[img]https://pre00.deviantart.net/e70f/th/pre/f/2014/195/d/8/d830e4ed74ca8613bad0202e8f5bfbe2-d7qmpxe.jpg[/img] The world of [url=https://maximeplasse.deviantart.com/art/Telduria-467993282]Telduria[/url] is filled with dangers and opportunities. The world is made up of numerous factions, kingdoms and alliances. Most of the time there is relative peace but every now and then wars and skirmishes breaks out. There is a council of nations which tried to mediate peace between the nations. Each nation is represented along with the guilds which span the world. The guilds have an invested interest in keeping the peace due to how they work across the borders. The different nations make up half of the council while the guilds make up the second half. The balance in the world is on a life's edge. A powder keg waiting to blow, but no one dares to make the first move. After the formation of the adventures guild and the mercenary guild most nations dissolved their militarises and instead the army is more of a policing force than an offensive one while the guilds hunt down dangerous creatures and monsters that appears in the world. The nations have changed their ways from war to one of assassination, espionage, economics and diplomacy. World leaders don't tend to survive very long if they don't have guards with them at all times. While officially there is no assassin's guild or thieves guild they do sure exist and are thriving like never before in the current political climate. That and the other guilds don't stop them since they also hire their services from time to time. The various temples and religions have no official power part from some nations which are based around a belief. In actuality though they have considerable powers since they control the masses just as well as the rulers themselves. Get on their bad side and you might just find an assassin coming for you. The world is there for you to explore, exploit or serve. Which path with you take? Honour? Nobility? Perhaps a darker path? Its up to you to decide. [hr] This RP is sandbox styled with focus on player choices and actions. The main story revolves around the players but there are numerous things happening behind the scenes that the players don't know about unless they investigate it themselves. For example The players might hear a rumour about a daemonic cabal which wants to summon a daemonic horde to wipe out a country. The players choose instead to take over the country themselves. But then Perhaps a few years down the line the cabal succeed and crush the country, players included if they don't deal with the threat. I as the GM would act like the environment and control the NPC's much in the way of how a DM would in tabletop games. The rules are the standard rules you are everywhere with a few add-ons which I'll post in the OOC. Pretty much they revolve around not being an ass. While there is an underlying plot line and events, quests, ect, the players have complete freedom on what they want to focus on and do. I wont also you on the wrist for killing a town, but fully expect the consequences of your actions. Want to live like bandits? Do that. I won't stop players from living out their fantasy in the RP. This also means that the RP will always be open for characters and multiple groups of any size. Player choices can bring the groups into conflict with each other, which is fine, as long as it gets solved realistically and in character. There will be an alignment, fame and infamy system which I'll keep track of in the OOC. Amongst other things. Feel free to invite others to the RP. Any and all that you enjoy RP'ing with. Due to the dynamic there is a distinct chance that the different groups may never meet, or a while into the RP. [hr] You can assume a lot of what they do by their names. I'm mostly going to add where they are located (HQ), who leads them, and such. [b]Existing guilds[/b] [list] Mercenaries Adventurers Merchants Mages Inventors Miners Builders Teachers Enchanters Tailors Blacksmiths Leather workers Hunters Crafters Shipwrights [/list] [b]Unofficial guilds[/b] [list] Assassins Thieves Bandits Pirates [/list] [hider=Religion and holy orders] [h1]Holy orders[/h1] [h2]The order of the Radiant Sun[/h2] The purest of the orders. They take it upon themselves to help the small person of the world. At least the ones that have converted to their religious dogma. Many a holy crusade has been called to help those believers in need of help. They fight for their rights and won't bend to anyone. [h2]The order of Love[/h2] While the other three orders are mostly militaristic in nature, the order of Love's members also double up as companions for the night. Every single sworn brother and sister of the order is also a highly skilled prostitute. Wars aren't only fought on the battlefield after all. [h2]The order of Fire[/h2] Many call them pyromaniacs, crazies playing with fire, but that is only partially true. They know that after a good forest fire, the forest grows stronger than ever before, at least if its not magical. To make way for the new the old needs to be burned down. Not subtle in any way of the world and their path is always littered with charred remains. [h2]The order of Justice[/h2] The holy order dedicated towards justice and order in its purest form. They are the judges, jury and executioners of the world. They are the ones whom are called whenever there is a dispute that is larger than what a normal court can handle. Or if you think that you've been unjustly treated or tried, contact the order of Justice. [h2]The order of the Frozen Heart[/h2] A divergence of the Order of the Radiant Sun, the Frozen Heart split away from the order due to certain key points in ideology. While the Radiant Sun believes in protecting the common folk, they heavily prioritize those of their own faith instead of remaining more neutral. The Frozen Heart instead helps everyone equally. Not only that, they consider emotions to be a hindrance when it comes to helping and caring for people. You can never truly be a force of neutrality and helping everyone with emotions. Bias, greed, jealousy gets in the way. Instead of letting these things get in the way, the Frozen Heart dealt with the issue, permanently. They seal off all emotions so that there won't be any hindrances. If you can't feel pain, loss, envy, greed, you can never be bribed, tortured for information, or let any emotional bias get in the way for what's right and good. [h1]Religion[/h1] [h2]The Radiant Sun[/h2] Nicarous main branch. They are the nicer interpretation of the scriptures and focuses on helping the common man with their lot in life. Order and justice are their virtues, along with kindness and hope, two sides of the same coin. [h2]Blessings of Tiinra[/h2] The church of fertility and love. This order is in charge of weddings, childbirth and everything between. Is your lovelife lacking? Contact the Tiinra church and they'll help you. Want some company on a lonely night? Tiinra to the rescue. [h2]The fires of Life[/h2] The church of Tiinra's branch family. They take their goddess meaning in a whole different direction compared to the main branch. While the main church focuses on spreading the love and fertility unconditionally, the fires of Life says that the old has to be burned down to make way for the new. [h2]Judgement of Nicarous[/h2] The god of justice and order Nicarous more forceful branch. While the main branch in the radiant sun may deal with helping the common people through aid and food, the Judgement takes it upon themselves to dispense justice wherever its called for. [/hider] [hider=Nations] [h2]Dominion of Kelnore[/h2] The Dominion of Kelnore is made up primarily from various beastmen variants. The national founder, Dokhak, a massive Minotaur united the Dominion through pure fighting power and a reign of terror towards his enemies. He drove out most of the foreign races on the island and established himself as it's unified first ruler after a decade of struggle. Before the Dominion was created the island was made up of various beastmen factions. Mostly they lived in peace with the occasional skirmish against each other. This all changed though when the other nations landed on the island. The different factions were goaded to fight each other by promises of riches, glory and support to settle old grudges. The capital of Tamash Ahir was already build a few decades before the unification of the lands by human hands when the Kron Nesis wanted to establish a foothold on the island to exploit its natural resources. The island itself might be mostly barren but the mountains hold riches beyond counting along with massive coral reefs along the coastlines. Dokhak made the city the Dominion's capital out of spite towards Kron-Nesis. [h2]The Grand Kingdom of Kron-Nesis[/h2] The Grand Kingdom of Kron-Nesis is one of the largest kingdoms in Telduria, rivalled only by the Northern Alliance and the Fang Lands. The Kingdom has a long and proud tradition of knightly orders and could be considered the major player when it comes to mounted combat. Kron-Nesis is primarily made up from humans and various races which serves as slave labour. While not all foreign races are made into slaves, most of them came to the kingdom through slave trade and war. In the kingdom if you're born to a slave, you're a slave, unless a free person claims you as their offspring. The only way out of slavery is earning enough favour to be released, escape, or death. The capital of Kron-Nesis is Tarantis, the jewel of the south, as it's also called. The city is almost entirely made out of marble, jewels and other precious stones and materials. The royal family likes to flaunt their wealth and you're supposed to be awed when you enter, or even see the capital. They want to make damn sure you know why it's called the Grand Kingdom after all. [h2]Darakeene Protectorate[/h2] A small nation to the west of Kron-Nesis. Made out primarily of dwarfs and crafty races in general. The mountain chain which divides the protectorate and Kron-Nesis is a highly contested area which wherein skirmishes happen almost daily. Neither side is willing to commit a large force though since the mountains hinder Kron-Nesis formidable cavalry to engage the enemy. While the Drakeene employ cannons which spew fire like the dragons of legends. These cannons is also why the nation is named as it is. It was through the use of these cannons that the protectorate won its independence from Kron-Nesis. Something which greatly irritates the nobility of Kron-Nesis and are adamant to take the territory back and once again unite the peninsula under its iron rule. [h2]Illvandrin[/h2] The proud nation of Illvandrin, or the Forest Heart as it's more commonly called outside its borders. The nation of elves, pixies, dryads and other various fay creatures. The forest itself guards against trespassers that the forest haven't approved for entry. This is the reason which any visitors have to go through set up custom posts or risk the wrath of the forest. While the forest won't harm those that do it it's it inhabitants no harm, it's merciless towards those that would harm them. Illvandrin has two capitals, one for the elves and one for the rest. Curael Endir is the elven capital deep inside of the forest. This was the original capital. It's as ancient as the forest itself. Arathene is the capital of the the rest of the races that inhabit the nation. While this is not a strict policy and the races often intermingle, the main reason for this being the case is that Curael Endir hold the nobility and royalty of the nation. [h2]Archclericy of Valon[/h2] A nation founded around religious dogma. The Archclericy is a melting pot of races and cultures that adhere to strict religious dogma. Anyone can join, as long as they're a convert of the faiths. Most priests that serve in the different nations gain their training in the holy arts here. Valon is also where the holy orders are based and where their grand temples are located. When one order wants to build a temple, the other three follow. This has lead to more than one place called "temple hill" due to the four temples sharing the same small space and tries to get new followers and worshippers for their god. Despite the underlying rivalry between the temples and their orders they're mostly quite civil against each other. However they do regularly leave on crusades against the ungodly ones and capture them as slaves. Two thirds of the entire nation is made up of slaves. [h2]The Shattered Isles[/h2] The Shattered Isles inhabit the ancient islands that remain after their empire had an unfortunate accident with a meteor which destroyed most of the island. The once big island shattered into pieces as it fragmented and the massive city which sprawled it vanished under the sea. It did not take long for the naga and other sea dwelling creatures to move in and take over the isles. Now they once again host a nation. A nation made up from the rules of the sea. And these rulers are not keen on competition as they raid the shipping of the other nations they don't like. Most of the nation is under sea but a large portion of the population and their actual harbours and ships are on the surface, waiting to set out other to trade or plunder. [h2]Kingdom of the Sea Lords[/h2] The Kingdom of the Sea Lords have a long and bloody history with their neighbouring nations. So many wars has been fought in the bay that it got renamed Blood Bay due to the death that dwells in it's domain. They are ruled by an electorate monarch which is elected every twenty years. While the monarch mostly rules like any other king or queen, the council can overturn any order from the monarch with enough support, even dispose of the monarch if he or she is unpopular enough. The Sea Lords are the second most dominant naval power in the world and has the largest fleet by quite a large margin. This is the reason why this relatively small nation can contend with its much bigger neighbours. The kingdom also provided their fleet to support the independence of Darakeene in an attempt to weaken their biggest rival. [h2]Eamonvale[/h2] There isn't much to say about this nation because it's quite young. Once upon a time Eamonvale and Nyrae were part of one much larger nation but after a massive civil war which lead to half of their combined population getting killed they split into two. The two nations are in an almost constant state of war where scouts and their respective armies fight each other every now and then, constantly reaching a stalemate. [h2]Nyrae[/h2] Nyrae, once a proud and strong nation, now decimated after civil unrest. Despite a long time passing, so many dead and scarred doesn't heal in any short amount of time. The fateful king that ruled at the time of the rebellion became known as the Crow King by his enemies. He enforced his rule with blood so in the end he was the king of crows. Since they were the only beings left after the decimation of the population. Shortly after Eamonvale broke off from the nation the nomads of the Ashen Wastes along with the Barrows also broke off, splintering the nation further. [h2]Kingdom of Vesh[/h2] The kingdom of Vesh is a small kingdom, but they are one of the biggest producers of grain and food supplies in the southern nations. The lands along the river and sea has made the lands extremely fertile and was once upon a time highly contested by the neighbouring nations. After the formation of the council it was declared that the region of Vesh was to become its own neutral nation which would supply the surrounding nations with supplies so that no one would starve. [h2]Estorna[/h2] Very similar to their cousins in Vesh, Estorna is also something of a breadbasket of sorts. However instead of grains, the big and grassy plains are instead the home of massive herds of various animals. The herds are bigger than the eye can count and are tended to by their shepard nation. They don't use pens to keep their herds in line, instead they let them roam around by themselves. This has made the nation one of community since the animals are owned by the nation as a whole. The so called state owns the animals, but the people own the state. Thus there is never any theft of animals or other produce since when you need some milk, you can just go to the herd and milk what you need. [h2]The Fang Lands[/h2] Ruled by a troll for the last three centuries, the Fang Lands are as crude and hostile as the name implies. Only the strong survive in this hostile land. Despite farmland being abundant and cattle everywhere you can see, everyone still fights for survival. It was decreed by the ruling king that no one would get anything for free and everything had to be fought for. This has made the nation one, if not the strongest military power in the world since everyone had to fight since birth for their right to survive within the world. But this also has divided the nation since the Troll King has not left his palace for the last decade. There are rumours that he is dead. [h2]Ashen confederacy[/h2] Made up from nomads which once were part of the large Nyrae nation. Primarily orcs and other tougher races along with humans made up the population. They reasoned since they didn't have any permanent settlement; why should they live under the thumb of a far away king? So with the stalemate situation which was formed in the civil war the clans and tribes of The Ashen Wastes decided to break off and do their own thing. The numerous clans banded together in one massive, moving nation which wanders the wastes and the surrounding territory in their bid for survival. And survive they do, flourish even. Since they never took part in the fighting, part from token forces, most of the clans are at top strength and only growing. Thus the Crow King can't force them back into the fold. [h2]Coven of the Barrows[/h2] The Barrows is a sad and horrid tale which is taught to everyone at a young age. Once upon a time there was a flourishing metropolis in the Barrows. It's people were peaceful and wanted nothing to do with the civil war that plagued their parent nation. So they decided to break off and formed their own nation. However this nation was not long for this world as the Crow King's answer was swift and brutal. Every single member of the nation that did not manage to flee was butchered, down to the last child. Their bodies used as a warning towards others that might want to rebel. But that was not the end. Not long after the massacre, massive hordes of undead started appearing. They started constructing fortresses, walls, outposts. In every direction away from the now undead metropolis. A coven of Liches had once build a necropolis under the city, unknowingly to the inhabitants above. The purge and burning of the city had disturbed their slumber and they woke up. The liches quickly established and sent out messages in every direction that the Coven of the Barrows had once again risen and would defend their necropolis to the last bone if threatened. [h2]Urland[/h2] Urland, thought to be named that due to being the first nation ever formed in the world. A land where princes would ride mighty dragons into battle. A power undefeated in battle. That was until the tragedy in Ool and the subsequent world war to keep the world from drowning in devils and daemons. This once mighty nation has fallen upon hard times. After the formation of the council of nations; they no longer has the need to provide their mighty army as mercenaries and soldiers for hire. So instead the army mostly disbanded and it's soldiers left to seek their fortune as either adventurers or independent mercenaries through the guild. However, no one can match Urland when it comes to aerial combat. Instead of dragons of old, now their forces ride into battle on mighty griffins, [h2]Ithell[/h2] Ithell, or The Court of the Stars as the nation is sometimes called. This is a land for those seeking something. The nation hosts the biggest and most expansive library in the world. It also hosts a massive observatory to watch the stars. It's a nation of science and progress in a world stagnated in the old ways due to magic. Ithell as a nation strives to improve the world through reason and knowledge, putting it at odds with the Archclericy. [h2]Crucible of Souls[/h2] The Crucible, a land of destruction and death. Nothing is alive here. Part from the hellspawns that call it home. Devils and daemons run rampant killing each other and everything else that moves within these lands. The lord of the Crucible, the harvester of souls, makes sure that this keeps happening. He is a being of malicious intent and hatred for the living. However this all started in the grand city of Ool. Once the centre of the world, literally and figuratively, now its in ruins with devils stalking the land. Centuries ago a massive ritual performed by a devil worshipping cult succeeded beyond what they had imagined. They wanted to summon devils to defeat their enemies, instead, the Harvester descended onto this plane and wiped out everything in a massive area around the city. The then nations of the world united to fight back the invasion of daemons and devils and succeeded in sealing the Crucible so that no one can leave, and no one can enter. The devils and daemons stuck outside of the Crucible was now stranded and cut off from the force that controlled them. Some went mad, some died, and some hid amongst the populace of the world. This was about 400 years ago. [h2]Morazuin[/h2] The lands on which the final battle between the devils and the mortal races was fought. Once lush, now ruined. Not much walk these lands part from daemons and those insane. The daemons here though are not inherently violent, not more than is in their blood. But now they are not controlled by the Harvested and the forces beyond and decided to form their own nation. They are the guardians of the Crucible. Those existing within the time of the control remember how it felt, and they will do anything and everything to prevent falling under its sway again. [h2]The Northern Alliance[/h2] The by far largest nation in the world. The Alliance spans across almost the entire northern part of the world. Made up from numerous nations, clans and the like. They all came together as one after the world war caused the north to freeze over, leaving most of it in a permanent winter, or at least, that's how it feels. The winters are long, and the summers very short. This has created a nation of hardened people who won't budge to anything and anyone. The main reason for the alliance though is that no nation or clan can survive the long winter on their own. The constant trade that is carried out between them is what keeps them alive. That, or to take over lands further south which parts of the nation is urging their leaders to do. [/hider] A plathera of player races Assume typical fantasy races until I write up more about them. With the pros and cons of each race. For example a vampire is most likely going to get hunted if exposed, making it harder to play as one. But as a trade-off they are much faster, stronger, and live eternally. [hider=Races] Elves Humans Gnomes Dwarfs [h3]Halflings[/h3] Halflings or half-bloods, are the natural or unnatural mixes of the races. Some are born from rape, some from love and some are bred, and the very few created by magical means. They share the common traits of their parents. Depending on which side of the blood is the strongest, the traits of the race is more prevalent. They share some of the strength and some of the weaknesses. Orcs [h3]Daemonic[/h3] Daemons come in all various forms. They are shaped by their desires and lineage. A daemon of wrath is most likely powerfully built and strong, while a daemon of gluttony is big and fat. Those without the strong desire look mostly like humans. But the daemon race have one trait that is universal, red, slightly glowing eyes. While stories of the other races tell of horns, fangs and tails, this is not true in most cases. Daemons are as varied as any other race. But they all share the strength that is within their race. Depending in lineage and desire it can manifest in a multitude of ways. Some have magic, some are strong, others are good diplomats while others can move objects with their minds. You're not too likely to see two daemons looking the same. [h3]Vampyric[/h3] Vampires show up in almost every form and race. While humans are especially easy to turn, almost every race can be turned. While beastman and humans are the most numerous of the races, their taste to a vampire is all right at best. The more magically powerful, the tastier the blood. Vampires can be roughly categorised into stages of age. From newborn to ancient. However this classification is quite faulty but the vampires themselves don't share that titbit. The vampires are classed after how much the sun effects them and how often they have to feed. The young ones have to feed every day and their skin burn and will eventually be killed under direct sunlight. As a vampire feeds ans grows in power the need lessens and they can tolerate the sun better. What most non-vampires don't know though is that hiding your skin with leather or dense cloth is enough to ignore the sun's effects. There are also things like hats and parasols which work just fine. The best though are enchanted goods and cloaks, but they are quite rare. All vampires can hide their features from showing as an innate ability however the ability to do do lessens the hungrier they get and when under the rays of the sun. This lessens with age and power though. [h3]Werebeasts[/h3] Werebeasts share a lot of similarities with their vampyric cousins. They both are quite feral when young and grow to control their powers with age. Both are mercilessly hunted by other races. And they both share a common ancestor. But there is where they start to separate. Werebeasts come in all manner of shapes and sized due to what race was infected with the curse. Like vampires, humans and Beastmen are the most susceptible to the curse, turning in almost every single case. Just like with vampyrism there are cures if they are applied before the first two days. After that the only known cure is death. Young werebeasts transform no matter what on the eve of the full moon. They lose themseleves to their inner beast and turn into a mindless beast. Werebeasts gets their powers from eating the heart of their foes. The stronger the opponent, the more power they gain. Older werebeasts can transform at will and while not forced to transform after the noon, they feel an intense instinct and wish to do so. They also keep their sanity intact during the transformation. Liche Faries Dryads Other fey Beastmen Monster With ability to transform Sea creatures with transform A few divine entities Non-player Monsters Sea creatures bound to sea Devils Undeads Divine entities [/hider] Basic character sheet [b]Name[/b] The name that the character goes by [b]Titles[/b] Have you received, or hold any titles? [b]Age[/b] Duh [b]Race[/b] Until I write more about the races, assume typical fantasy [b]Training[/b] Have you received any formal training? [b]Equipment[/b] what you're slugging around [b]Spell skills[/b] Do you have any talent with magic? [b]Other skills[/b] Any other skills that are useful? [b]Affiliation[/b] Are you affiliated with any nation or order? [b]Personality[/b] A quick run-down of personality [b]History[/b] How did you become who you are today?