story, demographic, leader, etc. I have ran plots that span continents and months within Lasgoul.

Lasgoul is a world designed around political, social, and physical strife. It has been and always will be a world designed to react with player interaction. The area on the map labeled "The People's Conglomerate" is a nation that has developed over two years of real-world time. 

I would love to bring the world of Lasgoul to this forum and to get an even larger community than what we've got now.

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In the beginning, there was but one god. Szyzon, the Storyteller, the maker of the world and all that resides within it. From his works, we exist. The following is a transcribing of the history of our world by several Imperial scholars, annotated for insight by myself.
--Ancano Gaius Arenarius, Elven Scholar

[b][u]The History of the World, as told by the Imperium of Man[/u][/b]
[i]Through various ancient texts, we know the world has existed for nearly four millenia. In the early days, the races of men lived like beasts in their caves. We discovered fire, we discovered metal. We discovered war. In the year 993 of the Second Age, the Grey Templar was formed.[/i]
[b]The Grey Templar is believed to have been an order of witch hunters, with their original goal being the eradication of black magic rather than the formation of a state. --GA[/b]
[i]In the year 10 of the Third Age, from our ancient brothers came the first true nation of order--Rangal. From Rangal, we built. The Grey Templar campaigned and conquered all land of the known world. From this conquest, we formed the Imperium of Man, under our glorious Emperor.[/i]
[b]It should be noted that the Imperium believes that there was no true civilization before its rule, however the Imperial conquests of the Third Age trampled many existing nations, including the Auslands, Chevlais, and Gronmir. --GA[/b]
[i]For a thousand years, our reign was strong and true. We saw our people through the longest era of peace known to this world, reigning from the beautiful capital of The White City. In the year 35 of the Fourth Age, our empire faced internal rebellion--but this was quickly squashed by our Emperor and the glorious Imperial Army.[/i]
[b]In the year 35 of the Fourth Age, several of the original nations conquered in the Third Age rose up against the Imperium. This included Praia, the Auslands, and Chevlais. Praia was broken from the inside, with a weak king being turned by Imperial gold. Chevlais was, in a word, beaten and broken. The Chevlain terrain was not unlike that of Rangal, and the Imperial army vastly outnumbered the small Chevlain force. The Auslands stood strongest in its rebellion, with the Imperial footmen finding themselves at a disadvantage in the Auslandic plains. In its homeland, the Auslanders' military--the vast majority of it cavalry--was distinctly superior in combat. This rebellion was brought up an abrupt end when an Imperial assassin killed Kaiser Wilhelm Godfried I in his sleep. The loss of their leader broke the rebellion and it too fell less than a year later. King Duc Dumonte, King of Chevlais, and Wilhem Godfried II, the son of the late Kaiser, fled the Imperium by sea. After many months of travel, they discovered the second major continent--thus dubbed the New World. --GA[/b]
[i]Regrettably, crushing these rebels in combat was not enough. Several of the traitorous lords fled our empire across the sea. There, in the New World, they believed themselves to be safe. They did not know that we knew their destination before they even had one.[/i]
[b]The lords that fled the Imperium--King Dumonte, Lord Godfried, and a handful of lesser lords--formed an alliance known as the Council of the Damned. The fledgling alliance rebuilt itself in the New World--creating the states of New Chevlais, the New Auslands, and several feudal states--and vowing to retake their land from the Imperial invaders one day. --GA[/b]
[i]In the year 75 of the Fourth Age, we pursued these traitors across the Wide Sea to stamp out the last embers of the rebellion. In the New World, however, we found that the rebels had not only built themselves an impressive military--they had assistance from giant warriors and legions of heartless soldiers.[/i]
[b]These "giant warriors" and "heartless soldiers" no doubt implicate the nations of Kraetia and Prog, who were incredibly pivotal in saving the Council of the Damned from the wrath of the Imperium. These nations were both from polar extremes of the planet, and were as of yet unknown to the Imperium. Following this invasion, there is no doubt Imperial intelligence quickly learned about the two unknown allies of the Council. --GA[/b]
[i]After two years of hard fighting, we are forced to withdraw from the New World or suffer losses of such magnitude that it would not be worth finishing off the rebels.[/i]
[b]What this Imperial scholar does not mention--unsurprisingly--is that while a large portion of its military was fighting in the New World, a second Revolution ignited within the Imperium. Unable to wage effective war on so many fronts, it was forced to cut its losses and retreat from the New World to attempt to save its empire. --GA[/b]
[i]In the year 84 of the Fourth Age, the world seems engulfed by war. The traitorous barons in the New World are squabbling amongst themselves, as is to be expected of the rebellious dogs. In our own empire, we face a second Revolution, born of the invasion of the New World. By the year 86, our armies have been driven out of the coastal area of Praia.[/i]
[b]The Imperium does not recognize the nations it conquered in the Third Age as such. Typically, they are referred to simply as "area". By the year 86 of the Fourth Age, the Revolution had driven the Imperials out of the nation of Praia. Around this same time, Gladios Valladian Magnus invades the Council of the Damned whilst they are in the middle of a civil war. He cuts a bloody swathe through New Chevlais, and deep into the New Auslands. A treaty is signed that establishes Gladios as a Baron of the Council of the Damned, and creates the country of Avaliara. --GA[/b]
[i]In the year 104 of the Fourth Age, the Council of the Damned and its allies--the so-called Champion's Alliance--invades our glorious empire. Their attack is vicious and relentless, and we are driven completely out of Praia, the old Auslands, Ismire, and Gronmir. We end this bloodshed with the signing of a treaty amongst all the nations.[/i]
[b]This war marks the end of Imperial dominance of the world. Praia is consumed by crime with its newfound total sovereignty, and the old Auslands are given back to their immortal Kaiser, Wilhelm Godfried II. Rule of Ismire is turned over to the Sultan, the historical leader of the country. Gronmir is returned to the control of the dwarves. Chevlais, sadly, never sees freedom from Imperial rule.[/b]
[i]In the year 104 of the Fourth Age, the New World is again embroiled in conflict. The northern nation of Prog launches an attack on the Council, which brings a vicious counterattack. The southern nation of Kraetia steps in on the side of the Council, fracturing their Champion's Alliance. In our broken state, we are unable to take advantage of their conflict.[/i]
[b]The division over the New World conflict of 4104 breaks the Champion's Alliance of Kraetia and Prog for years to come. The Imperium is busy protecting its own borders from the still-simmering tempers of the neighboring nations it had ruled with an iron fist for so many years.[/b]
[i]In the year 115 of the Fourth Age, our empire signs a treaty with the majority of the other nations around the world. All of the signing nations agree to send an ambassador to a newly-formed World Senate. This Senate is designed to allow the nations to act together for the betterment of our peoples and the prevention of conflict. We despise any form of alliance with these traitors and usurpers, but to refuse would be to invite destruction.[/i]
[b]The Imperial recounting of history here is somewhat misleading, in that it only details parts of history that are relevant to Imperial interests. Kraetia and Prog are undergoing violent revolution from within, lead by a group of separatists of both nations, a group called Dominatus. There are several small conflicts all around the world as the New World still struggles to attain peace after the massive wars of 4104.[/b]
[i]Late in the year 135 of the Fourth Age, a dragon known as the Dark One appears. The Dark One is no ordinary dragon, however. He has slept underneath Prog since before the First Age, judging by his size. He is so large that when he flies, entire nations are enveloped by his shadow. All nations of the Senate and every other sovereign nation of man on this world are amassing their armies for one final, decisive battle with the beast. This battle will decide if this Dark One is truly the fabled bringer of the end.[/i]
[i]In the year 136 of the Fourth Age, the Dark One is defeated. The battle was massive, awe-inspiring, and desperate. Every nation of this world has felt the effects of its appearance. Nearly every army is a shadow of that which it once was. We all lie vulnerable.[/i]
[b]Here there is another nearly thirty year gap in the Imperial recounting of history. After the Dark One is brought down, every nation finds themselves vulnerable to attack. Truly, the only security is the fact that no-one has enough of a military to wage a true campaign. However, this does not stop the mechanisms of the world. In the year 4137, the New World's Council of the Damned is usurped by a group of rebels known as the New Order. Their attack is swift and devastating, murdering or displacing every baron of the Council of the Damned. Those that remain alive from the Council return to the old Auslands, to live in the capital of Kriegburg. However, the New Order lasts less than twenty years. After nearly forty years of strife, Kraetia and Prog reforge their former alliance, the Champion's Alliance. In the year 4155, the Champions wage war on the New Order on behalf of their old allies, the Council. The fledgling New Order is no match for the military might of the warmongering Champions. The New Order is smashed into splinters, and the Council is reinstated.[/b]
[i]In the year 4160, disaster strikes our glorious nation. Our Emperor is murdered in his sleep by an assassin from a group of revolutionaries. Chaos grips our nation and the world as these revolutionaries, calling themselves Liberatus, systematically murder the heads of state of nearly every sovereign country.[/i]
[b]Liberatus took the world by storm. In their revolution, they took control of almost all of the western half of the New World. World leaders everywhere lie dead, and many more are missing. Their control, however, is short-lived. Councilor Stern, head of the Liberatan military, is murdered by assassins from a group of influential businessmen, The Board. Unanimous control of half of the New World was incredibly bad for their business, most of which is steeped in conflict. With the Liberatan general dead, the Champions seize the opportunity to attack once again in the name of the Council. The Champions, their military unhindered by the New World revolution, lead an incredibly devastating attack. Liberatus surrenders in the space of days, ceding control of the New Auslands and New Chevlais to the reformed Council of the Damned, and another significant portion of their land back to feudal lords. Liberatus remains alive, however, in that Gladios Magnus lies dead, and no-one but Liberatus lays claim to his kingdom of Avaliara.[/b]
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The timeline continues, but this is a snippet to give you an idea of the world.

[u]RULES, SETTINGS, GUIDELINES[/u]
Lasgoul was originally developed by one of my closest friends, Mark, as a D&D campaign. He turned it into a freeform roleplay that was more or less quasi-D&D. He invited me to co-DM the RP--this was three years ago--and it built from there. This forum was started with consent from Mark.

The set rules we ran in the freeform and what I would run here are simple;
1. Your creativity is your limit.
2. The decisions made by myself and my co-GMs are final. We are open to appeals, but appeal it in a PM, not in the public chat.
3. Just have fun.

[b]Setting[/b]
The setting of Lasgoul is high fantasy. Magic, magitech, elves, dwarves, goblins, the works. This snippet of Imperial history is just history as told by the Imperium. There is a whole world worth of lore to discover through roleplay.
The physical roleplay setting will vary depending on where the characters are in the world.

The technology level in Lasgoul is flintlock-era firearms. Magic is uncommon in the world, but present and widely accepted.

[u]RACES OF LASGOUL[/u]
The world of Lasgoul is inhabited by many widely varying races. All races present in D&D 3.5e are present. These are your typical high fantasy races. Elves, dwarves, humans, goblins, hobgoblins, orcs, gnomes, drow, etc etc. There are some small changes made to them lore-wise, but this is just a synopsis. Feel free to PM me any questions you have.

There are certain races that are unique to Lasgoul, however.
[b]Kraetians[/b]
Kraetians are a warrior race of giants, native to the desert island of Kraetia. The average height for a Kraetian is seven to eight feet tall, with the largest Kraetians breaking ten feet. They are incredibly strong and terrifyingly agile for their size in combat. All pureblooded Kraetians share a singular trait; the irises of their eyes glow red like burning coals. Kraetians are organized into clans, with all clans following the head of Kraetia; the Warlord.

[b]Progans[/b]
Progans are another warrior race, living on the frozen island of Prog. Most Progans are fairly average in height and weight, standing between 5'6" to 6' tall. Progans are hardened warriors, trained from birth to not show emotion in combat. All Progans have mandatory military service, with ten years for men and six for women. When encountered outside of Prog, they are still often quiet and reserved.


Please feel free to reply with or PM me any questions about the world, if you're interested.

Thanks,
WM