[center] [img]https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/1a/33/0f/1a330f78e521e18533cfed8a233cecf8.jpg[/img] [h1]Carver "Swift Colossus" Pentaghast [i]Main[/i][/h1] [i][color=00aeef]"My superior told me, 'Swift Colossus! That's your warrior title,' but I told him I was upset that they didn't named me 'Carver the Carver.' Carver, as in carving through enemies. He laughed at me, and I did 200 pushups. It was worth it." [/color][/i] -Age: 42 -Height: 6' 3" -Weight: 220 lbs [h2]Clothing[/h2] [i][color=00aeef]"These looks nice, don't they? Too bad that's all they're good for." [/color][/i] Normal See image. The armor he wears is light and is mostly for show, and would not hold up in combat much better than studded leather armor. [i][color=00aeef]"Ah how I miss the glory days. My back, however, does not feel the same sentiment."[/color][/i] Battle Gear Carver rarely adorns any battle gear anymore, as he did his duty as a soldier and no longer fights in wars. However, this does not stop Carver from pushing himself and practicing his skills with the royal guard. His weapon of choice is a broadsword, to which he used to be able to move with much agility when he was in his prime. However, as he is older and out of actual practice, he is somewhat clunky with it, and has moved on to try and master the long sword. He wears plate mail when he has to fight. [h2]Biography:[/h2] [i][color=00aeef]"Ah, youth. How I long to go back to it."[/color][/i] Carver was son of a Dec and lived a fantastic life as a young child. He received excellent schooling and top notch combat training. He excelled in both fields and this trend continued onto his military career, where he joined the army at the age of 14. He wasn't deployed onto the border against the north until 18, and that is where he made a name for himself. [i][color=00aeef]"The border was so boring. I spent most of my days counting grains of sand in the desert. Which I counted all of. Twice."[/color][/i] Carver's first two years on the border was nothing eventful. It was mostly keeping bandits and thieves out of Praelium. But one night when Carver was watching post at the end of his 2nd year on patrol, he noticed an usual light in the distance. He pulled out his spyglass and saw in distance something the size of a large battalion, headed straight towards them. He immediately sounded an alarm and readied his weaponry for battle. However, the people on station were outnumber 3 to 1, and Carver could only hope to hold off the oncoming attackers. Carver did not fear them, and rallied the men that he had and began their defense. With Carver's leadership and battle prowess, he held of the attackers, who wore flags from a single northern country. He reported this information to the House of Decus, and thus began the War for Praelium. [i][color=00aeef]"Their biggest mistake was first attack the post that I was on watch for."[/color][/i] The northern country that had attacked was leaving their homeland due to the poor desert conditions and rise of an imminent attack from other countries onto them. Hopelessly outnumbered by the much larger country, they decided their best option was to launch their own campaign on Praelium and take over the much nicer land there. Praelium, however, did not bend over very easily, or at all for them. With reports of Carver's great leadership skills and proficiency on the battlefield reaching the House of Decus, Carver was immediately promoted and given his own battalion of soldiers. The war lasted for fifteen years, as the fighting was relentless from the northern country. The war only ended when the last of the northern country's people had either surrendered or perished. Carver's incredible defensive tactics and actual presence on the battlefield played a great role in the seemingly impossible victory for Praelium, so when the old Tyrannus passed away it was no contest for Carver when the election was held. [i][color=00aeef]"My rule as Tyrannus as been the 2nd best experience of my life. Nothing quite beats the thrill of good guy versus bad guy in war, though."[/color][/i] As Tyrannus, most everyone in Praelium agrees that Carver has done an excellent job. As his country is recovering from the war, he has focused on reconstruction of damaged buildings and a bigger defense against another possible northern attack. He is a big proponent an alliance against the warring country to the north of him, as his country is the closest thing one to the warring battlefield of the northern desert. [h2]Personality[/h2] [i][color=00aeef]"Describe myself..? I think Tyrannus is a good enough descriptor."[/color][/i] Although Carver can be disciplined when need be, he prefers to take things light when possible. He tends to avoid conflict and likes to compromise when possible. However, when his back is against the wall Carver can be aggressive, ruthless, and passionate, especially when it comes to his duty as Tyrannus of Praelium. During his youth Carver was quite cocky, but since then he has toned down, although his bravado still bleeds through sometimes. [h2]Likes and Dislikes:[/h2] [i][color=00aeef]"Give me a chuckle and an uppercut and we'll get along just fine..."[/color][/i] Likes A good sense of humor, Sparring, Mock Wars, Honor [i][color=00aeef]"... However, if that punch was underhanded and to the jugular, you're a dead man."[/color][/i] Dislikes Unnecessary Death, A lack of mercy, Disrespecting his country, Deceit [/center] [center] [h1]Praelium[/h1] [img]https://qph.ec.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-7c13dc55bc571c08c4fe4f06b7f7dd18[/img] [h2]Political System[/h2] Stratocracy (Military based). Praelium is ran by the House of Decus, the House of Dominus, and ruled by the Tyrannus. [h3]Tyrannus[/h3] The Tyrannus is essentially the king of Praelium and can steer the country to however they wish, as long as they act within the bounds of the law. The Tyrannus, in addition to leading a the country, also controls the military and can declare war whenever they so please. They are expected to attend to international affairs and represent the nation as a whole. When it comes to the House of Decus, they run the meetings and can also act as an individual Dec within the House. To become a Tyrannus, a soldier must rise through the ranks of the military and be honorably discharged. If the Tyrannus dies, all soldiers eligible and willing to be a Tyrannus is selected as a potential candidate for Tyrannus. An election is held between all members of the military, and the Tyrannus serves until their death or they are deemed no longer fit for the position. [h3]House of Decus[/h3] Essentially the equivalent to the United States senate, but holds a bit less power as the Tyrannus holds most of it. Members of the house are referred to as "Dec"s, and create laws. To become a Dec, one must rise through the ranks as a soldier to a certain rank (obviously not as high of a requirement as a Tyrannus) and if they are willing, are granted to be a Dec. [h3]House of Dominus[/h3] Only few citizens of Praelium remember the origins of the mysterious Dominus, but they hold power that is much greater than the Tyrannus. A majority of the people consider the House of Dominus not a part of Praelium, but instead a mysterious cult that was there long before Praelium was established as a nation. While it is clear they look out for the best of Praelium, no one knows their protocol or reasoning. But next to that, most people only have rumors to what goes on with the House of Dominus. All the people know is that all the known Praelium mages are taken there. When a child is born, a member from the House of Dominus is always at the birth and takes the child before the mother even gets to hold her child. From there, a ritual is performed to detect whether or not the child has magical potential. If it does not, the child is simply returned to the family. If it doesn, the child is taken away and the family is notified by the doctor instead of the Dominus. It is said that members of the House go through rigorous study and come out infinitely wiser than most people. The House will insert themselves in situations where they deem necessary, such as a Tyrannus acting out of line or if there is corruption in the House of Decus, which they always somehow find out about. If the population of Praelium ever feel threatened by the government, the House of Dominus is where they go to seek help. The House has overthrown Tyrannuses and the House of Decus before, and the powers they wield strike fear and awe into the people of Praelium. Although their help in the military has been asked by the Tyrannus before, they always refuse, never clearly stating their reasons why. [h2]Territory Description[/h2] Praelium is a land of extremes, with either having great mountains as of the Mountain of Imperium or stretches of flat lands such as the Great Plains of Vaux. The diverse terrain provides good farming land and defensive military points. [hider= Significant Places] A- Gloria. Most battles against the "savage" northern desert tribes take place here. B- Congus. Located in the Congus jungle, troops generally prepare here for fighting in over seas campaigns where jungles are common. C- Inclina majora. A mountain side fort filled with archers. The archer to swordsman ratio is about 3:1. D- Viridi, located in the plains. Consists of almost only new soldiers. Used mainly for a boot camp. E- Artis Port- Trade with the penisula to the right usually occur here. F- Paline- Home to Praelium's navy. It is as busy as Fort Gloria to the North due to the ticking time bomb below them, Benaduza. Efforts are trying to be made to create a vast and possibly more technologically advanced navy to try and counter Benaduza's king's impressive naval skills. G- Pacala- A strange mix of a port and fort. Trade done with Benaduza is done here, but regulations are strict. Guards are always on the watch for potential spies or enemies that come from Benaduza. H- Crementum Port- Trade with any nation to the left of Praelium is done here. I-Inclina minora- The sister to Inclina majora. Newly established, this fort is small and consists of as many soldiers as construction workers. J- Tandem, near the capital. Is a last line of defense if the northern desert ever breaches Gloria. A mix of veterans and new recruits make up the population. K- Great Praelium- The capital of the continent. The capital holds plenty of leisurely activites for the people of Praelium as well as all of its government policies. No one besides Praellium citizen's are allow here. [/hider] [h2]Culture Description[/h2] Praelium holds great value in the honor of battle. They do not view it as a savage act, but instead view it as an ultimate test of mind and body. Everyone must have joined the military at one point and gone through training as per the law of the land. Those who do not show great promise in battle are often given peasant lives of farming or running a stand in a market. While not unappreciated, peasants are viewed as lesser citizens by military ones, but do not suffer from any harsh laws that forbid them from anything, except holding a position in government. Praelium's people is xenophobic, as they are constantly surrounded by threats of other nations. This xenophobia is further supported by the people's intense sense of nationalism. Most people cannot imagine their life outside of Praelium and very few ever move from their home country. Almost all previous Tryannuses have promoted this xenophobic thinking, but Carver is desperately trying to change that and hope for a more friendly relations with other countries. The country's main enemy is the warring tribes north to Praelium, and their feelings towards the north are generally nothing short of pure hate. Were it up to the average Praelium citizen, they would happily launch a military campaign of attack to the north and slaughter every last one of the tribesman. As for other nations, the people take an out of sight, out of mind policy. They care little of the Jagged Mercantile Consortium or On'hino. However, they do watch out for the possible fate of Benaduza. With the direction the nation is going, they fear it will end up like the desert tribes of the north, a constant warring state that will eventually try and attack Praelium. Benaduzians are usually met with caution and avoidance, as they associate the countries unrest with their citizens as well. The population consists of a human majority, with the human to non human ratio being 5:1. However, as long as one is a Praelium citizen, a human would show no more disgust towards and elf than another human. This tends to come from the bond made during military training and battle. When it comes to magic, Praelium people are either mystified or terrified of it. The only contact Praelium people come with magic is the ever mysterious House of Dominus. Praelium's religious culture is quite the opposite of how they view everything else. Religion is generally decided by a single person, and whether they believe a pre-existing one, one of their own, or nothing at all is generally up to the individual. However, borrowing power of favor from Gods is looked down on. Praelium's people believe that the power of Gods should be used strictly by the Gods, and to use it themselves would be disrespectful to any creature of higher power. [/center]